You know you homeschool when...

The question on measurements in the math book is, "Is your house less than 1 mile, about 1 mile, or greater than 1 mile from your classroom?" and your child answers, "Are you kidding?"

I didn't mark it wrong.

Trekkie-Whovian Solar System

I love homeschooling.  I like age integrated studies, which is what we've used for many years now; it just works for me.  This does mean that we kind of recirculate our lessons.  We've learned about the solar system three times now.  Once when Kay and Ri were young(er), once when they were older and the other three were small, and now we've come back around to it again.  Part of our study includes making a model of the solar system and this time I let the girls choose how they wanted to represent it.  I love the way they personalize their projects, but I must admit to some surprises with this project. 

This was T.Lynn's.  

It's hard to tell from this shot because there is nothing to use as a reference, but this is pretty big.  It isn't mounted to anything because of it's size.  The sun is about the size of a softball, so she had to arrange her project on the floor.  She is now using them as you would carpet balls.  I was rather surprised that she included the moon; that was not a requirement, and she did her best to mimic the colors that are on one of our solar system posters.

**I have been informed that when I set T.'s planets up to take this picture, I put Mercury, Pluto and the moon in the wrong places.  T. informs me that the one in the photo behind the sun is actually Pluto, the one I have in orbit around the Earth is actually Mercury, and the last one should really have been the moon.  Sorry for my mistakes T., though she did tell me that I at least got Mercury close to the sun when I put it in orbit around the Earth. :).  And for the record, when she brought it back down to show me my errors, I relized the whole thing is even bigger than I originally stated.  Jupiter and Saturn are the size of a softball and the sun is larger.**  

This was Beenie's.  

I was amazed at the detail she put in these because they are not painted.  She used clay for her's, so every color you see in there are different colors of clay she added in before smoothing the planet out, except for the land and the clouds on Earth, which she deliberately left higher than the water.  The rings were made of pipe cleaners.  When she mounted it she discovered the clay was too heavy and it was tipping the foam board over so she placed a representation of the asteroid belt in front as a counter balance.  I just loved it.  She also included our moon and the dwarf planet Eris.  I don't know if you can see it, even if you click on the picture, but the moon, Mercury, Pluto, and Eris have craters on them.

And last, but not least, this is Bree's.

As usual, I love her painting, but wait...what is that in the solar system?

The Enterprise?

And the Tardis?

Yep, that's right.  I mean, after all, you just can't go traipsing through the solar system without an adequate  means of transportation.  And yes, the Tardis is tipped on purpose.  Have you ever seen the way the Doctor drives it?

Have I mentioned that I love homeschooling?

Back to the Mountains

In a rare moment of spontaneity, we decided to drop everything after Beenie's guitar lesson yesterday and go to the mountains. Actually, I have to admit here that it's only rare because, though hubby loves to do things at the spur of the moment, I greatly dislike having my plans for the day disrupted. But I relented and we had a fabulous day. When we went apple picking we went north-west, a bit over the Virginia State line, staying just this side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This time we headed south-east, going past the Parkway.

Being your "typical" homeschool family, we chose to turn this into a field trip and visited a very old mercantile. Mast General Store now has several locations in NC and surrounding states, but we visited the orginal store, located in Valle Crucis, that opened in 1883.

It still holds a small, operating post office for the tiny community.

If you click on the picture, you may be able to read the sign (to the right of the window) warning patrons of the store that the post office is still operational, so they should not try to open the postal boxes.

Aren't these the coolest, old organizing bins.

They still use them to keep their selection of carriage bolts and other, small hardware.

The store also comes complete with it's own pet, who apparently thinks the counter is a perfect place to sleep. What is it about cats wanting to sleep right where you need to work?

You get a clear picture of the fact that they don't take to kindly to salesmen.

This is part of the view behind the store.

I hope if you click on the picture you can see that a house sits on the very top of the mountain.

There is already more color in the trees here than down where we live, but they're still a week or two off from peak color. We did see a few isolated areas where the trees were in full color, but none where we could stop and get a good picture. Hubby has said that we may take a picnic and go up on the Parkway once the trees have reached full color. I kind of hope we do. It's so beautiful.

Isn't it beautiful, even when the colors aren't quite at they're best?

And barns are everywhere. I love big red barns.

All decked out for fall.

After we left the mercantile, we headed back to Boone in order to eat supper at the Dan'l Boone Inn and Restaurant. It's an adorable old farm house, turned inn and eatery. They serve things family style, meaning there's a fixed menu and they just bring you some of everything in bowls to pass around the table, just like you would do at home. There are precious few of these type restaurants around here anymore.

 

The place is just too cute, and I couldn't go home without a jar of the black cherry preserves they serve with the biscuts.

They used to have a live tree in one of the dining rooms. They had just built right around it when they added on. But after many years it finally died and they had it taken out. We got to sit at a huge round table with a lazy susan built in the center that had been placed where the tree once grew.

That lazy susan made eating so enjoyable. No-one had to interrupt anyone else's meal to ask for dishes to be passed. Maybe we should look into getting one for our house.

I have to admit that all the moss on the roof of this little store front is what grabbed my attention. I didn't even notice the sign until the photos were uploaded on the computer. Interesting name isn't it? Kind of makes me want to stop and check it out next time.

If we do indeed head out for a picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway during peak color, I'll be sure to supply you all with plenty of pictures of those gorgeous mountains.

Homeschool Meme

Mumma's Place posted this meme the other day and I thought it'd be fun to do.

1) One homschooling book you have enjoyed.
Come on!! When have you ever met a homeschooler that could pick just one book about something?
The first I ever read about homeschooling was Home Grown Kids, by Raymond and Dorothy Moore. I liked that, but there are plenty more I've enjoyed and gleaned wisdom from over the years.

2) One resource you wouldn't be without.
The library. Though if I had a choice of two I'd add in the computer - with internet access of course.

3) One resource you wish you had never bought.
I don't want to speak badly about any curriculum, because they have their place and purposes, but many years ago we did invest in a unit study curriculum that I wish we hadn't spent the money on. I hated the brevity with which each topic was handled and ultimately ended up doing unit studies on my own.

4) One resource you enjoyed last year.
The Hooked on Math we got for T.Lynn.

5) One resource you will be using next year.
We'll be using the Key To Math for Bree this year and I liked using those with the older girls.

6) One resource you would like to buy.
A month ago I would have said a new globe, but I'm getting ready to buy one of those so...

