HEM's Online News - March 2002
Home Education Magazine by way of Home
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HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE'S ONLINE NEWS
March 2002
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Welcome to HEM'S ONLINE NEWS, a free monthly newsletter published by
Home Education Magazine and full of the best internet resources,
homeschooling news, announcements and article excerpts. For more
information on Home Education Magazine, see the end of this
newsletter or visit our web site at http://home-ed-magazine.com. For
subscription information for the newsletter, scroll to the end,
reading everything in between. Send your comments and questions to
editor Carol Narigon at HEM-Newsletter@....
In the March issue:
~ The Golden Age of Homeschooling ~
~ Free Resource Guide ~
~ Women's History Month ~
~ Unschooling ~
~ Ask Carol ~
~ Lists ~
~ Free Gatto ~
~ Archives ~
~ Educating Marilyn ~
~ Unclassified Ads ~
~ The Final Word (content warning) ~
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One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller ~
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THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOMESCHOOLING
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/192.html
"It was a little scary to take or keep one's children out of school
when sending them was the societal norm. The word 'homeschooling'
itself was suspect, a sort of code word for going against the grain,
refusing to conform, seeking that almost mythical 'road less traveled
by.'
We who identified ourselves as homeschoolers breathed a sigh of
relief and collectively cheered when John Holt appeared on The Phil
Donohue Show, when Linda Dobson's article was published in Good
Housekeeping, when the Colfax boys gained admission to Harvard.
In our book 'Alternatives in Education' (Tonasket, WA. Home Education
Press. 1987, 1992) writer and homeschooling father Earl Gary Stevens
notes in the Introduction, 'There is a mythological golden age of
public education in our consciousness, captured in Norman Rockwell
paintings, cinema, television, and modern literature, in which the
public school is a positive place where the children of our nation
come together to learn academics and social skills.'
Has homeschooling progressed beyond a similar 'golden age,' when the
term evoked a certain edgy rebelliousness, a commonality of striving
for acceptance, seeking approval and validation from society, the
media, legislators, and the education bureaucracy? We sought
acceptance for a different way; have we found more than we bargained
for in society's embrace? Homeschooling, like public schooling, faces
ever-increasing challenges, but the greatest threat to homeschooling
may be its own unquestionable success.
The word 'homeschooling' has become a much-sought-after appellation,
appearing in advertisements for educational toys, distance learning,
computer software, and school district alternative education
programs. The term has developed a certain cachet, so it now has a
perceived 'selling power.' But like the word 'organic,' which once
meant grown without chemicals and now merely seems to mean grown, the
word 'homeschooling' is losing all functional meaning.
In Power For All or For None (1998), a book of essays by Everett
Reimer and his daughter Katherine Reimer, a poem by Everett Reimer
includes these lines:
Mere words cannot convey the truth
They always miss it, pass it by
Distort it just enough to change
A perfect truth to partial lie.
The perfect truth is that homeschooling works. The partial lie - no,
the perfect lie - is that what may come to pass for homeschooling in
the years ahead will work as well.
~~ excerpt from Helen Hegener, Publisher's Note, March/April HEM ~
You can read the rest of this article, as well as a couple of
articles on the dangers of cyber homeschooling from the March/April
issue at the address above, but you'll have to get the magazine--the
one you hold in your hands--to read them all! See subscription
information at the end of this newsletter or visit your local
bookseller to get your copy today.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HEM'S FREE INFORMATION AND RESOURCE GUIDE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ORD/mtrlst.html
HEM's free information and resource guide has been updated. This
online guide offers excerpts from Home Education Magazine's writers
and columnists, sharing helpful advice, resource recommendations,
insights and experiences and much more - making this a widely
respected field guide to homeschooling!
Check this guide for recommendations on the best homeschooling books,
correspondence programs, online services, software programs, support
groups and organizations, and more. This is the place to begin your
homeschooling research, and provides valuable support for those
already on the homeschooling journey. Download it at the address
above!
