Are you struggling with HOW to teach your kids math? Have you tried all of the homeschool heroes so long recommended in math, and still haven’t found what you need? Do you have a super bright child that gets math easily and needs to skim ahead? Do you have an older child who is still struggling with concepts, but tired of being in younger math? Would you like ONE simple math program that you can buy ONCE for ALL of your kids?

You have got to see the wonderful new math program I found! Math on the Level was a delightful discovery from the CHAP homeschooling convention in PA. Creator Carlitta Boyles started out homeschooling her own kids with the principles in Math on the Level. Other moms in her homeschool group asked her for help with their kids, and out of that Math on the Level was born!

The Math on the Level approach

• To make math real, the curriculum emphasizes teaching math through practical, family-life experiences. With Math on the Level, the world is your classroom!
• Because each child is unique, math instruction is focused to each child’s maturation level, not age or grade level. (No topics are grade leveled.)
• Its organization and practical emphasis let you teach different-aged children together if desired and include math instruction in your family activities (even in unit studies).
• An effective yet simple to use record keeping system helps you be sure that all necessary math concepts have been covered as well as plan and track each child’s individualized 5-A-Day review.
• To address different learning styles, more than one teaching approach is included for difficult topics.
• Instead of using a generalized set of 30 (or more) daily practice problems that you hope will give sufficient practice for your child, the Math on the Level 5-A-Day review system lets you tailor the review to your child’s actual level of need and make sure each child gets the right amount of practice without busywork.
• To ensure long-term retention, every math concept the child has learned is practiced continually throughout the curriculum at least once every 3 weeks (and more often as needed).

I highly recommend you check out this fabulous new math curriculum! It was rated HIGHLY in the Spring 2008 edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, with a great TOS review (you will have to scroll down the page to find Math on the Level!!)

Since they are in town for the Real Life Marriage Weekend (are you signed up yet?) we had to schedule a FIAR event as well. The Lamberts graciously said yes, even though it will be a jam packed weekend! Just think, you can get an extreme marriage makeover and learn how to simplify your life with FIAR all in the same weekend!

The Lamberts are an absolutely wonderful couple and you do not want to miss seeing them while they are back in the Tri-Cities area! Jane has a delightful way of describing how to use Five in a Row. You will be captivated (and set free) by the simplicity of using FIAR in your home with multiple levels of kids and seeing first hand just how easy it is to do. Steve will talk about what FIAR can do in the life of a child, all the way through college. They are both tremendous encouragers with a love for wonderful books, and a heart for teaching children in the unique FIAR way!

It is such an unbelievable blessing to meet and talk to the authors and creators of curriculum. We are to be careful of what goes into our children’s minds, and having the opportunity to talk to the Lamberts, ask questions, and really see how to use FIAR is again, a blessing!! We would have loved this opportunity when we using FIAR in the early days.

When: June 13, 2008

Where: Gray TN,

Time: 10:30-12:00

Email me at lisa@theprudentwife.com for more information.

Another one??? Yes….we are having ANOTHER incredible homeschool speaker in our home next week! It is Jane week! Monday, June 9^th at 7:30 pm, is a Free Workshop with Jane Bullivant, from across the pond in England! Jane is so popular that HEAV (in VA) has flown her out for their homeschool conference this week, and she is a featured speaker! And you are going to LOVE Jane, she is witty, funny, speaks all over the world, loves the Lord and homeschooling and all is such an inspiration in that delicious English accent! You will fall in love with her the moment you meet her! You can pay $75 to go to HEAV, plus gas, hotel and meals, or you can see her locally Monday, June 9^th at 7:30 pm for FREEEEEEEEE! This is mom’s night out, and we would love to have dads too! The Old Schoolhouse Magazine will have give aways and prizes, so you might win something grand!
 

JANE BULLIVANT (from the HEAV brochure!)
www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com
Jane is an international author, columnist, and broadcaster based in England. She works with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to encourage and inspire parents in the adventure of educating and raising their children to be the people God created them to be. Jane's dynamic presentations are bursting at the seams with warmth, humor, and practical advice for parents wishing to take their homeschool to the next level. Jane and her husband Darren homeschool three turbo-charged children (11, 10, and 6) and their escapee hamsters. Jane's books are available world wide and have been translated into several languages. Her latest book is titled Skydiving for Parents: Raising amazing kids without going into freefall, and was recently named as an iParenting media award "greatest product" winner of 2007-2008.

