Homeschooling in progress

 One of my daughters strange learning rituals.
(Using large flat screen TV for computer, and surrounded by a  neat circle of notes)

oh, and she's singing. 

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Getting over the first impression of homeschooling

 So before I even get started, I am going to say go read this blog post, then come back.  In the aforementioned post at Hip Homeschool Moms, the writer recounts her very first introduction to homeschooling.  She said something innocently, and was greeted with cutting sarcasm.  I think this happens a lot.  Are we all just so jaded that we can't tell an innocent question from a stupid remark.

 When I think back to some of my earliest introductions to homeschooling, I shudder. 

First there was the family that accosted us as a pool party, all happy, and shiny, and educated, and tried to convince me to homeschool Rambo style. 

Then there was the time I tried to inquire into a homeschool group when I lived in New Orleans.  After describing myself to someone who agreed to meet with me, she almost abruptly hung up the phone.  We were having such a great conversation until I described myself as African American with braids...then it got weird. (This was over a decade ago and in an interesting part of the country).  It was a few years before I looked into homeschooling again.

I am still amazed that I shrugged off the first homeschool co-op meeting I went to where everyone gave a testimony that God told them to homeschool and then practically broke out into a brawl over math curriculum options.  I only went to one homeschool group meeting after that... in 10 years.

So I just want to echo what was said at the aforementioned blog.  That is, if you really care to help new people who may desire to homeschool, be nice.  Don't assume they are an idiot, or wrong for homeschooling.  Be encouraging and kind.... mKay?


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I never thought I fit in with other homeschoolers

Ever since we began homeschooling, I have felt like a strange egg in a sea of strange ducks.  I know I am not a typical parent because I don't have patience for a lot of the mom stuff, especially school stuff.  So as I homeschooler, you would think I'd fit right in... right?  Nope.  No.

I hear all of these enthusiastic homeschoolers talking curriculum and such and my eyes glaze over, and I am pretty sure my lazy eye crosses because people start looking at me funny. Everybody wants to share tips.  Every body wants to make judgement on someone who they think may not be homeschooling just right.  Everybody wants to agree. But here's how I see it.  If I wanted to follow instructions, I would have left my kids in school.

I have been visiting over at Rants From Mommyland for the past couple of days and finally, I found some girls I feel at home with... probably because they curse.  They're real. I especially enjoyed the few posts they have about homeschooling.  Some are guest posts, and another is about when a neighbor decided to homeschool.  By the way ladies, I would love an update on that.


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Dear blog Spammers, You are getting on my last nerve

 Let me start by saying that I hate deleting blog comments.  Lots of comments make my blog look all lovoed and stuff.  But that fuzzy feeling of seeing 4, 5, or 6 comments isn't going to keep my from hitting that tiny garbage can icon if I must.

When you read my blog post, if you actually read it, at the bottom you will see the words that say "spam free comment"... so what makes it OK to leave your spam?  I don't like it.

Let's look at today's spammers for example:

Rosetta Stone:  Really?????  You can't afford to buy an ad?  I'll gladly sell you an ad.  Why should I find three blatent links to your site in my comment box when I wake up this morning.  Don't you see my side bar where people actually respect my blog enough to purchase a stinking ad?  And... I'm cheap.  Plus, I like your product.  If you'd ask, I'd go through my blogs, find everywhere I mentioned your company, an put a stinking link... for next to nothing.  Please don't abuse me.

((Now I am realizing that it may be a counterfeit site using my blog to glean traffic from Rosetta Stone.  If that is the case, I am glad I deleted it.... and I'll do it again.  But if the real Rosetta Stone wants an ad... hit me up. ))

Order paper:  If you think for a minute that I am going to leave links to a site that takes money from lazy and or stupid students to do their work for them, then you are even dumber than the students.  Period.  Don't even ask me to put such an ad on my site.  It wont happen.

Joomla templates:  Your half hearted comment was a nice attempt.  It is clear you never even read the blog post. You website is nice too, but if you want to use my site to funnel traffic to your company, then you need to pay... m-Kay.

