MorningStars Home Education NewsMorningStars Home Education NewsMimi Rothschild is a homeschool mom just like you. She shares her thoughts about homeschooling her eight children with you each week. Articles
Strong Families as Idols
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild The Highland’s Study Center’s Every Thought Captive is a wonderfully insightful publication. Consider a recent entry regarding the idolatry of the family. When we get ourselves backwards and pursue as our primary goal the family-integrated thing, the homeschooling thing, the patriarchy thing, the breeding thing, the modesty/home-baked bread thing, or the “making sure our boys are tough warriors and not wimpy” thing, instead of God’s glory, idolatry is just around the corner. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with any of these things I have just mentioned. But they are means, not ends. Yikes. I think that some Christian homeschooling families tend to err on this side of the continuum. Some of us are so pro-family that we forget what a strong family is for in the first place. Every institution or lifestyle decision should be made to give glory to God and spread his love and truth. While a strong, God-fearing family i... More About: Idol , Tron , Families , Strong , Lies
Crunchy Cons Embrace Homeschooling
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild What are “Crunchy Cons”? According to Rod Dreher, the author of Crunchy Cons, they are conservatives, usually Christians, who uphold traditional Christian values, but adhere to certain beliefs that are popularly considered “lefty” such as pro-environment, pro-organics, and anti-capitalism. Many of these folks are homeschoolers, or “hip homeschooling mamas” as the cover of Dreher’s new book claims. These folks take the concept of “pro-life” and expand it to every aspect of living. This includes eating organic foods free of pesticides and growth hormones, raising crops on healthy soil, supporting environmental awareness campaigns, parenting large families with 10+ children and more. Essentially, they are attempting to live life naturally, as God would have us live. Godly and groovy! Although these characteristics may seem conflicting, it really makes sense that these two subcultures are beginning to mingle. &... More About: Homeschooling , Home , School , Race , Homes
Unschooling Picks Up Steam
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild The Louisville Courier-Journal ran a recent story on the growing popularity of unschooling. Unschooling was the hot topic of the homeschooling world in 2006 and it shows no signs of slowing down. Self-taught learning, educational autonomy, child-led learning, are all names for what is now considered “unschooling.” “It’s an awareness that learning is always happening because it’s part of living,” said Jane Van Stelle Haded of Hobart, who unschools her two children. “It’s almost trying to capitalize on whatever your children are interested in.” Whether that means baking bread with mom or playing an education video game with little brother, learning can happen anywhere. This type of learning stands in stark contrast to the rigid structures and testing formats of the public school system. Educators are currently unable to tell if unschoolers can stack up against their public school counterparts academically be... More About: School , Team , Pick , Steam
Creative Class Turns to Homeschooling
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild This Business Week article takes a fascinating look at a growing number of upper-class folks who have embraced homeschooling to avoid the intellectually stifling atmosphere that they endured as children. These are families that could afford expensive private educations, but choose to make sacrifices, such as dad working his office time around the kids, or even (gasp!) mom staying at home full time. Religion, generally thought to be the primary impetus for homeschooling, comes in a close second to concerns about the learning environment itself. This includes peer pressure, bullying, irresponsible teachers, self-esteem pressures, and boring class work. Many of today’s parents are realizing that the public school no longer has to be a given. Many don’t want their children to suffer through the boring busy work and drawn-out lectures that they did as kids. The best part of the article is the comparison made between the public school system and old assemb... More About: Creative , Homeschooling , Home , School , Homes
Public School Crushes Souls
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild I would encourage all parents to read Steve Olsen’s heartbreaking account of his experience in the public school. Here we have a brilliant young mind that is systematically stifled and neglected over the course of twelve years. He went to one of the best schools in one of the most highly regarded states in terms of education: Minnessota. Here was a student that had a real burning curiosity for learning. His passion was stifled by uncaring teachers and peers. Two years later in Jr. High, I took an Apple II computer class. On the first day of class, I looked through the syllabus, found the last lesson, loaded the 5 1/4 inch floppy, and completed it. I beamed with pride and arrogance. The teacher looked at my program, turned bright red, yanked me out of my seat by my ear, and I fell to the floor humiliated. He pointed to the door and said, ?get out of my classroom.? He forced me to sit in the hall the rest of the semester and failed me. Tragically, that was t... More About: Public , School , Soul , Souls , Rush
Homeschooler Banned from Spelling Bee
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild Here’s another example of the inability of the public school system to appropriately deal with homeschool students. A bright homeschooler wanted to participate in a Philadelphia-area homeschool spelling bee and she was declined because the first round of the spelling bee is a “classroom activity” rather than an extracurricular activity. Is there any reasonable way that the school administration can justify this behavior? What positive outcome can this decision yield? I can see only negatives. I am forced to assume that the school administration doesn’t like to see homeschoolers put their students to shame. The hostility that school administration has shown homeschooling families (especially ones with bright kids) is well documented. When a homeschooler comes into a classroom and shows everyone up it embarrasses teachers and administration. There is no other explanation. The law says that home-schoolers must be allowed to participate... More About: Home , School , Homes , Spelling Bee , Anne
Public School Cultivates Learning Disabilities
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild Joel Turtel, author of “Public School s, Public Menace” cites a harrowing tale of the public school’s incompetence. He was a volunteer reading instructor some time ago and was asked to help a young boy read. He was dismayed to find that the child was never taught to sound out words using phonics, but simply memorized words that were simple enough to sight read. As a result, the boy insisted on reading only certain books that he had been able to memorize. When Turtel expressed to the boy’s parents that the reason why their child has not excelled in reading is not due to a learning disability or disinterest in reading, but because he had never actually learned how to read. When the school’s administrators found out about his suggestion, they were furious and demanded that he leave the premises. This heartbreaking story is indicative of a greater problem that is endemic to the public school way. Reading is perhaps the most tangible o... More About: Cult , Earn , Learning
Public Charter Schools Doomed to Failure
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild Although it doesn’t seem that the mainstream media is interested in reporting this, I came across this innocent-sounding blurb at 21st Century Cyber Charter School , a Pennsylvania government-sponsored virtual school. We have been notified by the Department of Education that we have once again made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). 21st Century Cyber was the only cyber school to make AYP last year, and is the only cyber school in PA that is not on the academic warning list. Congratulations to our students and staff! Congratulations indeed! Out of the twelve public cyber charter schools based in Pennsylvania, only one is meeting AYP standards set forth in the No Child Left Behind plan. What a track record! This news comes hot on the heels of the HSLDA’s recent announcement that public virtual schools are performing worse than not only private schools and homeschools, but the very public schools for which they were designed to provide an alternative! P... More About: Schools , Public , Arte , Hart
Department of Defense Discontinues Homeschool Support
2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild Last week I read a somewhat disappointing news story at the Leavenworth Lamp. DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates and manages the education programs for Defense Department family members who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. Although operating a home-schooling program is outside of its directed mission, officials said, DoDEA has administered the Remote Home School Program since school year 2001-2002, when it received the first in a series of unsolicited allocations and grants to support the program. What’s good about this is that maybe families will begin looking for private alternatives to this public service. The HSLDA has a wonderful page for those who are not yet convinced that public homeschooling programs are undesirable. What’s sad, however, is that this is going to leave thousands of children without an education in the fall. Many military families value homeschooling because they so often move from place to pl... More About: Men , Port
Teacher Dad Homeschools Kids
More articles from this author:2007-02-27 16:14:06 By Mimi Rothschild I can’t tell you the amount of public school teachers I have met who have chosen to pull their own children out of the public school. After all, these folks, experiencing its failures day in and day out have the greatest incentive to homeschool. Take a look at this heartwarming article from the St. Petersburg Times. These teachers recognize that a public school environment is not only not conducive to learning, but most often antagonistic. The article details a family’s unconventional learning techniques, such as a trip to the beach to dig up shells and fossils. Compare this peaceful scene to the classroom setting, full of screams, whines, and cursing. For three months, Daynard has been homeschooling his children. He left his job as a Pinellas County teacher and pulled his sons out of public school because he found the environment chaotic, even threatening, he says. A particularly interesting element of this picture is that dad is the teacher. Thi... More About: Kids , Schools , Home , School , Cher 1, 2, 3 |
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