Today, I was getting new tires and the guy doing them said, "My niece wuz homeschooled and I ain't sayin' she ain't got education, but her people-skills is not good."
I just sat there for a moment, first trying to pick out the meaning from his very broken English. (This was not my beloved Mr. Holmes, btw.) Then I realized he was saying, "Homeschoolers are unsocialized" and "I base this wholly on my observations of one family member, yet it surely fits anyone else who is homeschooled."
I ran through the stock answers, the replies from kind to scathing. But he was not sharing in a back-and-forth, he was commenting and moving on. He did not CARE that it was offensive or even hostile, I don't think it occurred to him at all. So, what to do? Mutter to myself about it? Lead the conversation back around to it? Mail him some hand-outs? Slash his tires?
I went on the defensive end of things, wanting to line out every interaction we have, naming friends and accomplishments and references, as if I were going on trial. That's no good, and in the end would have accomplished nothing. I just...I did not think it would happen to me! hahaha! These are the narrow-minded insights heaped on OTHER homeschoolers, I have had amazingly positive (outside my own family that is) feedback and encouragement when homeschooling even comes up.
I ended up pointing out that everyone has varying degrees of social skills, no matter how they were brought up. I said that after the isolation of school at no other time are we put with only people our very own age because it's assumed we have the very same abilities. That learning to get along with any age older or younger was a vital life skill, but some people are very shy or naturally withdrawn.
I think I used too many words. I should have said, "You are an idiot" and been done.
