Thursday, February 02, 2006

library class?

"We thought that since we have home-schoolers, we'd just try to show them how to use the library, because [the students] don't get that if they're not in school," Berry said.

This from an article here, which I found at Home Education and Other Stuff, a great read if you homeschool.
The article was really long and wordy, and honestly, I've read enough today to have not bothered with the entire article. Plus, having gotten to the quote above, I just had to hop over here and write/rant this.
I've got half a mind to give it the old, "Oh no she didn't!" rant, but that gets us nowhere. So instead I'd like to just say that, as homeschoolers, we are generally familiar with the library. Many of us spend much of one day a week at the library. Sometimes we even call it library day, so quaint. We know how to search online for books, how to use the hold/reserve option and even a little something about Dewey and some sort of decimals.
Add to the fact that we homeschool, or home educate as some prefer. By nature we see things to teach our kids. We find interesting tidbits to share, as if the whole world were a knowledge buffet. Wouldn't we then teach our kids about the library? When do kids in schools visit the library? Do they have library class?
We like the library and have fun there. We're there so much the staff recognizes us. Sometimes we run into other homeschooling families we know. Sometimes we see people we don't know, but we can tell they homeschool.
I'm not saying the program in the article is a bad thing, but I love those misguided sentiments that seem to think homeschoolers need help at the library. Honestly, the library is pretty self explanatory, even if you were to just wander in off the street having never been inside one before.
I'm done near ranting, because if I dwell on that quote . . .
Oh no she didn't . . .