Compulsory Schooling and Other Newfangled Notions
April 10, 2008 | 4 Comments
Over at the Moms Talk Forum, we are discussing the homeschooling - why? question. I’ve written before about my reasons for homeschooling before, and this is always a pet topic so I’ll dig a little deeper into just part of it: the fact that compulsory schooling is, in my opinion, a modern idea that has failed.
Here is a brilliantly written article on the subject that I read recently: http://www.i2i.org/main/article.php?article_id=878
As the article mentions, the evidence points to the fact that compulsory (meaning government controlled and mandated) schooling did not improve the intelligence or productivity of Americans. In fact, the evidence shows that the opposite has happened. Especially among minority groups, minority is much lower ethan it was one hundred years ago in this country. American males who enlisted in the military in the 60’s were already far less literate than their Dads who enlisted in the 40’s. But it goes back much farther than that. In Colonial times, the average person was highly literate. The “bestselling” books back then were on a college reading level. Letters sent home to family from soldiers, children and other common folks showed a very high degree of eloquence and intelligence. Almost everyone could read and write and do sums well, even if they didn’t go to school at all.
A quote:
“Thus, the rise of public, or government, schools was not a response to an inability on the part of society to provide for the education of its children but rather a manifestation of what later came to be called the “Progressive” mindset, the belief that life increasingly needed to be subject to control by experts and central government planning”
The idea that my parents could be prevented from educating their own offspring using the police power of government is deeply disturbing. This is a right even the animals enjoy.
“Compulsory-attendance laws can be criticized on many grounds. To start with the most basic, forced attendance cannot be squared with the notion of liberty on which the United States was founded. The late John Holt, a former school teacher and education writer, wrote,
“The requirement that a child go to school, for about six hours a day, 180 days a year, for about ten years, whether or not he learns anything there, whether or not he already knows it or could learn it faster or better somewhere else, is such a gross violation of civil liberties that few adults would stand for it. But the child who resists is treated as a criminal.(19)
That we do not regard the forced day-time internment as a violation of the child’s or parents’ rights only shows how thoroughly people have been propagandized by the advocates of the present system. The government says it has a “compelling interest” in the education of children. Too few people have been willing to reply in the manner of the Jimmy Stewart character in the movie Shenandoah: “These aren’t the state’s children; they’re mine.“
Amen, Mister Stewart. I would go a little farther than that and say that don’t actually belong to me at all but to someone much higher than me, whom I have to answer to for how I treat them and raise them. They’re simply on loan to me for twenty years or so. ;) And that notion puts much more fear in my heart than anything Big Gubmint might do.
The article goes on to talk about Irresponsible Parents which is something that I know from talking with homeschooling opponents is part of their thought process. The argument is that “since some parents won’t be as responsible as you (talking about me personally), we need to have compulsory schooling.”
The article has a lot of great points to adress this. As I stated to someone the other day, I have strong opinions about how parents should feed their kids, but it sure isn’t my right to go into another’s home and remove their children or fine or jail the parents because they feed their kids hot dogs.
I highly recommend John Taylor Gatto’s books to anyone who wants to know the truth about the modern system of schooling and where it really came from. Among other things, the principle folks who influenced what we think of as school today were very unambiguous about what they were trying to accomplish. Strange as it may seem, they were vocal about wanting to produce a generation of good government and factory employees. Influenced by the Prussian system of educational philosophy, they started modeling schools after it.
That’s unnerving, idn’t it?
Organizing Arts and Crafts, Games and Chocolate
February 14, 2008 | 1 Comment
On Wonder Years Radio recently they discussed organizing arts and crafts and the kid’s schoolwork.
I thought I would share a tip that has worked well for me when it comes to organizing games. The cardboard boxes board games come in are notorious for falling apart and getting squashed, but they take up a lot of space too.
I took all my kid’s board games out of their boxes and stacked the folded up game board into ONE large flat Rubbermaid storage container. Then I took the pieces that go with each game and placed them in quart (or gallon if needed) size resealable plastic bags.
This system takes up far less space and the pieces stay together better too.
