Mom Is Teaching

Homeschooling conference…….information from Get In, Hang On is where we found the information, go see her….

Our last family featured was Tammy’s, now we move right along to our next family…..here they are….

Stephanie & Scott D.

Brynn age 10, Joy age 2

California

We are not “unschoolers,” but we do not have the “school at home” model either. I take a lot of advice from several sources, particularly the Well Trained Mind (Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise). We started with pre-k with a packaged, literature based curriculum. I HATE worksheets! I love real life learning through literature, and have since I first started teaching in a public school before Brynn was born. I have grown enough to trust my own judgement in choosing curriculum and am able to find what I want at used curriculum fairs for far less than $100 a year. Joy gets workbooks (she’s 2, I think I can handle it!) and we are using a great resource - Slow and Steady Get Me Ready, as well as fabulous ideas I find from various blogs I subscribe to.

What is your plan for “helping” your child learn? - Last year for the first time we did standardized tests. We were not surprised at all to see that math was the lowest subject; what was a pleasant surprise was that even though it is her lowest subject, she was still 1 year ahead of grade level for the concepts. Yay! We are obviously getting something right, somewhere. We are also moving more into independent learning and at times, explaining how to prepare for typical classroom education. (When you go to school - whether it is public or private, in middle or high school, or even at university, this is what will be expected of you. Therefore, let’s do it now). And allowing some “unschooling” to creep in - this month’s language arts is NaNoWriMo (young writers’ version!). So the 10 year old is on her way to loving learning on her own, willing to try new things and take risks. The 2 year old is getting weekly age-appropriate lessons and activities, and we are reading many of the classic children’s books (such as those listed in Five in a Row) to build fabulous memories and vocabularies.

If you homeschool, how do you meet state requirements? California has 4 options that might fall under “homeschooling”:

1) Private school satellite programs

2) Public school independent study or charter (I work for one, from home, as a credentialed teacher)

3) Hire a private, credentialed tutor

4) File a private school affidavit - thus becoming our own tiny private school. This is the option we have chosen for the past 3 years. We have a principal, a teacher, and 1 student currently (we are not required to add our other daughter until she is in 1st grade, per state law). I have all the paperwork required for a private school student; immunization records, attendance log, p.e. logs.

Regardless of how you educate, where and when do your children get involved in social activities and how often? We have a LOT of social options. Sundays we have church and Sunday school. Mondays are pretty much stay at home days. Tuesdays are karate class (at the moment - we have also signed Brynn up for softball, basketball, swimming, tennis and soccer, at various times). Wednesdays are choir and scouts. Thursdays are sports again. Fridays are the days we meet other home schoolers - alternating weeks between meeting at the library, followed by a picnic lunch in the park, and “Build your own world club” - a group of maybe 15 or 20 kids who are all being very creative and building their own worlds. Lots of fantasy and a little bit of strategic play going on, as each world’s imagineer is working together with other club members to build alliances, share characters, draw maps and more. 

When I meet with my own assigned students and parents from the charter school, Brynn comes along (I take Joy to daycare 2-3 days a week so she gets social interaction with other kids her age, and I can do the work without worrying what she is into or falling off of). We will often meet families at the park or in a library, and Brynn does a great job hanging out and playing with those kids. This is about 6 days every other month or so, plus more days when we decide to go on field trips or outings with other friends or teachers from the charter school. October included an Art in the Park day, a trip to the pumpkin patch, a Halloween party at the park; November has already had a Thanksgiving potluck and a trip to Los Angeles to explore Chinatown and Olvera Street.

Regardless of the type of education you use, which parent does the majority of the teaching and who is the accessory?  Or is the other parent even an accessory? Stephanie does the majority of teaching and choosing curriculum. Scott is the “principal” of the school but he is fine with pretty much whatever I decide. (We are both credentialed teachers in California. His speciality is secondary English; mine is elementary education, so he has left it up to me to this point). At this point he is a great-looking but little-used accessory in the schooling department.

