Anyway, they were going on about a friend of theirs who had pulled her kid out of school. They said some really scathing things about the friend and kept talking about how "this kid won't know how to cope in the real world." They made a very big deal about how the child would be at such a social disadvantage.
Something I distinctly remember from school is the feeling that we were NOT in the real world. It's a holding place, where you hope some education is going on, until people get old enough to be in the real world.
And what's the first thing some people say when people start arguing on the community board...that it's like being back in high school. Meaning we are NOT supposed to behave like we did in school!
I've told this story before, but I'll do it again because I like it. we rent a condo in a building that has traditionally been for older people to purchase units in. It's like an informal retirement building. We are surrounded by many MUCH older people. And many kids shy away from much older people for many reasons. Now my son has lived here since just before his fourth birthday, and he's now well into being seven. And while he does have a couple people that aren't his favorites, mainly the ones that get right up in his face and treat him like he's a baby, he loves almost all of our neighbors.
They have a party every other wednesday and he's always begging to go so he can chat. He insisted we get a chocolate frog from universal for a neighbor, and when he gave it to her he said that it was a than you for her wonderful Christmas parties (that he and DH go to, not Mel because I get too nervous). DH was with him for this, and was ao surprised at what he said! It near made our neighbor cry. Her father lives here, and he's a painter, and DS drew him a picture to give him when he went to visit once. I can't even remember to bring wine with me to a dinner party!
Anyway, the following must have been when he was a new six...they knew about our homeschooling plans, and that we'd been doing it, they knew we go to the Y for friends, and I think we were going to the homeschool PE program then.
So I, a product of public school from first through twelfth, am hanging to the side of the room, only functioning to make sure DS speaks loud enough, and not really interacting. DS is chatting away about everything with everyone, snacking and thanking people for their food, and have a grand old time. He talked with this one woman for upwards of 20 minutes. At the end of this, she starts talking about school, I remind her about homeschool, and literally the next words from her mouth are about if I was worried about his future socialization and what will I do to make sure he knows how to interact...
And I just thought omg woman are you SERIOUS?????? I mean, she was JUST chatting away with him. But I think some people just can't handle the idea.
Which is funny to me,because of course we are just going back to more traditional ways of living. Our closest neighbor is something like 93, and he lived rurally, and he definitely remembers having school with just a couple other kids in a small room. Things changed so quickly it seems.
I can answer why administrators wig out over withdrawls......funding. Every kid they lose means a money loss. We actually had a letter put out when school began which said something to the effect, "Please have your child here if at all possible. Mulitple abscenses reduces the funding available to our school." Color me unconcerned, if my kid has strep or an opportunity to travel somewhere educational, they won't be there. You'd think they would get that keeping sick kids home would reduce exposure, sickness, and, ultimately, reduce abscenses.......but no one ever accused schools of being smart
Which just shows how badly thought out the method of getting money for schools is. Why
should it be a butt-in-seat system? What if they thought of a different way?
Eamon got sick last Friday night after his aikido class. And he's still sick. We don't tend to medicate, so he's been coughing and blowing his nose for over a week now. I got sick too, and just today started to get some energy back (maybe I'll be able to spend some time copying math stuff tomorrow!).
Basically we'd pretty much be out of sick days if he were in school, and he's still not better! Since I believe in keeping myself home when sick, it would just be a constant battle.
We had a family pull two kids out to homeschool. It has been a snark-fest ever since we found out. I will grant you, the mom doesn't seem to be the most "on the ball" BUT who really knows? Not only that, but her boys are "different" and, the older the get, the less I forsee them fitting in at all. They are already teased by the kids and
made fun of (behind their backs) by teachers. .....
The biggest problem I have is that the office worker is taking great delight in putting the truancy officer on their case.
The part I bolded is basically a shy kid's nightmare for school, that the teachers ARE, actually, making fun of the kids.
Why can't they rejoice for the kids, who might now be able to get the education without the crud? Wo might have a chance to be themselves and grow strong in themselves?
I've just now remembered one of the "weirdest" guys I ever knew in college. He was also
extremely religious, and I mean the "dinosaurs don't exist, they were put here by the devil as a test for the faithful" type of religious. And he'd been home schooled. He got in your space, he was loud, etc. But he was MEGA smart in his fields of study, somehow worked D&D into his faith and had a better social life than I did because of the gaming, and he was a confident, strong willed, sure of himself man!
Isn't that better than someone like me, who will state their truths then run away, who will spend hours and hours after a social function reviewing every stupid thing she said? Isn't that what we WANT for our kids? Not to just not be odd, but to be true to themselves and resistant to letting others mess with their heads?
And my goodness...I never seem on the ball! And yet my kid is learning. Sometimes it seems like it is despite me, lol. As he gets older I'll get better. We will learn how to do this together.
And if I'd had him in school, dealing with the stuff I remember my mom dealing with, dealing with the stuff I hear about from acquaintances and around here...I'd seem like the biggest flake because I'd be hating the universe so much. I bet that mom will rise to the occasion, especially if her kids are anything like mine...kids that DEMAND learning from their parent, who make it happen.
I don't really know if the second one was a special situation or what - if that is the typical experience with them, then no thanks. I could just leave them in school if I wanted them to slog through 13 hours a day of "kill and drill" worksheets, and not have a say in what we study or whether we continue to cover a subject or move on. 
I asked her if the school had been ugly to her when they left, she said not that she knew of, but she had sent her husband to do the dirty work (oh, if only LOL) Perhaps the other woman ASKED for that level of intervention? Unfortunately, I don't know her well enough to ask. I am relieved, though, that it sounds like they will be cool with my plans to scale ODS back a few years in math for review before trying to catch him up to where he *should* be, if they told me that he had to continue to do the same math he is trying to muddle through at school I might have leapt from a bridge. I ordered a Life Of Fred math book, anyone familiar with it? I wanted to look through a few books before we actually began working. It seems like a very different way to learn math, I don't know if THIS way would be good for the kids but I guess that's the benefit of HS'ing right? If it doesn't work, scrap it and try something else.
is thinking of people being hateful to me and telling me what an awful mistake I'm making. I know it will likely happen at least once (just based on odds), but I have a fear of everyone starting in on me. I have only met ONE person at our school who said "Yeah, I think HS'ing might be an option worth looking at." Given that I work at the school, I will have to make my intentions clear the end of November and then work with these people 5 days a week for another 3 weeks........I worry about how uncomfortable that will be.
