An Inside Look

I was invited to participate in an interview on Debbie Harbeson's Homeschooling: Freedom and Fun For Your Family blog and since I haven't written about homeschooling in a while, I thought I'd better get some mileage out of this interview and post it here. After reading my responses, go visit Debbie's blog and see what other Indiana Homeschoolers had to say about homeschooling.


1. How long have you been homeschooling (or if finished, how long did you homeschool)?

We've homeschooled since fall of 1994, so that makes this our 15th year of homeschooling. Wow! The times flies when you're having fun (and when you're not, for that matter).


2. One of the main benefits of homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility it allows. Can you give us a few examples of how this freedom and flexibility benefited your family?

Well, when we first began homeschooling my husband traveled for his job - a lot! Homeschooling allowed us to occasionally travel with him, but even when we stayed home it was nice to have flexibility in our schedules so the boys could enjoy spending time with their dad when he was home. When his scheduled flexed ours flexed. We could take a day (or week) off school without getting special permission, or stay up late enjoying an activity together and not worry about being too tired in the morning. And a perfect snow day for us is when we get to go sledding on a fresh hill while the other kids are in school. ;^) We used to live in a subdivision built around a golf course and boy did we have some great sledding hills!

Freedom and flexibility have also been enjoyed in the area of academics. Our oldest was advanced academically and homeschooling allowed him to progress at his speed in whatever areas that interested him. He was a math whiz and taught himself to read before age 3. He was a unique package -- being academically gifted, but at the same time somewhat socially immature -- and we easily concluded that traditional school wasn't a good option for him when he was old enough for Kindergarten.

By highschool, he was enjoying participating in math competitions (and he even won a few ;^). Then, just as we were settling into our expectations that he would pursue a career in math, this son decided he enjoyed writing and he began creating a LOTR parody. He says he's embarrassed of it today, but I believe it was the freedom he had to spend hours writing it, sending installments to peers for their enjoyment and getting all sorts of kudos from people that served as the very thing that encouraged him to keep on with it.

His love for the written word was naturally nurtured in a way that a classroom setting couldn't possibly have done. By the time he graduated from highschool he decided he wanted to pursue a career in writing and is now in a liberal arts college program studying the many aspects of professional writing - and we continue to be awed by his natural gift for the written word.

Another son had some learning issues early on and homeschooling has benefited him in that he too could progress at his own speed without the burden of negative labels he, no doubt, would have received had he been in a traditional school environment. Highschool for this son is looking different than it did for our oldest, but we are just as much in awe of his natural bents as we were of his older brother's. This son enjoys having plenty of time to explore the mechanics of things - taking apart things that are broken and fixing them and sometimes fashioning new items altogether. Backyard Ballistics was written for this son! This son also enjoys sports and has always been involved somehow - this past year he was on a first-year homeschool soccer team in this area and he excelled.

For all our sons, we take advantage of non-traditional educational activities to learn valuable (and sometimes fun) skills and gain knowledge that will be useful both now and in their adult lives. I have enjoyed the freedom to determine when those activities qualify for credit on a highschool transcript.

Some examples of these non-traditional learning activities have been:

The book my son wrote in 10th grade translated to a year's worth of English credit.

A 10-week clown class and subsequent involvement in clown ministry as well as participation in several significant dramas earned my son a credit in dramatic arts.

Ben finds a couple "Letter Boxes" less than a mile from our home

Our second son is a military history buff. He has watched hours of documentaries on military history and armament and has read many books and articles about different wars. He builds models of different military vehicles and exhibits them in 4-H (at least one went to State Fair). These are things he has done over the course of his highschool career and when I decide he's done enough, I will be granting him a year's worth of credit for Military History. Who knows how this particular study will benefit him some day?

This son is also a natural musician and we love hearing him play his guitar for as long as he desires to. Having the time to work a part-time job enables this son to upgrade his instrument inventory when he wants to be challenged by something new.

Credit for Physical Education is granted through participation in many, many activities -- basketball, soccer, 4-H shooting sports, bowling, weight-lifting, golf, cycling, spelunking -- literally anything that exposes our sons to physical activities that they can enjoy into their adult lives.

