Yet another fascinating aspect about blogging is, all of the fun blog titles people come up with. Home in the Mitten sounds like the perfect name for a homeschool blog; cozy, close knit, and chaotic. It makes me think of Jan Brett's book, The Mitten, but Julie chose the name because they live in Michigan, the state shaped like a mitten!

The purpose of listing links to direct posts on the Featured Blogger's blog is so that you can get to know that blogger a bit better. They aren't just posts that I find amusing or touching, but something that lets us see into the home of the blogger.

Julie has two daughters that are currently living elsewhere in the big, wide world. Blogging is a great tool for keeping in touch, but so is Skype, which Julie's family uses to stay connected. They also have fun!  All it takes is a webcam and a game.

The easiest way to look at someone's day is to take a look at their day book. A Simple Woman's Daybook is a beautiful way to start any day, with a special place for tracking what you are thankful for.

Julie makes it so easy to get to know her! Here is a list of her favorite things.

Now that you know a little about Julie, why don't you leave a comment and introduce yourself?

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Donna asked for something wise and encouraging for this week’s column.  Instead I thought I’d share with you my rambling thoughts about one of my pet peeves.  I don’t know how wise they are, and as to encouraging … well, I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
 

Occasionally someone, upon hearing that I homeschool our son, replies with the comment,  “Oh, I could never do that.”  On at least two occasions this sentiment was uttered by professionals with four-year college degrees in the subject of education.  So.  Here I am with my measly two years of college.  What is my response to this supposed to be?

One of two lines of thinking comes to mind.  The first is that this person thinks I am either deluded or simply full of myself if I think I can do something that they, with a four-year degree in education, cannot.  The other is that they are in awe of me as some sort of super-mom since I am endowed with such skills that they lack.  Neither of which, of course, is true.

What these people usually mean is not that they lack the knowledge or intelligence to educate their own children.  They usually mean something along the lines of either not having the patience or temperament (like I do … yeah, right), or (if they do already have children) that their children would not do well in such an environment.  Fine.  I can live with those things.  But then I wish they would say rather that they would not choose to homeschool, or that homeschooling would not be a good fit for their family instead of making the ludicrous comment that they “could not” homeschool.

The fact is that none of us, in and of ourselves, are able to educate our children the way they ought to be educated.  We all fall sadly short.  There are so many things that are needed for us to be successful in this adventure. 

First we need resources.  Curriculum, how-to books, libraries, the internet, teachers’ stores, etc.  The quantity and variety of what is available can be overwhelming at times, but once we learn to navigate the jungle of information, the help we can receive from these sources can be immense.

Second, we need other parents who have made this journey before and can help us find our way.  Or at least fellow travelers to help bear the burden and just make the trip a lot more fun!  That’s where local homeschool groups, blogs like this one, and online forums like the HOO community that Donna has started, come in.  My prayer is that we will be those things to each other.

Lastly, and most importantly, we need Divine guidance.  Not only to navigate the curriculum jungle.  Not only to make the right kinds of friends that my child and I both need for support and encouragement.  But to fill in the gaps in so many ways where I lack patience, organizational skills, patience, the insight to see what my son needs and how to provide it, and … did I mention patience?  It’s called grace.  I don’t deserve it, but God gives it nonetheless. 

This has become my standard answer to this kind of comment:  “I can’t either on my own.  But if I feel that this is what God wants me to do, and if this is what is best for MY child, then He will help me.  Where God guides, He always provides.”

May God bless all of us as we live this adventure together!

Ellen is a member of "HOOville" and graciously lent a helping hand this week with the column.

Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completes his homeschooling this year. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One five years ago, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can visit her website at  http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC

copyright © 2008 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.

In recent years, the meanings of certain words have been changed so as to be almost unrecognizable!   So many words have been changed that we have come to the point where words don't really mean anything anymore.  Continuing with my series, "Words Mean Things, Don't They?"...This week's word is..."New"! 

How could you go wrong with a word like new you ask?  Think about it for a minute.  What's new?  What is new?  Webster's defines new as: "having recently come into existence". 

There are many products on the market which are reintroduced to us as "New" or perhaps venture further with..."New and Improved".  Surprisingly, "New" doesn't always mean that it has come into existence recently and the way they  "improved" the product isn't something you would consider beneficial. 

If you have been to the store recently, you have, no doubt, noticed that the quantity of what you buy has gone down as prices have either remained the same or gone up!  ABC News reported on this latest controversy.  They discovered that Brawny has decreased its paper towel count from 110 per package to 88 while Scott Tissue has smaller sheets without a smaller price.  Many of these companies are releasing these smaller products with "new" packaging.  Mostly what is new is that you don't get as much as you used to! 

