Let’s Talk about Homeschooling on Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson 

Our good friends the Jacksons, who are also home educators, lost their home and all of their homeschool curriculum and books in the fire that burned the Eagle foothills on July 28.  I asked Tammy Jackson to compile a list of the curriculum and books that were burned, hoping that other homeschool families might be able to help.  Below is a partial list of what they owned; she is only concentrating on what she needs for the coming year.   Please let me know if you can give, sell, or loan any of the items below.  Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.   Please email info@chois.org.

Letter from Tammy Jackson:

Thank you so much for putting the word out concerning this curriculum.   I am so overwhelmed with the fact that I’ve lost 12 years of homeschool supplies/curriculum and all of my notes/adaptations!  It is a little hard to know where to start from here.  This is a list of what I am hoping to do with all of the kids this year.  Any of these items that are not being used by someone who is willing to share/loan them to us will be VERY appreciated!
 
Thanks for all of your amazing help!  Your family is a real blessing to us!
 
Tammy
 
 
1.  Alpha Omega- Grade 11 Lifepacks
 
2.  Alpha Omega- Elective- Consumer Math
 
3.  Spelling Power- by Beverly L. Adams- Gordon
 
4.  Basic Winston Grammar Set- Precious Memories Ed.
 
5.  Daily Grams Junior/Senior High- Wanda Phillips
 
6.  Easy Grammar- Grade 5- Wanda Phillips
 
7.  Understanding Writing- Susan Bradrick
 
8.  Books and/or Progeny Press Guides-
                                                           The Cricket in Times Square
                                                           Amos Fortune, Free Man
                                                           The Bronze Bow
                                                           Johnny Tremain
 
9.  Math- Teaching Textbooks-   Pre-Algebra and Grade 5
 
10.  Balancing the Sword- either volume
 
11.  God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament  1- Claire A. Larsen Classical Academic Press
 
12.  Exploring Creation with Physical Science- Jay Wile- Apologia
 
13.  Considering God’s Creation- Susan Mortimer
 
14.  U.S. History- any of the following:
                                                        Exploring American History- Christian Liberty Press
                                                        The Story of the U.S.A.- Franklin Escher Jr.
                                                        Heritage Studies: The American Republic- BJU Press
 
15.  Trail Guide to U.S. Geography- Cindy Wiggers
 
 ****This list looks so big once I put it all down!  Any help at all will be so appreciated!  We are certainly not expecting to fill it all!  Just a wishlist for the year!  Thank you!!!!!!

CHOIS is thrilled that Math Counts has changed their minds.

On Tuesday, August 17, MATHCOUNTS, a prestigious foundation dedicated to the encouragement of math among middle school students, announced a ban on homeschoolers competing as teams.

Banning homeschool teams from the annual competition program was a shock to the homeschool community because MATHCOUNTS had allowed homeschoolers to compete as teams for the past 20 years.

HSLDA, as well as many homeschoolers, contacted MATHCOUNTS to express our concerns about the new policy.

After a phone conversation between HSLDA and MATHCOUNTS, an agreement was reached to have a face-to-face meeting on Friday, August 20. The main result of the meeting was a temporary change in policy which allows homeschool teams who participated in last year’s competition to be grandfathered in and allowed to compete again in this year’s program.

This is a welcome change, because many homeschool teams are already busy preparing for this year’s competition. HSLDA appreciates the quick response from MATHCOUNTS.

It should be noted that MATHCOUNTS does not intend to discriminate against homeschoolers. However, the organization faced a growing number of problems that caused difficulties for its program.

We understand that the revised policy does limit some homeschoolers, but MATHCOUNTS has committed to work with HSLDA, and homeschoolers, to find a long-term solution to this problem.

We can assure you that MATHCOUNTS has heard your concerns and is willing to make a good faith effort to reach a solution which is fair to everyone. At this time we do not believe it is necessary to make any more phone calls to MATHCOUNTS.

HSLDA appreciates and applauds MATHCOUNTS’ work in creating a fun way to get students involved in math. We have heard many stories of students beginning to enjoy math and wanting to further their studies in math due to their involvement in a MATHCOUNTS competition.

