Jan. 8, 2008 - TOS Mission statement change (Hooray!)

The following is the formal reply from TOS about the issue of the mission statement. I am so PLEASED with their choice! Thank you TOS for making all homeschoolers feel welcome. :)

Dear Sheri,
 
Thanks so much for writing in with your question. Please forgive the delay in response. We have been extremely busy with the Winter Issue and the holidays, as well as changing our website a bit. We do take your question seriously. And in doing so, we have also changed our mission statement to reflect more clearly our mission.
 
I also wanted to answer your questions. You are right in that we will admit that our magazine does indeed give encouragement and support to Christian homeschoolers. And, we do want to make it clear in our mission statement, our statement of faith, and our philosophy that we are a decidedly Christian publication. And as a Christian publication, our articles in the magazine and everything we publish or produce will most likely reflect just that. So, maybe an important clarification would be that the mission of TOS magazine is not only one of encouragement and support for all homeschooling families, but as a decidedly Christian publication, our articles and publications may at the same time, fulfill the biblical command of evangelizing the non-Christian homeschooler. For it is our goal to glorify God in all that we do and to lift Him up and make Him known.
 
We do not believe in any way that non-Christian homeschoolers are only useful to evangelize. We are however, a Christian publication and reflect that in all that we do. We do hope that even while being distinctly Christian that we also will support and encourage many types of homeschoolers.
 
Here is the mission statement taken from our website:
Mission Statement
Our mission is to produce a high quality biblically-based magazine that is a practical resource itself while introducing other products and services to the home educator that will strengthen, support and challenge the family both spiritually and academically as they impact their world for Christ.

 
 
Again, forgive the delay in response, and if you have any other questions, please let me know.
 
Deborah Wuehler
Senior Editor
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Bringing them "Home Where They Belong"
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC
25 FREE Gifts with Subscription - See Them Here!

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Nov. 19, 2007 - Don't forget

I post far more often at my other blog. After reviewing the mission statement AND contacting the editors for an explanation BUT only being ignored, I think I may shut down this blog entirely.

Funny, I actually had an article up for submission in the spring issue. The deadline was last month but I just couldn't bring myself to submit. It doesn't seem right to me that some homeschoolers are offered support and others are offered God. And where do "mixed" families fit in? Do my husband and two of my boys get support and encouragement? Do my other son and myself only get offered God?

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Oct. 31, 2007 - What is your opinion of this? TOS magazine's mission

This mission statement is included in TOS Writer's Guidelines.

The mission of TOS Magazine is to encourage and support Christian homeschooling families and to evangelize non-Christian homeschooling families.

Any opinions?

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Oct. 24, 2007 - This week's character quotes for penmanship copywork

If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character s a byproduct, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish pig.
~~~Woodrow Wilson,28th American President


The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops- no, but the kind of man the country turns out.
~~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did ever a man try heroism, magnanimity, truth, sincerity, and find that there was no advantage in them- that it was a vain endeavor?
~~~Henry David Thoreau

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
~~~Unknown

Those who are free from resentful thoughts surely find peace.
~~~Buddha

No man is more cheated than a selfish man.
~~~Henry Beecher

Our life is what our thoughts make it.
~~~Marcus Aurelius

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Oct. 24, 2007 - Oh my! The children are peacefully studying.

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Oct. 15, 2007 - The agenda for today

As you can see, I've been tweaking our daily plans in an attempt to create the best learning environment possible for my children. I've leaned heavily upon the guidance of Marva Collins and Mr. and Mrs. Moore.

