In addition to receiving and processing information, learning is affected by how the child responds to the organization of the material. Consider these four basic types. (Remember it is not a box to keep your child in…these are cues to keep in mind when you create and teach lessons.)

CONCRETE/SEQUENTIAL … These Students:

- Apply ideas in a practical way and focus on facts.

- Work well within limits and produce concrete products from abstract ideas.

- Like to work systematically (step-by-step) and pay close attention to details.

- Want a schedule to follow that makes sense to them.

- Want to know what is expected of them.

- Like establishing routines and methods of doing things.

- Do not like working in groups.

- Ask when they are learning are: What are the facts I Need? How do I do this? What should it look like? When is it due?

These children deal well with strict guidelines that are clear and unwavering. They are highly systematic and function well with clearly defines steps. Stress individual projects with clearly spelled out goals.

Next consider:

ABSTRACT/SEQUENTIAL … These Students:

- Are always looking for the underlying principles.

- Like to analyze ideas, research, and provide logical sequence.

- Want to use exact, well researched information and logical reasoning.

- Learn by watching, than by doing.

- Want to have sufficient time to deal with the project thoroughly.

- Want black and white…right and wrong answers.

- Are not diplomatic and like to monopolize a conversation.

- Want to know:

o How do I know this is true?
o Have we considered all the possibilities?

These students want clearly defined goals but can use their imagination to find the steps to achieve the goals. They tend to over-analyze and may get trapped in minutia. They are willing to create their own methodology. They want a clear answer to problems, and want to prove them.

Next consider:

ABSTRACT/RANDOM … This student:

- Is always looking for the personal relevance as they listen.

- Seek to understand feeling and emotions of people.

- Focus on the emotional needs of others and seek to bring harmony to group situations.

- Want to personalize their learning and focus on the broad general principles.

- Need to maintain friendly relationships with everyone.

- Decide with their hearts not their heads.

- Find it difficult to explain or justify their ideas.

- Avoid exact details and resent any criticism.

- Find it impossible to focus on one thing at a time.

- Ask: What does this have to do with me? How can I make a difference?

These students evaluate ideas on a personal and emotional basis. They are social but don’t like to get bogged down in minutia. They go for the big picture, and get frustrated when forced to learn concrete facts.

Consider this:

CONCRETE/RANDOM ……These students

- Think fast on their feet.

- See many options and solutions to things.

- Want a compelling reason for doing something and find different ways to do them.

- Rely on instinct and insight.

- Want general frames rather specific details.

- Do not like restrictions, limitations, formal reports, routines, re-doing things, keeping detailed records or explaining how they got an answer.

- Ask - How much is really necessary?

This student is all over the place. They are a mass of creativity and imagination. They are problem solvers and want to discover how to do things themselves.

These characteristics give you an idea as to what your child does after he/she has received the material. Focus their lessons while taking their organizational mind-set into consideration. Don’t have your Abstract/Random learner write a report on the digestive system…have them make a clay diagram of the digestive system and tell you how everything works…get my drift.

You have the knowledge and the power … Now go out and create the best learning environment for your individual child!

Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego School District. She has been teaching kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your child typing, visit http://www.1stoplearntotype.com To improve your child’s memory, visit http://www.1stopezmemory.com

I am a product of the public school system as are my five children. I was surprised to learn that thirteen of our 32 grandchildren were being home schooled. It seemed strange to me. For one, a young mother needs some time to herself. Teaching all day does not fulfill that idea. My son’s wife can not boot the kids out the door and sit back and watch television.

Moving to Idaho and being much closer to our son and his family I soon learned that my son and his wife do not trust the school system. The other day I heard my son say, to my surprise, that the current system was not designed to develop every child to his or her highest capabilities. Rather there is to be an elite class and workers.

My son and his wife also do not appreciate the negative influences in the public school system. My wife and I think that children should face those influences, being corrected if they error by teachers and parents. Be that as it may, home schooling is the best situation for my son and his wife here in Idaho.

My Haitian grandchildren cover ages from under eight to eighteen. They have had to overcome both physical and cultural problems. Raised on the streets of the Haitian capital, the older ones are street-smart and they can be secretive or self-protective.

Most of the children learn at a normal rate. Some don’t. I don’t think that all of the children would be successful in the public school system. The children adopted at a younger age would adjust rapidly to the public system.

All of the children, except the four youngest, play the piano, the violin, and some play the guitar and other instruments. The two oldest girls of natural birth are in the adult symphony. Three play in the youth symphony (two adopted). One granddaughter plays in both. Our oldest granddaughter here in Idaho is on a full scholarship in music at the local college.

The family together has formed a musical group that sings and plays here in Southern Idaho. They take donations for baby formula for an orphanage in Haiti. If you want to contribute to that cause please email me.

All of the older children (over eight) are good cooks, know how to clean house, and perform outdoor chores. Most all of them are doing well in home school as tested by the State of Idaho.

