Homeschooling High School, and Beyond

The other day, I met a woman whose daughter has health problems that led them to homeschool her for the second half of last year.

This year, they decided not to homeschool because she is a high school freshman and was afraid that she could not get into college if she had been homeschooled for high school.

I talked to her a little about my knowledge of homeschoolers getting into college and told her that I would gather some resources for her. I thought I would share those with you.

Many of us homeschoolers already know that homeschoolers do get into colleges and universities, but might still have some apprehension about the process.

The best advice I offered to the woman I spoke about was to trust herself. We all second-guess our ability to provide our children with all of the educational advantages they need to have a successful future. The important thing is to not let those nagging voices (from within and without) get the better of us and sabotage our efforts.

I found that the most important component in preparing your homeschooled child for college is record keeping. Your child will need a transcript to show the admissions office what they learned in their home study program.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has an excellent website dedicated to Homeschooling Thru High School. One of their resources is a PDF pamphlet that simplifies high school record-keeping.

Homeschool Central also has a page dedicated to high school transcripts.

Learn in Freedom has a page of colleges that admit homeschoolers.

On that list, I found my alma mater, the University of Vermont. Here is a link to their admissions policy regarding homeschoolers. (Scroll down about half-way.) They require "documentation that shows what the student's home-school curriculum has covered."

Again, we see that documentation is crucial.

Finally, no list of resources would be complete without a link to About.com:Homeschooling. Here's "help for homeschooling your high schooler. Information on curriculum, planning, transcripts, college, scholarships and more."

We plan on homeschooling the boys through high school. One option that we intend to use is having them take courses at community college while they are still in high school. This is a great way to demonstrate their ability to succeed in college courses.

I welcome and encourage you veteran homeschoolers to share your experiences, advice, and success stories in the comments section.

D.I.V.E into Math

Hey, look. I am actually doing a homeschooling post!

Okay, so here is my situation - I hate teaching the kids math and they hate the way I teach them math.

This sitch (that's Kim Possible slang for situation) is so weird because they are like mini math geniuses and I have my BA in math. You would think that we were a match made in Heaven, but alas, we are not.

I can kind of relate to their issues because I HATED math when I was in school. Pretty much up until the day I changed my major to math my junior year in college, I hated it.

Then I realized that I loved it. It totally puts the world into a logical context. Everything around us has a math based order to it. It is just amazing to get into the higher level math, but I am getting way off topic here.

I think the reason I always thought I hated math was the way it was taught. I also think that I am killing the boys' interest in it with the way I teach it.

I bought Saxon because I thought they could teach themselves with it now that they are in 54 and 65, which to an extent they can, but not fully.

One day I was thinking about how much Bill Nye totally makes our science learning so much better because I can alternate between Bill Nye DVDs, which come with PDF quizzes that I can print out for them, and the lessons and experiments that I do with them. It's a good balance. We all love it.

I wish that there was a Bill Nye for math.

Then I discovered D.I.V.E into Math. It is a CD ROM that has some guy's voice teaching the Saxon math textbooks on a digital white board. They can go at their own pace, pause, rewind, etc, until they understand what they are learning. And each lesson is a separate file, so it's easy to find their place.

This sounds like what we are looking for, but before I spend $50/grade-level (I have two), does anyone have any experience with this?

Homeschool Blogging

With all this talk about the Homeschool Blog Awards going on around the homeschool blogging world, I realized that I have not done a homeschooling post since October 11th! (Excluding posting the link to the Carnival of Homeschooling.)

The first reason is that I was going to start a new blog with homeschooling tips, one that would only contain homeschooling tips, resources, etc., and no personal stuff, so I was doing HS posts over there. I decided that I didn't want to do that, though. I think that would stretch me too thin. As it is, I started doing political blogging again and I feel like that is already stretching me too thin. (And not the kind of thin I want to be, either.)

The second reason is that I tend to blog in bursts. I might do a lot of faith posts for a while, then I might do a lot of cooking posts. I was doing a lot of frugal posts recently. I just haven't felt like doing homeschooling posts.

The final reason is that we took a little break from formal lessons. We had a lot going on around here and we have been out of the books for a while. That is probably why I have not done homeschooling posts lately.