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
March is National Women's History month, a time for recognizing and
celebrating the accomplishments throughout history.
For the best resources, try the National Women's History Project at
http://www.nwhp.org.
A subscriber suggested the National Women's Hall of Fame site, which
offers a list of famous women, at http://www.greatwomen.org . Thanks
for the tip!
To delve further into women's history, follow some of the many links
from About.com at http://womenshistory.about.com .
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UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
I'm sure you enjoyed Sandra Dodd's treatise on Gilligan's Isle in the
February issue of this newsletter. Sandra explains that the Gilligan
essay was written several years ago, and her daughter Holly no longer
wanders around the neighborhood naked. She's long outgrown such
freedoms.
"There was a debate about whether someone could use schedules and
textbooks and still be considered unschooling. The consensus was that
textbooks and unschooling are not mutually exclusive. Most
unschoolers have textbooks in the house - sometimes lots of
textbooks. The schedule part is less cut-and-dried. You see, there's
the coercion part of the equation, too. There's the trusting your
child's innate ability and interest in learning. I think the
strongest and truest statement was something along the lines of,
'Until you completely trust in your children and unschooling you
won't get the full benefit.' I didn't believe it at the time, and I
don't think most people do until they try it. I believe it now,
because I see it working in my own family." ~~ Lisa Caryl ~~
Unschooling.com offers message boards, essays, an email list and more
just for unschoolers. Check it out!
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
ASK CAROL
I wear two hats for HEM-one is the editor hat for this newsletter;
the other is a columnist hat for Home Education Magazine, the
original print version that's been supporting homeschoolers for over
20 years.
Every other month, I ask people to send me questions and I promise to
answer as many as I can in future columns. Although I don't answer
them in this newsletter, where the space is just too tiny for my BIG
advice, I do answer them in every issue of Home Education Magazine. A
couple of them are online (http://www.home-ed-magazine.com), but most
of them you have to read in the magazine.
I really like to get your questions-any questions at all, even if you
think your question is stupid and you're the only one who has your
particular problem (it's probably not true). So, help me out with
that other hat, and send me your questions. I even have a special
email address: askcarol@... . Of course, I don't
promise I can answer every question (especially if you don't send
one!), but I try to respond to each one, whether I use it for a
column or not. What are you waiting for? (~ CN ~)
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
LISTS!
Home Education Magazine provides several venues for networking and
building community among homeschoolers and those interested in
homeschooling including an impressive array of email lists. Join a
few today!
* HEM Networking--for discussing a wide range of topics.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-Networking
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
* HEM Support Groups: for discussing support group related.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-SupportGroups
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
* HEM Conferences: for discussing conference-related issues.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-Conferences
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
* Homeschooling Resources: for news, press releases, product reviews, etc.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HomeschoolingResources
Or a blank email to: [email protected]
* Homeschooling Movie Lover: for discussing movies and videos.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/Homeschooling-Movielovers
Or a blank email to: [email protected]
* Public and Private School Programs and Homeschooling: for
discussion of the issues surrounding school programs and
homeschooling.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/PPSP-H
Or send a blank email to:[email protected]
* HEM Writers: for networking contributors to Home Education
Magazine, as well as well-known speakers, authors, conference
organizers and homeschoolers who enjoy writing. Website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-Writers
Or send a blank email to [email protected]
* History of Homeschooling: for discussing the history of home education.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HistoryofHomeschooling
Or a blank email to: [email protected]
* Homeschool History, Politics and Religion List: for an in-depth
discussion of how political and religious concerns have affected
homeschooling over the years.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HomeschoolHistory-Politics-Religion
Or a blank email to:
[email protected]
* HEM Letters: for discussion of homeschool issues to be considered
for publication in HEM's Letters and Discussion section.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Letters
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
FREE GATTO!
