5 'well-educated' kids put in state custody
Ruling that sent homeschooler to psych ward expanded to 2nd family
Posted: March 22, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Five "well-educated" children have been ordered into state custody by a court that applied to a second family a ruling taking a 15-year-old homeschooler from her family and sending her to a psychiatric ward.
The action fulfills a dire forecast from a human rights group that the government's success in the first case would encourage officials to act against other families in Germany.
The newest ruling comes from a court in Saxony and affects five members of the Brause family, according to officials with the International Human Rights Group.
Its president, Joel Thornton, earlier had told WND that, "There is an increased fear among homeschoolers about whether their children are next," after Melissa Busekros, 15, was removed from her home and ordered first to a psychiatric ward, then a foster home, because of her "school phobia."
Continue by clicking on title
Thursday, March 22, 2007
An Interview with Paul Zoch - Doomed to Fail
This might interest many teachers, parents and, in particular, homeschoolers.
Paul Zoch is the author of the book Doomed to Fail: The Built in Defects of
American Education. Another voice to add to the list (which seems to
go unnoticed) trying to reach the American public with the message.
The interview is published on EdNews.org and was conducted by Michael F. Shaughnessy, Senior Columnist. 3/21/2007
http://www.ednews.org/articles/9235/1/An-Interview-with-Paul-Zoch-Doomed-to-Fail/Page1.html
Paul Zoch is the author of the book Doomed to Fail: The Built in Defects of
American Education. Another voice to add to the list (which seems to
go unnoticed) trying to reach the American public with the message.
The interview is published on EdNews.org and was conducted by Michael F. Shaughnessy, Senior Columnist. 3/21/2007
http://www.ednews.org/articles/9235/1/An-Interview-with-Paul-Zoch-Doomed-to-Fail/Page1.html
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Day in the life of a homeschooling family
Lisa Crews
Special for The Republic
Mar. 14, 2007 10:36 AM
Family: Faith is 10, Mercy 8 and Hope 1. Tim, the dad, works at home.
7:30 a.m.::Wake up and start morning routine. Kids -- make beds, get dressed, make/eat breakfast, unload dishwasher, clean up breakfast dishes, brush teeth; Mom -- showers, brushes teeth, changes baby, eats breakfast, loads dishwasher, makes bottles, feeds baby.
8 a.m.: Kids --collect and sort all laundry.
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8:15 a.m.: Mom --starts load of laundry
8:30 a.m.: Mom -- makes doctor appointment for baby and cleans kitchen counters and clears out refrigerator. Kids -- practice piano and keyboard then complete theory book assignments.
8:50 a.m.: Mom -- reads emails and news.
9:15 a.m.: Mom -- reviews with the girls long division from last week and answer questions; assigns word problems and more exercises; plays with the baby and reads her a book; focuses on new signs; changes out a load of laundry.
10 a.m: . Mom - calls her mother to work out childcare for the baby's doctor's appointment.
10:10 a.m.: Mom -- rotates out baby toys from those in storage.
10:12 a.m.: Mom -- chases girls back to math.
Continue article by clicking on the title.
Special for The Republic
Mar. 14, 2007 10:36 AM
Family: Faith is 10, Mercy 8 and Hope 1. Tim, the dad, works at home.
7:30 a.m.::Wake up and start morning routine. Kids -- make beds, get dressed, make/eat breakfast, unload dishwasher, clean up breakfast dishes, brush teeth; Mom -- showers, brushes teeth, changes baby, eats breakfast, loads dishwasher, makes bottles, feeds baby.
8 a.m.: Kids --collect and sort all laundry.
advertisement
8:15 a.m.: Mom --starts load of laundry
8:30 a.m.: Mom -- makes doctor appointment for baby and cleans kitchen counters and clears out refrigerator. Kids -- practice piano and keyboard then complete theory book assignments.
8:50 a.m.: Mom -- reads emails and news.
9:15 a.m.: Mom -- reviews with the girls long division from last week and answer questions; assigns word problems and more exercises; plays with the baby and reads her a book; focuses on new signs; changes out a load of laundry.
10 a.m: . Mom - calls her mother to work out childcare for the baby's doctor's appointment.
10:10 a.m.: Mom -- rotates out baby toys from those in storage.
10:12 a.m.: Mom -- chases girls back to math.
Continue article by clicking on the title.
Judge warns of child-abusing homeschoolers
Court is "shocked" by lack of government authority over students
Posted: March 10, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A Superior Court judge in New Jersey says homeschooling is just about the same as deliberate child abuse.
In fact, he says, he just might name a school district in his state as a defendant in a current court dispute, citing the district's "shocking" failure to monitor and test all students – including homeschoolers.