My kids are homeschooled so we have a LOT of paper, workbooks, school books around here. I have one of those 10 Drawer Chrome Rolling Cart Storage Room Organizer
Next to that on a shelf there is a two drawer storage container. The top drawer has crayons, stickers, paints, colored pencils, etc. The bottom drawer has paper (usually it has print on the back of it that has come from my printer. LOL!)
When it comes to art work, it’s mostly my 4 year old that produces TONS of drawings and stuff. I have an agreement with her that the day’s masterpiece goes on the fridge. Extra stuff she wants to keep goes in a princess folder. What doesn’t fit in the folder goes in the trash. She is ok with this system. I couldn’t possibly keep every piece of artwork she creates. The girl is prolific. LOL
Works for us!
Frugal Friday: .25 Day at the Thrift Store
January 12, 2008 | 21 Comments
This post is actually about what I did *last* Friday, but I’m just now getting around to publishing this. My digital camera has decided to officially freak out and DIE, and I really wanted to post pictures of all the goodies I got, but alas, it’s not meant to be right now. Maybe later I’ll be able to update this post. 
What do you get when you cross $36 with $0.25 Day at the Thrift Store?
5 HUGE, kitchen trash bag size bags FULL of kid’s and mama clothes, books, a child’s desk and a gorgeous loveseat, and One very happy Frugal Mama. 
Note: If you are new to thrift store shopping, read more of my tips below after I describe my finds. If you’re a seasoned thrift store shopper, beware. Uncontrollable jealousy may ensue after reading this post!
Let me start by telling you why I love thrift stores. Firstly, I am cheap and I love the savings they offer (repeat after me: stick it to da man).
Secondly, I like buying secondhand stuff that somebody decided to go to the trouble of donating instead of chucking it into a landfill.
And third, (and this is a little known truth about buying kid’s clothes secondhand) I actually get better quality stuff at the thrift store. Before I lose some of you let me explain what I mean.
Have you ever bought a clothing item for your kids at a discount or department store, only to have it tear up in the wash the first time your kid wore it? I have too. The thing is, if the item in question has made it through one kid and many washes and still looks good when you pick it up at the T-store, it’s a quality garment that isn’t going to fall apart on you.
So there are my reasons. Here’s a brief summary of my thrift store history.
My Mom has always been a big thrift store shopper. When I was a kid, thrift stores were NOT the “in” thing to do. Mom was always ahead of her time, and she tried to sell her friends on the concept, but they just weren’t hip to it. When people would complement my mother on something she had on, she would say “Oh, I got it at a little boutique.” LOL!
When I was a kid she would drag me to the thrift store but I wasn’t that keen on the experience. I always had to pee the moment I walked in the door, no matter how recently I had just gone to the bathroom. Now I know that was due to a cat allergy, but at the time, it drove my mom a bit nuts. I did LOVE books however, and would immediately head to the book section, only to be dragged out an hour later by my mother.
When I was a teenager, thrift stores had become Cool. All the punk/mod/skater kids shopped at thrift stores in East Atlanta so they could find Ben Shermans, Fred Perry tennis shirts, old Doc Marten boots, trench coats, etc. All the rich suburbanite North Atlanta kids shopped at thrift stores so noone knew they were rich suburbanite kids. LOL! By that time I was old hat at thrift store shopping thanks to my mother, so my girlfriend and I would head to the thrift stores intown to seek out old vintage Nikes, those cute girly cut 70’s style t-shirts, and vintage dresses and coats. Back when I was a size 2/4 and didn’t have mom boobs and could actually fit into vintage dresses and coats. LOL!
Then when I became a mom, I shopped at thrift stores so I could find those snazzy cloth diapers that cost $10 or more a pop on eBay. Now with 4 kids, thrift store shopping is a bit of a necessity. I simply cannot imagine why anyone would NOT shop at thrift stores occasionally.
So. Here’s what I got last week when a nearby thrift store had $.25 day. Ready?
