Sunday, October 22, 206
By MICHELLE PITTMAN
The Express-Times
One of the most common concerns critics express about home-schooled students is they will have a hard time later in life getting along with others.
Not interacting with peers when they are young robs home-schooled students of basic social skills, critics claim.It is a concern, because it's tied up with what how sheltered do you want your child to be," said Saul Grossman, a professor at Temple University's Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies. "A lot of home-schooled kids are pretty sheltered, and you have to ask if that's best for the child."
But many home-schooling parents insist it's simply not true.
"Many people assume the only way a child can learn to play with others is to be in a classroom of 20 other kids the same calendar age, sitting at desks six hours a day," said Jill Drake, one of the founders of The Kids Homeschool Network. "How does spending your entire day with age-grouped peers prepare you to socialize in the diverse real world? Other than 13 years in public school, when do you spend the majority of your day with people within two years of your age?
Read entire article by clicking on the title.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
CRASH COURSE
CRASH COURSE
IN CLASSROOM COLLECTIVISM
By: Frederick Meekin
Each year as the school year gets underway, I write a column about the mandatory communalism that takes place in numerous schools across the country where unsuspecting students and parents are forced to surrender their supplies to educational authorities, deemed by the state to be of superior enlightenment than those actually acquiring the school supplies, for redistribution as these demagogic pedagogues see fit. While satisfying to write as there are few topics as visceral as one’s school experiences and the attachment one has to one’s possessions, somehow these most debated of my epistles somehow felt incomplete as they primarily dealt with a symptom rather than the underlying disease. For the socialistic communitarians that have infiltrated the public school system and taken it over for the most part do not primarily want your paper and pencils; the thing the really lust over are the hearts and minds of your children.
Usually, those concerned about the state of the public school system are told that if they don’t like how things are run, they are perfectly free to withdraw their children and pursue private or home-based alternatives to their liking. Overall, better advice could not be given; however, in the years and decades ahead such wisdom will prove to be charmingly naive and old fashioned.
For if things continue along their current path, there will probably be a day when it will be against the law to educate one’s offspring in anything but a state-run school. Already devotees of secularism and radicalism are laying down the perceptual framework necessary to bring about the paradigm shift as to whom has the ultimate authority over the minds of the young.
Colleges and Universities go on Homeschool Recruiting Spree
by Josh Montez
by Josh Montez
| | |
| |
With an estimated 2-million homeschoolers in the U.S., news reports say homeschooled kids are in demand because of their considerable academic skills.
Gloria Mohler went to a Baptist college in Iowa and pursued artwork on the side. She says her college didn’t turn her away because she graduated from home school.
“I was warmly welcomed; there were many other homeschoolers that went to this school that I attended and it was quite evident that, sometimes, the homeschoolers did study more and they felt more personal responsibility.”
That’s exactly what colleges look for. Barmak Nassirian with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers says it has taken homeschoolers and colleges about 10 years to get to know each other a little better.
Read article by clicking on title.
Homeschooling Makes the Grade
The number of Hoosier families relying on homeschooling has risen by 400 percent in the last five years.
Locally, much of that growth is coming from children who previously attended the region's lowest-performing schools.
In the 2005-06 school year, at least 23,455 Indiana families obtained private school numbers from the state -- a voluntary step -- to pull students from schools to try another approach.
No ISTEP tests. Often no desks.
Sometimes no textbooks.
While local districts have seen dramatic increases in the number of children homeschooled, the total is still small: Just 2 percent of students statewide are homeschooled.
Locally, families are using parent-designed education to further educational beliefs, pursue religious training or avoid the pitfalls of public and charter schools.
Ethnic families embrace it
Local trends track national ones, showing a stronger embrace of the homeschool option among ethnic groups, particularly black families.
Read article by clicking on the title.
Friday, October 06, 2006
School Violence Putting a Focus on Homeschooling
While parents do it for various reasons, some may start looking at recent violence in schools as a viable reason to homeschool thier children.
October 4th, 2006 @ 7:59am
KSL Newsradio's Chelsea Hedquist reporting
It's been a horrible couple of weeks for public schools, with fatal shootings in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Wisconsin. We've also heard stories of teachers sexually abusing their students. It's all got parents questioning the safety of public schools, and taking a closer look at homeschooling.
Six-year-old Jack Blackburn sits at his kitchen playing with his blocks. This is just another part of his school day. He and his brother, Marcus, are homeschooled by their mother, Nikki Blackburn.
"We've been toying with physics lately," said Blackburn. "We've built mouse trap cars, we have been talking about simple machines and how they work."
This learning environment is far removed from the violence we've seen this past week in schools. But Blackburn says her choice to homeschool was about being committed to her children's education, not about safety.
To read this article, please click on the title.
October 4th, 2006 @ 7:59am
KSL Newsradio's Chelsea Hedquist reporting
It's been a horrible couple of weeks for public schools, with fatal shootings in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Wisconsin. We've also heard stories of teachers sexually abusing their students. It's all got parents questioning the safety of public schools, and taking a closer look at homeschooling.
Six-year-old Jack Blackburn sits at his kitchen playing with his blocks. This is just another part of his school day. He and his brother, Marcus, are homeschooled by their mother, Nikki Blackburn.
"We've been toying with physics lately," said Blackburn. "We've built mouse trap cars, we have been talking about simple machines and how they work."
This learning environment is far removed from the violence we've seen this past week in schools. But Blackburn says her choice to homeschool was about being committed to her children's education, not about safety.
To read this article, please click on the title.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
A new chapter in education: unschooling
Note: They are just now learning about unschooling??? Hmmmm.
To read entire article from MSNBC please click on the title.
Controversial home-taught approach lets kids take the lead in learning
To read entire article from MSNBC please click on the title.
Controversial home-taught approach lets kids take the lead in learning
By Victoria Clayton
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 12:22 a.m. ET Oct 2, 2006
It’s a Monday afternoon in Mar Vista, Calif., and while other 9-year-olds might be fidgeting at their desks, Isobel Dowdee has played all morning and is now joining her mother and two sisters on a big blanket in their front yard.
Mom, Heather Cushman-Dowdee, keeps the younger girls, Fiona, 5, and Gwyneth, 2, busy drawing pictures. For Isobel, she’s made a large grid with numbers down the side and across the top so her daughter can fill in the multiplication answers. Not that Cushman-Dowdee cares if Isobel does the chart. It’s just that the girl actually wants to do it. Occasionally they play math games or sing counting songs.
