Last Saturday, I was telling you about talking sticks and being forced to play games in an environment where I was expecting to learn. Little did I know that before the end of the night, people would think that I was stupid (and not for the reason that probably just popped into your head).

Eventually, the topic of STEM in high school came up, and one thing led to another and I said I didn’t go to public school, I was homeschooled. The look of disgust on all of their faces was obvious. So I added that yes, I was homeschooled, graduated with my Associate in Science in one year, my Bachelors in Biotechnology in another year, my Masters in Microbiology, and I’m just now starting a Ph.D. program. I had more education under my belt than anyone at that table, yet they didn’t care that I just loved science (mind you, my credentials never came out until this point)…they were insulted? perhaps? that I had been homeschooled and succeeded so well. They had a few moments of saying things like I was missing things with that education and that’s why teachers are important, but I didn’t even bother responding. After having been treated like a child, and now treated with disdain for having been homeschooled, of all things, I was over it. And believe me! It takes a lot to get me to that point, especially at a professional conference with my boss sitting the next table over. 

We had to do an activity for problem solving a rural community that didn’t have teachers, and then each group had to pick someone to speak to the whole room on what we learned. Everyone at my table said I should do it. I looked at them and said: “I’m just a homeschooled science lab manager, I’m not a teacher. This is your conference, you can handle it.” One of them then begrudgingly said he would do it. 

The instant dinner was over and they said “Feel free to stay and chat longer”, I was out of there faster than you could say “it was nice meeting you.” (Which, let’s be honest, would have been a lie.)

Could I have been nicer? Potentially. But I was professional. Sure, I probably shouldn’t have said some things, but everyone has a point to where they’re pushed just enough. I never yelled, I was never angry towards them, but at some point, you need to stand up for yourself and be firm. 

I don’t like being treated like a child, and I don’t appreciate being called stupid. Especially on how I went to school. It insults me, and it insults my parents. I don’t walk into a room and brag about my education – I would rather people just know that I think microbiology is one of the coolest things in the world, and maybe it will rub off on someone! But when you essentially call me stupid to my face, I will bring it up. They only had a Bachelor’s degree, and looked down on me for how I got my K-12 education. I have a Master’s and in a few years will hopefully have a Ph.D. I’m not stupid, and I don’t appreciate people who think anyone who has been homeschooled is. Especially at a teacher conference, where they’re supposed to be learning how to encourage and build people up!

Other than these few hours of torture, the rest of the workshop (where we were not with the teachers) was really great. I learned a lot, left inspired, and you’ll hear more about that soon!

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P.S. The talking stick wasn’t the only talking activity we had. They had more interesting names that I didn’t care to remember, but I’ll describe what the second one was. Everyone had to grab two wooden blocks, and you had to deposit a block into the center of the table to speak. But before you could use your second one, everyone else had to use at least one first.