Oh homeschooling…
Why must folks make it more difficult than it should be?
I am not a big debater.  My fighting skills are at times sharp in person but often rusty online.
But today I came across a small little battle that just had to be fought.
Now before I go on you should know that most days when “invited to a fight… I normally chose not to attend”…
but today….
I attended.

Here in the lovely state of Va. there is a law going before our state General Assembly called The Tebow Law… here is an article that gives a bit of both sides of the debate.
This morning when I woke up to a friend sharing the link to a local news channels Facebook wall and a  thread all about the debate I realized that the stereotypes and disdain for homeschoolers seem to be running rampant these days.
I would post a link to the thread but I will say that a “coach” got onto the thread and really vented how angry she was and let all her feelings, preconceptions and anger towards home schooled CHILDREN really shine.
So why am I not posting the link?  Because personally I think as a “coach” and an educator of CHILDREN she should have stayed out of it since once this law passes one day (because I have no doubt one day it will pass) her bias and hatred of homeschoolers will all be there for the world to see.
Can you imagine the grief this would cause her one day when she has a homeschool child try out for her team and once again they don’t make her “team”?  No matter how good they are.
I find that people often say things online, letting all their true feelings show no matter how ugly, and never really think of the long term employment consequences.  I will not be the reason she gets outed with her school district for being…um…a teacher who dislikes homeschool kids.
I shudder to think what would happen if I ever had to put my kids in her classroom and she has these strong feelings against families who have chosen this route…for whatever reason.   She was very clear in her disdain for home schooled children.
The very sad fact was she was NOT alone in her sterotype and attitude.
Anyhow…I know the traffic I get here and I refuse to be the reason…
even if it is slight…
that one day this gal gets in trouble of some sort…
But hey….I am self employed and a homeschooling mom so I can say exactly what my thoughts are…
although I am far better explaining my thoughts in person than I am online.
So much is lost in interpretation.
I am taking it with a grain of salt that is exactly how it played out for her…
sounding so hate filled and angry…
I shall give the benefit of the doubt and that perhaps it was just the venue with which she chose to vent that made her sound so unhappy.
Onto my side…

We are on our fourth year of homeschooling…
We fell into this…want to read how?  Once upon a time I wrote this lovely article over at the Creative Mama called:
“Never Say Never and Are You Nuts?” 
Basically this article will get you up to speed on how we started four years ago.
What a journey this has been.

When we started I so feared that we wouldn’t “fit in”…see I too had heard all the stereotypes.
Thought for sure I would have to wear dresses everyday and never cut my hair again.
Thought for sure we would be shunned since…gasp…we don’t go to church every Sunday (I have to work…)
Thought for sure my kids may just miss out on everything from having “best friends” to “will they ever be invited to a birthday party?”
Thought for sure we would feel isolated and spend many a day lonely.

None of which happened. Luckily homeschooling mom’s seem to like having cute clothes, purses and getting their “hair did” just the same as traditional school mom’s.  Who knew?
I do wear dresses from time to time but that is because I like dresses…
I do have a cute little haircut I happen to like…(mainly because it looks like “I care”  enough to have done it but really…not so much)
I have never been shunned for our lack of belonging to a church.
The kids both have lots of “best friends”…go to parties often… we have playdates, field trips etc… every week…more often than not…several times a week.
Heck these kids have double the “social life” they had when they were in traditional school.
We never feel isolated because we are out in the community everyday.
Dance classes, art classes, co-ops, Boyscouts, football ….you name it we are probably doing it.
You would never know these kids are “homeschool kids” unless you asked them straight up “Where do you go to school.”
Turned out that the reasons parents choice to homeschool their child are as varied as the stars in the sky.

So where am I going with this?
While I was sure I knew I was in for it from the homeschool community when we first started because I thought we would stick out like a sore thumb…
I had no idea just how shunned we would be from many families who’s kids do go to traditional school
For some reason our choice to homeschool our kids is somehow saying “Your school/education isn’t good enough for OUR kids.”
Somehow the notion that by homeschooling we think our kids are too good for public school or something.
So so so so so far from reality.
This attitude just always leaves me scratching my head.
At first it used to hurt my feelings.  I am the least judgemental person you will ever meet.
Just because we chose this for our family I would never say it is “the best way” to educate a child…
it is simply what fits….
MY child.
MY family.

