Amy Writes

I do not have a teaching degree. But to my knowledge, neither did the mothers of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, George Washington Carver, Albert Einstein, Claude Monet...the list goes on. Note to self: I should read a list like this every Monday, Thursday and Friday when I'm ready to give up. Another note to self: Shockingly few women on that list...that must be another story. In addition to the "my kids just really need to be around other kids" comments, we homeschool moms also hear "I could never homeschool because I'm not smart enough." That's a valid fear. Except, not really. As a functioning adult, you are most likely equipped to guide a child through everything he or she needs to know, at a developmentally appropriate level, through at least fifth grade. For everything else - there's a curriculum for that . (This is also something I need to consistently remind myself when I am fee...

There's a conversation that homeschool parents have ALL the time. It frequently happens in a grocery store, at 11 a.m. on a Wednesday. It goes: Store person: "No school today?" Me (or kids): "We homeschool." Store person: "Oh, good for you. (It almost always starts with 'good for you.') I would have loved to have done that, but I just really wanted my kids to be/my kids needed to be socialized." Oh, if I had a dollar... By the time we decided to homeschool, the idea of my kids being lonely and weird because of our choice was already a non-issue. I knew so many homeschool kids, and they all knew each other, and they were together ALL the time. These were not kids who were starved for a social life. Our poor little unsocialized homeschooled kids are in dance with dozens of kids, P.E. with about 100, on soccer and basketball teams, in art classes, and history clubs. You should see the list of things we turn down. And let me tell y...