HEM's Online News - April 2002
HEM-Online-Newsletter by way of Home Ed
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HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE'S ONLINE NEWS
April 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 April issue:
~ A Tribute ~
~ Marilyn's Response ~
~ Make Your Own Bumper Sticker ~
~ Unschooling Friendship ~
~ Illustration Contest ~
~ A Guide for Parent/Teacher Conferences ~
~ National Poetry Month ~
~ Homeschoolers Build Bridges ~
~ The Final Word ~
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"I dropped the idea that I was an expert, whose job it was to fill
the little heads with my expertise, and began to explore how I could
remove those obstacles that prevented the inherent genius of children
from gathering itself." ~~ John Taylor Gatto ~~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
A Tribute to John Taylor Gatto
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/192/magatto.html
Kesey's magnificent novel, as well as the excellent movie featuring a
young Jack Nicholson (not recommended until you've read the book!),
is the story of a rebel - one Randall Patrick McMurphy -- who finds
himself (or rather finds a way to get himself) inside a state
psychiatric institution in the 1960s. Once within, he discovers
himself bound by a web of rules, procedures, and protocols - really,
kid gloves -- behind which stands an iron fist of violence and
repression, all designed of course for "the patient's own good." In
scene after scene, McMurphy probes against the boundaries of the
forces that stand behind the institution - "the Combine" -- which
comes to be symbolized by "the Big Nurse" who controls the ward, and
ultimately holds the fate of each of the patients in her hands. Let
me not ruin the book for you. I suggest you go out and read it,
alongside your teenager if you have one, or, if you've read it once
before, read it again, with new eyes.
Kesey's novel takes place against a backdrop of relentless
institutional conditioning. While meetings on the ward may seem to be
democratically organized -- and while inmates - no, here they are
called "patients" - are urged toward accountability - one quickly
realizes that there is no democracy at work in the asylum, and that
accountability is a sham. Inmates are tracked, without their consent,
into well-demarcated groups as acutes and chronics - and further
subdivided into walkers, wheelers, and vegetables (we all do remember
Bluebirds and Robins from first grade, don't we?) The highest value
to the Combine is neither democracy nor accountability, but
compliance, pure and simple, and its favorite stratagem is divide and
conquer. And if that doesn't work, there are always drugs. Hmm.
I doubt that a set of Monarch Notes has ever been heaped with
literary praise before, but Gatto's are much deserving. His
description of the Keseyan institutional world contained in this
incendiary set of crib notes, (he even quotes Che Guevara - "Educate
your enemy, don't kill him, for he is worth more to you alive than
dead"), is as compelling as the novel itself. He describes the
Combine that controls this little world as "an all-powerful,
earth-girdling, brain-destroying association of technocrats...intent
on building a world of precision, efficiency, and tidiness...a place
where the schedule is unbreakable." "In such a world," writes John,
"there is neither grief nor happiness; nobody dies - they only burn
out and are recycled; actually, it is a rather safe place, everything
is planned - there are neither risks nor surprises." Gatto continues
that within this little world, "Words and meaningless routines
insulate people from life itself, blind them to what is happening
around them, and deaden the moral faculties." The defense to this
charge, ironic of course as John notes, is that the Big Nurse
delivers charity baskets to the poor. Pivotal to Kesey's novel,
according to Gatto, "is the cataclysmic revelation that the inmates
of the asylum are not committed but are there of their own free
will." And the way they are controlled, ultimately, is through guilt,
shame, fear, and belittlement. Double hmmm.
And now, Gatto, in telescoping the next 25 years of his own career,
tells us the way out. "The way out of the asylum," he writes, "is
literally to throw out the control panel, on a physical level
smashing the reinforced windows, on a symbolic spiritual level
becoming independent of rules, orders, and other people's urgencies."