"In today's threatening world, where we seek to protect children from abuse, not just physical, but also educational abuse, how can we not monitor the educational welfare of all our children? A child in New Jersey, who recently was found unfed and locked in a putrid bedroom was allegedly 'homeschooled' and because no one, such as a teacher or nurse, was able to observe any abuse in a school setting, it went undiscovered," wrote Judge Thomas Zampino in a case that came before him.
That's even though New Jersey state law does forbid child abuse, and its regulations regarding homeschooling say parents or guardians are allowed "to educate the child at home." Further, the state law notes they are not required to submit any type of communication of intent to a local school board, nor are parents required to have their plans approved by a board.
Continue reading by clicking on title of article.
Posted: March 10, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A Superior Court judge in New Jersey says homeschooling is just about the same as deliberate child abuse.
In fact, he says, he just might name a school district in his state as a defendant in a current court dispute, citing the district's "shocking" failure to monitor and test all students – including homeschoolers.
"In today's threatening world, where we seek to protect children from abuse, not just physical, but also educational abuse, how can we not monitor the educational welfare of all our children? A child in New Jersey, who recently was found unfed and locked in a putrid bedroom was allegedly 'homeschooled' and because no one, such as a teacher or nurse, was able to observe any abuse in a school setting, it went undiscovered," wrote Judge Thomas Zampino in a case that came before him.
That's even though New Jersey state law does forbid child abuse, and its regulations regarding homeschooling say parents or guardians are allowed "to educate the child at home." Further, the state law notes they are not required to submit any type of communication of intent to a local school board, nor are parents required to have their plans approved by a board.
Continue reading by clicking on title of article.
Monday, March 05, 2007
In a class of their own
Weld 52 explodes with stacks of Yaffa blocks, well-fingered books, bulk containers of Easy Mac, cardboard boxes, and the tell-tale anxiety of freshman move-in day. Amidst the madness, Stephen T. Norberg ’06 rummages through his belongings and discovers a framed piece of thick paper decorated with a whimsical owl and a smartly dressed pig. It’s his kindergarten diploma. Carefully navigating the chaos, his left arm almost destroying a perfectly folded pile of undershirts, he crosses the room and secures the diploma onto the blank wall above his wooden desk. Pausing for several moments as his exhausted roommates look on in wonderment, he finally utters, “Wow! It’s great to be in first grade.”
...
They describe Norberg as amazingly caring, funny, and passionate—but he isn’t crazy. And the grade-school comment is not without merit. That day Norberg did, in fact, feel somewhat like a first grader. Having been homeschooled from second grade until college, that kindergarten diploma was the last one he had ever received.
To read entire article about homeschoolers at Harvard U, click on the title.
...
They describe Norberg as amazingly caring, funny, and passionate—but he isn’t crazy. And the grade-school comment is not without merit. That day Norberg did, in fact, feel somewhat like a first grader. Having been homeschooled from second grade until college, that kindergarten diploma was the last one he had ever received.
To read entire article about homeschoolers at Harvard U, click on the title.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Mothering Through Mid-Life (Embracing Life's Curves)
by Michelle Howe
I had just gotten out of bed and, admittedly, wasn't quite fully awake when my husband informed me that our eighteen-year-old daughter's car had been vandalized during the night. I stood there in the chilly kitchen taking in the specific details of the minor crime. The worst damage was the insulting graffiti written on her windows. A myriad of conflicting thoughts and emotions ran like a freight train through my brain—some of which, I am ashamed to confess, were of the reprisal sort.
As a mother of three young-adult daughters and a teenage son, I take my parenting role to heart. The better portion of the last twenty plus years has been spent investing in the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of my offspring. So standing in my kitchen on that blustery winter morning, I was, in part, upset with the situation and, in part, frustrated with my own reaction. The temptation to disengage was overwhelming.
In talking with other mid-life moms whose own sons and daughters are at that "jumping off" stage, I have found a common thread. It's called premature disengagement.
Read entire article by clicking on the title.
I had just gotten out of bed and, admittedly, wasn't quite fully awake when my husband informed me that our eighteen-year-old daughter's car had been vandalized during the night. I stood there in the chilly kitchen taking in the specific details of the minor crime. The worst damage was the insulting graffiti written on her windows. A myriad of conflicting thoughts and emotions ran like a freight train through my brain—some of which, I am ashamed to confess, were of the reprisal sort.
As a mother of three young-adult daughters and a teenage son, I take my parenting role to heart. The better portion of the last twenty plus years has been spent investing in the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of my offspring. So standing in my kitchen on that blustery winter morning, I was, in part, upset with the situation and, in part, frustrated with my own reaction. The temptation to disengage was overwhelming.
In talking with other mid-life moms whose own sons and daughters are at that "jumping off" stage, I have found a common thread. It's called premature disengagement.
