Search Results for: blog reasons i am glad we homeschool bad days

Schools and Swine Flu

The first day of school is right around the corner for most American school children, and while parents are stocking up on pencils, glue and notebooks, the government is concentrating on potential swine flu outbreaks. Yesterday government health officials issued new recommendations regarding swine flu and school closings. The good news: Most schools should be able to stay open even if swine flu outbreaks occur this fall. The bad news: The vaccine against the H1N1 virus won’t be ready until October at the earliest. So what does this mean for your student? According to health officials, decisions about whether to … Continue reading →

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: Humiliation

I just read an article by the education blogger about a family who felt humiliation might be the key to get their child to try harder in school. The family punished their kids for bad grades by making him stand on a corner for six hours with a placard announcing his bad grades and that his “future=shaky”. As homeschoolers we also have times when we feel a child is not putting forth his or her best effort academically. The thing is that lack of academic effort is usually a symptom of a bigger problem. As parents we must ask ourselves: … Continue reading →

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: Cheating on tests

Were you aware that students print cheat sheets in a very small font, then tape them to the inside of a water bottle label. The water magnifies the text, and walla! They get an easy A? Were you aware that students scan a coke label, and then edit in a graphic design program to have information on the exam instead of the ingredients? Neither did I? Did you know that you can purchase a pen that you can tape cheat information in and each time you click the barrel, it reveals more information? I am amazed. Did you know you … Continue reading →

If I Didn’t Homeschool My Kids

If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “If you didn’t homeschool your kids, you would have more time for”… They always finish that sentence with something that serves them, or something that they thought was more worthwhile. I quit my Tae Kwon Do training when the instructor outright told me to put my kids back in school so I could spend more time volunteering at the center. I have stopped speaking to “friends” who told me homeschooling came in between our relationships. I have had to tell relatives that they their comments were selfish. Sometimes, even I … Continue reading →

Reasons I am Glad We Homeschool: Gateway Tests

It was just announced in Georgia, where I live, that 40% of 8th graders have failed the CRCT math test that allows them to move on to high school. (This number varies based on the reports and could be as high as 60% failure rate.)Sixth and seventh graders have failed the social studies test en masse. Many of the students who have failed the test are honor students. What is wrong with this picture? The Georgia CRCT test is designed to measure how much knowledge students have retained from what they learned. This test is used to diagnose students strength … Continue reading →

The Most Talked About Homeschooling Blogs in 2007

This is my annual list of the most talked about blogs in 2007. We love comments, and the more the better! If you have been wanting to peruse the homeschooling blog but weren’t sure where to start. . .this is the place to be! My Top 5 Math Curriculum Picks In Defense of Teaching Creation Too Much Information Homeschooling or Housekeeping? Why We Are Not Testing Our Gifted Son Reason #2 Why Tax Credits Are Wrong for Homeschoolers You Call That Homeschooling? The National Lunch Association Takes Aim at Those Who Dare to Eat at Home It Has Been a … Continue reading →

Reasons I am Glad We Homeschool: Year Round School

I was surprised to hear on the news that a handful of local schools are doing year round schooling. The children have classes for 45 days (6 weeks) weeks and then 15 days off. It might surprise you that I am not at all in favor of year round schooling since I homeschool and my family can be found teaching and learning year round. The problem I have with year round school is that it controls the life of the families that goes to the school. It is already abundantly clear that teachers and schools frown upon any missed school … Continue reading →

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: “Tardiness & Truancy”

Karri Weathers recently wrote about the concerns of tardiness and truancy in the education blog. She makes excellent points on how tardiness and truancy can disrupt the class, and that it is often the fault of the parents, especially in younger children. When my kids were in school, we usually missed a week or two each school year because our extended family was so far away, and so we would visit them when we could best afford. This may have meant traveling early before the rates went up for holiday season, or taking a random week, when flights would be … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Week in Review May 12, 2007 – May 18, 2007

This past week on the families.com homeschooling blog, I touched on several interesting topics beginning with some of the reasons I am glad I homeschool. A difficult morning prompted me to write about thoughts of putting the kids back in school. I also gave my top curriculum pick for several subjects and compiled a list of things homeschoolers can do over the summer. Here is the families.com homeschooling week in review May 12, 2007 – May 18, 2007. 12 May 2007 Reasons I am Glad I Homeschool: Unnecessary Competition by Andrea Hermitt is a post about traditionally schooled children taking … Continue reading →

Reasons I am Glad We Homeschool: Crowd Avoidance

Homeschooling gives me a very special benefit that I never even considered. I had been homeschooling for over a year before I even realized that I was getting away with proverbial murder. One day, however, I realized that because we can adjust our schedules to our own liking, we get to avoid crowds in numerous situations. Because we homeschool, we march to a beat of a different drummer, and out schedules do not have to revolve around the public schools like everyone else. Here are some of the numerous ways we save our time and sanity by avoiding crowds: We … Continue reading →