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com
John Taylor Gatto, a New York State Teacher of the Year, shares
unusual opinions on public schooling in the US, especially for a guy
who was so successful in the system. If you haven't read his book
'Dumbing Us Down,' you should. If you want to read his latest book,
'The Underground History of American Education,' you can buy it,
check it out at the library or read it at his website. The first five
chapters are already there and the rest of the book is promised in
the future.
Check out David Albert's tribute to John Taylor Gatto in the
March/April issue of HEM.
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ARCHIVES
Laura Weldon's Question and Answer column is now archived at the HEM
website. Just go to http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_hsinf.html .
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EDUCATING MARILYN
The Guinness Book of World Records says Marilyn Vos Savant has the
highest IQ of any living person. She also writes a question/answer
column that appears in Parade, a weekly supplement Sunday newspaper
supplement. In a recent issue, the following question about
homeschooling was asked and answered:
Reader: My husband and I are thinking of home-schooling. Do you recommend it?
Marilyn: I believe that traditional homeschooling (one parent stays
home to teach all children in the family up through the high school
years) can be a fine alternative to an unacceptable public school,
but I would not recommend it broadly unless most schools were
inadequate and most parents could teach everything from literature to
physics. And I don't believe that either is true.
If home-schooling were institutionalized, half of the youthful
potential of Americans would go unfulfilled. Say that a bright young
parent sacrifices a rewarding career to stay home and teach the
children. When those children grow up, would half of them (one parent
from each married couple) also sacrifice their potential to stay home
and teach their own children? If so, then much of the result of
home-schooling would be the creation of more home-schooling parents
for the next generation, and so on.
Maybe home-schoolers can justify this loss. If so, please write. I
believe that home-schooling is a noble experiment done for the right
reasons, and I hope to hear why it may prove to be a success.
To write Marilyn please use the following address:
Ask Marilyn
Parade Magazine
711 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
e-mail: marilyn@...
Marilyn may be smart, but it looks like she may need an education
about homeschooling. Here's your chance to be heard!
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HEM ONLINE NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this
newsletter, please contact the editor at
HEM-Newsletter@....
________
ALPHA OMEGA
prayingwife.com
Best price curriculum! 30% off Alpha Omega curriculum during March
2002 when you order from www.prayingwife.com/homeschool. All good
deals are given from the Lord. It is favor given unto His chosen.
Praise the Lord in all things for He is faithful!
________
USBORNE
UsborneAmerica.com
New science and art books for spring and summer are in...several new
series to engage and delight your children and you. Shop online and
earn FREE books at: http://www.UsborneAmerica.com. For personal
shopping service, email SharonVE@... or call 888-474-8499 toll
free. Sharon Vander Ende, Supervisor, Usborne America.
________
GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
MATH IN ANCIENT MAYA. The current issue of our free hilarious math
newsletter reports on Guatemala in 256AD, when the Mayan civilization
was at its peak. . See how kids lived in ancient Maya by subscribing,
for free, at http://www.gnarlymath.com, where you can also download
free examples of our CD-ROM Solid Gold Gnarly Math. For a refresher
course in Algebra, Geometry, Trig, and Probability, or to give your
kids a fun and exciting outlook on math, try our moneyback-guaranteed
CD.
_________
THE RESOURCEFUL HOMESCHOOLER
resourcefulhomeschooler.com
Attention unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers! Looking for
something to do? The Resourceful Homeschooler carries great books,
science materials and kits, learning games, and the most interesting
software. AND here is your opportunity to clear some shelf space!
List or consign your surplus or used homeschooling materials. Store
credit available for consignments. Visit
http://www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com or call (877)523-0494.
Materials to involve, inspire and support independent learners of all
ages!
_________
FREE ONLINE VEGETABLE GARDENING TRAINING FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!
growfood.com
Get world renowned Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider's 'Mittleider Basics
Course' FREE at www.growfood.com. Go to Online Education section and
enjoy. Books, Natural Mineral Nutrients & CD ROM's also available.
