Thursday, May 24, 2007
Surprise Graphing Lesson
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Christy was messing around with the Cuisinere rods this morning. She pretended she worked advising farmers of what crops to plant each year. She gathered up Farmer Brown's pretend records and analyzed them, making a bar graph with the rods for each crop's sales the last four years. Then she wrote out an analysis for Farmer Brown. She recommended he stop growing beets, as they were his lowest seller the past two years. Although carrots didn't do much better, she suggested he keep growing them, and perhaps buy a horse to eat any leftovers he couldn't sell. Also, since his sale of walnuts had risen steadily, she recommended he use the beet field to plant some almonds and pecans and take advantage of this run on nuts. |
Monday, May 21, 2007
I love Boggle!
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Man, I don't know about you, but I love playing Boggle with my kids! I learn so much about what is floating around in their heads every time we break out that little plastic box! For example, my sweet just-finishing-sixth grader found the word "thermic." Thermic. This child has been unschooled since day one and she finds thermic. I still have the bruise from where my jaw dropped so far it hit the table. Then my oldest. She plays "codicil." No, don't go get a dictionary, it's a real word, I promise. It is a legal instrument used to modify a will. No, she isn't studying law, but she does love words. Wow. |
Monday, May 14, 2007
Do we need another reason to homeschool?
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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I could make so many comments about this, but I'll abstain. It speaks for itself. Sunday, 05/13/07 Teachers' phony attack upsets Murfreesboro students, parentsPrank during trip had 6th-graders taking coverMURFREESBORO — Parents of students at a Murfreesboro elementary school are outraged that teachers and an assistant principal staged a phony gun attack on their children, telling them repeatedly it was not a drill, while the children cried and took shelter under tables. Sixty-nine sixth-grade students from Scales Elementary school were on a weeklong trip at Fall Creek Falls, a state park about 130 miles southeast of Nashville. On Thursday, the last night of the outing, the staff played a prank on the kids, convincing them there was a gunman on the loose.
A teacher wearing a hooded sweatshirt pulled on a locked door, pretending to be a suspicious subject in the area. The students were told to lie on the floor or crawl underneath tables and keep quiet. The lights went out, and about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said. Some held hands and shook. "I was like, 'Oh my God,' " Shay said Saturday afternoon as she recounted the incident. "At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out. (A teacher) told us, 'We just got a call that there's been a random shooting.' I was freaked out. I thought it was serious." Some parents said Saturday they were outraged, especially in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 students and professors dead, including the gunman. Scales Elementary Principal Catherine Stephens held a meeting Saturday afternoon at the school to discuss the matter with a handful of concerned parents who contacted school officials Friday night. She said she was saddened by the situation and that the school was handling it, though she declined to elaborate on whether the teachers involved would face disciplinary action. 'Poor judgment' blamed Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip, said the entire scenario lasted about five minutes, after which the teachers gathered the students and explained it was a prank. "We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said. Several parents said they were troubled by the staff's poor judgment. "The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip. "This was not a good experience," said Alisha Graves, whose son attended. "Those kids were crying, and they were terrified." Brandy Cole said she found out about the incident shortly after her son returned home from the trip Friday afternoon. "I was shocked," said Cole, whose husband, Jimmy, immediately sent an e-mail requesting a meeting with Bartch. Barbara Corbetta, whose child also went to Fall Creek Falls with the group, said she spoke to several different parents and kept hearing the same details — kids on the floor crying and begging for their lives. "The circumstance that occurred involved poor judgment," Stephens said. "My hope is that we can learn from this, and in the end, it will have a positive result of growth for all of us." Shay and her mother, Niki Morris, said they forgave the teachers and wanted to move on. It "went too far because it was too gruesome," Shay said. "You'd think a teacher wouldn't do it, but they did. But they're great teachers. If (the assistant principal) loses his job, I will break into tears. He's the best assistant principal I've ever had." Kathryn Sherrod, a Midstate psychologist who works with children, said she can see how kids could be traumatized by this, especially in light of the Virginia Tech shootings. "That's too close to real," she said. "It's important for teachers and school administrators to realize they have a degree of trust with children. When you play a prank of that nature, you run the risk of losing that trust." | ||||
Monday, May 7, 2007
Serve when ready
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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There are a lot of things I love about homeschooling. But my #1 favorite, first place, all time list topper is that children can wait until they are ready to learn concepts. We have run the gamut in reading instruction, for example. I embarked on a rigorous phonics, spelling and reading course with my second-born at age 4. She seemed ready, and was. We never made it to year two because she took off. My next child taught himself to read when I wasn't looking so I call him my "stealth reader." He took off as well, despite only three months of formal phonics instruction at around age 6. The next child up to bat was far more interested in physical activities than sitting with books. She learned the alphabet on a large hopscotch pattern I drew for her, and learned to spell her name while jumping rope. She wouldn't sit still for phonics, but will read now if the book catches her interest. Her younger sister is "all emotions all the time" and learned to read by listening to and reading emotionally-charged stories like The Velveteen Rabbit and Charlotte's Web. We got out the phonics book and looked through it with her. My youngest is only interested in important reading. She won't sit still for a story from the Pathway reader, but she will often get out a Bible and read it aloud, asking for help with unfamiliar words at the end of a sentence. I didn't even get out the phonics book for her. She seems to understand spelling instinctively. My #1 favorite, first place, all time list topper example, though, is my subtraction with regrouping story. When I was in school, we called it "borrowing" and it took up three full months of math instruction. Some kids caught on the first day, others took the full three months and came away not quite understanding still. One day, my nine-year-old came to me and asked how to take 26 from 135. Five minutes later, she walked away with an answer to her question and an understanding that stuck. Boom, she got it. No reteaching, no constant review until it finds a home in her long-term memory. That is my kind of teaching, and I love it when it happens. It's teaching "in the zone", like hitting that perfect tennis shot when the zing of the racket vibrates your arm all the way to the shoulder; or the perfect powmmmmmm of the bat when you hit the sweet spot and the ball sails over the outfield wall. Not all our days are filled with successes like these. But every one of them has earned a spot on the Teaching Hall of Fame in my mind. |
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Real Life Learning with a Real Live Pet!
