Recently Seen Online: Homeschool-related Items

Highlighting articles, news coverage, and other homeschool-relevant content

There are many homeschool-related news items, websites, and features online that I would like to highlight that don't really fit in our current topic categories, so I am excited to bring you this new content section. Enjoy!

Apologia and Creation-Based Science Curricula Added March 8, 2010
A response to the AP story "Top Home-School Texts Dismiss Darwin, Evolution," released on March 6, 2010

More high-schoolers reinvent or skip their senior year Added February 25, 2010
Could it be that the establishment is finally starting to get it?

Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter's Uncommon Year Added February 12, 2010
New homeschooling book: After years of watching her eldest daughter, Julia, struggle in the highly regimented public school system, Laura Brodie - ignoring the skepticism of her husband, friends, and relatives - made the radical decision to teach her child at home for a year. The monotony of fill-in-the-blank history and math worksheets would be replaced with studying dinosaurs and dragons, some conversational French, violin lessons, and field trips to historical places, art museums, science fairs, bookstores, and concerts. Julia would have homework, but mostly it would be to write about what she'd experienced each day and to read to her heart's delight. "Love in a Time of Homeschooling" is the touching story of human foibles and human potential, in which love, anger, and hope, mingle with reading, math, and American history. Once the purview of Christian fundamentalist and bohemian parents, homeschooling is a growing trend among mainstream parents looking to address their children's short-term educational problems. Brodie gave her daughter a sabbatical to explore, learn, create, and grow - a year of independent research and writing to rejuvenate Julia's love of learning. Though the experiment was not easy, mother and daughter worked through their frustration and difficulties to forge an invaluable bond. Hers is a life lesson no parent should miss.

Forbes' List of Top High School Drop-Out Millionaires Added February 7, 2010
"'For all the new entrepreneurship programs popping up at business schools, there will always be a slew of born entrepreneurs who prove that high school diplomas, let alone fancy graduate degrees, might well be (barely) worth the paper they're printed on.' If you're homeschooling your kiddos, take heart. If you're thinking about homeschooling your kiddos, take a few minutes to visualize what life can be like for those who develop an early sense of purpose. Even the sky isn't a limit anymore."

Eli Gerzon's World Travel Tours Added January 6, 2010
Eli Gerzon is a grown homeschooler who leads Worldschool Travel Tours especially for homeschooling/unschooling young adults. Worldschool Travel Tours are always in small groups and are designed so participants can experience cultures more intimately than most travel tours.

Utah boy is chess National Master Added January 6, 2010
"The next Bobby Fischer is living on a quiet street in West Jordan, says Damian Nash, a U.S. Chess Federation senior tournament director. Utah's own chess phenom is Kayden Troff, and in many ways, he's a normal 11-year-old boy. He loves to swim, go sledding and play video games. He's also the No. 1 chess player in the world in his age group (11 and younger), according to the World Chess Federation, a gold medal winner at the 2009 North American Youth Championship and a member of the 2010 All-America Team."

The Politics of Homeschooling by Mary McCarthy Added January 5, 2010
"Homeschooling was not always as political as it is today... In the process of changing attitudes, homeschoolers became identified with politics. This altered perspective was bolstered in 1983 by Home School Legal Defense Association, a self-appointed homeschool lobby that has been representing an unknown number of paying members since then... Advertising their services and homeschooling to the general public via surveys and public relations, homeschooling families are portrayed in a specific way..."

Burden of Safety Law Imperils Small Toymakers Added December 21, 2009
For 35 years, William John Woods has made wooden toys for children. Each one of the 2,000 or so he makes each year passes through his hands at his shop in Ogunquit, Maine, and no child, he said, has ever been hurt by one of his small boats, cars, helicopters or rattles. William John Woods owns Ogunquit Wooden Toy, which makes handcrafted wood planes and cars. He and other small toymakers are complaining about new federal safety regulations for toys. But now he and others like him — makers of small toys and owners of toy resale shops and boutique stores — say their livelihood is being threatened by federal legislation enacted in the last year to protect children from toxic toys through more extensive testing.

