10. We're training her to like isolation so that she can be an astroaunt.
9. Socialization ? We're Democrats !
8. Don't worry. We get together with other kids twice a week so she can learn how to spit on them and treat them disrespectfully.
7. We do Unit Studies on Socialization, and also Hair Washing, Clothes Folding, and other completely redundant subjects.
6. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I was mentally planning her week of Fencing, Art, Unit Study Coop, Field Trip Coop, Writing Classes, Strategy Lab and soccer. What were you saying about socialization?
5. If I could get her to stop planning so many group sleep overs and playdates, I'd be able to convince her to socialize!
4. Huh?
3. Please, just for a change, ask me about college, okay?
2. Squeak, dive under the nearest object, peek out, and mutter "who are you and what do you want?"
And the NUMBER ONE ANSWER you can use when people ask about socialization.....
1. Oh, I know what you mean! That's why we're homeschooling, for the socialization!"
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Questions that people REALLY ask kids about homeschooling with sample answers we have thought of giving !
Have you ever noticed that even the most intelligent seeming humans are capable of asking extremely stupid questions about home/unschooling? Although I am always too polite to retaliate, the following answers always run through my mind when I hear the following questions:
Do your parents make you homeschool?
*Yes, they do. In my heart of hearts, I really *want* to spend 6 hours a day in a stuffy classroom filled with stupid people, listening to a rude and irrational teacher rant incessantly.
Do you have any friends?
*No, I'm a misanthrope sociopath who would rather die a thousand deaths than be socialized normally.
How do you meet people?
*I have found that painting myself blue and running through the streets screaming is a very effective way to meet people.
Do you get graded?
*Grades are determined each semester by a coin toss.
How do you know what to do without a teacher telling you?
*I visit the library and pick books at random. Those books then become my curriculum for that semester. Last semester, I studied alternative physics, macamre, tomato growing, and plot flaws in Star Trek the Next Generation episodes.
How do you remember to work without a teacher nagging you?
*I bribe myself. Whenever I finish a homework assignment, I give myself a gold star or a cookie.
Is homeschooling legal?
*No. In fact, you could even be arrested for aiding and abbeting a criminal just by talking to me!
Or .......
*Yes. The government wants as many of us smartaleck, self motivating brats out of their high schools as possible.
Do you like homeschooling?
*Not particularly. I tolerate homeschooling only because the alternative is so horrendous.
Are you going to homeschool your kids?
*Certainly! In fact, my children will undergo an accelerated education, so that they are ready for college classes by the age of 10.
You must be pretty smart to homeschool, huh?
*Actually, my intelligence level is below normal. I have simply aquired an immense vocabulary through memorization, which often fools humans into believing that I am more intelligent than I actually am.
Do your parents make you homeschool?
*Yes, they do. In my heart of hearts, I really *want* to spend 6 hours a day in a stuffy classroom filled with stupid people, listening to a rude and irrational teacher rant incessantly.
Do you have any friends?
*No, I'm a misanthrope sociopath who would rather die a thousand deaths than be socialized normally.
How do you meet people?
*I have found that painting myself blue and running through the streets screaming is a very effective way to meet people.
Do you get graded?
*Grades are determined each semester by a coin toss.
How do you know what to do without a teacher telling you?
*I visit the library and pick books at random. Those books then become my curriculum for that semester. Last semester, I studied alternative physics, macamre, tomato growing, and plot flaws in Star Trek the Next Generation episodes.
How do you remember to work without a teacher nagging you?
*I bribe myself. Whenever I finish a homework assignment, I give myself a gold star or a cookie.
Is homeschooling legal?
*No. In fact, you could even be arrested for aiding and abbeting a criminal just by talking to me!
Or .......
*Yes. The government wants as many of us smartaleck, self motivating brats out of their high schools as possible.
Do you like homeschooling?
*Not particularly. I tolerate homeschooling only because the alternative is so horrendous.
Are you going to homeschool your kids?
*Certainly! In fact, my children will undergo an accelerated education, so that they are ready for college classes by the age of 10.
You must be pretty smart to homeschool, huh?
*Actually, my intelligence level is below normal. I have simply aquired an immense vocabulary through memorization, which often fools humans into believing that I am more intelligent than I actually am.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Homeschool Humor from Kellie in CA
This is so funny ! It comes from Kellie in CA, a homeschooling mother.
I overheard my 7 year old daughter talking to the neighbor girl. The neighbor girl was telling my daughter that she didn't have to go to school that day because of parent-teacher conferences. My daughter asked her what that meant and the neighbor girl explained it was when her Mom talked to her teacher. "Oh, we have that in home schooling too," replied my daughter. I was a bit puzzled until my daughter added, "My Mom talks to herself all the time."
I overheard my 7 year old daughter talking to the neighbor girl. The neighbor girl was telling my daughter that she didn't have to go to school that day because of parent-teacher conferences. My daughter asked her what that meant and the neighbor girl explained it was when her Mom talked to her teacher. "Oh, we have that in home schooling too," replied my daughter. I was a bit puzzled until my daughter added, "My Mom talks to herself all the time."
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Pros and Cons of Homeschooling by Cindy Downes
I found this wonderful pro/con list of homeschooling on the net. It is by a veteran HSer. Remember, the pros and cons isn't a "one size fits all" but you might find some aspects you can relate to !
Someone recently asked me to give my honest pro and con of homeschooling. After twenty six years in the homeschool world, here is my answer:
The cons include:
1. Homeschooling doesn't guarantee that your children will ace every course, have no problems, get into an elite college on scholarship, obtain a high-paying job, get married and have their life turn out perfect.
2. Homeschooling is a lot of work and takes most of your free time even if you are eclectic or use unit studies. Children take time!
3. You will endure a lot of pressure from the world, your family and friends, AND yourself that will make you think you are "ruining" your kids.
4. You will have bad days. It can be real frustrating to spend time preparing lessons and getting equipment together only to have a "bad" day or a child who doesn't seem like he is learning. Every homeschool mom will tell you there will be days (or even weeks at a time) when you will feel like nothing is going right.
5. Even though you can homeschool cheaper than sending them to private school, it still costs money to provide an excellent education at home. You WILL have to sacrifice in other areas of the family budget in order to have the money you need to homeschool.
6. You kids will most likely go through periods of time, both during their homeschool life and after, when they wish they were not homeschooled. You (the parents) must be the one who makes the decision and sticks with it. That takes a lot of determination.
If you allow God to take control, and you do the best you can, and forgive yourself on the bad days, the pros include:
1. Your child WILL receive a better education in the areas that are most important to him. By homeschooling, you are able to focus your child's education on courses & activities that will help him do what interests him instead of doing what everyone else is doing.
2. Your child WILL learn to think for himself and be self-educating which will help him throughout his adult life. Even though he won't learn "everything he needs to know," by the time he graduates, he will know how to find the answers for himself, something not likely to happen in a regular school.
3. You can arrange your school day around your spouse's schedule so that everyone has quality time together, creating special family memories that your child will never forget. Most homeschooled families become very close. And, even if he becomes a prodigal son, he will think back on these times and remember what life is like in a loving and caring home. Eventually, he will tire of the "world outside" and will come back home.
4. YOUR character traits and behaviors WILL show up in your children. As you are training your child, you will also be training you. It will make YOU a better person!
5. You child will eventually tell you that they were glad that you homeschooled them for a variety of reasons. Their reasons change as they mature and have families of their own.
6. When you are all done homeschooling, you will know that you have done the best job you could have done for your child. You will have prepared them the best you could and given your child what they need to go out into the world.
Someone recently asked me to give my honest pro and con of homeschooling. After twenty six years in the homeschool world, here is my answer:
The cons include:
1. Homeschooling doesn't guarantee that your children will ace every course, have no problems, get into an elite college on scholarship, obtain a high-paying job, get married and have their life turn out perfect.
2. Homeschooling is a lot of work and takes most of your free time even if you are eclectic or use unit studies. Children take time!
3. You will endure a lot of pressure from the world, your family and friends, AND yourself that will make you think you are "ruining" your kids.
4. You will have bad days. It can be real frustrating to spend time preparing lessons and getting equipment together only to have a "bad" day or a child who doesn't seem like he is learning. Every homeschool mom will tell you there will be days (or even weeks at a time) when you will feel like nothing is going right.
5. Even though you can homeschool cheaper than sending them to private school, it still costs money to provide an excellent education at home. You WILL have to sacrifice in other areas of the family budget in order to have the money you need to homeschool.
6. You kids will most likely go through periods of time, both during their homeschool life and after, when they wish they were not homeschooled. You (the parents) must be the one who makes the decision and sticks with it. That takes a lot of determination.
If you allow God to take control, and you do the best you can, and forgive yourself on the bad days, the pros include:
1. Your child WILL receive a better education in the areas that are most important to him. By homeschooling, you are able to focus your child's education on courses & activities that will help him do what interests him instead of doing what everyone else is doing.
2. Your child WILL learn to think for himself and be self-educating which will help him throughout his adult life. Even though he won't learn "everything he needs to know," by the time he graduates, he will know how to find the answers for himself, something not likely to happen in a regular school.
3. You can arrange your school day around your spouse's schedule so that everyone has quality time together, creating special family memories that your child will never forget. Most homeschooled families become very close. And, even if he becomes a prodigal son, he will think back on these times and remember what life is like in a loving and caring home. Eventually, he will tire of the "world outside" and will come back home.
4. YOUR character traits and behaviors WILL show up in your children. As you are training your child, you will also be training you. It will make YOU a better person!
5. You child will eventually tell you that they were glad that you homeschooled them for a variety of reasons. Their reasons change as they mature and have families of their own.
