You know, several times a week I think to myself that I need to get X written on my blog but time and inclination have been getting away from me.
We started back on the kitchen. The kitchen we have not touched since, oh, late last February? What can I say, it was functional and we had other priorities such as the children and down time. I am halfway finished painting the room. No small feat with all the stuff on the go and two children under foot. We started on the weekend when the kids were away at their aunt's house.
The kids are doing really well right now. Alex has hit his stride in piano. He is playing with two hands now and not really shuffling back and forth when he had to switch hands. He is reading the notes really well and best of all, he now plays for himself! I no longer have to prod him to sit at the piano each day.
Izzy is a little worker bee. She always has a pen in hand and is writing letters, numbers, words...and pictures, lots and lots of pictures! She is really getting into art class now and the teacher sees a real difference in ability since the last session. Reading is coming along very slowly but she is interested and we aren't pushing it. She asks how to spell things and what words say. I think it will just come one day when she finds the material that motivates her. With Alex it was Calvin and Hobbes.
I have new science books that came in last week but we haven't touched them yet. I'll post about those when I have something to review. It is the R.E.A.L. Science books and there are 3 subjects - Earth and Space, Life and Chemistry. It is set up to do 2 days worth of material for each week. I am looking forward to it. Quite a bit will be review for Alex (my science buff) but new for Izzy. The material ranges from grades 1 - 3, I think and I hope to cover any gaps I may be missing right now.
The really big deal lately is all this planning going on for some exciting new homeschool ventures. The co-op is going well but we are still trying to cement a core group of families that will actively participate in the club. We need a certain number for the library to keep giving us free space.
It looks like we have scored big with a french teacher for the kids too! One of the mom's started looking into a french tutor to hang out with our kids (about 9-11 of them) and teach them a little french. The search took us on an unexpected path and we discovered a real french teacher with a Montessori bent that is going to come up with a full curriculum and lesson for our kids once a week. The only problem is that this will not be a cheap venture. For at least $30/week for both kids it will certainly put a dent in the pocketbook but I think she is worth it. I hope so!
I am so excited about french. A little sad that I know a few families that were interested won't be able to afford this class but I think it will be amazing for my kids. Here, the kids don't start french until grade 4 unless you are in immersion and it sounds pretty half-assed, if you ask me. Growing up in Northern Ontario, I have higher standards for the kids and their french lessons. This will be a very small class, with 5 or 6 kids, and we should be able to do quite a lot pretty fast.
It feels good to have someone else take the reigns a bit, educationally speaking, and I hope this works well for us. I can't bring the enthusiasm and freshness the kids need to get jazzed about a subject like french. Rob and I talked about what was important to us, what was important for the children to learn (from good teachers and resources) and we know that when it comes to the arts, music and foreign languages we have to fork out the dough to give them the excellent education we are striving for. Between the two of us, we can easily handle the rest.
I have to say that overall I am very happy with how homeschooling is turning out. It is pretty close to what I imagined in my head. Over the weekend Rob and I were out snooping in new home developments and drooling over some pretty (large) homes. Wondering what we could afford in two or three years. Daring to dream big. A few days have passed though and while we will definitely want to upgrade houses in a few years, I think we should do what we did when we bought this house. Figure out what we can afford and spend a lot less. We aren't exactly where we want to be, financially, but I like being able to give the kids what they need without worrying about the bills.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Venting - Ontario begins rolling out all day JK :(
Funny enough, the school Izzy went to didn't make the cut for next year.
Anyway, a list of schools came out this week announcing which ones will be offering all day junior and senior kindergarten next year. I am alternately sad and disgusted. First of all, call it what it is, government funded day care. Don't go off telling the world that this is going to help our economy by making our future workforce smarter.
I know it is optional. Though they won't rule out making it mandatory in four or five years when the program is fully implemented. This means they would have to amend the education act too. Right now education is mandatory from 6 to 18 or graduation). This would mean pushing it down to age 3...because good chunk of babies born later in the year are three when they start JK here making it 15 full years of mandatory schooling. (For my friends who do not hs please understand that I see a huge difference between learning and schooling since we are learning all the time and not always in school or after ager 3 ;-))
I know that many kids are in daycare all day. Daycare has lower child to care giver ratios than school, I wonder will the board of education adhere to those numbers. Not likely. I also know it can be a challenge to deal with a child only in school for 3 hours while you work 8 or 9. Why not offer alternate day schooling, like in some districts. Or have a daycare attached to the schools. Or at least admit to the public at large that it is still half day kindergarten with some daycare thrown in on the house.
It really bothers me that the government is instituting this program. At an additional 1.5 billion dollars each year you would think that the money could be spent better elsewhere. Our colleges and universities are suffering. Our public and high schools are crumbling due to lack of money for maintenance. I can't see why circle time is more important to our society at this time over new chemistry books...or even enough books for each student? It is the Province trying to solve a daycare issue at the expense of an already maxed out education system.