At 11, Portland's Michael Kepler Meo already has a date with Houston Grand Opera Added December 20, 2009
"At 11, Mike already is getting big parts. Last winter, he sang the role of Miles in Portland Opera's compelling production of 'The Turn of the Screw.' Miles is a key role in Benjamin Britten's cryptic tale of unspecified abuse of a young brother and sister in a rural English manor, and Mike mastered the difficult music with a mature performance. 'He's a natural on the stage,' says Rob Ainsley, who coached him for the production. Ainsley, Portland Opera's chorus master and principal coach, was a boy soprano himself when he was growing up in Durham, England... Each weekday before lunch, Mike, who is homeschooled, practices piano, guitar and voice for an hour and 45 minutes."

Homeschool Burnout Added November 10, 2009
"Burnout happens to all homeschoolers at least once, sometimes more than once in our homeschooling journeys. Even those who do not follow a scope and sequence or a particular curriculum can fall victim to burnout. We all have expectations, internal and external, on ourselves and our children and those expectations can easily lead us to question why we are homeschooling and if we should continue to homeschool..."

How to Homeschool Video Series Added November 1, 2009
Great series of videos from the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers for anyone starting out or wanting to explain homeschooling to grandparents or friends.

Endless Summer Added October 20, 2009
This Salon.com article from 2005 is just as relevant today as it was then. "Since 1960, when A.S. Neill published 'Summerhill,' a chronicle of life at his "free-learning" British boarding school, and American educational reformer John Holt coined the phrase "un-schooling" in his books of the late 1970s, the philosophy has emerged as the rebellious twin of the home-schooling movement. While paired in many people's minds, the two have distinct agendas and ideologies..."

Local Author, 10, Receives State and National Recognition Added October 11, 2009
At 10 years old she is taking high school level courses. That is, except for math, where she is already studying at a college level. Shanaya is also a published author of two children's books and is working on a third. Did we mention the girl makes and sells jewelry so she can donate the profits to a charity that gives school supplies to needy children?

Confessions of a home-schooler Added September 28, 2009
New series on homeschooling from Andrew O'Hehir at Salon.com:
"Let's be honest: It's almost always mothers who react defensively when the subject comes up, as if our personal decision not to send our kids to public school contained an implicit judgment of whatever different choices they may have made...As I say, I understand this a little bit better than I did at first. For one thing, I'm not sure any man can really grasp the competing and largely incompatible demands faced these days by American women, who are expected to be providers, power brokers, nurturers and sex symbols, either all at the same time or in rapid succession. Whether they're working-class or middle-class, most working mothers feel fundamentally torn between home and the workplace. They get shunted into mommy-track careers if they seem insufficiently devoted to their corporate overlords while getting grief from mothers-in-law for not spending enough time with the kids. They're doing the best they can and it's not that much fun, and the last thing they want to hear is somebody telling them, in effect, that they must have missed the latest memo on hip 21st-century motherhood: You're supposed to quit your job and spend your days reading your kids 'Oliver Twist'! Home schooling is the new black!"

Yes - Parental Rights No - Constitutional Amendment Added September 17, 2009
"As citizens, we need to be alert for threats to our rights and responsibilities, whether these threats come from the government or other organizations or both. Our rights and responsibilities as parents are no exception. Threats to parental rights are coming from two major sources. One is the push for greater involvement of government and professionals in the lives, health, upbringing, and education of children from birth to age five. This push ... sends strong messages: parents are not capable of raising and educating their own young children, screenings and professional intervention are necessary, and it's a good idea to remove young children from the love and security of their families and institutionalize them. We can counter this threat by taking responsibility for our own families, knowing what our rights are, and exercising them..."

A Mother's Hope Added September 17, 2009
"I?d like to share with you the homeschooling tale of our 18-year-old son, the most difficult child I?ve ever taught. It?s a story of hope, the lessons that both my son and I learned along the way, and the rewards at the end of the journey. I think there's a little bit of truth in it for all of us..."

