Educators At Home

Found this article and it would affect homeschooler’s as well as single income families with children.

Family Research Council: Stay-at-home parents will not receive Obama’s Child Tax Credit

Today Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council (FRC), just released a new Call to Action for all American families. Here is his call:

When Congress passed tax relief for families in 2001 and 2003, some Members of Congress insisted the tax cuts be staggered and temporary, resulting in a large scheduled tax hike in 2011.

If these cuts are not made permanent,next year American families will face one of the largest tax increases in history. On average, taxes would increase $1,800 per taxpayer, and 48 million married couples will face an average hike of $3,007, with many paying more than if they merely cohabited. A family of four earning $40,000 would see a tax increase of over $2,300. If the President’s tax relief is allowed to expire at the end of 2010, Americans will pay about $280 billion more in taxes each year.

Instead of addressing this problem, President Obama’s recently submitted budget includes a proposal that seeks to increase the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. The proposal is limited only to families making less than $115,000 a year. To be clear, this is not an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, but an attempt to use the tax code for social engineering.  Read more...

Do you have a  particular homeschooling method or style?  Are you  using a  Charlotte Mason, Unit study,  Classical, Textbook,  Principle,  Unschooler, or eclectic approach?  If you are like me you may be unsure, and may say you are drawn to an eclectic homeschooling style.  My dilemma is that I like a bit about every single approach, and refuse to commit to one and make it my own.
Even if I choose a certain curriculum,  I end up only liking some aspects in it,  so I’m  often anxious to “tweak”  it a bit.  For example,  when my boys were younger we used a science curriculum called “Considering God’s Creation.”   We loved the songs,  loved the text, agreed with the message,  but found some of the projects to be a waste of time.  We adjusted it to fit our style.  Same thing for our phonics program.  For phonics we combined “Alphabet Island“, Abeka, and the wisdom of Ruth Beechick.  We probably threw in some Susan Wise Bauer as well.  It accomplished our goal  though and everybody learned to read!!  I guess that’s the beauty of homeschooling…….we have the freedom to adjust the curriculum to fit our family.
When I first read about  Charlotte Mason, I was so impressed.  It seemed so healthy and balanced. We used nature journals and went for walks in the mornings.  We tried to cultivate good habits like she suggested.  Some of them stuck but many didn’t.  We live in the desert……can you imagine spending the 5  hours a day outside in the desert heat as Charlotte recommends ?  I can barely step outside to get the mail!!  I had to remind myself that Charlotte came from Victorian England.  Things were quite different then,  and children could play outside all day in safety. Plus,  it was probably nice and cool and overcast.  My boys learned to cook,  play the piano, draw and make a really good cup of tea. Then I realized they were not little girls!!  I began to ask my husband to teach them to use a bow & arrow, fix things around the house,  and do “manly things” before I turned them into…..well anyway we’ve added some other projects and are working though our Contenders of the Faith curriculum.  Contenders of the Faith are sort of like Boy Scout manuals except from a very Christian perspective.  Read more...

A few years ago,  I had a conversation with one of my nephews that I found very discouraging.  Our discussion turned to cars and I asked him if he knew how to change his oil or do simple maintenance on his new car?  His reply was  “I’ll just pay someone to do all that; I don’t want to get my hands dirty.”   I thought to myself ” What!”  What are you thinking? If you don’t know anything about your car how are you going to know if the mechanic is telling you the truth about the repair he’s just done.   This is something I found very disturbing,  not only then but now.   I also see it as a trend that most young people today seem to look down on those people who make their living working in “blue collar jobs.”   Many simply want to sit in an office all day and make big paychecks, but they for the life of them can’t change a faucet or install a spark plug.  The fact is that the “Blue Collar” guys are going to own you if you can’t even do simple things for yourself.

I remember watching an episode of a TV show called” Frasier.” The episode was called “Seat Of Power.”  In this episode Dr.  Crane played by David Hyde Pierce is talking with a plumber who also happened to be  the bully who terrorized him in school.  He  was trying to show how successful he was by telling him he owned a very expensive brand of car. The most amusing part of the scene was that the plumber used to own the same car as the doctor, but found it to small so he bought the bigger model.  Read more...

