My Kids Deserve Better

Hosted this week at the Raising Real Men blog. The theme is Things Homeschoolers Love.
We’ve been thinking a lot about what we love lately: A year ago our precious Katie was born the day before Valentine’s Day. How appropriate since we’d spend the next year thinking about her heart. At two weeks, we discovered she [...]

From Time.com… I think it’s safe to say the media is beginning to take note.
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are not like other asylum seekers, people fleeing war or torture in places like Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia. They’re music teachers from a village in southern Germany. And yet, in what appears to be the first case [...]

From the Telegraph Blogs (UK).
The case of the homeschooling couple from Germany who were granted political asylum in the United States, about which Ed West blogged recently, becomes even more interesting if one reads the remarks of the man who granted the Romeikes asylum, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman, of Memphis, Tennessee.
Burman said: “We can’t [...]

The Carnival is hosted this week by “As for My House” blog, reminding us what matters most.
It’s been a rough time for us lately… Unemployment… New job, but underemployed, and having to move out of our house… Living in the RV with three kids and four cats…And we just learned that my Father-in-Law has been [...]

Okay, this took me a while to understand. it’s not a writing contest in the usual sense but Homeschool Writers site lists a bunch of other contests and they want to encourage homeschoolers to enter by offering prizes for entering the most.
It’s a great idea and I encourage your K-12 homeschoolers to check out the [...]

Via accessAtlanta
It’s part of a trend of home schoolers becoming involved in activities that would have once seemed the antithesis of learning in a private, family-based environment. What began with home educated students making their presence felt in scholastic sports leagues and youth orchestras has spread to cultural institutions.
“Part of what’s happening is that home [...]

Via the Austin Daily Herald | Home schooling provides an alternative
Cindy Stevens, mother of 3, and Lisa Jewett, mother of 5, have taught their children all that they know — well, not exactly everything. But, the two women aren’t just mothers. They are teachers. Stevens and Jewett teach their kids at home, taking on everything [...]

All these slice of life homeschool stories mention the kitchen table. Via Postbulletin.com: Rochester, MN.
Cindy Stevens’ three children study at the kitchen table, but it’s also where they get their daily lessons about math, science, history — you name it — from their mother.
Their day starts at 7:30 a.m. and is usually done by 2 [...]

The German Spiegel Online (English Edition) has a piece on the case of the German homeschool family granted asylum in the U.S.. There is not much by way of German reaction but some interesting background on the case.
The decision on the family’s political asylum could still be overturned if the US government appeals the ruling. [...]

The Reality Check Blog asks the question why this isn’t being covered in the media. I have seen the AP wire story published in the Washington Post. The Conservative Washington Times has their own report. Beyond this, there’s not much real independent coverage of this in the U.S.
Sadly, about the only people reporting on these [...]

Via OneNewsNow.com. It’s actually a judge in Tennessee, so it technically is not the “U.S.” granting asylum. Let’s hope the Federal Government doesn’t step in worried about creating an international incident. (HT Stacy on Facebook)
PURCELLVILLE, VA- A German couple who fled to Tennessee so they could home school their children has been granted political asylum [...]

The carnival is hosted this week at Corn and Oil.
It’s the middle of the school year. Unfortunately, there’s been one more bullying incident on the bus. The principal says his hands are tied, and maybe you’d consider driving your child to school (10 miles away). During those desperate times, you’ve considered homeschooling. [...]

Via The Enterprise Blog. I mentioned a similar attack on religion under the guise of homeschooling a few weeks ago with a similar (but less eloquent) criticism. Maybe attacking religion directly is too obvious. So attack a perceived fringe element like homeschoolers.
I continue to be amazed at the public displays of rank anti-religious ignorance by [...]

Via SI.com (the online version of Sports Illustrated)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — On a rainy Friday afternoon in October, junior quarterback Stevie Douglas emerged from a well-traveled minivan that had begun its journey in Clinton, La. Teammates Ronald Brown, Rennel Hammond, Mike-el Arvie and Jeremy Arvie emerged from a white van bearing the logo of the New [...]

Via the OrlandoSentinel.com. Add homeschooling as another effect of the bad economy. This may or may not be true but I hope these parents reap the joy of teaching their own.
When 7-year-old Annabelle Kirkpatrick studies fractions and converting pints to quarts, she and her mom go into their kitchen and start cooking.
For a lesson on [...]

Today American Library Association announced it’s literary award winners. We have only read a few of the books awarded and look forward to reading many more.
John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature
When You Reach Me Hardcover, Rebecca Stead
 
Four Newbery Honor Books also were named:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice Hardcover, Phillip M [...]

Wow! 4 years and still going strong. Congratulations to the Cates who started this very successful carnival.
Welcome to the fourth anniversary of the Carnival of Homeschooling. This is the 210th edition! This is one of the longest running weekly blog carnivals!
My wife and I are very grateful that so many people who participate, who help [...]

From Indiana. An alert reader sent this in (thanks). In effect, the court is saying the state is responsible for children’s education; parents are subordinate to the state. If you read the article, the law is very unclear on this matter.
The two women believed they were adequately home-schooling their children – using age-appropriate books [...]

The Carnival of Homeschooling is hosted this week by Life Nurturing Education with a Winter in Idaho theme.
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! If you are unfamiliar with this weekly event, let me introduce you.
A carnival sounds fun, right? It is! Each week homeschool bloggers are asked to submit a post [...]

Our friend Wayne Walker has been a frequent contributor to the children’s book reviews on this site. Now Wayne has decided to strike out on his own with a new website devoted to homeschool book reviews. We wish Wayne the best of success in this new venture. Here is his recent press release:

Wayne S. Walker [...]

