Homeschoolers

Y ou may recall about six weeks ago the buzz among homeschoolers was the lack of acceptance by Subway to allow homeschoolers to particiate with writing contest.  I wrote briefly on it here and yesterday I received a comment that Subway has revised this: I wanted to let everyone know that Subway has revamped their Every Sandwich [...]

Government “Homeschool” Programs Will Change Homeschooling This video is a homeschool mom expressing her opinion about how she belives government homeschooling will negatively impact homeschooling as a movement. I believe that she makes some excellent points that need to be strongly considered. She points out that the “freebies” are enticing and oftentimes we forget there n

Some of you know I am good friends with Hallie From the Rubber Room and some of you even know she runs a small homeschool bookstore. She's written a post on a subject I'm very passionate about and if you buy homeschool books at all, you really should head over there and take a minute to read it. Click here for the post.

(I wrote this post earlier in the week, saving it to post today. I received several e-mails today regarding the apology Subway has given to HSLDA. You can read it here.) I f you homeschool, you probably have read numerous times about the writing contest Subway & Schoolastic are having.  This is the disclaimer that removes homeschoolers: NO [...]

I first found out about this on Dawn’s blog, but it seems to have now grabbed national media attention. It seems that Subway, the sandwich restaurant, is hosting a contest for children called “Every Sandwich Tells a Story“. But, they only want to hear your story if you are NOT homeschooled! Contest is open only to legal [...]

Elsewhere, the idea of inept or failing homeschoolers is being discussed, particularly the comparison between traditionally schooled and homeschooled students, standards for homeschoolers, and the failure of some homeschooling families to deliver a certain type of education.My response, slightly edited, follows.Illinois law mentions providing an education in English comparable to that of same-aged

Homeschoolers are threatened with legal action and the confiscation of their children by the state if they do not comply with California's educational policy. Is this really for the good of the children and to make sure they are getting a good education? Justice H. Walter Croskey stated: "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and

A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution. The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming. “At first, there was a sense of, ‘No way,’ ” said homeschool [...]

 Karlie Margaret Houser Homeschooling is sharing - with our children, the Christian community and fellow homeschoolers. We share what works for us, knowing that not everything will work for everyone. My words are only from one person’s perspective; so I’ve taken some time to gather a few others’ thoughts and share with you their blogs…enjoy! *          *          [...]

The Boston Globe has a recent article that has many homeschooling families chuckling. Their great discovery is that homeschooling familes do not stay at home all day. Who knew? Well, anyone that homeschools knew that. And thankfully so does most of the community. The librarians that see us coming in all day, the store cashiers that always question why we’re not in school that day, and our friends who stare when we plop down on the couch and complain about what a busy day we’ve had. For some families the term “carschooling” seems more appropriate as that is where they spend the most of their time. With the numbers of homeschooling families rising and more and more of us getting out of the house some businesses are finally catching on and providing services during the day. Some are even finding homeschooler discounts offered in hopes of attracting more families in during the slow hours of the day. It bcomes a cycle, the more things we are offered the more we will

Apparently Represenative Ron Paul will be on The View Tuesday, December 4th, so anyone intrested should make a point to watch it. He has quite a growing number of supporters in the homeschooling communities, and with good reason. Represenative Paul is quite the homeschool supporter. From his Family Education Freedom Act that sought to empower families to choose non-public education to his glowing praise of homeschoolers. He’s a sweet talker, that Ron. Now, I should make it clear that while I like that he is pro-homschooling, I’m still not a Ron Paul supporter. His politics and mine are very different on many levels. Some of what he has to say does make a lot of sense though. Such as “The federal government does not own our children. Yet we act as if it does by letting it decide when, how, and what our children will learn. We have turned their futures over to lobbyists and bureaucrats. I support giving educational control back to parents, who know their children bett

