Home Schooling. Let’s start off by saying that home schooling is not just for the rich and powerful. Anyone can be home schooled. How do we know that? Because today in the United States there are over 1.2 million students being home schooled. It is doubtful that all of them are very rich.

Yes, home schooling does cost money but a child can be home schooled for as little as $1000 a year. Unless a family is truly poor this is not a large sum considering that comes out to about $3 a day. We spend more than that on our lunches at work.

So what about home schooling as far as it’s benefits? Is it worth it? Do kids learn better? Are they smarter when they finish? Is there anything about home schooling that is bad?

Statistics show that students who are home schooled have better grades and actually learn more than students who go to public or private schools. Of course many people argue these statistics saying they are skewed and inaccurate and some say they are outright lies.

Why the battle?

Because the one truth that can’t be argued is that home schooling is eating into public and private schools’ pocket books. The growth rate for home schooling has been rising about 15 to 25% per year of late. This is about 20% of the students outside the government school system when you look at the raw numbers mentioned above. Another 250,000 children are expected to enter home schooling in the coming year.

The number of home schooling students do present a threat to government schooling, as they are finding that you don’t have to hire super qualified teachers to get a good education for your child. And the truth is, an average family only spends about 10% of the per pupil cost that public schools spend on each child, which refutes the theory that you need to spend a lot of money to educate a child.

This does pose a significant economic threat to public schools since their school budgets depend on attendance. It is estimated that over $7 billion has been lost to public schools because of the number of children who are being home schooled.

Home schooling families are also a very powerful force in government. When a bill was introduced that all home school instructors be certified the home school community made such a loud noise that the bill was defeated by a vote of 424-1 when it came up in the house.

In an attempt to battle back, defenders of the public school system are fighting with every legal resource at their disposal. One of their tactics is the undermining and co-opting of the home schooling movement by establishing government home schooling programs which try to lure families by offering them free resources. Yes, the battle goes on and it won’t be ending any time soon.

In the next article we’ll go over exactly how home schooling works and how students earn their diplomas.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Home School
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With the wellspring of cultural knowledge available to educate African American children about our rich heritage a solid anchor for all of this information is Kwanzaa. Unless you know where you come from, you can never arrive at where you should be going (huge paraphrase). Let’s look at this quote…

Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture among African American people as well as Africans throughout the world African community. These values are called the Nguzo Saba which in Swahili means the Seven Principles. Developed by Dr. Karenga, the Nguzo Saba stand at the heart of the origin and meaning of Kwanzaa, for it is these values which are not only the building blocks for community but also serve to reinforce and enhance them. …from the Official Kwanzaa Web Site - http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/7principles.html

After learning American history, World history, the history of art, music, writing and the like - African American history is a must and I will touch on a way to add Kwanzaa to your curriculum.

First let’s start with the little ones - the simplest way that we use is with coloring pictures. Give them examples of of the seven symbols of Kwanzaa which you can find online and let them color them as they desire. Remember to write the names of each symbol and tell them the meaning of each one. As they get older they will begin to recall the meaning of the symbols and ask questions about each one. Parents prepare ahead of time to answer their questions about Kwanzaa as they will ask about each one and it will probably be at a time when you are not at your computer or near a Kwanzaa calendar to remember. Our children need good principles to guide them thru life and this is an invaluable way to instill them.

For those a little more mature in age get them to make a Kwanzaa calendar to place in their room, with the symbols, their names and meaning. As an added way to remember Kwanzaa we discuss each separate symbol, name and meaning each month leading up to Kwanzaa - giving you extra material to which subjects like history, culture, languages, writing and composition can be budded from throughout the year.

Starting at those at the ages of 16 and up we let them choose a principle and go online to research examples of each Kwanzaa symbol being applied in the past, present and produce an example that can be used in the future. The future application of their respective Kwanzaa symbol can be next year or five years from now and triggers their use of critical thinking - something that young leaders need to practice in order to be part of building family, community and culture.

A more in-depth lesson plan that can be used as a homeschooling guide to Kwanzaa can be found at the Learning to Give website: http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit158/overview.html. Each age group has a different activity planned for celebrating Kwanzaa in a more structured format.