"Self-reliance," concludes John, "is the antidote to institutional
stupidity." ~~ from David Albert's tribute to John Taylor Gatto ~~
You can read the rest of this article, as well as a couple of
articles and columns 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.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
MARILYN'S RESPONSE
http://local.parade.com/columns/askmarilyn.lasso
Evidently Marilyn vos Savant received numerous letters from happy
homeschoolers, but sorry, folks, she's not convinced. She says we
didn't answer the question she asked. Here's an excerpt from her
latest response on Parade's website:
"...Many home-schoolers described how well their kids are doing and
their high hopes for them, but almost no one addressed my concern
that a large percentage of the kids would never use their educations
if they became home-schoolers themselves. Gifted violinists would
never be heard in a concert hall; great leaders would never be able
to change society; brilliant scientists would never have a shot at
curing cancer.
Here's a question to ask yourself: Would you want to home-school your
sons and then watch them become home-schooling parents themselves
instead of having careers? This is a serious philosophical issue: If
you stay at home and teach your child rocket science, and he stays at
home and teaches his child rocket science, and he stays at home and
teaches his child rocket science, when does anyone ever become a
rocket scientist? In short, home-schooling is easy to recommend for
certain individuals, but hard to recommend for society..." (e-mail:
marilyn@...)
Hmmmm. Maybe she needs to talk with Madeleine Albright and Sandra Day
O'Connor, who didn't homeschool their children, but who were SAHMs
for many years. Albright took her first full-time job when she was 39
years old. Personally, I'm not only homeschooling my kids, I've
started a writing career while I've been homeschooling, a dream of
mine since I learned to read at age 4. I plan to continue living,
working, and writing even after my kids have grown and are ruining
their kids' lives by homeschooling.
I must be the exception though. I assume Marilyn, being so smart and
all like she is, knows how utterly and pathetically the rest of you
are wasting your lives away. And the example you're setting for your
children! For shame! If world peace isn't attained within our
children's lifetime, we'll know exactly where to point the finger.
Homeschooling. Thanks, Marilyn. (CN)
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MAKE YOUR OWN BUMPER STICKER
http://65.165.2.251/stickers/bumperstickerstyles.asp
Having trouble finding that perfect homeschool bumper sticker? Here's
a place where you can make your own. Even if you decide not to make
your own bumper sticker, send me your ideas for great homeschool
bumper stickers and I'll include the best of them in future issues.
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UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
Does he think the pain of school is worth a few friendships? If they
are true friendships, they will last. If not, they weren't meant to
be. With unschooling, you will be able to show him a new world, a new
side of life. And from opening up your previously enclosed circle of
life to expand to the whole world (instead of just school), you will
have the potential to develop truer friendships than your son has
ever known.
He will be able to play with and talk to his friends without fear of
punishment for socializing. He will be able to talk about his true
passions in life, not just talk about what everyone else is talking
about. He will be able to know Who He Truly Is, share that with
friends and receive the same in return. He can even choose to not be
around someone if he doesn't want to be, or not continue a friendship
if it doesn't feel right to him...that's an empowering thing for a
child to decide for himself.
Friendship inside of school has a totally different meaning from
friendship totally devoid of school influences, in my opinion. ~~
Anne Ohman, in a post on the unschooling.com message boards ~~
Unschooling.com offers message boards, essays, an email list and more
just for unschoolers. Check it out!
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BOOK COVER ILLUSTRATION CONTEST FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!
Homeschoolers ages 1-16 are invited to submit illustrations to appear
on the cover of the forthcoming book: Homeschooling and the Voyage of
Self-Discovery: A Journey of Original Seeking, by David H. Albert, to
be published by Common Courage Press in 2002.
Submissions should be in full color, in any medium, prepared in an
8.5" by 11" format (regular sheet of paper) or equivalent. (Editor's
note: vertical presentation)
Required elements: the illustration should have a boat or ship in it.
There can be either a single child, child and parent, or multiple
children in the illustration, which must convey the idea of a voyage.
If there are multiple children, please let them reflect the rainbow
colors of children on our planet. The rest is up to your imagination!
The winner will receive $100, and, if they choose, have their photos
as the cover artist and a 3-4 line biography appear inside the book.
