Teachers Hate Us!

[MomTo7]

I had to do the 3 hr GD test this morning (passed...yea!) . I don't have a sitter so the poor kids had to suffer with me. At least 7-8 other people came over to tell me how amazed they were with my children. ....They behave so well ..... are quite....helpful with little sister...speak so politely and proper...and blah....blah....blah. I usually get this when we are out so I am used to it. ...greatful, but used to it.

This one lady had brought her mother in and heard all the nice things that people had said as she was sitting close by. She was smiley and had said how lovely all the children were and how you just don't see that these days. SHe spoke to Belle and enjoyed her little giggles and such. Then asked my 8 yr old what grade he was in b/c he was doing math she was surprised he could do. He said that he was HS'ed and really didn't have a set grade. She was so awful after that. Turns out she was a retired teacher and apparently thinks we are all weird for homeschooling.
I think teachers are great and have so much to do. I don't send my kids to school but it's not b/c I hate teachers so why do so many teachers seem to hate us.

What happen to the lovely, well mannered family I had 5 minutes ago?

Wanted to mention that we have HS'ers in our play group that are teachers who stay home to teach their kids....they have said that they have lost friends over it too. How sad. :rolleyes :(

[Sara]

Oh, I am so sorry that happened! I'm frustrated just hearing about it! :rolleyes Unfortunately, I do think that many public school teachers are very anti-homeschooling. Certainly not all of them, but definitely some of them. We had an experience last week where I took my 6yo scrapbooking with me (to a Creative Memories workshop) and some of the ladies--who were public school teachers--were talking to her and being really nice. After they asked her what school she goes to (to which she replied that she is homeschooled) they didn't say another word to her. The whole room was silent and it just totally killed the conversation. I felt really sad for dd and also angry that people would act that way. I certainly wouldn't not talk to their children just because they are going to school! :td

[Jan Andrea]

How awful, that they would react that way! I can't for the life of me figure out why it bothers them so much, either. I was training to be a teacher (ended my internship early due to depression), but the homeschooled kids I saw (a couple came in just for science classes) were wonderful -- part of what started my interest in homeschooling.

I would guess it's one or more of these things:


"Homeschooled, eh? Guess that means they think all teachers are bad... why else would they want to keep their kids at home?"
"If it catches on, where will my job be?"
"Wow, if these kids are homeschooled and are so bright and well-mannered... why aren't my students like this, too?"
"My goodness, how will those poor children ever learn anything at home? How irresponsible of their parents!"


Or it could be none of those. But when I told my aunt, who works at a hospital, that I was having a homebirth, I got about the same reaction. My aunt told me that the baby and I were both at risk of death, and then wouldn't talk to me anymore. It upset her too much. I can't personally understand why homeschooling (and anything at home, really) frightens/disturbs people so much, except that it's not "normal" and maybe they just don't know how to deal with their emotions surrounding it. :shrug

[allisonintx]

Scientific is better than inate.
Expert is better than anything.
Someone-else is superior to parents (who are 'too close' to the situation)
No person can know as well as someone who went to school for that ONE thing, how to do anything.

It's the institutionalization of our world. If it's personalized then it must be wrong. We must shelter ourselves from having to make any decision of our own and from all of our bodily fluids at any cost. You know, it's so primitive to consider anything else. :td

[jennifer2boys]

I have run into this quite a bit. I just figured that they felt we threatened their job security. :shrug

[Kaz]

I think any time you do anything different people tend to feel threatenend. I'm planning on homeschooling..not for a while as dd is only 8mths. I grew up being taught to think for myself and to question what 'everyone' is doing.
BTW, I had a homebirth, and I can relate well to the criticism. We ended up keeping it to ourselves, told people after the fact so we wouldnt have to deal with all the 'tut-tutting'. But thew homebirth was the best decision ever. And what's more, it's given me the courage to continue listening to my God-given instincts in other areas like breastfeeding and co-sleeping.
I am sorry for your negative experience, it still hurts doesn't it..even if you feel you're right (especially if you feel you are right). But; know that you are inspiring others (eg me) to walk the same path
Kaz

[Reva]

I agree, I think they just feel threatened. My best friend is a teacher, and she fully supports my hs decision. She's even said that if they could afford for her to stay home, she would hs her own kids.

