The Trail Less Traveled
Two trails diverged in a wood
And my brother and I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
---With Apologies to Robert Frost
There are so many TV, radio, and newspaper ads, especially this time of year, that are trying to get the attention of pre-teens and teens. The ads seem to shout, "If you would only wear Brand X make-up or use a certain handheld game, then you, too, will fit in and be accepted." Or how about those TV commercials that make it sound as if a trip to a large department store in the mall will transform you into a super model or super jock?
One of the advantages of homeschooling is that you don't have daily pressure to follow the crowd. (Let me interject something here---in case, you are one of those people who think that homeschoolers don't get enough socialization. I can assure you that it is NOT the case! There are plenty of socialization opportunities, and sometimes there are TOO many and can be a distraction from school work.)Sure, everyone wants to have friends and fit in. Homeschoolers, however, don't tend to care what brand of shampoo you use, or what label is on the back of your jeans. No one cares what the writing says on the side of your shoes. They are more interested in who you are and what you are learning.
Traditional schools start up in August here in the Carolinas, and my mother always asks if anyone (meaning my brother or me) wants to register for school. Neither one of us has ever had a desire to go to a traditional school. My mother was offered a job teaching science at a very posh school downtown. One of the perks of the job was that we could attend tuition-free. We weren't tempted by the offer.
It is going to sound rather corny, but my brother and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to homeschool. We love going down the trail less traveled! The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the homeschooling population has grown from about 10,000 to 15,000 children in the late 1960s to perhaps one million children by 2001. This sounds like a lot, but is only roughly 2 percent of the school-aged population. The number is higher now in 2005, but I couldn't find a recent statistic. The numbers reported are always on the low side since some people don't register with a support group, and the numbers continue to grow.
We run into people all the time who don't understand why we choose homeschooling. If you homeschool, then you know "THE LOOK." I'll translate "THE LOOK" for you. It means you can't be learning as much as you would in a traditional school. Your socialization IQ must be in the basement because you aren't sitting in a classroom all day. No amount of explaining ever changes their minds, so I usually try not to get into it.
Or maybe you are more familiar with "THE QUIZ?" That is when well-meaning (I think) people quiz you on trivia. Things they wouldn't even know if you quizzed them! I can put up with "THE LOOK" more than "THE QUIZ." Sometimes they continue to throw questions at you before you even answer the first one. I used to play along, but I don't play "THE QUIZ" anymore. It is very annoying. (My mother said I could decline as long as I was polite. Thanks, Mom!)
Sometimes my brother or I can't resist the temptation to say something to naysayers. (See, Mom! I am using one of this week's vocabulary words!) We were visiting Yosemite with some homeschooling friends in late March one year. March is a great time of year to visit Yosemite, by the way. No crowds, great photo ops, and LOTS of snow! Oh, and make sure you pack chains for your vehicle's tires! You'll need them on the snowy roads. But I digress...(Give me five, Mom! Another vocabulary word!)
We all decided we needed to get out of the cold and get something to eat and drink. We went off in search of a cafe because all of the park food stands were closed for the season. A rather large doorman blocked our way into the main lodge as we tried to enter. He curtly asked, "What are you kids doing here? Why aren't you in school?" My quick thinking brother replied, "Sir, we could have read about Yosemite in a textbook, but we decided to see it for ourselves." He smiled, and moved aside. The doorman ended up being quite friendly toward us, and shared stories about the lodge and famous visitors. When it was time for us to go, he told us he enjoyed chatting with us and hoped to see us again.
There are many sites along the trail less traveled that make homeschooling fun for me. I have time to read books that interest me. I travel to interesting places with my family and friends. I study music. But best of all, my horse is at the center of my curriculum. I'll share more about my horse-centered curriculum in another blog post.
Your trail less traveled may not be called homeschooling. Maybe you live on a houseboat in the Florida Keys or are working to qualify for the Olympics? I would love to hear from you about your trail less traveled, whatever it may be!
P.S. Blogspot wouldn't let me in for the past couple of days. That is why I haven't posted entries or comments.
And my brother and I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
---With Apologies to Robert Frost
There are so many TV, radio, and newspaper ads, especially this time of year, that are trying to get the attention of pre-teens and teens. The ads seem to shout, "If you would only wear Brand X make-up or use a certain handheld game, then you, too, will fit in and be accepted." Or how about those TV commercials that make it sound as if a trip to a large department store in the mall will transform you into a super model or super jock?