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Up till now, I've been able to tell the kids that we can't have pets because 1) we are renters and 2) we have allergies. Well, we bought a house, and the allergist cleared us (wish he'd told JUST me instead of the whole clan  ), so the first week of June we bought Ash Lori Rose (aka Chutt-Chutt) for Christy's birthday. She's a beauty of a cavy, and she is so very spoiled. When I get up in the morning, she whistles to me to come feed her. If I open the refrigerator door, she "purrs" at me. She spends way more time on my neck hiding in my hair than she does in her "home." (BTW, the kids like her, too.) So, to spoil my sweet baby even more, I have put together her very own garden. In the middle is a clump of wheatgrass I purchased from the healthfood store to get her started. All around are little sprouts of wheat, oat, barley, clover, buckwheat and timothy grass. Yum, yum! Having her has been quite an education. We've learned so much about how animals communicate. But the most important lesson we've learned has been that others' needs must come before our own. There are times we'd like to snuggle with our pet, but she wants a nap. There are times it is inconvenient to clean her cage, or run to the store for more food, but we do it because we love her. I can't believe we watied so long for such a wonderful experience!  |
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
08/14 week 3
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Dad brought home a book called “Christian Colleges and Universities” and Blair has spent a great deal of time reading it, researching and asking questions. She has also spent way too many hours on the phone and reading in other rooms. I don’t think I’ve seen her four hours all week. I miss her lovely face and charm. She did join us on our field trip this week earning extra PE credit, and at my request, took the kids to the pool for 3 hours so the carpet could get cleaned. Her writing assignments for her online group continue to receive outstanding reviews. The calf-deep mess in her room was discovered, and we had a fruitful and friendly discussion about the God of order and the god of confusion. During a discussion with Rose about Gideon’s army, Blair asked why so often God uses deception to defeat His enemies. Hm. Something to pray about. Dad finally laid down the law regarding John’s disrespectfulness and disobedience. He will be assigned his work daily by me, checked by me, signed off and then reviewed with Dad every night. ANY instance of bad attitude regarding assignments will be dealt with. Whew. I really feel better having a little backup. Still, there were a couple instances where assignments were given and refused. But they were dealt with and I anticipate fewer challenges next week. In Bible, John studied John Wesley, founder of the Methodists. I asked him to write down a few rules that would benefit him and make his life easier. He came up with rules for other people, but wasn’t able to internalize any rules for himself. It took a lot of conversation to even come up with daily prayer and Bible reading. He seems to have a lack of self awareness while being entirely self-centered. Strange, this young adulthood time. His geometry lessons have become more challenging for him, and he has slowed down to a lesson a day. Our house is now decorated with little green post-it notes, showing the Spanish words for items in every room, and the rooms themselves. Kate is continuing her Old Testament Overview and finds times during the day when she is able to apply her knowledge to current family and world situations. We have discussed praying for the peace of Israel many times this week, she seems to have a burden for that part of the world. She did an “investigation” in math this week – I guess it’s like a math lab – on fractions. She enjoyed working with the manipulatives, not because she is particularly tactile in nature, but because it was something other than writing answers to questions and doing speed drills! She completed her mammal research and her mammal book is looking very nice! She did a little review on cause and effect and inference, spent 3 hours at the pool and got extra PE credit on our field trip. She only practiced fiddle three times this week and I wonder if her interest is waning or if not taking classes is causing the lag. I wish we had the money to spend…On our field trip, we spent a few minutes discussing a Civil War era garden with its keeper. Hannah was very interested and asked a lot of questions. The master gardener was very impressed and recommended she attend their summer Junior Master Gardener program next year. She had a great acrostic for our Taxonomy study: “Kind Princess Carried Out Five Gross Snakes.” Christy continues to zip along, and shows great creativity in her work. She spent an entire day creating a dollhouse, doll and furnishings out of a couple boxes. Her Bible study this week has been about focusing on others instead of ourselves. She is already very “other” oriented, but doesn’t know how to deal with it when people say mean things to her. She is working on becoming more forgiving and focusing less on her own hurt. She spent 3 hours at the pool and mastered a forward roll in the water. She is learning how to draw in proportion, which requires some measurement skill, so a lot of her time she is spending comparing the size of a bookshelf to her finger from different distances, and the like. She thoroughly enjoyed the field trip despite the heat and humidity. Rose used “equal” and “unequal” in conversation this week, after studying it in math. We read about Gideon’s army and how God can bring things to His desired resolution in spite of what we may see as possible or impossible. She read about the Bill of Rights and we talked about each of the amendments and what they mean in our daily lives. The long trip to the pool helped her sleep better, as did the long morning at the zoo. Field Trips and Extracurricular Activities: Ahh, Member Morning at the zoo. We have a family membership to the local zoo. Twice a month they open their doors early for members to come watch the animals being released from their nighttime enclosures and fed. They also hand out free Krispy Kreme doughnuts, coffee and juice to feed the visitors! We didn’t find a lot of animals on our first trip around, but there were NO children at the playground (a rare sight, indeed) so we spent the first hour there. Then, we went off in search of mammals! The zoo had kindly set up tents with ceiling fans at the more popular exhibits, so we could escape the searing heat while observing the elephants have their morning melon and hay. The high point of the morning, though, was to the historic home on the zoo grounds. We didn’t tour the inside, but the outside was like my dream home. Big trees set in a huge yard just right for a vanload of children, a barn, fields for cattle, horses, goats, sheep, chickens, and the most wonderful garden! Not just beautiful (and heirloom) flowers, but a kitchen garden of fragrant herbs, a medicinal garden of healing plants, a vegetable garden large enough to feed the family, a grape arbor, several places to sit under a trellis of fragrant blooming jasmine – oh it was a dream. Turns out the house was built (and I mean built – they even made the bricks!) in the early 1800’s by the in laws of Andrew Jackson. They traded livestock and seeds with the Hermitage on a regular basis. In my dreams, I live there with one major exception: snow. It positively MUST snow at least 12 inches per year. Oh, right. Sorry. Where was I? Field trip. Anyway, the kids just loved walking around and petting the animals. Most would come right up to you if you stood by the fence. We talked about each of the animal’s specific nutritional, exercise and rest needs, as well as the shearing times and frequency, etc. We also discussed how many hands it would take to run a farm of that size, which led to a discussion of the high death rate of children during those years, and slavery. The PE extra credit? That would have been pushing me around in a wheelchair! |
