Filed on June 10, 2005 at 6:59 am under by dcobranchi
Here’s (use the standard passwords) a very nice piece on how some home educating families handle graduation. Chris may see his daughter’s future in one.
Filed on at 6:53 am under by dcobranchi
Why, suddenly, is everybody picking on us?
It’s a bit difficult to nail down the worst thing about “The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D.”
The 3-D is terrible, that’s for sure. So’s the title, obviously. The acting is on a par with any third-grade homeschool holiday recital.
Filed on June 9, 2005 at 9:16 pm under by dcobranchi
An HEK, who is a huge Harry Potter fan, has been invited by Rowling to fly to Scotland for an interview.
Filed on at 9:08 pm under by dcobranchi
I’ve never seen this lefty blog before, but the swipe at home education was gratuitous.
P.S. There is something about the “culture warriors” agenda that bothers me, apart from the fact of censorship. It is the idea that parents have an absolute say over how their children should be raised. But we as a society don’t accept this proposition, otherwise parents could choose to keep their children from getting an education (oh, wait..home schooling). Children belong to parents, yes, but they also fall within the purview of the whole society. These are our future citizens, as we have an interest in how they turn out.
A great way to get some of the most politically involved folks on your side. [/sarcasm]
Filed on at 8:15 pm under by dcobranchi
I’ve been waiting all week for this. It was worth the wait.
And the recipe was even funnier after three beers.
Filed on at 5:55 am under by dcobranchi
Mimi’s latest PR.
Filed on at 5:45 am under by dcobranchi
I guess this is nice (strange phraseology, though):
Circus Smirkus is Coming to Town
An experienced artist-in-residence will be here in our Sandwich Central School for 2 weeks, June 6-June 17, focusing on learning and developing skills with an eye toward performance on June 17. Everyone in town is invited to participate and it’s free!
Parents of Sandwich Central School students are welcome, of course. But in addition, the entire community can have fun and benefit. Children who home-school are particularly welcome, and home-schooled kids from age 6 through 6th grade can join their peers at the school during the regular school day. Anyone from 6 to 106 is welcome. If you want to learn some basic circus skills, there will be classes for you. If you would like to volunteer to help, you are needed.
They need not only circus helpers but also folks who can help the students make costumes, paint background scenery and flags, make juggling balls and devil sticks, and much more.
There will also be opportunities for some teenagers and adults to learn circus skills. Classes for them will be held in the evenings starting at 7 p.m., so older students and working folks can join. (They are not sure yet how many evening classes a week will be scheduled, but certainly not more than four.)
Circus Smirkus was founded to provide a format for kids and adults to collaborate in life-enhancing adventures through the circus arts. Children and grownups learning new skills together without any element of competition is the heart of their educational philosophy.
On the evening of June 17 there will be a real live circus at the school. If you have never seen a Circus Smirkus, you are in for a real treat. So even if you can’t participate, mark your calendars for Friday, June 17 for the greatest show on earth, right here in town.
If you would like to take classes, volunteer, or ask questions, please reply by email to sinklercomcast.net or nmrussellgmail.com or, phone Becky Sinkler (284-6366) or Nan Russell (284-6328) to save a place for you. If you are calling to volunteer, let them know any special skills you may have.
This program is sponsored by the Yoeman’s Fund for the Arts, Sandwich Home Industries, and The Quimby Fund.
Maybe I’m a cynicism addict, but do y’all think this is being set up to showcase how much fun g-school is? Else why the particular welcome for HEKs?
Filed on June 8, 2005 at 8:47 pm under by dcobranchi
Along with the chicken risotto, this was Tim’s tent.
Note the appendage out back.
Just kidding. The tent belonged to one of our “neighbors.” And when it comes to being a camping wimp, I think I won the “prize.” After all, no one else bothered to bring an espresso maker that fits on a camp stove.
Filed on at 8:15 pm under by dcobranchi
The DidToday ad is for Kim and Connie DuToit’s latest project. Chris has been blogging about it pretty regularly. Kim and Connie are longtime home educators.
WARNING: The language at Kim’s site tends to be a little “spicy.”
Filed on at 5:56 pm under by dcobranchi
The first of some Blogger Bash Beach Weekend (family edition) photos.
