to refuse to explain for the upteenth time that we homeschool and that is why we are sometimes out and about during the day?

[kitsonkittykat]

I have already explained many times that we homeschool, and that is why we are able to pop out at lunchtime, and that we do not have "many days off", and they do "go to school". Am I unreasonable to refuse to explain myself over and over again to the same people?

Socknickingpixie - I used to bunk off PE lessons in secondary school, because the teachers were going through a long phase of basketball only, which I hated/was rubbish at.

I spent the time peacefully in the local library. Nobody ever found me there.

If people repeatedly ask for explanations /make snider remarks, you'll have to think of some comeback along the lines of 'well seeing you were educated at a regular school and I've had to explain homeschooling to you umpteen times, is it any wonder I want to homeschool as my kids have learnt how to listen and remember information people tell them!' :o

' i have never never in my life heard of a kid bunking of school to go to a library to read a book'

I used to..... I wasn't even good at bunking off, rofl

Unfortunately socknickingpixie I wasn't with them at the time or I'd have definitely said something!

But I'm glad you found it as ridiculous as me!

tell them you are all carriers of a very contagious and life threatening disease, airborne transmission.

oh, dear. you can tell why i don't have friends. i'm not much good at this stuff.

alistair,thefog and tabula i apsolutly applaud you and im very very impressed i hope you have still retained your love of books and i hope nobody told you off for it.

i personally used to bunk off to hang around with snotty pretend mates for that read snort coke in a car park or get shedded hence why i had to go back to school to do gcses when i was 21, i love books perhaps if i had done that my parents wouldnt have minded so much

Stealth boast by any chance OP?

op needs a label on each child saying "I'm not like everybody else. I'm superior"

Not a stealth boast at all, just defending myself from the "I knew a homeschooler and her children were woefully behind/downloading porn/running feral"etc assertations.

What makes you want to homeschool?

Unfortunately reading novels doesn't really replace exam preparation, so I ended up at college as an adult as well, lol

I don't really know if yabu or not tbh. You say these comments come from people who already know that you homeschool? Well, I certainly wouldn't comment but I would wonder. Why is school no good for your DCs? I agree that the ratio of you with 2 is far better than 1 teacher and 30 pupils and your timetable of a school day sounds fab, but I do think school is about social skills as much as it is about academic education.

My DS is 3.5 and attends pre-school, I am not expecting him to learn a load of stuff, I'm just happy that he spends time playing with other kids. He currently loves learning letters and numbers and we encourage that at home and I will continue to encourage his interests and learning as a compliment to his schooling but I do think that school is important to children as a safe introduction into a less safe world.

The post listing the daily activities was so detailed that it cannot be seen as anything but a stealth boast!

It's nothing to boast about IMO. If a school was making a 5 and 7 year old sit down for hours to do worksheets and dry reading etc every day (and where is the socialising, working together, learning through play etc?) there would be outcry.

Good for you OP. It must be very satisfying

lark I find your post quite aggressive - just because someone has chosen differently from you doesn't mean they think your option (or the typical option) is "no good".

Blimey - if you think lark's post is quite aggressive, you haven't been here v long. On the contrary, she's expressing an opinion in an clear and direct way

A bit of a stealth boast IMO too.
The decription of her day's work was very detailed.

I'm not sure what your definition of very long is. Just because it is often quite aggressive here doesn't make something else not aggressive. I home educate, doesn't mean I think schools are "no good" or that my kids would get no benefit from going to one, we've just chosen differently. I don't drive out of choice, doesn't mean I think cars are no good. I'm an immigrant, doesn't mean my country of birth is no good. I converted as an adult, doesn't mean I think my family gets no good out of their faiths or that the majority faith is no good just because I am a minority one. The wording "no good" appears to me to be sparring for a fight and setting up a false dichotomy (that one side is good and the other is not), rather than opening a dialogue. Personally, I find being in the minority often leads to greener grass thinking of the good that the majority brings I find.

I home ed and always get asked 'oh isn't ds at school yet' etc etc what type of answer they get depends in general on my mood if they are genuinely interested I'm happy to explain if they accuse or are rude I just say excuse me and go. Generally I find people interested though. The other one I alway get is 'oh poor ds doesn't have any friends/get to socialise' that always drives me crazy as ds has a insane social life and usually that's why we are out and about, meeting with friends to visit places.

OP - I just say dd (12) doesnt go to school. Cause she doesn't!

Why do you need to explain?

Tbh I find that telling people you homeschool is a bit like telling them you're having a homebirth - you're likely to hear all sorts of ignorant bollocks.

... Including opinions like 'they need to go to school to learn social skills.

Fair point.

The word "aggressive" doesn't spring to mind, "emotive" maybe

Sorry that ^ was to GoodPharisee

I spent most of my final year at high school in the local library!