William Jewell College, Liberty, MO

William Jewell is on a hill in the quiet Kansas City, MO, suburb of Liberty.  The college is marked by a serene campus, well laid out, with fantastic views - hilly Missouri rural to the east, and to the southwest on the horizon is the Kansas City skyline.  It is a small, private liberal arts college whose degree programs feature individualized course planning, particularly the one-of-a-kind Oxbridge program, which is as close to unschooling as a college ever could be.  The Oxbridge program has a student meeting with his own tutor who helps the student plan his own college education of independent study and research; the junior year is spent as a fully matriculated student of either Oxford or Cambridge.

Pros:  seems very suited for a kid who is accustomed to high-level interaction with peers, tutors, and coaches in small groups, who has been taught to apply more than memorize, and who prefers a safe, handpicked little world in which to be nurtured to a high standard of intellect and leadership. The college recognizes homeschoolers for the fantastic students they are.

Cons:  The college, like Liberty itself, is 95% white.  All students live on campus, which provides for deep networking that will be to one's advantage but also limits one's interactions and scope.

What should a homeschooled child do to prepare for a William Jewell education? Read.  Read widely, and think. Discuss what you read and apply what you read.  Write. Write widely, too.  Invest time in community service and leadership opportunities such as Scouting and American Legion Boys and Girls State. Take the ACT, aim for a score of at least 27 to qualify for merit scholarships.

The price of the college may seem high, but scholarships to students with the background to prove themselves and are generous, and grants for those who can verify true need are available to close the gap. Once the admissions office whittles your actual cost down to the lowest they can manage, then they will go one step further and divide the cost into 4 no-interest payments spread throughout the academic year.

And what did my (partially) homeschooled young man have to say about it?

College Review series:  as my own children start college visits, I will post reviews of campuses in relation to how the campus would work for a homeschooler. I also invite others to send me reviews of colleges they visit with their homeschoolers, which I will then guest-feature.

WFMW: Brain Pop

Brain Pop is a website with a lot of free content-  last year I never paid for a membership, my daughter spent most of the year going through everything they have that's free.  We were hooked by then, and this year we paid for access to the rest of their library.

One of the free parts is for Educators~  Webinars, lesson plans, forums to talk to other Brainpop educators including one for homeschoolers.  Coming up in November is a webinar on game design. 

My kids love Brain Pop.    They seek it out.  The videos are interesting and informative. The quizzes and activities help the child think about what they have been exposed to.

And, I admit, since we aren't sharing a computer Brain Pop gives me some free time each day.

And that works for me.

WFMW is a meme developed by and linked to http://wearethatfamily.com/.

Occupy , homeschooling and the 1%

I am the 1%.  The 1% of American moms who can "afford to homeschool."

Yes, I actually do hear that all the time.  "I admire you for homeschooling. I think that would be great, but we can't afford it, "  that is,  "for me to stay home with the kids."  Am I really that less capable of earning a living than my female counterparts?  Because one of the reasons I homeschool is because I have never been able to afford to work outside the home.  I was working when I got married- a workstudy job that had me doing social support for a group of 7 disabled adults in an independent living situation. That semester was soon over and I didn't work again until my first baby was nearly a year old; we nannied a preschooler together for $3/hour for about a year.  Then the next baby was 6 weeks old and I tried waiting tables at the Johnny Carino's flagship, which lasted all of 4 weeks. My babysitter was taking home more money than I was.  That was when I realized: I can't afford to work.  I certified as a childbirth prep teacher and doula, but again childcare cost put an end to that. I became a breastfeeding educator (it was natural since I had to get that much educated, myself, to manage to successfully breastfeed my own) and ended working one day a week as a WIC peer counselor. Well, one morning a week. It was all my man could afford to stay home with the kids.

I am the 1%, though.  When we moved we couldn't sell our house and were somehow eagerly given a mortgage we can't really afford- yes in the midst of the housing bubble burst.  For about six months last year we used our 401k to pay both mortgages; this month we have to do it again or choose which loan to default on.  A stuck place to be since in 19 years we have never once been late- much less missed- a rent or mortgage payment. Our credit score is nearly perfect due to years of diligence. But now we have to choose.  We've never been completely without income, as my man has cleaned houses and churches when he was "between jobs."  He has worked two jobs simultaneously for our entire marriage.  Our kids started finding ways to earn their own money-  one even started his own company at age 8, worked it for 5 years before selling it to his own 8 year old brother (who lost it when we moved). Even my 7 year old was out raking leaves this week and earned a dollar of her own.