Read entire article by clicking on the title.
Families in Disarray by Shirley M.R. Minster
HEFT Editor's Comment: Read Shirley Minster's Guest Editorial/Commentary on the pitfalls faced by today's modern family. Even homeschooling families are not immune in these busy and often confusing times.
Arrogance seems to be rampant. Thinking of oneself more highly than one ought is causing consternation towards our governmental agents who have forgotten what it means to serve. Companies are pushing their agendas, forgetting the maxim that the customer is always right. In fact, they have turned it into an old chestnut. And families have joined the throng in showing arrogance toward one another. This has got to stop or we will destroy all that we hold dear.
Read entire commentary by clicking on the title above.
Arrogance seems to be rampant. Thinking of oneself more highly than one ought is causing consternation towards our governmental agents who have forgotten what it means to serve. Companies are pushing their agendas, forgetting the maxim that the customer is always right. In fact, they have turned it into an old chestnut. And families have joined the throng in showing arrogance toward one another. This has got to stop or we will destroy all that we hold dear.
Read entire commentary by clicking on the title above.
Local (Owosso Michigan) couple chooses to educate their seven children at home
Local couple chooses to educate their seven children at home
By GARY GOULD Argus-Press Staff Writer (Owosso, Michigan)
Saturday, February 17, 2007 8:41 AM EST
Argus-Press Photo/Anthony Cepak Grace Stuart, 7, plays with her brother Richard, 1, as their mother Marianne does a reading assignment with Guy, 8.
It's 8 a.m. at the Stuart household in Owosso and six of the seven children in the family are lining up in the living room to greet their father.
Almost like troops getting in formation to morning reveille, the Stuart children greet their father, Guy Stuart III, with a warm good morning. He responds with a series of questions about the status of their chores, if they've brushed their teeth or if they're ready for the day ahead.
One of the children giggles and is given three pushups to do by her father, causing a sister to also smirk, bringing about a round of pushups for her as well.
And while their father tries to come off as being strict, the kids realize it's all in fun as they start another morning of school. But they won't be climbing into the family van, catching a bus or walking to school anywhere - they'll be staying home where their mother, Marianne, will be instructing them.
For four years now the Stuart's have homeschooled their children, a decision the couple made after the closure of Owosso's St. Joseph Catholic School, where three of their children attended school before it was closed in 2002.
HEFT Editor's Comments: Michigan is the state where we lived, homeschooled and worked hard with hundreds of other families and organizations to ensure the rights of families to homeschool their own children. Michigan still remains one of the least-fettered states in which to homeschool thanks to Dr. Pat Montgomery, Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore and others.
By GARY GOULD Argus-Press Staff Writer (Owosso, Michigan)
Saturday, February 17, 2007 8:41 AM EST
Argus-Press Photo/Anthony Cepak Grace Stuart, 7, plays with her brother Richard, 1, as their mother Marianne does a reading assignment with Guy, 8.
It's 8 a.m. at the Stuart household in Owosso and six of the seven children in the family are lining up in the living room to greet their father.
Almost like troops getting in formation to morning reveille, the Stuart children greet their father, Guy Stuart III, with a warm good morning. He responds with a series of questions about the status of their chores, if they've brushed their teeth or if they're ready for the day ahead.
One of the children giggles and is given three pushups to do by her father, causing a sister to also smirk, bringing about a round of pushups for her as well.
And while their father tries to come off as being strict, the kids realize it's all in fun as they start another morning of school. But they won't be climbing into the family van, catching a bus or walking to school anywhere - they'll be staying home where their mother, Marianne, will be instructing them.
For four years now the Stuart's have homeschooled their children, a decision the couple made after the closure of Owosso's St. Joseph Catholic School, where three of their children attended school before it was closed in 2002.
HEFT Editor's Comments: Michigan is the state where we lived, homeschooled and worked hard with hundreds of other families and organizations to ensure the rights of families to homeschool their own children. Michigan still remains one of the least-fettered states in which to homeschool thanks to Dr. Pat Montgomery, Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore and others.
Authorities Ask German Homeschooling Family to Give Up Custody of 5 Children
Daughter Melissa in 3rd foster home, having new psychiatric testing after stating first report inaccurate and she was misquoted
By Gudrun Schultz
Germany, February 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The parents of a 15-year-old school girl taken from her home by authorities in a battle over home schooling have been asked to give up custody of their other five children, as part of a resolution to the situation offered by German officials.
The latest development in the ongoing battle between the Busekros family and the German authorities was reported by the Home Schooling Legal Defense Fund, a U.S.-based organization that has been tracking an accelerating crackdown against home schooling families in Germany.