Does your faith have anything to do with your choice of type of education you chose for your children? Somewhat. We first discussed the option of homeschooling when we were both teaching at high risk schools in the inner city, before we had children. Before Brynn was old enough to go to school, we moved overseas to do some humanitarian work. While we were learning the language, she went to a preschool (non english speaking) nearby. Once we moved out into the countryside we ordered a packaged Christian curriculum in English because we wanted to teach her about our faith in a country that has a different majority belief. We continued with the packaged curriculum when she went to the local (non english speaking) school, to make sure she was learning about our faith, learning to read and write English, and learning about history and customs of the US. We returned to the US for a few months, and she attended 3 months of private school while here. The following year we returned for good, and had her in the same private school while we got settled with the move, and having a new baby. By the end of that year we were settled and knew we wanted her to be home while I was home with Joy.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of your choice of education? I love the flexibility of the schedule. If/when we put Brynn (and Joy) in school, and I am teaching in a school again, we will most likely not all have the same school vacations, as Scott teaches in another school district, and I may teach somewhere else, too. So it has been very nice to be able to follow his calendar for Spring Break, Winter Break, etc. It is also wonderful day to day to allow for sleeping in if there were late nights or when Brynn has an episode of insomnia the night before (somewhat common; she gets it from her dad!). I love that I have been able to tie daily chores in to the regular routine. Brynn is a very slow and deliberate child, so when she was going to school we never had enough time for her to participate much in the regular household  chores.  During 2nd grade at the private school, she was always VERY slow at finishing her timed math sheets, and pretty much all year she sat out of recess to finish the work. I love that when she is at home, I can give her all the time she needs and not have to time her if that is an issue she has. 

Disadvantages include a lack of “me”/ free time during the week. I sometimes think longingly of the moms group at my church, or the weekly Bible study. I don’t feel like I can give up those mornings of teaching, because I consider Brynn’s schooling a full time job, on top of the job I am being paid to do for the charter school I work for. I know she is getting a good education, but I also know there will be gaps if/when she goes to a traditional school - just as there are when any student moves into a new school or district - but I know I can expect jibes about it being “because she is homeschooled.” I come from a family of educators and while they all complain about the students they have and the negative aspects of public school, they have not been supportive of this choice (for the most part, they have not been too negatively anti, but there have been comments. Now we just don’t discuss it and I assume that Brynn’s continued academic and social development speak for themselves.)

Your Name:  (if you only want to use first names or nicknames that is fine)

Tammy Takahashi

Your Children’s Names and ages(if you only want to use first names or nicknames that is fine)

Cameron (10), Allison (7), and Megan (5)

Your Home State:

CA

Which style of education do you use and why?

Whatever-works zenschooling.  We use this style because we like it. We made it up, BTW.

What is your personal approach to education?

The purpose of education, and the pursuit of education, is to learn to live a full and satisfying life that benefits (or is at least neutral to) the world we live in. In that regard, money, a “good” job, knowing every detail about every thing… none of that is top priority. Simple people who live simple lives can have the “right” education to do fabulous things on our planet.

So, in that way, my approach to educating my kids is to help them realize their personal potential in their own right - even if it’s not what I would find important. If my children grow up to be happy, satisfied, and are pursuing a life that adds to the good in the world, I’ll have succeeded.

However, I must say, that in order to understand how their contributions will effect the world, they have to understand the world. Or at least, they have to understand the part of the world that they will be influencing. My job is to help them learn the importance of constantly pursuing a better understanding of the world they affect. They can’t know everything, but they can know a lot. And there is no end to that potential.

My personal approach to education is the constant search for truth and meaning, while doing our best to understand the world we live in, and to understand how our knowledge and experience can help our world be a better place while providing for ourselves a satisfying life. Whatever means I can use teach this - whether it be through experience, workbooks, textbooks, lectures, reading, TV, music, volunteering, traveling, or anything else - I will.

What is your plan for “helping” your child learn?

1) I will be enthusiastic about life and learning.

2) I will be enthusiastic about the things my children are interested in.

3) I will listen to my children, and observe carefully.

4) We will do lots of things together. Sign them up for classes, take them place, give them responsibility. Basically, live a varied life.

