Are Homeschoolers Wack-O?: An Informal Survey

I met someone recently who told me I wasn't like other homeschoolers. What? I think she meant it as a compliment, but I didn't feel like listening to her opinion on the homeschoolers in her life. My life, oddly enough, does not revolve around explaining our homeschooling lifestyle to others. The laundry doesn't do itself, you know. So I nodded, smiled and got the heck out of Dodge. However, it got me wondering. Just what do non-homeschoolers think of us? Are we just a big bunch of kooks? (I'm not talking about myself here. I know I'm a kook.)

So, let me have it. Give me the unvarnished truth. What is your opinion of homeschoolers? Do you non-homeschoolers think we're all a bunch of radical nut jobs? Not that I'm changing my mind on anything, you understand. I just want to know.

Oh, and yes, the Christmas Tree is still up.

Comments

[Amy]

From another nutty homeschooler....I just got my Christmas tree down a few days ago!

[Andrea]

I am a non-home schooler. I personally think that homeschooling parents are amazing. I love my kids but I know we can not lean from each other. Other teachers have already proven to do better than me. So, Home schoolers are not crazy, they are amazing.

[Claire in CA, USA]

Homeschoolers are nuts. They spend all their time together as a family (when does the mother have any time to herself?). They socialize with all different age groups (what could a kid have to say to an elderly person?- oh brother!). They use everyday experiences to learn (I don't know how they learn anything outside of a classroom!)

Basically WE homeschoolers are crazy....like foxes. :-)

[Dana]

I tend by nature to be a bit nutty, although I would say have tempered and become less nutty since beginning homeschooling.

Hmm...

But wait, I am not really supposed to answer this question, right?

[Activities Coordinator]

Amy - Stop bragging:)I'll get it down eventually! LOL

Andrea - Sometimes I amaze myself! (Although probably not in the positive way you are talking about.)

Claire and Dana - I completely understand the need to answer ANY question about homeschooling. It's a disorder that plagues us all!

[Lou Lawson]

If we are not nuts when we start homeschooling, we are when we get done!
Ha...just kidding (kinda).
Homeschooling isn't for sissies.

[Heather]

We've just embraced the whole Homeschoolers are Freaks thing. That would be my husband's choice of words - not mine. When we decided to start homeschooling 3 years ago, we were lying in bed and my husband said, "Well, it's offical, we're freaks now!" I'm completely ok with others thinking we're odd. To me those that say, "I could never homeschool my kids, I'd kill them." Or, "I couldn't spend that much time with my children, they drive me nuts." Those are the people that I consider to be the weirdos. Ya Know?! I say Freaks Unite! ; )

[Activities Coordinator]

I see a trend building amongst the comments from the homeschooling crowd..."WE ARE NUTS!"

But are we really? Or are we the normal ones? (Now there's a frightening thought.)

[Elisheva Levin]

I am a homeschooler, now, but I taught in public and private schools for ten years before I took my son out of school.

I think homeschoolers are certainly different. We are not the trend, we are not the majority. We push the envelope a bit. Is that nuts? I don't know, but I do know we are extremely independent.

[Summer]

I think just being around kids all day makes you kind of nuts. LOL

[LeeAnn]

Independent? Yaaaaah. I'd like to say I'm mainstream, but I can't or my kids would be in school! Since I've just reconciled myself to homeschooling through high school (and broken the news to my kids with a simply Okay on their part), I have to face the fact that I'm nuts. Officially.

[Crimson Wife]

My DH's first reaction to my bringing up the possibility of HS our DD was "Homeschooling? Isn't that for hippies and superfundamentalist Protestants?"

He recently got a similar backhanded compliment from a work colleague: "I never would've guessed you homeschool your children- you're totally normal!" (Thanks, I guess).

[Activities Coordinator]

Exactly, Crimson Wife. They're all astonished that we leave the bomb shelter every now and then!

Summer- If being around kids all day makes you crazy, what does that say about those poor teachers trapped with 25+ kids in a classroom all day? At least I don't have to worry about my students' parents suing me!

So far we have one non-homeschooler and nine homeschoolers responding. Are there any more out there with an opinion?

Anyone? Bueller?

[SMoff]

Rats~
I had typed up a good, long response and when I went to punch in the security letters I lost it all.

My opinion~ most homeschool families are the LEAST whack-o folks you'll meet. We are focused, driven, family-involved, attentive, and appreciate learning.

If that's whack-o, then sign me up!

[Activities Coordinator]

Thanks, everybody. Y'all are the best...whack-o or not!

[Dana]

I solved the problem. We are officially nuts. I looked up "nut" in the dictionary, and there I saw it: "Homeschooler." Covered by 2 a and b. See for yourself:

2. Slang
a. A crazy or eccentric person.
b. An enthusiast; a buff:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nut

Since eccentricity is sort of founded on cultural norms, we are by definition eccentric in our educational choices. There are not even enough of us to really be a full-fledged minority, yet. So we are merely eccentric.

And we do tend to be on the enthusiastic side.

So question answered. We're nuts.

[Lindsey @ enjoythejourney]

Yes. I am a homeschooler and I'm nuts too.

But hey, the whole reason I homeschool is to be DIFFERENT! :) so being nuts is really a compliment, in my book. why be normal and boring?