Has anyone tried this? What are your thoughts? Thanks :)

Does anyone know if the K12 Language Arts (GUM) ever gets to diagramming sentences? I have been perusing third and fourth grade units and lessons, and have seen no sign of it.... TIA :)

I have to constantly fight for homeschooling my four with DH. We were separated for two years because of a military deployment and now that our family is back together, we are transitioning. He just doesn't get it. He wants me to just enroll them in PS so I can go back to work full time so we can buy things we don't need. I'm irritated about it and it is a point of contention around here since his return. He is trying to be accommodating to what I want, but I think he is just waiting for me to get exhausted/worn out. Serious philosophical differences coming to the surface over here...

I have a DS5 that is struggling with the concept of rhyming. He can recognize all letters and their sounds, and is beginning to blend letters and sound out small words. But He does not get the rhyming thing. He wants to replicate the sound at the beginning of the word, rather than the end. For example, when asked to find a word that rhymes with 'hat', he responds with 'hand' and 'ham'. He has also responded with answers that are actual sounds. When asked what rhymes with 'cat', he has said 'meow'. When asked what rhymes with 'pan', he occasionally responds with 'bang'. My DD8 learned to read when she was four and much of it was instinctual, she just seemed to pick up concepts naturally. I am not sure what do do in this situation with DS5. I have tried various songs and youtube videos, but to no avail. Any suggestions?

I LOVE the name Mary for a girl, and Solomon for a boy. Both were vetoed quickly. I have always loved the name Sarah, but our last name is Sera, so it wasn't happening. My mom kept teasing us to name DD Kay Sarah...

I am thankful for all the encouragement on this forum. Next month will mark the end of our first year of home education. I am completely exhausted and really doubting if I can do this. My husband is halfway through an extra long deployment. I am home with the kids almost all of the time. I don't want to get out of bed lately. I feel like I need space. I knew my fantasy of home schooling was not going to match up with the reality, but I wasn't expecting to feel so stressed out all of the time.

Fantastic! Thank you! :)

Courtesy of cracked dot com:

She has been way over the line with disrespect lately. I spanked her and said some tough things. I feel about sick over it but I am still so angry.

I will be seeing some of you in Intro to Mathematical Thinking! ;)

I can see how 'liberal education' would be a better way to encapsulate what he was getting at here. I did agree with the sentiment of the article for the most part. I too think the whole standardization/school as test prep model is a step in the wrong direction. I get his point there. And yeah, the things kids are exposed to through the media are ridiculous. But what is the practical solution here?

It was mostly the W.E.B. DeBois quote that led me in that direction. “The purpose of education is not to make men and women into doctors, lawyers, and engineers; the purpose of education is to make doctors, lawyers, and engineers into men and women.†It was also the talk of the true purpose of education being to 'provide the [tools] to make [them] free.' Anytime we talk about shaping human nature, social engineering and the 'type of people' we want children to become, it is character education. I do not think that this is a bad thing to discuss, I think it is inescapable. I agree that it was a criticism of standardization. Kids often do need to be met where they are, but I don't know that public schools are able to do that. That is why I said that I could not get on the bandwagon. In theory it would be great to have better role models and glamorize more honorable professions. Teachers don't have time or resources to combat the media that pervade the homes and communities of most kids, and I do not know that it is even 'right' for them to do that. I know what I do and do not want my kids exposed to, and I can act on that. But I think there is a danger in making broad generalizations about other peoples kids. He is in essence stating that the public school (the teachers) need to do their part in making up for the deficiencies a child experiences in the home (through exposure to media). Is it the job of the school to capture the hearts of kids? I am still thinking about all this...

He is making an appeal for character education; trying to make the case that the role of the school is not just teaching facts, skills and strategies for learning, but to create "passionate, employable, teachable and adaptable people." It is clear that he is not frustrated only with the schools, but also with America's media obsession. He argues that the true goal of education is to teach people to be "free" and that our consummerist and fame-addicted culture enslaves the mind. I can empathize with his position to a point, but I found his definitions to be pretty vague, and there were too many generalizations for my taste. I do admire his cheer leading, however, I couldn't get on the bandwagon. I do not think character education is something that can be accomplished by policy or doctrine. I know he is not really asking for policy, but rather modeling, but I am of the 'Throw Your Hands Up and Take Your Kids Home' school of thought. Maybe I lack vision. Inspired me to further develop my thoughts on the role of character education in the public sphere.

I am so thankful for the hive.

Maybe homeschooling itself is 'being the change."