The Sinister Scribe

You gotta read this, whether you homeschool your kids or not. There were several I could so relate too. Hard to pick a favorite.

Hat tip to MamaKohl for sharing it.

Just read this article on what some homeschooled kids are doing after they graduate from home studies. It is hard for me not to assume that will be the “next step,” the article mentions others.

For now, I’m going on the assumption that college is that next step.

I seem to have hit on an art project Sam really likes. These are done with construction paper and an Xacto knife. We talked briefly about complimentary colors and positive/negative space. The ones on the left were done Tuesday, the other two were done today. I’m kinda enjoying this project myself. I wonder if I could do card sized pieces and sell them on Etsy…? I’m kinda proud of my little witch. LOL!

This morning we were treated to a gorgeous sunrise. It was so freaking orange you’d think it was sunset… after a huge fire or something. There was even a rainbow.

After lunch we went on a listening walk. That was Jessie’s idea. We caught a leopard frog. Or at least I think it is. Could have sworn I ran across an entry for a frog that looks very similar… somewhere. The kids climbed the cedar tree. I’m going to make rabid tree climber out of Sam yet. I really enjoyed watching them climb. I think every kid should have a tree to climb.

Read a rather disturbing post today about the NEA (National Educational Association) and their current resolutions against homeschoolers. There is an online petition here that gives some of the details.

“The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. “

There sure is a lot of evidence to the contrary. Colleges are actively seeking homeschooled kids too. The petition link above includes a link to some impressive stats and more information (that I need to read).

Not exactly sure why this NEA resolution bothers me so much. I’ve seen other such things and ignored them successfully. Will have to spend some time thinking and reading more on it. Exactly WHY do I homeschool…? What makes ME think I AM qualified? Stay tuned….

It still amazes me sometimes… that a few words, said by the right person at the right time can have dramatic effects.

I just read this article at the Washington Times, where a supreme court justice mentioned homeschooling in the same sentence as public and private schools… all three as equally viable educational options.

“In Morse v. Frederick, however, Justice Clarence Thomas said, ‘If parents do not like the rules imposed by those schools, they can seek redress in school boards or legislatures; they can send their children to private schools or home school them; or they can simply move.’”

Wow! Sometimes the littlest things make the biggest impacts. I wonder if he knows?

Found this article at The Thinking Mother’s Blog. She also has a post about teaching spelling in general which I find very interesting and is making me rethink next year’s spelling for Sam.

I don’t think it will cause me more work but instead of teaching the words first, I am thinking I should introduce the rule and then the words. Or the roots… at some point I will do that. Haven’t really gotten my brain around how to deal with roots. We are going to be introducing latin in the fall, so he will be getting some latin roots then.

Always something to think about.

Doing some morning blog reading and came across an interesting post on math manipulatives at Text Savy. It is a new-to-me blog that I found by way of Maria’s  Homeschool Math blog. Not sure how I feel on the subject yet. Will have to digest it a bit more.
Ok, back to morning routines!

Former homeschool students reflect on their educational experiences

“Seth Anthony grew up in rural North Carolina, where the nearest public school was an hour’s drive away. So his mother, who had worked as a teacher, decided to homeschool him. When Anthony reached high school age, his mother began taking a chemistry course at North Carolina State University as a prerequisite for entering pharmacy school. His mom would bring home her assignments, and they would do the chemistry problems together. “Homeschoolers have a tendency to turn all sorts of situations into learning situations,” Anthony says.”

Click here to read the entire article. Thought this was interesting to read so I’m a-sharing. I like to read/hear about what the homeschooled kids thought of their education. Makes me wonder (no, I was wondering already) what mine will think when they go-away-to-college.