It is our hope that by working closely with MATHCOUNTS over the next few months we will be able to achieve an equitable outcome for homeschoolers.

For more information on MATHCOUNTS’ change, please see their most recent statement.

Based on independent research conducted by organizations ranging from the National Home Education Research Institute (www.nheri.org), a nonprofit research and educational organization, to the federally funded National Center for Education Statistics (www.nces.ed.gov), it appears that in the U.S., homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education.

Let’s take a look at some of the evidence:

• “Homeschooling grew from 1.7% of the school age population in 1999 to 2.9% in 2007, a 74% relative increase over 8 years, states Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI).

• A 2008 study found that “an estimated 2.0 to 2.5 million K-12 children were home educated in the U.S. during mid-2008,” statistics that were also confirmed by the National Center for Education’s researcher, Stacy Bielick.³

• This week, in their local news coverage, Chattanooga’s News Channel 9 reported: “In the last decade, the number of homeschoolers has far more than doubled, according to the Department of Education” (WTVC-TV, August 13, 2010).

• “Homeschooling is growing worldwide.”

The increasing popularity of homeschooling should not come as a surprise. Homeschooling, a term referring to “parent-led home-based education . . . is now bordering on ‘mainstream’ in the United States. In an article published in 2008, SaveMoneyHomeschooling.com stated: “If homeschooling continues to grow at 7-12% per year for the next 5 years, we could see the percent of homeschooling students increase to 5 million, which is about 10% of the total children in K-12 education.” It seems to be the fastest-growing form of education in the United States, and it’s becoming increasingly popular around the world too, in countries such as Hungary, Japan, Canada, and Kenya.

So, with more than 2 million students busy doing schoolwork at home this fall, perhaps we should ask this question: How are those homeschool graduates faring? Does homeschooling work? Are graduates thriving in excellent colleges, universities, the military, and the labor force? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “Yes!”

“Homeschooling high school is no longer uncharted territory . . . . There are a multitude of homeschooled graduates who are bearing fruit in the workplace, in the military, in their families, and in colleges across the country,” states the Home-School Legal Defense Association, an organization whose purpose is to “defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children . . . .” Drawing conclusions based on his extensive research, Dr. Brian Ray of NHERI summarized the status of homeschool grads with these words: “Homeschool graduates are just as or more likely to go on to college as the general population, more satisfied in their work, happier with their lives overall, and more involved in civic affairs.” Homeschool graduates are proving that schooling at home works, and more and more families are opting to make the sacrifices required to educate their children at home-an investment of time, energy, and resources that is earning huge dividends.

Homeschoolers typically score above average on SAT and ACT tests, and colleges, who appear to be waking up to the fact that homeschool grads make outstanding candidates for admission, consequently are recruiting them with zeal.  The current trend among colleges nationwide is to actively recruit homeschool graduates. The desirability of students schooled in an untraditional learning environment is one of the factors that’s gotten the attention of schools like the Savannah College of Art and Design, who hired Rita Gagliano to fulfill the recently developed role of “Homeschool Liaison and recruitment specialist.”

Apparently some of the $26.7 billion that homeschooling is saving working taxpayers can benefit homeschool graduates in the form of financial aid. The Department of Education has made it clear that homeschooled graduates are to be treated equally for purposes of admission or financial aid and have backed up that stand with the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998.

Zan Tyler, who began homeschooling back in 1984, when it wasn’t such a popular choice, has observed that parents are successfully preparing their sons and daughters-academically, spiritually, and socially-to take the world by storm, and many institutions of higher education are taking notice, courting their registration in dual-enrollment programs and offering scholarships and other incentives to lure homeschoolers in their direction. Let’s face it: Homeschooling is one big success story; it’s no wonder that more and more families are joining their ranks.

Although academic achievement is a high priority among homeschoolers, the influence of homeschooling parents reaches beyond academic topics. Kelly Bagdanov, veteran home educator of 24 years, described it this way: “We need a vision for what education can be. We need to move beyond meeting minimum requirements or keeping up with relatives’ expectations. We need to throw off the mediocre . . . to pursue the excellent. Our goal should be far beyond reaching graduation; it must be to inspire our children to be men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage.”

