Billy or Nancy

The Maryland Home Education Association will hold its annual conference this
Saturday, April 1 2006 at Anne Arundel Community College.

The conference this year is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Klein, a
homeschooling pioneer, co-founder of The Learning Community, and a personal
friend.

MHEA started in 1980 and this is Maryland's oldest homeschooling conference.
It is also the only statewide conference that is truly inclusive and has
something to offer for all homeschoolers regardless of religion,
homeschooling philosophy, or experience. Lots of good workshops for
beginners, veterans, unschoolers, classical and more.

Some of the workshops available:

A-1 HOW TO "PASS" YOUR COUNTY REVIEW!
A-2 UNSCHOOLING NUTS & BOLTS
A-3 CHALLENGING MIDDLE YEARS
A-4 PLAYFUL LEARNING
A-5 HOMESCHOOLING 101

B-1 A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO EDUC
B-2 THE EARLY YEARS
B-3 A MATHEMATICAL JOURNEY
B-4 PROGRESSIVE LITERACY TECHNIQUE
B-5 HOMESCHOOLING/LEARNING CHALLENGES

C-1 APPLYING PRINCIPLE of HIERARCHY
C-2 CHILDREN ORGANIZE THE WORLD
C-3 WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
C-4 HOMESCHOOLING ADVANCED LEARNERS
C-5 UNSCHOOLING IN THE REAL WORLD

D-1 WHERE IS THE "SCHOOL" IN HOMESCHOOLING?
D-2 SCIENCE CLUBS AND CO-OPS
D-3 WORKING AND HOMESCHOOLING
D-4 THE HOMESCHOOLING FATHER
D-5 NAVIGATING HIGH SCHOOL

In addition, there are several workshops designed specifically for teens:

T-1 Careers in Business
Do you think you'd like a career in the world of business?
Self-made business owners with and without college educations will
share their journeys. Let them inspire you! Questions and answers
follow.

T-2 Careers in Science
Our panelists are people in various careers of science in the field, lab,
and
classroom, keeping alive their love of learning and making a contribution
to the world. They'll tell you about their education and work, and answer
your questions.

T-3 Careers in Education
Spend the hour with our panel of teachers, and hear how they chose this
profession and about the joys and challenges of this essential work and
service. Prepare to be entertained! Q & A follows.

T-4 Teen Opinion Shuffle
Join the other teens in a high-energy shuffle in which you discover how
you and others really think about issues both fun and serious. You talk
with your feet, not your mouth! Break-out discussion groups if time
allows.

T-5 2nd Annual MHEA Swing Dance Party
Last year, it was AMAZING how fast everyone got in the swing with
our home-schooled teen swing dance instructors, even the shyest of the
shy! You will be mixed around by the instructors so everyone dances
(no "asking" required), with one-on-one attention from experienced
dancers. Amaze yourself, and bring home a new skill!

Schedule:

Registration 8:00-9:00
Workshop Session A 9:00-10:00
Workshop Session B 10:10-11:10
Lunch / Resource Fair 11:10-12:30
KEYNOTE 12:30-1:30
Lunch / Resource Fair 1:30-4:30
Workshop Session C 2:50-3:50
Workshop Session D 4:00-5:00

Don't forget the resource fair! Support group representatives from all over
the state will be there to provide information on their groups, the benefits
they offer, and membership requirements. There will also be a vendor fair
with the opportunity for you to see and purchase homeschooling materials.

FUN Books (www.FUN-Books.com) will be there offering a 20% discount on the
lowest marked price of most items including clearance items that may already
be marked down as much as 50%! Contact us immediately if there are any
particular items you want to make sure we bring to the conference for you to
look at or if you want to pre-order items so you don't have to worry about
us running out or not bringing what you want. Billy will also present a
workshop on "PLAYFUL LEARNING- Resources That Make Learning Fun and
Effective!" - A presentation focusing on how resources with a "light"
approach to learning often help develop a deeper understanding of subject
matter. We will present several resources that take a "light" approach to
such "heavy" subjects as Math, Science, Grammar and History including the
benefits of pursuing strengths and interests to enhance the effectiveness of
any homeschool program.

For registration forms and a complete information packet, go to:
http://www.mhea.com/conference.htm

Hope to see your there!!

Billy
http://www.FUN-Books.com

ChelleBelle

Hi,

I have been homeschooling my kids for over four years and now want to try unschooling. My first year I used all ABEKA. The second and third year I used a unit study. Then, came a baby with health problems and a lot less time to focus and keep up with the unit study. Now the only structured curriculum I have for my 5th grader is ABEKA math, for my 8th grade daughter an 8th grade math book that she has finished and now she has asked me for a new one and some spelling book she found around the house and does on her own. She reads A LOT and they both take dance, piano and soccer outside of the home.