Address and Deadline: Submissions must be made to Homeschool Cover
Contest, Common Courage Press, P.O. Box 702, Monroe, ME 04951.
Entries MUST be by snail mail. You are welcome to email copies of
your snail mail submissions (as long as you send a snail mail version
separately) to Greg at gbates@.... Questions can
be directed to this address as well.
Pack your submission well so that it will not be damaged in transit.
Please be sure to include your name, address, phone number, e-mail
address, and age. Deadline is June 10, 2002. All submissions become
the property of Common Courage Press, and, except for the winner,
will not be acknowledged or returned. Some of the artwork of the
non-winners may appear on the publisher's website. If you wish to
contact the author directly, send an e-mail to
shantinik@....
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GUIDE FOR PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_brds.html
"Reading through a recent newsletter put out by our school system, I
came across something I found quite telling. The following is an
excerpt from an article about the upcoming parent/teacher conferences:
"Studies show education is enhanced when home and school work together."
Hmmm, how surprising. Sounds like a good argument for homeschooling to me.
It then continued:
"Questions You [the parent] May Wish to Ask:
* What are my child's strengths?
* Is my child performing up to his/her potential?
* Is my child reading at grade level? Are his/her math skills?
* How are my child's work habits? Is he/she motivated?
* Does my child complete assignments?
* Does my child ask questions and participate in class?
* Is my child respectful of others?
* Have you noticed any major changes in my child's emotional, social,
or physical well-being?
* How can I continue to support my child's success?
* In what ways can I become more involved in my child's classroom and school?
* What opportunities are available during the summer?
* What can I do over the summer to help my child? "
At first reading, I was absolutely shocked that parents would need to
ask these questions. After all, shouldn't the parents already know
these things? Apparently not.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that should a school
suggest *I* needed to ask them else these questions, I'd be offended.
Why on earth would the school think it was the appropriate ones to
make these judgment calls?
The whole think sums up so well why I am a homeschooler."
~~ Deborah Peasley, Michigan homeschooler on the HEM message boards.
Access the boards at the address above. ~~
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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
During the month of April, National Poetry Month, celebrate by
reading, writing and listening to poetry. Here's a cool website where
you can watch videos about real people and to listen to them read
their favorite poetry. I'm sure you'll enjoy this unique and
wonderful site. http://www.favoritepoem.org
Another great site is the Academy of Poets website at
http://www.poets.org There you'll find lesson plans and other ideas
for learning about and enjoying poetry.
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HOMESCHOOLERS BUILD BRIDGES
In the October 2001 issue of HEM's Online News, I included a couple
of bridge building contests. I received the following letter from
Cathy Bale, coordinator of the Engineering
Design Contest and a homeschool parent, about the results of one of
those contests:
"I am writing with an update about the West Point Bicentennial
Engineering Design Contest. See our scoreboard at
www.usma.edu/bridgecontest. Two of our finalist teams are
homeschooled students. A third team, the one from Lincoln Christian
Academy, was also homeschooled for a good portion of their
educations. More than 19,000 teams entered the contest! The
semi-final round is March 16, 2002. Hats off to homeschoolers!"
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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@....
________
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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.
_________
GIVE YOUR CHILD THE HEADSPROUT READING ADVANTAGE
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. Your child will really enjoy our fun, animated,
interactive episodes. After just five 20-minute episodes, children
read their first Headsprout books. Act quickly. For a limited time,
Headsprout Reading is available free at: http://www.headsprout.com .
Please enter the promotional code: HEND4
_________
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
2700 FOLKS IN THESE COUNTRIES LAUGH AT MATH: Australia, Bahamas,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, England, Greece, Hungary,
Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia,
Mexico, Nauru, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Qatar,
South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, and the US. They
subscribe to our free hilarious math newsletter, at
http://www.gnarlymath.com . There you can also download free examples
of our CD-ROM Gnarly Math. For a refresher course in Math, or to
intrigue your kids, 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!
_________
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
http://www.dhmo.org
April Fool!