For 2 year old Sadie:
- 2 summer dresses
- 1 summer skirt
- 6 short sleeved casual shirts
For 4 year old Ilana:
- 2 summer dresses
- 9 skorts
- 11 short sleeved casual shirts
- 4 pairs of shorts
- 1 pair of pants
- 1 cardigan sweater
- 1 dressy wool overcoat for next winter with dry cleaning tags still in it
For 6 year old Julien:
- 4 short sleeved shirts (Polo style, ringer tees)
- 1 long sleeved t shirt
- 4 pairs of pants
For 9 year old Caleb:
- 4 short sleeved shirts (Polo, ringer tees)
- 1 long sleeved dress shirt
- 1 pair of jeans
For 32 year old Mama:
- 1 black leather Liz Claiborne bag in like new condition
- 1 black leather handbag also looks like new
- 8 short sleeved shirts, some casual, some dressy for Summer
- 1 long sleeved dressy sweater
- 1 pair of blue corduroy jeans that fit like a glove
I also got 18 books (some of them for homeschooling: Science, planets, weather, a few fiction works like Sounder, a couple rare Dr. Seuss books, a nice DK book about Space Travel, a book about the Amish, etc.), an Art set with paint that hardens so you can make sculptures with it which J and I immediately dug into, a kid size white antique writing desk for Ilana for her to sit and do art at, an the piece de resistance, a gorgeous loveseat that complements the other one I have that sits opposite in the living room. It was $10 and in perfect condition, not a spot anywhere on it.
Can you believe I got all this stuff for $36? If you haven’t figured it out already, every item of clothing was .25 each. (The desk and loveseat were half off regular price.) Almost everything I bought for the kids was Gap, Old Navy and The Children’s Place. Some of the items I got looked like they had been worn once, washed and tossed aside. It just amazes me that people will spend top dollar for new kid’s clothing then discard it before it has a chance to get a stain on it! Everything I got was spotless with no missing zippers, buttons, or flaws.
Ok, so now that I’ve regaled you with my finds, here are my tips for navigating the thrift store shopping scene.
Thrift Store Shopping Tips
1) Get to know your local T stores
If you don’t know what thrift stores are in your area, just look in the phone book or Google it. A lot of T stores have websites these days, and those are great to visit because they often have coupons you can print out.
For example, here in Atlanta we have Last Chance and America’s Thrift. We also have several Goodwill and Salvation Army and other smaller, independent stores. There are advantages to both. The larger stores are cleaner and more organized, but the smaller stores often have lower prices and better deals. The scenario I described above happened at a small Thrift store a few miles away from me that gives its profits to a local children’s home. I like supporting it because it’s for a good cause too. Keep in mind that some of the thrift stores may be donating to causes that don’t jive with your personal beliefs, so it’s good to check them out first.
Goodwill stores are among the cleanest and most organized. The clothing in the store is laid out by color which is nice if you’re looking for something in particular, but their prices are higher so you pay for that convenience.
2) Finding Great Deals
As I mentioned, you can search for websites where you can print coupons to use inside the store. Also, most thrift stores have discount days. Call them up and ask what the schedule is like. Last Chance has Half Price Mondays where… you guessed it, everything in the store is half price. They open at 8:30 am here and if I get there at 8:15, a line has started at the door, rain or shine, even in the dead of winter. They even print up T shirts that say “I Survived Half Price Day at Last Chance”!
Some of them have loyalty cards, where you get a hole punch when you spend a certain amount, then when the card is full you get a few bucks off. Other stores have a color coded system where the color of the tag indicates the price reduction. So some days you’ll walk in and all pink and yellow tags, for instance, are half off.
Keep in mind that just because you’re at a thrift store doesn’t mean you’re getting the best price! Especially a few years ago when a lot of people got hip to thrift, they started raising prices like crazy. It wasn’t unusual to go in and see a pair of Gap jeans marked over $10. Get real! I can get jeans brand new at Old Navy right now for $8, why would I spend more for used? But $0.25? Oh, yeah. That’s definitely my style.
3) Be Organized
Thrift stores can be a little overwhelming. Or maybe it’s the dust that goes to your head, I don’t know. But if I walk in with no idea of what my kids need I get totally lost. I find it helpful to write down what I’m looking for before I go in. So I’ll have a list that says:
Sz 6 Boy - Pants
Sz 4 Girl - Shirts
Sz 2 Boy - Dressy shoes
Me - Black skirt
… or something like that so I can be focused. Oh, and leave the kids at home! I don’t like mine pawing all over dirty toys.