For the past three weeks this has been the ritual — Math Mondays they’ve taken to calling it. Yet Cushman-Dowdee bristles at the idea that this is any kind of mathematics class. That’s absolutely against what she and her husband, Kevin Dowdee, believe in.
“The kids love it so far, but I am open to them changing their mind. We adapt and alter what we are doing all of the time,” says Cushman-Dowdee, an artist and cartoonist.
The Dowdees’ ultra-relaxed learning is called “unschooling.” It’s a fast-growing subset of homeschooling that turns traditional education on its ear.
A new chapter in education: unschooling
Note: They are just now learning about unschooling??? Hmmmm.
To read entire article from MSNBC please click on the title.
Controversial home-taught approach lets kids take the lead in learning
To read entire article from MSNBC please click on the title.
Controversial home-taught approach lets kids take the lead in learning
By Victoria Clayton
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 12:22 a.m. ET Oct 2, 2006
It’s a Monday afternoon in Mar Vista, Calif., and while other 9-year-olds might be fidgeting at their desks, Isobel Dowdee has played all morning and is now joining her mother and two sisters on a big blanket in their front yard.
Mom, Heather Cushman-Dowdee, keeps the younger girls, Fiona, 5, and Gwyneth, 2, busy drawing pictures. For Isobel, she’s made a large grid with numbers down the side and across the top so her daughter can fill in the multiplication answers. Not that Cushman-Dowdee cares if Isobel does the chart. It’s just that the girl actually wants to do it. Occasionally they play math games or sing counting songs.
For the past three weeks this has been the ritual — Math Mondays they’ve taken to calling it. Yet Cushman-Dowdee bristles at the idea that this is any kind of mathematics class. That’s absolutely against what she and her husband, Kevin Dowdee, believe in.
“The kids love it so far, but I am open to them changing their mind. We adapt and alter what we are doing all of the time,” says Cushman-Dowdee, an artist and cartoonist.
The Dowdees’ ultra-relaxed learning is called “unschooling.” It’s a fast-growing subset of homeschooling that turns traditional education on its ear.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Hitting the Books at Home
Families still drawn to educating children at home
BY SHELDON TRAVER
Appeal Tribune
September 27
SILVERTON – While rarely completely isolated, traditional home schooled children are often considered different or strange among students in mainstream classrooms
However, changes are afoot as more parents break ties with traditional brick and mortar schools and turn to home schooling as a workable alternative. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, these changes are happening at a quicker rate than previously experienced. One study conducted by the governmental agency showed there were roughly 850,000 home schooled kids in 1999 and 1.1 million by 2003.
Read article by clicking on title.
BY SHELDON TRAVER
Appeal Tribune
September 27
SILVERTON – While rarely completely isolated, traditional home schooled children are often considered different or strange among students in mainstream classrooms
However, changes are afoot as more parents break ties with traditional brick and mortar schools and turn to home schooling as a workable alternative. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, these changes are happening at a quicker rate than previously experienced. One study conducted by the governmental agency showed there were roughly 850,000 home schooled kids in 1999 and 1.1 million by 2003.
Read article by clicking on title.
UC Riverside Taps Into Rich Vein of Homeschool Students
An “Information Day” is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 on campus to answer questions about a homeschool admissions program based on the review of a student portfolio.
(September 13, 2006)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) -- Robert Wilkinson of Chino Hills was homeschooled all his life, and will be among the freshmen who start at UC Riverside this month.
Robert, 17, submitted a portfolio of his work that earned him a spot on campus and a scholarship offer. He was one of 16 people who applied through a year-old admissions program that uses a faculty committee to review the work of homeschooled and other nontraditionally educated students. His homeschooled sister, Stephanie, earned a place on campus the year before in the traditional way, with a combination of high test scores and grades.
Click on title to read entire article.
(September 13, 2006)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) -- Robert Wilkinson of Chino Hills was homeschooled all his life, and will be among the freshmen who start at UC Riverside this month.
Robert, 17, submitted a portfolio of his work that earned him a spot on campus and a scholarship offer. He was one of 16 people who applied through a year-old admissions program that uses a faculty committee to review the work of homeschooled and other nontraditionally educated students. His homeschooled sister, Stephanie, earned a place on campus the year before in the traditional way, with a combination of high test scores and grades.
Click on title to read entire article.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Blacks take education into their own hands
Leslie Fulbright, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, September 25, 2006
Suisun City parents Benjamin and Tanya Marshall are part of a new homeschooling movement led by African American families fed up with the public school system.
Nine years ago, the couple put their oldest son, Trevaughn, in kindergarten after discussing teaching him at home. When he had a substitute teacher several times in his first six weeks, they pulled him out.
"We felt like it wasn't the right environment, especially for an African American boy," said Tanya Marshall, 36. "The teachers were young and nervous. Black males were not being challenged and ending up in special ed."
Trevaughn, now 14, has been taught at home ever since. The couple also homeschools their two younger sons, 11 and 9, and their daughter, 12.
"We wanted to be the main and driving influence in our children's lives," said Benjamin Marshall, 37. "We didn't want them socialized with marijuana smokers and pregnant teens."
Go to the article by clicking on the Title above.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Suisun City parents Benjamin and Tanya Marshall are part of a new homeschooling movement led by African American families fed up with the public school system.
Nine years ago, the couple put their oldest son, Trevaughn, in kindergarten after discussing teaching him at home. When he had a substitute teacher several times in his first six weeks, they pulled him out.
"We felt like it wasn't the right environment, especially for an African American boy," said Tanya Marshall, 36. "The teachers were young and nervous. Black males were not being challenged and ending up in special ed."
Trevaughn, now 14, has been taught at home ever since. The couple also homeschools their two younger sons, 11 and 9, and their daughter, 12.
"We wanted to be the main and driving influence in our children's lives," said Benjamin Marshall, 37. "We didn't want them socialized with marijuana smokers and pregnant teens."
Go to the article by clicking on the Title above.
Friday, August 18, 2006
For some, it's back to...home: Teens give homeschooling high marks
By Denise Etheridge
Northeast Georgia Homeschoolers and their parents award homeschooling high marks. Homeschooled teens from White, Hall and Habersham counties say they are getting a quality education by staying home, and they believe themselves to be as socially active as their public school counterparts. Homeschooling parents say they like the flexibility homeschooling affords family schedules and that they can tailor their child's education to his or her individual needs.