7) One resource you wish existed.
Hummmm. I'm with Ruby here, A full time house keeper - or at least one that could keep up with the laundry, make sure the refigerator stayed clean and corrected all the math drills.

8) One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading.
Now that so much is available online I rarely look through catalogues. Of course I've been doing it so long I know what I like and just limit myself to searching for those things. I used to love looking through a lot of them, but it's easy to go overboard with what you think you'll be able to accomplish when you do that.

9) One homeschooling website you use regularly.
I don't use any of them regularly. I use a few occasionally when I'm looking for something.

10) Tag other homeschoolers.
Anyone who wishes to may do this meme for themselves. :D

Life long learning.

When people ask me what subjects I feel are the most important to teach my kids, I tell them none of them are. And just for the record, I get some pretty funny looks with that response. Don't worry, I do teach my kids all kinds of subjects, I just don't feel they are the most important things to focus on. My goal is not to teach about every single ancient civilization, or that all of my children become capable of accurately reproducing the periodic table. I don't care where you go to school, you will not remember everything you're taught. Shoot, I don't even remember everything I teach. I'm constantly having to review, or look up new things, or research topics. Since there's a bit of a gap between my older two girls, and my younger three, I'm always going back over stuff I've not only learned myself, once upon a time, but also that I've already taught the older two. Then there's all the bits of new information I'm unearthing during any research I'm undertaking. And we won't even get into the things that just catch my eye and cause me to look up everything I can find on it. Sigh - there's just not enough time. Suffice it to say, I feel this quote.

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." ~ John Cotton Dana.

My ultimate, educational goals for my children have always been the same.
1) That they learn to read WELL, and that they enjoy reading.
It doesn't matter to me whether they master it at 4, or not until they are 15, I just want them to be able, not only to read, but to fully comprehend what they've read. And I want them to love reading. Whether or not you can read is almost immaterial if you won't. I recently bought the book Endangered Minds, and the author, Jane M. Healy, talks about the rather huge problem of aliteracy in younger generations. I don't want this for my own children.

2) That they love to learn.
I want them to be interested in things; fascinated with life and God's creation. I want them to wonder how and why things work. I want them to marvel at everything from the workings of a beehive to the ancient wonders of the world. I want them to see and experience things, and then have a thirst for finding out what they can about it. I dislike seeing people totally wrapped up in themselves, and/or day-to-day nosensical garbage; people who don't ever have anything better to talk about that who's currently a favorite to win American Idol, or any other "reality" show. I definately don't want my children turning out like that. I want to be able to have marvelous, enriching, challenging conversations with them for the rest of their lives.

3) I want them to know how to think.
Yes, how to think. Not what to think, although I'm rather partial to some of my own ideas, but how to come to a decision about something on their own. I want them to be able to listen to one side of an argument and then find out the other possibilities, weigh out the options/opinions/etc. and think it through on their own. I want them to be able to figure problems on their own, and not drudgingly. I want them to find it a challenge that they willingly embark on.

4) I want them to know how to find information.
And not just by clicking on a search engine on the internet. I want them to be able to use the library, research texts, periodcals and anything else available to them in order to find out about the world around them. My children are very much at home in the library. When we lived in a much larger city, the girls adored wandering through a very large library. Ri has been with my step-father to visit, and make use of the library at the State University he taught at (...seven stories of books Mama!), and though the library near our house is very small, the girls have learned how to use the feature that allows them to order (from other libraries) nearly any book they want and have it shipped to the branch we frequent. And they use that feature often. We don't even have to go to the library to order it. They have everything set up online so they can check the available titles at our own branch, and order anything that isn't already there, then the local branch calls us when the book(s) arrive. It does cut out a few extra trips.

5) I want them efficient at basic math.
This may seem like a 'no-duh' type thing, but...well, lets just suffice it to say, I want my children to be able to count back change. I also want them to know their multiplication tables, not cringe at fractions, and how to at least figure rough percentages in their head. Come on, everyone should be able to figure out what a 10-15% tip would be without whipping out their cell phone and using the tip calculator. I didn't even know cell phones had tips calculators - well, not until about a year or so ago. Now I use it as a game. Give me a number and lets see if you can input the info, and have the phone give you the answer before I can come up with an amount that's less than $1 off what the phone says. I don't quibble down to the penny (or even a quarter) with a tip anyway, so I figure in round numbers when I tip. That's certainly close enough for government work, and the poor waitress/waiter that deals with our (usually) large table deserves the extra change. So, while the girls are welcome to go as far in math as they want (Kay hated math and only took basic and practical math courses, while Ri wanted to take advanced math courses), I just want them very good at what I feel to be ordinary, everyday math.

"The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life--by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality.  The training he needs is theoretical, i.e., conceptual.  He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove.  He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past--and he has to be equipped to acquire futher knowledge by his own effort." ~Ayn Rand

So yes, we teach reading, writing, arithmetic, physical science, geography, history, anatomy, agriculture, etc. We learn about nouns, pronouns, fractions, polygons, ancient civilizations, longitude and latitude, types of clouds, past presidents and kings, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. But first and foremost, we read, we challenge them to think, we encourage them to imagine, and we get excited about ideas, inventions, flowers, storms, finger paintings and lizzards we find in the garage.

No. I'm trying for one with green eyes, and other answers to "those" questions.

With regard to my last post, Megan Jenelle asked, "I wonder . . . what have been some of your responses to the questions? Any good but ladylike comebacks? Just wondering . . . ".

So I decided it would make a good post. I'll warn you up front - not all of the responses have been ladylike. Sometimes my lack of patience is plainly evident. Some are humorous, and I do have a very strong sarcastic streak in me, but some of them, especially with regard to our beliefs are fairly good (and not sarcastic) answers.
Keep in mind that all answers are dependent on who is asking the question and why. Some people are genuinely interested, some people are nosey, and some people are just plain rude. Others will get instantly offended when you answer a question with something along the lines of, "Because we feel this is what is best for our children.",  and some professing Christians will get more than a little offended if you tell them you're trying to follow God's direction with regard to how you raise/educate your children. The minute someone else, particulary another women, gets the idea that you feel a mother should stay at home with her kids (whether or not you actually said that) the battle lines are drawn. It is my expierence that with some people it is a no-win situation. They will get offended at the most obscure comment, or try to keep questioning you until you do say something they object to. I like to be as honest as I can with my answers (well, sometimes - like when I'm fairly sure they aren't just trying to be crass), but I also try to word things as non-controversially as possible. There are times though, that you just have to chalk the whole thing up to not casting your pearls before swine. Some of the answers were reserved for family members - as far as I'm concerned it's pretty much no-holds-barred with them. They've known me my whole life. If they are going to ask me stupid questions, well...  I will answer them properly when I feel the joke episode has come to an end.

