This week at our Board of Directors meeting, we are going to put the finishing touches on planning a Drama Camp at a nice location in the country with a little lake...It will be in early July, for ages 10-14. It has been awhile since I've been in on the planning process for this type of educational program. It really feels good to be creating something that I know will be a wonderful experience for the children who get to participate. It's something I've been missing in recent years, ever since we shut down the flagship resource center in Kennesaw in order to expand into a national organization.
This reminds me of the early days at our first resource center in the strip mall in Acworth...Do any of you remember those first few programs? When we first began, I taught an algebra class with only three students, including one of my own kids...by the time we ended, I usually had full classes of 16 kids, plus a waiting list. Sometimes it takes awhile to build things up....This is a lesson I'm really having to learn again right now. We want desperately to plant new resource centers, to assist others in starting ARCHERS support groups, to find new venues for me to speak about relaxed homeschooling, and, most of all, to finally get the land we've been wanting to create a permanent conference & workshop center in a rural setting...We are starting to see some results, but everything is just taking so darn long!
Did you ever notice that the number one reason people give for not homeschooling their children is that they "aren't patient enough"? You know, patience is a fruit of the spirit...so when a lack of patience is an issue, it needs to be addressed spiritually. The problem is that right now, I just want to pick some of those fruit and throw them at something. I guess being frustrated is just part of what we have to wrestle with as human beings....I know if my mom was here, she'd tell me, "Be a little easier on yourself. Everything doesn't have to happen right this minute! Give it some time!" So I guess I'll try to listen. But just so you know, right now I don't feel like an elder statesman of the homeschool movement, or even particularly like a mature Christian. I guess for now, one program this summer will have to suffice...the rest will develop when it is God's timing. BUT...(insert stomping of foot), "BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!"
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Keeping Sports Under Control, Too!
Last week I talked about the importance of keeping technology under control. Now, with the Atlanta Braves cranking up, I'm reminded of the importance of also keeping sports under control! Whether it is active participation or simply watching sports on television, there can be both positive and negative aspects.
My boys have always played baseball, and my girls have dabbled in softball, dance, and gymnastics. Group sports, at their best, can promote a healthy competitive spirit (with oneself and with others), can teach teamwork, encourage children to stay fit, and help them develop skills and have valuable contact with adult role models outside the family. Under the wrong coach, on the wrong team, in the wrong league, the life lessons learned may completely undo familial teaching.
Families can bond while watching one of the children play ball. Families can fall apart because television sports detract from time spent around the dinner table. Families can support each other in healthy competition. Poor sportsmanship on the part of adults can trigger all kinds of emotional problems in children.
Like anything else, participation in sports requires balance and thoughtful participation on the part of adults. When allowed to dominate all conversations during baseball season, it can leave no time for spiritual growth, for productivity in school or work, or for relationship-building. Done properly, it can add immensely to the enjoyment of life. So go watch your Braves, guys....but no screaming at the umpires! Make the effort to go in person a few times of year as a family instead of watching on television all the time, and spend some time throwing the ball around the yard once in awhile, rather than having all your contact with the game be vicarious.
Remember, too, that baseball, or any sport, can lead to academic knowledge, too. My boys learned a lot of geography through following major league cities, learned a great deal of math through working with their statistics, and often wrote stories that were baseball-related. We used to have a great math game called "Math Baseball"....I haven't seen it in stores for a couple of decades, although there is another called "Slugger", which I don't like quite as much....In math baseball, you picked a card (in the shape of a baseball), and worked the math problem found on it. On the back side, it said, "single", "double", "triple" or "home run", depending on the difficulty of the problem. If you got the problem correct, your man advanced to the proper plate. You could make one similar to this yourself with a little creativity...
Go Braves!
My boys have always played baseball, and my girls have dabbled in softball, dance, and gymnastics. Group sports, at their best, can promote a healthy competitive spirit (with oneself and with others), can teach teamwork, encourage children to stay fit, and help them develop skills and have valuable contact with adult role models outside the family. Under the wrong coach, on the wrong team, in the wrong league, the life lessons learned may completely undo familial teaching.
Families can bond while watching one of the children play ball. Families can fall apart because television sports detract from time spent around the dinner table. Families can support each other in healthy competition. Poor sportsmanship on the part of adults can trigger all kinds of emotional problems in children.