Read entire article by clicking on the title above.
Northeast Georgia Homeschoolers and their parents award homeschooling high marks. Homeschooled teens from White, Hall and Habersham counties say they are getting a quality education by staying home, and they believe themselves to be as socially active as their public school counterparts. Homeschooling parents say they like the flexibility homeschooling affords family schedules and that they can tailor their child's education to his or her individual needs.
Read entire article by clicking on the title above.
Parents blind to kids' drug use
Newsday Staff Writer
August 18, 2006
A national survey released yesterday documents an open secret in many communities: Just because mom and dad are home doesn't mean kids aren't partying with drugs and alcohol.
Nearly one-third of the 1,297 young people, aged 12 to 17, interviewed in the random survey reported use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy and prescription drugs at house parties where host parents turned a blind eye.
Building the future, one child at a time
Hometown
| Article published Aug 17, 2006 Building the future, one child at a time "While children only make up a small portion of our population — they are 100 percent of our future." As you read this, somewhere in your neighborhood, state and nation a child is receiving the message that they are "slow," "incapable," that they are "no good" or will "never amount to anything." From time to time, we hear on the radio, see on TV or read the horror stories of physical and sexual abuse perpetrated on our most vulnerable citizens. These stories make us sick and we quake with anger over how cruel adults can be. While less visible, the constant negative messages that some parents, teachers and other adults drill into our children's heads take their toll too. How many Bill Gates, Henry Fords, Booker T. Washingtons, Harriet Tubmans, Albert Einsteins and Fredrick Douglaseshas our society lost because a child's spirit has been crushed by an adult entrusted to raise them up? Not all successful people had ideal childhoods. Many of the people mentioned above overcame great odds to see their dreams become reality. The world is full of successful people who were once considered "slow," "different," or "odd" and were told they would never amount to anything. Those who escaped the negativity were fortunate to discover someone who believed in them — even if that only person was them! All people have the inherent capacity to effect change in their lives and we owe it to all of our children to provide them with the tools to help them succeed. Quality education is a great equalizer in this world. Our collective future is sitting in our classrooms today. The viability of our society, the strength of our economy, the quality of our lives, the vibrancy of our democracy and our place in the world all depend on how we educate our youth. When children are taught to hate, they hate, as we see in far too many situations across our nation and the world today. We need to give children the best start in life possible, filling them with love and knowledge along the way. Yet, believe it or not, and as tragic as it is, far too many of our children enter kindergarten or first grade not knowing their numbers, alphabet or colors. They do not know how to read because, not only have they not been read to, they have not been cuddled and loved. Human tragedy is compounded when a child begins life with the emotional scars of negativity ingrained so deeply that they seldom recover. For Michigan to be healthy, we need all of our children to be physically, emotionally and intellectually healthy. We need to create a shared vision and common agenda across this region and across our great state where every child has a sense of worth, where we all accept responsibility for ourselves, our families, our communities and society at large. We must nurture our children, families and communities in ways that build a quality of life for today and tomorrow. Here are some suggestions for building up our children and simultaneously building strong communities and likewise, a strong state and nation:
Further, take a moment to reflect on your life. Recall that special time when an adult, parent, pastor, grandparent, teacher, or coach made you feel like you were on the top of the world. Often it was a simple gesture: a kind word, a pat on the back, attending your piano recital, cheerleading event or football game — or just knowing that this person believed in you and was there for you. Yet, as simple as the gesture was, we can still recall with great intensity the joy we felt knowing that a special adult was there. When an adult touches your life in a positive way, it is a memory of a lifetime! Take a few minutes to call or visit that special person who made such a difference in your life and thank them for helping make you the successful adult you are today. Perhaps more important than saying "thank you"— emulate them. Promise yourself that you will take extra steps today and everyday to build up, and not tear down, your and others' children. The children of the world will become our collective future. Think how your small acts of kindness can help shape the world. Remember, the world would be a much cleaner place if we all sweep our own doorstep — think how clean it would be if we helped to sweep our neighbors'! Tom Watkins is a business and education consultant. He served as State Superintendent of Schools 2001-2005 and President and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, FL, 1996-2001. Read his internationally recognized report: The New Education (R)evolution at www.nacol.org. He can be reached at tdwatkins@aol.com |
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
A Study in Critical Thinking (Looking at Compulsory Education and the Push for an Earlier Start)
A Study in Critical Thinking (Looking at Compulsory Education and the Push for an Earlier Start)
by Wayne Walker
Wayne Walker is the publisher and editor of the Online Newsletter, HEADSUP (HOMESCHOOL EDUCATORS ON ACTIVE DUTY, SENDING UPWARD PRAISES). He writes the following article as a father and citizen concerned about the push for mandated pre-school programs in his state of Missouri and which seems to be prevalent across the U.S. It was written in response to an article that appeared in his local newspaper on the subject.
When compulsory school attendance laws were originally passed beginning in the mid to late 1800's and into the early 1900's, many states did not start compulsory attendance until age seven because it was commonly accepted that a lot of children were not developmentally able to handle the stress of school at ages five and six. However, as more and more socialist-thinking people, who viewed their role as changing society to fit their ideas, came to be in control of the educational establishment, an effort was made to get children away from their parents' control and into government-approved indoctrination centers at earlier and earlier ages. First, many states lowered the compulsory attendance age to six. Next came the push for mandatory kindergarten. Now, there is a move to demand mandatory pre-kindergarten classes for allchildren.
In the May 17, 2006, issue of the South County Journal, a free, local weekly newspaper in our area, there was a letter by Catherine Martarella headlines "PK-3: Maximizing children's potential." It appeared to be one of those generically prepared letters on an issue that are mass mailed to all media outlets to see how many will publish them. Catherine Martarella is the program director for Citizens for Missouri's Children, an organization founded in 1983 as a state-wide advocate for child protection, early care and education, health and mental health care and youth development. It is always good to know a little bit about the background and views of an organization to help one understand why they say and do certain things.
