Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Yes, I love technology/But not as much as you, you see .. .
I think it quite literally is the truth – technology saved my teenager’s summer.
Let me explain.
Summer in Phoenix is like winter in Minnesota. People tend to hunker down indoors, just venturing out for the necessities. Parks are inhospitable and it’s hard to find good places to meet. People go to more pleasant climes, if they can afford it. If not, they just have to wait it out.
With all of the vacations and the lack of a suitable meeting place, it’s really hard for the teens to get together for the summer. My now-teenaged son is inconsolable when he can’t see his friends several times a week. Luckily, one mom who’s a member of the “local” teen homeschooling group (I use the quotation marks because the group meets a long way from my home) put together a Ning group that’s a lot like Facebook, but is a little more controlled. Then, for my son’s thirteenth birthday, my husband and I let him have his own Facebook account (just like all his friends). While my teenager has not been able to see his friends much this summer, his whining about this fact is almost non-existent. He “talks” to and “sees” his friends on a daily basis. I think he probably checks the computer 3 times a day and that has seemed to do the trick.
Now, I think if he thought summer would never end, we would have a problem, but he seems to be o.k. with a summer of cyber-friendships. I check and control his activities and access to these sites, but it seems to be working for him.
Drama class starts again in a little over a week. Hockey practice will start next month. And we should be able to start park days by mid-October at the latest. All should be right with the homeschooling world shortly, but we’ve managed to weather the summer quite well.
(And no, my son and his friends aren't quite like the boys in the previous post, but that video is certainly not that far-fetched.)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Video Wednesday
NO! I haven't posted since February? No way.
Well . . . maybe. You see, I have been kind of busy. You know, three kids, homeschooling, etc.
And no, I don't think it's cheating to start again with a Video Wednesday. I have a point to make, but I'm going to make it in the next post.
Promise.
Anyway, enjoy.
Well . . . maybe. You see, I have been kind of busy. You know, three kids, homeschooling, etc.
And no, I don't think it's cheating to start again with a Video Wednesday. I have a point to make, but I'm going to make it in the next post.
Promise.
Anyway, enjoy.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The High School Issue
From the beginning, the agreement in our family has been that the kids will be homeschooled through middle school age and then get to decide for themselves if they want to go to high school. My older son is now 12 and I’m beginning to feel the “high school” noose tightening.
Iulius is not sure what he wants to do about school yet – he has some really good homeschooled friends and has just begun participating in a homeschooling teen group and he currently feels pretty satisfied with his life.
I just don’t know how I feel about it.
I mean, I’m a very big advocate of homeschooling all the way through. You may quite validly ask why I’m even considering the high school issue at all.
I can tell you that academic progress is not at all part of the issue. I’m quite confident that I can teach the 3 of them history, literature, writing, and mostly everything else that’s offered in high school better than any other teacher. My husband can take care of the things I don’t know much about.
I’m kind of embarrassed about the reason I’m thinking about high school for the kids.
. . . it’s socialization!
Well, not really, but it is all about the social aspect of their development. Here are the problems:
1. There aren’t a great number of homeschooled teens around to broaden their social circle; and
2. The homeschooled kids there are often live VERY far away from us.
When the kids are young, there seems to be an unending supply of homeschooled kids for them to hang out with. But, somewhere along the way, the kids start disappearing. Family circumstances change and the kids end up in school, or the plan was always just to homeschool in the early years. By the time the kids get to be middle school aged, it’s like the plague has hit or something. The kids are disappearing all the time.
Our local public high school has something close to 500 kids per class. That’s a lot to pick from. I’m sure my kids would be able to find their little niche and make some really good friends, although the academics would be lacking and somewhat ridiculous (for example, our local high school requires 1 unit of music credit that seems to have to be done there, at the school – my kids’ years of piano training can’t count for this particular credit). While it would matter if Iulius’ best friend left, there would be plenty of kids to hang out with.
But, really, you don’t need that many friends. Whenever adults speak of their high school years, they talk about their 3 or 4 closest friends. That’s all it takes for a good experience.
What if those friends live a long way away? I live in the Phoenix area and Iulius’ best friends live 25 minutes and 35 minutes away. The teen group is a long way away, too. Luckily, we have been doing a kind of pony express thing with the kids where I drop Iulius off half way with another friend (thank you LB), and then she takes them the rest of the way. There’s another teen group a little closer by, and it’s mostly girls – very nice ones, too. While this is basically a good thing for my son, I’ve noticed it’s a little difficult for a 12 year old boy to break into a girls’ group (even if he’s read the whole Twilight series).
But, if he went to the public high school, most of the kids would live really close by. Until he is 16, I just have to drive a couple of minutes to drop him off at a friend’s house. And when he can drive, the drive will be a short one for him, which would probably significantly reduce my anxiety. The bus picks him up in the morning to take him to school and drops him off in the afternoon. It’s so easy.
