How to Raise an A + Student: Three Very Different Families Reveal their Secrets to Success !

Tips for Success

When it comes to education, our children are in trouble. Up to a quarter of them don't finish high school. Of those who do and go on to college, more than four in ten need remedial classes. That's hardly a surprise given the results of a recent U.S. Department of Education study, which found that just one in three eighth-graders scored at grade level in reading, math or science.

There are plenty of reasons for all that failure -- from a stultifying school bureaucracy to reform-resistant teachers unions to poorly qualified teachers. But some students -- even those in the worst schools -- do manage to succeed. Are they simply smarter? Or do they have some hidden character trait that gives them an edge?

Dozens of studies have shown that the most consistent indicators of student achievement -- more than income or social status -- are the home environment and parental involvement. The ultimate example: the demonstrable success of homeschooled students (there are now more than 1 million in the country). One recent Columbia University study found homeschoolers outscoring all other groups on college entrance exams.

But homeschooled children aren't the only ones with involved parents. Academically successful kids in traditional public and charter schools also get lots of support at home. We visited three families facing different circumstances to find out exactly how they've managed to raise A+ kids.

It All Begins With Books

A slender, self-possessed 15-year-old, Leila Giles has accomplished things that would make any parent proud. Tae kwon do trophies sit on her bureau, alongside others for diving. A Girl Scout Silver Award honors her work in producing public service announcements about water conservation for local TV. During the winter, she served as a page in the Virginia House of Delegates. And last year she scored in the 99th percentile on a national standardized achievement test.

But there's one thing Leila has never done: gone to school. She and her 11-year-old brother, Adam, are being educated in their Vienna, Virginia, home. Their mother, 44-year-old Celeste Land, a former translator for the federal government, is their main teacher. Their father, Kent Giles, 47, who works at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., joins the ongoing family tutorial every evening at dinnertime.

While Land knows what her kids should learn -- as measured by nationally recognized achievement tests -- she focuses mainly on something else. "My job is to be on the lookout for opportunities," she says, "to see them and present them to my children." As a homeschooling parent, she has learned to view the whole world as an educational laboratory. And it all begins with how the home is set up.

"We've always made sure we had engaging things throughout the house," Land says. World maps hang on several walls. Scrabble and other brain-teasing games cram the shelves. A huge supply of LEGOs helped Adam discover a love for building. A wealth of art supplies sparked Leila's passion for drawing.

Most critical of all, there are books -- hundreds and hundreds of books, lining shelves and resting on tables. Their parents began reading to Leila and Adam early, instilling a love of books by example, not pressure. "We let them develop as readers at their own pace," Land says. "Leila was a very early reader; Adam started reading much later." And books are still central to the family's life. "Before a trip to Boston, we all read Johnny Tremain together," Land says. And once in the city, they sought out sites mentioned in the grade school classic about a teenage apprentice during the American Revolution.

This book-centric approach is spot-on, say education experts. "One of the most important things you can do is read to your child and encourage reading," says former West Virginia governor Bob Wise, the president of the Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington, D.C. An inability to read well early can hamper a child's school success for years, with sadly predictable results. High schoolers in the lowest quartile in academic achievement are 20 times more likely to drop out than their peers in the highest quartile.

Leila and Adam couldn't drop out if they tried, because of their parents' commitment to making the larger world a classroom. Along with educational travel like the Boston trip, the family takes in museum exhibits and plays. When Leila decided she wanted to be in Girl Scouts, Land started a troop. She led Adam's 4-H club, where he came to love woodworking. Both parents are careful not to impose their own interests on their children. They're more concerned with giving them every available tool. "It's about letting them be who they are," says Land. From the way Leila and Adam are performing, it's also about helping them discover all they can be.

Taking a Hard Line

Bonnie Hernandez, 41, a single mother of three, lives in public housing on Manhattan's Lower East Side. A minimum-wage cook's assistant at a Head Start program, she dropped out of school in the ninth grade and only lately got back to studying for her general equivalency diploma. But she hasn't let her own academic struggles keep her kids from succeeding.

Exhibit A: her daughter Jennifer, who, Hernandez says, graduated from a city public high school among the top students in her class, and scored in the 98th percentile on New York's rigorous math Regents Exam. Now 20, she plans to attend a local college.

The brick building where the Hernandezes live may look bleak and forbidding from the outside, but step inside the three-bedroom apartment the family calls home and you enter a world that's cozy and inviting. One thing that keeps it that way is Hernandez's strict set of rules. They include the basics: no drugs, and no sleeping around (she's got a pretty good idea of what other kids are doing). She's strict in other ways. When her youngest son, Joshua, 13, had a chance to attend a high school in a distant part of the city, she balked at the idea of his traveling so far on his own. Instead, she insisted he enroll in school closer to home. Now, he says, "she watches me out the window."