A check of the website of Citizens for Missouri's Children shows that their mission is "To advocate the rights and well-being of all Missouri's children, especially those with the greatest need." Their vision states, "We believe that all children in the state should benefit from public policies that guarantee they are protected and secure in nurturing environments, allowing them to thrive and grow to their greatest potential." This is so noble-sounding! Of course, everyone supports the well-being of all children. Yes, we agree that public policies should promote and support caring families in which children are protected and secure in nurturing environments, allowing them to thrive and grow to their greatest potential. However, notice what is missing in the quotes. There is no mention of "family" or "parents" anywhere! I have an idea this organization's view, when translated into simple language, is that government is better at protecting, securing, and nurturing children than their own families are.
Let us now look at the article itself. It begins, "As Missouri considers increasing its investment in prekindergarten, we must consider this public investment in early learning. Maximizing these public dollars requires aligning standards, curriculum and assessment from pre-kindergarten through kindergarten, and into the early elementary grades. That's the PK-3 approach. PK-3 begins with voluntary full-school-day pre-kindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-old children. Compulsory schooling begins in kindergarten with a curriculum that builds on pre-kindergarten experiences. Children learn social skills and self-discipline as well as reading and math."
When people who think that the government does a better job at anything that promotes increased government spending on their pet projects, why is it that they always call it a "public investment"? The answer is that they want someone else to pay for their plans. Obviously, someone is going to have to do all this "aligning standards, curriculum and assessment" and then monitor it. And who better to do that than the same leftists and government bureaucrats who are promoting it in the first place? What a wonderful way to guarantee their job security! And to control the minds of impressionable children in the process! See what I mean about getting children away from their parents at increasingly early ages? Voluntary full-school-day prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-old children? Why should anyone in his right mind think that three and four year old kids should be cooped up in a school room for six or eight hours every day, five days a week for half a year? Also, what starts out as "voluntary" (though usually under great pressure) eventually becomes "mandatory." Kindergarten used to be thought of as "voluntary" but now it is "mandatory" under this thinking. Finally, why cannot children learn social skills and self-discipline from parents and family? Or are parents nowadays just too stupid to teach their children these things?
However, there are supposed to be all kinds of benefits for this "public investment." According to the article, "Research supports the PK-3 approach. A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association tracked 1,500 disadvantaged minority children in Chicago for 16 years....Called the Child-Parent Centers, these programs were part of the Chicago Public School system. The study found that CPC participants were almost 30 percent more likely to complete high school than a comparison group of equally disadvantaged children." Someone has said that figures do not lie, but liars sure do figure.
What struck me about this research is that it only deals with disadvantaged children. Most of us would probably agree that in situations where children are growing up in a home where both mom and dad are away working all day or otherwise absent and there is hardly any parental supervision or nurturing it might be better for those children to be in an early learning center. However, to take these exceptional situations, apply the conclusions drawn from them across the board to all families, even those where the parents are present and nurturing, and then seek for laws to require every three and four year old to start PK-3 programs in public (or state-approved private) schools is the height of absurdity! These people really must think that all parents are just too stupid to raise their children, so the government, through PK-3 programs, will have to do it for them.
In another attempt at proving the benefits of PK-3 programs, the article says, "According to the recently released Child Well-Being Index (CWI) report, the rise in 9-year-old's math and reading performance as measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress ('the nation's report card') corresponds with the dramatic expansion of pre-kindergarten since the mid '90s." Notice carefully what is NOT said. It is not said, because there is evidently no evidence whatever to prove it, that the rise in 9-year-old's math and reading performance WAS CAUSED BY the dramatic expansion of pre-kindergarten. Ms. Martarella would undoubtedly have given her eyeteeth if she could have said that. But she did not because she could not, although she obviously seeks to imply it. All she could say was that the rise "corresponds with" the expansion. The truth is that there could be any number of other factors which may have contributed to the rise.
The stated reason (again, I believe that the real, unstated goal is to get children away from their parents and under state control as early as possible) for this mandatory early learning push is to give children a "Head Start" (the name of another similarly-aimed government anti-poverty program of questionable value) so that "children reach fourth grade equipped with the skills needed to learn at a higher level." Forty years ago, when I was in elementary school, what we accomplished in first, second, and third grades seemed to do quite nicely, thank you! But do such early learning programs really increase readiness? The research examined by Dr. Raymond and the late Dorothy Moore show otherwise. Dr. Moore was an official in the Reagan Education Department and shows in Better Late Than Early and School Can Wait, which led to their other books promoting homeschooling, Home Grown Kids and Home Spun Schools, that children who grew up with stimulating environments in nurturing homes until they were eight or nine did just as well in school when placed with other children their age without the danger of academic burnout.
This past year, there was a movement in California for universal preschool. Diane Flynn Keith in an article "Universal Preschool: What?s Behind the Claims That It Will Stop Crime, Secure Your Child?s Future, Save Social Security and Provide A Free Government Nanny!" (The Link; Volume 8, Issue 2; pp. 13, 22, 37, 49, 51) states, "In fact, there are a number of revered child development experts who strongly oppose the institutionalization of mainstream young children in academic programs and warn of the potential damage intellectually, psychologically, emotionally, socially and physically to them if separated from their parents and homes." She cites Mary Eberstadt?s Home Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs and Other Parent Substitutes and David Elkind's Miseducation: Preschoolers At Risk. She also quotes renowned educational psychologist and authority on brain development in children, Jane Healy, Ph.D., who in Your Child?s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning From Birth to Adolescence, says to parents, "Give your child the gift of patience for the broad-based mental experiences that will underlie joyous learning throughout life?Childhood is a process, not a product, and so is learning. In a society that often respects products more than the processes of creation and thought, it is easy to fall into the trap of anxiety over measuring achievement in isolated skills. Have faith in childhood and yourself. Children?s brains generally seek what they need, and nature has given you the instincts to help them get it."
Keith concludes, "For 80% of the preschool population, learning at home with loving parents -- who may also occasionally and thoughtfully use private and co-op preschool programs in their community that emphasize imaginative play and facilitate a child?s natural curiosity -- is a better model for the healthy intellectual, physical, social and emotional development of young children than any government preschool program could ever be. More than ever, parents need to be informed in order to maintain their right to determine the educational path of their own children without government mandates or interference....We should all care enough to examine the research and claims made in support of government funded and/or mandated universal preschool before we allow it to take hold."
