How Refreshing...Someone Who Gets It!!

Every once in awhile you read something that just makes you smile!  Though this article has one of those "you've-got-to-be-kidding-me moments," (courtesy of an "enlightened" school board member), the article goes WAY uphill from that point on!  Here are a few highlights.  Please go read the whole article...it's GREAT!

First a thought from someone who doesn't get it...

"Those kids are nothing but problems,” he said. “They’re not socialized. We had one boy who wanted to go out for football because that’s something you really can’t do at home, and when he got to the locker room, the other kids found out he didn’t even know how to snap a towel or give a wedgie. That’s the problem with homeschooling." --a quote from a "big-city school board member"

To which the author responds...

"Yes, why can’t homeschooled children act as if they’ve been raised by wolves like socialized children? What were their parents thinking?

"I can always tell if children are being schooled at home. They call me “Mr. Mullen” instead of “dude,” or “yo,” or a couple of words that we can’t print. Homeschoolers are usually smarter and more talented than I am. Regularly schooled children may be smarter than I am, too, but since they are socialized to be uncomfortable speaking to anyone outside their age group, I will never know."

And finally... 

"Parents and teachers know that what works well for one child may not work for another. How old were you before you found out what you were meant to do in life —  if you ever have? Was it something you found at school or on your own?

"Maybe the best education is a combination of conventional schooling, homeschooling and unschooling —  or something we haven’t thought of yet. But what isn’t working is socialization."

Read more: http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/opinion/todays_opinions/article_95297d2a-bde5-11e0-a392-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1Uqaw6vPp

Interesting....Take a Look and Share Your Thoughts

Via: Online College Source

The Apologists Finally Meet in Person!!

On October 10, 2007, a crazy, stay-at-home, homeschool dad stumbled on a brand new homeschool blog and left a comment.  Little did they know that with that single comment, the seed of a blogging friendship had been planted.   Over the next several years, Arby and Linda became regular visitors on each other’s blogs.  Arby’s posts made her laugh.  And Linda’s posts made him think.  They both thought a public school classroom was the worst possible place to educate a child.  And they both thought the Chicago Cubs needed a goat.  It seemed a partnership made in blogging heaven.

So in August of 2010, Arby emailed Linda with an invitation to join him in a new blogging venture.  She accepted, and The Homeschool Apologist was born.  But 12 months, 114 posts, and 180 followers later, and despite Arby’s many trips to visit relatives in Chicago, the blogging duo from The Homeschool Apologist had still not met “in-real-life.”  For all Linda knew, Arby really did look like Cary Grant.

But on the afternoon of August 6, 2011, at a homeschool convention west of Chicago, Arby and Linda met in person for the first time. That evening, over Portillo’s Italian beef sandwiches and French fries, Arby and Melissa and Jim and Linda became real friends.  Of course the topic of blogging came up and a new blog feature was created.

One thing that we have discovered over years of reading each other’s writing is that we don’t always think alike.  So, we wondered…what would happen if we each wrote our thoughts on a single topic and turned it into a post?  No collaboration.  No discussion.  No reading each other’s thoughts before publishing.  

Just “he said.”  And “she said.”  We think it’s seems worth a try.

So, for better or for worse, here’s our first installment.

He Said/She Said:  On Meeting for the First Time

HE SAID

A Saturday Night Full of Unexpected Surprises

After four years of online friendship and one year of writing collaboration, I finally had the opportunity last Saturday night to meet Linda and her husband Jim at the Schaumburg Homeschool convention.  I have to admit that I was nervous.  We always say that Linda is the serious writer in our blog team, and I’m the comic relief.   Or at least I’m supposed to be.  Would I live up to the billing in person?   I was thankful that The Boss was with me.   We always have fun at homeschool conventions because we never take the kids.  That allows us to walk hand-in-hand, talk, laugh, and plan, without the need to constantly herd three children and reveal our dark little secret to the entire homeschooling community for controlling our kids: electric cattle prods.  It was a date night.  That’s always relaxing.  I quickly found that I had no need to be nervous.  Saturday night was a night of unexpected pleasant surprises.

