Socialization (Homeschooling
An important issue that you need to get right.
I know I have. I have no complaints about my kids.
Helping homeschooling and stay-at-home moms make well-functioning homes of peace, joy, beauty, and contentment.
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Monday, March 09, 2015
All About Spelling
I have gone back to this program after a bit off. It just is the closest to my ideal program without me having to write my own from scratch.
Now, we don't follow the program exactly. I am not a hands-on person so a good deal of the program (tiles, disks, etc) I find too hard to get to.
I also have one child (10) who has psyched herself out, convincing herself she just can't spell (at least we have gotten off the "I just can't read" part.:-P). So for her, I am just using the cards. For her younger sister (7) too, actually. That's a hard one; her sister is simply gifted in book work and could easily do two levels a year. How do you handle a 10yo who resents her 7yo passing her academically? (never mind the 10yo is the only one in the family gifted in acrobatics. She can't cross the living room without either doing somersaults or standing on her head) Sigh.
My 11yo is simply reading the lessons to herself and then bringing the cards for the day to me to review with her. She is doing great:-)
All together, All About Spelling is the program I would recommend first to nearly anyone.
Now, we don't follow the program exactly. I am not a hands-on person so a good deal of the program (tiles, disks, etc) I find too hard to get to.
I also have one child (10) who has psyched herself out, convincing herself she just can't spell (at least we have gotten off the "I just can't read" part.:-P). So for her, I am just using the cards. For her younger sister (7) too, actually. That's a hard one; her sister is simply gifted in book work and could easily do two levels a year. How do you handle a 10yo who resents her 7yo passing her academically? (never mind the 10yo is the only one in the family gifted in acrobatics. She can't cross the living room without either doing somersaults or standing on her head) Sigh.
My 11yo is simply reading the lessons to herself and then bringing the cards for the day to me to review with her. She is doing great:-)
All together, All About Spelling is the program I would recommend first to nearly anyone.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Behold: Here Are the Two Worst Arguments Against Homeschooling | TheBlaze.com
Behold: Here Are the Two Worst Arguments Against Homeschooling | TheBlaze.com
Yeah, socilization.
Traditional school socialization does not teach children to be individuals or to accept people that are different than they are. It forces everyone into the same mold, punishing individuality. If you don't think so, you didn't go to traditional school (and putting a Bible study in the curriculum doesn't change this, by the way. It's human nature when thrown into a large crowd like a classroom).
The reason we seem to think you have to be locked in a classroom with people of identical age and socioeconomic status (same income, same neighborhood, same school) is "good socialization" is because we all remember our hours in school and can't figure out what a child who doesn't do that does for social contact. "Obviously, if they aren't locked in a classroom they are locked in a closet, or cease to exist for those hours or something." The fact is homeschooled kids go to stores, sports, Sunday School, grandparent's houses, etc. They have far MORE social exposure to a far BIGGER group of people than kids locked in a brick-and-mortar room.
Yeah, socilization.
Traditional school socialization does not teach children to be individuals or to accept people that are different than they are. It forces everyone into the same mold, punishing individuality. If you don't think so, you didn't go to traditional school (and putting a Bible study in the curriculum doesn't change this, by the way. It's human nature when thrown into a large crowd like a classroom).
The reason we seem to think you have to be locked in a classroom with people of identical age and socioeconomic status (same income, same neighborhood, same school) is "good socialization" is because we all remember our hours in school and can't figure out what a child who doesn't do that does for social contact. "Obviously, if they aren't locked in a classroom they are locked in a closet, or cease to exist for those hours or something." The fact is homeschooled kids go to stores, sports, Sunday School, grandparent's houses, etc. They have far MORE social exposure to a far BIGGER group of people than kids locked in a brick-and-mortar room.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Common Core's Growing Unpopularity
Common Core's Growing Unpopularity
There is a good reason for this.
ALL education is both religious and political. If your religion and politics do not agree with the teacher's union, your parental authority IS being undermined. And that is BEFORE Common Core.
You do still have the freedom to have your child educated outside the government system (unlike in Germany where you will go to jail for doing so)
And if you own a computer of smart phone you have more resources available for your child's education than any other generation in history (and if you don't have either of those you aren't reading this:-D)
There is a good reason for this.
ALL education is both religious and political. If your religion and politics do not agree with the teacher's union, your parental authority IS being undermined. And that is BEFORE Common Core.
