Mom Is Teaching

Last year Bryan from Sympathy Pain decided to rant about home schoolers. After a little back and forth I thought we cleared his misconceptions up, apparently not. I can’t begin to express how disgusted by his comment I am.

We have not stuck our fingers in our ears…at least not all of us. You keep saying these Stereotypes keep coming back…It’s because stereotypes exist for a reason. There are homeschooled persons out there, if you want to admit it or not, who continue to fit the stereotypes, end even create more negative images every day. Example: We had a young homeschooled girl come to our house and sell us magazines. She was socially inept and just plan annoying, but we helped her out despite herself…and never received the magazines. She told us some story about the death of a pet by a family member…while trying to sell us magazines and petting our dog. Then, on top of everything else, we have individuals like yourself who keep shout…”No, we are not like that and if you don’t agree, your ignorant and prejudicetic.” Great front people for the cause. If you want to change the stereotypes…ask yourself why they still exist instead of just saying “your wrong.”

I admit, I was so angry I was shaking.
Bryan there are stereotypes for a good reason, because people who are prejudiced like to show examples of one extreme situation and claim it is the norm. I never said there are not some home schoolers who do fit the stereotype, but that is not the norm. Just like not all black people are lazy and stupid, not all feminists hate men, and not all Christians are conservative. Yet those are the stereotypes people use. And yes, there are a vocal few in each category. I’m sure I could tell you a few stories about people who fit in neatly to those stereotypes. In any other instance I would look to my own prejudice and see where I was placing my own internal issues onto another person or group of people. However, when it comes to home schoolers you seem to be lacking that ability. Personally, I find that disgusting and I can’t help but wonder where else in your life you cast people into labeled boxes because it is easier for you to write them off then explore your own issues.

Finding one example, of something that I’ve seen a dozen times with public schoolers, and claiming that it represents all home schoolers only makes yourself look ignorant. Why does every child that is taught at home have to be an example of what all home schoolers are? Because people like you make it so. There are kids in public schools who are shy, anti-social, lie, are conservative Christians, never talk to anyone, and any other example you want to say. That does not make them examples of what all public school kids are, rational people can clearly see that each child only represents themselves.

Why do these stereotypes keep coming back. Bryan look in the mirror, there’s your answer. Because people like you won’t let them drop. Because people like you keep bringing them back up over and over again. Because people like you never learned to look at people as individuals with individual strengths and weaknesses rather than parts of the whole.

Frankly Bryan, people like you aren’t worth the pixels this comment used.

Homeschooling is one of the most misunderstood institutions in the world as we know it.

You can say that twice! Tiffany from Nature Moms, a great blog for the eco-moms, spent some time debunking the most common myths about home education. Sadly, these same myths have been debunked over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. No matter how often we scream or how loudly, the people against home education continue to sit around sticking their fingers in their ears and singing “lalalalala” as loudly as they can. Let’s be honest, they don’t want to know any different. if they were really interested they would have went out and searched for the facts by now. Instead they choose to spread misinfomation, lies, and stereotypes so they can feel good about themselves and their own choices.

There’s not much you can do about willful ignorance. You can lead a horse to water, as they say.

You can, however, try to take them down a notch or two. if for nothing else than your own personal therapy. Alasandra did a great job cutting through one closed minded mom’s view on home schoolers. Does anyone else ever notice that the most closed minded often claim home education creates closed minded people? It’s like those Chinese finger lock toys, the harder you pull away the tighter they become.

Stereotypes have been big in my thoughts lately as I’ve been labeled and shoved in the wrong box a lot this week. So I’m begging you all to make me laugh. What’s the weirdest, wackiest, flat out odd stereotypes you’ve encountered? Not even just with home education but with any other aspect of you life. What strange things have people assumed about you from small aspects of you life?

home education, stereotypes, people

My state’s newspaper did an interesting thing recently where they invited a group of teenagers to learn how to create a newspaper. It looks like an amazing experience for these kids to do and learn about. You can read the newspaper they created here at The Writer’s Strike.

