The "Real World"

"What will happen when your kids (meaning, my homeschooled kids) have to encounter the 'real world' someday?"

That's a question I've heard often during my years of homeschooling. It's usually a sincere question, but one that indicates that the person asking it doesn't feel that being at home is being part of the "real world." It's actually a mindset that I, myself, had before I left the classroom to be a full time stay-at-home mom.

I remember very, very well what we were doing the morning of September 11, 2001. We were living in an apartment, having sold our house and in the process of building another one in a neighboring community. My husband traveled and was not home, and would be sitting in a board room in Corpus Christi, TX for most of the day. My children (kindergarten and 2nd grade at the time) and I were sitting at our little dining table in that small, third-floor apartment finishing breakfast and prayer time and beginning our schoolwork. The phone rang, and it was a friend who knew I wouldn't have the TV on, telling me I'd better turn it on. I watched in horror as I saw what had happened to the first tower. Then I saw it happen to the second tower. In the meantime the report came on about the Pentagon. It was horrific and surreal. But it was real. It was happening. It was something that would impact all of us, and it was unfolding at that very moment.

I remember being so glad my kids were there with me that day. We were able to discuss what was going on and to immediately go to our knees in prayer. I didn't have to wonder if I should go get them at school. (I know many who wanted their kids with them, and rightly so.) We were able to discuss that no, we were not in danger of a plane being flown into our apartment even though we were on the third floor (a very real concern to a 5 year old, who thought three flights of stairs was a skyscraper!) They were able to talk to their father on the phone, who was getting one of the last rental cars available in the city where he was, and to pray while he drove home. They processed what was going on in the way their minds could comprehend it, all the while being reminded that God is in control and being comforted by their mother. I remember that God gave me the hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" that day. I tried to help the three of us keep our eyes on Jesus, especially given what was in front of our eyes on the news.

Meanwhile, the kids in the elementary school near us knew nothing about what was going on (not that they should've told them in that setting). Since it was not known if schools were a target, the administration made the (wise) decision not to allow them to go outside for recess, and they were told it was because of an "ozone warning." The horror-stricken teachers had to slip out of their classes and go down to the office or teacher's lounge to catch snippets of what had happened, all the while not letting on to their students that one of the most historic events to happen in our country in their lifetime was unfolding. The students continued doing their work as if everything was fine, and the teachers had to stay in their classrooms, largely uninformed.

Who was experiencing the "real world" that day? My kids or those kids? Those of us who knew what was going on or the ones who were sequestered away from it? I don't get into the "public school vs. homeschool" debates, and I don't think homeschooling is always superior for every child, but I do tire of the argument that homeschoolers aren't in the "real world."

It's days like this that remind me that yes, they are.

Originally posted 9-11-07

Educational Choices

I'm still here! I canNOT believe it's been over a month since I posted on my homeschool blog. Incredible. BUT, we do have some incredible things going on in our household... things I can't wait to post about but things I find hard to put into words at the moment. On the school front, we have been plugging along, winding up our year. Tomorrow we will go to our big ole' book fair/ convention. I'll try to post what I found and what our plans are. Even if it doesn't help anyone else, it helps me to get it written down and formulate some thoughts! In a way I've needed the breather, but in many ways I've missed this blog. I'm sure I'll be post-happy this summer and make up for my time away!

I came across this today on Josh Harris' blog. Years ago God used his father Gregg's words to speak truth into our family and into our homeschool. Then I became familiar with Josh through is books, and now his blog. I just love him and his Godly insight about so many things. I know this is the time of year when so many of us are evaluating the school year we just had and making plans for next year. I just wanted to share what he said on his blog and to his church. May his words encourage you as you are deciding how to proceed with your children's education. May we all support each other as the body of Christ.




I'll be back soon!

Whose Children Are They?

Can you imagine the public outcry that would be heard if it were suddenly brought into question whether parents could legally be in charge of feeding their own children unless at least one parent became a certified, registered dietitian? What if, in order to prepare your children's food in your own home it was mandatory to be under the ongoing supervision of a credentialed, registered dietitian?