HEFT Editor's comment:
This is reminiscent of the early days of homeschooling in the U.S.A. When our family began homeschooling, children
were being taken from families regularly - usually it was short-lived - but still frightening. It caused a wave of protest
from the community and enabled homeschoolers to join together to form the organizations they now have in the U.S.
Read entire article by clicking on the title.
By Gudrun Schultz
Germany, February 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The parents of a 15-year-old school girl taken from her home by authorities in a battle over home schooling have been asked to give up custody of their other five children, as part of a resolution to the situation offered by German officials.
The latest development in the ongoing battle between the Busekros family and the German authorities was reported by the Home Schooling Legal Defense Fund, a U.S.-based organization that has been tracking an accelerating crackdown against home schooling families in Germany.
HEFT Editor's comment:
This is reminiscent of the early days of homeschooling in the U.S.A. When our family began homeschooling, children
were being taken from families regularly - usually it was short-lived - but still frightening. It caused a wave of protest
from the community and enabled homeschoolers to join together to form the organizations they now have in the U.S.
Read entire article by clicking on the title.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Homeschooling Presents Pros and Cons
by Alicia Coffman
After many years of prayer and study, Stephanie Freeman made a decision she never expected to make. She decided to home school her children.
"I wanted my children to have the best education that could be offered academically, socially, spiritually and culturally," she said. That was at home.
Freeman has been home schooling her children for the past 10 years. She is also a BYU professor and has been teaching speech classes for 17 years.
Her first thought was to investigate private schools, but they were expensive and although they had some advantages over public schools, they didn't offer everything she wanted or expected in a school.
Read article by clicking on the title.
After many years of prayer and study, Stephanie Freeman made a decision she never expected to make. She decided to home school her children.
"I wanted my children to have the best education that could be offered academically, socially, spiritually and culturally," she said. That was at home.
Freeman has been home schooling her children for the past 10 years. She is also a BYU professor and has been teaching speech classes for 17 years.
Her first thought was to investigate private schools, but they were expensive and although they had some advantages over public schools, they didn't offer everything she wanted or expected in a school.
Read article by clicking on the title.
Homeschoolers Compete in Geography Bee
BY BOB ELLIS
DAKOTA VOICE
Nine homeschool students competed Wednesday for the trophy in the 2006-2007 South Dakota Christian Home Educator’s Geography Bee. The event was held at South Canyon Baptist Church in Rapid City on January 10. The event was sponsored by SDCHE and used material from the National Geographic Bee, publishers of National Geographic Magazine. The purpose is to encourage the study of geography.
Click on the title to read more.
DAKOTA VOICE
Nine homeschool students competed Wednesday for the trophy in the 2006-2007 South Dakota Christian Home Educator’s Geography Bee. The event was held at South Canyon Baptist Church in Rapid City on January 10. The event was sponsored by SDCHE and used material from the National Geographic Bee, publishers of National Geographic Magazine. The purpose is to encourage the study of geography.
Click on the title to read more.
Parents worry about 'nature-deficit disorder' in kids
By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER
After squishing through mud, crawling under tree boughs and skirting a glassy pond, the small troop of kids and teachers stopped at a clearing in the woods.
Squatting in the wet leaves, instructor Sol Doran placed a sprig of fir on the ground in front of her and another a foot away.
"If this is malalo," said Doran, pointing to the first sprig and referring to the African-style hut where the journey started, "and this is the pond," she said pointing to another, "where are we?"
The students from Duvall's Wilderness Awareness School, who ranged in age from about 7 to 12, considered the question. They moved a third sprig back and forth into different spots on the impromptu map. Consensus was reached.
Editor's Note: This is one area - nature studies - wilderness walks - outdoor education - whatever you want to call it
where homeschooling families have the opportunity to excel. There is no doubt that children confined to living inside
four walls every day for 6 - 7 hours per day, are missing out on the excitement of what truly is natural study. Read the articl for ideas and inspiration by clicking on the title.
P-I REPORTER
After squishing through mud, crawling under tree boughs and skirting a glassy pond, the small troop of kids and teachers stopped at a clearing in the woods.
Squatting in the wet leaves, instructor Sol Doran placed a sprig of fir on the ground in front of her and another a foot away.
"If this is malalo," said Doran, pointing to the first sprig and referring to the African-style hut where the journey started, "and this is the pond," she said pointing to another, "where are we?"
The students from Duvall's Wilderness Awareness School, who ranged in age from about 7 to 12, considered the question. They moved a third sprig back and forth into different spots on the impromptu map. Consensus was reached.
