Not Another Homeschool Blog

One of the coolest things about homeschool blogs and email groups and homeschool groups is that you get to learn from the mistakes of others.  So here's what I learned this week. When you homeschool, you need to hold on to your homeschoolers paperwork i.e. homeschool portfolio with samples of your children's work.  Test results and every piece of paper that was required from every school for admission.  If you have space, just hold onto all four years of homeschool documentation until they have their college diploma in hand.  In addition, hold on to all correspondence from the colleges they are admitted to, especially  any

 I've been getting calls from a person who I suspect wants me to homeschool their kid. Since we are of close relation, that wouldn't be a problem except that since they live far away, so homeschooling their kid would involve moving their kid into my home. Don't get me wrong, I want to help, but I don't want to raise any more kids. I am looking forward to my last year as an active homeschooling parent and don't really want to tack on a few more years as mommy to a teenager.   I get the sense that they feel homeschooling would be impossible for them without proper training, special permission and guidance from the school district, but that is not going to happen... and it doesn't have to.  If homeschoolers can teach their own ADHD, developmentally delayed, and Autistic children successfully without a special education degree , you can certainly homeschool a child - your perfectly normal child

Bullying has gone too far when middle schoolers attach a school bus monitor  It is difficult to find someone who hasn't been bullied or has done bullying themselves. Back in my day, the response was "kids will be kids", or "it's a part of growing up", and it was just dismissed. When kids were especially brutish, parents tended to deny that their child had ever done such a thing. Currently, there is no denying the current bullying culture when kids record their bad deeds and post them online for all to see.  read full article here FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

 Have you ever noticed just how long the lists of famous homeschoolers is getting?  After coming across one such list, I had to call foul on a common entry.  More and more people are reporting that Whoopie Goldberg was homeschooled.  This is not true.  Whoopie Goldberg dropped out of high school. Whoopi Goldgerg didn't even make it through the first month of high school before dropping out.  Two weeks in, she quit.  She didn't know that she had dyslexia, which was why she

Last month, my son was finishing high school, graduating, and enjoying a series of lasts.   Today, I made his first college tuition payment, and had his final transcript notarized  to give to the college.   I guess that saying, "when one door closes, another opens" is very true. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE   MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

When I was a senior in high school we had a series of pranks that we now affectionately refer to as the AP Chem-Bio Wars. I'm not sure what started it, but when the dust cleared there was a fetal pig hung from the ceiling in the biology lab room, and the AP chemistry students were covered with formaldehyde (distributed in balloons)....   Don't even think about trying these things in today's schools.  Full article here: http://www.examiner.com/article/senior-pranks-are-no-laughing-matter?cid=db_articles FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

I just got off the phone with a writer for Atlanta Homeschooling Magazine.  She wanted to interview me on money and homeschooling.  We stayed on the phone for an hour.  I can't believe how much information just poured from me.  I guess I do know a lot about homeschooling, including the most important thing...  there always more to learn. I think I am going to really love life after homeschooling as long as I continue to be involved in the movement. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE   MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

So how much does homeschooling cost anyway? Do you need to spend a lot of money to homeschool? What can I do to lower the cost of homeschooling? Find these answers in this video FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

Song 1  And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA. Song 2  And I was like baby, baby, baby ooh Like baby, baby, baby nooo Like baby, baby, baby ohh I thought you'd always be mine (mine)  Baby, baby, baby ooh Like baby, baby, baby nooo Like baby, baby, baby ohh I thought you'd always be mine (mine) According to  Principal Greta Hawkins who "doesn't want to offend other cultures", song number 2 is most appropriate for kids to sing. Keep in mind that these are both choruses only, but it is clear that one is about loving the USA and the other, the accepted song is about mindless whining over a lost relationship... maybe the kids are singing to their wubbies.... Besides being clueless, I am sad to say that this principal i...

 If homeschool accreditation isn't a sticky wicket, then homeschool certification is a problem.  In fact, I see it as a slap across the face of homeschooling moms everywhere.  I had noticed in the last couple of years that online homeschool classes to train moms how to homeschool were cropping up, but I ignored them.  I figured they would make more homeschooling moms secure enough to homeschool, so while It made my stomach churn a bit, I ignored it.  Today, however, after seeing this site offering homeschooling certification so mom would be "certified homeschool professionals", I nearly threw up. Now I am a little confused as to what they are offering, so I must give the benefit of the doubt.  On one hand the site says, " ExpertRating Online Homeschool Teaching Course leading to Homeschooling Certification ExpertRa...

I am glad to offer you this guest post from another homeschool mom and freelance writer: It doesn’t seem to matter whether your children go to public school, private school or are homeschooled – financial lessons and money management are lessons our children need to learn before they need to make financial decisions.  Money management strategies cannot be taught during a one time lesson; instead, children need age-appropriate information throughout their childhood so they have time to form sound financial habits that carry over into their adult years, and are armed and ready with the information they need to make good financial decisions. Elementary Age Kids and Finances My own children are ages 6 and 9.  My 6-year old seems to think if we need money for something, we need only visit the bank or ATM and ask for it; while my 9-year old understands you have to have the money in the bank to withdraw it, but doesn’t quite understand why we

My son's graduating class, 9 kids total image altered to protect the innocent  A friend's graduation over 850 students Of course this is the difference between a local homeschool graduation, and a public school graduation.  My son's class got to be more playful, and even throw their hats in the air. Needless to say, there are lots of rules imposed on the larger crowd.  Speaking of which, A South Carolina mom was actually arrested for cheering too loudly at her child's graduation.  When a graduation is so large that all the fun has to be sucked out of it to make it manageable, then it is time for smaller graduating classes.  Of course that would mean smaller schools wouldn't it? That would be nice. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

I don't like picking on public schools, but I am feeling a bit fed up right now. Someone tell me what they are supposed to do with a Special Ed child who has neurological issues if the school system removes the tech track?  Is he just supposed to leave school after his 8th grade graduation?   Someone explain to me how a child can get mainstreamed from Special Ed in grade 8, only to go into high school with no tools to do math and language arts at grade level?  He basically went from elementary reading and math to high school reading and math. What did they expect but for him to fail? Someone explain to me how a child can enter a new high school mid year grade 11 who in the previous school was in honors class and even passed AP tests and suddenly becomes unteachable?  No the kid did not change.  He just failed everything he touched in the new school.  Now, you could say that the old school was just pushing him through, but .... like I said, ...