Many homeschooling families might be interested in hearing Ron Paul’s ideas on the subject. On his site he has a video about his views on homeschooling, and here is what his website has to say about education: "The federal government does not own our children. Yet we act as if it does by letting it decide when, how, and what our children will learn. We have turned their futures over to lobbyists and bureaucrats. I support giving educational control back to parents, who know their children better than any politician in D.C. ever will. The federal government has no constitutional authority to fund or control schools. I want to abolish the unconstitutional, wasteful Department of Education and return its functions to the states. By removing the federal subsidies that inflate costs, schools can be funded by local taxes, and parents and teachers can directly decide how best to allocate the resources. To help parents with the costs of schooling, I have introduced H.R. 1056, the Famil

The National Educational Association in their 2007-2008 Resolutions has taken a stand against homeschooling. It reads... "The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements.....etc. etc."There is an opportunity for homeschoolers to sign an online petition citing our stand against the NEA's resolution. It will make an even greater impact if you make a comment when signing the petition. The goal is for 10,000 homeschoolers to sign the petition, and currently a little over 5,000 have signed; please let all your homeschooling friends, neighbors, and support group members know about this petition and encourage them to sign it. Follow this link: Homeschoolers against NEA philosophy

Linda of The Joyful Journey posted 6 reasons why she said her children will never go to public school. It is a great list, one that I keep going back to to read over and over again. Many of her reasons I find myself agreeing with completely. What made me stop a moment is that Linda is a public school teacher herself. I am a certified teacher and my arguments against public schools are based on experience and observations from more than 20 years of association with and involvement in public schools. In my experience I’ve met teachers who are homeschooling their own children, teachers who are fine with homeschooling, and then there are the ones who hate homeschooling with a passion. It seems that, at least online, I’ve met many teachers who look at homeschooling from a place of fear and uncertainty. It almost seems to be a threat to them, that some parents might choose not to use them. That is where we get remarks like this: (more…)

Dana has put together an awesome Homeschooling Network that everyone should join. If you are interested leave her a comment and she will send you an invite. There are also some fun groups for homeschoolers at this great site called Near Circle. You can join with other homeschoolers, unschoolers, Waldorf homeschooers, and many more. And don’t forget the Homeschooling Community of Truth Laid Bear. Do you know of any others? Leave me a comment and let me know! homeschooling, homeschoolers, networking, blogging

My friend Dawn passed the word on to me about the 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards! Start thinking now about who you would nominate and don't forget to check in at the hub for the awards regularly to see what's happening!Feel free to grab the button and stick it in your sidebar to help spread the word!Nan

Oh the shame of it all. Yesterday’s post was incredibly short. I hope those of you who grow weary of our pontificating, rambling, tome-like blogging enjoyed the brief respite. Perhaps you were even able to get some work done. Daniel was obviously mortified. As for me, I was thoroughly rebuked. Yes, my children, those greedy paparrazzi seeking little stars cannot stand for me to post such sparse works. “Whoa! That was a short blog, Mom.“ “Yeah, I thought maybe the computer wasn’t loading. Only one picture?” Even David was shocked. The little shake of the head, a pitying glance. You’re losing your touch, implied in their looks. The younger kiddos (not yet insatiable blogging readers) patted me on the arm, not really understanding the topic of the conversation but clearly recognizing the subtle rebuke coming from the older children. This week has been incredibly busy as we throw ourselves more fully into our schooling. PE at the YMCA

Friday’s question was written by a mom who was worried about not having a good homeschooling community around her to be a part of. She was unsure if her kids would get plenty of chances to interact with other kids. I got some great comments from other homeschoolers on this question. For some public schools offer more chances to be with other kids, and that is seen as a definite bonus. But for those who want to homeschool this can feel like a set back. What can you do if you live in an area that is not overflowing with other homeschoolers? Sharon J. gave a great comment on this: What do kids in your area do during the summer months when school is out? If they are in sports or park district programs in the summer, it is a good time to meet the kids (and parents) and work out playdates during the school year. If you really want to meet other homeschoolers, keep your eyes open. When you go to the library during school hours, do you ever see a parent with kids? Ask them if they homes