6. When you are all done homeschooling, you will know that you have done the best job you could have done for your child. You will have prepared them the best you could and given your child what they need to go out into the world.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Offically done with curriculum !
This past week has been an intense week of "tying up loose ends." Shayna finished her Nathan Hale project for the living wax museum, her lapbook and the contents, her unit study on decimals (math), a review book on the Ameican Revolution that I got her in Philadelphia, the last chapter of Story of our World ...... Yesterday, around lunchtime, she was "officially done" with the "school work" she needed to complete this year ! Yahooo ! What a great feeling !
To celebrate, I told her she could sleep late today ! As a family, we do all wake up to see Don (my husband) off to work every day ! He usually leaves around 7:30 - 8:00 so this isn't bad. It is a good ritual also, because it gets Shayna off to a good start. She hates not saying goodbye to dad in the morning.
So - what are we going to do in the next few weeks.
1. Pack for Emerson. I began this earlier this week. Shayna is ALMOST packed up. Name tags are almost on everything. I need to make a "list" for her and get it all together. Pack for Shayna to go to Grandma Mary and George's House. Shayna needs a 2nd bag, since she is spending a week with Grandma Mary and George before Emerson begins. (when I am in Tulsa at Usborne National Convention)
2. Field Trips ! We have 3 field trips scheduled to go on. This will be awesome fun !
3. Author's Party & Living Wax Musuem - we are having our culiminating activities for both these groups in the next 2 weeks.
4. PLAYING, PLAYING and more PLAYING ! Although we play all the time "while doing school" and in "daily life" I am sure that Shayna will create new ideas, things and games to play !
I am sure the next 2 weeks will fly by ! I can't imagine now how I will have enough time to pull everything together...but I will !
It feels so good to "officially" be done with her "fourth grade school year" !
To celebrate, I told her she could sleep late today ! As a family, we do all wake up to see Don (my husband) off to work every day ! He usually leaves around 7:30 - 8:00 so this isn't bad. It is a good ritual also, because it gets Shayna off to a good start. She hates not saying goodbye to dad in the morning.
So - what are we going to do in the next few weeks.
1. Pack for Emerson. I began this earlier this week. Shayna is ALMOST packed up. Name tags are almost on everything. I need to make a "list" for her and get it all together. Pack for Shayna to go to Grandma Mary and George's House. Shayna needs a 2nd bag, since she is spending a week with Grandma Mary and George before Emerson begins. (when I am in Tulsa at Usborne National Convention)
2. Field Trips ! We have 3 field trips scheduled to go on. This will be awesome fun !
3. Author's Party & Living Wax Musuem - we are having our culiminating activities for both these groups in the next 2 weeks.
4. PLAYING, PLAYING and more PLAYING ! Although we play all the time "while doing school" and in "daily life" I am sure that Shayna will create new ideas, things and games to play !
I am sure the next 2 weeks will fly by ! I can't imagine now how I will have enough time to pull everything together...but I will !
It feels so good to "officially" be done with her "fourth grade school year" !
Thursday, May 25, 2006
A Place Where Kids Can THINK and HAVE FUN !
"Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes. "
~ Edgard Varese
US (French Born) composer
1883 - 1965
For the last "school year" every other Thursday a group of local homeschoolers have been getting together to give their brains a good workout. Most people would glance in and say, only they are only playing games. However, that is NOT the case.
A group of parents formed our "Strategy Lab". In Strategy Lab, we guide the children through different types of thinking games and reasoning, thinking, verbal type of problem solving activities. It has been a marvelous success. If you ask any of the children in our group what there kids thought, I feel confident they would say how much they loved strategy lab.
The "games" the children play are either independent, 2 person or group games. They rotate through the games every 20 minutes or so so they get a variety and work different parts of their brain. The children are in limited and carefully chosen "mixed age groups" so that they can help one another get to that "next level">
The team activities provides creative problem-solving opportunities. It’s all about creativity, an often overlooked element in the growth and development of many students. Kids are rewarded "points" for how they apply their knowledge, skills and talents, and not for coming up with the right answer. The children work in teams so they learn cooperation and respect for the ideas of others. They evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own, gaining greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem along the way. Some of these activities include verbal reasoning, thinking outside the box, problem solving, construting objects etc...
Personally, I know Shayna is very sad today is the last day of Strategy Lab for the "year." She can't wait to begin again in September ! It is her favorite part of the week !
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Akeelah and the Bee
Yesterday afternoon, I took Shayna and three other HSing friends to an early afternoon movie of Akeelah and the Bee. My understanding is that this is Starbucks Entertainment's first movie. Either way, we had four children ages 6 - 10 inspired to START PREPARING for next years spelling bee. This is an inspirational movie starting Keke Palmer (Akeelah) . This precocious eleven-year-old girl, Akeelah Anderson, from south Los Angeles, is discovered to have a talent for words. In spite of the objections of her mother Wanda, Akeelah enters a spelling contest. Her gift takes her to compete in the National Spelling Bee, the most famous competition of its kind in the world. On the way, she is helped by a forthright, mysterious teacher, Dr. Larabee, and other members of her community.
What a GREAT movie. It is the type of movie you can be SAFE bringing your children to. Although there is some language that Shayna is forbidden to use, it was used in proper context to show / share what Akeelah's life was in Southern LA.
Shayna and her friends are all planning on starting to practice for the Scripts National Spelling Bee. They realize that many homeschoolers participate in the Bee and in the past there have been homeschoolers who have won the bee.
The 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee will be happening on May 31 and June 1st. ESPN will show the earlier rounds of competition. The final rounds of competition will be broadcasted on Thursday, June 1st on ABC from 8 pm - 10 pm.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Shayna's "Schoolwork" for Monday
Shayna has been participating in a coop that was doing an intense study on the American Revolution and the foundation of the Government. The coop leader has arranged for our children to participate in a "living wax musuem" in just a few weeks. The children had to choose one person who was a key figure in these events and "become that person doing a presentation" and needed to complete a "project board" to share information about the person and his life.
My daughter chose Nathan Hale. She loved that he was a schoolteacher turned spy. She loved that not many people knew about him since he was caught and hung at 21.
We have done a lot of reserach and reading on Nathan Hale, she had completed her "speech for the living wax museum", but Shayna had not begun working on her "project board". She was elated was I asked her to take Monday Morning to work on this.
(honestly, I was elated also, so I could catch up with laundry and cleaning)
Shayna worked hard finalizing her thoughts and making "sloppy copy" sketches of what she wanted to displayed. She called me down to help her finalize her work with printing out some stuff from the internet. Finally, it was my job to glue (using 3M spray) her final work onto the project board (she hates to use the sticky glue).
And walla ! You see her final project put together in the picture above ! What fun she had ! Until this moment, she thinks she had all day yesterday off. She is convinced she did no work ! She is so excited about the Revolutionary Coop Living Wax musuem and now she is ready for it !
Monday, May 22, 2006
Out of the mouth of homeschoolers
This morning while waking up and getting our day going, Shayna came into my room to ask me a pondering question. She looked like she was thinking so deeply, that I was waiting for some philsosophical question / comment to come from her mouth. (she has been know for these type of questions in the early morning).
Her question was, "Mom after I work on my living wax musuem project and some math, can we play some games like Made for Trade, Equate and Professor Noggins after all with these games I will be learning also ?"
I love the fact that she enjoys these games - but even better I love the fact that she ASKS and WANTS to learn !
I love homeschooling !
Her question was, "Mom after I work on my living wax musuem project and some math, can we play some games like Made for Trade, Equate and Professor Noggins after all with these games I will be learning also ?"
I love the fact that she enjoys these games - but even better I love the fact that she ASKS and WANTS to learn !
I love homeschooling !
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Quote by John Adams our 2nd President
“There are two types of education...
one should teach us how to make a living,
and the other how to live."
~ Quote by John Adams, 1797-1801
one should teach us how to make a living,
and the other how to live."
~ Quote by John Adams, 1797-1801
Saturday, May 20, 2006
You know you're a homeschooler when....
You try to (quickly) capture the huge bee that was knocked unconscious as it accidentally flew into your car window, so the kids can classify and inspect it.
Your bank statement reflects the fact that you spend more at Barnes & Noble than at fancy clothing stores.
You've got more books and bookcases than anyone you know.
You DREAM of a room (or even a whole house!) with wall to wall, ceiling to floor bookshelves.
The walls of your dining room are decorated with posters of the US Presidents, Periodic Table of Elements, Map of the Moon, Spanish Conjugation Chart and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
You have children draped all over the furniture....and they're reading...for the FUN of it!
Your children actually enjoy spending time with their family, even their siblings!
Your children aren't embarrassed to be seen playing with someone younger than they are!
You are on a first name basis with the majority of local librarians.
Your bank statement reflects the fact that you spend more at Barnes & Noble than at fancy clothing stores.
You've got more books and bookcases than anyone you know.
You DREAM of a room (or even a whole house!) with wall to wall, ceiling to floor bookshelves.
The walls of your dining room are decorated with posters of the US Presidents, Periodic Table of Elements, Map of the Moon, Spanish Conjugation Chart and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
You have children draped all over the furniture....and they're reading...for the FUN of it!
Your children actually enjoy spending time with their family, even their siblings!
Your children aren't embarrassed to be seen playing with someone younger than they are!
You are on a first name basis with the majority of local librarians.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Lapbooking
Today Shayna finished her AMERICAN REVOLUTION lapbook. Her lapbook looks AWESOME ! This is her 16th lapbook over the last five years. We love doing lapbooks !
What is a lapbook ?
If you aren't familiar with this powerful took - you should do some research on it. The best place to start is with Tammy Duby (VA Homeschooler and owner of Tobin's Lab) or Dinah Zike. Do a google search on them.
