No Homework? This Chick is Gonna Get So Fired!

I found this little gem on Facebook and loved it! I'm not saying homework is evil or anything, but I've always wondered why we can't get our work done in the 7 hours we are at school, even considering the wasted time lining up, trying to get everyone quiet, answering questions and explaining things over and over again for those who did not understand.

At our co-op, I understand giving homework to the high school kids because if you are only physically in class for 1 hour a week, then you need to supplement that outside of class to get a full credit on a high school transcript. But for elementary school kids? Not necessary! Middle school should have some, I suppose, just to gear them up for high school. And I understand some homework in high school to get kids ready for college.

Some families will love this new homework policy but others will just let their kids sit on video games all night instead. Some will actually spend more time with their kids but some will just check out like always.

I admire school teachers very much.  They just want to light up the lives of kids and that has to be difficult when they are sandwiched between administrators who are often out of touch and parents who are also often out of touch. It is my hope and prayer that this homework policy for this specific class makes a difference in the lives of the kids and the parents :-)

The Concept of Popular in the Homeschool World

Today is Sam’s birthday party and we invite kids of all ages to come. Our parties are simple and cheap and unstructured and include family as well as friends as well as little and big kids.

There are a couple of 11-year-old girls who we are close to, who at one time or another practically lived at our house while their parents were going through some hard life things. Separately, they are fine. But when they get together at my house, they get very exclusive and whispery and don't want to hang out with my younger kids and talk about things like their cell phones and the dorks at their schools and the popular kids and how they can be popular.

I started thinking about the concept of POPULAR. I remember it well from school; don’t we all? I wasn’t popular but I wasn’t unpopular. I was like I am now, hanging out with everyone. Like Jesus. HAHAHAHA!

Remember the popular kids at school? The majority of them had parents who just didn't really give a crap what they did. They were given everything they asked for, often as the result of a divorce situation, and they had the best clothing, wore makeup earliest, had the worst attitudes, and so on. Of course there were those terrific ones who were popular because they were KIND to everyone, but that was rare.

And I thought about social events with our homeschool groups and how I just don’t see any popular and unpopular in there. My kids have never uttered those words and I hope they never do.

Because, really, who gives a crap? And it doesn’t matter one bit after high school anyway.

11 Unique Benefits of Homeschooling

Check out the latest issue of Montgomery Parents magazine to read my piece on 11 Unique Benefits of Homeschooling!

18 Reasons Doctors/Lawyers Homeschool Their Own Kids

This is a great piece written by a female doctor and homeschooling mom. It's full of great reasons to homeschool and why it works so well for so many people!