I think that I should make it a point to do at least one post about homeschooling per week. That will keep my focus on what I am here to do. (Here meaning at home. Not here on this earth. I am sure there is more in store for me than homeschooling. Not that that isn't a good enough calling or anything. You know what I'm saying, right?)

Speaking of the Homeschool Blog Awards, can you believe that this blog is young enough to be nominated for Best New Homeschool Blog? I can't believe it, but I only started this blog on April 13, 2007. Wow!

[Edit: Just to clarify, I was pointing out that this blog is young enough to be nominated. Nominations are still going on until 11/17.]

I guess it just seems like I have been blogging since, like, February of 2006. (That's when I started my first blog.)

Don't worry if you already nominated someone else. Just having you as a reader is worth more than any award.

I Can't Believe I am Using Homeschool Tracker

When I first heard about Homeschool Tracker's free Basic Program, I downloaded it and checked it out. This was a year or so ago, maybe more.

I decided that it was way too school-like for my taste. I mean, who wants to input all of the materials, assignments and grades... and attendance? Who takes attendance in their homeschool?!?

But the other day, I was filing away some papers, thinking about how I am trying to be more organized this year, and I decided to take another look at Homeschool Tracker.

I plugged in the dates that I had sketched out for quarters (just to make sure we stay on track to finish the curriculum I submitted to the state and don't have to do book work in the summer, if we don't want to). Then I put in the materials we were using and recorded the grades from the tests they have taken.

By this time, the D came over to see what I was doing. I was playing around with the reporting function and ran a report card for him. "Cool!"

The one thing the kids miss about school is having a piece of paper that proves how smart they are!

Now, he wants me to record all of their grades and print out quarterly report cards.

Recently, Bob suggested that I sit down once a week and journal what we did that week, so the annual reporting won't be so much work. It just so happens that HS Tracker does that, too. It has a place for me to record journal entries and another one to record field trips.

I have always leaned toward the idea that homeschool should not be school at home. As a result, I tend to not like to do things that are too school like, I guess.

I am beginning to realize, though, that being organized makes my life run a lot smoother. And living in a state that requires me to demonstrate annually that my children are making academic progress requires me to be organized about my homeschool record keeping, or else face hours upon hours of hassle when it comes time to file my enrollment.

If that means doing some things that are like school, then so be it.

So, I am going to give Homeschool Tracker a try for a while. I'll let you know how it goes.

Bill Nye Science Resources

Our library recently got a set of new Bill Nye the Science Guy DVDs, so I grabbed a couple this week that corresponded to subjects that I included in my curriculum this year.

Not only are the shows fun to watch, helping the kids remember important science concepts, but if you explore the DVD's files with your computer, there is a PDF included with lesson plans, additional experiments, and a multiple choice quiz.

I thought that was pretty cool.

The content is designed for grades 5-8.

The War Documentary and Educational Materials

This week I have been recording Ken Burns' "The War" on PBS. If you haven't heard of it, it's a 15 hour documentary on WWII.

The boys are not old enough for it yet, but it is never too early to put away materials for their high school years.

The website also has a page for educators, with lesson plans for grades 9-12.

If you missed the first four episodes, your local PBS station will probably re-air them sometime this weekend.

Why I Homeschool

I finally sent off my home study enrollment to the state today. What a hassle! I am so glad that's over.

This year, I am handling my organization a little - okay, a lot - differently in order to avoid some of the headache. (I hope)

Now that I have been immersed in what I hate about homeschooling this whole week, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on what I love about it, and why I do it.

Kate at I Think Therefore I Blog asks readers why they homeschool. Not that I need to be asked to rattle on at length about it.

(Read full post)

We started homeschooling a little over three years ago about two weeks before The D was to go into third grade and Big E into second.

I had been home with all three kids all summer and it was great.

Then the letter arrived in the mail for me to set up an appointment to come in with the kids and meet their new teachers. And the stomach aches and sleepless night began (for me, not them).

I hated the thought of the kids going back to school. They both hated getting up in the morning. They were both always complaining that they were bored at school. The D always complained that he hated sitting all day and they never had recess. Big E was stressing himself out trying to meet his unattainable, self-imposed goal of being perfect in school. He would literally cry once he got into the van at the end of the day, just as a release.

And then there was dealing with a new teacher.

Most teachers are too permissive. And I have a son who like to test limits. If the limits are not there, he pushes further. And further. And further.

