Not Another Homeschool Blog

AHHHHHHHH! I just sat down with my son to talk about his classes for the next two years.... his last 2 years homeschooling. I feel faint.  Anyway, we have decided that he would spend the next two years tackling physics and calculus. And of course there would be more grammar, literature, history, and Spanish. Tentatively, the next two years will look like this. * This summer:  ~"Trigonometry in 20 minutes a Day" as a prerequisite for Calculus.  (Trig is the only thing from a pre-calc book that he did not understand) ~Computer Science CLEP Exam Next year, Grade ll: ~*Calculus 1part and part 2 (Hippocampus) ~Non majors biology (hippocampus) ~US History 2 (Hippocampus) (He will attempt the US History 2 CLEP next summer for college credit) ~Spanish 2 ( Rosetta Stone ) (he will attempt the Spanish CLEP next summer) ~English/Grammar:  I am designing a literature/wiritng course... he hasn't read as much as I would have liked the last 2 years, so I have pi...

I have noticed that in my family and in the families of homeschooling friends, that sometimes these kids put too much on their plate. They do Youth Group activities and take on church responsibilities. They may have jobs. They need to do household chores. They have their academic studies They have their arts (visual and performance art)activities and classes They do sports.  They may have scouts or other social group outlets ...and in the end, they drop the ball somewhere, or in a lot of places. I don't know about your kids, but I know that my kids cannot balance all of the above and do any area any justice.  While it is good to expose them to all of these areas so they can find their niche, at some point, they are going to have to choose which activities they are most passionate about and limit the other activities. In my house Academics and Arts are equally a first priority.  Next comes chores and church activities. This goes on the schedule first and all ...

I'm a dreamer did an excellent job on the Carnival of Educators this week.  There are lots of great posts you won't want to miss! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

I noticed an ad in the margin of facebook today.  It said  something to the effect of, "Homeschooling your children? Take online classes to improve your effectiveness". It kind of made me mad.  This $99 course  entitled homeschool with success, struck me as something to take advantage of parents who might be insecure about homeschooling.  I doubt that it teaches any more than can be read in a free book found at the library. ~Do you think this could be a helpful course for homeschoolers? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

Yesterday's post stuck with me all  day, so I wanted to clarify a few things. 1.  I really do admire unschooling... to a certain degree. 2.  I was mostly referring to the type of unschooling/ unparenting described on Good Morning America 3.  I think I had a bigger problem with the unparenting that the unschooling. With that said, I still feel that for my family, unschooling and many others, it is not a good idea.  I think that it takes a special kind of faith to unschool completely. I need to make sure my kids understand alot of the basic things in life so that I am not putting ignorant, naive,  and/or  unprepared people out in the world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

If you don't know what unschooling is, check out this Good Morning America story from this morning.   Imagine... no expensive textbooks, no prodding and pleading to get chores done, no constant harassing for that essay you asked them to write over a week ago.  Oh, the dreams of a homeschooling mother.  But at what cost? The Biegler children have the freedom of unschooling, and allow their children to do as they please without putting rules on restrictions on their lives... this includes not learning if they don't wish to learn.  Believe it or not, I do see some value in it. For example, my son is quite knowledgeable about internet design.  My husband is an IT exec, and so this may have spurred his interest in computers in general.  I have had to write in CSS Style pages and HTML for a few writing assignments, and he asked me to teach it to him.  That is the only formal instruction he has had in web design. He learned Javascript and the othe...

Is this a joke? I don't know if the Andrew Sullivan blog is a parody blog or not, but I stumbled upon this post about a homeschool mom pot smoker this morning .  I mean what sane person would out themselves like that... but if they smoke pot regularly then maybe their sanity should be in question.  It got me wondering if I had any vices that helped me gain my sanity at the end of the day.  The only think I could think of was blogging... and maybe the occasional mega sized bag of chocolate when I am a little stressed.  When they are really rowdy... I go to sleep early.  No medicinal drugs needed here... though high school math could make you consider it.  Do you have any special vices that make homeschooling easier for you?  I would love to know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