Also, look at the Garden Master CD, with $70 in Mittleider gardening
books and manuals and a great program to take your children through
every step of the gardening process. Took 3 years & $100,000 to
create and costs only $29.95. Look in Products under Garden Master.
__________
TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ! TRY ONLINE LESSONS NOW FOR FREE!
Headsprout.com
Headsprout Reading is the fun, Internet-delivered beginning reading
program that will give your child a real advantage by systematically
teaching essential skills and strategies ensuring reading success and
confidence. Outstanding fast results! After just five 20-minute
animated, interactive episodes, children read their first Headsprout
book. Act quickly! For a limited time you can try out Headsprout
Reading FOR FREE!
http://www.headsprout.com Please enter the promotional code: HENB2
_________
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
In the March/April issue of Home Education Magazine, you'll enjoy
articles on John Taylor Gatto, dragons, setting sail, make believe
and charter schools. Columns include: Peter Kowalke works with Jamie
Hopkins; Linda Dobson pulls up a chair and drinks tea; Laura Weldon
brings home an ADD teen; Ann Zeise learns to drive; and Barbara
Theisen births a colt. Other columnists include Larry and Susan
Kaseman, Sandra Dodd, Becky Rupp and Carol Narigon. HEM also offers
classified ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and networking, and
more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are currently $32.00 for one
year/6 issues; single issue $6.50. Home Education Magazine, PO Box
1083, Tonasket WA 98855; for orders: toll-free 1-800-236-3278; email
orders@.... MC/Visa cards accepted. DON'T MISS IT!
_________
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FINAL WORD
THINKERS GO TO THE BACK OF THE LUNCH LINE
"There's no such thing as public education. Education happens to
exactly one person at a time.
There are some things that you just have to do by yourself. Even if
I'm your teacher, you can't have my education; your education is a
private task that is given to yourself.
The education of someone or everyone else doesn't add a single item
to your stock of knowledge.
And there's no such thing as compulsory education. Education is
something that each of us gives to ourselves or allows others to give
us. Otherwise we call it indoctrination or assault; we don't call it
knowledge.
In my son's elementary school, there is a slogan plastered on the
walls: 'Have the courage to stand up for what you believe.'
No one actually sees it at all: It's a form of wallpaper. It's not
intended to communicate information but to sweeten our day with words
so often repeated that no one's brain gets any traction on them
anymore. They are nothing more than a set of high-sounding nonsense
syllables.
Besides that, it is utterly dishonest. The people who put up that
sign want anything, everything, except for your child to have the
courage to stand up for what she believes.
The reason my son, Vince, and I were in the school in the first place
was because Vince had refused to take a test. He sat there quietly
but simply refused to make any marks on the paper, although he
thought the test was easy.
Asked why, Vince said that the material was stupid, and that it was
exactly the same thing he had been learning in health for the last
several years: how to make decisions, how to deal with stress, etc.
-- stuff Vince doesn't think bears repeating...
You could put it like this: It had suddenly dawned on Vince that he
was the one who was responsible for his own education..."
This is an excerpt from an essay by Crispin Sartwell, chair of
humanities and sciences at the Maryland Institute College of Art. You
can read the rest of it at his website, but BE WARNED-many of you
will be offended by other material at the site. In fact, almost all
of us can probably find something offensive there. Some may even find
the end of this essay offensive. In spite of some good rhetoric
penned by his dad, Vince takes the test anyway. At least he didn't
have to wait for his lunch. www.crispinsartwell.com (1.28)
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Thanks for reading HEM's Online News! Pass it on to your friends! To
subscribe, visit our web site at
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html or send an email
to majordomo@... with the words subscribe
hem-online-newsletter followed by your name@your address.com in the
body of the email. (e.g. subscribe hem-online-newsletter
youremailaddress). To unsubscribe, send an email to
majordomo@... with the words unsubscribe
hem-online-newsletter followed by your name@your address.com in the
body of the email. (e.g. unsubscribe hem-online-newsletter
youremailaddress). To change the address at which you receive the
newsletter, unsubscribe your old address and then subscribe to your
new one.
