Apples of Gold Home School News

     A common default for not homeschooling is the feeling that it can't be managed with all the other demands of life. Some parents feel too overwhelmed with work schedules, church involvement, housework, caregiving, or many of life's other pulls to add homeschooling into the mix.

     Others (and we who homeschool probably all find ourselves in this category at one time or another) have decided to plunge ahead, but we still can't figure out quite how to juggle everything we have to do. Here are some of the questions that we struggle with. Maybe you'll find your situation among them.

• How do we manage teaching several different ages while still trying to put supper on the table?
• How do we manage teaching a level of math we don't feel comfortable with, or something completely unknown to us such as a foreign language?
• How do we manage handling the aspects involved with our special needs child while giving enough attention to our other children?
• How do we keep the house in some semblance of order and also keep our homeschooling supplies organized in a way where we can quickly get our hands on what we need?
• How do we manage teaching one child alone so that they will remain motivated and not become bored?
• How do we manage bills on one income?
• How do we manage our daily school schedules and find time to do everything that we think we should along with trips to the grocery store, doctor appointments, impromptu visits from family or neighbors and so forth?
• How do we manage providing opportunities for our children's unique interests such as sports, drama, band, or other things that aren't so easily done at home?
• How do we manage putting together a high school transcript or preparing for the ACTs?

     This list could go on and on. I'm interested in opening up a forum for discussion here, sharing ways in which each of us have dealt with the issue of MANAGEMENT. If you have particular questions, or if you have encouraging ideas or can share things that have worked for you, PLEASE POST A COMMENT. 

IT'S A BIG WORLD OUTSIDE THE BOX

     I'm looking out the window, admiring the beautiful gladioli which are finally beginning to bloom. What an array of colors! Deep lavenders, sweet pinks and hot ones too, brilliant oranges that look good enough to eat; God knows how I love the vivacious expression of His creation in such vivid hues! I see the same thing when I look beyond nature into the make-up of people.

     No two of us our exactly alike. We may share similar coloring, styles, ideas, tastes, body shape, and feelings, but not all exactly the same way, or in the same combination. The world is fond of telling us that we need to celebrate diversity. Unfortunately, in some circles that has come to mean we should celebrate and accept one anothers' sin preferences. That's not what pleases God; and yet, the idea that we should step outside our own little box of what we think is beautiful, or good, or interesting, to explore and rejoice in the diversity God has created and instilled in others, is not only a delightful experience, but one which, I believe, pleases God as well.

     Generally, I'm not fond of purple (except as it colors flowers). Yet, for some reason, God created a LOT of people, especially young people, to be  enamored by purple as a favorite color. Because teenagers especially seem to like purple, whether Christian or not, does that then make purple a worldly color? (Hang with me here.) Of course not. But that's a simplistic take on a much bigger picture, the point of which is that we are extremely diverse, and the diversity of our tastes and talents that define us, sometimes reach deeply into what we believe spiritually.

     Some people believe that boys should keep their hair cut above their ears. Some believe that hair style is simply an artistic expression. Some people don't believe that people should pierce their ears, because if God meant for us to have holes there, He'd have put them there (hey, don't laugh; I didn't pierce my ears until age 45!). Other people think that a belly button is the perfect such hole.

DOES GOD DO UGLY?

     Whether or not we agree or disagree with the choices of others, especially our Christian brothers and sisters, we have to remember one thing: that God is a VERY ECLECTIC Being. He didn't limit Himself in His creation of the universe. He made beautiful things like my gladioli, but he also made frightening things, like Volcanoes and Boa Constrictors and Sea Monsters. Have you taken a close look at some spiders lately? No, probably not. The bulk of civilization thinks they're creepy, and if we'd been gods, we probably wouldn't have made them. Yet, they are beautiful by design, and another expression of God's creativity. I get the feeling that God thinks spiders and eels are just as beautiful as gladioli.

     Do you know kids who go to church, and walk the Walk, but for some reason have pierced tongues and green hair? They might seem like spiders to some folk, but they're gladioli to God.