Monday, August 21, 2006
08/07 week 2
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Week two This was a very different sort of week for us, both in home schooling and in real life. We stayed home all week, mostly owing to the high cost of gasoline, the high mileage our van just hit, the high mold pollen count and the high temps outside. Instead of going on a grocery shopping trip during the week, I went at night in the rain. Blair started off her year with a bang. The fantasy story she wrote for an online writing forum is getting rave reviews. She finished her novel and has submitted it to the writing forum for input. Her first essay for her Literary Analysis class showed promise, but after a brief editing session, turned solid gold. She had a load of fun with her geometry book, doing the first lessons on deductive reasoning. She mentioned that she’d like to look into Early Childhood Education, but knowing her and how she relates to youngsters (plus the added stresses of public education), I just don’t think that’s her calling. But I won’t dissuade her. She’ll find her passion herself. She has been enjoying Ken Burns’ Civil War with us at night, especially those near-fictional details that are just too quirky to ignore (like the man in whose front yard the war began and in whose parlor it ended). She likes to take notes for writing her own historical fiction, but that’s hard since hubby likes to watch TV with the lights off! While John's writing is usually sparse and “just enough to say it’s done,” he did an essay on the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin this week for his American Lit class that was very nicely thought out. He grumbles that he hates that course every time he does it, but I can see it’s working on his reasoning skills. He spent about three hours this week working on his Spanish pronunciation. I haven’t seen him doing any work in his Biology course, but I have seen him hovering around when the younger ones do their science and come away with words like “monotreme” that he doesn’t know and has to look up. He has discovered that mornings are not his best time of day, but after he’s eaten and has revived a bit, he finds life in general much more pleasant (as is he!) His attentiveness still lags a bit: the night he was to make dinner we had several smoke alarms go off as a result of the TV being on during cooking time (in another room!) and his not reading the directions carefully. Hm. Taco Bell is every bit as good as I remember it! He listened to a speed-reading CD and in timed tests, doubled his reading speed! Kate asked to borrow my Handbook of Nature Study this week so she could do some research into some of the birds visiting our feeder. They look like finches, cardinals and crows to me, but I’m sure she will discover some specifics. Her list of things she wants to learn about Tennessee reads like a course of study. We borrowed a book from the library children’s section, but it’s clear the information she seeks will need much deeper research. She’s getting much quicker at computation since using a computerized speed drill. Her first time, she got 80% and took 5 seconds per multiplication problem. After two weeks she is getting 100% and taking 2-3 seconds. MUCH better. Our creative writing project was to write a letter to President Bush asking him to come to dinner next time he’s in town so we could discuss some ideas with him. Kate's idea was to form a prayer group assigned to the welfare of the space program and its employees. Her letter walked a line between friendly professionalism and respect that was lovely to read. Christy is still in need of naps. One day this week, I relented and she was in a puddle of tears before 4:30PM. But, that’s okay. We can fit in a nap! It just means we need to really apply ourselves before lunch. That can be hard with a mom who tends to sleep late and wake slowly, but increased self-discipline on my part will fix that. She made a HUGE leap this week in her handwriting; the line “Dear Mr. President” was the neatest she’s ever written. There are still some letters not formed in the proper direction, and she needs to become comfortable with writing slower and larger for a time, but I can see massive improvement on the horizon. Her American History study is going well, and she will frequently mention chapters in which the current topic has been discussed in one book or another. I’m glad to see those associations being made. She did another four math lessons, and continued to advance in her speed drills. Rose continues to learn more from everyday life than from her studies right now. When John refused to let her borrow his playing cards, she made a deck of her own! Her sisters are becoming less patient every day with her constant need to have things spelled for her, so she is using invented spelling and learning to self-edit after the fact. Very few final drafts of hers I have seen have spelling errors at all. I think a lack of confidence is more to blame than a lack of knowledge. We read the Pledge of Allegiance and what it meant this week, and she was able to grasp the nation-sized ideas in it quite well. She spent several hours with the tempera paints on one of the four rainy school days this week, making lovely pictures of people, animals and places she loves. She even let the paint dry between layers of color so she could add subtleties and shading one doesn’t often see at the first grade level. We visited the Virtual Zoo online and talked about some of the different mammals. Field Trips and Extracurricular Activities: Saturday we attended a grand opening of a nearby mini mall. The little ones had lovely designs painted on their arms by a clown, David shared some card tricks with a magician, the middles watched a teen boy make balloon animals, and we all were miserable in the heat. But, it gave us a good opportunity to discuss sweat and its purpose. There were also some nasty clouds building very quickly and that provided us yet another good science lesson. |
Saturday, August 12, 2006
2006-7 school year begins!
