Egyptian History -- Today's Homeschooling

Link Love for Greek Studies

• Exodus Books
• Zoomable Map of Ancient Greece
• Ancient Greece.org
• Ancient Greece.com
• Ancient Greece for Kids
• The British Museum Ancient Greece
• BBC Ancient Greece

Abuse of the Homeschool Laws is Real

It is stories like this that will cause governmental action.

To quote:

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- Deputies in DeKalb County arrested a mother and father on charges of truancy after they allegedly kept their 11-year-old daughter out of school for more than a year....The solicitor general has made pursuing parents who don't send their children to school a top priority. "This is not about the parents. This is about the child," said Solicitor General Robert James.

James said the arrests are about intervening in a child's life and keeping them from becoming a statistic. Eighty-eight percent of Georgia's inmates are drop-outs.

Green first said she withdrew her daughter because she was homeless. She then said her daughter was homeschooled. "I had to take my daughter out because I was out on the streets," Green said.

Laws are abused. It's a fact. The only *real* connection between what I am doing with my children and this story is that we both use the word "homeschool." There was no Declaration of Intent filed nor was their attendance filed.

If the community does not self-regulate, we should expect more zealous DAs and solicitors to pursue mandatory regulation and perhaps some sort of forced schooling. A cautionary tale.

Random

This is (of course) Bishop Woodie White and the Dali Lama.

• Tonight is the first real homeschool event Chaos is attending -- a Sadie Hawkins dance.
• This morning we are taking some time to go purchase a dress.
• For some reason she won't wear my Gunny Sack from 1977. Wonder why?
• The kitten is in heat and keeps getting out. Thus we have a vet appointment for THAT THING on Monday morning.
• The house is a wreck; time to clean.
• Laundry is piling up; time to wash.
• I'm tired but not running as far behind as last week.
• I'm titling my sermon "I'm a Leper, She's a Leper, They're all Lepers, Wouldn't you like to be a Leper too?" after Len Sweet's title.
• I can't fit it into the bulletin, though.
• 3 parishioners in 3 different hospitals this week. Miles and Miles apart; thank you God for telephones.
• Still have phone calls to make.
• Got into a flame war on a mailing list this week; realized that it was nothing I said, but who I am (a woman who is clergy.) Won't ever win there. Stopped posting.
• And that made me sad.
• Helped a friend's son with Chemistry last night; I had forgotten how much I love Chemistry.
• I get to teach Chemistry next year! Yay!
• Don't like Biology much though, but fun with microscopes might help.
• Art Appreciation yesterday was OK; learned not to watch more than one episode at a time.

Klingon Night School!!

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Great for Homeschool Moms!
HT: John of the Zeray Gazette

Long Post about Homeschool

I am feeling vaguely unsettled. I feel a tremendous lack of stress and pressure. Ever since we made the decision to homeschool, I have felt this tremendous weight off my shoulders. My children are less stressed, I'm less stressed and I don't think that they are falling behind academically. In fact, I think Chaos is ready to take the EOY exam for at least 3 of her classes. In other words, self pacing is really working.

But, as a former teacher, I am shocked about a few things about homeschooling.

First, the law reads that the parent instructing must have a HS diploma or equivalent. However, reporting is not compulsory therefore the State of Georgia has no idea who has a diploma and who does not. For the most part, this is OK except there are some who are taking advantage of this loophole and the entirety of the homeschooling community/culture is suffering. Unless those of us who are diligent and following the law try to amend this ourselves, eventually the Government will indeed step in and "do" something about it. There is precedent for this.

As an educator, I have seen these children try to enter into public schools and it's painful to watch. The loser here is the child. What is called for is a self check done by the community -- to check on one another.

Also, we are required to test every three years by the state, but again it is not monitored. I have seen kids try to enter the system who have never ever been tested -- and the parent is not held responsible. I know of kids who are pulled out to "homeschool" during testing season and then popped back into school the next school year. One mother actually admitted to me that they were pulled so that the child was not tested (especially for placement and promotion to next grade) because her child would not have passed to the next grade. She did this several times; she eventually moved out of state.