How do you think the general public would feel about their state assuming that since one family didn't adequately feed their children (as determined by the courts) now all families must receive training and certification as dietitians and cooks, or else bring their children to state-funded nutrition centers for all of the meals for their minor children? Because, obviously, parents can't be trusted. They're not qualified. The feeding of children is too important an issue. We can't leave dietary decisions and menu implementation to amateurs! Even amateurs who love these children with their very lives and are doing everything they can to educate themselves and feed them properly. Parents either must receive the necessary qualification and certification to cook for and feed their own children, or let the proper professionals handle it. In fact, it should be the law.

This sounds a bit absurd in the realm of nutrition, but this is exactly what's happening in the realm of education. The underlying assumption is that parents simply can't be trusted to educate their own children.

This week's California Court of Appeal decision is found here. If you haven't already, I encourage you to go read it. The language is clear. It's not just about this one family. The decision is now on the path to become a legal precedent for other cases. I don't think it's alarmist at all to listen to James Dobson's radio broadcast for today and consider seriously what is discussed. It's not paranoid to join HSLDA or at least your state's support group. It's not irrational to go here and sign this petition on behalf of thousands of homeschoolers in California. You never know when your family might benefit from the work that's being done on behalf of the rights of parents. Parents who happen to want to nourish the minds of their children themselves... through homeschooling.

**Edited to add: This is not just a homeschool issue! Al Mohler has a great post about this on his blog here. Dr. Mohler states, "This is a controversy that demands the attention of all parents. After all, if parents have no constitutional right to educate their own children, what other aspects of the parent's choices for their own children lack protection? This question reaches far beyond educational decisions."

Raising Future Leaders

Every summer my husband and I are privileged to attend a leadership summit at our church. The first couple of times I went, I felt like I was in the presence of great leaders but I didn't feel like a leader myself. Sure, I help my husband coordinate a ministry, but he's the leader... not me! About two years ago I was sitting there at the summit, having those thoughts, and it was as if the Lord broke in on my thoughts and said to me, "You are a leader. You lead not only in a small group in your church, but more importantly you lead the little souls living in your home everyday." Since that day, I have seen myself more as a leader and have even begun to apply some of the leadership principles I've learned to our homeschool.

Today I came across this article at the HSLDA website. I had never really considered that I was running a "leadership academy" at my home, but in many ways I am! And chances are, you are too!

In your homeschool, do you...

... foster "independent thinking," encouraging them not to follow the crowd doing something simply because it is popular?

...do your part to help them cultivate a strong faith in God, and to act according to their beliefs?

...nurture your child's creative thinking by giving him situations where he must "think outside the box?"

...teach your child not to be ashamed to go against popular thought and to act in accordance with a strong code of ethics?

If so, you are raising future leaders! Whatever your name for your homeschool (if you have one), you could put the words "Leadership Academy" in the name, and it would be an accurate description.

I believe God is raising up a generation of godly men and women who will lead His people into a key period on heaven's timeline, and some of the leaders He will utilize are in enrolled in our "leadership academies" at this very moment. Isn't that an exciting thought?

The "Real World"

"What will happen when your kids (meaning, homeschoolers) have to encounter the 'real world' someday?"

That's a question I've heard often during my years of homeschooling. It's usually a sincere question, but one that indicates that the person asking it doesn't feel that being at home is being part of the "real world." It's actually a mindset that I, myself, had before I left the classroom to be a full time stay-at-home mom.

I remember very, very well what we were doing the morning of September 11, 2001. We were living in an apartment, having sold our house and in the process of building another one in a neighboring community. My husband traveled and was not home, and would be sitting in a board room in Corpus Christi, TX for most of the day. My children (kindergarten and 2nd grade at the time) and I were sitting at our little dining table in that small, third-floor apartment finishing breakfast and prayer time and beginning our schoolwork. The phone rang, and it was a friend who knew I wouldn't have the TV on, telling me I'd better turn it on. I watched in horror as I saw what had happened to the first tower. Then I saw it happen to the second tower. In the meantime the report came on about the Pentagon. It was horrific and surreal. But it was real. It was happening. It was something that would impact all of us, and it was unfolding at that very moment.

