Lifers (Those Who Start Homeschooling from Birth), Convertees, and School Kids (Oh My!)

Lifers: I find them to be a curious species (in a good way, of course).

As a homeschooler, I kind of compare this situation to people who are born Jewish, versus people who convert to Judaism.

People who convert are not any less Jewish than I am (I was born into it), but they don’t always have the exposure to the culture that Jews-by-birth may have.

We weren’t “born into” homeschooling. We kind of converted to it…

But these homeschoolers from birth are pretty amazing. They have kids who sometimes want to try public school (and sometimes do), but most of the time, they seem to be perfectly content with living in their always-been-homeschooled world.

Which I find wonderfully fascinating.

In a way, I’m envious. If-I-knew-then-what-I-know-now, would I have homeschooled from the beginning? Probably. Do I regret Becca’s public school time? Not at all.

But I can’t help but wonder how it would have been if I’d homeschooled Becca from the get-go.

I am on the “Board” of our primary homeschool group. I look at the other three board members, and I realize, that I am the only “convertee” in the bunch. It’s a sobering thought.

(I’m also the board member with the oldest child.)

It’s great that we have a somewhat diverse little group helping to run (facilitate) our homeschool group

It’s a direct representation of our homeschool group at large. We have a great group of homeschoolers from birth, convertees and a few schooled kids, thrown into the mix.

To borrow a phrase from Martha Stewart: It’s a good thing!

Warning: Homeschooling Can Be Contagious (Isn’t There a Pill for That?)

Not too long after I pulled Becca out of public school, I received a call from a friend. She knew other friends and family members who were homeschooling, and she was considering it for her children. Needless to say, her kids never returned to school.

Another friend saw me at a community event. She called me over and said, “I want to talk to you.” (My first response to that is always, “Oh no, what did I do…”) But all she wanted was to ask a few questions about homeschooling. (She had a few concerns as well.) She was thinking of pulling her daughter out of public school. She’s been homeschooling for about two years now…

And last year, one of Becca’s BFFs spent his last year in public school. His mom is now homeschooling him and he couldn’t be happier.

Now I’m not going to sit here and tell you that all of these people who are now homeschooling did it because of me (or us). What I believe is that once people see someone close to them doing it, they think, “Hey, she makes it look easy. Maybe I can do it too!”

Having someone close to you start to homeschool may give you that last little push that you need toward doing it. (Heck that’s what finally happened to me. I found someone doing it, who made it look “doable.”)

I have at least two other friends now who are considering the homeschooling option for their children. (Like I said, contagious maybe?)

It’s nice to know that people can look at my homeschooling efforts and think, “If she can do it, maybe I can do it too…”

Let’s Call it Something Other Than Homeschooling (Can We Change the Name Worldwide?)

After reading about all of our adventures, a friend recently suggested that we change the name of “homeschooling” to “never at home-schooling.” I kind of like that idea!

We've also talked about calling it “always-in-my-car-schooling.” Or how about “the world is our classroom…”

One of my favorite bumper stickers reads, “If it’s called homeschooling, then why am I always out?”

For the first time in about five years, we had a lot of self-imposed down time this summer. Every year, I swore we’d actually have a “summer break.” Then I’d end up booking, double-booking and over-booking. (Once a planner, always a planner!) I really needed a summer off…

Though we ended up enjoying a lot of reading time, pool time and lazy days, Becca, for the first time since we started homeschooling, went a little (teeny bit) stir crazy. She’s more than happy to jump back into all of our regular “school year” activities.

While I can’t speak for all of the other homeschooling families out there, I know a LOT of our “learning time” has been out of the home. Even folks that stick to a strict classroom schedule find themselves running to field trips, co-ops and “outside” activities.

Perhaps if homeschoolers had a different name, people wouldn’t assume that they are stuck in the house all day.

All we homeschoolers can do, in addition to educating our kids, is continue to educate society as well…

So Where Do We Go and What Do We Do (Where ARE You Guys All Day?)

Ft Christmas, Florida

Last night, some homeschool friends and I attended the 14th Annual Brevard Zoo Teacher Open House. It was my first time, and I really enjoyed it!

They had refreshments, a local celebrity DJ, door prizes and a lot of information geared toward educators.

When each “vendor” asked what grade I teach, my responses were, “10th grade,” “High school,” or simply “Oh, I homeschool.” I got a LOT of positive feedback with that one… It was very refreshing! (The typical response was, “Oh, we have LOTS available for homeschool groups!”)

So in the future, we might be attending an archeological “dig” with the Florida Public Archaeology Network, taking a class at the Brevard Art Museum School, or making a trip to the Liberty Bell Memorial Museum (yes, right here in Brevard County, Florida).

In the past, we have participated in educational trips to the The Orlando Science Center, WonderWorks, Fort Christmas, the Brevard County Courthouse and the Brevard Zoo. We’ve had “fun” field trips to Chuck E. Cheese, a Daytona Beach candy factory, Sebastian Inlet and a Spring Training baseball game.

We’ve also done our share of “community service” by visiting assisted living facilities to spread cheer (and bring goodies) to the residents during the holiday season.