I have been a "stressed out" mom who needs to get back on track with my kids. My son seems angry and hyper a lot of the time.

I have been reading your messages and started trying unschooling on my own, but I am unsure if what I am doing is okay. My son just plays on the computer all day and night long. My daughter seems to balance everything out on her own.

Could someone give me some advice on where to start with the unschooling approach. Or is it too late because of the ages of my two older kids and the damage that has been done?

Thanks,
Michelle

Billy or Nancy <FUNLists@...> wrote:
The Maryland Home Education Association will hold its annual conference this
Saturday, April 1 2006 at Anne Arundel Community College.

The conference this year is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Klein, a
homeschooling pioneer, co-founder of The Learning Community, and a personal
friend.

MHEA started in 1980 and this is Maryland's oldest homeschooling conference.
It is also the only statewide conference that is truly inclusive and has
something to offer for all homeschoolers regardless of religion,
homeschooling philosophy, or experience. Lots of good workshops for
beginners, veterans, unschoolers, classical and more.

Some of the workshops available:

A-1 HOW TO "PASS" YOUR COUNTY REVIEW!
A-2 UNSCHOOLING NUTS & BOLTS
A-3 CHALLENGING MIDDLE YEARS
A-4 PLAYFUL LEARNING
A-5 HOMESCHOOLING 101

B-1 A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO EDUC
B-2 THE EARLY YEARS
B-3 A MATHEMATICAL JOURNEY
B-4 PROGRESSIVE LITERACY TECHNIQUE
B-5 HOMESCHOOLING/LEARNING CHALLENGES

C-1 APPLYING PRINCIPLE of HIERARCHY
C-2 CHILDREN ORGANIZE THE WORLD
C-3 WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
C-4 HOMESCHOOLING ADVANCED LEARNERS
C-5 UNSCHOOLING IN THE REAL WORLD

D-1 WHERE IS THE "SCHOOL" IN HOMESCHOOLING?
D-2 SCIENCE CLUBS AND CO-OPS
D-3 WORKING AND HOMESCHOOLING
D-4 THE HOMESCHOOLING FATHER
D-5 NAVIGATING HIGH SCHOOL

In addition, there are several workshops designed specifically for teens:

T-1 Careers in Business
Do you think you'd like a career in the world of business?
Self-made business owners with and without college educations will
share their journeys. Let them inspire you! Questions and answers
follow.

T-2 Careers in Science
Our panelists are people in various careers of science in the field, lab,
and
classroom, keeping alive their love of learning and making a contribution
to the world. They'll tell you about their education and work, and answer
your questions.

T-3 Careers in Education
Spend the hour with our panel of teachers, and hear how they chose this
profession and about the joys and challenges of this essential work and
service. Prepare to be entertained! Q & A follows.

T-4 Teen Opinion Shuffle
Join the other teens in a high-energy shuffle in which you discover how
you and others really think about issues both fun and serious. You talk
with your feet, not your mouth! Break-out discussion groups if time
allows.

T-5 2nd Annual MHEA Swing Dance Party
Last year, it was AMAZING how fast everyone got in the swing with
our home-schooled teen swing dance instructors, even the shyest of the
shy! You will be mixed around by the instructors so everyone dances
(no "asking" required), with one-on-one attention from experienced
dancers. Amaze yourself, and bring home a new skill!

Schedule:

Registration 8:00-9:00
Workshop Session A 9:00-10:00
Workshop Session B 10:10-11:10
Lunch / Resource Fair 11:10-12:30
KEYNOTE 12:30-1:30
Lunch / Resource Fair 1:30-4:30
Workshop Session C 2:50-3:50
Workshop Session D 4:00-5:00

Don't forget the resource fair! Support group representatives from all over
the state will be there to provide information on their groups, the benefits
they offer, and membership requirements. There will also be a vendor fair
with the opportunity for you to see and purchase homeschooling materials.

FUN Books (www.FUN-Books.com) will be there offering a 20% discount on the
lowest marked price of most items including clearance items that may already
be marked down as much as 50%! Contact us immediately if there are any
particular items you want to make sure we bring to the conference for you to
look at or if you want to pre-order items so you don't have to worry about
us running out or not bringing what you want. Billy will also present a
workshop on "PLAYFUL LEARNING- Resources That Make Learning Fun and
Effective!" - A presentation focusing on how resources with a "light"
approach to learning often help develop a deeper understanding of subject
matter. We will present several resources that take a "light" approach to
such "heavy" subjects as Math, Science, Grammar and History including the
benefits of pursuing strengths and interests to enhance the effectiveness of
any homeschool program.

