K12 Virtual School Comes to Virginia

K12, a distance learning school with strong academic credentials, has partnered with the Nelson County School District (and others across the country) to offer online education to homeschoolers.

According to an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (12/10/06), the virtual school is available to students throughout Virginia (contact the Nelson County School system for more information).

As always, there are concerns about getting entangled in the government's web, and about sitting a child in front of the computer for extensive periods of time, but for some families, this may be a solution that works.

Many people are enthusiastic about K12's curriculum, which is based on the Core Knowledge series written by E.D. Hirsch. This means a greater-than-usual emphasis on solid, traditional learning, including the use of good classic literature.

I'll be looking forward to getting some feedback from parents who have participated in the program!

Virginia Homeschool Law Updates

There were two articles in the December 5, 2006 Richmond Times-Dispatch that effectively summarized recent changes in the homeschool law and discussed their impact on homeschoolers.

The first article, Helping Homeschoolers (they used the archaic spelling, home-schoolers), appeared on the front page of the Metro Section, and included positive comments from several homeschool parents.

The second article appeared on page 3 of the same section. Titled "Religious Exemptions Rise," the article included statistics on home instruction in each of the Virginia counties, as well as statistics on how many students choose to homeschool under the religious exemption law.

Thanks to staff writer, Holly Prestidge, both articles seem to be well-researched, and present homeschooling in a balanced way. The boxes and sidebars that were included provide extra information in an interesting and usable format.

It would have been nice if links to the websites of Virginia's primary homeschool organization, Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV), as well as the other organizations mentioned, could have been included, but as they can be easily found online or through directory assistance, that is a minor quibble. Overall, this was a positive and informative presentation, and worthy of sharing!

Gratefulness

In honor of Thanksgiving, here is one of my favorite poems for you:

GRATEFULNESS

Thou that hast giv’n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart.
See how thy beggar works on thee
By art.
He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And says, If he in this be crossed,
All thou hast giv’n him heretofore
Is lost.

But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst
To save.

Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more,
And comes.

This not withstanding, thou wenst on,
And didst allow us all our noise:
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan
Thy joys.
Not that thou hast not still above
Much better tunes, than groans can make;
But that these country-airs thy love
Did take.

Wherefore I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain
Of thee:
Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.

George Herbert (1593- 1633)

RandomTravel Notes

A few observations from our California trip...

*- When the natives can't seem to answer a simple question about the weather, it's not because they are recalcitrant, it's because California weather is remarkably variable. You may start the morning wearing a long sleeve t-shirt under a hoodie and a leather jacket, then find yourself shedding it all for a short-sleeve t-shirt and flip flops by early afternoon. Whatever you wear, chances are you'll need to make adjustments throughout the day, so plan for it.

*- Everyone should drive up California's Route 1 at least once in their life. If you are a passenger, look out the window and enjoy the ride. Don't try to tell the driver what to do-- he or she can see that the road is flanked on one side by a mountain, and on the other by a precipice. Chances are, he/she doesn't want to fall off the edge any more than you do, so just enjoy the view. I've been driver, and I've been passenger on this beautiful road, and both are fun as long as there are no 'helpers.'

*- Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places in the country. We spent a few days there-- horseback riding in Andrew Molera State Park; hiking in Big Sur State Park; and walking, climbing, and tidepooling on the lovely beaches. It was mostly chilly-- I ended up layering t-shirts with my cashmere sweaters and a hoodie. Only at the top of the Valley View hike did I feel really warm!

*- The best place to watch the sunset is from the outdoor dining area at Nepenthe in Big Sur. The cliff-side location defines 'romantic,' and when the sun slowly sets, lamps are lit around the perimeter of the patio, and heaters provide welcome warmth as the suset's afterglow slowly fades.

*- San Francisco has a remarkably large number of non-productive citizens clogging the downtown streets. It's not entirely pleasant to walk anywhere when you know you'll be acosted by a number of unnerving strangers before you reach your destination. It's not that I'm not a city person-- I grew up east L.A.; I've been to New York, Paris, London, Florence, and other large cities and never felt quite as bothered as I did in San Francisco. It doesn't seem that these people can be good for the tourism industry. I normally love to walk in cities, but I did not enjoy the experience in SF, and was quite happy to leave.

*- Santa Barbara remains a favorite town. We honeymooned there about 25 years ago, and it was so nice to revisit. The weather was spectacular, and we enjoyed a great dinner on State Street. Neither of us could remember the name of the hotel where we stayed back then-- it had blue roofed cottages, and was just off Route 1. Does anyone know if it's still there?

I'll probably record a few more impressions, along with a few photos when we get home. It's been a lovely trip!

How to Start an Online Business

I am always watching for good information about creating a profitable home business. There are many things you can do from home, and the internet provides an incredible range of new opportunities for stay-at-home moms, teens who want to start a small business, and families who need to supplement their income.

Stephen Beck, a homeschool dad and online entrepreneur, offers an outstanding course, Secrets to Building Sites That Sell. This course, which made over $48,000 in just 5 days when it was first launched, reveals Steve's secrets to creating an e-commerce website that really works.

In 3 CD-ROMs with over 6 hours of video tutorials, plus a Getting Started
manual, over 8 hours of audio, 120 pages of transcripts, and more, Steve covers:

- How to find profitable niches
- How to create a profitable website
- How to upload your website to the Internet
- What kind of website works best for different kinds of products
- How to choose a domain name and web hosting
- How to get new visitors every day!
- How to set up a shopping cart
- How to make large commissions recommending other people’s products
- How to give your website that professional look

The course nearly sold out when it was first launched a few months ago, but it will soon be available again. Meanwhile, Steve is offering free sample videos of the course if you click here.

You'll be asked to sign up (just first name and e-mail) to know when the course is available, and I highly recommend that you do so. You can learn a lot about online business just by watching the previews! (This is how I learned how to do a lot of things I do in my business-- just by reading free newsletters, listening to teleseminars, and watching free how-to videos. This works only if you have a lot of time to spend. I have been working at it for about 6 years. If I had started learning with an organized course such at Building Sites that Sell, I would have progressed a lot faster!)

Le Guin Quote on Writing

Here's a quote to inspire you as you write your novel for NaNoWriMo!

"Writers have to get used to launching something beautiful and watching it crash and burn.

They also have to learn when to let go control, when the work takes off on its own and flies, farther than they ever planned or imagined, to places they didn't know they knew.

All makers must leave room for the acts of the spirit. But they have to work hard and carefully, and wait patiently, to deserve them."

Ursula LeGuin, author of the wonderful Steering the Craft:: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew, the Earthsea Cycle, and more.
(From Dancing at the Edge of the World: Thoughts on Words, Women, Places, 1989.)

NaNoWriMo- Go!

Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month. It's one of the most grueling, enjoyable months of the year for writers and writer wannabes.

