Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for almost eight years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from January 2009:
Janine and I attended a seminar on brain development. What to do about brain damaged children summarizes some of what I learned. Parents with Purpose is Janine's summary. And here is Donna's web site: Parents with Purpose.
I contrasted some of the similarities between The Pied Piper and government schools.
We also posted this video by Dr. Laura on Having a Hard Time Letting Go?
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
John Holt on The Phil Donahue Show
John Holt was an early proponent of homeschooling. Here is a video of John Holt on The Phil Donahue Show:
Hat tip: Patrick Farenga
Hat tip: Patrick Farenga
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Just Keep Blogging edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Notes From A Homeschooling Mom.
The carnival starts with:
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It is now March 2014, I officially became a veteran homeschooler back in May 2013, when I graduated my second, and last child, from homeschooling. I am still processing all of my thoughts and feelings about the last 10 years, because homeschooling is serious business, and just as you need to be mentally prepared to start and to make it through homeschooling, you need to put the same effort (at least in my case) into coming out the other side, and finding a new you, when you have been released from your homeschooling duties.
Just as I found blogging to be a great way to prepare myself and to keep motivated during the homeschool process, I am finding blogging to be a great way to process myself into my next phase in life-post homeschooling. As much as inward blogging has helped me, I still need to spend just as much time reading the blogs of others, for sanity reasons, to let me know that I am OK... as in Not Crazy, as in other people are having the same feelings and experiences that I have either had, or am having right now. For this I am thankful, so with that I say, Just keep blogging through and even after homeschooling. I will keep you sane, and it will also help those who come after you.
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Enjoy!
The carnival starts with:
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It is now March 2014, I officially became a veteran homeschooler back in May 2013, when I graduated my second, and last child, from homeschooling. I am still processing all of my thoughts and feelings about the last 10 years, because homeschooling is serious business, and just as you need to be mentally prepared to start and to make it through homeschooling, you need to put the same effort (at least in my case) into coming out the other side, and finding a new you, when you have been released from your homeschooling duties.
Just as I found blogging to be a great way to prepare myself and to keep motivated during the homeschool process, I am finding blogging to be a great way to process myself into my next phase in life-post homeschooling. As much as inward blogging has helped me, I still need to spend just as much time reading the blogs of others, for sanity reasons, to let me know that I am OK... as in Not Crazy, as in other people are having the same feelings and experiences that I have either had, or am having right now. For this I am thankful, so with that I say, Just keep blogging through and even after homeschooling. I will keep you sane, and it will also help those who come after you.
-----------
Enjoy!
Some good thoughts on things to teach your children about money
I enjoyed Penelope Trunk's post on What do rich parents do that poor parents don't?
She makes the point that parents from different classes have different approaches to what and how to teach their children. One of the best things we can do for our children is to be as conscious as possible about the lessons we teach them. If we can make sure to teach them the good lessons we have learned and to avoid teaching them the bad lessons we have learned, then our children will be off to a great start.
Penelope start's her post with:
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Yefet went on a trip with Melissa. It was so exciting to watch them leave because they always do amazing things while they're together. But I couldn't help thinking, while I was dropping them off at the airport, that my kids are growing up like rich kids. It's the last thing I expected after moving to rural Wisconsin.
One of my favorite paragraphs is:
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What I'm trying to tell you is that it's a poverty mentality to send your kids to school. The values of school are for people who start at a disadvantage. The US school system is about making things equal for everyone. If you start out on the better side of equal, why would you put your kids in a system designed to reduce their advantage?
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Hat tip: Homeschoolbuzz.com
She makes the point that parents from different classes have different approaches to what and how to teach their children. One of the best things we can do for our children is to be as conscious as possible about the lessons we teach them. If we can make sure to teach them the good lessons we have learned and to avoid teaching them the bad lessons we have learned, then our children will be off to a great start.
Penelope start's her post with:
----------
Yefet went on a trip with Melissa. It was so exciting to watch them leave because they always do amazing things while they're together. But I couldn't help thinking, while I was dropping them off at the airport, that my kids are growing up like rich kids. It's the last thing I expected after moving to rural Wisconsin.
The reason they are growing up like rich kids is not so much the money (he could have gone on a driving trip with Melissa and had the same advantages,) but because of my mentality that I trust him to be smart and interesting and to make a life from that. And I don't trust school.