Our other grandchildren are all in public school systems. We have one autistic teenage son who was brought up in the public school system. Fortunately for him, his school system has an effective program for autistic children. It is not a segregated program. Autistic children attend the same classes as the other children, but special assistants keep things in order and educational.

My son and his wife are effective in educating their very gifted (adopted and natural) and not as gifted children. To do that, they use home schooling.

Copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine. Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success.

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

So here are some things to think of.

1. Your child will get one to one attention with you. The issues associated with large class sizes will be gone forever.

2. Noone knows your child better than you, so you can tailor the lessons to suit your child. That will be something that could never happen in a conventional class room.

3. If your child is someone who is particularly susceptible to peer pressure, then home schooling can alleviate the problem. With your child completely under your control, you not only dictate the curricular activities, but the friends and social elements of their day.

4. Family life can return to how it should be. No more strangers passing at the breakfast table.

5. Many children get wrongly labeled with ‘learning difficulties’ when all that they needed was a different approach. If your child falls into this category, you will be best placed to evaluate your child’s needs and requirements.

6. Scientific studies indicate that home schooled children can come out ahead in every measurement. Other factors may affect this of course, but the indications are that home schooled children achieve more academic success than their traditionally schooled counterparts.

7. Research also indicates that home schooled children actually have better social skills than traditionally schooled children. This rather flies in the face of most people’s beliefs.

8. Although not a statistic that should affect your decision making, every child taken out of the state controlled education system actually saves the tax payer around $9000 per pupil per year.

Whilst it is not a task to be undertaken lightly, there are compelling reasons for educating your child at home. It can be argued of course that the benefit of home schooling will not be so strong for all children, but equally, there are many who could benefit significantly from home tutoring.

The article was written by Charlie Cory, who is the owner of Teaching Your Kids. Teaching Your Kids provides advice about home schooling your children.

Visit his website about the benefit of home schooling now.

Students are considered to be homeschooled if their parents reported them as being schooled at home instead of at a public or private school for at least part of their education and if their part-time enrollment in public or private schools did not exceed 25 hours a week. Students who were schooled at home only because of a temporary illness were not included as homeschoolers.

Most Important Reasons for Homeschooling

Thirty-one percent of homeschoolers had parents who said the most important reason for homeschooling was concern about the environment of other schools.

Thirty percent said the most important reason was to provide religious or moral instruction.

Sixteen percent of homeschooled students had parents who said dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available at other schools was their most important reason for homeschooling.

Families that elect to educate their children at home come from all major ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, and all income levels. However, homeschoolers are more likely to be religious, conservative, white, better educated, and part of a two-parent family, compared with the average American family. Homeschooling families tend to have more children and be middle-class.

Parents who homeschool their children are more likely to vote, contribute money to political causes, contact elected officials about their views, attend public meetings or rallies, or join community and volunteer associations. This holds true even when researchers compare only families with similar characteristics, including education, income, age, race, family structure, geographic region, and number of hours worked per week.

What Resources Do Homeschooling Families Use?

Parents are, of course, the primary resource. Typically, the mother takes the lead, though fathers usually pitch in. Perhaps as many as one out of ten fathers takes the primary responsibility.

How Well Do Homeschoolers Perform Academically and Socially?

Researchers cannot tell whether the same children would perform better or worse academically in a classroom or at home. State testing data does not necessarily reflect all homeschoolers because not all comply with the testing requirement. Other testing efforts rely on volunteers.

Keeping that caveat in mind, where testing data is available, homeschoolers do well. For example, in Alaska, the state’s Alyeska Central School has tested its homeschooling children for several decades. As a group they usually score above average in any subject area and at all grade levels. The largest study to date, commissioned by the Home School Legal Defense Association, involved 12,000 students tested through the Bob Jones University testing services. The homeschooled children placed in the 62nd to the 91st percentile of national norms, depending on grade level and subject area.

At least one intriguing study suggests that student achievement for homeschoolers is not related to the educational attainment of the parent. This is consistent with tutoring studies that suggest the education level of a tutor has little to do with achievement of a tutored child.

College admission also may suggest success. Homeschoolers have reported admission to over 1,000 different U.S. colleges and universities.

People disagree about whether homeschooling helps or hinders a child’s social development. Homeschooling children spend less time with peers and more time with people of different ages. Most participate in scouting, church groups, and other associations. Many volunteer in their communities. Some operate a business. There is no conclusive research suggesting that additional time with same-aged peers is preferable to more time with individuals of varying ages.

What Is the Legal Status of Homeschooling?

Today homeschooling is legal in all states. State law generally requires homeschooling parents to file basic information with either the state or local education agency. Over half the states require some kind of evaluation under some or all of the homeschooling options available under state law. Usually, this evaluation involves testing of students, but some states accept portfolio evaluations or a teacher evaluation. Much less frequently, states have education or testing requirements for parents. Some states require submission of a curricular plan. Parents do not need teaching certificates.