It’s good I keep a “photo diary” of all our events. (I don’t keep other records, really.) My “c drive” is full because of all the photos I’ve stored. It’s nice to look back at our events over the past 5 ½ years, and see how Becca’s grown, and all that we’ve participated in…

Like I’ve said before, our activities have slowed down a lot now that Becca’s older (and her interests have changed). There was a time, when we first started homeschooling, that we were gone 6 days out of 7. Maybe not so much anymore, but if you call and we’re not home, don’t be surprised!

Why I’d Rather Have a the Most Well-Adjusted Kid in the World (As Opposed to the Smartest Kid in the World)

I know. A weird thing for a mom to say.

But I’ve always said this. (Well, since I’ve been a mom I have.)

When Becca was in public school, I decided that though book-learning is indeed important, her emotional stability (and security) was even more important. Her ability to get along with other people (kids and adults) was (and is) a top priority for us.

I’d seen kids that were super-smart, but had no idea of how to interact with other kids (or adults). And I still do, to this day.

(Ever talk to a kid that grunts in response? Or can’t look you in the eye? Yeah, me too.)

But I mean, it’s not like you really get to CHOOSE this for your child. We don’t all have kids and say, “I think I’ll have a smart kid.” Or “I think I’ll have a super-social kid.”

I believe that people, to a certain degree, are born with certain propensities/personality traits. But then, how much of who we are (and who we become) is based on the environment that we’re brought up in?

Then there’s the fact that it IS entirely possible to be both smart AND social… (The ideal combination, in my book.)

I must say (though I do consider Becca to be VERY bright), the fact that she can interact with people (kids, teens, adults, sales people, strangers on the subway in New York City) is a good thing.

(She wants me to add in here that she IS aware of stranger danger, so don’t worry…)

Again, this may seem like a weird thing for a mom to say, but I am truly glad that I have a kid who’s not too shabby in the brains department, but most importantly, is socially well-adjusted… It works well for us!

Homeschool Drama (No, Not the Juicy Stuff)

Becca went back to her homeschool drama class yesterday at a local community theater. She loves being on stage. (Definitely takes after her mama).

Last year, the girls in her class did Shakespeare’s Ladies. It was adorable. Becca developed such an interest in Shakespeare that she ended up reading SEVEN of Shakespeare’s plays.

I don't know about you, but I found Shakespeare’s writing to be dry (and confusing) when I studied him in high school. But a friend told us about the No Fear Shakespeare series. (In these books, the original text is on the left, and the "translation" is on the right). Becca fell in love.

We also watched some of the movie adaptations (including Othello and Much Ado About Nothing). Becca also found Shakespeare in Love, and though it's a fictional story (based on Shakespeare's "love life"), she was smitten.

But back to our homeschool drama class. It’s so nice when places (outside of the homeschooling community) cater to homeschoolers. There are theater programs, sports programs, homeschooler roller skating days and homeschool bowling leagues. Next week, one of our local public pools will accommodate a large group of us for our monthly park day.

I guess the public at large is starting to realize that there are homeschoolers out there (and that we don’t necessarily spend all day at home). More and more places seem to want to cater to these wonderful kids (and parents).

Ask any homeschooler you know, and they’ll tell you about running to drama, and voice lessons, and PE, and gymnastics…

And imagine, I only have one homeschooled child. Multiply these activities times four…or five. (We have several homeschool families in our group with multiple children.) Talk about “Mom’s Taxi!!!”

I am so very thankful for all of the wonderful opportunities available to us...

So What (Exactly) is Becca Missing Out On by Not Going to High School? (“You’re Missing all the Fights. And the Dating!!!”)

I posed this question to a few of our “schooled” teen friends. (My friends’ kids who are in public school, and some of Becca’s former public school classmates.)

What is Becca missing?

And I’ve gotten some interesting (and some surprising) responses…

One kid I asked (a neighborhood boy) got all excited when I asked the question. “She’s missing the fights! I got in a fight this week, so-and-so got in a fight last week… And this other guy got arrested…” After we spoke to him, I got the lasting impression that that’s all they do at our local high school…fight.

(And this is supposed to be a “good” school…)

A female public school teen’s status was this, recently: “If your boyfriend wasn’t willing or able to fight, would you still date him?” (I had to ask somebody what this means. Evidently, there’s a lot of respect for a teen boy that’s able to throw a punch???) Surprisingly, some of the answers were no. “He’d have to be able to fight. Or I’d have no respect for him at all…”

But recently I asked another teen (my friend’s son) and he said that the “fight talk” is overrated. Fights do happen, but it’s not an every-week occurrence.

When I posed this question, I don’t know WHAT I was expecting. I guess I was expecting a teen’s perspective on what THEY think homeschoolers are missing out on.

How IS the socialization in high school?

Since we left in fourth grade, we missed out on middle school and now high school. Are there more freedoms? Are they free to hang out with whoever they want during lunch? Do they have “free” periods? Are they allowed to leave campus?

I went to public high school (and have very fond memories of my time there). I loved it. Sure, there were negatives, but all I remember is how much fun I had. And my favorite teachers or advisors. And my friends…

When I posed this question, I was expecting positives and negatives. But I guess I was confused by these answers.

Maybe I asked the wrong people…

So again, I find I must ask: What IS Becca actually missing out on?