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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
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youremailaddress). To change the address at which you receive the
newsletter, unsubscribe your old address and then subscribe to your
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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
April 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 April issue:
~ A Tribute ~
~ Marilyn's Response ~
~ Make Your Own Bumper Sticker ~
~ Unschooling Friendship ~
~ Illustration Contest ~
~ A Guide for Parent/Teacher Conferences ~
~ National Poetry Month ~
~ Homeschoolers Build Bridges ~
~ The Final Word ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
"I dropped the idea that I was an expert, whose job it was to fill
the little heads with my expertise, and began to explore how I could
remove those obstacles that prevented the inherent genius of children
from gathering itself." ~~ John Taylor Gatto ~~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
A Tribute to John Taylor Gatto
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/192/magatto.html
Kesey's magnificent novel, as well as the excellent movie featuring a
young Jack Nicholson (not recommended until you've read the book!),
is the story of a rebel - one Randall Patrick McMurphy -- who finds
himself (or rather finds a way to get himself) inside a state
psychiatric institution in the 1960s. Once within, he discovers
himself bound by a web of rules, procedures, and protocols - really,
kid gloves -- behind which stands an iron fist of violence and
repression, all designed of course for "the patient's own good." In
scene after scene, McMurphy probes against the boundaries of the
forces that stand behind the institution - "the Combine" -- which
comes to be symbolized by "the Big Nurse" who controls the ward, and
ultimately holds the fate of each of the patients in her hands. Let
me not ruin the book for you. I suggest you go out and read it,
alongside your teenager if you have one, or, if you've read it once
before, read it again, with new eyes.
Kesey's novel takes place against a backdrop of relentless
institutional conditioning. While meetings on the ward may seem to be
democratically organized -- and while inmates - no, here they are
called "patients" - are urged toward accountability - one quickly
realizes that there is no democracy at work in the asylum, and that
accountability is a sham. Inmates are tracked, without their consent,
into well-demarcated groups as acutes and chronics - and further
subdivided into walkers, wheelers, and vegetables (we all do remember
Bluebirds and Robins from first grade, don't we?) The highest value
to the Combine is neither democracy nor accountability, but
compliance, pure and simple, and its favorite stratagem is divide and
conquer. And if that doesn't work, there are always drugs. Hmm.
I doubt that a set of Monarch Notes has ever been heaped with
literary praise before, but Gatto's are much deserving. His
description of the Keseyan institutional world contained in this
incendiary set of crib notes, (he even quotes Che Guevara - "Educate
your enemy, don't kill him, for he is worth more to you alive than
dead"), is as compelling as the novel itself. He describes the
Combine that controls this little world as "an all-powerful,
earth-girdling, brain-destroying association of technocrats...intent
on building a world of precision, efficiency, and tidiness...a place
where the schedule is unbreakable." "In such a world," writes John,
"there is neither grief nor happiness; nobody dies - they only burn
out and are recycled; actually, it is a rather safe place, everything
is planned - there are neither risks nor surprises." Gatto continues
that within this little world, "Words and meaningless routines
insulate people from life itself, blind them to what is happening
around them, and deaden the moral faculties." The defense to this
charge, ironic of course as John notes, is that the Big Nurse
delivers charity baskets to the poor. Pivotal to Kesey's novel,
according to Gatto, "is the cataclysmic revelation that the inmates
of the asylum are not committed but are there of their own free
will." And the way they are controlled, ultimately, is through guilt,
shame, fear, and belittlement. Double hmmm.
And now, Gatto, in telescoping the next 25 years of his own career,
tells us the way out. "The way out of the asylum," he writes, "is
literally to throw out the control panel, on a physical level
smashing the reinforced windows, on a symbolic spiritual level
becoming independent of rules, orders, and other people's urgencies."