I think a lot about the difference between how rich people think about education and how everyone else thinks about education. So I was interested to read that rich people worry less about their kids getting into dangerous situations online than poor parents do.
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One of my favorite paragraphs is:
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What I'm trying to tell you is that it's a poverty mentality to send your kids to school. The values of school are for people who start at a disadvantage. The US school system is about making things equal for everyone. If you start out on the better side of equal, why would you put your kids in a system designed to reduce their advantage?
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Hat tip: Homeschoolbuzz.com
The Feynman Lectures on Physics are online
Richard Feynman is famous for his lectures on physics. They are now online.
Monday, March 03, 2014
A problem with homeschooling
Currently our second and third daughters are doing a lot of their education via online classes. Today we had a problem. Our DSL line stopped working!
For over three hours I was on the phone, multiple times, with our Internet Service Provider trying to get the problem resolved. At first they thought the problem was due to a flaky DSL modem, so I went down to Frys to buy a new one. The clerk asked who my ISP was and I told her. Then the guy standing next to me said he had the same ISP and was suffering a similar problem. I selected a DSL modem and headed home.
But before unwrapping the modem I called my ISP and asked if there were any other types of problems which would appear to be similar to a broken modem. They said it was possible and they would check. A few minutes later my neighbor called to say her DSL line was also down, so it appears there is a much wider problem than my DSL modem.
All of this meant my daughters were missing their classes. As a parent when we take ownership of the education of our children we sometimes have to deal with these kinds of problems. Luckily we the girls were able to keep busy doing useful things.
I was surprised by how used to having instance access to the internet we have become. I wanted to check my email. When the support person said I needed a DSL modem my first thought was to check out various reviews, but then I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t check Instapundit or Facebook.
Finally I went off to work, where I now have access to the internet (and can post to my blog). Hopefully the whole problem with be resolved by the time I get home.
For over three hours I was on the phone, multiple times, with our Internet Service Provider trying to get the problem resolved. At first they thought the problem was due to a flaky DSL modem, so I went down to Frys to buy a new one. The clerk asked who my ISP was and I told her. Then the guy standing next to me said he had the same ISP and was suffering a similar problem. I selected a DSL modem and headed home.
But before unwrapping the modem I called my ISP and asked if there were any other types of problems which would appear to be similar to a broken modem. They said it was possible and they would check. A few minutes later my neighbor called to say her DSL line was also down, so it appears there is a much wider problem than my DSL modem.
All of this meant my daughters were missing their classes. As a parent when we take ownership of the education of our children we sometimes have to deal with these kinds of problems. Luckily we the girls were able to keep busy doing useful things.
I was surprised by how used to having instance access to the internet we have become. I wanted to check my email. When the support person said I needed a DSL modem my first thought was to check out various reviews, but then I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t check Instapundit or Facebook.
Finally I went off to work, where I now have access to the internet (and can post to my blog). Hopefully the whole problem with be resolved by the time I get home.
Life Humor 2.J
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
Life Humor 2.J was originally posted 4 December 1987
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Did you hear that there's a group of South American Indians that worships the number zero?
Is nothing sacred?
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LOS ANGELES TIMES:
It was, police figure, a 10 million-to-1 shot that saved the life of a federal agent in a shopping-mall shootout in Hialeah, Florida. A drug suspect had aimed at the chest of Carlos Montalvo, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and pulled the trigger. But the shot struck Montalvo's gun, lodging in the barrel.
After draining excess fuel from the flooded engine of his 1946 aircraft, Douglas Youngs reached into the cockpit and started the engine. But he had forgotten to close the throttle and the plane took off without him. The errant aircraft was eventually found 65 miles away, perched in an 85 foot tree near Clifton, New York. Youngs thinks he can repair the plane, just as soon as he figures out how to get it down from the tree.
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It was so cold last winter that I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
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Two hippies were waiting at the bus stop along with a nun with her leg in a cast. The first hippie asked "Sister, how did you break you leg?" "I slipped in the bathtub."
Later the second hippie asked the first "What's a bathtub?"
"How should I know, I'm not Catholic!"
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The five rules of Socialism:
1. Don't think
2. If you do think, don't speak
3. If you think and speak, don't write
4. If you think, speak and write, don't sign
5. If you think, speak, write and sign, don't be surprised
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Why do Soviet policemen always patrol in groups of three, as in fact they often do?
One of them knows how to read, one knows how to add, while the third is there to observe the two suspected intellectuals.
