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2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 3 Vendors
1More than 200 vendors—curriculum suppliers, authors, booksellers, online schools and service organizations—attended this year’s conference. With all the excitement and energy in the room, it would be easy to get overwhelmed.
I was thankful that I had planned for my visit. This kept me from getting caught off guard and caught up in the frenzy of activity. This was a relief to my budget and my sanity. My husband and I moved from booth to booth, thought about our homeschool for next year and even made notes for future years. It helped having him with me because we made united decisions. He loved the Learning Language Arts through Literature
I especially loved talking to the leaders of the International ALERT Academy, a non-denominational Christian training and service organization that encourages father-son relationships. And the leaders of Champion Chess made a strong case for teaching chess, with all its logic and problem solving, to children. They even hosted a Kids’ Chess Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Several colleges and universities attended the conference, making it clear that the question of whether or not homeschool students can get into college is a silly one.
During my visit, I had the chance to sit down with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason and ask her about the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. It was a lot of fun to meet Sonya and look at several of the Simply Charlotte Mason products that I had read so much about. Take a look at our interview.
Next year’s conference is scheduled for May 6-7, 2011. I look forward to attending it again—minus my 20+ pound mascot—and seeing what new products are available. If you are able, make plans to attend next year’s conference or another conference in your area. There is nothing like coming together with homeschoolers from around your state to share ideas, trade war stories and encourage one other. And there’s also nothing quite as reassuring as examining curriculum up close to see if it’s right for your student. As great as recommendations and reviews are, no one knows your child quite like you and only you know when a curriculum will work. Happy homeschooling, everyone!
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 2 Workshops
0Conference goers had the option of attending 30 workshops. Identical workshops were held both days. The workshops consisted of general sessions by well-known speakers Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis, Tim and Lyndsay Lambert of the Texas Home School Coalition, Zan Tyler of Apologia Educational Ministries, Rosie Watson of The Center for Home Education and Todd Wilson of Familyman Ministries.
Special workshops included topics like “Which Way Do I Go? by Smoothing the Way spokesman Mary James, “Homeschooling Only One Student” by Donna Conner and “Special Needs Kids Fellowship” by Doug and Patsy Arnold. Vendor workshops were led by:
- College Prep Genius
- Excellence in Writing
- Gravitas Publicantions
- Homeschool Math
- Homeschool Travel
- Homeschool-How-To’s
- Joyful Living Distributors
- La Clase Divertida
- Latin Road/Phonics Road
- National Academy for Child Development
- Olive Tree Home School Resources
- Razzle Dazzle Learning Company
- RightStart Mathematics
- Scripture Memory Fellowship International
- Sonlight Curriculum
- Writing Strands
I visited the workshop “Give Your Children the Advantage in Science” by Patty Myers of Gravitas Publications and Real Science-4-Kids
Curriculum author Rebecca W. Keller, Ph.D.’s approach to teaching Chemistry, Biology and Physics, (Earth & Space is coming this summer) is logical and interesting. I previewed the material online before the conference and was impressed that although it broke scientific concepts down into easy-to-understand lessons, it didn’t talk down to the student, something I had found in other texts. I also liked that the experiments used everyday items.
Real Science-4-Kids begins with Pre-Level 1 for grades K-3, then continues with Level 1 for grades 4-6 and Level 2 for grades 7-9. Each level revisits the previous level’s material but in greater depth. Myers admitted that by the end of Level 2, students will have covered high school level material and could CLEP out of taking any more science courses. The levels are sold in Real Science-4-Kids Bundles
Additional online resources and support are available through the publisher’s Club Services. It includes online testing, videos of Dr. Keller teaching a class, conducting an experiment and giving talks at conferences. There are also additional experiments offered online, something that one conference attendee who had used the curriculum admitted she would use.
Another mother, who had used multiple levels and books, admitted, “I understood science, and I am not a science person.”
While I eventually decided to wait another year before introducing my child to the curriculum, I look forward to using it in my homeschool.
Next time, I’ll share about the vendors I met and share my interview with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason. So be sure to check back.
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 1
0Last week, I attended the 2010 Texas Home School Book Fair in Arlington, Texas. It was a great experience visiting the vendors, looking at products and attending workshops.
The convention was organized by Hearth and Home Ministries at the Arlington Convention Center. It grew out of one homeschooling mother’s frustration. She wanted the opportunity to shop for curriculum for her children all in one place.
“As a new home school mom, I was frustrated that I couldn’t go any place and shop for curriculum,” said Hearth and Home Ministries co-founder Beverly McCord. “Few publishers would sell directly to us because the majority of them thought we were incompetent to teach our own children.”
Much to her surprise, that first convention drew 1450 homeschooling parents. A decade later, that number grew to 6000 homeschool families. And, it continues to grow today.
A few things struck me about this convention. First was the efficiency and graciousness of the volunteers. I hadn’t pre-registered, so I had the pleasure of standing in a long line. Actually, my husband stood in line while I tended to our baby. The volunteer at the front of the line efficiently, yet kindly, moved everyone through the line.
As we entered the convention floor, volunteers greeted us with bags and smiles. Many of these volunteers were young people who took their jobs seriously and worked with a professionalism that is sometimes rare among those their age.
The hardest part of the convention for our family was that no strollers or wheeled bags were allowed. We had no choice but to carry our 20+pound baby through the convention. You can imagine that doing this for several hours can be challenging. So that was disappointing, however, the nursing mother’s room was comfortable and stocked with water, mints and two baby changing areas. And although I didn’t use it, many patrons checked their purchases in the Check Room so they wouldn’t have to schlep heavy packages around all day or make multiple trips to their cars.