Filed on at 4:37 pm under by dcobranchi
Hal from NCHE points out a nice USAToday piece on how HEKs are excelling in athletics. A nice quote:
“Home schooling is an especially good educational strategy for children with exceptional talents,” says Mitchell Stevens, associate professor of education and sociology at New York University and author of Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Home-schooling Movement, a look at the social history of home schooling. “Parents can organize learning around the passions and skills of their children.”
Of course, I’d argue that it’s exceptionally good for just about every child.
UPDATE: OTOH, this quote is typical Rob Reich:
“There is valid moral criticism of parents who endanger their children’s academic and employment futures in their quest for athletic stardom,” Stanford political scientist Rob Reich says.
Filed on at 5:39 am under by dcobranchi
Read this piece out of Oregon and tell me that the reporter doesn’t have an agenda.
Filed on at 5:34 am under by dcobranchi
Mike Smith says that HSLDA may be unnecessary:
“We’re pretty much beyond litigation in these issues,” says J. Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, a national organization that has been instrumental in removing legal blocks to home schooling.
“This and most other home-school issues are now about cooperation.”
I wonder when they’ll make the announcement that they’re closing up shop.
Filed on at 5:29 am under by dcobranchi
I’m reading Izzy’s book and am learning all sorts of things. For one, there’s an older son, Dan. More interestingly, Izzy, who refers to me as Dr. Daryl, holds a Ph.D. Paging Dr. Lyman– What field?
Filed on June 7, 2005 at 2:25 pm under by dcobranchi
I should have been following the art blog that advertises here. There really is some interesting stuff there.
The RSS feed.
Filed on at 12:36 pm under by dcobranchi
Look at the lead article in today’s Fayetteville Observer Features section.
Interestingly, this section is only available in the online version:
C. Remember that minds are usually more receptive to formal academic instruction
in the morning hours after an adequate amount of sleep. II. Maintain a current daily log, journal or lesson plan book throughout the entire school year.
A. It should contain:
1. Time devoted to the formal study of each subject each day;
2. Page numbers, chapters or units of the textbooks (or very brief descriptions of concepts) covered during various time periods each day.
B. It should be retained at your school until the student has enrolled in a conventional school or has graduated.
III. Be certain that nationally standardized testing:
A. Is ordered by each February 1. Click here for a list of testing companies;
B. Is administered each year during the same week of your choice between March 1 and April 15;
C. Is not administered or scored by relatives, guardians, or anyone living in the same household as the student.
1. An educational institution/organization is preferred.
2. Machine-scoring is most ideal. (Always allow at least eight weeks to receive test results if the test is machine scored.)
D. Includes the subject areas of social studies and science, whenever applicable.
These are recommendations from the State educrats. They are not requirements. It’d have been nice if someone at the FO would have bothered to point that out.
Filed on at 6:32 am under by dcobranchi
Take a look at the headlines on today’s EducationNews. It looks like half of them are about how the schools need to take the lead in teaching kids how to eat properly. Anyone else remember that snarky “home eating” piece that circulated via email a few years ago? Prophetic.
Filed on at 6:26 am under by dcobranchi
What planet are you on now? From a WND column on “How and why we’re going to win”
In the media, 8 million bloggers – and websites like WorldNetDaily – are starting to supplant the giant TV networks and newspapers. In education, homeschools have broken the National Education Association monopoly. In entertainment, G-rated films have mushroomed.
Bloggers, home education, and G-rated movies? Ummm, no. For pushing opinions, blogging is terrific. For gathering hard news, we all rely on the MSM. I know HE&OS can’t afford to have a Beijing Bureau.
I doubt that the NEA is quaking in their boots over home education. Growth has slowed dramatically, and it’s just a matter of time until the union organizes charters and the cybers.
And when was the last time a major studio released a G-rated film? Even the kiddie flick “Racing Stripes” garnered a PG.
Now the whole point of his column is that some type of Pentecostal movement (he never really says what kind) is going to sweep the Earth and sieze political power here. I’m not wishing him luck as I have a feeling I wouldn’t like his brand of theocracy “turn-back-the-clock” conservatism.