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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August 1-5, 2006 Blair hasn’t joined us for school just yet. She’s been writing a 15,000 word novel this summer which was due August 1. She’s going to take a week off before jumping in. She still came with us on our field trips and had a ball. School started off well, but shaky. John just doesn’t want to submit to authority at all and becomes very rebellious and angry when required to. I wanted to threaten him with public school if he doesn’t straighten up, but that would bear worse fruit still. Resorting to government ed would be a perceived victory for him, but in the long term, I sincerely believe, would damage the relationship we’ve worked so hard to encourage with his sisters and us. He also needs near constant supervision until his inward character is more developed, something I know to be lacking in gov’t schools. Basically, every assignment I gave him (two, count ‘em, two) was disputed. At one point he declared I didn’t have the authority to assign him anything, as he was in high school now and self-taught. That was the heart of the matter right there. His library books are ordered for his American Lit course (the most rigorous and hated of his work) and he will be focusing on that, Biology, and Bible for the time being. Later in the year, we’ll add more as he becomes accustomed to the hard work of learning. Kate started off great guns, finishing almost everything assigned to her for five days’ work despite taking two days off completely for back to school shopping and a fun field trip. She completed Investigation 1, and lessons 11-13 in Saxon 65; pages 113-119 in her English Lessons with the Bible course; a name acrostic poem; her first science lesson in mammals and a lot of supplemental reading on the mammals she has chosen to research; she read two books about the state of Tennessee and is compiling a list of things she’s like to know about our state; walked one mile and stretched for 30 minutes twice (plus loads of physical activity on those field trips); practiced her fiddle four times for more than 30 minutes; did four lessons in her Old Testament overview course and shopped for her Maple Crunch Muffins she’ll make for breakfast next week. Christy completed three lessons in her Bible course, and two math lessons. She also got 100% on her speed drill for the week. She did the name acrostic, but had a hard time with the concept of describing herself without praising herself. She kept wanting to say negative things about herself. She chose which mammals she wanted to study, completed the first science lesson with us and picked her library research books. She stretched for a cumulative hour, jumped for 30 minutes on the trampoline (no small feat in the hot humidity we’ve had) and walked a mile. I knew she’d love the art course I picked out for her, but had no idea she’d take off as she has. Not only did she complete the first four lessons, she spent nearly every unplanned waking hour practicing and teaching others her new skill of drawing 3-D basic shapes like cubes and cones. Rose’s school time is short each day, as is Christy’s. If it is to be done, it must be done before lunch. After lunch is nap, which runs 90 minutes, then snack, then everyone is ready for a break. She still managed to complete 6 pages in her Bible course and two devotions on kindness; read 8 pages in her American History book and walk two miles. She also did the first lesson in Biology with the younger set, working at her own pace. She found some great library books on her chosen mammals and read them as well as participated in the field trip. Field Trips and Extracurricular Activities this week included a full day shopping for school materials and clothes on our state’s tax-exempt day. It certainly was a challenge to find appropriate, modest clothing for the girls. I wish they would wear dresses more often, but they claim jeans are more comfortable. Picking out new notebooks, pens and pencils is just as fun now as it was 40 years ago! It’s true, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” but not for Staples’ reason! On 8/2, Hubby’s office presented next year’s VBS program to the children of the employees. It had a sports theme, and was a big hit despite the early reluctance of our young man. Blair immediately made friends with all the children sitting within several rows of her, and the little ones just loved singing and signing the songs. We hit the outdoor obstacle course early as it was expected to be a very hot day. John chose to be photographer instead of participate, and we got some wonderful photos of various activities. We saw a “sports news” program put on by a couple kids which outlined the topics covered in the course of the VBS week. The craft room was lots of fun, everyone made a zipper-pull with baseball, basketball, soccer, football and hockey puck beads, then had a temporary tattoo put on their hands. There was more to do, but lunchtime wasn’t far off and we had one more “room” to visit. So, off to the best part of the day – the game room! Shooting hoops with a huge, inflated basketball was challenging and the indoor obstacle course was fun, but once the girls found the kneeball game, (like volleyball, but you have to kneel, no standing allowed!) John joined in and it quickly escalated into a boys vs. girls match. We had to tear them away for lunch (this is my crew, begging for more time and saying they aren’t hungry?) in the company cafeteria. We didn’t want to miss the door prizes have to eat cold pizza. Christy won a huge Velcro ball and mitt set and Rose won a set of sports-themed adventure books. They all slept very well that night! I am glad the year has started so well. My fears for anything are always in advance. Once the event actually begins, I manage to buckle down and really enjoy myself. I think that transfers to the children, who see Mom having fun and figure, “why not have fun, too!?” Prayer points for this year will include: That Blair find her work rewarding and give her a sense of a future. That John will learn the joy of obedience and the protection of submission quickly. That Kate will continue her search for friends and not be discouraged by early rejections. That Christy will begin to see herself through the Lord’s eyes and realize the great gift she is to the world. That Rose will filter her thoughts and words through the Word, not just spouting out and dwelling on what she feels. That the Lord will continue to enable me to teach, strengthen me to parent, love me to love and move me to encourage. That Dearest Beloved will be protected in work and continue to make his family a priority. |
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Going great!
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Ahhh. Three days into the "year" and we've already had our first day "off"! Okay, it wasn't a day without school. Dearest works for a company that publishes (among other things) VBS materials. They set up the chapel and several conference rooms at his office as VBS stations and gave the kids of the employees a preview of next year's program. It was great fun for everyone -- even Jon who HATES crafts and songs and participating in anything that anyone younger than him likes! I think Blair enjoyed it more than the rest of them. She's so good at just jumping in and making things fun for herself! Speaking of the dear, she has decided on Geometry and Equine Biology for math and science. I picked her up Teaching Textbooks for Geometry. I've been wanting to see their approach for a while. It's also time for Driver's Ed. Dearest hubby will definitely be in charge of that. Our state is having a tax-free day tomorrow. All school supplies, kid's clothes and shoes are exempt from the state sales tax. Like an instant discount! So, today is list-making day. Checking out the hand-me-downs, school supplies, trying on clothes and shoes, etc. Tomorrow will be an early morning at Wal Mart and Target! I sure hope the crowds don't meet my expectations. (Think day-after-Thanksgiving sale madness.) |
Friday, July 28, 2006
Okay. On your marks...