Editor's Note: This is one area - nature studies - wilderness walks - outdoor education - whatever you want to call it
where homeschooling families have the opportunity to excel. There is no doubt that children confined to living inside
four walls every day for 6 - 7 hours per day, are missing out on the excitement of what truly is natural study. Read the articl for ideas and inspiration by clicking on the title.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Home's Where Class Is
Home's where class is
Colleges seeing quality in those homeschooled
Charlotte Hsu, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/07/2007 12:00:00 AM PST
At Placidia Andalón's home in Rialto, school starts each morning with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer.
She has taught her 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter about evolution and creation.
In lessons on building good character, Andalón, 34, tells her children to seek guidance from the Bible.
Like Andalón, a growing number of parents across the nation are educating their kids at home for reasons including faith, a driving force behind the rise of the modern homeschool movement.
And in society at large, homeschoolers have become more accepted, with businesses and institutions of higher learning taking an interest in homeschooled children and their parents.
Read entire article - Click on the title
Colleges seeing quality in those homeschooled
Charlotte Hsu, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/07/2007 12:00:00 AM PST
At Placidia Andalón's home in Rialto, school starts each morning with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer.
She has taught her 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter about evolution and creation.
In lessons on building good character, Andalón, 34, tells her children to seek guidance from the Bible.
Like Andalón, a growing number of parents across the nation are educating their kids at home for reasons including faith, a driving force behind the rise of the modern homeschool movement.
And in society at large, homeschoolers have become more accepted, with businesses and institutions of higher learning taking an interest in homeschooled children and their parents.
Read entire article - Click on the title
Monday, January 08, 2007
Who Represents Homeschoolers in Washington, D.C.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Who Represents Homeschoolers in Washington, DC?
Ideally, no one should, since education issues are really issues that should be left up to each state.. (sigh) .. but since our Federal Government is unconstitutionally meddling in affairs of education, and now in the affairs of homeschoolers...
I ran across a nifty letter that you can draft to your newly elected Congressional delegation. I want to thank those who have come up with the initiative to communicate with our Representatives to let them know that we are a diverse bunch, and that no one group speaks for us. I made a few changes to their letter and came up with my own version:
Read the entire article including a sample letter by clicking on the title above.
Who Represents Homeschoolers in Washington, DC?
Ideally, no one should, since education issues are really issues that should be left up to each state.. (sigh) .. but since our Federal Government is unconstitutionally meddling in affairs of education, and now in the affairs of homeschoolers...
I ran across a nifty letter that you can draft to your newly elected Congressional delegation. I want to thank those who have come up with the initiative to communicate with our Representatives to let them know that we are a diverse bunch, and that no one group speaks for us. I made a few changes to their letter and came up with my own version:
Read the entire article including a sample letter by clicking on the title above.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Youths learn ABCs at homeschool
Youths learn ABCs at homeschool
Cooperative gives alternative education for families
January 2, 2007
BY VILA SCHWINDT | Journal Staff Writer
Garrett Pogue is only 4, but he joins his older brothers and sisters in the dining room at 9 a.m. when they start school with their mother, Rosella Pogue, as teacher. Gabriel is only 9 months, but he's usually close by, too, because he wants to do what his family is doing.
Homeschool regulation: The Revenge of the Failures
WorldNet Daily Commentary
Posted: January 4, 2007
By Bruce N. Shortt, Ph.D.
In their never-ending effort to "help" homeschoolers, public school bureaucrats periodically try to increase homeschooling regulations. This makes K-12 education perhaps a unique endeavor: it's a field in which the failures regularly, and astonishingly, insist that they should be able to regulate the successful.
Read entire commentary by clicking on the title.
Posted: January 4, 2007
By Bruce N. Shortt, Ph.D.
In their never-ending effort to "help" homeschoolers, public school bureaucrats periodically try to increase homeschooling regulations. This makes K-12 education perhaps a unique endeavor: it's a field in which the failures regularly, and astonishingly, insist that they should be able to regulate the successful.
Read entire commentary by clicking on the title.
Visit Judy Aron's New Blog - Consent of the Governed
Judy works with Deborah Stevenson of National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD) where she is responsible for providing parents across the nation with a wide variety of important information on legislative issues as well as various topics concerning parental rights, education, and the dangers of universal mental health screening.
Her new blog, Consent of the Governed, will enlighten and enliven! It contains timely, important messages relevant to today's American family. Visit her blog today. Just click on the title above.
Her new blog, Consent of the Governed, will enlighten and enliven! It contains timely, important messages relevant to today's American family. Visit her blog today. Just click on the title above.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Homeschooling Motives
As veteran homeschooling parents know, some difficult times will come. One day you’ll wake up to piles of laundry that your children are using to play hide and seek in. Ice and snow have locked you inside for days and your teenager seems to be in a comatose state until the phone rings. Life Happens! You will wonder why on earth you had the idea that you could homeschool your kids, run a household, and maintain your sanity.
