Promises

I promised myself I would NEVER be a stay-at-home mom, and would definitely NEVER home school my children. I knew myself better. I did not have the patience or the energy to do it. I love my children, but let's be realistic. I need a break from them every once in a while. Okay maybe a little more often than that. Parents that tell you that they don't need a break or don't want to be away from their children is lying.

I looked forward to the day my last child went to school full time. I even celebrated with a friend when the last one started half-day kindergarten, all to be blind-sided with another pregnancy. I guess going back into the workforce was not in the cards. Just a couple of years later I was faced with the decision to homeschool or not. I chose the needs of my child over mine, so I brought them all home to learn. And I don't regret a minute of it.

Halloween: The Devil's Trick or Just a Treat for Fun?

It is a controversy that has held many on opposite sides of deep-seated convictions for thousands of years. Why are people so passionate about this topic? For many it is a lack of understanding and for others it is ingrained ideology practiced without question. In order to create an informed opinion, one must first gain knowledge of the past, beliefs, religion and history.


You cannot argue a position effectively, if you don’t even know how to argue your own position convincingly. James Madison once said, "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” Being a parent, I want to make sure that every decision I make concerning my children is anchored in my convictions. The only way that I can anchor my convictions successfully is to know why I believe the way that I do.


One of the most controversial questions asked by many homeschooling parents’ during this time of year is…”Should I let my kids trick or treat?” Many parents that home school their children do so because of religious convictions. I sat with a group of other home schooling parents and the question was raised. I sat and listened as the positions for and against Halloween were addressed. Many valid points were given, but I didn’t really get a sense of conviction behind their differing views.


I think that most parents get too caught up in the controversy that they don’t realize that there can be a different perspective on the matter. In actuality Halloween, shortened from All-Hallow-Even is the eve celebration of “All Hallow’s Day” also known as All Saint’s Day. Back in the dark ages, many pagans were converted En Masse from their pagan religions to Christianity. The church had a hard time ridding these new converts of the pagan practices because they thought of them as hallowed traditions passed down from generation to generation. In order to keep their new converts from turning from their new convictions, the leaders of the church decided it was best to make some concessions that allowed tradition and conviction to marry.


The Church also considered this tactic as a way to absorb what was once pagan and immoral and put it in a new perspective. The Pre-Christian pagan festival known as Samhain, meaning “the end of summer” was transformed to reflect the Church’s vigil of revering all the saints. The Church sought to overlay Christian meaning behind what was once a pagan holiday.


If you are to look at Halloween as a pagan holiday or festivity, then you must look closely at the Christian’s other more religious holidays, Christmas and Easter. Both holidays were originally pagan holidays and celebrated as such. Upon the conversion of many of these pagans the Church practiced the ritual of changing these festivities into a celebration with a more religious slant to them. Christmas was originally was referred to as geol, the name of the pre-Christian solstice festival in which the word Yule is derived. Yule logs were lit to honor Thor, the god of thunder. The feasting would last as long as the yule log burned which was usually 12 days. The 12 “wild nights” were filled with eating, drinking, and partying.


The celebration of Christmas as created in order to entice the pagan Romans to convert to Christianity, without them having to feel that they were abandoning their traditional winter festivities. Many of our Christian traditions of today are considered to come from these winter festivals. Some Germanic tribes worshipped the Evergreen Tree. The Druids revered the Mistletoe. The Yule log was also used by the Druids to coax the sun back. Light was associated with wisdom even by the pagans.


Easter too, thought to be one of the holiest times of the year, began as a pagan festival celebrated by the Saxons to honor goddess Eastre. Missionaries came and converted the Saxons and the festival was altered to suit the new religion. So even the holiest of holidays has its roots in the pagan past. But what do we do with this information? Do we abdicate celebrating anything? Or do we realize that we look inside of ourselves and make a rational decision according to our own hearts and convictions.


Even in the Bible it states, “to him who it is sin, then it is sin”, but it also states that “to him who it is not sin, then it is not sin”. Isn’t it better to live a life without condemnation? I do not feel that we have to lead a life of don’ts. That is no kind of life.


The one thing I know to be true is that God did not mean for me to live under condemnation. He inspired the thoughts written in the Bible, it is man that makes that interpretation of what he intended. Man despite his attempts at being good and true and like God, is still a man with faults and his own view points on various subjects.


I see no harm in all of it. To me it is just another day and I try to live each day with the convictions that God has put in my own heart and not the one’s that man tries to set there. My children are just children once and I want them to experience life to its fullest. If that means donning a costume every once in a while then so be it. It is for no one else to judge but me.