My readers deserve more than your spam.

Take care.

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So Here's where we are at in the whole homeschool college search

College #1 application is almost complete.  He loves this college so much that we went to an open house day and they told us to apply  last September, so his application has been in process for a year now.  All he needs to do is submit his art portfolio to increase his scholarship chances. This college has rolling admissions, so an acceptance letter will not mean he HAS to go to THIS school if he is accepted.  Our feedback so far is that his homeschool portfolio is awesome.

College #2 application is ready to go out... just waiting for the early application deadline to pass so he is not considered early enrollment as they are not his first choice, just a comparison point. While is best friend is at the school, he says that will not sway him... it will probably come down to dollars and cents.

There are a couple of other colleges that are pretty much ruled out, but he may apply to one or two of them for grins and giggles... especially the one that already sent a scholarship letter... followed by a letter inviting him to apply, no charge.  It's a nice offer, but they offer NO art.... and very little graphic design.  It is more of a bible college than anything else.  That's great, but you'd think they would have a program for people who wanted to work in Christian media.. Christian TV, Christian websites for kids.... that sort of thing.  We are going to ask about the options for filling electives at other colleges before ruling them out completely. The recruiter is kind of cracking me up.  His last letter was all like.... "Yeah, we know we don't offer what you're interested in, but we're Christian and you'll get to use your camera."  That's not very convincing. 

As a homeschooling mom, of course I have some worries and insecurities.  Have I educated him enough to be ready for college?  Our experience with online public schools tells me that is ready to work on someone else's timetable.  That is good.  Plus he also took and passed a language arts CLEP exam worth 6 credits.  So that's good.  However, his ACT score was median.  Period.  He didn't rock the test.  He didn't blow it out of the water.  He did well enough to meet the median ACT score for his first choice college.  His scores are very considered pretty good for the second choice and most of the other colleges too.  Still, as a homeschooler, you kind of want to SHOW THEM... the doubters, you know.

A final statement and point of pride...  That boy writes a mean essay.  I had him ready a book about college entry essays, then write his own.  It was so good I wanted to cry.  sniff... very proud. 

Hoping to get results soon.  I don't want to be dealing with this all year.




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Oh yeah, that's why I homeschool

Looking at my 6'2" 17 year old homeschooled senior, I got a big nostalgic today.  I went back to the beginnings of my homeschool blog  and started reading.  This post reminded me of when homeschooling started looking like a good idea.

I homeschool because I got mad!

When I look back at the reasons I decided to homeschool my kids, I still get pretty angry. I first heard of homeschooling when my son was only a few months old. My husband came home and suggested that we homeschool our kids. A colleague of his was doing it with pretty good results. I wasn't happy to say the least. Nor was I kind...


read more Here:  http://nfahm.blogspot.com/2005/12/i-homeschool-because-i-got-mad.html


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Homeschool Resource Meme!

I've been not exactly tagged by  Happy Elf Mom! Ready? Here goes:

1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed: The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. It was used heavily in the first few years of homeschooling and is now still a constant resource for checking facts and brushing up on history.

2. One resource you wouldn't be without: a computer. Like Happy Elf Mom, it has been my single most important piece of equipment for homeschooling and beyond.  It has allowed me to work while homeschooling.  It has allowed my kids to homeschool more independently, and it has provided a plethora of free online resources.

3. One resource you wish you had never bought:   Language arts books by Stobaugh such as American Literature Teacher Text: Encouraging Thoughtful Christians to be World changers (Broadman & Holman Literature)  They are more Christian World View books than language arts.  That's great if it is what you want, but it is overkill and takes far too long to complete a lesson.  If your child goes to church and/or takes Christian instruction in other forms, this is not necessary. Because I started writing in the books, I didn't feel I could sell them, so I used them as a guide instead of a curriculum. 

4. One resource you enjoyed last year: Hippocampus.org.  It helped my kids study history and science independently of me and each other, which they really appreciated.  I just wish they had created more subject guides.  We could use language arts, biology, and chemistry!


