Search Results for: blog the differences between homeschooling and public school at home

What Do We Have in Common?

Perhaps it’s just been my experience, but I’ve noticed that homeschool parents and public school parents seem inclined to think of the differences between themselves rather than their similarities. This can lead to feelings of “us” and “them,” and inhibits us from making close friendships with those around us who might have chosen a different educational philosophy. I’d like to take a minute to focus on the things we have in common. 1. We love our children immensely. Regardless of where our children go to school, we love them with all our hearts and we feel responsible for them and … Continue reading →

Homeschoolers Are Not Entitled to Free School Online

The Missouri Virtual School which many homeschoolers use to teach their kids for free is in danger of shutting down due to a lack of funding. Missouri Virtual Instruction, also called MoVIP has allowed many public school students as well as homeschoolers to take courses online for free. This allows struggling students to graduate on time, and allows homeschoolers access to the same education that public school children get. In spite of repeated warnings for homeschoolers to not rely on public resources the word FREE is something that they cannot seem to turn away from. What we must realize is … Continue reading →

Learning about Education

There is no doubt about it: Education has changed. I’m currently in my 20th year of schooling and the differences between a Ph.D. program and kindergarten are astonishing. Long gone are the days of tactile exploration with toys and lessons about being kind. No one reads stories to me anymore and none of the books have pictures. The most shocking changes of all, of course, are a direct result of my ever increasing age (and hopefully wisdom). I now play the diametrically opposed role of teacher and student at the same time. I’ve observed a great deal about learning and … Continue reading →

Reports of Homeschooling are Greatly Exaggerated

Las Vegas Eyewitness News reported that more students are hitting the books online. They called it homeschooling. To be more specific, the report said, “Until recently, parents choosing to home school their children felt isolated — alone not only in their belief that it would be a better choice for their family, but also because there were precious few resources to help them. But that’s not the case anymore” And “Fifth grader Pierce and third grader Sierra are enrolled at the Nevada Connections Academy. NCA is an online public charter school accredited by the Nevada Department of Education. …”We have … Continue reading →

Problems with Alaska Charter Homeschools

Is Alaska homeschoolers’ free ride coming to an end? Homeschooler in Alaska have had an easy ride. Because of the Geography of the state and the difficult commutes of Alaskan children, homeschooling has made good sense to both parents and school districts. For this reason, the state has footed the bill on homeschool correspondence programs, fine arts and music programs, and physical education. Parents are apparently up in arms because changes are being made to the current subsidies given to homeschoolers. While they are raising percentage of money a parent is allowed to spend on extracurricular activities to 25% from … Continue reading →

What Does it Feel Like to be a Homeschooler?

Homeschoolers, especially homeschooling parents experience a wide range of emotions. Some of these emotions come from within; others are a result of outside experiences. Some are very good. Others are not so great. Still, in the end, the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies homeschooling is often well worth it. While I cannot speak for all homeschoolers, here is what it feels like to be a homeschooler: Fear: Am I doing the right thing? Will I ruin my kids? Fear of failure is perfectly healthy and probably a good thing to keep parents actively on their toes and every vigilant about learning … Continue reading →

Politics 101: More on McCain’s Platform

This is the last and final blog on McCain’s position on various issues. For those of you who are thinking that I highly favor the candidate–well, I’m not saying. But I will say that I will give equal blog time to the other candidates as well. I think it’s important to have a good overview of each candidate and their positions on various issues before you can make an informed choice on who to vote for. *Strict Constructionist–This is perhaps one of the most glaring differences between McCain and the other “major party” candidates. A strict constructionist philosophy essentially means … Continue reading →

Super Nanny Didn’t Really Feature “Homeschooling”

I almost never watch the Super Nanny. But when my beloved Private Practice was suddenly replaced (it was probably announced but I don’t pay attention to those things), with the Super Nanny, I happened to catch wind that the families featured were a homeschooling family and another family with twins. I could hardly pass that up. The family with the twins came and went and the Super Nanny worked her magic. The parents were over protective blah, blah, blah. (I actually was shocked that the parents could be that over protective because I know from having twins myself, I would … Continue reading →

The Problems and Solutions of Delving Further Into a Topic

One of the great things about homeschooling, unit studies and lapbooks in particular, is the fact that when we are learning about something, we can delve off and explore one part of the topic. If we want to we can even make a separate unit or lapbook on the things we want to explore more. The “problem” comes in when there are so many parts of a topic that we want to learn more about. For instance Jonathan’s all about me lapbook lead to a my body lap book, which in turn is looking like it is going to lead … Continue reading →

The Newest Genre of Homeschooling Parent

I have to say that I really respect my pastors and their decision to home school. They were doing it in the 70’s and early 80’s when educating your child wasn’t considered a parental ‘right’ but rather a social and legal taboo. They both have stories about being visited by truancy officers and one of the pastors wives jokes about the days when their kids were told to hide under the bed in case someone came in. Homeschooling was akin to educational neglect back then, and they really needed to forge their way through. There were no curriculums or helpful … Continue reading →