It’s also important to point out that the day before the convention began was Homeschool Day at Six Flags Over Texas. The park was closed to outside visitors, so homeschool families could combine the convention with the amusement part to make a short family vacation. That alone makes the Texas Home School Book Fair a real treat.
Stay tuned. Tomorrow I’ll share what I found with the workshops.
Public School Socialization
0One of the biggest objections to homeschooling involves socialization. Bring up the topic of homeschooling in mixed company, and inevitably, someone will ask the question, “But what about friends?” or “How will kids learn to get along with others?”
Many think that by sending children to traditional schools, they’ll learn how to relate well with their peers. That’s why I found a comment in the April 25, 2010 Parade magazine interesting. In the article entitled “How Sports Can Change a Girl’s Life,” journalist Sara Paretsky profiles the nonprofit Chicago outreach Girls in the Game (GIG). Paretsky writes that one of the benefits of the extra-curricular sports program is its ability to teach participants healthy social skills.
She writes, “In many Chicago public schools, lunch breaks can last only 15 minutes, there’s no recess, and talking in the halls is prohibited. In such an environment, students may grow up with few chances to learn and practice social skills… Girls often come into GIG knowing only one, very angry, way to interact.”
This was another reminder that traditional schools may not be the best way to teach children positive socialization skills. Such skills really should start at home.
Homeschooling and Cyber Schools
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In the April 25,2010 issue of Parade magazine, there was a short article entitled “Who Should Fund Cyber Schools?” that I found interesting. According to the article, more than 175,000 students in 25 states attend public school from the comfort of their computers, and that number grows 30% each year. It estimates “that half of all high school courses will be taught on the Web in 10 years.”
The article reported that each time a student leaves a public brick-and-mortar school for a public cyber school, like K-12 Online Learning, districts are forced to send that student’s funding to the online school. John Halfhill, Superintendent of Pennsylvania’s Southmoreland school district, said, “In my district, we’re outperforming the cyber schools in almost every regard based on achievement data, yet we are funding those schools.”
This statement struck me as funny. Homeschoolers and private school patrons, in general, significantly outperform public schools, and yet we, the tax paying parents, continue to “fund” those schools with our taxes. So, Mr. Halfhill, welcome to our world.
Mr. Halfhill should also remember that school districts are not the ones “funding” the cyber schools, taxpayers are, and if students can receive a better or safer or more personalized education through public cyber schools, then why shouldn’t they? Why not give students a choice?
What do you think, homeschoolers? Let me know your thoughts.
Thousands of Public School Teacher Jobs at Risk
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Between the obvious benefits of homeschooling and the tenuous atmosphere surrounding America’s public schools, I’m more convinced than ever that homeschooling will continue to grow and become a major player in our country’s educational system.
Just look at the facts. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education, homeschool students increased 29% from 1999 to 2003. The National Home Education Research Institute estimates that they continue to grow at a rate of 5-12% each year. But now with the latest news regarding the future of America’s public schools, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a surge in these numbers.
Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, has reported that as many as 300,000 teacher jobs may be cut across the nation this year. The reason? America’s weak economy has forced school districts to make due with less, thus cutting jobs and programs. And while last year’s stimulus helped save jobs last year, that money is gone.
“Not only do schools need to go on a diet, they need to adopt a whole new way of life,” said Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit educational think tank. “This money is gone, and it’s not coming back soon.”
Ron Allen of NBC reported that New York will cut 15,000 teachers, Illinois another 17,000, and California will lose 22,000 jobs by June. The effects of this downsizing will resort in larger classrooms with some estimates as high as 40 students to one teacher. Programs for art, music and sports will also feel the ax.
While homeschooling may not be an option for all families, with America’s education system facing such a bleak future, it’s not out of the question for families who do have a choice to begin looking for alternatives. Check out the full story here.
Obama Proposes Nationwide Education Standards
0There’s an interesting article entitled U.S. Lays Out Set of Common School Standards by Nick Anderson in the Washington Post today (3/10/10) on President Obama’s push to nationalize education standards, something both George H.W. Bush and Clinton attempted during their administrations. Both sides make valid points. One side believes that education should be left to the state’s control because individual states understand their citizens better. The other says that in order for the U.S. to improve its academic standing and performance around the world, it must make a united effort.
Take a look at these quotes taken from the original article to get an idea of how these changes would affect schools’ curriculum:
Instituting new academic standards would reverberate in textbooks, curriculum, teacher training and student learning from coast to coast.
Fourth-graders, for example, would be expected to explain major differences between poetry and prose and to refer to such elements as stanza, verse, rhythm and meter when writing or speaking about a poem.
Eighth-graders would be expected to use linear equations to solve for an unknown and explain a proof of the Pythagorean theorem on properties of a right triangle — cornerstones of algebra and geometry.
There is no required reading list. But the plan lists dozens of classic works to illustrate a rising level of language complexity that students should be expected to handle.
E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” is cited as an appropriate read-aloud book for second- and third-graders. President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address is listed as an informational text for ninth- and 10th-graders. The plan also pushes for students to be exposed to much more nonfiction in the social and natural sciences.
How or if this affects the homeschooling community is yet to be seen, but it’s only prudent that we stay up-to-date of any changes to our nation’s educational programs.
What do you think? Should the government create national education standards or should those remain with the individual states? And do you think this will or should affect the homeschool community? Please share your thoughts.