Last night I had the chance to sit and enjoy the company of a group of amazing women. One brave soul finally organied a local homeschool meeting that didn’t require driving out of town to attend and we were all shocked by how many did show up. There were old hands as well as newbies. Moms with kids in public schools who worried about pulling them out and moms who took their kids out and never looked back. They talked, they shared, they discussed, I stood out of the way because I had kids to chase and I’m almost painfully shy. LOL So this weekend’s “Ask the homeschoolers” question seemed to have fit in perfectly. I couldn’t have timed this one any better and I can’t wait to hear everyone’s answers to this. I am going to be homeschooling my children this year and I am worried about their interaction with others. There are no other homeschooling families here that I can find. It is a very small area and nearly everyone sends their kids to t

In some areas homeschoolers are alowed to join in the local schols sports teams and in other areas homeschoolers are creating their own teams in order to play sports. For many children when either of these two options are available they are thrilled. But what if the parents aren’t? I was inspired by this post over at tiny grass, Sports - Do kids really need them?. Trish lists several great reasons why she does not want her children playing organized sports. In a comment to her post one person mentions bonding with peers as a reason to participate. As Trish responds “I believe that an appreciation for the interaction of multiple ages is what brought me to homeschooling.” In sports, as also in a classroom, teams are groups by age and stick closely together. Of course there is some safety to this. No one wants to see a five year old trying to play football with teenagers. Even trying to be safe there is a chance of the smaller, younger child getting hurt. But does that

Over at Life Without School they want to know who you are. They are looking to add more stories to fill their Celebrate Our Diversity page. Stories about you, how you came into homeschooling, how your family is unique in homeschooling. Everyone should check them out and see the unique families already involved. And be sure to add your own story. homeschool, diversity

Everyone so often I get a comment or an email about homeschooling. While I’m more than happy to answer any question that comes my way, the more answers you can get the more you can understand that various aspects of homeschooling. Seeing how different homeschooling families handle the same issue in their own way can be a great way to realy see how unique homeschooling can be. So I have decided to post a question every Friday and let my readers give their own unique and interesting responses to it. Feel free to come here every Friday and share your own ideas, thoughts, resources, and tips on whatever the question of the week is. And if you have a questions feel free to ask. You can either leave a comment or click on the “Contact me” link on the right. I will leave the questions anonymous so don’t be afraid to ask anything. I hope this answers some of the questions people not familiar with homeschooling might have, and gives my readers a chance to share their kno

If your house is like mine you are probably alrady drowning in the sea of catalogs coming. Every curriculum company, educational toy maker, book supplier, and more are filling my mailbox with offers to “Get ready for homeschooling this fall!” I’ll admit it, I do get a little tempted by some of the great deals and interesting supplies I find. It is probably a good thing I don’t have a credit card with a high limit or I might get myself into trouble. There are some notable ones out of all the catalogs that I wanted to share, in case your mail carrier isn’t giving you dirty looks like mine. Shekinah Curriculum Cellar Lots of great books on sale is what I love the best about this catalog. There are some amazing books here as well as some great curriculum supplies. Timberdoodle Doesn’t everyone love Timberdoodle? I love the Never Bored books they offer as well as all the fun games. Bright Minds I don’t even know how this catalog found me, but I&r

I write dark poetry and stories. Death, destruction, suicide, evil, decay... these are the things that are portrayed in my writings. Now I thought that was rather dark. But, as I have gathered from multiple sources, this is actually a common phenomena among homeschooled teens. So basically, all of us homeschooled teens write really dark stuff. Isn't that fascinating? You would think we would write happy fluffy stuff about God and Jesus or something.Now, I have discussed this, and have come up with a hypothesis on the causes of this phenomena. Alright. So all of us homeschoolers are nice, amiable, loving people (Well, at least most of the time. OK, fine, SOME of the time. Well, maybe not me personally but...). Now everyone gets angry sometimes. We all have dark thoughts. We all think about death and destruction. Now homeschoolers, because of the society they live in, and they're own personal beliefs, have a tendency to suppress these feelings. Of course, we can't make them just disap

