Wed-5-Aug-2009 - Things I Only Learned 'Cau se I Was Schooled At Home ....
I was messaging someone today because they wanted to hear from 2nd generational homeschoolers.
Samuel might only be 3yo, but I consider myself one! 
Are there things I plan to do differently than my mom? Sure. Does that mean I'll be Mrs. Perfect Homeschooler? Nope, that just means I'll make new and different mistakes. Anyway, as a tribute to my mama, here is my list of things I learned as a homeschooler:
#1 Conflict
I saw conflict. I had conflict, and often nobody went anywhere until it was resolved. And in the end, I learned how to deal with it. And, more importantly, I learned that even though two people engage in conflict, doesn't mean they don't love each other. It means two people disagree - and it doesn't have to mean anything else. I learned a little bit of what to do, and a bit of what not to do, and I came up with a few of my own ideas for if the day ever came when I was in such a situation.
Fortunatly, Miss Perfect found Mr. Perfect, and I've never had to face conflict, myself .... HAHAHA!
#2 How to deal (or not to deal) with Interruptions
I watched my mom homeschool. She wasn't a saint. At the time, I think it bugged me ... but now I'm strangely comforted, because I've learned that, well, er I'mnotreallyasainteither.
As a teenager, I wish I'd realized more how being interrupted was a chance for me to learn patience. And to overcome. And all that stuff I probably heard in one ear but drizzled out the other nearly as fast as it went in. Still, it was practice. I'm still practicing. It's getting better, but I probably still need about ten more years of practice! Yes, I'm dreadfully impatient. The good news is, for the most part, I've been interrupted nearly non-stop for almost 27 years ... so it's kinda, sorta always been there. Instead of it being the Stinking Worst Thing ever, which I have the temper to make it out to be.
On a funny note, I go visit my family, and I call my boys Aaron and Adrian, and sometimes even Adam, after my brothers for days afterwards. Sometimes I see Samuel doing something, and I forget he's my son and he looks just like a little brother to me. Now THAT can make you feel old. *sigh*
#3 How Time Flies
Speaking of old, watching my younger siblings grow up puts time in perspective. Anyone who has a younger sibling by 8 or 10 years has a clock that will not let them forget the passage of time. I watch my younger brothers. I remember when Aaron was three years old, like Samuel is now. I *NEVER EVER* thought that skinny little annoying child would grow up. I repeat - NEVER. Adrian? I can remember when he was three, too. We used to wonder how tall he would end up being. But it never really dawned on me that he'd grow up, and we'd actually know. So I watch my boys and I realize it will be gone before I know it. And it scares me sometimes, but they are not really "my" boys. They are God's, He has only let me have them a little while. I don't really have a clue how long that is......
#4 How to Multi-Task
Without being homeschooled, and having younger, pesky siblings not catagorized in a different part of the compound away from me most of the time, I would not have gotten the practice multi-tasking (and tolerating) that I have.
#5 What Real Life Looks Like
I think this is worst of all. I think spending so much time in a class room prepares you to spend time in an office or a cubical somewhere. I don't think school prepares you to be a wife or a mom, or a husband or a father. No amount of intimacy ed or home ec or shop class can really, really teach you how to interact with a family.
And I think that's why being a family just intimadates so much. They haven't practiced it, they haven't seen it in action much except on nights and weekends. So of course most people are comfortable in the type of place were they spent most of their time growing up - four walls, being told what to do, having a set "job" with set "priorities" and set "goals".
What prepares you for children and their neediness? What prepares you for life? How can people watch so much TV and play so many games and not need each other more is beyond me . . . .
Anyway, I believe being at home, and spending massive amounts of time with my family taught me so much that public schooling just can't touch. I wish I could put it into words. For every place homeschooling might have "set me back", like in math skills, in the end it put me ahead in so many ways and in so many areas that the math part of it just really doesn't matter.
There are always math tutors for hire . . . .
All that time - all those years - with my family? Priceless!
~Ashley~
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Mon-13-Apr-2009 - What about Socialization?
I copied this almost word-for-word from HERE. I hope ya'll enjoy; I think it's great. *smile*
~Ashley~
Two women meet at a playground where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching and eventually begin to talk.
Woman #1: Hi, my name's Maggie. Those are my three kids in the red shirts - it helps me keep track of them.
Woman #2: I'm Patty. Mine are in pink and yellow. Do you come here alot?