Sharna Olfman, Ph. D., who is a clinical psychologist, an associate professor of Psychology in the Department of Humanities and Human Sciences at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA, and editor of the book All Work and No Play: How Educational Reforms are Harming our Preschoolers, issues similar warning in an article "The Push for Early Childhood Literacy: A Risk Factor in Child Psychopathology" (Home Educator's Family Times; March/April, 2006; pp. 8, 25). She concludes, "It is a striking paradox that as adults feel increasingly entitled to place their individual needs first, we are creating educational environments that do not respect children's individuality or their special status as children. We introduce concepts long before children are ready to master them, deny their need for play, subject them to uniform curricula and assessment, and label and drug the children who do not fit in. Our preoccupation with understanding the genetic and neurological bases of illness, while ignoring the power of the environment, also speaks to our increasingly mechanized conceptualization of human nature."
So, beware of attempts to mandate universal preschool. Home educating families will be affected if such programs are adopted. In states like Missouri where records have to be kept by homeschooling parents for students falling under the compulsory attendance ages, record keeping will become even more onerous as records will have to be kept for three, four, five, and six year olds as well as those who are actually of "school age." There is one more item in Catherine Martarella's article that I would like to point out. "To help qualified teachers make a career of early education, we must pay them what we pay all other elementary school teachers." Translation: Watch your pocketbook and look for a HUGE TAX INCREASE if these programs are adopted.
by Wayne Walker
Wayne Walker is the publisher and editor of the Online Newsletter, HEADSUP (HOMESCHOOL EDUCATORS ON ACTIVE DUTY, SENDING UPWARD PRAISES). He writes the following article as a father and citizen concerned about the push for mandated pre-school programs in his state of Missouri and which seems to be prevalent across the U.S. It was written in response to an article that appeared in his local newspaper on the subject.
When compulsory school attendance laws were originally passed beginning in the mid to late 1800's and into the early 1900's, many states did not start compulsory attendance until age seven because it was commonly accepted that a lot of children were not developmentally able to handle the stress of school at ages five and six. However, as more and more socialist-thinking people, who viewed their role as changing society to fit their ideas, came to be in control of the educational establishment, an effort was made to get children away from their parents' control and into government-approved indoctrination centers at earlier and earlier ages. First, many states lowered the compulsory attendance age to six. Next came the push for mandatory kindergarten. Now, there is a move to demand mandatory pre-kindergarten classes for allchildren.
In the May 17, 2006, issue of the South County Journal, a free, local weekly newspaper in our area, there was a letter by Catherine Martarella headlines "PK-3: Maximizing children's potential." It appeared to be one of those generically prepared letters on an issue that are mass mailed to all media outlets to see how many will publish them. Catherine Martarella is the program director for Citizens for Missouri's Children, an organization founded in 1983 as a state-wide advocate for child protection, early care and education, health and mental health care and youth development. It is always good to know a little bit about the background and views of an organization to help one understand why they say and do certain things.
A check of the website of Citizens for Missouri's Children shows that their mission is "To advocate the rights and well-being of all Missouri's children, especially those with the greatest need." Their vision states, "We believe that all children in the state should benefit from public policies that guarantee they are protected and secure in nurturing environments, allowing them to thrive and grow to their greatest potential." This is so noble-sounding! Of course, everyone supports the well-being of all children. Yes, we agree that public policies should promote and support caring families in which children are protected and secure in nurturing environments, allowing them to thrive and grow to their greatest potential. However, notice what is missing in the quotes. There is no mention of "family" or "parents" anywhere! I have an idea this organization's view, when translated into simple language, is that government is better at protecting, securing, and nurturing children than their own families are.
Let us now look at the article itself. It begins, "As Missouri considers increasing its investment in prekindergarten, we must consider this public investment in early learning. Maximizing these public dollars requires aligning standards, curriculum and assessment from pre-kindergarten through kindergarten, and into the early elementary grades. That's the PK-3 approach. PK-3 begins with voluntary full-school-day pre-kindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-old children. Compulsory schooling begins in kindergarten with a curriculum that builds on pre-kindergarten experiences. Children learn social skills and self-discipline as well as reading and math."
When people who think that the government does a better job at anything that promotes increased government spending on their pet projects, why is it that they always call it a "public investment"? The answer is that they want someone else to pay for their plans. Obviously, someone is going to have to do all this "aligning standards, curriculum and assessment" and then monitor it. And who better to do that than the same leftists and government bureaucrats who are promoting it in the first place? What a wonderful way to guarantee their job security! And to control the minds of impressionable children in the process! See what I mean about getting children away from their parents at increasingly early ages? Voluntary full-school-day prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-old children? Why should anyone in his right mind think that three and four year old kids should be cooped up in a school room for six or eight hours every day, five days a week for half a year? Also, what starts out as "voluntary" (though usually under great pressure) eventually becomes "mandatory." Kindergarten used to be thought of as "voluntary" but now it is "mandatory" under this thinking. Finally, why cannot children learn social skills and self-discipline from parents and family? Or are parents nowadays just too stupid to teach their children these things?
However, there are supposed to be all kinds of benefits for this "public investment." According to the article, "Research supports the PK-3 approach. A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association tracked 1,500 disadvantaged minority children in Chicago for 16 years....Called the Child-Parent Centers, these programs were part of the Chicago Public School system. The study found that CPC participants were almost 30 percent more likely to complete high school than a comparison group of equally disadvantaged children." Someone has said that figures do not lie, but liars sure do figure.
What struck me about this research is that it only deals with disadvantaged children. Most of us would probably agree that in situations where children are growing up in a home where both mom and dad are away working all day or otherwise absent and there is hardly any parental supervision or nurturing it might be better for those children to be in an early learning center. However, to take these exceptional situations, apply the conclusions drawn from them across the board to all families, even those where the parents are present and nurturing, and then seek for laws to require every three and four year old to start PK-3 programs in public (or state-approved private) schools is the height of absurdity! These people really must think that all parents are just too stupid to raise their children, so the government, through PK-3 programs, will have to do it for them.
In another attempt at proving the benefits of PK-3 programs, the article says, "According to the recently released Child Well-Being Index (CWI) report, the rise in 9-year-old's math and reading performance as measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress ('the nation's report card') corresponds with the dramatic expansion of pre-kindergarten since the mid '90s." Notice carefully what is NOT said. It is not said, because there is evidently no evidence whatever to prove it, that the rise in 9-year-old's math and reading performance WAS CAUSED BY the dramatic expansion of pre-kindergarten. Ms. Martarella would undoubtedly have given her eyeteeth if she could have said that. But she did not because she could not, although she obviously seeks to imply it. All she could say was that the rise "corresponds with" the expansion. The truth is that there could be any number of other factors which may have contributed to the rise.
