Silly Questions

Top Ten Questions our Homeschooling Family Laughs About 

The following is a list of questions that we hear often as a homeschooling family. I thought I would share my answers to these questions that are sometimes silly :)

10. What do you mean you aren't doing school today, it's a Thursday?

      Our family doesn't typically follow a typical Monday-Friday 8 a.m. -2 p.m. school schedule. Why should we? One of the benefits is that we get to choose ur own schedule! We do try to get our schoolwork done in the morning for our personal schedule's sake but that doesn't always work and sometimes school happens in the evening or even (gasp!) a Saturday!!! I try to add in one educational field trip per week and we also participate in a weekly writing class with our local homeschool co- op.We love being able to set our own schedule for both work time and time off. I also love the freedom to recognize that one of my kids is really having an off day and giving them something else to do, even if that something else is a trip to the library instead of math worksheets.


9. Aren't you worried about them not having any friends (or girl/boy friends)?

There are many pros and cons of homeschooling, but helping my child make wise decisions in who they socialize with is definitely high on my list of pros! There seems to be a general acceptance to force children to deal with adult things very early in their life and I do not see how putting my child in that type of environment will "help" them. We do not ignore social issues like sex, drugs and bullies; but I know that I am able to help my kids learn to make better decisions about who they spend their time with and what they do in that time by not  forcing them to process those decisions on their own at a vulnerable age. Our goal is to help them now while they are young and developing to get them better prepared to make those hard decisions between right and wrong when they are older teenagers or young adults.


8. Can they still go to college after homeschooling?

Not only can they go to college but homeschoolers can enter the military, start a business, or decide to become employed in the workforce after their studies- just like their peers in traditional school. The secret is to help your child set goals and help them work towards those goals. Leaving a 14-18 year old to their own devices usually won't end well and a parent must be there to support their children. Both homeschool and traditional school parents need to ensure that opportunities are available for them to study and take tests for college acceptance if college is what they want to pursue or prepare for the Military, or help understand the job application process. It is not different than most kids in public schools, all kids need help and guidance when it comes to getting ready for and starting their life after school! 


7. Why would you make your kids do school during summer break? 

I cannot for the life of me understand why so many kids are forced to take a three month break, so this question seems to be one of the most ridiculous that I get asked! Studies have shown that children learn much better and retain knowledge when there are not large breaks in learning. I feel it is a huge waste of time to need to review the previous year 1-2 months in the beginning of the new school year due to such a large vacation! The benefits of homeschooling year round is being able to take breaks when we need it. If the Chief's ship is coming in, we take a break to spend a little time with him. We take breaks during the week to go on "field trips" (I use the term loosely because so much of what we do is considered a learning experience). We also are able to incorporate traveling when we please due to having to only take our holidays at the same time as other families! 


6. Don't you think they would be missing out on fun things without school like sports, dances, science/art fairs, clubs? 

As a homeschooling parent, it is MY responsibility to ensure that opportunities are available for my child. If they want to play sports, we find teams and commit to practice and game schedules as a family. We have, as homeschoolers, participated in science fairs the past 3 years. One of those years, Zombie Boy won a National Canadian first prize! Community Centres, libraries, museums, MWR on base and  homeschool co-ops or groups are our best friends to ensure that our family still gets to do these fun group activities. Most public school systems or DODEA schools let homeschoolers access their extra curricular programs- this is a great option for high school aged homeschoolers! It is also our responsibility as homeschooling parents to listen to our kids' interests- they may not want to participate in group activities and supporting them just as important as supporting kids who do want to participate.


5. How do you know if your kids are actually learning what they need to know? 

I, rather than a teacher, get to see first hand what they love, understand or need help with instead of relying solely on test scores and report card grades. We also are not held to a cookie cutter public school curriculum so I am able to tailor our program to the needs to each of my children.


4. I couldn't imagine having my kids home everyday. I need the break! How do you do it?

I couldn't imagine sending my kids away for eight hours a day.... I legitimately enjoy the company of my children (although this teenage thing is a little rough).  I love exploring with them, discovering new things and helping them learn. I would be lying if I said everyday was perfect in our household. We have our days, just like every other parent but I feel our good days outweigh our not so good days.  I also still do things on my own. Prior to living in Japan, we lived on a farm and I was sole caretaker of our land, garden and animals. I was very involved with my horses and volunteering. Here in Japan, I a member of a women's roller derby team, I volunteer with my husband's command, help run the animal shelter and even own my own business. These are all things I do outside of homeschooling, so to think I don't have a life of "my own" is quite a ridiculous idea.

3. How do you know what to teach them?

I know my kids are learning what they need to know because I have researched curriculum, read state/national standards, and familiarized myself with many different types of learning styles and programs. I love having the freedom to pick and choose different curriculum or learning platforms to teach my kids. We do book work but I am big on learning outside of books to and homeschooling gives us this option.


2. What about socialization?!?!?

Tell me when in the world (other than school) a person is locked up everyday with 30-40 people of the exact same age and expected to learn in a group environment alone? Never, because the world doesn't work that way! Not to mention traditional school shouldn't be a time to focus on socializing because when else will they get an education?  My children get to socialize with kids of all ages through our homeschool group. They regularly socialize with adults and people of different cultures. On top of this, my kids meet weekly with our homeschooling co op, and have participated in sports, dance, music, scouts and various other interests, we participate in The Chief''s Command's events and volunteer regularly at an animal shelter. It really bugs me that the word homeschool means hermit to many, our family is far from hermits!


1. I bet you can't wait to get back to the States so that the kids can go back to a normal school, right?


I have to admit that this questions bugs me more than makes me laugh. Our family did start homeschooling because it does fit so well with our Military life but that wasn't the only reason. We have done back to back overseas tours and will possibly do another to help The Chief's career goals and for us, homeschooling is the best option. Homeschool statistics show that more and more parents are deciding to homeschool for a variety of reasons: moral, education quality, safety, travel, special needs. Most people have a big reason to start homeschooling and many more supportive reasons to continue. At this time, we don't have plans to return back to the States for a few years but when that time comes, we will most likely continue to homeschool because homeschooling is the norm for our family!