You know, I've had a few negative reactions, but less than I was expecting. I usually cover our homeschooling story in a few sentences if someone asks about DS's school and I make it about his feelings (he was miserable in school). Everyone wants a good fit for their kid and most parents would make a change if they were dealing with an unhappy child every day of the week. I also do try to make it clear we are NOT homeschooling for religious reasons. Where I am, there is a very clear divide between religious and "secular" homeschoolers. I love the "flaky hippy" remark. I'm sure people would categorize us more that way. On the other hand, some people would probably respect us more if we were religious homeschoolers.
I have found teachers to be the most curious, understanding, or hostile. It is interesting. And I have great respect for teachers too. They are grossly underpaid and overworked in a lot of cases. Even though our neighborhood school didn't work for DS, it works very, very well for many kids. Even GT kids.