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I'm resolute. It's time to step out of my selfish, totally self-absorbed depression and get to work! School starts August 1. So far, here's what we have planned: Blair, my 11th grade student will work through Stobaugh's Skills for Literary Analysis. I love Stobaugh's materials, and she's been wanting a deep lit course. This definitely qualifies. She is very burned out on math, having studied Algebra I and II, Geometry and Consumer math in the last 3 years. We discussed Geometry, but she's thinking she'd rather have a year off. She is considering whether she will join us for general Biology or take a specialized Equine Biology course. She is also designing her own historical research course. She will probably begin August 8, as she is writing a novel with a 7/31 deadline. I imagine she'll need a day or two to "breathe" before starting school. John will be in 9th grade this year. His goal is to complete high school in three years and gain early admittance to the Air Force Academy. He is taking Stobaugh's American Lit course, Apologia Biology, Algebra II, Spanish I and American History and Economics. Civil Air Patrol might continue depending on how the finances shake out. Once those courses are completed, we'll move him "up the ladder" to World Lit and History, Chemistry, Trigonometry, and Spanish II. Kate is in 6th grade this year. She will finish up the second half of Saxon Math 6/5 and start on 7/6. She is using "English Lessons from the Bible" and working on our family creative writing projects. She will also participate in Biology, using whatever I find helpful from "Christian Kids Explore Biology" and "The Body Book." She's not nearly as interested in human biology as she is animals and insects, though. Our annual pass to the zoo should come in very handy! She'll join our family creative writing assignments (I LOVE "If You're Trying to Teach Kids How to Write" for this.) She is starting with our current home state of TN in history and geography and will then choose states that interest her for further study. I hope she will continue her fiddle lessons, depending on the amount of disposable income we have available. She also wants to hone her homemaking skills in cooking, laundry, cooking, cleaning and cooking. Food prep gives us a great "in" with health and nutrition. Christy is my most difficult student. She's wonderful, easy to teach, willing to learn, but of all my children, the closest to "behind" academically. She will probably need a great deal of my personal attention as she works through her fourth grade year. She has found "Building Life Castles" to help her study the Bible. A computerized course for math including "Math Matters" and "Math Drill Express" will ease her handwriting frustrations. She will work on penmanship with the worksheets I produce for her with "StartWrite" software, but will do her creative writing on the computer. Spelling lists will be culled from writing projects with weekly tests. She will also use "Christian Kids Explore Biology" and "The Body Book" for science, and is most interested in diseases of humans. Nutrition, rest and exercise will be thoroughly covered. We have a copy of "History of the United States," an ABeka book that she is interested in reading through. I imagine she'll read a great deal of historical fiction as well. She will also complete Thomas Kinkade's drawing course on DVD, she loves to draw, and it's gotta help the handwriting, right? Rose, my sweet baby girl, enters our school officially this year, as a first-grade student. She will continue using "Studying God's Word" until she is ready for a more devotional-type study. Miquon Orange and Red books will be completed, as will Making Math Meaningful through level 3 or so. She will also occasionally work the computerized speed drills for accuracy and speed. She is in the second grade level of Rod and Staff's "Bible Nurture Reader" series and will join us for our creative writing assignments with spelling lists made from misspelled words and tested occasionally. ABeka's "My America" will start off her American history study, but I imagine historical biographies will comprise the majority of her history course. She will join us for biology and practice her recorder when Kate is practicing fiddle. I will be available for help and encouragement, but since all our students are mostly self-taught, I plan to get my transmission back in gear and get back to work on my bookselling business! It is time. |
Sunday, May 28, 2006
A night at the movies
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Did you know there were once over 4000 drive-in movie theatres in our country and now there are only 400? We went to one of those remaining drive-ins last night. NOTE: If you are ever east of Nashville, TN, the 25-mile drive to the Stardust is well worth it, especially the snack bar. Inexpensive and delish! We saw "Over the Hedge" which was entertaining enough. But the real high point was our first viewing of fireflies! Just like when we lived in CA, and the kids thought I was making snow up out of my imagination, they had put fireflies down as legend as well. In the woods next to the theatre we even heard a whipoorwill. Wow. What an educational night! |
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Fear Not?
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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I made a big mistake last night. Instead of waiting for the "Local on the 8s" on the Weather Channel, I turned on the local news. A while back when our dishwasher died, we went to Sears at a nearby mall. It was very urban, but I wasn't scared while I was there. Of course, Dearest Beloved was with us, so I felt safe. We even stopped for ice cream at the food court to celebrate our new "servant." Last night on the news I saw where a man was shot at the doorway through which we entered. The gunman ran through the Sears store and out the door next to the girl's restrooms we visited. I'm no scardeycat. I lived in a downtown urban area as a young, single woman. My first-floor apartment windows were often open at night in the summertime and it never occurred to me that the Lord wouldn't protect me. On his 30th birthday, Dearest was mugged and pistol-whipped by gang members on our own front porch, but escaped with only a mild concussion. Our house was broken into, vandalized and robbed, but the perps only got away with a sentimental piece of jewelry. (The electronic toy cat scared them off - an amazing story for another time.) But for the last 5 years we have been living in a community of 900 where the "big crime" of last year was when an environmentalist burned down the McDonalds just before it opened. Oh yeah, that and kids putting red stickers on the highway deer signs' noses at Christmas. We felt safe. The kids played in our unfenced yard, even while I was cooking dinner and didn't keep one eye on them. But here, even in our suburban housing development I don't feel safe. My day stops when it's time for the kids to play outside or take a walk so I can watch with both eyes and hear with both ears. No one goes to the restroom when out in public without me or Dearest. Everyone goes everywhere together. Balancing awareness and fear is a fine line. Training the children to be cautious without being prejudiced or afraid is difficult. But knowing that our new home - our very first "boughten" home - is so close to that kind of violence wears on my heart and spirit. I know I am protecting them from the violence so prevalent in the schools by homeschooling. I just need to be sure I'm not fooled into thinking they are "safe" anywhere but in Christ. |
Monday, February 13, 2006
Sit! Stay! Good girl!
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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There are good days and bad days with my teensy weensy disability. Today was a bad day. Fortunately my "jailer," Blair, has kept me in the recliner packed in ice all day, so tomorrow won't be so bad a day. We managed to stay busy, though. Christy told a friend she was homeschooled and back came the response, "Oh yeah? Well, what's the square root of 99,873? Huh? Betcha don't know!" So the afternoon was spent finding out! We talked about all kinds of fascinating things. Square roots and squares, square footage, area, triangular numbers, the fibonacci sequence, cubes and volume, paint and carpet, it was a geometry class that just kept going until we found all the answers we were looking for. Sometimes we don't even know the questions to ask until we start finding answers, then we need to find more answers! And tomorrow when this little friend runs into Christy, she'll hear the answer to her math question: 316.02689759 But will she know if it's right or wrong? |
Monday, February 6, 2006
If I'd only known...
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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I got the "schoolroom" unpacked this weekend. It isn't a schoolroom with bells and desks, not a place so much to do it as to store it all. We have two six foot tall bookcases holding most of our books (but could sure use three), a desk with two benches and two chairs that holds the kids' computer and a closet for hiding projects in the works. For my birthday I got a computer table for my computer and household records. But if I'd only known the kids would raid the school shelves like they have been, I would have unpacked them first! I've put a subject on each shelf and have two shelves dedicated to books they can read for school credit - mostly those they haven't read yet. Next I want to set up a file folder with paper in it where the kids can write down internet searches they'd like to do and another for library books to research or take out. The kids do not have unsupervised access to the internet, and I'd like to make the most of our time rather than spending 20 minutes trying to remember what they wanted to look up. And on library day, it's grab the folder and go. |
Saturday, January 28, 2006
There's education here somewhere...
