The Dissident Dad: Maybe it’s just me, but all this back-to-school talk is a little awkward ever since we decided to homeschool our children.
With one of our children old enough to officially start kindergarten this year, I have recognized that the awkwardness emanates from my own insecurities. I feel like I’m weird, or that other people will assume my children will have a disadvantage in life. There’s this perception that I’m denying them social interaction, which I am definitely not.
For example, my wife recently joined a few homeschool groups in our area. In the past 3 weeks alone they have gone on field trips, met for swimming lessons, participated in group learning, and enjoyed play time.
I remember going to one field trip a year when I went to public school. My son, who is in kindergarten, has already been to three. He saw how donuts were made at Krispy Kreme, how vehicles are assembled at a Toyota plant, and he went to a real bee farm followed up with a trip to the local honey manufacturer. By the way, what a disgusting thing it is to learn that sweet yummy honey is bee puke.
I’ve personally had the opportunity to meet a lot of homeschoolers; kids ranging from 5 to 15, at parent meet-ups. Nothing is weird about the kids at all, but for an anarchist-libertarian father, one thing did stick out about the parents. No matter what their life philosophy is, political beliefs, or religion, all of the parents I have met to date have a single common denominator: a rejection of the status quo.
This discovery, which in hindsight is ridiculously obvious, has added a new value to life as a homeschool parent. Not only will my children have sufficient social interaction, but they will be doing it with the outliers of society, which often represent the cream of the crop. These are the skeptics – the people who, in their DNA, are critical thinkers courageous enough to step outside of the box. The decision to forgo public school wasn’t a small one, and these other parents also felt strong enough about their choice go against the grain of conventional wisdom.
In recent weeks, something else has come to light for me that I believe gives a homeschooler a huge advantage in the real world. At all the weekly meetups we have gone to, the kids interact with children their own age and up to 10 years older than them. Adult interaction is also elevated, since homeschoolers — when not working on a grade curriculum – are out traveling with mom, meeting with people of all walks of life.
In the end, it helps that we recognize our own insecurities and face them head on. It keeps us on our toes, and constantly revisiting decisions we have made to make sure if they still stand up to additional scrutiny. When it comes to homeschooling our children, we have no regrets.
– Daniel Ameduri aka The Dissident Dad
Source
With one of our children old enough to officially start kindergarten this year, I have recognized that the awkwardness emanates from my own insecurities. I feel like I’m weird, or that other people will assume my children will have a disadvantage in life. There’s this perception that I’m denying them social interaction, which I am definitely not.
For example, my wife recently joined a few homeschool groups in our area. In the past 3 weeks alone they have gone on field trips, met for swimming lessons, participated in group learning, and enjoyed play time.I remember going to one field trip a year when I went to public school. My son, who is in kindergarten, has already been to three. He saw how donuts were made at Krispy Kreme, how vehicles are assembled at a Toyota plant, and he went to a real bee farm followed up with a trip to the local honey manufacturer. By the way, what a disgusting thing it is to learn that sweet yummy honey is bee puke.
I’ve personally had the opportunity to meet a lot of homeschoolers; kids ranging from 5 to 15, at parent meet-ups. Nothing is weird about the kids at all, but for an anarchist-libertarian father, one thing did stick out about the parents. No matter what their life philosophy is, political beliefs, or religion, all of the parents I have met to date have a single common denominator: a rejection of the status quo.
This discovery, which in hindsight is ridiculously obvious, has added a new value to life as a homeschool parent. Not only will my children have sufficient social interaction, but they will be doing it with the outliers of society, which often represent the cream of the crop. These are the skeptics – the people who, in their DNA, are critical thinkers courageous enough to step outside of the box. The decision to forgo public school wasn’t a small one, and these other parents also felt strong enough about their choice go against the grain of conventional wisdom.
In recent weeks, something else has come to light for me that I believe gives a homeschooler a huge advantage in the real world. At all the weekly meetups we have gone to, the kids interact with children their own age and up to 10 years older than them. Adult interaction is also elevated, since homeschoolers — when not working on a grade curriculum – are out traveling with mom, meeting with people of all walks of life.
In the end, it helps that we recognize our own insecurities and face them head on. It keeps us on our toes, and constantly revisiting decisions we have made to make sure if they still stand up to additional scrutiny. When it comes to homeschooling our children, we have no regrets.
– Daniel Ameduri aka The Dissident Dad
Source
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