Like anything else, participation in sports requires balance and thoughtful participation on the part of adults. When allowed to dominate all conversations during baseball season, it can leave no time for spiritual growth, for productivity in school or work, or for relationship-building. Done properly, it can add immensely to the enjoyment of life. So go watch your Braves, guys....but no screaming at the umpires! Make the effort to go in person a few times of year as a family instead of watching on television all the time, and spend some time throwing the ball around the yard once in awhile, rather than having all your contact with the game be vicarious.
Remember, too, that baseball, or any sport, can lead to academic knowledge, too. My boys learned a lot of geography through following major league cities, learned a great deal of math through working with their statistics, and often wrote stories that were baseball-related. We used to have a great math game called "Math Baseball"....I haven't seen it in stores for a couple of decades, although there is another called "Slugger", which I don't like quite as much....In math baseball, you picked a card (in the shape of a baseball), and worked the math problem found on it. On the back side, it said, "single", "double", "triple" or "home run", depending on the difficulty of the problem. If you got the problem correct, your man advanced to the proper plate. You could make one similar to this yourself with a little creativity...
Go Braves!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Keeping Technology Under Control
It's a rainy Sunday here in Georgia. When I looked at my "to-do" list today it included 1. Getting Skype on my computer in preparation for an on-line curriculum I'm speaking at this week (I will post details tomorrow on facebook when I get them). 2. Sending birthday greetings on line to a special friend. 3. Writing this blog post. 4. Printing off an order to get it ready to send someone tomorrow.
Notice a trend? Every one of those things have to do with a computer!!!
It's always a challenge, in everything we do, to seek the middle ground, to keep the balance. Doing this with technology will be one of the biggest challenge for those of you who are still in the middle of raising children in this new tech-crazy world. Back when my children were young, all I had to manage was the amount and quality of the television they watched. Not to sound like a dinosaur, but it seemed like even the choices of television we had back then were higher quality. Of course, there were also things we needed to avoid. That was even true when my mother was raising me!
Towards the end of my child-raising experience, I had to face the "new" problems connected with computer games, especially Nintendo. We simply didn't allow them in our home...until our oldest kids started to leave and go to college, and bring back such things with them. Then it became a real challenge to balance the need to treat the young adults with respect while keeping the lines drawn clearly for the younger ones.
Nowadays, there is so much technology barraging us every day. My grown kids text, Skype, watch television and movies, and always have a cell phone at the ready with somebody bothering them at all hours. Somehow they manage to do it in and around being productive and moving ahead with their plans and dreams. Still, it all seems so intrusive to me. Meanwhile, I'm trying to find the balance to learn how to use all this technology without letting my own life get out of control.
I know the world is changing, and I don't want to stick my head in the sand. Without embracing some of this new technology, I won't be able to reach the younger homeschooling crowd with our message of relaxed, family-centered education. Still, I don't want to stop reading books in favor of reading a Kindle, to fail to go outside and take walks and work on my garden in favor of sitting at this computer, or only go to online curriculum fairs where I can't see your smiling faces or be able to give you all a real hug. Hope you all are able to maintain your balance, too!
Notice a trend? Every one of those things have to do with a computer!!!
It's always a challenge, in everything we do, to seek the middle ground, to keep the balance. Doing this with technology will be one of the biggest challenge for those of you who are still in the middle of raising children in this new tech-crazy world. Back when my children were young, all I had to manage was the amount and quality of the television they watched. Not to sound like a dinosaur, but it seemed like even the choices of television we had back then were higher quality. Of course, there were also things we needed to avoid. That was even true when my mother was raising me!
Towards the end of my child-raising experience, I had to face the "new" problems connected with computer games, especially Nintendo. We simply didn't allow them in our home...until our oldest kids started to leave and go to college, and bring back such things with them. Then it became a real challenge to balance the need to treat the young adults with respect while keeping the lines drawn clearly for the younger ones.
Nowadays, there is so much technology barraging us every day. My grown kids text, Skype, watch television and movies, and always have a cell phone at the ready with somebody bothering them at all hours. Somehow they manage to do it in and around being productive and moving ahead with their plans and dreams. Still, it all seems so intrusive to me. Meanwhile, I'm trying to find the balance to learn how to use all this technology without letting my own life get out of control.