Well, I like to follow up with a punishment at home for misbehavior at school. Losing TV privileges and sitting in your room while your friends are playing outside goes a lot further than a "friendly reminder."

Unfortunately, I encountered teachers who thought I was too strict and decided that it was okay to withhold information from me.

Funny how they wanted my help when he had pushed the limits further than they were comfortable with.

At any rate, I hated the thought of dealing with school. Ugh!

After the third night of no sleep, I desperately cried out in prayer for a solution - and a good night sleep.

I did fall asleep. And I woke up with the idea of homeschooling.

I knew nothing about homeschooling. I knew no one who did it. I never thought about doing it. I didn't know how to do it.

I brought the subject up to the kids to feel out their reaction. They loved the idea (and ran around telling their friends that they were going to homeschool, even though nothing had been decided yet).

I brought the subject up to Bob and he loved the idea. He even sent me some articles he had read about it.

I really believed that it was an answer to my prayers, so I went for it. I spent the next two days reading all the information I could online about Vermont's laws and writing my curriculum and filling out paperwork for the state (and thanking God that I had high-speed internet).

I went to the school and met with the principal, who was very supportive, and told her our plans.

We were homeschoolers!

So, my and the children's dissatisfaction with the school was the reason that we started homeschooling, but I have so many reasons that I continue to homeschool.

And it's a good thing. Disliking the alternative is hardly a motivating reason to keep and enjoy doing something.

I homeschool because I care about my kids. I have a vested interest in what kind of people they grow up to be.

Funny, just today someone was arguing with me that society has a "compelling interest in making sure a homeschooler isn’t creating a moron," as a justification for regulation. The fact of the matter is that no one cares more about how my children fare in this world than I do.

I know their learning styles and interests. I can help them become passionate about learning. And they have.

Moreover, I don't have to worry about school shootings, bullying, racism, liberal indoctrination (come on, I live in Burlington, VT), teachers who are sexual predators, to name a few. (And, yes, those are all local stories.)

I also don't have to worry about my guys following every dumb trend that someone at school says is cool.

At home, my boys are free to grow up to be who they want to and not who our media-saturated, pop culture tells them to be.

I started homeschooling because I was not happy with public school. I keep homeschooling because my children deserve the freedom to learn and grow in a loving and caring environment.

Besides, who wants to get a real job?

Carnival Time

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means.

The 91st Carnival of Homeschooling is up at The Voice of Experience.

I hope that you all get a chance at some point to sit down, sip a hot cuppa something you like and enjoy a relaxing read.

Just When I Think I Have This Homeschooling Thing Figured Out

I have been feeling like something wasn't quite right with my homeschooling methods for this year. Basically, it is set up too much like school-at-home.

I have a rigid schedule set up with 180 school days, broken into 6-week sessions, with a 1-week break in between.

I have books for every subject, with tests and worksheets that I can later use for our portfolios next year, hoping to avoid the yearly stress that process causes me.

The problem is that the learning seems so forced, so hollow. I have no doubt that soon, the kids will grow tired of it and hate it.

I ordered a standardized test for The D to solve the problem I was having with the Language Arts section of his portfolio. (Short version: he doesn't have any written work for that subject.)

I took one look at the test and could not believe how easy the material was. The kids know more than enough to score well on the test, just from our everyday interactions.

That revelation might have come as no surprise to some of you, but I am still trying to figure this whole homeschooling thing out.

The trick is, every time I think I have something figured out, the kids change, I change, or something changes.

Now I feel like I am back at square one.

My plan now is to keep on with the books we are using, since they are still interested in them, but in the meantime, figure out how to break my bond to traditional schooling methods, namely textbooks.

The other thing I have struggled with is integrating our faith with our homeschooling. Up to this point, that is not something I have done and I feel like it is really important. We have faced a lot of challenges as a family, and continue to, with The D's depression, and I think that the only way we will find peace is to place the Lord at the center of our home (and homeschool).

Then I stumbled across the book, You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully, by Ruth Beechick. I ordered it last night. I hope that this book will help put me on the right track toward figuring out how to accomplish these two goals.

If any of you have any experience with Beechick, I would love to hear your thoughts.

(Note: Any links I use to products from CBD are associated with my affiliate account. I don't want anyone to think that I am trying to pull a fast one.)