1) Do (Don't) you know what causes that?
This is never asked seriously. It's rude. Period. No - it's never funny. Okay - maybe I'm just a bit touchy about this. Uhhh, on second thought, no I'm not. It's crass. This never warrents a real answer and to be honest, I usually tried to ignore it. Unless you were related.
Sometimes the sarcastic part of me took over and I'd say,  "Well I'm not sure, but I think there's something in the water.", or "I don't know, but I think it's contagious." 

2) You should get that fixed.
Yeah - everything I said about the first question applies to this comment as well.
Again, it was often ignored, but I have answered with, "Ummmm, it doesn't appear to be broken.", or "Everything seems to work just fine."

3) Are they all yours?
This one can be fun. Some answers:
"Ummm, I think so.", or "Only the girls." (This one usually has them looking around.)

4) Are you trying for a boy?
Well intentioned or not, this question never fails to grate on my nerves. It insinuates the girls aren't good enough and even if that wasn't the questioner's intent, I always felt as though the girls could potentially take it that way. Ask them now and they'll admit they did feel that way occasionally when we were asked the question. Some answers:
"Of course not.", "What for?", "No - in fact we're hoping for another girl.", "We're trying to set the world's record for the most girls one family can have in a row.", "No - we're just trying for babies.", and my all time favorite, "No, I'm trying for one with green eyes." To understand this one better it helps to know that I was expecting T.Lynn (our youngest) and my husband, and all four of the other girls have varying shades of blue, blue/grey eyes. I have hazel, but not the kind with brown in them. They are a funny, changeable green/greenish-blue, and although they only occasionally look true blue in person (or so I'm told), in pictures they often look very blue. Because of this, I wasn't expecting to have a child with green eyes anymore than I was expecting a boy. Maybe my weird hazel, but not green. Never fear though, poetic justice is always right around the corner. T.Lynn has green eyes. Not blueish green, or changeable, or anything else. Just green. You gotta love it!

5) You have FIVE kids???
Really - with the way some people say it you'd think I had forty or fifty. Of course a lot of people just start counting. Some stop and start over repeatedly, on occasion never getting past two. And most of the time the kids aren't even moving around, confusing the counter. Once they were all lined up on an elevator and then I only had four.
I ususally cut to the chase when I see/hear someone counting and just tell them five. That's when I get the above question.
*Ri here. Sometimes when people start counting us, some of us have a nearly overwhelming desire to start moving around and darting behind each other. We've never actually done that, but that desire is there nonetheless!

6) All girls?
Or any variation of that theme - All girls? Only girls? No boys?
I would really love to start looking around, muttering something like, "They were just here....", but so far I've restrained myself. The girls will admit to wanting to say, "Do you see any boys?", or "Yeah. We have boys, but we don't like to let them out of the house.", so they've also restrained themselves admirably. We usually just sigh out a, "Yes, all girls.", or "No boys."

7) Oh, you must be so patient.
No I'm not. The girls are old enough now to either snicker, shake their heads, or come right out and say, "No she's not.", or "Her??" Sometimes I'll take the time to explain that I'm not particularly gifted with patience, but that my mother used to say she had made sure she raised us in such a manner that she would be able to enjoy spending time with us, and that I had done my best to do the same with my own children. At other times, particularly if the person saying it was asking advice because she assumed I was patient, I would explain that part of the reason my children were reasonably well behaved was not because I was patient, but because I was intolerant of annoying behavior. For example, I really dislike whinning and squealing, so I didn't let my kids whine or squeal. I wasn't patient with it, I just didn't allow it. I would often go on to explain, not how to be patient (except with the fact that it would take a bit longer to correct a bad habit than to set a good one to begin with), but how to correct whatever problem they were having.

8) How do you do it?
Often this is a rhetorical  question. When it is I'll say something along the lines of, "I don't.", or "You just do it.", but occasionally it's legitimate and then I explain that I'm not supermom. I just keep doing what need's to be done; crossing things off my list or moving them on to the next day, or week. I'll often explain that there's no way I can do it all. I have to train the girls to help and then I spend a good deal of my time delegating and following up. I've also told people that with God all things are possible. (No - I wasn't joking.)

9) How do you manage them all?
"With a whip and a chair!!", or "Good 'ol fashioned military training." No joking here, I've really said that, but all kidding aside, when this question is sincere I usually use the same answer with regard to my mom and training them in such a manner that I'll be able to enjoy being around them. I've also said, "With a lot of prayer."

10) Why so many? (This has a few different variations as well.)
"Because we love children." "Because we feel children are a blessing from God."

11) Are you Mormon? (Or Amish, Mennonite,  etc.)
No - We are Christians.
As I said before, that doesn't seem to help some people and they'll go on to ask, "Well, what are you?" Some people start off asking that. You wouldn't believe all the potential answers that bounce around in my head when people ask me what we are. (Ummmm - human? or That's classified.) Of course some of them just ask what denomination we are. It all usually boils down to me explaining that we would be considered fairly conservative Christians and that we attend a family integrated church. Then I usually have to explain what a family integrated church is.

11) Why do you wear dresses?
We do believe you should dress modestly. We don't believe you absolutely have to wear dresses (as in, we don't believe it's a sin for women to wear pants), but we do feel that dresses are the best answer to dressing modestly and femininely. Sometimes I answer by stating simply that we wear dresses to be modest and as a way of honoring the differences God has created between men and women.

12) Why do you practice courtship?
We won't go into all the, "That's crazy." comments we get on this one. There isn't enough time in the day, and I usually ignore them. Ri's biggest problem is with all the comments about her not being able to think on her own because they feel practicing courtship means I, or my husband will try to control her life/marriage. She has taken to telling people they'll have to come up with a more original question/comment if they expect her to answer it.
We feel it's important for a young couple to focus on their future lives together, to take time to really get to know one another without getting sidetracked with a lot of the stuff that normally goes on during casual dating, and we want to maintain purity.
You have to remember here; Ri and he are both adults. They are willingly submitting to this.