My big surprise of the night was learning that Linda is short!  She looks taller in pictures. I think she’s an inch shorter than my wife, which instantly made me wish Melissa had trimmed my nose hair before we left the house.  Something else I quickly noticed about Mrs. Difino is that she is even sharper in person than she looks in pictures.  You can see it in her eyes.  I always knew that my blog partner was smart, but I was unprepared for how much that comes across in person.   The most interesting aspect to meeting Linda was that The Boss and I were instantly at ease.  It was as if we weren’t virtual friends meeting for the first time but long established friends who were simply picking up where we left off the last time we were together.  Only there wasn’t a last time.  It was comfortable. 

The Boss and I solved our sole remaining homeschool problem for the upcoming school year at Saturday’s convention.  What curriculum would we use for teaching geometry?  We stopped at quite a few booths and looked through many options, disappointed at the fact that it was our second convention this year where we could not put our hands on a copy of Jacob’s Geometry.  Long time readers, you’ll be amused to learn that once The Boss looked past the packaging, we opted to step away from Saxon Math for LIFEPAC Geometry.  LIFEPAC - the very product line that earned us a spot on the AOP conventioneers’ Wall of Shame.   There is more to this story that I will explain in another post.  We also discovered, thanks to Linda, a fantastic microscope for our upcoming biology class.  We will purchase it next week.  I will review both LIFEPAC and the microscope in future posts.   

We stuck around to help Linda pack up at the end of the convention.  It was interesting to watch how all the vendors disassembled their displays as the convention hall became one large, empty room.  The rather extensive AOP set-up fit on one pallet once it was packaged.  After we finished we headed out to Portillo’s for beef sandwiches and fun conversation.  The Boss told me many years ago that if I bought her beef she’d follow me anywhere.  This year that meant Schaumburg, Illinois.  We were joined by Linda’s husband Jim.  It was nice to meet the man we’ve seen so much of on Linda’s blog. I enjoyed listening to him talk about their ministry work.  By the end of the conversation we found an area of mutual interest.  He told me about the Marion E. Wade center and its C.S. Lewis collection while Linda and The Boss planned to meet at Cantigny on our next visit to Chicago. 

There’s more to tell about this fun night, but I will save it for future posts.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jim and Linda’s daughter, Janna.  She was at the convention and joined us for dinner, an attractive young lady stuck in a booth with four middle aged adults talking about stuff that would have bored me to tears in my early twenties.   The public homeschooling dialogue is dominated by adults.  Rarely do we hear the voices of our children, the very people homeschooled.  You cannot meet this young woman and think, “weird, un-socialized homeschooler.”    She is a polite and friendly college graduate who is a natural with babies (not her own, another sales rep’s little boy) and an excellent representative of the homeschooling community.  I suspect all of Jim and Linda’s children are, too.    I hope that one day they will add their voices to the discussion.

Saturday night was special.  We made new friends.  That is always fun. 

SHE SAID

Now, I KNOW I’m not the only mommy blogger that was dying to meet Arby.  There are homeschool moms all over America who want to know what an honest-to-goodness, real-life homeschooling “house husband” is really like. 

So for all Arby’s fans (and you know who you are,) here they are:

The Top 10 Things I Now Know About Arby (and The Boss): 