Here is our agenda for this week:

Boys awake by 9am
Complete morning stuff-
showers and dressed
clean room
eat breakfast
brush teeth
Morning chores completed by 10am-
let goats out to pasture
empty dishwasher
wash kitchen table
feed Barn Cat

Begin each day with a reading of Rudyard Kippling's If.
Separately, each boy reads aloud to me for about 20 minutes. I provide any phonics training needed for words/sounds difficult to the child. We discuss the story a bit during and after the reading. We are currently enjoying the cool temperatures for reading on the front porch swing. Ah, a perk of homeschooling!
During this reading time the other boys (not currently reading aloud to me) will be working on their writing and penmanship skills. The boys *in their best penmanship* copy a quote from the chalkboard. These usually consist of quite a few Benjamin Franklin and Marva Collins quotes. I'm also particularly fond of this one, quoted from Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. president (1872-1933)

We demand entire freedom of action and then expect the government in
some miraculous way to save us from the consequences of our own acts.... Self-government means self-reliance.

Also, the boys will write an entry into their daily journal. These entries can be about anything the boys wish to write. Sometimes they prefer a story starter.
All errors are immediately (or asap) corrected with a brief lesson as to why the change was necessary. (Such as, grammatical errors and spelling errors.)

Math time! We will continue using MUS but with a bit of a change. I have (shamefully) gotten a bit lazy having a video teacher. ;) Steve Demme teaches the boys so well (via DVD lesson) that I had shirked my teaching responsibilities of math over to him. Time to wake up and get involved! I will be watching the video lessons with the boys and working on the new concept a bit with them before assigning them their daily worksheet of math problems.
After the boys have completed, it is time to find a real life application for the new math concept they are working on. This could be anything the boys can come up with and will hopefully include some type of practical work.
Math worksheets are also immediately corrected with a lesson as to why correction was needed. (It does no good for them to practice it the wrong way and if they knew how to do it correctly the first time they would have.)

One hour break for PE and lunch

History or Science time-
My goal is provide an environment rich in hands on learning and discussion for these subjects. (Think science experiments, re-enactments and deep conversation about the issues.)

Independent learning-
In the following days I plan to help the boys plan for an independent study of their chosen topic. We will discuss:
the goal of the study
books and materials needed
field trips or experiences that will help
plan for a proper completion event (presentation or something to the effect)
After we have our game plans and the needed materials the boys will spend some time daily working on their independent studies. Of course, I will be on hand for any guidance needed.
I believe Remington and I may curl up on the couch with a few books while the boys are studying. :)

Now it's time for me to read aloud to the boys! This will likely be one chapter per day of some (hopefully) fantastic story. The boys and I have already read Lord of the Flies and The Pearl. I really enjoyed these books and would prefer to read from similar thought provoking stories. Any suggestions?

Now comes the *real* work. :) Practical life skills... Ah! The stuff life is made of. This work will consist of whatever is needed around the home as well as volunteer work. I will be calling our local senior citizen's center today to find how we can help. (I'm thinking simply visiting with some may provide a bit of comfort and perhaps some reading for those who can no longer see the text.)
We have quite a few things which need completed around the home:
pick remaining vegetables
preserve
clean up garden (pull stakes and level)
add horse manure to soil for next year's garden

clean up goat's barn
check for and repair any drafts in barn
begin studying goat birthing (although we will not be interfering with the birth)
measure goat pasture and calculate needed wire
hang two more strands of electric fencing

finish our frog pond
organize and personalize the boys' rooms

After all this it will be time for the boys to complete their afternoon chores. (Mom too!) Then comes the time the boys enjoy best.... free time! "Tear out!" I tell them. ;) Often times you will find Richie and Christopher biking the nearby trails on the property of our kind neighbor. Devan and Remington can usually be found exploring our land with bug catchers, binoculars and bird watching books.

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Oct. 15, 2007 - He's 9 years old

 
Wow. My little Devan is now a whopping 9 years old. It's really hard to believe how quickly our children grow. (Isn't time an amazing concept? I've been with him just about every single day of his life and yet it doesn't seem to me that it has already been 3,287 days.)

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Oct. 15, 2007 - A day's plan

(This is an old entry I forgot to transfer over from my other blog.)