Apparently many parents in the United States share that vision and are enthusiastically embracing the goals for education that were established by our Founding Fathers, that of educating our children so that they can become men and women of integrity, skill, and vision. Daniel Webster, one of the United States’ finest orators and statesmen, said: “The attainment of knowledge does not comprise all which is contained in the larger term of education. . . . [A] profound religious feeling is to be instilled and pure morality inculcated under all circumstances. All this is comprised in education.” Homeschoolers around the world, many of whom have chosen this route in order to honor Biblical truths, are affirming “the larger term of education.”

As the homeschooling movement continues to expand, and as the graduates from among their ranks assume positions of leadership and responsibility in the United States, our nation will be watching. Most citizens would agree that our nation desperately needs leaders: men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage. The fact that homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education in our country may just offer our nation that hope we’re looking for.

Just thought I’d add a comment for anyone else that’s having trouble locating CHOIS when selecting a school @ GrowingLocalLearning.com:

CHOIS is must have a space between each letter, as in C H O I S

Michael Farris, J.D.
President, ParentalRights.org

Box Tops are one fund-raiser that CHOIS participates in and which helps to fund our free magazine. Thanks to all who have clipped out boxtops for us!

Dear MathCounts staff,

My wife and I homeschooled our four children through high school, and
they all participated in MathCounts. All of our children grew to
appreciate mathematics as a result of their participation. Two of our
children continued to compete in statewide mathematics competitions
after MathCounts; one has a degree in mathematics, the other in
engineering. But even our son the lawyer and our daughter the drama
major benefited from the program. Our experience has been that most of
the homeschooled students who participated in MathCounts were not
outstanding mathematicians, but they were ordinary students who got
excited about mathematics by preparing for and participating in the team
competition. Not only did they have fun, but the interaction among the
team members helped them to sharpen their skills. That is why I am
writing this letter regarding the recent decision that you have made to
disallow homeschoolers from competing in the team portion of the
MathCounts competition.

I want to appeal to you to rescind this decision. From forwarded emails
I have received, I know that there are some stated reasons for this
decision. I want to address those reasons and explain to you why this is
not a good decision.

First off, let me provide a point-by-point response to the reasons.

Reason: We do not allow brick-and-mortar schools to combine because we
do not want the strongest students pulled from different schools to form
“super teams.” Allowing homeschool groups to form teams presents a
similar issue.

The issue of forming select teams is already occurring within MathCounts
competitions. Magnet schools for math or science attract already very
gifted students from a wide area to one school for the purpose of
focused and accelerated math or science education. So, by the nature of
this setup, MathCounts teams from these magnet schools are already
“super teams”. Another case would be private schools. Some private
schools excel in specialized or higher quality education in math or
science. Since there is no districting issue with private schools, they
draw fairly gifted students from a wide geographical range. Again,
MathCounts teams from these schools have a noticeable selection bias as
well. Even many standard public schools that form MathCounts teams have
a fairly large student base within their school from which to select the
best students for the team. In contrast, homeschoolers, even coming
together throughout a whole city or region, do not often have a pool of
this size to draw on.

Reason: If homeschool groups have students from different parts of a
state, we run into issues as to which chapter that team should be
participating in.

This is an understandable logistical issue, but could be easily solved
by simply requiring all students on a team to live within the same
chapter area. This could sadden a few families who live right across a
chapter line, but it seems a much better solution than simply banning
homeschool teams altogether.

Reason: In the 2000-2001 program year when homeschoolers were first
allowed to participate in MATHCOUNTS there was no individual
registration option for MATHCOUNTS. The only option for homeschoolers at
that time was the team registration.

This statement is not exactly correct, since homeschoolers have been
competing in MathCounts since at least 1991. However, I think the
statement means to say that there was no individual registration option
until 2001, so homeschoolers could only enter as part of a team. While
this may be the case, this is not a good reason to start banning
homeschools teams now, as they have enjoyably and consistently
participated in MathCounts competitions for at least 20 years. During
this time, the experience of being in a team competition has enabled
hundreds of homeschool students to find a love of math and make fond
memories of their time in the MathCounts program.