I probably would not have even noticed if it wasn’t that one of the audio segments was a public school girl interviewing three home schoolers. It’s an interesting take on homeschooling teenagers. They tackled sports, socialization, going to the prom, and more. For parents worried about what it will be like with teenagers this is a great interview to ease your fears. They are articulate, intelligent, and friendly. Who knew teenagers could be described that way?

Oklahoma, teenagers, home education, journalism

My email box is in a sad state of affairs. Basically I’ve been over run by spam to the point that I can’t find the real emails anywhere in there. I have not been able to set up filters that work so I’m reduced to taking drastic steps. I’m erasing everything.

I know this seems a bit extreme, but getting back to zero is the best way. Clear it all out, start over fresh tomorrow morning, and hope that I can combat the flood better next time. Unfortunately this means that any emails I should have read are probably tucked away on page 17 between the emails for male improvement pills and announcements that I’ve won the internet lottery and they just need my information to send the check.

Or in other words they are all about to be deleted. If you’ve recently sent me any thing that I haven’t responded to, oh say in the last month (yes, it’s been bad for a while), wait a couple days then resend it. Hopefully this time I will be able to find it.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

email

If you haven’t checked it out yet there is a great parenting site called Type-A Mom.  It’s parenting advice by moms for moms on everything from breastfeeding to raising teenagers. No matter what stage of the parenting game you are in or what kind of a parent you are you will find something for you there. It’s worth bookmarking and coming back to often.

Now to be completely honest I am one of the editors at Type-A Mom.  I have been lucky enough to be given a spot to gab about preschoolers and all the joy that they bring. Shhhh, it’s all joy, I swear. Don’t let on about the hard parts to the moms not there yet. Yet even if I did not write there I would still recommend you stop by and see what they have to offer.

Here’s a special hint for you home schooling moms, the homeschool section is still empty.  Type-A Mom is hiring editors for the empty sections, so if you would like to share some wisdom apply and see what you have to offer.

Works For Me Wednesday, Type-A Mom, parenting

Welcome back to the Carnival of Homeschooling! As always it is so much fun to host and get to read all of the great posts people have submitted. I tried to make sure that I got every post in, but if you see that I missed your’s just let me know and I’ll add it in (unless it was a spam post). Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to leave lots of comments for all these great bloggers!

Melitsa presents Create your own posted at Play-Activities.com saying “fun play activity that can involve all the family”.

Sheri presents The Door in the Wall posted at Shades of Pink.

Janice Campbell presents The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections posted at Janice Campbell: Taking Time for Things that Matter saying “As you begin to plan for the next school year, remember the core curriculum, and for your children’s sake, erase the artificial boundaries that are often placed between the disciplines. Use real, living books, including classic literature, rather than dry textbooks, to bring knowledge to life. Education is far more than job training– it’s nourishment for the mind, and necessary for the whole person.”.

Barry Wright, III presents Learning by Problems posted at fashionablemathematician - mathematics.

Leticia Velasquez presents Christina read her first word! posted at cause of our joy.

Tammy Takahashi presents Homeschool Success Secret - Restart Everyday posted at Just Enough, and Nothing More saying “Frustrated or stuck in your homeschooling? Try starting over. Everyday.”.

Mrs Micah presents For Homeschoolers: 4 Tips for Saving Money on Textbooks posted at Finance for a Freelance Life saying “The title is pretty self-explanatory. It’s based on my experience helping my mom find textbooks and getting more for less in the homeschooling community.”

HappyCampers presents Easy Mother’s Day Gift Idea posted at The Adventures of The Williams Family.

Abrianna presents Status Quo posted at Yankee CowGirl. saying “HSLDA has admitted that state power over homeschooling is a bad thing. Why not take the next stop and work to remove the state power already in place?”

Kim presents Journaling . . . with a twist posted at In Our Write Minds. saying “Who knew writing across the curriculum could be so much fun? Whatever your children’s ages or abilities, you can teach them to journal according to your current area of study. This journaling activity is especially useful when you want to tie writing and history together.”

denise presents How to teach math to a struggling student posted at Let’s play math! saying “Can a smart student recover from her bad experience with math? Help her with these games and mental math tips.”