What is NaNoWriMo (a.k.a. NaNo)? It's the wild and crazy brainchild of a guy named Chris Baty. The goal of NaNo is for everyone who signs up to write an entire novel, defined as 50,000 words, in the month of November.

Sign-up is free and eashttp://beta.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gify at the National Novel Writing Month official website. The site also offers offers encouragement, forums, and WriMo Radio broadcasts.

Why would you want to do NaNo? It will up-end your entire month; the book you write will be rough; and you won't have any spare time to dust the refrigerator or agonize over the the leaves cluttering your front lawn.

Trust me-- you want to do NaNo for all those reasons and more. An up-ended routine can spark all sorts of creativity; a rough draft of a book is something tangible to revise (but a blank page will get you nowhere); and you probably didn't want to dust and rake anyway!

NaNo is a great English assignment for students who enjoy writing. It's a tremendous learning experience, and if it's done right, you can foster a lasting love of writing in your student. Here's what I suggest:

* Assign the writing project only if your student is interested.
* Set daily and weekly word goals so that the project is broken into manageable chunks.
* Feel free to set a lower number of required words for younger students (but you may be surprised at how motivated a ten-year-old can be).
* Do not read your student's work unless invited to do so-- just check the word count each day or week to ensure that the interim goals are being met.
* Consider writing your own NaNo book. It's fun to have someone to share the inevitable moments of frustration or triumph.
* Use the forums on the NaNoWriMo site with caution. Some threads are not suitable for students.
* Try NaNo as a co-op or group project. Misery loves company!
* Get Chris Baty's book, "No Plot, No Problem!">No Plot, No Problem! It offers a ton of helpful tips, plus a supportive message for every week of November.

So, after all that, am I going to do NaNo this year? Unfortunately, I'm not. We have a trip scheduled for two weeks in November, and there's just no way to fit an entire novel around that (though I'm sorely tempted to try!).

What I plan to do is to cheer from the sidelines, with frequent blog entries to help you make the most of this wild experience. I'll post encouraging quotes and tips on writing, plus an occasional suggestion or recipe for NaNo food. For some reason, everyone thinks they must eat in November, so from past NaNo years (and my normal life as a writer), I have a lot of ideas for making good food fast. And that's a good thing to do any month of the year!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog so that you'll receive encouragement and inspiration for reading and writing, delivered hot and fresh to your desktop. And please post comments about how things are going! Bon voyage-- I wish I could could take the NaNo journey with you!

Review: Dark Enough to See the Stars by Connie Lapallo

Dark Enough to See the Stars Under a Jamestown Sky
by Connie Lapallo

Reviewed by Janice Campbell- www.EverydayEducation.com

Occasionally, I read a book that makes me want to e-mail all my friends and say, "You've got to read this book!" It's not quite as often that I encounter a book that makes me want to buttonhole complete strangers, saying "You have to read this book!"

Connie Lapallo's debut novel is the second kind of book. I was riveted from the first chapter by the fascinating story of Joan Peirce, Lapallo's 13th great grandmother, one of the few women in early Jamestown who survived the Starving Time. Most of the characters, events, and places in the novel are historically accurate, and Lapallo, a writer and home educator, includes extensive information in the end notes to help the reader sort the fiction from the fact.

Lapallo's meticulous research reveals a time in history when the lives of ordinary women were routinely turned upside down by hurricane, plague, starvation, and other circumstances beyond their control. The character of Joan is warmly and realistically portrayed, and her joys and sorrows captured my heart. As I put down the book, I felt as if I'd walked beside her in the wilderness of primitive Jamestown.

The 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown will be celebrated in 2007. Dark Enough to See the Stars would be a wonderful, family-appropriate book to share in honor of the event. If you plan a trip to Jamestown, I highly recommend that you read the book first and look through the photos and resources at Lapallo's website. When you arrive at Jamestown, and walk through the palisade, explore the ship, and sit in the little church, you just might feel a sense of deja vu as you look over the land that became Joan's home.

Read this book!
It's available from the author at www.connielapallo.com (signed, if you request it), or from Amazon.com.

*You're welcome to reprint this review in its entirety as long as you include the links, and leave a comment telling me where it will appear. Articles are a bit like children-- their 'parents' like to know where they go

Discover It! Vocabulary for SAT Prep

At a homeschool convention this summer, I met Horace G. Danner, Ph.D., Professor of Writing at University of Maryland University College. He is a linguist who has co-written with Roger Noel, Ph.D., two fascinating vocabulary resources.

My boys and I like words. We like to know where they come from, and how they came to be used as they are used in the English language (which, if you haven't noticed, is a very strange language!). Since we have had Discover It! and The English Tree of Roots, we have used them often to look up words that have puzzled us.

Discover It! presents words in 100 clusters. Each word cluster lesson is presented on two pages, beginning with a box containing the entire cluster of words with the common element highlighted. Romance cognates, words with disguised roots, relevant Latin phrases, and more are introduced, and the student is provided with interesting and memorable examples of the words in context, plus Wordextras- unique facts or constructions. There are writing tips and quotes sprinkled throughout, and periodic quizzes (with answers in the appendix). This is a unique and useful resource for vocabulary building!

The English Tree of Roots is a dictionary of English roots.http://beta.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif For example, if you wish to look up the origin of the word "letter," you find that it comes from "liter," and is related to literal, literate, and over 30 variations including uncommon words such as antiliterate, heteroliteral, obliteration, and more. Seeing words in their clusters or family groups is a terrific way to expand vocabulary!

Dr. Danner is also author of an autobiography, Out of the Cotton Fields. This inspiring story tells how reading and education helped him transcend his childhood in an alchoholic Alabama sharecropping family. He donates profits from the sale of this book to an award fund for high school students to help boost exam scores for college entrance.

For more information, visit Occoquan Books.

How to Start a Home Business - Fast!

If you want to start an internet-based home business, and you have three days you can spare to learn from the people who are really doing it, I recommend this seminar.

Even if you can't come, and are not sure you want an internet-based business, I recommend that you or your teen sign up for the free preview calls. You'll learn an amazing amount there, and may be inspired to begin. That said, let me announce....

A Very Special Event!

It's bigger and better than ever... THE BigSeminar #8 Atlanta 2006! I first heard about this seminar last year, but couldn't go. I registered for the free preview training calls anyway, and learned an incredible amount of valuable information. One brief tidbit of advice I heard on one of the free training calls has earned me nearly $500 in the last few months!

Each time I've implemented something I've learned from the Big Seminar calls, my business has increased. For me, that was the evidence I needed in order to know that attending the Big Seminar was something I would be wise to do.

I consider it an investment, because I will be able to come home and share with my boys all the terrific things I've learned. So my investment of time and resources will be shared by my entire family, and, like all I've learned throughout our homeschool years, will have the power to touch our lives for many years to come.