Jane will smash two classes into an hour and half of pure encouragement Monday, June 9^th at 7:30 pm at the Baughns house in Gray TN.

Exploding the Myth of the Perfect Homeschool ~ Jane Bullivant
This presentation explores the effect of perfectionism in the homeschool and reveals a fresh approach to striving for excellence without being a slave to the schedule.

Beat Homeschool Burnout ~ Jane Bullivant
It is entirely possible to raise and educate your children in excellence without burning yourself out in the process. Organization is not the answer; it’s merely a tool. The answer to beating burnout? Come and find out. Homeschool frenzy will be a thing of the past!

Who: Jane Bullivant, England’s hottest homeschool speaker!

When: Monday, June 9^{th, 2008}  at 7:30 pm

With Gas Prices UP, how DO we afford the Real Life Marriage Conference (At the Journey Church in Gray TN - June 13-14, 2008)

So glad you asked! We are all feeling the SQUEEZE of gas and food prices these days! It feels like the month runs longer than the money! Here are a few suggestions to raise a little cash for the RLMC (and you will notice many of them are really HOMESCHOOL ENTREPRENEUR 101 ideas)!

1. Take the money you make Saturday at the NETHEA Sale and invest it in one of the most important things your kids will ever see – a SOLID MARRIAGE! Quietly, in a life well lived honoring the Lord and loving your spouse, your kids will pick up more values and truths than any curriculum you can buy with the same amount of cash! A solid marriage IS one of the best gifts you can give your kids!
2. Sell something on ebay! We all have too much stuff! Get creative, enlist the kids in a homeschool experiment and get to selling stuff on ebay! Goal – pay for dinner out for mom and dad, and the RLMC!
3. Have a garage sale! We all want to declutter, so get a jump on your plans and have that garage sale the first week of June, then sign up!
4. Scalp a little money out of the vacation fund, and treat mom and dad to a weekend they will long remember!
5. Schedule “Entrepreneur Days” at home with your kids – challenge them to earn half of the marriage retreat as a gift for you (and you will contribute the other half!) This will teach them a cornucopia of invaluable tools (they can earn money, gift someone else with their hard work, reach a goal, etc!)
6. Go to Sam’s Club and buy the large candy bars. Create a contest for your kids, scrub them up, give them a lesson in salesmanship and unleash them on the world! Plan a special trip for them, and the special trip for mom and dad and let them roar off! Don’t we all get asked a million times a year to buy wrapping paper, junky gifts, candy, candy, candles, and more from all the other neighborhood kids! Since we aren’t “working” for the school district – why not let them “work” for the family homeschool?
7. Gather up all the lose change, roll it up and you might have enough!
8. Use your birthday money, anniversary money, etc.
9. Stop eating out for a month – drop the lattes, or fix hubby fabulous brown bag lunches for a month!
10. Pull some cash out of your Emergency Fund! Really, a homeschool retreat JUST for HOMESCHOOLERS is an emergency!
11. Sign up for The Prudent Wife E-newsletter for money saving ideas and tips!

Ever wondered where the “Marriage Retreat” for homeschooling parents is???

Real Life Marriage Conference – Journey Church in Gray TN - June 13-14, 2008 

www.extrememarriagemakeover.com/

Trip to MassHOPE Day One (note sent to my boss!)

We were having the world’s most perfect traveling day. Had breakfast with our sweet friends at MainStay Suites in Roanoke (an EXCELLENT HOTEL ) and on the road, driving through the glorious spring of the Blue Ridge – oh it was stunning! We stopped in Harrisonburg to eat and plot our Chipotles/Trader Joes run and found out we are way OFF the mark on TJ’s boo hoo hoo, BUT Chipotles was 2 hours away. And the ONLY Chipotles today, or until Sunday. So we decided to take advantage of the fact we were in the Shenandoah Valley and could see a battlefield. New Market was close by. We went and it was beyond wonderful – too bad we only had 2 hours to spend. Phenomenal place! This is THE battle site for the Confederate Engineers (Dave’s first CW group) and they are coming to fight here in 2 weeks. Every year, they fly out from CA to portray the Engineers – so totally cool! This was a 5 year dream to see! THANK YOU!

