By Crystal Hubbell
"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
~ Albert Einstein
Here are some lies we may believe about the education of our children:
• When I feel bad, my child does not learn!
• When they are bored, they do not like school.
• My children would rather be in public school.
• I just know I am a bad teacher.
• I can’t teach, I don’t have a degree.
• My children are advanced and need the public school.
• My children are learning disabled and need the public
school.
• We don’t have enough money.
• My kids won’t get enough socialization.
I wish I could come to each one of your homes and watch you homeschool,
do your chores and at the end of the day give you a pat on the back
and say “well done”. You are doing a great thing for
your child. I wish there were some way I could bring you a bowl
of soup when you are not feeling well, give you the ok to sleep,
and your children the ok to play, and then pat you on the back and
say, “well done”. If you could only allow yourself to
see the other side. Step back, and see your life from the outside.
Not what you didn’t finish, not what you forgot to add, and
not what your afraid you won’t get to teach today. We spend
too much time wasted on “what ifs”. We need to focus
on what HAS! We have been brainwashed by our in-laws, public school
and media, and even our own children, that we are not doing enough,
or have the appropriate degrees, or have enough money. It is all
hogwash!
I know a 10th grader in our local high school, who’s family
sought us out. He was involved in many activities, and was given
passing grades every year, but cannot read! Why? Because the school
doesn’t want to ruin it’s reputation by failing him.
They don’t have time or recources to give him a tutor You
have to wonder if they even care. (This by the way is apparently
one of the best schools in Ohio, so they say) So really, he could
have been with his family and would have done much better had his
mom taught him basic phonics from home. She did finally take him
out, and came to us to get him started, so this is how I know the
story.
And the socialization thing…need I go there? Avoiding the
creepy “socialization” of the public school is alone
enough reason to homeschool. But here is a link to some good information
just in case you need support in this area. What
About Socialization. Lack of money does not need to be an obstacle
either. Here are some ideas for homeschooling on a budget. Budget
Minded.
Read
more here.
Do you need a degree? Why? Most degreed people have been through
the public schooling system so long, they have forgotten how to
learn on their own. I am not saying having a degree is bad, I have
one myself, I am just saying, having a degree doesn’t make
you a better teacher. It might make you less creative though. I
know I want things done systematically, with note taking, and memorization…as
my tendency, however, learning is usually done best in an active,
spontaneous environment. This is easily established when you are
not bogged down with methodology and systems. I have to remember
this frequently when teaching. I have to become a kid again, this
I think, is the best way to teach and learn. Hmm, seems this is
the Bible’s approach too…. Matthew 18:3.
The truth is, you are going to have bad days, sick days, and at
times, days that just don’t work. That is life. Teachers are
sick at school too, and children don’t learn much from a sub.
(Says Tim who subbed in the public schools for 2 years) You need
to give yourself a break. If you only averaged two hours, 3 days
a week, nine months a year, you will have done much better than
the public schools. Every time you think you haven’t done
enough, sit down and write a list of what you HAVE done and you
will be totally amazed. Since I started doing that, I have freed
myself so much.
As far as LD and Advanced Learners, the best place for them is
at home. I have a 2nd grader who is doing some 5th grade work, but
needs help in reading his advanced math. There is no way a school
would allow him to do 5th grade math and 2nd grade reading. I have
another son who is at grade level in everything but math. He struggles
and works very hard. There are days we have spent 2 hours doing
long division. Would he have a tutor with patience enough to help
with these struggles? I somehow doubt it. These children need us;
they need us to understand them. The best place for them is in your
home.
I have heard this too. “My kids beg me to put them in school,
they say they are bored”. Let me just say, that all kids get
bored, in fact, we live in a society where children have been so
entertained, they don’t know what to do with themselves when
not entertained. In this house, nobody would dare say the word “bored”.
“You’re bored? Well, let’s see, we have 7 loads
of laundry to put away, dinner to make and bathrooms to clean, and
a little physical exercise won’t hurt.” Nobody says
they are bored here. A few chores help children appreciate the free
time they have!
Remember, you are not alone. Though you may be the only teacher
your children have, you are not the only one responsible for their
education. God will be there to guide and help you. Remember, we
are homeschooling His children and He will help us through it. Some
times we would do well, to back off, and let God do more.
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All Apologia on Sale this Month
March the Last month for Rosetta Stone price discounts
We received a certified letter from Rosetta Stone telling us that
soon we will no longer be allowed to discount so much. We will have
to offer the same price as everyone else at $199. This will go into
affect on April 1st. our price now is $174.95 for levels 1 or 2
Saxon’s New Kits Are Here
Well, we have reviewed the new Saxon and I will just go step by
step through their improvements so you can get a good idea of what
they are like. Below is what they use to describe their improvements.