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Moving is so stressful for us and the kids. The kids had to leave their home, their friends and move 2500 miles just before Christmas. This is the first year ever we didn't put up a tree, make cookies, have a hot cocoa wrapping party, all our treasured traditions. The only time we heard Christmas music was in restaurants on our way. Since then we've been trying to do so many things at once: unpack boxes, get rooms set up for efficiency and beauty, find our most important things (anyone seen the box that has my sanity in it?) and still cook, clean and do a little school. Then the "sickies" hit. Rose's allergies went crazy and her eardrum burst. My allergies also acted up and I got a screaming sinus infection. All the kids have allergy rashes, even the ones I didn't think had allergies! Dearest is in back pain from all the lifting and carrying. I thought we were coming down with chicken pox (all but the youngest two have had it, thankfully) but it didn't "bloom" right - so what ARE those bumps?! Jonathan's OCD came back with a vengence and now he's nearly incapacitated for several hours a day. Christy's glasses broke. Blair got a tummy bug. Then the house started up. The guest bathroom toilet started flooding the floor from the water intake pipe. The dishwasher started flooding the garage from somewhere beneath the floor. The thermostat is going crazy and running the air conditioner if the temperature in the house rises above 68. The microwave broke, the washing machine is dripping on the floor, the movers broke my brand new computer, the unused garage freezer's door somehow got pushed shut and is growing the most lovely green mold... So what have we learned, children? Christmas isn't about trees and hot cocoa wrapping parties. We know way more verses of Christmas carols than anyone realized. The further southeast we traveled the more Christmas was celebrated rather than some obscure "winter holiday." How we unpack boxes is as important as the job itself. Moving boxes make great toys. Jumping on bubble wrap in the dining room sounds like when you break a board in Tae Kwon Do class. Everyone in our family LOVES to cook! (Who knew!) Allergies are different in Tennessee than in Oregon. Eardrum anatomy - hm, where is that book with the walk-through ear model? When Mommy's head hurts, bubble wrap in the dining room is not a good game. Not scratching itchies takes a lot of self control. When Daddy's back aches, he can't bend over for hugs, but he can snuggle in his recliner. What is chicken pox, what causes it, what does it look like, can I get it AGAIN? The lens that used to be in Christy's glasses on her weak eye makes a fantastic magnifying glass! Raw carrots are not the thing to eat when you have a tummy bug. A couple gallons of water clean the bathroom floor really well. When you're in the garage, what rooms are above you? A new, digital, computerized thermostat may be "cool" but unless you want your air conditioner running in January, sometimes the old-fashioned kind is easier to learn. We must learn where our main water shut off valve is. There are alternate ways of heating leftovers, how many can we think of? You can use the coffee maker for making boiling water really fast. The Sears repair guy can do that cool Donald Duck voice. Mold is smelly, ugly, hard to clean off. Let's not grow mold in our bathrooms from towels on the floor, okay? Mold looks really cool under Christy's glasses lens! I'm sure there's education going on. I'm just not sure how to count the hours for the records... |
Sunday, January 15, 2006
To Now
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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I skipped over a lot of years in my last post because our homeschooling efforts during that time were so relaxed. At the end of the 2003 school year, Blair, John and Kate had standardized tests as was required by law. All three scored in the upper 10th percentile in reading, math and language. At the beginning of the 2004 school year, Blair was entering high school. Having prepared transcripts in the past, I knew how to do that, but there was so much to plan for and keep track of now that my state required more reporting than I had done in CA. I found Barb Shelton’s “A High School Form-U-La” to be absolutely the best resource I found, and I read them all. It covers not only the required forms and hours calculations, but also a wonderful explanation of how to fit unschooling or relaxed schooling into these forms. Blair and I sat down and mapped out some general goals, with me filling in a few “non-negotiables.” She finished up her 9th grade hours and required subjects (my requirements, not the state’s) a few months short of the traditional school year, so she concentrated very heavily on her Tae Kwon Do practice, riding lessons and pleasure reading for a time. She is now just more than halfway through her 10th grade hours and requirements. Among many other subjects she pursues for pure enjoyment: Japanese (Power Glide Ultimate) Living Like a Christian (worldview) Algebra 2/Trigonometry Learning Language Arts through Literature British Literature Camelot Chemistry Primer Researching 20th century world history and state politics She reads French/English dictionaries, is writing a book, does many devotionals, journals, writes poetry, and is researching her college options. When a child asks me a Bible question to which I don’t know the answer, we ask Blair to help us find the answer in the Bible – she hasn’t failed us yet. She also teaches herself piano, designs dresses and has a dream of working with horses, possibly as an equine physical therapist. John tends to focus on one thing and one thing only at a time. A few months back that he did nothing but Tae Kwon Do, and moved very quickly through the belt ranks. Right now his “binge” is Algebra and regularly works 100 polynomial problems in a sitting. Over the Christmas season, he received an electronics lab and worked his way through that in about two weeks. He reads historical fiction for fun, and has written some very interesting fiction himself. He may seem obsessed with one particular subject at a time, but over the course of a school year he is very balanced. Kate was never terribly interested in school. Now that she’s in 6th grade she loves learning, but it must be on her own terms. Even as a little one she didn’t enjoy workbooks like my others did. She went through a spell of doing gymnastics and would have lived at the gym if I’d let her. She’s very physical: limber and strong. She also has an excellent sense of her physical self. Her best friend was also a gymnast, so they would do 15 minutes of math together then spend 20 on the trampoline. Kate visits a website daily that has timed math drills because she wants to speed up her multiplication skills. She has read a series of fantasy books and spends a few minutes each day conversing with fellow readers on the message board. She enjoys playing “Harvest Moon” on the game cube and learning about the demands of farming. When she transferred from gymnastics to martial arts, she also moved up very quickly through the ranks and won two silver and one gold medal in regional competition. Right now she is considering taking ballet, so she is studying a few French terms and biology. Christy had a very difficult birth and was oxygen deprived for a bit. It turns out she was almost completely blind in one eye and we didn’t know until she was nearly six. She was slow to read, had problems pronouncing her words understandably, and still at eight has indecipherable handwriting. But this child has a tender servant’s heart and is grievously wounded by her own sins. She earnestly seeks the Lord’s wisdom every day and constantly challenges us all to walk our talk. She is creative and intuitive, loves to draw, dance, make up jokes and snuggle. We tend to focus on the computer for her written work so she can express herself without the limitations of pencil and paper, although she is very diligent about