I am the 1%.  Actually when you compare what I have to the world... then you see, I am rolling.

I'm the 51,651,878 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are!

I am the 1%.  I can "afford" to homeschool because our family chooses to do without a lot of things.  I take my kids shopping for new clothes at the Goodwill or other peoples' pass-along bags.  I don't buy fancy curricula, but scour thrift stores for books and materials. We don't go out to movies, we don't have cable, we rarely go out to eat.  We pay cash for our used vehicles and then drive them until we have to sell them to a junkyard. Our kids share rooms so we can squeeze in a boarder. We don't know if we can pay our mortgage this month or next. We run out of money between paychecks.  We eat meals based on what was given away at the Food Pantry. We barter services with others.  We apply for grants to get home repairs. We work a garden for produce. And my kids rake leaves and do odd jobs for neighbors to earn spending money.

I thought maybe I could find a job to help bring in just a little more, to give us a little more margin. I found almost nothing I was qualified for.  There are some cool jobs out there, for sure.  For someone who can afford the cost:  Must be willing to work nights and weekends. Job is outdoors in all weather including extreme weather. Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. Must be able to stand on feet all day.  Must be able to dress professionally/have a professional appearance. Must be available for paid training- 4 weeks on the other side of the country.  Must be available for unpaid training. Must keep your own cellphone to take work calls.  Must be available within one hour of being called in for work.  Must have CDL. Must have bachelor's degree.  Must be a veteran.  Must be over 18. Job is part-time, 64-80 hours per pay period.  Job is temporary. Job is PRN.  

Yet I am the 1%. I'm posting this from a laptop (picked up used) using WIFI at home. With WIFI and the library,  careful budgeting, and making choices to do without A so we can have B, we can afford to homeschool.  We have choices.  We have options.  We have that freedom.  *But we're still totally annoyed with what we see here.*

Field Trips for Dummies

pic from http://greatquotationsinc.com

A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment.
The purpose of the trip is usually observation for education, non-experimental research or to provide students with experiences outside their everyday activities, such as going camping with teachers and their classmates. The aim of this research is to observe the subject in its natural state and possibly collect samples. In western culture people first come across this method during school years when classes are taken on school trips... source

One thing I love about unschooling is that we have no normal environment.  Last week was scheduled as Science City week.  Yes, three days in a row to the same field trip.

Day 1, Tuesday.  Arriving at Science City around 11 a.m. with a flyer inviting us to "Homeschool Days" I am a little disoriented to hear the unmistakable din of a hundred school children. In my experience, when a popular attraction announces special "Homeschool Day" the place has been reserved for home schoolers to the exclusion of busloads of field trippers.  It's not that we want to stay away from public school kids-  au contraire.  It's just that most places that advertise "Homeschool Day" usually have the space set apart for the day.  One of the advantages of homeschooling, after all, is not having to fight crowds at attractions. We notice the public school kids, unleashed into Science City for this three hours for likely the first-and last- time, are bouncing around the place like so many molecules. Bees buzzing from one nectar source to another, they touched, poked, prodded and otherwise tactally tasted bits the museum has to offer without getting very deep into anything.

My kids were much the same: the place is huge, and there is SO much to see and do. It's very exciting. We leave for the quiet of the planetarium.

Day 2, Wednesday, 11 a.m.  The place is quiet. Too quiet.  I get the explanation: there had been classes scheduled, but they had canceled. Without the distracting frenzy and without long lines, my kids are able to concentrate and take advantage of much one-on-one time with various earth sci displays. An activity involving pudding, cookie crumbs and gummy worms- sure to hook them. They buy fossils and minerals, and tour the Dino Dig area and the Nature Center before it's time to leave. I promise to bring them back but rush them out the door to make a 2:00 appointment.

  

Day 3, Thursday, 11 a.m. Classes are back.  Either we have now been conditioned to huge crowds or this set of classes is more organized; they seem to be groups of 3-4 kids each led by one adult in almost family size pods.  Yesterday we departed with a plan in mind, so today we head straight for the Citiblocks room and build for the first 40 minutes.  We wind through the Mister E Hotel and take in the optical illusions, go out for lunch, walk through the Railroad Experience.  Go out to the Freight Bridge where trains are passing under us. My 5yo exclaims "this is the best day ever for having a train go so close to me!" Back into Science City for an activity involving melted wax- This place really does a great job getting the kids' attention. I have to bribe the kids to leave with double-stuff Oreos.