So often at the end of our homeschool day I ask the question that many homeschool Mom’s ask, “Did I do enough?”  Sometimes my  friend and homeschool mentor will call me and ask “Did you have a good school day today?”  As we sit at the dinner table my dear husband will often ask our  boys “What did you learn today?”

So often I think about what we did not get done.  Let me see….we did not get to our Apologia Science today.  Oh dear,  we did not get to our “Jump In” writing program.  We did not write our vocabulary sentences today….and we did not do our copywork.  Oops, we did not get to our “Daily Grams.”  Yikes!  I did not listen to them read aloud today!

What did we do….how did we spend our time today and did we learn anything at all? Would my boys have accomplished more if they were in a classroom?

Inspite of our schedule, my heart is full tonight.  As I write,  I feel as though we had a really good day, even though our list was not completed.  We talked a lot today.  We talked about the Founding Fathers  and how they shared the Gospel and spoke of the Savior in  their last Will and Testaments.  We learned that most were devout Christians. We discussed what revisionist history meant.  We watched a video on the founding fathers.  Read more...

The definition of a homeschooler seems to have become so blurred, that I feel compelled to write once again about this issue.  I am going to be very straightfoward in order to be clear. Are you a legal homeschooler when you sign up for a charter school program?

Because the charter school programs are calling themselves homeschool programs, true homeschoolers have  been made more vulnerable. For over 18 years now HSLDA has fought for the rights of families to homeschool with minimal regulations.  If homschoolers contiune to rely on these government programs to help them homeschool their children,  homechooling liberties will continue to be whittled away.
When I say that those in charter schools are not true homeschoolers, I am talking legal terms.  Legally, if you are enrolled in a charter school program, you are not homeschooling  but are in the public school.   It may seem as though the words and definitions are no big deal,  but in fact the words we use have huge consequences as they describe what is actually legal and true.  For example,  if one enrolls in a public school charter, HSLDA does not recognize them or even allow them to join. Why is this so? After all you are at home with your children all day.   This is not to be unfriendly but just because it would be futile and silly to defend “homeschoolers” in public school programs. Please know and understand that you are no longer a homeschooler if you are enrolled in a government program. You are infact setting up a little public school in your home.  Read more...

The following is a reprinted article  from the HSLDA website posted January 26,2010 used by permission

Immigration Judge Says Germany Violating Basic Human Rights

In a case with international ramifications, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman granted the political asylum application of a German homeschooling family. The Romeikes are Christians from Bissinggen, Germany, who fled persecution in August 2008 to seek political asylum in the United States. The request was granted January 26 after a hearing was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 21.

“We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution,” said Judge Burman. “The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate.”

Burman added, “Homeschoolers are a particular social group that the German government is trying to suppress. This family has a well-founded fear of persecution…therefore, they are eligible for asylum…and the court will grant asylum.”

In his ruling, Burman said that the scariest thing about this case was the motivation of the government. He noted it appeared that rather than being concerned about the welfare of the children, the government was trying to stamp out parallel societies—something the judge called “odd” and just plain “silly.” In his order the judge expressed concern that while Germany is a democratic country and is an ally, he noted that this particular policy of persecuting homeschoolers is “repellent to everything we believe as Americans.”  Read more...

As I write this month, I have a lot on my mind and heart regarding this calling of homeschooling. I am reluctant to share some of it, because anytime we share from our gut, we are made vulnerable. I never like that feeling. : ) Yet, I am compelled to share a few things.

I have been praying and thinking about this journey. What is my passion, regarding homeschooling? What are my concerns? Joys? Successes? Failures? What are yours? I realize and respect that the “vision” may be different for each family. Your homeschool journey may look different from mine. You may have different definitions, goals, etc. The circumstances that led you to homeschool may be entirely different from mine. With that understanding, I will share a little of our story. Most who know me well, know that I am passionate about independent homeschooling, K-12. It is my calling. And on days when I don’t “feel” the calling, it is my conviction. So I look to resources that will inspire me and help to equip me for that long journey all the way through high school, help remind me of the costs… both of home schooling and NOT homeschooling my children.

