Category: learning
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Homeschooling in the media – again
This morning, as we often do, my husband and I were discussing stuff. “I read an article yesterday in the Washington Post about homeschooling,” I said. “Same old, same old.” I proceeded to describe one of the details. “The daughter, whose parents were homeschooled by their Christian parents, is in second grade in public school,…
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Back to Homeschool
I wrote this about a dozen years ago, when my youngest kids were just becoming teenagers. While “edupreneurs” and the like looking to tap into homeschoolers as a market have created huge changes in the homeschooling landscape, the slow homeschooling our family and so many others enjoyed is still an available option. Slow homeschooling prioritizes…
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The inspirational return of Youthquake Theater
It’s been a while since I’ve written here. The homeschooling times have left me feeling like I don’t have much to contribute. Discussions and posts in the homeschooling groups I’ve been a part of for years are overrun with questions about what curriculum to use while staying home during COVID, arguments about masks and vaccines,…
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The rise of hybrid homeschooling
It’s a new year, time for new intentions, resolutions, and oh yes, predictions. Last week I came upon an article that predicted four major education trends in 2020. One of them is “hybrid homeschooling.” It could just as easily be called “part-time school.” “For many families, the costs and obligations related to homeschooling are simply…
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Homeschooling: choice or sacrifice?
Recently I read an article that addressed sacrifices homeschooling parents must make. I appreciated the author’s thoughts and the honestly conveyed experiences she described, but I found that many of the sacrifices she wrote about are things I would not have thought to describe that way. That, in turn, got me thinking about the whole…
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Making kids welcome in the world
The other night I went to a fantastic concert by a jazz orchestra and an Ethiopian vocalist. I, along with hundreds of audience members, enjoyed every moment of it. As I looked around the mass of concertgoers I noticed, as I often do, the dearth of children in attendance. I counted at least three under…
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Instead of expectations
“My early successes in life were…a product of the consistent love and high expectations with which I was surrounded as a child.” — Michelle Obama, Becoming I just finished Michelle Obama’s excellent memoir. It made me laugh, cry, rage, and ponder. In many ways it was a respite, a reminder of the best in people,…
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Homeschooling, feminism, & the third way
Recently I had the opportunity to see a bunch of moms from my old homeschooling days. We talked about our adult children, how and what they’re doing, and we engaged in some reminiscing. One mom and I discussed how we feel now that our kids are grown and we have more time on our hands.…
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Busting homeschooling stereotypes
This week I read yet another really dumb article about homeschooling. Sherene Buffa, on a website called Momtastic, declares “I cannot imagine not sending my children to school.” The double negative in that sentence is indicative of the negativity in the larger piece, in which Buffa pretends to “top my hat off” to all us…
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How to spend your summer vacation
Three years ago, I wrote a blog post about summer. As a spate of articles and advertisements for “self-directed” summer programs has recently found its way into my orbit, I got to thinking about it again. More and more institutions, centers, and structured environments that promote “self-directed learning” are seeing the light of day. The…
A Potluck Life 