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    Unfortunately the link is no longer working, but since it sparked my writing something that I believe is important, but mostly goes unsaid, I'm leaving the rest of this post intact.

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.  I love teachers - most of them.  They deserve respect (until they don't), and they often work tirelessly in difficult situations.  The video was about the abuses within teacher's unions and how teachers and their students ultimately are the ones who suffer the greatest consequences.

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 its talk of diversity and meeting the needs of children) continue to insist on this one-size-fits-way-too-many-at-one-time  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 it is today that the world is our classroom and we need to take as full advantage of that as we can. 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 ultimately they need to take ownership of their education and their futures. That such personal responsibility is what makes knowledge truly theirs.

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 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

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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

Original link no longer works, but someone thought to create a Wiki page of the incident.

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 when public classrooms become the greenhouse. This particular situation is perhaps a caricature of the type of socialization (or better yet, "culturalization") one can expect from today's schools, but is it not a very real likeness of what today's children are exposed to in today's culture?  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 them.

And yet, once this story did hit the airwaves, that parents likely sent their children who were pawns in this exercise back into Morningside Elementary School 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 children have been entrusted to, and that their tax monies support?

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 Review (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 needs some help in pulling 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" about particular topics to my sons (my oldest was 2-4th grade, I think, when we used it).

Konos 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-outness also was a result of my oldest really not being all that into "projects" 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 young children were 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 recreating (what they perceived would have been) realistic battles. We bought a lot of historical play gear (meaning we scrounged up some close facsimiles at thrift shops, garage sales, and occasionally I put my sewing skills to use), and 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 ;^).

Our family is not unique. 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).  And again, having gained experience in doing Unit Studies, I could see beyond what looked like "just play" and recognized and trusted the knowledge that was showing itself in the things the boys were creating and the words that were coming out of their mouths.  Testing their knowledge would have, at best, been redundant.  At worst, it may have turned a love of history into a chore, and something to be unnecessarily evaluated at a young age.  

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.  Don't we all?  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 the KONOS curriculum (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 its 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 less effective "prepared" unit studies and someone else's ideas of great projects were for our family, versus drawing from the things that my sons were naturally drawn to or, for example, drawing from an historical period we were already studying. I learned that I was quite capable of pulling together a unit study that fit the boys' different 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 have led them into the projects) I think Konos will likely make a wonderful and nearly complete curriculum.  For children/families who find such "projects" contrived, it may not be a perfect fit, but it may help those families reach outside their textbooks and tests.  Or you may enjoy it for a while, as we did, and simply find yourself growing out of it eventually and growing into your own unit study ideas.  Regardless, Konos and other unit study curricula have a valuable place in the education of our children - of all ages.  If you haven't explored the idea of how unit studies may enrich your homeschool experience, I suggest giving them a try.

The Mystery of the Lonely "F"

This is an older article at The Eclectic Telegraph, but it touches the heart of why I rebel against the idea of grading my children even in highschool. If you find the concept of subjective grading a bit pointless (as I do), but want to make the college application process as straight-forward as possible (as I do) you may appreciate what this homeschooling mom has to say:

http://www.eclectictelegraph.com/

That link won't actually take you to the article, but check out November, 2007 and you'll find it there.

Frog Dissection -- Biology Lab

Expo Night

Below are some pictures taken at our Homeschool Group's annual Expo Night. This year, with the help of a very talented mom, the teens produced an "Old Time Radio Show" and the various talents of the children were the radio show's program. Very clever idea.

Ben (in red) made an "Interesting Animals of Madigascar" display and also exhibited his own lego creation depicting a scene in The Last Crusade.

The teens who produced the Old Time Radio Show. Joel (in the back in plaid shirt) played the role of Cameron Townsend and also was a sound effect "technician".

The young ones who performed a choregraphed program illustrating people groups around the globe and everyone's great need of the gospel. Ben in front (second from the left).

"Window on the World" presentation by the younger children. Ben in red with purple flag.

Learning to Learn

By Becki Biberdorf

In my quest to more fully embrace educational freedom, I've been reading (again) The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn. The revised, expanded international edition, no less.

And I decided to have a conversation today with my younger two sons.

It seems learning has gotten confused in this house with "school". Truthfully, I can't say I disliked school all that much growing up -- well, until Jr. High and then Highschool. I suspect highschool wouldn't have been nearly so tiresome if I hadn't had to endure 7th, 8th & 9th grades already. Back then, we attended 9th grade at the Jr. High School. How undignified was that? By highschool I had become pretty much bored with the whole idea. I was biding my time 'till more important things presented themselves.

By then I was a decided "outy". Mostly I was just shy, but somehow this translated into not being (or least not feeling) popular. Oh, how I hate the "p" word, but I don't think it's possible to traverse the teens years in this culture (certainly not in a typical highschool) without some concern about one's popularity. Today I prefer the word "independent" and I embrace it.

I'm not sure it was my "independent" status that was solely responsible for my disliking highschool, though. In all honesty, I had a little circle of friends and I was even in the Cheer Block and went to every basketball game. In fact, I think I had a crush on a basketball player -- you know...."what's his name?" Funny.....I think I can name approximately 4 people from highschool -- and none of them was a basketball player.