I remember being so glad my kids were there with me that day. We were able to discuss what was going on and to immediately go to our knees in prayer. I didn't have to wonder if I should go get them at school. (I know many who wanted their kids with them, and rightly so.) We were able to discuss that no, we were not in danger of a plane being flown into our apartment even though we were on the third floor (a very real concern to a 5 year old, who thought three flights of stairs was a skyscraper!) They were able to talk to their father on the phone, who was getting one of the last rental cars available in the city where he was, and to pray while he drove home. They processed what was going on in the way their minds could comprehend it, all the while being reminded that God is in control and being comforted by their mother. I remember that God gave me the hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" that day. I tried to help the three of us keep our eyes on Jesus, especially given what was in front of our eyes on the news.

Meanwhile, the kids in the elementary school near us knew nothing about what was going on (not that they should've told them in that setting). Since it was not known if schools were a target, the administration made the (wise) decision not to allow them to go outside for recess, and they were told it was because of an "ozone warning." The horror-stricken teachers had to slip out of their classes and go down to the office or teacher's lounge to catch snippets of what had happened, all the while not letting on to their students that one of the most historic events to happen in our country in their lifetime was unfolding. The students continued doing their work as if everything was fine, and the teachers had to stay in their classrooms, largely uninformed.

Who was experiencing the "real world" that day? My kids or those kids? Those of us who knew what was going on or the ones who were sequestered away from it? I don't get into the "public school vs. homeschool" debates, and I don't think homeschooling is always superior for every child, but I do tire of the argument that homeschoolers aren't in the "real world."

It's days like this that remind me that yes, they are.

My Annual Pep Talk

This week I had my pep rally. It was time for my yearly back-to-school pep talk, so I turned to my well-worn, highlighted, written-in, coffee-stained copy of Educating the WholeHearted Child by Sally Clarkson (did you know she has an awesome blog?!) I flipped the book open to page one, and reread words that have ministered to and motivated me for the past 9 years. I thought I'd share them with you today:

"Home schooling is the right thing to do. No matter what mulititude of reasons may have initially influenced your decision to bring your children home, in the end the only reason that really matters is that it is the right thing to do. In your heart, God moved you toward the decision, confirming through a variety of sources that you were doing the right thing. And in your heart, you made the step of faith to do what you knew was right- to bring your children home to disciple and educate them as a family.

That decision, though, was not an uninformed or blind leap of faith. It was guided by conviction, born out of much consideration and research, and shaped in your heart and mind by the Holy Spirit. You have good reasons why home schooling is the right thing to do. You home school because it is right to guard your children against the aggressive secular, humanisitic worldview of the public school. You home school because it is right to shield your children from the immorality that permeates the public school, both the student body and the faculty. You home school because it is right to protect your children from the violence and wickedness that inflicts so many public schools. You home school because it is right to want your children to receive a better education under your loving guidance than the average public school is providing. You home school because it is right for parents to control what their children are studying and are being exposed to without being labeled intolerant and narrow-minded. You home school because it is right to decide that learning at home is better stewardship than spending thousands of dollars for a private school. You home school because it is right to follow God's design for family not just in living, but in learning as well. You home school because it is right to guide your children's Christian character development at home rather than allow them to be "socialized" by secular, untrained, unsupervised schoolmates. You home school because it is right to keep your children under your authority until they are grown, rather than place them under other unknown authorities at a school. You home school because it is right to love your children and want to be with them every day of their lives until they are grown- that is what God intended."

Whether you are embarking on your first year of homeschooling or your ninth year... doesn't it feel great to have someone cheer you on? To tell you that what you are doing, how you are feeling, and the choice you have made for your family is right? This was so affirming to me when we first started, when I was doubting my abilities, thinking I might be crazy or perhaps overprotective for not simply enrolling my daughter in the nice school down the street. All these years later, it still feels good to be told, "it is right."