This seminar has changed the lives of thousands of people from all over the world --- now is your chance.

I plan to be among the select group of 400 people who will be personally trained by the world's top marketing minds.... and I hope you will plan to join me. Do hurry, though, as only a limited number of seats are left.

Click on this link: BigSeminar Business Training Event

Plus... Armand Morin is giving away $20,000 in cash and prizes at the seminar. This is amazing. Get your share!

Click HERE to read more about it, and to get on the list for the free preview training calls. Remember, the free calls alone will teach you an incredible amount about starting and growing a business. Even though there is a good bit of talk about the Big Seminar itself (which is actually rather helpful in making your decision), the calls contain a lot of solid information you can apply as soon as you get off the phone. They're worth every minute!

I hope to see you in Atlanta on October 27, 28, and 29!

Janice Campbell

P.S. If you decide to come, please e-mail me, and let me know. That way, I can look forward to meeting you there!

P.P.S. If you have any questions about the Big Seminar, please feel free to e-mail me. I haven't been yet, but I've listened to the training calls for three separate Big Seminars over the past couple of years, and I've heard from many people who attended and were thrilled with what they learned. If I can't answer your questions, I can probably direct you to a person who can!

Ceremony of Innocence

The recent shooting at the Amish school in Nickle Creek is such a sad event. It made me think of William Butler Yeats' poem, "The Second Coming."

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?


Although the Amish community cares for its own, there are ways to reach out and show compassion, both to the Amish victims and to the family that the shooter left behind.

These two funds are available for the Amish families:

The Nickel Mines Children's Fund
c/o Coatesville Savings Bank
Paradise, PA 17562


The Nickel Mines School Victims Fund
c/o HomeTowne Heritage Bank
P.O. Box 337
Strasburg, PA 17579

The next fund is for the family of the shooter. I'm certain that their distress and need must be immense.

Roberts Family Fund
Coatesville Savings Bank
1082 Georgetown Rd.
Paradise, PA 17562

And finally, the Mennonite Disaster Service and Mennonite Central Committee also provide emotional, physical, and financial support to those in need. You may visit their website at http://www.mcc.org/news/news/2006/2006-10-03_support.html.

I will continue to pray that the families affected by this tragedy be comforted by the peace that passes understanding.

Why Literature?

"How is this relevant to my life?" students often ask when presented with a literature anthology or a writing assignment. I've been thinking much about literature, in the course of refining my Zeitgeist Literature (www.z-lit.com) series. I'm more deeply than ever convinced of its importance, and yes- relevance- in every area of life.

With a strong foundation in literature, it becomes possible to put life into words. We read of the experiences of others, and they become our own; we are able to place our own experiences in perspective; we can grasp the significance, beauty, or tragedy of an event in a way that is impossible for a person who lacks fundamental literacy. We learn by example how to clearly express feelings, describe experiences, and empathize with others. Literature not only teaches us how to communicate, it also gives us a common basis for understanding one another.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in his 1970 Nobel lecture, said,

"The sole substitute for an experience which we have not ourselves lived through is art [and] literature... From man to man, as he completes his brief spell on Earth, art transfers the whole weight of an unfamiliar, lifelong experience with all its burdens, its colours, its sap of life; it recreates in the flesh an unknown experience and allows us to possess it as our own."

and...

"...literature conveys irrefutable condensed experience ... from generation to generation. Thus it becomes the living memory of the nation. Thus it preserves and kindles within itself the flame of her spent history, in a form which is safe from deformation and slander. In this way literature, together with language, protects the soul of the nation"

and...

"World literature has it in its power to convey condensed experience from one land to another so that we might cease to be split and dazzled, that the different scales of values might be made to agree, and one nation learn correctly and concisely the true history of another with such strength of recognition and painful awareness as it had itself experienced the same, and thus might it be spared from repeating the same cruel mistakes."

Solzhenitsyn asserts that literature serves an irreplaceable transmitter of experience from person to person, generation to generation, and nation to nation. Is this relevant? It is important?

I believe that it is. The transmission of experience is vitally important for many reasons. Think about it...

Good literature broadens our experiences. Without literature, we live alone in the cage of our own experiences. We are limited by the confines of time and space-- until we open the door to the experiences of others.
-We learn to empathize by experiencing the feelings of others.
-We learn to beware of that which is false, temporal, and worthless.
-We learn about consequences by experiencing the suffering and joy of others.
-We learn to communicate from the best communicators of all time (and deep, clear communication is the foundation for healthy realtionships).

Literature shared becomes a "living memory." It opens an arena of common space, a context within which we can move toward greater understanding. It becomes a vivid shorthand with which we can communicate an idea. To describe someone as a Hamlet, or as a Bertie Wooster, offers a far more vivid picture of their personality and character than the use of simple adjectives, but without the common foundation of literature, the comparison becomes opaque.

When E.D. Hirsch wrote about cultural literacy, he warned that without a shared foundation of common knowledge, literacy would be lost. To be literate, you must not only be able to read, but you must also understand what you read and hear in its proper context. You must understand both text and subtext.

If you hear the name 'Hamlet' and don't think of the complex interplay of revenge, indecision, and circumstance as it relates to the topic of conversation, you have most likely missed the point. Ignorance is not bliss-- to misunderstand leads to inappropriate, often harmful responses. You're like a child who is bored by adult conversation-- not because the conversation is truly boring, but because he simply doesn't understand it.

Literature is one of the cornerstones of literacy. It is experience distilled, and it illuminates experience in a way that nothing else can. Great literature is timeless and relevant, and life without it would be an emaciated existence.

I could write more... but I'm back to work on Zeitgeist Lit. I hope to have beta-versions of each level available very, very soon. It looks as though the publication date for the final editions with spiffy layouts and jazzy covers will be early next year. The beta-versions will get you going, though!

***
What I'm reading today: A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
I'm just a few chapters in, and-- WOW. Talk about a relationship defined by communication! It's a beautiful, deeply moving memoir, and it includes eighteen letters from C.S. Lewis. It a book to savor, but I'm finding it hard to put down.

Another Banner

So if things upload to the Blogger site, what's up with that? I'm going to try another banner. And this time, try to make it point to my site. Learning on the job can be time-consuming! ;-)

New Banner

Nothing is uploading to my website, so I decided to try uploading to the blog! If it works, that will be quite strange.

Comcastic? Please!

High speed internet access seems like a wonderful idea. Especially for someone with an internet business that requires a certain amount of time spent online. Will I ever know for sure? Maybe. Maybe not.

I've been trying since mid-June to get Comcast cable internet installed. So much for the 'be online tonight' idea! It's ticking closer to three months since my first call, and I'm still poking along on dial-up.

