Homeschool 2.0 » homeschool

Finally Done for the Summer

lynn — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:15:56 +0000

Light blogging for the past several weeks. Been working a lot on the correspondence regulatory issues. (There is more to come on that) Plus, took a couple weeks off in sunny, warm Florida.

Now that we are back home we’ve been tying up the loose ends of the academic year. Happily, today, John did his final assessment for K12 World History and his last lesson in GeeArt. I submitted his grades to Frontier and called it good. Whew! It’s officially summer.

Now we just need some summer weather to get in some serious tubing at the lake.

The Family: America’s Smallest School

lynn — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:44:49 +0000

“Families drive learning,” Bror’s Blog comments on a study recently published by ETS. We live that everyday but ETS has quantified some of these effects in their report, The Family: America’s Smallest School. In the midst of debate over NCLB and school reform we have to remember the fundamental effect home has on academic success. Even the best of schools cannot overcome severe deficiencies at home.

“The family is a child’s first school and parents are the first teachers. The family continues to play a role.” -Rich Coley, Co-author and Director Policy Information Center.

(more…)

Real Beauty

lynn — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:11:43 +0000

I’ve written a bit on the socialization aspect of homeschooling in the past few weeks. One of the serious downsides of our culture is how it defines ‘beauty’ for girls and young women. It’s a consequence of life in a brick-and-mortar school we’ve avoided by homeschooling. Our daughter missed out on the constant self-comparison and comments on appearance and clothing and style that occur daily in our schools. For that I am glad. At 18, she has a healthy self-image with no hints of obsessions or eating disorders. We attribute that to a few things, being protected from the aforementioned environment, a loving home, and above all, her own relationship with God.

(more…)

Greenleaf Press ‘Twaddle Free’ Update

lynn — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 21:45:13 +0000

One of my favorite history resources through the years has been Greenleaf Press. Rob and Cyndy Shearer provide great ‘twaddle-free’* books and study guides and other materials for those who homeschool in the Charlotte Mason tradition. I eagerly anticipated the annual print catalog with its listings and recommendations. Then it was the website with Rob’s reviews of recent releases. Well, the good news is Rob Shearer is blogging at RedHatRob. Now his book reviews and cultural commentary are fetched by my Google Reader. Rob is also the director of the Francis Schaeffer Study Center, a tutorial program for homeschooled high school students in Juliet, Tennessee.

(more…)

Indexed: Homeschoolers vs. Ladder Climbers

lynn — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:03:15 +0000

This from Indexed, a humorous blog for anyone who appreciates diagrams and index cards. There’s some discussion in the comments over what the point is.

Check the Buzz and the Carnival

lynn — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:00:26 +0000

I use Google Reader daily to skim through RSS feeds from blogs I like. I read lots of education blogs and some news and humor and, of course, articles about the beloved but often pathetic Cleveland Browns. Gary Davis at HomeSchoolBuzz has compiled a jaw-dropping list of homeschool blogs (including this humble blog) which includes feeds. You can check out the latest posts without having to find them yourself. So, if you want to read about homeschooling without hunting for your own feeds check out the Davises’ Buzz Page. It’s a great way to get ideas and tips.

Also, this week’s Carnival of Education is up at Global Citizenship in a Virtual World.

Correspondence Schools: What is Local Control?

lynn — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:52:43 +0000

Those such as the Alaska Home Educators Alliance (AHEA) who advocate for less regulation of statewide correspondence schools (SWC) are adamant that they do have local control. That is, the parent in the home is the local control; the parent’s accountability to the district is all that is necessary. Let’s take a closer look at this concept.

First, let’s consider the two types of accountability that are in action here. What AHEA describes is not local control but site-based management. Each family manages the delivery system of their child’s learning plan. I am all for that! This is where the in-district and SWC schools are in complete agreement. That is really homeschooling defined for our state; the parent manages and delivers the education. This is why I also agree with the AHEA that parent-purchased sectarian materials aligned with state standards are acceptable for a child’s learning plan.

(more…)

Thoughts from the State Board Work Session on Correspondence Schools

lynn — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:41:42 +0000

Just back from the public comment and work session. Initial impressions are there is not as much controversy as anticipated judging by the public participation. Public comment did go overtime but not in overwhelming numbers. Comments were typically from parents who wanted more freedom to spend their allotments on Fine Arts and PE and to use sectarian materials. But there were some exceptions:

Glenn Biegel in his statement pointed out that 41 districts have no in-district program. My comment is most of them did at one time but the statewide schools have caused them to close. In effect, statewide schools have reduced choices.
Narda Butler, chairman of Frontier’s APC and my co-blogger, discussed how local control works for Frontier and that state oversight is necessary for statewide schools. She also pointed out that the statewide correspondence schools (SWC) operate to fund their local districts and are motivated to maximize enrollment not services.

The real news of the work session came from Eddie Jeans, Director of Finance. He detailed revenues and expenditures for SWC schools. When schools were first opened each student was funded at $3152 and today the amount is $4340, a 38% increase. Yet, the student allotments have changed very little. OK, we knew that but the big “We told you so” moment came with his chart that showed that last year Galena’s IDEA program generated a whopping $4,359,477 to the Galena City Schools. I added a column to Mr. Jeans’ chart to calculate ‘profit’ margin. Galena has it figured out. They generate 31%. Wow! That’s Warren Buffet territory.

(more…)

Why are In-District Schools Not Regulated like Statewide Schools?

lynn — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:17:49 +0000

This is a very hot issue right now and will be discussed at the State School Board work session Friday, September 21st. Statewide correspondence schools are subject to a 15% spending limitation on fine arts and P.E. and prohibited from using parent-purchased sectarian materials in student learning plans. In-district programs are not subject to these limitations. Families in statewide schools see this as unfair; let’s take a closer look.

(more…)

More on Socialization from South Africa

lynn — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:24:26 +0000

My friend Paula points out this article on opposition to homeschooling in South Africa. There is a telling quote from Ina Kronje, KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC. KwaZulu-Natal is a South African province. MEC is Member of the Executive Council, a provincial cabinet level position, analogous to a state education commissioner. Ms. Kronje has some clout.

If schools are microcosms of society, depriving the child of that learning experience will have a very serious impact on overall development.

(more…)