I feel like I must say at this point that if you are reading this and are not a homeschooler, the flipside of this is not "you are wrong." That's not my intent at all, nor the intent of the author I am sure. But those who are going the more traditional route already have society as a whole directly and indirectly affirming that decision (as well as directly and indirectly questioning the validity of homeschooling). What is right for one family may not be right for another. For us, homeschooling is right.

And I'm pepped up for another year.

:)

Yes. Through high school.

One of the most common questions I'm asked about homeschooling, second only to the "socialization" question (which, ironically, is usually asked at an event where my kids are, well, socializing) is "Are you planning to homeschool all the way through high school?" To which I used to reply: "I don't know. We're taking it year by year."

But that's not my answer anymore.

When I used to have my "year-by-year" state of mind, I questioned homeschooling every summer, like clockwork. In February I would have my regularly scheduled breakdown, stuff my feelings, plow through spring, and then in the summer I would revisit my February freakout and wonder if I should homeschool the next year. In the back of my mind, I knew I would, or at least knew I wanted to. At least I wanted to want to. I would allow myself to imagine what a better experience they would have at school. I would imagine the perfect teacher, always well-dressed and friendly, daily challenging them with imaginative and thought-provoking lessons. Then I would imagine myself in my cute tennis outfit, cheerfully picking them up from school. (No, I don't play tennis. But I might, right?)

One summer, I settled it. With myself, and with God. I prayed, "God if you mean for me to quit homeschooling, I will expect You to reveal it to me through your Word and through my husband. Not my feelings of inadequacy, not my kids' attitudes, not the world's standards of what's "normal," and not my desire to do something easier. I commit to homeschooling all the way through high school, and fully rely on You to enable me to do so. I believe that You called me to this, and that you will equip me for it. Thank You that I have reached the end of myself so quickly so that I will more readily rely on Your strength and wisdom." I told my husband, "I'm in." (Bless his heart! I don't think he ever knew I was "out!") I said, "If we are ever to stop homeschooling, I will expect you to be the one to tell me, knowing full well that you are the one most accountable to God for how we raise these children." (He's been 100% in favor of homeschooling since the beginning, and has never entertained one thought of doing otherwise.)

I wish I could say that since I "settled it" I've never had one bad day of homeschooling or one moment of feeling overwhelmed. But I can't. What I can say is that since I "settled it" and committed to homeschool through high school, I haven't had my semiannual moments of thinking homeschooling isn't for us. I may wonder what I can change, or how to do things better, but I don't entertain ideas of quitting homeschooling altogether. Because I firmly believe this is what we are supposed to do, for many, many reasons (which are a whole 'nother post!) God has graciously given me JOY in homeschooling, even on the toughest days. Not the "holy jollies" but the deep abiding joy and peace that comes from doing what He's asked me to do. I love it.

Yesterday at the library, while the kids were perusing books, I sat with my laptop and typed up our high school checklist. I adapted it from our state's graduation requirements. (For my daughter's upcoming 8th grade year, we are doing a few credits that will count for her high school transcript and I want to be sure I begin my documentation now.) I found that as I typed words like "chemistry" and "physics," I was amazingly calm! I didn't flinch! I even felt a sense of excitement. And I KNOW it's not coming from my own self-assuredness in those subjects. I know it will be challenging, but not for God. He can do anything. And through Him, I can, too. "By my God, I can leap over a wall" (Psalm 18:29) even if that "wall" is helping my kids through a difficult school subject, or all of high school! He can give my children (and me) "learning and skill in all literature and wisdom." (Daniel 1:17) Including calculus! My confidence is in Him, and that's where it should stay! The glory's all His.

It's with confidence in my calling and in my God- NOT in myself, that I can boldly answer:

"Yes. Through high school."

In case you've been living under a rock like I have...

there's some interesting, thought-provoking blogging going on!