See you next month!
Carol Narigon, Newsletter Editor
HEM-Newsletter@...
Mark and Helen Hegener, Publishers of Home Education Magazine
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE'S ONLINE NEWS
March 2002
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Welcome to HEM'S ONLINE NEWS, a free monthly newsletter published by
Home Education Magazine and full of the best internet resources,
homeschooling news, announcements and article excerpts. For more
information on Home Education Magazine, see the end of this
newsletter or visit our web site at http://home-ed-magazine.com. For
subscription information for the newsletter, scroll to the end,
reading everything in between. Send your comments and questions to
editor Carol Narigon at HEM-Newsletter@....
In the March issue:
~ The Golden Age of Homeschooling ~
~ Free Resource Guide ~
~ Women's History Month ~
~ Unschooling ~
~ Ask Carol ~
~ Lists ~
~ Free Gatto ~
~ Archives ~
~ Educating Marilyn ~
~ Unclassified Ads ~
~ The Final Word (content warning) ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOMESCHOOLING
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/192.html
"It was a little scary to take or keep one's children out of school
when sending them was the societal norm. The word 'homeschooling'
itself was suspect, a sort of code word for going against the grain,
refusing to conform, seeking that almost mythical 'road less traveled
by.'
We who identified ourselves as homeschoolers breathed a sigh of
relief and collectively cheered when John Holt appeared on The Phil
Donohue Show, when Linda Dobson's article was published in Good
Housekeeping, when the Colfax boys gained admission to Harvard.
In our book 'Alternatives in Education' (Tonasket, WA. Home Education
Press. 1987, 1992) writer and homeschooling father Earl Gary Stevens
notes in the Introduction, 'There is a mythological golden age of
public education in our consciousness, captured in Norman Rockwell
paintings, cinema, television, and modern literature, in which the
public school is a positive place where the children of our nation
come together to learn academics and social skills.'
Has homeschooling progressed beyond a similar 'golden age,' when the
term evoked a certain edgy rebelliousness, a commonality of striving
for acceptance, seeking approval and validation from society, the
media, legislators, and the education bureaucracy? We sought
acceptance for a different way; have we found more than we bargained
for in society's embrace? Homeschooling, like public schooling, faces
ever-increasing challenges, but the greatest threat to homeschooling
may be its own unquestionable success.
The word 'homeschooling' has become a much-sought-after appellation,
appearing in advertisements for educational toys, distance learning,
computer software, and school district alternative education
programs. The term has developed a certain cachet, so it now has a
perceived 'selling power.' But like the word 'organic,' which once
meant grown without chemicals and now merely seems to mean grown, the
word 'homeschooling' is losing all functional meaning.
In Power For All or For None (1998), a book of essays by Everett
Reimer and his daughter Katherine Reimer, a poem by Everett Reimer
includes these lines:
Mere words cannot convey the truth
They always miss it, pass it by
Distort it just enough to change
A perfect truth to partial lie.
The perfect truth is that homeschooling works. The partial lie - no,
the perfect lie - is that what may come to pass for homeschooling in
the years ahead will work as well.
~~ excerpt from Helen Hegener, Publisher's Note, March/April HEM ~
You can read the rest of this article, as well as a couple of
articles on the dangers of cyber homeschooling from the March/April
issue at the address above, but you'll have to get the magazine--the
one you hold in your hands--to read them all! See subscription
information at the end of this newsletter or visit your local
bookseller to get your copy today.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HEM'S FREE INFORMATION AND RESOURCE GUIDE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ORD/mtrlst.html
HEM's free information and resource guide has been updated. This
online guide offers excerpts from Home Education Magazine's writers
and columnists, sharing helpful advice, resource recommendations,
insights and experiences and much more - making this a widely
respected field guide to homeschooling!