Basically, a lapbook is a file folder with little "minit" (small, mini, folded) books that the children have created and written in on a topic within a subject. You can do lapbooks on any topic, a person, a book etc. They are awesome for UNIT STUDIES. The "minit" books are small books that are folded in all sorts of different ways. You can make them with one flap, two flaps, ten flaps.... are you getting the picture. Basically, a lapbook is GREAT to make when learning about a topic. They encourage children to "research" and then are available for reading and reenforcing the topic for a long time.
In Shayna's current lapbook, Revolution to Constitution: The foundations of the American Government, Shayna has 15 "minit books" that she created, researched and wrote. They are:
What is a lapbook ?
If you aren't familiar with this powerful took - you should do some research on it. The best place to start is with Tammy Duby (VA Homeschooler and owner of Tobin's Lab) or Dinah Zike. Do a google search on them.
Basically, a lapbook is a file folder with little "minit" (small, mini, folded) books that the children have created and written in on a topic within a subject. You can do lapbooks on any topic, a person, a book etc. They are awesome for UNIT STUDIES. The "minit" books are small books that are folded in all sorts of different ways. You can make them with one flap, two flaps, ten flaps.... are you getting the picture. Basically, a lapbook is GREAT to make when learning about a topic. They encourage children to "research" and then are available for reading and reenforcing the topic for a long time.
In Shayna's current lapbook, Revolution to Constitution: The foundations of the American Government, Shayna has 15 "minit books" that she created, researched and wrote. They are:
- Vocabulary about the Revolution
- A Venn Diagram comparing British to Colonists
- The Boston Massacre
- "Sneaky Taxes" : Stamp Act, Declaratory Act and Townshed Act
- Thomas Paine
- Marquis de Lafyette
- Battle at Yorktown
- Battle at Saratoga
- Writing Sample about Writing the Declaration of Independence
- A Signer of the Declaration: John Adams
- A Signer of the Declaration: John Hancock
- France: Why did they support the war and what they gave the colonists
- Comparing: Articles of Confederation, VA Plan, NJ Plan
- Comparing: Small State Plan, Large State Plan, The Great Compromise
- The Constitution: What, Where, When, How Many Signed
My favorite part of lapbooks is that they are powerful tools for continuing to reinforce what we have already studied. They are Shayna's "favorite reads". She often sleeps with her lapbooks !
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Re-Defining Childhood
This awesome article was sent to me via email earlier this week. It really hit home with so many reasons why I "teach" Shayna the way I do ! I wish I could give the "homeschooling mother - author" proper credit, but all I know is it is by "Robin."
Re-Defining Childhood
By Robin
I am not in a hurry for my children to grow up. I am not in a hurry for the day to end or the week to grow old. I am not in a hurry for the sun to set or rise. I am not in a hurry. I don't need to make our lives part of the rat race called “life” as others would created it, as I could create it--the self imposed crunch that inevitably restricts who I am, who they are, how they grow up, how they experience each day of their lives. I am not in a hurry.
I am not in a hurry for my children to learn to read or know their multiplication tables by heart. I do not need for them to know where Utah or Zimbabwe is on the map or the 50 states and their capitals today. Do you know? I am not in a hurry for my children to know how to conjugate verbs, actually they already know, as they already know so many things if I look for the knowings and acknowledge them.
I am not in a hurry for my children to define themselves by the grade, the marking on a paper, which is supposed to tell them (and me and the world) how much they know, how much they are worth in the educational market of "Excellence." I am not in a hurry.
I am not in a hurry for my children to judge themselves by some extraneous measure called learning or education that some ones somewhere decided can be put on a scale and measured in time specific. Newsflash! You can try, but it is like trying to carve water. You can’t unless you change it into ice, and we weren’t all created to be ice. I am not in a hurry.
I am not in a hurry to push time, force the day, and make the year spin faster that it should. I am not in a hurry. I am not in a hurry to mold my children into standards of excellence. I am not in a hurry. I am not because I know they are OK, fine, beautifully unfolding, becoming, growing up and learning all the time.
I am not in a hurry because I know that human beings, children (often called students) need me to not be in a hurry. They need time--time that contains the safe place and nurturing ground that I think is supposed to be called childhood. Although children do need direction, more importantly they need support; they need less expectation and more acknowledgements of their accomplishments; they need less judgment and more encouragement; they need less predetermined mold and more room and space and time to grow the way they need to.
I am not in a hurry because I don’t have to be, and I know it.
Re-Defining Childhood
By Robin
I am not in a hurry for my children to grow up. I am not in a hurry for the day to end or the week to grow old. I am not in a hurry for the sun to set or rise. I am not in a hurry. I don't need to make our lives part of the rat race called “life” as others would created it, as I could create it--the self imposed crunch that inevitably restricts who I am, who they are, how they grow up, how they experience each day of their lives. I am not in a hurry.
I am not in a hurry for my children to learn to read or know their multiplication tables by heart. I do not need for them to know where Utah or Zimbabwe is on the map or the 50 states and their capitals today. Do you know? I am not in a hurry for my children to know how to conjugate verbs, actually they already know, as they already know so many things if I look for the knowings and acknowledge them.
I am not in a hurry for my children to define themselves by the grade, the marking on a paper, which is supposed to tell them (and me and the world) how much they know, how much they are worth in the educational market of "Excellence." I am not in a hurry.
I am not in a hurry for my children to judge themselves by some extraneous measure called learning or education that some ones somewhere decided can be put on a scale and measured in time specific. Newsflash! You can try, but it is like trying to carve water. You can’t unless you change it into ice, and we weren’t all created to be ice. I am not in a hurry.
I am not in a hurry to push time, force the day, and make the year spin faster that it should. I am not in a hurry. I am not in a hurry to mold my children into standards of excellence. I am not in a hurry. I am not because I know they are OK, fine, beautifully unfolding, becoming, growing up and learning all the time.
I am not in a hurry because I know that human beings, children (often called students) need me to not be in a hurry. They need time--time that contains the safe place and nurturing ground that I think is supposed to be called childhood. Although children do need direction, more importantly they need support; they need less expectation and more acknowledgements of their accomplishments; they need less judgment and more encouragement; they need less predetermined mold and more room and space and time to grow the way they need to.
I am not in a hurry because I don’t have to be, and I know it.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Experiences Our Children Will Never Forget
We just got home from a homeschooling weekend field trip to Philadelphia, PA with our American Revolution Coop. The children have been studying the American Rev until the Bill of Rights for the last three months every week on Friday.
This was the "grand finale" of all the smaller field trips and the kids had a BLAST. They were awesome thinkers, learners and citizens on our trip.
Four of the families went on this trip. We left town on Sunday AM (yes, Mother's Day) very early in the morning. We met up Betsy Ross's house for our first stop. The kids were treated to meeting a gentleman as well as Betsy herself ! They enjoyed the "step back into time" ! After Betsy's house we walked over to Christ Church's Cemetary to pay our respects at many influential men who helped shape our Nation. Of course, all the children couldn't wait to toss pennies on Ben Franklin's grave (a popular Philadelphia tradition). Then we continued to the National Park Visitor's Center for a movie of "Choosing Sides". The kids completed the National Park Booklet to become Junior Rangers at Independence Hall "National Park". Then we went over for our tour of Independence Hall. The adults as well as the ranger were beyond impressed that our children's arms were the ones "shooting up" to answer the questions to the entire group. And time after time, our children were right ! The children were certainly "moved" while standing in the same room as our founding fathers. This really put things immediately into perspective. Next, we walked over to the Military Musuem and Carpenters Hall. The ranger at the Military Musuem, came out to pay a HUGE compliment to our children. She was amazed at their inquistive personalities and attention to details. She said she LOVED her job when she rarely found children like ours. (Applause to our kids !) After dinner, we journeyed to the hotel where the children couldn't wait to jump into the swimming pool.
The 2nd day we were up again early and headed into Philadelphia. We began watching the 2nd movie at the Visitor's Center and then journeyed to the Liberty Bell. Again, the children were amazed when they saw the Bell that has rung on the most important occasions of our country. After that we went to the Mint, the Constiution Center and to Franklin's Court. The Constitution Center was a highlight of the trip ! This is a new museum and it has over 100 hands on activities dealing with the consitution, Amendments and Bill of Rights. The kids had so much fun ! My daughters favorite part of this museum was dressing up in a Supreme Court Justice's robe and reading cases of the Supreme Court then deciding based on the Amendments what she would decide and then comparing it to what the acutal decision was. Amazing ! All the children also loved posing with the Life Size Bronze Statues of the signers of the constitutions.
Field Trips that make sense ! This is yet another reason, homeschooling works for us. Actually taking the time out and going to visit what she has studied. Having the field trips "make sense" and make sure they are relevant.
This is an experience our children will never forget !
Saturday, May 13, 2006
You Must be a Home Educator if....
· You live in a one-house schoolroom.
· Your walls are covered with maps and timelines.
· You know what math manipulatives are.
· You have mold growing in your fridge…on purpose.
· Your preschooler can name all the planets, but doesn't know who the Rugrats are.
· You've mastered the fine art of vacuuming a floor without sucking up a Lego or K'nex piece.
· You're either an expert at doing the Lego dance - Oooch! Ouch! Yeow! - or else you've resorted to wearing shoes around the house.
· You know the recipes for homemade versions of Play-doh, finger paint, and paste.
· Your students have to clear the breakfast bowls off the table before sitting down to do their school work.
· Your house is messy, but your kids are happy.
· You know that reverse psychology really works.
· Your kids publish their own family newsletter.
· You shop for birthday presents at educational stores.
· All you want for Christmas is a Barnes & Noble gift certificate.