She never stops watching. "I try to monitor as much as I can," says Hernandez. "I am nosy. I will go through your drawers. I will go under your mattress. Definitely. I want to know. I want to know what's bothering you."

Hernandez understands that being deeply involved in her children's lives has made a difference in their education. To do it, she had to swallow her pride.

"There were things I was unable to help them with -- homework. But I wasn't embarrassed," she says. "I called people and said, 'How can I do this?' The moment you close your mind from embarrassment, you close it to knowledge." Hernandez, a poor reader herself, knew she had to get her kids reading early on to give them a chance. So she took them regularly to local public libraries. "I pushed it on them," she says. "They had their library cards already at three years old." At night, she read aloud to them despite being so tired "my head would drop."

She also kept an eye out for recreation programs, and when she heard about an art program, she asked if she could get a discount by volunteering a few hours each week.

Recently Hernandez's older son, 18-year-old Joey, got into trouble at school and started to dress in what Hernandez sniffs at as a "gangster" look. Her response: "You're taking the space of someone who wants to make something of himself," she says. This tough love may just be hitting the mark. Joey has begun working with disabled children, and recently told his mother how wonderful it was to be able to read to a third-grader who couldn't read himself. Says Hernandez, "It felt like he was passing on a gift that I'd given him."

Time to Take Charge

Susan Price knew something wasn't right. Her younger daughter, Arianna, a fourth-grader in a Tucson private school, was getting excellent grades. But Price, a lawyer, always looked through the homework done by Arianna and her older daughter, Mirissa. Arianna's math folder showed a distinct void, which made it look like she was actually having a problem with math. Price decided to investigate. When she visited the school, she says, she was not impressed with the teacher.

Price, 46, decided to spend the next six months tutoring Arianna and a classmate. She taught them not only fourth-grade math but also more advanced work. Visits to education supply stores kept her up to speed on materials and requirements. The following year, Arianna switched to a public school -- and the rising fifth-grader scored so well that she qualified to take a sixth-grade math class.

Arianna and Mirissa are both maintaining A averages, and their mother's intense involvement is a big reason why. The sisters, now 12 and 14, have moved on to a public charter school that Price investigated online at a site that offers report cards on the state's public schools. It has proved to be a wonderful fit, especially because the school curriculum emphasizes math.

Price has always had input into her children's learning. She and her husband, John, read to their daughters "all the time." As a result, they became avid readers who take part in a local library's book club each summer. The sisters also acquainted themselves with computers, starting at age three at their pre-school. To Price, one of the most valuable things she does sounds so simple: She makes sure to pick the girls up after school each day. "That's when they tell me everything that's happening in their lives, during those drives home," she says. And what does she do with the information and insights she gets? "When we need to get involved," she says, "we do."

Precisely.

Education Begins at Home License Plate

NOW AVAILABLE!

Yes, now you can order the first homeschool license plate in the nation! After a long and arduous design and redesign process, the HEAV sponsored license plate is in production and on cars throughout Virginia. You can now order your "Education Begins at Home" plate on-line at the DMV Web site or you can go to your local DMV office to place your order. For more details, visit DMV on-line.

Great Quote !

"Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children."

-Walt Disney

One of our trips to Barnes & Noble

It seems like twice a week Shayna gets that look in her eye. As parents, you know the look. The look that says, "Hey, I am going to ask you something - and please, please say YES !"

Today that look was on her face at the breakfast table. I asked her what she needed/wanted and she looked at me with the most lovely of faces and asked "Mom, it has been five days since we went to Barnes & Noble last week... can we PLEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEEE make time to go today ?" How do you say no to a child who spends all her money on books and reads them as fast as she does ... loving them immensly !

So, this afternoon off we go to Barnes & Noble in Reston. Shayna goes to the young adult (teen) section to find some new fantasy books. She comes out with a pile of four books and heads with me to the caisher to make her purchase with our homeschooling discount card.

On the way to the caisher, Shayna spots leather bound classic books with gold ribbons that were on sale.

"Mom", she said, "We have got to check these out !". She picks up Grimms Fairy Tales and exuberantly exclaims, "WOW, mom these are the REAL fairy tales without the "Disney like" endings !" Then she has the Complete Works of Shakespeare and Homer's The Illiad and The Odyssey in her pile. After looking seriously through all three of these (and yes there are others she is drooling over... however, I reminded her of her budget at Barnes & Noble that day) she compromises for me to purchase one of them for her. Now, here is where the trouble begins....

