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Thursday, August 07, 2008
Most Home-Schoolers Ever In N.C.
For those of you keeping count...
An annual report released by the North Carolina Department of Administration's Division of Non-Public Education says the state had a record total of 38,367 home schools for the 2007-2008 school year serving 71,566 students statewide.
The numbers represent an educational system that has grown steadily since the state began allowing home-schooling in 1985. Read more...
At Open School, students learn to teach themselves
Taking a few lessons from homeschoolers, an innovative school is opening in my home town.
About the school
# No tests, grades, report cards or mandatory classes.
# Staff will not judge student work unless asked.
# Students will be offered a menu of courses, contacts, guest speakers and off-site activities.
# Students will choose their own schedules and activities.
# School will be run like a democracy with students and staff having equal vote in school decisions like setting rules.
# Students are not separated by age. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, unschool
Homeschooling in Seattle
If the word "homeschooling" drudges up images of denim jumpers and rural living, then you haven't met Rom Impas and Stacy Lewis. Rom and Stacy homeschool their two sons, Orlando, 5, and Mica, 21 months, right here in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood. Read more...
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Carnival of Homeschooling: NOT back to school
The Carnival is at Homeschool Cafe today with a NOT back to school theme...
Hello home educators! Welcome to the NBTS edition of carnival of homeschooling. Today, we are celebrating our non-adherance to the traditional school year by lightly poking fun at those who do. Right this way to the bus stop... Read more...
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Homeschooled 16-year-old aspires to be professional Guitar Hero
Video gaming apparently pays well if you are the best of the best. I hope my sons aren't reading this.
It's a small plastic thing, resembling a guitar in basic appearance only.
But Blake Peebles brings energy to the room when he slides the strap over his skinny shoulder and steps atop the wooden box that serves as a stage.
As the music begins, Blake quickly presses buttons on the guitar in time to a speed-metal tune blasting from the giant TV. It is an odd sensation, to watch a young man control the sounds of a rock song with a toy instrument, but this is "Guitar Hero," one of the most popular video game franchises in recent memory. Blake is one of the better players in the country. Read more...
German parents face legal difficulty home schooling
"These people know that they're not doing anything wrong, and they're following their consciences to educate their children at home -- and they're doing a very good job of it," he contends. "And they're [going to] fight this. They're [going to] appeal this. They've got lawyers and they're going to take this as far as they can," says Donnelly.
However, Donnelly reports that the prospects of winning are very, very slim. "The German state has continued to make it difficult for parents who want to home school their children," he adds. "In fact, they persecute them by fining them thousands of dollars, and in this case try to put them in jail. In other cases they take the children away." Read more...
DC Parents Concerned over Homeschool Rules
Homeschooling parents in the nation's capitol must now be approved by the state board each year in order to be allowed to teach their children.
If parents fail to meet a new list of requirements drafted by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), they could lose their right to homeschool until changes are made. Read more...
Monday, August 04, 2008
Libraries & Homeschoolers
From the School Library Journal an article on how librarians can better cater to homeschoolers.
Homeschooling families are everywhere these days. They’re on television, giving interviews after winning national spelling bees. They’re in the paper, profiled after making Olympic trials. They’re on the radio, talking about the growing popularity of homeschooling as an educational choice.
And they’re definitely in your library.
According to a 2003 study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), when homeschoolers were asked about their primary source of books and/or curriculum, 78 percent named their public library. Read more...
Labels: homeschool
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Washington Times features Alaskan family's homeschool blog
I know I'm always curious about the unique ways parents have found to home-school their children. Coming from diverse geographical and ethnic traditions, so many families have carved out unusual pathways to learning.
One Internet blog describes the everyday adventures of one such family. At http:// lapazfarm.homeschooljournal.net, you'll find the online journal of a Fairbanks, Alaska, family (identified only by first names and nicknames, perhaps to maintain privacy) Read more...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
More families try homeschooling
From a small town newspaper online.
According to homeschooling mom Marcia Cook, the local homeschooling population is increasing. The lifestyle is more accepted today than in years past, but homeschoolers still meet with opposition, as seen by recent rulings in California (which clamped down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials). Read more...
VP candidate speaks out on homeschooling
“There is no more important task for a parent than the education of one’s children. That responsibility belongs to parents, not the government,” insists Wayne Allyn Root, the Libertarian Party candidate for vice president. “As a home school parent myself, I know how important it is for government to not interfere in the education process.”
Yet the city of Washington, D.C. has issued new regulations that for the first time in 15 years anywhere in America increase government control over home-schooling. “Given the abysmal job performed by the District public schools, the D.C. government should be encouraging, not discouraging home schooling,” says Root. “It is the height of arrogance for this school system with its poor performance to sit in judgment over the quality of parental instruction.” Read more...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Carnival Of Homeschooling - The Boy Scout Edition
This week's carnival is hosted by Judy Aron at Consent Of The Governed.
July 29th marks the founding of the Boy Scout Movement - In 1907 - Sir Robert Baden-Powell set up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp ran from August 1-9, 1907, and is regarded as the founding of the Scouting movement. Read more...