Probably, the most important thing that I keep learning is that I must not dismiss a particular passion just because I can't tell today where that interest will lead. I continually remind myself to trust my sons' natural bents and inclinations believing that someday there will be a payoff for them that they were allowed to freely explore those things that interested them. Being lifelong learners isn't just a catchy slogan. It is the lifestyle of a homeschooler.

3. Another benefit of homeschooling is the fun factor. Can you give us a few examples of some especially fun times you had as a result of homeschooling?

Oh, I think going places together -- especially when the boys were younger (either with a homeschool group or just our family).

Seyfert's potato chip factory in Ft. Wayne was a hoot.

We've learned Indiana History not just by reading about it, but by traveling and visiting historical sites and living history museums when we can.

When traveling west to South Dakota and Colorado to visit family, we took in historical sites along the way and seeing awesome landforms was a great experience for these flat-landers.

Joel and Ben admiring the iquanas at the Indianapolis Zoo

Traveling south to Tennessee and visiting Civil War sites and the Chattanooga Aquarium was also memorable. Even stopping into antique stores is an opportunity to learn about a different time period.

And being able to do these things during off seasons greatly adds to the enjoyment factor for this family. No lines! We all know homeschoolers don't know how to stand in lines anyway - thankfully we're not tested on this skill very often.

At the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. One of our favorite field trips when we lived in Huntington.

Another great thing about homeschooling has been participating in our local homeschool group. Each year our group decides on a theme and we read books and engage in monthly activities to bring that theme to life. We've studied the Civil War, Christian Military Heroes, Jewish Feasts and Holidays, Pioneer Days, Inventors -- just to name a few.

When studying Medieval times we enjoyed attending a dress rehearsal for a madrigal dinner put on by IU students - full dress, full props. Instead of mutton and wild game, we feasted on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while the actors performed around us and drew us into the drama just as if we'd bought expensive tickets and been part of several hundred attending -- but we got so much more individual attention (and great pictures).

But the most memorable event was probably meeting Steve Saint, son of slain missionary Nate Saint. He met with our group privately just a couple hours before he appeared with a Christian performer who supports his ministry. He shared with us very personally about his experience with the Waodani people in South America. It was awesome and life-changing -- and had we not had the ability to just take off on very short notice and drive to Bloomington (during a school day, no less), we would most likely have missed it.

Our boys participate in a Teen Service group during their Jr. High and Sr. High years. They have helped with a demolition project, raked leaves and shoveled snow for seniors and others who need the help, made casseroles and have done some house painting -- just as examples. They have had a LOT of fun serving others alongside their friends and making a positive impression of homeschooling in our community.

Even hard times are made better simply because we're all together and more focused than we could possibly be if the boys were in different places and on different time schedules. When my father was ill and dying, we spent countless hours over a period of several months driving the 30 minutes one way to go visit with him -- the boys often playing with fun things in the facility where he was cared for. We have some good memories of this time (and great pictures.) Had they been in a traditional school, it would have been impossible to spend the amount of quality time with Dad (Grandpa) that we did.



4. We all have funny experiences while homeschooling. Can you share one of yours with us?

Hmmm....well, we sometimes reminisce about losing a tadpole (that had just developed legs) in our dining room and after searching and searching we finally concluding that our youngest son (who was a crawler at the time) had probably found it and eaten it. Eeewwww, I know.

Nathan with one of the tiny frogs we grew from tadpole to adult.

We also count ourselves experienced campers now that we bought a tent and went camping as a family ONCE! We spent the night re-inflating two air mattresses that had leaks (and being thankful we didn't have neighbors). I'm sure we were in violation of the campground's quiet hours. We didn't take enough wood for the weekend, so I cooked sausages and pancakes over some pretty pitiful coals in the morning. It took about a half-hour before the pancakes were solid and edible. I'm pretty sure they dried out (as opposed to actually cooking). We took it all in stride and no one complained. But come to think about it, no one has asked to go camping since.