And it wasn't that highschool was a stuggle for me academically. With minimal effort I could pull A's but I was not often motivated to put forth that minimal effort. And unfortunately, I carried this character flaw into college where I lasted 2 1/2 years before dropping out of the institutional education mill.

Maybe I was just a typical teen. I certainly didn't believe homework was a worth-while way to spend my evenings and weekends -- even though somehow it is the expectation that this is the life's work of a young person. Homework rarely, if ever had anything to do with real life (certainly not my real life). Nor did many homework assignments have much intrinsic value in and of themselves. And if there really was any value in any particular assignment, I'm sure the very fact that it was assigned killed the likelihood I would extract something valuable out of it. And last, but not least, homework certainly never instilled in me a passion for anything other than to be done with it.

And while I was an avid reader, I resisted assigned reading like the plague. And yet, long after an assignment was due, I would sometimes find myself reading wonderful and terrible things like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch. In fact, I remember my history teacher finding me reading this book in a study carol one day long after the assignment was past and he asked me incredulously, "Why are you reading this book NOW? Why didn't you read it when it was assigned?" I think I just shrugged. I think he just sighed and walked off. I felt kind of bad, but I slunk down in my chair and began reading where I left off. I can't remember his name, either, but I've sometimes wondered if he actually did understand my delimma. I'm sure he couldn't let on if he did.

Did I even understand back then? Probably not. But today I understand it all too well. The love of learning has to be personal and internal. Sure, I can read an assigned book and learn something worthwhile, but the knowledge is not really mine until I desire to take hold of it. And the desire to take hold of knowledge isn't usually instilled when reading something soley in the context of it being an "assignment".

So back to the conversation I had with my two younger sons this morning. I told them I recognize that something has gone awry here. I told them that I've observed that calling learning "school" is a definite turn off to them. There is no quicker way for me to turn the light out in their eager eyes than for me to suggest we get busy on our "school work". On the other hand, when I leave it up to them to suggest wonderful things to learn about, the well too often appears to have run dry.

On the other hand (yes, I know that's three hands, but bear with me) I recognize that they can be very passionate about learning all kinds of things.

My oldest was a math whiz from toddlerhood -- he noticed numbers from baby-hood practically, and devoured anything he could read about math. That is until he discovered "writing" around the age of 15. Suddenly he started devouring books about writing. He began to write - maybe badly at first, but he still loved to write. He gained a following. He looked into publishing and learned what was involved in that. He is now pursuing a college education (and hopefully, a career) in writing. So far, so good.

My 12 year-old is suddenly interested in learning German (my 16 year-old was too until he realized that it would be turned into a school subject - sigh). Actually, my 12 year-old is interested in all sorts of things -- mostly things that are his idea. He is a delight. That is, until I tell him it's time to "do school". Unless, of course, it's his idea that we do school. Do you see the problem here?



My 16 year-old loves history. He told me today he wished we could subscribe to the History Channel. He knows that's a lost cause because we're too cheap to buy cable TV service (not to mention there's just too much other garbage that we're not interested in dealing with on cable), but he thought he'd give the plug anyway. I admired his effort and I reminded him that there are all sorts of history channel DVD's we can borrow from the library and he perked up. Now, here's the killer. If you were to ask this son (in the context of wanting to know what interests him in his schoolwork) if he likes history, he'll moan and complain that history is boring.

HOW has this happened?!?!?!? I have embraced freedom in our learning (to some extent). I have allowed him to learn history by offering him biographies (which he devoured as a young boy) and he and his dad love to watch history documentaries together. We never cracked open a history textbook -- until highschool. And even then I purchased the most un-textbooky and homeschool-friendly textbook I could find (Notgrass). And yet, he thinks history is boring.

Sigh.

Really, I'm just a little bit beside myself. I know this is a bit of a hand-wringy essay. I don't yet know what solutions will present themselves to our "school" dilemma, but I'm pretty confident they will. And when they do, you can read about it right here.

Until then, I'll keep reading and learning. And encouraging the boys to do the same. Trying all the while to not mention that some people would call what we're doing "school".

Shhhh! No sense spoiling a perfectly good day of learning.

Getting Started Homeschooling

By Becki Biberdorf

Considering homeschooling but not quite sure what to do first? It is normal to be overwhelmed by the wealth of information and the abundance of resources available to today’s homeschooler. Knowing the basics of getting started is helpful in settling some of the jitters many of us feel in the early days.

While some jump head first into homeschooling and still enjoy the experience, I highly recommend you spend time in prayer and conversation with your spouse before committing to this endeavor. It is not at all uncommon for spouses to approach the idea of homeschooling from different philosophies and viewpoints. It is important to consider each other’s thoughts and find common ground as you start out. Decide together what the important issues are in your family and your homeschool. You may even find writing out a philosophy of education to be helpful. You do have one, you know. Getting it down on paper will give you confidence in the days ahead when you wonder if you’re doing enough, or when you’ve been asked for the umpteenth time why you’re doing this? This philosophy may change over the years as your family changes, but if you take the time to write it out and refer back to it, it will serve as a stabilizing component of your homeschool.

