Dave - I like this line of thinking! Call me a bit starry eyed as well.

I have been in this situation, and I AM a homeschooling parent!

Me: Oh, what grade is your daughter in?
HS mom: Well, she's 5 so she should be in kindergarten. But we homeschool and she is already reading on a first grade level.
Me: (biting my tongue furiously): Oh, that's lovely. So I was just thinking that as a five year old, it makes sense....(bringing the conversation back to the original topic).

I tend to feel awkward when anyone brings up accomplishments or giftedness out of context. It would never occur to me to declare my kid's abilities to a near stranger unless there was some good reason.

Here's an oldie but a goodie on homeschooling: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/humor/076.htm

enjoy!

Well, i just found another reason for homeschoolers to be defensive. DS and I just saw Horton Hears a Who, and the mean kangaroo mom said she's "pouch-schooling" because she didn't want her kid to be using his imagination like the kids being taught by Horton.

That's a great one, Lorel, love it.

I

"Isn't it amazing how they all develop? Kids are so great!"

That's my standard because I mean it and can deliver it with honest enthusiasm.

<eyeroll> So homeschoolers = mean and close-minded. Nice.

Well I have to pipe in here. I live in the South and I am sure this is part of the regional thing but the homeschoolers around here are for the most part the evangelical type and they are rather closed minded. They don't want their children in the public schools because they don't want "precious" to mingle with the great unwashed.

I even had a mother say to me that she let her daughter go to school for awhile but she just had to pull her out because when you are exposed to that "filth" all day the "stink is going to rub off" on you. And me with my kids in public school!!! I didn't know what to say to be honest.

Until I came to this board I had a VERY negative view of HSing. I have to say that you all have changed my mind. I think in certain instances HSing is the best thing to do for a child. But before I came here that wasn't my take on HSing at all.

And who can blame you with that idiocy around you!?

Ick.

That’s probably because your child is so shockingly advanced for age



I tend to mention some more mundane accomplishments because I don’t want lurkers, whether they are parents or educators, to believe that every HG kid (or YS) is doing calculus at eight.