Another thing to keep in mind that unlike a regular retail store, you’re not going to walk in and find clothing in the season you need, always. Often you will, but those items get picked up first. So I find that I do best when I try to think ahead and buy what the kids need for the next season. That makes that little list I mentioned even more important.
Just give it a shot! You can find some incredible deals. My kid’s homeschool curriculum has been almost entirely designed from stuff I’ve gotten at thrift stores. For example, two weeks ago I bought 4 BRAND NEW, untouched Abeka books. One on cursive handwriting, one math and two vocabulary/language arts. I have gotten clothing with the store tags still hanging on the item, and dress clothes with dry cleaning tags still inside. I’ve found brand new shoes and other really nice stuff. You never know what you’re going to find, you just have to be willing to do a little digging.
So there you have it!
Got any awesome thrift store deals or tips to share? Post them in the comments below.
Alyssa wants to know: “What’s a natural Mom?”
November 6, 2007 | 5 Comments
Alyssa of LifeFromMyLaptop (which, by the way Alyssa is one of my favorite domain picks, ever) invited me to do a little cross blog conversing with her. She asked me this question on her blog to kick things off:
My first question for you is about natural parenting. Carrie is the host of Natural Moms Talk Radio so I know she practices this, but frankly I have never really understood all the ins and outs so I know that Carrie can clear this up.
What is it like to be a “natural mom”?
When I first read this, I thought you were asking what a natural mom IS… which is also a great question! So I’ll answer that first. There probably isn’t any real definition of that term, and it means different things to different people, but for me, being a natural mom means tuning in to your (and I believe they are God-given) instincts first and when you’re in doubt.
It doesn’t mean I’m the expert of everything or that I don’t look for expert opinions. It does mean that I’m the one who loves my children the most and it’s also my responsibility to care for them, and since I also spend the most time with them, I’m the expert of them.
One thing that I used to tell moms all the time when I was a breastfeeding counselor is to trust your instincts - you are the expert of your baby. Anthropologists will tell you that “breastfeeding difficulties” are a purely Western, modern phenomenon. We think breastfeeding will be hard and so it is, but it’s not true for native women who do what comes naturally and don’t have anyone telling them they don’t know what they’re doing!
Women doubt themselves so much, and it’s true we’re not animals that are guided solely by instinct… but I believe women have a special sixth sense that alerts them to danger, and we should use that to protect our little ones. Have you ever read The Gift of Fear? It has nothing to do with parenting, but it illustrates this instinct that mothers have beautifully. I think that gift should be used. I believe that mothers go against that inner voice and they and their children sometimes suffer as a result.
So there are some behaviors that come out of that philosophy. As an example, cosleeping. While the experts debate whether it’s “safe” to do so, my strong feelings, and the behavior of my child, tell me it’s a good choice for us. I don’t need someone else’s opinion to make that decision.
You know at one time in this country and all over the world, women were told that formula feeding was “better”, “cleaner”, more “scientific”, more “advanced”, the thing that wealthy women did (and in some countries, the way WHITE woman did things which was obviously insulting to mothers) and the way of the future. Obviously those experts were wrong! One of the reasons I don’t go with the status quo automatically but question the way things are done is because I have seen how that “sheeple” mentality so often turns out.
Being a natural parent also means doing things in a natural way as much as you can. When I was pregnant with my oldest, my Mom talked to me about how much she enjoyed using cloth diapers with me. I thought it would be a great way to save money, so I started looking around at diaper services and cloth diaper systems. People laughed at me, but 4 kids later I still love cloth diapers.
A lot of natural parents reject circumcision because it’s a painful, unnecessary (for health anyway) surgery and vaccination because they’re unconvinced that the shots are effective or safe, and they prefer to build their child’s immune system naturally. Most natural parents reject spanking. They often prefer a gentler discipline style. Many of them are homeschooling. Most of them are interested in nutrition.