All the Comcast customer service people are nice. All the installers are nice. Even the contractors that installed the outside cable and cut the phone lines to half the neighborhood were nice. They worked until 10pm trying to fix the phone lines with duct tape, and managed at least to get my grandmother's phone line connected to the neighbor's fax line. So while the rest of us had no phone or internet service for several days, my grandmother was happily gabbing away on the neighbor's line.

So the problem isn't with the individual people. They are really, really nice. But believe me-- it seems that company policy is 'let not your right hand know what your left hand is doing.' For the first six weeks when I was calling about twice a week to get the process moving, they couldn't even find me in the computer half the time!

After spending well over a month and great wads of cash to get the cable up to the house (and the phone lines cut), I call for installation of the interior stuff. Here's how that goes:

A service person arrives at the door a week or so later, "I hear you're having trouble with your cable." Well, no. I'm not having trouble WITH my cable-- I need my cable installed. Okay, so they install it (leaving bright orange cable wrapped around the house outside, and fat black cable travelling through exterior walls, up the sides of door frames, down around baseboards and up the wall to where I actually want the connection). They hook up the modem. They go back and forth to their vans (two of them) and confer. They depart, shaking their heads and promising that someone else will come in a couple of days.

Half a week later, I call them back to inquire. They had no idea what could be the matter, but within a week, another nice service person shows up. Test, test, test.... everything is working. Except something that is not, and it's something he can't fix. He leaves, promising that the department that fixes this sort of thing will be out within a week.

They aren't, of course. So I call this morning, and after spending 24:23 minutes on the phone, am asked to call back later because their computer system is down.

It's later; I called back, and a recorded message states that they are undergoing scheduled maintenance and to please call back after 6 a.m. and they are very sorry for the inconvenience. Bah!

Why do I persist in trying to get Comcast? Because it's the only player in the game here (I don't want satellite). Too bad Verizon couldn't get its act together fast enough to get DSL out here. There would be no question as to who would get my business.

Prepare for College!

Today I have a link to a helpful article from SUNY Oswego's Honors Program. It's a compilation of advice from college freshmen to high school students-- sort of a 'what I wish I had known/done' type of article. I think you'll find it quite interesting!

Click the title of this post to read the article.

If you're going to be at the Virginia Homeschoolers Conference at the Science Museum of Virginia this weekend, stop by my table and say 'hi!' I'll be speaking on creating transcripts.

I'm making progress-- not as quickly as I would like, but progress, nonetheless-- on Zeitgeist Literature: Self-Directed, College-Preparatory, Literature-Based English for Homeschoolers. The first e-books should be available shortly!

Notice of Intent to Homeschool

If you homeschool in Virginia, the deadline for filing your Notice of Intent to Homeschool is August 15. That is, of course, unless you are schooling under the religious exemption, which does not require the filing of a form.

The new wrinkle in the Notice is the change in Option 1. It used to permit homeschooling if you had a bachelor's degree, but the law has been amended. You may now homeschool with just a high school diploma. And no, that doesn't mean a piece of paper. That simply means you may homeschool if you have finished high school.

If you have always used Option 4 in which you attach a copy of your "program of study for the coming year," or a statement of why you feel you're "able to provide an adequate education for your child," you no longer have to do that. Just choose Option 1, and you'll save hours of wasted time!

To get an updated, printable copy of the Notice, you may go to HEAV website.

It's almost time for back-to-school! Are you ready?

Chesterton on a Woman's Role

I like G.K. Chesterton's defense of the role of women:

"To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labors, and holidays;
to be Whitely within a certain area, providing toys, boots, cakes, and books;
to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene;
I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it.
How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe?
How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone and narrow to be everything to someone?
No, a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute."
(From Chesterton's What's Wrong with the World.)

Transcripts Made Easy: Your Friendly Guide to High School Paperwork


The Everyday Educator

Glitches

It's been a strange week in Lake Woebegon. No, wait-- it's been a strange week in blog-world.

First, my whole blog disappears, leaving just a few lines of code. Where did it go? Should I suspect the furry, four-legged creature who dozes on my keyboard of accidentally deleting it? Or just the cyber-gremlins...

Anyway, I finally got it back by changing templates. Don't ask me what that had to do with anything, but it worked! I've lost all my custom links and feeds, but I'll put those back eventually. And somehow, my last post got put up 3 times and two of them refuse to be deleted.

Who knows? At least the blog is back!

Summer Reading

Summer is supposed to be a relaxed time of the year. I always picture myself in a hammock in the shade, with a good book and a glass of fresh lemonade.

I live in the mid-Atlantic, though, so you can scratch the fresh lemonade (haven't seen a decent lemon in years), and the hammock would have to be shared with every mosquito in the neighborhood that felt up to wading through the humidity to get there. But there are always books.

So while I haven't had time for a lot of reading this summer I'm enjoying a few books. I always have several going at once- one for mornings, one for evenings, one for snatched afternoon moments, one for... well, you get the idea. So here's what I'm reading this summer:

-CS Lewis- The Weight of Glory
-Dante- Divine Comedy: Inferno
-Nicholas Kilmer- A House in Normandy
-Boswell- Life of Johnson
-Augustine- Confessions
-Suze Orman- 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
-Edgar Lee Masters- Spoon River Anthology
-Alexandra Stoddard- Creating a Beautiful Home

Each is enjoyable when read at the right time of day. Spoon River Anthology is one of those juicy books- you taste it a bit at a time, then keep going back for more. Anything by CS Lewis also qualifies as a juicy book (a term coined by one of my boys in reference to Johnny Tremaine and Mere Christianity).

When I hear people say they have no time to read, I'm reminded of Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Read not the Times, but read the eternities." While I do read the newspaper each day, and listen to NPR when I'm in the car, I don't spend a lot of time with current events. I'd rather be learning from the greatest minds of the ages!

So, what are you reading?

Zeitgeist Literature: Self-Directed, College-Prep, Literature-Based English for Homeschoolers - coming soon!

SAT Essay Workshop Next Week!

There is still time to get ready for fall SAT essays! Come to a Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop where you'll learn:
# A simple three-step process for writing essays on any subject.
# A quick formula for making the best use of limited time.
# How to find your thesis within the essay question.
# How to use your personal frame of reference to develop a thesis for almost any essay question.
# How to organize thoughts and information for maximum impact.
# How to quickly evaluate and improve your essay.
# Techniques that will work for all the essays you need to write!

Registrations will be accepted at the door for the Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop at the Dulles Expo Center in Northern Virginia on July 13! You can read more about it on the The Beat-the-Clock page of my website. If you can't make it next Thursday, sign up for my e-newsletter, and you'll be able to plan for the next workshop when it happens.

The Northern Virginia Conference will offer several unusual exhibitors and events, including the Lukeion Project (offering live, online classes in Greece and Rome), the National Gallery of Art and many other Northern-Virginia-specific resources including co-ops, music, and sports instructors, plus a special 'Learn to Draw' workshop for students and parents by Barry Stebbing. In addition to the Beat-the-Clock workshop on Thursday, I will be speaking on "Evaluating Student Writing" on Friday, and on "Paying for College" on Saturday. Look for me in Booth 220!