Speaking of ABC News, much of what's on the news isn't really news!  Most people would consider "news" to be things of interest that happened recently.  The fact that Aunt Mildred made her bed this morning might not be of interest to most people.  Similarly, though most people would be interested in Elvis Presley,  anything he would have done  could not have been recent enough to call "news". 

Much of the time the news stations want to keep your attention so much that they dangle high profile crime cases or famous people and their troubles before your nose promising news.  Invariably what you get is an update that sounds kind of like this...

"And now for an update in the Lincoln case... Investigators still believe that John Wilkes Booth acted alone.  The police are not pursuing a conspiracy theory at this time.  Booth and Lincoln's condition remain unchanged."  In other words, they report that, regretfully, there is nothing new to report. 

I have been frustrated time and again watching the local news waiting for some news on a subject of interest only to find that there was no news on the news!  Nothing of interest happened recently.  But they have to report on that!  In fact, they spend quite a lot of promo time announcing that they will bring you the very latest up-to-date non news!

Words mean things, don't they?  Stay tuned for next week's edition of Tuesday Tips featuring another misused word or term.

Please keep mamasmurf and her family in your prayers. Mamasmurf is battling cancer and as of the last post on her blog she is back in the hospital due to a high fever. This family needs our prayer and support as they continue the fight.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Public schools and homeschoolers have two very different ways of looking at reading.

 

Most public schools tend to believe that reading is an important skill to have but that it doesn’t really matter what you read – just as long as you do. So, why is it important? Maybe so you can read the warnings on your prescriptions or the clauses in your healthcare plans or the terms of employment on your contract so a greedy employer can’t take advantage of you. Then there are the street and restroom signs – and the menu, of course.

 

Homeschoolers, on the other hand, tend to believe reading is a means to an end. That end is wisdom, which means that what we read is of the utmost importance. What we put into our minds comes out in our attitudes and behavior. That’s not to say that we can’t read for relaxation or entertainment, but homeschoolers understand that even this is important – that entertainment reading does not have to be vacuous reading, that what we consider fun and funny is also a reflection of the sort of people we are and want to grow into.

 

What we read is critical because it shapes our worldview, and our worldview determines how we will respond to life’s trials and triumphs, how we will treat others, how we will conduct ourselves every moment of every day in every situation.

 

Here are some quotations to fuel your thinking about reading…

 

“Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading, an easy prey to sensations and cheap appeals.” - G. M. Trevelyan

 

“I read my eyes out and can't read half enough. The more one reads the more one sees we have to read.” - John Adams

 

“When you have mastered numbers, you will in fact no longer be reading numbers, any more than you read words when reading books. You will be reading meanings.” - Harold S. Geneen

 

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” – Henry David Thoreau

 

“Few are sufficiently sensible of the importance of that economy in reading which selects, almost exclusively, the very first order of books. Why, except for some special reason, read an inferior book, at the very time you might be reading one of the highest order?” - John W. Foster

 

“Read good, big important things." - Peggy Noonan

 

“Live always in the best company when you read." - Sydney Smith

 

“Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life." - Mortimer J. Adler

 

Tammy Drennan homeschooled her sons from 1985 through 2003. She now works as a writer and tutor and maintains several web sites and blogs, including www.educationconversation.wordpress.com and www.homeschoolstarter.com

 

(Dell has run for the hills (just temporarily), and Chautona of Paradoxology is filling in: 

This post is a reminder for myself.  It’s something I intend to read every time I’m tempted to over complicate anything as a diversion from the job at hand. 

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God." Psalm 43:5

We have twenty-some people in our home this weekend doing a flooring project at the orphanage. It went well yesterday doing crafts with the children, monitoring our own children and laying a floor over the concrete. We went to grab a bite to eat at a nearby shopping center and parked our cars under the lights. When we returned to the cars an hour later, one was gone. The family had driven 10 hours to be here in Mexico helping orphans and at the end of the day the cost was very high. Their car, passports and hundreds of dollars worth of belongings.

Pray for this family that they would hope in God, and the sacrifice would come back to them in blessings.

Jennifer Pepito-TOS Chapel Editor

Last week I gave you a short list of resources to help you and your highschooler learn more about distance learning and making a wise decision about life after high school. Now that I’ve mostly got over my sickness, I have more time this week to go into a little more detail about one particular resource I recommended.

Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller is a great book for the person who doesn’t know a thing about distance learning. This was really the first landmark book written by a Christian homeschool grad about how to earn a college degree from home. Brad Voeller is the founder and CEO of CollegePlus! He earned his degree from home in less than six months for less than $5,000. This is someone who knows what he’s talking about!