Now is the time to pull out your list of “Why We Homeschool Reasons”. What? You didn’t make a list? This is a tool that is imperative for all homeschool parents. So determined was I that people would not stare at us when
we played outside or went to the corner store, that I wrote a letter explaining that we were homeschooling and outlined all our reasons for doing so. Then I made copies and circulated them among neighbors, friends and family. I filed a copy away, so that I could pull it out when my courage needed bolstering.
To help get you started, some common homeschooling convictions (which you might have forgotten) are:
• You, the parents are the first and the natural teachers of your children. You’ve taught your children from birth. You love and care about them more than anyone else and have the greatest interest in their success in this life and for eternity. Additionally, the state or government does not “own” you or your child. Alarmingly, this truth has been argued and challenged lately by those who believe that children are a commodity of the state. So, it’s important that you hold tightly to your parental rights.
• You want the best character training for your children. Your family has an important system of beliefs and values to instill and a heritage to pass on to your children. Through the golden opportunities provided by time, role modeling (values are caught not taught), work involvement and encouraging service to others, values are learned and character is built.
• You want your child to have a positive socialization experience while avoiding peer dependence.
Children in a traditional, institutional setting who spend more time with their peers than caring adults become socialized by the culture of their peers. (Most of us have a struggle with peer pressure which is revealed, for instance, in the way we feel when we are confronted by our friends about homeschooling -- and by the way we want someone to tell us how to homeschool -- what materials to buy, how many hours to spend, etc., and why we tend to cast side-glances at how others are accomplishing home education.) This might be unconscious, but it is real, and it is at the root of many of our own self-esteem issues. We want something better for our children. And, today, the school-setting is rife with competition, and worse, bullying. There is now a very real safety threat to consider that did not exist 20 years ago.
• Remember those academic bonuses: You have the opportunity to create a custom-made program for each child. Good homeschools are families that encourage a relaxed environment, the learning style of the child, real-life experiences, hands-on experiences, field trips, much open discussion and a life of balance. Good homeschools become relationship and student centered as opposed to book, teacher, and peer-centered.
Now, this can be hard to see on those difficult days, so make sure you are writing in a journal at some point, noting the good days when that ‘light goes on’, or when you all had a good, long laugh with a humorous book or game.
• That brings us to this important point - You are homeschooling because you want the time to renew your family relationships. Homeschooling is ushering in a restoration and healing of the family in this country. The whole family is key to a healthy society. Homeschooling provides vital opportunities of growing together and learning life-skills as a family.
These are just a few to get those creative juices flowing and give you the encouragement you need.
Take a minute to reflect and to seriously consider the reasons why you have chosen to homeschool your children. What are the prime motivators - are they positive or negative? It makes a difference in your attitude.
Write down your convictions. It will reinforce and strengthen your resolve and it will help you
clarify your discussions when someone asks,”Shouldn’t your children be in school today?”
Now is the time to pull out your list of “Why We Homeschool Reasons”. What? You didn’t make a list? This is a tool that is imperative for all homeschool parents. So determined was I that people would not stare at us when
we played outside or went to the corner store, that I wrote a letter explaining that we were homeschooling and outlined all our reasons for doing so. Then I made copies and circulated them among neighbors, friends and family. I filed a copy away, so that I could pull it out when my courage needed bolstering.
To help get you started, some common homeschooling convictions (which you might have forgotten) are:
• You, the parents are the first and the natural teachers of your children. You’ve taught your children from birth. You love and care about them more than anyone else and have the greatest interest in their success in this life and for eternity. Additionally, the state or government does not “own” you or your child. Alarmingly, this truth has been argued and challenged lately by those who believe that children are a commodity of the state. So, it’s important that you hold tightly to your parental rights.
• You want the best character training for your children. Your family has an important system of beliefs and values to instill and a heritage to pass on to your children. Through the golden opportunities provided by time, role modeling (values are caught not taught), work involvement and encouraging service to others, values are learned and character is built.
• You want your child to have a positive socialization experience while avoiding peer dependence.
Children in a traditional, institutional setting who spend more time with their peers than caring adults become socialized by the culture of their peers. (Most of us have a struggle with peer pressure which is revealed, for instance, in the way we feel when we are confronted by our friends about homeschooling -- and by the way we want someone to tell us how to homeschool -- what materials to buy, how many hours to spend, etc., and why we tend to cast side-glances at how others are accomplishing home education.) This might be unconscious, but it is real, and it is at the root of many of our own self-esteem issues. We want something better for our children. And, today, the school-setting is rife with competition, and worse, bullying. There is now a very real safety threat to consider that did not exist 20 years ago.
• Remember those academic bonuses: You have the opportunity to create a custom-made program for each child. Good homeschools are families that encourage a relaxed environment, the learning style of the child, real-life experiences, hands-on experiences, field trips, much open discussion and a life of balance. Good homeschools become relationship and student centered as opposed to book, teacher, and peer-centered.
