Not Another Homeschool Blog

  As schools begin to ask high school freshmen what they want to major in for high school, we are all asking if a 13 year old can really make a career decision.  It seems a bit hit and miss, but I do think that a 13 year old may be able to make career decision if we let them.   When I was about 7 I loved to read so much that I declared I wanted to be a writer and illustrate my own stories. Over time, this changed to scientist, to architect, to lawyer, to artist, to decorator, and back full circle to someone who wants writing and illustrating to be a large part of what I do.   I got off track because I allowed other people to define me (as children do).  People would say things like "writers don't make a lot of money, I bet you're smart enough to be a scientist".  Others would say, there aren't a lot of girls in science, but you draw nice building, you might be an architect".  Someone else would say, "you argue so well you should be a law...

My mind is too busy to blog right now.  I am preparing for my first time as an Area Manager for elections in my area.  I am supervising 6 precincts... yay me.  Both of my kids and a niece are also working elelctions at the precinct I was at before I got the promotion.  So, all I have to say right now is vote or don't complain.  No this is not the presidential election, but in my area, a whole bunch of taxes and referendums are on the ballot. They say there's no taxation without representation, and it's true... if you go to vote.  Otherwise, you are giving up your right to have a say. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE ahermitt.com

He got his selective service card in the mail the other day. He leaves home in 3 weeks for college. He's an adult now.  What does that make me? Man, I love this dude.... he's been a man-child since the day he was born.  His sister likes to say he was born an old man and is aging backwards.  That's how mature and stoic he is.  He's hard to figure out, a tough nut to crack, but I can tell you this, he's a good one.  Knows right from wrong... and doesn't believe in gray areas. I am glad I was able to provide a unique upbringing for him through homeschooling.  I can't wait to see what he'll do next. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE ahermitt.com

They say us homeschoolers do it because we want to insulate our kids from the world.  That could not be further from the truth.  I think what we want to insulate them from day-in and day-out stressors such as relentless bullying and rampant school violence.  They will still run into bullies... in their neighbors, siblings, cousins, church members, etc.  They will also be exposed to violence and/or tragedies in some way, either in

Rosanne Barr guest hosted on The View today in Whoopie Goldberg's absence.  She mentioned that her grandkids were homeschooled for 2 years and now they are back in school.  Immediately the ladies attempted to deflect and get off the subject. Sherri Shepard balked that she is too lazy to homeschool. Joy Behar made faces and tried to make jokes.  When Rosanne said there was the option to get families together and maybe hire an out of work teacher, Joy make a hostile sounding remark about Little House on

 So, It's clearly time to spell out some policies: Guest posts:   As of June 2017, I have decided to severely limit guest posts.  The requests are getting out of hand and I feel like the posts that are sent to me are not really what I am looking for in a guest post.  For the few I accept I will look for the following: What I look for in a guest post: Writer must be a homeschooling parent, homeschooling student, or former homeschooling student.  Relevance to homeschoolers, as in you have something concrete to offer homeschoolers whether it be subject specific, experience specific, a unique perspective or something of that nature.  Uplifting topic, as in I don't want to read another article about the downfalls or problems in

I thought you would enjoy the topic of the guest post.  I am strongly encouraging discussion of the idea of getting kids learning foreign language early.  ~A.hermitt Monolinguals are fast becoming an exception to the rule. Whereas in the past, English was thought to suffice as a single language to unlock the hearts and minds of everyone on the planet, this is no longer true. Speaking a foreign language isn’t just a nice addition to a CV any more – it is becoming an almost essential commodity. An almost essential commodity your own children will soon require. There was a time when teaching a child more than one language was discouraged. Doing so was only thought to confuse and disorientate, leaving them speaking a nonsensical hybrid of two languages. Fortunately, such myths have now largely been dispelled. Children learn far better at an early age because it involves little effort on their part, so there is never a better time in life to teach them a language. As the Multil...

Just had a text session with my daughter.  She is so funny... I really miss her.  So glad she's having fun.  He has had a lot of first this week.  First she rode a horse.  Then she hiked.  Now she's planning on going rafting. Yes, we're slackers... when it comes to physical stuff anyway.  Here's a snippet of our conversation that had me laughing.   Ps.  Yes, I still clean her room for her... at least once a quarter for a thorough cleaning.  Then she helps me with mine. ahermitt.com FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE

Remember my post about educating black boys ?   Remember me complaining about a boy who was an honors student in one school, only to be called unteachable in the next? Well, in 6 weeks time, this young man was helped by a homeschool consultant who helped him meet graduation requirements.  In this short time period time, he made up for 3 semesters of math, which was never assigned to him.  Not only did he learn it, but he demonstrated that knowledge by knocking the ACT exam out of the park. This kid who the counselor would not give permission for a standardized test... This kid who the counselor would not put in proper math classes... This kid who the counselor said would not finish high school even in 1 more year... Yeah, this kid, will be starting college in a few weeks. Homeschooling can turn a failure into a glowing success. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE ahermitt.com

My daughter flew to Colorado today.  It is the first time she has flown without one of her parents. I am positive this is the first of many, many adventures for her.  There is something about this child that tells me nothing is going to hold her back from what she wants to do.  She has a wild-and-free type spirit and will try anything once... and sometimes, she will try it again. She will be gone for a week, and I miss her already.  I pray I don't get sick or anything because no one makes me feel better like her.  She is sooo nurturing.  I can already see what she is going to be like as a parent. She is the reason I decided to homeschool. The teachers and administration were using words like ... ritalin ... IEP ... hyperactive ... bless-her-heart (I think that's Southern for Lord-have-mercy) But that's not what I saw. I saw ...drive ...tenacity ...and a bit of precociousness, I knew that everything they were saying was wrong. She just...

I realize this sounds anti-social, but I don't like getting calls to my home phone.  There are several reasons: 1. Telemarketers.  If I am working, homeschooling, or just relaxing, and the phone rings, and I pry myself out of the chair to answer the phone, I don't want to answer a survey, deal with salespeople, give a donation, or hear elections propaganda.  You are more likely to get a positive response from me if you sent an

 Staying in the theme of my last guest post, here is a fun video called The Dangers of Homeschooling.  Enjoy FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE ahermitt.com

 I occasionally allow a guestpost from someone who I think has something valuable to add to the topic of homeschooling.  This post is from a former homeschooled student. 3 Pitfalls of Homeschooling and How to Avoid Them Having been homeschooled throughout grade school and middle school, I can say from experience that the whole process was incredibly rewarding. Being taught at home by my mother helped cement a bond with her that I think very few people have had the pleasure to experience. Learning alongside two of my siblings made us likewise close. I believe also that homeschooling helped me develop my own learning styles and methods, just because I didn't have a specific way of learning shoved down my throat as do many students who go to traditional schools. Notwithstanding, after enrolling and attending a traditional high school, I was able to see that there were some inefficiencies in homeschooling that I could have prevented had I known. Here are

A Black Homeschool Expo was recently announced, it is being held in Atlanta Roots to Fruits presents..... Finally, the first of it's kind! The 1st Annual  Black Homeschool and Education Expo ! ....addressing the specific needs of our children to awaken their genius! Save the Date! Saturday July 28, 2012 10am-7pm Atlanta , Georgia Only $20 all-day admission lectures & workshops included Children 12 and up $5 For Details Call 678.368.8593 *vendors, educators, homeschools, after- school ,extracurricular & rites of passage programs, tutors, and more... reserve your space now! The response to this advertisement on local homeschool groups was.... interesting.   One email loop broke out into a full blown argument immediately, with one person citing black-on-black

We really thought this year's curriculum  plan for my SR. daughter  was going to be easy peasy, then we decided to go for Accreditation. So, i nstead, we found ourselves adding classes in some areas which meant scaling back in others.  Here is a brief accounting of our new and improved plans: Math:  Business Math with Personal Finance:  ALEKS.COM Language Arts: Analyzing and Interpreting Lit (study for CLEP exam) History: Government 1/2 credit Hippocampus.org Social Studies: Economics:  Uncle Erics Books Whatever Happened to Penny Candy Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security (An Uncle Eric Book) by Richard J. Maybury, Jane A. Williams and Kathryn Ann Daniels (Apr 1, 2004) Whatever Happened to Justice? (An Uncle Eric Book) Science: General Physical Science Hippocampus.org Spanish: Mango Languages (library subscription) HEALTH: Glencoe Online The plan is to still try to be finished with ...

I am such a hypocrite. As much as I complain against and say that accreditation is not necessary, I have decided to go ahead and accredit my daughters homeschool portfolio. Sure, she could get into any private college with her portfolio as-is.  Her tests scores are good, especially, her verbal score. She is loaded down with theater and music extra-curriculars, demonstrating the depth of her talent. So why have I decided to turn her homeschool portfolio into an accredited diploma? Competitiveness. One of the colleges she is applying to will take homeschool portfolios with tons of digging and probing, and may still require a GED.  We are not really worried about that, because it is clear she is well educated, but they won't take my word for her grades....and her GPA is vital to scholarship offers. Sigh.  Yes, I did it for money.  In my defense, this is a tough economy and this will be my second child in college.   So have I changed my mind?  D...