I know the world is changing, and I don't want to stick my head in the sand. Without embracing some of this new technology, I won't be able to reach the younger homeschooling crowd with our message of relaxed, family-centered education. Still, I don't want to stop reading books in favor of reading a Kindle, to fail to go outside and take walks and work on my garden in favor of sitting at this computer, or only go to online curriculum fairs where I can't see your smiling faces or be able to give you all a real hug. Hope you all are able to maintain your balance, too!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Standardized testing?
Somebody asked me about testing this week under the comments on Chris Davis' series on "Not Homeschooling Your Children". I couldn't find the post to answer it so I figured it would become this week's blog instead.
I believe in standardized testing every year starting in the third grade. Before that time, there is no reason to do so unless your state mandates it. It is generally too stressful for young children and before third grade a lot of kids still have issues with reading. The first time, in third grade, if a parent is able to give the test themselves, I recommend doing it at home. After that first time, though, I recommend doing it in a group setting, preferably a homeschool friendly one, like at a co-op or resource center.
There are several reasons I believe this is necessary. First, in some states, it is needed to stay legal. Second, and most important, is to learn how to take the tests. This is a skill, one that is practiced more than any other one in the public schools, and our society has become test-happy. Part of learning the skill is learning to take the test in an atmosphere where everyone is obsessed with whether or not you are somehow cheating; how to take it in an atmosphere where you may not be allowed to go to the bathroom when you need to; how to take it in an atmosphere where a beer truck is pulling up in front of the window and unloading during the test. (That one actually happened at our resource center once!) This atmosphere can't be duplicated in a tutorial setting, or at the kitchen table.
That being said, it is just as important not to obsess over the results. Remember, they aren't testing your curriculum, their goals are different than yours are, their values are not the same, and the tests test a very specific type of knowledge, which does not value divergent thinking. You will not learn anything about your children from these results that you don't already know. If you need them to stay legal, turn them in, or file them, and forget about them. Otherwise, file them in the circular file. Most homeschoolers will do well enough to stay legal.
When my kids were small, I always knew that they would do poorly on the grammar and punctuation sections, because I didn't care about the minute details of writing at that age; my own goals were developing a love of reading and the overall ability to communicate. I figured the picky things could come later, if at all. I also knew which ones would do well on the math and which wouldn't. I always knew that all my kids would blow away the reading comprehension and vocabulary parts of the test. You know your kids well enough to predict everything, too. If something comes up that doesn't mesh with your own knowledge of your kids, perhaps there was something about the test itself that skewed the results. If it doesn't seem right to you, or consistent with your common sense, do not assign it any credibility.
I never tested my kids over the content we covered during our homeschooling years because I'm not into the 'stuff it into your head and spit it out" type of education. However, I did help them learn how to take tests, and when they got close to college entrance we did prepare for the SAT. All of them got good test scores and wound up doing well in college.
For those of you who have asked about my booklet, "How to Teach Your Children Test-Taking Strategies", it is temporarily out of print, buried on my old computer, but I eventually intend to gather some of my old things together into some sort of three ring binder type product. Keep bugging me...the squeaky wheel gets the grease!
I believe in standardized testing every year starting in the third grade. Before that time, there is no reason to do so unless your state mandates it. It is generally too stressful for young children and before third grade a lot of kids still have issues with reading. The first time, in third grade, if a parent is able to give the test themselves, I recommend doing it at home. After that first time, though, I recommend doing it in a group setting, preferably a homeschool friendly one, like at a co-op or resource center.
There are several reasons I believe this is necessary. First, in some states, it is needed to stay legal. Second, and most important, is to learn how to take the tests. This is a skill, one that is practiced more than any other one in the public schools, and our society has become test-happy. Part of learning the skill is learning to take the test in an atmosphere where everyone is obsessed with whether or not you are somehow cheating; how to take it in an atmosphere where you may not be allowed to go to the bathroom when you need to; how to take it in an atmosphere where a beer truck is pulling up in front of the window and unloading during the test. (That one actually happened at our resource center once!) This atmosphere can't be duplicated in a tutorial setting, or at the kitchen table.