practicing her handwriting. She loves reading historical fiction too, and has read the entire American Girls series, the Little House books and most of the Sisters in Time series. Her love of drawing lends itself naturally to nature studies, outside watching wildlife and sketching what she sees. We then take those drawings and research what she has seen. Rose is still only 5, and although she has never completed a phonics course, reads and spells as well as any third-grader I’ve met. She adds and subtracts fluently and is playing around with numbers in other contexts. She understands symbolism in some part of her mind, can reverse numbers or letters to “read” backward or make words from numbers, which totally blows me away. She wants to be part of whatever action is going on, from cooking to cleaning to building birdhouses – she’s in there swinging the hammer and dust cloth with the rest of us. She has a daily devotional she reads, and will frequently find applications in her daily life to share with us at dinner. Well, that’s where we are now. From this point on, my blog will contain daily journals of interesting things I am learning about the kids, or with the kids, or from the kids. At least that’s the plan. Sometimes life in our family surprises me and I don’t end up where I plan, though! |
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Through 2003, years six through 13
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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During the first several years of homeschooling Blair and John we used a LOT of unit studies. Some of the units we used: Five in a Row Konos Weaver Alta Vista Prairie Primer Plus units I wrote when inspired We have started all our children with the first two years of Rod and Staff for a good phonics and math background. For Blair and Jonathan we also used Rod and Staff 3rd grade math. After that they were ready to jump right in to Saxon 54. As they turned six, each child was added to our "Keepers of the Faith" program we have at home in which they can learn skills and earn badges. After Kate was born, the umbrella school increased my responsibilities to include all published materials they provided. I compiled and typed a 60-page quarterly calendar of events, high school transcripts, a newsletter featuring students' artwork and writing, brochures and event programs. It took a lot of my time but I was thankful we didn't have to pay the ever-increasing cost of tuition. When Christy was born, I was also put in charge of the yearbook, a full-color padded cover production with Jostens. Just after Rose joined us, we moved 900 miles, away from my now grown-up Martin. This move would change our lives and homeschooling practices forever. Before the move, I bought several books and printed out many free resources from the ‘net about the places we’d be traveling through. We had never traveled outside our area, and the kids were shocked to see so much open land outside the city. This opened the door so we could discuss how easy it is to accept untruths based on one’s own experiences, and how children tend to accept “normal” based on theirs. We did a lot of talking that trip. Dearest needed quiet during some of the more stressful driving times, so I’d sit in the back seat and read aloud. John tracked mileage and was chief navigator. Blair helped us track our expenses and calculated miles per gallon. Kate made up stories she’d tell us as we drove. The little two napped a lot, colored some and listened to everything. Once we arrived in Oregon, we searched for a house while living in a hotel room. It only took three days, but one small hotel room for three days with five children seemed like a week! There were llamas at the hotel that we would go out and feed, ducks in the pond and elk just up the road. It was an amazing area and so unlike where they had lived before. We finally found a house within commuting distance and started moving in. Our neighbors right across the street were homeschoolers as well, and we were immediately introduced to the local library, teacher’s supply store and YMCA through them. We spent the summer playing with our new friends. We were a one-car family so whenever I needed to shop or take a child to the doctor, we had to take Dearest in to work and pick him up. We made up a rhyme of landmarks from home to his office to help the littles know where they were and avoid the “are we there yet” syndrome. “Power plant Santa’s ranch Cline Falls Basketballs…” John took golf lessons that summer and while he was at class the girls and I would take trips up to the mountains. Even in July there was snow within driving distance. We saw beautiful lakes and streams, interesting geology and amazing wildlife that filled our sketchbooks and conversations. On the fourth of July our neighbors invited us to light fireworks with them in our cul-de-sac. Fireworks are illegal in CA and the kids had never seen them close-up. They were enthralled, and we jumped into a study of them. We started off the school year with a Konos unit. Just one week into our school year, the tragedies of 9/11/01 took place. Everything stopped for several months while we studied our country, patriotism, terrorism (in a very mild way), Islam, New York, and tried to make sense out of the daily news. We helped our neighbors put up a lit flagpole and made a streamer flag on our chain link fence. Over our first three years in OR we moved four times, as rentals were hard to find and only temporary. The children and I learned much about packing, moving, unpacking, decorating, making “do” with limited spaces, and the importance of staying “de-junked.” Only the most beloved of the school books were even unpacked that second time: Pathway Readers Getty Dubay Italics Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home Saxon Math Handbook of Nature Study We relied more and more upon the library for our resources as time and space continued to limit us. I had been reading about “unschooling” but it didn’t seem to make sense to my institutionally educated brain. But it seemed that’s what we had started doing! We finally landed (with a 2-year lease, thank you!) in a rustic, old ranch house in a tiny town of 900 people. We didn't get to stay for all two years, but I was beginning to feel like I was home there in that tiny town for the first time since I was a teenager. |
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Years 3, 4 and 5
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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By year three, I was getting up to speed as a homeschool teacher, gaining confidence and getting comfortable with the idea of home education, even that of a high schooler. Our courses varied from textbook (Saxon Algebra I) to units that I had written. Money was frighteningly tight in those days, and I used the library and other free resources extensively. I leaned more on the umbrella group as well, using their scheduled field trips as "wrap up" for a week-long study in whatever was featured. Martin was gaining confidence as well. Gradually over these three years he began writing his own courses of study geared toward his interests. Our school times were dotted with the "help" of a toddler and baby, too. During the summer, Martin was apprenticed to a man who cleaned and repaired spas and pools. He learned a lot about the working world, and gained a lot of self-discipline with the 4AM wake up calls and long, hot days in the sun. In year five, we purchased a copy of Bob Jones' Biology course, sharing the coursework, labs and cost equally. It was great for Martin to have a lab partner. Blair joined the school which we had named "Katartismos Academy" officially in 1995 as a Kindergarten student. She had already learned to read, just being around books and being read to all her life, but I bought the Rod and Staff complete first grade set for her to "play" with while Martin and I did our lessons. She did the phonics program and became an excellent speller from the start. She trudged through