Mourning Constitutional Added September 17, 2009
"A major justification for supporting a system of public schools has been the promotion of a general diffusion of civic knowledge necessary for a well-informed citizenry. America's founders, hoping to 'secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,' knew that our system of ordered liberty would endure only if its citizens understood the nation's guiding principles... Ten questions, chosen at random, were drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) item bank, which consists of 100 questions given to candidates for United States citizenship. The longstanding practice has been for candidates for citizenship to take a test on 10 of these items. A minimum of six correct answers is required to pass... After seeing the questions for yourself, you the reader can judge whether a 92 percent passing rate is a reasonable expectation for Oklahoma's high-school students. Unfortunately, Oklahoma high-school students scored alarmingly low on the test, passing at a rate of only 2.8 percent. That is not a misprint.Sadly, that result does not come as complete surprise. When the same survey was done recently in Arizona, only 3.5 percent of Arizona's high-school students passed the test." I'm not sure if this is an indicator of the state of our public schools or the state of our families, where such information surely would be discussed at some point in a high school student's life. Either way, it is sad and scary.

Education of the Founding Fathers of the USA Added September 9, 2009
From Raising Explorers: "I read Obama’s speech to the schoolchildren – and this line caught my immediate attention.

"'It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation.'

"I thought, 'Really? The founding fathers sit where our schoolchildren sit today? I highly doubt it.' So, I researched some biographies of the men, considered to be the founders of the United States. I thought I’d share my information – gathered mostly from government resources, such as library of congress and such."

Education as a Rat Race Added September 7, 2009
Thoughts from Stephanie of Throwing Marshmallows regarding an article in the Baltimore Sun about unschooling

Burrillville boy sees the light, becomes national finalist Added September 3, 2009
"Sitting on top of the kitchen counter at home, 11-year-old Hugh Finch made a two-minute video about using the principles of light to brighten his mother’s cabinets. That video helped him become a finalist in a national science competition that awards a $50,000 savings bond to the winner...Hugh, who is home-schooled by his mother, Theresa, learned of the contest last year while watching the Discovery Channel. He was too late to enter then, but he was ready to go this January, says his mother."

My take - Home-school kids excel in studies and in life Added September 3, 2009
"I am writing in regards to Peggy Boyce’s commentary in the Thursday Sentinel on home-schooled children. I am stunned with the antipathy Boyce has toward home-schooling and would like to present a unique perspective that I have on home-schooled children. As a family nurse practitioner, I see children and teens of all schooling types..."

Education Needs to Be Turned on Its Head Added September 1, 2009
"Going through the traditional school system (in California, Washington and Guam) was never my favorite thing as a kid, but as a parent, I’ve grown to realize that the whole system is upside down. Not the system of any particular state or nation, but system of education as a concept."

Trustful Parenting May Require an Alternative to Conventional Schooling Added August 31, 2009
"My last several posts (before I went on vacation for two weeks) were about trustful parenting, the forces that work against it today, and ways of overcoming those forces. As I pointed out in the July 29 post, I think that the most powerful social force interfering with trustful parenting in our time is the school system. The power of schools over children and families has increased steadily over the decades, to the point where it is almost impossible now to be a trustful parent of a child in a typical public or private school..."

Trashing Teens Added August 26, 2009
"Psychologist Robert Epstein argues in a provocative book, 'The Case Against Adolescence,' that teens are far more competent than we assume, and most of their problems stem from restrictions placed on them."

Six for the Road Added August 7, 2009
Discovery is replaying the Six for the Road series this week about the Loud Family of homeschoolers on the road.

In tight times some choose home schooling Added August 5, 2009
"Instead of just sending their children to public school for free, some moms and dads are making deeper budget cuts at home, and others are ditching the plaid uniforms altogether and teaching their kids at home — the ultimate “private school,” some say..."