ChristineMM presents Ships Without a Shore: Book Review by ChristineMM posted at The Thinking Mother saying “ChristineMM reviews a well-researched, new and very important book about how the mainstream parenting methods in America are harming our children in a very serious way. (Hint: Parents who are present and closely connected with their children and who seek to protect their children’s innocence are on the right track.)”

Cristina presents Home Spun comic strip #223 posted at Home Spun Juggling saying ” This comic strip and article cover a recent issue for NY homeschoolers regarding special education services.”

O. Daille Nation-Ashley presents Science is Magic posted at CEOmum saying “Kids can help us to learn as we teach them too.”

Alasandra presents The Edutards Mindset (this is a parody) posted at Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog Awards saying “A parody of a post bashing homeschooling.”

Jessica Jones presents Celebrating Womanhood posted at Practical Nourishment saying “sharing femininity with our daughters”

One Language presents Learn English Articles » Blog Archive » Some Fun Ways to Practice Reading English posted at English saying “Have fun and practice reading at the same time!”

Sarah Small presents Revolutionary War Lapbooks posted at Small World saying “We recently finished Revolutionary War lapbooks as part of our study of this time period. Slide show and details provided.”

Reluctant Homeschooler presents What I check out of the library posted at Reluctant Homeschooler saying “Even the librarian thinks what I read is depressing. Why do I continue to read books on abuse, war, slavery, and current-day cruelty? It’s such a contrast to my family’s day-to-day life, and I want my children to learn about a world outside their personal scope of experience.”

Barbara Frank presents Book List for Homeschooling a Child with Down syndrome posted at Barbara Frank saying “The mom of a 15 y/o son with Down syndrome shares a list of books that have helped them.”

Dana presents Structure and learning in the homeschool environment posted at Principled Discovery.

Aussie Kim and Louisiana Sue presents Nature walks and backyard birding with kids posted at Homeschooler Savvy.

Kevin presents Tips for Avoiding Homeschool Burnout posted at Homeschooling, Education, Learning and Reading Resources.

David Cassell presents Impossible Is Nothing posted at selectcoursesblog.com.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Word game: stimulate your temporal lobe posted at Sharp Brains.

Sheila Danzig presents Fact and Fantasy: What is Distance Learning? posted at Degree Talk Blog.

klh presents Homemade Counting Toys posted at Fun Homeschooling Toddler Activities saying “I am determined not to clutter my daughter’s life with plastic toys that ultimately just clutter her playroom. This particular post is about some easy, free, and fun homemade counting toys I made for her.”

Shay presents The Good Stuff off the Spoon posted at Life Without School Blog saying “There are a lot of sad and angry people upon this earth. Many have survived terrible childhoods, and physical or psychic wounds. In our individual ways, we are all walking wounded, and how we choose to respond to that determines our level of happiness. ”

Timothy Power presents High School Musicals posted at Sometimes I’m Actually Coherent saying “What about musical theater?”

Jennifer in OR presents Making Music posted at Diary of 1.

Susan Ryan presents The Homeschool Prom Issue posted at Corn and Oil.

Kerry presents 5-steps for establishing a summer routine posted at A Ten O’Clock Scholar saying “Summer is around the corner - time to think about what you’ll be doing this summer. Start by setting the rhythm to your days.”

denise presents DonnaYoung.org Printables and Resources posted at Frugal Homeschooling saying “If you haven’t yet explored Donna Young’s wonderful website, you’re missing one of the most valuable homeschooling resources around.”

David Hobbs presents HowDoWhy » What is a planet? posted at HowDoWhy saying “This post serves to explain the definition of a planet. Children will be surprised to learn that an official definition was arrived at within their life-times! What is a planet is just one of a series of informative and entertaining posts recently focusing on the subject of space, the solar system and the universe beyond. HowDoWhy.com is an excellent source of easy and fun material for homeschoolers.”

Henry Cate presents We have the winners of the Carnival of Homeschooling images contest posted at Why Homeschool saying “Come see who are the winners to the contest for the Images to represent the Carnival of Homeschooling.”

Dawn Adams presents Talk About Expectations posted at Day by Day Discoveries.

Erica Burgan presents Homeschool Field and Fun Day posted at The Sojourner saying “Sometimes it is also about fun!”