By Mimi Rothschild It’s a short post, but it’s something.  Possibly the hottest conservatively-minded politics and culture blogger, Michelle Malkin has linked two news stories that should make your blood boil. The first, from the Edmonton Sun paints a picture of absolute terror as sixth graders were subjected to a staged gun attack.  One of the teachers donned a ski mask and pulled on the locked door of the classroom, frightening the sixty-nine students in the room, who were crying and hiding under tables.  The second, from Fox News details the shocking story of an 8th grade class which was forced to watch Brokeback Mountain, a tale of homosexual lust.  The film depicts a drawn-out homosexual sex scene, frontal nudity, among countless depictions of adultery, violence, foul language, and other unsavory images. “It’s no wonder homeschooling is so popular,” mused Malkin.  No wonder indeed.  Between this, sex-change lessons, and innumerable other offen

Clarification: For some reason, I edited this out when the original got too long, but there are not actually any American military bases in Niedersachsen, and they certainly have no authority over anyone in any other state, American or not. I am more curious about their stance in general. Would it stand in court? Can a Host Nation direct a family on base to send a child to school? Would the

I often hear among the arguements against homeschooling that children who are homeschooled are not prepared for the “real world”, that they are kept in bubbles and unaware of how the rest of the world works. I think that this depends on the family itself. Some parents choose to expose their children to more things than other, meaning that some children reach puberty only knowing how their family works while others know more about the world around them. But this does not affect just homeschoolers. A quote in a post at Find Religion by a high school student named Rachel stuck out to me. I was very unaware and naive of what middle school, even high school, would be like for me. I could truthfully say that I thought that other people who I would come in contact with would not use profane language and they would be Christians. I don’t mean to point out rachel here in a negative light, but the quote really struck out to me. I am sure that Rachel is not alone, there are sure

What do you do if there isn’t a good resource center in your area for homeschoolers? If you are like Sharadee Wright in Northglenn, Colorado you make your own! Now, I have never been to Colorado myself but a friend on MySpace let me know about this little gem. The Hangout Learning Center is a little place tucked away where homeschoolers can come together, share, learn, and grow side by side. There is always something going on on the activities calendar or just show up to hang out and play on the games or use their equipment. From Sharadee Wright: From the very beginning, I wished that we had a place where we could go, at a moments notice, and without any advance planning, that would provide great educational and social experiences for my girls. Some days we were happily hard at work, and other days we really needed a break, but it was hard to judge in advance which days those would be. So we’d call up friends, sometimes three or four before we found someone who could play

By Mimi Rothschild The Clanton Advisor reported on a story this week about coaches trying to keep homeschoolers from participating in public school sports. “I don’t see how I could put a home schooled player ahead of one of the guys who is here all day long. It just doesn’t seem fair to me for the kids here at the school.” WHY NOT?! Do homeschoolers not pay the same taxes as public school parents?  Are they not American citizens? This kind of exclusionary attitude is what makes sports so intolerable for most kids.  I’m sure there are some great high school coaches out there, but I’d like to remind those who wish to exclude that it’s JUST A GAME.  We’re talking about football here! I once knew a homeschooler who was allowed to play football for a public school team.  He was actually one of the better players, but the rest of the team made his life so miserable that he quit before the season was even over.  Coaches should spend their t

Uncle Orson Reviews Everything offers an interesting article in which he criticizes the "educational establishment" and its undue deference to "experts." There are people who have snookered us into paying them a lot of money because they claim to be experts on education, but it's all a game. They collect degrees by taking classes from people who don't know how to teach and don't recognize good

By Mimi Rothschild Your homeschoolers may ask, “Why would God let a tragedy like this happen?” This is a tough question to answer, and one that even the greatest theologians disagree about. I believe the best way to approach this issue is to explain to your children the ramifications of sin. Ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, humanity has suffered the consequences of their sin. We toil under the sun for our sustenance, we suffer diseases and death, and we experience grief and anguish. God gives us free will. As a result, we must deal with the consequences of other people’s sin. Tragedies like the Virginia Tech Massacre are an extreme result of sin. Remember to explain to your homeschoolers that God has a perfect plan for this world. Even though it may be hard to see it, it’s imperative that we trust him. If we truly believe that “He’s got the whole world in His hands”, then we must recognize that God knows wha