S: "Mom I am not sure which one to choose... there are pros and cons to each of them"

E: "Shayna, pros and cons ... what do you mean"

S: "Well, I have a Grimms already - but it isn't leather bound. This is truly a wonderful book that I will pass down to my children. Then Shakespeare... I love the Usborne version of the Stories of Shakespeare... however this is written in 'older English' (as she put it) and that would be hard for me to enjoy. Finally, I love Homer and know the stories of the Illiad and Odyssey so it would be familiar -- however, I would not learn as much as if I got one of the other two."

E: "You are right Shayna that is quite a decision you need to make because it is only ONE of these to add to your pile of four books in your hand already."

S: "Mom, stop making fun of me.... this is HARD ! Probably the hardest decision I have had to make this month"

(I didn't know I was making fun of her - I simply agreed it was a hard decision)

E: "Shayna, why don't I go look at some books for me, so you can make this decision by yourself."

S: "Mom, you are supposed to help me with these hard life choices. By you going to look at books for yourself you are deserting me in my time of need."

Yes, she really did say that ! So, off I walk because I am about to burst into laughter and I simply don't want to add fuel to the fire. Ten minutes later, Shayna has a plan ! She informs me that I am lucky that she is just chosing Homer.... because she has confirmed with the "Information Desk" at B & N that they always have these leather bound books in stock. However, the "deal" is that as soon as she finishes Homer's 1000 plus pages... we will be right back at B & N to pick up another copy because I would be "educationally depriving her" if she didn't own this entire series !

I simply pay for the book and walk out. By the way, she is already (just four hours later) 1/4 of the way through the book. Shayna is positive we will be making another trip to B & N later this week. I wish I owned stock in B & N to get something back for the money I drop there !

Great Quote !

"Thank goodness I was never sent to school, it would have rubbed off some of the originality"
- Beatrix Potter

Day at Gettysburg Battlefields

We had an awesome day at Gettysburg ! Did you know that you can purchase an audio tour with maps ? We got the 2 hour tour (yes, the two hour tour...the weather started getting rough... sorry !) however, with reading all the monuments and pretending we were Civil War soldiers we were easily there for over 6 hours !

We try to go to as many National Parks that we can ! They have FABULOUS programs for kids !

HOMESCHOOLING, CAN I DO IT?

By Joel Turtel
August 19, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

Many parents would like to homeschool their children but are afraid they don't have the training or ability to be their children's teacher. This is certainly understandable, because most parents never had any formal training to be a teacher. However, most parents don't have to worry about this issue.

There is literally a supermarket of education resources available for parents to choose from to help them homeschool their children. These include low-cost Internet private schools that take most of the homeschooling responsibility off parents' backs. There are also hundreds of low-cost instruction books on how to teach your child reading, math, and many other subjects. These are available from homeschool curriculum companies on the Internet, in most libraries, office-supply stores like Staples, and great book stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders.

There are thousands of easy-to-learn computer-software programs that can help you teach your child reading, math, and many other subjects. Also, the Internet is a vast source of information both for you and your children. The Internet even has dozens of online libraries that lets your child have fun studying any subject under the sun. All these education resources are geared towards average parents and children.

Remember also that over a million parents like yourself already successfully homeschool their kids. One study has shown that almost half of homeschooling parents today only have high-school diplomas. Also, millions of parents in this country taught their kids reading, writing, and "ciphering" (arithmetic) at home for over 200 years before we ever had public schools, which first started in the 1850's. Also, these parents did not have bookstores, Internet private schools, computer software, or all the other education resources you have available today.

If you research and use the many free-market education resources described in my book, "Public Schools, Public Menace," it will be hard for you to fail. You can choose from a wide variety of quality Internet private schools, learn-to-read (and math) books and computer learning software, and home-schooling resources to teach your children. Also, Internet education sites are always there, always ready to coach your child, twenty-four hours a day.

These education alternatives are relatively inexpensive, yet offer high-quality instruction. Your job as a parent is to commit some time and energy to find the right education resources for your children, then help and encourage your kids and oversee your children's learning experience.
Also, like most kids, your children want to learn when they study subjects that interest them. When learning becomes fun (instead of a drudge in public school), your kids can become your best homeschooling partner and help you succeed. Your kids may enjoy homeschooling so much that you may soon have to drag them away from their books or the computer for lunch. But isn't that great? Wouldn't you like to see your kids totally engrossed with their studies, improving their reading skills rapidly, and finding joy in learning?

