As homeschoolers, it is not uncommon for us to encounter a great number of individuals who are entirely unfamiliar with the practice. Being educators, we usually see that as a good time to educate them about the numerous myths and misconceptions about homeschooling.

However, there is one especially appalling response from these individuals that we must endure on a regular basis. It's especially common among educators.

They often feel the need to spontaneously test our children on topics they feel are age/grade appropriate. They will ask any number of questions and expect my children to perform like trained seals.

While entirely well meaning, it's interesting to note they don't have the same compulsion as applies to public school children. Often, the questions are either so remarkably simplistic as to leave my children obviously insulted (Hint: when you ask an eight year old to "spell CAT", you're being condescending), or they will be so complex that, while they may know the answer, a spontaneous answer would be unreasonable for an adult, let alone a young child.

If you are ever confronted with a homeschooling family and tempted to do the same, rest assured the parents probably know what they are doing. If they are following the state requirements for homeschooling, that should be more than sufficient for you. While most families will politely accomodate you, rest assured that very few of us are actually appreciative of your attempted intrusion.

If you want to ask questions about our curriculum choices, fine. I'm more than happy to answer those; I LOVE to educate others about homeschooling. If you want to ask about structure or educational philosophies, I'm all ears. But if you want to evaluate the quality of our homeschool based on your own highly subjective criteria, it might be wise to bite your tongue and think up another, better topic.