In the 16 years that I've been homeschooling, I've fielded all kinds of questions from skeptical strangers, but today I heard a new one. "I don't know how you can homeschool. What do you do about P.E.?" She seemed truly aghast at the thought, and I almost laughed. P.E.? Really? Of all the things I've stayed up at night worrying about, P.E. has never been one of them. That comes so naturally I don't have to give it a thought. We hike trails, walk around the neighborhood, play basketball in the driveway, rollerskate in the basement, lift weights, run (well, Noah does; I don't), rake leaves, sweep the garage, shovel snow, do workout videos, weed the garden, etc etc...
Then she asked, "Do you meet the state requirements?" She was very concerned. I assured her, "Yes, we do."
Next on her mind was...
Woman: What if they ever have to go to public school for whatever reason? Would they be able handle it?
Me: My daughter started public school in 8th grade, and now she's a freshman at the public high school. She's handling it just fine.
Woman: Is she behind all the other kids?
Me: No, she sits in the front row. (I even gave her a wink to let her know I was making a little joke.)
Woman: I mean...academically?
Me: She gets A's and B's.
Woman: That's amazing that she was able to figure it out so quickly!
Me: Well, she did learn things at home...
Woman: But wasn't she overwhelmed being in a class with so many other kids?
Me: No. She is very social and loves being around lots of people.
Woman: Well, my cousin's wife's brother-in-law's daughter's husband's ex-fiancee homeschools their kids, and they are always home. They wouldn't know what to do if they had to go to a class with a bunch of other kids.
Thankfully our time together was up at that point, and we drifted away before I could learn the fate of every remote homeschooling situation she knows.
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