The team of writers at Life Without School consistently deliver well-written, thoughtful articles about all aspects of homeschooling reflecting their belief that “no matter how we come into this lifestyle, the purpose we most commonly share is reflected best by this one question: ‘What is right for my child?’ Life without school is not for all families or all children, but it is a valid and valued lifestyle choice for many.” They describe themselves as “real people living real lives without school. We share a common belief that life without school is a valid and valuable lifestyle choice.”
Missy with her son and Mickey
Unlike many people who strongly believe that one option — traditional school or homeschool — is superior and advocate for that approach, the writers declare that their site is “not a platform for school choice or educational choice or lifestyle choice other than life without school, although diversity of lifestyle is welcomed as a part of who we are and thus may be reflected in our postings.” In other words, their site is a breath of pure, fresh air — an oasis apart from the sometimes mean-spirited debates that rage at other sites.
The Post of the Day Award goes to Missy who, ironically, was a teacher before deciding to “deschool” her children, about which she also writes at her own site, caffeinated jive.
On September 8, 2008, she observed that Sometimes It’s Just a Shirt. Although, on its surface, the post is a reflection upon the manner in which homeschooling children and their families interact with and relate children who attend school, it is actually much more.
The post was inspired by a chance encounter.
We were at a swim meet last weekend, and a little boy, maybe five or six, was playing in the sandbox. His t-shirt said, “Homeschool Rocks!”
Cool, I thought. There are only a few homeschooling families in our swim league, and in the midst of an activity permeated by school culture, I was excited to find another family.
So I asked, “Hey, are you homeschooled?”
And he looked at me like I had five heads and said, “Nope.”
Oh.
“Ummm, okay. I just thought maybe since your t-shirt says something about homeschooling…”
“It’s just a shirt.” And he walked very quickly away from the crazy lady who reads t-shirts and actually, I dunno, believes they say something about the people wearing them.
After you read the rest of the article, you will see how Missy’s personal circumstances and experience provide the backdrop, but her message transcends those particulars.
We all seek constantly to fit in, be accepted, feel that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We avoid alienation because of our uniqueness.
But in our struggle for identity, sometimes we over-analyze, over-think, and ascribe meaning to the trivialities of our daily lives that is inconsistent with reality.
As Missy teaches her readers, “sometimes a t-shirt is just a t-shirt.”
Congratulations, Missy!
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