You do still have the freedom to have your child educated outside the government system (unlike in Germany where you will go to jail for doing so)
And if you own a computer of smart phone you have more resources available for your child's education than any other generation in history (and if you don't have either of those you aren't reading this:-D)
Monday, August 04, 2014
How to Separate School and State
It is common for posters to go all over facebook on a regular basis blasting anyone who needs foodstamps. This makes me MAD. Most of those posting those things have their children and grandchildren in government school. They are ten times the sponge that the foodstamps family is (talking about sheer dollars per person). Hypocrites is what they really are:
"I'm getting my goodies and you can just go hungry!"
How to Separate School and State: A Primer : The Freeman : Foundation for Economic Education:
You don't like what happens in government schools? GET YOUR KIDS OUT!
Any healthy American couple can find a way to do it. And every church in America should be helping those parents that don't qualify as "healthy" or "couple."
And with a computer in every pocket that has access to more information than all the teachers in any government school put together, there is no longer a need to educate our children the way the Greeks did 3000 years ago.
"Why do Christian parents send their children to government schools that noisily promise to undermine everything they hold dear?...
As an institution, government monopoly schooling, like Communism, has no human face. It is by definition coercive, corrosive, and usurpative. Our goal is not a sensitive and flexible tyranny, but an arrangement for learning that is entirely voluntary, with full authority restored to families, which in turn educate their children not in servility and fear, but in honorable obedience to duty and love....
A rule of thumb is that if something can be reformed, it’s probably controlled by the government. A business may retool, restructure, and even revamp, but it only reforms when so commanded by government. The whole notion of education reform should be rethought—and rejected....
Irving Kristol’s first law of educational reform: Any reform that is acceptable to the educational establishment, and that can gain a majority in a legislature, federal or state, is bound to be worse than nothing....
If government had taken over the family’s duty to feed their children, and zoned kids into neighborhood feeding stations for all their meals, we wouldn’t argue that families had in fact retained the duty to feed their children, by pointing out that they still paid their taxes."
Read the whole article. It has some good ideas and encouraging statistics.
"I'm getting my goodies and you can just go hungry!"
How to Separate School and State: A Primer : The Freeman : Foundation for Economic Education:
You don't like what happens in government schools? GET YOUR KIDS OUT!
Any healthy American couple can find a way to do it. And every church in America should be helping those parents that don't qualify as "healthy" or "couple."
And with a computer in every pocket that has access to more information than all the teachers in any government school put together, there is no longer a need to educate our children the way the Greeks did 3000 years ago.
"Why do Christian parents send their children to government schools that noisily promise to undermine everything they hold dear?...
As an institution, government monopoly schooling, like Communism, has no human face. It is by definition coercive, corrosive, and usurpative. Our goal is not a sensitive and flexible tyranny, but an arrangement for learning that is entirely voluntary, with full authority restored to families, which in turn educate their children not in servility and fear, but in honorable obedience to duty and love....
A rule of thumb is that if something can be reformed, it’s probably controlled by the government. A business may retool, restructure, and even revamp, but it only reforms when so commanded by government. The whole notion of education reform should be rethought—and rejected....
Irving Kristol’s first law of educational reform: Any reform that is acceptable to the educational establishment, and that can gain a majority in a legislature, federal or state, is bound to be worse than nothing....
If government had taken over the family’s duty to feed their children, and zoned kids into neighborhood feeding stations for all their meals, we wouldn’t argue that families had in fact retained the duty to feed their children, by pointing out that they still paid their taxes."
Read the whole article. It has some good ideas and encouraging statistics.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
The Common Core
Common Core, the Fordham Institute, and the D.C. Edu-Blob:
"What is harder to grasp is how Fordham and other Common Core backers seem so dismissive of federal laws. Or, how they could overlook the constitutional warnings of Founding Fathers like James Madison, and forget that what they seek: “would subvert the very foundation and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America.” "
Has it occurred to anyone that "subverting the very foundation and transmuting the very nature of the limited government" is these people's goal? In fact, they know very well cc is a lower standard and will reduce our educational level. The more educated people are, the harder they are to control.
Common Core is nothing more than making all education in the US socialist and under the political elete class's control.
Think Private education will be exempt? Homeschool or Private brick-and-mortar, or something in between, we will all have to take the same college tests. In fact, in the name of fighting against "dropouts" their next step should be to make it so no one is allowed to hire you without a certified diploma. Guess where there ONLY source for that will eventually be.
"What is harder to grasp is how Fordham and other Common Core backers seem so dismissive of federal laws. Or, how they could overlook the constitutional warnings of Founding Fathers like James Madison, and forget that what they seek: “would subvert the very foundation and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America.” "
Has it occurred to anyone that "subverting the very foundation and transmuting the very nature of the limited government" is these people's goal? In fact, they know very well cc is a lower standard and will reduce our educational level. The more educated people are, the harder they are to control.