Now, this can be hard to see on those difficult days, so make sure you are writing in a journal at some point, noting the good days when that ‘light goes on’, or when you all had a good, long laugh with a humorous book or game.
• That brings us to this important point - You are homeschooling because you want the time to renew your family relationships. Homeschooling is ushering in a restoration and healing of the family in this country. The whole family is key to a healthy society. Homeschooling provides vital opportunities of growing together and learning life-skills as a family.
These are just a few to get those creative juices flowing and give you the encouragement you need.
Take a minute to reflect and to seriously consider the reasons why you have chosen to homeschool your children. What are the prime motivators - are they positive or negative? It makes a difference in your attitude.
Write down your convictions. It will reinforce and strengthen your resolve and it will help you
clarify your discussions when someone asks,”Shouldn’t your children be in school today?”
The Gingerbread House
Family Daze
The Gingerbread House
By Debbie Farmer
I have to confess that every year in December a strange feeling comes over me. Oh, it's not like I start adopting stray cats or wearing men's shoes or anything like that. It's more like a sudden desire to do all of the domestic things that I wouldn't think of doing the rest of the year—like making bread from scratch or crafting nifty items out of coat hangers and pairs of old pantyhose.
Now, this may not be a shocking transformation for some people, but anyone who knows me knows that I’m the type of person who glues loose buttons on sweaters and who will toss a frozen pot pie in the microwave, press start, and feel that that can be called “baking.”
But not in December. Frankly I have no idea why this happens. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to make up for lost time. Or perhaps it's my way of building lasting family memories for my children. Or maybe it's all of the rum in the eggnog. Whatever the reason, it has happened again this year.
I know because the other day my children and I tried to make a gingerbread house. Well, mostly, it was me trying to get the kids to help me make a gingerbread house, but you get the idea.
Now, if you are sitting there thinking that a person who can barely make a sandwich has absolutely no business constructing an entire gingerbread house without supervision, you are right. But, let's face it, only certain types of parents are strong enough to resist a Gingerbread House Kit with the words “fun” and “easy” in big, red letters on the top—and I'm not one of them. Besides, it came with everything we'd need: frosting mix, gum drops and prefab gingerbread walls. All in all, it would take fifteen minutes to piece together. Twenty, tops.
My children listened (mostly to the TV in the living room) as I read the directions out loud.
“To make frosting, add one cup of cold water to confectioners’ sugar and stir until thickened.”
Then I measured the water into the special cup included with the kit and poured it into the bowl.
But, as my son stirred it, I began to suspect there was some kind of problem.
“Mom,” he said. “Can I stop now?”
I looked into the bowl and the frosting was still thin. So I reread the directions, and it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, “one cup” meant the first line on the special plastic cup and not the second. Naturally, since I couldn't take the extra water out, the easiest thing to do would be to put more confectioners' sugar in. But my kitchen being what it is, the closest thing I could find was a handful of flour and eleven packets of Sweet and Low.
I sprinkled them in when no one was looking then I continued reading the directions: Let frosting stand for 60 minutes. Sixty? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one who has to tell one bored preteen and one even more bored teen that this is going to take an hour longer than I thought. Besides, if I let them escape now, with the promise to return in sixty minutes’ time, I knew my son would return—I mean, hey, frosting is involved—but I wasn’t so sure about my 14-year-old daughter.
Now, at this point you would think I'd have accepted reality, given the kids the go-ahead to go and wandered away to watch Christmas specials on television. But noooooo. Instead, I slathered frosting on the edges of the walls, stuck them together, and dried the house with my blow dryer.
Then my son and daughter used the frosting to stick gumdrops and eight tiny, plastic reindeer on the roof. Granted, my daughter helped with some protesting, but she relented, and I managed to take several pictures between grimaces, so it looks like my daughter wasn’t wishing she was at a mall with her friends. Years from now, in my senility, all I’ll know when I look at the pictures is that we once bonded over gingerbread. And when she let her guard down, truth be told, my daughter did look like she was enjoying herself.
But if my past experience with Christmas crafts has taught me anything it's that moments like this just don't last. So, frankly, I wasn't too surprised when all of the reindeer slid off the roof and were buried beneath a pile of loose gumdrops.
“Cool, an avalanche,” my son said.
Call me weird, but as I stood there blow-drying the remaining gumdrops to the eaves, I secretly couldn’t wait until January, when I could go back to my simple, undomesticated ways.
Sometimes it's better that way.
* * *
Debbie Farmer is a humorist and a mother of two kids, holding down the fort in California. She is also the author of Don’t Put Lipstick on the Cat and can be reached at www.familydaze.com, or by writing familydaze@oasisnewsfeatures.com.