Reason: The frequency in which enrichment programs and tutoring centers
(which are not eligible to participate) have tried to circumvent the
eligibility requirements by registering as homeschool teams has
increased significantly over the past few years.

This may be the case (I don’t know of it occurring in North Carolina),
but it seems grossly unfair to punish genuine homeschool teams for the
sins of others who are masquerading as homeschool teams. Our organization
would be willing to authenticate all homeschool teams that participate
in North Carolina, and other state homeschool organizations may be
willing to do the same in their states.

We all recognize that the goal of MathCounts is not to win, but to
foster a greater interest in math. It must also be recognized that
individual competition is innately different from team competition.
Students who are extremely gifted at math may find great enjoyment in
the individual competition; however, students with an average level of
math intelligence would find little enjoyment in such a competition.
These “normal” students find the team competition to be the thing that
inspires them to greater interest and enjoyment of math. Simply
attending the MathCounts competition and taking the individual test is
no substitute for the thrilling and interactive experience of working as
part of a team.

I hope that you have seen that there is no real reason or need to ban
homeschool teams from the competition. There is every reason to allow
these kids to participate fully and enjoy all the benefits that the
MathCounts program has provided for years and will continue to provide
for years to come.

Regards,

F. Spencer Mason
President,
North Carolinians for Home Education

Here is the response I received:

Mr. Mason,

Thank you for the letter you sent to the MATHCOUNTS staff on Thursday,
August 12, 2010. We appreciate your passion for MATHCOUNTS and your
obvious dedication to education.

There have been a number of emails circulating to members of our staff
from parents of homeschoolers. I believe everyone on staff has tried to
respond in a timely manner and as thoroughly as possible to some of the
concerns that have surfaced from the rule change implemented by the
board of directors. I apologize if I repeat some of the rationale you
have already heard, but I offer this information in response to your email.

The rule change to allow homeschoolers and students from virtual schools
to register only as individuals for the Competition Program is in
response to a number of issues that the Rules & Procedures Committee and
our volunteer coordinators have had to address continuously over the
last 10+ years. It was not a knee-jerk response. It was discussed at
length, with pros and cons considered, and with all of the information
available to the national office taken into consideration. The decision
also was made with the knowledge that our homeschool participants are an
important part of the MATHCOUNTS program.

The fact that homeschool students were permitted to join with other
homeschool students led to a number of issues. As a competition program,
one of our greatest concerns must be the integrity and fairness of the
competition. Over the past few years there has been an increasing
concern at the national, state and local levels about the way some
homeschool participants were using the homeschool rules to their
advantage — both by actively recruiting for the most gifted students in
their general area (and not being willing to work with homeschool
students in their immediate area) and strategically choosing who to name
as the coach in order to be able to compete in traditionally weaker
chapters. Though it is true that the vast majority of homeschool
participants were not contributing to these issues, these problems have
been persistent and have been increasing in frequency.

Obviously MATHCOUNTS has embraced and encouraged participation from
homeschool students for many, many years. Inherent in this
participation, however, are some challenges in running a national
program with national rules while trying to accommodate homeschool
students coming from 50 different states with many different
definitions, rules and guidelines about what homeschooling is.
MATHCOUNTS believes many of these challenges are worth conquering in
order to allow homeschool participation. However, a rule change was made
to address some of the other challenges that were impacting the program
and our volunteers in a negative way.

Taking these issues into consideration, along with several others, the
national Rules & Procedures Committee recommended to the board of
directors the rule change to not allow any schools (small schools,
homeschools or virtual schools) to combine with other similar schools to
form teams. [Note: Combining used to be absolutely necessary for
students from these kinds of schools to participate prior to 2001 since
students had to form four-member teams in order to take part in
MATHCOUNTS. However, when the rules were changed in 2001 to allow
individuals to compete along with teams, it was no longer necessary to
combine into a team to participate in MATHCOUNTS.] Students from
homeschools and virtual schools must register as individuals when
participating in the Competition Program.

