Wisdom Home Academy - Homeschool Blogger

TOS Mission statement change (Hooray!)

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:23:00 -0600

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!

Don't forget

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:31:00 -0600

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?

What is your opinion of this? TOS magazine's mission

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:51:00 -0500

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?

This week's character quotes for penmanship copywork

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:30:00 -0500

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

Oh my! The children are peacefully studying.

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:29:00 -0500

As I sit... Dare I say it? The children are peacefully studying. Devan and Remington are sitting in the living room reading through different books about dinosaurs. Richie is reading to Christopher from the Mighty Machines book. They are currently discussing a tug-of-war competition between a paddle boat and a propeller boat. (Apparently the propeller boat won.)

I love it when a plan comes together.

Okay, cheesy but I sure did love the A-team as a child. ;)

Yes! This is what I was hoping to achieve! I have been working towards creating an environment for the children to decide certain lessons for themselves and to seek out information. Not only that but I have hoped to finally evolve into *peaceful* cooperative lessons. Wow! It's really, really working. :)

The agenda for today

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:25:00 -0500

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.

He's 9 years old

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:24:00 -0500

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.)

A day's plan

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:23:00 -0500

(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

I LOVE new books!

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:22:00 -0500

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! ;)

New letter from the DPP

Thu, 6 Sep 2007 20:03:00 -0500

Well, this year's letter is even worse than last year.

Last year HSLDA wrote Jason a nice letter on my behalf about his illegal demands and fraudulent version of the law. They even went so far as to inform Jason that his demand of social security numbers violates federal privacy law.

The Federal Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits public school officials from
requesting a social security number, without clearly specifying that that number
is optional or mandatory and identifying the reason for which the number has
been requested.