Filed on June 6, 2005 at 8:22 pm under by dcobranchi
Izzy is having a scuffed-cover sale of her book. Only $2 via PayPal to cover S&H.
Still have copies of the front-cover-is-scuffed-but-still-readable version of The Homeschooling Revolution. If you’d like one, the cost is two dollars per book, which covers shipping and handling. Paypal account: ilyman7449@aol.com.
You’ll kick yourself if you miss this opportunity (I received my, ahem, autographed copy in the mail over the weekend.) Thanks, Izzy. I’ll break the spine tonight.
Filed on at 7:39 pm under by dcobranchi
And even a couple good ones. I think I’ll print out a “Class of 2100” one. That’ll confuse the heck out of everybody.
Filed on at 5:27 pm under by dcobranchi
I feel sorry for Helen having to deal with this:
Home school program to offer more money
To compete better for students, the Juneau School District’s correspondence program will give parents more money and services.
Evidently theres a bit of a bidding war for fake HEKs.
Filed on at 6:01 am under by dcobranchi
I confess– I don’t know the KY home education laws. But at first read, this doesn’t sound like home ed to me:
So begins another day at The Sharon School, a private school that Sharon operates out of her Jessamine County home. Her pupils are 7 to 18 years old, and all have at least one learning disability. Some come to The Sharon School as a last resort, having experienced only failure and frustration in other schools.
…May 27 concluded The Sharon School’s first full school year at its location east of Nicholasville. Sharon does not advertise, and she won’t take more than 20 students. Stepson Allen Sharon, 23, serves as an assistant in maintaining discipline.
…As a home school, there is no independent evaluation or assessment that says Sharon School students are learning and achieving what they must at their age. But parents say they can see academic and behavioral improvement in their children, and they express gratitude for Sharon’s commitment.
Anybody have any info?
Filed on at 5:51 am under by dcobranchi
Here’s a graf to get your heart pumping on an early Monday morning:
“The leading thinkers of the British and American Enlightenments hoped that life in a modern democratic order would shift the focus of Christianity from a faith-based reality to a reality-based faith. American religion is moving in the opposite direction today, back toward the ecstatic, literalist and credulous spirit of the Great Awakenings. Its most disturbing manifestations are not political, at least not yet. They are cultural. The fascination with the ‘end times,’ the belief in personal (and self-serving) miracles, the ignorance of basic science and history, the demonization of popular culture, the censoring of textbooks, the separatist instincts of the home-schooling movement — all these developments are far more worrying in the long term than the loss of a few Congressional seats.
Filed on at 5:33 am under by dcobranchi
The latest (pseudo)reality TV show is “The Scholar,” in which a bunch of high-achieving kids vie for a college scholarship. Of course there’s at least one HEK living in the “Real Life”-style house. The show sounds especially dumb, even by (pseudo)reality television standards. Are we really supposed to believe that straight-As, 1600 SATs, and lack of finances didn’t attract a whole bunch of academic scholarships? Right!
Filed on at 5:21 am under by dcobranchi
What Tim didn’t say. And, Lex, I warned you– six seconds and you’re erased. 🙂
Photos later tonight.
Filed on June 5, 2005 at 10:56 pm under by dcobranchi
Since I’m also a signatory to the NDA, I must be careful of what I divulge of this weekend’s activities.
We had a good time. Beer was drunk, campfires were burned, risotto with chicken was cooked on the Coleman stove, and we learned that the Hershey Company thinks we’re all absolute morons. (More on that from Chris, I hope.)
Filed on June 3, 2005 at 2:58 am under by dcobranchi
OK- back to bed so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel. See y’all Monday.
Filed on at 2:53 am under by dcobranchi
This has got to be one of the most poorly written (and thought out) letters I have seen in a loooong time. What’s the point? And why beat up on Andea Yates at this late date?
The one redeeming feature– it pointed me towards a book to avoid at all costs.
Filed on at 2:35 am under by dcobranchi
A California g-schooler won the Scripps National Spelling Bee yesterday, successfully spelling words that I’ve never seen or heard.
Anurag, 13, of Poway clinched “appoggiatura,” a melodic tone, to take home some $30,000 in prizes.
Very nice. HEKs had a nice showing, too, with six in the final 27 and an overall second-place finish.