Check this guide for recommendations on the best homeschooling books,
correspondence programs, online services, software programs, support
groups and organizations, and more. This is the place to begin your
homeschooling research, and provides valuable support for those
already on the homeschooling journey. Download it at the address
above!
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
March is National Women's History month, a time for recognizing and
celebrating the accomplishments throughout history.
For the best resources, try the National Women's History Project at
http://www.nwhp.org.
A subscriber suggested the National Women's Hall of Fame site, which
offers a list of famous women, at http://www.greatwomen.org . Thanks
for the tip!
To delve further into women's history, follow some of the many links
from About.com at http://womenshistory.about.com .
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
I'm sure you enjoyed Sandra Dodd's treatise on Gilligan's Isle in the
February issue of this newsletter. Sandra explains that the Gilligan
essay was written several years ago, and her daughter Holly no longer
wanders around the neighborhood naked. She's long outgrown such
freedoms.
"There was a debate about whether someone could use schedules and
textbooks and still be considered unschooling. The consensus was that
textbooks and unschooling are not mutually exclusive. Most
unschoolers have textbooks in the house - sometimes lots of
textbooks. The schedule part is less cut-and-dried. You see, there's
the coercion part of the equation, too. There's the trusting your
child's innate ability and interest in learning. I think the
strongest and truest statement was something along the lines of,
'Until you completely trust in your children and unschooling you
won't get the full benefit.' I didn't believe it at the time, and I
don't think most people do until they try it. I believe it now,
because I see it working in my own family." ~~ Lisa Caryl ~~
Unschooling.com offers message boards, essays, an email list and more
just for unschoolers. Check it out!
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
ASK CAROL
I wear two hats for HEM-one is the editor hat for this newsletter;
the other is a columnist hat for Home Education Magazine, the
original print version that's been supporting homeschoolers for over
20 years.
Every other month, I ask people to send me questions and I promise to
answer as many as I can in future columns. Although I don't answer
them in this newsletter, where the space is just too tiny for my BIG
advice, I do answer them in every issue of Home Education Magazine. A
couple of them are online (http://www.home-ed-magazine.com), but most
of them you have to read in the magazine.
I really like to get your questions-any questions at all, even if you
think your question is stupid and you're the only one who has your
particular problem (it's probably not true). So, help me out with
that other hat, and send me your questions. I even have a special
email address: askcarol@... . Of course, I don't
promise I can answer every question (especially if you don't send
one!), but I try to respond to each one, whether I use it for a
column or not. What are you waiting for? (~ CN ~)
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
LISTS!
Home Education Magazine provides several venues for networking and
building community among homeschoolers and those interested in
homeschooling including an impressive array of email lists. Join a
few today!
* HEM Networking--for discussing a wide range of topics.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-Networking
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
* HEM Support Groups: for discussing support group related.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-SupportGroups
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
* HEM Conferences: for discussing conference-related issues.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-Conferences
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
* Homeschooling Resources: for news, press releases, product reviews, etc.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HomeschoolingResources
Or a blank email to: [email protected]
* Homeschooling Movie Lover: for discussing movies and videos.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/Homeschooling-Movielovers
Or a blank email to: [email protected]
* Public and Private School Programs and Homeschooling: for
discussion of the issues surrounding school programs and
homeschooling.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/PPSP-H
Or send a blank email to:[email protected]
* HEM Writers: for networking contributors to Home Education
Magazine, as well as well-known speakers, authors, conference
organizers and homeschoolers who enjoy writing. Website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HEM-Writers
Or send a blank email to [email protected]
* History of Homeschooling: for discussing the history of home education.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HistoryofHomeschooling
Or a blank email to: [email protected]
* Homeschool History, Politics and Religion List: for an in-depth
discussion of how political and religious concerns have affected
homeschooling over the years.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/community/HomeschoolHistory-Politics-Religion
Or a blank email to:
[email protected]
* HEM Letters: for discussion of homeschool issues to be considered
for publication in HEM's Letters and Discussion section.