Because of the richness of Kwanzaa and the principles that it points to as a reinforcement for community, family and culture it’s values should be rehearsed year-round just as Christmas in July and other holidays are touched upon out of season. We have the future of our nation’s principles in our hands let’s not forget to remind each other to keep those principles.

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer of digital divide solutions for home and business. Helps african american and minority homeschools bridge the digital divide by becoming computer homeschools. Free RSS article feed on "Computer Homeschooling" and other related articles http://feeds.feedburner.com/HomeschoolWirelessNewscloud-Rss

Homeschool programs are more prevalent then they once were. A lot of families are opting to have their children homeschooled for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons might consist of the desire to keep them away from public school education. Some parents might think that the public school isn’t teaching the proper views they want their children to learn. Another reason homeschool programs exist is so that parents can have more say on what is important for their child to focus on in regard to subject matter. Whether you are a parent or someone who doesn’t know a lot about homeschool programs, read along to find out some informative information about a homeschool program that may be offered.

When one hears the words homeschool program, what do you think of? Do you think sheltered child? Do you think about parents who are too afraid to let their kids get connected with public school education? Do you think of homeschool programs as a safe alternative to the world’s standard of education? Whatever the case or your stance might be, homeschool programs are here to inform, to encourage, and to assist those wanting to provide a different type of education to their children.

If you are just getting started with the homeschool programs and learning how they work, it might be a good idea to talk with parents who are already involved with the concept. You would be surprised how many families are involved in the homeschool programs in today’s day and age. A question that might arise for parents is the concern for their children to be involved socially and to become well-rounded people. If you are thinking of doing a homeschool program, might that be a problem? Not necessarily.

There are homeschool programs that exist where other children can get involved. Many times parents are the main educators in their family when they opt to homeschool. However, they have designed homeschool programs where they connect with other kids for a variety of reasons. Some of the kids might attend a homeschool program that teaches them their science classes. When this happens, a teacher is usually brought in so they can work on their experiments and do their lab requirements. This is a good time for these kids to interact, socialize, and learn with their peers.

These students might also be involved in a homeschool program that gets them together for elective-type courses. Say one of their English requirements is to take a class on drama and theater. The homeschool programs can connect the kids through putting on a play and honing their skills in the area of fine arts. Whatever the case may be, homeschool programs can be a great alternative to today’s education system. Research wisely by talking with other parents, churches, homeschooling associations, and programs they offer.

For more information about homeschool program and homeschool programs, visit:
http://www.christianet.com/christianbusinesses/christianeducation/
http://www.christianet.com/

There are a few things that you should consider when trying to make the decision to homeschool your children. This is a very important personal decision and should not be taken lightly at all. A few things that you should consider before making your decision are time commitment.

Do you really have the time to sit down with books for a couple of hours a day and complete the projects, prepare lesson plans, grade papers, plan field trips, and the list can go on forever. Homeschooling can take up a great portion of your day. It is a personal sacrifice when you are a Homeschooling parent.

You will have little or no personal time for yourself, let alone your spouse. You must make time for yourself and to take a step away from your daily Homeschooling and go shopping or just relax in a hot tub for a few hours.

Homeschooling is a great financial strain on the entire family. Usually the parent that is doing the teaching does not work outside of the home and the non teaching parent brings in all of the income. This can be a great strain on the family and maybe be very difficult for families who are used to living on two incomes.

Socialization is a very important factor when it comes to Homeschooling. A child must be able to socialize with other children their age. Homeschooling your child can make it a lot easier for you to control who your child comes in contact with and becomes friends with.

Organization plays a huge part for any Homeschooling parent. There is still the house work to be done during the day along with the teaching. You won’t always be able to keep the house as clean as you’d like or the laundry kept down to a minimum like it was before you chose to homeschool.

You should take careful consideration when it comes to deciding if you would like to be a homeschool teacher and you should decide if Homeschooling is right for your child as well as the entire family.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at http://www.home-schooling-central.info.

Actually this is not a movie review, although a child is being prepared to take over his father’s kingdom and there are many lessons to be learned about preparing a child to make wise choices. This is an exercise for homeschooled children involving Dr. Martin Luther King - whose birthday will arrive again on Monday and how your child will get to use their imagination to have a conversation with Dr. King. Thus the title - King and I.