5) I will get them involved in their own education by allowing them to make choices and work for concrete and meaningful goals.

6) I will continue my learning so I always have something new to bring in to the family education. Also, continue my learning so that the children see that their learning never stops.

7) And finally, the three most essential things they need to have: resourcefulness (know how to get what they need), tenacity (failure is OK) and self-awareness (nothing will stop them from getting to what they want if they know what they want). I will do whatever I can to impart this knowledge.

If you homeschool, how do you meet state requirements?

In CA, we can file as a private school. We follow the private school codes which require minimal paperwork.

Regardless of how you educate, where and when do your children get involved in social activities and how often?

We live in a social world. Social activities are an everyday part of life, whether that be with our neighbors, with our family, in our community, with our friends, in classes, at Disneyland, at parties, and everywhere in between. In our neighborhood, the worry isn’t so much of whether we get out to do social activities. The worry is over-scheduling and getting burn out. So we have to be careful not to schedule too much.

Regardless of the type of education you use, which parent does the majority of the teaching and who is the accessory?  Or is the other parent even an accessory?

I do most of the teaching simply because I’m with the children the most often. But we consider everyone that the children communicate with to be teachers. They may not sit down and do a workbook with them, but they are part of the bigger picture of teaching them about the world they live in, which is what education is for, right? 

Does your faith have anything to do with your choice of type of education you chose for your children?

Sort of. I’m Buddhist, and that certainly has an impact on what I feel is important. My husband is secular humanist, so that has an impact on what he thinks is important. Our children have their own beliefs, and that plays a part in what is important to them. We smash that all together, throw in two different perspectives on educational philosophy, and you get the Takahashi method of homeschooling.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of your choice of education?

Advantages:

1) Freedom

2) Low stress

3) Close family

4) Flexibility

5) Travel

6) Fun

7) Ability to visit places when they aren’t busy

Get as close as possible to our idea of the perfect education

9) Parents have to take an active role in education, because they can not rely on the state to fulfill their needs.

Disadvantages

1) People asking a lot of questions about it, pretty much all the time

2) People outwardly criticizing our choice and throwing stereotypes at us

3) Have to be willing, as a parent, to face and deal with your own personal baggage

4) Have to be willing to constantly reassess how things are going and adjust accordingly

5) Have to make time for each person in the family (especially mom) to be alone

6) Need to understand the local homeschooling laws

7) Some activities are harder to gain access to (i.e. sports, afterschool enrichment, etc.)

Parents have to be careful not to pay too much for unnecessary “curriculum” at the homeschooling conferences

9) Parents have to take an active role in education, because they can not rely on the state to fulfill their needs.

Please include a photo of some sort, it doesn’t have to be of your family if you don’t want your child’s picture on the internet I understand, but if you homeschool, maybe a photo of your school room, if you use public, private or religious school maybe a photo of your child’s school or something similar.

Tammy Takahashi is the author of Deschooling Gently: A Step by Step Guide to Fearless Homeschooling. She has been a volunteer and speaker for the Homeschool Association of California and the California Homeschool Network for over four years. You can find out more about her unique educational philosophy at http://justenough.wordpress.com

Perfectionism is not a flaw. 

http://justenough.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/perfectionism-is-not-a-flaw/

Listen, I used to be the rude lady in this story at this site…I kid you not, I so as this horrible lady, the rude one, the one who needs her buttocks fastened together…..

The Griebenow’s live in Kentucky and their children are 13, 8 and 4.  They’ve been homeschooling since 2000.  Her reasoning started just like mine has thus far, her preschooler was advanced.  (I’m using this place to say that even with being out of school 2 weeks and no work being done at home  - his teacher said he did NOT need to worry about it - he still made 100’s on his sight word test for both weeks, not just recognizing them but spelling them as well.). 

She says her son knew all the scientific names of all the dinosaurs and would correct anyone who said pteranodons were dinosaurs.  When she visited his class, she noticed that the teacher was emphasizing doing things one specific way.  Which, in the public school teachers, defense, what choice does she have, she can’t really do it 18 different ways, but either way, her son Zach didn’t get it and she didn’t want to force him.

