Not Another Homeschool Blog

 I remember being in elementary school... actually it was a catholic school.  In the  younger grades we took a bathroom break mid-morning and mid-afternoon.  If we had to go besides that, the teacher would ask, can you hold it until bathroom break?  If the answer was no, she sent you about your business. In older grades, teachers did not have a problem letting you go when you needed, except if you had to go every day or multiple times a day, you might need to have a conversation with the teacher, parent, and or principle to find out if you were OK or if you were trying to get out of class. So in recent news... "A Brooklyn elementary school teacher has come up with a controversial idea to get her children to hold it in." I know before we started homeschooling, you couldn't pay my kids to go to the public restroom.  It was just too nasty. This inability or refusal to go to the bathroom at school actually did cause, or at lease exacerbate existing heal...

 Here's a great read on homeschool socialization Home-schooled students like me are occasionally subject to one awkward question: Do you ever socialize? There's a misconception about home-schooled students: They can't socialize normally because they're cooped up in their houses every day. This is only true if you assume home schooling is exactly what it sounds like: studying at home, only at home and never interacting with others in the "outside world." This is a false assumption.  read more here FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

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....

Here's a fun video in the them of *stuff* people say to ....  Homeschoolers That's nothing compared to what people say to homeschool parents! FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE MY BUSINESS WEBSITE

 This past weekend we went to the CITA (Christians in the Theater Arts) High School Festival. It is a competition and college fair for Theater minded Christian Students.  My daughter participated in 3 events and while she did not win in any of them, she got great feedback she can use to try again.  A bunch of her friends from her homeschool program did do very well, so we have a great time celebrating their victories. While the kids were there to show their stuff and get feedback on their acting chops, the parents (in our case anyway) are there to hear from colleges interested in recruiting these talented kids. (This is how we found the college my son will be attending in the fall).  It was interesting to talk to these colleges with strong theater departments and hear then complement her performances and talk about what they had to offer.  It was also great to see my husband come around to accept theater as a real college major... though he still wants to s...

How to Choose the Best Tutor to Supplement Your Homeschool Curriculum    By David Greenberg,  Parliament Tutors You're a homeschool mom that's teaching three children. It's Friday afternoon and the weekend seems so close. You have just gone over the same algebra problem six times and you think your daughter finally gets it. You have a smile on your face and then she turns to you and says, "Mom, I just don't understand."   Some students really need that extra attention to grasp a concept.  Sometimes a new and fresh perspective is the best approach.  So... you turn to your favorite search engine, and within seconds you're drowning in listings from tutoring agencies and independent tutors, all vying for your attention.  How do you navigate through the thicket? Any good tutor would tell you that to tackle a big task, break it into smaller steps.  So let's take this task step by step.  First, let's get to know who we're dealing with, ...

I just read an awesome homeschool blog where the mom was celebrating a CLEP pass .  It is very exciting. I touched on CLEP exams some time back as my hope was that my son would put a ton of college credits behind him before graduating.  But Alas, that did not happen.  He did get 6 English credits that the college he is going to will accept, and plans take one more in math before the end of this school year. Maybe he will even attempt one of the two tests he did not pass last time.    But in the end, he is the type that needs to actually sit through the class to pass it, so his CLEP success has been limited. Let's face it CLEP exams are HARD.  It is a college level test, so there is no shame in not passing it when you are only 15 or 16 years old. There may be shame in not trying though. For us, even when he did not pass,  it was a learning experience in figuring out his strengths and learning how to study.  Studying for the tests have also give...