Mom Is Teaching

I found this posted by COD and thought it was worth mentioning.

Most homeschoolers know of, and probably laughed with, the Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish list. It’s a hilarious list of all the things that many of us wish we could say to the people who ask insulting, and idiotic, questions as soon as thy find out you are a homeschooler. There are some people in the world with absolutely no edit button in their mind that prevents them from saying what they are thinking, especially when it comes to a subject outside their preconceived norm.

Which is why this list became a huge sensation as soon as it was published. The list spread like wildfire across chat rooms, message boards, in emails, and posted on blogs. I had seen it a dozen times, uncredited, before sniffing out the source for it. It is something I myself shared here, though with links back to the original source.

That said, if the name Deborah Markus fails to ring any bells you should probably read this. She is the often ignored original writer of the Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List. A woman whose name is too often left off in the thousands of times her genius list is passed around. And frankly, she’s pretty mad about it.

Honestly, can you blame her? Her work has ben passed around the web by the very community she is a part of. The very people she wrote this list for has tossed her name to the wind and kept her words as if they were their own. Some did so unintentionally, having been passed a nameless copy of a forwarded email and never knowing that there was a face that deserved to be put to this list. Maybe some felt so compelled by the emotions this list brought up that they took ownership of the words along with the personal feelings they invoked. However, there are some who knew what they were doing. And didn’t care.

Most homeschoolers I know tend to be protective of each other. Even if we disagree with the how or the why you homeschool, even if we do not like you personally, let someone step in and there is a wave of support and defense that builds up. Most likely it is because most homeschooling families know what it is like to be on the receiving end, so they feel compelled to step up and defend your right to homeschool as you see fit.

So here is another chance to step up for someone in your community. If you have this list on your blog, add the name and link. If you see it being passed in a message board or email group, let them know. Give credit where credit is deserved.

homeschooling, The Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List, Deborah Markus