W#1: Usually two or three times in a week, after we go to the library.
W#2: Wow! Where do you find the time?
W#1: We homeschool, so we do it during our day most of the time.
W#2: Some of my neighbours homeschool, but my kids go to public school.
W#1: How do you do it?
W#2: It isn't easy. I go to alot of PTA meetings and work with the kids everyday after school and stay really involved.
W#1: Don't you worry about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being cooped up all the time with kids their own age? What if they never get the opportunity for natural relationships?
W#2: Well, I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who are homeschooled and we try to visit their grandparents once a month.
W#1: Sounds like you are a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're so isolated from real life. How will they learn what the real world is like -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?
W#2: Oh, we discussed that at the PTA, and we started a fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we're having a woman from Japan and man from Kenya come to speak.
W#1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.
W#2: That's nice. Hmmm. maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom on Multicultural Day.
W#1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children?
W#2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit that day. It's a system wide thing we're doing.
W#1: Oh, well maybe you'll meet someone at the grocery store sometime and be able to invite them to dinner.
W#2: I don't think that is likely. I don't talk to people in the grocery store -- certainly not people who might not speak my language. What if that Japanese man you met hadn't spoken English?
W#1: Well, I never had time to think about. Before I even saw him, my 6 year old had already asked him what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.
W#2: You let your children talk to strangers?
W#1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he is with me, he may speak to anyone he wishes.
W#2: But you're developing dangerous habits with him. My children never talk to strangers.
W#1: Even if you're there with them?
W#2: They're never with me. Except at home after school. So you see why it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a no-no.
W#1: Well, yes. But if they are with you, they could get to meet interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.
W#2: They'll get all that in the third and fifth grades of their health courses.
W#1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my number -- if you ever want to talk, give me a call. It was good to meet you.
Author unknown.
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Thu-3-Jul-2008 - Am I Going To Be Able to Homeschool?
When I envision homeschooling, I must admit that I’m a lot more relaxed about it than most people that I know. I want my children to want to learn (like most people) and plan to read historically accurate story books rather than buying history curriculum and stuff like that. Hopefully, it takes longer for my children to get burnt out on story-time than it does "sit here and read this book for half an hour and then I'm going to ask you questions."
Recently, though, Samuel’s attitude has come into play. VERY tongue in cheek, I’ve started to wonder what the future holds.
I’m stubborn, and my wonderful husband can be very stubborn, too. So it’s only natural that our children have these stubborn streaks a mile wide. They get it from being human, I think.
Anyway, about a month ago, Samuel and I had this argument about colors. I was trying to helpfully teach him the different colors since he had expressed interest. However, he became utterly determined that everything he saw was going to be yellow. For a while, no other color seemed to exist for him!
He also grasps the concept of 1, 2 . . . . . and 5. So, today at breakfast, I got the bright idea to try to fill in the gap. I went and picked up three matchbox cars, and put two on the table. Problem is, he saw me pick up three, and set down two, so he was too distracted to focus on the words coming out of my mouth.
Finally, I helpfully prompted him. “Are there two cars, Samuel?”
“Yeah.”
I put the third car on the table, to his great relief. “Now how many are there?”
He studied them carefully. I tried to help again.
“One, two . . .”
“Nine!”
Where that number comes from, I don’t know. He must have pulled it randomly from his memory. We proceeded to argue about what the third car should be called – nine or three.
“One, two, thr(“nine”!)ee.”
Boy, my son can sure argue! It amuses me, because I’m sure sometimes I’m just as certain that I have the right answer, or I totally try to bluff God when I’m just guessing as well.
The part that concerns me is the future. Is this going to become habit? I can see myself years from now . . . .
“In 1492,
“No, mom. I’m pretty sure it was 1592.”
“Um, son, I’m reading this out of a book. It’s 1492.”
“Whatever. It was 1592.”
“1492.”
“1592.”
“1492!!”
Hahahahaha . . . . . . I love my eldest son . . . . .
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Wed-5-Dec-2007 - How much learning? Homeschooling ideas....
I left this as part of a comment on a blog today, Families Against Feminism:The Great Debate. I've been watching the discusion about the government control of education, and it's quite interesting and I finally threw in my two cents. I thought I would throw this out to be looked over and thought it might even provoke a few questions.