13) Do you have to (wear dresses, practice courtship, not wear makeup, have long hair, have lots of babies, homeschool, etc.), because of your religion?
No. These are personal convictions of ours. Well, most of them anyway. We don't all have long hair - not the type where it's never cut. All of us keep our hair cut to whatever length we currently want it, but we do prefer them to at least have it down to their shoulders. We do wear makeup - when we want to anyway. If you're asking if we believe in birth control, that depends. We do believe you should welcome children into your lives, but we also believe you should use common sense. Sometimes refraining from having children for awhile (possibly for health issues) could be a good idea, but we would use natural family planning. I wouldn't use the pill or any other device/medication.

Homeschool questions

1) Is it legal? (You can do that?)
Yes

2) Don't you have to be certified?
No

3) How do you do it? (Is there something you have to do to teach them at home?)
I explain our state's requirements.

4) Why do you homeschool?
Depending on the person asking this, it can be a long or short answer.
We feel God tells his people that they are responsible for teaching their children about the things of God continually (Deut. 6:6-7), and that the best way to achieve that is to homeschool them. Public school not only doesn't teach about God, but by teaching from an evolutionist's standpoint it goes directly against what God teaches us. Then there's all the garbage that goes on in school. I don't think it's a good environment for children at all. I am responsible for teaching my children about God. Trying to find someone who'll do that for me isn't really embracing my responsibilities.

5) What about socialization?
"They're girls - what makes you think they'd have any problem socializing? They talk to everyone!"
"Are you kidding? If they knew my social security number so would half the county."
"Well, we let them out of the house/off the compound every great once in awile."
Then there are the times the girls mention something about a popular singer, book, or movie and their peers will say something like, "You know about that/them?" To that, my girls have gotten to where they say, "Yeah. Every so often something drifts into the bubble we live in." Then again, sometimes they beg and plead for someone to come up with something original to say.
When we're being serious, which I have to admit isn't often with regard to this question, we'll explain that having them around all kinds of people, in every situation, from every socio-economic background, and of all ages, is a much more normal form of socialization than being stuck in a classroom with 25-35 other kids of the same age all day long. And it is.

Okay - I know that's long. There were some serious answers and some not so serious answers, but I hope you enjoyed it.

"Are you like the Duggars?"

I have fielded a lot of strange questions in my time, but that one...well, it got my attention, and temporarily left me at a loss for words.

I've said it before. Strain against societal norms, especially when you're raising children, and you automatically set yourself up for every inane comment and asinine question immaginable.
Just try having more than two kids without hearing, "Don't you know what causes that?", (BTW - never ask that question to an extremely tired mom in the third trimester of her fifth pregnancy. She is physically unable to restrain herself for the millionth time, and you'll most likely wish you hadn't asked her - at least not in public.), or the ever popular, "You should see about getting that fixed." And if you only have kids of one gender you'll inevitably be asked if you're trying for the other gender. (Both of those are also comments that should be withheld from a tired, pregnant mom.) Oh, and let's not forget, "Are they all yours?"
While they're babies, and then (gracious me!!) toddlers, you'll be asked when you plan on returning to work. The older they get without you seeming anxious to dump them in daycare, the more you'll start getting "the look". The one that suggests you've either lost your mind, or that you're failing society by "not doing anything".  And don't worry, you won't just get the look. Some of the braver souls will actually ask you when you plan on doing something worthy again.
Announce you're homeschooling (or simply answer the oft asked question of why your kids aren't in school on a school day) and you may as well have begged society to hunt you down with a barrage of criticism. You can recite the questions/comments in your sleep, you hear them so often. And the looks, comments and questions vamp up again when you dare to continue homeschooling through high school. Never fear though, society won't actually have to hunt you down because you get the questions everywhere. Now what was that question about socialization?
Wear dresses, practice courtship, have longer than average hair (by that I just mean none of them have hair above their shoulders), and fail to wear makeup most of the time (never mind that this is just because you're too lazy to put it on) and you'll get:
"What denomination are you?"
"Are you Mennonite (or Mormon, or Amish, or Fundamental, or ......)" We're Christian doesn't seem to answer them sufficiently.
"Do you have to.......?" Fill in the blank here with any of the above mentioned items, from having more than two kids, to wearing dresses.
"What are you?" This is one of my favorites. I have to bite my tongue often when asked this question.

But, despite all my years of training in this sort of thing, I was completely unprepared when asked if we were like the Duggars.
What??
Like the Duggars???
What?????
It took me a minute or two. Long enough for her to go ahead and explain that she had already asked the question of my older daughters and they had suggested she talk to me. I'm sure my bemused expression was part of the reason she hastened to add that she only asked because we seemed like such a nice family.
Well thank you, but still...
With the question still fumbling around in my head, I did manage to ask her, "In what respect do you think we're like the Duggars?" She went on to tell me, "Well you have such a lovely family," (thank you), "and you have a lot of children," (5 is a far cry from 19), "and, well....". I had to extrapolate from there. I made the assumption that all of us wearing dresses had something to do with the association as well, although she was too polite to say so. I told her that I knew little of the Duggars. Of course I know who they are, but I don't watch their TV show. I do have one of their books, but it doesn't really explain all their beliefs so I was limited with regard to how I could comment. I do know that they speak of their beliefs being responsible for why they dress modestly and homeschool, but here again, beyond passing on that bit of informaiton I was at a loss. I also know that they hold strongly to living a lifestyle free of debt and shared that too. They describe themselves as conservative Christians, so I went on to add that as such, we would most likely believe some of the same things, but we would probably have differences as well.

The whole experience left me more than a little amused, and with yet another strange question to add to my list.

"We're the product of public schoolers gone rogue."

How could you not laugh at such a description?

"If we turned out so well, just imagine how much smarter our kids will be."

These statements were made by Ri in objection to criticism about the adequacy of former homeschoolers with regard to teaching any children they may have. It seems there are some who have voiced the opinion that the only reason we, as homeschool parents, have been able to successfully teach our children is because, by and large, we received our own educations through the public school system.

Hogwash.

The only people asinine enough to make such a statement are those who've never homeschooled.

I can certainly attest to the fact that absolutely nothing in my public school education prepared me for homeschooling. Not any part of it. Not the actual subjects (you can't imagine how much I had to re-learn, or learn for the first time). Not how to approach teaching. Not about the different ways children learn and the best method of teaching to that way of learning. And certainly nothing about how to teach the older kid(s), keep up with the toddler(s), stay on top of the laundry, feed everyone (at least) three times a day, find time to do all the shopping, bill paying and other errands, all while having to stop every 2-3 hours to nurse the baby. Nope, not one subject on that. Not even part of one. Not even a hint of any of it in the child development course I took as an elective in high school.