As long as abuses like this exist, the possibility of the government stepping in and compelling is strong. It's a sticky problem with no easy answer. It is obvious to me that the people on this loop are the type to not do this -- I believe most of this abuse exists outside of any real community. But as with gun control, we risk losing our rights if those who are abusing the system are not castigated and reprimanded by the society at large. If we as a society do not do something, the government will.

To Boldy Go...

Today I start a real adventure in homeschooling. I have been trying to get the kids to work within traditional mathematics textbooks to little avail. They just can't stand the rote and drill way that we have traditionally taught mathematics. I know how it is -- I used to just speed through the book in class and do all the problems, usually at least a couple of sections ahead of the class (sometimes a chapter or two ahead) and pass notes in more and more esoteric codes with my main dude James V. (who also worked ahead.) I took College Algebra when I got to Ga State, just because I wanted to get used to the pacing. I found that I missed math class -- I love math class. So I became a Mathematics Major sort of by accident; I really intended to get my degree in General Science and Philosophy (after I decided against computer programming and discovered that music was just too hard without parental support.)

For years I have wanted to write a Mathematics curriculum for thinkers like me -- I love what is usually called the "Discovery Method" -- where the student discovers the entirety of the problem/solution their own selves.

So today, I made a 3 page handout of "everything you need to know in Algebra" because, yes, you can indeed put it on 2 to 3 pages. These things are just tools so that you can "do" math. I have another 3 page handout in the works for Geometry and another for Trig. Then I am going to depart from the beaten path -- I am going to ask the girls to discover mathematics.

Chaos and I got into a big discussion about the Greeks and how they "did" math without Arabic Numerals -- it's mind blowing how the Greeks did it. Math is so much more difficult when you can't use the numeral 6, but have to write out "six" every single time. How the heck did the ancients build what they built without the "tool" of Arabic numbers? We are going to use the traditional Euclidean tools of straight edge and compass and I am going to pull out my big box of Polydrons for them to use and explore.

I believe what is most lost in today's mathematics education is this sense of wonder -- and the fact that most ancient mathematicians looked to math as a way to explore God and Creation. Pythagoras once said something like this: "Mathematics is the ruler of form and idea and the cause of God and demons." He believed that to explore Mathematics is to explore the very nature of the Deity. He discovered the first tenets of today's theory of music as well -- he is the one who first discovered the relationships of ratio to pitch. He believed that all of creation is rational and was so despondent that the square root of 2 is indeed irrational that he committed suicide.
To quote Wikipedia:

One of Pythagoras' beliefs was that the essence of being is number. Thus, being relies on stability of all things that create the universe. Things like health relied on a stable proportion of elements; too much or too little of one thing causes an imbalance that makes a being unhealthy. Pythagoras viewed thinking as the calculating with the idea numbers. When combined with the Folk theories, the philosophy evolves into a belief that Knowledge of the essence of being can be found in the form of numbers. If this is taken a step further, one can say that because mathematics is an unseen essence, the essence of being is an unseen characteristic that can be encountered by the study of mathematics.

The pursuit of Math and Science initially is a pursuit to understand creation -- and thus to understand the mind of God. I want my kids to understand where math begins -- and wonder about how this universe works. So today we start -- who knows where it will lead?

Edited: Oooo.... I have to find "Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land" today!! Yeah! I think it's upstairs somewhere....

Edit number 2: This is so cool! What a wonderful website for this!

Figuring out Homeschool

Setting up a homeschool beginning "ritual" -- school is in session when the candle is lit; then a moment of silence. Any other suggestions?

Fun with Microscopes

I have ordered some things for my microscope, including a stage and a camera. I'm psyched! We are going to have fun with microscopes later this month. I also ordered some agar and Petri dishes; we are going to swap everything (including the litter box) to see how much bacteria there really is. Then (using proper protocol) we can look at some of the bacteria under the microscope and with the digital camera, capture the images. We also are going to study each head of hair in the family, including the cat. We may also go into the field and collect fur and hair from other people and make some observations about fur and hair.

I have given the kids each an essay to write today; I am at times pleased and at times shocked at their knowledge or lack of knowledge. Entropy in particular is working on proper form for an essay.

I did received a few more books; Chaos is going to work on the Grammar and Language workbook and write a report on Cakes.

