Homeschooling in 5Ts/ FR

amother

Thu, May 23 2013, 4:06 pm

I am seriously considering taking my kids out of school in a year from now (2014) and trying homeschooling. One of my many concerns is how it will affect them and the whole family socially. Homeschoolers, how has your reception been in the community, by your peers and your children's' peers? Will it be easy for my kids to maintain their friendships, or will they be seen as "weird" by the other kids. Some people around here can be quite cliquey and judgmental, so I am looking for advice from people who know the area and the mentality. Are there any Jewish home school groups or support in the area? Thanks!

granolamom

Thu, May 23 2013, 5:39 pm

I am homeschooling in the five towns. so far, the ONLY responses I have gotten have been positive. some people think I'm crazy to want to be around my kids all day. most people think its great that I am doing what works for my son. some people wish they could quit their jobs and do it too. many people have lots of questions which I am happy to answer.
tuition being what it is, I think people need more viable options. homeschooling is a good one.
now, I dont know what people are saying about me behind my back but as a homebirther I'm sure its nothing they havent already being saying for years.
I opted out of cliques back in high school and have been forging my own way for many years. I ignore those who judge because I know what I am doing is right for my family.
my teen dd (not homeschooled) has a homeschooled friend. she (the friend) has maintained many of her relationships she had from school before she switched to hs'ing.
my son is not the social butterfly, but he has maintained a few friendships as well.
I will be IYH hs'ing another one of my kids next year, I am hopeful that he will maintain relationships with his friends. most of his friends are not local (west hempstead, oceanside, north woodmere) so they never see each other on shabbos but I think we can work out sundays and such.
socializing in a pack is sometimes overrated. think about that too.
afaik, nobody looks at my kids as 'weird'.

there are some Long Island homeschooling groups on yahoo, but they are secular. I think the other frum hs'ers in the neighborhood are relatively active (they organize great outings and classes) but it never works for my schedule since I still have preschoolers.
I dont know which district you are in, but district 15 has been very easy to work with.
pm me if you have more questions and want to talk

Happy Mom

Fri, May 24 2013, 8:58 am

In my experience, it depends a lot on how you hold yourself. If you come across as positive and confident, then people will tell you mostly about how lucky you are and how they wish they could do the same thing, or at least not judge you negatively. If you feel insecure and are looking for others you meet to validate your choices, you'll get a lot of negativity and judgment.

As Miriam Adahan says, don't suck off of empty bottles. Don't go looking for support where you're not going to find it. Learn to pat your own back and by the time you're good at it and don't need other people's validation, you'll get plenty of it. I found that a great irony, that in the early years when I wanted encouragement from others that I had to give it to myself, and when I didn't need it anymore because I had my own positive results from homeschooling to encourage me, I got plenty of outside positivity.