The Gingerbread House
By Debbie Farmer
I have to confess that every year in December a strange feeling comes over me. Oh, it's not like I start adopting stray cats or wearing men's shoes or anything like that. It's more like a sudden desire to do all of the domestic things that I wouldn't think of doing the rest of the year—like making bread from scratch or crafting nifty items out of coat hangers and pairs of old pantyhose.
Now, this may not be a shocking transformation for some people, but anyone who knows me knows that I’m the type of person who glues loose buttons on sweaters and who will toss a frozen pot pie in the microwave, press start, and feel that that can be called “baking.”
But not in December. Frankly I have no idea why this happens. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to make up for lost time. Or perhaps it's my way of building lasting family memories for my children. Or maybe it's all of the rum in the eggnog. Whatever the reason, it has happened again this year.
I know because the other day my children and I tried to make a gingerbread house. Well, mostly, it was me trying to get the kids to help me make a gingerbread house, but you get the idea.
Now, if you are sitting there thinking that a person who can barely make a sandwich has absolutely no business constructing an entire gingerbread house without supervision, you are right. But, let's face it, only certain types of parents are strong enough to resist a Gingerbread House Kit with the words “fun” and “easy” in big, red letters on the top—and I'm not one of them. Besides, it came with everything we'd need: frosting mix, gum drops and prefab gingerbread walls. All in all, it would take fifteen minutes to piece together. Twenty, tops.
My children listened (mostly to the TV in the living room) as I read the directions out loud.
“To make frosting, add one cup of cold water to confectioners’ sugar and stir until thickened.”
Then I measured the water into the special cup included with the kit and poured it into the bowl.
But, as my son stirred it, I began to suspect there was some kind of problem.
“Mom,” he said. “Can I stop now?”
I looked into the bowl and the frosting was still thin. So I reread the directions, and it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, “one cup” meant the first line on the special plastic cup and not the second. Naturally, since I couldn't take the extra water out, the easiest thing to do would be to put more confectioners' sugar in. But my kitchen being what it is, the closest thing I could find was a handful of flour and eleven packets of Sweet and Low.
I sprinkled them in when no one was looking then I continued reading the directions: Let frosting stand for 60 minutes. Sixty? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one who has to tell one bored preteen and one even more bored teen that this is going to take an hour longer than I thought. Besides, if I let them escape now, with the promise to return in sixty minutes’ time, I knew my son would return—I mean, hey, frosting is involved—but I wasn’t so sure about my 14-year-old daughter.
Now, at this point you would think I'd have accepted reality, given the kids the go-ahead to go and wandered away to watch Christmas specials on television. But noooooo. Instead, I slathered frosting on the edges of the walls, stuck them together, and dried the house with my blow dryer.
Then my son and daughter used the frosting to stick gumdrops and eight tiny, plastic reindeer on the roof. Granted, my daughter helped with some protesting, but she relented, and I managed to take several pictures between grimaces, so it looks like my daughter wasn’t wishing she was at a mall with her friends. Years from now, in my senility, all I’ll know when I look at the pictures is that we once bonded over gingerbread. And when she let her guard down, truth be told, my daughter did look like she was enjoying herself.
But if my past experience with Christmas crafts has taught me anything it's that moments like this just don't last. So, frankly, I wasn't too surprised when all of the reindeer slid off the roof and were buried beneath a pile of loose gumdrops.
“Cool, an avalanche,” my son said.
Call me weird, but as I stood there blow-drying the remaining gumdrops to the eaves, I secretly couldn’t wait until January, when I could go back to my simple, undomesticated ways.
Sometimes it's better that way.
* * *
Debbie Farmer is a humorist and a mother of two kids, holding down the fort in California. She is also the author of Don’t Put Lipstick on the Cat and can be reached at www.familydaze.com, or by writing familydaze@oasisnewsfeatures.com.
Opting Out or Doing Better? Real Reasons to Homeschool (Alice Bachini-Smith)
Opting Out or Doing Better? Real Reasons to Homeschool (Alice Bachini-Smith)
So, you don't want to homeschool. Social isolation, no peers to learn with, no specialist teachers and no serious discipline when it comes to studying are not your idea of the best education for your kids. Add to that the weirdos you've met who take this route, and the fact you would be losing half your income, and the idea is not just out of the question, it's insanity.
Read the entire commentary by clicking on the title.
So, you don't want to homeschool. Social isolation, no peers to learn with, no specialist teachers and no serious discipline when it comes to studying are not your idea of the best education for your kids. Add to that the weirdos you've met who take this route, and the fact you would be losing half your income, and the idea is not just out of the question, it's insanity.
Read the entire commentary by clicking on the title.
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