Death of a Culture

I've been reading an excellent, thought-provoking book by H.R. Rookmaaker called Modern Art and the Death of a Culture. It ties in nicely with the reality/mirage issues I've been thinking about.

Because art, like literature, reflects the culture in which it is created, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of both product and culture. Rookmaaker, a scholar, jazz critic, and friend of Francis Shaeffer, begins with a discussion of "The Message in the Medium," then traces the history of philosophy and art through the early 1970's. He finishes by clearly outlining the role of faith in the appreciation and creation of art.

If you've ever wondered, as I have, what happened to art after the 1600's or so, Rookmaaker's book is a must-read. I'm going back and re-reading his explanation of the role of the Enlightenment and the influence of Gnosticism and mysticism in the church's response to art-- it is absolutely clear.

This was the turning point I've wondered about for years-- the point at which a generally holistic view of the Christian life was exchanged for a view that created false partitions between what is spiritual and everything else. As Rookmaaker states, "faith is not just a matter of 'religion', of the soul, with its salvation in heaven, but a salvation of the whole person, a way of life and thought affecting all aspects of human life."

This is one truth that is essential to living a life that is focused on the things that matter. Once we understand that life itself-- the everyday routine as well as creation and the arts and sciences-- is a gift from God, we are free to do the thing that is most important for life in the here and now. Mothers may focus joyously on loving their husbands and their children; students may concentrate on their studies; and it can all be to the glory and praise of God.

There is much, much more in Modern Art and the Death of a Culture-- just read it!

Here are a couple more quotes:
From under the subheading "Painting is more than art alone:" "...in the course of Western European history painting has very often been much more than just decoration or something that people enjoy looking at...And this was not only because of its subject-matter, but more often than not simply because it made visible a particular view on life and the world, expressed deeply-felt values and truths, through the way the theme and the subject matter were handled" (Rookmaaker 18).

"Men and women... long for true and real reality, true, real life, the fullness of humanity-- and the freedom that should go with it. But they have lost it, and continue not to find it so long as they stick to the basic principles of the Enlightenment, of which the first and the last is that man wants to be autonomous, and does not want to acknowledge God..." (Rookmaaker 208).

And speaking of the death of a culture, be sure to check out the interesting blog post on The Public School Experiment at Gena Suarez's Home Where They Belong blog. Interesting!

Reality vs. Mirage

I've been thinking lately of the beauty of the real, versus the emptiness of mirage. In every area of life, it seems there is reality as provided/intended by the Creator, and there is a mirage that offers nothing more than empty illusion and unfulfilled desire.

As humans, we have innate needs/desires for many good things. Our life is spent in seeking fulfillment of these needs, and frustration and disilllusionment result when we find only mirage.

We seek God, but instead find religious systems; we desire knowledge and wisdom, but are distracted by a school system that innoculates children against the acquisition of both knowledge and wisdom; we require nourishment, but accept faux food substitutes that not only fail to satisfy, but also cause malnourishment and obesity; we want to have fun, but we end up sitting and watching others play; we want our lives to count-- to be spent for things that matter, but we end up with days nibbled away by the mundane and trivial.

For some of us-- mothers at home with children, for example-- mundane details are among the things that matter. We are creating for our children an atmosphere conducive to physical, spiritual, and mental growth. Beyond that, we must be aware of time-stealers so that we have time to embrace reality, and are not deceived into accepting a mirage.

There is so much more to think about, but the essence of my thought for today is that there is solid truth and reality behind life's mirages. You don't have to settle for an unfulfilled life-- you can go beyond to the solidly satisfying reality of life as it can be.

I'll write more about this at some point, but in the meantime, you may want to read "Making Time For Things That Matter," an article that addresses living realistically every day. I also recommend reading anything by C.S. Lewis- a man who illuminates reality in a way few others ever have.

Our Family Has Grown!

We're just back from Texas, and after many years of having a four-boy family, we now have a daughter-in-law! It was a lovely wedding, with many friends and family coming from afar. Here's a photo of our newly blended family- Our family is on the left, and the bride's family-- they had four girls-- including a brother-in-law and two nephews, is on the right. I'm going to enjoy having a girl in the family!

I'll soon be posting a photo of new four-legged family member, plus a new book announcement. But for now, the wedding is all the excitement I can post for one day!

SAT Score Drop

There are some articles that everyone should read, and David Kahn's OpEd piece,How Low Can We Go?, from the Wall Street Journal, is one of them.

His most telling point?
"Students who read widely and often throughout their elementary and high-school years develop the kinds of reading skills measured by the new SAT. Students who avoid reading don't--and can't develop them in a cram course."

He's right, you know. So chuck the remote, and make a trip to your bookshelves or the library. It's what your mind needs now!

Free GPA Calculator

Just in time for graduation and the end of the school year, I've added a free GPA Calculator to my website!

There are actually two calculators-- one to figure the semester grade point average, and another to calculate the cumulative grade point average. These work for homeschoolers as well as traditionally-schooled students. Use them, and enjoy!

The Big Month

This month will be rich in experiences, but spare in blog posts-- one of our boys is graduating from college on May 14, and getting married the following Saturday. So enjoy some of the interesting blogs listed to the right, read a good book, and bask in the bliss of spring (unless you're in the southern hemisphere;-)).

Reminder-
If you're planning to take an SAT or ACT with essay in the fall, don't forget to register for a Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop! You'll learn techniques for success in timed writing, and you'll come away from the four-hour workshop with two essays written. Your essay score can affect your college admission, so plan to succeed!

I'm offering a Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop as a kickoff event at the Northern Virginia Home Education Conference on July 13 at the Dulles Exposition Center. Register for both events at the same time, and receive a discount!

You can download a registration form at my website or at the NoVA Conference website.
Sign up today!

Learning Defined

Here's another quote from Charlotte Mason's A Philosophy of Education, which is Volume 6 in her excellent series.

"One thing at any rate we know with certainty, that no teaching, no information, becomes knowledge to any of us until the individual mind has acted upon it, translated it, absorbed it, to reappear, like our bodily food, in forms of vitality. Therefore, teaching, talk, and tale, however lucid or fascinating, effect nothing until self-activity be set up; that is, self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child's nature."

An Announcement:
The April 2006 Newsletter is posted on the articles page of The Everyday Education.

And a Reminder:
The Transcripts Made Easy is now available as an instantly downloadable e-book! You can get yours today at The www.TranscriptsMadeEasy.com.

Baby Videos, Part II

I'm still thinking a bit about the baby videos-- I find it unnerving, though certainly not surprising, that the rush for the almighty dollar supersedes even the best-documented evidence that a product is harmful. One of the by-products of overexposure to media is the loss of the ability to think analytically. If a parent spends a significant amount of time sitting and staring, his or her chances of making wise choices for children pretty much evaporate.

