Famous Homeschoolers

Homeschooling as a Lifestyle Video

It's a Way of Life!

I thought I'd put a little bit on here about the difference between our homeschooling and some of the other "homeschooling" going on out there. I would like to clarify that for us and many other homeschoolers, homeschooling is A WAY OF LIFE, not a way of doing school. Recently, we met some neighbors who said they "tried" homeschooling but it got boring. The child said he would do his schoolwork in an hour or two and then go back to sleep since there was nothing else to do.

I am telling you this so that you'll understand that just because you hear someone saying they "homeschool", please reject the tendency to associate their way of life with ours. Our homeschooling means we live and look at the world differently. We plan field trips and extra learning ventures together, and most importantly, we make learning a family effort.

This situation has come up partly as a result of the new virtual schools (online school). The homeschooling organizations that we are a part of, including HSLDA, are very clear in their position against these schools as "homeschools." For their reasons and more information, read this:

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/C/CharterSchools.asp

This page also has an article on the dangers of families, especially Christian families, thinking charter schools are a healthy alternative to homeschooling. I hope these articles will help clear up some of the confusion caused by those who view homeschooling as just another way of "getting school done."

Further Links for Socialization Articles

Here's a couple more links for further reading on the issue of socialization I addressed below.

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000068.asp

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20050526/researchers-say-socialization-no-longer-an-issue.htm

The "S" Word

Socialization-Yes, I said it; the "S" word of homeschooling. Since this is the first thing non-homeschoolers always think of, I thought I'd start out by sharing an excerpt on this topic from our family's Homeschool Brochure that we carry around.

In a study of social and emotional development of 9-year olds from private schools and homeschools, home educated children perceived their parents as primary authority figures more often than those in the private-school education.

Data from children that were home educated for at least six years showed they were fiercely independent and strongly emphasized the importance of family.

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20

In a study done by teams at Cornell, it was found that children who spend more time with their peers than with their parents until about fifth grade will become peer dependent. Obviously, this pertains to children spending countless hours in a school building, whether it be private or public school.

Rick Boyer, father of 14 homeschooled children, notes that peer group socialization in school system settings results in making children dependent on their peers, subjecting children to constant attacks on their self-esteem, and isolation from the real “adult” world.

Please feel free to share your comments! Thanks!

Blog Layout

Okay, here's what the layout of this blog is going to be. The links I will be posting on the sidebars of this blog will focus on subject materials that are for entire curriculum/study packages only. They will not include links for individual games, lessons, etc. I will use that section only for full curriculum resources. Throughout the blog postings, I will give you various links for things like fun games, resources, etc. I will work on this as often as possible to provide parents with much-needed materials for the new school year starting soon (for those who start in the fall like the public schools). Thanks!

Welcome!

I am starting this blog for a few reasons. First of all, it is my sincere goal to provide an entire one-stop resource guide for homeschooling parents to homeschool completely free of financial cost. It is my goal that homeschooling parents will be able to find curriculum for free for every grade and learning style of all of their children without spending hours on the computer.

This blog is dedicated to both the many parents I personally know and to those I haven't met that had a heart for homeschooling their children but didn't pursue it for financial concerns. I pray this blog will be a blessing to current and potential homeschooling families everywhere.