· You'd rather buy books than clothes.
· Your friends don't want to help you move because you have so many books.
· You turn a trip to the grocery store into a learning experience.
· You get nervous about what people will say when you take your kids to K-Mart in the middle of the day.
· You have a standard one-minute speech to give to store clerks, mother-in-laws, and school officials about why you homeschool.
· You are sick and tired of answering the question, "But what about socialization?"
· For your wedding anniversary, you decide to splurge and get a photocopier.
· Talking out loud to yourself is the same as having a parent/teacher conference.
· When you see a parking lot full of mini vans, you wonder if there's a homeschooling conference.
· You take your family vacation in September, when the beaches and theme parks are empty.
· You take a suitcase full of books along on your family vacation.
· You can never find your kitchen utensils because they're out in the sandbox.
· Your kitchen doubles as a science lab.
· You are on a first name basis with your local librarian and bookstore owner.
· The UPS driver delivers a box of Scholastic books to your doorstep once a month.
· You know the scientific names of dinosaurs from A to Z.
· You're willing to drop what you're doing at a moment's notice to go look something up in a dictionary or encyclopedia.
· You have ever vented for more than five minutes on the evils of standardized testing.
· You don't get fired for teaching your students about God.
· Some days you learn as much as your students.
· The more your kids learn, the less you seem to know.
· Your walls are covered with maps and timelines.
· You know what math manipulatives are.
· You have mold growing in your fridge…on purpose.
· Your preschooler can name all the planets, but doesn't know who the Rugrats are.
· You've mastered the fine art of vacuuming a floor without sucking up a Lego or K'nex piece.
· You're either an expert at doing the Lego dance - Oooch! Ouch! Yeow! - or else you've resorted to wearing shoes around the house.
· You know the recipes for homemade versions of Play-doh, finger paint, and paste.
· Your students have to clear the breakfast bowls off the table before sitting down to do their school work.
· Your house is messy, but your kids are happy.
· You know that reverse psychology really works.
· Your kids publish their own family newsletter.
· You shop for birthday presents at educational stores.
· All you want for Christmas is a Barnes & Noble gift certificate.
· You'd rather buy books than clothes.
· Your friends don't want to help you move because you have so many books.
· You turn a trip to the grocery store into a learning experience.
· You get nervous about what people will say when you take your kids to K-Mart in the middle of the day.
· You have a standard one-minute speech to give to store clerks, mother-in-laws, and school officials about why you homeschool.
· You are sick and tired of answering the question, "But what about socialization?"
· For your wedding anniversary, you decide to splurge and get a photocopier.
· Talking out loud to yourself is the same as having a parent/teacher conference.
· When you see a parking lot full of mini vans, you wonder if there's a homeschooling conference.
· You take your family vacation in September, when the beaches and theme parks are empty.
· You take a suitcase full of books along on your family vacation.
· You can never find your kitchen utensils because they're out in the sandbox.
· Your kitchen doubles as a science lab.
· You are on a first name basis with your local librarian and bookstore owner.
· The UPS driver delivers a box of Scholastic books to your doorstep once a month.
· You know the scientific names of dinosaurs from A to Z.
· You're willing to drop what you're doing at a moment's notice to go look something up in a dictionary or encyclopedia.
· You have ever vented for more than five minutes on the evils of standardized testing.
· You don't get fired for teaching your students about God.
· Some days you learn as much as your students.
· The more your kids learn, the less you seem to know.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
A Genius of a Man
Albert Einstein lived from March 14, 1879 - April 18, 1955. He was a theoretical physicist widely regarded as the most important scientist of the 21st century. He was the author of the special and general theories of relativity and made significant contributions to quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and cosmology. He was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect in 1905 and for his services to theoretical physics.I would love to share some of his quotes and how they can relate to homeschooling families.
"I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious."
The homeschooling conference season is upon us. As moms (and dads) we get so excited about what to use next year. We get a "natural high" (for lack of better words) at the smell of fresh new material. Here is the best advice I can think of.... "Ordering curricula sight unseen is never a safe bet." It is IMPORTANT to view curriculum. If you can't make it to a conference, ask your friends if they know anyone who uses the particular curriculum and make plans to "view it". Be curious !
"Love is a better teacher than duty."
Remember, that even the best curriculum and the best laid out plans aren't going to replace experiences and love. Make sure whatever you decide to get is filled with experiences that will provide your children with life long memories of devotion and love.
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."
Scott Sommerville (HSDL) has a question he often asks, "Are we FUNschooling yet ?" Mr. Sommerville, explores the possible need for a new word to really capture what homeschooling families are doing: having FUN while learning. If our children remember having fun learning and how to learn - they will ALWAYS succeed !
"Information is not knowledge."
Curriculum is not as important as the development of the mind. Our families goal for homeschooling Shayna is to teach her how to be a lifelong learner. We want her to be passionate about learning. We love sharing "read alouds" so they can lead to fruitful discussions. In study after study out there on homeschooling, it has shown us that "tutored students outdistance 98 percent of those taught in conventional group settings. One on one instruction or very small group instruction followed by one on one reviews is what homeschooling is all about."
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
Here is the question, do homeschoolers need a formal education (meaning "school" in a "school building" with hundreds of children) to prepare for college. Homeschoolers are sending their children to community college classes at younger ages. Four year institutions are opening their doors to homeschoolers for FT classes at younger ages. Homeschoolers often have the curiosity and drive to make college "happen" and make sense.
"A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years, but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them."
I will end here with the reminder that Mother's Day is this weekend. Remember to take pictures of the happy times. Remember to take lots of pictures. Remember to enjoy the moments with your children. These moments are what they are going to remember the most when they look back at these "photographs" of earlier times. Make the most of those moments. These happy times of homeschooling, having fun, doing projects, laughing, playing games, being curious about life... this is what our children will remember. When our children look back at these photographs... you want them to remember all the time we spent "molding them" into the people they will become.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL !Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Shayna's vote for her favorite curriculum: Story of Our World
The way our family homeschools would be a mixture of "electic" and "classical". We believe in using latin, logic, lots of GREAT books, writing often, memorization etc. However, we use what works best for Shayna.
This morning I asked Shayna what was her favorite "curriculum" or "unit study" we have done to date. Her response was "absolutely, positively, 100 % - Story Of Our World".
Story of Our World is a HISTORY curriculum that was written by Susan Wise Bauer (The Well Trained Mind). The curriculum is so adjustable and flexible - it works well for us ! It can be best described as a "Chinese Take Out Menu". (with the philosophy of, I will take one from column A, one from column B but three from column C).
The core of the curriculum is the "story book" and one of the four "spine" history texts recommened. We own TWO of the spines (the OP Kingfisher and the Usborne World History). Until just recently, we only used the Usborne spine. This year, we started using Kingfisher more (since it fit Shayna's reading level).
The spines have "recommended pages" to read together from a nonficiton source. We usually do this first for background knowledge. Then we read the "story" from the history reader. In the activity book there are questions to quiz your child on. Often we just read the questions aloud to make sure we understood everything. Then Shayna writes a paragraph on the section we read. This is called a narration. Usually, there are two or sometimes three sections that go under one chapter (one main topic - time in history). This is usually our M, T and W. Then on W or TH we usually do the map skills page and read a fiction or non fiction book that the curriculum recommends. Finally, we do one of the projects on F.
I love this curriculum because as a parent, I don't have to think that much ! There are so many choices for us to choose. Susan Wise Bauer gives us spine curriculum pages that match up with the chapters. She has samples of narrations, she has questions, she has map skills ready, she has MANY books listed that you can check out of the library all listed that match the topic, she has coloring pages (great for younger members of the family) and she has craft, science, art projects that go with that time period. In fact, there is so much, you MUST make choices or you will never get through the curriculum. But, the good part, is there is no rush.
We have finished Book 1 and Book 2 in THREE years. (yes, we take our time and love to learn more about topics). Next year, we will begin Book 3. My goal is to get book 3 accomplished in one year (yeah right !).
You can use this curriculum with your entire family - giving the older kids more to do - and the younger kids - enjoying what they can do !
We have bought and added into the curriculum a GREAT timeline made by Homeschool In the Woods. (the timeline is pictured) We use this timeline for EVERY thing we study !
Shayna gives "Story of our World" a huge thumbs up !
Monday, May 08, 2006
Today is a day that I am thankful I homeschool....
Today is a day that I am thankful that I homeschool. It is a dreary Monday morning in May. It is 20 degrees colder than it was yesterday. It looks as if it rained MOST of the night. It is very dark and cloudy. AND, Shayna woke up on the "wrong side of the bed."
She is not being "moody" at all. She is simply frustrated with everything she is doing today. If she was in school, she would not be allowed to be herself and work through this frustration.
Honestly, the frustration came out of nowhere. She is trying to practice some math (to finish our decimals unit) this morning. She knows HOW to do the problems, but is simply making some "silly mistakes" like we all do. I am trying to convince her to put it aside, however, being a "Type A" personality (which she is... I am .... and my husband is) she is refusing until she feels confident. I keep reminding her that she can do it later or tomorrow... that this is one of the "perks" of homeschooling. If she was in a classroom today - her mood simply wouldn't "matter" and she would need to do all the math OR "pay the consequences" (whatever they might be).
I keep on walking over to her and giving her those "snuggle hugs" that she needs today. If she were in school today, there would be no one to do that. I even ran out to the store and got her a favorite breakfast treat of "powdered doughnuts" hoping that would perk up the mood. She had a few bites of one and didn't finish it - obviously that didn't work.
I am hoping that she will move onto something "creative" or just "want to read" to put herself in a better mood. This type of a day - we "shift" into the "unschooling" mode and let her take over the decision making. There is no reason to attempt to follow our usual routine. We would just end up "butting" heads.
