Not Another Homeschool Blog

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...

Is this a joke? I don't know if the Andrew Sullivan blog is a parody blog or not, but I stumbled upon this post about a homeschool mom pot smoker this morning .  I mean what sane person would out themselves like that... but if they smoke pot regularly then maybe their sanity should be in question.  It got me wondering if I had any vices that helped me gain my sanity at the end of the day.  The only think I could think of was blogging... and maybe the occasional mega sized bag of chocolate when I am a little stressed.  When they are really rowdy... I go to sleep early.  No medicinal drugs needed here... though high school math could make you consider it.  Do you have any special vices that make homeschooling easier for you?  I would love to know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

With teens, everyday could be sleep in day if I allowed it. But because there was a recital program (piano, dance, and singing) last night, I am allowing it today. Both kids played difficult piano peices of which I don't even know the names... I think my son's peice was a by Mozart. I am so glad that just because I don't know something doesn't mean my kids can't learn it. I (almost) love it when they start talking music and I glaze over because it proves that homeschooled kids aren't limited by their parents knowledge. ...And I know NOTHING about music! I can't sing because I am tone deaf, and I can't read music at all. Yet both kids are in their 8th year of music instruction... some more formal that others. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources

I am watching a Dr. Phil show that is breaking my heart.  It is about excessive discipline of children in schools. The show started with an a bsurd classroom arrest  where a young woman was treated like a hardened criminal for writing a kind note on her desk with an erasable marker.  I thought that was bad.  But it got much worse.  Children are being sent home  with broken bones, and some are dying due to aggressive discipline measures.  The children who are most abused are the ones who are autistic and non verbal. I try not to say this much, but things like this make me really glad that my kids are homeschooled.  Knowing that the most simple misunderstanding can spiral completely out of control is very unsettling to me as a parent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links and resources