Me? Homeschool? http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl? http://www.eblah.com en I didn't read this thoroughly.. http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1266708453/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1266708453/#num1
http://www.google.com/doodle4google/index.html
]]> Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:27:33 KD2 Heah ah is http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1260014172/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1260014172/#num1
Homeschooling was the best choice for us.  It defined our lives for those years--and was the easiest and the hardest thing I've ever done.  If I had realized while in the middle of the hardest times, that the journey is over so very quickly-I think that I would have stressed less and appreciated more.  

I'm still facing some attitudes from some people as I struggle to find a job--being out of the workforce for so many years causes some folks to look at one with suspicion--but I don't regret one moment of the time.

I'm here to offer encouragement, and to help you (perhaps) to see a different perspective when it's needed.  There are so many times when something seems overwhelming--and you wonder---how important is this really?   What if...(looking both ways to see if anyone is listening)..what if...I dropped it for now and came back to this later?  Or did it a different way?  Or...what if we didn't do it at all?  What if my child grows up and ALWAYS has horrible handwriting?  What if my child is dependent upon spellcheck for his whole life?  What if my child decides as a young person that he/she loves his/her family and NEVER rebels?  Should I worry?  What if my child is 10 and is already rebellious and loud-mouthed--does that mean that I'm a failure as a homeschooler?  

What if I'm thinking about homeschooling...but other Christian's have counseled me that pulling my child out of public school is selfish and is removing the "light" from a dark place full of precious children?  What if I'm thinking about homeschooling because my child needs it--but I'm terrified that I cannot possibly teach long division (because I never learned it myself?)  Or...what if I know a homeschool family and I know that I don't want my children to look as if they are directly from the set of Little House on the Prairie and I look horrible in a denim jumper?

Talk to us.  ]]> Sat, 5 Dec 2009 06:56:12 KD2 A Teacher's Lament http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1259283157/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1259283157/#num1
Educators are losing sight of the fact that students are also people


We are too engrossed in examinations, and making sure our students are ready for college.

by Jim Fabiano--a teacher and writer living in York, Maine.


I was working in my room the other day during what was supposed to be a free period.

I say "supposed" because my room is basically filled with students during every period of the day. The reasons? Many are there for extra help and I do have a room with the most computers.

To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.

On this particular day I noticed a young student staring into a blank computer screen. I observed this for awhile but then came to the realization she was not just spacing out. There was something wrong.

I walked over to her and noticed she had tears in her eyes and looked extremely distressed. Attempting to cheer her up I reminded her that she was young and if anyone in the room should feel distressed it should be me considering I no longer had hair and every now and then forget where my ear lobes were.

Normally this would crack a smile on my student's face, but on this particular occasion her expression didn't change.

I then sat next to her and asked what the problem was. I knew this student well. She was an excellent scholar with remarkable study habits. I couldn't understand what her problem could be.

She then explained something to me I should have observed long ago. Her comments made me question what I thought was right over the past 30 years of teaching.

She told me she couldn't take the stress anymore.

She explained she was taking four Advanced Placement courses, of which one was mine, she had to work after school in order to help her parents pay for her soon to be needed college tuition, and she had to plan for both a community service activity and a career shadow experience that was required for her to graduate.

She also had to complete two additional courses that were added to her schedule because they went from elective to required status.

Looking back at me she told me she didn't think she could do this anymore and she simply wanted to go back to being a child again. Heck, she still is a child. She just evolved into an adult world we had forced her into.

I tried to console her that she was an intelligent and beautiful young woman who was sure to succeed in life. I told her things would work themselves out and that she had plenty of people ready to help her through difficult times.

She smiled and looked back toward her computer. I didn't think I helped her at all.

As educators, what are we doing to our students? Are we too engrossed in competing with the rest of the world, making sure we do well on state examinations, and making sure our students are ready for college, community, and anything else we can jam down their throats?

These young men and women are not data points; they are individuals who deserve to enjoy their lives and not be constrained by what others think they should do or become.