A fairly well-known homeschooler from BC (Miranda, aka Moominmama) once said something on a board that has stayed with me for a long time. I am paraphrasing: We started with kindergarten to introduce kids to the school system and prepare them for grade one. Then we added Junior Kindergarten to prepare the kindergarteners for Senior Kindergarten. Then we added all these preschool programs to get kids ready for Jk...it just never ends.
So I wonder, what is the point of all day school for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. If it is about getting people working and spending more money, okay, admit that and stop pretending that this is solely for the benefit of our children. Do not tell me that this makes kids happier, healthier and smarter. Aside from my anecdotal evidence to the contrary, studies that show a real benefit to structured early education are based in urban and lower income places. We know that at home, at school or at daycare, what matters most are involved parents/educators who care and commit to their children's education.
Oy!!! I could go on forever. I know that this world isn't filled with stay at home moms baking cookies, lol, nor should it be. I want choices for my kids - especially my daughter. What I want is for people to take a really good look at what is best for the masses of young ones we are marching off to school and acknowledge why we are doing it.
Anyway, rant over. I am getting more agitated and repetitive. Funny how I hear that homeschoolers only do what is best for themselves. I do care. A lot. I am just thankful that I can dislike a system and be able to remove myself from it too.
Anyway, a list of schools came out this week announcing which ones will be offering all day junior and senior kindergarten next year. I am alternately sad and disgusted. First of all, call it what it is, government funded day care. Don't go off telling the world that this is going to help our economy by making our future workforce smarter.
I know it is optional. Though they won't rule out making it mandatory in four or five years when the program is fully implemented. This means they would have to amend the education act too. Right now education is mandatory from 6 to 18 or graduation). This would mean pushing it down to age 3...because good chunk of babies born later in the year are three when they start JK here making it 15 full years of mandatory schooling. (For my friends who do not hs please understand that I see a huge difference between learning and schooling since we are learning all the time and not always in school or after ager 3 ;-))
I know that many kids are in daycare all day. Daycare has lower child to care giver ratios than school, I wonder will the board of education adhere to those numbers. Not likely. I also know it can be a challenge to deal with a child only in school for 3 hours while you work 8 or 9. Why not offer alternate day schooling, like in some districts. Or have a daycare attached to the schools. Or at least admit to the public at large that it is still half day kindergarten with some daycare thrown in on the house.
It really bothers me that the government is instituting this program. At an additional 1.5 billion dollars each year you would think that the money could be spent better elsewhere. Our colleges and universities are suffering. Our public and high schools are crumbling due to lack of money for maintenance. I can't see why circle time is more important to our society at this time over new chemistry books...or even enough books for each student? It is the Province trying to solve a daycare issue at the expense of an already maxed out education system.
A fairly well-known homeschooler from BC (Miranda, aka Moominmama) once said something on a board that has stayed with me for a long time. I am paraphrasing: We started with kindergarten to introduce kids to the school system and prepare them for grade one. Then we added Junior Kindergarten to prepare the kindergarteners for Senior Kindergarten. Then we added all these preschool programs to get kids ready for Jk...it just never ends.
So I wonder, what is the point of all day school for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. If it is about getting people working and spending more money, okay, admit that and stop pretending that this is solely for the benefit of our children. Do not tell me that this makes kids happier, healthier and smarter. Aside from my anecdotal evidence to the contrary, studies that show a real benefit to structured early education are based in urban and lower income places. We know that at home, at school or at daycare, what matters most are involved parents/educators who care and commit to their children's education.
Oy!!! I could go on forever. I know that this world isn't filled with stay at home moms baking cookies, lol, nor should it be. I want choices for my kids - especially my daughter. What I want is for people to take a really good look at what is best for the masses of young ones we are marching off to school and acknowledge why we are doing it.
Anyway, rant over. I am getting more agitated and repetitive. Funny how I hear that homeschoolers only do what is best for themselves. I do care. A lot. I am just thankful that I can dislike a system and be able to remove myself from it too.
Just had to put this out there!
Copied from The Washington Times (because sometimes links get lost):
HOME-SCHOOLING: Socialization not a problem
Sunday, December 13, 2009
By Michael Smith
One of the most persistent criticisms of home-schooling is the accusation that home-schoolers will not be able to fully participate in society because they lack "socialization." It's a challenge that reaches right to the heart of home-schooling, because if a child isn't properly socialized, how will that child be able to contribute to society?
Since the re-emergence of the home-school movement in the late 1970s, critics of home-schooling have perpetuated two myths. The first concerns the ability of parents to adequately teach their own children at home; the second is whether home-schooled children will be well-adjusted socially.
Proving academic success is relatively straightforward. Today, it is accepted that home-schoolers, on average, outperform their public school peers. The most recent study, "Homeschool Progress Report 2009," conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, surveyed more than 11,000 home-schooled students. It showed that the average home-schooler scored 37 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than the public school average.
The second myth, however, is more difficult to address because children who were home-schooled in appreciable numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s are only now coming of age and in a position to demonstrate they can succeed as adults.
