Not Another Homeschool Blog

I just got a note about regarding homeschooling. I don't think they meant to upset me, rather I think they meant to encourage... but it sure burned my butt. It was: "being a teacher myself, I know that it can be a good thing to teach your child at home. When properly qualified, parents tend to do an even better job! " sigh... but I ask, what do qualifications have to do with anything??? Like I replied to them: "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.... when properly qualified... I have to admit that comment gets on my nerves. Proper qualifications to homeshool don't mean didly (for lack of a better word) I know parents who were teachers and did a very poor job homeschooling their kids (could not read as teenagers) ... I also know some people who were, well..... had some screws loose, who have done an excellent job homeschooling thier kids. To me, proper qualifications just don't make a bit of difference when it comes to homeschooling. For a child to be well educated wha...

I am currently administering the CAT (CALIFORNIA ACHIEVEMENT TEST) test to my daughter. It is state regulation here in GA that the child has to be tested at the end of every third school year. It is officially the beginning of her fourth school year, but I gave her the summer to review and prepare. Our school year officially starts Sept 1 so I feel I am free and clear. While administering the tests it becomes apparent to me that for the first time ever, a standardized test will mean so much more than numbers on a chart. Instead of it telling me how she compares to other kids, but by administering it myself, I can see where she is having weakness. So far, I can see that actual pronunciation of the words is more of a problem than meaning and deciphering. Therefore I will put emphasis on phonetics and annunciation this year. Had I just been handed a test result, I would have thought that her grammar scores were average. In reality, her grammar skills are pretty good, but her pronunciation...

I just compiled this years homeschooling costs for this year and thought I would share how the costs of homeschooling compared to public school. Here are the costs: Masters Academy of Fine arts $115.00 per month Cordis Academy middle school program $ 131.25 per month Time4Learning Online program $ 20.00 per month Fencing $60.00 per month Track $ 30.00 per month Music Lessons $160.00 per month total: $526.25 per month When my kids were in public school I paid $120.00 per month for school lunch Music Lessons $160.00 per month after school activities like ballet and martial arts $200.00 per month total: $480.00 per month DIFFERENCE +$46.25 per month Basically, I would have paid for music and afterschool lessons whether or not they go to "school". Phys ed activities are cheaper through homeschool co-ops, and the costs of public school lunch, covers a bulk of the tuition costs. The costs I haven't added in: my kids clothing costs are cut in half because they don't nee...

Jordan will be reading as many "little house" books as possible this year. I hope that she will read 1 book every 1-2 weeks. This week she is reading Little House in the Highlands and I went ahead and made a question sheet of 3 questions for when she is done reading it. I lifted the questions from HARPER TEACHER.COM I am starting with this book about Laura Ingals great grandmother, then we will read one about her grandmother, one about her mother, then we will go t "little house in the big woods" and go through those in order. I don't know if we will do the last two where Laura gets married and "the first 4 years, after she is married... It is probably too much information for my 9 year old daughter. Once we have read all of these, we will probably go back and read some of the short stories and more of the books preceeding the laura years. The reason we are reading these books is because Jordan is studying the Romantic Period and these fall into that ...

For homeschooling parents like myself, who's end goal (of the homeschoolign process) is college admission, there is a great deal of pressure for measureable success. I find solace however in the fact that it has been done, and for homeschooling, college admission is becoming easier and easier every year.... At some colleges, it is actually easier for a homeschooler to get in than the number one candidate from a top performing high school. Read these articles: Schoolhouse rocked "No longer just for the religious fundamentalists, home schooling has gone main stream, especially in Massachusetts. It's estimated that as many as 20,000 children here have abandoned test-crazy public schools and high-priced private schools for the comfort of the living room couch. But most surprising of all is that Harvard, BU, Brown, and other colleges are welcoming home-schoolers like all other students. " In a Class by Themselves A wave of homeschoolers has reached the Farm--students with ...