One of the advantages of homeschooling is that you don't have daily pressure to follow the crowd. (Let me interject something here---in case, you are one of those people who think that homeschoolers don't get enough socialization. I can assure you that it is NOT the case! There are plenty of socialization opportunities, and sometimes there are TOO many and can be a distraction from school work.)Sure, everyone wants to have friends and fit in. Homeschoolers, however, don't tend to care what brand of shampoo you use, or what label is on the back of your jeans. No one cares what the writing says on the side of your shoes. They are more interested in who you are and what you are learning.
Traditional schools start up in August here in the Carolinas, and my mother always asks if anyone (meaning my brother or me) wants to register for school. Neither one of us has ever had a desire to go to a traditional school. My mother was offered a job teaching science at a very posh school downtown. One of the perks of the job was that we could attend tuition-free. We weren't tempted by the offer.
It is going to sound rather corny, but my brother and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to homeschool. We love going down the trail less traveled! The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the homeschooling population has grown from about 10,000 to 15,000 children in the late 1960s to perhaps one million children by 2001. This sounds like a lot, but is only roughly 2 percent of the school-aged population. The number is higher now in 2005, but I couldn't find a recent statistic. The numbers reported are always on the low side since some people don't register with a support group, and the numbers continue to grow.
We run into people all the time who don't understand why we choose homeschooling. If you homeschool, then you know "THE LOOK." I'll translate "THE LOOK" for you. It means you can't be learning as much as you would in a traditional school. Your socialization IQ must be in the basement because you aren't sitting in a classroom all day. No amount of explaining ever changes their minds, so I usually try not to get into it.
Or maybe you are more familiar with "THE QUIZ?" That is when well-meaning (I think) people quiz you on trivia. Things they wouldn't even know if you quizzed them! I can put up with "THE LOOK" more than "THE QUIZ." Sometimes they continue to throw questions at you before you even answer the first one. I used to play along, but I don't play "THE QUIZ" anymore. It is very annoying. (My mother said I could decline as long as I was polite. Thanks, Mom!)
Sometimes my brother or I can't resist the temptation to say something to naysayers. (See, Mom! I am using one of this week's vocabulary words!) We were visiting Yosemite with some homeschooling friends in late March one year. March is a great time of year to visit Yosemite, by the way. No crowds, great photo ops, and LOTS of snow! Oh, and make sure you pack chains for your vehicle's tires! You'll need them on the snowy roads. But I digress...(Give me five, Mom! Another vocabulary word!)
We all decided we needed to get out of the cold and get something to eat and drink. We went off in search of a cafe because all of the park food stands were closed for the season. A rather large doorman blocked our way into the main lodge as we tried to enter. He curtly asked, "What are you kids doing here? Why aren't you in school?" My quick thinking brother replied, "Sir, we could have read about Yosemite in a textbook, but we decided to see it for ourselves." He smiled, and moved aside. The doorman ended up being quite friendly toward us, and shared stories about the lodge and famous visitors. When it was time for us to go, he told us he enjoyed chatting with us and hoped to see us again.
There are many sites along the trail less traveled that make homeschooling fun for me. I have time to read books that interest me. I travel to interesting places with my family and friends. I study music. But best of all, my horse is at the center of my curriculum. I'll share more about my horse-centered curriculum in another blog post.
Your trail less traveled may not be called homeschooling. Maybe you live on a houseboat in the Florida Keys or are working to qualify for the Olympics? I would love to hear from you about your trail less traveled, whatever it may be!
P.S. Blogspot wouldn't let me in for the past couple of days. That is why I haven't posted entries or comments.
posted by Elizabeth | 10:00 PM
2 Comments:
Liz,
What a delightful and insightful post about homeschooling (HSing). You are right that when HSing is discussed the 'socialization' question always comes up. It's a non-issue and a red herring IMO, but it's out there. HSers seem to have this annoying (to some) habit of doing well in higher education and in life. So much for the 'socialization' bunk.
Another thing I've noticed, and you didn't mention, is that HSing children have a very flexible schedule so they can - for example - take music lessons during the day when other children are in school. This makes HSers a very desireable group for instructors as it increases the number of hours in the day that instruction can be scheduled.
There is also the flexibilty of taking field trips and visiting historical sites off-season when there is less crowding.
I really enjoyed the post. Keep up the good work.
I am working! : ) I wanted to see if I could post my blog entries before going to piano and drums this morning. I do my edits while I publish, so hope you got to read the posts with the links and without all the typos!
You are right about homeschoolers having a flexible schedule. No way could I do all the things that I do and attend a traditional school.
There is no such thing as a perfect schooling situation. Maybe I will blog about the shortcomings of homeschooling sometime.
Thanks so much for posting!!! Have a GREAT day!
Elizabeth
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