Public programs are growing. Alaska sponsors the Alyeska Central School, where teachers in Juneau work with students all over the state via mail, the Internet, telephone, and occasional home visits. In California, children can enroll in a public school’s independent-study program. Washington and Iowa laws require public schools to admit students part-time. Some public schools offer specialized homeschooling centers where families may obtain resources and instructional support, or where children may take classes. An estimated 18 percent of children who are homeschooled enroll in school part-time; 5 percent enroll for 9 or more hours per week

Local and state support groups offer advice and assistance. Sometimes, several families will share instructional duties. Local support groups form readily if there are a sufficient number of homeschooling families in an area. There is at least one state-level homeschooling association in every state, and in some states there are a dozen or more regional associations. Often, parents may examine instructional materials at a book fair or association meeting.

Other popular resources include libraries, museums, colleges, parks departments, churches, local businesses, and schools. Many large and small publishers offer curricular packages, books, periodicals, and other materials for use in home instruction.

Cheryl Dixon has recently published an in-depth report on home schooling, you can read an overview here: http://www.millmarkbiz.com/hhs.htm and is the publisher of the Goal Mine Gazette weekly newsletter, you can subscribe here: http://www.millmarkbiz.com/sub.htm

As a home schooling parent, and from my personal experience my children are more social at times than I am. Many studies support the home school academic benefit, but what about social aspect? Are home schoolers missing proper socialization? Is there a right solution for the socialization problem? Is there a socialization problem at all? With the growth of home schoolers seen recently are we bound to have future generations of socially deprived misfits?

What is home schooling anyway? Why is the choice a debated topic? Is it just a passing trend? Home schooling is home education. This educational decision is a parents’ choice and right to teach his or her children one on one at home. This option is legal in all fifty states. Home schooling options have grown greatly due to many accredited curriculum providers targeting the large growing market of home schooling. These curriculum companies are providing parents with easy, different and even customized options for home schooling.

Home schooling just trend right? No. In 1999, the National Center for Education Statistics reported an estimated 850,000 students nationwide were being home schooled (10). The numbers are estimated to grow due to the popularity and the knowledge of home school benefits being explored. More parents are taking the home school route for the safety and academic achievements of their children. Home education is nothing new; it has been around for years. According to Home4schoolgear.com the famous Artist Leonardo Di Vinci, and Inventors Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and few presidents of prestigious colleges were home educated along with many other famous trailblazers (Home4schoolgear.com). Only in recent years has home education been media news. Home schooling as shown its solid foundation in successful results through time. Still there are those that have debated the choice of home education.

Home education has grown so much that most cities have home school groups for support, courses, activities and much more. There is also Home School Legal Defense Association to support families with home school legal issues. There are home schooling magazines, clothing and more. Will the growth of home schooling have an effect on public schools? Some feel that home schooling directly effects the public schools. There have been arguments that home schooling can have an effect on public schools in positive or a negative ways.

Paul T. Hill, author of “How Home Schooling Will Change Public Education” says, “Home schooling limits public school enrollments, therefore it reduces the money provided to school districts. Home schooling also reduces growth in public schools, and decreases the pressure for new buildings and staffs”(Hill). The concern of money for public schools has been a raising issue for years. Home schooling does not have a major effect on it. The problem of public school money issues is caused by a number of factors other than home schooling. There have been various news reports of public school officials misusing the money, and the debates to cut unnecessary cost and create better options for public schools. From a concerned parents’ point of view the issue of money in public schools is not a brow raising reason to choose public schooling. For the quality of education provided at home government, money is no comparison.

Socialization is one highly debated topic for home schoolers. As a home schooling parent, I often answer socialization questions. “You can’t mention home education without the s’ word coming up,” says Doug Phillips, director of Federal Relations at the National Center for Home Education (3). People usually question the socialization because they do not under stand how home school works. Many feel that home schoolers do not socialize with their peers so they become “weird” or sociably immature. Although the stereotypes are heard and believed, parents are still choosing to home school their children for reasons reflecting the quality of socialization in public schools, such as peer pressure, violence, sexual harassment and many other problems.

David Wagner says, “In the seventies, Christians home schooled because secular values being promoted in schools. In the eighties, parents home schooled for no particular religious belief. Others are trying to drop out of the prevailing culture”(3). We chose to home school our children because of the poor quality of public schools in the area we lived in. We also saw frequent news reports of school incidents involving violence and even sexual acts. We saw the advantage of instilling morals and values with the use of home education that was not available in public schools. We liked the academic freedom of choice to including subjects forbidden at the public schools.

While socialization was a factor, our decision to home school was not based only on creating a social safe haven for our children, but rather allowing them to excel academically and having the advantage of academic freedom. Despite the reasons for home schooling, it is the parents’ deliberate choice to remove their child from public school social settings as they see fit. Considering that thought, Dennis Helming, an education writer, believes the most miss the point of whether the protection of children from bad influences can cause a backlash to rebellion (3).

I have found this false among home schooling teenagers. All of the home schooled teenagers I have observed and interacted with are pleasant and responsible. They see the danger in rebellion, and choose not to indulge in it. Home schooling parents also do not hide what they are protecting their children from; rather they take the approach to show them what they are keeping them from. Children naturally wanting to be safe, if given a choice usually end up choosing not to be around things that cause them harm such as peer pressure and violence. Aimee Howd, a home schooled child and author of Confessions of a home-schooled kid says, “Home schooling was once considered a choice for the antisocial but home school achievers are challenging the old stereotypes”(3).