Last night, with my new books in hand, I worked into the night to create this week's lesson plans. Keep in mind, these are a rough outline. These plans are neither exhaustive nor rigidly followed. ;)

Monday, October 1st, 2007

Language Arts-
Grammar (using the Grammar Smart book) This is remedial instruction in order to build confidence and ease of our new lessons.

Noun instruction- What is a noun?
As a class (on the blackboard) create a list of examples for each category: person, place, and thing. Then, each child create list of 10 examples for each category.

*Not sure if it's a noun? Try putting "a" or "the" in front of the word to see if it makes sense. For example: a boy, the train, a city....

We will continue to review nouns this entire week:
T- proper nouns
W- plural and singular nouns
T- collective nouns
F- two quizzes covering the information

Dad's writing assignment
Compile a list of 10 things you *need* to survive.
(This is in preparation for a pretty neat survival camping adventure.)

Phonics (Using the Phonics From A to Z book)
Phonemic Awareness Assessment for Christopher and Devan
Richie- complete a page in Spelling Workout workbook
Remington- letter recognition work

Spelling (Using AVKO Sequential Spelling program)
Christopher and Devan- complete one spelling quiz/lesson
Richie- two spelling quizzes/lessons

Reading
All boys read aloud (to me) from any reasonable book choice. (15 minutes each)

Dictation
Richie- a few of Benjamin Franklin's wise proverbs
Christopher and Devan- a list of different words: truck, trick, treat; candy, car, ant, can't; stick, stuck, stack, stock. Also, boys take turns saying aloud an example sentence for each word.

Writing Assignment from Mom-
Top Secret!! Where is your comfy spot at our house?
The location is where the boys will begin independent study time in the future. I believe we will have independent study time every other day. The boys will be allowed to do any activity they wish so long as they identify (to me) what they plan to learn. Then, after the activity, they must tell me what the *did* learn.

Science (Using the 150 great experiments book) These are a lesson plus an experiment. Some will have additional lessons from outside sources.
The moon and our ocean's tides
Our broken Earth
What is soil?

History (Review using new history book)
Define the word revolution
The American Revolution discussion
Create time line figures

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Oct. 15, 2007 - I LOVE new books!

 

Every homeschooler loves new books, don't we? ;) This weekend I was able to find some very good books for our homeschool.

Proof this 150 Great Science Experiments book will be a good one? Well, last week the boys all asked specific science questions: Christopher wants more information about the moon's pull on our tides, Richie wants more information about the tectonic plates of our planet, and Devan wants to know what *exactly* makes dirt. This book answers and has an experiment for all these questions. Never before have I found all "the answers" in one book. ;) However, we will still need to supplement as I have found some of the information is not as in depth as I would like. (I think this applies to most books.)

Great book and exactly what I need. This book gives clear instructions for phonics training. There are no cutesy worksheets... this is real instruction. (Just the way I like it!)

Who couldn't use another history book? :) Yet another Usborne book for me, we love these! They have such great visuals and they *are* directly related to the lesson. ;)


Ah, the ever elusive grammar training. Have you noticed many grammar workbooks are completely lacking actual grammar instruction? (I, for one, need this instruction. LOL!)

So, there you have it, my latest book splurge. Most of these books weren't terribly expensive when you compare them to full price. Yet, very expensive when compared to library book sale price. (25c per book.) The Phonics A to Z was the most expensive of the bunch coming in at a whopping full price of $23.99. Yikes! But, I believe it is quite worth the cost. The other books were fairly cheap: history book around $8, Grammar $3.40, and science $7.98.

