Not Another Homeschool Blog

As my son prepares to enter college, I can't help but wonder what his experience will be like after homeschooling for so many years.  I am hoping this guest post from Jemima Lopez at Zen College Life will be helpful. Research shows that not only do homeschooled children typically receive higher ACT test scores than their non-homeschooled peers— which incidentally makes them more desirable to college admission officers—but they also typically excel more than their peers once in college as well: homeschooled students earn more college credits at a faster rate, have higher G.P.A.s, and have an overall higher graduation and retention rate than those who graduated from a traditional high school, according to the Journal of College Admission. That said, succeeding academically should not be a concern. But adapting to the whole college atmosphere can be somewhat intimidating for some homeschooled children, especially those who have

Home-schoolers don't miss out on prom | Schools | News from Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlingto... Yep, getting ready for prom here too.  ~posted by Andrea from Notes from a Homeschooling Mom

 If you have been following my blog, you may have noticed that I keep mentioning public school push-outs.  Public school push-outs are kids that have been deemed unteachable by the school.  They used to be drop-outs, but since homeschooling became virulently popular, schools have instead taken efforts to make kids miserable, and to find reasons to push them out of schools, in many cases, they suggest "homeschooling" to the parent. Well, a powerful student has now joined the ranks of a homeschool push-out.  I don't know what educational course is ahead of her, but for

 I'm in a bit of a Tizzy.  I've been upset for a few days because I realized that a couple of kids I know that are about to graduate from public school and that I thought were excelling were just squeaking by. It saddens me to see kids that I know are BRIGHT and ON-IT and find out that they too were pushed through school with learning issues never addressed. Put this on top of the fact that I know too many kids that were 'huge problems' in school that weren't quite such a pain at home that were just pushed out. So I have to ask, if the good kids aren't being served, and the troubled or active kids aren't being served, then what is the purpose of a public education? Hmmm?  When I started homeschooling, I Liked to say that at least I knew that I could not screw my kids up worse than the public schools were doing.  I had no idea just how right I was. So all this time, I am looking at kids in public school that are all shiny and awesome and wondering...

It is April.  My son graduates in 4 weeks and we are getting bombarded with college emails and postcards...NOW. I would have loved these back in September, when we were visiting schools and making decisions.  But these correspondences at this late date are a little unfortunate.  I do realize that there are some kids who have not made their first choice colleges, or who STILL have not applied at all and need to get on it now, but I feel like colleges that send recruitment material this late in the game are missing out. So.. I guess if your homeschooled kid is still looking, I have a list of schools to consider.  The solicitations we get are mostly from schools with strong Graphic Design and Art programs and/or strong Christian

 If you read my blog post the other day , you know how important math is to me.   With that said, I am sharing with you a blog post from a new friend... a public school mom.  Confessions of a Public School Mom: Homeschooling was not an option for my children. Private school was out of reach so public school was the only choice for our family.  I am in awe of moms who home school their children. It is an amazing act of love. However, in our case it would not work because of my history of learning disabilities. As the mother of 5 children, I had to quit helping my kids with math about 2nd grade because it was important for them to advance to 3rd grade and beyond. Seriously though, I clearly was not a parent who could help my kids with math.  There had to be a better solution than

Hand Drawn 2012 Graduation Shutterfly has fun graduation party invitations & gifts for the grad. View the entire collection of cards.