and very scary.. This is how I have it set up so far. Monday 7:00 breakfast with dad 8:00 chores 9:30 Piano Lessons (0ur home)~piano and guitar 11:30 am Lunch 12:00-3:30 Masters Academy of Fine Arts ~ History of the Romantic period, art appreciation, Music appreciation, drama 5:00 dinner 9:00 go to bed w/ reading assignments Tuesday 7:00 breakfast with dad 8:00 chores 9:00 am Track AT LEARNING OPPS (Jordan) 11:00 am Fencing AT LEARNING OPPS (Jackson) ~Perhaps we will walk on the track together on the hour in between if it is not being used if It's raining, we can run quick errands... children will also bring reading assignments with to fill the time during the other childs class. 12:30 Lunch 1:00 pm - 5pm "homework" 5:00 dinner 9:00 go to bed w/ reading assignments Wednesday 7:00 breakfast with dad 8:00 chores ALL DAY "homework" 5:00 dinner 9:00 go to bed w/ reading assignments Thursday 7:00 breakfast with dad 8:00 chores 10:00 -5:15 Cordis Academy (at...

According to Michael Farris, founder of HSLDA and author of "The Future of Homeschooling". To paraphrase his exact words " Some educators have admitted to me that the Jr High school years ar basically repetitions of what the child has previoiusly learned. The real purpose of jr high, I have been told, is to provice an intellectually less stimulating time so the child can negotiate the emotional turmoil of puberty." I have to agree with Mr. Farris' accertations. Parents who don't homeschool don't normally review all of thier childrens books every year, but homeschooling parents do. I have noticed that my sons math books have not changed much from year to year.. nor have is English books. Every year they just add one or two more peices per subject. As far as I am concerned, it just undermines a childs confidence. If a child can multiply 2 digit numbers this year, why can't they multiply three and four digit numbers... it is just one more step. So...

My son has so many books to bring to "school" on Thursdays that I purchased him a bookbag today. I am so dead set to spend this year getting him organized and self sufficient that it took me 3 hours to find the right bag. I wanted to get a bag big enough to carry all of his books without piling them up on top of each other... As I see it, it makes sense to put them all binding up so he can quickly and easily pinpoint the items he needs for each class. I wanted to get a bag with wheels, but my son insisted otherwise. In the end we compromised because he wanted a regular backpack... but I didn't think the chiropractor would be too happy about that. The compromise was for a sports duffel bag by Swiss Army. It has lots of pockets, including a pocket for his waterbottle, and a cell phone holder. The reason I went through so much trouble is because although my son is very smart, he has trouble organizing himself and rememebering things so I wanted the bag to be like a permanent...

I am very excited about this year! I am very excited about the programs we are using this year, and though it may be a little costly, I can relax and know I won't have to fight my children to get their work done this year. Instead I can be the good guy and they can be accountable to someone else for the work that has to be done. Both kids are taking classes at the local Masters Academy of fine arts , In addition, Jackson is Taking thier Middle School College Prep program (Cordis Academy). I got his textbooks last night they are Saxon Math 8/7, Exploring Creation with Botany, Streams of Civilization, and the first lit book he has to read is Davey Crocket. All subjects that both kids will take at Masters are geared toward the Romantic period of History (1830-1900) Jordan is Using http://www.Time4Learning.com for Math, Science andEnglish. History and fine arts are covered at Masters on Mondays. In addition, I am interviewing a new piano teacher and guitar teacher for both kids,...

Today is August 5th and my kids a have revolted... they want no more homeschooling. For at least 2 weeks anyway. I kept homeschooling through the summer so my son would do well on his "Masters Academy" middle school program test, and so that my daughter would be ready for the standardized test I was putting off until fall. With my son's test in the past, they have made it clear that they will have no more work until classes start again on the 18th of August. Instead they want to vegetate on the couch and rest thier brains. I guess I'm OK with that... everyone needs a break!