Yes, most home schooled children do spend a lot of time at home, however it does not mean the door is barred shut and the child is forbidden to see anyone. As home schooling parents having the natural need to enjoy adult communication, that is not a desired option! The socialization provided to home schoolers is broader than the public schools can allow. While public schooled children are confined to their peers, a teacher and a classroom home schooled children are traveling and learning by visiting museums, and other educational centers.

Simply going to the grocery store is a lesson in teaching social manners, mathematics, nutrition, and more. Most home schooled children are involved in different activities and community groups. Randal Rockney, author of The Home Schooling Debate: Why Some Parents Choose It, Others Oppose It reports that 90 percent of home schooled children spent more than 20 percent per month in organized community activities (3). I have found that many including my own children are in various different extra curricular groups, which also is a supplement to education.

For instance during the school year our local home schooling group has a coop called Masters Lyceum this is a program with a variety of classes from ballet to science. Every Friday morning, we get dressed and head off to school like the public schooled children. Many children and parents participate in the coop. Children have their own class schedule for each semester. The Masters Lyceum is used as a time for our children get together to learn, to be a part of a group, and learn from other adults. During the summer our children are enrolled in a number of community fun programs like any other child.

Rockney also says, “Children tend to be less segregated by age when involved in home schooling activities.” (3). My children are around children of all ages. It allows them to mature in their communication. My children have friends in various grades, which allow them to socialize on different levels. They learn social boundaries by being around a mixed group of children. Nancy Gibbs, author of Home Sweet School: Seeking Excellence, Isolation, Or Just Extra “Family Time,” says, “ Home School parents agree that the socialization in public schools is not all healthy, it may be competitive, intimidating and violent (4).

I personally do not think that public school socialization is all bad, but I do think that the majority of socialization in public school is improper and stressful for children and therefore unhealthy. When a child comes home crying about the treats of bullies, it causes an entire home to be effected in some way. It is potentially disastrous in the future. We have seen this as one of the causes in the increase of violence in public schools. Who can ever forget the traumatic event of Columbine? There are tons of talk shows with disturbed adults confronting their childhood bullies. This is not the socialization I want my children to experience.

Despite personal debatable views, let us look at the research conducted on home schoolers. Most research studies conducted for finding out if home schoolers are socially equal to non-home schoolers have had different methods, yet similar conclusions. Very few recently conclude differently. In 1984, Tisard and Huges studied 4 year olds at home and in public schools. They stated that home schooled children could not learn how to get along with other children, to be a member of a group, to separate from their families and to relate and communicate with strange adults (Van Galen 6). Our home schooling coop alone proves this statement untrue. This provides all of the educational needs that Tisard and Huges argued that home schooling parents could not provide.

It seems that times have changed, in a 1992 study on home school socialization was reported in a 299-page thesis written by Larry Edward Shyers. Dr. Shyers measured the self-esteem of 70 home schooled children, compared it with 70 traditionally schooled children, and found no significant difference in the groups. Dr. Shyers looked at how home schooled children treated other children by direct observation, using a “blind” procedure, found that home-schooled children had significantly fewer problem behaviors than traditionally schooled children did when playing in mixed groups of children did. Dr. Shyers concluded that contact with adults, rather than contact with other children, is most important in developing social skills in children.

This is not surprising because our children are more likely to be in a social setting with a mixed group than those public schooled children are. They in the “real world” environment on more frequent bases than their public schooled peers. Thomas Smedley completed a similar experimental design. His study evaluated communication skills, socialization, and daily living skills. Smedley found that the home-schooled children were more mature scoring in the 84th percentile, while the public school children scored in the 27th percentile (Bunday 9). While home schooled children are home they learn daily living skills more often than public schooled children do. Larger families have the children in the family all coordinate to work together and learn life skills and communication skills. It is an advantage to a child being taught one on one to grasp communication, daily life skills and socialization.

Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., produces another research finding in a book he wrote. The findings in this book concluded that the negative critics have claimed that home schooling makes weak adults have no solid foundational facts. The book reports that the adults who were home schooled were much more civically involved in the United States. Adults who were home educated express viewpoints or beliefs that is about as strong as that of the general public (10). Adults who were home schooled have the same socialization status or higher than those there were not home schooled. We have seen this proven in our listing of famous adults and other trailblazers in our society. They could not make a difference in our world without being strong adults.