HIS ATTRIBUTES IN US

     The cool thing about all of us, is that we were created in His image; meaning, we have been given tiny measures of His attributes. That's why we are creative. I'm creative in telling stories. My husband is creative in designing mailbox shields. You may be creative in decorating cakes, your kids may be creative in decorating their journals (with art, words, music). Your uncle may be creative in filling an aquarium, your aunt may be creative in planting a garden. Creativity, that attribute that was given by our Father, is expressed in zillions of different ways in us. Every single one of us is creative in some way. And if I may be so bold, I think God smiles when He sees us expressing the gift!

EXPRESSION OR BUST

     That means we shouldn't be surprised, or worse yet, dismayed, by the creativity of others. (Please don't swing the pendulum here. I'm not talking about a cross in a jar of urine or other sacrileges we've had thrust upon us.) But we all have to express our creativity or we'll burst.

     So what's my ultimate point? It's two-fold. First, let's accept the creative expression, the styles, the personalities of others, especially of those who are of the household of faith. Second, let's honor the creative bents that God planted in our children, even the ones that make us cock our heads and wonder, "Where did that come from?"  Maybe you never had a wanderlust to travel, but they do. Maybe you'd rather go back to horse and buggy days, but they want to drive race cars. Maybe you're an ultra-conservative, and they want to put purple kool-aid in their hair. What's the trouble? Did anyone hold God back when He said, "And now I'm going to make a crazy little thing called an Armadillo"?

     Enjoy your "gladioli" today, whatever color they express.

     One of my adult children recently made the realization that you have to put in the time to get your education one way or another. While some kids may balk at going on to school for 4, 6, or even 8 years and more after high school, and prefer to join the work force rather than invest that time in further schooling, others are quick to head off to college the moment they graduate from high school. Either way, they'll both likely find themselves heading into an educational experience. Anyone who joins the work force usually starts out at the bottom and spends a length of time climbing the company ladder, or going from job to job, enhancing skills along the way until they are finally qualified for some higher level in the employment structure. This can take months or years. In the same way, someone who goes to college to gain a degree must put in the years and work. So, there's a price to pay, either through on the job training, in the school, online, or through life experience.

     Helping our teens understand this truth is one thing that we, as parents, can do to encourage them as they seek out the best path before them.

     The second thing we can do to encourage them, is to help them realize that none of the time spent is likely to be wasted. For example, my young adult has already gotten a two-year certificate in a chosen field and has gone on to work for over three years in that field. Now, however, he's reached a point that he's considering a career change. Whether he decides to do that or not, none of the past five years have been wasted. He will be able to apply not only his past education, but his life experience well into whatever he chooses to do. He's gained valuable experience, knowledge, insight, and skill which will continue to serve him well. He can look at the previous years as part of the journey to whatever future God has planned for him.

     I, myself, chose to discontinue college when my husband and I began to raise a family. Learning didn't cease, however. My education has become a life-long adventure, as has yours, simply by pursuing dreams, goals, part time jobs, and being involved in church roles, in community action, and with family. And especially through homeschooling.

     It's been unfortunate that society has taken so long to begin recognizing the various means in which people are educated and can qualify for jobs. For generations, it seems that the only measurement of qualification has been the brick and mortar college degree. I think that now, however, that is beginning to change. While attending college is still the important and right choice for many, acheivements via other avenues are beginning to become more recognized. Through a resurgence in apprenticeship (thank you, very much, homeschoolers!), to online courses, community classes, documenting life experience, on the job training, military experience, and so on, education happens. And sometimes the more diverse that education is, the more interesting the resume grows.

    Students or parents: here's a cool resource to help you pursue higher education. This site offers FREE online classes in a wide number of disciplines. Most courses are taught at college level. http://www.free-ed.net   Also: keep on eye on Apples of Gold News for future updates on a new site which plans to offer FREE courses and encouragements for the homeschooled student who loves (or maybe doesn't love) to write. This new site is still in the works, but will be hosted by 8 writers from around the United States who also happen to be home school advocates.

     As home teachers, we often worry about educational gaps. Do they exist? Absolutely; but that's true in every schooling situation, whether at home or otherwise. College professor and homeschooling veteran Greg Landry addresses these gaps and what we can do about them in the following article. He also points out the many areas in which homeschoolers traditionally excell.