At the very least, my girls will be better prepared for the day to day workings of a homeschool family, and for me, learning to manage it all was more than half the battle. They have already experienced needing to work school in around nap time. They understand the necessity of multiple 10 min. tidy times during the course of the day in order to stay on top of the chaos. They know how to do school with a baby sitting on the table, and that clothes must be washed everyday if you want to keep the mountain of laundry reasonably tame. They've sat through unit studies that taught everyone, kindergartener to high school level, and negotiated grocery stores with three carts full of kids and food, all the while keeping little hands away from the calculator because we can't go over budget. And they completely comprehend the pricelessness of the buddy system - pairing up older kids with younger ones in order to get things accomplished within a reasonable time frame. As far as all that goes, they are also better prepared for teaching because they've already had expirence teaching. I've often asked the older girls to teach something to the younger girls. It helps me evaluate the older child's comprehension of the subject, as well as their ability to effectively communicate information. They've given tests, and in some cases, have even been allowed to plan the curriculum for a subject.

No-one, except maybe those with photographic memories, remembers everything they are taught. I didn't, and I'm sure my children won't, but I hope I've instilled in them the skills and initiative necessary to teach their own children.

Professionals

I am to start teaching several of the ladies, and some of their daughters from our church how to sew.
I feel uniquely unqualified to do this.
I know, I sew a lot. I've sewn a lot of different things. I've been sewing for years now, and yet I still feel unqualified to teach a class on sewing. Now why is that?
I think I feel that way because I have never been taught how to sew. For the most part I have muddled through, and I do mean muddled, on my own. I have picked up a few pointers here and there, but the vast majority has been learned by doing it wrong, tearing it apart and starting over.
I don't know why we have such a mind-set about "professionals" in this country. I don't want to make it seem as though they have no place, they do, but we need to keep in mind that they are just people. Absolute trust in professionals, thinking they are the only ones that can do something, is one of the things that makes people doubt they can teach their own children. It also makes other people doubt that you are capable of teaching your own children. It's not that I felt qualified to teach when I started homeschooling my own children, it's just that I was so opposed to institutional learning (and we could not afford private tutoring) that I felt I was the best option for my children, despite the lack of any professional training in that area. People fall into this same trap with doctors. I have gone to the doctor, been diagnosed improperly, given the wrong medication (which caused an awful reaction because it was the wrong med.), and had to go back, just to be told by someone else that I had exactly what I suggested to the first one was wrong. The problem was so bad by the time it was diagnosed properly I nearly had to quit nursing in order to take the medication that they suggested was the only one that would work. I pitched a fit, made them come up with another solution, and as a side note, got them to refund all the doctors fees I paid. In my opinion, it was bad enough that I was having to spend MUCH more money on medication than I would have had too, not to mention all the addtional time (and discomfort) it was taking to cure the problem, than if the first one had just listened more carefully, asked a second opinion, or done just a bit more research into the problem. I also sought help from someone who knew about herbs in order to use those remedies along with the prescription to help solve the problem. I have also had to insist a doctor care for me during a miscarriage (I didn't know for sure I was miscarrying, but I did know something was wrong). I had none of the typical warning signs that something was going wrong, so he attempted to brush me aside and it was only at my insistance that he looked into it more and discovered the problem. I'm not saying that we shouldn't use doctors, obviously I do, but we should trust ourselves more, and understand that the professionals we look up to are just people. Yes, people who have had specialized training, but still - just people. They will make mistakes. They will be tired, or ill, or going through personal problems that will keep them from being at the top of their game. They will be influenced by their training, which may, or may not have been all that great. We have to remember that when we are trusting someone, we are trusting everyone else that taught them, along with all of the expierence they have gained on their own. We need to understand that just because something works on paper (which is really just something working in theory), it doesn't mean it will work in real life, but that many people have been trained to think that it will. Many's the time my father has had to make adjustments to a blueprint because the engineer, who had not actually worked with whatever it was they were working on, didn't understand how things would react when put in different situations.
Bottom line -  Professionals are important, but they should just be one aspect in whatever it is we are doing. We need to educate ourselves with regard to whatever we are undertaking. We need to trust our instincts. We need to talk to other people, but remain objective about the things we are told. We need to learn how to do things for ourself and teach those things to other people, especially our children. Some people naturally teach a bit better than others, but when it comes right down to it, if you know how to do something you can teach someone else how to do it. People have often been shocked when I would tell them that I let one of the older girls teach the younger ones some aspect of their schoolwork, or on ocassion an entire subject, but if the older one knew about the topic why couldn't they pass that information along? Plus, it became a great way for me to see exactly how good a grasp the older one had on it. I know I learned a lot, about a lot of things once I started homeschooling my children.
Learn. Learn everthing you can. Learn some more, and then teach someone else.

"Whoa - too many moms!!"

That, my friends, is what you hear during a science lesson when you hand one of your kids a lens that is supposed to mimic an insect's eye.

The Weekend, in Review

Saturday morning dawned bright and early with most of our work accomplished.  I gave final instructions to the girls that would be staying home, and Ri and I set out bright and early for Superman's graduation.  I wanted to be there by 8:30 since it was to start at 9:00.  We were a little concerned when we passed another high school on the way that was gearing up for their own graduation, and traffic was already backed up around that school, but since we had left before 8:00, we managed to get there before 8:30 and had no real trouble getting in the parking lot, or finding seats.  It was held in the football stadium, so I was grateful for the early hour and for the fact that they were obviously not wasting a lot of time.  It wasn't unnecessarily rushed, but they didn't dawdle; we were leaving the stadium by 10:00.  We managed to have just enough seating to allow his mom, step-dad, and sister join us in the stands, and we all trooped out together to find him and get some pictures once it was over. It was a very nice service, but, partly due to the heat, he was more than ready to shed that cap and gown, and was ever so slightly impatient to get the pictures finished.  He then, very graciously, offered to pick my younger brother up for our party. 
We are all very proud of you Superman - way to go!!   

