The question, “But does this homeschool program line up with what they do in the public schools?” is one of my biggest pet peeves. Why? Because what they are doing in the public schools is failing! Kids are dropping out every day; others are pushed through a system that is not providing them with even the fundamentals; and still others struggle through a program that places them in a mold that just does not fit them.

There is one homeschool student who has impressed me from the first year I met him. When I conducted his eighth grade homeschool evaluation, he was already more articulate than most of the eleventh grade students in my public school classroom, and his passion for politics was unquestionable.

Apparently the fact that homeschoolers are proving to out do their counterparts in spelling bees, geography bees and math competitions makes them ineligible to enter Subway’s creative writing contest designed for school aged children.

Now I know that homeschoolers do tend to sound more intelligent than their chronological age, but that does not change the fact that they are school-aged? :-)

The on-going debate in California regarding homeschool rights took a positive turn on Tuesday of this week when nineteen members of the House of Representatives filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of homeschooling families.

The brief reminds the court that the “primary role of the parents in the upbringing of their children is now established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition” and that that role includes their education.

If you are a current homeschooler or homeschool graduate who read Jack Lessenberry’s essay on homeschooling I am sure you felt the hair stand up on the back of your neck. This uninformed journalist fills his essay with unresearched claims and foolish ideas that substantiate his lack of knowledge when it comes to homeschooling.

Lesson planning, creative enrichments, field trips, toddlers, housework, dinner, shopping, schedules, grading papers. . . argh!  And you want me to do what?

In the busyness of life in general, it can often be difficult to find time for each other.  If we aren’t careful, that struggle can be even more prevalent during the homeschool year.   

Did you know that statistics indicate that about 1.2 million students drop out of public high school per year?

In fact, Fox News reported yesterday that “seventeen of the nation’s 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent.”

Colin Powell, former Secretary of State commented that “When more than 1 million students a year drop out of high school, it’s more than a problem, it’s a catastrophe.”

It is estimated that 50% of all students who graduate from public high schools, graduate feeling “dumb.” 

That number is even greater for young students who, in their formative years, constantly hit a brick wall when trying to learn. 

Do you remember your first years in school?  How excited you were when you grabbed your cartoon lunchbox for the first time and headed off to school?  For some of us, it was the beginning of an adventure; for others, the beginning of a nightmare.

Have you ever read, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” or “If You Give a Moose a Muffin?” That mouse and that moose characterize my oldest child to a T.

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