Sep 26 2016

More Writing, Less Blogging

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It occurs to me that it is almost the end of September and I have not finished the two books I told myself I would publish before the end of the year. So I will slow down the blog posts and focus on writing. One book is the second volume in the Izzy Adventures Series (bilingual books) and the other one is the fourth volume in my How To Homeschool Series, i.e. 101 Tips for Second Grade Homeschooling.

English-Russian cover of Kitten in the Storm

English-Russian cover of Kitten in the Storm

At this point, just in case you are wondering, I should probably mention that, through it all, I am not motivated by money. Here’s a financial tip: if you want to get rich quick, do not take up blogging or writing. I am doing both simply because I enjoy myself in the process. I have the publishing bug, what can I say? Continue reading »

Sep 25 2016

Sabbath Schooling For Real

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Last year, I blogged about Sabbath Schooling (that’s teaching for six weeks and taking the seventh week off) but I made it clear I did not apply it literally in our homeschool. This year, I decided to take it seriously. I dislike burnout as much as anybody else and taking breaks more often seems to be the formula to keep burnout from visiting us again and again.

Heritage Day Schedule

Seeing all the artisans and their crafts at Heritage Day reminded me of my book projects.

Of course, the children love it. They work very hard and a break feels good to them, too. Am I working them too hard? I don’t know. But they are getting older and starting to complain about school. It’s a sign I must be doing something right. Maybe. At any rate, my mission in life is not to keep my children happy. It is to make them competent. Continue reading »

Sep 24 2016

Math Manipulatives

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Math manipulatives do not have to break the bank. In fact, one could use beans as counters. But it’s so nice to have blocks, tiles, teddy bears, cubes, interconnecting cubes and other such math visual aids.

Recently, I realized my first grader was a little overwhelmed by first grade. Not terribly so, not to tears, but just enough to cause behavioral issues. Children misbehave when they are either bored or overwhelmed. This first grader was overwhelmed by some of the abstract concepts and bored by some easier ones.

Boy and girl arranged colorful tiles in patterns

Tiles arranged in different patterns.

Although I believe school should be made attractive to children, I am not the kind of homeschooling mom who believes in entertaining the children in order to make them learn. We use songs to memorize concepts up to a point. Learning is hard work and it prepares the children for the hard work they will have to put forth as adults. So I don’t make things “easy and fun” too much. But I pay attention to their frustration level. Continue reading »

Sep 23 2016

Why Left-Wing Politicians Feel Threatened by Homeschooling

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This week, the US Department of Education Secretary, John King, spoke at a breakfast and his comments on homeschooling have startled most people who follow the issues in this country. While he admitted that some homeschooling parents do a great job, he expressed concerns that homeschoolers at large do not get “rapid instruction” and “diverse learning opportunities” like their public school peers.

Education Secretary John King and President Obama

Education Secretary John King and President Obama

What Obama’s Education Secretary got wrong is that homeschoolers do get an amazing array of educational opportunities, which public school students can only dream about. Also, the “rapid instruction” in public schools renders 2/3 of eighth graders incapable of reading proficiently. Should we be interested in education which promotes “rapid instruction” methods? Continue reading »

Sep 22 2016

Rehearsals Have Started

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We have only seven more rehearsals until our children’s first concert on the stage of the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville. The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra operates six different ensembles for children on different levels of music skills. Our children auditioned this summer and got into Overture and Preludium respectively.

KSYO Preludium Practice

My son (in red shirt) during his first practice with KSYO Preludium

This experience may be a tad more exciting for me than for them, although I can see they like playing in their groups. They made some friends over the summer during String Camp and they were excited to see them again now that they are in the orchestra together. Continue reading »

Sep 21 2016

Pittman Center Heritage Day

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Once a year, the little town of Pittman Center celebrates Heritage Day. The event starts at 10 and offers guided tours of the local museum, music, a dog show, Southern food, several play areas for children, and horseback rides. Many vendors bring a booth with their wares: arts and crafts, mainly. The local school has a fundraising booth, mainly offering sugary treats concocted, God bless them, in the Land of Low Nutrition.

Daddy and children at Pittman Center Heritage Day

Daddy and children at Pittman Center Heritage Day

Many things are free: take a picture by a rusty truck decorated for fall, listen to country music, walk around, watch a dog show, let the kids jump in the pumped-up play area, and walk through the Heritage Museum. You must pay for food and arts and crafts. Continue reading »

Sep 20 2016

Tuesday Tome Week 38 – The Silver Chair

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The Silver Chair did not seem very interesting to me at first. It took more than half the book to even understand the title. I felt confused by the whole layout of the land described and the Marsh-Wiggle called Puddleglum. (Uh, what’s a Marsh-Wiggle?)

The Silver Chair

The book begins with Eustace helping a school mate, Jill, while she is being chased by bullies. They both escape to Narnia just in time before the bullies get to Jill. Folks, this is 1950 and C.S. Lewis knew enough about schools in those days to put a bit of them in his books. The bullies today work just the same, if not worse.  Continue reading »

Sep 19 2016

Why People Don’t Homeschool

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A Romanian blogger detailed recently how she decided to enroll her child in fifth grade this year, after looking at three possibilities: private school, middle school attached to a high school (which implies the teachers would be infinitely better than in a regular ol’ middle school, since they are qualified to teach secondary education), or a five-day homeschool co-op (if you will, a homeschool school where all the teachers are parents who hold university degrees in their subject).

Funny education comic

Today’s classrooms focus on testing and less on art.

The blog post is titled, “Why We Feel Threatened by Homeschooling” and yes, it is in Romanian. The link above will take you there if you can read that language.  Continue reading »

Sep 18 2016

Healthy Taste of Knoxville

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Today is the day when Homeschool Ways will take the show on the road. We will have a booth at an event called The Healthy Taste of Knoxville. This second annual event is held on Kingston Pike, the main highway that goes through Knoxville, just two blocks away from the University of Tennessee campus.

Knoxville Veggie Fest

The official poster for the event

It was a few weeks ago the organizers approached me and asked if I would like to bring my books and any information I may have about homeschooling to this show. They told me during the show last year a lot of people were inquiring about “alternative choices” in lifestyle and it included food, education, and spirituality. By a lot of people we mean over 1,000.

Continue reading »

Sep 17 2016

The Things We Dare Not Tell

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Homeschooling blogs abound, but what are the things we dare not tell about our homeschooling experience? Just like in anything else, there is a fine line between encouraging and discouraging our readers. We share our successes to encourage others and we end up discouraging those homeschooling moms who are already not very self-confident.

Woman with sealed lips

Sealed lips

We share our vulnerable moments to encourage homeschoolers and risk being ridiculed by moms who put their children in the public school every morning and never think twice about dropping their children off in a building for the next seven hours. “See, that’s why I don’t mess with homeschooling. Life’s too short to pour over algebra with my kids. Plus we need a second income to afford a vacation and nice clothes every year.”  Continue reading »