Then, off shimmy on up the road. We had already done some Tennessee, crossed VA. We were headed up the top of the Shenandoah Valley – the Blue Ridge majestic in the distance, having the happy we just saw a battlefield time of our lives, and noticed a bunch of police zooming up I-81. We were sandwiched in between trucks and so we HELD UP THE POLICE, us a van behind us that was totally on our tail, and had to wait ½ a mile to a mile to get out of the trucks way – you know how narrow the 81 can be when trucks are all around. We were so concerned for whatever the accident was. Dave finally pulled between two trucks, leaving room for the van behind us to fall in, and instead, he zoomed past us TALKING ON HIS CELL PHONE – with a smarmy look on his face. The police were chasing HIM. We were in the  middle of a police chase. This all happened very fast – but at one point, the van swerved, heavy trucks all around and everyone just flying and police on all sides and just like LA – you keep going or get run over. So long story short – they chased him, he was swerving, they got him over, and we drove by in time to see him slammed on the floor getting arrested. Nice. Up the road about a mile, was an officer with the tacks, and at the WV line was another one with tacks – so they were out in force – but no way to warn the drivers AROUND the chase. Hunky dory – life in the city – and why did we leave?

We hit traffic – what is that???? We forgot.

God is soooo good though!

So, we carried on, crossed a tiny swath of W. Virg, then crossed the Potomac (oh happy day) over into Maryland, in the historic town of Hagerstown (which we had read umpteen books about with the girls) was Chipotles. We got messed up and cruised the old town, charming row houses – all beautifully restored and it was the ghetto – not the rich district. They must have tight historic standards – very cool. Then off to the brand new shopping mall with Chipotles. Anti biotic free, hormone free, deliciousness!  THANK YOU

Then back in the car. Saw a horrible wreck as we got back on, one the one side, the other side a mile up we saw another hideous flipped truck. Is it Friday the 13^th? What is going on? The Lord saying – “when you think of moving back to the city to make more $$, this is what it means.”

So – we happily rolled into PA (although we missed the sign) saw the signs to Gettysburg, Antietam, HERSHEY, and trudged another 150 miles up yonder road to make it to the hotel. We left at 6am – got here at almost 11. Granted we stopped for our friends in Roanoke  (and free breakfast) and did the CW battlefield – but we needed to walk after 5 or 6 hours of driving.

We really did quite well, considering and look forward to tomorrow. Dave is pretty frayed – keeping the car on the road between car chases and all.

We have noticed quite a change in accents. No one has blessed my heart all day, or said “God love her.” It is new ground.

I also blew it  – trying to figure out the cheapest hotel in PA (they were all pricey, or in the capital) and we have to reroute directions to Mass in the AM. Oh lucky day! but that is okay – this is the path the Lord apparently has for us!

So – I must say I am so thankful for a child that prays for SAFETY – we have certainly needed it so far!

Also –we realized, with the bigger ride, we brought Em’s cash register and we do NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY!. Duh!

We also left the cord to download my pix unto my laptop – argh – so I can only shoot 600 pix and already did 150 or so on the road – BUMMER. We will have to try and delete some, so we can do New England – boo hoo hoo!

Oh well.

I also finished my column on the road and wrote up most of the info on New Market Battlefield – so super productive, caught up on SOME of my email from the last week and responded to folks I needed to. All in all, super productive for being on the road!

Holler if we can fix the electricity.

Ever wondered where the “Marriage Retreat” for homeschooling parents is???

Real Life Marriage Conference – Journey Church in Gray TN - June 13-14, 2008 

Every Successful Homeschool Marriage

Begins with a Strong

Foundation.

How strong is the foundation that your homeschool is built on?

Let’s face it.  Homeschooling is a huge commitment.  Navigating the unique intricacies of balancing homeschooling and marriage can create tension and stress.  It’s easy to focus on the job of homeschooling your children, and give your marriage the “leftovers”.  

RLM: Homeschool Edition’s mission is to help restore balance and revitalize your marriage through a weekend filled with Christ-centered workshops, general sessions and personal time designed specifically for homeschooling parents. 

We believe that God’s word still has the best advice
for restoring hope and rekindling the passion of the one-flesh relationship. 