She just put down her math, and moved on her own to her "Living Wax Museum" project on Nathan Hale for American Revolutionary Coop. She is lying down next to her "tri fold board" coloring in Nathan Hale's famous quote in color pencils. Hopefully, this will be theraputic for her !
When adults or kids get in these moods, we just need to let them come out of it naturally. I am not sure how the mood began. She probably didn't sleep well last night. Or it is the dreary day ! Maybe she is already thinking soccer practice MIGHT be cancelled this afternoon and that is throwing her off. Whatever is causing it - it is OK. Being flexible is the one of the biggest perks of homeschooling ! Homeschooling allows Shayna to do what she needs to do and be "real" on her "off days". I am so thankful we homeschool !
She is not being "moody" at all. She is simply frustrated with everything she is doing today. If she was in school, she would not be allowed to be herself and work through this frustration.
Honestly, the frustration came out of nowhere. She is trying to practice some math (to finish our decimals unit) this morning. She knows HOW to do the problems, but is simply making some "silly mistakes" like we all do. I am trying to convince her to put it aside, however, being a "Type A" personality (which she is... I am .... and my husband is) she is refusing until she feels confident. I keep reminding her that she can do it later or tomorrow... that this is one of the "perks" of homeschooling. If she was in a classroom today - her mood simply wouldn't "matter" and she would need to do all the math OR "pay the consequences" (whatever they might be).
I keep on walking over to her and giving her those "snuggle hugs" that she needs today. If she were in school today, there would be no one to do that. I even ran out to the store and got her a favorite breakfast treat of "powdered doughnuts" hoping that would perk up the mood. She had a few bites of one and didn't finish it - obviously that didn't work.
I am hoping that she will move onto something "creative" or just "want to read" to put herself in a better mood. This type of a day - we "shift" into the "unschooling" mode and let her take over the decision making. There is no reason to attempt to follow our usual routine. We would just end up "butting" heads.
She just put down her math, and moved on her own to her "Living Wax Museum" project on Nathan Hale for American Revolutionary Coop. She is lying down next to her "tri fold board" coloring in Nathan Hale's famous quote in color pencils. Hopefully, this will be theraputic for her !
When adults or kids get in these moods, we just need to let them come out of it naturally. I am not sure how the mood began. She probably didn't sleep well last night. Or it is the dreary day ! Maybe she is already thinking soccer practice MIGHT be cancelled this afternoon and that is throwing her off. Whatever is causing it - it is OK. Being flexible is the one of the biggest perks of homeschooling ! Homeschooling allows Shayna to do what she needs to do and be "real" on her "off days". I am so thankful we homeschool !
Sunday, May 07, 2006
You Must Be Homeschooled If...
· Someone asks what grade you're in and you're not sure.
· You sometimes go to school in your pajamas.
· You sleep till 9:00 am on school days, but get up early on Sundays.
· Your favorite author is Jane Austen (girls) or Robert Louis Stevenson (boys).
· You own the entire series of Saxon Math books.
· Your birthday is an official school holiday.
· You don't get to stay home from school when you're sick.
· You are unaware of the current fads, fashions, and slang terms.
· Your favorite activity is reading.
· You know what a unit study is.
· Watching a movie means you'll have to write a report comparing the film to the book.
· You dress up as historical or literary characters for Halloween.
· You exchange e-mail Valentines with your homeschool pen pals.
· Your room looks like a science lab.
· You can get science credit for going to the dentist.
· You go to the park for P.E.
· You check out at least twenty books every time you visit the library.
· You have ever attempted to teach yourself physics.
· You have no idea what rock bands are currently popular.
· You get books and science kits for your birthday.
· You know what Latin roots are.
· Your board games all have names like "Bookworm", "Scrabble", "S'math", "Game of Knowledge", "DaVinci's Challenge", "Take Off" and "Name The State".
· Your home library is arranged in Dewey Decimal order.
· Your favorite place to study is outside, under a tree.
· You can quote lines from Shakespeare, but not from South Park.
· You memorize math formulas for fun.
· You never get nervous on the first day of school.
· The only bully you ever run into is your older sibling (if you have one).
· You don't have to remember a locker combination, just your computer password.
· It takes you less than a minute to walk to school.
· You don't have to worry about forgetting anything - you can just run back to your room and get it.
· Your school bus is a mini-van.
· There are only nine students in your class - but all of them are your brothers and sisters.
· You can get extra credit for cleaning your room.
· You sometimes go to school in your pajamas.
· You sleep till 9:00 am on school days, but get up early on Sundays.
· Your favorite author is Jane Austen (girls) or Robert Louis Stevenson (boys).
· You own the entire series of Saxon Math books.
· Your birthday is an official school holiday.
· You don't get to stay home from school when you're sick.
· You are unaware of the current fads, fashions, and slang terms.
· Your favorite activity is reading.
· You know what a unit study is.
· Watching a movie means you'll have to write a report comparing the film to the book.
· You dress up as historical or literary characters for Halloween.
· You exchange e-mail Valentines with your homeschool pen pals.
· Your room looks like a science lab.
· You can get science credit for going to the dentist.
· You go to the park for P.E.
· You check out at least twenty books every time you visit the library.
· You have ever attempted to teach yourself physics.
· You have no idea what rock bands are currently popular.
· You get books and science kits for your birthday.
· You know what Latin roots are.
· Your board games all have names like "Bookworm", "Scrabble", "S'math", "Game of Knowledge", "DaVinci's Challenge", "Take Off" and "Name The State".
· Your home library is arranged in Dewey Decimal order.
· Your favorite place to study is outside, under a tree.
· You can quote lines from Shakespeare, but not from South Park.
· You memorize math formulas for fun.
· You never get nervous on the first day of school.
· The only bully you ever run into is your older sibling (if you have one).
· You don't have to remember a locker combination, just your computer password.
· It takes you less than a minute to walk to school.
· You don't have to worry about forgetting anything - you can just run back to your room and get it.
· Your school bus is a mini-van.
· There are only nine students in your class - but all of them are your brothers and sisters.
· You can get extra credit for cleaning your room.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
A "Teenage Non-Homeschoolers View" of Homeschooling
Last night Shayna was "running the lines" at my husbands soccer game with other kids from her team. She needed to be there by 6 pm. So, off I go to drive my darling daughter down to the fields. I walk her onto the fields and so I can "steal" a moment with Donnie who I haven't seen since 7 am (I never see him during soccer season !)
Donnie made a comment that one of his players "Alison" is concerned about Shayna.
"Why I ask him ?," thinking "Alison barely knows Shayna.
Donnie replied, "She is concerned about her socialization as a homeschooler. I will tell you more at home."
Three hours later.... Donnie and Shayna arrive home from the JV and Varsity game. Shayna had a great time and is off getting ready for bed.
I ask Donnie about "Alison" and her concern..... please remember "Alison" is only (maybe) 14.
Somehow, on the field, homeschooling Shayna came up. "Alison" said, "I feel sorry for your daughter. She is going to have problems with socialization (yes, at 14 she said that). She will never know how to deal with "peer pressure"."
Now, can you believe a 14 year old said this. My goodness ! That is EXACTLY one of the reasons we homeschool. We want our child to LEARN and be PASSIONATE ABOUT LEARNING and not have to worry about all the other crap that goes on inside those school walls.
Donnie replied to "Alison", "Don't worry, my wife and I make sure we practice "peer pressure" on her so she knows how to handle it if she needs to. We role play it with her." (totally not true)
"Alison" just looked at her coach with a puzzled look on her face and said, "That will work for her. Good job !"
Donnie made a comment that one of his players "Alison" is concerned about Shayna.
"Why I ask him ?," thinking "Alison barely knows Shayna.
Donnie replied, "She is concerned about her socialization as a homeschooler. I will tell you more at home."
Three hours later.... Donnie and Shayna arrive home from the JV and Varsity game. Shayna had a great time and is off getting ready for bed.
I ask Donnie about "Alison" and her concern..... please remember "Alison" is only (maybe) 14.
Somehow, on the field, homeschooling Shayna came up. "Alison" said, "I feel sorry for your daughter. She is going to have problems with socialization (yes, at 14 she said that). She will never know how to deal with "peer pressure"."
Now, can you believe a 14 year old said this. My goodness ! That is EXACTLY one of the reasons we homeschool. We want our child to LEARN and be PASSIONATE ABOUT LEARNING and not have to worry about all the other crap that goes on inside those school walls.
Donnie replied to "Alison", "Don't worry, my wife and I make sure we practice "peer pressure" on her so she knows how to handle it if she needs to. We role play it with her." (totally not true)
"Alison" just looked at her coach with a puzzled look on her face and said, "That will work for her. Good job !"
Top Concerns of Sending Your Child to Public Schols
This article came to me via email. It is written by Kerry Beck of Curriculum Connections. (see end of newsletter) There are some really good points in it ! Many of the reasons are the reasons we don't send Shayna to school.
Top Concerns of Sending Your Child to Public School
I'd like to share with you the top reasons why you should not send your child to the government school.
Socialization
What a shock! Most people think that socialization is a top reason to send your child to the schools run by the government. They believe that the public school helps socialize your children. What do you have when you get a roomful of 10 year old boys? A room of fools! Let's face it, just having your child with a bunch of other kids does not socialize your children properly. Oh, it socializes them, but not with morals, character, integrity, honor, courage. The only place a child learns those attributes is from those who have walked before him, adults who have developed character in their own lives.
When your child attends public school, at any age, he learns to socialize by developing a new vocabulary (swear words), wearing new clothes (immodest at best), showing little or no respect for authority, developing a low work ethic, and so forth. If you want your child to mature in these ways, the public school is for you. My guess is you want to protect your children from this type of socializing.