Common Core is nothing more than making all education in the US socialist and under the political elete class's control.
Think Private education will be exempt? Homeschool or Private brick-and-mortar, or something in between, we will all have to take the same college tests. In fact, in the name of fighting against "dropouts" their next step should be to make it so no one is allowed to hire you without a certified diploma. Guess where there ONLY source for that will eventually be.
Saturday, April 05, 2014
Feminism, Excellence, and tolerence
LAF/Beautiful Womanhood � Authentic Feminine Excellence:
Why do we view other human persons, especially our own children, as stumbling blocks to our own development, fulfillment, and flourishing? How can we expect to explore a truly creative and feminine excellence if we insist that women must pursue and attain excellence in a fashion identical to that of men?
Domestic Felicity: Once upon a time - a brief history of feminism as I see it
We ought to question the purported value of contraception and abortion, and we should speak more freely about the damage they
have caused to women’s health, happiness, and flourishing. We need to
challenge the assumption that children are a hindrance to personal
development or career advancement. The sacrifices that both women and
men must make to raise children are very real, but so are the sacrifices
one makes to advance a career or pursue a talent. Why have we idolized
careers and talents at the expense of children and human relationships?
Homeschooled Students are More Politically Tolerant Than Their Peers | Acton PowerBlog: a new study finds that when it comes to willingness to extend basic civil liberties to people who hold views with which one disagrees, homeschooled students are more tolerant than their peers:
Why do we view other human persons, especially our own children, as stumbling blocks to our own development, fulfillment, and flourishing? How can we expect to explore a truly creative and feminine excellence if we insist that women must pursue and attain excellence in a fashion identical to that of men?
Domestic Felicity: Once upon a time - a brief history of feminism as I see it
We ought to question the purported value of contraception and abortion, and we should speak more freely about the damage they
have caused to women’s health, happiness, and flourishing. We need to
challenge the assumption that children are a hindrance to personal
development or career advancement. The sacrifices that both women and
men must make to raise children are very real, but so are the sacrifices
one makes to advance a career or pursue a talent. Why have we idolized
careers and talents at the expense of children and human relationships?
Homeschooled Students are More Politically Tolerant Than Their Peers | Acton PowerBlog: a new study finds that when it comes to willingness to extend basic civil liberties to people who hold views with which one disagrees, homeschooled students are more tolerant than their peers:
Thursday, April 03, 2014
Learn spanish
I have always wanted to know Spanish and always wanted the children to learn it. Unfortunately, we have no one in our daily lives who speaks it. I do have a sister-in-law whose native language is Spanish and a brother who is very fluent, but we only see them a couple of times a year. I did take Spanish in high school, but that was nearly 30 (!) years ago.
In our homeschool I have tried Power Glide (audio tapes and workbooks). That worked ok, but not good enough. The limits of the medium plus my putting other subjects (like rading, math, and history) higher on the priority list interfered with its success. The same applied to some smaller programs I tried.
I finally bit the bullet and bought Rosetta Stone. It was WONDERFUL! We all learned a great deal:-)!
Until the computer crashed.
Then I discovered a major problem with this very expensive program; everytime you have to re-register a computer everyone has to start all over.
Talk about discouraging:-(
Now, Rosetta Stone has recently added an online version where all your progress is saved on the cloud, but at $60 a month....
Uhh, NO!
We are very rich...in children, not money.
Money we don't have.
So I have been on the look out for something to replace RS with.
Thanks to an eFriend on Facebook I think I have found what we need.
Duo Lingo functions very much like RS. It isn't anywhere near as fancy or expensive/proffessional looking, but it is entierly free and contained on the internet (so you not only don't lose your progress if your computer crashes, you can access it from any computer! RS only let us load onto two computers at a time and with this many people that just wasn't enough.)
So if you are interested in learning another language (they have more than just Spanish), be sure to check out Duo Lingo!
In our homeschool I have tried Power Glide (audio tapes and workbooks). That worked ok, but not good enough. The limits of the medium plus my putting other subjects (like rading, math, and history) higher on the priority list interfered with its success. The same applied to some smaller programs I tried.
I finally bit the bullet and bought Rosetta Stone. It was WONDERFUL! We all learned a great deal:-)!
Until the computer crashed.
Then I discovered a major problem with this very expensive program; everytime you have to re-register a computer everyone has to start all over.
Talk about discouraging:-(
Now, Rosetta Stone has recently added an online version where all your progress is saved on the cloud, but at $60 a month....