The stated reason (again, I believe that the real, unstated goal is to get children away from their parents and under state control as early as possible) for this mandatory early learning push is to give children a "Head Start" (the name of another similarly-aimed government anti-poverty program of questionable value) so that "children reach fourth grade equipped with the skills needed to learn at a higher level." Forty years ago, when I was in elementary school, what we accomplished in first, second, and third grades seemed to do quite nicely, thank you! But do such early learning programs really increase readiness? The research examined by Dr. Raymond and the late Dorothy Moore show otherwise. Dr. Moore was an official in the Reagan Education Department and shows in Better Late Than Early and School Can Wait, which led to their other books promoting homeschooling, Home Grown Kids and Home Spun Schools, that children who grew up with stimulating environments in nurturing homes until they were eight or nine did just as well in school when placed with other children their age without the danger of academic burnout.
This past year, there was a movement in California for universal preschool. Diane Flynn Keith in an article "Universal Preschool: What?s Behind the Claims That It Will Stop Crime, Secure Your Child?s Future, Save Social Security and Provide A Free Government Nanny!" (The Link; Volume 8, Issue 2; pp. 13, 22, 37, 49, 51) states, "In fact, there are a number of revered child development experts who strongly oppose the institutionalization of mainstream young children in academic programs and warn of the potential damage intellectually, psychologically, emotionally, socially and physically to them if separated from their parents and homes." She cites Mary Eberstadt?s Home Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs and Other Parent Substitutes and David Elkind's Miseducation: Preschoolers At Risk. She also quotes renowned educational psychologist and authority on brain development in children, Jane Healy, Ph.D., who in Your Child?s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning From Birth to Adolescence, says to parents, "Give your child the gift of patience for the broad-based mental experiences that will underlie joyous learning throughout life?Childhood is a process, not a product, and so is learning. In a society that often respects products more than the processes of creation and thought, it is easy to fall into the trap of anxiety over measuring achievement in isolated skills. Have faith in childhood and yourself. Children?s brains generally seek what they need, and nature has given you the instincts to help them get it."
Keith concludes, "For 80% of the preschool population, learning at home with loving parents -- who may also occasionally and thoughtfully use private and co-op preschool programs in their community that emphasize imaginative play and facilitate a child?s natural curiosity -- is a better model for the healthy intellectual, physical, social and emotional development of young children than any government preschool program could ever be. More than ever, parents need to be informed in order to maintain their right to determine the educational path of their own children without government mandates or interference....We should all care enough to examine the research and claims made in support of government funded and/or mandated universal preschool before we allow it to take hold."
Sharna Olfman, Ph. D., who is a clinical psychologist, an associate professor of Psychology in the Department of Humanities and Human Sciences at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA, and editor of the book All Work and No Play: How Educational Reforms are Harming our Preschoolers, issues similar warning in an article "The Push for Early Childhood Literacy: A Risk Factor in Child Psychopathology" (Home Educator's Family Times; March/April, 2006; pp. 8, 25). She concludes, "It is a striking paradox that as adults feel increasingly entitled to place their individual needs first, we are creating educational environments that do not respect children's individuality or their special status as children. We introduce concepts long before children are ready to master them, deny their need for play, subject them to uniform curricula and assessment, and label and drug the children who do not fit in. Our preoccupation with understanding the genetic and neurological bases of illness, while ignoring the power of the environment, also speaks to our increasingly mechanized conceptualization of human nature."
So, beware of attempts to mandate universal preschool. Home educating families will be affected if such programs are adopted. In states like Missouri where records have to be kept by homeschooling parents for students falling under the compulsory attendance ages, record keeping will become even more onerous as records will have to be kept for three, four, five, and six year olds as well as those who are actually of "school age." There is one more item in Catherine Martarella's article that I would like to point out. "To help qualified teachers make a career of early education, we must pay them what we pay all other elementary school teachers." Translation: Watch your pocketbook and look for a HUGE TAX INCREASE if these programs are adopted.
At This School, Students Decide What To Learn
At This School, Students Decide What To Learn Posted 2006-07-24
By Brad Jenkins
It sounds like the kind of school a child dreams about: Kids make the rules, and they decide what they want to learn and when.
It’s how Sarah Diener Beachy grew up, and it’s how she wants to teach other students.
Beachy, a 27-year-old who lives just outside Harrisonburg, is the founder of Shenandoah Valley Community School, which enters the scene as public-school alternatives continue to gain attention.
Beachy’s private school, which opens next month with three students, may be the most unorthodox of the local options.
The school, according to its written philosophy statement, is a "noncoercive educational community in which students are free to pursue their interests and direct their own learning."
Each morning, Beachy will meet with students and find out what they want to learn. Beachy, a former public school teacher, will teach or she’ll call on volunteers from the community to teach more specialized lessons.
"We believe everyone has an intrinsic desire to learn," said Beachy, who took a year off her studies at Eastern Mennonite University to visit other learner-centered schools.
Read Article: Click on Title Above.
By Brad Jenkins
It sounds like the kind of school a child dreams about: Kids make the rules, and they decide what they want to learn and when.
It’s how Sarah Diener Beachy grew up, and it’s how she wants to teach other students.
Beachy, a 27-year-old who lives just outside Harrisonburg, is the founder of Shenandoah Valley Community School, which enters the scene as public-school alternatives continue to gain attention.
Beachy’s private school, which opens next month with three students, may be the most unorthodox of the local options.
The school, according to its written philosophy statement, is a "noncoercive educational community in which students are free to pursue their interests and direct their own learning."
Each morning, Beachy will meet with students and find out what they want to learn. Beachy, a former public school teacher, will teach or she’ll call on volunteers from the community to teach more specialized lessons.
"We believe everyone has an intrinsic desire to learn," said Beachy, who took a year off her studies at Eastern Mennonite University to visit other learner-centered schools.
Read Article: Click on Title Above.
Benefits of Homeschooling
Homeschool Benefits
As a home-school student I would like to answer some of Alison Farmer’s queries ("Public Schooling Is Best," July 21) about home education.