Real Life Marriage Weekend: Homeschool Edition is not your ordinary marriage retreat weekend.  Why?  Because no "ordinary" marriage workshop or retreat can possibly deal with the unique issues we face as homeschool parents. Come and see why this is one homeschool event you can't afford to miss. Whether your marriage needs a little tune-up and refreshment, or whether your marriage is already at, or even past the breaking point, set aside these two special days and ask the Lord to meet you and your spouse at RLM: Homeschool Edition. The Lord is faithful! 

At Real Life Marriage Weekend: Homeschool Edition, you will

Revitalize your vision and discover together the JOY of homeschooling...
Reconcile the difficulties of living on one income in a two-income world...
Realize how homeschooling can actually make your marriage stronger...
Rekindle romance and Rediscover the joy of sexual intimacy... 
Reconnect with one another and learn how to make effective communication a priority...
Receive the tools and skills to create a true and living partnership with your spouse...
Route an exciting new course for your homeschool years and beyond.

Don’t just survive the homeschooling years … thrive!  Join us for this Christ-centered, homeschooling marriage makeover.

Real Life Marriage?

Real life for real marriages. We all know the pressures and stresses that come with homeschooling our children. We have all had times when we've said "we can't keep doing this." Real Life Marriage Weekends are designed to give you that bit of encouragement and resources to keep going.

Steve and Jane Lambert and Jay and Heidi St. John bring years of homeschooling and ministry experience to encourage you and your spouse. We want every homeschool family to experience the joy and freedom that comes from following and learning from Christ as we walk with him.

The Real Life Marriage Conference has a location!!!

Real Life Marriage Conference - Gray TN - June 13-14, 2008 

The Journey Church

102 Old Stage Road – Corner of North Roan/Old Stage Rd

1 ½ miles North of Boones Creek off 36

2 ½ miles South of Highway 75

 For more information on the conference and to register - http://www.reallifemarriages.com/ We have had the pleasure of meeting the Lamberts and the St. Johns and they are going to BLESS YOU tremendously! We highly, highly recommend this and will be there with bells on!

Susan Seaman is coordinating this event – for questions contact Susan Susan Seaman   423-967-6281. I am just doing PR….what else would I do?!

Praising the Lord Susan is in charge….

I am doing a quick survey to see WHERE your homeschool graduates have GONE to college! Informal, for personal information on a project I am working on that will help all homeschoolers with college options! It will be posted on my blog.  I really want to know exactly WHICH options homeschooled kids are choosing! Please, please forward this on to all of your homeschool friends who have graduated kids! If you have graduated several kids, just answer per kid, if you would be so kind!

If your kids have graduated and gone to college could you please send me a quick email lisa@theprudentwife.com and answer the following questions:

College options while in high school

• Did you pursue dual enrollment options (Jr. and Sr. year in high school – enrolling in college courses that counted double for high school credit?)
  • If so, how many?
• Did your child take CLEP tests?

College After Homeschool Graduation

• Did your child attend Junior College/Community College?

·         Private?

·         Public?

• Did your child pursue Distance Learning?
• Did your child attend a State School (UCLA, UT,)?
• Did your child attend a private college or university?
• Did your child attend a Christian college of university?

Cost Questions

• Was cost a big factor in undergrad education?
• Did you encourage your child to attend college debt free?

Any other information you would like to include would be most appreciated! We thank you for participating in this INFORMAL survey that I will happily publish! This will greatly help ALL homeschoolers!

Whether you want to see a Civil War reenactment, a living farm museum, a historical interpretation, a Revolutionary War battle, or a trip through colonial America, find it all here, as the site grows and expands! Learn about fabulous old homes, mansions and plantations, exploring a world of old!

I know this looks silly - but don't have time to change coding! Information needs out now!

HB2795-SB3412
Testing for all students

105th Tennessee General Assembly
2007-2008

3/18/08: This statement just in from TACRS:

HB2795 and TACRS - Statement from TACRS - by Rob Shearer - rob@greenleafpress.com

To: Representative George Hardaway and all interested parties

From: Rob Shearer, vice president, TACRS

I have just reviewed the text of the proposed amendment to HB2975 which now seeks to mandate an annual consultation between the department of education and "representatives from the Tennessee association of independent/municipal schools, the Tennessee home education association representing schools established under 49-6-3050, and the Tennessee association of church related schools representing schools established under 49-50-801." Ron Scarlata, the president of the Tennessee Association of Church Related Schools (TACRS) and I spoke by phone this morning and he has authorized me to speak on this matter for TACRS.