Of course the subject could have been the profound affect Dr. King had on my life both while he was alive and thru the years after his assassination. But, in order to keep his dream alive I felt it would be more fitting to ensure that Dr. King was given a chance to share his dream with our future generations by letting them pretend to have a conversation with him about his dream, about peace, about people living together.

While this may seem like more of a challenge than most homeschooling parents might be willing to take - I will give you a head start as the rewards will blow you away. For those of you alive when Dr. King began affecting the lives of the nation, take time and share what was happening in that time and how times are changing. Everyone with little memory or nothing to shape your insight can easily find resources online using your favorite search engine. Some examples are a website about children’s responses on the subject "What if Dr. King were alive today" and can be found at - http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/taverna/98/whatif.htm

The best site for information on Dr. King of course is - http://www.thekingcenter.org/index.asp. I continue to be amazed at the sample of Dr. King’s speech "The Drum Major Instinct".

Another resource is "A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King" and can be found at - http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/mlking.htm with a very good timeline guide for helping in creating the conversation. Depending on your child’s age you can adapt the exercise to fit using - What would you say to Dr. King about what is happening today. Reading to younger children or allowing them to watch various programs about Dr. King and then have the exercise will make it fresher in their minds.

For those too young to understand I have 2 exercises, the first is where I play Dr. King’s speech and give them a play microphone and soap box as a podium to give the speech from and just let them go for it. Don’t worry, later on the words will begin to sink in and have more meaning along with giving them a reference for their ‘conversations’ with Dr. King later when they get older. The second exercise involves letting them draw Dr. King and what he is saying in his speeches. I got the surprise of my life when my nephew showed me a picture of his drawing of Dr. King surrounded by people holding hands - and this at 4 years old.

The ultimate purpose of these exercises could give our children a greater chance at not repeating the mistakes made that created the turbulent times that inspired Dr. King to step up to the forefront of the civil rights movement. It also is a rehearsal for possible roles of leadership, and to cultivate our children’s future so that they may have a chance to be a King.

Always remember that a child shall lead them…

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer of digital divide solutions for home and business. Helps African American and minority homeschools bridge the digital divide by becoming computer homeschools. Free RSS article feed on "Computer Homeschooling" and other related articles http://feeds.feedburner.com/HomeschoolWirelessNewscloud-Rss

Admittedly fractions are trouble for most students. In my previous article I talked about why this is so. Percents and decimals too present their share of problems to young students—adults as well. There is an interesting connection between these three mathematical entities and here it is: fractions, percents, and decimals are variations of one and the same thing.

When I pointed this relationship out during one of my lessons, one student looked at me in amazement and said that he never realized that. This boy had gone through school for twelve years—he was a senior in high school—and never saw that connection. When I would stress this relationship throughout my different classes, I would get similar reactions from many students: they just never saw that connection.

Now this is a problem with mathematics education in this country. Connections are not made between topics in this difficult discipline. For this reason, students are left scratching their heads wondering when in the world they will ever use something like a decimal, a fraction, or a percent, even though these basic things are literally encountered everyday. This failure to connect math to reality harks back to questions like “Why are manhole covers round?”, which I presented in my article “Why Study Math - The Circle.” For those educators reading this, they know that a common rebuttal of the math student is “When am I ever going to use this?” In fact, a common gripe I would hear is “This is totally useless stuff.” In preparation for these questions, I worked diligently so that I could show students that there actually was a connection—a reason—why they were studying the particular lesson at hand.

For the topic at hand—fractions, percents, and decimals—students must be made aware that a fraction is a percent and that a percent is a decimal. Once students know that they are dealing with one and the same thing, and not three separate ones, they feel less overwhelmed from having to know all about percents, all about fractions, and all about decimals: when students now see 1/4, they know that this is a mathematical synonym for 25% or 0.25. As obvious as this may seem to those who understand it, this relationship eludes many students, and they end up ignorant about this fact, much like the senior of mine mentioned earlier. Moreover, once connections like this are made in this area, connections and links are made in other areas as well. Then mathematics is not so formidable as one would make it.

Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Under the penname, JC Page, Joe authored Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC’s of arithmetic. Joe is also author of the charming self-help ebook, Making a Good Impression Every Time: The Secret to Instant Popularity, the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)?particularly in regard to its educcational flavor? continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.&

Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to www.mathbyjoe.com.

