I wonder if many of today's homeschoolers can really understand what an incredible phenomenon, even miracle, the growth of homeschooling over the past two decades is.

My first year homeschooling -- 1985 -- I had never even heard the term. I met my first fellow homeschooler during my second year of teaching my children and started a homeschool group that same year.

When my oldest son reached fourth grade, I discovered Saxon Math. The program started with the 65 book. The 54 book was in the test-marketing stage and I was part of the target group for the test. My copy was completely handwritten. Each chapter was stapled together and added to the pile of other chapters.

I coordinated the first curriculum fair in my area that invited actual publishers (prior to that, families would get together once a year to show their curriculum, which is still a good idea). Hundreds of the companies that set up at fairs today did not exist twenty – or even ten – years ago.

The most common response I encountered when people discovered I homeschooled was: “Is that legal?” Today it’s: “I know someone who does that.”

Even the word “homeschool” has evolved. During most of my homeschool years it was two separate words, and while many parents said they home schooled, you never heard a child say he or she home schooled, but rather that he was home schooled.

In some ways, I think this last thing may be the most important bit of progress. While my children have always been self-educators, they never used the terminology of self-education: I homeschool.

Maybe it would be good for us to impress upon our children the full potential of those words used by a student: I homeschool. I take an active role in my education. Education is not something I just wait for someone to do to me.

This is how we produce those “lifelong learners” the teaching industry is so fond of talking about and so loathe to actually empower.

Tammy Drennan has homeschooled and helped others start homeschooling for 23 years. Her web sites and blogs include: www.homeschoolstarter.com and www.educationconversation.wordpress.com.

E-Book: "Adding Alligators" and Other Easy-to-Read Math Stories 

25 Engaging, Reproducible Stories with Math Problems That Build Early Math Skills.  Kids read easy and adorable math stories, then solve companion word problems! Reinforces addition, subtraction, shapes, patterns, time, money & more!

E-Book: 15 Easy & Irresistible Math Mini-Books 

Reproducible easy-to-read stories and activities that invite kids to add, subtract, measure, tell time, and practice other important early math skills.

E-Book: 15 Fun and Easy Games for Young Learners: Math 

Reproducible, Easy-to-Play Learning Games That Help Kids Build Essential Math Skills
Play Hickory Dickory Clock, Pocket Change, and other games to build skills, such as time, money, patterns, and more!

To view our Mathematics Category click HERE.

As it stands right now, many hospitals already have a visiting nurse come to your home after you have had a baby, on the premise "to help you if you need it".  I had a friend who lived just across the street from me who had a visiting nurse come by and then turn her in for child abuse because her house was a mess.  Imagine that, a mom with a newborn baby and a three year old running around in a messy house. The nurse claimed that it was unhealthy for the baby.  There was no mention of how unhealhty it was for the three year old and the baby couldn't even roll over yet or pick up things off the floor to put into its mouth. I asked my friend why she had even allowed the woman to come visit her.  She said, "I didn't know that I could tell her no." The charges were later dropped and my friend learned a lesson, it's your house, it's your child, you can say no.  Especially to someone who isn't there just for the purpose they are claiming to be there for.

Both bills point out that states, teachers, and parents must comply with the law in order to gain the funds and services, as always.  It's their way or no way.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Broke the mold. Ignored the critics.

Franklin. Mill. Lincoln. Edison. My kids.

Dog ate the textbooks. Thank goodness.

Four corners of the earth – school.

Homeschool – is there any other way?

God made parents. Man made schools.

Curriculum + Love = Our School

Trying out school of hard knocks.

Learning and growing together from home.

Tammy Drennan has homeschooled and helped others start homeschooling for 23 years. Her web sites and blogs include: www.homeschoolstarter.com and www.educationconversation.wordpress.com.

Happy Homeschooling,

Jamin

I don't understand why the simple option of personal preference isn't taken into consideration here.  So now, in England, are we to assume that children can't prefer one candy over another, one flavor over another, Italian food instead of Chinese?  I suppose so.  