1. I’m still not sure why he used this picture for his avatar on Arby’s Archives, ‘cause he doesn’t look a thing like Cary Grant. (Sorry, Arby…but I gotta call ‘em like I see ‘em.)
2. That being said, weight watchers must have worked for Arby.  Just sayin’.
3. Though he calls his wife “The Boss,” she really isn’t. It's very clear that they’re an amazing team who manage to pull off an arrangement that most couples wouldn’t be able to.  I’m impressed.
4. Arby and the Boss met via email.  Over loaner airport baggage claim baby strollers. Seriously.
5. The Boss really DOESN’T hate Alpha Omega Publications curriculum.  In fact, she's decided to use AOP’s LIFEPAC for Geometry. (No, Melissa, you never will live this down!)
6. He married up.  The Boss is REALLY smart.  Really.  I think that’s why she’s teaching math. 
7. Arby’s a bit of a bookworm.  We were all having a really nice talk until we lost Arby and Jim to a lengthy discussion about literature.  That’s okay.  Melissa and I did just fine talking about important stuff.
8. Arby’s great at packing boxes.  Okay, I’m struggling to get to ten here, but seriously, thanks for all your help after the convention, you two!!
9. Arby’s family is his inspiration.  He loves his wife and his kids.  That’s very obvious.
10. Nothing at all surprised me about meeting Arby.  What you see is what you get.  The Arby that you catch a glimpse of between the lines of his writing is the real deal…he’s every bit the man that he appears to be.  I’m honored to be his blogging partner.  And now, I can also say, I’m honored to be his friend.

Got a topic you’d like to hear our thoughts on?  Leave it in a comment!  

Teach Your Children Well (The Musical)

With our apologies to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young we present the Homeschool version of:

"Teach Your Children Well"

(Lyrics courtesy of Arby)

(Go ahead, sing along...you know you want to!)

You, who teach your kids,

alone at home,

you must be crazy!

You must, work twice as hard.

Your children need you.

You can’t be lazy!

Teach, your children well.

Most lessons aren’t, self-explanatory.

Some things, they learn alone,

but preparation, is mandatory.

Don't assume they know the “whys.”

If they told you, you would cry,

and then shake your head and sigh,

because you love them.

And you, of tender years,

don’t know as much,

as you think that you do.

And so please, listen carefully.

Your parent’s words,

Are not just voodoo.

Learn, your lessons well.

School isn’t hell,

that just slowly goes by.

So tell, your folks your dreams.

They’ll help you learn,

how to achieve them.

Kids can’t learn it all themselves.

Mom and dad must teach them well.

So buy your teacher’s guide and sigh,

because you love them.

Can Children Teach Themselves?

Several days ago I shared a post, Teach Your Children Well, which elicited a rather impassioned response from one of our readers.  The point which aroused the strongest protest was this:  “Children can’t teach themselves.”  In her response, the reader challenged that statement repeatedly.  So, I asked myself, CAN children teach themselves?  

At the outset, I want to stress that this post is not an indictment of unschooling.  Unschooling is not the method that I have chosen for my own homeschool, but I see the value in the approach and believe that children CAN learn in a less structured environment that depends heavily on the child’s natural desire to learn.  However, I do not believe that children—even in unschooling homes—teach themselves. 

 

I know many good homeschoolers.  They employ a wide variety of methods and means to accomplish their end goal.  They all desire to see their children grow into adulthood as capable people, able to function with a high level of success.  And regardless of the method chosen, good homeschoolers are ALL actively involved in the education of their children.  That involvement does not look the same for all parents, or for all children.  

I used to say about my firstborn that I could put her in a room with no windows and no doors and she would learn.  Though the description was used to portray a child who had a high level of natural desire and aptitude for learning, in reality, a room with no windows or doors is a horrible environment for learning.  If placed in one, my daughter would not have learned much.  Yes, she was highly motivated and she loved to learn.  And at many points during her 13 years as a homeschooled student, she learned very independently.  But she did not teach herself.  As her teacher, I placed within her grasp the resources that she needed in order to learn and then I let her go.  Would she have learned what she needed to learn if I had not provided her with the resources and experiences that became her teacher?  More than likely, no.  Children cannot teach themselves.   