[CelticJourney]

We were basically the first homeschool family in our very large church. Several of the teachers I know only had experience with 'homeschoolers' who kept their children home, but did not educate them. When they hit the system, the teacher was left to help them catch up along with teaching the other children at the same time. We are talking about things like not knowing their colors in kindergarten. Now that our homeschool community has grown within the church, the teachers have contact with real homeschoolers and how well it can work and have a different opinion.

[righteous mama]

Well, my dh is a public school teacher and he doesn't hate me! ;) :lol We have actually found a lot of teachers (the ones we share this information with) are extremely supportive and say, "Heck, I'd keep MY kids out of this system!" They know their jobs are secure because there is just so many kids. Honestly, I think dh wouldn't mind being put out of a job if it meant kids are being homeschooled.

[Radosny Matka]

:rolleyes How annoying! HS is definately looked down upon by a lot of people. A few "bad apples" have given it such a bad rap. :rolleyes

[Teribear]

Praise God that hasn't been my experience...some of my best resources when we get "stuck" or I need re-assurance that she's doing "ok" are my school teacher friends. I'm sorry you guys experience negativity or rejection from the teachers you encounter. :grouphug

I do think that some teachers are threatened by homeschooling and homeschoolers. I also think that some of it is envy. Its got to be depressing to be forced into a state prescribed mold and have to teach to some test when that probably isn't what you became a teacher to do. I know that when I used to sub (before kids) I would come home at the end of the day and literally cry over these kids that had such apathy toward learning at such very young ages. Some of those kids probably would have thrived in a different schooling option, such as homeschooling.

[ArmsOfLove]

I think sometimes it simply comes down to fear of the unknown--and at some level not knowing how to talk to someone with whom you're so different. Maybe (sometimes, other times I know there are negative intentions :( ) some people just don't know what to say to homeschoolers :shrug

I'm so grateful it's been my experience that ps teachers I know really support homeschooling (my sil gets me all sorts of teaching resources :) ) and all of the medical people I've encountered during my pg's have been really supportive of homebirth :wow I even had one nurse tell me that whenever she had children she would have them at home--expressed shock that women would come to them and say they wanted a natural birth. "What do we know about natural? We're a hospital--we do medical" ;)

[Mama Bird]

As a former teacher myself, I can say that we are taught that homeschooling is really really weird. :doh We were taught, more with comments and actions than with words, that homeschooling is odd and abnormal.

Homeschooling costs public schools. If your child doesn't attend, the schools don't get the money for them. And, schools are in such a horrible money crunch, that they need every dollar they can get.

The NEA votes every year on homeschooling. Guess what? They vote that it is bad. There's an article on NEA's website right now where the author says that the only people who homeschool are the very wealthy who don't want their child to share a slice of the pie with every other child. He says that low-income, single parent, and single income families don't homeschool. What an uninformed goober. I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I'm not rich. :spit

[righteous mama]

Well, like I said, dh is a teacher...we are not rich by any stretch of the imagination! :lol We are rich in love. ;)


I also think that some of it is envy. Its got to be depressing to be forced into a state prescribed mold and have to teach to some test when that probably isn't what you became a teacher to do. I know that when I used to sub (before kids) I would come home at the end of the day and literally cry over these kids that had such apathy toward learning at such very young ages. Some of those kids probably would have thrived in a different schooling option, such as homeschooling.