Her approach to education is basically as auditory learning.  So instead of getting math worksheets, he reads math problems aloud and then solves them in his head.  Let me see the average kid do that any where. 

They meet their state requirements by keeping attendance records and teach 175 days during the school year.  She also keeps track of the subjects taught and studied.  However, Kentucky has no statewide testing for homeschooled children.

As for a social life, they participate in activities with homeschool co-ops at the library and friends over frequently.  Her main goal in educating the public on homeschooling is that it is not an excuse for letting kids do nothing all day.  That’s far from the truth she says - and I say, ask any homeschooler, I think they will agree.

She states the one and final statement that scares me the most about homeschooling myself.  And that is this:

Being responsible for my kids’ education is a huge undertaking.

See, that scares the bejesus out of me.

Starting tomorrow, I have a “get involved party”.  Not a contest just yet, just a “get involved party”.  Be sure to look for it.

First of all, I know, I’ve started another big series on homeschooling which makes me look like a total fake with my support for public schools.  The difference is, the people who support public schools versus the number who support homeschooling is astronomical.  Does that mean that the number who support homeschooling is less enthusiastic, oh no, no no no, that is not how it works at all.

If you know any homeschooling families, it is easy to see that they are much  more passionate about it than most and notice  I said most public school supporters.  The reason being, or at least I think the reason for it, is that homeschooling supports feel more in control and thus support themselves in what they do.  Public school supporters are sometimes left to the decisions of a large group of people and their voice may never be heard.

So, I give you homeschooling family number 2.  So, the reason she chose to homeschool came after she gave the public school kindergarten a whirl and decided that too much missing from the education.  She then turned to her Bible where scripture explained the importance of teaching your children about the Lord when you rise in the morning, when you’re at home and throughout the day.  She says that was an epiphany for her.

She says she would never have attempted this without the support of her husband. He teaches Spanish which he learned recently at his job and together they teach math.  She says that sometimes the kids understand his way better than hers and others it is vice versa.

She is able to cater to each of her children, one learns best by feeling and touching and so she avoids workbooks, but their multi-sensory approach to math teaches him to grasp basic concepts like addition, subtraction and multiplication. 

She says that obviously she could have sent her kids to a traditional school and still taught them about their faith at home but homeschooling allows them to mix the two.  In order to meet state requirements, she keeps track of attendance and starting in the 2nd grade the kids are tested annually in grammar, reading, spelling and math. 

And, you know, we all worry about the social world, they meet every Wednesday with five to 10 homeschool families who organize events so the kids can play together.  One child takes an art class and plays sports while one does ballet and gymnastics.  They belong to a co-op that meets ever other week. 

Let’s just say, they stay busy…..I mean, really!

I don’t know how many of you guys were fortunate enough to see this article and I’ve told you, sometimes I consider my reading in Parenting Magazine to be a thrill and other times it feels more like a pain in the arse.

Anyway, last month, they detailed through 3 families who homeschool and were willing to write diaries of how they did it.  When I began reading it, it sounded like my days basically.  The kids jump up, get our things done like breakfast, toothbrushing, clothes ironed and on and backpack ready to go.  We don’t wait on the big yellow bus or anything but my kids have a timeline in the mornings and getting to school is the mother of all evils. 

But, if you are a family like Kendall Watkins in Atlanta Georgia, you can find yourself in an a different situation all together.  They say they had planned to send their children to a private school.

She said after one visit, she knew they couldn’t educated her children. The advantages are numerous as most of you already know. Avantages allow for traveling.  They pack up the books and teach on the go.  When they can all travel, they do school work in the morning and sight seeing in the afternoon.

Kendall Watkins of Atlanta Georgia says that her approach is a literature-based curriculum but she doesn’t slave over it.  They study themes as they fit into their exploration.  The benefits of this flexibility is that she taught one of her daughters to read at 4 using phonics-based systems.  She tried the same program with another child and it didn’t work.  She had to find an approach with music and games to make the breakthrough with the other child. 

In order to meet state requirements, they file a declaration of intent to homeschool and each month she mails in attendance sheets.  The kids take standardized tests every 3 years starting in the third grade.