Our party turned out well.  We didn't do anything formal for Ri's graduation.  After we had eaten supper, I gathered everyone in the livingroom and announced that Ri had completed her studies and then I presented her diploma to her.  Everyone was very excited for her, and all the usual questions of, "Now what are you going to do?" were bandied about.  She did her best to explain that she's not 100% sure what all she will do - she does want to study photography, but recently we've also looked into getting an Associates degree of some type, just in case they ever decide that you need a degree to teach your children (something that gets thrown about in NC from time to time and was brought up again this past school year).  But, for right now (the summer), she's telling everyone that she's going to concentrate on helping me out here at home.  There's much sewing to be done, and she wants to help out with Grandma a bit more since she's not had that much time with her yet, due to finishing up her schoolwork.  After the graduation announcement, we proceeded with the birthday gift giving and cake cutting.  Everyone had a great time.

Years ago everyone asked us how long we planned on teaching the girls at home.  They all assumed that the girls would, at some point, be put into school.  When I first started telling people that I didn't see why we couldn't teach them all the way through high school, many people were skeptical, at best.  Back then I didn't really have any long term plans on how I may accomplish this, but I felt that there was no way I could do worse than the public schools, so I thought we'd at least give it a shot.  We've gone through many ups and downs, as any homeschool family will attest to, and we've worked through a variety of teaching methods, and several different curriculum materials.  We've been frustrated and elated - sometimes in the same day, and we've learned more about the necessity of schedualing and flexibility than I ever imagined possible.  We also learned how to teach and study with a baby sitting in the middle of the table :D.  My faith in the choice we made is more firmly rooted than ever, and I'm delighted to see what Ri has managed to accomplish.

Congratulations to all of this year's graduates!!!

Becky

Bits and Pieces

So much is going on right now. 

First - Grandma's coming home! YAY!!  She had her feeding tube taken out today and she is schedualed to be released on Friday morning.  We've got a little bit of work to do tomorrow to make sure everything is ready for her, and we'll be making her favorite supper - pintos and cornbread - for her on Friday.

Second - My cousin has passed the math portion of his GED practice test and is being schedualed to take the regular GED test soon. Another YAY!!  Now we just need to work on his writing so he can pass the last portion of his test and get his GED.

Third - Regular school is winding down for us.  The girls will be taking their achievement tests soon, and then we'll be taking things pretty slow for awhile.  We don't really stop over the course of the summer, but we aren't very regimented (that's actually kind of laughable since we're never VERY regimented anyway) during the summer months.  We will take a couple of weeks completely off, but I'm not sure just yet when that will be.

Fourth - Our second big family get-together for the year will happen on the 12th.  We break up our family birthdays into just two birthday parties, one in Feb, and one in June; all other birthdays are celebrated at Thanksgiving.  This works well for us since more than 50% of the family (this includes extended family) have birthdays in Feb and June, with another 25% right around these months. It's almost like Christmas.  At any rate the party will be held late in the afternoon since Superman is graduating that morning.  Ri and I will attend his graduation and then run home and help Kay finish setting up for the party.

Fifth - Ri is also graduating on the 12th, at the begining of the birthday party. YAY!!!  Nothing really formal; just a few words spoken in honor of all her hard work, and the presentation of her diploma.

The 12th will be a very busy day.

Sixth - Kay should be able to graduate by the first part of July.  I'll hold the Yay and the offical announcement until we're a little closer, but things are looking great!
If all goes well with my cousin's writing test, that will mean that I'll be down to just three people to teach - I'm sure I'll find something to do with all the extra time :).

Seventh - At some point we'll be done with the spring cleaning - it may look a lot like fall before we're finished, but I'm sure we'll get done.  Maybe that's how some of that time will get filled.  We'll also be completing some of the projects we have going around here.  I should have some before and after photos of some of it before too much longer.

Eighth - Is there an eighth?  I don't think so.  Maybe I'll just relax and breathe.  Maybe.

Becky

Senior Project??

Their senior project is to graduate!

Who came up with the whole idea of a senior project?  It's absolutely ridiculous.  What's more, I can't tell you the number of public school parents who must assume senior projects are required by the state for graduation.  At least that's what I have to assume based on the number or parents who ask me (knowing we homeschool) what my girls are doing for their senior projects.  They're all astonished when I tell them the girls aren't doing senior projects, and then I always have to reassure them that the girls can indeed graduate without having done one.  The next question is always, "How?"  Welllll, because WE are the school administrators/superintendents/educators/(for that matter, janitor, school nurse, lunch lady, principle, guidence counsellor...) and as such we are the ones who get to decide the requirements for graduation from our school.  And senior projects are not required; why? because they're nonsense.  Let me give you some examples:
1)The senior project has nothing whatsoever to do with the child's education.  It in no way shows whether or not the child has passed his courses.  What's more, at least in our area, it doesn't matter whether or not the child passes every single one of his/her courses, if they don't succesfully complete their senior project, they don't graduate.
2)They only get one shot at the offical presentation (yes, I know there are a number of steps to go through up to that point, but still...), if they fail to present it properly they have to go back to school for at least one more semester...and another attempt at a completely diferent project.
3)The project has nothing whatsoever to do with what the child may be interested in as a career.  Case in point - the son of the man my younger brother works for (who happens to go to the same school as Superman): his first submission was on coaching, which is what he wants to go to college for - this boy REALLY wants to be a coach.  His first submission was rejected.  His second submission was for welding/machining - his father owns a welding/metal fabricating/machine shop, if, for any reason, he can't become a coach, his obvious fallback (and something he already works in part-time) is welding/machining - a very useful skill.  This submission was also rejected.  I can't even remember what his final choice was, but it has nothing to do with whatever he may do later in life.
4)Not all schools, even within the same county, require a senior project.  This is grossly unfair to the kids who do go to a school that requires them.  They have to do the work on a computer - hard for kids who don't have a computer, and no, there are no exceptions.  They have to invest a certain amount of money in it for supplies - hard for kids who have parents that are on a tight budget (IMHO this is why all schools don't require them-not to offend anyone here, but one of the schools in our district that doesn't is in the lowest income area of town).  Some of the schools require a certain number of community service hours that are somehow related to the topic of their project - hard for the kids (and their parents) who don't have their own car.
My cousin's daughter's senior project was on fashion.  Fashion?? Really??  What's more, I havn't the faintest idea what the community service work portion of her project could have been.  And no, she doesn't now work in some fashion related job.

It took Superman several tries (well into his second semester) to gain approval for his senior project.  He's had to arrange for time on a computer at school-mostly after (some before)  school when he could have, and would have preferred to be working.  He's spent many hours at the library working on the computer there (we would have gladly allowed him to work here, but we live almost a half-hour away, spending all that money on gas wasn't an option).  He's not only lost work time, and the resulting paycheck, but he's had to spend money on the project; money that could have definately been better utilized.