Needless to say this did not start my day on the perfect note. Then during my lunch period, where I find myself still with my students in my room, I overheard two teachers talking in one of my supply rooms -- one of the few places teachers can escape from what they are trying to escape from.

One first-year teacher was sobbing and telling her mentor-teacher how she can't keep up with the work and responsibilities her administrators demand. She explained that she wanted to spend more time and effort with her students but the amount of time allotted to producing data the bureaucracy needs to sustain itself was overwhelming anything she wanted to accomplish.

So there I sat, looking out at a room of students desperately trying to complete an impossible amount of work, overhearing a colleague express doubts that she can succeed with her students, and experiencing an epiphany:

Even though I've tried to keep my students at the center of my work, I now understood the accomplishments of my students had become more important than the children we promised to help.

As educators, just what are we doing to our students?

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=298368&ac=PHedi]]> Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:52:37 Jean Leaf Jumpers http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1257342512/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1257342512/#num1 Leaf Jumpers

    
by Nikki Shafer



“Mom, there’s just seven more days until the first day of fall!”  My six year old son announced, giving me the usual morning ‘fall countdown’. “How are we going to celebrate? Can we jump in the leaves?”  

     “You bet!”  I responded.  “How about jumping in the leaves and making caramel apples?”

     “HURRAY!!!”  He cheered, with his younger sisters joining in on the excitement…

That was autumn - two years ago.

THIS was autumn last year…

“Look, Ben,” I said.  We just raked the first pile of leaves. Would you like to jump with us?”

“No. I don’t want to jump in the leaves.”  My son responded flatly, barely looking up at us or the giant leaf pile.  His sisters and I played while he “did his own thing”.  My heart broke to see a boy of such enthusiasm and spirit become a boy filled with disinterest.

What happened?  Is the age jump from 6 to 7 so drastic that a boy who once got so excited about jumping in the leaves with his sisters, no longer cares?  I doubt it.  In my opinion, what happened was “school.”

I was home schooling my son until last year, but I started to question if I could continue to meet the needs of this growing boy. Does he need more?  Can I give him enough?  Does he need more social interaction?  Then I started to answer.  He loves structure. He loves activity. He is so social.  The conclusion: He was made for school.   It just seemed like we were supposed to put him there.  We gave it to God, we started to pray, and the stones seemed to pave the way toward school. It seemed like it was the “right” thing to do and it seemed like God was leading us there.

Ben went from playing half of the day in the leaves with his sisters to playing half of an hour on a black top.  He went from cuddling on the couch with his family doing math games, reading, and workbooks, to sitting in a classroom in a hard desk with thirty-one other kids, filling out worksheet after worksheet, raising his hand to talk, standing in line – a lot, and keeping his mouth shut. He went from lingering over lunch in his kitchen while talking about the latest topic of interest, to gulping down his food quickly in a loud lunchroom with concrete walls and little windows.  It’s no wonder that in just a short two month period this boy no longer wanted to play in the leaves… his spirit had forgotten how.  It just didn’t “fit” anymore.  He went from actively experiencing God in his everyday life with his family, to mundanely learning about Him on paper…that was the difference.

I don’t blame big schools for the approach that they take.  With 32 kids in a room, it is impossible to cater education toward each child. Children DO have to “wait” a lot because there are a lot of other kids to “wait” for.  It is necessary to provide tight order and structure or chaos would take over.  It is important to start school at an early hour with a full seven hour day in order to fulfill state requirements.  This is the reality of most schools. And for some kids, “school” is the best place.  For some families, “school” is the right choice. But for our family, it was not.

We went from sharing a peaceful breakfast with classical music in the background to the frenzied sound of my own voice shouting, “Hurry, Ben!  We’re going to be late!”  Dishes piling up in sink. Baby being pulled out of her crib to get to school on time. We went from enjoying the presence of a delightful boy, helpful leader and friend to his sisters, to feeling a huge hole in his absence.  We missed him, and he missed us and what took the place was disconnect.