5. One resource you will be using this year: So I took a plunge and decided to try out Georgia Virtual School to get my kids used to dealing with teachers before college.  What was I thinking?  They already take classes for all of their arts and electives.  I think the program is harder on me than on them because I don't want them to mess up their GPAs, and this online school gives very little wiggle room on handing in assignments and the learning schedule is quite strict.  But if they can hang in there, they will be able to deal with even the most demanding of teachers in college.  Don't know if we are going to do this for semester 2 yet, but my daughter insists she is learning so much more this way, even if her grade doesn't show it.


6. One resource you would like to buy:  IPads.  No, we don't need them, we just want them.  I feel like school would be more portable, even more portable than with laptops.  I could experiment more with different online resources and learning games, and we could get rid of a lot of paper around the house.... I think.

7. One resource you wish existed: I wish there was a Time4Learning for big kids.... past middle school.  I think it is an excellent way to learn and frees up time for other activities.


8. One homeschool catalog you enjoy reading: The IKEA catalog.  Wait, that's not for homeschooling.... But it is for organizing.  So, that's my choice and I'm sticking to it.

9. One homeschool website you use regularly : KhanAcademy.org  Great for drilling and refreshing math skills. 


10. Tag six other homeschoolers: Ummm... Happy Elf Mom didn't tag anyone, so why should I.  If this looks like fun, just go for it. Enjoy, and let me know if you do this un-tagged post.



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Visit the CitySchooling Blog

If I could change one thing about our homeschooling journey, we would be doing it in NY where I was raised.... or I would at least like to think so.  I am so jealous of this blogger at the cityschooling blog.

 But then if I had never left NY, so many things would be different.  I may have never married my sweetheart who has dragged me all over the country.  I would have never seen education, or the lack of from so many different views.  I may have put my kids in the same Catholic Schools I went to and have been satisfied with it.  So, while I don't like to have regrets, I do wish my kids had had a city experience like I had.  But we are probably exactly where we need to be.

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Homeschool Transcript Happy Dance

Just spoke to the people at my son's top choice college.  They got his homeschool transcript and they like it.  They really, really liked it.

Since they have rolling admissions, my son just needs to send a few more items and he will then know in 2 weeks time if he is accepted.  It will feel great not to stress about college for an entire school year.

I will share more of the transcript process when I know that the process has been completely successful.

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Favorite homeschool websites

Enjoy this video/slideshow of our very favorite homeschooling websites for high school students. And they're free.



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Big Changes in GA High Schools

 This is interesting

Georgia wants to overhaul its high school curriculum, making it more like college with courses tailored to what students want to do after they graduate.

#Under the proposed plan, students would choose a "career cluster" that would lead them through the classes they need to either go on to a two-year or four-year college or to go straight into a job. The plan — which is expected to be taken up by the state Board of Education sometime this fall — would unravel the single-track approach instituted by former state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox that assumed every student was going to college.

 Read more here: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2011/sep/18/ga-wants-make-high-school-more-college/

I find this interesting because GA has changed it's high school curriculum just a few years ago, making high school so stringent that students not aiming for college would have no choice but to drop out.  I was wondering how long it would take to notice.  I am not against stringent high school programs, but the past few years have been overkill. 

Not that I am exactly crazy about the new course of action either, but it's at least more realistic.

Under Georgia's plan, students would take the same general core of classes with basics like algebra, English and history. At the end of their sophomore year, students would choose a cluster to determine what advanced classes they take.

#For example, a student in the health sciences career cluster wanting to be a certified nursing assistant would take nutrition and wellness, chemistry and physical science — and go straight into a job after graduation. A student wanting to be a doctor would take Advanced Placement biology, physics and biotechnology and go to a four-year college.

 This is being billed as making high school more like college in GA.  I don't see that, but I am curious to see where this is all going.