Jenny B(aka Mother Hen) presents Homeschooling on the Cheap - Part 1 posted at Ship Full O’ Pirates.

Jacque presents Walking Therein » Blog Archive » Caleb Keeping Me Busy (in the worst sorta way…) posted at Walking Therein saying “we had a hands on lesson about emergency 911″.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Homeschooling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

blog carnival, carnival of homeschooling, home education

I know I’ve been a bad blogger lately. The weather is warming up and I’m finding it harder and harder to sit down and write. Not to mention that Twitter seems to get all my good ideas. Microblogging does have it’s downside if you are trying to keep a regular blog.

I finally finished reading the Oak Meadow books and was really impressed. To the point that I’m actually looking to get my hands on the crafts book to see what else there is. Maybe the book of fairy tales also, mostly because I like having  big books of several stories rather than a lot of little books. A pile of 30 little books quickly gets lost and scattered across the house, then I have to go hunting them all down and usually find them in odd palces and less than great shape. Big collections, however, are easy to track down and rarely get carted off as far. Though this idea is only based on the hundred or so books I dig out from under the couch, behind the dryer, and in the fridge daily as compared to the giant book of Dr. Suess books that manages to stay relatively close to the book case.

I hope you all had a happy Mother’s Day,and don’t forget to come back on the 13th for the Carnival of Homeschooling. So far it looks like an interesting collection of posts. With a few off spammers tossed in to keep things fun. It’s at least been educating.

home education, books, curriculum, Oak Meadow

Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous moms out there. Here’s a special tribute to you. The Mother’s Day Proclamation was issued in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe, one of the three founders of modern Mother’s Day. Learn more about it here.

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace. …

Mother’s Day

Just a note to let everyone know that I will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling right here on May 13th. Hurry and get your posts in so I can share them with the world!

This week’s Works For Me Wednesday theme was to share what doesn’t work for us. Though I didn’t get a post up here, I did share one at my personal blog that I thought some of you might be interested. It is about bribing kids to get a desired result and how the short term benefits are outweighed by the long term problems, such as diminished internal motivation.

I shared that my thoughts were influenced by a book I read called Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn, one that I think a lot more parents should read. Kohn has several other books on education and children that are worth looking for, both for parents with kids in school and those choosing home education.

I written before my list of the Top 10 Books Every Homeschooling Parent Should Read, but I’m going to have to amend that to add Alfie Kohn to the list. Anyone looking for some summer time reading should check out the list and see what strikes their interest. And don’t forget to check out some of the books by Kohn also. His other books The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools and The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and “Tougher Standards” are three that parents should definitely read through no matter how they choose to educate their children.

So go, read my post and leave me lots of comments. Then look for some Alfie Kohn in your local library, he’s definitely worth checking out.

books, home education, Alfie Kohn, education

I’m a bit stumped on a question I was asked so I’m asking you for help. Lori D is looking for a family that does a particular style of home education, and while I know what she’s talking about I can’t put my finger on exactly who it was or when I talked about them. Maybe someone else has the answer.

Summer, I’m looking for a blog that you referenced sometime back. It’s about a family that does “Project Homeschooling” style. They do a project together as a family and whatever they learn from it that’s great. Can you help me? Thanks!

I’m drawing a big blank on this! I know what she’s talking about, I distinctly remember talking about a family, maybe a few families, that did things like this, and yet I can’t find the posts about them. I know that I loved this style when I first heard about it. It is a bit like unit studies are a larger scale, as the entire family comes together to do the project. Older kids and younger kids work together and take from it what they will.

Does anyone remember who this was, or who else does this? Are you a family that teaches in this way? Have any links to share that might tell more about this style?

home education, family, kids

There is a great contest going on over at Type-A Mom going on right now that I thought some of you might be interested in. The contest is in celebration of their 1 year anniversary and the prizes being handed out are amazing. There are over $400 worth of goodies that you can win. Enter between May 5th and June 5th for your chance to win. Just visit the Supercool Supermom Contest page to see what is being given away and how you can win.  Good luck!

contest, giveaway

Big books need not apply.