If only it weren’t for the whole institutionalization and dehumanization thing, I wouldn’t give it another thought.
So, what’s the answer?
I think technology is helpful. Email, texting, webcams, blogs, etc., can help keep the kids connected. But, call me a Luddite if you will, I don’t think all of that takes the place of real face-to-face meetings and hang out time.
I might just have to resign myself to driving a lot.
It also might be helpful if we could get together some sort of network of teen groups and individuals and work together to make more local groups, too.
The other part of the answer is to not send my son to school. Then there would be one more potential friend for other homeschooled kids.
(sigh)
Iulius is not sure what he wants to do about school yet – he has some really good homeschooled friends and has just begun participating in a homeschooling teen group and he currently feels pretty satisfied with his life.
I just don’t know how I feel about it.
I mean, I’m a very big advocate of homeschooling all the way through. You may quite validly ask why I’m even considering the high school issue at all.
I can tell you that academic progress is not at all part of the issue. I’m quite confident that I can teach the 3 of them history, literature, writing, and mostly everything else that’s offered in high school better than any other teacher. My husband can take care of the things I don’t know much about.
I’m kind of embarrassed about the reason I’m thinking about high school for the kids.
. . . it’s socialization!
Well, not really, but it is all about the social aspect of their development. Here are the problems:
1. There aren’t a great number of homeschooled teens around to broaden their social circle; and
2. The homeschooled kids there are often live VERY far away from us.
When the kids are young, there seems to be an unending supply of homeschooled kids for them to hang out with. But, somewhere along the way, the kids start disappearing. Family circumstances change and the kids end up in school, or the plan was always just to homeschool in the early years. By the time the kids get to be middle school aged, it’s like the plague has hit or something. The kids are disappearing all the time.
Our local public high school has something close to 500 kids per class. That’s a lot to pick from. I’m sure my kids would be able to find their little niche and make some really good friends, although the academics would be lacking and somewhat ridiculous (for example, our local high school requires 1 unit of music credit that seems to have to be done there, at the school – my kids’ years of piano training can’t count for this particular credit). While it would matter if Iulius’ best friend left, there would be plenty of kids to hang out with.
But, really, you don’t need that many friends. Whenever adults speak of their high school years, they talk about their 3 or 4 closest friends. That’s all it takes for a good experience.
What if those friends live a long way away? I live in the Phoenix area and Iulius’ best friends live 25 minutes and 35 minutes away. The teen group is a long way away, too. Luckily, we have been doing a kind of pony express thing with the kids where I drop Iulius off half way with another friend (thank you LB), and then she takes them the rest of the way. There’s another teen group a little closer by, and it’s mostly girls – very nice ones, too. While this is basically a good thing for my son, I’ve noticed it’s a little difficult for a 12 year old boy to break into a girls’ group (even if he’s read the whole Twilight series).
But, if he went to the public high school, most of the kids would live really close by. Until he is 16, I just have to drive a couple of minutes to drop him off at a friend’s house. And when he can drive, the drive will be a short one for him, which would probably significantly reduce my anxiety. The bus picks him up in the morning to take him to school and drops him off in the afternoon. It’s so easy.
If only it weren’t for the whole institutionalization and dehumanization thing, I wouldn’t give it another thought.
So, what’s the answer?
I think technology is helpful. Email, texting, webcams, blogs, etc., can help keep the kids connected. But, call me a Luddite if you will, I don’t think all of that takes the place of real face-to-face meetings and hang out time.
I might just have to resign myself to driving a lot.
It also might be helpful if we could get together some sort of network of teen groups and individuals and work together to make more local groups, too.
The other part of the answer is to not send my son to school. Then there would be one more potential friend for other homeschooled kids.
(sigh)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Video Wednesday
O.K., this is the kind of thing I'm always searching for when I'm trying to find a good video for this blog. This video was done by the homeschooled kids of a friend of mine. The director is 13 years old, the star is 11, and the costars are 5 and 7. I love the special effects!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Time to Plan the Revolution
Wouldn't it be great to spend the day surrounded by other revolutionaries, talking about the revolution and learning how to go about doing revolutionary acts? Well, if you're in the Phoenix area on March 7, you can have that day. That's right, it's almost time for the HENA Conference! This year it's just a one day affair at Memorial Union on the main ASU campus. Sign up before February 15 to get a discounted rate (there will be no tickets sold at the door).
Full disclosure: I will be presenting a talk about classical education at the HENA Conference. You don't have to show up for it, though, if there's something more interesting happening at the same time. Really. I won't feel bad at all.
Really.
Full disclosure: I will be presenting a talk about classical education at the HENA Conference. You don't have to show up for it, though, if there's something more interesting happening at the same time. Really. I won't feel bad at all.
Really.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Bedside Table Reading
This is what my friend, Scott, has on his bedside table (well, not really, but read on). Scott is not only a homeschooling dad, but also a business owner, a writing professor, and an author. You can read his latest published short story here.