College Professor Critiques Homeschoolers

   copyright 2009 by Greg Landry, M.S.

     I teach sophomore through senior level college students - most of them are "pre-professional" students. They are preparing to go to medical school, dental school, physical therapy school, etc.

     As a generalization, I've noticed certain characteristics common in my students who were homeschooled. Some of these are desirable, some not.

     Desirable characteristics:

     1. They are independent learners and do a great job of taking initiative and being responsible for learning. They don't have to be "spoon fed" as many students do. This gives them an advantage at two specific points in their education; early in college and in graduate education.

     2. They handle classroom social situations (interactions with their piers and professors) very well. In general, my homeschooled students are a pleasure to have in class. They greet me when the enter the class, initiate conversations when appropriate, and they don't hesitate to ask good questions. Most of my students do none of these.

     3. They are serious about their education and that's very obvious in their attitude, preparedness, and grades.

     Areas where homeschooled students can improve:

     1. They come to college less prepared in the sciences than their schooled counterparts - sometimes far less prepared. This can be especially troublesome for pre-professional students who need to maintain a high grade point average from the very beginning.

     2. They come to college without sufficient test-taking experience, particularly with timed tests. Many homeschooled students have a high level of anxiety when it comes to taking timed tests.

     My advice to homeschooling parents:

     1. If your child is even possibly college bound and interested in the sciences, make sure that they have a solid foundation of science in the high school years.

     2. Begin giving timed tests by 7th or 8th grade. I think it is a disservice to not give students timed tests. They tend to focus better and score higher on timed tests, and, they are far better prepared for college and graduate education if they've taken timed tests throughout the high school age years.

In the earlier years the timed tests should allow ample time to complete the test as long as the student is working steadily. The objective is for them to know it's timed yet not to feel a time pressure. This helps students to be comfortable taking timed tests and develops confidence in their test-taking abilities.

Greg Landry is a 14 year veteran homeschool dad

and college professor. He also teaches one and

two semester online science classes, and offers

free 45 minute online seminars..

http://www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com

_____________________________________

Greg Landry, M.S.

Director, Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab

office: 828-265-4101

Greg@homeschoolscienceacademy.com

http://www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com

Being a writer, has in ways, made it difficult for me to teach writing to my kids. I have to admit that I obsess about teaching them to write. I actually back off of it a little because I don't want them to think I expect them to become writers. Kinda weird. But, that confession made,  I'm going to share my experience with you and maybe it'll spark some ideas for teaching writing in your homeschool -- maybe not.

For me, the best thing is that I've been able to easily assess my kids' strengths and weaknesses. That's the writer advantage. If writing isn't one of your strengths or you don't necessarily enjoy writing, you might struggle with that. But that doesn't mean you can't teach them to write. When you read what they've written, learn to read it with an eye to the basics. --Should I be pausing here (punctuation)? Does this thought tie in with everything around it (unnecessary information)? Is it interesting to read (strong nouns, lively verbs)?-- My daughter, for instance, has a terrible time with run-on sentences and sentence fragments. That's what we're going to mostly work to cure next year.

When my kids were young, we stuck to grammar curriculums and writing simple book reports and stories. My kids were also frequently asked to give oral reports of what they'd learned in science, history, etc., or to give speeches. That helped them learn to organize thoughts and information. Yes, I do believe in learning how to diagram sentences! I never learned to understand diagramming well until my kids started Rod and Staff's English program. (They called it Rot & Stuff. LOL!) But I saw my own writing improve by learning all that diagramming vicariously as I taught them. It will help them to become better writers, too.

As for other writing, the adage of "write what you know" has really been the best piece of advice for me with teaching (and occasionally prodding) my kids to write. I could add to that by saying "write what you enjoy!"

My boys, of course, loved adventure. So I tried to give them prompts that were fraught with something adventurous or something outdoorsy that they could relate to, like a canoe trip gone frantically wrong (10 year old boys surviving alone in the wilderness, and all that). Sometimes I'd have them write their real life hunting and fishing tales which we'd put into a booklet with photographs. One of them has loved ornithology since he was 5, so much of his writing was done in a bird-watching journal. Strangely, he claims he never liked writing, but he's become a very succinct orator, has a strong vocabulary, and when he had job which required him to submit a report each day, he was complimented on his thoroughness!

