So you want to homeschool?  Mwaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!  Be prepared to answer questions all. the. time.  Seriously.  Or don’t ever leave the house.  Or answer the phone.

But I digress…

When it comes to questions about the whys and hows of our choice to homeschool, I try to always have pithy and positive answers ready, and I aim to be kind.  Some questions are from well-meaning folk who really do want to hear our answers, some are from those who might be thinking about homeschooling in the future, and {alas} some really are simply flimsily-veiled judgements.  But over the seven years we’ve homeschooled I’ve learned to laugh, smile, or thoughtfully answer, depending on the intent of the person doing the asking.

Top ten questions I answer {regularly} about homeschooling:

1. “What about socialization?”  Let’s just get this out of the way right off the bat.  If you homeschool, you’ve either gotten this question ad nauseum, or live in Siberia.  And if you live in Siberia, I do wonder about your socialization options!  There have been many awesome responses to this question in the form of posts and articles (like this one and this one, for example) and there’s even a whole book written on the subject.  My simple answer (when I don’t have all the time in the world to get on my soapbox) is that the “unsocialized homeschooler” is a myth and our kids have plenty of time with people of all different ages.  Socialization should be about building relationships and practicing respectful and kind interaction with others, not about being with same-age peers in an institution all day.  Well, I might not say that last part.  *wink*
2. “How long are you planning to homeschool?” Or its partner question, “What will you do when you get to highschool?”  My answer for this is two-fold.  I say that when we started we planned to take it year by year and assess on a short-term basis.  Then I add that homeschooling has so many benefits, and is so perfect for our family, we now would love to homeschool all the way through.
3. “What curriculum do you use?”  Or “Do you use an online school?  My neighbor’s sister’s hairdresser’s librarian homeschools and they got a free computer.”  “Pull up a chair,” I answer.  No, seriously, in answer to the first question, I just say that we’re eclectic and choose what works best for each child, for each subject, and that it changes from year to year.  To answer the second related question, I usually say something a bit politically-incorrect, like, “Well, yes, I know that option, but that would mean the government still decides what my children learn and when and I’d rather not answer to them.  I think I can do a better job myself.”
4. “How do you handle the different ages you are teaching?”  This is an easy one.  I love teaching subjects to all of my kids together.  We do pretty much everything but math and language parked on the couch, reading books, and then do an age-appropriate follow-up activity or assignment afterwards.  This is one of my favorite things about homeschooling: that my kids get to really know, share with, and help each other during our schooldays.
5. “You must have a lot of patience.”  This isn’t a question, but it has to be among the top three reactions when someone finds out we homeschool.  After I pick myself up off the floor (where I’ve fallen from laughing so hard), I basically say that you grow patience by having a chance to use it, and homeschooling definitely gives you that!  The best answer to this might just be one I heard Carol Barnier suggest at the homeschool convention last week: “Yes, that’s right, I asked God, ‘What would you have me do with the buckets of patience you blessed me with??’, and the answer resonated from the walls, ‘HOMESCHOOL!’”  I’m paraphrasing, but it was hilarious.
6. “Do they have to take tests or something each year?”  This is an easy one.  They have to have some sort of assessment.  I do usually mention that some states don’t even require a homeschooler to notify the school district of their intent.  NJ is like that.  Pretty cool to not have any government interference.  In Ohio, though, we have to either take a standardized test, or have each school-age child assessed by a certified teacher.  We always choose the portfolio assessment.
7. “No school today, kids?”  This is one my kids get asked often.  And they say, “We homeschool.”  And that’s usually the end of it.  I haven’t prepped them with any funny answers yet, but maybe I should start.
8. “Can you watch my son/daughter?”  OK, just because I’m home doesn’t mean I’m available.  I don’t get asked this much anymore, but this happened a number of times the first few years of our homeschooling.  I guess the fact that I always said “no” put people off a bit.
9. “Would you teach my kids too?”  This is completely true.  I’ve had no less than five families ask me this, and they were only half kidding.  I think if I’d said “yes” they would have jumped at the chance.  I take it as a huge compliment, but I would never want to open up our homeschool as a private-school-at-home establishment.
10. “What about prom?”  I’ll leave you with the most hilarious (in my opinion) question I’ve received, especially considering it was asked when my oldest was only in first grade.  Granted, I don’t have teenagers yet, and maybe the “crowd” will eventually make prom look so attractive to my kids that they will want to take advantage of some of the homeschool options out there (or maybe they’ll be asked by someone to go to a public school prom…but I don’t want to think about that.)  My thoughts on this question can be found in a post I wrote for Heart of the Matter a while back: Radical Thinking.

Homeschoolers, do you have questions to add to this list?  If you’re not a homeschooler, is there another question I can answer for you?  Something you’ve always wondered?

Link up your Top Ten list with Angie at Many Little Blessings.

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