Mom Is Teaching

When I wrote yesterday’s post I sat there for the first hour debating on deleting it. I really expected to find a swarm of trolls leaving hate filled comments and flaming my post to the end og the web and back. Instead I found nothing but support and applause. Everyone got what I was trying to say. In fact the entire day went by without a single rude, hateful or trollish comment.

I’m welling up here!

I usually try to hold back the sarcasm online, mainly because it’s so hard to express across the web. If you were to come over to my house you’d experience a healthy dose of snark daily. But emotions and expressions don’t convert easily to pixels. So an extra big hug to everyone to got the intended idea. Today I brought the snark over to my personal blog in response to an article suggesting mandatory school by age 1 and longer school days and years to match. Come see if I can keep up the snark train two days in a row.

Every year, for an average of three months, millions of children here in America suffer abuse and brainwashing at the hands of their parents. This “summer vacation” is the open door that many parents need to begin their deranged cycle of abuse.

Of course there is no proof, but that is hardly needed. Look at the facts. For three months each year the schools close. Close! Millions of children are sent home to be with their parents. There, with no daily supervision by trained professionals all sorts of horrible things can happen. Of course there is no way to know what kinds of torture these children endure as abuse is rarely caught in the home. Without the aid of a professional teacher watching over these children five days a week there is just no way to know what happens.

These parents may be causing more harm than just abuse. Some attempt to teach their children things, read to them, help them prepare for the next school year. Can you imagine? Hordes of untrained, uncertified parents attempting to teach their children. It’s a frightening idea. Without professional teachers we have no idea what these parents are actually teaching their children. The brainwashing that surely occurs makes a person quake in terror.

I say that parents be required to have certifications before attempting to parent thier children unsupervised during the long summer vacation. They should also be required to report back to the professional teachers during the vacation months to make sure that they are parenting their children correctly. It may also be prudent to require psychological profiles created of these parents. We have to do every thing we can to protect and ensure our children’s futures during this vulnerable time. Even if that includes making summer vacation illegal.

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Does that sounds crazy? Now you know how we feel.

home schooling, education, parenting

I got linked to by Greg Laden, oh joy!

My post on the crazy teacher branding students has been picked up by him as yet another anti-home schooling rant. Apparently when I said

I know this really is not a home school verses public school issue. I just like reminding the people who leave comments that get deleted immediately that being crazy is a human trait, not just a home schooling one.

He some how translated it to mean

“Home schooling is not bad because public schools are bad. So there.”

I’m not sure exactly how he came to his understanding of what I said. I’m guessing anything at all that is not an attack on home schooling probably translates this way to him. Adding in that “So there” was a nice touch too, most likely a good indicator of his maturity level.

I do enjoy that he makes the assumption that this is actually a pro-public school case. Why? Because the teacher was fired, so obviously that means abuse cases are caught immediately in the schools and would not have been caught at home. Oh, except for this part of the story.

Eighth-graders who were taught by John Freshwater frequently had to be re-taught in high school what they were supposed to have learned in Freshwater’s class, according to outside investigators hired by the district.

For 11 years, other teachers in the school district and people in the community complained about Freshwater preaching his Christian beliefs in class and slamming scientific theories, a school administrator told investigators.

Well 11 years isn’t that bad I guess. I mean they eventually got him fired right. And surely 11 years is a lot sooner than if it had been at home which might have taken a whole 12 years. 13 if we count kindergarten. OK, I’ll give you 18 years if the parents started branding their kids at birth. And never mind the fact that if this were parents it would have only been their kids, yet in this case it was 20-30 students per class period he taught for each of those 11 years. But eventually he was caught and fired and that’s all that matters.

Of course Laden’s opinions aren’t really worth the pixels they take up. His anti-home school rants have become famous in some circles as being pointless and trite. He has perfected the image of the lunatic fringe home schooling to abuse their kids and teaching them that 1+2=5. It’s a stereotype that he holds dearly in his mind and no amount of logic, common sense, or research will change that. As Doc has already pointed out, Greg talks about home schooling whenever his blogs starts to feel lonely.

I still stand by my original conclusion. That there are crazy people every where in the world. Especially if you are actively looking for them.

home schooling, Greg Laden, education

I’m not a fan of the public school system. I think anyone who has read my rants is perfectly aware that I’d like to tear the entire system down and start over again. However, I know that it would take a perfect world for something like that to happen. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. So we have to make do with what we’ve got.

And one of the things we have is public schools, paid for by our taxes. I found a post recently in my Google alerts from a homeschooling mom who might just dislike public schools more than me. Or rather, dislikes the taxes spent to pay for them.  To her she feels that it is unfair for people not actively using the school system to have to pay for it with their taxes.