Here's the beauty of homeschooling---if one math or reading book, software program, or Internet school doesn't excite your children or provide satisfactory results, there are many more to choose from. If you find homeschooling difficult in the beginning, use all the resources described in "Public Schools, Public Menace" to find books, Internet schools and tutors, teaching materials, homeschooling organizations, and other homeschooling parents you can network with.

Also, you don't have to plunge into homeschooling before you gain some confidence that you can do it. You can keep your child in public school while you start homeschooling. Try a few learn-to-read, math, or science books and computer software programs with your kids. Get your child involved. Your confidence will grow as you and your child work together and see that you do have the ability to teach your kids, and your kids see that learning at home can be fun. Then, when you and your child feel comfortable with homeschooling, you can take your child out of public school permanently and do homeschooling full time.

Another worry parents have, especially working parents, is finding the time to homeschool their kids once they make the commitment. This problem can also be solved fairly easily. The average homeschooling parent homeschools their children about four hours a day or 20 hours a week. You can arrange these 20 hours a week by teaching your kids two to three hours a night after getting home from work, or on the weekend, or a combination of the two. If you are tired coming home from work, you can do most of the homeschooling in concentrated sessions during the weekend.

Another suggestion is to talk to other parents where you live to form a neighborhood parent-homeschooling group. Each parent can take turns teaching the five to ten children in the group in her home. That way, no one parent takes all the responsibility or spends all her time homeschooling. This set-up allows each parent in the group to havemuch more time and flexibility for her job.

Or, all the parents in your parent-homeschooling group can chip in to pay for reading, math, or science tutors. Doing this lowers the cost for tutors dramatically for each parent. Parent homeschooling groups can also do double-duty in watching over young children while you are at work. In "Public Schools, Public Menace," I give 20 other suggestions for busy, working parents on how they can homeschool their kids and still keep their job.

While no one can guarantee you success in homeschooling, like anything else in life, if you keep trying, you will probably succeed in giving your kids a great education at home. If you say to yourself, "I will make this work, for my child's sake," you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. Tell yourself what Gene Kranz, actor Ed Harris's character in the movie Apollo 13, said to his Houston crew about rescuing the astronauts in trouble: "Failure is not an option." If you say this and mean it, you're halfway to success for yourself and your child.

Joel Turtel, author of Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children, holds a degree in Psychology. For the last ten years he has served as an Education Policy Analyst, studying the climate of today's public schools and its effect on children and parents.

Mr. Turtel has written two books, published over fifty articles, and has been interviewed in both print and broadcast media on the subject. His latest book, Public Schools, Public Menace has garnered national media attention – recently, for example, Dr. Laura Schlessinger featured the book on her nationally syndicated radio show.

Joel Turtel is available to discuss his book Public Schools, Public Menace in the media, at conferences, or with individual groups. Be warned though, you may be shocked by the revelations he has uncovered in America's public-school system.
Web site: mykidsdeservebetter.com E-Mail: lbooksusa@aol.com

"You know you're a homeschooler when . . ."

Someone started a thread on our humor forum: "You know you're a homeschooler when . . . "
I laughed out loud at some of the responses. They ring so true.

You know you're a homeschooler when . . .

. . . your kids are in the kiddie pool playing Lewis and Clark, paddling down the river with lacrosse sticks. --Jen

. . . you find yourself and your guests at your birthday party, at 10pm, embroiled in a lively discussion/explanation of the heart's size and function...with your five year old, who just had to get out of bed and ask because she couldn't sleep until she knew! --Eddie

. . . people ask to borrow books from you because it's closer than the library with almost as varied a collection. --Christine

. . . your son asks to listen to the Geography Songs CD every day at lunch. --Sherri

. . . you can SING the countries of Africa! "Algeria, Ethiopia, Liberia . . ." --Cindy

. . . you stop in the church parking lot to pick up a big Rhinoceros beetle. It is dead and actually smells a bit bad, but you lay it carefully in the back seat, because your kids have never seen one before, except for the one in "Bug's Life." --Anna

. . . you go to the greenhouse in the summer to buy herbs and start talking to the kids about the different kinds of plants . . . and then one of the workers asks if you work there!!!! --Donna

. . . you're out with non-homeschooling friends and they expect you to know the answers to everything--like the difference between a vegetable and a fruit and whether certain things like cucumbers are veggies. --Melissa

. . . your daughter's dance bag has more books than dance shoes in it. --Carla

. . . you find yourself saying, "We were studying last week, about . . ." and people look at you funny, and you don't know why. --Melinda

. . . you don't think about, but your friends are all talking about, school registration next year . . . or how many days until you go back to school. --Carrie

. . . the doctor's/dentist's/hairdresser's office is happy to schedule your child's appointment because you don't want one after 3pm or during a school holiday . . . or you can take advantage of off season rates because you make your own school holidays. --Carla

101 Ways to Praise a Child

With the "school year" beginning again, sometimes it is hard for us to remember there are so many ways to praise our children. It is CRUCIAL that they receive praise many times throughout the day !

