Lately

I thought maybe I should post this here, since it's too long for a facebook status. Apparently, that's what all my random thoughts end up as, these days. Blogging just seems like it was for another lifetime. I miss it, but am overwhelmed with trying to find time to do it. Same story, different day.

This week though, just seemed like the time to bring the blog back. Or attempt to do so anyway. I'm starting with the super easy list of things I'm thankful for. (No sense in being ridiculous or creative in my almost brand-new-all-over-again endeavor!)

- Homeschooling is going pretty well so far this year. We are easing into it, which is our norm. The past few years, we start with just a few subjects and work up to a full schedule after 3-4 weeks. I'm not sure if it's intentional, or we just can't bear to let summer really be over, so have to slowly warm up to the idea that school is really a priority. Not, sleeping in, goofing off, piddling around, and having fun all day long. sigh....Not that school is never fun. We DO enjoy it. But, it's a routine. And, I tend to not be so great at those. More on that fun subject later!

Anyway, Isaac and Abigail are working on being cheerful with daily schoolwork, in our new makeshift classroom in the basement. Elijah is SUPER enthusiastic and quite distracting, as he is eager to do preschool work. Owen is an absolute tornado constantly making messes, wanting to climb in desks with bigger siblings, and basically, ruins everything we start, so James nicely takes him upstairs/outside/away as much as possible so we can have some uninterrupted time. It is super difficult when he's having to sleep after work all night, or has class/homework, etc. and can't help with Owen. He is a sweet, precious 18 month old. But, he's 18 months old. That doesn't help school. At. All. But, I remember when Elijah was the same age, and things were getting easier, and then, I found out I was expecting Owen. So, at least this time around, it's just the four kiddos to juggle, and this phase will soon pass too.


- We are loving our new home. It's just amazing to me, basically every single day, when I wake up and walk through our kitchen to get ready for breakfast, that the view from that large picture window is ours. For all of my adult life, I have yearned and prayed for a home someday with woods around it, like the home I grew up in. I wanted those big chunky, quartz rocks, sloping hills, a long driveway, grass to play in, trees to climb, a garden spot - basically the same setting that our sweet home on Rocky Ridge Road was.

the long driveway

back yard from lower left end of house

our new home

You know, I don't know why I didn't expect God to give it to me. It sounded greedy and pretty doggone specific. But, He did. He even threw in huckleberry bushes just like we had, just by our driveway here too,  just like on that hilly home place from my childhood. Isn't that amazing?!

The few acres we have are plenty for us. We are settling in well, still unpacking, culling junk, moving furniture around, and adding on a room for Isaac. We are daily grateful, and tell God how awesome He is. To have a safe, spacious home, with the land we do, and to also have a dear friend in our former home, which suits her needs just fine, really is exceedingly, abundantly more than we could've imagined. Then, last week? We met a neighbor family, who lives up the street four houses. They homeschool. They're sweet believers. And they have EIGHT kids. How happy are we?!! We have already played together, and look forward to growing that relationship more. It is just the icing on the cake of this neighborhood.

Abi with Henny Penny

This past week, friends gave us their two hens and chicken coop. We have longed for chickens for a few years, but had no time to commit to build a safe place for some, and just knew it didn't need to be a priority. When the Smiths offered their coop too, then we knew it was time to add another animal to our menagerie. I can't explain the joy it is to hear the sweet clucking sounds from these girls (Henny Penny and Little Red Hen) during the day when I'm out in the yard, and to gather fresh eggs from them. 7 eggs in 7 days = we are THRILLED! 

- My sweet parents just really are a blessing to me. This past weekend we were able to go spend a little time with them to celebrate my Mom's birthday a day early. We have always had a close relationship but this past year, after James' parents have died, I think I'm more aware than ever of what a precious, valuable role they play in our lives. I want more time with them and hate that there are 2 hours separating us. We long for the day they may be able to move closer to us, but that may be a while. They're wonderful examples of sacrificial giving, to many others, not just my family, and their Christ-likeness is such a testimony to us of hanging on to faith during the hard times, and reaping the benefits of a marriage and life based on His plan. I'm so very grateful.

Father's Day with Granddaddy

Gramma's birthday eve

Great encouragement for home schooling

We homeschool because God clearly called us to do it. It is a great joy and challenge, and I can't imagine not having the blessing of spending each day with my children. This new research is awesome and supports this method of education as a great option as well, though great test scores aren't my motivation. The article: http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200908100.asp

Some of the highlights of this new research:

"... HSLDA commissioned Dr. Brian Ray, an internationally recognized scholar and president of the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), to collect data for the 2007–08 academic year for a new study which would build upon 25 years of homeschool academic scholarship conducted by Ray himself, Rudner, and many others.