Please be advised that this proposal came as a complete surprise to both of us. Neither of us has ever spoken with Representative Hardaway.

And while we have no objections to consulting with the Department of Education, we could not do so "representing schools established under 49-50-801." There is a rich diversity of private schools, both church-related and independent throughout Tennessee. No one organization could ever speak for all of them. There is a rich diversity of church-related schools even within the TACRS membership. We would be reluctant to speak about methodologies even on behalf of our member schools, since the membership is so diverse.

The kind of consultation ostensibly desired by Rep. Hardaway does not need to be mandated by the legislature. It could easily be achieved by the department issuing broad invitations to all the organizations designated in 49-50-801.

We urge Rep. Hardaway to withdraw this bill, even with this last-minute amendment substituting new language. It does not appear to have been very carefully thought out. And the organizations named in it have not been consulted.

- Rob Shearer
Vice President, TACRS

Please feel free to distribute/forward this email (so long as the distribution includes the entire message)

3/18/08: We've got a transcription of the amendment to HB2795 as submitted by Rep. G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis). Here it is:

AMEND   Senate Bill No. 3412            House Bill No. 2795*

By deleting all language after the enacting clause and by substituting instead the following language:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 6, is amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designed section:

     49-1-614.

       The department of education shall consult at least annually with representatives from the Tennessee association of independent/municipal schools, the Tennessee home education association representing schools established under 49-6-3050, and the Tennessee association of church related schools representing schools established under 49-50-801, to assess actions taken by such non-public schools which, if taken by public schools, may lead to improved student performance in public schools.  The department shall report the results of such consultation to the select oversight committees of the house of representatives and the senate no later than February 1 each year.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.

 This is still completely unacceptable and calls against this bill and its amendment should continue. It's obvious from the wording of this bill that Rep. G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) is completely unfamiliar with the homeschooling community and how it operates.

• He seems to have cherry picked one homeschooling group over others by designating 'the Tennessee home education association' as representing homeschoolers. He may have meant that generically and its use is just sloppy legislative writing. Regardless,  Tennessee Home Education Association does exist. However, it doesn't represent all homeschoolers and I suspect doesn't want the job. Further not all homeschoolers want to belong to this group and there are many who would vehemently oppose any requirement that any one group speak for all homeschoolers.
• Again, he's used phrasing in this legislation that is an actual entity. Sloppy or intentional there is a 'Tennessee association of church related schools'. TACRS accredits some of our church-related schools but certainly not all. Ditto the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) There are actually seven listed in TCA 49-50-801.

a)  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, "church-related school" means a school operated by denominational, parochial or other bona fide church organizations, which are required to meet the standards of accreditation or membership of the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools , the Association of Christian Schools International , the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools , the  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools , the Tennessee Association of Non-Public Academic Schools [*see below--ed.], the Tennessee Association of Church Related Schools, or a school affiliated with Accelerated Christian Education, Inc. [Now called School of Tomorrow --editor note]

• There is no sunset provision to this legislation. Once created, have you ever known a government entity to disappear? We do not need this oversight committee to expand its mandate and start demanding more and more accountability from non-public schoolers in their misguided effort to improve public schools.
• The 'at least annually' portion seems to leave room for the Department of Education or the legislature to require more than annual meetings once the meetings are required.
• Under this amendment the fiscal note will not be anywhere near the $4 million his original testing attempt would have cost. That makes it more friendly to other legislators. Of course, the hidden cost born by non-public schoolers, both in resources and loss of freedom could eventually be enormous.

  The information about best practices that  Rep. G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis)  says he's trying to obtain can be found outside of enacting a law, expending tax dollars and encroaching on the freedoms that people who privately school their children already have.

My suggestion is that phone calls, faxes, emails and personal contacts continue. Again, seriously consider attending tomorrow's meeting. Details are just below.