First, home-schoolers are not isolated. They cooperate in order to provide their children with many "academic possibilities." I have had the privilege of sitting under university accredited parents in multiple classes, including "adequate" science labs and "collaborative" Shakespeare discussions. No home-school parent would claim to be proficient in all subjects, but by each sharing talents and knowledge it becomes achievable.
Second, home schoolers do "lose out on the socialization of a public school environment," but it is not us who lose. My friends tell me stories of how frustrating it is to face the influences that surround them everyday, especially the pressure to become sexually active.
But, I am not "sheltered." I have been taught the consequences of choices, and how to respond in difficult situations. I am confident in my response. As far as being "class president" or "quarterback", few people have that opportunity in a large school. Most home-school families have chances for leadership and responsibility through sibilings.
In a "real world" situation, there are annoying things that other people do. In a home-school setting, you’re living with those people and learning how to deal with them appropriately, which is a "trial of growing up." Home schooling is not "tearing apart the basis of American education," but was the foundation of early American education, and largely influenced the one room school house until the 20th Century.
As a home-schooled junior, I am thankful for my home education, and feel fully prepared to face the future. But before you begin to ban homeschooling, I invite you to dinner so you can see how "sheltered, isolated, and unsocialized" my family is. Chances are, you might be surprised.
Lydia Smith
Harrisonburg
As a home-school student I would like to answer some of Alison Farmer’s queries ("Public Schooling Is Best," July 21) about home education.
First, home-schoolers are not isolated. They cooperate in order to provide their children with many "academic possibilities." I have had the privilege of sitting under university accredited parents in multiple classes, including "adequate" science labs and "collaborative" Shakespeare discussions. No home-school parent would claim to be proficient in all subjects, but by each sharing talents and knowledge it becomes achievable.
Second, home schoolers do "lose out on the socialization of a public school environment," but it is not us who lose. My friends tell me stories of how frustrating it is to face the influences that surround them everyday, especially the pressure to become sexually active.
But, I am not "sheltered." I have been taught the consequences of choices, and how to respond in difficult situations. I am confident in my response. As far as being "class president" or "quarterback", few people have that opportunity in a large school. Most home-school families have chances for leadership and responsibility through sibilings.
In a "real world" situation, there are annoying things that other people do. In a home-school setting, you’re living with those people and learning how to deal with them appropriately, which is a "trial of growing up." Home schooling is not "tearing apart the basis of American education," but was the foundation of early American education, and largely influenced the one room school house until the 20th Century.
As a home-schooled junior, I am thankful for my home education, and feel fully prepared to face the future. But before you begin to ban homeschooling, I invite you to dinner so you can see how "sheltered, isolated, and unsocialized" my family is. Chances are, you might be surprised.
Lydia Smith
Harrisonburg
Thursday, May 18, 2006
How public schools are sabotaging America
Note: This commentary encourages parents to look at other means to educate their chilcren - rather than "subjecting
children to educational malpractice" in the public schools. Sam Blumenfeld has been a long time friend to homeschooling
parents and children. J. Boswell
by Samuel Blumenfeld
Commentary
©2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Top CEOs in the computer field have been bemoaning the fact that American schools are not turning out students who are proficient enough in math and science and able to do the work needed in the computer industry. Nor are our students able to compete with their counterparts in other countries, namely India and China.
Craig Barrett, chairman of Intel, said in an interview in USA Today (Nov. 8, 2001) that our education system "is dumbing down the U.S. citizenry and educating the rest of the globe" in our graduate schools. Our educators haven't "fully recognized that the standard of living is going to be dependent on the quality of the workforce." That strong warning, issued over four years ago hasn't made much of a dent in the thinking of America's public educators.
Read the entire article - click on the title.
children to educational malpractice" in the public schools. Sam Blumenfeld has been a long time friend to homeschooling
parents and children. J. Boswell
by Samuel Blumenfeld
Commentary
©2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Top CEOs in the computer field have been bemoaning the fact that American schools are not turning out students who are proficient enough in math and science and able to do the work needed in the computer industry. Nor are our students able to compete with their counterparts in other countries, namely India and China.
Craig Barrett, chairman of Intel, said in an interview in USA Today (Nov. 8, 2001) that our education system "is dumbing down the U.S. citizenry and educating the rest of the globe" in our graduate schools. Our educators haven't "fully recognized that the standard of living is going to be dependent on the quality of the workforce." That strong warning, issued over four years ago hasn't made much of a dent in the thinking of America's public educators.
Read the entire article - click on the title.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Taught at home, off to college is new trend
Admissions are up as students shed academic stigma
Monday, May 15, 2006
Jennifer Smith Richards
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
There are nine children in the Taylor family, all of them homeschooled.
And all of them, dad William Taylor says, are college-bound. Elyshia is at Franciscan University of Steubenville now. Ashley was just accepted to Case Western Reserve and Denison universities on full scholarships.
"Colleges started competing for her to come," said Taylor, who lives in Groveport.
Ohio colleges — especially private ones — report that more home-schooled students are applying and being admitted than ever before. Some schools have relaxed their years-old, stringent requirements for home-schoolers to gain admission, now favoring a national admissions test and proof of a rigorous curriculum.
"We’ve seen a tremendous increase," said Nicole Evans, associate director of admissions at Ohio Dominican University.
And the colleges are glad to admit more home-schoolers, she said.
Read the entire article at The Columbus Dispatch - click on title.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Jennifer Smith Richards
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
There are nine children in the Taylor family, all of them homeschooled.
And all of them, dad William Taylor says, are college-bound. Elyshia is at Franciscan University of Steubenville now. Ashley was just accepted to Case Western Reserve and Denison universities on full scholarships.
"Colleges started competing for her to come," said Taylor, who lives in Groveport.
Ohio colleges — especially private ones — report that more home-schooled students are applying and being admitted than ever before. Some schools have relaxed their years-old, stringent requirements for home-schoolers to gain admission, now favoring a national admissions test and proof of a rigorous curriculum.
"We’ve seen a tremendous increase," said Nicole Evans, associate director of admissions at Ohio Dominican University.
And the colleges are glad to admit more home-schoolers, she said.
