You Call That Homeschooling?by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger 24 Oct 2007 04:41 AM I took my kids to the grocery store in the middle of the day recently. It's a trip I avoid in part because we can be no where inconspicuously and in part because I simply don't have enough hands to hold each of the twins, plus the four year old, all while making sure that what's in the cart is actually what we intended to purchase and not something one of my children decided would be a good purchase for us. There was no way around it though, my husband wouldn't have been home until too late and I just felt like we needed a little break. So off we went to the store to pick up some necessities. Ironically, one of the very reasons I don't like going, proved to me to be quite valid as we were walking through the store and a woman asked why the kids aren't in school. My son pipes up, "We don't go to school. We're home schooled." Clearly she did not approve. She began to discuss how CPS could be called on us because home schooling, according to her is illegal in New York State. Unfortunately for me, one of my daughters happens to be sporting a nice black eye. Then she proceeded to tell us that children who are home schooled don't do as well as those who are publicly schooled. And why, if I'm home schooling, would I be at the store? I need to keep my personal life separate and if I sent them to school, I'd have time for things like shopping without burdening the children with them. Hey, she posits, if I call shopping "home schooling" then perhaps all the publicly school children should go to the grocery store on a "field trip." I just smiled and nodded. I was not going to say anything to change her mind but I was also with my children and they're looking to me to see how to deal with people. I could've been rude--certainly she was, but I'm not sure that being rude back is what I want my kids to learn. As she asks me a question, my son picks up some strange-foreign looking fruit and reads the sign which says, 'star fruit.' "Mom is this fruit from New York?" "No son, it's from Asia," I reply. "Is that in the Southern hemisphere?" (Hemisphere was a vocabulary word from our science lesson that morning.) Before I could answer, my daughter says, "No, it's on the other side of Europe. Sort of. . .because Alex, the world is a big sphere so it doesn't matter where you stop or start." The lady stared. I smiled. She stared some more. Yes, I call going to the grocery store home schooling. There are lessons to be learned everywhere in life. Related Articles: Those Blasted Grass Roots Movements Homeschools Run By Well Meaning Amateurs Part 1 Homeschools Run By Well Meaning Amateurs Part 2 Learn more about Valorie Delp  Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line. Relevanthomeschooling tags User Comments  mcmama (51978) 24 Oct 2007 09:46 AMGoing to the grocery store was important in family child care. There are a lot of educational experiences that can be gained by a trip to the grocery store. Not only identifying the fruit imports, but also calculating which is the better bargain, which is better for you, just what's on those nutrition panels, etc. Not a place for a regular classroom, but certainly a setting for critical thinking skills to be applied. Yeah, maybe public schools do need to schedule a trip to the grocery store. And in NYC, there are a lot of markets and such that could be valuable experiences. At least you don't live near the beach, where there are all sorts of frivolous extras to learn about, like tides, types of shellfish, aquatic life in general, food chains, composition of sand and why it is different colors on different beaches....not to mention physical exercise. Or you don't have airline employee passes that entitle you to fly free to costa rica when you want to study the rainforest up close, like one family I know of did..... Gosh, why aren't those children in school!!!! On the other hand, how come the lady who was asking all the questions did not learn in school how to be polite enough to mind her own business????  Valorie Delp (49340) 24 Oct 2007 09:50 AMDid I get you started Janet? LOL Yes, poor us. . .we live in the city where my kids have excellent map reading skills (subway map lessons), know all sorts of history, are exposed to top notch fine arts programs, and where they get to hear and experience every culture you could imagine. Poor kids--they're so underpriveleged.  Tristi Pinkston (10839) 24 Oct 2007 08:00 PMMy niece has some learning difficulties and is enrolled in a life skills class where they do go to schools as part of their class time. So there are some publicly schooled children who go to the store. Man, I'm so impressed you didn't just pop her one. And way to go that your kids innocently showed that woman where the bear lives. They didn't mean to be impressive, but they did, and she'll never forget that comeuppance! I do have to ask, though, why do mothers need to keep their private lives separate from their children? And, if I can also ask, do we consider going to the grocery store part of private life? If that's all the private life I get, I'm really deprived! Tristi Pinkston (10839) 24 Oct 2007 08:01 PMOkay, I meant to say that they do go to *stores* as part of their class time. Sheesh -- you'd think I'd proofread. :) Valorie Delp (49340) 25 Oct 2007 03:58 AMI don't proofread my comments! That's how I feel Tristi. . .that life is life and happens all the time and school doesn't have to be seperate from that. Thanks for the comment! Nola Redd (7081) 25 Oct 2007 05:40 PMI love kids! That was so awesome that they unknowingly taught that woman a lesson. And you are very patient. When I haul four kids in the grocery store, my irritation level is already high! I know I wouldn't be anywhere near the example you were. Valorie Delp (49340) 25 Oct 2007 08:14 PMLOL I really, really try to avoid taking them but I'm not patient. . .just smart. ;-) If I have to go, I bring bribes like stickers and pencils and paper. . .everyone has their own shopping. . .er. . .um. . .I mean scavenger hunt list. . .and I let them eat fruit from the produce section too. The manager knows me and so he lets me just tally up what I take and pay for it after the fact. So between snacks and stickers and a cool scavenger hunt. . .they play along as long as I hurry! ;-) Discuss this article
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