For registration forms and a complete information packet, go to:
http://www.mhea.com/conference.htm

Hope to see your there!!

Billy
http://www.FUN-Books.com



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Meg Walker

There's a special exhibit of Andrew Wyeth's paintings at a nearby
museum. Here's a bit from a newspaper article, quoting the curator:

**Born in 1917, Andrew Wyeth was too high-strung and his health too
precarious to sit in a classroom, so he was home-schooled. "His
imagination and restlessness were cultivated--today they might be
medicated," says Ms. Foster.**

This connects, for me, with my son. Right now, he's the youngest (age
14) in the cast of a production of "Cats" that is getting rave
reviews and selling-out every performance. He's playing Mungojerrie,
a role that requires tremendous energy, stamina and confidence.

Also in the cast are some guys in their 20s who were remembering
working with Ben when he was 8 in a musical version of the first
Redwall book. He drove them NUTS! They've been telling stories about
how he'd just be so excited and loud and annoying all the time. I
remember how they complained about him and how the director would say
"he's doing exactly what I want him to do." Thank goodness for that
director. He's also now in "Cats," playing old Gus.

He's a father of two energetic boys. He and I have tried to explain
to these 20-something guys that "quiet" doesn't automatically equal
"good" and that squashing a kid's energy and enthusiasm isn't the
only way to "deal" with him. They're not buying it!

One said that he'd never have predicted that the "wild maniac" Ben
would grow up to be the reliable, hard-working young man that he is now.

I said, "This is what a super-energetic kid looks like when he isn't
told for years and years that he's *bad*. Just like I didn't allow
you guys to call him *bad* back then, I haven't allowed anyone to
call him that for his whole life. And now he's got all this energy
and power that he's been learning about and growing into control of."

Just imagine the world without the art of Andrew Wyeth--if his energy
had been squashed and he'd been drugged into being "good."

- Meg

[email protected]

***I love Andrew Wyeth, he is, without a doubt, my favorite artist. (if you
don't mind me asking, what state are you in? I would love to see that very
special exhibit!) I've have quite a few books about his art and life and I don't
want to imagine the world without the art of Andrew Wyeth. <g> I also LOVE
your post!

>> that "quiet" doesn't automatically equal "good" and that squashing a kid's
energy and enthusiasm isn't the only way to "deal" with him. They're not
buying it!<<<

**There are so many people in the world who don't buy that, how sad. When my
dd, now 12, (who never really got in trouble at school but has always been
full of life and questions) was in school she once told me that "She wished she
was a shy kid." I said "HUH?!! What the heck would make you say that!?" She
replied with "Because it seems like most of the time, teachers just like the shy
kids the best." I got sick to my stomach, that comment from her was one of the
many BIG "kicks in the butt" I got towards hs'ing/unschooling. I told her "No
Katie, it's not that they "like them better", they are just easier to deal
with in the class room, it makes for an easier work day, nothing more. "Liking
them better" has nothing to do with it. What teacher wouldn't love to have a
room full of quiet little kids who just sit there like little robots, never
asking why, doing what they're told, being just too shy to rock the boat?!" I feel
so sorry for kids in schools that are treated like that. I cringe when I
think of all the wasted talent out there being squashed by the ps system and
unfortunately, some of their parents.

>>>I said, "This is what a super-energetic kid looks like when he isn't told
for years and years that he's *bad*. Just like I didn't allow you guys to call
him *bad* back then, I haven't allowed anyone to call him that for his whole
life. And now he's got all this energy and power that he's been learning about
and growing into control of."<<<

That is music to my ears <BG> Good for you and good for your son.

Nancy






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

On Mar 30, 2006, at 10:29 AM, ChelleBelle wrote:

> My son just plays on the computer all day and night long.


This will make you feel better about that:
http://sandradodd.com/videogames

-=-
Could someone give me some advice on where to start with the
unschooling approach. Or is it too late because of the ages of my
two older kids and the damage that has been done?-=-

It's too late for them to never have been in school, but it's not too
late for them not to be pressured schoolishly anymore.

http://sandradodd.com/deschooling
That leads to several people's deschooling advice.

http://sandradodd.com/checklists
This has ways for you-the-mom to help involve the whole family in
explorations and connections.

http://sandradodd.com/help
All kinds of links to things for newer unschoolers.

http://sandradodd.com/beginning
Encouraging words

Sandra

Lesa ODaniel

>>From: barndogzzz@...
When my dd, now 12, (who never really got in trouble at school but has
always been
full of life and questions) was in school she once told me that "She wished
she
was a shy kid." I said "HUH?!! What the heck would make you say that!?" She
replied with "Because it seems like most of the time, teachers just like the
shy
kids the best.">>

This takes me back to when I was in kindergarten and first grade. My report
cards always said that I was such a bright kid but that I needed to
socialize less and that would show an improvement in my grades. I ended up
being very shy and kind of *forgot* how to socialize... What BS...