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How does the Soviet Constitution differ from the American?
Under the Soviet Constitution citizens are guaranteed freedom of speech, but under the United States constitution they are guaranteed freedom after speech.
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Life Humor 2.J was originally posted 4 December 1987
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Did you hear that there's a group of South American Indians that worships the number zero?
Is nothing sacred?
----------
LOS ANGELES TIMES:
It was, police figure, a 10 million-to-1 shot that saved the life of a federal agent in a shopping-mall shootout in Hialeah, Florida. A drug suspect had aimed at the chest of Carlos Montalvo, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and pulled the trigger. But the shot struck Montalvo's gun, lodging in the barrel.
After draining excess fuel from the flooded engine of his 1946 aircraft, Douglas Youngs reached into the cockpit and started the engine. But he had forgotten to close the throttle and the plane took off without him. The errant aircraft was eventually found 65 miles away, perched in an 85 foot tree near Clifton, New York. Youngs thinks he can repair the plane, just as soon as he figures out how to get it down from the tree.
----------
It was so cold last winter that I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
----------
Two hippies were waiting at the bus stop along with a nun with her leg in a cast. The first hippie asked "Sister, how did you break you leg?" "I slipped in the bathtub."
Later the second hippie asked the first "What's a bathtub?"
"How should I know, I'm not Catholic!"
----------
The five rules of Socialism:
1. Don't think
2. If you do think, don't speak
3. If you think and speak, don't write
4. If you think, speak and write, don't sign
5. If you think, speak, write and sign, don't be surprised
----------
Why do Soviet policemen always patrol in groups of three, as in fact they often do?
One of them knows how to read, one knows how to add, while the third is there to observe the two suspected intellectuals.
----------
How does the Soviet Constitution differ from the American?
Under the Soviet Constitution citizens are guaranteed freedom of speech, but under the United States constitution they are guaranteed freedom after speech.
----------
Please remember to send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please act now!
You only have four and a half hours left.
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held here at Notes From A Homeschooling Mom.
This will be the 427th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
Blog Carnival seems to be down, so you'll need to email your submission directly to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I was going to post this reminder earlier this morning, but our internet access went down about 5:00 AM.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
You only have four and a half hours left.
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held here at Notes From A Homeschooling Mom.
This will be the 427th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
Blog Carnival seems to be down, so you'll need to email your submission directly to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I was going to post this reminder earlier this morning, but our internet access went down about 5:00 AM.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
The latest Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival
While you are waiting for the next Carnival of Homeschooling you can checkout the latest Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival hosted at journey-and-destination.
Saturday, March 01, 2014
A thought about learning from experience
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
We all learn by experience
but some of us have to go to summer school. -Peter de Vries (1910-1993)
We all learn by experience
but some of us have to go to summer school. -Peter de Vries (1910-1993)
The next stage in buying things?
For most of recorded history people have bought things in stores. Then companies like Sears started selling things via catalogs. Customers could select the items they wanted and have them shipped to their home. Lately this trend has been accelerated by the internet by companies like Amazon.
Maybe we'll have a third approach now, Popular Mechanics reports on Urbee 2, the 3D-Printed Car That Will Drive Across the Country. The article starts with:
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In early 1903, physician and car enthusiast Horatio Nelson Jackson accepted a $50 bet that he could not cross the United States by car. Just a few weeks later, on May 23, he and mechanic Sewall K. Crocker climbed into a 20-hp Winton in San Francisco and headed east. Accompanied by Bud, a pit bull they picked up along the way, the two men arrived in New York 63 days, 12 hours, and 800 gallons of fuel later, completing the nation's first cross-country drive.
About two years from now, Cody and Tyler Kor, now 20 and 22 years old, respectively, will drive coast-to-coast in the lozenge-shaped Urbee 2, a car made mostly by 3D printing. Like Jackson and Crocker, the young men will take a dog along for the ride—Cupid, their collie and blue heeler mix. Unlike Jackson and Crocker, they will spend just 10 gallons of fuel to complete the trip from New York to San Francisco. Then they will refuel, turn around, and follow the same west-to-east route taken by Jackson, Crocker, and Bud.