Homeschooling, its not all home education you know. There is a lot of parenting involved, a lot. You don’t get 8 hour breaks while the kids are in school, you have to be there 24/7. Sick days, sad days, days when you would like to use a vacation day and head to the beach with a favorite book. There is no getting them on the bus then sitting back down for a cup of coffee before heading out the door yourself. Which is why I love reading parenting blogs that are not all about homeschooling. A great parenting blog that I love is another one right here at 451Press called Parenting Our Children. It is definitely worth the read if you have the time. parenting, children, parents

Elsewhere, the idea of inept or failing homeschoolers is being discussed, particularly the comparison between traditionally schooled and homeschooled students, standards for homeschoolers, and the failure of some homeschooling families to deliver a certain type of education.My response, slightly edited, follows.Illinois law mentions providing an education in English comparable to that of same-aged peers in public schools. That's about it. Oh, and it lists the number of days required, too, I think. There's a word or two, probably not terribly kind, for people like me, but I'll risk hearing the criticism again. Here goes: One of the reasons I homeschool is that I'm not terribly interested in what everyone else is doing -- how woefully underprepared Suzy Homeschool's kids are, how inarticulate Peggy Publicschool's kids are, etc. Really. Not. Interested. I'm concerned about the progress of three kids, for now. Hey, look at that. They all live here. I've mentioned over the last seve

I apologize for not reporting this sooner, somehow it slipped through my radar. The Oklahoma House voted along partisan lines Monday to expand a popular state-financed college scholarship program to home-schooled children. The measure by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, would make home schoolers eligible for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, which grants scholarships to students from families earning less than $50,000 per year who take a rigorous college curriculum, maintain a 2.5 grade point average and stay out of trouble. Read more… Personally I think this is wonderful! This gives a big boost to many homeschooled children who want to go to college but may be having financial hardships. By focusing some of the money towards them we can get more in college and showing their stuff. I hope that this leads to breaking some of the stereotypes that homeschooled children can not make it in college. homeschool, scholarships, Oklahoma, college

By Mimi Rothschild The Deseret News has some good news. Colleges are becoming friendlier towards homeschoolers. In the past, college admissions departments raised an eyebrow at the applications of homeschoolers. As homeschooling grows in popularity, these institutions of higher learning have begun not only considering homeschooled applicants, but seeking them out. And with good reason! Homeschoolers have now been shown to excel at the college level in an age where colleges are scrambling to maintain academic standards. Under UC Riverside’s new policy, home schoolers can apply by submitting a lengthy portfolio detailing their studies and other educational experiences. A portfolio is a great way to prove to college admissions counselors that you’ve completed a legitimate homeschool program. Students at The MorningStar Academy can receive portfolios detailing their yearly progress. These can come in very handy when hunting for colleges.

Court is ’shocked’ by lack of government authority over students A Superior Court judge in New Jersey says homeschooling is just about the same as deliberate child abuse. In fact, he says, he just might name a school district in his state as a defendant in a current court dispute, citing the district’s “shocking” failure to monitor and test all students – including homeschoolers. “In today’s threatening world, where we seek to protect children from abuse, not just physical, but also educational abuse, how can we not monitor the educational welfare of all our children? A child in New Jersey, who recently was found unfed and locked in a putrid bedroom was allegedly ‘homeschooled’ and because no one, such as a teacher or nurse, was able to observe any abuse in a school setting, it went undiscovered,” wrote Judge Thomas Zampino in a case that came before him. That’s even though New Jersey state law does forbid child abuse,

Afew weeks ago I shared some writing contests that are available to homeschoolers. Be sure to check them out, if you missed it, since the deadlines have not all come about yet. Here are THREE MORE writing contests!One of my...

Charlotte Hsu chronicles the struggles of homeschoolers to gain mainstream recognition from colleges and public school districts. “We saw this unique opportunity to get some really good students at UCR, being one of the first major public universities to create a published homeschool admissions policy,” added Vahid, who homeschools his three children. “We thought it would [...]

Joseph Farah’s recent installment of “Reading Between the Lines” sheds light on this year’s National Christian Forensics & Communications Association competition held at Point Loma Nazarene University. Throughout the competition, Christian homeschool teenagers debate about current issues, arguing different sides of an argument, always from a Christian perspective. In public schools across America - and [...]