First off –  I’m not Miss Manners, Martha Stewart, Amy Vanderbilt, Emily Post or Letitia Baldridge.  Matter of fact, I’m sure they could find a thing or two three about me that they’d love to fix.  BUT I’m relatively confident that I have common sense and consideration most of the time, especially when it comes to “how to act in public”. I was raised by a woman who thought nothing of a whap upside the back of my head if I misbehaved out in public .  I knoweth of what I speak!

That said, I thought I’d list some gentle reminders for my fellow homeschoolers:

1. If the class starts at 10:00am, please be there by at LEAST 9:55am.
   Whether the class is free or paid, there is an instructor and a group of children ready to start at the ASSIGNED AND POSTED time….but we’re waiting for you…………again.  Sure, things happen from time to time and everyone is late once in a while.  Note: “TIME TO TIME” and “ONCE IN A WHILE“.    When you’re perpetually late for group events, you need a new clock, wrist watch or routine. Your lateness either cuts into the class (if it can’t be extended on the back end) or causes other people to be late (if it runs over at the back end). Please –  BE ON TIME!
2. If you stay for the group/class and there is a speaker/instructor – please – KEEP QUIET!
   Just because it isn’t officially “school” doesn’t mean that there isn’t learning going on. And really, what message are you sending to participants when you proceed to have a discussion (not sotto voce) on your cell phone, with other parents or worse – with your child (who is supposed to be participating in the class)??  Move out of the room to have the conversation if it really can’t wait….can’t you see the distraction you’re making?  Remember one of your reasons for homeschooling: to have a teaching environment free from distractions?  Um……….a little help here?!
3. If the group/class is being held at …..a college or a university………..and you ARE in the hallway chatting, SOTTO VOCE is still the way to go.
   You see, those other doors along the hallway lead to classrooms and lecture halls where there are STUDENTS paying tens of thousands of dollars to learn. Kind of hard to focus on the instructor when you can hear someone having a heated argument with their spouse about dinner, the dog, the car, the mother-in-law.
4. RSVP
   If some parent has taken the time to organize a group trip – especially a NO COST INVOLVED group trip - try to RSVP by the date posted.  And, if you SAY you’re attending and then can’t make it – have a little courtesy to email the coordinator and say as much.  Nothing worse than delaying a tour/event/class for someone who isn’t even coming!
5. Remove loud children not participating in the function
   When you have little ones who can’t participate in the group/class due to their age, try (as best as possible) to remove the screaming, crying, kicking child from the area.  Now I know you can’t control when the tantrum is going to start. And lord knows you’d be a miracle worker if you could just turn it off with one word, but you CAN take little junior/juniorette out of the room while the head bashing, rolling around on the ground screaming “I WANT MILK” is going on.  See notes #2 and #3.
6. Tissues – carry them.
   Some of us don’t like to see our OWN children with caked on buggers – we certainly don’t want to see YOUR child’s nasty nose. And before anyone screams at me (more) dried on boogies means they’ve been there for awhile and didn’t just happen.   Oh, and surely no one wants to see long green strands hanging from your child’s nostrils, watch as they wipe it off and then rub their hand on the table (or worse, lick it).  If your child is juicy, stay nearby with the tissues.

I can think of a few more suggestions for etiquette but I daresay some won’t like what I’ve already posted!  Whether I’ve paid for a class or outing for my child or it’s free, I want her there for a REASON – and it’s probably not just “socializing” with her peers. She’s there to LEARN something and you make it really hard when you’re late, talking on your cell phone or letting  junior/juniorette terrorize the place.

Just a little common courtesy is all I’m asking….pretty please.