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Maybe we'll have a third approach now, Popular Mechanics reports on Urbee 2, the 3D-Printed Car That Will Drive Across the Country. The article starts with:
----------
In early 1903, physician and car enthusiast Horatio Nelson Jackson accepted a $50 bet that he could not cross the United States by car. Just a few weeks later, on May 23, he and mechanic Sewall K. Crocker climbed into a 20-hp Winton in San Francisco and headed east. Accompanied by Bud, a pit bull they picked up along the way, the two men arrived in New York 63 days, 12 hours, and 800 gallons of fuel later, completing the nation's first cross-country drive.
About two years from now, Cody and Tyler Kor, now 20 and 22 years old, respectively, will drive coast-to-coast in the lozenge-shaped Urbee 2, a car made mostly by 3D printing. Like Jackson and Crocker, the young men will take a dog along for the ride—Cupid, their collie and blue heeler mix. Unlike Jackson and Crocker, they will spend just 10 gallons of fuel to complete the trip from New York to San Francisco. Then they will refuel, turn around, and follow the same west-to-east route taken by Jackson, Crocker, and Bud.
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It would be really cool to be able to print things we need right in our own home!
Public schools support the bullies
Recently there has been a lot of news about bullies. This issue is getting lots of exposure.
Yet the truth is sometimes government schools help the bullies.
Federal Court Upholds School Ban on American Flag T-Shirts explains how bullies were supported by the school officials.
The article starts with:
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Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a California high school’s prohibition on American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. The case is Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, and while it might get the law right, it certainly highlights a worrying trend in American schools: the inability or unwillingness to protect students whose speech is unpopular.
On Cinco de Mayo, May 5, 2010, three students wore American flag t-shirts to Live Oak High School. Live Oak, according to the Ninth Circuit, had a history of gang and racial violence. The students who wore the American flag t-shirts were threatened with physical violence. Rather than discipline the students who made the threats, the school decided to tell the American flag t-shirt-wearing students that they could either turn their shirts inside-out, or go home. Two of the students went home, and the students collectively sued the school district in federal district court, claiming that the school violated their First Amendment rights.
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It is amazing to me that we have drifted so far. Fifty years ago the students threatening violence would have been dealt with. Now the officials at these government schools cave.
Just another reason to homeschool.
Yet the truth is sometimes government schools help the bullies.
Federal Court Upholds School Ban on American Flag T-Shirts explains how bullies were supported by the school officials.
The article starts with:
----------
Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a California high school’s prohibition on American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. The case is Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, and while it might get the law right, it certainly highlights a worrying trend in American schools: the inability or unwillingness to protect students whose speech is unpopular.
On Cinco de Mayo, May 5, 2010, three students wore American flag t-shirts to Live Oak High School. Live Oak, according to the Ninth Circuit, had a history of gang and racial violence. The students who wore the American flag t-shirts were threatened with physical violence. Rather than discipline the students who made the threats, the school decided to tell the American flag t-shirt-wearing students that they could either turn their shirts inside-out, or go home. Two of the students went home, and the students collectively sued the school district in federal district court, claiming that the school violated their First Amendment rights.
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It is amazing to me that we have drifted so far. Fifty years ago the students threatening violence would have been dealt with. Now the officials at these government schools cave.
Just another reason to homeschool.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Post Olympic edition
Susan is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Corn and Oil.
She starts the carnival with:
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The Sochi Winter Olympics ended a couple of days ago. Many of us watched various winter sports such as ice skating, hockey games, snowboarding, skiing (sometimes with a gun), along with the curious art of curling. Fitting every day lives into those 17 days of competitions, many non-Olympian homeschoolers also found a gainful way to educate too. Looking back at the Putin-powered Olympics, we’ll celebrate some Olympians who educate at home to keep up with their athletic passions and schedules. The real life homeschooling experiences shared by our Carnival participants also display the distinctiveness of a home educated family life. We’ll keep doing what we do every day, whether it’s surrounded by snow and elite physical training or those of us just taking a nature walk through a park. Enjoy!
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She starts the carnival with:
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The Sochi Winter Olympics ended a couple of days ago. Many of us watched various winter sports such as ice skating, hockey games, snowboarding, skiing (sometimes with a gun), along with the curious art of curling. Fitting every day lives into those 17 days of competitions, many non-Olympian homeschoolers also found a gainful way to educate too. Looking back at the Putin-powered Olympics, we’ll celebrate some Olympians who educate at home to keep up with their athletic passions and schedules. The real life homeschooling experiences shared by our Carnival participants also display the distinctiveness of a home educated family life. We’ll keep doing what we do every day, whether it’s surrounded by snow and elite physical training or those of us just taking a nature walk through a park. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Humor: "Just Don't Go" of Parody of "Let It Go"
My wife came across Just Don't Go:
The weather man did a great job.