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Georgia Virtual School Drama

Every other Friday night when assignments are due, I find myself cyber stalking my kids accounts to make sure their courses are entered.  If they are late, they will lose 10 points a day.

Daughter forgot one test completely, so I sent her to do it.  When she was done, the score had not calculated, when it finally did she had a low grade.  Fortunately, it was just one of several quizzes this week.  My problem is that we could not access the site for a couple of hours today, so I don't know if the site was still having problems, or if she did not know the material.  I have been on the internet for enough years to know how software glitches work.
(I made a note in her notebook about the site being down, just so that when final grades are issued, I can compare my notes to her grades to see if there is a pattern.  If there is, I will adjust accordingly.)

Speaking of the site being down for a couple of hours, my son announced that all of his work was complete.  So why is he downstairs right now just a few hours from deadline entering again?  I have no idea.  He was able to prove to me that he did the work.  Could it be because of access problems with the site earlier today?

Don't know that I can blame it on Ga Virtual School though since our internet provider SUCKS!  Take that Charter.  We went for two days last week without access.... that didn't help get any school work done. However, I could get to other sites today, just not the online classes.



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Georgia Cyber Academy does not equal Homeschooling

Georgia Cyber Academy was profiled on the local news.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/205836/3/Going-to-a-virtual-charter-school

 That's all find and Dandy.  It is working for a lot of kids, although I also hear from a lot of kids it does not work for.   But, if it rocks your boat, go for it.


But.... Please don't call it homeschooling.

If public school at home, and homeschooling  becomes synonymous, people who want to homeschool without the governments help will lose their rights.

Ok... so I need to add a disclaimer here.

My kids are using Georgia Virtual School, which is individual classes provided online to all kids in the state, should they want to partake.

It walks the line between homeschool and public school.  It is taught by public school teachers and paid for by the state, but the parent remains in charge of what the kids take.

(I dare say that if we don't agree with a grade, we could technically re-evaluate the kid and assign our own grade. )

Anyway, I am kinda preaching to myself here.  Let's not confuse terms.  It seems nitpicking, but we are dealing with people's freedoms here.



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Highschool Porfolio DONE

I just finished my son's homeschool portfolio for his application to SCAD.  Included in it as a short syllabus from every course he's taken (or table of contents from the books he's used).  A transcript, a reading list, a resume of activities and accomplishments, and a writing sample...  probably his best essay to date.

He still has to submit his art portfolio in hopes of getting a scholarship and write his statement of purpose.  I will mail it tomorrow, and am getting everything else submitted.  We are hoping to have his application in by the end of Sept because I hear scholarships are first come, first served.  We will apply to his second choice college in October.   If we apply to others, it will be in November.

Feels good to have it done.

But it doesn't end there... getting my second child ready to take the PSAT in a month.


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Carnival of homeschooling - September 13, 2011

Welcome to the September 13, 2011 edition of carnival of homeschooling.


In reading the entries submitted to this Carnival of Homeschooling, I got to thinking about the different ways you can categorize homeschooling.  Then, I got to thinking that it's pretty darn impossible to categorize.  After all, homeschooling isn't a segment of our lives, it IS our lives and to me homeschooling is more like living and breathing and less like a thing we do.

Regardless, I did my best to present this carnival in bite size pieces giving you home stuff, school stuff, somewhere in between stuff, and other valuable stuff.  Enjoy!

As a little bonus, I am including some FREE KINDLE BOOKS you can use in your homeschooliing journey.  You don't need a Kindle to use them.

Home Stuff



Cristina Payne presents Perpetual Motion posted at Home Spun Juggling, saying, "Contemplations on the loose tile in the bathroom."


Fred Lee presents Preventing And Treating Sports Injuries In Kids posted at Parenting Squad.


Carol J. Alexander presents How to Motivate Your Child, part 2 posted at Everything Home with Carol.


Pamela Jorrick presents Bitter Sweet posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.


Lisa Nehring presents Hi, My Name is Lisa, and I am not Wonder Woman.... posted at Golden Grasses.