I think it started here. Then there was a rebuttal here. And another response here. Somewhere in all that time, this article was posted on Pulpit. If you have time, it is an excellent discussion. The links in the posts, and some of the comments make for some good reading! Of course, I have thoughts... lots of thoughts. But I'll post just this one for now:

We homeschool because of what homeschooling is, not because of what public school isn't. And I don't think everyone should homeschool. (Okay, I guess that was two thoughts...)

If my two brain cells rub together this week and I have any more thoughts on this to post, I will. I'd love to post about why we homeschool, and I will at some point (probably after I get back from China) but I touched on the public school vs. homeschool debate a few months ago in this post.

So anyway, you've probably already read all of the above links (except mine!) and I'm the last Christian homeschooling blogger to know there was a buzz going on. I'd love to know your thoughts, too. And if you've posted about it on your blog, let me know!

Different Kids, Different Approaches

This year has been a bit of an experiment for me. I posted almost a year ago that my about-to-be-seventh grader had asked for textbooks. The actual title of the original post was :::Gasp!::: Textbooks in which I conveyed some of my misgivings in employing what I had come to believe was mediocre means of learning. She originally "discovered" textbooks one afternoon at our public library, where there is a large shelf containing all of the state-adopted texts by grade level. She found all of the grade 7 selections and brought the big stack over to our table. I remember watching her as she grew more and more interested. "Oh, I like this one!" "Wow, this is the history??" "Hey, Mom, can we use this for grammar next year?" I sat there next to my crate o' living books, my library clipboard in hand (and still clutching my somewhat superior attitude, I must admit) and said through a forced smile, "We'll see, honey..."

I remember thinking, "How can this be?" Since kindergarten I had been sifting through the "twaddle," making sure we read excellent books and following the Well-Trained Mind method as closely as I could manage without going insane. To me, the classical method of education represented "excellence" and the textbook model represented "mediocrity" or perhaps, "settling." I looked at that stack of books and thought about it for a few moments, then I began going through them, one by one. Each week when we returned to the library, I looked through them again and again.

I decided that we would go with the state adopted Texas history and grammar books. She insisted that she also wanted a [gulp] literature book, but I didn't want the state textbook for that, as it really didn't line up with our family's philosophical or theological beliefs. We ended up picking up an Abeka literature book as it had varied selections of classics from solid authors. I refuse to "curriculum hop" in math, so we didn't consider the state math book. She had asked for BJU science in sixth grade, which we'd used and enjoyed, so we stuck with BJU for seventh. For French, I found the newly-adopted French 1 text (high school) which we are taking two years to work through. By summer's end she had her textbooks all lined up in her locker, wrapped in cute book covers, ready to go. She was thrilled. (For links to all of her books, you may click "Grade 7" under "Our Curriculum" in the sidebar.)

She has spent seventh grade faithfully plugging through her beloved textbooks while her brother has been more "classically" taught. So, how has the year gone for her? (As Dr. Phil would say, "How'zat workin' out for ya?") Actually, splendidly! She has flourished! She told me the other day that grammar is now her favorite subject. She told me recently that her Texas history book is the only reason she likes history. She has read all of the assigned selections in her literature book and has responded with wonderfully well-written paragraphs. She is "faison le bon progres" in her French text. It's really been one of her best years ever! She has always been a strong student, obediently doing whatever is assigned and participating in any and all activities I have planned, but this year has been unusually... pleasant. And I'm seeing evidence that she's actually retaining what she is learning.

So, what am I to make of this? Is it an either/or proposition? Either classical education OR textbooks? I don't think so. Back to what I said earlier that the classical method represented "excellence" to me. I believe one can pursue a textbook-y education with excellence. I have been pleased that we are concurrently working through logic books, so she is able to reason through and "argue with" some of what she is reading, particularly in history. (There is no reason to argue with adjectival clauses in grammar, really.) She is fully aware that what is in her texts is in no way the exhaustive knowledge of the subject, and that the texts (including the Christian ones) are written according to the bias of the authors/committees who wrote them. Overall, it's been a very positive year for her, and for me as her teacher. We have continued Latin and, as I mentioned, logic. I have also been assigning her novels out of the Sonlight list, so that she reads entire books, not just selections/snippets of books. We have great discussions about what she is learning.