But we’re not all the same. I know moms who are far more crunchy than me who vaccinated their kids - I didn’t. I know other moms who had their babies at home but who wouldn’t use a cloth diaper if they were paid to. And I know moms who are NOT natural in any way but who I admire for some of their mothering skills.
You know as I type this I realize that natural parents do what they do for slightly different reasons. Some are motivated by environmental concerns, some by politics, some by findings in the field of psychology and some by philosophy.
For me, it’s largely from my belief that when God made moms and babies, he didn’t make a mistake. I trust that a woman’s body is capable of birth and of feeding her baby. I trust that a baby’s cry is supposed to be uncomfortable so it will motivate the adults listening to do something instead of it being ignored. I believe that people are more important than things and that things can’t replace human contact. So that belief is reflected in my parenting choices.
I’m sure that after I write this I’ll think of a hundred more things to say. I hope that makes sense for now
Ack! Sorry Alyssa, I forgot to post your question. I was trying to get this published while getting the kids ready to walk out the door. So here goes:
You’ve recently launched a ghostwriting business. Have you always enjoyed writing and what sparked that interest?
A Cross Blog Conversation With Nell Taliercio
October 15, 2007 | 12 Comments
This is a first. If you haven’t seen one (I had not until just last week), a cross blog conversation is when two bloggers speak to each other, answering questions and whatnot, and you get to be a fly on the wall and read what they have to say. It’s fun and you can join in the conversation by leaving comments on either blog, or by asking a new question of your own.
Nell Taliercio of Casual Friday Everyday invited me to participate in a cross blog conversation with her. You can read her entire blog post here, and I’ve also pasted her question to me below.
After the many years I’ve known you online, and known of your passion for your parenting style and decisions, the one thing I don’t know quite as much about is why you decided to homeschool.
So, can you tell me why you decided to homeschool? Did you always know you’d homeschool?
Talk to you soon,
Nell
Firstly Nell, thank you so much for the nice things you had to say. I’m pretty bad at receiving compliments, but I really appreciate your kind words.
So, why did I decide to homeschool?
Interestingly, I’ve had a survey on my site for a long time asking parents why they homeschool, but this question still required some thinking because I don’t really recall making a conscious decision when my oldest was a baby to homeschool him. Nevertheless, homeschooling is definitely not a stretch for me because I did homeschool for a couple of years in my grade school days, and I also left the public school system after 7th grade and completed 8th through high school at home. Also, my sister has homeschooled her boys their entire lives except for one brief period after she had her fourth baby.
Because of those experiences, I didn’t buy into many of the anti-homeschooling arguments. I knew that socialization wasn’t an issue and in fact I think I benefitted by not having to go through the high school experience. I’m certainly not socially inept, and in fact some of my best friends were homeschooling also, as were a lot of the young people in my religious faith, so I was never at a loss for friendships.
I was also able to spend more time doing something that was important to me (at the time I devoted a LOT of time to volunteer work), and was able to start earning income at a younger age, gaining valuable experience. I paid cash for my first car, and it was no beater.
I do recall the uneasiness I felt at the thought of leaving Caleb all day in someone else’s charge. After Julien was born (baby number two), I enrolled Caleb in a two morning a week play date thing organized by the local county parks and recreation department. He loved it! He got to play with new kids and do all kinds of activities. I liked having some time to enjoy my new baby.
But then after about the fourth time, he would NOT let me leave him. He clung to me and had an absolute look of terror in his eyes. I didn’t question that, I just took him home, and I never took him back. That night I talked to him about why he didn’t want to go back, and it never was clear to me whether something happened to him, or whether he witnessed something disturbing. I’ve pieced together bits and pieces, and I *think* what happened was that another parent who was picking up their child began to yell at and spank the kid, and it bothered Caleb greatly. He had not seen that kind of behavior before.
So you could say that scared me a bit to the potential stuff that can happen when someone has access to your child.
Another thing that was emblazoned on my heart and mind was the fact that my sister was bulled terribly in school. She was teased because she looked like she belonged to another ethnicity, and the majority of students in the school in this urban area of Atlanta that we lived in happened to not get along with this other minority group. She was beat up and harassed daily. To add insult to injury, she was actually beaten by the teacher!