Narrow-minded Education
Those that attend public schools receive a limited education, similar to a conveyor-belt. Everyone in first grade is taught the exact same concepts, pouring facts into the child-container. As your child moves along the conveyor belt, he receives the same education as everyone else. He studies from the same textbooks as everyone else, is tested the same as all other students, is graded based upon the same scale, regardless of individual talents, interests, goals and personal missions in life. Moving down the factory line, the product (your child) is assembled with certain parts (curriculum). All products (children) are fitted with the same parts (education) as everyone else. When the product completes station 12, he is stamped (diploma) as a finished product and sold to the job market. There is no room for educating your child at his own rate or spending more time on certain subject areas because he is talented in that area.
Each child in the public school must follow the same plan even if that plan does not pursue his own goals and missions in life. This may seem “normal” to you, but that is because you are probably a product of the conveyor- belt education system of the public schools.
On another note: the factory does provide much training in math & science, leaving literature & history (the subjects that develop “how to think”) behind. Its scope of education is very limited.
Inferior Academics
If you look at the exit test for eighth graders at the end of the nineteenth century, you would be amazed. Could you answer any of the following questions from the 1895 Final Exam for Eighth Grade?
• Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
• Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
• What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography, etymology, syllabication?
• Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
These questions are beyond the scope of most adults today. The expectations in academics have been drastically lowered over the past one hundred years.
Although our children may be encouraged to memorize many facts about a subject, they are not able to “think” about the subject areas. The study of a particular subject area is limited.
Harvey Bluedorn, author of Teaching the Trivium, sums up the danger of depending on public schools for academic education: “Classroom teaching has the inevitable long-term effect of dumbing down the curriculum, reducing the method to minimums, and lowering the quality of results. So, specialized programs must be introduced.”
After studying the public school system, I was surprised to find out that most Americans receive an education historically set for the poor. That's right, our American government's public school provides an education that prepares people for a job. Historically, superior academics and thinking was available to the rich and middle-class. The poor received a public education so they could be productive in society and be prepared for a job as an adult. When your child attends public school today, he will receive just enough education to prepare him for a job. Remember, education is much more than job training.
Secular Priorities & Values
The curriculum of the public school follows the idea of relativism – there is no truth. Morals and character can not be taught because what is right for me may not be right for you. Although the school is not allowed to teach or encourage values, morals and priorities, it will definitely “teach” values to your children. Values & priorities will be encouraged by your child's teacher and the school environment, even in a subtle manner. Will your child's teacher have the same convictions and moral values that you as a parent have? When your child spends over seven hours a day with a stranger as John Gatto calls teachers, your child will absorb the stranger's values.
Rigid & Inflexible with Family Time
The public school environment does not prepare children for real life situations; it prepares them to spend most of their waking hours away from home at a job. The public school models time away from family in their daily & annual schedule. Most public schools are rigid in their expectations of children's attendance. In fact, the schools believe they know better than parents what your child needs. They do not believe that parents are experts about their own children, but strangers (teachers & administrators) are the experts. So, time with family is really not necessary. Schools have contributed to the break down of the family as much as other institutions in our society.
Consider these dangers as you choose the route your child will follow in his education. To learn more about the conveyor-belt method of education, read A Thomas Jefferson Education.
Kerry Beck
Owner of Curriculum Connection, has published books on approaches to homeschooling and other homeschooling topics. If you want to jump-start your homeschool, go to www.CurriculumConnection.net to read more articles about homeschooling .
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Top Concerns of Sending Your Child to Public School
I'd like to share with you the top reasons why you should not send your child to the government school.
Socialization
What a shock! Most people think that socialization is a top reason to send your child to the schools run by the government. They believe that the public school helps socialize your children. What do you have when you get a roomful of 10 year old boys? A room of fools! Let's face it, just having your child with a bunch of other kids does not socialize your children properly. Oh, it socializes them, but not with morals, character, integrity, honor, courage. The only place a child learns those attributes is from those who have walked before him, adults who have developed character in their own lives.
When your child attends public school, at any age, he learns to socialize by developing a new vocabulary (swear words), wearing new clothes (immodest at best), showing little or no respect for authority, developing a low work ethic, and so forth. If you want your child to mature in these ways, the public school is for you. My guess is you want to protect your children from this type of socializing.
Narrow-minded Education
Those that attend public schools receive a limited education, similar to a conveyor-belt. Everyone in first grade is taught the exact same concepts, pouring facts into the child-container. As your child moves along the conveyor belt, he receives the same education as everyone else. He studies from the same textbooks as everyone else, is tested the same as all other students, is graded based upon the same scale, regardless of individual talents, interests, goals and personal missions in life. Moving down the factory line, the product (your child) is assembled with certain parts (curriculum). All products (children) are fitted with the same parts (education) as everyone else. When the product completes station 12, he is stamped (diploma) as a finished product and sold to the job market. There is no room for educating your child at his own rate or spending more time on certain subject areas because he is talented in that area.
Each child in the public school must follow the same plan even if that plan does not pursue his own goals and missions in life. This may seem “normal” to you, but that is because you are probably a product of the conveyor- belt education system of the public schools.
On another note: the factory does provide much training in math & science, leaving literature & history (the subjects that develop “how to think”) behind. Its scope of education is very limited.
Inferior Academics
If you look at the exit test for eighth graders at the end of the nineteenth century, you would be amazed. Could you answer any of the following questions from the 1895 Final Exam for Eighth Grade?
• Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
• Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
• What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography, etymology, syllabication?
• Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
These questions are beyond the scope of most adults today. The expectations in academics have been drastically lowered over the past one hundred years.
Although our children may be encouraged to memorize many facts about a subject, they are not able to “think” about the subject areas. The study of a particular subject area is limited.
Harvey Bluedorn, author of Teaching the Trivium, sums up the danger of depending on public schools for academic education: “Classroom teaching has the inevitable long-term effect of dumbing down the curriculum, reducing the method to minimums, and lowering the quality of results. So, specialized programs must be introduced.”
After studying the public school system, I was surprised to find out that most Americans receive an education historically set for the poor. That's right, our American government's public school provides an education that prepares people for a job. Historically, superior academics and thinking was available to the rich and middle-class. The poor received a public education so they could be productive in society and be prepared for a job as an adult. When your child attends public school today, he will receive just enough education to prepare him for a job. Remember, education is much more than job training.
Secular Priorities & Values
The curriculum of the public school follows the idea of relativism – there is no truth. Morals and character can not be taught because what is right for me may not be right for you. Although the school is not allowed to teach or encourage values, morals and priorities, it will definitely “teach” values to your children. Values & priorities will be encouraged by your child's teacher and the school environment, even in a subtle manner. Will your child's teacher have the same convictions and moral values that you as a parent have? When your child spends over seven hours a day with a stranger as John Gatto calls teachers, your child will absorb the stranger's values.
Rigid & Inflexible with Family Time
The public school environment does not prepare children for real life situations; it prepares them to spend most of their waking hours away from home at a job. The public school models time away from family in their daily & annual schedule. Most public schools are rigid in their expectations of children's attendance. In fact, the schools believe they know better than parents what your child needs. They do not believe that parents are experts about their own children, but strangers (teachers & administrators) are the experts. So, time with family is really not necessary. Schools have contributed to the break down of the family as much as other institutions in our society.
Consider these dangers as you choose the route your child will follow in his education. To learn more about the conveyor-belt method of education, read A Thomas Jefferson Education.
Kerry Beck
Owner of Curriculum Connection, has published books on approaches to homeschooling and other homeschooling topics. If you want to jump-start your homeschool, go to www.CurriculumConnection.net to read more articles about homeschooling .
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Friday, May 05, 2006
Our children ALWAYS amaze me !
Every Friday for the last 3 months, 12 beautiful homeschooled children have gotten together to study the American Revolution and how our government was formed. These children range in age from 6 - 11. Yes, you read that correct - there is a five year age gap in our group. Every week as we gather, these children AMAZE me. They have such a good understanding of the topics we have taught them and a PASSION for learning more ! They have done art projects, put on skits, made dioramas, created timelines, created lapbooks, and are working on a living wax musuem. All the children work to their level, helping one another if needed. During this coop, we have had some amazing field trips: 1776 Exhibit at the American History Smithsonian, 1776 the Musical, the National Archives and we will be going to Gunston Plantation and Philadelphia.
Today we were at the National Archives. The children were going to view the documents that we have studied: The Magna Carta, The Declaration, The Constitution, the Bill of Rights .... And one of the moms (our fearless leader for this coop !) was leading a discussion with the kids reviewing what people were involved, why this change our country forever etc. If you stood back, you could see 12 amazingly engaged children soaking up the knowledge and sharing in the conversation. They listened to one another, commented on each others comments and questioned one another if appropriate.
Two particular incidents at the museum reminded me how lucky we are to have the opportunity to share our knowledge with our children and expect the best out of them (and get it).
1. A young adult male - (let's say 18 - 20 years old) stood behind us as we were waiting to go into the rotunda in the archives his mouth fully opened and dropped low. He appeared to be listening intensely. The look in his eye caught my attention. Once we were in the rotunda, he turned to an older adult and said "These kids have a better understanding of why these documents were created than I do !.... That is amazing !"
2. Upstairs in the hands on area - a lady walked up to another adult in our group and questioned the age of our group. One of the mothers responded. Maybe less than 10 minutes later, she pointed towards me and my daughter and said to the woman she was with, "They are part of the group I was telling you about. Those kids WANT to learn."