Budget School

On average a home educator can expect to average between $450-$600 a year per student. If you rely on your own intuition and tenacity you can find resources on the internet and material from your local library and cut the cost down significantly. Some parents refuse to spend anything on homeschooling, while others feel that the more they spend the better their child’s education. The adage “You get what you pay for” is not necessarily true in the homeschooling world. What really should be said is…You get what you effort you put into it. The only thing a person who wants to educate their children needs to focus on is his or her commitment to the process. You can spend hours and even days researching on the internet, library and other sources coming up with lessons for your child and spend little on their child’s education but still get the same quality education. There are some parents that would rather not invest a large amount of time to preparing and differ the task to the companies that sell “whole package” curriculums paying up to $1000 per child. However, paying less does not mean you don’t want the best for your children. Just think of it as being wise with the resources that you are given. Let’s face it, money doesn’t grow on trees and many of us work hard to make every penny count, especially in the home classroom. When you are schooling more than one child then you are likely to feel the pinch of finances even more.

Fortunately for most parents there is a happy median. The most important thing to do is be open to a variety of avenues in obtaining your material. There are free or low-cost resources out there you just have to be willing to look for them. Also, you must not get in the mindset that just because it is used it’s not good. Materials can be used and still be an effective tool in teaching your students. Make sure you look into non-traditional avenues. If you have a blockbuster online membership you can rent the Standard Deviants line of educational DVDs or Discovery Channel Educational Movies. Barnes & Nobles offers educator discounts for teaching materials and workbooks. Local libraries have resources for your educational needs, and some even offer homeschooling enrichment classes. You have to be open in your investigation when trying to locate resources. There is so much out there just waiting to be found. In my research I have found that many school districts, even the ones in more affluent communities, utilize used textbooks or materials. Tight budgets prevail even in the public school sector and they are trying to make their funding stretch, why not make yours too.

Here are some links to where you can get material at reasonable rates:

www.fes.follett.com
Used/New textbooks and material

www.abebooks.com
Used/New Textbooks and material

www.alibris.com
Used Textbooks and material

www.unitednow.com
Materials and supplies for the classroom

www.frys.com
Science tools and educational software

www.edhelper.com
printouts and materials for your classroom

Textbooks the Schools Use at a Bargain

Over 2 Million children are homeschooled each year. Many cannot afford the high price of educational materials, others want more choices in the resources that they use, while others do not want to have materials only geared for one way of thinking. However, the choices can be overwhelming and it's often difficult to know where to choose from. Here are some places where you can find traditional and nontraditional teaching materials at discounted prices:

Follet Educational Services: This service is used by Traditional Schools. www.fes.follet.com

Alibris Books: Great Source for Used and New Textbooks and Teaching Materials. www.alibris.com

ABE Books: Great Source for Used Books and Materials. www.abebooks.com

Teaching a Difficult Child

All children learn differently. Some are visual learners, some can learn through oral presentation, and still others are self-staters. When I started homeschooling, I accepted that not all my children would learn the same. What I didn't know was, that I would have one child that would challenge me, my patience, and my time.

When you have the child that you just can't seem to motivate, that loses task, fiddles, plays around, procrastinates, works on one problem for what seems like an hour, what do you do? Many parents, lose patience.

They want to give up, throw their hands in the air and send them back to school. It is a tempting choice and one I would consider often on those days when my patience is thin and my will to endure is gone.

The one thing you do need to remember is that the journey isn't easy, and if you don't give up the tools that you give your child will last them a lifetime. I had to remember that when dealing with my child. She wasn't going to get the tools from public school. We had tried that and the only thing she had gotten was frustration, a sense of failure, and a lack of comprehension of what they were trying to teach her. She was just a number to them. Taking on the task of equipping her with the right tools was what I had decided to take on to prepare her for the world.

It wasn't easy, but we adapted to fit her needs. My ultimate goal was to teach her that she could adapt. We started out slow, and at a steady pace. We took the following steps:

Review this will enable you to assess where you need to set your goals.
Remembers that goals are fluid and can be modified.
Outline by starting with daily assignments that meet the child's learning style.
I started with our child, working on one subject a day because she had difficulty jumping from subject to subject. Each time she did her mind would take a long time to readjust and focus. In order to get her to the goal of moving from task to task I needed to get her mind used to the process of staying on task first.

Add In one subject to the day. After about three weeks of just doing one subject a day. I began to combining two subjects to complete per day. This was gradual and it began to shift her mind to handle more than one task a day. We eventually worked up to 7 subjects a day.