You will need to research curriculum choices and methods of homeschooling. It’s overwhelming to be sure, but this is also an exciting phase – it’s actually a phase you’ll be in for the duration, but it does become a little less intimidating with time. Don’t attempt to copy another family’s curriculum choices or style, but glean from others why some things work and why other things aren’t effective. Knowing why a certain curriculum does or doesn’t work for a particular family may actually be more important than their opinion of it. It may not work for them because they don’t use it as intended. Or it may work great for someone else, but you may have no desire to use a particular curriculum the way it is laid out. We’ve all made purchases that look great (that are great), but then end up sitting on the shelf because of some resistance we have toward some part of it. Figuring this out early may help you not make large mistakes down the road, but know going into this that you will make some mistakes in choosing curriculum. Just plan now to forgive yourself and know that you can usually resell materials to someone who will love to use what you can’t.

Keep in mind, depending on the time of year you make your decision, you may have to wait for delivery of items you order through the mail or on-line. The busy season for book sellers is typically mid-late summer. If you’ve waited until it’s time to start school to place your order, you will need a plan for what you will do until your materials arrive. You can either wait to start your schooling, or you can come up with some creative learning experiences and begin your schooling as soon as you like. Once you decide when your school year will start, you need to keep attendance for 180 days. I suggest keeping the task of recording attendance as simple as possible - checking days off on a calendar works fine.

Figure out where you will actually do your “schooling.” Some families have the luxury of particular space dedicated to schooling, but most of us use our entire house. Either way, some system of organization will make learning easier. If you have a place to put everything, your children will be more likely to cooperate in keeping a peaceful, productive learning environment.

It’s also a good idea to have some kind of schedule, but realize that a workable schedule will fluctuate with your family’s needs. It may fluctuate from season to season or from day to day. For many of us the homeschooling lifestyle is a constant flexing between structure and freedom. Too much structure can be stifling to some families and too much freedom can prove unproductive for others. Do what works for you and your children, and periodically assess where your children are on the road of learning and developing. Looking at the big picture is helpful too, when you question your day-to-day progress. Homeschooling isn’t a sprint. It is a marathon that can appear in the early years to stretch on forever, but be assured, it will pass all too quickly.

It is important to have fellowship on this journey and many seasoned homeschoolers recommended that you hook up with a support group of some sort, both for the social benefit, and for the sharing of resources and information. You will learn much from other homeschoolers. You also have much to share. Veteran homeschoolers sometimes benefit from the fresh excitement and creative ideas new homeschooling moms often exude. There are 16 IAHE Regional Representative couples throughout the state of Indiana who can offer some assistance in locating a support group or may know of several groups from which to choose. You may also find some on-line communities that can help you sort through questions and find solutions to problems. There is no reason for anyone to feel isolated these days as a homeschooler. The problem is more likely to be choosing between so many activities that are available to you and your children.

Be sure you know what the law says about homeschooling. In fact, http://www.inhomeeducators.org/laws is a good place to start. In a nutshell - once you begin homeschooling, you are considered a private school in the state of Indiana. You are required to keep a record of attendance for 180 days. You are required to provide an education in the English language and an education that is equivalent to the public schools , but an equivalent education is not defined or quantified. While that may make some nervous, it also means there is great freedom in how you choose to educate your children in the state of Indiana. There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter education for Hoosier homeschoolers! If you’re interested, you can visit the Indiana Department of Education’s Website and find the standards that are used for the state’s public schools. Keep in mind that the language used in these standards can be intimidating to read as a whole, but when translated into what they actually mean, many are very simple concepts that you are quite capable of providing to your children. Also keep in mind these standards are simply tools. As Christians our standards are often very different than what the state has laid down. Seek God’s standards and His guidance foremost in your homeschool.

If your children are enrolled in a public or private school, you need to notify the school that you are transferring your child’s enrollment to your homeschool. It is recommended that this notification be sent to the school by certified mail and that you use this opportunity to request a copy of your child’s permanent record which will include transcripts. Provide a mailing address for this purpose. If the State Superintendent of Public Instruction requests that you report enrollment of your children, you must do so. In all likelihood, this will not be requested unless you have previously made contact with the IDOE, or there has been a problem in the school from which your child is being withdrawn. Schools are not required (nor are likely) to inform the IDOE of your homeschool status. They simply report their current enrollment each year. After your child is withdrawn, he or she will not be included in the school’s headcount anymore.

Once you know the law and have your materials, enjoy the experience, enjoy your children, and enjoy yourself. This is a wonderful adventure. Savor it. Soon you'll realize you are learning as much as your children, and that’s when it really gets fun! Get ready for the ride of your life!



Copyright 2003 Becki Biberdorf
Reprint by permission only

If you find this article helpful, you may like some other articles you'll find at the IAHE website. Click here: http://www.inhomeeducators.org/articles/article.cfm?id=66 and you'll be able to peruse the other articles of interest to homeschooling families.