School Stuff
Elena LaVictoire presents Homeschool Preschool. posted at My Domestic Church.



Jen presents Preschool and Toddler Fine Motor Sorting Activities posted at Frugal Kids.


Read Aloud ... Dad presents Classic Children's Fairy Tales - Best Illustrated Edition posted at Read Aloud Dad.

Amy @ Hope Is the Word presents Favorite Read Alouds posted at Hope Is the Word.

NerdMom presents Frugal Homeschooler: Fraction Help posted at NerdFamily Things.

Gidget presents Homeschool Online Resources for Games & Printouts posted at Homeschooling Unscripted, saying, "I've compiled a list of the online resources we use most often."

Danielle Thoma presents A Living Lesson posted at The Joyful Noise Schoolhouse.



Jamie Gaddy presents @TEOTD - IYO - is Spelling STILL important? - Blogs - Parent Community and Forum posted at Homeschool Online, saying, "Spelling is becoming a forsaken art, but today just as it was 100 years ago... spelling is vital."



Linda Dobson presents Homeschooling Parent Responds to Disney’s Teacher of the Year posted at PARENT AT THE HELM.


Patricia Oaklief presents How You Can Support Your Daughter in Math and Science posted at Amigram (Free Online Announcements) Blog. 


Angela Gray presents You’re Supposed to do Experiements Over and Over, Right? - Team Gray! posted at team Gray!, saying, "We found a great experiment that we didn't do right. So we tried again. And we'll try again. That's why they love science over here."





Somewhere in Between Stuff



nak presents Community, not Co-op posted at Sage Parnassus


Melanie Grant presents How To Get Those Kiddie Engines Running in the Morning posted at Mel's Mouthful on Mothering.


Miss Nirvana presents Microscope pictures of sea shells from Lake Michigan posted at Nirvana Homeschooling.


Kelly @ The Homeschool Co-op presents Embracing the Home Learning Lifestyle posted at The Homeschool Co-op.


Andrea (me) Presents New School Year, New Habits  at Notes from a Homeschooling Mom saying "Well, this doesn't happen every day, but it's certainly a nice goal". 





Other Valuable Stuff


The Stone Age Techie presents A Different Kind of Memorial, a September 11 Memorial. 

dixon.marino presents The 20 Oldest Books of All Time posted at Master of Library Science, saying, "If someone were to ask you what the oldest book you could think of was, you most likely wouldn't name one from this list. We often forget just how old literature is. The oldest literature dates back as far as 2600 BC. 
This list of the twenty oldest books of all time offers a look at the thought process of early civilizations and represent the cultural heritage of us all."



Annette presents Higher Education: Economic Boon or Bubble? posted at CreditDonkey.com Tips, saying, "Is college still worth it? Let's take a look at student debt and demographics and the resulting employment and earnings."

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We're not nerds because we homeschool....

Actually, it's the other way around.

So I have to confess that I just spent the last 3 days at Dragon*Con, "is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe!"

Thanks to my teenage daughter and her friends who turned us on to the fact that our fair city hosts this ginormous convention every year where you can dress up as your favorite sci-fi or cartoon character, and get involved up to your elbows in the culture of all things intelligent and nerdy.  Sure, there was a palpable level of downright geekiness involved, but that was awesome too.

Each member of my family had different interests and so convention fed us all.  For me, it was Star Trek  most specifically, The Next Generation and Sci-Fi Literature.  For my son, it was Gaming (video games).  My daughter, costuming (costume designing) and Manga (Japanese Cartoons).  For my husband, Original Star Trek, Star Wars, and getting photos of as many costumed persons as possible.

Because we didn't understand the enormity of it all, we were unprepared for all the activities available, and also how staying in a host hotel would exponentially multiply the fun quotient.  With that said, we are already making plans for next year.
(update this is what happens when you have too many blogs.  This was intended for my nfahm.blogspot.com blog.... but homeschoolers should be more aware of dragon-con anyway.... only I recommend it for teenagers and adults, and not really little kids.)


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