For reference here is the original version of Let It Go:
For some reason once I get this song in my head it can take hours, or sometimes even days to get it out of my head.
We also like the Alex Boye version:
The weather man did a great job.
For reference here is the original version of Let It Go:
For some reason once I get this song in my head it can take hours, or sometimes even days to get it out of my head.
We also like the Alex Boye version:
Monday, February 24, 2014
Our oldest will be leaving the home soon
Our oldest daughter will be leaving our home in April.
Here are a few of her thoughts about homeschooling and moving out:
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Some months ago I was asked by my dad to write a couple paragraphs about a homeschooler entering the workforce.
Now I have been asked to write on leaving home for the first time. This April I will be leaving home and traveling over halfway across the country. Faced with the tremendous change I have reflected on how being home schooled has prepared me to leave home. I will be echoing much of my workforce post; many of the points are the same. Homeschooling has made me self-driven, self-reliant, and probably more capable in laundry, cooking, and other homemaking skills then the average young adult.
Homeschooling has made me self-driven. One style of home schooling we went through was a weekly checklist. Mom would make up a checklist of all the school things we were supposed to accomplish in a week. Then she trusted us to schedule our own time. From this I learned how to budget time and stay focused.
As homeschoolers we often got to do weird or unusual projects. One year a group of us decided to organize a youth conference. Except for the parents driving us around, none of us could drive; we put the whole thing together ourselves. We held planning meetings, decided on a theme, found speakers, arranged for food, and picked out music all by ourselves. The youth conference was fun and several kids drove a couple hours to attend. This and other opportunities taught me to be self-driven.
One side effect of being home schooled is in your home all the time (except when you are not). When you are home your mom often has you help around the house. I have helped with sick younger siblings, done laundry, cooked, cleaned dishes, been shopping, cleaned more than the average young adult simply because I am home more.
Being home schooled has given me the skills I need to leave home and take care of myself.
Here are a few of her thoughts about homeschooling and moving out:
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Some months ago I was asked by my dad to write a couple paragraphs about a homeschooler entering the workforce.
Now I have been asked to write on leaving home for the first time. This April I will be leaving home and traveling over halfway across the country. Faced with the tremendous change I have reflected on how being home schooled has prepared me to leave home. I will be echoing much of my workforce post; many of the points are the same. Homeschooling has made me self-driven, self-reliant, and probably more capable in laundry, cooking, and other homemaking skills then the average young adult.
Homeschooling has made me self-driven. One style of home schooling we went through was a weekly checklist. Mom would make up a checklist of all the school things we were supposed to accomplish in a week. Then she trusted us to schedule our own time. From this I learned how to budget time and stay focused.
As homeschoolers we often got to do weird or unusual projects. One year a group of us decided to organize a youth conference. Except for the parents driving us around, none of us could drive; we put the whole thing together ourselves. We held planning meetings, decided on a theme, found speakers, arranged for food, and picked out music all by ourselves. The youth conference was fun and several kids drove a couple hours to attend. This and other opportunities taught me to be self-driven.
One side effect of being home schooled is in your home all the time (except when you are not). When you are home your mom often has you help around the house. I have helped with sick younger siblings, done laundry, cooked, cleaned dishes, been shopping, cleaned more than the average young adult simply because I am home more.
Being home schooled has given me the skills I need to leave home and take care of myself.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Please remember to send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held here at Corn and Oil.
This will be the 426th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 426th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The snowman edition
Sarah is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at SmallWorld. She has some lovely pictures of snowman.
The carnival starts with:
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Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling! I'm glad you're visiting here at SmallWorld at Home. Let me introduce myself for those who are new here. I'm halfway through my 14th year of homeschooling, currently with an 8th grade son and an 11th grade daughter. Our oldest son—who was homeschooled all the way through— is finishing his senior year in college.
But enough about me; you're here for the Carnival! We have a little something for everyone on this homeschooling journey with this carnival, from kindergarten to college. And here in the South we actually some real snow this year, so I'm including lots of snowman photos from fellow local homeschoolers. For some of these kids, this was their first snowman-building experience. Just a few days after our big snow, we have daffodils starting to pop up. Such is life in the South.