 I've been homeschooling and blogging for nearly a decade now, and I am finally coming to terms with a realization that has been in front of my face all along.  I'd say the light truly came on when I read this blog over at Homeschool and Etc . She admitted that most homeschooling curriculum is kind of annoying.  I SOOOO AGREE! I'm so sorry to tell this to any homeschoolers who just eat up the Bob Jones and Abeka homeschool materials.  I just find it grating.  The thing is, when I sit down to teach my kids, I want to teach them the material.  I don't

If there's anything I learned in my near-decade homeschooling, it is that to homeschool effectively, there are two things you need to concentrate on. 1. Math 2. Reading If I were to start over again with little ones, I would probably spend our mornings on math and reading, and spend our afternoons letting the kids do whatever they wanted... unschooling of sorts.  This is because I love the idea of unschooling and the magic it can create, but I am also a stickler for math and reading. I think math is so important because I like to educate the child toward college.  Even though I realize this is not everyone's goal, for my and my family it is non-negotiable.  Even for those non-college-bound kiddies or

 I just saw a Today Show segment about a famous mommy blogger and they mentioned that she is divorcing and could not -not write about it.  This really sent my antennae up.  Antennae one went up because this woman is a self sustaining blogger.  COOL.  If not for my husband being a self-sustainer, I would not be able to blog. 

I am absolutely bonkers about the Atlantic Station  neighborhood in downtown Atlanta. I actually have real plans to move there when my nest officially becomes empty.  I will live in a high rise apartment and have access to live shows, stores within walking distance, and restaurants on every corner. There is a square Atlantic Station which is a very nice green space where lots of activities take place. There are a handful of tables and chairs around this green space where patrons of the restaurants can sit and enjoy the free internet provided in the area while sipping their coffee or eating the lunch they have purchased in the area.  Technically, anyone can sit at these tables and use the internet for as many hours as they please, but this leaves the people who are actual patrons in the area to perch uncomfortable on a stone ledge, or give up altogether, possibly even causing the stores to lose revenue as the patrons don't purchase a second cup of coffee or linger pick u...

There is a big to-do about prom dresses in the news .  Apparently, high schools want it to be clear that girls should wear prom dresses that make them look like young ladies... not hookers.  Yes, I said that.  It completely floors me that parents are paying hundreds of dollars for dresses for their daughters that have so little fabric.  Have they forgotten their veto power?  Are they afraid to say no?  ... And will they really be surprised when their little girl comes home knocked up?  Yes, I said that too. I'm sorry, but whether I buy my daughter a prom dress or not (yes, homeschoolers really do have proms), there will be quite a bit of body coverage. My rules are: NO CLEAVAGE NO BARE BACK NO CUT OUTS NO STRAPLESS without a cover up NOTHING ABOVE THE KNEES  Are my versions of a decent prom dress really so unbearable that girls can't look good and ladylike and still have a memorable night? I especially like the idea of...

I spent the last few hours walking my son through the student loan process.  It kind of burns me up that we have to fill out financial aid papers when we know he isn't getting anything... and will need to take out loans anyway.  Hopefully, because he's not too keen on the idea of loans, he will put a fire under his butt to get some outside scholarships, and then can cancel the loan amounts. On top of the loans, we will have quite a bit to pay out of pocket too, for which we don't want to take loans.  Yes, we are looking forward to some lean years.   Anyway, here's something else I don't understand.  Folks (experts and such) say that we should not helicopter the kids through this process.  However, if he fails to cross his t's and dot his i's... it's on me.  More money out of pocket, and at the very worst, him sitting and looking at me next year because he did not take the necessary steps. As far as I can see, I plan to stay fully engaged in all t...

Dinosaur Halloween Birthday Poverty Dancing Divorce Disease Celebrities Personal Computers Backyard swimming pools Politics War Violence ... and so many more.  To be exact, it is not that they won't learn the words at school, but that tests will avoid any words that allude to anything that may be uncomfortable, emote feelings of insecurities or jealousy, or make kids feel left out.  So they won't see words that suggest evolution or creationism.  They won't see words that suggest poverty or riches.  They won't see words that may allude to a religion other than their own, and so forth and so on.  As far as I can see, there will be no nouns or verbs on these tests.  After all, could they use the word "run" when it may upset a handicapped kid?  Can they use the word "pie" when dessert is a rare treat at home?  This is sticky indeed. And they say homeschoolers are crazy. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE