As a graduate student in education, this has really got me thinking. Must. . . mull. . .over. . .this. . .

I am guilty as most about not stepping in when I should, and I agree, it is hard to know when, but I'm sure this world would be a better place if we butted in a little more often. Only with a humble loving attitude, though.

If it helps you feel better, I used to be a public school teacher, have a degree in education, and am working on my masters in education. Rod and Staff is excellent. IMO, resources for homeschool may need to be different than a public school classroom. Working one on one with your own well behaved child to reach individual and family goals in education is much different than working with large class sizes of sometimes ill behaved students with little background knowledge (if they come from impoverished areas that is) who are gearing up for state mandated tests. In your situation, the real problem is not homeschooling versus public schooling, but an obviously insecure and/or prideful family member. You might just respond next time that not all public school teachers feel the way she does, that if she has anything truly helpful to share, you are willing to listen, but to remember that homeschooling is an entirely different kind of learning environment than public schooling.

You have to really want to learn the program. The reason why the website is difficult to get IMO, is that he is trying to explain an entire college semester's worth of grammar into one website. He is teaching grammar in a way few of us have ever learned it or seen it before. Therefore, to really grasp it well, I think we have to make the effort to learn it ourselves. It took me about two weeks of periodic reading to thoroughly "get" the concept and website, but oh, it was worth it! I'm excited to use it this year. But I can understand for busy moms how the website is off-putting. In fact, it put me off for at least a year before I was determined to figure it out.

Yes, KISS covers diagramming but teaches it in a little different way. A simpler way in my opinion. Before I "got" KISS, I made a point to take a couple of weeks and read his online book "Teaching Grammar as a Liberating Art." Go to the KISS site, click on "Theory and Research," and you'll find it. Once you read it, the site should make more sense as well as how to use the workbooks. I was really excited to use it once I read the book because I began to see grammar in a whole new way. In fact, it helped ME with my knowledge of grammar!

Oh, and one more thought! Homeschooled children have the unique advantage of one-on-one instruction. That is something public schools or private schools for that matter can't beat! It is so obvious that I forgot to include it before! ;)

I am a former public school teacher who is currently in a master's of education program. I also homeschool my children. I think this problem is actually quite complicated and a variety of factors. Here are my suppositions: --the schools are focused so much on the lower level, special ed., or unmotivated kids because they have to make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) according to NCLB. This leaves the medium to high kids doing just average compared to homeshooled kids. --Most parents who homeschool do so because they highly value their children and education. It is shown that parents who are these things have children who do well whether they are in school or not. Many many children in ps have parents who don't value education or their children in the same way as homeschooled parents. They are always at a distinct disadvantage and pull down the instruction level, ect. --The schools are sooo focused on teaching reading right now due to NCLB that Social studies, science, etc. sometimes get left behind. --Government red tape restricts innovation and creativity and places many restrictions in some areas as it tries so hard to get accountability in reading and math. Also, politicians are NOT educators for the most part, and big government beauracracy does have significant limits. --Families are breaking down and children are not valued in society. The almighty dollar is too important. Many children are being raised with stress and lack of quality adult time, and we all know, learning does not happen with huge amounts of anxiety. --Media overload. Fast food society. We expect everything to be easy and unless children are taught self-discipline, learning will not happen, and teachers' jobs are more difficult and the whole class gets held back. --We also live in a society where information is doubling rapidly. Knowing what to teach, is getting more difficult. The state standards can be overwhelming as it seems there is not enough time to teach it all. This leads to teachers and schools sometimes choosing things that are not as important over things that might have been better. We are going through a societal shift and schools are having trouble shifting to the needs of a technological information based society. In fact, in some areas we may be ahead of those of the past just because society's needs and values today are different. Just think about how much some students know about computers that people of the past couldn't have imagined possible. As you can see, this is quite complicated. I think teachers as a whole are trying, and even many public schools are working hard and doing well. However, there are many factors that make learning difficult.

I think it sounds great! I do a lot together with my soon to be 4th grader and 2nd grader, and it works well for both. It makes learning so much more enjoyable for them when they get to do things together.

I'm not Mennonite either, and I think they are wonderful! My children are doing well with their Bible and reading knowledge. The Bible stories are in child friendly language and yet stay true to Scripture. The reading workbooks lead students to think and contain a variety of activities. As long as you add some other resources in nowand then like literature and non-fiction, I think they are great!

As a former public school teacher, we have the same questions. How do we cover what we are supposed to in the time we have? We go by our state's standards; however, even public school teachers have trouble covering everything in depth. What they are telling us in our Master's of Education program is that you CAN'T cover everything. What is important is giving them the tools of learning (reading, writing, arithmatic, cooperative learning skills, critical thinking skills, etc.) and teach them to learn for themselves. Cover what you can, but try to go in-depth and get at the deep underlying questions of a subject area as often as possible. Get your state's standards off the internet if that will give you peace of mind and give you some direction. Just be aware: this is something all teachers struggle with. Knowledge is progressing at such a fast rate; so most important of all teach them the skills they need to be life long learners.