Drawing from 15 independent testing services, the Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics included 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known tests—California Achievement Test, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Stanford Achievement Test for the 2007–08 academic year. The Progress Report is the most comprehensive homeschool academic study ever completed.

The Results

Overall the study showed significant advances in homeschool academic achievement as well as revealing that issues such as student gender, parents’ education level, and family income had little bearing on the results of homeschooled students.

National Average Percentile Scores
Subtest	Homeschool	Public School
Reading	89	50
Language	84	50
Math	84	50
Science	86	50
Social Studies	84	50
Corea	88	50
Compositeb	86	50
a. Core is a combination of Reading, Language, and Math. b. Composite is a combination of all subtests that the student took on the test.

There was little difference between the results of homeschooled boys and girls on core scores.

Boys—87th percentile
Girls—88th percentile

Household income had little impact on the results of homeschooled students.

$34,999 or less—85th percentile
$35,000–$49,999—86th percentile
$50,000–$69,999—86th percentile
$70,000 or more—89th percentile

The education level of the parents made a noticeable difference, but the homeschooled children of non-college educated parents still scored in the 83rd percentile, which is well above the national average.

Neither parent has a college degree—83rd percentile
One parent has a college degree—86th percentile
Both parents have a college degree—90th percentile

Whether either parent was a certified teacher did not matter.

Certified (i.e., either parent ever certified)—87th percentile
Not certified (i.e., neither parent ever certified)—88th percentile

Parental spending on home education made little difference.

Spent $600 or more on the student—89th percentile
Spent under $600 on the student—86th percentile

The extent of government regulation on homeschoolers did not affect the results.

Low state regulation—87th percentile
Medium state regulation—88th percentile
High state regulation—87th percentile

HSLDA defines the extent of government regulation this way:

States with low regulation: No state requirement for parents to initiate any contact or State requires parental notification only.

States with moderate regulation: State requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress.

State with high regulation: State requires parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials).

The question HSLDA regularly puts before state legislatures is, “If government regulation does not improve the results of homeschoolers why is it necessary?”

In short, the results found in the new study are consistent with 25 years of research, which show that as a group homeschoolers consistently perform above average academically. The Progress Report also shows that, even as the numbers and diversity of homeschoolers have grown tremendously over the past 10 years, homeschoolers have actually increased the already sizeable gap in academic achievement between themselves and their public school counterparts-moving from about 30 percentile points higher in the Rudner study (1998) to 37 percentile points higher in the Progress Report (2009).

As mentioned earlier, the achievement gaps that are well-documented in public school between boys and girls, parents with lower incomes, and parents with lower levels of education are not found among homeschoolers. While it is not possible to draw a definitive conclusion, it does appear from all the existing research that homeschooling equalizes every student upwards. Homeschoolers are actually achieving every day what the public schools claim are their goals—to narrow achievement gaps and to educate each child to a high level.

Of course, an education movement which consistently shows that children can be educated to a standard significantly above the average public school student at a fraction of the cost—the average spent by participants in the Progress Report was about $500 per child per year as opposed to the public school average of nearly $10,000 per child per year—will inevitably draw attention from the K-12 public education industry.

Are you a parent? Read this.

Saw this recommended by another blogger, and had to read it myself. As a home schooling mom, I agree with the majority of this article. If you don't home school, but have considered it, this perspective may help you weigh the pros and cons for your family.

http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/6/25_Top_Five_REasons_Not_to_Send_Your_Kids_Back_to_Govt._School.html

Home schooling in the news

HOMESCHOOLING GROWS RAPIDLY

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Purcellville, VA—The National Center for Education Statistics, which is part of the Department of Education estimates that homeschooling grew 36% between 2003 and 2007. “Homeschoolers can now be found in all walks of life,” said Michael Smith, HSLDA President.

The NCES estimates 1.5 million homeschooled children, or 2.9% of the school age population in 2007. This is a significant increase from 1.1 million in 2003, or 2.2% of the school aged population.

The NCES survey also considered the reasons parents are turning to homeschooling. Parents continued to cite the negative peer influences of public school, the desire to provide religious or moral instruction as well as concern about the academic quality of public school as their reasons for homeschooling.

The greatest change from 2003 was an 11 point increase in the desire to provide religious and moral instruction which went from 72% in 2003 to 83% in 2007. Concerns about the school environment, however, remained the top reason with 88%.

“Homeschooling is a mainstream educational alternative. It will continue to flourish as parents and children continue to experience the social and academic benefits of a home based education,” said Smith.

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a 25-year-old, 85,000 member non-profit organization and the preeminent national association advocating the legal right of parents to homeschool their children.