Not Another Homeschool Blog

Not why most people homeschool, but this rings true to me.

True Story: Friend decides to try homeschooling and puts very desperate sounding messages on FaceBook, so I contact them.  They are at their wits end.  They need help.  They've been homeschooling for just a few months and they are struggling. I set a lunch date and spend hours upon hours putting together information that I think will be useful to them, and show up at the designated time and place.  We sit down and have the niceties and person informs me that kids are back in school. She gave up.  I'm fine with that, but I am not fine that she wasted my time.  I would have gladly still kept the lunch date, but I wouldn't have spent time preparing

  There is a local YouTube sensation named Megan McGlover .  She starts out reporting (ranting) about the weather, then she goes off on tangents about other things in the news.  She usually ends her report with "don't be stupid".  She's got a point. Fifty years ago, Mr. Richard Eggers was stupid.  He was about 18 years old and he made a cardboard dime and used it to operate a washing machine. His "stunt" as he describes it landed him in jail for two days.  As far as anyone knows he has been a law abiding citizen ever since.  However, Wells Fargo, the bank Mr. Eggers worked for fired him for the 50 year old stunt . There's a whole bru-ha-ha about new FDIC laws about having people with criminal activity working at banks and banks being overzealous in weeding out

The shot heard round the world this weekend was that of a father who got fed up with his daughter complaining and lying about him on Facebook.  He made a response video in which he shot her laptop entitled Facebook Parenting: For the troubled teen . It went super-mega-extravaganza-like-viral. 6 days, over 21 million hits and remember ya'll 1 million hits makes a video viral. I am not going to judge him about his parenting skills because depending on the moment, I am either for or against him.... usually based on what my kids are doing or saying at the time.  I can say that I don't find his reaction that unusual.  I found another other parent electronic breaking video on Facebook, with the main difference being between a gun and a bat.  Beat a cell phone with a bat, get 6 thousand views.  Shoot a laptop with a gun... that's money baby! Anyway, it all just gets me thinking about parenting in the homeschooling community.  As I watched the

I just read a column in the Washington Post where the writer, John Kelly, makes an argument for keeping homeschoolers out of public schools. I agree, but for different reasons. In his case, he has a distaste for homeschoolers taking spots from kids who go to the school, either in theater or sports, or whatever. In my case, I have a distaste for how we sometimes take the easy way out and try to get into public programs instead of pitching in and creating a homeschool alternative. Sure, homeschool clubs can cost more in time, money, and effort, but isn't homeschooling supposed to be parents giving of themselves to provide their children with a superior education?  If so, then why are so many homeschoolers trying to get back in public schools so they can pick and choose the ideal activities for their kids.  Not only does this put your child back in the situation you did not like in the first place, but it weakens strength of programs that we as homeschoolers can create....

Transcript (summarized in parts) Hi this is Ahermitt.  This is the first video I am making on my iPad and there are some things I am going to have to get used to like the weird placement of the camera. (yada-yada- new ipad, blah, blah, blah) What I want to address, is comments from people who have homeschooled unsuccessfully. For example, I just watched a video called "Homeschooling is a MISTAKE".  He really should have entitled it

I read a very good article that speaks of how young black men feel pushed out of Tampa Bay schools.  No one is interested in their success.  They are being pushed through and pushed aside.  They are not treated as individuals they complain.  ... And their complaints are very true.  One statement bugged me though. Bernard Scott is the only person in his family who graduated and pursued

So I took another look at the debate and  as Mrs. C said in the comments it appears to be a high school debate website.  Another thing I noticed is that the side AGAINST homeschooling in European, most specifically from the Czech Republic.  That explains most of the positions for the ban as a whole.  With points such as "homeschooling harms society" and "breeds separatism", it is clear that the arguments against homeschooling are not in line with any American Values.... and thank goodness.  I would hate to see American students coming up with such brain-washed responses. On the side FOR homeschooling, American students have weighed in.  While they don't have the typical responses that a homeschooler gives, probably because they haven't homeschooled, they do give intelligent points that address the feasibility of such a ban altogether. FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE   MY BUSINESS WEBSITE   WalletPop Contributor

I don't need a study to tell me that 1 million children are misdiagnosed with ADHD .  My daughter could have easily been one of those children.  This post written a year after we started homeschooling tells what she was like at the time. If the Kindergarten and first grade teacher got their way, she would have been put on Ritalin to make their lives easier. Sure, she was a handful.  She was certainly the youngest in her class, which the study pointed out was the main reason for misdiagnosis.  A child who is a full 11 months younger than the oldest child is going to act a year younger.  They are going to be baby-like in comparison and more physically active.  As we had moved from NY to Atlanta, she had started school at a younger age than most children and her summer birthday allowed her to squeak into a Kindergarten class younger than most kids. Her immaturity read as hyperactivity and inattention.  But I knew better.  Even if I was wrong, I...