That being said, it is just as important not to obsess over the results. Remember, they aren't testing your curriculum, their goals are different than yours are, their values are not the same, and the tests test a very specific type of knowledge, which does not value divergent thinking. You will not learn anything about your children from these results that you don't already know. If you need them to stay legal, turn them in, or file them, and forget about them. Otherwise, file them in the circular file. Most homeschoolers will do well enough to stay legal.
When my kids were small, I always knew that they would do poorly on the grammar and punctuation sections, because I didn't care about the minute details of writing at that age; my own goals were developing a love of reading and the overall ability to communicate. I figured the picky things could come later, if at all. I also knew which ones would do well on the math and which wouldn't. I always knew that all my kids would blow away the reading comprehension and vocabulary parts of the test. You know your kids well enough to predict everything, too. If something comes up that doesn't mesh with your own knowledge of your kids, perhaps there was something about the test itself that skewed the results. If it doesn't seem right to you, or consistent with your common sense, do not assign it any credibility.
I never tested my kids over the content we covered during our homeschooling years because I'm not into the 'stuff it into your head and spit it out" type of education. However, I did help them learn how to take tests, and when they got close to college entrance we did prepare for the SAT. All of them got good test scores and wound up doing well in college.
For those of you who have asked about my booklet, "How to Teach Your Children Test-Taking Strategies", it is temporarily out of print, buried on my old computer, but I eventually intend to gather some of my old things together into some sort of three ring binder type product. Keep bugging me...the squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Jury Duty
This past week started out with me having to go for jury duty for the first time. Lots of impressions...First thing I noticed is that whenever I told someone I had jury duty, if they were homeschoolers they said something like, "Oh, I've always wanted to do that," or "I wish my kids could go along to see the process." Whenever I told someone outside the homeschooling community, most of the time they started giving me their recommendations for how to get out of it. My favorite one was to say, "I'd be PERFECT for jury duty, because I can tell if someone is guilty or not by just LOOKING at them!"
Well, I didn't get picked, but it was because I had a high jury number and they didn't need me for the first trial. The second trial I probably would have been picked, but the defendent did a plea bargain and the trial didn't happen. I was torn. Part of me was really happy to get off because my daughter is at home for a few months before moving to England, and I had work to do, too, so I didn't really want to spend a week in a courtroom. Part of me was a little disappointed, though, because it really did look like it would be interesting.
I did find it very uncomfortable answering questions about "me" forty years ago or so....I felt like I was talking about someone other than me. It made me realize how wonderful it is to become a "new person" when we really get in touch with Jesus...It just didn't even feel like I was talking about myself when I had to start answering questions about drug use and such back in the sixties...
Anyway, that was my first foray into the jury box....and I did get a chance to write an article for Jane Boswell's "Home Educator's Family Times" magazine while waiting to be questioned....so check it out. I imagine it will take an issue or two for it to show up. It is on our new "Titus Brigade" mentoring program.
Well, I didn't get picked, but it was because I had a high jury number and they didn't need me for the first trial. The second trial I probably would have been picked, but the defendent did a plea bargain and the trial didn't happen. I was torn. Part of me was really happy to get off because my daughter is at home for a few months before moving to England, and I had work to do, too, so I didn't really want to spend a week in a courtroom. Part of me was a little disappointed, though, because it really did look like it would be interesting.
I did find it very uncomfortable answering questions about "me" forty years ago or so....I felt like I was talking about someone other than me. It made me realize how wonderful it is to become a "new person" when we really get in touch with Jesus...It just didn't even feel like I was talking about myself when I had to start answering questions about drug use and such back in the sixties...
Anyway, that was my first foray into the jury box....and I did get a chance to write an article for Jane Boswell's "Home Educator's Family Times" magazine while waiting to be questioned....so check it out. I imagine it will take an issue or two for it to show up. It is on our new "Titus Brigade" mentoring program.
Friday, March 4, 2011
I just remembered why we homeschooled our kids...
I just spent an entire day dealing with incompetence and illiteracy, and have come to the conclusion that we need to simply mandate homeschooling for everyone! It started out this morning, when I had to take a test. I can't even begin to tell you how dumb it was. The entire time I was working on it, I kept asking myself, "Seriously???"
This was an important test that had to do with real estate. I won't get more specific right now, but it should have been conducted on a very professional level. Instead, it was full of typos, mistakes, and poorly-worded questions There was one question that required information found on a chart, but no chart was given. The difficult parts of the class were skipped over and instead questions were thrown in that were on information not covered in the class at all.