Here's the kicker.... well, this is the part where I am kicking myself in the butt! We visited three book stores to purchase these books. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring proof of being a homeschooler. (our letter of intent serves as "proof" *rolls eyes*) So, I missed out on some real savings. One store was having it's annual educator's week which included a 25% discount. Doh! So, why didn't I just run and get my paper, you may ask? I forgot to mention, these stores are an hour away from my home.
I will remember to bring the paper next time! ;)

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Sep. 6, 2007 - New letter from the DPP

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Sep. 6, 2007 - Hard to photograph children

The date stamp is wrong on these pics. I apologize. :)

So, what happens when your older boys cover their faces and squeal,
"I don't like pictures of me!"
You get a LOT of little boy pictures.
Above- Christopher and Devan cover their faces when mom pops in with the camera

Above- Remington and Callie play school

Above- Remington loves the zoo

Above- Remington at Vacation Bible School this year

Above- Remington and Callie do chalkboard work

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Sep. 6, 2007 - Pictures from this morning

Obviously I forgot to set the date stamp on my camera this morning. (That's the bad thing about digitals, evertime the battery goes dead you need to reset the date stamp.)

Anywho... I hope you are able to enjoy these views as I have. I *love* it here!

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Aug. 31, 2007 - Marva Collins quote

Don't try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior. When our students fail, we, as teachers, too, have failed.

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Aug. 21, 2007 - Honoring Moore’s Achievements

I didn't realize Dr Moore had passed. Here is a nice opinion article penned by Mr Smith of HSLDA.

Washington Times Op-ed—Honoring Moore’s Achievements

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Aug. 16, 2007 - Sending the kids to school prepared for war

This is amazing.

Sending your kid off to school these days isn't what it used to be -- at least that's what one company called MJ Safety Solutions would have you believe -- because they're selling a bulletproof backpack. That's right, two worried parents in Boston have created "My Child's Pack," a $175 bulletproof book-bag that will stop an assortment of bullets (including hollow-point 9mm) dead in their tracks.

The two inventors feel this will provide a simple solution for parents hoping to protect children from school shootings and gun violence. As sensitive creator Joe Curran says, "I don't care what you do -- if you want to fight the good fight or fix the world's hurts, I can't help you, but my kids are going to be safe because of these backpacks." Which might be true, if crazed shooters are only aiming at people's backs. Check out the "special report" video on the bags after the break.

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Aug. 12, 2007 - Calculators, SpellCheck and Clusters

What do you get when you give a student a calculator instead of teaching them how to compute math them self?

Or, what about when you "teach" a child how to compute math using "clusters"? (If you're unfamiliar with clusters you must watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI )

Oh... here's a great one too. What do you get when you don't teach a child how to spell but instead have them complete all their written work on a computer with instructions to use SpellCheck?

Well, my friends, I can tell you. What you get is a child who has been "left behind" and a homeschooling mother who is so angry she could rip off her own face to have something to throw at a school staff member.

Doesn't sound too pleasant, does it?

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Aug. 8, 2007 - You simply must read this book- The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

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Aug. 7, 2007 - I've gone from homeschooling two children to four.

So far it's working out really well. There have been no major snags but there is much room for improvement in my time management. ;) Quite a bit of my efforts have been focused on C this school year. The boys understand we have major work to attend and since they are familiar with our regular schedule, they continue their work independently. While I am *thankful* they are capable of this I need to remember to work one on one with each boy.

I believe we will also benefit from more group activities. Right now is not a good time but soon. Currently C is a bit bashful of reading aloud. However, he is certainly much less bashful than last week. He is beginning to realize we are not going to poke fun at him. Surely he must have caught at least one major teasing in public school.

We strive to support each other. We are beginning to make a concentrated effort to recognize improvement in each other and offer congratulations. We have been sure to never naysay anyone's abilities or lack thereof. We are really creating the idea caring and nurturing educational environment and it's quite lovely. (Honestly, I expected major testosterone overload but so far so good.)

Lessons with my oldest son, almost 15yo, are designed specifically to match his changing needs. C has been "left behind" in the public school system his entire educational career. His reading and writing levels are quite low. I believe he was taught using the whole word method of reading. He has no concept of phonics rules, base words, suffixes, prefixes, etc...

