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Where do your kids do their school work?

CSN Stores has unique coffee tables that would be perfect in your schoolroom. With over 200 online stores CSN Stores is sure to have something you are looking for. So what are you waiting for head on over to CSN Stores to indulge in some back to school shopping.

Useful Links for Homeschoolers

Bachelor of Science has collected some links that homeschoolers should find useful.

Less families homeschooling primarily for religious reasons

Somebody finally gets it Less families homeschooling primarily for religious reasons

It's Up

The Carnival of Homeschooling is up.

Homeschoolers in the news

Consent Of The Governed: CT Homeschool Mother Takes Children To Hayes Trial

Help Fight Cancer Support LIVESTRONG DAY

Alasandra's Homeschool Blog is going YELLOW for LIVESTRONG Day. I hope you will join me in wearing YELLOW October 2nd, 2010.

Another bigoted view of homeschooling

Homeschool isn’t the same as school according to Jacqueline Espinoza @ Daily Sundial.

According to Jacqueline Espinoza.

In today’s society there are two major types of education, public schooling and homeschooling. I believe that public schools provide a student with better education than homeschooling ever could.

Actually there are a plethora of educational choices available today. There are private secular schools, private church schools, on-line schools,  public schools and homeschools.

Then Jacqueline Espinoza blathers on about the credentials public school teachers have and questions if homeschool parents have the knowledge to educate their children. Apparently she failed to do any research before writing her ignorant diatribe on homeschooling as she fails to acknowledge the numerous studies that have been done showing that homeschoolers tend to score above the national average on both the SAT and ACT, the primary tests used by colleges in evaluating college applicants.

Jacqueline Espinoza goes on to say

Homeschooled students only interact with their parents and/or siblings that they see on a day to day basis. This does not allow a child to learn and practice social behaviors and cope outside of the home with others their age.

Apparently Jacqueline Espinoza has no clue that homeschoolers belong to homeschool groups,  join recreational sports teams, boy/girl scouts, theater groups and other organizations where they interact with their peers on a regular basis. Nope according to Jacqueline Espinoza we just sit home all day & night never laying eyes on anyone outside our immediate family.

I am really tired of bigots like Jacqueline Espinoza who write opinionated claptrap about a subject they know nothing about. She claims she knows ONE homeschool girl who felt very overwhelmed by all the new experiences in college, and whom nobody liked because she was quiet.  Ms. Espinoza I have news for you there are plenty of public school students who feel overwhelmed by all the new experiences in college. There are also numerous public school students who are shy and quiet and socially awkward. The vast majority of Homeschoolers are successful in college and have no problems transitioning from homeschooling to college.

I wonder if she claims her kids attend private school too?

Patricia Baker said...

Sorry, but I find you to be a little self-righteous. I send my kids to public school and I homeschool.

I may choose to take advantage of the wonderful teachers and staff at my local (and, by the way, quite wonderful) public school. I may choose to allow the boys to experience the opportunities our public school offers.

But, make no mistake about it ... around here the responsibility for my children's education starts and ends at home. That makes me a homeschooler.

They continue to learn as much (or more) from me in our every day activities and in our excursions as they do at school. That makes me a homeschooler.

I take sole responsibility for their school successes and failures. That makes me a homeschooler.

I sometimes question the motives or methods of those of you who choose to un-school. I would never say you aren't a homeschooler.

I might wonder why you participate in co-op if you are "home"schooling your children. But I would never stoop so low as to question what you call yourself.

If you want those of us who choose to send our children down a different path to respect your choice, maybe you should start respecting ours.

My Response ................

Patricia Baker, I respect your choice to send your child to PUBLIC SCHOOL and applaud you for being an involved parent.But you are not a homeschooler. You have no say in what textbooks your child uses, you do not grade his/her school papers, come up with lesson plans, keep transcripts, and meet the legal requirements for homeschooling in your state.

Frankly I am perplexed by PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS who insist they are homeschoolers. Ms Baker, do you claim you send your child to private school too?

Wanting to be clear on what homeschooling is in order to safe guard our freedom to homeschool from government intervention is in no way disrespecting your decision to send your child to PUBLIC SCHOOL. Homeschooling is an educational choice, just like sending your child to private or public school.  You choose the public school option which is fine, but you are NOT A HOMESCHOOL PARENT or a PRIVATE SCHOOL PARENT.

Public School students shown X-rated photos in assembly

More than 400 seniors at Norwin High School, about 25 miles east of Pittsburgh, were watching a presentation Friday on the importance of donating blood. School officials say "a few pornographic pictures" on a personal flash drive of a Central Blood Bank representative appeared on the screen.

Pa. students shown X-rated photos in assembly - Weird News - SunHerald.com

Ohio school tells wrong parents kids are absent

Parents of students at Waggoner Road Middle School received an automated call around noon that their children were missing. The school's phone lines became overwhelmed with calls, and some frantic parents showed up at school.

Ohio school tells wrong parents kids are absent - Weird News - SunHerald.com

The Road Less Traveled ~ CoH

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy The Road Less Traveled CoH.

Carnival of Homeschooling

This weeks CoH is up.

Book Review ~ History

America's Hidden History by Kenneth C. Davis - Learn about Fort Caroline built by the French in the 1560s. Phillip II of Spain sent Admiral Pedro Menendez to remove the French from Fort Caroline (Florida) in 1565. Find out more about Hannah Emerson Dustin (Haverhill, Massachusetts - March 1697), Thomas Morton (School of Atheism), John Endecott, King Philip aka Metacom, Mary Rowlandson, Anne Hutchinson, Eunice Williams and Mary Dyer.