The staff at Science City observed with me in conversation that there really did seem to be something about bringing the kids 3 days in a row that made the experience start to take a whole new shape.  As with our regular visits to the zoo or Kaleidoscope, familiarity has changed the place from one that causes "it's so big let's get it ALL" excitement to one that can become focused and fully experienced.... becoming a real learning opportunity rather than just one of many brief experiences.

Invest in the annual passes, and go regularly. You want these "field trips" to be the normal environment for learning.  Go enough that the kids can plan just to focus in on one thing. We actually pack up read-alouds or even hands-on-activities and take them to the library, sculpture garden and or zoo, just to sit down together and do something we would have done at the dining table just a few years ago. Have you ever considered driving to the nearest Romanesque fountain while enjoying your stack of books on ancient Romans?

What's your favorite out-of-the-ordinary go-to spot?

Ask birthblessed: My 8 mo old won't sleep!

I loaned out my No Cry Sleep Solution years ago and never got it back. But I'm not sure baby sleep is something mothers can easily forget. Otherwise we'd have a lot more children.

Only my First Baby cried in bed as a "parenting plan." I fell for cry it out. And I have always regretted it. It felt wrong then, and we still are working to reverse the problems that came with letting him cry it out-   he felt abandoned. He is very intelligent- and that could have been why letting him CIO caused such issues with attachment and abandonment.  He was aware that we were ignoring his cries. What he learned is that he could not trust us to meet his needs. The results of sleep training in our home was that of 7, he was the one child with the most sleep issues- hard to fall asleep at night, waking way too early in the morning. Now he's a big old football player who when he gets stressed out he gets angry and puts up walls. It boils down to a fear that no one is listening to him, and no one will meet his needs. And the affect of chronic sleep deprivation.

The rest of my kids were actively parented at night as well as day (as opposed to having the mindset that the kid "should' just go to bed and stay there 12 hours so I can be "off the clock"). This included holding them in my lap all evening, rocking them, laying down in bed with them, letting them play with blocks at my feet til 10 p.m. and keeping a cot for them in my room for years. My youngest two slept 8 hours straight before 6 weeks old- of course the next one up in age was still waking at night. As far as I know, he still does. While #3 wanted to sleep snuggled in the crook of my arm til he was 4, #2 and #4 both preferred to have a bed to themselves (one from birth and the other by 4 months). Each child is different- and YOU are different from child to child as the years pass.  But a couple things never seemed to change:

1. Nursing to sleep is biologically natural and has no downsides.  Breastmilk does not cause tooth decay. My oldest who was Ferberized was allowed a bottle of tap water to suck on at night. He has never had a single cavity.  My 2nd-born never nursed to sleep, or took a bottle before bed, because he didn't care for it.  He is the only one of my children to have had a cavity, and it was at age 10 and unrelated to babymilk. All of the children eventually stopped being nursed to sleep. It's been years since I did that.  The best benefit to nursing my babies to sleep was that I rarely missed church, since I could quietly latch my Maya-wrapped baby on and he'd quickly doze off, leaving me to a restful quiet sermon.  I actually used this tactic to have a restful church until he was 2 1/2.
2. Good night-time sleep absolutely requires a healthful daytime routine.  Babies do in fact thrive on routine. I nursed on demand, but put a rhythm in the day that included as much natural daylight as possible. Once baby was eating solid food, then a healthful meal routine that was very low on simple processed carbohydrates like crackers and very high in fresh fruit, natural yogurt, organic egg yolks, and natural caught salmon and organic meats (to some extent, some of my kids preferred a vegetarian diet and one child for a time ate nothing but tortillas). 

I promise you that parenting them at night is only labor intensive for a short while, and laying down with him to sleep is nature's way of making sure YOU get enough sleep in the process.  All those other little things you think you need to do?  They'll get done eventually if they matter, or not if they don't.  Anyone can pick up the kitchen, make a meal. And no one really suffered for eating mostly fresh fruit and quesidillas most days for months when it was all Mama could handle.

There are LOTS Of us mamas in your shoes, so find a buddy.  Every time you go to the store call your Mama Buddy and ask her what you can get for her while you are there.  One less trip to the store for her-  and next time she's there she can ask you.  In fact, if you are able to coordinate it well enough, you can even make it a regular thing- you go this week, I'll go next.  I found having a Mama drop in one afternoon where we sat with our babies on the floor on blankets while we folded my laundry and chatted made my week feel not quite so long.