However, this is all changing and quite suddenly! It's amazing how quickly he is progressing. There have been marked differences from week to week. I've always read the stories of teenaged children suddenly raising their reading level three grades in one year. I believe we have that exact situation on our hands and I am happy it's going so well. :)

I have decided to teach in much the same fashion of Marva Collins. I have applied this to our everyday lessons and all the boys have responded quite positively. For those who haven't read the book (why not?) here is a clip from Marva's website. (Sorry, this will be long but well worth the read.)

Marva N. Collins

Educational Program and Philosophy

My educational program and methodology is based on the Socratic Method. Socrates, an Athenian philosopher and teacher, lived from about 470 – 399 BC. The Socratic method teaches by using a series of questions and answers by which the logical soundness of a definition, or a point of view, or the meaning of a concept, is tested. The Socratic method is based on logical analysis, consequently, it develops superb reasoning skills in students.

I select reading materials that contain ideas that are abstract. These ideas may, and will, mean different things to different students. There may not be one correct answer, but several interpretations are possible. Socrates asks, in Plato’s Republic, what is “justice?” As Socrates’ queries of his students reveal, “justice” as a concept has several definitions. The purpose of teaching, I believe, is not just to master factual material, but also to teach the student how to think, and to encourage him/her to think, indeed. The ability to reason, to analyze logically, will survive long after the student’s retention of memorized fact is lost.

Before beginning any reading selection, I first pre-read the selection (it is folly to attempt to teach what one does not know) and I extract all of the difficult words. These “words-to-watch” become the vocabulary words for the class to learn. Every student must be able to pronounce, spell, and know the meaning of each of these words prior to starting the reading in class. It makes no sense to delve into the selection if the students do not understand the words in the material to be read. Otherwise, the reading will both tedious and meaningless.

Then, I refer to the title of the reading, and ask, “ What do you think this selection is going to be about?” This process is gathering information from the title. Other questions that may be asked, before the reading actually begins, include, “Is this story going to be about pain?” “A good conscience?” “How do you know?” Next, identify the purpose for reading the selection. As the reading progresses – readings must be done aloud, never silently – ask pertinent questions, such as “What do you think will happen?” Predictions must use logic, reason, evidence, in order to develop meta-cognitive skills.

Students are taught to examine their line of reasoning. What information from the reading supports your response? This teaches the student the importance of factual responses as compared to interpretative answers. Certainly, students will score higher on standardized tests when they know how to think critically and analytically. Tests do not want to know what we think; they measure the correctness of our factual responses. Thus students are taught to refrain from making wild conjectures. Inquiry becomes a disciplined process in which students use prior acquired knowledge and evidence to arrive at new insights and understanding.

In the Socratic method the teacher controls the rate and flow of information. Understanding takes place during the reading, at each important juncture, not at the end of the selection. This method encourages participation by all students, thus it alleviates discipline problems, and eventually eliminates them entirely. When students misbehave, it indicates that they have not developed the habit of “right” reasoning. My methodology is designed to teach that choices have consequences. I use discipline, self-discipline, not punishment to engage the students in “right” thinking. Ultimately, the teacher should increase reading longer amounts of text between stopping points. This will increase the students’ ability to gain meaning from extended reading. Always stop at points in the reading to ask questions, such as, “Why did you (the student) give the answer you did?” And, “Can you point to the sentence, or paragraph, in the reading that supports your conclusion?”

Stop-points in oral reading should occur at logical places such as where the story changes and especially at highly abstract passages. The master teacher never shies away from difficult reading selections or passages therein. The class is only as good as its leader! Stopping at abstractions allows for oral discussion, the refinement of ideas, and the use of vocabulary, and for guidance by the teacher. Stop points also provide discussion time, increased verbal and writing skills, and the development of critical thinking.

My educational program does not allow the inane use of independent seatwork, busy work sheets, and workbooks. These so-called education tools do not connect ideas into a logical thought process. They do not, and cannot, teach children how to read, or how to write. They presuppose that the participant is already an independent reader, and is already imbued with critical and analytical thinking skills, or that the student is able to grasp, without supervision or guidance, the relevant points being made by the author. There are more reasons why I do not use work sheets in my classes, and I do not permit their use by any teacher in my school.