Some time ago, Crimson Wife over at Bending the Twigs wrote a post entitled Are the Doubters Right about Homeschooling for High School?   In this post, she revealed some test scores showing that homeschoolers in charter schools fared worse academically each year they homeschooled.  In the end, she works it, out pointing out that many homeschoolers move on to community college and higher education options, so these scores showed the lowest of the barrel.   I noticed another disturbing factor... something veteran homeschoolers have been warning us about for years.  These test scores were from charter schools.  Charter schools that have been used for years to lure insecure homeschools back under the umbrella of the public education system.  That means these kids also among those whose parents are  not actively involved in homeschooling their kids but simply have them at home doing public school work.    Do you know what these stats really tel...

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

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...

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 ...

I was over at Henry Cate's blog and came across a comment that lead to a blog with a catchy title... ""The case against homeschooling". The funny thing was the comment used the word 'respectfully' when introducing the link. However, this rant was anything but respectful. Still, I thought I'd join the fun and chime in and present my answer to 'The case against homeschooling'. I encourage you to do the same. To save time, I will paraphrase the writers "points". Here goes: 10. College students think homeschooled peers are geeks? (Who cares what college students think... aren't the geeks the ones that end up rich and the ones that called names... aren't they trained to be employees?) 9. Students shouldn't learn at the same table where they eat? (Huh? It there a study that has proved this is detrimental? Besides my daughter does her work under the table on a blanket.) 8. Homeschooling is selfish as homeschooled kids are ...

I just read a blog from a Christian homeschooler who stated Real Christians Homeschool and anyone who send their child to school, Christian or otherwise is a heathen. I kept searching for the punchline because I thought "surely this must be a joke", but I could not. I think this is a dangerous statement to make for several reasons. 1. This is the biggest reason homeschoolers are vilified as it attempts to demean those who do not homeschool. 2. There are many good god-fearing Christians who do not homeschool, and God may actually have a plan for their family within the Christian or public school setting. 3. This is just bad behavior that I can't see God honoring.... "let the one without sit cast the first stone....". I am a Christian Homeschooler, and don't don't approve THAT message! Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com

I spent a bit of time defending homeschooling on my families.com blog. Another blogger on the site decided to spend time giving a teachers opinion, which of course was off the mark as far as a homeschooler like myself is concerned. Some of the articles I wrote are Dealing With Homeschool Inconsistencies by Andrea Hermitt In a past article on the Cons of Homeschooling, I responded to stereotypes that people see as cons of homeschooling and also mentioned some of my own ideas about possible cons of homeschooling. Perceptions of Homeschooling: When others think you are doing a bad job by Andrea Hermitt One of the hardest parts of being a homeschooler is dealing with the criticism that goes along with it. Just reading the occasional article or blog makes it clear that by homeschooling people have the perception that we are doing a bad job with my kids. Perceptions of Homeschooling: The Weird Issue by Andrea Hermitt When I was a teenager, my family (including parents and siblings) used to...

I got some video requests from my youtube viewers that have nothing to do with homeschooling but everything to do with values and my view on the world. Watch the first video and then the second... Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

I get emails every single day from or through HSLDA talking about how they SAVED one homeschooling family or other from the evil government. Meanwhile, for the past few days I have been hearing about how a Judge has ordered homeschoolers into government education . Now, while this above link will bring you to an HSLDA web page, it is just a newsfeed page. Meanwhile, they have had nothing to say regarding this particular case. My guess is this family does not meet the stringent guidelines HSLDA has set for who they will and will not support. However, if one judge can get away with this, won't others follow. If they are going to ordain themselves the great leaders and protectors of the homeschoolers, shouldn't they be leading or protecting? Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom Visit Free Home Ed. Homeschool For Free!