math, and seemed to take to it naturally, so I didn't bore her with the "whole" lesson each day. We took walks to discuss nature, and field trips with the umbrella school. Throughout my pregnancy in 1994 and early 1995, she went to the doctor with me, hearing the baby's heartbeat and learning from the pictures and models what was going on. At the February, 1995 science fair, she won second place for her display on fetus development which I helped her with hardly at all. I had begun working part-time for the umbrella school to help defray the cost of tuition for two. It was my job to do certain typing and photocopying work, and to maintain the school's family mailboxes. It wasn't a big job, but it helped out both the school and our finances. Blair and Martin both participated in the jobs in their own way and enjoyed it. By the end of the 1995 school year, Martin began to show intense interest in returning to school. We enrolled him in one disastrous week of public school (they did not accept his home school credits and the courses provided were dismal at best) then decided to seek a partial scholarship to the Christian private school. He was accepted at a 50% scholarship level, and worked part time at a local grocery store for the rest of his tuition. He was happy to be back in school, but had a hard time making friends. His eight other classmates had been part of a tight-knit unit since first grade and they weren't too interested in letting Martin join in. But, between his studies, his job and his family, he was a busy guy. Homeschooling was such a blessing during those early years. Sitting in my chair with my worsened disability again, I could nurse a baby, read to a toddler and help Blair with her schoolwork. We left the house for functions with the umbrella school and church, but they became fewer. The children all thrived on our time together. |
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Year 1 and 2
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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In 1990, when Martin was about to enter 6th grade in public school, we were approached by the principal. She held a conference with us and his teacher to-be. Seems the teacher was uncomfortable having a 10-year-old in 6th grade. Some of the boys were "already shaving" and her sex-ed course was "quite advanced." Her recommendation was for him to repeat fifth grade, even though he was on the honor roll for that year. This was unacceptable to us, to say the least. I had been a working mom since he was two, sending him off to child care for 10 hours a day during the most important years of his youth. The system had advanced him to this point, and now wanted him to suffer for it. We tried all summer to scrape together enough money to send him to the local Christian private school, but I had a newborn and a physical disability which kept me house and chair bound. The first day public school was back in session (we kept him home) when Dearest had a wonderful idea - what about homeschool? I had known people who were underground homeschoolers back in 1981 when Martin was just a baby. I loved the idea, but didn't think it was for me. Now, it seemed it was for me! We contacted a local "umbrella school" and registered with them. Martin thrived in the classroom atmosphere, and really seemed to need bells, class times, assignments and the like, so we purchased school text books for him and started. Much to my surprise, despite straight A's in math, he was working at about a third-grade level. His thinking skills were rather stunted as well. He played the "school game" quite well, but when his knowledge was directly challenged, he was clearly drowning in too much information and not enough tools to process it. So, in addition to his schoolwork, we began playing games. Chess and Clue seemed to give him some of the thinking tools he needed. Monopoly and Yahtzee sped up his computation skills. The second half of his first year at home we sold the textbooks and I put together an eclectic program that played on his strengths while shoring up his weak areas. We were very happy with our home-grown program, and Martin was thrilled to complete three years of math in one school year. Among our favorites that year: "The Book of Where, or How to be Naturally Geographic" "Blood and Guts" "I Hate Mathematics!" (all three Brown Paper School books) "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" (we used these amazing drawings as springboards for writing assignments) "If You're Going to Teach Kids to Write, You Gotta Have This Book" Saxon Math 54, 65, 76 Math Wrap-ups I began to see that my new little baby needed "school" too, and we found "Slow and Steady, Get me Ready" to be an amazing resource. By the start of our second year of homeschooling, Martin was more comfortable with his knowledge and social skills. Our umbrella program provided dozens of opportunities each month to meet, play, socialize, roller skate, and attend educational field trips. We took advantage of these opportunities quite liberally. By our second year, Martin began asking for textbooks again, so we completed the Saxon 76 we had started earlier and embarked on Algebra 1/2. He seemed to understand math problems better when they were read to him than when he read them from a book. This baffled me a bit, but didn't mind the face-to-face time of doing math with him. We used Bob Jones general science, and an Alpha Omega American History course. We participated in art, music, drama and PE courses through the umbrella school. He helped take care of his baby sister and learned to cook and clean to help me out as my disability improved slowly. The tears and frustration of not knowing what to do with information slacked off gradually. He began to come to me with ideas of things he'd like to learn and we'd research them one at a time, both of us learning how to use community resources like the library and area professionals to find answers to our questions. By the end of the 1982 school year, our family welcomed a brand new brother, and Martin had a toddler sister who thought the sun rose and set at his command. Martin was involved in Little League and began working as a reporter for the umbrella school newsletter. John was planned to be born at home, but complications required an emergency C-section while Dearest was unemployed and uninsured. It was a scary, difficult time, but having the kids nearby was a constant comfort. Martin received a wealth of information about health, budgeting, prayer, and many other valuable lessons. |
Saturday, January 7, 2006
Our intro and educational philosophy
Posted in Learning on the Narrow Path
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Hi. I'm pretty new to the world of blogging, so I trust you will bear with me as I learn! I'm Anji, the 45-year-old mom of six amazing blessings: Martin, age 25 is engaged and living on the other side of the country from me. He was public schooled from 1-5th grades, homeschooled 6-10th and then private schooled 11-12th. He is our only child who has gone "to school." Blair is 15. She adores all things equine and is my "right hand gal" at home. John is 13 and is a real leader-type. It's so hard for him to be second oldest at home, the only boy at home and homeschooled with a family of girls! Kate is 10, gymnastically inclined, and full of sunshine. Christy is 8 and has the heart of a servant. Rose is 5 and enjoys every moment of being the baby of the family. Dearest Beloved is my DH. He works for a major Christian publisher in their homeschool division. Our educational philosophy determined the name of our school. We believe that our job as parents it to provide the tools of learning and the thirst for godly knowledge. Beyond that, we believe the Lord will guide our children into the fields He has chosen for them, and they will acquire the knowledge specific to those fields through purposeful study rather than random courses taken at the state's mandate. Tomorrow I'll attempt a brief history of our homeschooling journey thusfar. |