As for dad?  His role is to jump in  whenever he is needed.  He does a lot of the informal teaching.  He builds bows and arrows with the kids (show me a public school age kid that even gets to shoot a bow and arrow, never mind build one - and for the record, archery was one of my units in physical education) or plants a garden with the children. 

In order to ensure the children have a social life, they go on field trips to different locations every other week with a group of friends.  The kids also play organized sports and they attend local fine-arts academy once a week to study art history, music and drama. 

Now, when I speak in terms of homeschooling where I live, 90% of what this mother talks about is not readily accessible to my children, making my decisions even tougher.

Tomorrow, another family tells all.

How does this compare with what you do as a homeschool?

We’ve had much discussion here on families that homeschool and wouldn’t do it any other way.  Some that homeschool but would try public schools if they felt the public schools were in better shape.  We’ve had families who think our public schools do a good job and sufficient for their children and have no intentions of homeschooling unless something changes.

I am spending the next 3 days spotlighting 3 homeschooled families out of Parenting Magazine and I’m going to assume that none of those families are readers here but if so, we’d love to hear from you.

So, what I would like to do is take our families here, homeschool, unschool, public school, private school, religious school, whatever your method I’d love to feature you on this blog.

Now, if more educators of one kind come forward and the blog gets bogged down and seems to be about one type of education only, there’s no room for complaining as everyone will have an opportunity to share their story right here.

If you are interested in spotlighting your family, please email me at jareason (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll get you the questions and we can get some folks highlighted.

So, let’s go, get that email out so I can get you some questions to answer for the spotlight on you and your family.

While I am still horrified over this sinus infection coupled with TMJ crap, I’m doing as little as possible.  However, when I ran upon this gem, I couldn’t help but ask to share and was given the go ahead…so I give you……

HOMESCHOOLER OF THE WEEK!

“The Editors at Blissfully Domestic think homeschoolers are pretty cool and deserve some special recognition. Every Friday we will announce our pick for homeschooler of the week!”

Meg is guest posting for me while I drag myself together and figure out which way is up.  You can find her posting regular at her place, Get In, Hang on.

When Jerri Ann asked me if I might do a guest post for her, my first thought was to say something about blended schooling. There are so many views of pure homeschooling or pure brick and mortar schooling. I thought this medium was a good place to explore when the two mix.

But after reading Luke’s post and listening to Jerri Ann talk about her concerns, I’m going to put that idea aside. I’m decided instead to give Jerri Ann her fourth reason to homeschool.

4. Homeschooling is a wonderful way for a family to deal with hardship and illness.

Okay, I said it and Jerri Ann is probably thinking ‘How can I educate my children when XYZ is interfering with my ability to even get through the day?’

Well, there are a couple of different reasons that I feel this way.

- To begin with, you need to consider American society. In our society one of our weaknesses is our desire to hide away problems, illness, and death. Because all three are kept in a closet, when they do happen, many people struggle with just facing their own issues.

It’s hard enough for us to face our issues, but it can be extremely unsettling and scary for a child to see their parents dealing with the issues.

I don’t know of any studies to draw on, but from my personal observations and experiences I can tell you that most kids in homeschooling families tend to get strength from not being separated from their family. In fact I’ve known a few families where the children have stepped up and dealt with their fears by trying to get some control over it. I’ve seen older kids dig in and learn about their mother’s illness so that they can help deal with doctors and treatments, and I’ve seen younger kids take on the role of monitoring medication schedules.

Now some people might point out that letting kids involve themselves is putting a lot on small shoulders, but letting them own the issue lets them feel productive and part of the solution. A child that has been sent away for the day will feel that separation and it won’t help them with their own worries.

- Then we need to think about what we mean when we speak about education in this country. Almost everyone thinks you mean “book learning” the old reading, writing, and arithmetic in whatever form the current brains of education think is important, but I think there is more to education then what comes out of a book.

Someone’s ability to endure hardship does not just appear when they are facing their first problem. It develops and is nurtured by the family and society that surrounds them.