Back then (late 70’s), it was still common for school teachers to physically discipline students. Because of our religious convictions, we don’t salute the flag (a right that is guaranteed by the Supreme Court so it’s not like she was breaking the law). Her Teacher would beat her palms every day because of this. My parents didn’t figure out what was going on right away but when they did you can only imagine the conversation that took place between my mother and that teacher!
Fast forward to my school experience. I wasn’t picked on, but my mother was always having a (legitimate) problem with the way things were done. She hated that we were given 2-3 hours of homework to do after school. She always said that if they couldn’t teach me in the 8 hours they had me, they weren’t doing their job. She would keep me home from school all the time, sometimes just to go shopping with her or to a movie, and never felt that she should have to tell the teachers why. My excuse notes were hilarious! She would never give them a reason why I was absent, because she said it was none of their business. I agree totally. ;)
The homework would sometimes create a conflict with our worship services. My Dad used to write notes to the teachers saying all the things I learned at Bible Study and that I couldn’t finish my homework. God took priority over State in my home, lol! They were never ones to abdicate their parental authority and were eager to point out to the school who was in charge of me.
Also, I suffered with severe low blood sugar in school and one year had PE right before lunch. I would be so hungry I would pass out sometimes or at least be in an eyes-glazed-over daze, so my Mom had to fight again with the school to allow me to eat a mid morning snack, and at least not be required to run laps for 30 minutes when I was ravenously hungry and shaking!
I also had a teacher who would threaten to put students in a box that was (she said) filled with snakes. Of course, it wasn’t, but it WAS located over a heating register, so it would get very hot inside, which was scary and a health hazard, not to mention emotionally abusive. My mom was pretty instrumental in having that teacher fired.
So you could say that my parents had a bit of the educational heretic in them. LOL!
I don’t believe public schools are doing a good job of educating kids (and Georgia schools consistently score among the lowest when you compare us with other states) , but I’m primarily concerned about safety. During the brief time that my nephews were in school, in their tiny little one stop sign town in rural North Carolina, there was a child shot in front of the school. I have a friend whose 4 year old son was sexually assaulted by a fellow Pre-K classmate. And no, I don’t mean a little preteen butt slapping. I mean molestation.
The young teens I know who are in public school say that you can get any drug you want, for free, and that every day they are solicited sexually. The phrase “it’s a jungle out there” comes to mind. You have to worry about the students and the teachers these days, as anyone who watches the news can testify. How many sexual predators are attracted to the teaching profession because they have such easy access to kids?
Another reason I chose to homeschool is because I want to control what my children learn. I’m not a control freak when it comes to my kids, and I like for them to have relationships and learn from a lot of people, not just me. But I don’t want them receiving a biased message from teachers, school administrators, and writers of the curriculum. I want them learning creation rather than evolution (and yes, I want them to be able to give an intelligent explanation of both beliefs, but if they’re going to be taught a bias it is surely going to be mine!), and I don’t want someone’s political agenda being subtly woven into their education.
I also don’t believe kids are being given an accurate view of history. Ask a black American if that unpleasant part of early American history isn’t conveniently glossed over, or a Jew if they got the real picture as a child in school of how ugly Nazism was. How many of us learned the truth about how early American settlers treated the natives who were here with their own civilizations? I want my kids to see how man has dominated man to his injury since the beginning of time - the good, bad, and the ugly. If we don’t tell the whole truth, how can we not repeat our mistakes?
I also know my kids best and know how they learn. My oldest loves to read and is a real bookworm and he absorbs an incredible amount of information that way. At the same time, he exhibits many of the characteristics of an ADD child (which I think doesn’t really exist, at least not in the way we think of it). There is no doubt in my mind that if he were in school, teachers would be pushing me to drug him. But since he’s at home, I can work around those behaviors. If he does his math sitting on the sofa, big deal. If he has to break up schoolwork with running outside and hopping on his skateboard, big deal.
On the other hand, 6 year old is NOT the book learning type. But he is very, very intelligent when it comes to working with his hands. He’s already talking about building solar panels and other sources of alternative power, that’s an interest he has. He says he wants to earn “a thousand dollars a day”. I say more power to him.