I will explain them.
- Customized for the homeschooling environment and tailored for
one-on-one instruction. (This means they took out all the references
of ‘class room’ or ‘students’. The directions
are meant for a single student now, which does cause less confusion
in the directions)
- Enhanced mathematical content in all four kits (They have much
more explanation in the new concept section, very impressive.
I find this to be the best change)
- Consumable facts practice and activity worksheets for the entire
course (There is a lot of fact practice sheets that are consumable,
rather than pages you have to copy like in our current edition.
The activity worksheets are extra things to do, in addition to
the practice and daily homework problems)
- Various recording forms for both parent and student (These are
nice, but not absolutely necessary. They are forms for keeping
records of the facts practice scores, testing records and homework)
- Step-by-step solutions to lesson problems, problem solving exercises,
investigations facts practice, activities and tests. (NICE…just
like the upper grade math)
- And attractive, two-color layout for the inside pages and an
inviting color layout for the covers (It is nice I suppose, but
certainly wasn’t something I wished for)
- All three components of each kit are softbound. (I am a little
upset the book isn’t a hardbound text…good luck trying
to keep it in good condition for your next student, or for resale!)
The biggest problem I have, is that it won’t match the DIVE
CD’s now. DIVE has told us they will have DIVE CDs for the
new editions ready by June 1st.
We will continue to sell the old hardback editions till we run
out (Saxon has stopped selling them).
 The
award-winning Quarter Mile Math software will soon be here. The
Quarter Mile programs are extremely effective because they motivate
students to do an incredible amount of math practice in a short
period of time with very focused topics. Topics: Grades K-9, Users:
Grades K-12 We won’t have it on our website for a couple more
days, but here is a link to the publishers site. http://www.quartermilemath.com
We are not allowed to discount, but we do give
free shipping, so that will save you a little money.
Just email us (books@1roadtozion.com)
if you want to order, or have any questions.
Here is really great literature site. It has
about any classic novel, short story or poem you want, with commentary.
You can read the whole book if you wish!
http://www.online-literature.com/
ENJOY!
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Making Chemistry Elementary: The Electrolysis
of Water
One of the key concepts in Chemistry (the study
of matter) is the idea that that some substances cannot be broken
down into simpler components. These substances, the fundamental
building blocks of every material, are called elements. While elements
can change form and combine in many different ways, they cannot
be created or destroyed. This was bad news for the earliest chemists,
called alchemists, who labored in vain to create the element gold.
Click here for a diagram of all the elements (including the two
new man-made ones); they are arranged in the Periodic Table. http://www.webelements.com/
The following experiment is a good example of how a substance that
was once thought to be an element, water, can actually be broken
down into simpler substances. This process, which uses electricity
to break a compound into its elements, is called electrolysis. Various
types of electrolysis are possible, depending what is in solution
between the electrodes. For example, pure aluminum, an element,
is made from molten clay by electrolysis.
Click on the following link to get the directions for the electrolysis
of water. http://www.schoolresult.com/experiments/science_experiments4.htm
You may substitute small medicine bottles or baby food jars for
the test tubes, but you will need to be very careful if you ignite
a larger volume of Hydrogen gas!
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~Saving Time and Money~
Please keep sending your great Frugal
Apple Tips. I would love to post them.
Frugal Apple Tip:
Save the Christmas cards you receive. Next year, cut off the tops
of the cards and use them as postcards. Minimum size the post office
accepts is 3-1/2 X 5 inches (slightly larger than index card size).
Postage is then 23 cents instead of 37 and you didn't even have
the expense to buy the cards. If the card is larger than 4 X 6,
trim it down neatly to 4 X 6 if the picture allows. If it is larger
than this, you'll have to pay 37 cents postage. But even so, you've
saved on the cost of the cards.
These 'postcards' are great to send overseas to missionaries too,
because they cost less to send. Send the idea to missionary friends
so they can save on their postage sending cards home!
I sometimes buy Christmas cards at the Dollar Tree (about 15 or
20 cards in a package for only $1!) if I don't have many left from
last year. Sometimes I will cut the top off these new cards as well
and send them as postcards, saving 14 cents per card in postage.
Also, sometimes if I don't need all my old Christmas cards to send,
I can use some of them as gift tags OR I make adorable Origami boxes
out of them.
From Janice Crowell of Ga.
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