And that starts in the home. Whether it is seeing that having the wage earner laid off is not the end of the world, but a chance for the family to work together to support itself; or learning what it means to be sick, both the empathy toward the ill person and seeing that suffering family member trying to make a productive life. It’s realizing that grief is as much a part of life as any joy and is not something that only comes out of a box at chosen moments.

Education is much more and some times the important lesson is not that 2 + 2 = 4, but that it is possible to deal with setbacks. Time spent learning this will not get you into the best colleges or the fancy jobs, but hopefully it will make a better life all the same.

- Lastly, it’s important to consider the process of learning. Education is a life long process. It starts with that little baby exploring their world and doesn’t end until we die. Formal schooling is only a small drop in that bucket.

When your formal schooling is done through an organization it is important for that organization to be able to keep everyone moving through at the same speed and in the same direction. They also need to have intermediate goals to ensure that forward motion is being met. Intermediate goals are suppose to help catch the strays that don’t follow the prescribed plan.

Homeschooling doesn’t work that way. A homeschooled child skips, jumps, and falls on their face. Some years it’s possible to feel like nothing is getting through and on others, you can’t slow them down enough for you to keep up.

More often than not, that year where nothing stuck, was the year that they were working through some other issue and when they get on top of it everything else will fall in place. And when you look at where they were and where they are now you realize that they weren’t just treading water for all the lack of anything formal to show.

And that ‘some other issue’ can be whatever issue the family is dealing with. There will be time for the ‘book learning’ later. And as they grow and develop an idea of what they want out of life, their desire for the tools to get them there will help them move quickly to complete their formal education.

The decision to homeschool is rarely a light one. As I’ve said before on my own blog, the one tool that is needed is dedication. When the family has added stress, finding that dedication can be the hardest thing and sometimes choices have to be made of what would be best for everyone.

But hardship and stress should never be the doorkeeper for a family that wants to homeschool.

As a sort of footnote – The three hardships/illnesses that I have used to make my point – unemployment, chronic illness, and death – and the conclusions I draw, all come from watching people that I know and respect continue homeschooling their children and seeing the benefit in their families.

I’ve known multiple families where the main wage earner has lost their job and the family has had to scramble to keep a roof over their head. “Teaching” in some cases has gone out the window and in others has become a haphazard patchwork around the parent’s disjointed schedules as they try to make ends meet. Down the road when life settles back down, there has barely been a blimp on the kids’ educational progress.

I have three friends and acquaintances that had/have cancer and another that has a serious heart condition. They all have good days and bad days, and work the “formal” stuff around their health issues. While I won’t say that every child from these families is this perfect wonderfully supportive angel 24/7, I do feel comfortable with the conclusions that I drew. I do know that many of the moms (where the topic has come up) appreciate the time and connections that homeschooling has allowed them to have with their children.

And lastly, I have known families that have had to deal with the death of a close family member.

This is a great tale of learning about spiders, a trip to the zoo and you got it, no public school in sight.

I have a guest poster writing this for me.  Remember all the whining over TMJ and sinus’s and the like, people felt sorry for me.  Now, before you read this guest post from Luke Holzmann, let me tell you a few things. 

1.  I’m cross-posting this all over the place because I think it is ‘that’ important.

2.  He hasn’t yet convinced me that it is best for me and my family, but you may very well be at the point where this is exactly what this post does for you, and if it empowers you, then that’s exactly what we are looking for.

3.  He must be stalking me just a little because my husband and I both have personalized tags.  Our last name is “Reason”, therefore, my tag says, “4REASNS” and his says, “REASNS4″…which makes me wonder if Luke will want to go back and re-write this post so that it includes a fourth reason, just so it will fit in with my family…lol.

Enjoy!

Three Reasons to Homeschool

Jerri Ann has given me the opportunity to write a post here about homeschooling. My goal for this post is to convince her to start homeschooling.

Just putting that out there up front: I want this post to be the impetus that encourages you to at least give homeschooling a try. My position is admittedly biased because I am a blogger for a major curriculum provider and a product of that system which my mom started with a friend way back in the day.

