“Do you homeschool?”
I get that question often and it makes me smile. How is it we “look like” a homeschool family? Maybe it has something to do with the other question I get a lot – “Are all those kids yours?!?” With 5 kids including 2 sets of twins, I guess we look like a large family. In some people’s minds, large family equals homeschool. Just imagine getting 5 kids out the door each morning for school with proper lunch boxes, homework folders, school paperwork, fundraisers, etc., etc., etc., etc., and one can understand why large families homeschool!
Perhaps in the early years homeschooling did have “a look” about it. (Why do matching denim jumpers come to mind??) The brave pioneers who blazed the trail for homeschooling seemed to represent a particular demographic. But now no single group has the monopoly. Homeschooling is embraced by so many different families from so many different backgrounds for so many different reasons, it is unfathomable that a family can distinctly “look” like a homeschool family.
Or maybe they do have “a look” about them; a quality that sets them apart from the general population. Beth, a friend of mine who homeschools, told me this recently: A fellow mom who knew Beth’s kids from a theater group asked where the kids went to school. When Beth told her the kids were homeschooled, the mom replied, “Something about their combination of being poised, relaxed, articulate and self-confident made me think they might have some different educational background.”
Poised, relaxed, articulate, self-confident – these are often the “look” of homeschooled children. Also homeschool kids usually interact easily with varying age groups because their day-to-day experience is not confined to a homogenous age group as in a traditional school setting. Homeschool kids often see themselves as a part of the larger community because they are out and about more, saying nothing of opportunities for community service. With more time to pursue interests, homeschool children can show great creativity and depth of knowledge about topics of study or become accomplished in a particular talent. Because they are encouraged to take ownership in their education, they often have developed independence and a love for learning. I’m sure I’m missing some qualities and I’m sure not every homeschooled child has honed all these perfectly, but overall this is the tenor of many homeschooled children.
I would like to flatter myself and think that my kids were displaying these wonderful characteristics, thus producing the homeschool question. More likely it is the fact that I have my kids with me a lot. I take them with me everywhere for two reasons: I’m too cheap to pay a sitter and I actually like being with my kids. (Some days one reason outweighs the other, truth be told!!)
I think this is true of homeschool parents – they like being with their kids! Why else would they opt to, in some cases, quit jobs and forego income in order to make homeschool happen? They see the years with their kids at home as precious and fleeting and recognize that shaping their children’s lives is an endeavor worth every effort; the greatest accomplishment ever to be had. They make the most of every opportunity.
I want to look like that!!
Copyright © 2013 J. Hoffman / GSN (NV)
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com