Sometimes the stresses of life and the attack of the enemy wear us down, until we are weary and vulnerable to choosing other options for educating our children… options we really are not comfortable with, never thought we would consider. For me, educating my children is a form of discipling my children. So, there is no other option. I am committed. A little like marriage.  Read more...

Are you tempted to join government homeschooling (a charter school or public school independent study program) or do you know someone who is? Read on!

These days, Christian parents who are thinking about homeschooling are often unaware that you can homeschool in most states without public school control. And those who do know are often tempted to join government homeschooling for the supposed goodies. The bait of free materials or the perception of getting help from “real teachers” seems inviting, but having public school employees overseeing your homeschool dramatically alters the spiritual dynamic of the home.

You need to know that there is another form of homeschooling; one that is scriptural. Private biblical homeschooling strengthens God’s design for the family and helps ensure the future right of our children and grandchildren to freely homeschool in a Christ-centered manner.

Homeschooling has always existed in this country — from the native Americans to the first Europeans to form colonies in the New World. Yet it was mostly forgotten as state funded schooling, the purpose of which is to create obedient productive citizens, pervaded the land in the 19th century. But in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, a resurgence in homeschooling began among parents who were mostly Christians. These “pioneer” families often resisted the idea that the state was supposed to control the education of their children. They blazed a path few dared to follow – with parents at the head of their children’s learning.  Read more...

It seems as though the independent homeschooler has become an
endangered species; soon to be as extinct as the Dodo bird.

I’m going out on a limb by sharing now, because I do not want to
offend anyone who has joined up with the charter school program.

I have many friends who are no longer on the same homeschool journey as I am, and I treasure their friendships, yet I feel like I need to take a stand on this issue.

Please, please know my heart….it is to inform so that families can
know the full implications of their decisions. There are hardly any voices left to tell the story of the early homeschool movement. If I don’t speak up who will tell the story?

It seems as though folks everywhere are singing the praises of the charter schools. I feel as though I need to share some of my homeschool journey and my reason for homeschooling independently from the government.

My DH and I went to our first homeschooling meeting in 1982!!!!!! That was many years ago. I’m dating myself, I know. We heard about homeschooling on the radio and at that time it was really a radical thing to do, it was still in the growing and learning stages although it would soon become an option for families.  Read more...

by J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) estimates there are more than 1.5 million children being taught at home. Furthermore, the DOE estimates that homeschooling has been growing at 7 percent a year for the last 10 years.

Two related questions many people ask are, “Why has homeschooling become so popular?” and “What is motivating parents to take on this daunting responsibility?” In the most recent report by the DOE, parents gave three basic reasons for choosing home education: to provide religious or moral instruction, concerns about the school environment, and dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools.

Regarding the third reason, there is new research showing that the average homeschooler who takes standardized achievement tests is doing very well. The study, commissioned by the Home School Legal Defense Association and conducted by Brian Ray, an internationally recognized scholar and president of the nonprofit National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), is called “Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics.”

The study included almost 12,000 homeschool students from all 50 states who took three well-known standardized achievements tests—the California Achievement Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Stanford Achievement Test—for the 2007–08 academic year. The students were drawn from 15 independent testing services, making it the most comprehensive homeschool academic study to date.

The results reinforced previous homeschool studies conducted over a period of 25 years.  Read more...

Pete Chagnon – OneNewsNow – 8/26/2009 4:45:00 PM
An attorney working with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has filed motions with a New Hampshire court, asking it to reconsider its order to send the 10-year-old homeschooled girl into public school.

According to ADF allied attorney John Anthony Simmons, the court acknowledges that the girl in question is doing well socially and academically, but he adds that the court went too far when they determined that the girl’s Christian faith was a “bit to0 sincerely held and must be sifted, tested by, and mixed among other worldviews.”

Simmons contends that parents have a “fundamental right to make educational choices for their children.” However the girl’s parents divorced in 1999, and she is now living with her mother who has been homeschooling the child since first grade. As part of the schooling, the young girl has been attending supplemental public school classes.

As part of parental custody hearings, a court-appointed guardian stated that the child reflected her mother’s “rigidity” on questions of faith and added that girl’s best interest would be served by exposure to a public school setting.

According to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, Home Education is an enduring American tradition and right. ADF concludes, based on that statement, that there is no legitimate legal basis for this latest court ruling.