The underlying assumption of this proposal seems to be that the citizen is somehow subject to the standards set by the state. Or perhaps that the state has a more compelling interest in the well being of the child than the parent. As any homeschooling parent can tell you, we don’t need a test to [...]

I ran across this huge collection of printables via delicious popular links. I don’t know why it’s free and I don’t know for how long but it’s a huge collection of all kinds of educational helps.
This collection of ready-to-use graphic organizers will help children classify ideas and communicate more effectively. All of our free, printable [...]

The carnival is hosted this week at A Very Nearly Tea, who bravely (or naively) took on the task of hosting on in the midst of selling a home.
Way back when, it seems like ages ago now, Henry Cate asked if I’d be willing to host the carnival this week. “Sure!” I said, perhaps too [...]

Via OnMilwaukee.com
“Homeschooling is difficult to explain, because every family does it differently, and there are so many prejudices against it,” says Sam Flood, 21, who was home-schooled for elementary and high school. Sam is currently an English and theater major at Lawrence University in Appleton. His sister, 19-year-old Ariana also attends Lawrence. Their youngest sibling, [...]

Our old blogging friend Izzy Lyman has an op-ed on the JBS.rog website regarding the recent Detroit News hatchet-job on homeschooling regulation.
The Detroit News featured a huge, above-the-fold, front page story about home education last week.
Take a guess what it was about….
The homeschool graduate who was nominated, for the third time, for a Heisman Trophy?
The [...]

From the Hattiesburg American…
Over the course of his playing career at Florida, quarterback Tim Tebow has become one of the most visible and respected role models in the history of American college football.Advertisement
It’s not just for the skill and passion he displays on the gridiron, but also for the path he took to become one [...]

Dakota Voice has an overview of some findings from a Canadian study of adult homeschoolers. Not surprisingly, they do better in most of the areas polled. Happier, well adjusted adults. That’s what we’re aiming for as I’m sure most homeschoolers are.
Homeschooling has been misunderstood and maligned for many years, but critics are running out of [...]

The Carnival of Homeschooling this week is at The Common Room. Stop by there for some great posts.
Carnival of Homeschooling Welcome to the Homeschooling Blog Carnival!! Read more…

Maybe some school officials should undergo a psychological evaluation.

UPDATE: The school now denies that this particular drawing had anything to do with the suspension.

A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the [...]

From Jamaica Gleaner News
To many parents, home-schooling is a daunting task that can only be accomplished by scholars and the very rich.
However, Barbara Blake Hannah, mother of Makonnen Blake Hannah, the young whiz who was appointed Government youth technology consultant at age 13 in 1998, is challenging that notion. And, through her new book, she [...]

In contrast with the joyous news of the Duggars 19th child, others unfortunately see human life as a liability.
…None will work unless a China one-child policy is imposed. Unfortunately, there are powerful opponents. Leaders of the world’s big fundamentalist religions preach in favor of procreation and fiercely oppose birth control. And most political leaders in [...]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas couple featured on the reality TV show “18 Kids and Counting” now has 19.
Cable network TLC says 43-year-old Michelle Duggar gave birth to a 1-pound, 6-ounce daughter Thursday night during an emergency cesarean section. She had been due March 18.
TLC says the child is in stable condition in [...]

In the UK, draconian homeschooling rules have arisen seemingly out of nowhere after a government report reccommended government oversight.
Dozens of petitions against the Government’s plans to bring in registration and monitoring for home-schooled children will be presented to Parliament.The petitions, containing thousands of signatures, will be handed in by MPs from across the nation.Under [...]

A confused teen in ponytails and a pleated school uniform dashes out her front door to discover the strange new world hidden beyond her peephole.She marvels at the clear blue sky and the sprawling green grass. She had only read about nature in books. She spots a strange contraption along the street and climbs clumsily [...]

The Carnival of Homeschooling is hosted this week at The HSBA Post with some great pics of Christmas ornaments.
Welcome to the Christmas Ornament Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. If you are new to ‘blog carnivals’, please read the link at the bottom of this post to find out more. This post has many links [...]

News from N.H. via Christianpost.com
The New Hampshire Supreme Court has agreed to take up the case of a Christian girl who was ordered out of homeschooling and into a public school.
“Courts can settle disputes, but they cannot legitimately order a child into a government-run school on the basis that her religious views need to be [...]

From The Paris Post-Intelligencer
Nine-year-old homeschool student Ashley Medlock has already achieved what few people in Paris have, she passed her first College Level Examination Program test on her first try.
CLEP is a company that offers pass/fail tests for college credit on 34 different topics. It allows students to get ahead of the game or save [...]

Andrea Hermitt hosts the 205th Carnival of Homeschooling at The Atlanta Homeschooling Examiner.
Welcome to the 205th edition of Carnival of Homeschooling. As the entries rolled in, I noticed the first few were somewhat humourous. So I entitled this edition, Those Crazy Homeschoolers.Here are some of these humorous listings: Read more…

A new (to me) educational resource.
Trailblazing is a user-friendly, ‘explore-at-your-own-pace’, virtual journey through science. It showcases sixty fascinating and inspiring articles selected from an archive of more than 60,000 published by the Royal Society between 1665 and 2010. Read more…
UPDATE: Wired Science has a nice collection of notable and strange papers culled from this resource.

I’ve run across some press releases lately about Homeschool Legal Advantage. An alert reader just sent me this link to their press release. They might be a good alternative to HSLDA, NHELD or other homeschool legal associations.
SEMINOLE, Fla., Nov. 25 /Christian Newswire/ — Homeschool Legal Advantage (HLA) is a ministry of legal helps to homeschoolers [...]