If you have a television in your home, please read one or more of these books (if you click on the titles, each link should open in a new window, where you can read more about the book). The evidence is compelling-- overwhelming, even-- that television is very bad for children (and it doesn't do anyone else much good, either). Remind me to post some day on the glorious possibilties of life without television!

Endangered Minds by Dr. Jane Healy
Your Child's Growing Mind : Brain Development and Learning From Birth to Adolescence by Dr. Jane Healy
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander
The Plug-In Drug : Television, Computers, and Family Life by Marie Winn

Articles
Sesame Street Videos Spark Controversy by David Crary
Parents, Children Lose Art of Conversation This article, from the New Zealand Herald, is not specifically about the Sesame Street baby videos, but more about what happens to communication when television intrudes.
Should you tell your infant how to get to "Sesame Street"?

Baby Videos? Never!

Have you heard about the new "Sesame Beginnings" videos that are targeted toward babies and children up to three years of age? Because these videos are designed to be watched by parents and children together, they have gotten the "quality time" pass from several "experts," who seem to conveniently ignore the fact that, for many good and scientific reasons, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against any sort
of television/video viewing for children under two. If you want to know more about that, just google 'dangers of television babies children' for a quick overview of some of the primary arguments against television viewing for children.

Mental, physical, and spiritual dangers aside, sitting and staring is rarely genuine quality time. It certainly does not provide a baby with the intellectual stimulation of playing or talking directly with a live human being, preferably a parent. And those infant moments are fleeting-- why waste them on prepackaged mental junk food?

For more stories about the controversy, go ahead and google 'sesame baby video controversy.' That should keep you busy for awhile! I'll add links to interesting editorials as I find them. You may also want to read the article on my website "Making Time For Things That Matter: Seven Principles For Family-Centered Living." Not surprisingly, the second principle is 'Do and be; don't sit and stare!'

Resources:
Endangered Minds by Dr. Jane Healy
Editorial: Learning Must Start With Dad, Mom, Not TV

Freecycle Your Stuff!

I've been doing some spring cleaning, and it's such a delight to send good stuff out the door to people who really want it! That's what Freecycling is all about.

If you've never heard of it, Freecycling is often conducted via an internet group, which are formed (often on Yahoo or MSN) by locality. My particular Freecycle is centered in my county, and there are other groups for other metro areas in the region.

Someone who has something they want to give away posts it to the message board, and people who would like to have it e-mail the person offering, and arrange pick-up. It's super-convenient, and it's totally free.

So far, I've given away a home gym that had to be dismantled before it would fit into a pick up, a shabby recliner, a bag of partially used perfumes and lotions, a pair of shoes, a terrarium, extra liriope, and other stuff. Just think of all the stuff that's being kept out of the landfill!

Look for a Freecycle group in your area, and bless someone with things you no longer need! And now, excuse me while I find more good things to give away;-).

Get out!

Despite yesterday's snow, I'm still thinking about spring, and the need to seize the day, and do the thing that is appropriate for the moment.

Spring means outdoors, breathing great gulps of crispy-fresh air, moving winter-weary bodies and bones in unfamiliar ways, clearing mental cobwebs along with the physical. It's simply not human to be confined, institutionalized, imprisoned, when life is waiting.

Even in the heart of the largest cities, there are pockets of green in which to rejoice in the new season (I know, because I grew up in the heart of a very large city, and green was nourished and cherished). For your children's sake, clear the calendar of obligations, and go outside. Work in the yard, take a picnic to the park, ride bikes, play basketball, walk, walk, walk!

Finally, here is a quote from John Taylor Gatto's The Underground History of American Education, page 129. Call it a thought for the day!

"What should make you suspicious about school is its relentless compulsion. Why should this rich brawling, utterly successful nation ever have needed to resort to compulsion to order people into school classes-- unless advocates for force-schooling were driven by peculiar philosophical beliefs not commonly shared?"

If you'd like to read more of Gatto's thoughts on education, I recommend "Dumbing Us Down." It's interesting, to say the least!

Spring Fever!

Clear, sunny days, warm enough to get out-- spring fever has arrived! It's time to close the textbooks and rack up a few hours toward the boys' elective classes in "Landscape Maintenance" and "Forest Management." So far this week, we've worked on pruning ornamental shrubs and fig trees; building a split rail-style fence from 15' sections of fallen trees; leaf-raking, and selective daffodil harvesting;-). Lunch on the deck is mandatory, though the brisk breeze tends to whisk away napkins before we've even begun.

This is one of the beauties of home education-- it can be tailored to fit the person, situation, and context. We can concentrate on math and language arts through harsh winters and blazing summers, then focus on outdoor joys when beautiful weather arrives. One of the cruelest facts of institutional schooling is that it robs children of the freedom to experience seasonal changes in any memorable way. (And really, how did it ever get to be normal to institutionalize children for a dozen or more of the most significant developmental years of their lives?)

The skills my boys are learning in their practical electives will be useful throughout life. They won't be forced to hire expensive help to do simple, satisfying home, property, and car maintenance tasks, and by the time they are so busy that the task no longer seems satisfying, they may be able to train their children to take over.

It has been one of my goals to equip the boys with the ability to earn a living with either minds or hands, whichever they choose. I don't want them to be lopsided-- all filling and no donut. Physical activity can refresh a tired mind, just as a comfortable reading break can refresh a tired body. Remember, mens sana in corpore sano!

I believe that developing competence in multiple arenas is a way to achieve emotional balance and economic security. It's also a way to encourage the kind of synergistic thinking that made Leonardo da Vinci one of the greatest Renaissance achievers in art, science, and math. And finally, being able to work with either head or hands as necessary provides adaptability to meet changing family and economic needs. It also reduces the likelihood that personal identity becomes tied up in a job title.

In the final analysis, multiple competencies make it easier to focus on family relationships and the things that matter most in life, and to maintain personal equilibrium in the face of life's challenges. So-- it's a beautiful day-- wouldn't you rather be outside doing a bit of nature study?

City of Books

I was reading Charlotte Mason's 'A Philosophy of Education' this morning and came across this quote:

"The teacher who allows his scholars the freedom of the city of books is at liberty to be their guide, philosopher, and friend; and is no longer the mere instrument of forcible intellectual feeding."

True!

You can read more about Charlotte Mason's wise educational ideas at Ambleside Online. This wonderful site also offers CM-style lesson plans, and excellent book lists. Enjoy!