The Privacy Advantages of Homeschooling Added July 30, 2009
A plain English article from attorney Louis P. Nappen regarding the collection of information by the public school systems in the US and how homeschooling avoids the invasion of privacy by the system. Published and made available by Chapman Law School.

Homeschooling on a Budget Added July 28, 2009
"What if I told you there were families providing an excellent education for their homeschooled child for $50 per year? And even for those of us who splurge on a few beautiful books occasionally, we can easily manage to keep our total expenses under $200 a year. Sound impossible? Here's how..."

Inexpensive Educational Supplies Added July 28, 2009
"How much are supplies for unschooling? It ranges somewhere between nothing and everything--the whole budget. Once a family starts to consider everything educational, even groceries and cleaning supplies are educational. For beginners, though, part of the trick is working on the definition of 'educational.'"

Williamsburg Special Events for Homeschoolers Added July 21, 2009
During the year, Colonial Williamsburg designates several weeks as Homeschooler Experiences. In addition to the variety of activities and programming throughout the Historic Area, special programs are scheduled for homeschool participants including a variety of hands-on opportunities. Special rates are available during this period for homeschoolers. Groups or individuals are welcome. Sample itineraries are available, and electronic field trips are available on the website.

Winging it with Curriculum Added July 17, 2009
"Everything I ever needed to know about homeschooling I learned from geese." From Home Ed magazine.

Is a college degree worthless? Added July 1, 2009
Although the conclusion of this article (testing instead of diplomas) is questionable at best, the points raised about the value of a college degree are valid and deserve to be examined further. Perhaps 4 years spend exploring and developing entrepreneurship would better serve our young adults.

Public schools stifle kids’ free will Added June 23, 2009
"If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, the frog will jump out immediately. If you put a frog into a pot of cool water and slowly heat the water, the frog eventually dies because it is unaware of the temperature change. And so it goes with 'public education' and 'ADD' and the 'unteachable' students that AJC education columnist Maureen Downey has written about in recent columns on this page. The problem with children in public schools is not the children — it’s the public schools. It’s an artificial and coercive environment in which young children are put when they don’t know any better that they shouldn’t be there."

Princeton: Tips for Home Schooled Students Added June 22, 2009
We recognize that your experience as a home schooled student will be somewhat different from students in traditional schools. We'll look at your academic record and non-academic interests and commitments within the context of your particular home school curriculum and experience. We understand that for many home schooled students there is not as clear a distinction between academic and non-academic activities as there might be for students in a traditional high school....

Families join to enrich home school Added June 20, 2009
From the St. Petersburg Gazette: "Home schooling is not about staying at home." Finally, someone is starting to get it!

Not so fast: Home schooling trumps full-day kindergarten Added June 20, 2009
"Some time ago, our library held an information night for home-schooling parents. The room was jam-packed... None of them were hippies. None seemed overly religious or way out there. In fact, the only trait they shared was a conviction that they – as moms and dads – could better prepare their children for life. And you know what? They can... The Fraser Institute's study also raises two startling points: Children who are home schooled by a parent trained in teaching achieve about the same academic results as children whose parents are not; parents who didn't even finish high school can still do a better job of teaching their children than public schools, scoring 'a full 55 percentile points higher in math and 49 points higher in writing than public school students from families with comparable education levels.'"

Build a Newspaper Added June 20, 2009
Cool homeschool project - for under $5, get templates to build a real newspaper with placeholders for photos, "advertisements" and articles, kids can create a publication for just about any topic.

Why I mostly support Bryce Harper's decision to skip high school Added June 15, 2009
Homeschoolers have been doing this for years and getting by just fine, even without the prospects of a MLB contract...

The Case Against Homeschooling Added June 1, 2009
I didn't originally post a link because I didn't want to give the original author traffic to his website, but since Spunky has done a rebuttal that includes the original text, I am linking to that. Prepare to be offended...

Profound shift in kind of families... Added May 31, 2009
Not sure I agree with the statistics quoted in this story (or maybe the statistics are fine and their conclusions are not), but here it is, nonetheless. See the response from Home Ed magazine.