I absolutely disagree. Even though my children are not in public schools, and hopefully never will be, I still understand that public schools are benefiting me. When the kid at the cash register counts back my change it is his public school education benefiting me. When I read the newspaper I am benefiting from the writers’ public school educations. The person who made my fireplace, the person who fixes my car, the person who keeps my internet up and running. Chances are they all went to public school where they learned at least the basics of math, writing, and science. And without those basics to build on they would not be able to provide the many services I use today. I am more than happy to pay to make sure that the person I am engaging with at least partially knows what they are doing.

In a perfect world parents would be able to provide a more perfect education for their children, but that’s just not the world we live in. Many, many, many would go without any education at all. And that would hurt me in the long run.

education, taxes, schools

I know, I know. Lack of posting going on here. My only excuse is that we haven’t been feeling very homeschool-y lately. It’s summer, practically. Our days have been spent jumping in mud puddles, driving cars through the grass, and loving on that big moose of a dog the neighbor girls have. Of course in exchange they come cuddle with our kittens on the front porch. It’s a fair trade off.

I have been working on a list of things to do once the weather cools off. Nothing too rigid or planned. Mostly just making a list of the books I think we’re ready for, the ones I’m dying to read again but have been waiting for the kids to be old enough to get them.  I’ve also been looking over several version of the requirements for next year. Comparing what the state requires with what several various curriculum companies offer. Having a list makes me far less worried, especially when I can already see several things that could be marked off a few more that I know we’re almost grasping. I like to make sure we’re doing fine before jumping back into not really doing anything formal or closely resembling school.

I’ve also been sent a few books from Kumon publishing that I plan to review later next week at my personal blog.  They sent me an email asking if I would be willing to try out their workbooks and offer some honest feedback. I’m not done really exploring them yet, but let’s just say that for the last two days my oldest has actually asked me to let him do some of the pages. If that’s not saying something I don’t know what is.

I hope everyone else is having a relaxing summer, if it’s summer where you live.

summer, fun, playing

Just a round up of a few links that you should be reading this week. It seems to be a busy week in the news for homeschoolers, especially with the top stories in my list.

• This is not a homeschooling issue A woman who was raised in an abusive home grows to become a mother who abuses her children as well. Big surprise, right? Don’t we already know that often abuse is a cycle? And yet, still, homeschooling is to be blamed for the death of the 4 year old boy. Doc points out who is really to blame here.
• Teen tied to tree overnight dies Two parents tied their teen son to a tree during 100*F temperatures and left him there. Twice. Between the heat, humidity, and smoke from a local wild fire the boy died. Gross negligence? Nope, according to some comments it was homeschooling
• Homeschool stereotypes and how we don’t fit into them… Is anyone up for a homeschool mixer? A few questions to let other homeschoolers know more about you and to get to know them as well.
• Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Apollos Academy. This week’s theme is the movies so grab some popcorn and a coke and enjoy the show.
• Evolution and Homeschooling Is there a Christian homeschooling curriculum that teaches evolution? Or at least does not teach Young Earth Creation as the only science? Surely they exist somewhere.
• Contemplating “Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008″ A Bill was recently introduced to give tax deductions to homeschooling families. Is the tax deduction worth possibly opening the door to increased legislating?

Yesterday morning I had to get up far too early in the morning, drag the kids out of bed, and somehow gets us all dressed and fed before 8 AM. It was not an easy task. Out to the car, dropped off at grandma’s, a quick kiss on the head, and I was off to fight it out among a pack of wild hyenas.

OK, so it wasn’t that dramatic. Almost. A local private school is in the process of moving to a new location and at 9 AM sharp yesterday morning they threw open their doors and let people have any of the books they didn’t want to take with them. There were numerous encyclopedia sets, stacks of text books from all subjects, work books, videos, flashcards, you name it.

Unfortunately because they were moving the free books were still packed tightly in several boxes and stuck in the corner of the smallest room they had. It might as well have been a pack of hyenas fighting over a fresh kill on the Savannah  the way we crowded around the boxes trying to get what we wanted. I arrived at 9:05 and there were already three moms walking out, each with two or three boxes in their hands. Competition was fierce.
Luckily being a school there were often several identical copies of each book. And surprisingly many were still in great condition. Though the school was a Christian one I still managed to find a few good secular books for us. I got a good ASL dictionary, a math book that covers everything from kindergarten to third grade, and a near perfect condition child’s book on how the government works. It’s a bit too old for mine yet, but it was just too good to pass up.

