Friday, March 30, 2007

The homeschool BUBBLE mentality is alive & well!

Here is how audition/interview # 2 played out:

It was later in the day so not as many students around, but enough.

DS had his monologue prepared, there was only ONE teacher, a woman. He went in alone.

I turn on the timer on my phone...it took only about 8.5 MINUTES!

I knew by the look on his face, as soon as he stepped out of the room that something was amiss. I asked him if he was ok & he said yes & just kept walking, I took my 'mom cue' & asked one more time then stayed quiet. I knew he probably wanted to wait to talk until we were out of the building & he had a moment to collect himself & his thoughts. As soon as we were out, w/o prompting from me, he spilled it.

DS said he did about half his monologue & she said, ok thank you. She looked @ his artwork then told him a little bit about the program, the classes he'd be taking ect.

THEN she asks him about his school.
He tells her he is homeschooled.

teacher: Why?
DS: uh...cause that's what my parents wanted to do. It's a charter school, basically it's a public school but we do our work @ home.
teacher: so you've been homeschooled your whole life?
ds: yes
teacher: how do you meet people?
ds: we have park days.
teacher: w/ who?
ds: other homeschooled kids in our hs group.
teacher: this school is very liberal. Are your parents conservative?
ds: Well, we're Christian but it's not like they tell me not to talk to certain people or anything. I have all kinds of friends & I don't know if they are Christian or not or if they're even religious.
teacher: well, it's not about religion. If you go here it might open your eyes, give you a new perspective, some kids have mohawks.
ds: was just like, hm mm, yah, nodding head & smiling.

WHATEVER!

1st: is this an interview OR interrogation?
2nd:WHY? uh cause that is what his PARENTS chose for him?
3rd:HOW in 2007 do people STILL have the "homsechool bubble" mentality!?!
4th: Like we've NEVER seen a person or kid w/ a mohawk? DUH! One of E's GOOD friends, homeschooled, who's sister goes to this school, HAS a mohawk! SO what!!!
& lastly, what NERVE of her to ask him questions like that.

She even asked him if he knew what IMPROV was! Oh how I WISH I had been IN there w/ him!!!! I would have been ALL over that!!!!!

He doesn't look like a freak! HE DOES look clean-cut & I wonder if that was a mark against him? Since when is being clean cut a NEGATIVE? ONLY if it has the words 'homeschool' attached to it, I guess!

SO anyhoo...*I* was NOT too happy w/ this interview. DS did NOT get a nice vibe from her. She did laugh during a part in his monologue....gotta think positive right? Whatever!

I think there was more but I can't remember it all right now.


I guess I am still a bit naive. I really thought, in 2007, CA, there was no longer the homeschool bubble bias. Maybe it is only because I've defended it for the past 9 years of my son's education. I thought we were 'past that'. kwim? {sigh}

I did not think this would even come up. I was wrong. I gave him a bit of preparation, suggesting the whole 'public charter school' answer in case it came up but I really didn't expect it too & even considered that unnecessary. If I had known, I would have prepared him better.

He's a big boy, he was fine but agitated w/ the lady. { I am learning how much I underestimate him sometimes because I keep getting surprised @ how well he asserts himself & grown up he is getting} He said he felt like she was thinking he was homeschooled cause he had a learning disability or was a trouble maker or something. He said what he wanted to tell her was: I don't have a learning problem, if that's what you are thinking. But he refrained. ;-)

2 comments:

  1. Sorry it didn't go as well as you all had hoped. You never know though. Good for E! He handled himself great! Really.. what more could he have said or done. He answered the questions in a bright, straight forward manner.

    The Zoo is proud of him!!! He set goals, prepared, and jumped into the "unknown." Even if it doesn't work out, he knows that he tried his best! I think he might be a bit like his mom, huh? ;-)

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  2. It sounds like he handled it very matter of factly and with dignity. I would think she would take THAT into consideration. But you're right...there are still many many people out there that don't understand that it "can" be "OK" for kids.

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