Muffin Math (and Science)

We are making muffins this morning. There are a few good resources here and here and here and here. Chaos substituted Splenda for the sugar; the recipe called for a quarter cup honey, but she left it out. Possible explorations:

• How many calories are there in each muffin with the honey and without?
• What is "yeast" and "leaven"?
• How do quick breads rise?
• What is the history of the muffin?
• What is the origin of the word muffin?
• How many calories does the butter add?

This is fun!

Cross posted at "Adventures in Homeschooling"

From the Headlines today:

Pressure to pass standardized tests, shrinking budgets and world competition have lain a heavy burden on American schools, and the victims are not only recess, the arts and gym, but the students themselves. Ask any teacher, and they’ll tell you that behavior problems have drastically increased over recent years, a big part of the problem being the absence of physical activities and free, creative time according to a recent study.
From Truemors

Still Working on My Website

Adventures in Homeschooling. Please cruise over and give input. I've cleaned up the template -- I'm working on getting the titles of the sidebar WHITE and not GREY but not having much luck. I've almost finished the "container" for the content -- content will be next.

The kids have 1) done Math 2) Science 3) Music and are now working on Social Studies as we listen to Yo Yo Ma on the Airport Thingy that is attached to the printer and speakers . I am pleased. They are doing a project about the 44 American Presidents -- a power point each. Should be good -- after President's day we will go back to World Geography and World History. This afternoon they will read their respective books. I am going to plan some Language Arts for next week.

Third Day of Homeschool

I'm a little better organized today. They had math worksheets printed out at their place this morning -- I have worked on a link list for them on our "new" blog -- "Adventures In Homeschooling." I am pleasantly surprised at how many of the textbooks I have purchased have an online text available with extra worksheets and extra help -- even video components.

We had a bad day yesterday -- or a good one, depending on how you look at it. I had an appointment at noon, so the girls packed up some reading material and carried it with them. It would have been a good day, except that the LH's car had a flat tire. We met up, I purchased him new tires at Sam's, we went to lunch as the tires were installed, we went back to Sam's and did a little shopping while we were there. We had planned to be home at 2:00 -- instead we were home at 4:00 and they did their schoolwork until 6:00; goofed off too much until Karate at 6:45 (to the point we were almost late) and more Karate at 7:30. I'm sore today from standing around and the cold and medicine changes. My arthritis is acting up and I'm just plumb sore. It was good in the fact that it shows we can be flexible; and bad that we had to pack too much into the day.

I need to work on sermon prep this morning and the bulletins. And the house is somehow worse than it ought to be... maybe because we are spending more time in it. But first, more coffee.

The Second Day

Yesterday was momentous. It was both our first day of homeschooling and the inauguration of the first African American President. Yes, a landmark day. For us, the landmark of homeschool was probably more momentous, I hate to admit.

I am concerned about my childrens' education. I was shocked to find out that they didn't know wo Gerald Ford was -- much less Herbert Hoover. I suppose it's not a horrible thing to not know Ford or Hoover, but it shows the holes in their education.

Entropy was ranting and raving about how the school wants them to be "robots" that are programmed. Chaos and I have noted that the system wants them all to be contented cattle, milk cows and beef cattle to be "consumed" by the general public. That questions are not tolerated; nor is creativity.

And they have indeed been conditioned -- they had problems with self direction yesterday -- at one point Chaos just wanted me to tell her what to do -- it's easier than trying to do this on their own. And a certain amount of direction is good; but they must be the engine and they must unlearn that conditioning and find direction themselves.

I feel that my train has jumped track. This is NOT what I had planned for the future. However, it got the point that I had to do something or my childrens' spirits would be crushed. So here we are -- the second day. We will see how the day goes.

Last Things

Today is my childrens' last day in public school (for the time being.) So this is my last morning for a while completely alone, except for the romping cats. I am going to enjoy this cup of coffee (Saint's Coffee, Free Trade, Organic and the sale supports orphans at the rate of one month a food per pound of coffee sold).

I have most things in place; ordered textbooks, lesson planning is occurring, educational contract is being written. The decision was not lightly made or easily made, but now there is a tremendous feeling of relief mixed with a small bit of anxiety. I had not realized until I made this decision how I really dislike our public schools. The anxiety comes from them leaving an excellent orchestra program and not having a replacement fully nailed down yet. They are anxious about leaving behind friends -- an anxiety I can fully understand. I have already been in full contact with one homeschool network and looking forward to meeting people in the second homeschool network.