I am biased, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Here are the three major reasons to homeschool (NB: None of them are stereotypical):

1. Homeschooling gives you options.

The stereotype is that homeschoolers are forced to be secluded and miss out on all the great things that a public school offers. In actuality, the opposite is true. Public school severely limits your options. It limits what your children can learn, how they can learn it, when they can learn it, where they can learn it, what opportunities they can utilize, and attending school cuts into the time you have to work with your children on their personal development.

Homeschooling also allows you to control their environment, something that is not possible if you send them to school. Things like problematic teachers, inane assignments, ridiculous restrictions and educational approaches that are wholly inappropriate for your student no longer exist. You are your child’s teacher. You know how they learn and operate best, and with them at home, you have the ability to tailor their education to suit their needs.

2. Homeschooling brings you joy.

I realize that homeschooling is not for everyone.

I know of families where the parents are abusive and nasty. The problem there is not with homeschooling. The problem is with the parents, and sending the kids to school would not fix the problem. Bad parents need to shape up in general.

I know of children who thrive in the public school environment–I have a sister who was a star academically and a brother who was a socialite. But when they were homeschooled, they thrived. My sister gained a sweeter disposition and was no longer a terror at home, and my brother found friends with whom he could play for longer hours of the day. My family has run the gambit of options: private, public, and homeschooling. Homeschooling is the best.

And I know parents who feel like they just couldn’t handle being around their kids that much, or are afraid they wouldn’t be able to handle their child’s issues. Nancy was such a mother. Her husband is a high school teacher (I took two of his classes in high school), and one of her four kids is an obstinate and rather aggressive young man. She was terrified of homeschooling. Over several weeks I kept encouraging her to give homeschooling a try. Two weeks after switching to homeschooling she came up to me and said, “Luke, I am amazed at how much better homeschooling is! I have more time now. More time! I no longer have to run the kids all over the place for school. And my kids are doing so much better.”

She has discovered, first hand, how wonderful homeschooling is. My mom often expresses how much joy homeschooling has brought her. I have heard over and over from homeschooling moms everywhere: I love spending time with my kids! They are such a joy to be around.

The opposite sentiment is often shared by parents who do not have a chance to spend time discovering the joy of their children at home.

3. Homeschooling offers tools.

“I could never do that,” people often say about homeschooling.

Well, sure, with an attitude like that, it’s true. You can’t. But once you allow yourself to consider the possibility of homeschooling, you will quickly learn that you can. What’s more, there are many resources available to help you along the way. I’m going to shamelessly plug one such option: S

onlight Curriculum offers a complete, one-stop-shop resource for your homeschool. Sonlight is literature-rich (meaning it’s a joy to teach as well as participate in) and contains the best of the best. In fact, if you look at the other options that have sprung up since Sonlight, they include many of Sonlight’s titles. Sonlight also has a huge support base where you can find the help and encouragement you need, whether it’s from other users on the Forums, or veteran Sonlight moms via the SCAs, or simply the fantastic customer support.

Sonlight also offers an 18 week, risk-free guarantee. No one else does that. The bottom line for you: You can try homeschooling for half a year and if it’s not for you, return it and you get all your money back.

Try it.

Sonlight has a good article on the pros and cons of homeschooling that you can read as well, and a list of 27 Reasons Not to Buy Sonlight that you may find informative. You can also listen to several audio presentations on the subject of switching to homeschooling which you can find on the “Making the Move” page on Sonlight.com.

One last little thing: If you decide to take me up on this challenge and give homeschooling a shot, or you just want more information, my blog is always open. Come visit me over on my Sonlight blog and share your tears, fears, frustrations and victories with me. Have a question? Just ask. Need help? Let me know. I will personally be there to assist you as you take these first steps on this incredible journey. And if I can’t answer your question, I will connect you with someone who can.

~Luke Holzmann Sonlightblog.com

I’m not sure how many of you are part of the social network known as Twitter and/or Twitter Moms.  I am a participate in both and within the Twitter Moms group there are some men, but that’s not my point here. 

I’m getting way off topic with so much going on in my head.  My point is, there is a group over there, in which I am a member, even though I don’t homeschool, entitled Homeschooling TwitterMoms.  It appears to be a great group of women and men with some really good ideas. 

