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| Picture Source: http://bearlyrambling.blogspot.com/2011/07/mariachi-divas.html |
On the way home we talked about all the things we liked and didn't like about the show. Top of the list was dislikes, my kids were not very impressed with how loud the public school kids were. Some songs they had a hard time hearing over the noisy kids.
They liked the fast paced, toe tapping music and how energetic it was. They loved hearing all the different instruments. We also talked about what a wonderful opportunity it was for us to be able to participate in this event. If my kids were still in public school they would have missed it, as their former school was not part of the schools present.
We stopped at the grocery store, while in town, to save us a trip of running back in later. While in the check out stand, an elderly lady in front of us asked if school was out for the day. I replied no, we were just coming from a performance and are homeschoolers. I could see her husband start to bristle and just shake his head. Finally, it was just to much for him. He turned and said "I guess you don't want your kids to learn anything." I was stunned and a little offended. I asked him "What makes you think that I am not smart enough to teach my own children?" His response, "They won't know what the public schools are teaching and you will just teach them what you want." My response, "Yes I will teach them what I want. You can quiz them down and see that they are not dumb. I know better how to teach them than any teacher out there."
That was the end of the conversation, but I was seething and coming up with all kinds of comebacks such as:
No my kids won't know the same as public school kids, my standards are higher, so they will know more.
What makes you think my doctorate isn't enough to teach my kids (Don't have one of those, but I do have a college degree)
Do you know what they are teaching in public schools these days? I do. My kids have been there and I have put hours into researching Common Core.
No my kids won't know the same as public school kids, but they will know the United States of America is a Republic not a Democracy, they will know the founding fathers believed in God, they will know what the Constitution is, they will have a deep appreciation for America and it's history.
My kids will learn how to learn without being told what to learn. They will learn to be free thinkers and they will learn how to find truth and sort it out from opinion.
Why is what the federal government wants to teach, via Common Core, more important than what I want to teach my children? As a parent, don't I have the right and a say as to what my children learn?
I'm okay with my kids not learning the same thing as public school kids. We've done that been there. My kids learned wealth distribution, that only white people are mean to African Americans, that the only way for peace in America is to take away the 2nd Amendment.... They also learned how to make sure their cut out pumpkin looked exactly like the rest of the class. That's exactly why I'm okay that my kids don't learn the same as public school kids.
I sat in on my kids classes and saw the time wasted due to the kid that was more interested in throwing his eraser across the room. My child was told he couldn't go ahead with the assignment until the kid throwing erasers was ready. At home he doesn't have to wait on any one, no kids throwing erasers here to hold him back.
Even though this experience kind of put a damper on our fun trip, I'm glad I had the opportunity to stand up for something I believe in deeply and my kids got the privilege of witnessing that. I am okay that my children are not learning the same thing as their peers. I really believe that there is greatness in diversity. I encourage my children to learn what inspires and interests them. I enjoy seeing them research a topic and get excited over what they are learning. In the long run, I think they will remember what they are interested in so why not encourage them to search out their interests.
Homeschooling may not be for everyone, but it works for my family and I believe in making my children the best they can be and giving them opportunities to learn and grow.
I don't have a problem with public school, it just didn't work for my kids. I wanted to give them the opportunity to learn without having to sort opinion from actual facts.
I may not have a teaching degree but I know how to find information and I can learn right a long with my children. I am passionate about teaching them and about helping them to gain a love of learning.
I would love to hear your comebacks and what you do in the face of criticism. How do you teach your children to handle criticism?
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