Uhh, NO!
We are very rich...in children, not money.
Money we don't have.
So I have been on the look out for something to replace RS with.
Thanks to an eFriend on Facebook I think I have found what we need.
Duo Lingo functions very much like RS. It isn't anywhere near as fancy or expensive/proffessional looking, but it is entierly free and contained on the internet (so you not only don't lose your progress if your computer crashes, you can access it from any computer! RS only let us load onto two computers at a time and with this many people that just wasn't enough.)
So if you are interested in learning another language (they have more than just Spanish), be sure to check out Duo Lingo!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
HSLDA | The Romeike Case
HSLDA | The Romeike Case
However controls education controls the country.
The German government uses a Hitler era law to forbid parents from homeschooling, supposedly in order to prevent another Hitler.
They insist there can be no "alternate cultures" come up and so all children must be educated in the same schools in the same way in order to assure tolerance.
Yea. Real tolerant there; let's put all parents who disagree with us in jail in order to teach tolerance.
I'm very glad the Romeikes can stay, but the Supreme Courts refusal to hear the case, letting BO's policy that governments have the right to control education stand scares me.
Where do Americans go when our government cracks down on those who are different in the name of tolerance?
However controls education controls the country.
The German government uses a Hitler era law to forbid parents from homeschooling, supposedly in order to prevent another Hitler.
They insist there can be no "alternate cultures" come up and so all children must be educated in the same schools in the same way in order to assure tolerance.
Yea. Real tolerant there; let's put all parents who disagree with us in jail in order to teach tolerance.
I'm very glad the Romeikes can stay, but the Supreme Courts refusal to hear the case, letting BO's policy that governments have the right to control education stand scares me.
Where do Americans go when our government cracks down on those who are different in the name of tolerance?
"How to Homeschool When You Think You Can’t |
How to Homeschool When You Think You Can’t |
"While it may be true, in some cases, that without two incomes, or
without a second parent in the home, the basic bills (food, shelter,
utilities, clothing) simply won’t get paid, this is hardly ever the
reality."
I was once asked in a survey from the county what they could do to get me to enroll my kids in public school. My answer:
"Teach the Christian God in every subject from Bible-believing point of view."
Nothing less would ever even tempt me.
"While it may be true, in some cases, that without two incomes, or
without a second parent in the home, the basic bills (food, shelter,
utilities, clothing) simply won’t get paid, this is hardly ever the
reality."
I was once asked in a survey from the county what they could do to get me to enroll my kids in public school. My answer:
"Teach the Christian God in every subject from Bible-believing point of view."
Nothing less would ever even tempt me.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Why Moms Are Protesting Common Core - Eagle Forum
Why Moms Are Protesting Common Core - Eagle Forum
In what is supposed to be the richest, free-est country the world has ever seen there is NO excuse for any unpopular policy to be implemented. If parents thought their child's education more important than their high standard of living they would think it worth while to pull their kids and make sure they received a God-centered, righteous education.
As I've said before, whoever writes the check makes the decisions.
In what is supposed to be the richest, free-est country the world has ever seen there is NO excuse for any unpopular policy to be implemented. If parents thought their child's education more important than their high standard of living they would think it worth while to pull their kids and make sure they received a God-centered, righteous education.
As I've said before, whoever writes the check makes the decisions.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Happiness and the Baby Bust
Happiness and the Baby Bust
"The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law. Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing."..
."Thus, while parenting, in itself, is a single calling (of many other
worthy callings) for Christians, it's worth considering whether the
messages we send as Christians evidence that we believe it is such. For
millennials, who are grasping for life-meaning in a decade where they
will be interpreting what holds value, parenting is a valid choice that
displays the beauty of the gospel."
Raising children is bringing up the next generations of warriors who worship at the feet of the King. What more important job could there possibly be?
"The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law. Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing."..
."Thus, while parenting, in itself, is a single calling (of many other
worthy callings) for Christians, it's worth considering whether the
messages we send as Christians evidence that we believe it is such. For
millennials, who are grasping for life-meaning in a decade where they
will be interpreting what holds value, parenting is a valid choice that
displays the beauty of the gospel."
Raising children is bringing up the next generations of warriors who worship at the feet of the King. What more important job could there possibly be?
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Stars
Tonight, due to a hip injury, I couldn't sleep. So I got up and took some Tylenol and then peeked outside. I was able to identify Mars in Leo. Quite cool!
Now, in the past I have read Gospel in the Stars kind of books. However Mr. Ryan makes a good case that their theories are quite flawed, so we can't treat them like truth. I do know that my God made those stars though. And that all creation tells of His Glory.