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The carnival starts with:
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Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling! I'm glad you're visiting here at SmallWorld at Home. Let me introduce myself for those who are new here. I'm halfway through my 14th year of homeschooling, currently with an 8th grade son and an 11th grade daughter. Our oldest son—who was homeschooled all the way through— is finishing his senior year in college.
But enough about me; you're here for the Carnival! We have a little something for everyone on this homeschooling journey with this carnival, from kindergarten to college. And here in the South we actually some real snow this year, so I'm including lots of snowman photos from fellow local homeschoolers. For some of these kids, this was their first snowman-building experience. Just a few days after our big snow, we have daffodils starting to pop up. Such is life in the South.
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014
What do we do without technology?
My mom forwarded this story on to our family:
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We had an outage at my place this morning and my PC, laptop, TV, DVD, iPad & my new surround sound music system were all shut down. Then I discovered that my iPhone battery was flat and to top it off it was raining outside. I went into the kitchen to make coffee and then I remembered that this also needs power, so I talked with my wife for a few hours. She seems like a nice person.
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We had an outage at my place this morning and my PC, laptop, TV, DVD, iPad & my new surround sound music system were all shut down. Then I discovered that my iPhone battery was flat and to top it off it was raining outside. I went into the kitchen to make coffee and then I remembered that this also needs power, so I talked with my wife for a few hours. She seems like a nice person.
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I worry that this may be true for some families.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Homeschooling and my relationship with my neighborhood school
All of my children have been homeschooled and have never
been enrolled in a public school k-12 class.
My children did attend a parent participation preschool through the
continuing education program, but technically I was the student. However, I still have had many contacts with
the public school over the years.
We’ve had many foster children enrolled in public schools. I still drop off and pick up two of our former
foster boys at school from time to time to help at their parents.
Our son has also received speech therapy at my neighborhood school
from the age of 3 to nearly 7 years old.
We would still be receiving speech therapy at the school, but the
district found a way to get out it on a technicality, something to do with the
fact that we homeschool by registering that we are a private school. This
change in policy was motivated by the recent budget/staffing cuts. The staff at
my neighborhood school would love to continue to provide services if the school
district would allowed it.
Recently, I requested a full evaluation for my son from my
neighborhood school. The school district
is obligated to provide this service even if the child is not enrolled at the
school. I found the information in the evaluation very useful and appreciated
hearing their recommendations. In some
ways, it was easier for the staff than a typical IEP (independent education
plan) meeting. They could make
recommendations but they were not obligated to provide services since he is not
enrolled at the school. Since I was only
looking for recommendations, they were able to speak freely. If I had been interested in enrolling our son
in school, the meeting would have been less relaxed since then the school would
have been burdened with the legal requirements of their suggestions for the
IEP.
The bureaucratic red tape was still pretty amazing. The special education teacher wanted to
indicate that our son qualified for special education service even if he would
NOT be receiving services since he is not enrolled at the school. The school psychologist insisted he didn’t qualify
because a child has to fail first before special education services can be
offered regardless of how obvious the child’s needs.
I found it interesting how surprised the special education teacher and the school psychologist were by son's demeanor. Our son has a significant speech impediment which was characterized in their evaluation as moderately severe. However, he has no behavior problem or social anxiety. The report said that he "came to the testing situation willingly and appeared at ease....answered questions when asked and initiated conversation....." The school psychologist was impressed by how animated he was when he talked and how "adult" his facial expressions seemed.
I explained that he had three teenage sisters that spend a great deal of time with him. Also, he has never been teased about his speech and there is a teenage boy with Tourettes who attends our homeschool co-op. Struggling or being different is just normal in his world. They were impressed but still seemed to think that it would be harder for him when he hit the "real' world. After the meeting was over, it occurred to me what I should have said. Both the special education teacher and the school psychologists were foreign born and spoke with an accent. One of them had a very heavy accent. I wish I had asked her when was the last time someone teased her about how she speaks. I doubt it has happened recently.
I sat in on an IEP meeting for one of our former foster
children. The child did not qualify for
services under the district rules even though he badly needed accommodations. A certain staff member talked openly about
how she could thwart the district rules by claiming to provide a different
service under a different regulation when the intent was to provide the
services that had originally been denied.
I admit that sometimes my interactions with the school have
been a little awkward. I may
come across as condescending since there are so many aspects of public
schooling that are so broken. Sometimes, the school staff and parents seem
overly defensive to me. I realize that parents
and staff alike are trying to make the best of it but I keep wondering why so
many people are content to put up with it.