What I have discovered is that the classical education I wanted for my kids was putting an emphasis on what I wanted. How I wanted to teach, what I wanted them to have. I believe it laid a great foundation for her in the grammar stage, and it continues to be the way my son learns best. He loves the piles of books, the Socratic discussions, the never-ending amount of information through which to plow each day. Don't get me wrong- he loves his "assignment sheet" and he loves to be DONE at the end of the day, but the continual stream of books into this house energizes him, whereas it seemed to overwhelm her.

I am continuing to learn. Not just the subject matter (which I now have to study ahead of them!) but how they learn, and how to adapt according to their changing needs. I am learning that it's okay to do things differently for each of them. I am learning that it's okay to do what works. I am still thankful for the classical model, and how it continues to shape our homeschool, even in our "textbook phase!"

"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing." ~Socrates

"Never discourage anyone... who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." ~Plato

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~Aristotle

THIS is why I homeschool:

This is what the back of our van looked like Monday morning! We took a spur-of-the-moment trip to west Texas to visit my sweet grandmother. The kids each packed a duffle, I packed a small bag, grabbed a crate o' school and we were off. My daughter also brought her guitar so she could practice and play along with my grandmother, who plays too. Fun!

Very little in the "crate o' school" got done this week, but they learned so much. We went along with grandmother on her rounds in the nursing homes where she volunteers. They learned how to listen, smile, and love. We played lots and lots of Chicken Foot dominoes (math). We ate each day down at the Senior Center in her town, where they had wonderful conversations with older generations and cleared the trays for them when they were through (social studies). We heard about grandad's time in the occupational forces in Japan in WWII, and about ration books. We looked at old family pictures. (history) We talked about how jelly is made and investigated the leak under her sink. (science) We drove her to a neighboring town for her eye appointment and waited while she had her eyes checked, and they had read their books while they waited (literature). They listened to stories of God's provision in her life and sang old hymns (Bible). Most of all, they learned that we don't always know what tomorrow brings, so if God lays it on your heart to go visit someone, even if you've got a crazy schedule... do it! That's a lesson I've needed to learn for years.

I hope you've had a blessed week!

No Need to "Manufacture a Crisis"

In this morning's paper, I read an editorial about a book titled, "The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America's Public Schools." The columnist had interviewed the authors of the book, and the gist of the article was how today's public schools are stronger than ever. The article went on to extol the virtues of today's public schools, especially some of the wealthy suburban districts (like ours) as being the best public schools in all the world. It was an interesting article, a bright spot amid the usual articles which outline the problems in schools today and leave me feeling overwhelmed on behalf of those who are in positions to bring about change.

But the article today made me reiterate a thought to myself: We homeschool, not because of what the public schools aren't, but because of what homeschooling is.

I came to the above conclusion a few years ago when we built our current house. We were moving from one city to another, and thus changing school districts (though I was homeschooling at the time, which I have all along). We had lived in the city where I grew up and attended public schools, and where I had taught in the public school system before I started staying home with the kids. When I told people of our plans to build a house in a neighboring city/district, several people commented, "Oh, then you won't have to homeschool anymore." I realized then that it had been perceived (even though I had certainly never stated it) that we were homeschooling as an answer to an undesirable public school situation. That wasn't the case at all, in fact. (Besides the fact that I don't consider our current school district to be qualitatively "better" than our former one, but that's another post altogether!)

Of course, there is no shortage of information available to homeschoolers giving ample evidence that public schools are failing our children and that they are a humanistic, godless environment from which we should shelter our Christian children. I never really bought into the most radical of those points of view, because as I stated above, I had been a public school teacher myself. During my time as a teacher I would divide my class list into five groups, and pray for a group of children by name during my quiet times at home each morning. I would get there early and pray over the desks of certain children who I knew were going through rough situations at home or were having particular difficulties at school. During "D.E.A.R." (Drop Everything And Read) time, I would sit at my desk and quietly read my Bible or devotional book. God was very present in my classroom, and I devoted myself to academic excellence. And I wasn't alone! I know there are many, many Christian teachers who do all of that and more in thousands of public schools across America.