We completely understand the benefits of working as a team. For this
reason, we would certainly encourage homeschool students to continue
preparing for the competitions together and gaining the benefits of that
group effort and learning from each other. In fact, hopefully the six
months or so of preparation leading up to the competitions would not
change at all. As for the competition day, homeschool students still
will be able to participate in and advance from the Chapter Competition
like the other 40 percent of the participants nationwide who register as
individuals. The only difference will be the 20-minute Team Round on the
actual day of competition. We realize that this difference will alter
the experience for some students (and we know that competition day is
the big event everyone gets excited about), but as adults able to see
the bigger picture, I believe we agree that the true benefit of the
program comes from the months of preparation leading to the competition
and the incredible amount of mathematics that is learned during that time.

I also would point out another avenue for team work that is available to
homeschool students. Through the MATHCOUNTS Club Program (MCP),
homeschool students still can combine to form teams working toward
Silver and Gold Level Status in the MCP. The MCP was developed with the
intent of encouraging math clubs to work together toward the common goal
of gaining recognition for their club. Through this program, there are
many forms of recognition for the team/club, including certificates,
trophies, banners and prize drawings.

I hope I have been able to demonstrate that this decision was not made
hastily. And though from your perspective there may be some alternative
“fixes” for these issues, please understand that we must look at the
situation from the national level and take into consideration all of the
factors — many of which would understandably only be fully known at the
national level. This change was made in order (1) to ensure the
consistency and fairness of our competition nationwide, (2) to address
the growing concerns of the dedicated MATHCOUNTS volunteers tasked with
carrying out these competitions nationwide and (3) to continue to
embrace homeschool students’ participation and success in the MATHCOUNTS
Competition Program.

Sincerely,
Kristen Chandler

Kristen Chandler
MATHCOUNTS
Deputy Director & Program Director
P: 703-299-9006 ext. 107
F: 703-299-5009

My name is Carrie Fernandez and I am a homeschooling mom of 2 girls. I am going on my fifth year of homeschooling, and loving every minute of it.

I wanted to introduce myself and a couple of resources to you that you could perhaps share with your members. There is a new website called Curriculum Share that I launched on 7-23-10. The intentions of this website are to build a homeschooling community where homeschoolers can get free curriculum. In just over 2 weeks we have almost 1,000 members already sharing their curriculum with other homeschoolers.

Many homeschoolers are one income or low income families, and we struggle with the cost of living, let alone curriculum. With this in mind, we have created a place for homeschoolers where quality educational materials are free of cost. Members of Curriculum Share become part of a community that works together to make sure all of our children receive the best education we can give them. Curriculum Share is about cutting costs, not corners. You will pay only the cost of shipping agreed upon by you and the person you are getting your homeschool curriculum from.

You can visit the website at www.curriculumshare.com

The other resource I wanted to share with you is Hearts at Home Discount Curriculum. We carry over 200 major publishers and 10,000 homeschooling products. Our prices are often the lowest around, up to 40% off everyday retail prices. You can visit Hearts at Home at www.heartsathomestore.com

We run both businesses and are a Christian homeschooling family. Thank you for your time!

Institute for Excellence in Writing presents
Four Days of writing workshops
with Andrew Pudewa

Location:
The College of Idaho (Simplot Hall, South Dining Room)
2112 Cleveland Blvd, Caldwell, ID 83605

Dates: September 8-11, 2010

Please forward this message to friends and colleagues!
For more information or to register for these events,
please visit www.excellenceinwriting.com/events
or call 800.856.5815

Wednesday, Sept. 8:
Introductory Student Workshops*
Workshops for those students with little or no previous IEW experience
Cost: $20.00 per student
* Grades 2-4 9:00 AM-11:00 AM
* Grades 5-7 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
* Grades 8-10 2:00 PM-4:00 PM

Thursday, Sept. 9:
Advanced Student Workshops*
A day of classes for those students with a year or more of IEW experience
Cost: $25.00 per student.
* Story Writing (Grades 3-8) 8:30 AM-11:00 AM
* Research (Grades 5-10) 11:30 AM-2:00 PM
* Creative Writing (Grades 5-10) 2:30 PM-5:00 PM

Thursday, Sept. 9: PUBLIC EVENING WORKSHOP – NO CHARGE 7:00-8:30 PM
Nurturing Excellent Communicators: The Power of Linguistic Patterns
Many parents think that good readers will naturally become good
writers. Others think that writing talent is just that-a natural
ability-some have it; others don’t. Both are myths. History and
modern research show very clearly how good writers have developed.
What are the two most critical things you can do as a parent to
develop a high level of aptitude, from a young age and into high
school? With humor and insight, Andrew will share the two easy but
unbelievably powerful things you can do to build language patterns
and nurture competent communicators in your family.