Now, I'm not saying that education isn't important. What I am saying is that I think education can become a god. What are you going to do with your life? If you don't have a diploma, you're sunk. Or if you don't have a degree, you won't ever succeed. You'll just get by, scrap the bottom, shop at Goodwill.
And everyone knows, no one really happy shops at Goodwill. The really happy people are all at Old Navy. Which is about as cheap as the DAV, but at least name brand. And made of much cheaper material than most of the stuff at Goodwill, I might add. 
Excuse my sarcasim. I'm just really familure with the these kinds of unspoken, but often thought about, cliques.
My husband has a wonderful job, thanks to his four year degree.
Oh, wait. Let me rephrase that. My husband has a wonderful job, thanks to our wonderful Lord and Savior who led him to go to college and then never let him quit until he had the degree. Even though he wanted to change majors several times, and even though his beloved wife strongly encouraged him to do so during some of his most stressful classes. God is faithful. He knew the future, and he never gave my husband a bit of peace about changing majors. So my husband got the degree even though he wasn't sure he would ever use it.
The point is, I'm thankful he went to college. What I'm doubting is how the public school system teaches, and the effectiveness of it. And just how effective it is to try to pattern teaching our children at home after a faulty system.
Without further ado, here is most of my comment. The rest was about age segretation, lol. Sorry to leave you wondering - the conversation at FaF is potentially deeper than most go into the issue of homeschooling, I think. 
I have recently been evaluating just how much my children *need* to learn. How much do they *need* to excel at college? For example, my history went like this:
2nd grade: American history
3rd grade: World history
4th grade: American history w/detail
5th grade: World history w/detail
And so on and so on. By the time I hit 6-7th grade, I was incredibly bored. I enjoyed reading about the Alamo, or specific historical books about individuals, but I was tired of going over the same things. By the time I took American History 101 in college, I didn't have the dates memorized. Did my 10+ years of rehashing the same info help me that much?
This is my plan: My children and I are going to read about the Pilgrim fathers. The Santa Fe Trail. Lewis and Clark. John Adams. Indians. Cowboys. And then somewhere along the line we'll get a book of American history that ties it together in a big picture. Hopefully we get even more ideas on who we want to read about. The same goes for World history. Martin Luther, William Penn.
Okay, so then one of my children goes to college and takes History 101. What if they haven't come across the fact, ever before, that XYZ happened in 1323? The important thing is that they will have learned how to study! And I think they will actually have a bigger picture of history, in more detail, than someone going through the current grade-by-grade system, even homeschooled as I was!
I know, I'm crazy, but I'm going to do the same with biology. We'll go to the library and get books on flower guts during the summer while they are blooming so we can look at the real stemens and pestils and I'm just going to cram them full of learning when they have no idea they are even in school.
The amount of time my children will spend sitting at a table doing workbooks (math, english, etc) will be limited. Enough for them to be fluent. But what I want them to master is an understanding of the Word of God.
I fear that public/Christian schools teach acedemics. Christian schools have a Bible class and squeeze God in. I want to live my life filled for God and squeeze in the essential acedemics!
I know too many parents who boast about their child knowing the ABC's or counting to 100 in English and Spanish, and memorizing Scripture doesn't cross their minds. Just like other parents focus on sports. These things profit but a little! We have the chance to impart to our children the Words of Life!
I have read almost half a dozen books of the Bible to my son this year. KJV, lol. Does he understand it? I have no idea. Pretty pictures? No. But my 20 month old *runs* to stand on his tippy toes and get my Bible off the dresser and carries it into his bedroom where I can sit in my rocker and read him a chapter as he lays down for a nap. May he never, ever lose this enthusasim!!!!
Anyway, I share this story to illustrate that my goal is to impart a love for God and the things of God. Not for my children to excell in math or spelling.
There is such a push these days - if you don't graduate high school, you'll never amount to anything and end up in jail!
NO, if you don't love God and serve Him in everything you do and say and think, THEN you won't amount to anything! For what does it matter if we gain the whole world but lose our soul?
A very impassioned homeschool graduate who has absolutely no fear of sacrificing most of her time to teach her own children,
Ashley
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Fri-17-Aug-2007 - So what about Veggie Tales?
I know I’m going to be stepping on a whole bunch of toes here. I hope that after you read this blog, however, you understand just how carefully I want to guard our children’s hearts, and even if you don’t agree, respect us for this desire. (I say “us” because Jay is 100% behind me on this!)