In both these incidents it reminded me that because we hold our kids to unusal high standards they ALMOST ALWAYS reach those standards. We have a 6 year old in the group who can give you details about WHY the revolution was fought and we have two 11 year olds that can go into detail about the revolution, our government and how this has effected our life. I consider all these kids in our "coop" "OUR CHILDREN" and yes, they all amaze me !
Today we were at the National Archives. The children were going to view the documents that we have studied: The Magna Carta, The Declaration, The Constitution, the Bill of Rights .... And one of the moms (our fearless leader for this coop !) was leading a discussion with the kids reviewing what people were involved, why this change our country forever etc. If you stood back, you could see 12 amazingly engaged children soaking up the knowledge and sharing in the conversation. They listened to one another, commented on each others comments and questioned one another if appropriate.
Two particular incidents at the museum reminded me how lucky we are to have the opportunity to share our knowledge with our children and expect the best out of them (and get it).
1. A young adult male - (let's say 18 - 20 years old) stood behind us as we were waiting to go into the rotunda in the archives his mouth fully opened and dropped low. He appeared to be listening intensely. The look in his eye caught my attention. Once we were in the rotunda, he turned to an older adult and said "These kids have a better understanding of why these documents were created than I do !.... That is amazing !"
2. Upstairs in the hands on area - a lady walked up to another adult in our group and questioned the age of our group. One of the mothers responded. Maybe less than 10 minutes later, she pointed towards me and my daughter and said to the woman she was with, "They are part of the group I was telling you about. Those kids WANT to learn."
In both these incidents it reminded me that because we hold our kids to unusal high standards they ALMOST ALWAYS reach those standards. We have a 6 year old in the group who can give you details about WHY the revolution was fought and we have two 11 year olds that can go into detail about the revolution, our government and how this has effected our life. I consider all these kids in our "coop" "OUR CHILDREN" and yes, they all amaze me !
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Just Testing
Hello. I am have some problems posting to this blog. It is coming up as a posted message and then flashes and disappears. YIKES ! I just wanted to post another post today to see if that happens.
Are you a Genius ?
"Genius is seldom recognized for what it is... a great capacity for hard work. Maybe a little elbow grease encourages great ideas and great leaders."
~ Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)
~ Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
What is Shayna reading TODAY ?
What is Shayna reading TODAY ?
It is hard to pick out books for Shayna. She is reading YEARS beyond her reading level. Last time I had her tested, she was reading at 11th grade level. I know what you all are thinking. But reading that advanced, reading all the time certainly has its disadvantages also.
Shayna reads 3 - 5 hours a day. Yes, if Shayna is around she has her "pile" of books for the day. We spent a lot of time at the library and a lot of money at Barnes and Noble. (did you know they give HSers 20 % off ?) At our house we have our "cotton candy" books and our "meat and potato" books. All books are good - however, some are better than others. The cotton candy books are certainly yummy to read - but when they are done - the thrill of it is over. The cotton candy books either we check out of the library or Shayna purchases with her own money. On the other hand, the meat and potato books are books that will give you the protein your mind needs and you will want to read them over and over. The meat and potato books, mom and dad are happy to purchase for her personal collection.
At the library and B&N, we have hit a wall with what they offer. Shayna reads so much and so quickly that she is running out of "age appropriate" books for her. We don't want to her to meet up with situations that she is not mentally ready to "read" or "handle".
Shayna's favorite genre is fantasy. She has read almost everything the library has many times. She re-reads her favorite sections of these books almost weekly.
Now..... back to the topic... what is Shayna reading this month....
When Shayna was in 1st/2nd grade we had her read the abridged version of the classics. I think they were called "Great Starts" or something like that. (I really don't remember) But they are the 80 page version of the classic books.
It is time for her to re-read them, but she is ready for the unabridged version - the real version ! I have been searching online, at B&N, at Borders for a publishers version that I could afford, that I liked etc. B&N had a GREAT series of the classics called "Sterling" and the price is right - $9.99 per hardcover book. The classic is kept intact - and has lovely pencil illustrations.
Shayna has read through :
The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
Tom Sawyer
Robin Hood
Treasure Island
Anne of Green Gables
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Alice in Wonderland
The Little Princess
The Secret Garden
Every Wednesday, we are going back to B&N to increase our collection by another two or three classics. Soon, she will own the entire collection for her personal collection of books to keep for her family in the future (but not so near !).
Success Achieved !
Success Achieved !
Last week, when Shayna was approaching her writing class assignment (research writing) she had quite a time choosing a topic ! If you look back at that blog - she went from the topic of cats, to cat behavior, to deer, to reindeer and then did this jump to roles women had during the American Revolution.
Last week and over the weekend, she worked very hard at forming the outlines for each source text, fusing the outlines and writing her paper. She told me it was a "secret" about what form her paper would take place in but it would be "unique." Monday she asked me if she could make parchment.... hmmmmm..... what does this child have up her sleeve.
Well, it turns out that her nonfiction research project she turned into a letter from 1777 from one sister to another detailing her "roles" on the battlefield during the American Revolution. It is AMAZING, UNIQUE and CREATIVE !! Way to go, Shayna !
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Taking Homeschooling Out of Your Home
This is an awesome article that really makes parents THINK ! I hope you enjoy it !
Taking Homeschooling Out of Your Home
by Mary Pride
Names are funny things. Take the word "homeschooling". What does that make you think of ? If you said, "School at home," I am not surprised. Home PLUS school seems to equal school at home. Only two things are wrong with this definition.
1. Homeschooling isn't "school." It's a whole different approach to education.
2. Homeschooling does not have to all take place at home.
If Homeschooling is NOT school, then what is it ?
Homeschooling, properly understood is designed by parents. This automaticallly makes it a whole different animal from "public" education, which is education designed by government bureaucrats. It also differs sharply from "private" schooling. Regardless of their talk about parental authority, in practice private schools reverse curriculum design for their teachers, administrator and textbook designers.
Even those who think the child should direct his own education must admit this type of "un" schooling is only possible if the parents has the authority to let the child choose his own educational pursuits and projects.
So, homeschooling is not "school" when it comes to who is in charge of curriculum design. Having parents choose or design the curriculum is radically different from what happens in any school.
Amazing as it may seem, parent designed and parent chosen curriculum yields better results than school designed and chosen curriculum, as many research studies have shown. Then again, how amazing is it that curriculum chosen from the entire universe of options (rather than the small list "approved" by the state or school board) and targeted to the exact child for which it is intended, should result in more learning taking place faster ? Especially when the parents in question have the ability to hobnob with other parents and find out what's working for them.... and when they can easily obtain detailed reveiws of all their curriculum options through homeschool magazines and books.
Homeschool also is not "school" when it comes to scheduling and priorities. We do not have annoucements, ringing bells to mark the end of the class period, football teams that soak up the budget that would otherwise go to art or music, or endless classes geared to the latest politically correct fads. Unless, we want to, that is.
This menas that homeschooled children in general have a much greater attention span and ability to focus than children who attend school, where they are continaully interrupted in the middle of their projects, math papers, writing assignments and so on.
Most Parents Homeschool
But man does not live by focusing power alone. This is why our neighbors keep asking us that old question, "What about socialization?" What they really mean is "Can your child grow into a strong adult just sitting around your house doing lessons and projects ?"
Alas for our poor neighbors. They are mistaking homeschooling for schooling that happens at home, when it is really education under the authority of the home.
What a wild thought ! All those parents who pay for art, music, ballet.... who chauffeur their kids to soccer and karate.... who sign them up for a YMCA course or who join the local JCC are homeschoolers too ! To the extent that they provide educational opportunities for their children solely because they want to, not because any authority makes them, these are homeschool parents.
All that we "real" homeschoolers do in addition to what most parents do, is add academic lessons at home or via a tutor, or an oline academy. We just exercise that additional dollop of choice.
Homeschool Away from Home
Since we now realize that homeschool is not "school at home", this leaves us free to look for educational adventures anywhere in the real world that we can find them. None of this is "school" and none of it will be happening at home..... but it is still homeschool. The world is our home and class is in session !
Taking Homeschooling Out of Your Home
by Mary Pride
Names are funny things. Take the word "homeschooling". What does that make you think of ? If you said, "School at home," I am not surprised. Home PLUS school seems to equal school at home. Only two things are wrong with this definition.
1. Homeschooling isn't "school." It's a whole different approach to education.
2. Homeschooling does not have to all take place at home.
If Homeschooling is NOT school, then what is it ?
Homeschooling, properly understood is designed by parents. This automaticallly makes it a whole different animal from "public" education, which is education designed by government bureaucrats. It also differs sharply from "private" schooling. Regardless of their talk about parental authority, in practice private schools reverse curriculum design for their teachers, administrator and textbook designers.
Even those who think the child should direct his own education must admit this type of "un" schooling is only possible if the parents has the authority to let the child choose his own educational pursuits and projects.
So, homeschooling is not "school" when it comes to who is in charge of curriculum design. Having parents choose or design the curriculum is radically different from what happens in any school.
Amazing as it may seem, parent designed and parent chosen curriculum yields better results than school designed and chosen curriculum, as many research studies have shown. Then again, how amazing is it that curriculum chosen from the entire universe of options (rather than the small list "approved" by the state or school board) and targeted to the exact child for which it is intended, should result in more learning taking place faster ? Especially when the parents in question have the ability to hobnob with other parents and find out what's working for them.... and when they can easily obtain detailed reveiws of all their curriculum options through homeschool magazines and books.
Homeschool also is not "school" when it comes to scheduling and priorities. We do not have annoucements, ringing bells to mark the end of the class period, football teams that soak up the budget that would otherwise go to art or music, or endless classes geared to the latest politically correct fads. Unless, we want to, that is.
This menas that homeschooled children in general have a much greater attention span and ability to focus than children who attend school, where they are continaully interrupted in the middle of their projects, math papers, writing assignments and so on.