So let's see.  Should I require my children to spend copious quanties of time, money, and effort on something that;
A)doesn't really show whether or not they have sucessfully completed their studies,
and,
B)doesn't have anything whatsoever to do with what they want to accomplish in their lives?
Nope.  I think not.
Call me a rebel.  Doubt the sufficiency of my children's education.  That's okay because I question the sanity of anyone who doesn't fight tooth and nail to abolish a graduation requirement that in no way represents the child's education, especially since the establishment that is requiring such an inane activity is continuously cranking out some of the most illiterate, "educated" people on the planet, despite their having completed a senior project.  If they feel they need some sort of bench-mark the kids must pass before completing their education (if passing one's courses isn't enough), then go back to the competency test.  That was one of the requirements for graduation when I was in school, and I remember the controversy around having that as a requirement. Personally I never understood why anyone would suggest that it was unfair to have that as a requirement since questions on the test revolved, for the most part, around such everyday, simple tasks as looking things up in a dictionary or phone book, or balancing a checkbook. At least those really are things people should/need to know how to do.

BTW - In no way do I mean to suggest that homeschoolers should be required to pass such a test.  The parents are the school administrators and as such should have the right to decide what their children must do to graduate their school.  Things such as the senior project just make me that much more happy that we homeschool.  I would have a major problem with my children being required to complete something I felt was such a huge waste of time, and such an immense inconvience. 

Becky

WooooHoooo

Ahhh....the sound all homeschooling mothers live for.  I've heard it several times the past few days.
The first time was when Kayla finally started to really grasp the math she's been working on.  I've heard it from her several times since then as I'm correcting her problems and they are turning out right.  Or just when she finally got a difficult one right.
Then there's the one I heard a little bit ago when I gave Ri an A+ on her report on New Zealand.  There was never any doubt that she would pass it; I guess she just didn't expect an A+.  I don't even usually give letter grades (it's always pass or fail here), but I really liked the way she wrote this one up.
Then there have been several YESSSSSSes from the younger girls as they have made strides through some of their more boring work lately.  I like to make work fun for them sometimes, but I don't like for it all to be fun.  Some things in life are just plain boring, so I think it does them good to tough it through some boring stuff on occasion.
So, all in all, things are going great in school right now. We've even nearly finished the Art History lessons, which weren't really a favorite with anyone.  I told them at the outset (you know, when everyone was whining, "Why do we have to study art?") that I had every intention of making sure that when they heard "impressionism" they didn't automatically think of a comic imitating other people, as opposed to a style of art.  I think we have at least mastered that.

On to other things...
We were going to put in a small garden bed this week, but hubby decided to have the outside of the house and the deck pressure washed.  Since the bed we're putting in is going to be next to the house it will have to wait until the washing is done.  I will most likely make this a flower bed next year, but I could only put in one new bed right now and veggies are more important.  If the weather is nice, they will be here the first Mon. in May, so we don't have to wait too much longer.  I also think the girls and I will stain and seal the deck once it's been washed.  I've often wished the deck was a darker brown.  I am also hoping to work on another bed this year, but it is an existing one in front of the house.  I've never really liked the arrangement in there, so if I'm able to, I will rip out and replace some of the plantings.  We did take out one of the rose of sharon bushes last year and replace it with a dwarf hydrangea, but that was because it had been planted too close to the steps and kept drooping over them. 

Well, I suppose I'd better run off now.  Come to find out Ri and I have different opinions on what slowing down a little in math is.  For me, it definately wouldn't be racing through one of my math books at break-neck speed, but for her I guess slow down just means something short of super-sonic.  It turns out that I have 19 MORE pages of math to correct today (and she just started this particular book yesterday!)  She said she feels a little like Baljeet (in Phineas and Ferb).  BTW - all the following is paraphrased.
Phineas - "What do you do when you're angry?"
Baljeet - "Math"
Phineas - "Okay, what about when you're sad?"
Baljeet - "Math"
Phineas - "And when you're happy?"
Baljeet - "Ma'ath!"
Phineas - "So every feeling you have makes you want to do math?"
Baljeet - "I do no know if it is so much cause and effect.  I just do a lot of math.  The feelings come and go."

I think I can relate too!!

Becky

Math, math, math

I'm seeing numbers, coordinate planes, fractions, line graphs, integers, angles, perimeters, circles, grids, triangles, and equations in my sleep.  Between helping the three younger girls with their regular math, helping my oldest struggle through her practical math course, guiding Ri through the rest of her advanced math, and tutoring my cousin through enough math to pass his GED, I'm going a little math crazy.
But...all is good.  Kay is still struggling, but most of her problems are not with understanding the various processes, but with simple mistakes in (usually) multiplication.  The more complex a problem, the more apt she is to make a mistake in a simple part of the problem.  Ri is doing well, but is on a little bit of an overload with everything (she's anxious to finish up).  After slowing her down a bit it's all going much smoother.  My cousin has passed the first of the three stage test process he must go through (yay!).   And, the younger girls are all doing fine, once you get them going.  Math is not a popular subject around here, but we will prevail.

Becky

So Far, So Good

Everything has started off well.  We got the de-Christmasing done on Monday, in a remarkably short amount of time.  I don't know if it was because we had a couple of extra hands, what with Superman being here and all, or if it's just because the younger ones are all just a little older and are also a bit more help.  But whatever the reason, it was all done well before noon, so I decided to go ahead and utilize the extra hands we had, and have him help me run all the other recycling to the dump box site.  We finished everything up (including an impromptu trip by the grocery store) and were back home, fixing lunch by 1:00.  Then, hubby made an executive decision to start school off anyway, by putting in some history documentaries after lunch dishes were cleaned up.  So, we sat around watching those and shelling some of the pecans we've been storing in the garage.  Superman and I cracked, while the girls removed all the nut meat from the shells.  We ended up with just a bit over 3lbs of shelled pecans.  Don't ask how many we have left to shell - this is a positive post. 
On Tues. the milk run went pretty well, despite the fact that we had to do some of our trip in reverse of what we normally do - and it was COLD!!! - But - it wasn't raining! Yay!
Today we worked school in around several things, such as tutoring my cousin (which means the girls watch his baby while he and I work), Beenie's guitar lesson (the girls did some of their school in the waiting area), a trip to the bank to cash everyone's Christmas checks, and open a savings account for Bree, and a trip out to visit Grandma.  We were a little early for the guitar lesson, so I got to meet another mother there that I had not seen before.  This was her first year homeschooling, and she seemed a little stressed out, so I got to talk with her for a bit, encouraging her not to compare their work at home with what her son would have been doing in the private school he had been in (this was what was causing the stress).  I sincerely hope I was able to help her out, if even just a little.  Overcoming the intense desire to compare your homeschool to public, private, or even other homeschools can be difficult, but it is incredibly important.
So, all in all, I think the year has gotten off to a terrific start!!  I hope all of you are having a great week as well.