What's on the night stand.
Actually, these are in my closet, with only one book on the night stand itself. Said picture of that reality, however, would have been rather boring. From right to left to top, the books are in order of longest time gone without being touched.
Hayden's Ferry Review #42
I haven't read anything from this journal, but it was given to me as a gift when I did a reading at ASU Polytechnic. It sits there patiently waiting for me to have time to read something I know little about.
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide To Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Bauer
I started reading a library copy of this book about 8 months ago. I then decided that it was important enough to warrant my own copy. Such is the kiss of death. I bought the book and with no pressing deadline to read it, I haven't opened the new copy.
A Cavalcade of Arizona History by Marshall Trimble
This is more of a reference book that I sometimes open while I'm working on my novel. Since it takes place in Arizona, it helps to steal some interesting things from history.
Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons
I forget who loaned this book to me, but I read about half of it before getting distracted. In this case, the distraction was the end of the semester grading, then indulging in lots of other reading over the holidays. I'm certain to get back to it at some point in the near future.
The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Vol B
I'm reading Melville's "Billy Budd" because I got into an argument with a friend over Christmas about the story. I hadn't actually read it, so I my points were a bit blunted. However, I'm pretty sure "Billy Budd" is not "The Caine Mutiny."
This is Our Music by Iain Anderson
A Christmas gift from my wife. My friend wrote this and I've been promising that I would buy it for myself, if only because I make an appearance in the acknowledgments. It's about jazz in the 1960s.
The Philosopher's Apprentice by James Morrow
I don't really know how this made it into the stacks. I suspect when I was at the library I liked the font, picked it up and decided I would check it out. The unambiguous good of the public library system. God bless Ben Franklin.
Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen
Of all the books in the photo, this is the one I really wanted to read, and am now doing so. This made it on to a lot of top ten for 2008. It's about a psychiatrist who believes his wife has been replaced by a simulacrum. But it's also about perception, literariness, language. It's funny, intriguing, and reminds me a whole heck of a lot of Orhan Pamuk, the great Turkish writer.
Escape by Carolyn Jessop
I heard Jessop interviewed on NPR one day, and when I stumbled across the book on the library shelves I grabbed. I actually have finished this one, about the FLDS up in Colorado City, on the Arizona-Utah border. I believe some FLDS members might make a cameo appearance in something I'm working on, so this was research. Horrifying research.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Essays like chocolate truffles, but less fattening.
What's on the night stand.Actually, these are in my closet, with only one book on the night stand itself. Said picture of that reality, however, would have been rather boring. From right to left to top, the books are in order of longest time gone without being touched.
Hayden's Ferry Review #42
I haven't read anything from this journal, but it was given to me as a gift when I did a reading at ASU Polytechnic. It sits there patiently waiting for me to have time to read something I know little about.
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide To Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Bauer
I started reading a library copy of this book about 8 months ago. I then decided that it was important enough to warrant my own copy. Such is the kiss of death. I bought the book and with no pressing deadline to read it, I haven't opened the new copy.
A Cavalcade of Arizona History by Marshall Trimble
This is more of a reference book that I sometimes open while I'm working on my novel. Since it takes place in Arizona, it helps to steal some interesting things from history.
Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons
I forget who loaned this book to me, but I read about half of it before getting distracted. In this case, the distraction was the end of the semester grading, then indulging in lots of other reading over the holidays. I'm certain to get back to it at some point in the near future.
The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Vol B
I'm reading Melville's "Billy Budd" because I got into an argument with a friend over Christmas about the story. I hadn't actually read it, so I my points were a bit blunted. However, I'm pretty sure "Billy Budd" is not "The Caine Mutiny."
This is Our Music by Iain Anderson
A Christmas gift from my wife. My friend wrote this and I've been promising that I would buy it for myself, if only because I make an appearance in the acknowledgments. It's about jazz in the 1960s.
The Philosopher's Apprentice by James Morrow
I don't really know how this made it into the stacks. I suspect when I was at the library I liked the font, picked it up and decided I would check it out. The unambiguous good of the public library system. God bless Ben Franklin.
Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen
Of all the books in the photo, this is the one I really wanted to read, and am now doing so. This made it on to a lot of top ten for 2008. It's about a psychiatrist who believes his wife has been replaced by a simulacrum. But it's also about perception, literariness, language. It's funny, intriguing, and reminds me a whole heck of a lot of Orhan Pamuk, the great Turkish writer.
Escape by Carolyn Jessop
I heard Jessop interviewed on NPR one day, and when I stumbled across the book on the library shelves I grabbed. I actually have finished this one, about the FLDS up in Colorado City, on the Arizona-Utah border. I believe some FLDS members might make a cameo appearance in something I'm working on, so this was research. Horrifying research.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Essays like chocolate truffles, but less fattening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