Technorati tags: homeschooling, home education, Ruth Beechick

Just Checking In

This has been a busy week. I have not had much time for blogging with the start of school, and the fact that I am still trying to finish preparing my enrollment for the state, including the portfolios from last year and curriculum outline for this year.

I am also trying to get through a couple of books, so I have been reading at night, instead of blogging. (Which is not a bad thing.)

Anyway, I am still here. I hope to get some posts up soon.

Oh yeah, and here is the link to A Magical Carnival of Homeschooling.

First Day of School

So, we officially started school today. I am trying to keep to a schedule of what work needs to be done when this year. I actually started doing a post about homeschool planning, too, which included what we were doing this year, but I haven't finished it.

Come to think of it, I have about a half-dozen or more posts that I want to get around to doing. I also want to reorganize my blogrolls and make a couple of changes to my sidebar.

At any rate, I wanted to start today because I broke the curriculum down into six 6-week sessions, with a one week break in between, and I wanted a break to fall on Thanksgiving week. Yes, I am obsessive. I know that already.

I decided at the last minute to bump The D into Saxon 6/5 because I know he can handle it (even without having had Saxon 5/4). I can fill in anything that he is weak in, but I looked over the book and I am confident that he will do just fine.

I had to order the book last week, so he wasn't able to start it today, but it came in the mail this evening, so he will have it for tomorrow.

I love starting a new school year. Each new year represents the chance to apply the lessons learned the year before and make the homeschooling experience that much better.

Ask me how I am doing come January.

If only I could bottle some of this optimism up to take then.

School Supply Savings

Finally, I am home (and have internet access) and can do another Frugal Fridays post. In the spirit of Back to School, my tip is about homeschool supplies.

I buy all of my supplies when they are featured as the loss leaders - e.g. the 1-cent boxes of pencils, the 15-cent boxes of crayons.

What I mean is, I do not just go to the store and buy what is on sale that day, plus the rest of my supplies. I wait until each item is on sale.

This takes weeks and planning, and really only makes sense if you live near or will be near the store, but it saves a lot of money, if you can do it.

The only office supply store near me is Staples. This year, so far, I bought boxes of Crayola crayons for 15-cents each, 8-count boxes of pencils for 1-cent each, pencil sharpeners for 5-cents each, pencil cases for 5-cents each, bottles of Elmer's glue for 9-cents each, a three-hole punch for 50-cents, and pocket folders for 1-cent each.

This week, I will stock up on loose-leaf paper (15-cents) and a few other items.

Last year, I wondered how much the gas was adding to the cost, but this year, I realized that we drive right by Staples on the way home from church. Now, I am really getting a great bargain!

You can view the current and upcoming Staples circulars online, too.

Be sure to head on over to Biblical Womanhood for links to more Frugal Fridays ideas.

Frustration Abounds

This week, I am trying to wrap up my assessments to send into the state because I plan to start this school year on August 20 (a week from today).

This process frustrates me every year. I do not believe that the state has a right to require this reporting, which makes it even worse. As a result, I am very resentful.

My biggest problem is that The D does not like to write and I do not make him. His fine motor skills are not the best and it is a frustrating process for him. Plus, he does not have the patience to struggle with writing something down when he can just tell it to me orally.

You have to understand, this kid has been through a lot this past year and, often, it is a struggle just to get through the day. For him and for the rest of us. He has been depressed, angry, and at times, even has wished he was dead. (For real, not as an attention getter.)

I am not going to waste our time fighting to get this kid to write down something that I know he knows just to satisfy some bureaucrats in Montpelier. Not a chance.

I could probably have him classified as "special needs," but then my reporting requirements to the state get even more invasive.

I decided today to look into having a licensed teacher evaluate him, instead of doing a portfolio of his work. I found one who would be a great fit for us, but she charges $65 per child.

There is just no way we can come up with that. We just had to have our car fixed and we have a couple other big expenses coming up that are non-negotiable.

The only subject area that I am lacking portfolio samples for him is language arts, since it is the only one that requires the kind of writing that he does not like to do.

I guess we will just continue to work together, a little bit each day, to finish the last couple of pages I need for his portfolio. We did some work today and it went okay.

This is just so frustrating for me. I had a migraine and even started crying at one point today because I am so sick of this.

There is no need for the state to put homeschooling parents under such stress.

Sometimes I wish I could fight this, but I know that I cannot afford to take time away from my family right now, especially with everything The D is going through.

The time will come, though, when I can fight this, and I will.

That time is not now, though, so I just need to get through it. And I will; I just needed to vent.

I have also planned ahead, so that I will not be in this same boat next year. I realized today that if I just remain diligent in making him do a little bit each day, within the limits of what he can tolerate, and make sure that all of the little bits put together demonstrate everything that he has learned, I will have more than enough for the portfolio next year.

Our Curriculum

I was really looking forward to doing posts for "Back to Homeschool Week," but with my internet connection down all week, I didn't get to do it until today.

Maybe I will get a chance to back-fill the other topics. If for no other reason, it is good to answer those questions for myself.

Todays prompt is curriculum.

We are about to start our third school year homeschooling. The D is going into 5th grade; Big E 4th.

We still use grades because they started out in public school and, let's face it, the world of kids is structured by grade, at least here in America, anyway.

This year, we are doing sort of a grade 4/5 hybrid, starting with grade 4 materials and ending with grade 5, except in language arts and reading, where The D is ahead of Big E and we can't combine it.

The first year, we tried things out and found out what we liked and didn't like. It was very "school at home." Some things we liked (Saxon math), some we didn't (language arts workbooks).

The second year, we tried an unschooling approach, which was not a good fit for us. They need more structure. I need more structure. We need more structure.

This year, I have a pretty good idea about what materials will work and what ones will not. I also have a pretty good idea of how much structure we need and how much flexibility we need.

I still believe in a life learning philosophy - that learning does not only take place during school hours - but this year, we will have school hours, too.

I just finished sketching out my curriculum to submit to the state, a requirement in Vermont, so here is what we will be doing this year:

Math: Saxon Math 5/4 for both kids, though The D should be able to move into 6/5 at some point.

Language Arts: Learning Language Arts Through Literature. Orange book for Big E; Purple book for The D. (Read my review.)

That book also covers the "Literature" requirement for the state.

History: The Story of the World: Middle Ages, and the tests, so I have something for our state portfolios. We will supplement this with library resources as well.

Geography: Spectrum Geography, grade 4. We will complete this in half a year, doing it once per week. Then we will move into the grade 5 book.

Vermont History: Ethan Allen. His homestead is right in Burlington, so this is an easy one. Plus, our community garden is right next to the homestead museum and the kids have been begging me to bring them there. This we will also supplement with books and/or online resources.

Science: Science Made Simple, grade 4. (I can't find a link to this.) It is an experimental, hands-on science guide. This will only take half of the year, so I am not sure what we will do the second half, yet. Again, supplemented with library or online resources.

Art: How to Teach Art to Children, plus music (singing, instrument playing).

Phys. Ed.: I can't even believe this is a requirement for homeschoolers. It is a perfect example of how clueless the state can be.

Health: This one I am not sure about. Another area that is foolish to require for homeschoolers. Suggested topics, like nutrition and hygiene, are things we teach the kids every day. We do not use a curriculum. Usually, I just order some free pamphlets from the government and use those for the portfolio.

So, that is our curriculum for the year. Fortunately, most of those books I already had because I picked them up along the way somewhere.

Of course, so much more is learned, as we live and grow together, that is not in a book or written out on our curriculum. Those are usually the most important things.

Being a Good Homeschooler

Sometimes I feel like I am not a good homeschooler. I have a hard time keeping a schedule and completing our curriculum, despite spending hours planning out the school year. And re-planning. And re-planning.

Here is it the middle of July and we still have work to finish from this past "school year."

I had a plan to get it done, which we were supposed to start today, but here we are not doing it for what is, of course, another good reason.

I always have a good reason for not doing what I had planned.

Don't get me wrong, the kids have learned tons of stuff this year.

The D is a voracious reader. All I have to do is pick out a few non-fiction books at the library and, when he is done reading the books he picked out, usually within a day or two, he will inevitably pick the non-fiction books up to read when he gets bored between library trips. I am certain he learned lots this year about a variety of subjects.

Big E has learned lots, too. Between the books he read, the videos he watched, and what The D told him about the books he read - he loves to share what he learns - I am confident that Big E has learned a lot this year, too.

We have also done science experiments together, explored topics online, gone on field trips, and even though we didn't finish the math curriculum we were working on, we do math problems together all of the time in practical, everyday settings.

I love math and never miss an opportunity to teach the boys about it. I've even gotten Bob into the habit. As I look over at the dry erase board now, I can see where he was showing the boys the night before last how to figure out the hypotenuse of a right triangle using the Pythagorean theorem.

My problem, I think, is that I don't have a neat and tidy package of written work to send to the state to prove that they learned something.

I went through this last year, too.

That's what frustrates me about the homeschooling laws here. I know that the kids have learned a lot of stuff, but I get really stressed out over the prospect of proving that to the pencil-pushers over at the state Department of Education.

It's not that I am not a good homeschooler; it's that I am not a homeschooler that looks good on paper to a bunch of educrats.

Now I just need to figure out if that realization is supposed to make me feel better or frustrate the dickens out of me.

Curriculum Review: Saxon Math 2 and 3

Someone on the Homeschooling Boys Yahoo group had a question about whether or not to buy the teacher's editions for Saxon Math for the lower grades, which got me thinking that I should write up my review for Saxon Math 2 and 3.

When I first started homeschooling, The D was going into third grade and Big E was going into second, so I bought Saxon Math 2 and Saxon Math 3.

I only bought the student workbooks, in order to save money. After all, it was lower-elementary math and I have bachelor's in mathematics, for Pete's sake. How hard could it be?

Well, it wasn't hard, but there were a lot of pages in the book that I did not know how to use.

For each lesson, there is a double-sided worksheet. The problems on each side are the same type of problems. There are review problems and problems from that day's lesson.

Without the teacher's edition, I would work through one side of the worksheet with the child, explaining the things that he didn't know. Then, I would have him complete the other side himself.

If there was something that he did not do correctly, I would make up some extra practice problems.

The workbook also contains some extra sheets that go with the daily lesson. Many of these I did not know how to use.

The teacher's book also contains oral assessments that are not in the student book, though the written assessments are.

I ended up buying the teacher's editions about half-way through the year. This was a much better way to do it.

I went through the daily lessons and then had the child do the first side of the worksheet. If extra practice was needed, I could have him do that type of problem on the other side of the worksheet. No more need to make up extra problems.

I found they rarely needed extra practice because the lessons are very thorough.

The lessons are even scripted, for the parent who is weak in math, lacks confidence, or just wants a curriculum that makes lesson preparation very easy on her.

Saxon focuses on math fact memorization, manipulative use, mental math, and learning a fundamental math vocabulary. It provides a good solid foundation for mathematics success.

The daily worksheets provide practice of the skill learned in the current day's lesson, but also reinforces previously learned skills, by providing additional practice.

There are also timed drills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

Overall, I really enjoyed using Saxon Math 2 and 3, and so did the boys. We used a different program this year, just to see what else was out there, and ended up going back to Saxon.

The Saxon website provides additional information, scope and sequence, and other resources and support.

Please consider purchasing Saxon Math from CBD - at a great price - through the links below or using the handy search box in the side bar of this blog. Purchases made through this blog will support our homeschool. Thank you.

Saxon Math 2, Home Study Kit
Saxon Math 3, Home Study Kit
Saxon Mathematics Homeschool Manipulatives Kit

Technorati tags: homeschool, home education, saxon math, curriculum reviews

Free Stuff

I thought this looked interesting. The History Channel has some free educational resources available.

Historians and other educators at The History Channel are creating multidisciplinary teacher's manuals, available to educators on a complimentary basis. Each manual features primary sources, portfolio projects, vocabulary, and creative activities. Join teachers around America and get your students involved in the Save Our History initiative, where history combines with science, math, geography, and language arts topics to bring the past alive in the classroom. Indicate the manual of your choice. You may order all of the manuals listed.

I ordered some, but I didn't want to wait until they came to post the link; they might not be available then.

Homeschooling is Okay, Unless You're a Fundy

Okay, now that I have a little time, I am going to rant a little about that anti-homeschooling post I was talking about yesterday.

Since kestrel9000 has since backpedaled from his original agreement with the statement that, "home schooling does more damage than it does good, and should not be allowed to be a continued practice," I'm going to turn from his post and, instead, look at a few of the comments made there.

Maybe there is a distinction

I'm an educator and I've interacted with homeschooled students who come to me for private music lessons. There is a "right" way to homeschool such as mataliandy mentions downthread and there is the fundy way. There are plenty of legitimate homeschoolers out there. I've seen plenty of homeschoolers who go on to be successful in college and in their adult lives. The distinction should be made between Christofascist homeschooling and people who have children who do not fit into their school system for whatever reason.

And the comment by mataliandy referenced above...

As a homeschooling parent...

I have to say the brush is awfully broad.

I agree that the dominionists and others who teach revisionist history, creation "science," and other junk academics are harming their children.

However, in our homeschooling, we use real literature, the actual constitution, field trips to science museums, aquariums, Washington DC, and other places involving real history & science, we do actual science experiments, involve math in everyday activities, and so on. We talk A LOT about current events (heh, probably true of all kossacks), and historical precedents. We talk about peoples' perceptions, and how the media manipulates what we think. We also go out of our way to keep the kids involved in community and sports activities, ensuring they spend time with kids of all ages and diverse socio-economic & ethnic backgrounds.

In short, though we provide a different experience from the school model, we provide a great deal of depth, and (I hope) do a good job of educating our kids.

In the mean time, we happily pay our school taxes, so other kids can get a decent education, even if their parents can't or don't want to do what we do.

Translation: If you agree with us, you should be allowed to homeschool, but if you don't, then, no way.

I would like to think that the problem with that line of thinking is self-explanatory, but the blogosphere continues to chip away at my idealistic naivete on a daily basis, so I will attempt an explanation.

There is a "right" way to homeschool ... and there is the fundy way.

Determining one's fitness to homeschool based on whether or not you agree with their ideology and/or religious views is wrong for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that you might not be the one deciding the fitness criterion in the future.

I mean, do you really want that line drawn when you want to homeschool, but the people deciding the acceptability standard are not like you?

I cannot believe there are actual participants in our democratic process that are so exclusive in how they think rights should be appropriated.

News flash: There is this little thing called Freedom of Religion that actually prohibits the government from disallowing certain parents to homeschool because they hold religious view you oppose.

*Deep breaths* ...Charity suddenly remembers the downside to political blogging...

What I find funny is that what mataliandy describes is exactly what many "fundy" homeschooler do, in addition to teaching young earth creation and providential history.

So now what? How are you going to weed out the "bad" ones, huh? How will you separate out those using the "fundy method" if their kids can parrot back all of the facts you want them to know, but still believe what their parents believe? What then?

Here's the thing, despite watching hours of "real" science videos and reading "real" science books from our secular library on evolution my kids still believe that God is creator, that He created man, and that we do not share a common ancestor with apes.

Oh yeah, and I didn't tell them that.

I have actually tried to play Devil's advocate and open their minds a little bit on the issue. I don't fully know how to reconcile God and science. The Bible provides an insufficient account to know exactly what happened, so I don't pretend to know all of the answers.

The bottom line is that they can pass all of the secular science tests that you could possibly throw at them, but they will likely still emerge from their homeschool experience believing in creation.

So how are you going to stop us from infecting our children with the fundy virus?

Here's a word of advice; ripping them out of their home and putting them back in the public school that failed to meet their needs will only drive them further away from your world view.

The thing that really peeves me about this is that there are homeschoolers out there who refuse to recognize that all parents have a right to homeschool, not just the ones that attend the local Democracy for America meet-ups.

Okay, rant over. We now resume regularly scheduled bland, homeschool mommy blogging.

Technorati tags: homeschooling, freedom, home education, daily kos

A GMDer Mentioned in the CoH (and not in a good way)

I've been staying away from political posts - heck, I've been staying away from politics altogether - but I had to get this off my chest. Besides, it came to me by way of the Carnival of Homeschooling.

Man, I can't get away from those guys over at Green Mountain Daily. Even when I am not reading it, they find me.

Imagine my surprise when I went over to read the CoH and found that Ed Garcia (aka kestrel9000) was being taken to task by Alasandra for his anti-homeschooling post on Daily Kos.

I just wonder how these civil libertarians find a way to justify their view that the state has the right to force parents to raise their children a certain way (their way, of course).

One of these days I am going to take the time to do a montage of their deep-rooted hypocrisy and blatant double-standards.

Just not today.

Speaking of Homeschooling

The Carnival of Homeschooling is over at Why Homeschool this week with "The Top 10 Reasons to Homeschool."