:iagree:

You might check out the KISS grammar website. It takes a lot of reading and weeding through to catch the concepts (I am currently working through the site now), but it looks like it will be worth it. His main point is that grammar is not being taught for the most part according to the way syntax is assimilated by the brain. He says we are going backwards when we try to define the parts of speech first and look for words that match the part of speech rather than looking at how the constructions in a sentence work together to create meaning. He also suggests a slow process for assimilating grammar over a period of years focusing on a few contstructions at a time. If you have time, I really suggest reading through his site. Best of all, all the materials on his site are free!

I did NOT like the new Charlotte's Web movie. But I did really like how "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was done. "Prince Caspian" not so much, but I just loved the casting in those movies. I did like "The Secret Garden" overall although the book is much better.

I'm the one who mentioned this on another thread, and now I see that the link isn't working. I downloaded it about two years ago so it could be that it is no longer available. Hmmm. . . .I wonder what happened?

I notice you are in Missouri. There is a free downloadable tracking program specific to Missouri regulations. It is not difficult to set up or use IMO. I believe if you search Missouri LoggerRhythms, it should come up.

Well I just had a baby four month ago, and here is what I've been doing. I took a month off school altogether. Then we do about an hour or two of (interrupted) math often with baby on my lap or in a bouncer nearby. When the baby takes a morning nap, we do group work (history or science or art along with our memory work). We break for lunch, and then I do phonics with my five year old and go over reading and language assignments with my olders. Then we all go to separate rooms for nap/quiet time with my olders working on their reading and language while the three year old, baby, and sometimes mom nap. (Those late night feedings can wear you out.) I am also thinking of schooling some through the summer.

Malachi 2:14-16 Matthew 19

I'm not in school now, but starting back this June to get my master's degree. Although, we'll be doing only a little homeschool this summer, I'll hopefully be taking classes this fall as well. I also have five kids! I guess I'm in for it, huh? But I'm going back to school so that my husband, who has fibromyalgia (and whose job is also in danger due to the economy), can stay home eventually, and I might be able to make enough to support us. Ask me later on how I'm doing!;)

What are your daughter's reasons for attending college? As in career plans, personal development? Does she anticipate meeting her future spouse there possibly? Would it be a problem with you if she married a Catholic or someone from a more diverse background? Which school better meets her needs for the future? To be honest, though, unless you are willing to take out loans or you, by faith, are expecting that the Lord is ready and willing to provide any necessary money, I don't see how King's college can be an option without overwhelming your daughter with a large workload and time-consuming commute. I saw King's college's website and as a Christian, it does look wonderful. However, the Lord doesn't always lead the way we expect. I would definitely be praying for some clear direction if I were in your position. Finally, what does your daughter think is best and want to do? You don't want her to have regrets or feel pressured into making a decision that doesn't resonate with her heart.

Three olders are doing their MEP math work while my three year old dances and plays with the dog. The baby and dad are sleeping.

:iagree: Someone please make clear how to follow the lessons! I am so not a math person.

What worldview or worldviews are you wanting to look at in particular?

Just to clarify: The Way of the Master IMO is not set up this way. I do not think witnessing should be handled this way. We are not out to "close the deal" per say. We are only to make a clear presentation IF a person is willing and desirous to listen, do so respectfully, and leave them to think things over and choose for themselves. The way it is taught in The Way of the Master, the person is never pressured to make a decision, join a church, or pray with the person giving the gospel. Telling someone the good news about Christ is not about "selling" something, but about making someone aware of a need and telling them about Christ who can meet that need, and if they so choose to respond, that is up to them. Maybe in some ways it can be like selling, but salesmen have a bad rap for using pressure tactics that have no place in a considerate witness, that I wanted to clarify myself.

I use Explode the Code 1, 2, and 3 with this reader from Sonlight--http://www.sonlight.com/phonics.html If it is the same one (I have an older version), it goes right along with Explode the Code perfectly teaching the same phonics skills at the same time. I use this at the Kindergarten level, and I LOVE IT! Pardon my excitement, but it is so easy. I've taught three children to read this way, and I will not go to another way of teaching reading and phonics. I've continued to use the upper levels of the Explode the Code with Rod and Staff second grade readers (my first grader is in the second grade readers after having completed most of the Sonlight book and first three Explode the Codes.) I may second guess what I use for all the other subjects, but my reading and phonics I love!

I've also been through the Way of the Master program mentioned by the poster above. Because, as Christians, many of us feel the truth about Christ is such good news (in fact, the word "gospel" means "good news"), we realize we need to be prepared to clearly state the truth of the gospel in a clear, applicable way. Unfortunately, many Christians are unsure or fearful about how to do this in a respectful, clear, and appropriate way.