WOW * WAY TO GO * YOU'RE SPECIAL * GREAT * OUTSTANDING * EXCELLENT * GOOD * WELL DONE * BRAVO * REMARKABLE * I'M PROUD OF YOU * I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT * NICE WORK * FANTASTIC * SUPER STAR * DYNAMITE * LOOKING GOOD * NOW YOU'RE FLYING * YOU'RE ON TOP OF IT * HOW SMART * BEAUTIFUL * YOU'RE CATCHING ON NOW * YOU'VE GOT IT * YOU'RE INCREDIBLE * HOT DOG * YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL * YOU'RE UNIQUE * NOTHING CAN STOP YOU NOW * SUPERB * GOOD FOR YOU * I LIKE YOU * YOU'RE A WINNER * NEAT * YOU'RE PRECIOUS * REMARKABLE JOB * BEAUTIFUL WORK * YOU'RE DARLING * SPECTACULAR * YOU'RE SPECTACULAR * GREAT DISCOVERY * YOU'VE DISCOVERED THE SECRET * YOU FIGURED IT OUT * HIP HIP HURRAY * FANTASTIC JOB * YOU'RE IMPORTANT * YOU'RE SENSATIONAL * PHENOMENAL * SUPER WORK * CREATIVE JOB * SUPER JOB * TROOPER * YOU ARE EXCITING * YOU LEARNED IT * YOU ARE FUN * RESPONSIBLE * RIGHT * WHAT AN IMAGINATION * wHAT A GOOD LISTENER * YOU'RE GROWING UP * YOU TRIED HARD * YOU CARE * BEAUTIFUL SHARING * OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE * YOU'RE A GOOD FRIEND * I TRUST YOU * YOU'RE TERRIFIC * YOU MEAN A LOT TO ME * YOU MEAN A LOT TO ME * YOU MAKE ME HAPPY * YOU BELONG * YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND * YOU MAKE ME LAUGH * BRILLANT * YOU BRIGHTEN MY DAY * I RESPECT YOU * YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME * THAT'S CORRECT * YOU'RE A TREASURE * YOU'RE A JOY * YOU'RE WONDERFUL * YOU'RE PERFECT * AWESOME * A+ JOB * YOU'RE A-OK MY BUDDY * YOU MADE MY DAY * THAT'S THE BEST * A BIG HUG * A BIG KISS * SAY I LOVE YOU *

Homeschoolers A Small But Growing Minority

Homeschoolers A Small But Growing Minority:
Harvard ‘Homeschoolers Anonymous’ takes flight

Published On Monday, April 17, 2006 3:10 AM
By RACHEL L. POLLACK
Crimson Staff Writer

Crystal E. Winston ’06-’07 never had a prom. She never rode a school bus, went to gym class, or received a report card. Like a growing number of students around the country, Winston, went to school by staying at home—from kindergarten through senior year.

Winston, a history of art and architecture concentrator in Mather House, says her mother taught her at home because the St. Louis school district where she grew up was “way terrible.”

“There weren’t many options for us,” Winston says. “My mom wanted us to have a certain set of values growing up, and she wanted to make sure that we got those if we were homeschooled.”

The Department of Education reported in 2003 that 2.2 percent of the American school-age population was homeschooled. And experts at the Graduate School of Education say that a majority of those families choose to homeschool their children for religious reasons.

But even as the homeschooling trend takes root nationwide, a disproportionately tiny number of these students ever win entry to Harvard.

‘A GROWTH INDUSTRY’

In 1989, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 said that around five to 10 homeschooled students applied to Harvard yearly.

Following the rise in the number of homeschoolers nationwide, between 100 and 200 homeschooled students applied to Harvard this year, says Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis ’70-’73. Lewis adds that many other applicants were homeschooled for part of their education.

“It’s a growth industry. We’ve probably had an increase in numbers over the past 10 years,” she says.

Lewis says she cannot give exact figures because the admissions office does not place homeschooled students’ applications into separate categories.

Despite this increase in the number of applicants, Lewis says Harvard usually only accepts between three and eight homeschooled students each year, a number significantly lower than this year’s overall acceptance rate of 9.3 percent.