 

I first read this book towards the beginning of my third year of college. It showed me everything I was looking for. At that time in my life I felt discouraged with the college experience I was having. My liberal professors and cynical classmates were mentally wearing me down. Homework was taking up every spare minute of my time. I needed an alternative way to earn my degree while still being able to fulfill my biblical role in my family’s home. That’s when God placed Brad Voeller’s book in my hands. It was a lifesaver!

 

In Accelerated Distance Learning I learned about all the different possible ways to earn college credits on my own outside the classroom. CLEP tests, DANTES, portfolio assessment, correspondence courses – the options were practically endless. The book also goes into detail about the three main independent study colleges in the U.S. Included throughout are real life “case studies” – stories from other people who have been successful with distance learning themselves. I also especially enjoyed the section on study skills and how to earn credit at an accelerated pace.

 

You may be a homeschool parent who wants your child to earn a degree without compromising their faith, or maybe you’re interested in doing some higher education coursework on your own. Either way, Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller can give you the information you need to get started.

Amanda Suryan is a homeschool graduate and former distance learning student. She has an amazing mini-course about accelerated distance learning called, "Five Reasons Why You Should Consider Becoming a Distance Learner!" To claim your FREE copy, visit: http://www.DistanceLearnerSite.com

Last week I gave you a short list of resources to help you and your highschooler learn more about distance learning and making a wise decision about life after high school. Now that I’ve mostly gotten over my sickness, I have more time this week to go into a little more detail about one particular resource I recommended.

Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller is a great book for the person who doesn’t know a thing about distance learning. This was really the first landmark book written by a Christian homeschool grad about how to earn a college degree from home. Brad Voeller is the founder and CEO of CollegePlus! He earned his degree from home in less than six months for less than $5,000. This is someone who knows what he’s talking about!

 

I first read this book towards the beginning of my third year of college. It showed me everything I was looking for. At that time in my life I felt discouraged with the college experience I was having. My liberal professors and cynical classmates were mentally wearing me down. Homework was taking up every spare minute of my time. I needed an alternative way to earn my degree while still being able to fulfill my biblical role in my family’s home. That’s when God placed Brad Voeller’s book in my hands. It was a lifesaver!

 

In Accelerated Distance Learning I learned about all the different possible ways to earn college credits on my own outside the classroom. CLEP tests, DANTES, portfolio assessment, correspondence courses – the options were practically endless. The book also goes into detail about the three main independent study colleges in the U.S. Included throughout are real life “case studies” – stories from other people who have been successful with distance learning themselves. I also especially enjoyed the section on study skills and how to earn credit at an accelerated pace.

 

You may be a homeschool parent who wants your child to earn a degree without compromising their faith, or maybe you’re interested in doing some higher education coursework on your own. Either way, Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller can give you the information you need to get started.

Amanda Suryan is a homeschool graduate and former distance learning student. She has an amazing mini-course about accelerated distance learning called, "Five Reasons Why You Should Consider Becoming a Distance Learner!" To claim your FREE copy, visit: http://www.DistanceLearnerSite.com

Over on my message board dedicated to those who are homeschooling only one (affectionately called “HOOville”), we have a lot of discussions—some serious, some fun. There is plenty of camaraderie, plenty of shoulders to cry on, plenty  of encouragement  and rejoicing with those who rejoice. We also discuss homeschooling in the news.

 

Recently this article came to our attention about homeschooling under attack in Brazil. 

Excerpt:

Homeschooling Showdown in Brazil:

Children to be Tested by Court in Battle Over Educational Rights of Parents

by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

Two homeschooled children face a battery of tests this week in a showdown between the Brazilian government and a Christian family over the educational rights of parents in the South American nation.

The children of Cleber and Bernadeth Nunes have already passed the entrance exams for law school at the ages of 13 and 14, but that doesn't satisfy the Brazilian government, which has been trying to force them into its troubled school system since 2006.

(Underline is mine for emphasis.)

 I thought this comment by one of our HOOville members was especially true:

To have as many educational problems as the [public schools] have you must work VERY HARD at it.  I've been watching my daughter (sort of) pick up reading on her own in a lot of ways lately, and the other day she was collecting pine cones, got out the identification book and told me what kind of tree it came from. (I had to read the name to her, but she found it.) This was all her idea and she's FIVE.  She's not Einstein, I am not doing anything supernatural with her.  So, how do the public schools STOP kids from learning things?  I literally don't understand it!  How is it possible?  I'm not joking, I really am amazed at the whole thing.

Why don't [they] just come out and say that the schools are really just training grounds for good comrades...and free babysitting.  It's time to stop using "education" to thinly disguise what is really going on. If people really cared about "education" they wouldn't care if the kids went to public school or not.