Highly entertaining and educational as well as extremely readable.

$5,000,000 donated to university for homeshooler scholarship

It is believed to be the largest donation for homeschool scholarships ever.


Wednesday, LeTourneau University received a $5,000,000 gift to establish the scholarships.

Carnival of Homeschooling

Drop by Home School Dad to read The panorama of homeschooling CoH

Carnival of Homeschooling

Notes From a Homeschooling Mom is hosting this weeks CoH, Back 2 Home 2010.

Homeschoolers Count -- National Math Competition Bans Homeschoolers

Penny Nance, CEO for Concerned Women for America, said, "It appears that the objectionable behavior was committed mostly, if not wholly, by non-homeschool kids, yet the Math Counts board chose to punish homeschoolers.  Homeschoolers have excelled in the competition.  Is this another example of punishing those who excel so that others can feel good about themselves?  These students should not be punished for the misdeeds of a few cheaters.  Homeschoolers may still be permitted to compete as individuals, but the reality is that far fewer students will be able to participate if homeschool teams are banned from involvement."

You Are NOT a Homeschooler If You Send Your Child to Public or Private School

I am so tired of public or private school parents claiming to be homeschoolers.

All parents are "home school parents". Some choose to share that educational mission with others outside of the home as their children mature. When they do, those partners in the educational mission should look first to the parents, not to a bloated federal bureaucracy.

If you "share the educational mission" by sending your child off to pubic or private school you are not a homeschooler.

A homeschool parent chooses the curriculum for their children, chooses the textbooks, creates lesson plans, grades papers, gives test, organizes field trips, and MEETS all the legal requirements the state they live in has for homeschoolers.

If you merely help your child with homework and "supplement" what they learn in public or private school you are NOT a homeschooler and it is insulting to homeschoolers to imply you are. It also gives ANTI-homeschoolers ammunition to use against homeschoolers. After all if Keith Public School Parent is a homeschooler and sends his child off to PUBLIC SCHOOL why can't all homeschool parents send their kids to public school and just homeschool after school like  Keith Public School Parent? We then have to waste time explaining to these imbeciles that know nothing about homeschooling that  Keith Public School Parent isn't a homeschooler even though he is stupidly insisting on calling himself one, because his God says something about parents teaching their kids in the Bible.

And yes, to some extent all parents teach their children. We teach them how to do many things before they are school age and we hopefully continue to influence them throughout their lives regardless of the educational choices we make for them. And yes, no matter what educational choice we make for our children we as parents should be involved in their education.  But if you send your children to public or private school you are not a homeschooler.

Imagine teaching your kids at home

A lovely post from a teacher who recognizes the benefits of homeschooling.

The Great Flip-Flop

Nicholas Byron Hall while all too eager to criticize homeschooling in his post What are the disadvantages of homeschooling? can't seem to get around all the MANY advantages homeschooling offers.

While homeschooling may come with advantages, it's questionable as to whether it's worthwhile in the majority of cases.

This of course is nothing more then his uninformed opinion.

What's known as "opportunity cost" is a type of cost that occurs when someone could be using their time more beneficially. In other words, parents homeschooling their children are costing themselves an income. This income could be used in a variety of ways, including funding a private school education for the child. In many ways, it's rather suspect why parents choose homeschooling when they could work.  

There are more important things in life then money, apparently this Philosophy and Political Science major has yet to learn that. He also assumes that a private school would be available for the child to attend if the parents only had the money for tuition. In my area the only private schools are Catholic, not being Catholic I had no wish for my children to receive a Catholic education. In other areas private schools have long waiting list.

Parents are rarely qualified to teach their children; sorry, it's true. 

Nonetheless, some evidence suggests homeschooling provides a better education - with students learning at home scoring higher on standardized tests. In fact, some studies even report higher happiness in life amongst. This is arguably because the public school system fails students, but the private school system is not scoring above homeschooling either. This makes it appear that perhaps homeschooling is the best option.

Looks like he is trying to have it both ways first we aren't qualified to teach our own children, but he then fails to explain how us unqualified parents provide our children with a better education then either public or private schools.

He then goes on to blame homeschoolers for the problems in the public schools.

The problem is that people don't put the effort into their public school system. When the system fails them, they give up and take their children out of it. It's hard to blame them, but some would argue that citizens have an obligation to work together against corruption and irresponsible behavior.

For some reason these same do gooders that think homeschoolers should keep their children in public schools and waste their time and energy trying to fix them have no problem with parents sending their children to private schools. And for someone who was so concerned about the opportunity cost of homeschooling he fails to mention the "opportunity cost" to parents of spending their time trying to fix "public schools". We tried to fix our public schools and discovered there was no way to fix them for our children.  The decisions are made by our school board and not only do they serve long terms, we were only eligible to vote for one of the board members. The one board member who agreed with our position. Leaving our children in a mediocre academic environment helps no one. On the other hand giving our children the best education possible so they will be productive members of society helps everyone.

Hall also doesn't seem to realize that today many minorities and low income families choose to homeschool.

Lastly, some objections are made on the basis of religious ideology. Other arguments can be made with respect to morals, political values, etc. Parents are teaching children false things about science within the context of homeschooling, and parents have only one perspective.

First off parents are TWO separate people with their own unique views, secondly homeschoolers interact with more people then their parents. Hall also fails to realize that many homeschooling parents believe in evolution and teach it to their children.

Tiresomely Hall seems to believe all the old homeschool stereotypes.