Keeping a Calendar is one of the greatest tools that anyone can use when multi-tasking. But this is an essential tool for the difficult learner. At the beginning of the day we would go over the day's lessons and activities that needed to get done. This gave her a visual point of reference and she could check off when she completed the task listed. You cannot overwhelm a child that has a difficult time learning.

Giving them a syllabus with all their assignments for the quarter, semester or year will only overwhelm them. They begin to look at all that they have to do and begin to panic. If you do then their brains shut down and cannot move forward. Integrate a little each day into the routine until you reach your goal.

A Real World Education

Are traditional schools preparing children for the real world? Most would not know how to anwer that question. Many would hope that was the case, but how can you be sure. Parents want to know that they are affording their children the best opportunity to have a great education. Some are not sure that the public school is providing it and have decided to home school their children themselves. Hoping to teach the children lessons the parents deem necessary for the real world. Others choose the homeschooling route so that their children are not exposed to ills of the world.

There is a point when children must enter their "real world" society and interact with their counterparts, and as Home Educators, we must prepare our children for that. Teaching children to face various situations is only accomplished through incorporating life skills into the studies. Educators must see the world with a different perspective. Parents must ask themselves, "will they prepared for college life?" not just the education, "will they be prepared for the work place"?

There is much to prepare for, but time is limited. First, parents must set attainable and definable goals for their children. Make a list and be willing to adapt and change it as the need arises. Next, integrate their teaching with real world situations. If students are assigned projects give them directions and parameters, but it is not necessary to hold their hand each step of the way. This will teach them skills for project and time management, accountability. Encourage them when they are working through problems, but don't be too ready to give them the answer so that their problem solving skills are exercised. Accomplishment on their own gives them a sense of pride and elevates their confidence.

One method you can incorporate into your children's studies is Syllabus Learning, as they do in colleges. Courses and expectations are outlined at the beginning of the semester. Assignments are established and target dates are set. This type of learning will prepare them for what is expected at the collegiate level and prepare them to be self-motivated.

There are a variety of avenues to educate, finding what works best is a matter of trying new things and being open to new ideas. If parents remember that all children, whether gifted, average or in need of assistance, all will rise to whatever level of expectation their teachers expect of them.

Homeschooling In The News - The Crazy Covergirl Momma

How come every time homeschooling shows up in the news it is for something undesirable? When I see "homeschool" or "homeschooling" in the headline of an article, I usually fear for the worst. This is truly a sad thing. I find some condolence knowing that I can blame almost everything on the media.

What do I mean?

The media wants homeschooling to stay sensationalized. The media wants homeschooling to be associated with crazy things. That way, when they talk about homeschooling they can overemphasize and bring out all of those 'pop' images.

Under this image, all homeschoolers are super-ultra-conservative Christians who are intolerant and bigoted. Not surprisingly, this story 'sells.'

I watched something very interesting happen today. Watch as the portrayal of this story changes as it passes through different media channels. 

This story has been 'selling' during the past 24 hours. It started with a guest submission to HomeschoolBase.com. An author named Sarah submitted an article for re-publication which was accepted - “Mommy, why doesn’t daddy wear makeup?” - Black Friday Events Lead Conservative Mother To Fear The Worst.

I do not respect the author of that article, but I do respect Homeschool Base for standing by its promise to publish community articles. These articles are going to be published anyway around it, and I would prefer to read the homeschooling stories on a homeschooling website first.

No matter what happens, this is the type of story that will start making certain demographics really, really upset. And this means it will get re-published. This is what happened first, a large Patheos blog picked up the article with a spin:

Homeschooling Christian Mother Can’t Handle Her Son Seeing a Male CoverGirl Model on TV

This headline is quite a bit different. Although, if you examine the two headlines together, they are not 'that' different. Seriously, I think this Patheos blog title is perfectly acceptable. Well of course, this is a headline. Go visit the article and see what happened. The article got increasingly opinionated. This is no objective article, definitely a strong opinion on an opinion article. Of course, that is to be expected. But wait, look at the comments. THAT is the real response. Those comments are nasty by all standards.

This is the momentum that powered the second article, and I would imagine it started spilling over into the original and the third.

Here comes a third source:

Homeschool mom crushed by ‘moral dilemma’ after son sees male CoverGirl wearing makeup

This article made the shift from opinionated to pure hate and shaming. The vast majority of the comments shamed homeschoolers. I hate this. This is not okay. Homeschoolers make up a huge population, over 2 million. And, most of us are not homeschooling for religious reasons.

This is what the media does - within two articles, homeschooling becomes a shameful act.