Too Much Trouble

So when is something more trouble than it's worth? I find chaos and disorder terribly stressful, yet as we prepare to have lightning-scorched carpet replaced, moving everything from the two affected rooms into the rest of the house, I am surrounded by what appears to be chaos. Of course, I've tried to label boxes, but you know how it is-- here's an empty space in the 'office cabinet top shelf' box-- let's toss in this little stack of stuff from the bedroom closet. And there goes the perfect organization! The new carpet will be nice, but I don't know that it's worth all this stress.

I wonder about other things I put off because they are more trouble than I want to face at the moment. I so often want to go somewhere or do something with my boys or as a family, but it's just too much trouble to find someone to stay with my mother/grandmother. She's bright and perky for a 93-year-old, but she won't stay alone, and she hates it when I go anywhere without her. She also hates to pay for a companion service to sit with her, and we can't afford to do so. I hate to impose on my sweet in-laws too often, so we end up letting weeks, months, and years pass without doing anything special as a family.

I know that caring for her is the right thing to do, but I would love to have fun with my family sometimes without having to stress over alternative care arrangements and feel as if we have to do everything quickly in order to get back. The boys are growing up so fast-- one will be married this summer, and the youngest is 14. We don't have much more time together, and just as I've had to do with clearing out rooms for new carpet, I probably need to just face the stress and do the thing that matters most. Stress is momentary, but memories are priceless.

Gaining Perspective

Whenever you feel your focus shifting from things that really matter, something happens that sharpens perspective once again. Perspective shifted for a lot of people this week with the news that Missey Gray of HeartSchooling died March 1 following the birth of her baby, Melissa Kate. In addition to her new daughter, Missey, 31, leaves her husband Tom, and her children Nathaniel, Samantha, Susan, and Natalie. They are all in my prayers.

Like many others, I didn't know Missey in person, but through her warm presence online. She chose to share her homeschooling path with others through her blog and e-groups, lighting lamps so that those coming behind might see more clearly. The tone of her blog, last updated the morning of March 1, is so warm and friendly that it's almost impossible not to smile while reading it. She has resource links posted at her Geocities page, justahappygrl, and it seemed as if she was 'just a happy girl.'

On Missey's blog, the header reads: "HeartSchooling is my personal blog dedicated to promoting the educational philosophies and methods of Ruth Beechick and Charlotte Mason, and in that vein, to sharing various aspects of my family's daily life because, after all, 'education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life' and 'The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom.'"

Missey, in life and in death, reminds us that it is the moments that matter. For mothers especially, the days spent with our children are precious and all too fleeting. It's important to keep perspective, know who and what is important, and to live life with eternity in view, because we are not promised there will be a tomorrow. Someday, we will be able to say "thank you, Missey, for sharpening our perspective."

You can read more memorial comments about Missey at The Old Schoolhouse blog.

The Right Thing & The Bears

There's more in the news about the Maymont bears, and the parent of the child who was bitten has shared her story, hoping to reduce the outrage. The truth helps, and finding out that the parent did not escort the child to feed the bears was a huge plus in her favor. She's brave to come forward, because community anger is strong, but it's the right thing to do. Let's hope the community responds with understanding.

More articles related to the Maymont bears:
After Bear Bite, Boy Said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

Mother Hopes Her Talking Aids Mourning for Bears

Turning Around the Violence Will Take a Monumental Effort

Caring for Charismatic Megafauna

There has been a major flap in Richmond since two captive bears were euthanized because one allegedly "bit" a child. Columnist Mark Holmberg muses on why the bears death elicited so much more sorrow than the death of a human, and I'd like to offer some possible answers:

Because "‘innocent human" is an oxymoron.

Because we are used to the deaths of humans -— particularly those who've chosen to color outside the lines.

Because we had taken the bears from their home, and failed to protect them from predators.

Because we've not been hurt by bears -— they don't make our downtown a scary place; they don'’t hunt us, invade our homes, violate our persons, or commit unspeakable atrocities. They may defend themselves when we are out of our places, but we are not their prey.

And because the incident that led to the death of the bears was in no way the bears' fault. Maymont had tried to protect the bears by a two-fence system-- a tall chain link fence placed well inside a shorter wooden fence-- all posted with warnings to stay back. The system has worked for years, and would have continued to do so, if an adult-in-name-only had not decided to take his or her child close enough to feed or pet the bear.

What was this person thinking? A bear-- even a cuddly-looking bear at Maymont-- is a wild animal. To place an apple-scented child within snacking range is simply insane. The actual 'bite' was more of a scratch, though, and the parents left without reporting it. It was only later they decided that perhaps they should obtain treatment.

So, why does the bears' death cause greater sorrow than the deaths of humans? It is because they were at our mercy, and we failed them.

Filing a Claim

Filing a homeowner's insurance claim after our lightning strike has been a new experience for me. We've had our insurance for nearly 25 years without a claim, so I am going to be interested to find out if filing a claim will cause our premiums to go up.

So far, Allstate has done a pretty nice job of taking care of things. We had a new well pump installed the first business day after the strike; our phone service restored in a very reasonable amount of time; and a check for taking care of repairing and painting scorched areas of sheetrock. All our affected electronics were picked up, serviced or declared totaled, and the repairable ones returned within less than two weeks. Scorched carpet will be replaced in the next couple of weeks, and since we chose "like kind and quality," it will cost us nothing.

I have heard a lot of insurance horror stories, but so far, this isn't going to be one. The only thing that is not entirely convenient is that for the 'contents' portion of the claim (mostly electronics), they priced out replacement items of like kind and quality, and will send us a check for that amount minus the depreciation. When we replace the items, and send in the receipts, they will reimburse us for the depreciation amount they didn't send in the original check.

It would have been more convenient if they had allowed us the entire replacement amount-- maybe in a debit card sort of thing like the Red Cross issues-- so that we wouldn't have to deal with extra paperwork and mailing and all that sort of thing. But that's a relatively small quibble. At least we were able to choose our replacement items! With the debit card method, though, I could have had the flexibility to spend less for some items, and more for others. As it is, I had to measure each item with Allstate's allowance to see whether we could recover enough to cover the depreciation. It would have been more efficient to just allocate portions of a lump sum by priority, then shop for the best prices, and stretch the funds to the max.

I'm thankful that damage was no more than it was. When we looked at the smoldering phone wires, we knew it had been a close call. We're grateful to still have a house, singed carpets and all!

FYI -

FYI: Our phone box was struck by lightning on Saturday, so
we do not have internet access until repairs are completed. I will
check e-mail as often as possible, but please be patient if there is a
delay in my response. My computer is supposed to be repaired in 3-5
days, so it shouldn't be long! Thanks for being patient.

Free Communication Convention!

Here's an interesting sounding event! You might want to check it out;-).
Janice

The 1st Annual Say What You Mean Communication Convention.
Begins Wednesday, February 1st and goes through Friday, February 3rd. It is in honor of The Great Communicator's birthday and designed to bring attention to the importance of communication skills-especially for the Christian community.  It promises to be great fun for the entire family with free seminars, contests and prizes! 
 