For a preface, let me say that I have watched 75% of the Veggie Tale movies, up to Madam Blueberry or the Jonah movie, whichever is later. If I seem to pick on these movies, it’s because I saw them last and they are the most fresh on my mind.
So why won’t our children be watching Veggie Tales?
I can already hear people groaning – ‘Com’on, lighten up! It’s just a bit of entertainment!”
No, folks, this isn’t about ‘just’ entertainment. It’s about the Holy, Sacred Word of God. If I entertain my son with Biblical knock-offs as a youngster, should I be surprised when he’s still thirsting for entertainment as an adult? Is it possible to take the Bible too seriously? To respect it and revere it too much?
I would say no.
#1 Most importantly, we desire that the line between Truth and fiction be stark and obvious.
The Bible says we are to cling to the Truth, and to examine and compare things to the Scripture.
This lesson was made startlingly clear to me when I was reading a series about the life of Jesus – then my husband and I started reading the book of Matthew. I kept thinking about the characters in the books and confusing their emotions and thoughts with what we were reading! Some of the un-named characters in the Bible had been given names in the novel, and I was ready to “teach” my husband who was who, and explain to him how each person though and what influenced them to turn to Christ!
This was my first experience with “blurring” the lines, and it scared me to death. The Bible is a book I should be ready to die for. I want to know what is actually in it, not a mix of fact and fiction.
My greatest hope is that my son, at a very young age, could be so seeped in the actual, Scriptural stories that he can recognize exaggeration and untruth when he sees it.
#2 I do not want to use the media of TV to teach my son. When my son wants to know why we don’t steal – Deuteronomy 5:19. Why do we pray before we eat? Mark
If I start using TV to educate, I might start to park my son in front of the screen while I “do more important things”. This is one reason we don’t have a separate TV and computer. It would be incredibly easy to park my son in front of the TV and play on the computer, all in the name of education!
I also don’t want to fall into the trap of teaching that we don’t steal “because it hurts people” or “it always backfires in the end”, because it doesn’t. Not always. There have been times in my life when I didn’t care about what my parents wanted, but I held fast because God has made it abundantly clear in the Scriptures what my position was to be.
#3 Children are very impressionable. I do not think it is possible to start reading the Bible to your children too early. What I do not want, is while I am reading the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho for Samuel to be envisioning peas with French accents throwing slushie drinks onto a large pickle. This is sacred. Holy. The battle of
Samuel enjoys it when we read our Bibles in *gasp* the KJV. He’ll go get our Bibles when we head into the lounge and hand mine to me and climb up on the loveseat. He enjoys it when I read the Psalms to him before he takes a nap. It is all he knows. He has not been taught that he needs an easier – to – read version with pictures. If we had introduced him to Bible story books instead, we’d probably bore him to death with the actual Bible.
#4 Movies and cartoons based on historical events cannot be accurate. This bothers me when it comes to the Bible, which I consider sacred, and also to distortions of early American history that is currently being twisted into unrecognizable forms. For example, I do not like it when John Smith becomes a pagan instead of Pocahontas converting to Christianity! That bothers me, but not as much as films such as The Passion and The Prince of Egypt and Veggie Tales.
I have found myself walking around the house singing “…the bunny, the bunny, ooh, I love the bunny! I gave up all I had, only for the bunny.”
This is about King Nebuchadnezzar creating a giant idol and commanding all to bow down to it, in the Veggie Tale it’s this big, chocolate bunny. If, in the book of Daniel, we had a record of the king singing to his wicked idol, would we ever sing such a thing? Or let our children sing it? NO!!! Yet, without thinking, I have walked around singing or humming something that is supposed to symbolize this very relationship. Ouch.
~ Well, folks, these are just four of our reasons, and trust me, I could expound upon them in greater detail, but I won’t. It is difficult to stand alone on such an issue, but my love of God’s Word and concern for my son’s eternal soul helps me to make this choice. I hope you understand that in our family, we are simply guarding so carefully against “blurring the lines”.
My son can be entertained watching other things that does not add or take away from the Bible. Sports. Family movies. Carefully choosen films that teach morals. We have bunches of the Beverly Hillbillies episodes, and we've been watching Leave It To Beaver which we checked out from the library recently - a first for both Samuel and I! *smiles* ~
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