After the early morning battle the rest of the day was a breeze. Too bad that doesn’t happen more often.

books

How many of you are planning on taking your kids to camps this summer? We have looked into a couple fun ideas for the oldest over the summer but with the cost of gas going up and up I don’t think we’re going to be able to afford the drive. I think my mom-project this summer should be to get more parents together into making some fun programs for the kids in this town. Programs that aren’t church camp and bible school, which seem to be the only things I ever see advertised. Great for some kids, but doesn’t leave a lot of options for us.

I read a cute post yesterday over at Natural Moms Talk Radio on her kids walking to a school for the first time for their summer camp. She is pretty lucky to have found a program that meets everything her kids needs. Mine wants to try gymnastics again, but the summer session is far more expensive than the session that runs during the school year. There is a great reading program that I know he would love, but it is in the next town over. As long as gas prices continue to climb I don’t see much driving going on.

We might try some of the groups we can start here at home and see if there are any other kids interested. Like Roots and Shoots, Spiral Scouts, or this list of summer boredom busters. Things we can do here instead of driving so far.

Anyone else have ideas for summer fun?

summer, summer vacation, fun, kids

Are you one of those annoyingly perfect, over-achieving moms who makes the rest of us roll our eyes behind your back? Nows your chance to find out! Just click over to take The Overachieving Homeschooler’s Quiz!

I got a 23 on the quiz, which puts me in the bottom bracket of the results. I think it was the questions about getting dressed that really hurt me. I mean, come on, am I really supposed to get dressed?

Score 0 - 25 Not even close! Your fellow homeschoolers adore you. We all need to know that, at the end of the day, we could have done a lot worse.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go microwave some veggie burgers and fries and think about taking a shower and getting dressed while the boys have lunch. I’m such a slacker!

I think I might have found something that has made me loosen up a little on my anti-TV thinking. Phineas and Ferb.

This fun little cartoon is about two incredibly smart little boys on summer vacation who actually do stuff rather than just sit around. It’s cute, funny, family friendly, and inspiring. At least to mine it is. I found this completely on accident when I hit the wrong button on the remote one day and instead of the weather channel ended up on Disney. Don’t ask me why, but I stuck around long enough to watch an episode and actually liked it.

My oldest loved it. In fact as soon as it was over he ran to his room and began plotting how to make a rocket ship in the living room. Each episode seems to have mine preparing some scheme of their own that takes up most of the afternoon. And the best part is that it’s on during that part of the afternoon when it’s too much too hot to go outside and I’m trying to catch up on work. As bad as it sounds I can curl up with them, flip it on, pull out my laptop and know that they’ll be entertained and not completely mind-numbed while I try to write.

I guess you could say that Phineas and Ferb are our mid-afternoon fun break, something to distract the boys and get them thinking of something exciting to do. But since I know that won’t work for everyone I have to point you over to this week’s Works For Me Wednesday where boredom busters are the theme. There are some great ideas being shared among all the links at the bottom. Hopefully enough to keep your kids occupied all summer.

TV, summer vacation, Phineas and Ferb, boredom, kids

Hello, you have reached the bloggy message system for Mom Is Teaching. Mom is out for the day riding bikes, blowing bubbles, and chasing butterflies in the yard. There may even be a water balloon fight weather permitting.

At the tone please leave a message and Mom will get back to you as soon as it is too dark to play anymore. Or choose one of the options below for some great reading time.

Dana takes on College and the homeschool advantage. She does a great job at pointing out that college requires independence and self-motivation, something that homeschooled kids often have in abundance.

Homeschooler Savvy shares a whole year’s worth of Girl Scouts curriculum. Trust me, it’s worth checking out to see what all they have planned to do throughout the year.

Tammy managed to put together a reasoned and rational response to the Subway scandal that seems to have everyone talking. I’ve been avoiding it, mostly because the best I can think of involves a lot of sighing and shaking my head.

Over at Learning At Home a visitor gave them a chance to study what homeschooling looks like for them. I have to agree, it looks like a lot of fun to me too.

Not a specifically home education related post, but the political junkie in me can’t help but share. Obama on education, what his plans and ideas are if he becomes president. No matter what side you are on it’s always worth checking out all of the candidates thoughts on the issues.

Now go outside yourself and soak up some sunshine and fresh air. The world is too beautiful to be stuck inside at a computer all day.

blogging, home education, education, homeschooling

Today Tiffany from Nature Moms Blog is withdrawing her son from school and officially starting their home education journey. Stop by and give her some words of encouragement today. She’s also got some great craft ideas listed that are eco-friendly and fun for kids.

I have heard that many parents who withdraw their kids from school spend their first few days with a giant lump in their throats and a knot in their stomachs. The nervousness of starting something new, stepping away from the familiar into something that is still seen as outside the norm. If you have any horror stories of shaking from nerves for the first few days share them. You might help others who are getting cold feet.

