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We provide this message board as a service to the homeschooling community. If you see any inappropriate posts on this message board, please call us immediately so that we can delete them. Our phone number is 724-783-6512. Any opinions expressed are those of the poster and not the official opinions or positions of Pennsylvania Homeschoolers®.

Messages from PA Homescschoolers:

Homeschool mom Corinna Lankford and daughter Nicole among those in jail in Haiti,accused of kidnapping - Howard Richman 2/7/2010 (0)

MD homeschool robotics team wins first place in the robot design category at Baltimore competition - Howard Richman 2/4/2010 (0)

Homeschool grad, amputee Josh Sundquist, is an inspiration to many - Howard Richman 2/2/2010 (0)

German homeschooling family granted asylum in U.S. since homeschooling illegal in Germany - Howard Richman 1/29/2010 (0)

Francis S. Collins, Director of National Institute of Health, was homeschooled until 6th grade - Howard Richman 1/19/2010 (0)

Magazine

Peace of Mind for You and Your Spouse: Appoint Guardians for Your Children
Jake LaForet, 2/8/2010

Jake LaForet is a PHAA (PA Homeschoolers Accreditation Agency) graduate from 1996, now working as a lawyer in Pennsylvania-- and married to another PHAA graduate, too! I first knew Jake when he was a first-year homeschooler and I had the honor to serve as his end-of-year evaluator-- I could see right away that he was a very gifted young writer and encouraged him to submit several works for my early book Writing from Home: a Portfolio of Homeschooled Student Writing. I was delighted to hear of his new work reaching out to homeschooling families in PA with his specialized services, and I knew these perspectives would be very useful for all homeschooling parents to hear-- Susan Richman, Editor

“LaForet, Jake!” the Master Sergeant barked after a brief consultation with his clipboard. His eyes swept the seated assembly of weary troops before locking onto me as I stood and laboriously made my way through the tangled thicket of plastic chairs, bodies, equipment, and rucksacks. With a satisfied grunt, his eyes dropped back to his clipboard in search of the next name on the combat deployment list.

With a stagger, I disengaged myself from the last row of chairs and walked briskly across the hangar floor towards the first station in the Air Force mobility processing line. Each station checked to ensure I was ready to deploy: Finances checked my pay status, the Military Personal Flight checked my orders, security clearance, and dog tags, while Medical checked my shot record and medical clearances. The Wing Chaplain pressed a pocket-sized camouflage Bible into my hand and offered a few words of encouragement.

“Do you have a will?” one of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers asked....

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Valentine's Day Special... "Adventure by the Sea" ... part 2
Cassandra Frear, 2/5/2010

Cassandra Frear continues her thoughts on her 25th anniversary trip with her husband. We hope you can take a special moment today with your spouse-- a mini-vacation of a time of togetherness right at home (cozy inside, with the snow falling down on all of us tonight!). 

Adventure by the Sea: Cold Feet.... 

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Homeschoolers and Community Service-- the Hands and Feet Ministry, in central PA
Erika Norton, 2/5/2010

Erika Norton homeschooled her four children through high school graduation with PHAA (Pennsylvania Homeschoolers Accreditation Agency)-- that's 20 years of homeschooling! She wrote this article originally for our print publication, in fall of 2008 (issue #104), which focused on all the many ways that homeschoolers were finding to give back to their wider communities. Many of the ideas tie in well with Dr. Gary Welton's research on socialization of homeschoolers and their development as good and caring people. I hope this wonderful idea spreads to other homeschoolers! In the comments section, do share what *your* homeschooling family has done to encourage meaningful community service. 

Serving as the Hands and Feet of Christ

The Hands and Feet Ministry is a group of mostly teens and some adults who make weekly visits to a high-rise income- based government -subsidized apartment building in Hershey, PA, called The Hershey Plaza.

This building is home to mostly widows, some couples, and the disabled. There are 200 apartments and everyone is attempting to live independently. This is where we come in. We visit for about an hour and offer to do anything that they are unable to do; clean the bathroom, wash the floors, vacuum, flip the bed mattress, wash windows, take out the trash, sweep the balcony, etc. This all sounds so simple, but it has had an amazing effect on both the elderly and the teens.

How did all this get started? Seven years ago as part of a home schooling co-op one of the teens, an eleventh grader, specifically asked for a ministry class. We were offering all sorts of fun and academic classes, but she remembered having ministry as a young child and asked again that we would provide a class for the older students....