This certainly wasn't the first time I've run into this in the business world...but it was definitely one of the worst examples. Our schools simply don't seem to be teaching the basics of literacy anymore, and the results of years of ineffective instruction are starting to be very observable out in the "real" world.
At least this week I didn't have to think very hard about what to talk about on my blog! On the one hand, it made me ashamed for my second profession. On the other hand, it made me realize how much I could be of service by becoming truly competent and honest in the field of real estate. Now I just have to go out and buy my black polyester leisure suit and I'll be ready to roll.
This was an important test that had to do with real estate. I won't get more specific right now, but it should have been conducted on a very professional level. Instead, it was full of typos, mistakes, and poorly-worded questions There was one question that required information found on a chart, but no chart was given. The difficult parts of the class were skipped over and instead questions were thrown in that were on information not covered in the class at all.
This certainly wasn't the first time I've run into this in the business world...but it was definitely one of the worst examples. Our schools simply don't seem to be teaching the basics of literacy anymore, and the results of years of ineffective instruction are starting to be very observable out in the "real" world.
At least this week I didn't have to think very hard about what to talk about on my blog! On the one hand, it made me ashamed for my second profession. On the other hand, it made me realize how much I could be of service by becoming truly competent and honest in the field of real estate. Now I just have to go out and buy my black polyester leisure suit and I'll be ready to roll.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Regrets? I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention...
I'm often asked if I have any regrets from my homeschooling years. Generally, the answer is "no". I certainly don't regret having chosen that path, and I don't regret the relaxed environment in which we operated most of those years. So any regrets I do have are pretty specific. Sometimes, we get a second chance to fix something we neglected in the early years.
My daughter is coming home for a couple of months, before moving to England, perhaps permanently. I just spoke with her and asked her if she'd like me to help her learn to sew while she is here. That was always one of my regrets. I used to sew a lot when I was young, even sewing my husband's dress shirts, and all of the baby clothes for the first two babies. Somewhere in the busy-ness of homeschooling, I stopped doing that.
When my girls were younger, they had no interest in sewing, other than an occasional fling with knitting or crocheting, mostly as a crafts project. Then, when they got older and wanted to learn, life got in the way and we never had the time to "make time". Luckily, I just got reminded of my own interest in sewing at the Austin Trust in Learning Conference. The lady next to me had a booth showcasing the sewing classes she was teaching to homeschoolers. I kept wandering over there whenever my own booth got slow. So when I was thinking about how to spend this limited time with my daughter, sewing just naturally came to my mind. I'm so excited to be getting back into this. Of course, when I last sewed, patterns cost $1.75, and the last time I was at Jo Anne Fabrics, I saw a price tag of $16.95. Things may have changed a bit....but the ability to sew comes in awfully handy, and I'm so glad to be getting a second chance at passing down my knowledge. Anybody around here want some sewing lessons? I might just decide to teach some other people once my daughter flies off for new adventures!
My daughter is coming home for a couple of months, before moving to England, perhaps permanently. I just spoke with her and asked her if she'd like me to help her learn to sew while she is here. That was always one of my regrets. I used to sew a lot when I was young, even sewing my husband's dress shirts, and all of the baby clothes for the first two babies. Somewhere in the busy-ness of homeschooling, I stopped doing that.
When my girls were younger, they had no interest in sewing, other than an occasional fling with knitting or crocheting, mostly as a crafts project. Then, when they got older and wanted to learn, life got in the way and we never had the time to "make time". Luckily, I just got reminded of my own interest in sewing at the Austin Trust in Learning Conference. The lady next to me had a booth showcasing the sewing classes she was teaching to homeschoolers. I kept wandering over there whenever my own booth got slow. So when I was thinking about how to spend this limited time with my daughter, sewing just naturally came to my mind. I'm so excited to be getting back into this. Of course, when I last sewed, patterns cost $1.75, and the last time I was at Jo Anne Fabrics, I saw a price tag of $16.95. Things may have changed a bit....but the ability to sew comes in awfully handy, and I'm so glad to be getting a second chance at passing down my knowledge. Anybody around here want some sewing lessons? I might just decide to teach some other people once my daughter flies off for new adventures!
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