How does our choice effect those families?
Why the anger towards homeschooling families?
Oh you should read some of these comments on any venue that The Tebow Law has been posted.
Many of the articles end up with heated debates and full on prejudice against homeschool kids.
KIDS.
Somehow I had missed many of these arguments till today simply because my children aren’t big athlete’s.

Heck, Adam is totally a computer guy and Haley is clearly an artist spirit.
How lucky are they that we homeschool and they can feed their love for what makes them happy in life.
How much we have given up to give them these opportunities.
I have never regretted it a minute.
I will continue to homeschool them for as long as they desire.

But by golly…if they want to play stinking soccer in high school they should be allowed to “try out” to play soccer in high school.
Will they “make the team”?
Honestly..I doubt it.
Why?  Because many of the public school parents have their panties in a bunch that somehow by a homeschool child trying out they could “take the spot of a real student”.
Really?
I loved this quote in the article above:
“They contend there is little or no periodic monitoring of academic progress for children taught by parents at kitchen tables, unlike in public classrooms.”

I admit it…this statement got a full on chuckle out of me.
The thought that somehow teaching a child at a kitchen table instead of a desk in a classroom is somehow…well bad..or “less” of a learning environment.
Oh and the “no monitoring”…right.
Two points here:

1. Adam works on a computer at a desk…
   Haley does indeed use the kitchen table alot.  Somehow there is no less information in her Abeka Language Arts curriculum whether it sits on a kitchen table or a school desk…
   I would know…it is the same curriculum I grew up on years ago in a traditional school setting.
   Just saying.
2. Yep… we are monitored and DO have to turn in test scores…and if that isn’t enough to be able to kick a ball on a field…why not just make up the rules that would indeed make coaches and public school parents happy to fill the requirements?  Like bringing in their work weekly to a school counselor to prove they did the work…or some other COMPROMISE (we are adults ya know).

Oh silly adults.
Can’t we all just get along?
Does everything have to end up in a “My parenting method is soooo much better than yours!  Your wrong!”
Can’t folks realize that homeschool families pay taxes and actually a public school benefits tremendously from homeschooling families.  Especially families like mine who have a child, who if in the system, would have special requirements.
We are saving them money and giving them our money all at the same time!
We have never complained a second since it has been our choice.
A choice I am soooooo thankful this state has allowed us to make.

I am positive that my children would be completely different people if we hadn’t gone this route.
It was the right choice for us.
Our choice is by no means some hidden attack on the establishment of public education.

Are there homeschooling families that stink at educating their children?
Yes.
Are there public school that stink at educating there children?
Yes.
The sooner everyone realizes there just isn’t a “One Size Fits All” tag on education the sooner this country can get back to the business of educating ALL children in the manner in which they need to be successful.
Every child deserves a chance.
A chance to learn.
A chance to grow.
A chance for an adult to cut them a break and let them kick a ball around a field.

To all the parents up in arms about the possibility that their child may have to compete against a homeschool child for a coveted spot on a sport team…take a deep breath and realize that the prejudice against a homeschool teen from ADULTS will always make any attempt at getting on the actual team close to impossible.  This country has dealt with prejudice over and over through out the years.  I admire any teen who tries out for a team sport after this law goes into effect one day.
They will be some of the bravest teens I will have ever met.  Can you imagine that pressure?
Teenagers are smart and totally know what they are up against…yet they STILL want the chance to try…
Just a chance…that is all they are asking for.

Last note…
After reading through pages of angry adult posts today it became clearer than ever just where bullying starts.  I have often said that if one wants to know where bullying starts and how to get it to stop one has to look no further than the parents/adults surrounding the bully.
Listening to the “coach” today I realized that if any teen made her team they would not only be given a hard time by the coach for being a homeschooler but the team would have free reign since surely the other cheek would be turned if any sort of hazing began.
Oh how times never seem to change.

Of course this is all just my opinion…my venting platform.
Every year we ask the kids “Do you want to go back to regular school?”
Every year we get a loud “NO!”
So I will continue each year until it is a “Yes”.
It just fits OUR family…but I wouldn’t think twice to let them try out regular school anytime they would like.
See it isn’t about thinking we are “better than”…just about thinking we are a family that sticks together and listens to each other.
That simple.
No big hidden agenda or conspiracy.