Parents are teachers. Siblings are teachers.  Books are teachers.  Experience is a teacher.  Curriculum is a teacher.  Life is a teacher.  If a child has none of these placed within his grasp, I would suggest that he will learn very little.  A traditional homeschooler may take a much more active role in teaching her children than the unschooler does, but the unschooler invests much in ensuring that her children are provided with the experiences and resources that are required to learn successfully.  In her comment, the reader who challenged my post stated that her children learned “with only guidance from herself”.  By her own admission, her children did not teach themselves.  She guided them toward the necessary resources and experiences that taught them.  Children may be able to learn independently, but they cannot teach themselves.  

She also suggested that “Maybe it is you that should go back and read history books about the education of Abe Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison…I doubt they used teacher’s guides.”  

I took the challenge.  After a quick google search, I learned something very interesting.  We homeschoolers often throw around the names of famous Americans who were home educated.  In many cases, these folks were in fact effectively schooled at home.  However, in some cases, we may be attributing the term “homeschooled” to a mere absence of formal education.  This appears to be the case for Abraham Lincoln.  Here is Abraham Lincoln’s description of his own education[1]: 

“My father, at the death of his father, was but six years of age; and he grew up, litterally [sic] without education. He removed from Kentucky to what is now Spencer County, Indiana, in my eighth year. We reached our new home about the time the State came into the Union. It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals, still in the woods. There I grew up. There were some schools, so called; but no qualification was ever required of a teacher beyond "readin, writin, and cipherin" to the Rule of Three. If a straggler supposed to understand latin happened to sojourn in the neighborhood, he was looked upon as a wizzard [sic]. There was absolutely nothing to excite ambition for education. Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all. I have not been to school since. The little advance I now have upon this store of education, I have picked up from time to time under the pressure of necessity.”

And this third person description was written by Lincoln himself for a campaign biography published by the Chicago Press and Tribune in 1860.

“Abraham now thinks that the aggregate of all his schooling did not amount to one year. He was never in a college or academy as a student, and never inside of a college or academy building till since he had a law license. What he has in the way of education he has picked up. After he was twenty-three and had separated from his father, he studied English grammar--imperfectly, of course, but so as to speak and write as well as he now does. He studied and nearly mastered the six books of Euclid since he was a member of Congress. He regrets his want of education, and does what he can to supply the want.”

So back to my point from the original post.  If you homeschool, what is your goal?  To simply homeschool your children?  Or to teach them well?  Because, in fact, your children won't teach themselves.

---

[1] Both quotes from The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy Basler, and published by the Abraham Lincoln Association in 1953.  (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/)

Teach Your Children Well

Everyone who has ever read this blog knows that we're all about homeschooling here.  You know I don't spend much blogging energy defending the "educational system" as a whole.  I am much more likely to defend homeschoolers and their right to teach their children as they see fit.  As a general rule, I don't believe that professional teachers are better equipped to teach children than parents are.

However, I've had a rant building up over a number of months.  Years even.

But first a little background.  First, I am a veteran homeschooler.  I have homeschooled my four children for more than 20 years.  Second, I work on a part-time contract as a homeschool consultant for Alpha Omega Publications (AOP), a large homeschool curriculum publishing company.  I represent AOP at homeschool conventions all over the country, as well as help to administrate AOP's social media presence.  (Oh, and by the way, yes, it is Alpha Omega's curriculum that Arby's wife hates!)  

As a homeschool consultant, I answer lots of questions about homeschooling in general and about AOP's curriculum in particular.  I am usually a pretty strong believer in the adage "the only stupid question is an unasked one."  However, there's one question in particular that I'm getting a little tired of hearing.

"Are your Teacher's Guides really necessary?  I mean I think I can do 4th grade Math!"

Now, I know I'm gonna step on more than a few toes here, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

Yes, teacher's guides can be expensive and I know that lots of families are necessarily trying to save money these days.  And yes, that mom probably does know how to do 4th grade math.  But does she really know how to teach 4th grade math?  And is knowing how to teach really that important for homeschoolers?