Most Parents Homeschool
But man does not live by focusing power alone. This is why our neighbors keep asking us that old question, "What about socialization?" What they really mean is "Can your child grow into a strong adult just sitting around your house doing lessons and projects ?"
Alas for our poor neighbors. They are mistaking homeschooling for schooling that happens at home, when it is really education under the authority of the home.
What a wild thought ! All those parents who pay for art, music, ballet.... who chauffeur their kids to soccer and karate.... who sign them up for a YMCA course or who join the local JCC are homeschoolers too ! To the extent that they provide educational opportunities for their children solely because they want to, not because any authority makes them, these are homeschool parents.
All that we "real" homeschoolers do in addition to what most parents do, is add academic lessons at home or via a tutor, or an oline academy. We just exercise that additional dollop of choice.
Homeschool Away from Home
Since we now realize that homeschool is not "school at home", this leaves us free to look for educational adventures anywhere in the real world that we can find them. None of this is "school" and none of it will be happening at home..... but it is still homeschool. The world is our home and class is in session !
Monday, May 01, 2006
Socialization: A Great Reason Not to go to school !
This is an awesome article written by Karl Bunday. I just had to share it with you !
Many people who consider the issue of parents teaching their children at home ask, "But what about socialization?" I've observed hundreds of home-schooled children of various ages in various places in two countries, so I'm confident that home-schooling children doesn't harm them socially. But university researchers continue to explore the issue of homeschooling socialization, and here I'll report on a Ph.D. thesis devoted solely to that subject, and on some related research.
Larry Edward Shyers obtained a Ph.D. degree at the University of Florida in part by conducting research reported in his thesis, Comparison of Social Adjustment Between Home and Traditionally Schooled Students. The whole 299-page thesis is available from University Microfilms International. (The order number is DA9304052, from UMI, 1 (800) 521-3042.) An abstract of the thesis appears in Dissertation Abstracts International at page 4215A of volume 53, number 12 of the humanities/social sciences series.
Many newspaper readers may remember a 1992 Associated Press article about Dr. Shyer's research, widely reprinted in newspapers across the United States. Dr. Shyers measured the self-esteem of the homeschooled group of 70 children in his study and compared it with that of the traditionally schooled group, also 70 children between the ages of eight and ten. On the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, a widely used measure of self-esteem, no difference was found between the two groups. (That finding by the way, stands as a failure to replicate the earlier thesis research of John Wesley Taylor in 1986, in which a small sample of home-schooled children scored significantly higher than classroom-schooled children on the Piers-Harris scale. Taylor's thesis, Self-Concept in Home-Schooling Children, is also available from UMI, order number DA8624219.) Thus it goes beyond the available evidence to say that homeschooled children have higher self-esteem than other children. In fact, more studies (and especially more studies with large sample sizes, and more recent studies) have confirmed Shyers's result than have confirmed Taylor's. There appears to be no significant difference in self-esteem between the overall population of homeschooled children and the overall population of children attending classroom school. (My thanks to a reader of this page who suggested a more nuanced way to express this point than how I originally wrote it.)
Anyway, self-esteem is a concept that was born in the school system, and it is best for parents not to overemphasize the self-esteem of their children. Professor Martin E.P. Seligman, in his helpful book The Optimistic Child, discusses how self-esteem has been more and more emphasized in schools during precisely the same years that the youth suicide rate has increased in the United States. Seligman suggests "optimism," a concept he defines in The Optimistic Child, is a better thing for parents to develop than self-esteem. I have read, and am still trying to confirm in other sources, that Seligman is himself a homeschooling parent. Whether or not he is a homeschooler, I know that he is a highly respected psychologist, as I have read many books and articles that cite his research, and have confirmed that Professor Seligman was recently the president of the American Psychological Association. A different perspective on self-esteem is offered by Jay E. Adams, the author of many of my favorite books. Adams, in his refreshingly accurate review of Biblical concepts, The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image, points out that persons who honestly follow Biblical teachings don't seek to build self-esteem, but to build love for others that denies self and loves God first.
And Shyers, from the secular perspective of his research, looked at how homeschooled children treat other children. Shyers found no significant difference between his two groups in scores on the Children's Assertive Behavior Scale. But direct observation by trained observers, using a "blind" procedure, found that home-schooled children had significantly fewer problem behaviors, as measured by the Child Observation Checklist's Direct Observation Form, than traditionally schooled children when playing in mixed groups of children from both kinds of schooling backgrounds. This observational study was reported in some detail in the 1992 Associated Press article. Shyers concluded that the hypothesis that contact with adults, rather than contact with other children, is most important in developing social skills in children is supported by these data.
The same year that Shyers completed his doctoral degree thesis research on homeschooling socialization, Thomas Smedley completed master's degree research at Radford University in Virginia, with a similar experimental design. Smedley compared twenty home-schooled children to thirteen public school children, matching the children as best he could by relevant demographic characteristics. His study used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, which evaluate communication skills, socialization, and daily living skills. Smedley found that the home-schooled children were more mature according to the scoring rubrics of the Vineland scales, scoring in the 84th percentile, while the public school children scored in the 27th percentile. Thus the Shyers finding supports a nearly simultaneous finding by a different researcher, who used a different social science evaluation procedure on a different sample population. Such a replicated finding is unusual in social science.
By the way, Shyers's thesis has a thorough bibliography and is a very good review of the prior literature. Readers interested in finding out more about homeschool socialization would do well to consult Shyers's sources.
Many people who consider the issue of parents teaching their children at home ask, "But what about socialization?" I've observed hundreds of home-schooled children of various ages in various places in two countries, so I'm confident that home-schooling children doesn't harm them socially. But university researchers continue to explore the issue of homeschooling socialization, and here I'll report on a Ph.D. thesis devoted solely to that subject, and on some related research.
Larry Edward Shyers obtained a Ph.D. degree at the University of Florida in part by conducting research reported in his thesis, Comparison of Social Adjustment Between Home and Traditionally Schooled Students. The whole 299-page thesis is available from University Microfilms International. (The order number is DA9304052, from UMI, 1 (800) 521-3042.) An abstract of the thesis appears in Dissertation Abstracts International at page 4215A of volume 53, number 12 of the humanities/social sciences series.
Many newspaper readers may remember a 1992 Associated Press article about Dr. Shyer's research, widely reprinted in newspapers across the United States. Dr. Shyers measured the self-esteem of the homeschooled group of 70 children in his study and compared it with that of the traditionally schooled group, also 70 children between the ages of eight and ten. On the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, a widely used measure of self-esteem, no difference was found between the two groups. (That finding by the way, stands as a failure to replicate the earlier thesis research of John Wesley Taylor in 1986, in which a small sample of home-schooled children scored significantly higher than classroom-schooled children on the Piers-Harris scale. Taylor's thesis, Self-Concept in Home-Schooling Children, is also available from UMI, order number DA8624219.) Thus it goes beyond the available evidence to say that homeschooled children have higher self-esteem than other children. In fact, more studies (and especially more studies with large sample sizes, and more recent studies) have confirmed Shyers's result than have confirmed Taylor's. There appears to be no significant difference in self-esteem between the overall population of homeschooled children and the overall population of children attending classroom school. (My thanks to a reader of this page who suggested a more nuanced way to express this point than how I originally wrote it.)
Anyway, self-esteem is a concept that was born in the school system, and it is best for parents not to overemphasize the self-esteem of their children. Professor Martin E.P. Seligman, in his helpful book The Optimistic Child, discusses how self-esteem has been more and more emphasized in schools during precisely the same years that the youth suicide rate has increased in the United States. Seligman suggests "optimism," a concept he defines in The Optimistic Child, is a better thing for parents to develop than self-esteem. I have read, and am still trying to confirm in other sources, that Seligman is himself a homeschooling parent. Whether or not he is a homeschooler, I know that he is a highly respected psychologist, as I have read many books and articles that cite his research, and have confirmed that Professor Seligman was recently the president of the American Psychological Association. A different perspective on self-esteem is offered by Jay E. Adams, the author of many of my favorite books. Adams, in his refreshingly accurate review of Biblical concepts, The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image, points out that persons who honestly follow Biblical teachings don't seek to build self-esteem, but to build love for others that denies self and loves God first.
And Shyers, from the secular perspective of his research, looked at how homeschooled children treat other children. Shyers found no significant difference between his two groups in scores on the Children's Assertive Behavior Scale. But direct observation by trained observers, using a "blind" procedure, found that home-schooled children had significantly fewer problem behaviors, as measured by the Child Observation Checklist's Direct Observation Form, than traditionally schooled children when playing in mixed groups of children from both kinds of schooling backgrounds. This observational study was reported in some detail in the 1992 Associated Press article. Shyers concluded that the hypothesis that contact with adults, rather than contact with other children, is most important in developing social skills in children is supported by these data.
The same year that Shyers completed his doctoral degree thesis research on homeschooling socialization, Thomas Smedley completed master's degree research at Radford University in Virginia, with a similar experimental design. Smedley compared twenty home-schooled children to thirteen public school children, matching the children as best he could by relevant demographic characteristics. His study used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, which evaluate communication skills, socialization, and daily living skills. Smedley found that the home-schooled children were more mature according to the scoring rubrics of the Vineland scales, scoring in the 84th percentile, while the public school children scored in the 27th percentile. Thus the Shyers finding supports a nearly simultaneous finding by a different researcher, who used a different social science evaluation procedure on a different sample population. Such a replicated finding is unusual in social science.
By the way, Shyers's thesis has a thorough bibliography and is a very good review of the prior literature. Readers interested in finding out more about homeschool socialization would do well to consult Shyers's sources.
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