Nancy Faust Sizer, a lecturer at the GSE, says this lower admissions rate could reflect a lack of information about homeschoolers’ educational background.

“Nobody knows exactly what the situation was,” Sizer says. “They can’t even imagine it really.”

Lewis maintains that despite having “less complete information” about homeschooled applicants, these students are still evaluated equally in admissions decisions.

“We’re trying to bring people who will use Harvard very well and will do something with their futures,” Lewis says. “Energy and ambition matter a lot, and they matter more than preparation.”

She says the admissions office considers all students on an individual basis, and that officers are “used to the idea that people present different kinds of credentials.” Standardized test scores and alumni interviews are especially important for homeschoolers, Lewis says.


‘JUST NORMAL KIDS’

A group of homeschoolers at Harvard banded together last year to form an official student organization, Homeschoolers Anonymous. The founder and president, Stephen T. Norberg ’06, says he created the club to help freshmen transition from homeschooled backgrounds to college. The club, which has 26 Facebook.com members, aims to dispel some of the misconceptions surrounding homeschooling, he says.

Emphasizing that the club’s title has no connection with self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, the Kansas City, Mo., native says he picked the name to make fun of the stereotype that all homeschoolers lack social skills and need support to enter society.

“When I’d tell people I was homeschooled, they wouldn’t believe it because I didn’t act socially awkward,” Norberg says.

Winston says she’s faced similar reactions from classmates and friends.

“People have ideas that homeschoolers are great at spelling bees and not much else,” Winston says. “I think people were surprised to see that homeschoolers are just normal kids.”

Trent J. Hudson ’05, a co-founder of Homeschoolers Anonymous, agrees.

“This is kind of like a social myth about the homeschoolers,” Hudson says. “Norberg’s the most outgoing, crazy, wild kid you’ll ever meet, and I wasn’t an introvert.”

FOUNDATIONS IN FAITH

But experts at the GSE say they worry that some homeschooled students, especially those from fundamentalist Christian families, may have trouble adjusting to the diversity of a college campus.

“Some of them are very ill-prepared to enter this big world and then try to negotiate interpersonal relationships with very, very diverse groups of people,” says Donna M. San Antonio, a lecturer at the GSE. “They haven’t developed a sense of the world.”

San Antonio recalls one 15-year-old homeschooled student who hiked with her on a month-long outdoor program she led with a group of seven other teenagers.

She says the boy had trouble reconciling new viewpoints with the values he had been taught at home.

“Socially, as a teenager, he had a really rough time,” according to San Antonio. She says the boy sought friendships, but he found that his peers held values that were drastically different from his own family’s. “And this really presented a conflict for him,” San Antonio says.

Some homeschooled students at Harvard, though not all, also come from religious backgrounds. Winston says that homeschooling allowed her to become more secure in her Christian faith.

“I was in an environment to talk about my faith and explore it openly,” she says.

When she was surrounded by people of so many different religions at Harvard, Winston says she “had to learn a way to express my faith in a way that didn’t make people feel threatened.”

'SELF-DIRECTED’ LEARNING

Other Harvard homeschoolers came from more secular upbringings as part of a movement that encourages personal exploration and expression.

Aidin E.W. Carey ’07 says that her mother decided to homeschool her after hearing about a new educational philosophy focused on “self-directed” learning. “The idea is that kids will learn better and develop better a love of learning,” she says.

Carey says she didn’t have any organized schooling before she turned 11 years old. She went to museums, took dance and gymnastics classes, and participated in community theater. Carey, who is now a history and literature concentrator, says she also spent a lot of her time reading. “What people do before school and out of school was sort of my whole life,” Carey says.

For the next few years, Carey met with other children in the Boston homeschool community for organized class discussions. They had “no sort of grading concept” and pursued their own interests.

“I really loved having the freedom and having the control over my own educational life and life in general,” Carey says. “It really created me as a person. It’s very much who I am.”

A ‘SEAMLESS’ TRANSITION

Homeschoolers from all backgrounds praise this type of flexibility and independent learning style, skills that can be important for college life.

Hudson characterizes the transition from homeschooling to college as “pretty seamless.”

“Homeschooling almost prepares you better for college, and especially a college like Harvard,” Hudson says. “As a homeschooler, a lot of it is kind of up to you in taking very personal ownership of your education.”

Sizer of the GSE says a structured classroom isn’t always necessary for sparking academic interests.

“Sometimes you still need a teacher to tell you a few stories about Thomas Jefferson to get you interested in him, but sometimes you don’t,” Sizer says.

She adds that the extra time and openness of a homeschooled setting lets homeschooled students shape their education and explore their own interests.