As schools are letting out all over, many have already let out, I’ve seen a lot of blog posts coming in through my Google alert of parents deciding to not send their kids back to school next year.

home education

Since I wrote about those awesome home school cruises I thought I would also pass on this article I read. It’s six ways to save money on your travel expenses this summer. The ideas work even if you aren’t planning on a typical summer vacation, and in fact the first tip is perfect for those who aren’t.

Traveling off the peak season is a great way to lower costs. Everyone is trying to encourage more people to travel so they lower costs to sweeten the deal. Which works in favor of most home educators as they are not trapped by the typical school schedule. When everyone else is heading back home and the rates are dropping you can take a much needed vacation. Cheaper and crowd free!

Any other adventure seeking home educators with tips for making travel easier and cheaper? Or at least some words of encouragement from those of us already getting the summer time wander lust? After a lifetime of traveling only during certain months it is hard not to be ready to want to do everything now. Vacation in the fall? that’s crazy talk!

travel, vacation

As the weather warms up I find it harder and harder to sit down and write. Is anyone else having that trouble? Water wars, bike riding, lounging under trees, and digging in the dirt take up most of my time. When I do sit down specifically to write I feel so distracted by the sunshine and birds nothing much gets done. So, instead of trying to write something here I’m going to just share a few links that have caught my eye recently. Happy reading!

• How much homework do K-12 students need? - There is certainly a case against homework being presented by many people looking into education. This is a great article with some helpful links for exploring it more.
• The Education Industrial Complex - Commitment to education that involves more than just putting more money into the schools. What a radical concept. Except, it isn’t.
• Homeschooling Part One - Doc said this was a great post, and she was certainly right. A great look at one family’s coming into homeschooling from a hilarious mom.
• Family On Bikes - OK, so an entire blog rather than a post, but I realized that I forgot to do a shout out a couple weeks ago after I was left a comment so I had to share them now. One family, biking from Alaska to Argentina.
• The Price of Homeschooling - It’s been said before and deserves to be said again, home education does not have to cost a lot of money. You can do it for free with a little effort and creativity.

OK, now I’m going back to playing with the kids some more.

blogs, reading, writing

Last year Bryan from Sympathy Pain decided to rant about home schoolers. After a little back and forth I thought we cleared his misconceptions up, apparently not. I can’t begin to express how disgusted by his comment I am.

We have not stuck our fingers in our ears…at least not all of us. You keep saying these Stereotypes keep coming back…It’s because stereotypes exist for a reason. There are homeschooled persons out there, if you want to admit it or not, who continue to fit the stereotypes, end even create more negative images every day. Example: We had a young homeschooled girl come to our house and sell us magazines. She was socially inept and just plan annoying, but we helped her out despite herself…and never received the magazines. She told us some story about the death of a pet by a family member…while trying to sell us magazines and petting our dog. Then, on top of everything else, we have individuals like yourself who keep shout…”No, we are not like that and if you don’t agree, your ignorant and prejudicetic.” Great front people for the cause. If you want to change the stereotypes…ask yourself why they still exist instead of just saying “your wrong.”

I admit, I was so angry I was shaking.
Bryan there are stereotypes for a good reason, because people who are prejudiced like to show examples of one extreme situation and claim it is the norm. I never said there are not some home schoolers who do fit the stereotype, but that is not the norm. Just like not all black people are lazy and stupid, not all feminists hate men, and not all Christians are conservative. Yet those are the stereotypes people use. And yes, there are a vocal few in each category. I’m sure I could tell you a few stories about people who fit in neatly to those stereotypes. In any other instance I would look to my own prejudice and see where I was placing my own internal issues onto another person or group of people. However, when it comes to home schoolers you seem to be lacking that ability. Personally, I find that disgusting and I can’t help but wonder where else in your life you cast people into labeled boxes because it is easier for you to write them off then explore your own issues.

Finding one example, of something that I’ve seen a dozen times with public schoolers, and claiming that it represents all home schoolers only makes yourself look ignorant. Why does every child that is taught at home have to be an example of what all home schoolers are? Because people like you make it so. There are kids in public schools who are shy, anti-social, lie, are conservative Christians, never talk to anyone, and any other example you want to say. That does not make them examples of what all public school kids are, rational people can clearly see that each child only represents themselves.

Why do these stereotypes keep coming back. Bryan look in the mirror, there’s your answer. Because people like you won’t let them drop. Because people like you keep bringing them back up over and over again. Because people like you never learned to look at people as individuals with individual strengths and weaknesses rather than parts of the whole.

Frankly Bryan, people like you aren’t worth the pixels this comment used.