The term "homeschooling" refers to choosing to educate one’s children at home, rather than in a public or private school. Usually one or both parents act as "teacher," though not in the same way as a classroom teacher. Yes, it is entirely legal in all fifty states. In fact, it would be illegal or even unconstitutional to deny parents the right to choose where, how, and what their children are taught.

Home schooling provides a personal, individualized educational experience for the child. Children learn faster, and more, when they receive the one-on-one interaction of a parent or tutor. Parents care more about the individual success of each child because it is THEIR child - no one loves your child more than you do.

Anyone who homeschools will tell you that the experience builds a closer relationship among all the members of the family. There are very few problems with teenagers and parents getting along, and each child learns to contribute to the family as a whole. They are learning to interact with people of all ages, as the real world operates, rather than being forced into an unnatural grouping where everyone is the same age.

There are as many different ways to homeschool as there are families who homeschool. Each family will develop their own system, routine, rhythm - whatever works best for them. This doesn’t mean you have to know everything before starting. Most families will research many different theories, curricula, etc., and then try out whatever appeals to them. If something doesn’t quite work for them, they try something else. There are no hard and fast rules.

This highlights one of the main advantages to homeschooling - namely, that the methods used are chosen to best fit the child’s needs and learning style. When a particular topic is too easy, you can just move on. When a child needs to spend more time learning a skill, you can take whatever time is needed. In a traditional classroom, the teacher needs to keep everyone doing the same thing at the same time, which either bores those who have mastered the skill, or leaves behind those who need extra attention. This child-centered, individual-paced feature of homeschooling is a major attraction for many.

There are no special skills or training required for homeschooling. You are teachers simply because you are parents. Requirements for homeschoolers vary from state to state, but I don’t know of a state that requires any certification or special degrees for homeschooling parents. Besides, most education courses of study apply to traditional classrooms and managing 20 or 30 students at a time. They really don’t focus on one-on-one teaching. There are plenty of resources available to help parents who don’t have any experience at homeschooling. For example, the curriculum we have been using (now in our sixth year) provides me with a daily lesson plan which spells out everything to do to learn the topic. They also have counselors available to answer any questions we may have. It would be very difficult to fail with so much help and support.

Of course, a packaged curriculum is not for everyone. But even those who create their own plan of study will be able to find books, websites, support groups, and more to assist them. No one needs to "re-invent the wheel" when starting out with homeschooling.

Wherever you may be in this journey, I wish you the best. In the end, you need to discover the path that works best for YOU - so don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Cynthia Brandolini has been educating her own children at home since 2000. Her homeschooling informational website can be found at Home School Info Site

I began homeschooling in 2003. My reason was simple. I did not like the environment my children would be learning in. I never had any past experience teaching, so I was a bit apprehensive. I began by doing research. I wanted to find a program that I thought would benefit my children and also not bore them. I also did research on homeschooling in the USA. I wanted to see for myself how many children were being homeschooled in this country and how they stood next to public and privately schooled children.

I found that according to NCES(National Center for Education Statistics) in 2003 an estimated 1.1 million students were being homeschooled in the United States. This amounted to 2.2 percent of U.S. students, ages 5 thru 17, with a grade equivalent of kindergarten thru 12.

Parents gave a variety of reasons for homeschooling. These reasons included being able to give their child a better education at home, for religious reasons, and because of poor learning environment at public schools. Also, according to research done by NCHE(National Center for Home Education), the average 8th grader who is homeschooled performs four grade levels above the natonal average. One in four homeschool students(24.5%) are enrolled one or more grades above age level. Students who have been homeschooled their entire lives have the highest scholastic achievement.

A good article on homeshooling was done by a staff reporter, Daniel Golden, for "The Wall Street Journal Atlanta". This was on the front page in the February 11, 2000 edition. Read it. Especially if you are a little apprehensive about teaching. I have found that it is not as hard as it sounds. It is actually fun and rewarding.

My name is Vicki Bennett. I am a full time wife and mother. I homeschool my children. I enjoy reading and writing short-stories in my spare time. I also enjoy cooking, singing, and gardening. If you want to read information on an average family homeschool and their day to day routine go to http://www.writingup.com/blog/vicki-bennett.