3/18/08

From Kay Brooks of www.tnhomeed.com,

It's become obvious to even the most hopeful among us that Rep. G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) is not a man of his word. Despite assuring the public, Special Initiatives sub-committee members and the Chair of the House Education Committee that he would communicate with them and the homeschooling community regarding changes he was making to HB2795 he still hasn't done so. He has ignored phone calls and personal contacts. The result is we're just a day away from the next scheduled sub-committee hearing for this bill and the new wording is not public information. He fully expects us to get a copy of this legislation cold and deal with it immediately.  Well, we shall.

You are, again, encouraged to call the Special Initiatives sub-committee members and voice your concerns regarding this bill. Most of them have expressed surprise at Hardaway's actions and do not see the need for the state to test all children in this manner. They, and their staffs, are also frustrated but the process must run its course.

If you can make the trip to Nashville come. The committee meets at 11:45 a.m. in the Legislative Plaza. This committee usually meets in Room 29, however, it may be moved to Room 16 again to accommodate a larger crowd. HB2795 is early on a short agenda so don't be late. If there is no way you can make it to Nashville you can watch streaming video via the Internet from the legislative website here. In the meantime, make phone calls, send faxes, contact their district offices. Focus on Rep. Hardaway, the bill sponsor, and Reps. Brown and Towns who enabled this legislation to even be heard three weeks ago.

I believe we need an even bigger turn out than we had three weeks ago. If our effort is smaller, it will give the appearance that we're already tired of the battle and don't have the stomach for a full scale assault. Let's ensure that's not the case.

If you pray this is certainly the time for that.

 Kay Brooks

Kay@TnHomeEd.com

http://TnHomeEd.com

In the first phone call Rep Hardaway said that “Since you are from Washington County, you need to call your OWN representative.” Then hung up. 

Perplexed, and wanting to give Rep Hardaway the benefit of the doubt, I hit redial and said, “Sir, I believe we just got disconnected.” Instead of having a dialogue of any kind, Rep Hardaway, again said that “Since you are from Washington County, you need to call your OWN representative, I can’t help you” and hung up on me. 

This is the height of unprofessional behavior, and back home in Southern California, we would just flat out call this rude. 

It also defies logic. Since Mr. Hardaway is proposing a bill that AFFECTS me in Washington County – I have every right to call him, as the author and promoter of HB 2795. If he would like to limit his bill to his constituents, then he can exclude hearing from home educators all over the state. Since HB 2795 affects the entire STATE, and since we live in TN, we would be affected, whether I live in his district or not. 

I am profoundly discouraged by the rudeness of this legislator. I am astounded, in this day and age, that a legislator could be so unprofessional. Rep Hardaway does not care about the citizens of TN, only his personal agenda and his personal slice of the pie, yet he proposes legislation that affects the state. 

I think Rep Hardaway should be held accountable for his unprofessional behavior and his exclusion of the majority of the state he represents. 

Thank you for the work you are doing in Tennessee. We appreciate your service, and your time.

We are a homeschooling family and have become aware of House Bill 2795. This bill will destroy our ability to instruct our children in the creative way that is best suited to each child and family. I tell my children all the time, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,” a quote from William Butler Yeats. Our goal is to teach our children how to THINK, to inspire in them a passion for learning, and to endow them with the ability to reason through things, ultimately nurturing that into a lifelong love of learning. We would not want to smite passion for a lifetime, merely by forcing them to learn specifically for a test today.  That is short sighted and hedonistic at best.

Take a strong look at homeschooling. The numbers are growing every year, families are enjoying their children, homeschooled kids are getting an excellent education. Colleges are clamoring for the homeschooled students, noticing a distinct difference. The College of Idaho notes on their website, “We find that most of our home-schooled students have the ability to "think outside the box" and work independently--exactly the attributes you'll need to succeed here.” Eastern Mennonite University in VA says, “Home-schooled students -- with their strong self-confidence, critical thinking skills and disciplined study habits -- make great contributions to campus life. They are academic leaders and student life role models.”

The Army and our military branches are actively recruiting homeschoolers. From the website GoArmy.com > Benefits > Bonuses for Home School Graduates The Army now offers home school graduates who qualify the same enlistment incentives as traditional high school graduates, including cash bonuses up to $40,000 for enlistments of three or more years and the Army College Fund, which provides up to $71,424 for college. *Enlistment of home school seniors in the Army's Future Soldier program is also authorized. If you’re interested in finding out more about bonuses for home school graduates, contact your local Recruiter or fill out this form.
 