Other times, the roles are reversed and I feel a little defensive when
dealing with school staff. I have gotten that
tone of voice that suggests that homeschooling is equivalent to child neglect.
Still, I have really
like the school staff that I have worked with over the years. I especially love the secretaries at my
neighborhood school and how they treat me son.
I have noticed many school staff going the extra mile to do what they
can in spite of district policies.
I don’t know how to “fix” public education. I respect the people who try (as long as they
don’t raise my taxes to pay for it.)
We are just going to assume you are a slut
‘Who’s The Daddy?’ Homework Assignment Prompts Parent Complaint is sad on a couple accounts:
First the homework assignment is painting a picture that it is OK to sleep around.
Second, I am surprised that only one parent complained.
Hat tip: A few from Facebook - Carolyn, Spunky
First the homework assignment is painting a picture that it is OK to sleep around.
Second, I am surprised that only one parent complained.
Hat tip: A few from Facebook - Carolyn, Spunky
Thursday, February 13, 2014
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - Lincoln’s wisdom edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at HomeschoolBuzz.com.
Gary starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling – Lincoln’s wisdom edition.
Tomorrow (February 12) is Abraham Lincoln’s 149th birthday. He was the 16th President of the United States, only just starting a second term when assassinated in 1865. He remains one of the most influential and beloved figures in US history. Perhaps this was in part because of his wisdom and wit which lives on in his quotes – quotes sprinkled throughout this edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling along with the collected wisdom and humor of this weeks carnival participants.
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Gary starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling – Lincoln’s wisdom edition.
Tomorrow (February 12) is Abraham Lincoln’s 149th birthday. He was the 16th President of the United States, only just starting a second term when assassinated in 1865. He remains one of the most influential and beloved figures in US history. Perhaps this was in part because of his wisdom and wit which lives on in his quotes – quotes sprinkled throughout this edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling along with the collected wisdom and humor of this weeks carnival participants.
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Enjoy.
Monday, February 10, 2014
The answer is YES!
Today I’m going to review a few of the reasons why I think more parents should be homeschooling. I believe that 75% of the children in public schools would benefit from being homeschooled and 95% would be no worse off. (How is that for a brash statement?)
Fairly often when the question of homeschooling comes up some parent will wonder if they should homeschool and then list reasons why they don’t think they should or why they couldn’t. I admit it is hard to line up the pluses and minuses. There is no simple algebraic equation will takes a set of inputs and gives a simple one quantity answer. Education is a messy business. There are lots of factors to consider.
There are situations in which some children may be better off by going to public schools. If the parents went through our government schools and graduated functionally illiterate, then maybe the parents couldn’t handle the educational load need to teach their children. Sometimes as a single parent there may not be enough time in the day to hold down a job and to educate your children. And there are a few children with special needs who can benefit from specialists at public schools.
But the academic rigor of government schools has fallen and continues to fall. Homeschooling gives parents a chance to make sure their children have a chance at a decent education.
It seems like half the news articles these days about education will mention bullying. For a variety of reasons our society is a lot more tolerant of bullies than we used to be. Now the victim will suffer for months and years with the bully getting a slap on the hands. As parents we need to protect our children. Sometimes the right thing to do is to yank your child as fast as you can.
People often attack homeschoolers as having missed out on some mystical “socialization” like without government schools children will grow up to socially inept, when the reality is that too often the “Lord of the Flies” environment of public schools are turning out children who have weak social ties and struggle to make connections.
My answer to most people who ask if they should homeschool is an emphatic YES!
Fairly often when the question of homeschooling comes up some parent will wonder if they should homeschool and then list reasons why they don’t think they should or why they couldn’t. I admit it is hard to line up the pluses and minuses. There is no simple algebraic equation will takes a set of inputs and gives a simple one quantity answer. Education is a messy business. There are lots of factors to consider.
There are situations in which some children may be better off by going to public schools. If the parents went through our government schools and graduated functionally illiterate, then maybe the parents couldn’t handle the educational load need to teach their children. Sometimes as a single parent there may not be enough time in the day to hold down a job and to educate your children. And there are a few children with special needs who can benefit from specialists at public schools.
But the academic rigor of government schools has fallen and continues to fall. Homeschooling gives parents a chance to make sure their children have a chance at a decent education.