Friday, Sept. 10:
Mini Conference for Homeschooling Parents & Teachers
Join Andrew for one session or the whole day of seminars selected
especially for your educational community.
Cost: $50.00 per family for the whole day or $15 per session per person.
* 8:30-10:00 AM Reaching the Reluctant Writer
* 10:15-11:45 AM Developing the Essayist
* 12:45-2:15 PM Spelling & the Brain
* 2:30-4:15 PM The Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing

Saturday, Sept. 11: High School Essay Intensive
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
For students preparing for college
Cost: $50 Accompanying Parent: $25.00 (Grades 9-12)
Get immediate experience and inside tips on how to do your best on the
SAT or ACT essay. Also includes strategies for composing the college
application personal essay.

*The Student Workshops are enjoyable, informative and motivating for
the children who attend, but they are also meant to serve as
demonstration classes. Parents are encouraged to remain in the room,
observing and participating with their child. Please make
arrangements for the care of non-enrolled siblings. At least one
parent must register for one or more sessions of the Friday Mini
Conference to enroll students in the Student Workshops. Please
register early as these workshops fill fast. Sorry, no enrollment
accepted at the door for Student and High School Workshops.

For more information or to register call 800.856.5815 or visit
www.excellenceinwriting.com/events

 Looking for something to do this summer before it ends, or once everyone else goes back to school?   How about coming to the Great Wolf Lodge?

 We are currently running a special for Homeschool families to make individual reservations to enjoy the fun!

 Call 1-800-640-WOLF, or use the promo code: SUMMERSCHOOL  or  1009FALL online to book now!

 Valid Dates: 8/23/10-8/25/10, or 9/13/10-9/15/10

Reservations must be made by August 12^th to receive the discount

 Limited number of rooms available; so don’t wait!

 P.S. If you are interested in booking 10 or more rooms, ask me about our Budget Widget Program!  Earn something back for staying with us!

 Lizzie Hart | Sales Manager

Great Wolf Lodge – Grand Mound
20500 Old Highway 99, SW | Centralia , WA   98531
360.273.7718 ext. 4916 | Direct: 360.347.0991  | Fax: 360.273-8406

OCEAN PARK, WA—After spending much of the past year hunting down scholarships available to home-schooled students, David Craft realized there was a problem. “There are lots of scholarships available only to those in traditional schools, but none to speak of just for homeschooled students,” he lamented. “When I searched online for ‘homeschool scholarships’ I came up with only a few results, most of which had nothing to do with homeschooling.”

When David saw that many scholarships were in the $200 to $500 range, he realized there were businesses run by home school families who could probably also offer scholarships. “Perhaps they had just never thought of doing it,” he said.” It’s an important concern, because while some general scholarships invite homeschoolers to apply, the forms are designed for students in traditional schools. They place a lot of emphasis on class rank, and often have several pages asking for involvement in student government, school clubs, and student leadership positions. Homeschooled students are clearly the underdogs in these competitions.”

David, along with the support of his family, has launched a new Website located at homeschoolscholarships.org. The two-fold purpose, as stated on the site, is “to inspire businesses and individuals to recognize the unique potential of homeschooled students by creating scholarships designed for them, and to provide a place for homeschooled students to find those scholarships.” Businesses who provide scholarships will be given a link to their own Web site.

Not destined to become another of the many scholarship search sites, this site will feature only those scholarships designed specifically for homeschool students, or scholarships that have a proven record of being homeschool-friendly. David hopes the homeschool community throughout the nation will help provide him with little-known scholarship opportunities to post on his site. He’s well on his way with 15 homeschool-specific scholarships already listed, and hopes to grow the list as more businesses and organizations decide to take the challenge. David can be contacted through the Web site.

Homeschool organizations are invited to link to homeschoolscholarships.org if they believe the Web site will be of service to homeschool families.