Why do you think Honey's parents chose to homeschool her? Do you agree with them? Do you believe the trade-off was worth it?

Honey's parents opted to home school her, yet she seems to feel as if she's missed out on an important experience by not going to public school. Why do you think they chose this for her? Do you agree with their opinion? Do you believe the trade-off was worth it?

I would think it obvious that they homeschooled her knowing the intolerance and ambivalent behavior of the community towards the parent's marriage and Cussy's skin condition causing the blueness of her skin. They felt that Honey would not be treated fairly or equally in a public school setting and would be horribly picked on by both the other children and the teachers. They also feared that Honey might even have been taken from them.

They had experienced harassment and were not going to expose their daughter to the ignorance of some community members. As a reader and Book Woman her mother felt well equipped to educate her.

I agree with the previous comments about her parents being well aware that Honey would have been discriminated against if she had gone to school. Therefore, Honey would not have enjoyed the fellowship of other students what she dreamed of on Page 197 of our book. Further, on that same page, Honey herself said: "Papa would comment that I was safer at home." Mr Lovett seems to have been aware that instead of fellowship, Honey would have been offered violence.

I tried to imagine what other trade-off was made by her being home schooled. Under normal circumstance that might have been the experience of sports, art, or band. But, the schools in those hollers offered only reading, writing, and 'rithmetic. Extracurricular activities were non existent. Further, her teachers would not have had access to the variety of books that Honey's mother was able to provide for Honey.

I'm sure they wanted to keep her safe and not expose her to the intolerance of the other children and families. I believe that her mother was well equipped to teach her.

In a public school, Honey would have faced teasing, bullying, and being isolated from other children. The woman who worked for the state kept calling Honey "it." That would have been her experience in school because she would have been unable to keep her hands hidden all of the time.

It was obvious that Honey's parents homeschooled her to avoid the bullying and discrimination that she was certain to face. Cussy had experienced it over and over, not only from ignorant hill people and townspeople, but also from individuals in power. Her parents had absolute certainty that she would be on the receiving end. Bullying is insidious in what it does to its victims' psyches; it destroys all self-confidence. Good parents do not expose their children to these abuses.

They were protecting her.

They were trying to save Honey the bullying she was bound to get if she went to a school. People were afraid of blue-skinned people, were biased against them. This was a parental protection - not much different than someone today homeschooling to prevent their child from going thru the ever present school shootings.

With her mother being well educated and a Book Woman I believe that Honey was fine being educated by her.