So here is what I saw tonight:
Mars, the ancient symbol of the War God inside of Leo the lion.
In other words a reminder that...
My King and Commander of the Angel Hosts is the victorious Lion of Judah.
The triumphal Judge rules the universe.
Doesn't much matter if anyone in all of history ever saw that. It's what I see.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Amongst Lovely Things: Why I'm No Homeschool Superstar
Amongst Lovely Things: Why I'm No Homeschool Superstar
Oh so ditto!!!
We are not all crafters. It takes everything out of me for an entire day to even try most crafts. So I don't.
Oh the kids do an occasional craft at Grandma's (Christmas ornaments for church for example). But not a lot.
I wouldn't mind if they could do more, but not with me. Toooo much for mamma.
And to tell you the truth, I'm not all that convinced that crafty stuff is all that educational. They are fun, to be sure. But so is running around in the yard playing cowboys. I know I remember learning a great deal more from the textbooks than from any of the crafty things we did in public school. Of course it's possible I'm just a boring booky person. But I'm that kind of teacher too. I can get an idea across way easier by reading selections to the kiddos than by building, uhhhh, messes.
Another thing to remember when reading about homeschoolers doing so many neat things is that you are often reading an entire 15-20 years worth of craft ideas. With my oldest at 20yo, if I were to list our craft projects from every other year, it would sound very much like we were doing neat things all the time.
Here's the truth about our school: We do Bible study together every morning, practice our poems, memory verses, and memorizing phone numbers and addresses. Than each child does their math, grammar, science, history, health, geography, penmanship, phonics (where the child is the right age), art, music, literature and Spanish alone. I begin at my second youngest (4.5yo) and work through her kindergarten workbooks. Than I correct my 7yo's work, give her spelling and reading lessons. Than I do the same to my 8yo, 10yo, 12yo, 13yo, and 17yo (skipping the reading lessons, lol). I end with my 20yo telling me what she has been studying (She often does all the spelling lessons for me and I allow the older dc to correct most of their own stuff with me just spot checking once in a while so this time with the older ones is usually only about 10 minutes or less each.) This takes from about 9:30-2:30 with an hour or so out for lunch and a 20minute break mid-morning. Then I have the rest of the day to do my things and they each do their own things. They are learning lots and I have time to de-stress. Works great for us.
So, if you aren't the kind of mom who wants to build pyramids out of sugar cubes, ear canals you can crawl through, or 3D models of the solar system, you can still homeschool. I do.
Oh so ditto!!!
We are not all crafters. It takes everything out of me for an entire day to even try most crafts. So I don't.
Oh the kids do an occasional craft at Grandma's (Christmas ornaments for church for example). But not a lot.
I wouldn't mind if they could do more, but not with me. Toooo much for mamma.
And to tell you the truth, I'm not all that convinced that crafty stuff is all that educational. They are fun, to be sure. But so is running around in the yard playing cowboys. I know I remember learning a great deal more from the textbooks than from any of the crafty things we did in public school. Of course it's possible I'm just a boring booky person. But I'm that kind of teacher too. I can get an idea across way easier by reading selections to the kiddos than by building, uhhhh, messes.
Another thing to remember when reading about homeschoolers doing so many neat things is that you are often reading an entire 15-20 years worth of craft ideas. With my oldest at 20yo, if I were to list our craft projects from every other year, it would sound very much like we were doing neat things all the time.
Here's the truth about our school: We do Bible study together every morning, practice our poems, memory verses, and memorizing phone numbers and addresses. Than each child does their math, grammar, science, history, health, geography, penmanship, phonics (where the child is the right age), art, music, literature and Spanish alone. I begin at my second youngest (4.5yo) and work through her kindergarten workbooks. Than I correct my 7yo's work, give her spelling and reading lessons. Than I do the same to my 8yo, 10yo, 12yo, 13yo, and 17yo (skipping the reading lessons, lol). I end with my 20yo telling me what she has been studying (She often does all the spelling lessons for me and I allow the older dc to correct most of their own stuff with me just spot checking once in a while so this time with the older ones is usually only about 10 minutes or less each.) This takes from about 9:30-2:30 with an hour or so out for lunch and a 20minute break mid-morning. Then I have the rest of the day to do my things and they each do their own things. They are learning lots and I have time to de-stress. Works great for us.
So, if you aren't the kind of mom who wants to build pyramids out of sugar cubes, ear canals you can crawl through, or 3D models of the solar system, you can still homeschool. I do.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
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