And once we almost left our youngest in a baby swing in our friends' country yard as we quickly packed up our picnic items to head to the 4th of July fireworks show in town. We were actually getting into our vehicles when our friends' grandmother cried, "Is somebody going to get the baby?!?" I did not win any mother-of-year nominations that year.

I'm sure our funny moments are pretty typical and don't have as much to do with homeschooling as they have to with just being a family. Homeschooling is just one of the things we do as we live our lives together - bumping into each other, getting frustrated with one another, forgiving each other and encouraging each other. Homeschooling gives us LOTS of time together to do all these things. We've not done any of it perfectly, but it's been a life I've loved.

And they ask why we homeschool....

I don't know how long this video will remain at this site, so be sure to check it out:

http://www.teachersunionexposed.com/video_release.cfm

While the information isn't exactly new on this video, it is delivered in a thought-provoking way, by persons who deserve to be listened to - teachers.

Having fielded questions for years about why we would homeschool, I think it is overdue that those of us who are "veteran" homeschoolers turn the question back on those who question this lifestyle.

Perhaps we should just simply muse aloud (what we often muse privately), "I've been wondering the same thing....now that I've learned to enjoy true freedom in education. I wonder how do parents send their children into an institutional setting every day - where they have no say in the day-to-day happenings of their children's lives - where cameras have to survey the campus to created a semblance of security - where teachers who are opposed to different lifestyles and religious beliefs are given the opportunity to shape the thinking of the young ones in their charge - where children are trained at a tender age to respond to the ringing of a bell to stop thinking about one thing and start thinking about another? I could go on, but the point is.... it is all so unnecessary - and in my mind, such an artificial way of living. Why does modern culture (with all it's talk of diversity and meeting the needs of children) continue to insist on this mode of education? "

Truthfully, I know some of the answers to the above questions. I wasn't always a home educator, afterall. It was a bit of a process to wrap my mind around this lifestyle. But now that I have, I find I am grieved that public education is at the mercy of politics and unions and no longer operates in the best interest of our children (if it ever did). I am discouraged at what my increasing tax dollars have to fund: extravagant, state-of-the-art school buildings with furnishings that will be outdated in 20 years (and the technology much sooner than that); athletic facilities that only a small fraction of the student body uses; tenured teachers - some of whom should never have been granted a license in the first place.

Okay, enough, before I become completely discouraged. I need to go look into the eyes of my children and be encouraged again. I hope that my children always see the value in educational freedom and continue this tradition of independent education. No. We haven't done this perfectly. I definitely have regrets, but I also know I have tried to give my children things that a public education, by it's very nature of containment and control, can not give them.

We have learned that we we are not bound by conventional educational practices. Hopefully, my children will have learned that they are not at the mercy of educrats and politicians in defining what constitutes an education - and, pardon the cliche', but it has never been more true than today that the world is our classroom and we need to take full advantage of that. Perhaps most importantly, I want my children to understand that they have the capacity within themselves to learn whatever interests them. That a textbook is the launchpad for learning, not the rock upon which an education is built. That they ultimately need to take ownership of their education and their futures, and if they do not they will only have themsleves to blame.

I hope my sons improve upon this lifestyle and as they take it well into the 21st century that they soar with their children, if they are so blessed. And if they take a different path, I pray it's because they have the freedom to choose from a variety of educational paths and that they will work to maintain that freedom for everyone.

Do check out the link. The whole site is very well done and will gives an alarming insight into what our educational system has become. And be sure to check out some of the links here (and beyond) to get a taste for educational freedom.

Scoping It Out!

At least once a year a microscope thread surfaces on one or more discussion groups I'm on and rather than search for my previous response to the question, I decided to just post my response here -- for whomever it may help.

I'm concluding that scopes listed at various sites and within the average homeschooler's price range are pretty competitively priced, but they all have different options so one really does have to concentrate and do some homework before purchasing. I suggest taking notes while perusing different websites and giving oneself plenty of time to figure out what features are truly important. I'm just offering information that I dug up while casually looking around and some random thoughts I have on microscopes after having used a few different kinds. Hopfully it will be of some help to someone.