With that, Mom is Teaching, please meet Homeschooling TwitterMoms and Homeschooling TwitterMoms, this is Mom is Teaching.

Now, go forth and learn!

I made no bones about it when I first took this blog that I knew very little about homeschooling.  I have tried to take the focus of education and give it several lives, that of the parent educator, the public school teacher as an educator, the parent as a homeschool educator, our ministers, our policeman, our fireman, everyone has a role and I hope to keep moving in that direction.

As of late, I’ve focused a lot strictly on a system that I know the most about and that is the Alabama System of Public Education and even more specifically, the education system where I live.  I’m trying to get back to gearing the site toward all variations of educators and I hope to get some more of the great feedback back in action.

In the meantime, I received an email from Edgar Acosta who is the editor at Opposing Views.  He asked me to take a look at a topic in particular and see if I thought you guys might be interested in reading it as well.  The topic, Are Homeschooled Kids at a Disadvantage?  I think even the people here who are pro public school (like myself - so far I am still pro public school anyway) will find the information to be beneficial.  I also think we’ve been very mature in our comments here by not pointing fingers and trying to one-up each other. 

So, go give the debate a read, see what you think and let me know.  I’d love to see if my perception of the readership here is correct.  I would appreciate it if you would go check it out, chime in with your own comments and keep in touch with me as to what you feel about the debate. 

I’m anxiously waiting…

I’m going to summarize a few of the questions/answers for you.  I’m sure most of you read them but since it was several days ago, I’m going to give you some comparisons.

Obviously, just as I figured, the people who read here are the educated ones, therefore, the answers are a bit skewed and certainly not technical by any means.  But, there are some thoughts to ponder.

As for where people were educated, everyone said public school except one person who answered religious school and one who was schooled half in public school and half at home.  So, obviously when this many people get together and the majority was educated in public schools but the majority also says that they will not educate their own children that way and have chosen to homeschool….we have a serious problem, would you say?

Basically everyone agreed that they were educated by public school teachers but most believed that their parents were capable of handling it.  Several did mention though that their parents didn’t have the temperament even if they had the ability.  I can say that my father was a public school teacher but he did not have the temperament to educate me, his only child.  And, most agreed that their parents did a good job with life skills.  And, many, like myself indicated that although their parents had the ability, they felt like it was a child’s job to go to school and do their own work thus they left them to do just that.

I was most surprised by the people who felt they were a good student but not necessarily for obvious reasons.  For instance, Mary N says, “Grade wise- yes, mostly A’s. Behavior-wise, that’a different story”.

And, just as I suspected, most everyone was educated in a certain manner simply because there were no other options.  I know we’ve come a long way since I graduated.  I’ve mentioned many times before that when I was in school, the only homeschooled students were the ones who were sick or expelled.  But, the majority here says that they are already homeschooling or will homeschool instead of using the public forum.

Everyone graduated high school and most went to college.  And, even a large majority of us finished college.  That’s why I say the little poll is pretty skewed but, that’s ok, we know what we know that we know, right?

I am very surprised to read that basically everyone feels as if they were not prepared for college by their high school.  Some indicated that yes it did but just the basics, some said yes but just not well enough and one person did indicate that the community college system helped a great deal.  I think that would be the case with many people who go to community college.

And, again, surprisingly, most of you didn’t even enjoy high school, that amazes me!  Simply Amazes Me!

Here are just a few thoughts on what we would change:

• that teachers would engage students more
• that it was too rigid,
• that the school offered more options
• that homeschooling would have been an option
• that he/she would have been given the freedom to explore
• that he/she would have been given the ability to explore own interests
• that he/she would have preferred a smaller school

I have 2 more survey’s coming your way, neither are eligible for the contest obviously, but I do think that each relays a lot of information.  Those two sets of answers come from me and from my cousin that I’ve mentioned here before.  I think you will be shocked but as I’ve also mentioned many times before, public school in Alabama is so different than in most parts of the U.S., never mind other places in the world.

So, look for those……