It seems like half the news articles these days about education will mention bullying. For a variety of reasons our society is a lot more tolerant of bullies than we used to be. Now the victim will suffer for months and years with the bully getting a slap on the hands. As parents we need to protect our children. Sometimes the right thing to do is to yank your child as fast as you can.
People often attack homeschoolers as having missed out on some mystical “socialization” like without government schools children will grow up to socially inept, when the reality is that too often the “Lord of the Flies” environment of public schools are turning out children who have weak social ties and struggle to make connections.
My answer to most people who ask if they should homeschool is an emphatic YES!
Saturday, February 08, 2014
Please remember to send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held here at HomeschoolBuzz.com.
This will be the 424rd edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 424rd edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Thursday, February 06, 2014
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at The Foodie Army Wife
Constance is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at The Foodie Army Wife.
She starts the carnival with:
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Today I am honored to host the 423rd Carnival of Homeschooling. Yes, you read that right. The 423rd. This Carnival was started back in 2006 as a weekly event connecting homeschooling families and sharing with one another. Now that I think about it - that is right about the same time I started blogging, and when we began "homeschooling for good".
A lot has happened in that amount of time...for example.
We've moved 5 times.
Lived in Alaska.
Chased the Northern Lights.
Went through 3 deployments.
And we graduated 2 of our kids.
Some things haven't changed. We still have a school mascot who thinks he needs to "help" with school time.
Though he has gotten a little bit bigger.
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Enjoy!
She starts the carnival with:
----------
Today I am honored to host the 423rd Carnival of Homeschooling. Yes, you read that right. The 423rd. This Carnival was started back in 2006 as a weekly event connecting homeschooling families and sharing with one another. Now that I think about it - that is right about the same time I started blogging, and when we began "homeschooling for good".
A lot has happened in that amount of time...for example.
We've moved 5 times.
Lived in Alaska.
Chased the Northern Lights.
Went through 3 deployments.
And we graduated 2 of our kids.
Some things haven't changed. We still have a school mascot who thinks he needs to "help" with school time.
Though he has gotten a little bit bigger.
----------
Enjoy!
Monday, February 03, 2014
Watching our children grow up
As our older two daughters grew older they increased their focus. They became more disciplined about staying on top of tasks and managing their time. They were pretty responsible about owning their education.
But our young daughter was often distracted. She seemed to have a harder time staying on task. She might finish an assignment and then take a “short” break which ended up being an hour or two. Our impression was she just wasn’t as responsible about doing her school work as her sisters. Though to be fair part of it may just have been that we were subconsciously comparing her at 10 to her sisters who would then be 14 and 16.
This has changed noticeably this year. Our youngest daughter, at 13, has stepped it up a level or two in being on top of her school work. She is much better about making sure she gets her assignments done. Both Janine and I have noticed the change. She will even do school work in the evening, without any prompting from us! And recently she’s been asking me to help get her out of bed at 7:00 AM so she can get a jump on the day.
She isn’t perfect and still gets distracted at times. But I no longer worry. She is heading in the right direction. She wants to be responsible.
We've long know that some children need extra time for their brains to develop before they start to read. I really didn't start reading until I was nine or so. Maybe we just need to relax and realize that some children will mature into young adults at different rates than others.
I’m so glad that homeschooling allows us the chance to work with our children at their pace.
But our young daughter was often distracted. She seemed to have a harder time staying on task. She might finish an assignment and then take a “short” break which ended up being an hour or two. Our impression was she just wasn’t as responsible about doing her school work as her sisters. Though to be fair part of it may just have been that we were subconsciously comparing her at 10 to her sisters who would then be 14 and 16.
This has changed noticeably this year. Our youngest daughter, at 13, has stepped it up a level or two in being on top of her school work. She is much better about making sure she gets her assignments done. Both Janine and I have noticed the change. She will even do school work in the evening, without any prompting from us! And recently she’s been asking me to help get her out of bed at 7:00 AM so she can get a jump on the day.
She isn’t perfect and still gets distracted at times. But I no longer worry. She is heading in the right direction. She wants to be responsible.
We've long know that some children need extra time for their brains to develop before they start to read. I really didn't start reading until I was nine or so. Maybe we just need to relax and realize that some children will mature into young adults at different rates than others.
I’m so glad that homeschooling allows us the chance to work with our children at their pace.
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