So, just in case you didn't know, the things that make your children unique and wonderful also - according to the 'state' - make them racists. 

Will they then start putting pets to sleep because they prefer certain people over others?  Have you ever seen a dog raised in the home of people or a particular color that barked at people of another color walking down the street?  Is that dog racist or does it simply enjoy its own family and the safety of its own home?  A friend just told me about a parrot they had that hated women...yet would fly to the shoulder of any man and coo to its heart's content.  Once when we went to Holmes County and were about to take an Amish buggy ride, the gentleman driving our buggy had the only white buggy horse used by an Amish family.  He said that when they go "to meeting" on Sundays that he had to tie up his buggy "out of biting distance" because the other bay colored (dark brown body w/black mane, forlock & tail) horses didn't like him and woud bite him!  Were those horses racists?

What these government "experts" don't want to understand is that everyone, even an animal, has a personal preference.  Our taste buds enjoy different things.  God made us unique!  Uniqueness is something utterly lost when the government gets involved...you MUST like every type of food!...you MUST go to a school confined to one building...only with children of the same age...only taught by government fed teachers who only teach what they were taught...the WAY they were taught to teach it!  Whew! 

Freedom is far less exhausting!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Every year, we go to Word of Life Family Campground in beautiful Schroon Lake, New York, for a week.  It comes right after we have wrapped up school, and my quarterly reports are due to my school district, along with my letter of intent and annual assessments for the year.  I think I’m going to lose my mind every year, and this year was no different.   

The laundry that fell behind during “busy June” now needs to be caught up (actually, it is rarely caught up - shhhh).  We not only needed to pack, but we needed to know what we are lacking so we can purchase items we may need.  Also, get the dog to the vet for the rabies shot, brush her out really good because it's shedding season.  Oops, her license is expiring.  Renew that ... Teenage son wants more driving practice ... the list seems never-ending.   

We have been spending a week at Word of Life Family Campground for the past 10 years, and have stayed in a tent the past two years.  We love tenting, but it is a lot of work!  The week is full of great bible teaching – the cream of the crop of bible teachers.  We had Ray Pritchard and Jimmy DeYoung as our main speakers.  I tried to do all of our meals at the campsite, so that was a lot of beforehand preparation.  I did as much at home as I could, then froze it so all I had to do was warm it up at camp.  So it wasn’t so bad, but it was still a lot of work – hauling the dishes up to the bathhouse, where there’s a utility sink with counter space – keeping the cooler cold with fresh ice daily - makes you appreciate home, that’s for sure.  And it helps you to know you can do more than maybe you think you can do.  I thought on the way home from camp, after packing up three tents, all cooking utensils, propane grill and stove, fishing poles, air mattresses (with help, of course)… oh, so tired … they should sell exit T-shirts that say “I survived my week of tenting at Word of Life Family Campground.”  Even as the thought entered my mind, I remembered – “I had the same thought on my way home last year.” 

I have had one week to recoup.  Sort of.  It’s been a week of laundry and getting things back in place.  And sleeping.  Sometimes three (short) naps a day.  Am I getting too old for this sort of thing?  Thankfully, I am finding my energy is returning.  I feel ready to tackle the rest of summer with it’s projects and fun.   

I said all of that to say, I can’t wait for school to start so we can get routine back!  I love the start of a new school year.  It’s never really new, we just pick up where we left off.  But there’s always a chance to readjust or try something just a little bit different.  I’m not trying to hurry summer.  The most difficult (but rewarding!) part is over.  I plan on enjoying the garden, getting to the beach at least once (I wish there were family friendly beaches!), and I long to spend endless hours with my boys, in a creek with minnows and crayfish, and salamanders; relive my childhood a bit.   

But when fall comes, I won’t bemoan the end of summer.  It will be a continuation of learning – always learning, but in a different season, and with a bit more structure.  We would also really love to visit the Creation Museum – whether to end summer, or kick off school. 

And the seasons, they go round and round … home where WE belong.