Read the entire article at The Columbus Dispatch - click on title.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
From homeschool to college
From homeschool to college (Worcester Magazine Online, 5/4/06)
By Joan H. Bress, LICSW, CEP
The number of homeschooled college applicants has risen dramatically in the past decade. There are currently 2 million children who study at home rather than at school, and the number is expected to reach 3 million by 2010. While an estimated 50% of these children attend college, many college admissions offices are still not certain about the best way to evaluate the academic experiences of these students.
In conversations I have had with numerous college admissions officers, I have not encountered any whose college has a policy of refusing admission to students who have been homeschooled. Although concerns and cynicism exist at some colleges, most colleges express interest in receiving applications from homeschooled students. Colleges that have accepted homeschooled students appreciate the maturity and self-direction these students demonstrate. They believe that because homeschooled students have been involved in shaping their own education, they tend to be motivated learners and are comfortable assuming positions of leadership, both in class and in social situations.
(Read entire article - click on the title above.)
By Joan H. Bress, LICSW, CEP
The number of homeschooled college applicants has risen dramatically in the past decade. There are currently 2 million children who study at home rather than at school, and the number is expected to reach 3 million by 2010. While an estimated 50% of these children attend college, many college admissions offices are still not certain about the best way to evaluate the academic experiences of these students.
In conversations I have had with numerous college admissions officers, I have not encountered any whose college has a policy of refusing admission to students who have been homeschooled. Although concerns and cynicism exist at some colleges, most colleges express interest in receiving applications from homeschooled students. Colleges that have accepted homeschooled students appreciate the maturity and self-direction these students demonstrate. They believe that because homeschooled students have been involved in shaping their own education, they tend to be motivated learners and are comfortable assuming positions of leadership, both in class and in social situations.
(Read entire article - click on the title above.)
Monday, May 01, 2006
NTERVIEW: JUDY ARON - DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AT NHELD (National Home Education Legal Defense)http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Thursday, April 27, 2006
This interview was conducted by Mr. Henry Cate of Why Homeschool blog or whyhomeschool.blogspot.com:
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2006/04/interview-judy-aron-director-of.html
Below is an interview with Judy Aron done via email. Judy makes some great points. One of the ones which resonanted with me is how children who are being homeschooled need to realize their education is a partnership and take initiative. Her thoughts about how all homeschoolers need to be informed and involved with poltics reminded me of some of the reviews I've read about An Army of Davids (which I have, and hope to read soon) by Glenn Reynolds.
Bio:
Judy Aron is a long time Homeschooling Activist. She has been heavily involved in protecting the rights of parents: particularly homeschoolers. Currently Judy works as the Research Director for the National Home Education Legal Defense (http://www.nheld.com/). Judy was also Vice President of CT Homeschool Network, and currently is their legislative liaison. (http://www.cthomeschoolnetwork.org/). She is wife to Michael Aron, and mom to 3 wonderful kids. David is a graduate of Boston University, Jeff currently attends Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Rachel is pursuing her high school studies at home.
Personal:
Judy, tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? What hobbies do you have? Where is the most exciting place you've traveled to?
I was born in Far Rockaway, New York, and attended public school there up until my parents had to deal with bussing and other problems with the school system. Yes, I recall being bussed quite far away from my home to a horrible school. So, when I was a ìtweenagerî we moved to ìupstateî New York, to a little town called Accord. I attended public school there and then graduated from Rondout Valley High School and went on to attend SUNY New Paltz, where I earned a BA in Economics in 1978 with a dual minor in Business Administration and Computer Science. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. Shortly after graduation I married my husband Michael Aron and we moved to Connecticut. I worked for the Travelers Insurance Company as a manager in Data Processing, and after having my second child I hung up the corporate suit and stayed home to be a parent full time. It was a wise decision, and one that I will never regret, despite the hardship of giving up half of our income at the time. During my time at home and raising a family, I did all kinds of things including obtaining a real estate license, running a travel agency out of my home for a time, and doing lots of community work.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE TITLE OR ON THE LINK IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.
Editor's Note: Judy Aaron and Deborah Stevenson of NHELD will be presenting workshops at the 2006 New
England Homeschool & Family Learning Conference held in Boxborough, MA, July 14, 15, 2006.
This interview was conducted by Mr. Henry Cate of Why Homeschool blog or whyhomeschool.blogspot.com:
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2006/04/interview-judy-aron-director-of.html
Below is an interview with Judy Aron done via email. Judy makes some great points. One of the ones which resonanted with me is how children who are being homeschooled need to realize their education is a partnership and take initiative. Her thoughts about how all homeschoolers need to be informed and involved with poltics reminded me of some of the reviews I've read about An Army of Davids (which I have, and hope to read soon) by Glenn Reynolds.
Bio:
Judy Aron is a long time Homeschooling Activist. She has been heavily involved in protecting the rights of parents: particularly homeschoolers. Currently Judy works as the Research Director for the National Home Education Legal Defense (http://www.nheld.com/). Judy was also Vice President of CT Homeschool Network, and currently is their legislative liaison. (http://www.cthomeschoolnetwork.org/). She is wife to Michael Aron, and mom to 3 wonderful kids. David is a graduate of Boston University, Jeff currently attends Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Rachel is pursuing her high school studies at home.
Personal:
Judy, tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? What hobbies do you have? Where is the most exciting place you've traveled to?
I was born in Far Rockaway, New York, and attended public school there up until my parents had to deal with bussing and other problems with the school system. Yes, I recall being bussed quite far away from my home to a horrible school. So, when I was a ìtweenagerî we moved to ìupstateî New York, to a little town called Accord. I attended public school there and then graduated from Rondout Valley High School and went on to attend SUNY New Paltz, where I earned a BA in Economics in 1978 with a dual minor in Business Administration and Computer Science. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. Shortly after graduation I married my husband Michael Aron and we moved to Connecticut. I worked for the Travelers Insurance Company as a manager in Data Processing, and after having my second child I hung up the corporate suit and stayed home to be a parent full time. It was a wise decision, and one that I will never regret, despite the hardship of giving up half of our income at the time. During my time at home and raising a family, I did all kinds of things including obtaining a real estate license, running a travel agency out of my home for a time, and doing lots of community work.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE TITLE OR ON THE LINK IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.
Editor's Note: Judy Aaron and Deborah Stevenson of NHELD will be presenting workshops at the 2006 New
England Homeschool & Family Learning Conference held in Boxborough, MA, July 14, 15, 2006.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