Home-school families across the nation knew criticisms about adequate socialization were ill-founded — they had the evidence right in their own homes. In part to address this question from a research perspective, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned a study in 2003 titled "Homeschooling Grows Up," conducted by Mr. Ray, to discover how home-schoolers were faring as adults. The news was good for home-schooling. In all areas of life, from gaining employment, to being satisfied with their home-schooling, to participating in community activities, to voting, home-schoolers were more active and involved than their public school counterparts.
Until recently, "Homeschooling Grows Up" was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled "Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults" from the Canadian Centre for Home Education. This study surveyed home-schooled students whose parents participated in a comprehensive study on home education in 1994. The study compared home-schoolers who are now adults with their peers. The results are astounding.
When measured against the average Canadians ages 15 to 34 years old, home-educated Canadian adults ages 15 to 34 were more socially engaged (69 percent participated in organized activities at least once per week, compared with 48 percent of the comparable population). Average income for home-schoolers also was higher, but perhaps more significantly, while 11 percent of Canadians ages 15 to 34 rely on welfare, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income for home-schoolers. Home-schoolers also were happier; 67.3 percent described themselves as very happy, compared with 43.8 percent of the comparable population. Almost all of the home-schoolers — 96 percent — thought home-schooling had prepared them well for life.
This new study should cause many critics to rethink their position on the issue of socialization. Not only are home-schoolers actively engaged in civic life, they also are succeeding in all walks of life. Many critics believed, and some parents feared, that home-schoolers would not be able to compete in the job market. But the new study shows home-schoolers are found in a wide variety of professions. Being home-schooled has not closed doors on career choices.
The results are a great encouragement to all home-schooling families and to parents thinking about home-schooling. Home-schoolers, typically identified as being high academic achievers, also can make the grade in society.
Both "Homeschooling Grows Up" and "Fifteen Years Later" amply demonstrate home-school graduates are active, involved, productive citizens. Home-school families are leading the way in Canadian and American education, and this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path.
To read the full study or a synopsis, visit www.hslda.ca/cche.
• Michael Smith is the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He may be contacted at 540/338-5600 or send e-mail to media@hslda.org.
HOME-SCHOOLING: Socialization not a problem
Sunday, December 13, 2009
By Michael Smith
One of the most persistent criticisms of home-schooling is the accusation that home-schoolers will not be able to fully participate in society because they lack "socialization." It's a challenge that reaches right to the heart of home-schooling, because if a child isn't properly socialized, how will that child be able to contribute to society?
Since the re-emergence of the home-school movement in the late 1970s, critics of home-schooling have perpetuated two myths. The first concerns the ability of parents to adequately teach their own children at home; the second is whether home-schooled children will be well-adjusted socially.
Proving academic success is relatively straightforward. Today, it is accepted that home-schoolers, on average, outperform their public school peers. The most recent study, "Homeschool Progress Report 2009," conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, surveyed more than 11,000 home-schooled students. It showed that the average home-schooler scored 37 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than the public school average.
The second myth, however, is more difficult to address because children who were home-schooled in appreciable numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s are only now coming of age and in a position to demonstrate they can succeed as adults.
Home-school families across the nation knew criticisms about adequate socialization were ill-founded — they had the evidence right in their own homes. In part to address this question from a research perspective, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned a study in 2003 titled "Homeschooling Grows Up," conducted by Mr. Ray, to discover how home-schoolers were faring as adults. The news was good for home-schooling. In all areas of life, from gaining employment, to being satisfied with their home-schooling, to participating in community activities, to voting, home-schoolers were more active and involved than their public school counterparts.
Until recently, "Homeschooling Grows Up" was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled "Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults" from the Canadian Centre for Home Education. This study surveyed home-schooled students whose parents participated in a comprehensive study on home education in 1994. The study compared home-schoolers who are now adults with their peers. The results are astounding.
When measured against the average Canadians ages 15 to 34 years old, home-educated Canadian adults ages 15 to 34 were more socially engaged (69 percent participated in organized activities at least once per week, compared with 48 percent of the comparable population). Average income for home-schoolers also was higher, but perhaps more significantly, while 11 percent of Canadians ages 15 to 34 rely on welfare, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income for home-schoolers. Home-schoolers also were happier; 67.3 percent described themselves as very happy, compared with 43.8 percent of the comparable population. Almost all of the home-schoolers — 96 percent — thought home-schooling had prepared them well for life.
This new study should cause many critics to rethink their position on the issue of socialization. Not only are home-schoolers actively engaged in civic life, they also are succeeding in all walks of life. Many critics believed, and some parents feared, that home-schoolers would not be able to compete in the job market. But the new study shows home-schoolers are found in a wide variety of professions. Being home-schooled has not closed doors on career choices.
The results are a great encouragement to all home-schooling families and to parents thinking about home-schooling. Home-schoolers, typically identified as being high academic achievers, also can make the grade in society.
Both "Homeschooling Grows Up" and "Fifteen Years Later" amply demonstrate home-school graduates are active, involved, productive citizens. Home-school families are leading the way in Canadian and American education, and this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path.
To read the full study or a synopsis, visit www.hslda.ca/cche.
• Michael Smith is the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He may be contacted at 540/338-5600 or send e-mail to media@hslda.org.
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