Isn’t it sad that institutional settings can suck the life and fun out of a subject? Adventure stories like Moby Dick and The Three Musketeers become drudgery when they are dissected to death and a report required. Granted in that setting, a lone teacher won’t know what the student has learned, since there isn’t enough time in the day for her to spend with each student. She or he is forced to ask students prove what they know of a subject by what they write (whether that is the best way for them to express themselves or not).

 

HOOville is a good place to express ideas, share thoughts, commiserate, as well as help each other out with input on various educational materials, programs, and books. If you’re educating your first, last, one of many, or only child, please know that the Welcome Mat is out and we’d love to have you join us!

Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completes his homeschooling this year. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One five years ago, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can visit her website at  http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC

copyright © 2008 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.

How about meeting a fairly new blogger for a change? Kirstenjett of 4jetts Adventures in Life is who I've picked. She looks like someone who could handle the adventure of being the Featured Blogger!

The first thing you are going to notice is that this family dives right in to science. King Cluck's Embalming takes an adventurous spirit or at least a strong stomach. My family tried this experiment and it seriously went awry. As do all of our science experiments, but I digress...

How many of you have a name for your homeschool? The Narrow Gate sounds pretty good to me, although I'm not personally opposed to Space Cowboy School. It sounds kind of exciting in a dusty, atmospheric sort of way.

Homeschooling in another country can be difficult. Kirsten's family did so for a short time in the Netherlands. She gives a fascinating account of Dutch education requirements. I had no idea. I think I'd move to another country.

I'm glad you're blogging here Kirsten! It was fun to meet you and read your blog.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Many of you know Marsha from Our Homeschool and Other Such Happenings and Heart of the Matter Online. On Tuesday, Aug. 26, Marsha's three year old son, Dozer, went to be with Jesus.

Please pray for Marsha, David, and their entire family as they mourn the loss of their darling little boy.

You can read a tribute to Dozer on Heart of the Matter Online. They've put up a memorial fund button for him there and an address where you can mail cards.

Emily over at The Learning Never Stops bought Marsha an iPod and is asking everyone to offer their choice of a song that will give Marsha comfort. 

Marsha, we love you deeply and cry with you and for you. May our Heavenly Father bring you and your family peace and comfort.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Pardon my absence for the last week, but I have been moving out of state. I now write to you from Arizona instead of California.  I am beginning a new Tuesday Tips series. Here is part one:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You may never know it by listening to political rhetoric, TV commercials or the main-stream media, but words actually mean things.  Specific things!  If we allow ourselves to get caught up in the current trend to re-define words and to use them as we see fit, we end up with confusion or saying nothing.  If we don't realize that today's societal trend is to adopt a Shakespearian attitude in applying meanings to words, we may be fooled into believing just about anything. 

In the next several weeks, I will be sharing some of the ways in which words are misused, the main reasons words are purposely misused and how to discern the truth by paying close attention the real meaning of words. 

This week's word is...Natural.  Natural is a word misused by the advertising industry and is one of my Dad's pet peeves.  Natural means "existing in or produced by nature : not artificial."  (Merriam Webster.com)   Let's take a look at some of the ways in which the word natural is used in advertising. 



"All Natural" 

 
                                       "Natural Goodness!"


Advertisers use the word "natural" in a way that leads you to believe that, if it occurs in nature, it has to be good for you.  This is simply not true.  Here is a short list of things that exist in nature that are NOT good for you.

• Tornados (and other Natural Disasters)
  
• Scarlet Fever (and some people reportedly die of Natural Causes)
  
• Cocaine (but this is not what you would consider a Natural High)
  

Why is this an important distinction?  There are things that exist in nature that are not good for you when taken in large amounts-like salt.  If you drink too much water in a short period of time, you can die.  We know this from the radio stations that have had water drinking contests!  "Natural" potato chips may be better for you, but if you eat them in excess, you will still gain weight.  If you eat them exclusively, you are not getting the nutrition you need. 

Related to all things natural is the word "Organic".  Organic foods are all the rage lately.  Naturally good for you.  Consumer Reports did a study several years ago about Organic Foods.  They determined that organic foods containing no pesticides were no more healthy than those that used pesticides.  In fact, they determined that some organic foods might contain a larger amount of micro organisms for which the pesticides are used.  In fact, it found that it can be dangerous to buy organic fish and seafood because fish can contain mercury which is also natural. 
In general, it is true that things are better the way they are created by God in nature.  However, let's not be fooled.  The Lord gave the Jews many laws in the Bible, the purpose of which was to protect them from some of the more deadly things that are "natural". 

Words mean things, don't they?  Stay tuned for next week's edition of Tuesday Tips featuring another misused word or term. 

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