We have heard from the researchers, and personal opinions from parents, but what about the children? In an article written by Lisa Russell, she tells of her public schooled days “I found the phonics and reading lessons to be incredibly boring. Luckily, the girl behind me felt the same way. We would chat back and forth. We were both asked to stay in at recess, and sit quietly in our desks for the entire 25 minutes, because "We are not here to socialize, young ladies." Those words were repeated by just about every teacher I’ve ever had. If we’re not there to socialize, then why were we there? If schools weren’t made for socializing, then why on earth would anyone assume that home schoolers were missing out?” (Russell)

I remember myself as being a talker in class. That was my whole reason for going to school! I was told that we were not in school to socialize repeatedly also. These words are repeated in public schools often. Children in public school being told this begin to socialize out of disobedience. Is this proper socialization to teach a child? No. This is not, simply because in the class setting the teacher demands respect, which causes some to rebel and secretly socialize by whispering, or notes to each other. This can cause resentment for teachers and authority among students in the class. This problem could eventually snowball into disrespecting adults and any authority.

From my own personal experience with secretly communicating with my peers, it takes away from listening in class, and puts the priorities out to order for attending public school. Lisa asks the appropriate question in defense of home schoolers missing out. I do not think home schoolers are missing out simply because their day is not a typical day which involves freely socializing on different levels and not just their peers. This then teaches home schoolers to be responsible and mature. Children cannot learn to be responsible and mature while rebelling against their teacher to socialize in a classroom setting. Another young fifteen-year-old home schooled girl named Teresa expresses, “Many people are curious about the average day of a home schooler and are surprised to find out isn’t an “average day”.

My family chose homeschooling is to avoid the dull routines that schools create. I usually have lessons with my mom in the morning, take care of my siblings, spend time with other home schoolers in the area, and read. Most importantly, my day belongs to me. I have a quote on my wall in my room, “Learning involves everyone everyday. Learning and living are not separate activities. Learning cannot be contained in place or time” (Teresa). This fifteen-year-old is a good representation of home schoolers. Most of them do not have a regular 8-3 schedule like public school kids. Each home school environment is different. Their days incorporate more of in the real world, more than just a classroom full of peers. It involves many different activities, which allows them to experience more and learn in different ways.

The quote she has on her wall is very true. You can not avoid or confine learning. You can not possibly teach a child everything that is needed to survive in a classroom setting. Yes you can learn academics, but life lessons that you will use as an adult are usually learned while interacting with family outside of a classroom. Socializing with friends is a part of her day because that is natural and a child needs that. It however is not all of her day because sitting a classroom full of children will not teach socialization. I asked my children what they liked about being home schooled and they expressed that they liked the flexibility and not being confined to a classroom.

They explained to me that you could not eat breakfast in a public school at your desk like you could in home schooling. Being twins my daughters liked the fact that they are not forced to separate in to different classes if they are not ready for it and they can be with their little brother. They enjoy teaching their little brother what they have learned. This gives them a sense of importance and responsibility. They did not once say once that they are lacking time with their friends. They have ample time with friends during the week with the Masters Lyceum, church, and other activities.

In my conclusion, I will end with a story posted on an Internet message board, at http://www.homeschoolchristian.com: Posted By: Cat. Date: Tuesday, 3 October 2000, at 9:58 a.m.

This is a scene from a local park about a year and a half ago…(a local park back home!) 2 moms were sitting on a bench not too far from me. They were discussing the "homeschool movement" and how they couldn’t see the benefits of homeschooling because of the "S" factor–I WILL NOT say that word! They went on and on about how homeschooled kids wouldn’t be able to come to the park and play. They went on and on about how you can identify a homeschooled kid because they tend to be withdrawn…the whole time watching my 3 homeschooled children play quite nicely with their 5 children. Tag, races, pushing each other on the swing. I was soaking it all up. Never once did I say a word.

When it was time to leave, one of the moms thanked my kids for playing so nicely with their kids and asked, "Where do you go to school?" I knew it was our time to shine…Kristin said, "Oh, we homeschool." and turned to walk away, leaving that mom staring at me–because she KNEW I had heard their whole conversation. I nodded and said, "Have a nice day."

Talk about a PRICELESS moment! (Cat)

In my own personal experience, that I have seen home schoolers do not lack socialization. Researching studies support this conclusion. I feel that socialization among home schoolers is potentially more advanced than those isolated to a social settings in public schools. There is a time for socialization and a time not to socialize. Home schooling has provided an opportunity to show my children proper socialization skills for life. Home schooling has many myths; socialization being one that is exposed. Home schoolers will continue to prove the stereotypes wrong.

Works Cited

Bunday, Karl M. Learn in Freedom! Research on Home schooling Socialization Socialization: A Great Reason Not to Go to School.1999. 29 May 2004 .

Cat.“ "Socialization" Stories” Homeschooledchristian.com 3 Oct 2000, 7 June 2004 .

“Famous Home schoolers” Famous People who were Homeschooled. 2004. Home4schoolgear.com 29 May. 2004 .

Gibbs, Nancy. “Home sweet school: seeking excellence, isolation, or just extra “family time,” more and more parents are doing the teaching themselves.” Time 144:18 (1994) 62+.

Expanded Academic ASAP Infotrac. U of Missouri., St.Louis. 27 May 2004 .

Hill, Paul T. “How Home Schooling Will Change Public Education” Hoover Digest, Summer 2000. 28 May 2004 .