Another trick I've done since #1 is to find a kid age 10-13 nearby who is crazy about babies. And have him/her come over every day for an hour for a dollar or two.  The baby is thrilled to have a new friend for an hour, the tween is happy to have some spending money- and it gives you an hour to get some things done. 

And rock your baby, swaddle your baby, hold your baby, because he WILL GROW UP.  He will apply to colleges. He will get scholarship letters. He will text you to ask you to bring him something to school and you'll say "sure" and he'll text back "Thank you Mommy" and you'll smile.  Even if you let him CIO and you end up paying $5000 for some therapy and you feel like you caused it all because you were a terrible mom--  but you know at the same time it isn't true, you have always just done the best you can. And sometimes when you are tired the best you can do is let them cry in the other room for 15-20 minutes because after all you JUST NEED TO PUT HIM DOWN A LITTLE WHILE!  

And never ever be afraid to call a Mama Buddy and say "Can you please come hang out with me for an hour?" or "Can I drop my kid off for the afternoon?"

This is what IMO "it takes a village" means.  Support, mama, support.

My visual reminder during those years---   get a string and pull out a couple arm lengths of it.  Then pinch the end in your fingers and hold it up high. THAT is your life in inches, give or take.  Measure from one end to the distance in inches that represents your current age, and wrap a 1" wide piece of masking tape right there. THAT is this year that your baby will depend on you to teach him to trust that his needs will be met. In all your long life, it's just this one year.  The nights are long, but honey, the year is short.  Lay down with him, tell him all the things you wish for him, tell him how much you love him. Isaiah the prophet, chapter 66 verse 13, As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you. There is nothing that needs to be done in the evening that is more important than laying down with your baby, to lay down a good foundation.

Ed Chat: Core subjects~ Social sciences

History, geography, sociology and more are all rolled up into social sciences and humanities.  We need to be getting beyond rote memorization of names, dates, and places. To become real movers, shakers and thinkers, our kids need to be able to digest the big picture because they have tasted all the small pieces.

Scope and sequence starts kids close to home and takes them in broader circles until they reach the edges of the world.  Children go from "who are the people in your neighborhood" to memorizing the signers of the Magna Carta and the date of the 100 Years' War.  Is this an effective manner of teaching kids?  NAEP reports that our kids are not proficient in their geography test. My 4th grader took the sample test online and only missed one question. So-  how do I create a kid who can think and finds a test an interesting afternoon diversion?

http://static02.mediaite.com/geekosystem/uploads/2010/10/true-size-of-africa.jpg

Read.  Don't leave maps, dates, places, and names in a textbook-- pull them out of living books.  Then get interactive-  art that depicts scenes and characters; videos - both "fun" ones like Liberty's Kids cartoons and History channel documentaries weave it all together.  Maps and atlases on display and accessible. Sandboxes and plenty of white paper to draw on give children an outlet for showing off what they know in their own creations.

It's probably OK if you use Geography Songs to help your kids memorize all the countries in the world and their capitals.  But it's only a beginning-  have they experienced the countries?  Do they know which ones are warm, mountainous, thriving, at war?  Can they share what it all means to their existence? Do they see the people as individuals much like themselves, or is it all vague? Is Africa just a safari?  Is Asia limited to The Great Wall?

Resources we like:

The Stay At Home Uniform

There is a certain preconceived notion about fashion for the Stay-Home mom who is also a Home-School mom. I mean, when people hear that we home-school, they'll ask the kids "So do you do school in pajamas?! (Yes, sometimes.) But I like to make some attempt to get past sweatpants and teeshirts and slippers as my "uniform." My husband telecommutes, as well-  can you imagine if we all just dressed in sweats? I can't imagine what message that would send. Some of my kids go to school, and I know that I have a problem with teachers who show up to the school dressed unprofessionally! If it matters what they wear, then it matters what I wear.

If you dress as a person of respect, you will be given that respect. If you dress as though you just rolled out of bed, no matter your intelligence or qualifications, you will never gain the same amount of respect by your colleagues. No matter how hard we try to believe that looks do not matter, THEY DO. What separates you from your intellectual equals is often the superficial: the firm handshake, the confident air, the better resume paper and the attire you chose. source

Most workday, we are indeed more productive if we all have on *work* clothes. My man having on his "work" shirts helps the kids know Dad is At Work, even if he is in the house. He is also less likely to waste company time if he's in his work "uniform." Plus, he is always ready for a conference call- even if it is a video conference call.