I took all of this in.  I prayed about it- a lot.  I listened.  I journaled.  I sought advice. The conclusion: I can choose something different for my child and for my family and God will give me the grace to do it.  I can choose to home school, and I can choose to home school in a way that gives my child the freedom to be a child, and to actively celebrate and experience God within his family and within his world.  I can choose to pray while snuggling on the couch, play games to learn phonics, bake cookies to learn fractions, and provide the space to play in God’s creation.   In doing so, my child will stay connected with himself, his family and his Creator in a deep and meaningful way.  He will keep his “childhood” vigor and joy, the same joy that Christ refers to when he says, “For it is to such as these that the kingdom of Heaven belongs to…”  God rejoices in seeing us play in leaves and delight in His earth…for in doing so, we are delighting in Him.

It is clear that God called us to put Ben in school last year.  He wanted us to see the change in our son.  He wanted us to feel the “effects” of school on our family.  Because we put our son in school, we can now “get off the fence” and jump in the leaves with home schooling once more...

It is now almost autumn again and the school year has begun.  My son and I were just saying bedtime prayers after a day of learning games, colorful workbooks, and a field trip to the zoo. “What do you want to thank God for today?” I asked.

“I want to thank God that it’s getting colder,” he said, as his eyes lit up.  “Because that means that fall is coming soon, and we can jump in the leaves again!”  I smiled a deep smile and gave him a big hug.  “I thank God for that too, Ben…I thank God for that too.”


About the author:
    Nikki Schaefer is a free lance writer, illustrator, and home schooling mother to her three (almost four) children in Omaha, Nebraska.  Her work can be seen at http://www.nikkischaefer.com.


]]> Wed, 4 Nov 2009 08:48:32 Jean Interest Directed Learning vs. Mass Education http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1257203588/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1257203588/#num1 Interest Directed Learning vs. Mass Education

by Candace Mahoney

"My own philosophy is that learning should be an enjoyable experience. I think that it's very hard, initially at least, to get past the mindset of "assignments" and "subjects" and "textbooks" and all the things we've come to associate with "learning." But do bear in mind that these are not true tools of learning; they are the tools of mass education, and that is a field in which mediocrity reigns. For instance, in mass education, textbooks are used rather than real books, because it's too time consuming and too expensive to acquire many books from all viewpoints on the subject. You will never get an in-depth, multi-sided perspective from a textbook. Instead, you will get a middle-of-the-road explanation that scratches the surface and attempts to keep up with PCness without overwhelming the average student. Assignments are given mostly to keep the kids ready to score well on achievement tests, which measure quite a lot of trivia and little applicable knowledge. Set times are mandated for set subjects, because, honestly, how else could a teacher determine whose interests to follow?

"What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to attempt to recreate the very flawed model that is mass education. You know your child better than anyone else. What gives her joy? What are her passions? Let that work for you. If you allow her to delve as deeply as she likes into her areas of interest, I guarantee you that she will learn, and that she will learn a LOT. Not only will she learn, but she will acquire the valuable skill of teaching herself. Mass educated children do not have a chance to learn that skill, but that is something that will serve her in good stead for the rest of her life.

"And yes, it can be hard to get past the idea that this is a power play - that you will be "caving in to her laziness" or something like that. That is something you just have to get around in your own mind. I say give her a trial period of educating herself. Get her pointed in the right direction. When she has an interest, nurture it. Help her to find great books about it, take field trips, write about it, read about it, DO it. Forget about artificial learning and artificial deadlines, artificial time frames, and artificial assignments. Use real life, real situations, real books, and her real passions to fuel the fire of learning. You aren't caving into anything; you are breaking free of an impractical method of teaching, invented not to foster excellence in a unique individual, but to cater to the largest average group.

"One more word. When she is teaching herself, she will not only learn more; she will retain more because the information will be meaningful to her. All that time that might be wasted memorizing trivia, only to dump it after a test, can be reclaimed to spend on things that matter to her and that will stay with her. What better use for her time (and yours!) could there be?"

Candace Mahoney
]]> Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:13:08 Jean