My recent graduate is a fantasy/Lord of the Rings/dragons and warriors kind of guy. He, I have to admit, was easiest to get to write because he has an unceasing imagination. He never balked at any writing assignments because they came easy to him. At 14 he set out to write a fantasy adventure which became a novella over the course of the school year. With him I worked on editing and re-writes. We learned to proof read to make his writing tighter and stronger, as well as correcting spelling and punctuation errors. I think that if you have a child who likes to write at all, then do yourself a favor and turn him or her loose on a project that means something to them -- a novel, short story, collection of poems, a scientific paper -- something that they'll cherish, and doesn't signify more busy-work.

I tried to get my kids to do "research papers", but other than learning how to find information (which is so easy and natural to them with the internet) and then organizing it, we haven't spent a lot of time on these. If kids don't enjoy their subject matter, then it's questionable that they'll really care about learning the writing process.

I also had them occasionally write position/argument papers. I've seldom required great length from these papers. I just ask for them to be thorough. If it takes 1 page or 10, that's up to them as long as they're not being lazy about it. My goal is for them to become good communicators -- which, of course, doesn't necessarily equal wordiness (note the Gettysburg Address). If your child is planning to take the ACT Writing Assessment or some similar test, then you might check out the sample papers in the study guides you can acquire for these tests. These can be good guides for writing this type of essay, and they will give you some sort of notion of the types of questions asked on these tests (which are occasionally not the type of questions that homeschoolers would ever worry about -- "should schools require the wearing of uniforms by students...?")

Lastly, I think it's important for my high-schoolers, especially those close to graduation, to know how to write a resume. This becomes a senior project. They might also help write their transcripts and write real or sample letters of application to colleges.

Think of how writing relates to real life. Consider where life might be taking them. These days, nearly every job requires a level of ability to communicate well. People have to know how to get their ideas and opinions across to others. Develop a plan for your child that best accomplishes this.

You probably have so many plans for summer that you don't even want to think about anything school related. So don't.  Relax. Have fun. Look at some old activities in a new way. It's all education anyway.

Here are some ideas:

1.) Throw stuff out. Have the kids help you sort out the books you no longer need. Clean the shelves. Empty the bins. Downsize on "stuff". Feel refreshed.

2.) Garden. Go to farmers' markets. Visit nurseries. Buy flowers, or better yet, make a regular occasion of going out to pick fresh, wild bouquets.

3.) Hunt for treasures at flea markets and rummage sales. I love sales, but after the first couple, the summer begins to implode and I don't get to as many as I'd like. If you can manage it, allow your kids the fun of finding hidden and inexpensive treasures at garage sales. 

4.) Enjoy church activities that you don't always have time to be involved with during the school year. Get together with friends. Enjoy small group studies. Find a ministry that suits your family.

5.) Find a book that you'll read together ONLY when it storms and the power goes out. Something funny, maybe, or whatever appeals. Strongly. (Okay, if you have to, create a forced power outage

6.) Go camping, even if it's in the back yard. Roast things on sticks (preferably not frogs or anything weird like that -- haha!) Learn a new outdoor skill like orienteering or outdoor photography.  Post your experience online for your family and friends to share.

7.) Send your kids on a scavenger hunt while you enjoy a good book or some other relaxing activity.  Plan ahead enough to be able to keep them at it for a while. Offer a reward at the end to spur them on. Then let 'em go!

8.) Have lots of picnics! I'm bad at this because I'm disorganized. If you're like me and feel grilling impaired, develop a system. Organize your stuff so you can enjoy more outdoor meals.

9.) Watch movies with the express purpose of having your kids give an oral review of them afterward. Or better yet, ask them what favorite movie they want to watch, and have them persuade you why the family should choose theirs. (Good persuasive speech skills!) If they win, maybe they can hand out movie tickets, and choose the snack.