“You’re not going on a school bus. You’re not going out to recess...There’s just more time to do what really might matter,” Sizer says.

For Winston, this extra time allowed her to create independent classes in architectural history, in addition to working for an architectural firm in high school.

“That’s how I got interested in my current major of art history,” Winston says. “I was able to develop my interest in architecture a lot earlier than having to wait for college.”

—Staff writer Rachel L. Pollack can be reached at rpollack@fas.harvard.edu

Home Sweet Home !

We are home from our 10 weeks in the Berkshires. Now, I know I posted three days ago that we would be home in 8 hours - however, life changed ! We ended up stopping and visiting family members - and then stopped in Delaware simply because we wanted to !

We arrived home yesterday around 2 pm and picked up some Emerson Staff Members at the Metro Station at 3 pm. Naomi and Adam spent last night at our house and we dropped them off this morning at the airport so they could head down to Miami.

Mittens (Shayna's cat) was brought back to our house this morning. Shayna was so nervous that Mittens would not remember her. Obviously, Mittens clearly remembered the house and all her favorite hiding places.

We have sorted most of the mail. Clothes are being put away and we are heading out soon to do the shopping etc that is needed to "re-start" the house after being gone for 10 weeks.

It is GREAT to be home ! Emerson was an awesome experience and I wouldn't trade it in for anything in the world. But home is where the heart is !

How to Answer the Socialization Question Once and for All

I was just passed this article - and it is a GREAT one to put a final answer to this MYTH of socialization !

By Marsha

I am beginning to tire of the many articles, essays and responses I keep running across on what has become to be known as the "socialization question."

Homeschooling families, please listen carefully: What people refer to as socialization is a non-issue! It has become a buzz-word among the Official Homeschool Nay Sayers Society. When someone asks you the question ("What about SOCIALIZATION!?"), I suggest you begin by asking them, "What do you mean by socialization?" They will more than likely proceed with some variation on the following theme: "You know, having your kids spend time with other kids their age. Hanging out with their friends, stuff like that." At that point do not, under any circumstances respond with, "Oh my little Susie gets plenty of socialization! She's in 4-H and Awanas, and Sunday school and HomeSchool band and she volunteers at the nursing home etc.etc. etc. In fact she has so many opportunities for socialization that I hardly have time to teach her some days..YaDa YaDa YaDa." Why not? Because this is not what socialization really is!

Here is a more appropriate response: "Oh, I think the word you are looking for is socializing. Socialization is actually defined as the process by which the norms and standards of our society are passed from one generation to the next. I've never really thought that a complete strangers six-year old child would be a good source of information on the correct standards of behavior in our family and in society as a whole. As for socializing, I remember from my school days that it was something you weren't supposed to be doing during class!"

We do not have to defend homeschooling based on false assumptions, false accusations, and false information. Please stop telling others about all the opportunities your kids have for "socialization" and start gently exposing them to the real issue here-- a lot of what kids learn from other kids in social situations is simply living according to "The Law of the Jungle." In our family, we have a higher set of laws to follow and I bet your family does too. Next time, don't be afraid to say so!

A freelance writer, Marsha serves as a homeschool resource for her local library and has written articles for "Home Education Magazine" and a column for "Home Educator's Family Times." She has served on the planning committee for her local homeschool cooperative, taught creative writing, edited the newsletter, and been a member of the HUB (Homeschoolers United Building) advisory committee. Her book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling" was published in February 2001, and she has spoken at homeschool conferences and curriculum fairs in Texas, California, and Michigan. She also works part-time outside the home as an office manager for both the family business and at a local church.

We are on our way home...

What a great experience at Emerson. It is hard to believe that 10 weeks ago we left home not knowing the staff. Yesterday as we pulled out of camp, although we were amongst the last of ten people who were left, I exploded into tears. Even though I was so homesick and needed to get home for me, it was so hard to leave.

The night before last, Donnie and I went to a "townie" bar with the counselors for the final farewells. There were other senior staff amongst us who went also. Donnie received the "Camp Dad" award as he was the dad to all the counselors all summer long. I thought we would cry then.

The people we met at Emerson from around the globe are incredible, passionate human beings. We can travel the globe now and visit people who we truly care about. Thank goodness most of them are traveling the USA for the next 8 weeks and are planning to stop into the Metro DC area and stay with us.

For my husband, who has never been to any type of day camp, scout camp or sleep away camp - he has realized he IS a camp person (huge shocker) ! We have been talking about some dreams that can become reality if we choose to act on them ! We shared those with Shayna and boy is she excited ! Watch out - you never know - but we are making plans to continue to make a difference with children !