"Self-reliance," concludes John, "is the antidote to institutional
stupidity." ~~ from David Albert's tribute to John Taylor Gatto ~~
You can read the rest of this article, as well as a couple of
articles and columns 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.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
MARILYN'S RESPONSE
http://local.parade.com/columns/askmarilyn.lasso
Evidently Marilyn vos Savant received numerous letters from happy
homeschoolers, but sorry, folks, she's not convinced. She says we
didn't answer the question she asked. Here's an excerpt from her
latest response on Parade's website:
"...Many home-schoolers described how well their kids are doing and
their high hopes for them, but almost no one addressed my concern
that a large percentage of the kids would never use their educations
if they became home-schoolers themselves. Gifted violinists would
never be heard in a concert hall; great leaders would never be able
to change society; brilliant scientists would never have a shot at
curing cancer.
Here's a question to ask yourself: Would you want to home-school your
sons and then watch them become home-schooling parents themselves
instead of having careers? This is a serious philosophical issue: If
you stay at home and teach your child rocket science, and he stays at
home and teaches his child rocket science, and he stays at home and
teaches his child rocket science, when does anyone ever become a
rocket scientist? In short, home-schooling is easy to recommend for
certain individuals, but hard to recommend for society..." (e-mail:
marilyn@...)
Hmmmm. Maybe she needs to talk with Madeleine Albright and Sandra Day
O'Connor, who didn't homeschool their children, but who were SAHMs
for many years. Albright took her first full-time job when she was 39
years old. Personally, I'm not only homeschooling my kids, I've
started a writing career while I've been homeschooling, a dream of
mine since I learned to read at age 4. I plan to continue living,
working, and writing even after my kids have grown and are ruining
their kids' lives by homeschooling.
I must be the exception though. I assume Marilyn, being so smart and
all like she is, knows how utterly and pathetically the rest of you
are wasting your lives away. And the example you're setting for your
children! For shame! If world peace isn't attained within our
children's lifetime, we'll know exactly where to point the finger.
Homeschooling. Thanks, Marilyn. (CN)
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
MAKE YOUR OWN BUMPER STICKER
http://65.165.2.251/stickers/bumperstickerstyles.asp
Having trouble finding that perfect homeschool bumper sticker? Here's
a place where you can make your own. Even if you decide not to make
your own bumper sticker, send me your ideas for great homeschool
bumper stickers and I'll include the best of them in future issues.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
Does he think the pain of school is worth a few friendships? If they
are true friendships, they will last. If not, they weren't meant to
be. With unschooling, you will be able to show him a new world, a new
side of life. And from opening up your previously enclosed circle of
life to expand to the whole world (instead of just school), you will
have the potential to develop truer friendships than your son has
ever known.
He will be able to play with and talk to his friends without fear of
punishment for socializing. He will be able to talk about his true
passions in life, not just talk about what everyone else is talking
about. He will be able to know Who He Truly Is, share that with
friends and receive the same in return. He can even choose to not be
around someone if he doesn't want to be, or not continue a friendship
if it doesn't feel right to him...that's an empowering thing for a
child to decide for himself.
Friendship inside of school has a totally different meaning from
friendship totally devoid of school influences, in my opinion. ~~
Anne Ohman, in a post on the unschooling.com message boards ~~
Unschooling.com offers message boards, essays, an email list and more
just for unschoolers. Check it out!
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
BOOK COVER ILLUSTRATION CONTEST FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!
Homeschoolers ages 1-16 are invited to submit illustrations to appear
on the cover of the forthcoming book: Homeschooling and the Voyage of
Self-Discovery: A Journey of Original Seeking, by David H. Albert, to
be published by Common Courage Press in 2002.
Submissions should be in full color, in any medium, prepared in an
8.5" by 11" format (regular sheet of paper) or equivalent. (Editor's
note: vertical presentation)
Required elements: the illustration should have a boat or ship in it.
There can be either a single child, child and parent, or multiple
children in the illustration, which must convey the idea of a voyage.
If there are multiple children, please let them reflect the rainbow
colors of children on our planet. The rest is up to your imagination!
The winner will receive $100, and, if they choose, have their photos
as the cover artist and a 3-4 line biography appear inside the book.