Filed on at 2:17 am under by dcobranchi
Chris found an interesting blog post by a teacher-in-training. Evidently, we are perceived to be authoritarian monsters bent on creating ethically servile copies of ourselves. Shades of Reich’s white paper.
Filed on June 2, 2005 at 5:10 am under by dcobranchi
More Six Sigma training today and then it’s off to an undiclosed location for a Bloggers’ Bash Beach Weekend (family edition). See y’all Monday.
Filed on June 1, 2005 at 8:57 pm under by dcobranchi
Is the message getting out?
Christine Fernandez used to home school her children, but now they attend the Florida Virtual Academy.
“It’s not home schooling ’cause we’re not independent. We do have to stick to a schedule,” said Fernandez.
Filed on at 8:53 pm under by dcobranchi
One small step for home education. One giant leap for an educrat:
“We are actually not home schooling, we are a school at home and their is a difference,” Lisa Gillis, operations administrator at the institute, said today. “It’s different because we are a public school.”
Amen!
Filed on at 8:46 pm under by dcobranchi
This LttE is really the anti-Letter of the Day. Pretty negative (and ignorant, to boot).
Public schools still give the best education
Education Code Section 44806 prescribes a teacher’s duty to instruct pupils in morals, manners and citizenship. Why does everyone either think that schools don’t teach these things or think that schools are the only source for these things [“Stay at home, students,” Life etc., May 30]?
The purpose of education is to raise good citizens, not to raise selfish, money-hungry individualists. Sometimes school is the only safe and friendly environment for a child – a place where it’s not crowded with adults yelling or getting in the way, a place where they can get breakfast and lunch, a place where adults make you feel good about yourself.
So until schools no longer fill that need, I argue that they are still preferable to home-schooling. I love my granddaughter, but I know that after three days it is time for a break.
What are these home-schooling parents – saints? Or do they relish the idea of no lines at the amusement parks during the weekdays?
Seriously, parents can supplement the school in the ways that were stated in the home-schooling article without dragging their children out of the system.
Parents do not necessarily have to replace schools entirely. Remember the schools’ Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs. We also cannot forget the special-needs children whose teachers have their own specialized training.
Helena Street
Buena Park
So, because she can only take her grand-daughter for three days at a time, that means the g-schools are preferable and we’re make-believe saints? Talk about anecdotal evidence!
She did get one (and only one) thing right– those amusement parks in September field trips are the best.
*De La Salle is the patron saint of teachers.
Filed on at 8:35 pm under by dcobranchi
In response to the CA educrat overstepping his authority.
Don’t be intimidated in the slightest by attendance officer
Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to “Home School Students Must Comply” (5/27) by Frank Valadez, Gilroy Unified School District attendance officer.
For more than a decade, the California Homeschool Network has guided many thousands of parents through the process of establishing their own private schools in compliance with California law. We have some very good news for the families of Gilroy Unified and for Mr. Valadez.
The legislature of the state of California has honored the right of parents to make educational choices on behalf of their own children. Parents may withdraw their children from public school and enroll them in a private school at any time without permission from Mr.Valadez or any other GUSD employee or board.
Parents who form their own private schools should follow the steps outlined in a helpful free pamphlet called “Just the Facts” downloadable at www.californiahomeschool.net. Personal assistance is available by calling 800-327-5339.
Once a private school has filed an affidavit with the California Department of Education, a simple letter notifying GUSD that a child is being withdrawn and enrolled in a private school is all that is necessary. If Mr. Valadez will read the full text of the laws he cited, he will find that his legal authority is strictly limited to verifying that a private school has filed an affidavit with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. No appointments, no requests for exemption, no review board, no truancy proceedings, no referrals to the Santa Clara County District Attorney – a simple phone call to the State Department of Education will do the trick. So the good news, Mr. Valadez, is that your job is a whole lot easier than you thought.
Jackie Orsi, CHN Legal Rights Committee, Hayward
Gotta love that hed.
Filed on at 8:28 pm under by dcobranchi
CCANHS
Filed on at 6:08 am under by dcobranchi
Ken’s comment here is well worth a read. I’m in Six Sigma training all day today, so I won’t be able to respond until late. Y’all have fun and don’t go cobranchi on him. 🙂
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