I'll get back to the actual question of the necessity of teacher's guides in a few minutes, but first I want to address the more important issue of why I'm so bothered by the question to begin with...and keep in mind I've been asked this question more times than I can begin to count!  Over the months I've grown more and more convinced that the question itself is a sign of a bigger (and somewhat troubling) issue.  It seems there are growing numbers of homeschoolers who are trying to take the "easy road" to homeschooling--a road that costs little in terms of time and/or money.  But children cannot teach themselves.  While I believe that most parents can do at least as good a job (and often better) as most trained teachers can, the fact remains that teaching a child at home is a job not to be taken lightly.  It requires a tremendous level of commitment.  It can cost a great deal of time and money.  If a homeschooler isn't willing or able to spend a lot of money, the commitment in time will likely go up significantly.  And for parents who don't want to (or can't) spend large amounts of time, the financial commitment should go up considerably.  

I am a trained teacher.  But when I started homeschooling I didn't make the assumption that my teacher training meant I could do it all on my own.  I used the resources that were available to me to assist me in teaching my own children.  Over 20+ years of teaching my four children at home, I purposed to equip myself to educate my children.  I spent countless hours learning how to be a good homeschooler.  I spent money on resources that I knew would help me teach them.  I learned Algebra and Chemistry so that I could teach it to them.  I read books that I never wanted to read so that I could discuss them with my daughters .  I invested a great deal in my children's education.  And that investment has paid off in the lives of my children.

The changes in the homeschooling movement in the last 20 years are staggering.  Those changes are mostly good ones.  But in my opinion, they have created a problem as well.  The exploding growth of the homeschooling movement and the plethora of available resources may have created the illusion that homeschooling is "easy."  And it may be easy to homeschool, but it definitely isn't easy to do it well.  By choosing to homeschool, parents are taking full responsibility for the academic development (and futures) of their children.  I don't believe it is possible to overstate the importance of the task at hand.  It is a huge, life-impacting decision.  Parents who purpose to homeschool should also purpose to do everything in their power to do it well.

So, what about Teacher's Guides?  Are they really necessary?  Unfortunately, I can't answer that question for every parent.  Some parents may be equipped to teach without them.  But in many cases, the use of a teacher's guide is the most effect way to ensure that a child will receive the instruction they need to fully grasp the content of the lesson. Even trained teachers use teacher's guides.  They are, in many cases, the main source of instruction. It puzzles me why so many parents insist that they are unnecessary.

So is the question of the necessity of teacher's guides really the right question?  A far more important question to ask is this:

As a homeschooler, what is your goal?  Is it simply to homeschool?  Or is it to "teach your children well?"

Independence Day: Freedom is Not Free

It would seem that blogging has taken a back seat to life lately for both Arby and I! I've been able to manage an occasional post over at my other blog, but The Homeschool Apologist has suffered just a bit! (Okay...so maybe no new posts since the middle of May is more than just a bit!!) I guess when our school year ended, my creative blogging juices dried up as well! Hopefully they'll start flowing again soon!

Until then, I'd love to have you hop on over to one of my favorite "meeting spots" for homeschoolers, The Homeschool Village, to read a guest post I was asked to write in celebration of Independence Day. Here's a little bit to get you started...

To many Americans, Independence Day has become little more than a holiday dedicated to family barbecues, parades, and fireworks. Though the celebrations have a value all their own, is it possible that we have lost our appreciation for the very idea the day celebrates? Has the true value of our freedom been swallowed up in our enjoyment of the benefits that liberty affords us?

The problem is a simple one. A person who has never felt the weight of the oppressor’s bonds can do little more than imagine the sheer joy of finally gaining freedom from them. Our forefathers understood oppression. They had suffered it and it made their hearts cry out for freedom. Though fighting for freedom brought with it a great and terrible price, for early Americans, it was a price worth paying. Some, like Patrick Henry, made it clear they valued liberty even over life itself.

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

(Read more....)