If colleges around the US and our military branches are eager to enlist homeschoolers, then homeschool families must be making excellent curriculum choices. This negates the need for House Bill 2795. Homeschooled kids are not the children who are failing at life.

Homeschoolers are hardworking kids who understand how to manage their time, think and reason independently and are not peer driven. This is largely because the current homeschooling freedoms we enjoy in the great state of Tennessee. We have the freedom to choose the curriculum best suited to our children, to their learning styles, interests and needs. We pay CASH for our curriculum, and we continue to pay the same taxes that every other Tennessean and every other American pays. We sacrifice greatly to homeschool, and are more than willing to pay for the curriculum we choose in our homeschool, remember, we are lighting a fire, not merely filling a bucket to pass the test of the  year.

Please oppose House Bill 2795, which would impose public school testing on non-public school students. This bill would effectively destroy non-public education in Tennessee by requiring private schools, church-related schools, and homeschools to adopt the public school curriculum for their instruction programs.

Thank you for your time.

Lisa Baughn

Save time, money and sanity in your home

www.ThePrudentWife.com

As we all pray specifically about HB2795, it is good to have some information about the bill’s sponsor Rep G. A. Hardaway, including a new bill he is sponsoring on the bottom!

Rep G.A. Hardaway’s official site http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/house/members/h92.htm Democrat from Memphis.

In the video in the previous post, Rep G.A. Hardaway said he is the “founder and visionary of the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences, the 1^st public charter school in Tennessee.” Therefore he understood the “anticipation and anxiety” of the public system and he “had sympathy with the anxiety of homeschoolers” about the “autonomy we enjoy.” Find that charter school here http://www.mahsmemphis.com/home.htm

This appears to be the document spoken of in the video as the Tennessee State Board of Education’s High School Transition Policy http://tnmea.org/hs_transition_policy.pdf that Rep Hardaway needs to review in light of his bill. This says:

TENNESSEE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL POLICY 2.103

ELEMENTS OF SCHOOL-WIDE REFORM

The following policy will be effective beginning with the ninth grade class entering high school during the 2009-2010 school year.

This site seems unfinished but is listed as “Elect G.A. Hardaway” http://www.politicalgateway.com/cand.php?id=832

Article in The Tennessean about it http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS04/802280401

Nashville WKRN http://www.news2wkrn.com/vv/2008/02/28/they-be-schooling-them-legislators-homes/

And finally – another bill Rep Hardaway is sponsoring:

Since many folks have one family email address, we can write two emails (one from us, one from hubby), but it makes it hard to prove a different person wrote the second email. Think about it, if you and hubby both write from happyhomeschoolfamily@WeHateTesting.com it could have just been you sending two. Not that they are tracking – but one never knows! If they are receiving multiple emails from the same address – it will look like one person is sending them all.

I just asked my hubby to write an email from work – from his work address – (even though we own about 20 domains and have multiple email addys with each one!) This will spread IP addresses around and make it look like a bigger assault AGAINST HB 2795 (which is total geek-talk, but a way of tracking emails) Spread the wealth!

Each time I have PERSONALLY written, I have made sure to use a different email address (again, I have 9 that I use based on different domains) I think at this point I have shot out an email from all 9! LOL!

Why? Our Nashville Reps need to know it is not just the WOMEN fighting this – it is the Daddy’s (and we all know how little Rep Hardaway thinks of paternity with his nasty bill – but lets worry about HB2795 first!) who are wholeheartedly against HB 2795

Now obviously – if this is something that will get your husband in trouble at work – don’t do it! Since my hubby controls the network – it is no problem! He just emailed me to let me know his emails are OUT! PTL!

So ladies – let’s all forward this to our hubby’s and ask them to WRITE these folks TODAY. At their next lunch break. IF and only IF it is safe for them to do so from work! If not, do it from home tonight – on a different address.  

 
The contact information for these Representatives is set forth below.

Representative G. A. Hardaway
(615) 741 5625
rep.ga.hardaway@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Tommie Brown
(615) 741-4374
rep.tommie.brown@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Joe Towns, Jr.
(615) 741-2189
rep.joe.towns@legislature.state.tn.us

And pray without ceasing!

Lisa Baughn

Save time, money and sanity in your home

www.ThePrudentWife.com

Launching soon!