With teens, everyday could be sleep in day if I allowed it. But because there was a recital program (piano, dance, and singing) last night, I am allowing it today. Both kids played difficult piano peices of which I don't even know the names... I think my son's peice was a by Mozart. I am so glad that just because I don't know something doesn't mean my kids can't learn it. I (almost) love it when they start talking music and I glaze over because it proves that homeschooled kids aren't limited by their parents knowledge. ...And I know NOTHING about music! I can't sing because I am tone deaf, and I can't read music at all. Yet both kids are in their 8th year of music instruction... some more formal that others. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

I am watching a Dr. Phil show that is breaking my heart.  It is about excessive discipline of children in schools. The show started with an a bsurd classroom arrest  where a young woman was treated like a hardened criminal for writing a kind note on her desk with an erasable marker.  I thought that was bad.  But it got much worse.  Children are being sent home  with broken bones, and some are dying due to aggressive discipline measures.  The children who are most abused are the ones who are autistic and non verbal. I try not to say this much, but things like this make me really glad that my kids are homeschooled.  Knowing that the most simple misunderstanding can spiral completely out of control is very unsettling to me as a parent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

The following article had been passed around homeschool blogs and email groups since August: (reprint is allowed as long as article if copied in entirety) College Professor Critiques Homeschoolers copyright 2009 by Greg Landry, M.S. I teach sophomore through senior level college students - most of them are "pre-professional" students. They are preparing to go to medical school, dental school, physical therapy school, etc. As a generalization, I've noticed certain characteristics common in my students who were homeschooled. Some of these are desirable, some not. Desirable characteristics: 1. They are independent learners and do a great job of taking initiative and being responsible for learning. They don't have to be "spoon fed" as many students do. This gives them an advantage at two specific points in their education; early in college and in graduate education. 2. They handle classroom social situations (interactions ...

 We returned from North Carolina last night after attending the CITA (Christians in the Theatre Arts) Secondary School Theatre Festival.  Our homeschool program (Artios) and four or five others theater and musical performances of all types.  There was so much talent there, I could hardly contain myself.  All of the kids in our group got excellent or superior ratings in one or more of their performances including my daughter who got excellent ratings in both her musical solo and her group scene.  One girl in our group got a best of her category award.  Of course, I am very proud. My daughter has done performances and been in plays before, but this is the first time she has been up against such as huge number of other talented performers!  I am very proud of her performances.  ...And she is already looking for theater pieces to perform next year.  While the school we visited over the weekend (where the event was held) had a tremendous drama a...

Mrs. C got me started . She wrote a post about saggy pants which don't bother her much, and that's great.  But they irk the heck out of me. I had to weigh in on the matter.  Here is what I wrote on her blog: I can't handle seeing saggy pants. They were in "style" when I was in college... two decades ago. I didn't find them sexy then, and they are certainly not cute now. My biggest problem is that the trend started in prisons because prisoners could not have belts should they decide to off themselves or someone else. So these fools (sorry, don't have a better word for it) get out of prison and keep wearing their pants beltless, and their shoes without strings... and even stupider kids say "hey" I'm gonna dress like that too. Now the whole country is walking around with their pants down.  But I was only getting started. Black, white, or indifferent... I find saggy pants to be disrespectful. (There are some styles that sag in the but...

First it was a flu, followed immediately by allergies.  Now my ears are impacted and I am in vicious pain.  Oh what I would give to be under the covers whimpering like a two year old. But I am a homeschooling mom... the hearty type.  My discomfort cannot interfere with the kids activities (within reason)... and I am self employed too... no work, no money. Sigh... heading off to the doctor for the second time in as many days.  I hope he can clear my ears without damaging my eardrums. That would suck.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity.  First my daughter finished up a run at a local community theater playing Momma Bear in Goldi B Locks and Three Bears.  Next came the Artios Showcase, in which the kids demonstrated what they have learned this year through creative expression... My daughter did a poem presentation of Jabberwocky and had a few peices of art in the Gallery.  My son did a movie short/countdown and a photography projects.  Next came the chorus performance which was two hours of awesome wonder.   This coming week is supposed to be Spring break, but because my daughter is competing at CITA (Christians in the Theater Arts), doing a scene from Arsenic and Old Lace and a song from Seussical, it will be a busy week of rehearsals.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources