Category Archives: Homeschoooling

Homeschoooling

Heart of the Matter

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“Clearly there is an appropriate kind of sheltering. When those who are opposed to homeschooling accuse me of sheltering my children, my reply is always, ‘What are you going to accuse me of next, feeding and clothing them?” ~R.C. Sproul Jr

Heart of the Matter asked us to comment on this quote. I am constantly amazed that education is not put in the same category as food and shelter. I have many friends whom I respect that send their kids to public school but… I am really frustrated with these people who think that homeschooling is doing a disservice to our children (versus it just not being a choice for them). If I wanted to be a homeschooling extremist I could make a strong case for public school to not be the norm.

In the US it is our responsibility to feed, clothe and shelter our children. When we are unable or unwilling to do that the government will step in. It means you don’t have as many choices as to what your child eats, wears or lives but it gets the basics done. Public school can be viewed similarly, as educational welfare. When you send your child to public school you are ceding both some of your responsibilities and your privileges as a parent such as time school starts, the standards, the curriculum, etc. Now that is fine if that is the choice you make but how is it that I am the one failing my kids? (Is it obvious that I have heard a lot of homeschool bashing lately?)

Homeschoooling, politics

Homeschoolers: Be Ye Attentive But Not Panicked

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I have been emailed quite a bit about the ruling that came down in LA County last week. Some people had wondered if I had heard about it while I have been sick since I hadn’t blogged on it. Yes, I have heard but I am not worried, yet. First of all, I encourage everyone to read the ruling. Don’t rely on news reports, articles and others to give you a picture. Go find out for yourself.

Having read the ruling (or what ever it is the court released), I have strong concerns but nothing has actually changed yet. The most concerning part is this part:

It is clear to us that enrollment and
attendance in a public full-time day school is required by California law for minor
children unless (1) the child is enrolled in a private full-time day school and actually
attends that private school, (2) the child is tutored by a person holding a valid state
teaching credential for the grade being taught, or (3) one of the other few statutory
exemptions to compulsory public school attendance (Ed. Code, ยง 48220 et seq.) applies
to the child.

While this is very alarming as a legal precedent, nothing has changed. You can still go file your forms to homeschool in the State of California. Now the HSLDA is currently doing many things to deal with this ruling. The big one that has made it around the homeschooling internet is the petition to get the ruling depublished. From what I have read, depublishing the verdict means nothing has changed. Then this ruling will not be reversed but it will not be considered part of the body of law which constitutes legal precedent. On the whole I am not a big fan of depublishing any verdicts. I think it should either right or wrong. This is a very political way to tell the court what they did in that case was right but let’s not use it for everyone. Some things I have read said that this is the easiest way to deal with it because it rocks the boat the least.

I don’t really think that the State of California is going to change how we homeschool or if they do, not very much. A big benefit that I do see out of all of this is unification. I am on a few yahoo groups and I am seeing secular, unschoolers, and Christians homeschoolers banding together for a common cause. I think this is great! Studies have shown that homeschooling in whatever form is better for the kids and for society. We need to come together and protect our rights together! I would love to see the homeschoolers of California to maintain some of this unity after this issue has been dealt with.

Technorati Tags: homeschooling, California

Homeschoooling

How to get a boy to do his work.

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So here is the issue I need advice on. As everyone knows, I homeschool a 6 year old boy (NerdBug). When I sit him right next to me and am on him like white on rice, he gets his homework done in about 1/3 of the time. So should I sit on him to get him to do it or let him fritter away his day? If he is left to spend forever, what activities should the homework replace? IE, we stop homework to eat, do chores but should all free time be up for grabs? He is only 6. By the way, if he just does the work with me it only takes 30 minutes to an hour a day.

Thanks in advance for the advice

Homeschoooling, science, Video

YouTube and Homeschooling

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Does anyone else remember the animated science show on PBS called Eureka? Well, it is probably not surprising that bother NerdDad and I loved this show as kids. So NerdDad set to searching this out for the Nerdlings and Eureka! he found them. There are 30 pieces of episodes over at YouTube. We have downloaded them and uploaded them to the Tivo. NerdBug and NerdPie are loving them. They may not understand all the complex science but they ask to watch them over and over. So I am sure that the science will sink in! So I don’t know who BubbleBear83 is but I appreciate the effort. Now that is using the Internet to our advantage!

Homeschoooling

LionCon

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This was posted in one of my Yahoo Groups. I thought that some of you might be interested! Go over and check it out!

Welcome to LionCon 2008!

Narniafans, Narniaweb, and The Lion’s Call are gathering Narnia and C.S. Lewis experts and fans from across the country for a weekend of fun in sunny Southern California.

Dates:

June 20-22, 2008

Location:

Biola University
La Mirada, CA
about 15 minutes from Disneyland

Price

Early Registration: $65 base price

Homeschoooling

Where I Homeschool

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Homeschooling can take place anywhere and any time. I personally have 3 spots that I use consistently to do real schooling (versus computer games, board games, outdoor observations, etc). The first is group activities like art and history activities. That happens at the kitchen table so I can sit everyone up at once and help them all.

Then for the NerdBug (who is the only official schooler) I have him do a lot of work at the kitchen island. It keeps him close enough to observe without sitting on him. I usually cook or clean the kitchen at the same time.

Then we have reading time on the couch. We read history, science books, literature, well just about anything. We all snuggle in before naptime just about everyday and read together.

So where do you homeschool?

education, Homeschoooling

Learning, Competing, Rice

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There is this great Vocab building game over at Free Rice. You match the word to the meaning. If you get it wrong they give you the answer but if you get it right, that is when it gets interesting. First, you get a new word and the difficulty builds. Second, for each word you get right they donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. The amount you can play is unlimited. Go play, learn and have fun.

child rearing, Homeschoooling

Heart of the Matter

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I found out about this Friday meme over at Heart of the Matter where you post your thoughts about the following quote.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
– William Butler Yeats

I love this imagery for a couple of reasons. A fire being is active versus a pail that is static. The pail is filled by someone else where as a fire consumes its own fuel and if you don’t provide it, it will reach out and grab it if it is near. A pail is the same filled or empty, but a fire will die without fuel. A pail can only carry so much but a fire can burn forever.

The imagery of the fire is what I desire for my children. It isn’t about individual facts but a love for learning and a yearn for more. The unquenchable fire…..

So what do you think?

Homeschoooling, humor, life

I Guess I Got What I Want and Deserve

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So Friday we had a typical laid back day. We got up and did all out normal breakfast, chores, etc. Then we read Chapter 5 in Story of the World which is on the first unifying ruler in the Sumer area in Mesopotamia (Argon). With in the chapter it briefly introduced the concept of Military Dictatorship, which is how Argon ruled his new country. They loosely go this concept and I told them we could talk about it later.

So we all go get on shoes and go to Costco so we can take advantage of getting in early (with our Executive Membership). One of the nice things about going at this time is there is almost no one there and the kids get cookies. So we eat our cookies and are cruising the aisles and NerdBug brings up Military Dictatorship. So we start talking about it. NerdPie then asks if Argon is still there as a country. Then are there still Military Dictatorships? As we are walking through the store I see people staring. Then the Nerdling (2 1/2) starts saying, rather loudly (but not yelling), military dictatorship over and over. People were staring and not in a good way. So I try to change the subject to the alphabet and songs, didn’t work. Then 1 couple says quietly, “Do you homeschool?” To which I say yes and keep walking. Then another woman that I had seen in a couple of aisles asks also. I say yes. Then she engages me in a conversation about what are we studying and other such details. She is looking for supplemental materials for her very bright kids that are in public school.

All I could think through the whole trip is, “Couldn’t you guys keep you nerdiness at home?” Then it hit me, this is what I always wanted and how I raised them to be. Sure, we are a little different but should them wanting knowledge that seems to be above them really be a bad thing? I helped make them this way. That is the joy of homeschool, you sometimes get just what you really want;).

(Now, in telling part of this story at my Growing Kids God’s Way Class tonight I was told I am definitely living up to my blog name;)