School???

Ask any of my children and they'll tell you that I ALWAYS tell them that dreading a task only makes it harder to get it done.  And, being a (reasonably) good mother, I constantly remind them not to procrastinate.  So why is it that all I keep doing is eyeing the stack of schoolwork sitting on top of the school cart, beside the computer table - you know, as opposed to actually picking it all up and going over it?  Well, part of it is that I've been fairly busy the past several days, so it has gotten backed up into a pretty impressive pile (I hear echos of myself, telling the girls not to put things off - it only makes the job worse), and part of it is that when I did have a few minutes yesterday, I procrastinated. 
Ugghhh!!  It sure is easier to give advice, than it is to live it out.  There's a lesson in there somewhere - something along the lines of only taking advice from people who actually exhibit the things in their life that they're trying to relate to you.  Just don't tell the girls I said that until the school cart is cleaned off!
I'm going, I'm going.

Pretty Normal

With the exception of Grandma not being here, today was pretty normal.  Well, that means that when I went out to take the recycling to the box site and make a quick stop in the grocery store, the two littlest and the neighbor girls turned the garage into their own play house.  I couldn't even pull the van in until it was cleaned up.  I should have gotten pictures, but I really just wanted it cleaned up, and, of course, to get the refrigerated stuff put away.  Not really on top of my game today anyway.  School pretty much consisted of Bible study, music, and home ec.  If you ever feel bad about only accomplishing that much for school you should read, "When You Rise Up" by R.C. Sproul Jr.  I can't say it bothered me, but hey, some would think I was remiss in my duties.
Grandma is holding her own.  The infection was caused by a staph bacteria, but it is responding to treatment.  She has developed a secondary problem of fluid being retained around her heart and lungs, but they've given her an IV treatment of Lasix in addition to the oral she already takes, and they'll check tomorrow to see if that is helping.  I got to speak with her for a moment today, and other than being tired she still says that she feels okay, and she is eating well (a very good sign for her).  The fluid retention is going to delay her recovery a bit, and I'm begining to be concerned about her losing strength the longer she has to be in bed, but we'll just have to see how long she'll be down before we'll know anything more definate.  I would love it if she recovered quickly enough to come straight home and not have to go to the rehab center for awhile. 
I think I'll close my day with a cup of hot tea and a book (I have so many to chose from).

Becky  

They're Normal!!!

A few weeks ago a dear family that we used to go to church with came over for supper.  We had a great time, and  I very much enjoyed spending the evening with them.  The girls and their son played UNO Attack while the adults were talking and,  from time to time, standing around the table watching the intense competition.  The subject of church apparently came up during one of the times we weren't standing around the table, and when their son found out that nearly all the kids at our church are homeschooled, he made the remark that he couldn't go to church there.  Of course the girls were shocked at his statement and asked him why.  You see, he has always attended public school and aside from our girls and one other boy at church(I'll be the first to admit that boy is a little unique), he has never met any homeschoolers.  He assumed he'd be ostracized, or at the very least, looked at funny if he made a comment about something that happened at school.  Long story short (it's probably too late for that), he was invited to attend church with us.  At our church we are encouraged to bring lunch and hang around afterward to eat and fellowship, so when he joined us last week, we stayed for quite awhile after the service was concluded.  Once we got home I asked him about it.  Something along the lines of, "So, you just spent the entire morning, and part of the afternoon with nothing but a bunch of homeschooled kids.  What did you think?"  His answer was -  brace yourselves - "They're just normal."  I behaved myself very well, and said none of the things that I may have wanted to under other circumstances (You know, sarcastic things like, What??  Just normal??  They didn't kick you out of the ultimate frisbee game because you didn't, for some/any reason, fit into the crowd?  Nobody looked at you funny? People talked to you even after they found out you were public schooled? - See I was good, not that I would have said that to a young person anyway - it's the adults I sometimes want to say those things to).  I just assured him that, yes indeed, they are normal*, and he and the girls hung out and played games for the remainder of the afternoon.
Incorrect perceptions about homeschoolers apparently abound within the ranks of public schooled children, and I just have to wonder where those perceptions come from.  Okay, I can understand him feeling as though he may be ostracized for being different.  That would just come from his experiences in public school, but other things do not have any origin in personal experience.  Like all the public school children that say things like, "Oh, I'm sorry for you." when they hear one of the girls mention that they are homeschooled (trust me, the girls have a ready answer when this sentiment is expressed).  And what about all the public schooled kids that try to quiz my kids on everything from algebra to Spanish?  The misconceptions don't stop at the children.  One of the mothers on our street came right out and said she didn't want to homeschool because she wanted her child to have a good education.  Of course, she quickly backpeddled and told us that she was sure ours had a good education.  Good thing since it was my children she sent her daughter to for help on her homework.  Her and her oldest son (in college) have also talked about homeschoolers being weird.  Here again she backpeddled and told my kids that this did not include them.  Hmmmm - I guess the origins of the kids' perceptions isn't so hard to find.  I just wish we could break through these misconceptions.  I've got to be honest when I say that I get very tired of some of the same old questions.  And I really get tired of people quizzing the girls or asking them "Just exactly what is it you do all day?".  If it were an honest question I would not have a problem with it, but it's not usually said in a "I'm sincerely curious and just want to learn more about you" kind of way.  We're not even going to touch the "socialization" question - grrrr.
Yes, the kids are normal*, in the sense that they behave as the young people they are.   This does not (thank goodness) mean they act in the "normal", silly, I'm more concerned about my (current) boyfriend and my clothes than anything else kind of way.  In fact, when we went to a church with mostly public schooled children, my kids had very little to do with most of them, because, as my 17yr would say, they just didn't have anything real to talk about.
I'm glad they are normal*, and equally glad that they are not just your "average" kid.

Becky

*As a Christain humorist once wrote, "Normal is just a setting on your dryer."  I love that!