10.) Spend time drawing and painting, preferably outdoors in good light. Whether it's fingerpainting, painting on mats, chalk drawing on the sidewalk, or making silly or serious sketches in a notebook, encourage an artistic flair. If you take a road trip, you could encourage a drawing from each place you visit, or one from each state you cross, or whatever else you think of.

I hope this gives you some ideas for adding a twist to regular summertime activities. Mostly I hope it helps you have fun in the sun and a great summertime!

     Tis that time again. I'm a little nostalgic as I scan through my book shelves and notice that there are now more books we've already read than those whose stories we have yet to discover, and that there are quite a few we simply will never get to.

     Ah, for a few more chances to "re-do" here, or "add-one" there. I have to start giving away or selling some of those old, friendly tomes that are taking up valuable space. It's hard to let go. I stopped at a rummage sale today at the home of a homeschooling friend. She had a table full of books like that for sale. I remembered when she first bought a few of them. Great tales of courage and wisdom. Champions. Heroines. So good.

     There are stories that stick in my memory from my youth. The ones that refuse to be forgotten because they were adventurous or epic or real. I wonder which stories will stay with my kids?

     Some of you have small children and are just beginning to set out on your own discoveries. Some of you have middle-graders, children who are developing their own personal reading tastes. Some, like me, have older children, those who know what they like and don't like to read, and whom we have only a short time left (school-wise) to influence. I wonder what books we should choose for next year? By what tales or biographies should we allow ourselves to be enchanted or provoked as we close out this final leg of the school year? 

     Part of the reason I ask myself this is not simply for the nostalgic or entertainment value which, frankly, I love. It's not just to learn about the life of another important person in history. The main reason that I think it's important that we read wonderful books is because it has the power to create a hunger for reading down the road, when kids become adults and no one is telling them they have to read something.

     It's an unfortunate, statistical fact that college graduates spend less time reading for pleasure than those who haven't emerged from those hallowed halls. I believe it's because they are purely worn out from reading mountains of dreck that's forced upon them in the name of "liberal arts". I want my children to hunger for story, information, knowledge, and all that comes from a life-long love of reading. PLEASE, GOD, DON'T LET ME FEED THEM DRECK!  

     I say that in seriousness! It's very easy to convince ourselves that our kids must read certain works in order to be well rounded. I don't believe it. There are a tens of thousands of books published every year, and there are mountains of oldie-but-goodie ones in libraries, used books stores, and online that you may never have heard of, but are filled with character, wisdom, and delight. You simply have to ferret them out. That's all part of the discovery process, the adventure, and the joy when you love to read.

     Do you like to read? Why or why not? I think there's a good reason, either way, and that we have it within our own power in our homeschools to either open up the joy that is reading to our children, or to steer them down the road of disenchantment by either ignoring the possibilities or by offering them dreck.

     Life is adventurous and full of wonder. Stories magnify the fact. Let's get our kids in on that.

What explorer ever starts out on a voyage without careful forethought and planning? What dieter successfully loses weight without sticking to a course of action? What building is constructed without committment to precise measurements and exacting detail?

So it is with homeschooling. In order to achieve continued success, and at the very least to stick to the task, we must plan a course with goals in mind and establish the means to reach results. In order to do that, we have to take inventory of ourselves. We have to take a realistic look at our shortcomings as well as our strengths.

Therefore, there are two questions that we should ask ourselves.

1.) What's one thing am I good at? (What are my strengths?) 

2.) What's one area where I lack? (Where am I weak?)

Don't go beyond these. Don't deride yourself by saying, "Well, I lack in a lot more areas than one, thank-you-very-much!" You know the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant?--One bite at a time." That's how you deal with those areas in which you don't feel proficient?one small chunk at a time, as you can handle it. And be honest with yourself. Are these areas where your spouse or your children might agree?  

Knowing the answers to these two questions and beginning there, it's easy to establishing both short term and long term goals.

In  those areas where you feel confident, forge ahead. For instance, if you feel that history is your strength, while you know nothing about chemistry, then by all means, go with that. Don't stop to berate yourself over what you don't know. Then, in those areas where improvement is called for, go ahead and set a steady course of learning for yourself that might or might not include your children. In the long run, modeling how to learn is probably much more important than what to learn, anyway.