BTW, my experience is limited to compound microscopes which one will need if wanting to complete highschool biology labs that require slide viewing. You should be able to learn the difference between compound and stereo microscopes by checking out this article at Home Training Tools: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/how-to-select-a-microscope.html

And here is a basic tutorial with information you really ought to know before buying a microscope (especially a compound scope): http://www.greatscopes.com/microscope.htm

-----------------

We purchased a good quality compound microscope (that is very sufficient for highschool level work) from Sonlight a number of years ago. This page lists their microscopes: http://www.sonlight.com/science-microscope.html and this link describes their Ultra microscope in detail and some general information as well: http://www.sonlight.com/microscope.html

What we bought was comparable to the one ultra scope described above (it may have even been an Ultra scope). We paid just under $200.00.

In case you go looking elsewhere, let me recommend a few things that I believe will make using a microscope a much happier experience (the Sonlight microscope has all these features - and I think they've possibly added more since we bought ours):

-An inclined eye piece (otherwise you have to stand over it and bend your back to view anything - or find a table low enough to put it on so you can sit down, which could be tricky).

-A built-in light source (some have a light source that plugs in separately and you then place the bulb & it's socket in a "holder" of sorts. I've found these to be frustrating to try to get in the right spot and hold still). Do NOT buy a microscope (or spend much money on one) that does not have an electric light source. I tried to use one that uses reflected light and I considered it useless for serious microscope viewing.

-A mechanical stage (this allows you to move the slide ever so slightly up & down and left & right with the turn of a couple knobs while viewing the specimen). This will eliminate much frustration and wasted time trying to bring the specimen into the viewing field.

Also, while I did not purchase a carrying case at the time I bought our microscope, I really wish now that I had. It's hard to bite the bullet after all these years for a case, but I really should. Not only will a case protect the microscope from dust, it will make carrying it places much safer (if you ever want to take it to a co-op class or to a friend's to share a lab, you will be thankful for a case. We tote ours around in a cardboard box and every time I do, I wish I had a case. (I wrote that like 4 years ago and I still haven't bought a case. I'm probably hopeless at this point.)

Following are some links for where one can purchase decent microscopes for highschool level work within a reasonable price range (though there are many other sources as well):

http://www.greatscopes.com/ (Great Scopes)

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ (Home Training/Science Tools)

http://www.smsoptical.com/ (SMS Optical)

http://www.microscopeworld.com/ (Microscope World)

http://microscopeuniverse.com/ (Microscope Universe)

http://www.workshopplus.com/ (Nature's Workshop Plus)


Happy shopping!

How Would YOU Vote?

This story circulated recently on the internet and most of us found it pretty sad:

Teacher Lets Morningside Students Vote Out Classmate

And yet.....how many routinely watch inane "reality" shows that do the same thing and call it entertainment? It's too bad that this mentality has seeped down to touch the lives of 5 year-olds in school classrooms - at the hands of a teacher, no less....but then again, why would it surprise us?

Is it not true that a public school environment is the perfect greenhouse for the seeds of culture to grow? In fact, one might argue that this has become one of the purposes of a public education (to develop or change and grow the culture of a nation).

When the seeds of culture grow and flourish and reproduce we should not be surprised in the least. This situation is perhaps a caricature of the type of socialization (or better yet, "culturalization") one one can expect from today's schools, but it is still a very real likeness of what one should expect day in and day out. As I read this particular story, I couldn't help but wonder how many hundreds of times similar (though different) situations have probably played out in other classrooms, but because no one was indignant enough or hurt enough to complain the media didn't get their claws into it and we've simply never heard about it.

And once it did hit the airwaves, that parents sent their children back into Morningside Elementary School (even the parents of the offended little boy) is what is most head-shakingly sad to me.

Wouldn't you just get a charge if, for once, parents marched on a school and demanded proper treatment of all (meaning students, teachers, administrators and parents), a proper education of their children and a proper say in the day-to-day happenings of the school their tax monies support and their children have been entrusted to?

Then again, we might find ourselves with truly public education if that sort of thing went on.

It's Greek to Me

We're currently reading aloud Padraic Colum's The Children's Homer and I'm finding myself from time to time stumbling over the pronunciation of some of the more obscure Greek names.