“Home schooling in the United States 1999.” 2 Oct 2001 National Center for Education Statistics. 29 May 2004

Howd, Aimee. “Confessions of a home-schooled kid.” Insight on the News 14.33 (1998): 18+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Infotrac. U of Missouri., St.Louis. 27 May 2004 .

Ray, Brian D., Ph.D. Home Educated and Now Adults: Their Community and Civic Involvement, Views About Homeschooling, and Other Traits. Nashville: Broadman & Holman: 2003.

Rockney, Randal. “The home schooling debate: why some parents choose it, others oppose it.” Insight on the News 18:2 (2002): 3+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Infotrac. U of Missouri., St.Louis. 27 May 2004 .

Robertson, Brian. “Is home schooling in a class of its own?” Insight on the News 10.42 (1994): 6+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Infotrac. U of Missouri., St.Louis. 27 May 2004 .

Russell, Lisa. “No Thank You, We Don’t Believe in Socialization!” TnHomeEd.com 29 May 2004 .

Theresa, “Homeschool Girl” In focus TeenWire.com 21 Sept 2001, 7 June 2004 .

Van Galen, Jane , ed Homeschooling: Political, Historical, and Pedagoical Perpsectives. Norwood: Ablex Publishing, 1991.

About the Author: Tawanna is a Home Schooling mother of identical Twin girls. She is a freelance graphic designer, and writes articles on homeschooling and graphic, and web design. Visit her sites at http://www.tsmiles.com and http://www.geocities.com/homeschooledmultiples/

A natural progression in your reading activities with your children is that after you read them to a passage from the story; have them paraphrase the story back to you. This will help you to understand what level of listening ability and understanding they are at, as well has help them to begin building their vocabulary as they work to find new words they can use with their description of the story they are giving back to you.

Good reading activities don’t always have to occur at the house, or just before bedtime. While you’re running errands around town or on vacation, perhaps have the kids begin to collect words from signs, or spell objects they see. Encourage them to learn different ways to describe objects see. Instead something big, it may by huge, or enormous… or even of gargantuan proportion! Have you child arrange the words they have collected into silly sentences or phrases. Even something as simple as collecting letters from signs, license plates, and such to work their way through the alphabet is a good kindergarten age reading activity.

Not in the car, or travel around much? Use every day items around the house to do the same thing. Labels, there are plenty of labels around the house. Actually put labels on everyday items around the house so your child can associate the spelling, and reading with a tangible item. Then, after a while, take the labels off the items and help your child read and re-label the house.

Once you get your creative juices flowing, you’ll come up with many more reading activities. The key is to make reading activities an every day part of their life. Make an effort to spend an hour a day reading more with an hour less of television. T.V. is an extremely passive thought processing activity. While reading and using one’s imagination is a source of growth and a great foundation from which to build.

Mary Joyce is a former educator, successful homeschool parent, and has written many articles on teaching your child at home for the Homeschool-Curriculum-4u website. Please visit (http://www.homeschool-curriculum-4u.com) for more of Mary’s articles, resources on homeschool, ideas, and curriculum information.

First of all, it is important to have a firm grasp on precisely what a homeschool portfolio is. Basically, a homeschool portfolio is a collection of materials that are used in order to showcase what your child has learned over the course of the "school year." This is important because numerous states require an annual assessment of homeschooled students either via testing or the presentation of a portfolio. While it may seem that keeping a portfolio is only good in so far as you need to comply with the law. This is not the case however. Portfolios can also help parents and their children to record their progress and achievements. This becomes even more important once a child has reached high school and needs a diploma.

Now that we understand the importance of a portfolio, it is also important to understand that there is no right or wrong way in which to create a portfolio. It is up to the parent and/or child what materials the portfolio will contain. However, it is a good idea to choose a variety of material in order to reflect what the child has learned, experienced and accomplished throughout the year. Some items that should be included in your portfolio are: Suggested items to include are:

(1.) A journal which contains notes about activities and the progress that has been made.
(2.) A list of resources (ie books, computer software, games, toys and outside classes).
(3.) Samples of the child’s work (ie samples of creative writing and drawings, text book or workbook pages, and if possible you may include audio or video tapes of your child singing, playing a musical instrument, reading aloud, or taking part in a a dramatic performance - pictures will also sometimes work well in place of audio or video tapes).
(4.) Photos of field trips, artwork, projects and family life.
(5.) Brochures and booklets from field trips and other activities.
(6.) A list of books that the child has read including both the title and the author.
(7.) A list of your goals for the year.

While this may seem quite overwhelming, you’d honestly be surprised at how easily you can accomplish this when you start preparing your portfolio at the beginning of the year. Simply use a three ring binder and add paper for your journaling. Start off by listing a few of your goals for the year and what resources you’ll be using to achieve those goals (these can be modified throughout the year as needed). Then begin collecting samples of work, organizing them by subject, and punching holes in them to place them in your binder. Always have at least a throw away camera at hand so that you can take pictures of anything that you’d like that your child does (ie reading, playing, dancing). You’ll also want to take pictures at field trips as well as pictures of your child’s projects and creations. These pictures can either be placed in a photo album or if you’re feeling really craftsy you could organize them into a scrapbook. You’ll also want to make sure to hold onto any brochures or other paper items that you collect while on an educational outing. These can be easily placed in clear see-through sheet protectors. This is also a good time to begin accumulating a list of books that are being read.

