Archive for July, 2006

Homeschoolers in district activities?

BevK July 27th, 2006

http://www.suburbanchicag…REED_S10727.htm

Take a peek into the discussion of the school board of Reed Custer School District. They’re discussing allowing homeschoolers to participate in extracurricular activities.

They’ve all got ideas. And that’s the problem. Apparently in Illinois, participation guidelines are up to the local school board. I’m not sure. What I am sure about is that when you place such decisions into the hands of local boards, you get a myriad of policies district to district.

Life got decidedly easier in Nevada when the Nevada Homeschool Network formed to work on issues facing all Nevada homeschoolers. They’ve been able to work with the department of education and legislators to create statewide policies. Since they started, they’ve made filing the annual notice of intent easier and gotten access for homeschoolers to extracurricular activities. Many problems homeschoolers faced in Nevada were the result of school districts that were anti-homeschooling putting up roadblocks. Statewide policies helped homeschoolers in those districts.

(Note: We lived in Washoe County and Churchill County. Washoe was a troublesome county while Churchill was homeschool friendly. We were happy to escape to Churchill County.)

Jury finds Yates legally insane in murder retrial

BevK July 27th, 2006

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi…MNG9OK66E11.DTL

Andrea Yates, who said she drowned her five children in the bathtub because she believed she was saving them from Satan, was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday at her second murder trial.

Yates had a well-chronicled history of mental problems, which had led to several hospitalizations and at least two suicide attempts. A deeply religious woman, she believed she was failing to properly homeschool her children in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake and was haunted by visions that one of her sons would become a gay prostitute.

We all have times when we fear we’re not doing right by our children. You don’t have to homeschool to experience that. Andrea Yates was mentally ill. While we may all wish that a homeschooler hadn’t done these horrendous things, I think we all need to admit that homeschooling attracts all kinds of ugliness.

Homeschoolers are people subject to all the vices known to man. But it’s the ugly fringe of white nationalists, black racists, extreme religious fanatics, and those that use homeschooling as shield from prying eyes that we have to worry about. Legislators prone to thinking that homeschoolers require oversight, will only be strengthened in their views by headlines that scream that yet another homeschooling family has been festering in evil.

What can every day homeschoolers do about that? Let your light shine. Be the example of decent homeschooling to your neighbors and community. Our friends and neighbors have to immediately think when they hear stories like the Andrea Yates story, that that’s not normal for homeschoolers. A pastor’s wife kills her husband. Does that mean we need laws to oversee pastor’s wives? Of course not. Homeschoolers need that automatic “of course not.”

Home Schooling and Mental Illness

BevK July 26th, 2006

http://eclectichomeschool…=135&topicid=14

In light of Andrea Yates second trial, I thought I’d remind everyone of an article posted several years ago at the Eclectic Homeschool Online inspired by Andrea Yates.

Home Schooling and Mental Illness

  • Is it a sin to take anti-depressants?
  • How do I know if I have a spiritual problem or a physical/mental illness?
  • How can a Christian home schooling mother get depressed?
  • How can I help a friend who is depressed?

These are hard questions with no easy answers.

Questions to Ask the Candidates

BevK July 26th, 2006

http://www.homeeducator.c…4-4article1.htm

As November elections approach, homeschoolers should try to find out the positions of the candidates on the issues of most importance to parents. NHELD has compiled a short list of suggested questions. Whether you use our questions, or make a list of your own, the important thing is to pin down all candidates regarding what they stand for and why homeschoolers should vote for them. Make them specify their positions, don’t let them equivocate. If they do equivocate in their responses to your questions, send them another list of questions. Repeat the process until you have your answers. After a few letters back and forth, whether the candidate specifically answers your questions or not, you will have a much clearer understanding of why, or why not, the candidates deserve your support.

Posted by Home Educator Family Times

Women, especially mothers, should try to be kinder to each other

BevK July 26th, 2006

Sarah Smiley declares that homeschooling should be a taboo subject among women because it opens discussion in one of three highly sensitive areas for women: “their weight, their hair color and their children.”

Her concllusion, which I full support, is to treat each other with a little more deference.

Until you’ve had two pregnancies in two years, don’t criticize another mother’s weight. Until you’ve had a bad dye-job and had to bleach and then dye your hair again to get it to a “normal” color, don’t judge another woman’s orange hair. And until you’ve lived with a child who throws a temper tantrum just because his underwear is too lose or his shoes are the wrong feet, don’t judge another mother who’s flipping out in the middle of the mall.

Link to article: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/LIFE/607250307/1036

The road increasingly traveled: Homeschooling

BevK July 26th, 2006

http://www2.townonline.co…rticleid=542193

Some moms and dads bristle a bit when they hear the term “homeschooler,” conjuring images of ’60s throw-backs who are anti-government, anti-tradition, and anti-anything mainstream. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Upon interviewing several homeschooling families in Massachusetts, I discovered a wonderful variety of personalities, ages, home settings, and fundamental reasons for exploring this option for their children. Their one common thread-shared by families everywhere, homeschoolers or not: passion for their children and complete commitment to the success of their education.

Sandra L. Churchill
Parens and Kids

NEA keeps tilting to the left

BevK July 26th, 2006

http://www.townhall.com/C…ing_to_the_left

The NEA beefed up its anti-home-school resolutions this year by demanding that home-schooled students “meet all state curricular requirements,” and that they not be permitted to participate in any public school extracurricular activities. The NEA even opposes renting or selling empty public school buildings to any non-public school.