Yes, teachers are VERY depressed over the state of schools today. In fact, we are going to a demonstration this afternoon to tell our governator how we really feel. He wants teacher pay to be based on MERIT! Excuse me? That means my husband would be on the bottom of the scale because he teaches very poor, ESL, and remedial children. They are being held back or are in danger of being held back. His kids score poorly on tests and are generally behind the rest of "society". These are the kids who should be homeschooled.

My dh never had health problems until he became a teacher. Now he has IBS and is sick often. The stress and worry is overwhelming. It's like the government is trying to kill our teachers. It's ridiculous.

Anyway, sorry about that...back to your regularly scheduled program! :lol

[jennifer2boys]

Umm.....we aren't rich either.

[Katigre]

I'm a teacher and i love homeschoolers :heart.

[BluegrassMama]

Our big extended family is divided over homeschooling :doh ...some of us are homeschooling and my cousins, who are elementary teachers, will not speak to us because of it. Puts a really nasty vibe on the cookouts at Grandma's!

I think they truly believe we are ill-qualified and are ruining our children. Children 'need' school.

It started back in the infancy of our dc...the teachers were offended that the homeschoolers didn't do Gymboree or whatever ("He won't have good large muscle development") and then we didn't put them in preschool :shrug .

Now, horror of horrors, I have 4 sons and none of them are in the Little League! Poor homeschooled kids. And my homeschooled nieces will never get to be cheerleaders (thank goodness)...this seems to be a sticking point for my cousins.

[Vipers_Princess]

Our big extended family is divided over homeschooling :doh ...some of us are homeschooling and my cousins, who are elementary teachers, will not speak to us because of it. Puts a really nasty vibe on the cookouts at Grandma's!

I think they truly believe we are ill-qualified and are ruining our children. Children 'need' school.

It started back in the infancy of our dc...the teachers were offended that the homeschoolers didn't do Gymboree or whatever ("He won't have good large muscle development") and then we didn't put them in preschool :shrug .

Now, horror of horrors, I have 4 sons and none of them are in the Little League! Poor homeschooled kids. And my homeschooled nieces will never get to be cheerleaders (thank goodness)...this seems to be a sticking point for my cousins.


But but but.. LL and cheerleading teach such fantastic morals, language and self-esteem.
:rolleyes :spit :rolleyes

Seriously though, we get a lot of flack from our hs'ing friends for putting Kait in private school, and we get flack from Kait's school because we supplement her education.... ugh. I look at it this way. Opinions aren't important to me. My children's education is...

[2TMama]

I was scrolling through the responses and thinking what Crystal said about fear of the unknown. People aren't sure *what* to say....

I've heard (even some GCM's) of peole naming their "school" so the kids can answer the question w/ some "official" name. Not too bad of an idea ;) Of course, people might say "Oh, where's that?" But at least it might lead into further discussion, kwim?

Also, I think repeated experiences like this could put a Mom on the defense....which could portray us (homeschoolers) badly --- so I'm extremely thankful to have a forum like THIS to come to and bounce ideas off of other Moms. (i.e. bean dip strategies when needed!).

[righteous mama]

I look at it this way. Opinions aren't important to me. My children's education is...

Last night we went to a protest in front of a hotel that Gov. Schwarzenegger was having a fund raising at. The nurses, police, fire, and teachers are all up in arms because of his "attempt" to "balance" the budget. He is trying to balance by taking funds from these so-called "special interest" groups and "realocating" them. ANYWHO, there was this lady there with the best sign. It read...

"My kids are my special interest!"

:thumbsup

[Vipers_Princess]

I look at it this way. Opinions aren't important to me. My children's education is...

Last night we went to a protest in front of a hotel that Gov. Schwarzenegger was having a fund raising at. The nurses, police, fire, and teachers are all up in arms because of his "attempt" to "balance" the budget. He is trying to balance by taking funds from these so-called "special interest" groups and "realocating" them. ANYWHO, there was this lady there with the best sign. It read...

"My kids are my special interest!"

:thumbsup



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