Not Another Homeschool Blog

Seriously ya'll.  It does no one any good to downplay yourself to make someone else feel good.  Especially when you know you are rocking it!   So the next time you find yourself at a party, surrounded by public school die-hards or teachers, just say "Yes, I chose something different and I am really happy about it" or change the subject.  You are not obligated to defend homeschooling to the masses.

I read an article yesterday called Home-schooled and illiterate at Salon.com . The writer begins by describing a family she knew when she was younger that homeschooled poorly. They were conservative Christian and it seemed, from her looking in that the family did not value education for the girls most especially. The article goes on to state that other homeschooling moms usually from the quiverfull movement, bless their hearts, try, but get overwhelmed by  just having and caring for the kids they have, never mind actually educating them, and so they get lost in the fray.  It infers that even the most the most well meaning homeschool moms, fool themselves that they can handle homeschooling but they can't. Of course the article throws in that there are some very diligent homeschooling parents who can and will  do a stellar job. But they add that in order to make sure that kids get the best education while homeschooling, there should be severe oversight.  That's ...

So, something happened this past weekend that deeply saddened me.  You may remember that my son finished homeschooling with a homeschool portfolio , but we had our daughter finish school with an Alternative School Program to a ccredit her portfolio .  The reason was that she was an exceptional student, and with one child already in college, I felt the need to increase her scholarship chances, and I believed that having her report card and grades endorsed by a school, would help.  So, I sent her coursework for review to a local homeschool program, and that person reviewed the work, endorsed the grades I had given and in some cases raised those grades.  She also suggested classes and curriculum for us to use in the last year that she required for a state diploma which she is licensed to give.  (This is all up-and-up and a legal and normal thing to do.) When it came time to apply for college, we applied through the program, as she was one of this person's student...

Homeschooling will not make your family happy. Having a happy family will make your family happy. I realize this is a simplistic statement, but it must be said, especially in light of all of the negative media surrounding homeschooling these days. There are some young adults out there with an axe to grind where homeschooling is concerned.  Many of them have every right to be disgruntled because their parents... and therefor their homeschool experience sucked. So, I was reading a post today about "the homeschool myth", where the writer says that they blame homeschooling for their less than stellar upbringing because "homeschooling made that $hit (the bad stuff that happened) seem natural. That because they did not have access to people outside the home... ever... that they didn't know that this kind of abuse was not normal. Furthermore, her abuse was intensified because her mother was egged on by other homeschoolers who counseled her on making her child less reb...

There would be a whole lot more homeschoolers if more parents only had the time.  Based on the messages I receive regularly there are oodles of oodles of single parents who desperately want to homeschool their kids, but there's that little pesky problem called work that keeps getting in the way. One of my very best friends has managed to homeschool her kids due to perfect timing of ages, and a moderate amount of flexibility in her job.  But most parents can't get together either the smallest amount luck and flexibility and family support to get it done. That leaves parents asking the question, (the most recent email I've received) asking where to find certified teachers that would take on 4-5 kids.... because they want their kids to be part of that group.  The problem is that they are few and far apart. Before we started homeschooling, my husband asked the same questions.  He knew we could not afford a private teacher, but felt that surely we could split the co...

It blows my mind, how many laws, rules, and regulations us homeschoolers impose on one another. This may sound... Is... Trivial, but a blog argument going on right now is the state of dress, or undress of homeschoolers. This particular post is over at HEDUA homeschooling site and is titled, "homeschoolers please put your cloths on", or something like that. Apparently, the writer doesn't like the sterotype that homeschoolers learn I'm their pjs, and are out to shame us himechoolers into wearing respectable clothing, while in our homes, teaching our kids.   Well, I failed this one, and there's no way I could pass it. You see, I've been known to sleep in my clothes, and spend the day in my pajamas, and my kids and husband are known to do the same. You see, I just buy comfy clothes which might consist of medical scribs, yoga pants, drawstring flannel pants, t-shirts, maxi dresses, etc.  I've been known to purchase a pile of black outside pants from the...

I really want to delete the last series of blogs I wrote.  Those of the types of things I don't want to deal with. I don't want to think it, and I certainly don't want to write it.  Let's see how long it stays live.  I read a comment yesterday where it was stated that when dealing with touchy subject like this, one person chooses to always opt out, saying "I'm not having THIS conversation".  It seems so wise. But since I am discussing all of the hard stuff right now, I might as well discuss my the difficult phenomenon of being the lone homeschooler at the party. I feel like a party game. I don't know a better way to explain it.  I show up at a party.  There are niceties and introductions, and then the question is asked.... "where do (did) your kids go to school"?  I answer "they are (were)

If you slack on homeschooling your kids, there could be a 5 page article in the Washington Post about you.   Josh Powell thrived under his mother’s instruction early on. At 4, he was already reading chapter books. Andrea Powell, a University of Virginia graduate who has managed most of her children’s education over the years, let her husband speak for the family. As the family grew, Josh Powell said, things deteriorated. He learned from a mishmash of textbooks his parents assembled, with more and more self-instruction because there were so many other children to raise and teach. As subjects got increasingly complex, he had more trouble figuring them out on his own. Josh Powell is clearly unhappy with his upbringing/ education and is terrified for his siblings.  As mentioned at Happy Elf Homeschooling ,  his parents probably didn't suck as much as he thinks. After all, he is a self starter, who was able to get himself into Georgetown University, even if it did t...

I didn't know whether to call this blog post Dating Woes or Parenting Style because I feel like my parenting style may have caused the dating woes I am having with my kids.  So... what do I start with. Well, here is the main woe...  Neither of my kids has gone on a date.  My son is 18 and in college (ok- no date I know about) and my daughter is 16 and starting college in the fall.  I realize some of you may think I am crazy for being unhappy about this, after all, how many people wish their kids would focus on education and not worry about the opposite sex, right?  But my issue is that if I don't ever see my kids interact on a romantic level, how will I know if they are on the right track?  How will I know whether or not they will lose themselves in a relationship?  How can I whisper advice to my kids when I see things may not be right?  Once they are out of the house, it will be pretty hard.  So this is why I am troubled. I guess you can...

If you follow my blog you know how very important academics are to me.  When I talk about our homeschooling experience with other homeschoolers I often hear "that's nice, but we are not so competitive academically, it is more important to me that my children's values are in order.  I've always felt that such a comment was a slight towards me...  You ask me how my kids are doing in homeschooling, and I rattle off their academic achievements.  Then you make a smart -alecky remark that says what I just told you was unimportant.  Meh.  Whatever. I used to feel that people were threatened by the impression I gave that book-learnin was the single most important value in homeschooling.  Now I don't really care.  But, with that said, you should know that values are indeed very important in our homeschooling journey.  But if you ask me what my kids are doing homeschooling wise, I am going to talk about math and reading and such.  That's just ho...

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