Upon completion of a reading selection, students should write daily letters to the characters in the selection, or to the author of the material. Students should write a critical review of the selection. Which character did they identify with the most? Why? What did this character teach them? What life-lesson, if any, did they learn from the reading? Why is this life-lesson important to them? Again, workbooks and worksheets can never accomplish this. There is a difference between “busy work” and “thought work.”

The direct teaching method reinforces skills learned in every reading selection. The child is taught to refer to what has been learned previously to support an opinion. References come from many different sources, from poetry, newspaper editorials, magazines, great speeches, novels, or any other written material. Everything everywhere provides potentially excellent material for developing reasoning skills. To illustrate, a piece of paper represents trees, because wood is processed into paper. A piece of paper also represents the water that nourishes the tree, the woodsman who cuts down the tree, or the trucks that take the felled tree to the processing plant. Direct teaching expands the mind beyond the two covers of a book and the four walls of the classroom. Textbook word-for-word, lock-step methods never make good critical thinkers. There is a difference between word reading and word understanding. And, there is a difference between knowing how to read, and loving to read.

My methodology of teaching has the advantage of establishing an intellectual environment that promotes the gaining of textual information, conversational information, vocabulary building, idea building, idea sharing and expansion, and it demands the attention of all participants. It alleviates guessing. It teaches abstract thinking. Critical thinking involves a general attitude of questioning and suspended judgment, the habit of examining before accepting. The teacher and the student now have a common goal, which is the gaining of knowledge and information sharing. Direct teaching does require new behavior by both the teacher and the students, therefore it does require some degree of behavior modification. In my long teaching career, I have learned that the benefits are worth the effort. Once teachers try the Socratic Method, or direct method, of teaching, they will never again return to anything that cannot produce the “magic.”

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Aug. 6, 2007 - Nearly Half of New Jersey Teacher Candidates Fail Math Test

Prospective teachers in New Jersey have to master reading, writing, and—what was that third thing again?

The arithmetic is not good when it comes to new teacher candidates in the Garden State. Only 58 percent who took the required licensing exam in math in 2005-06 passed it, according to the state Department of Education.

They did better in other areas; 64 percent passed the social studies test and 71 percent passed the English exam.

Now the state Board of Education is considering raising the minimum passing score on tests for new teachers, despite knowing it might cause even more to fail, The Press of Atlantic City reported in Thursday’s newspapers.

“I’ve got to confess, I’m a little uncomfortable,” board member Arnold Hyndman said.

The state requires teacher candidates to pass a standardized test in their subject area before they can be licensed. The Praxis tests can be adapted to each state’s own needs.

“Our goal is to strengthen the content knowledge of our teachers,” assistant education commissioner Jay Doolan said. “Math especially is a concern, and we want input.”

Math has been one of the areas where there is still a teacher shortage in the state. The poor performance of minority teaching candidates on that test, with results indicating less than a third passed, was also a concern as the state looks to recruit more minority teachers.

Robert Higgins, acting director of the Office of Licensure and Credentials, said the passing rates in New Jersey among the minority teaching groups are similar to national trends.

Wow... that's all I can say... just wow.

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Aug. 2, 2007 - Wonderful book. Marva Collins' Way

"I didn't know anything about educational theory, and I have often throught that worked in my favor. Without preconceived ideas and not bound by rules, I was forced to deal with my students as individuals, to talk to them, listen to them, find out their needs. I wasn't trying to see how they fit into any learning patterns or educational models. I followed my instincts and taught according to what felt right. I brought my own experiences to the classroom, trying figure out how I had learned as a student. I remembered what had bored me and what had interested me, which teachers I had liked and which ones I had disliked, and applied it all to my teaching."   Marvin Collins

This is a wonderful book for anyone to read. It was co-authored by and written about Marva Collins. Her teaching methods were truly superior and inspiring. Give this book a try. :)

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