Wednesday is Homeschool Day!
We are offering a free 5 Day eCourse for parents that will help them teach communication skills to their children.  We also have a free eBook with the best of my communication articles for homeshoolers, free audio seminars you can download as well as some live interactive chat workshops.  Your children can have fun as they hone their presentation skills by entering our Silly Product Contest!  We also have a drawing and a scavenger hunt where you can win prizes donated by our sponsors like The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Art of Eloquence and Write Shop! 
 
Thursday is Business Day!
We are offering a free 5 Day eCourse for small business owners, a free eBook with the best of my communication articles for entrepreneurs, free audio seminars as well as live interactive chat workshops.  You can get some exposure for your business as you compete to win in our Elevator Speech Contest. 
 
Friday is Teacher Day!
We are offering a free eBook with the best of my communication articles for classroom or co op teachers, free audio seminars as well as a live interactive chat workshop.  Enter our Most Creative Teacher contest for your chance to win a prize! 
 
This is a unique event and we are excited to bring all this information to you in a fun and entertaining environment. Stop by February 1st -3rd at Say What You Mean Communication Convention.
 
Special Offers:
Many of our sponsors have special offers for you during the convention!  Check out their links on our sponsor page.  Our sponsors include The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Write Shop, Grapevine Studies, Homeschool Talk Radio and Art of Eloquence plus many more! 
 
Pass it on...
Please feel free to pass this along to your homeschool groups and other Christian organizations you belong to!  All are welcome and the convention is FREE!
 
Remember, God gave each of us something to say that only we can say...something that someone else needs to hear!  Let's fellowship together, have fun and hone our skills so that the Lord can work more effectively through us! 
This announcement courtesy of JoJo Tabares of Art of Eloquence.

E-Book Review- Website ABCs

E-Book Review
Web Site ABC’s by Phyllis Wheeler
Category: The Everyday Entrepreneur (Homeschool + Home Business)
Reviewed by Janice Campbell

The Computer Lady has done it again! Phyllis Wheeler has taken a seemingly complex subject, and made it accessible. Internet Commerce (aka e-business or e-commerce) is a vibrant, growing field, but in order to provide goods or services online, a company must have a website! There are many books and programs available to help set up a website, but most are too complicated for computer novices, or too expensive for a start-up venture.

Wheeler’s new e-book, WebSite ABC’s, bridges the gap between the beginner and a first website. Using detailed text instructions, coupled with screen shots, Wheeler walks the reader through the process of learning exactly what is necessary to get online in just hours. She covers simple HTML, how to find and use a free web design program, how to create an information or sales site, how to find affordable hosting, how to tie in a shopping cart, how to make an e-book, and much more.

The greatest strength of WebSite ABC’s is its simplicity. The information presented is adequate, but not overwhelming. Using Wheeler’s information, anyone with internet access can create a simple, income-producing website. The casual tone and “let me show you” warmth of WebSite ABC’s removes the intimidation factor from unfamiliar terms and concepts, and leaves the reader with a “can do” feeling.

Information in the e-book is applicable to both PC and Mac. While Wheeler’s example screenshots show a PC, she includes keystroke instructions for the Mac when necessary. WebSite ABC’s is a remarkably friendly introduction to the world of e-commerce, and is suitable for both high school students and adults. Now there’s no excuse for not setting up a website!

Click Here! to purchase Phyllis Wheeler’s WebSite ABC’s.

Scholarship Hunting

Everybody talks about it, but hardly anybody does it.

What's that, you say?

Scholarship hunting! Thousands of dollars go unclaimed each year because very few people are willing to put in the effort it takes to rake in the kind of scholarship money that counts. You don't have to be the most spectacular student on the planet to earn significant funds-- you just have to put in the hours and hours it takes to write essays, gather reference letters, fill out applications on time, and keep good records.

Steve Rosen's "Kids and Money" column offers an indepth look at the scholarship hunting process through the eyes of a student who amassed over $25,000 in scholarships. Read it-- you'll learn what it takes, and I hope you'll be inspired to jump into the competition!

You might want to check out my favorite scholarship search engine (below), but don't overlook the very important financial aid office at the college you have chosen. Your academic advisor can occasionally point you toward some very little-known scholarships, and these are the ones that have the least competition. Whatever, you do, don't be afraid to ask questions!

Need money for college? Use FastWeb's free scholarship search to find information on more than 600,000 scholarships!

Have a great weekend!

Literacy- It's a Choice!

We are rebounding after a season of flu. All I can say is that it sure lasted awhile-- much longer than the standard version! At least it didn't have anything to do with birds...

A couple of articles caught my eye in the past couple of weeks. The most interesting, "Literacy of College Graduates Is on Decline," out of the Washington Post didn't come as a great shock. Although the experts claim to be baffled by graduates' decline in reading proficiency, doesn't it seem obvious that people who don't read often will not be able to read well? The aphorism, "practice makes perfect," remains perfectly true. If, as the study suggests, "only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it," there has obviously been a breakdown somewhere in the educational process.

The "experts" can be as puzzled as they like-- anyone who has been through the public schools can probably attest to the vast amounts of time wasted on non-educational activities. The trend toward dumbing down education didn't start in the past few years-- it's been going on for decades. I remember most classes in school as an absolute waste of time. Assignments were minimal (though most people took them home for homework), and reading was often "culturally relevant" nonsense (we read Hinton's gang lit, as the powers-that-be considered it appropriate for an East L.A. high school population-- what a waste of time!).

Between dumbed-down primary and secondary education, and the vast onslaught of electronic distractions from reading, it's no wonder that literacy is down. The wonder is that anyone is surprised!

There's an elegantly simple solution to the problem of dumbed-down education, though, and it's called homeschool. It allows families to custom-tailor educational experiences to a student's needs, accelerating or focusing in greater depth as needed. Numerous studies have shown homeschoolers outperforming their traditionally schooled counterparts by significant margins, and it has to do with efficiency and focus. Home educators are able to focus on an area until it's mastered; they are able to pursue areas of interest in depth; they can learn at their own pace; they can recruit outside tutors as needed; they are not held back by discipline issue and non-academic nonsense; and they can take the time to make almost any area of study rich and fascinating. It's not hard for a lean, focused home-education experience to beat a system that is bloated with problems and laden with unnecessary frills and furbelows!

As for the electronic distractions-- it's a choice, isn't it? You can choose to provide books and basketballs for your children, or you can provide televisions, x-boxes, iPods, and whatever the latest electro-gadget is. I realize that your choices will probably reflect your personal preferences and convictions, just as my choices for my children reflected my beliefs and desires for their future.

The bottom line is, if you want to have literate children, you must model behavior that leads to literacy. If you didn't have a good education, you can study right along with your children, and create a home atmosphere that promotes literacy. It is a choice, after all!