If you’ve been a homeschooling or unschooling parent for a while, you are probably already familiar with people commenting on and questioning your choices, or trying to single-handedly determine your child’s level of knowledge on the spot. Next time you find yourself in the line of fire, try one of these responses.
1. What about socialization?
That’s funny. When I was in school, they always told us, “you are not here to socialize.”
2. But seriously, what about socialization?
I just don’t know how are going to squeeze in socialization. We have karate on Mondays, homeschool park day on Tuesdays, co-op on Wednesdays, and Girl Scouts every other Thursday. Maybe we could pencil it in for Fridays before our game night?
3. I could never stand to be around my kids all day.
I know what you mean. I could never stand to be around your kids all day either. (Credit: Linda Clement of Raising Parents.)
4. Are you worried they won’t fit into society?
Have you looked around lately? I’m more worried that they WILL fit in.
5. You’ll let her go to school if she wants to, right?
You’ll let your kids unschool if they want to, right?
6. But you seem so normal.
Really? We must not know each other as well as I thought.
7. Oliver, what’s 6 times 7?
Gee, Bob, I didn’t realize this was a quiz show. What’s the capital of Tanzania? When was Mozart born? What’s 945 divided by 16? What’s the boiling point of hydrogen?
8. That’s great! I unschool too. Well, except for math.
Really? I’m vegetarian too. Except for beef.
What other questions and comments do you get as a homeschooler or unschooled? Share with us in the comments.
Comments
This is sooo funny! I love it.
Other question I’m fed up with is: “But how are they gonna learn to be strong if they don’t have friction with others?” (I hope you get the question as I’m translating it from Spanish)
Greetings from Argentina!
How will you kids take their tests? And, you will send hem to high school right? Think of all the club and activities they’ll miss out on!
I taught school. My daughter is homeschooling hers. I think it’s a wonderful thing! As grandma I field some of these questions too. I love it when they ask if she should be teaching math. She went to college for electrical engineering. Besides that our local schools no longer teach college prep math to all students. Homeschooling parents can prep their kids for college. For statistics on this: https://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp
Yes! JenniferN”s comment about college should be #9. I get that one ALL the time.
But what if they want to go to University?
My now 11 year old son gave kindergarten a shot (3 months after the school year had started). After lunch on day 1, he thought it was over and tried to come home. By day 3, they had me picking him up at noon to try and make things easier (he’d never gone to daycare or any type of structured school-like setting). By day 5, he was SO over it that he declared the whole thing stupid (no talking, no running, treated like a baby) and he became a kindergarten dropout 😀
But don’t you even TRY to teach subjects?
I have a serious question do you have to register as a homeschooler in Qld.
I laughed so hard while reading your post! One of the questions we got when people first learned we would be homeschooling was if our kids would be sitting at a desk too like what kids at school would do. And yes, socialization. My oldest tried school this year and he was so annoyed that there was no time to socialize during schooltime at all. But mostly people around here have been really supportive and say they wished they could do it.