I also have already written my first curriculum. For literature, we are going to read 4 of Shakespeare's plays, starting with one of my favorites "As You Like It." We are going to read aloud to one another every day (diction, vocabulary, poetry). I am going to have Entropy copy a few "lines" every day (handwriting, memorization). The are going to analyze each Act, imagine the staging, costuming. By the end I hope each have created a derivative work of their own choosing. I am also going to encourage them to memorize and stage a scene. We then will watch a couple of movies and go see the play at the Georgia Shakespeare Festival. At the end of the first month, I will re-evaluate, to see if it's really worth it.

So I am going to go an enjoy this last cup of coffee in a completely empty house -- later, y'all.

Reason Sixteen for Homeschool

I dropped Entropy off at school this morning. She has the sniffles, but she's going. I helped into and out of the car. She's been complaining of back pain -- and then it occurred to me that her bookbag weighs at least 40 pounds. Well, duh! (slap myself on the forehead moment) I asked her why her bag was so heavy -- it seems she carries everything around all the time b/c 1) her locker is broken and the school hasn't fixed it YET (reported around Thanksgiving) and 2) the kids vandalize stuff in the lockers.

More about Homeschool

• Reason Thirteen: IE2
• Fourteen: and this. Georgia has upped the number of kids allowable in classrooms because of the economic situation.
  
• Fifteen: Because of the Draconic attendance policies, sick kids go to school infecting kids who are just getting well in a horrible cycle. Chaos has had surgery this school year so far, about six colds and mono. She's anemic and "run down." But because of the attendance policy, being "run down" is not a good enough excuse to miss school. Entropy had rheumatic fever two years ago and caught strep this year -- scary. Then she had a bad reaction to the antibiotic. No going to school equals less exposure to germs.

Tuesday Bullets: Including My Ponderings about Homeschool

• The Methoblogger story was picked up by UMNews. Do I need to pick up the blog like I'd pick up the house for company?
• I'm now friends with Matt Fox on Facebook (of Room by Room fame). For some reason that tickles me.
  
• I've been playing with Google Insight. It's interesting to note that the search term "United Methodist Church" is most used by ... Alabama. Georgia is high on the list as well -- number 2, in fact, with most searches coming from the Atlanta area. Interesting.
• I've been considering homeschool for the kids. There are several reasons.
• First, I believe that they are horribly stressed out and school is THE major stressor. The peer pressure, the pressure to "be the best", the amount of homework. I see my children becoming depressed from the amount of stress they are encountering and I am ready to say "enough."
• Second, gifted children are not encouraged to feed their gift. My eldest could go through this curriculum so much faster than they are giving it to her -- she's not being challenged. If we homeschool, she can self-pace.
• Third, children who "don't get it" aren't given additional time and space to master the subject. If we homeschool, they can self-pace.
• Fourth, I'm tired of homework for the sake of homework. To spend 5 and 6 hours on homework a night that seems to be just busywork -- this is ridiculous. A homeschooler only needs 4.5 hours of schooling day -- or until mastery is reached. It would actually free up a lot of time.
• Fifth, the new Mathematics curriculum is horrible. They are not going to be prepared for college with this curriculum and I'm tired of fighting the system. Opting out seems the only option.
• Sixth, I'm tired of the underlying themes of gangsta culture in our schools.
• Seven I'm tired of the bullying and violence.
• Eight, I'm tired of the kids' lack of self-worth and confidence that is engendered by these schools.
• Nine, it will be much easier to pull up roots and move eventually.
• Ten, field trips.
• Eleven, I get to select the curriculum.
• Twelve, I'm tired of the two hour difference in the beginning and ending of the two schools.
  

• On the flip-side:
• This is indeed going to cost: time and money.
• I won't have any quiet mornings at home.
• It will take a large amount of discipline: both from the girls and myself.
• I have to be very careful to select good curriculum and accredited curriculum.
• I don't know that homeschoolers can qualify for college scholarship or things like All-State orchestra or Governor's Honors. More research is needed.
  

• I would love to hear some other's experiences....