As you reach each new level of skill or accomplishment, or simply feel adequate to muddling through with the training, then it's time to bite off another small chunk. Go ahead and ask yourself the questions again. With each little bite you chew, set your new long-term goals.

What homeschooler hasn't been told at some point that their kids “won't know how to deal with the real world,” and that they're bound to experience “culture shock”? Maybe those folks just need to experience some hang time with homeschoolers in action.rolleyes

Recently my son and a group of his buddies took a six hour road trip to watch the Wisconsin state high school basketball championships in Madison where one of our local high school teams was favored to win. They piled the van with 15-17 year olds, and included several dads. One dad, the driver, was the parent of the only public-schoolers in the bunch. I don't think he expected the homeschool crowd he was traveling with to be quite so—social.

After the trip, he told us how those homeschooled boys kept him totally entertained and a little amazed by their outgoing personalities. He said that they sang (and we're not talking hymns and campfire songs, but heavy metal Christian screamo), talked incessantly, chanted for more Mountain Dew (like they needed it), seemed to know people everywhere, and to top it off, when the dads came out of a convenience store, they discovered that the boys had jumped out of the van to change a lady's tire because she looked a little distressed.

“My poor public schooled kids have culture shock after going on that road trip with all those homeschoolers,” this dad told us later, laughing.

Quite a reversal from the norm that homeschoolers are prone to hear.

     As homeschooling has grown, we've seen surges in curriculum which provide for every subject from math to music. Instructional tools for art have found reception from creatively hungry homeschoolers as well. Yet, public school officials in some states question whether or not homeschoolers are able to provide an "equivalent" of the type of curriculum for art that they (think) they provide.

     Homeschoolers I know have used a number of art curriculums, from basic instructional books with titles like "Acrylic Painting" or "Teaching Art to Children", to step by step programs like the "Lamb's Book of Art" or "Atelier" series. Others go a step further, using graded, incremental packages from vendors like Bob Jones University Press, or Rod and Staff. Some just make it up as they go along, or center their art times on real things like 4-H projects. 

     That's sort of what my family has done. My kids were never too excited about art "curriculums" (though we've dabbled at them and used supplemental instructional materials to learn about craft), but, still, they've watercolored, photographed, built crepe paper historical villages, arranged flowers, made home-made oil lamps, painted glass, poured candles, built cement bird baths, whittled, tried scratch art, explored computer art, fashioned miniature birch bark canoes, made ginger bread houses, pencil sketched, leather crafted, wood burned tree fungi, designed quilt squares, and a host of other things. 

    Art encompasses a lot of variety, and for a school system to say, "Well, you're not equal because you've not introduced them to a pottery wheel, or followed an incremental program" just appears arrogant, wrong, and politically motivated. (My rant for the day.)

     It's also important to realize that it's okay for you not to focus too heavily on art if there is simply no passion for it in your child. Yes, introduce them to basic art forms: drawing, painting, modeling, or whatever you feel yourself leaning towards. Show them work done by master artists. Help them to appreciate the creativity of others. But it's really not a big deal if you've immersed yourself and your family into a huge study of art if, for instance, your focus is more directed at science. And if that is the case, why not use art in your science, such as keeping a sketch book of birds that you've sighted, or building toothpick and clay models of molecules? 

     As I stated earlier, art has many forms. My daughter doesn't feel inclined toward traditional definitions of art. She says she can't draw, and rarely wants to try her hand at things she considers "artsy", even though I've urged her not to stifle herself. Yet, she's a terrific photographer, and she has a wonderful ability to "see" things in people and nature with an artistic eye. This is also something she applies well to flower arranging and decorating her room, both artistic skills.

     For your child, their artistic side might show itself in quilting, or scrap-booking, or painting ceramics. They might carve diamond willow walking sticks or make jewelry. They might take welding to a new level, making swords or building sculptures.

     Don't be fooled by what someone else considers to be art, or by what "educators" declare to have value. As the old adage goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Art can be taught in many forms and fashions.