Home in less than 8 hours ! What a thought !
Donnie, Shayna and I can't wait !

An experience I never had...

Camp Emerson is coming to a close. Now, I was a camper most of my life; however, there were some experiences I simply didn't have.

For instance, SAILING. It amazes me that my 10 year old daughter knows how to sail. She has taken sailing for 2 - 10 day activity rotations and she can handle the sailboat on a lake really well.

Today, I decided it was time for me to see her for myself. I have HEARD that she could sail. Donnie has seen her sail... but I never got out to Lake Plunkett to see her give it a go. I was absolutely amazed.

What great experiences Emerson has given my daughter last year and this year. I don't think she would have the experiences of fencing, water skiing, windsurfing, acting in two camp plays etc... She is planning on returning to Emerson for another eight weeks next summer. She can hardly wait !

How does a homeschooler change a lightbulb?

First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.

Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.

Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.

On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.

Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.

And there is light.

Gold Rush - Campers Favorite Activity

All during the 2005 - 2006 year, I heard about GOLD RUSH at Camp Emerson. Shayna constantly told me how it was her favorite camp evening activity. She talked and talked about it you would think they were giving out REAL GOLD ! Most campers LOVE this activity for many reasons.

Camp Emerson always does this evening activity AFTER visiting day. The directors do this for many, many SMART reasons.

First, the kids run around A LOT !!!! Getting them tired is a good idea after an emotionally exhuasteing day of seeing their parents. Secondly, the kids are in teams and feel a connection again to camp. Thirdly, it is the ENTIRE camp ! There is a lot to say when kids are in numbers !

The concept of this activity is SIMPLE. Each team tried to collect as much "gold" as they can. The "gold" is thrown by bucketloads onto the huge soccer field. The teams try to collect as much "gold" as they can. There are bandits to watch out for as they can steal your "gold". And finally there are sherriff's who can arrest the "bandits". When a team collects "so much gold" they can dig for "rocks" in the road and the tie breaker might be the weight of the "golden rocks" that were dug up.

What fun it was !

Session Two's Lower Camp Play - Wizard of Oz

The curtain went up last night as lower camp's performance of the WIZARD OF OZ took center stage. All the N.VA girls took part it in. Shayna was the Mayor of Muchkinland and a flying monkey. Jeannette was Dorothy. Becky was Auntie Em and Araglin was a muchkin.

It absolutely amazed me what these kids accomplished in just 10 days of rehersals. Although an abbreviated version, the play was awesome ! Bravo !

You Know You are a Homeschooling Mom When....

You get to change more than diapers, you get to change their minds.

When a child busts a lip, and after seeing she's okay, you round up some scotch tape to capture some blood and look at it under the microscope!

You find dead animals and actually consider saving them to dissect later.

Your children never ever leave the "why?" stage.

When your teenager decides to take one community college course, and comes home and asks you why the teacher wrote "At" on his paper. (A+)

You ask for, and get, a copier instead of a diamond tennis bracelet for your wedding anniversary.

Your kids think reading history is best accomplished while lying on the floor with their head resting on the side of their patient dog.

Your husband can walk in at the end of a long day and tell how the science experiment went just by looking at the house.

You never have to drive your child's forgotten lunch to school.

Your child will never suffer the embarrassment of group showers after PE.

The only debate about the school lunch program is whose turn it is to cook.

You never have to face the dilemna of whether to take your child's side or the teacher's side in a dispute at school.

If your child get's drugs at school, it's probably Tylenol.

Your neighbors think you are insane.

Your kids learn new vocabulary from their extensive collection of "Calvin & Hobbes" books.

Your formal dining room now has a computer, copy machine, and many book shelves and there are educational posters and maps all over the walls.

You have meal worms growing in a container....on purpose.

If you get caught talking to yourself, you can claim you're having a PTA meeting.

Talking out loud to yourself is a parent/teacher conference.

You take off for a teacher in-service day because the principal needs clean underwear.

You can't make it through a movie without pointing out the historical inaccuracies.

You step on math manipulatives on your pre-dawn stumble to the bathroom.

The teacher gets to kiss the principal in the faculty lounge and no one gossips.

Your honor student can actually read the bumper sticker that you have put on your car.

If your child claims that the dog ate his homework, you can ask the dog.

Some day your children will consider you to be a miracle-working expert and will turn to you for advice.

Your kids refer to the neighbor kids as "government school inmates."

You can't make it through the grocery produce department without asking your preschooler the name and color of every vegetable.

You can't put your produce in your cart without asking your older student to estimate it's weight and verify accuracy.

You live in a one-house schoolroom.