Q & A with Kendra: 8 Hour School Day?

Posted by Kendra | 0 comments

We all know that most homeschoolers do not “do school” for 8 hours every day, but most non-homeschoolers do not understand that equivalent (and even superior) public-school education CAN be achieved in only a few hours. How do you politely explain to (i.e. convince) someone that your children are indeed learning when they are home.

When parents who are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of homeschooling ask questions like this, I have to remind myself that they aren’t necessarily attacking my ability to teach my children, but are simply not knowledgeable of the day to day operations of school at home and are genuinely curious.

Even though the modern homeschooling movement is several decades old, there are still those who are unfamiliar with its benefits. You could get into lengthy discussions defending your choices, but I find it’s better to communicate that what we are doing is right for our family and isn’t really up for debate.

Knowing that others are curious and I am resolved to do what I’m doing regardless of their questions or opinions, I tend to whip out the positive facts and do so in such a confident manner that they are sort of bowled over by my delivery. I might respond to such a question with, “My kids have such an amazing amount of time to read and discover and learn because they don’t have to stand in line for lunch or wait to go to the bathroom. And you know, I’m not necessarily the world’s best teacher nor are they off-the-charts intelligent, but you just can’t beat one-on-one instruction. My teacher-to-student ratio is every classroom teacher’s dream!”

You can list field trip opportunities, classes, lessons, and co-ops, but sometimes just being sure of yourself and what God has called you to do is the best response of all.

Kendra Fletcher is the homeschooling mother of eight, ages 18 down to 3. She has never known what it means to homeschool without the presence of preschoolers, and loves to encourage other moms beginning their homeschool journeys with little ones underfoot. Her website and blog can be found at Preschoolers and Peace.