Once you have put together the beginnings of your portfolio, don’t stop there. Regular maintenance (I suggest weekly as it will help you to write your lesson plans for the following week) should include regular journal entries and an ongoing collection of work samples, photos and whatever else you wish to include. Some school districts will require a quarterly assessment throughout your homeschool year. This is a time for parents and children to reflect upon their progress and accomplishments from the previous months. Yet, even if your school district doesn’t require a quarterly review, you won’t want to wait until the end of the year to scramble and race to put together a portfolio that your school district will approve of. Neither you nor your child deserve having to go through the unneeded stress of having to sort through all of the material that has been collected throughout the year.

When it is time for review you may choose to remove some of the materials from your portfolio. You will find that some of these things simply do not properly reflect what you’ve accomplished throughout the year. If/when you decide to weed through your portfolio, you need to remember that the purpose of the review is to provide a general overview of the homeschool year, demonstrate that the child is engaged in homeschooling and that progress is being made.

The portfolio review can be exciting since it provides both parents and children with a time to talk about what they’ve been doing at home. When discussing this with your child, you may find it helpful to write down a summary of the items that you wish to highlight during your year before the review. For instance, if your child learned to read or master a skill you may wish to point this out to the reviewer. Of course, you should never view your portfolio review as a time for you to be judged or ridiculed. It is a time to listen, learn and support from your reviewer. Your child does not need to be present during this time. However, if your child wants a chance to "brag" about their accomplishments and progress to other homeschoolers, then this review is a perfect opportunity for them to do so.

Reverend Brenda Hoffman, is ordained by the Universal Life Church, and has been delivering holistic wellness advice for over 7 years since receiving a BA in psychology with a minor in education. As a home-based professional and mother of 1, she operates a homeschool network. She invites you over to http://www.yourhealthyfamilyhome.com/

Who said this? "The end goal of any society as it addresses the problem of education is to raise the ability, the initiative and the cultural level, and with all of that the survival level of that society."

Do you agree with the concept? The key to a dynamic society is to value learning and education. Our goal as home schoolers should be to instill an insatiable quest for learning in our children. Knowing the pitfalls along the way is critical. This is the foundation of the study technology that supports the above-mentioned quote.

Don’t freak out or stop reading this article when I tell you who made above statement, because the study technology created by this visionary is extremely valuable. I am talking about a technology - not a philosophy. You must separate these concepts!

The person who made the above quoted statement was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Because of the antics of Tom Cruise, the religion of Scientology is relegated to the kook fringe. And it probably should be.

Separate the religion/philosophy of Scientology from their study technology. I am NOT a Scientologist. I do not support or subscribe to their religion. I do not pretend to be knowledgeable of the beliefs or the religious parts of Scientology. But I do know first hand the value of their study technology in their educational program of Applied Scholastics.

Ron Hubbard’s study technology and the Applied Scholastics curriculum addresses the foundation of all learning. It focuses on our brains, its operation and how to train it. The study technology does not promote or intrude on your personal beliefs. The study technology is NOT the religion! It can run parallel to and support any type of religious or secular home school curriculum. It has no spiritual or philosophical component at all. I want to underscore this point because I understand the fear of this religion.

Let’s get back to the key goal of educating our children and I will attempt to explain this study technology. When people learn a subject, this process can get short-circuited or blocked and the path to mastering it can be derailed. What if that blockage could be identified and cleared up at that precise moment it occurs so the learning could continue, the mastery achieved and frustration avoided? Would that be the answer to your prayers? That in a nut shell is the study technology of Applied Scholastics .

The fundamental premise is that there are three barriers to learning that interrupt the flow, create resistance and frustrates the learning process. It also explains how to identify these barriers, provide methods to fix them, and encourages natural flow of learning. This concept is important to the education of our children.

These barriers inhibit learning and can result in a shutdown of the process. This shutdown can be seen in schools today as the runaway diagnosis of learning disabilities, behavior problems or just boredom with learning, all resulting in a disinterested student body and society.

Mr. Hubbard explains that when a student hits one of these barriers, the trained instructor can identify it, clear it up, and resume the natural flow of learning.

I will define these barriers and explain how they affect the student and interfere with learning. These are simplistic and cursory examples of the study technology in Applied Scholastics in which students learn how to learn! You can find more details at http://www.appliedscholastics.org/

1. Lack of mass. The need to touch, feel or make (a prototype) something that demonstrates the subject matter. It may not be sufficient for a student to simply read about the subject. Many times the physical interaction, touching, modeling out of clay (something to TOUCH) is important to the learning. For example, when learning adding and subtracting, it is much more effective when demonstrated with blocks or physical objects. When studying muscles, tendons and ligaments, examine a chicken wing, identify the parts and SEE how they work.