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Valentine's Day Special... "Adventure by the Sea" ... part 1
Cassandra Frear, 2/4/2010

Editor's Note from Susan Richman:  Welcome to our first installment in our "Valentine's Day Special", our way of reminding all homeschooling couples to remember to value their relationship. In the midst of math manipulatives (all over the diningroom table), co-op classes (taking lots of evening planning time from mom), and science experiments (that fuzzy stuff at the back of the fridge??), we still need to also make special time for our life partner and spouse. We'll have a variety of postings-- one a day 'extra' in addition to our other regular article of the day. This opening entry is from Cassandra Frear, (see link to her uplifting blogsite http://www.applepieforhomeschools.com ) about a very special 25th anniversary trip she recently took with her husband. There are ideas for you to respond to at the end, too-- we look forward to your thoughts! Cassandra's story will continue throughout this time leading up to Valentine's Day-- so check back each day to get the next 'installment'! We'll also have some pieces from homeschooling parents about ways to nourish our relationship with our husband or wife. Happy Valentine's Day!

The sky is battleship gray. The wind thrashes the trees. I am watching the trees bend over on their sides and spring back, all the time trembling and flapping their arms. It's hard to believe that it's been a full week since we left for our anniversary trip. There, all was sun and sparkling sea and birdsong and gardens being prepared for spring. Since we've been back, the mountains have been wrapped in low clouds and steely sheets of rain.

Last night, driving home after buying groceries, I almost missed two turns. I was traveling at 10 mph. That's how thick the fog has been.

It was a bold move for me to take the trip, given our situation. I almost didn't....

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Comments: 1

First Peg, for Best Learning
Rachel Conner, 2/4/2010

Rachel Johnston Conner was an early homeschool graduate (PHAA 1995), a journalist, and now a homeschool teacher with her own children. Rachel is also teaching writing at a homeschool co-op program in her area. Several of Rachel's early writings are published in my anthology of homeschooled children's writing, Writing from Home (see our online store), including her insightful paper on the French and Indian War (at the age of 12, Rachel was playing fife in a reenactment group in Pittsburgh) and an amazing historical fiction story based on her knowledge of that time. Rachel was also one of the very first homeschoolers we knew who had successfully taken an AP exam-- and one of her older sisters, Ruth Johnston, taught AP English Literature for many years in our AP Online program. Another older sister is Ellen McHenry-- see the link to her amazing site Basement Workshop on our sidebar. As you read Rachel's thoughts on young children's learning, I think you'll also be able to translate this core idea to older children, and even to yourself-- we all learn in this way.    

So many times being a good teacher is as simple as knowing where to start. The average “American on the street” can read a book just fine, but most of them would be at a loss (and rather intimidated) to know where to start to teach someone else to read.

A good teacher isn’t born knowing where to start, either. I remember wanting to teach my child to read, but wondering how I could start out. Thankfully I found some hints to get me going... a good teacher learns along the way! And a good teacher uses the tips and tricks found in books, from friends, from other educational methods ... and creates knowledge for the students step-by-step.

One of my observations about homeschooling so far is this: Kids need a “first peg” to hang their hat on, when it comes to learning a new field of knowledge. Then they need time to learn that “first peg” well -- a lot of time, like six months or a year. After they have had time to learn the first peg and then they have rehearsed the first peg and it has become solid knowledge, then they are ready for a few more “pegs” on their mental peg boards....

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Comments: 1

New Research on Homeschoolers and Socialization
Dr. Gary Welton, 2/3/2010

Gary Welton is both a homeschool father, the teacher of one of our AP Psychology classes online, and a professor of psychology at Grove City College. He's been doing research into aspects of socialization and the homeschooling experience, and shares some of his team's findings in this article. 

Socialization as a Religious Phenomenon

Gary L. Welton
Center for Research on Positive Youth Development
At Grove City College

            Every home schooling parent has been asked the S-Question: “What about socialization?” The implications (real or imagined) of the question are less than flattering:

• Students who attend schools outside the home are socialized better because they spend so much time with their immature peers, whereas students who attend school within the home are poorly socialized because they spend so much time with their mature parents.
• Home school families do not interact with one another.
• Socialization that occurs on the soccer field, during debate rounds, and in church doesn’t count (or is somehow inferior).
• Students who attend school outside the home are always well socialized.
• Your kids are so weird.

