Tracy Oldfield

This was in my local home-ed group's newsletter, credited to being found on
the 'net. If anyone knows the original author, please let me know.

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Two women meet in the park and start to chat:

W1: Hi. I'm Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts, helps me keep
track of them.
W2: (Smiles) I'm Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you
come here a lot?
Maggie: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.
Terri: Wow. Where do you find the time?
M: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time.
T: Some of my neighbours home school, but I send my kids to school.
M: How do you do it?
T: It's not easy, I go to all the PTA meetings and work with the kids
every day after school and stay real involved.
M: But what about socialisation? Aren't you worried about them being
cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the opportunity
for natural relationships?
T: Well, yes. But I've worked hard to balance that. They have some
friends who're home schooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every
month.
M: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about
all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean, they're so isolated
from real life - how will they know what the world is like - what people do
for a living - how to get along with all different kinds of people?
T: Oh, we discussed that at PTA, and we started a fund to bring real
people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor
come in to talk to every class, and next month, we're having a woman from
Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.
M: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and
he got talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely
fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their
three children.
T: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the
lunchroom on Multicultural Day.
M: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat witht eh children.
T: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to
visit that day. It's a system-wide thing we're doing.
M: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. before I
even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was going to do with all
the oranges he was buying.
T: Your child talks to strangers?
M: I was right there with him. Ho knows that as long as he's with me, he
can talk to anyone he wishes.
T: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk
to strangers.
M: Not even when they're with you?
T: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why
it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a big
no-no.
M: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet
interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world,
in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a
situation is dangerous or suspicious.
T: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health
courses.
M: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my
number - if you ever want to talk, give me a call. It was good to meet you.