I have been writing blogs about my home schooling experience. I also have been searching the web for other home schooling experiences. There are many ways to home school. The most important thing to remember is that it is your personal choice. Whether you home school from an online source, video classroom, workbooks or oral teaching from a book, is totally up to you.

Remember that there is a lot of help in your community. People who also home school, usually have a group, where the children can interact together at functions. If you do not like that idea, then you can go for help on a home school website. There are many places to go.

I have found that your ideas for your own children are the best. You know your children better than anyone else. You know their limits, what subjects they like the best, and their individual personalities. When you start home schooling try different ways of teaching. Let your children, if they are older like mine, add some of their ideas. It really gets them interested in what they are doing.

Remember to keep it organized. This is important. If it is unstructured then it will not work. Children need structure. Teaching them organization will help them in their own adult lives.

Try to add classes, other than the norm, to the schedule. I mean like, photography, band, cooking, etc. This gives the kids something different to look forward to. Have fun and enjoy the day.

I also found a lot of helpful websites, not only for me, but for my children to use too. I am sure there are many more, but here are the ones we use;

storeforknowledge.com
www.brownielocks.com
www.homeschoolconnection.com
encarta.msn.com
www.contemplator.com
www.ks-connection.org (library of congess pen pal site)
www.christiananswers.net
www.42explore.com
www.kidsdomain.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.allfreecrafts.com
www.homeschoolzone.com
www.homeschool.com
www.homeschooling.gomilpitas.com
www.discovery.com
www.nationalgeographic.com

I hope you find these helpful.

Please visit my blog site: to http://www.writingup.com/blog/vicki-bennett

Once the decision is made to homeschool, the next major issue is which curriculum or methodology to use. While there are pros and cons for every option, this article will focus on homeschooling with a packaged curriculum.

A packaged curriculum will usually include all the books, lesson plans, and scope and sequence planning needed for an entire school year. Some providers also include additional services for enrolled families. These services can include counseling, grading, report cards, and even diplomas. While this path is often more expensive, there is the advantage of having everything already planned out in advance. This alone is a great time saver, which becomes more of an issue when there are several children being homeschooled in one family.

Another point to consider is accreditation. When a program is accredited, it means that it has been reviewed by an outside agency or committee and has been determined to meet certain standards. Why would this be important? This will help greatly when time comes to apply to college. If the student has a high school diploma from an accredited high school, there should be much less difficulty proving to admissions offices that a high school education has indeed been completed. Also, credits may be more easily transferred to another school if necessary.

When we first decided to educate our children at home, I was faced with researching and planning what to cover in a school year for four children - grades 6, 4, 2, and preschool - with about a month to have it complete. The packaged curriculum I chose from Seton Home Study School proved to be invaluable. As I was brand new at this, I honestly did not know where to start. The more I read about the various educational methodologies and the limitless choices of textbooks, the more I realized it would make more sense to enlist the help of a company with many years of experience.

By using a prepared curriculum, I can be assured that each child is covering all the most important topics and acquiring the necessary skills. The lesson plans do just that - plan out each lesson for us, including many suggestions for additional activities and enrichment. They also include many recommended resources, especially pertinent websites for further study.

One of the chief complaints about packaged curricula is that they are not very flexible, and tend to be quite rigid regarding what to do when. Our experience thus far has not been so. The program we use emphasizes that parents should adjust the program to fit the child, not the child to fit the program. In reality, nothing is actually “required.” We can use or skip any suggestions we choose. The only true requirements exist only if you want an actual report card or diploma. Certain assignments must be completed and submitted in order to verify completion of the material. I find that keeping a portfolio of work that has been graded by an outside party is a good “insurance policy” against the regulations imposed by our state.

While I readily admit that not everyone will work well with a packaged curriculum, this option does provide many advantages. For anyone who is just starting out and has little or no experience working out a plan of study, a prepared curriculum provides a solid beginning and helps the parent learn more too. Many families will start with a complete packaged curriculum, and then as time goes by, they start making modifications and adjustments as they gain experience and confidence. As can be seen, the many packaged curricula available today can prove to be a very useful tool for many home schooling families.

Cynthia Brandolini has been educating her own children at home since 2000. Her homeschooling informational website can be found at http://www.BestHomeSchool.info