(I also remember getting horrible grades for penmanship - I still have yet
to figure out why handwriting aesthetic is important...)



Lesa O'Daniel, AAHCC
Instructor, Bradley Method� of Natural Childbirth
323-541-5515
http://www.bradleybirth.com/ndweb.asp?ID=O123&Count=N

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Meg Walker

The exhibit is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Here's a link:

http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/special/93.html

- Meg

On Mar 31, 2006, at 12:32 PM, barndogzzz@... wrote:

> ***I love Andrew Wyeth, he is, without a doubt, my favorite artist.
> (if you
> don't mind me asking, what state are you in? I would love to see
> that very
> special exhibit!) I've have quite a few books about his art and
> life and I don't
> want to imagine the world without the art of Andrew Wyeth. <g> I
> also LOVE
> your post!

[email protected]

Thanks Meg for the link!

Nancy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

katherand2003

Sorry for this "me too" post but when I was in first grade, I remember
being punished for socializing and talking. Once I was made to stand
in front of class, holding one foot up behind me. *If* I had been
shy, it would have been punishment. I thought it was a hoot. But
very soon my funloving nature was made to be tamer in school. By the
time I hit 3rd grade (sounds familiar) I was all washed up socially.
I agree.. it's bs, but apparently necessary to run a school.

Kathe



--- In [email protected], "Lesa ODaniel"
<lesaodaniel@...> wrote:
>
> This takes me back to when I was in kindergarten and first grade. My
report
> cards always said that I was such a bright kid but that I needed to
> socialize less and that would show an improvement in my grades. I
ended up
> being very shy and kind of *forgot* how to socialize... What BS...
>
> (I also remember getting horrible grades for penmanship - I still
have yet
> to figure out why handwriting aesthetic is important...)

Sandra Dodd

On Mar 31, 2006, at 10:32 AM, barndogzzz@... wrote:

> What teacher wouldn't love to have a
> room full of quiet little kids who just sit there like little
> robots, never
> asking why, doing what they're told, being just too shy to rock the
> boat?!"


Me.
I liked the question-acting, quirky kids.

Any statement about what all teachers like (or would love) is bound
to be false. Sorry.
Teachers are individuals just as the kids are. Some like quiet and
some like noise and some like odd curiosities and some like the
"correct answers" (according to the teacher's manual, right or wrong).

-=-And now he's got all this energy and power that he's been learning
about
and growing into control of.-=-

It's SO COOL to know (and have) kids who are "allowed" to be
themselves all along instead of waiting until they're "grown" to
attempt it with stunted selves.

The talk I'm planning for the September Live and Learn conference
(unless I change my mind again <g>) is "Big Noisy Peace."

Sandra

[email protected]

5/16/2006 at 6:46 Sandra@...
wrote:
>>>Me. I liked the question-acting, quirky kids. Any statement about what all
teachers like (or would love) is bound to be false. Sorry. Teachers are
individuals just as the kids are. Some like quiet and some like noise and some like
odd curiosities and some like the "correct answers" (according to the
teacher's manual, right or wrong).<<<

***WELL, I wish my kids had YOU as one of their teachers when they were in
school then! :o) Out of the 6 or so long years our 2 dd's were in the ps system
there is only ONE teacher like you that comes to my mind, my dh's and my girls
minds......it was my 11 yo's kindergarten teacher. WONDERFUL woman! We loved
her! I understand what you are saying, didn't mean to generalize...... with 2
kids and 6 years, I felt that was a whole lotta teachers to only have ONE out
of the whole bunch that didn't mind (and even encouraged) the
"question-acting, quirky kids" and who (I felt) at the same time treated those kids with
respect in doing so. I felt sorry for most of the kids I saw in school. There were
SO many who got shot down on a regular basis.****

>>"It's SO COOL to know (and have) kids who are "allowed" to be themselves
all along instead of waiting until they're "grown" to attempt it with stunted
selves"<<<<

**** Hearing about unschooling (and things like that statement above) was
like a big fat *flood light* popped on in my head <g> and I found myself doing
the "coulda shoulda woulda"s" a lot in the beginning.....Life gets better every
day, now we're just happier and moved forward. :o)

Sure wish we could make it to the September Live and Learn conference! Just
not something we can do this time around. *****

Nancy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]