I decided to google for some help and came upon the following resources:

This link provides a quick guide for general pronunciation of Greek names.

And this site has some fun information, but a bit more than I need to know at the moment.

Here and here and here are some great links to dig futher into Ancient Greek history. Fun!

KONOS (Unit Study Curriculum)

I wrote the following in response to a gal who was looking for a review about KONOS curriculum (from someone who has used it):


We used KONOS for a few years when my boys were younger and I think it is excellent curriculum for someone who likes the idea of doing Unit Studies, but really doesn't know how to pull one together. It's a good combination of using real books and hands-on experiences to learn a wide variety of subject matter. Having said that, and understanding that there is no perfect curriculum, please read on...

I used it during a period in my homeschooling when I loved investing in lesson planning and researching topics that I had no previous background in so that I could "teach it" to my sons (my oldest was 2-4th grade I think when we used it). It is well laid out. Very basic lesson plans accompany the units (you can feel free to work directly from the lesson plans or completely disregard them (or use them as a springboard in creating your own lesson plans). It is Bible-based and for the Christian family it provides a rich foundation of both academics and spiritual training during the elementary school years.

At some point though, I began to realize that while I loved the lesson planning, because there is such a wealth of ideas I would often plan more than we could realistically get done. Or, in all honesty.....I got such a kick out of lesson planning that some weeks I would pour myself into planning, but when it came time to actually DO the lessons I was a bit "burned out" and we perhaps accomplished half of what I intended. I think the burned out-ness also was a result of my oldest really not being all that "hands-on" as a child. Because he wasn't naturally drawn to all the wonderful hands-on projects they began to take on a contrived-ness for us and I really didn't want to spend our time on contrived activities.

What it DID do for me, though, was help me see how the activities that my sons were naturally drawn to were valuable learning experiences and it helped me trust that I could evaluate what my children are learning without the use of devices like tests and endless workbook pages. For example, I would see them "playing war" and noticed that they weren't just running around playing "shoot 'em up". They were actually taking on names of historical figures and were re-creating (what they perceived would have been) realistic battles. We bought a lot of historical play gear (or they came up with things on their own if we didn't have it).

They did the same when setting up their little men (we have LOTS of figures from different wars and time periods). When using Lego's they would often create designs relating to what we were studying (e.g., creating castles and catapults -- as best they could). They used their erector set to create cranes and buildings and learned a bit about physics and mechanical principles. My middle son went through a period where he would create all sorts of things using paper, tape and scissors. They loved making shields and swords out of K'NEX and having sword fights. They built forts out of Lincoln Logs and wooden blocks. They built zoos out of blocks and designed the special areas where different animals lived. They built space stations and laboratories out of LEGO's and blocks where little Lego men were posed to performed their scientific experiments and they explained their designs to their dad and I for as long as we were willing to be their captive audience ;^). These are the things of boy play (and any girls who came to our house in those days joined in on this kind of play as well).

They also enjoy watching historical documentaries and visiting historical reinactments to give them a visual of the things they read about. They enjoy building models and dioramas of real things and events. They love doing things that they are inspired to do. These are the things that cause real learning -- as opposed to contrived projects that I came up with to try to get them enthusiastic so they could have "learning experiences".

I can say I'm extremely grateful for curriculum like KONOS (and other unit study materials I've used) because it did help me see how much valuable learning happens outside the box of textbooks and workbooks. And it helped me learn how to trust this type of learning and how to evaluate it for it's educational value.

Eventually, I concluded that while it is a great curriculum I really couldn't justify the investment cost-wise and time-wise considering how effective "prepared" unit studies and someone else's ideas of great projects were for our family. I learned that I was quite capable of pulling together a unit study that fit our styles of learning and by not being so invested in a formal unit study curriculum, I could insert unit studies into our schooling any time I felt like it.

For children who love hands-on activities and are self-motivated to jump into the activities (once you've provided the materials and led them into the projects) I think it's a wonderful curriculum.

For children/families who find such "projects" contrived, it may not be a perfect fit or you may simply find yourself growing out of it eventually and growing into your own unit study ideas.

Frog Dissection -- Biology Lab