I think the NEA has a new definition for public.

Merriam-Webster says:

public
2a: of, relating to, or affecting all the people or the whole area of a nation or state (public law) b : of or relating to a government c : of, relating to, or being in the service of the community or nation

NEA definition
public
That portion of a community that places their children under our control or that supports placing all children under our control.

An example? In New York City, developing activists is part of the educational package.

When activism masquerades as education

New York City’s ideal of public schooling as a means of assimilating all children into a common civic culture is under assault - not by teachers who care too little, but by those who, in a perverse way, care too much.

The root of the problem is “social justice” education. It starts in teacher preparation programs, where rigorous training in math, science and literacy takes a backseat to theories about victimization and inequality. Teachers-to-be are told that conventional instruction is an outgrowth of capitalist oppression; “true” education helps students see the unfairness all around them and challenge society to change.

But it doesn’t stop there. Far too many New York City public schools - including some of the new small schools created by Chancellor Joel Klein and funded with money from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - distort education by imbuing social justice into everything they do.

Note: the problem is that they care too much. Creating young leftist isn’t a problem. Just make sure they can read, write, and do their sums, too. Never mind that a principal is integrating Marxism into his school’s curriculum.

Homeschool Benefits

BevK July 26th, 2006

Two responses to an editorial or letter to the editor (I[’m not sure which it’s not online any longer) titled Public Schooling is Best.

Homeschool Benefits
As a home-school student I would like to answer some of Alison Farmer’s queries (”Public Schooling Is Best,” July 21) about home education.

Homeschool Benefits
We home schooled three children over a period of 18 years. They are now adults and reacted with anger and disbelief to the column on home schooling by Alison Farmer (Public Schooling Is Best,” July 21). Their education did not suffer from the woes presented in that article.

Algebra on Video Tape

BevK July 23rd, 2006

http://eclectichomeschool…w2.asp?revid=37

Does the thought of teaching Algebra scare you silly? Then don’t; let Leonard Firebaugh do the teaching for you in this video-based curriculum.

A year of Algebra on Videotape is broken down into three phases, each phase being available separately. Every phase contains 12 hours of video instruction along with printed lessons, assignments, tests, answers and solution keys (approx. 250 pages per phase).

Phase one of Algebra 1 covers the basics (this can be used as a pre-algebra curriculum). Phase two continues the basics. Phase three teaches advanced topics. If you have a slow learner, phases one and two could count as a year’s credit in Algebra 1.

As well as being available as three separate phases, which breaks the total cost down into bite-sized pieces, Algebra on Videotape can also be ordered according to video quality - good (6-hours tapes and okay video quality), better (sharper video on 2-hour tapes), and best (also 2-hour tapes, suggested only if you plan to really give these videos a workout). Prices vary accordingly.

I reviewed Algebra 1, phase one, good quality, and am very impressed. I love the fact that the worksheets are in Firebaugh’s handwriting - the same handwriting he uses in his video lectures. This one point alone makes the intimidation factor go way down! And then there is the teacher himself. Firebaugh explains Algebra the way we all wish our Algebra teachers had - keeping it simple and covering details many others overlook; he even answers those ’stupid’ questions few students dare ask. His coverage of Algebra is so thorough that I saw things I don’t even remember learning in my college Algebra courses. He also provides solutions with the answer keys so that if you do have trouble working an equation you will have help figuring out where you took the wrong turn. Hey, he even suggests that you write him for help if both parent and student get stumped.

Bottom line: This course is superb and super easy to work with. Firebaugh strongly advises parental involvement, but if it were necessary a student really could use this course on his own.

Okay, now let’s talk money and value. First, let me note that Firebaugh encourages you to keep the original worksheets (pre-punched, loose-leaf pages) as masters, making copies for your students and yourself. This is a policy that can be greatly appreciated by money-conscious mothers of multiple children! Too, breaking a year’s worth of curriculum up into three phases means you can buy it as you need it instead of in one budget-rending chunk. Finally, options lead to affordability.

There are six different packets in three different versions, so no matter the budget there is someplace for you. Algebra on Videotape is available for both Algebra 1 and Algebra 2, each year’s curriculum is broken down into three phases, and you get to choose your video quality - good, better, or best. Good quality sets are $49.95. Better quality sets are $69.95. Best quality sets are $89.95. California residents add 7.75% sales tax. Shipping is $6. Payment can be made by check or money order.

Publisher: Keyboard Enterprises
Address: 5200 Heil, #32, Huntingdon Beach, CA 92649
Phone: 714.840.8004
Website: www.mathrelief.com/
List Price: $49.95
Reviewed By: Clarissa Marshall at the Eclectic Homeschool Online.

Strengthening home education regulation in Alberta

BevK July 23rd, 2006

http://www.sherwoodparkne…y.php?id=242646

The Government of Alberta has updated the Home Education Regulation, furthering our commitment to home education in our province.
Provincial regulations are reviewed regularly to ensure they continue meeting the needs of our evolving education system. The Regulation review began in January 2003, and involved extensive consultations with school authorities, education organizations, parents, home education organizations, and other interested Albertans.
The result is an updated Regulation, which clearly defines responsibilities in home education. For example, parents are responsible for their students’ education programs and the associate school board or associate private school must support home-educating parents.

Read more on the Education Alberta website.

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