Not sure about the girls yet, they’re too young. But I can tailor their learning to their unique strengths. Everyone doesn’t have to excel at everything. We do better if we focus on our strengths instead of trying to have a “well rounded” education.
When I hear people talking about some of the nonsense that goes on in schools, it just makes me cringe! For example, the fact that at the beginning of the year, the teacher has to take away all the school supplies their parents have bought them. That is so wrong to me on several levels. I also don’t want to train my kids to be good little employees, and I think that’s what the school system does best. I have heard Rhea Perry speak about her thoughts on education, and she puts it so well. I know you’re familiar with her Nell, but for my readers that aren’t, Rhea is a homeschooling mom of 7 who teaches parents how to train their kids to become entrepreneurs.
That’s a huge goal of mine too, and I think it’s easier when they’re with me all day. Quite a lot of their ”schooling” consists of (at least with the oldest, but Julien will get there too) learning about money and business. Caleb worked for a time at his Grandmother’s Tea Room, and he was everyone’s favorite server. My Mom told me many times that he could figure out customer’s change without the cash register and was better at it than some of the teenagers who worked for me. He got huge tips and really learned a lot. He would never have been able to have that experience if he was in school. My goal is for my kids never to have a job, especially not when they’re teens, and I’ll write about why another time.
The more I read about the faults of the modern day public school system, the less impressed I am. If I absolutely was forced to enroll my kids in school, I would probably opt for a private Montessori school, but I enjoy having them with me, even with the challenges.
I also believe that the school experience makes many people hate learning. I find reading and study to be pure pleasure and wish I had more time to do those things, but most adults I know feel the opposite. I think (and have been told this by some individuals) that’s because they have associated learning and study with school stress. I also think testing is not helpful and not indicative of true learning. You know, last week I read an article written by Marilyn vos Savant, who has the highest recorded IQ. She stated that in her opinion, testing means little. It doesn’t indicate intelligence or even aptitude, except at the very highest scores and very lowest scores.
School also creates an unnatural learning environment. People say it prepares you for the “real world”, but when in your entire life are you going to be in a situation where you’re surrounded all day long by people who are the exact same age as you? I think we all learn better when we’re with different kinds of people. It really touches me to see my oldest reading a story to his little sibs, or teaching his younger brother some math concept. It’s kind of Little House on the Prairie, y’know?
You probably weren’t expecting such a lengthy reply were you Nell? LOL!
Edited to add: If you want to learn more about the history of education in America and the real forces behind the modern school system, you must read the writings of John Taylor Gatto
So, let me ask you:
I know you were homeschooled as a child, tell me: Was it primarily because of your parent’s religious beliefs, or some other reason, and how do you think you benefited as a homeschooled kid?
Do you homeschool in the summer?
June 2, 2007 | 3 Comments
Most of the homeschooling families I know take a break in the summer like traditional schools do, but I don’t. I’m a big advocate of year round school, so we do homeschool in the summer. This allows me to keep a more flexible and relaxed schedule all year long. I’m mostly an unschooler anyway, and we don’t do a lot of “seat work” so this works for my family.
If you do take a break in the summer though, here are some tips for keeping the kid’s minds active and make them think they’re playing.
- Word games like Scrabble, Boggle, even Mad Libs. You can buy these in travel sizes, which are great for road trips. My kids love these games. What they don’t know is that they stimulate their vocabulary, English and spelling skills. They have to use math skills to add up the points every round. Games are an important part of my “curriculum” year round.
- Board games such as Monopoly (the math again) and checkers. Monopoly also teaches concepts around handling money and investing. In playing these games, kids can also be taught to accept defeat gracefully and be a good sport.
- Suduko involves math and numbers. You can find kid’s version of these.
- There are some wonderful websites for computer savvy kids with fun games and printable materials. Some examples are funbrain.com, math.com, and abcteach.com.
- In the summer, there are often free or reduced rates available at museums, botanical gardens, IMAX theatres and the like. These are very educational experiences.
- Check out your local Barnes and Noble if you have a reader. They give away a free book to kids who participate in their summer reading program.
Have fun