For MY part-- I used to be "comfortable" in my denim jumpers and sweatshirts but realized that I'm a grown up now. MY comfort is completely irrelevent in the grown-up world. It's a message I tell my kids all the time-- You are not on this world for your personal comfort. You are here for the betterment of other people and the earth. Yourself is a distant step down. So "home business casual" is the uniform for home-schooling and telecommuting. 

To protect clothing in the kitchen, I wear an apron. I have a collection of aprons and find them a fun accessory and absolutely essential to protecting my outfit when I'm cooking or cleaning. I really like a pocket apron when I'm moving through the house, to pick up all those little things that are laying about and need put away. If I am going to the garden, working in the yard, or building or doing heavy cleaning then yes, it is appropriate to wear clothing that is appropriate to the job. One simply must change clothes between tasks.  It helps to block tasks so that you are not changing clothes unnecessarily or incessantly.  Unless one is four-or-five years old- then it's apparently de rigeur.

I didn't use to get dressed to makeup and shoes (and I still don't manage it *every* day), and I slacked back then. I was depressed, too. My house was a mess. My kids weren't being disciplined. No one had much respect for me, and why should they? I didn't seem to respect myself.

I never have to worry now about getting an invite for coffee- I'm ready! I can invite people over or accept drop-ins. I'm ready. Once in a while, DH and I will look at each other, tell the kids to make themselves a backyard picnic, and we run out for a business lunch. Because we can.

What is your definition of "home business casual"?  For me it's our trusty jeans - I have a jean knee length skirt, too.  Our collection of message tees is still OK in my book.  My man has black company issued logo tees and a couple logo collared twills for "dressing up."  I find dresses more comfortable than jeans in warmer months, so I have my collection of spring-summer skirts and dresses. I use big chunky necklaces and fun earrings to dress up the tees.

Alternative/Unschooling the High Schooler into College

a guest piece by Reneé in San Antonio


Anyone else sent a kid to college without doing all the normal high school classes in your homeschool? We did. Ds 18 was a tough nut to school. "Normal" classroom style work just made his eyes glaze over, and he often ignored it...whether taught by me or by a co-op teacher. I'm sharing a piece of our story in the hopes it will encourage you to think creatively about how learning occurs at the high school level. I hope others will share their alternative education routes too so we can help each other see possible paths to graduation that don't follow the textbook route. 


Ds has always had a passion for gadgets, and when he was 12 we bought him a computer. He quickly discovered he loved programming so we fed him a steady stream of expensive programming tools and books so he could self teach. The kid is highly motivated to learn what he wants to learn. He started high school work in 8th grade with biology and Sonlight world history. Then took a couple of co-op classes in ninth grade. Tenth grade he added a class at the local community college (programming..his favorite subject) and did great. Most of this time, though, he spent his hours tinkering with code, making video games, and programming gadgets to "talk" to each other. 


So Junior year we talked about doing a big formal education push and having a "real" class schedule. He took four co-op classes plus two college duel credit classes each semester. Big fail! He failed two of the co-op classes and got C's and D's in all the rest. Sigh. I felt like I had really failed him...didn't see this coming...didn't help him manage it well...maybe you understand. Senior year he took three duel credit classes (one of which he nearly failed) plus a half year of pre-cal at home. I basically called it quits at Christmas. He continued to do his programming work at home.


His high school transcript is heavy on the science/computer stuff and really light on English and history; plus I had to get really creative in what I counted as class credit. For example, I had him teach an elementary bridge buiding class to his younger brother complete with testing/grading and record keeping to coerce him into working on organizational and record keeping skills (plus a good review of basic mechanics from when I taught him the class). For his programming I would have him write up a document explaining his progress in programming skill at the end of each semester and then we would name the "class" he had taken to learn it. 


Bottom line, for now anyway, is that he wants to go to college. And he can (yipee!!!) because of outstanding PSAT/SAT scores. He even got a great scholarship. I think homeschooling was the best option for him. In a brick school he would have simply failed out and never had the opportunity to go to college. 


P.S. This summer he got a fabulous job as a programmer for a little startup company locally. Not only is he making a super decent hourly wage, he can take the job with him to college. So, is that encouraging to you? I hope so. I hope too, that if you have a reluctant textbook learner, that you consider finding their passion and giving them the tools to run with it. Other skills can be slipped in sideways along the way as they follow their dreams.