A physical reaction to hitting this barrier could be the student putting their hands over their ears, looking confused, or showing anger (breaking pencils, "blow", and leave the area).

2. The gradient is too steep. This means that elemental steps taken to learn a subject are not fully understood by the student. An exaggerated example would be going from adding to algebraic computations. The steps in between are missing thus the student does not know how or why they got to the result. This predictably ends in frustration.

A physical reaction would be a dizzy or reeling feeling in the student. If the students feel like their heads are spinning, stop! There are gaps that need to be filled in.

3. Misunderstood word. Have you ever been reading and then realized when you get to the bottom of the page that you cannot remember what you just read? This is more common than you think. Somewhere you encountered a word you misunderstood, a word that did not makes sense in context, so you tuned out.

Children do it all the time. Trained educators and parents are aware when their student becomes confused. They understand the importance of clearing up the misunderstanding to understand the subject and proceed with the learning. They know how to trace the confusion back to the offending word(s) and clear up the misunderstanding. They have the children look up the word in a dictionary and redefine it within the context. Only then can effective learning proceed. This process is amazing, I have seen it!

The physical manifestations may be daydreaming, yawning or a confused or far out look.

This study technology is a great basis for any home school curriculum. Give this study technology a more complete look and consider adding it to your own curriculum.

Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego School District. She has been teaching kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your child typing, visit http://www.1stoplearntotype.com

When a family homeschools, this reciprocal relationship is magnified. Homeschooling participants are affected by more than just the person who sit at the homeschool table. All generations create and reinforce the bond between family members. Home schooling families spend their time laughing, learning, playing and living with each other 24/7.

You can choose the best curriculum to promote an intrinsic love of lifelong learning. The homeschool curriculum is flexible. The parameters are determined by the best teachers available, the parents, who know and love their children.

Learning never stops in the homeschool environment. The parents are not just lecturers or observers. They are active participants who expand, explain and encourage their children to be inquisitive and explore the specific areas that interest them without the constraints of arbitrary rules set up by an outside source.

Another benefit to homeschooling is that the parents model and reinforce valuable behavior and deemphasize undesirable behavior in a natural manner.

Historically several generations lived in the same home. Everyone benefited from this multi-generational living arrangement, coming away with valuable lessons that cannot be taught in a book. Plus most of the time there was the added advantage of the multi-grade/level schoolhouse for the formal education.

Presently we often put the older generation in nursing homes when they get too bothersome (only to visit them on holidays), and we settle for a failing public school system that has been tasked with being everything to everyone but alienates most participants.

Homeschooling is the best of both worlds. It’s good for both the family and for your children’s education.

The benefits of home schooling are limitless. As a parent who homeschooled three children, I feel that homeschooling is the greatest gift a parent can give their child. Try it. You’ll like it!

Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego School District. She has been teaching kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your child typing, visit http://www.1stoplearntotype.com

The most logical question about home schooling would have to be, "How can a student learn when there is not a trained professional teacher there to teach the student?" The truth is, most people are so convinced that the traditional method of teaching is the only way that works, that they can’t possibly imagine home schooling being successful.

In truth, home schooling is different for every family. Because there is no traditional classroom each family is free to educate it’s child the way they feel is best, within reason of course as you want to make sure the child is properly prepared to be able to go out in the world and handle whatever job or profession he or she is interested in pursuing.

One method that families use is where they take the child’s interest and curiosity in a subject and help the child explore the subject. The idea is that there are opportunities to explore many subjects like math, science, history, geography, English and many others. By encouraging a child’s normal curiosity eventually all the subjects that would be taught in a conventional classroom get covered.

Another method that families use is that they buy all the books and supplies that a school would buy and follow a normal school curriculum. The material is simply taught at home in a small setting instead of in a large classroom. The theory behind this is that the child is not distracted by his surroundings, feels more comfortable at home and therefore can concentrate better on his studies.

The question many people ask is, "Do children really learn anything in a home schooling setting?" Statistics show that, at least at the college level, students do very well. Obviously this depends on the student and the family. Some children work very well on their own and can actually accelerate beyond a normal work load. Others don’t have as easy a time and must take things at a slower pace. That’s one of the great advantages of home schooling as each child can go at his own pace.

The majority of critics feel that a home schooled child will be at a disadvantage when applying for college admission or a job because they don’t have an official diploma to fall back on. The actual truth is that most colleges and employers are willing to look past that if the child can demonstrate a skill in a more personalized way. Many colleges encourage applications from home schooled children because they feel the child will be more well rounded and therefore help to form a more dynamic and diverse student body.

When all is said and done it basically comes down to the student. One student who would be a straight A student in a traditional classroom could totally bomb out trying to learn at home because they don’t have the structure that they need. Another student who would be lost in a traditional classroom because he can’t keep up with the mandatory pace would be a great home schooled student because he would be able to take things at his own pace and might even, in the long run, become better educated than his traditionally schooled peers.

The debate will surely go on.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Home School
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