I would like to put the S-Question to rest by summarizing research I conducted along with my colleagues....

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So how do you find a school that will give your homeschooler an AP Exam, anyway??
Carole Matheny, 2/2/2010

Carole Matheny is both a homeschooling mother, and the dedicated and energetic teacher for our AP Statistics online class. So she's had experience herself in doing the 'legwork' to find a suitable location for her son to take his Advanced Placement exams each May-- homeschoolers must take these exams at a school setting, and as you'll see, this can take some perseverance! Do know that all homeschoolers taking our AP Online classes have been able to find locations for their exams-- and that we provide info for parents on how to go about this task. This article will give you insight into all that might be involved!  

I picked up the phone and dialed the nearby private college-prep school  where my son took his AP test the previous spring.  Aware that last year’s AP Coordinator had retired, and since I didn’t know  the new AP Coordinator, I started with a general request: “Hello, may I please speak with the AP Coordinator.” It was that time of the year, late-January and time to call the local school to schedule my son’s four AP exams. After a few introductory remarks I was surprised to hear the coordinator state that the school was not planning to administer AP tests to their own students or outsiders.

Next I contacted my local public school and asked for the AP Coordinator. Knowing they offered AP classes in the subjects my son needed for AP tests I felt confident they would at least be giving the tests he needed. After a few pleasant exchanges the AP Coordinator stated: “I’m new here but I know that if I permit a homeschooler to test with our kids, I’ll get my hands slapped.” ....

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Our family's experiences with AP Online with PA Homeschoolers-- and with other course providers
Brita Kilgore, 2/1/2010

Editor's Note from Susan Richman: We plan to post articles regularly from parents whose teens have taken part in our extensive AP (Advanced Placement) online courses-- I know that families new to the high school years and to AP will really appreciate this personal look at how these classes operate, and what the benefits can be for both students and parents. So, here is our first parent's look, from Brita Kilgore, who will also be sharing in future articles about some of the excellent math contests and competitions available for students (homeschoolers always welcome!), and more: 

            When I began homeschooling my young sons, I had no trouble finding books, curriculum, and resources for them.  Although I often spent a lot of time searching, I could usually find exactly what I wanted (or at least something easily modifiable).  I was an avid user of catalogs, the internet, and homeschool fairs to preview and locate resources.  As my older son approached the high school years, however, I noticed that the number of resources was dwindling.  I began to worry because his high school courses had to serve the dual purpose of representing him on his college transcript and preparing him for college.  I needed to find material that was both rigorous and interesting that allowed my son to grow as a person and demonstrate his excellence as a student.  Luckily, I didn't have to search to hard to find an excellent choice: the PA Homeschoolers AP Online Classes....

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The Great Paper Chase
Cassandra Frear, 1/29/2010

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Writing Club ideas-- and a first 'Writing Assignment'
Susan Richman, 1/28/2010

I’ve been leading a monthly homeschoolers’ Writing Club for years and years and years—it was a mainstay of our homeschooling program with all four of our kids, and I’ve loved continuing on with a wonderful group of younger homeschoolers since I began ‘empty nesting’ 4 ½  years ago. Why do I love Writing Clubs?? Many reasons…

• Writing Club gave my kids a real audience beyond just me. Now, I was a pretty decent ‘audience’, but you know how moms can be… we start immediately nitpicking over stupid spelling errors (or a complete dismissal of punctuation protocols…). Or maybe our kids just don’t ‘believe’ our opinions about their work. Or maybe if they are only writing for us, it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth much. My joke whenever I give talks on homeschoolers and writing is....

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Welcome to our new online PA Homeschoolers magazine!
Susan Richman, 1/27/2010

Welcome to the opening of our newly expanded online PA Homeschoolers magazine! This is a new adventure for us, growing out of our over 25 years of publishing our quarterly print magazine Pennsylvania Homeschoolers. We’re grateful to have you as a reader—and hope you’ll come back daily to read more. And we hope you’ll email your friends to check us out here, too!

Why are we transitioning to a fully online magazine? Many reasons—first, we can offer this service for free, as we will no longer have the always escalating printing and mailing and time costs involved with a 32-page print magazine. We all know that most of us are now much more likely to browse about on a website or favorite blog than subscribe to a print magazine—it’s the special...

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