"I'm a real teacher..."

So this summer, for the first time in 13 years, I am working outside my home. (Yes, I have taught different classes, some volunteer work, some private lessons, and then the Learning Center, but once a week, three hours a week outside the house just doesn't feel like working outside the house.) After being encouraged by Morgan and Jeffery, I applied to and got hired by Six Flags St. Louis. The boys told me I should apply since I love being there so much. I am working in ticket takers most of the time, occasionally in season pass processing.

How is it? It is absolutely fantastic! I love being at the park, I love when the characters *my favorite part of the park* comes up to front mall! I love the little kids running up to the turnstiles so fast they almost hit them because they are so excited to be there! I love the guests from out of town who are full of questions and eager to get in the park all at the same time! I love my coworkers, they are some of the happiest people I know! I just really enjoy it, and I'm so glad the boys suggested I get the job.

It's also very odd to have to actually go to work, to get up early in the morning, to not stay up until 2am, to come home and still have to take care of stuff at home. (I have gained a whole new respect for homeschooling Moms who work outside the home!) I have had to learn to relinquish some of my control on the kids' schedules. Jeff has had to be their driver more the last few weeks, which is odd to me.

Everyday I come home with new stories for my family. Just as we learned about the entertainment department last year, when Morgan joined that department, my family is learning about the admissions department. Most of them I wouldn't share with the world, but one happened today that I was rather shocked about.

Six Flags does a "Read to Succeed" program, every student in grades 1-6 that have registered for the program and read 6 hours in a specified time period earn a one day ticket to Six Flags St. Louis, their teacher earns a ticket as well. Because SFSL realizes home educators and students are just as qualified as traditional schoolers to participate, they allow homeschooling families to participate. Today a family came through my line with a student and an educator ticket, so I asked her if they were homeschoolers. She made a very odd noise, almost like a humph, and then said, "No, I'm a real teacher." I responded with "Oh, I homeschool my children and knew we had participated. Since you had a student and a teacher, I thought maybe." She sneered at me and went in the park.

After she left I was kind of dumbfounded for a moment. I realized today just how blessed we have been. When we first began homeschooling our families, of course, had questions, and wondered about it. After the first couple of years, we really didn't encounter any negativity about it. Occasionally I have met people who don't know much about homeschooling and ask lots of questions, but very seldom do I encounter someone so snippy about it.

What is a "real" teacher? According to the online dictionary a teacher is "one who teaches". Well, let's see, I have taught my children math, science, history, english. I have taught my children Bible, how to cook, tie their shoes, say please and thank you, pray before they eat, read their Bible every day, and the list goes on and on and on. So why am I not a "real" teacher? The rest of that definition says "especially one whose occupation is to instruct". As a mother, my occupation, according to God's Word is to instruct my children. So again, I ask, why am I not a "real" teacher? I wish there wasn't the negative attitude from traditional school teachers toward homeschoolers, I wonder how much we could help each other if there was a better relationship between the two groups?