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Letters
Or send a blank email to: [email protected]
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FREE GATTO!
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com
John Taylor Gatto, a New York State Teacher of the Year, shares
unusual opinions on public schooling in the US, especially for a guy
who was so successful in the system. If you haven't read his book
'Dumbing Us Down,' you should. If you want to read his latest book,
'The Underground History of American Education,' you can buy it,
check it out at the library or read it at his website. The first five
chapters are already there and the rest of the book is promised in
the future.
Check out David Albert's tribute to John Taylor Gatto in the
March/April issue of HEM.
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ARCHIVES
Laura Weldon's Question and Answer column is now archived at the HEM
website. Just go to http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_hsinf.html .
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EDUCATING MARILYN
The Guinness Book of World Records says Marilyn Vos Savant has the
highest IQ of any living person. She also writes a question/answer
column that appears in Parade, a weekly supplement Sunday newspaper
supplement. In a recent issue, the following question about
homeschooling was asked and answered:
Reader: My husband and I are thinking of home-schooling. Do you recommend it?
Marilyn: I believe that traditional homeschooling (one parent stays
home to teach all children in the family up through the high school
years) can be a fine alternative to an unacceptable public school,
but I would not recommend it broadly unless most schools were
inadequate and most parents could teach everything from literature to
physics. And I don't believe that either is true.
If home-schooling were institutionalized, half of the youthful
potential of Americans would go unfulfilled. Say that a bright young
parent sacrifices a rewarding career to stay home and teach the
children. When those children grow up, would half of them (one parent
from each married couple) also sacrifice their potential to stay home
and teach their own children? If so, then much of the result of
home-schooling would be the creation of more home-schooling parents
for the next generation, and so on.
Maybe home-schoolers can justify this loss. If so, please write. I
believe that home-schooling is a noble experiment done for the right
reasons, and I hope to hear why it may prove to be a success.
To write Marilyn please use the following address:
Ask Marilyn
Parade Magazine
711 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
e-mail: marilyn@...
Marilyn may be smart, but it looks like she may need an education
about homeschooling. Here's your chance to be heard!
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HEM ONLINE NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this
newsletter, please contact the editor at
HEM-Newsletter@....
________
ALPHA OMEGA
prayingwife.com
Best price curriculum! 30% off Alpha Omega curriculum during March
2002 when you order from www.prayingwife.com/homeschool. All good
deals are given from the Lord. It is favor given unto His chosen.
Praise the Lord in all things for He is faithful!
________
USBORNE
UsborneAmerica.com
New science and art books for spring and summer are in...several new
series to engage and delight your children and you. Shop online and
earn FREE books at: http://www.UsborneAmerica.com. For personal
shopping service, email SharonVE@... or call 888-474-8499 toll
free. Sharon Vander Ende, Supervisor, Usborne America.
________
GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
MATH IN ANCIENT MAYA. The current issue of our free hilarious math
newsletter reports on Guatemala in 256AD, when the Mayan civilization
was at its peak. . See how kids lived in ancient Maya by subscribing,
for free, at http://www.gnarlymath.com, where you can also download
free examples of our CD-ROM Solid Gold Gnarly Math. For a refresher
course in Algebra, Geometry, Trig, and Probability, or to give your
kids a fun and exciting outlook on math, try our moneyback-guaranteed
CD.
_________
THE RESOURCEFUL HOMESCHOOLER
resourcefulhomeschooler.com
Attention unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers! Looking for
something to do? The Resourceful Homeschooler carries great books,
science materials and kits, learning games, and the most interesting
software. AND here is your opportunity to clear some shelf space!
List or consign your surplus or used homeschooling materials. Store
credit available for consignments. Visit
http://www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com or call (877)523-0494.
Materials to involve, inspire and support independent learners of all
ages!
