I've been intrigued -- and greatly assisted -- by the responses to my Question of the Day. I ought to tattoo it to my forearm: The simple way is the better way.

I was also intrigued that the more forthright suggestions came from the non-Americans. I live in the modest Midwest, so being forthright often feels like its not an option. Where I live, sometimes even asking a question can seem like a criticism. (Which gets me in a lot of trouble, because I love to ask a lot of questions.)

Of course my sampling is very small, but still, it confirms for me yet again that we Midwesterners have a very bizarre brand of politeness. I love it here anyway!

So if I were being forthright, I'd tell people that we homeschool because during the middle of a math lesson on fairly simple word problems my 7-year-old says "Can we please do it the algebra way?" Later she skips off to play Groovy Girls. And still later she is improvising at the piano after practicing for both her regular group lesson and the advanced pieces her teacher has given her to supplement.

Show me a school with that curriculum, and maybe we'll be interested!

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Posted by Anonymous

I'm going on my fourth year of homeschooling, and believe it or not, no one has EVER asked me that...

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Posted by shaunms

It's not a question I would have asked at 17, much less 7! Must come from her dad's genes . . . :)

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