Address and Deadline: Submissions must be made to Homeschool Cover
Contest, Common Courage Press, P.O. Box 702, Monroe, ME 04951.
Entries MUST be by snail mail. You are welcome to email copies of
your snail mail submissions (as long as you send a snail mail version
separately) to Greg at gbates@.... Questions can
be directed to this address as well.
Pack your submission well so that it will not be damaged in transit.
Please be sure to include your name, address, phone number, e-mail
address, and age. Deadline is June 10, 2002. All submissions become
the property of Common Courage Press, and, except for the winner,
will not be acknowledged or returned. Some of the artwork of the
non-winners may appear on the publisher's website. If you wish to
contact the author directly, send an e-mail to
shantinik@....
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GUIDE FOR PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_brds.html
"Reading through a recent newsletter put out by our school system, I
came across something I found quite telling. The following is an
excerpt from an article about the upcoming parent/teacher conferences:
"Studies show education is enhanced when home and school work together."
Hmmm, how surprising. Sounds like a good argument for homeschooling to me.
It then continued:
"Questions You [the parent] May Wish to Ask:
* What are my child's strengths?
* Is my child performing up to his/her potential?
* Is my child reading at grade level? Are his/her math skills?
* How are my child's work habits? Is he/she motivated?
* Does my child complete assignments?
* Does my child ask questions and participate in class?
* Is my child respectful of others?
* Have you noticed any major changes in my child's emotional, social,
or physical well-being?
* How can I continue to support my child's success?
* In what ways can I become more involved in my child's classroom and school?
* What opportunities are available during the summer?
* What can I do over the summer to help my child? "
At first reading, I was absolutely shocked that parents would need to
ask these questions. After all, shouldn't the parents already know
these things? Apparently not.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that should a school
suggest *I* needed to ask them else these questions, I'd be offended.
Why on earth would the school think it was the appropriate ones to
make these judgment calls?
The whole think sums up so well why I am a homeschooler."
~~ Deborah Peasley, Michigan homeschooler on the HEM message boards.
Access the boards at the address above. ~~
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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
During the month of April, National Poetry Month, celebrate by
reading, writing and listening to poetry. Here's a cool website where
you can watch videos about real people and to listen to them read
their favorite poetry. I'm sure you'll enjoy this unique and
wonderful site. http://www.favoritepoem.org
Another great site is the Academy of Poets website at
http://www.poets.org There you'll find lesson plans and other ideas
for learning about and enjoying poetry.
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HOMESCHOOLERS BUILD BRIDGES
In the October 2001 issue of HEM's Online News, I included a couple
of bridge building contests. I received the following letter from
Cathy Bale, coordinator of the Engineering
Design Contest and a homeschool parent, about the results of one of
those contests:
"I am writing with an update about the West Point Bicentennial
Engineering Design Contest. See our scoreboard at
www.usma.edu/bridgecontest. Two of our finalist teams are
homeschooled students. A third team, the one from Lincoln Christian
Academy, was also homeschooled for a good portion of their
educations. More than 19,000 teams entered the contest! The
semi-final round is March 16, 2002. Hats off to homeschoolers!"
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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@....
________
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.
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GIVE YOUR CHILD THE HEADSPROUT READING ADVANTAGE
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. Your child will really enjoy our fun, animated,
interactive episodes. After just five 20-minute episodes, children
read their first Headsprout books. Act quickly. For a limited time,
Headsprout Reading is available free at: http://www.headsprout.com .
Please enter the promotional code: HEND4
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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.
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GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
2700 FOLKS IN THESE COUNTRIES LAUGH AT MATH: Australia, Bahamas,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, England, Greece, Hungary,
Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia,
Mexico, Nauru, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Qatar,
South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, and the US. They
subscribe to our free hilarious math newsletter, at
http://www.gnarlymath.com . There you can also download free examples
of our CD-ROM Gnarly Math. For a refresher course in Math, or to
intrigue your kids, try our moneyback-guaranteed CD.
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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!
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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
http://www.dhmo.org
April Fool!
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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