So, my thought today is, do we as homeschoolers need the public schools to be failing in order to be firm in our decisions to homeschool? I hope not. The vast majority of this nation's schoolchildren attend public schools. It would benefit all of us for our public schools to be the best in history, as the above book purports. But, that need not affect our family's decision to homeschool. What homeschooling is to us far outweighs what the public schools aren't. But, more than that, it far outweighs even what the public schools are. That's what makes it the best choice for our particular family.

That the current state of our country's public schools is the best in history and in all of the world is certainly debatable (just scroll down to the book's reviews on Amazon). But, for us, that's not at the heart of our decision whether or not to utilize them. I think it speaks more highly of homeschooling as an educational choice for the public schools to be strong and for people to choose to homeschool anyway. For what homeschooling is.

Works-for-me-Wednesday

Homeschooling works for us. It just does. It has made our life easier. It just has. I was the biggest skeptic about homeschooling (in general) and my own ability to do so (in particular). I would've never thought I would (or could, or even should) homeschool. We live in a great district with top-notch schools and wonderful teachers. But for us, educating our kids at home isn't about what the schools aren't, it's about what homeschooling is. There is plenty out there on the internet (and on this blog) to read about what, specifically, homeschooling is, or can be for your family. I just wanted to post on WFMW, as we enter our 8th year of it... that homeschooling works! When I first began praying about school choices for my daughter, all of a sudden homeschooling (which I'd never even heard of, muchless considered before) popped up everywhere for me- articles, TV, people I met, blurbs in the newspaper, online... Maybe, just maybe, you clicked this post today because you should at least consider it, too. :)

It may not work for everyone, but it works for me!

For more great tips from some really smart moms, visit: Rocks In my Dryer. Have a great Wednesday!

Tax-free Shopping, TAKS-free Teaching

"It's the m-o-o-o-st wonderful time of the ye-e-ear!" I remember that Staples commercial a couple of years ago, where the parent danced through the aisles buying school supplies while the glum-faced kids stood looking on... Well, to me this is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Ecclesiastes says there's a "time to gather." Well, this is it! Tax-free weekend! Back-to-school sales! ::::sigh:::: Folders! Paper! Jeans! Socks! Fun!

As we're preparing for an afternoon of gathering certain items tax-free, I've been thinking of the other spelling of the word: TAKS. For those of you not in Texas, the TAKS are the state-wide achievement tests, which have (unfortunately) increasingly begun to govern what teachers are able to teach. I haven't been in the classroom for some time now, but how well I remember that feeling of having a great teaching idea, or coming across a fun activity I'd love to do, only to realize that I really shouldn't because it didn't have test objective tied to it (especially in the spring). Every spring, CPA's have their "tax season," well Texas Public Educators have their "TAKS season" at the same time. (I never noticed the correlation until today!) It took me several years after I quit teaching to not have the test dates firmly implanted in my mind. (In our state, homeschools and private schools do not take the TAKS.) Ahhhh, freedom!

This weekend we have the freedom of shopping for clothes without the added burden of state sales tax. It's not that we don't have to pay for what we're buying, or that we don't have to pay taxes on anything, but eliminating the extra cost of the tax on certain items is... nice. As a homeschooler, I have enormous responsibility in teaching my kids, but eliminating the extra requirement of state testing is... nice. In fact, it's wonderful. Now, the TAKS isn't all bad, just like taxes aren't all bad, both accomplish a measure of common good. Extreme taxation, though, is stifling (just ask our founding fathers!) and many schools suffer from extreme TAKSation. I'm glad to be free from both. Just like our nation still seeks a way to balance taxation, there are many schools and teachers, I'm sure, who have found a way preserve the joy of learning amid the test requirements.

This isn't an "in-your-face" nya-nya to anyone, but just the observation of one lil' ole homeschooler from "deep in the heart," who's gearing up for another year of TAKS-free teaching and heading out for an afternoon of tax-free shopping.

Yee-haw!