We have been waist deep in science around here lately. We’ve been doing the informal study of plants around here, which has mostly been a lot of “Hey mom what is that?” and 50 assorted questions about the plant in question. Added to that a stray cat decided our garage would be the perfect place to have kittens. She’s jumpy and won’t let us near her, but surprisingly seems thrilled that the boys have taken an interest in her kittens. Why else would she lay there snoozing and completely ignore the loud creatures giggling and squealing over them? The little things are trying to eat the cat food we’ve been putting out for their mama, which makes it easier for my boys to entice them close enough then catch them for hours of head scratching and belly rubbing.

There have also been sun burns, a dead lizard in the yard, and a found collection of nuts the squirrels buried under our tree. I’ve been fielding questions right and left, trying to find the answers that will satisfy them online. Who knew you could find so much worth learning about just by going outside every day?

We’ve been so busy in fact that I still haven’t had a chance to read the Oak Meadow books I was given. I’m on page, ummmm, 21. I like what I’m reading so far if that means anything. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to read blogs either, so if there are any important posts that deserve to be read let me know.

home education, science, nature

A friend of mine’s daughter has finished up her year already and is sort of puttering around the summer letting her wants be the guide. My friend, who really needs to get a blog!, sold off most of the previous books and lessons but kept her Oak Meadow teacher guides for me. They are the K-3rd grade set, so I’m excited to take some time and really look them over. The package just came in the mail today and I’m a bit anxious to get some free moments to spend with them.

Though I’m not really set into one curriculum or style I’ve been mostly in love with Enki. All except for that price tag. Since I’ve heard some gushing reviews of Oak Meadow by Enki users I’m willing to give it a once over, especially since the price tag is much cheaper. I don’t think we’re really ready to move onto using a formal curriculum yet, but I like to steal bits and pieces of information and advice from all of the styles out there.

It seems that a lot of families are wrapping up for the year, or slowing down for a break if they go all year long. If the more than 2000 listings on Ebay.com right now is any indication there are quite a few people selling off their old supplies for next year’s lists. This is the time of the year that frugal home educators live for, buying what they need for a fraction of the new price.

home education, curriculum

It seems there are very few stereotypes of home education for us to get labeled. If we’re not all abusive, crazy parents hiding our children from the sun then we are over baring parents forcing our kids to memorize how to spell words out of medical text books. It’s either neglect or pressure that the kids have to suffer. The middle ground isn’t often mentioned in the news.That’s why I got such a kick out of Kim’s post about being “over homeschooling”

But may I ask why you feel the need to take the overachiever angle? Don’t you think you might be raising expectations a bit high as you step on our heads to reach the summit? Do you really think people like to hear about how brilliant you are? Don’t you know they snicker about you behind your back? ‘Oh, homeschooling is soooo superior. Homeschooling is in the gifted program. Homeschooling can spell onomatopoeia backwards!’ What about that time you told me it was okay if we didn’t have the times tables sealed up this year? You said everyone can go at their own pace, that was what was so great about you, you said. Reaching your own potential and all that bs.

What would a week without home education in the news look like? Well it would be pretty boring around this blog, we’re not doing anything around here worth writing about. But it might give some people room to breath again without feeling expectations looming over their head. If your 7 year old can’t read classic myths in Latin then you must not be a very good home educating parent, or you’re one of those abusive ones.

Dana has another take on what home education becoming popular means.

Is that all bad? What did a small band of anti-institutionalists bring to American education? Popularity certainly comes with a price, but it brings with it something else that I think is important to not overlook. It brought with it choice. A real choice for many Americans. Not only do we have public schools and private schools, but now we have charter schools and magnet schools. We have virtual charters and other means of attaining an accredited education at home in many states. We have cottage schools and homeschool coops. And we have support groups across the nation. Even Ravenna, Nebraska with its 1300 citizens boasts a homeschool group.

The press, even if it comes in terms we don’t like, is still press for home education. Is that what they say, there’s no such thing as bad press? Parents who might not have thought about it before are being turned on to home education more and more.

And if nothing else, being sold as super-geniuses beats being associated with incest and child abuse. Isn’t that what we usually get, finger pointing and accusations of abuse? There was a time when this “fringe movement” rarely got press, and all of that was hopelessly negative. Now if only we can get more middle of the road acknowledgment.

news, media, home education