_________
FREE ONLINE VEGETABLE GARDENING TRAINING FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!
growfood.com
Get world renowned Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider's 'Mittleider Basics
Course' FREE at www.growfood.com. Go to Online Education section and
enjoy. Books, Natural Mineral Nutrients & CD ROM's also available.
Also, look at the Garden Master CD, with $70 in Mittleider gardening
books and manuals and a great program to take your children through
every step of the gardening process. Took 3 years & $100,000 to
create and costs only $29.95. Look in Products under Garden Master.
__________
TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ! TRY ONLINE LESSONS NOW FOR FREE!
Headsprout.com
Headsprout Reading is the fun, Internet-delivered beginning reading
program that will give your child a real advantage by systematically
teaching essential skills and strategies ensuring reading success and
confidence. Outstanding fast results! After just five 20-minute
animated, interactive episodes, children read their first Headsprout
book. Act quickly! For a limited time you can try out Headsprout
Reading FOR FREE!
http://www.headsprout.com Please enter the promotional code: HENB2
_________
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
In the March/April issue of Home Education Magazine, you'll enjoy
articles on John Taylor Gatto, dragons, setting sail, make believe
and charter schools. Columns include: Peter Kowalke works with Jamie
Hopkins; Linda Dobson pulls up a chair and drinks tea; Laura Weldon
brings home an ADD teen; Ann Zeise learns to drive; and Barbara
Theisen births a colt. Other columnists include Larry and Susan
Kaseman, Sandra Dodd, Becky Rupp and Carol Narigon. HEM also offers
classified ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and networking, and
more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are currently $32.00 for one
year/6 issues; single issue $6.50. Home Education Magazine, PO Box
1083, Tonasket WA 98855; for orders: toll-free 1-800-236-3278; email
orders@.... MC/Visa cards accepted. DON'T MISS IT!
_________
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FINAL WORD
THINKERS GO TO THE BACK OF THE LUNCH LINE
"There's no such thing as public education. Education happens to
exactly one person at a time.
There are some things that you just have to do by yourself. Even if
I'm your teacher, you can't have my education; your education is a
private task that is given to yourself.
The education of someone or everyone else doesn't add a single item
to your stock of knowledge.
And there's no such thing as compulsory education. Education is
something that each of us gives to ourselves or allows others to give
us. Otherwise we call it indoctrination or assault; we don't call it
knowledge.
In my son's elementary school, there is a slogan plastered on the
walls: 'Have the courage to stand up for what you believe.'
No one actually sees it at all: It's a form of wallpaper. It's not
intended to communicate information but to sweeten our day with words
so often repeated that no one's brain gets any traction on them
anymore. They are nothing more than a set of high-sounding nonsense
syllables.
Besides that, it is utterly dishonest. The people who put up that
sign want anything, everything, except for your child to have the
courage to stand up for what she believes.
The reason my son, Vince, and I were in the school in the first place
was because Vince had refused to take a test. He sat there quietly
but simply refused to make any marks on the paper, although he
thought the test was easy.
Asked why, Vince said that the material was stupid, and that it was
exactly the same thing he had been learning in health for the last
several years: how to make decisions, how to deal with stress, etc.
-- stuff Vince doesn't think bears repeating...
You could put it like this: It had suddenly dawned on Vince that he
was the one who was responsible for his own education..."
This is an excerpt from an essay by Crispin Sartwell, chair of
humanities and sciences at the Maryland Institute College of Art. You
can read the rest of it at his website, but BE WARNED-many of you
will be offended by other material at the site. In fact, almost all
of us can probably find something offensive there. Some may even find
the end of this essay offensive. In spite of some good rhetoric
penned by his dad, Vince takes the test anyway. At least he didn't
have to wait for his lunch. www.crispinsartwell.com (1.28)
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Thanks for reading HEM's Online News! Pass it on to your friends! To
subscribe, visit our web site at
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html or send an email
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See you next month!
Carol Narigon, Newsletter Editor
HEM-Newsletter@...
Mark and Helen Hegener, Publishers of Home Education Magazine