;fitK Growing Without School ing UJ T^6
85
$4.50
f}oes homeschoollng deprive chlldren of access to gloup ecperlences? Of course not. Anyone who tnvestlgates homeschoollng ln even the most cursoryway wlll come acnoss mentlon of Scoutlng troops, 4-H clubs, sports teams, theater groups, urtttng clubs, and all sorts of other groups. Sometimes the groups are part of large organlzatlons fiike Scouts and 4-H) and have long been avallable to ldds ln school, too. Sometlmes (as wtth the wrltlng clubs) the groups are speclflcally homeschooltng groutrs, made up of homeschoolers and formed ln response to thelr needs or lnterests. But what lf the group a homeschoolerwants toJoln lsn't anallable? For thls l,ssue of GWS, we talked to hds who have gone one stepbeyondJolning pre-odsflng groups to form groups of thelr owrr. These ldds dtdn't gtve up because no one ln thelr communlt5r or ln the local homeschoollng group had yet organlzed a parflcular acflvtty. They declded to be the organlzrrs, to forrr the sorts of groups that they had orlginally wanted toJoln. A,s Chrtstlan Murphy sald about why he and hts 1
slster oqganlzed an envlronmental club for local homeschool;-'
Membcnr of thc homcschoolcrs' crrvlronmcntal club tacklc thck ffrst m NIdsWho Ha\rc Organtrcd Groups, pallca 1923.
proJect. Scc ourFocus
Inside this fssue News & Reports p.3-4 Report from Carnegle Hall, How Many Homeschoolers, Cooperattve Dlstrlct
John Eolt on Assesstnent and Sclf-Eeteen p. 5-6
ers, 'If we wanted to be ln one, we would have to start lt.'They dldn t walt for someone else to turn thelr wtshes tnto reality, -but lnstead got busy maldng the realtty themselves. Ttris ls a -,.sklll. and an attltude, that can sewe homeschoolers ln manyways. The organlzers found that lt lsn't hard to start a group, and that others tend to be grateful to the organlzrer for taktng the - lnitiattve. But helplng others doesn't even have to be an
o4anlzefs prlmary motlvatlon. Ernlly Ltnn wanted very much to meet other older homeschoolers, and she formed an older - - " homeschoolers' group as a wzry to address her ou:n deslre Luckll5r, others were feellng the same way, and Eml$s creatlve soluHon to her onm problem ended up helptng other ldds, too. ' Ifyou startyour oqrn group, you get to declde what the group wlll do and make the rules about how lt wlll be run. This ls very dlfferent fromJolning an already establlshed orgarfzatlon llke Scouts, and from these ldds'rcports lt seems to be both an advantage and a challenge. They llked belng able to make the group treto preclsely the ldnd of group that they and the other ldds wanted. flhe organlzers emphaslzed that they dldn t uant to let thelr status as organlzer or leader glve them the power to make all the declstons. All spoke of wanttng the members to be ftrlly lnvolved tn the runntng of the group, saylng thtngs llke, "For each meeflng, we would swltch leaders, because vre dtdn't want onlyone penron to be ln charge," and '\ile trled to compromlse a lot.') On the other hand, the ldds often stmggled wlth how best to run the group - should everythlrg be done by consensus? What lf the oqganlzer trled so hard not to be an authorltarlan leader that nothtng seemed to get done at meettngs? These aren't easy issues, but they are the lssues that adult groups struggle wlth, too, and when people say that group experlences are valuable they are often referrtng to oractly these sorts of efrorts to work thlngs out. Clearly the beneflts of organlzlng your own grouP outwelgh the dlfficultles; tn return for the efrortyou get an enJoyable group acttvtty and the feellng - whlch may even outlast the group Itself - that lfyou vrant somethlng tn your llfe you can take steps to make lt happen. Susannatr Shefrer .
How Mothers Flnd p.7-9
Tlne for Themselves
Challenges & Concerne p. lo Betng Judged, Meetlng People from
Different Backgrounds
Watchlng Chtldren l.earn p. I l-14 Reading, Electronlcs, Astronomy, Photognaphy, Stnglng, Muslc lessons, FYench
Book Revlcws p. 15-18 FOCUS: Ktds ltrho Eave
p. 19-23
Ortanlzed Grouln
Book Dlscusslon Groups p.24-25 Resources & Recommendatlons p.25
Volunteer Experlences p. 26-27
Elnsteln the Autodtilact p.27
-
we could make to reach llbrarlans through
rtafllngs. Usually, ehowlng t]rem a sample
tssue, explalning that the magadne fs useful to ne$r and long-ttme homeschmlers, as well as to lnqulrlng students, Journaltsts, and so on, does the trtck. We are \rcry, ve{y grateful for any elforts you can make along these hnes, Helptng to get, and to keep, cWS fn Itbrartes ts a good way to support our work and make homeschooling lnforrnadon avallable at no dlrect clst to yourself. The [brartes on the llst are arranged ln zlp code order, from zlps that start wlth "O1" to ztps that startwtth "99."
tlaving fun on avlstt to HoltAssocletcsl
Libraries with Cunent
Office News & Announcements
GWS Subscriptions
[SS:l Once agaln we want to thank our
customers for maldng thts holtday nrsh season a good one forJohn Holfs Book and Muslc Store. In these dllllcult economlc more. And
you'll see tn thls lssue's arc planntng another Holt falr because last yeat's uras such
/ i
a i
/success. The date ts set forApril 4th, and at
hasli@d
press tlme John catto to bei the main speaker. Pat Farenga wtll lead a /
workshop about homeschoollng young I children, I'll lead one on older home- / schoolers, and Gene Burkart wlll lead ole on Massachusetts law and on effectlvely wtth local educa Ues.
asks that readers who
havbr:lyet lllled out hls suwey about
library use, wtrich was prtnted tn GWS #83, tal<e the time to flll tt out before April 30. The more he knows about homeschmlers and libraries. the more he'll be able to tell librarians at the Amertcan Ltbrary Associaflon cpnference in June. Speaklng of libraries, below are llsts of librartes that current\r subscribe to GWS and libraries that u-sed to subscribe but have let thetr subscripHons explre. We are printing these llsts for seneral reasons: l. Ifyou know thatyour local library subscribes to GWS, you can di.nect new homeschoolers, lnterested frlends, Journaltsts, or students there. 2. Many of the current library subscrlpdons will explre soon, and urc wtll be very grateful to you ifyou would keep watch and remtnd the library to renew when the tlme comes. 3. Marry of the explred library subscriptions oqplred only recently, and lf you inqulre about lt or ask the library to renew, they may very well do lt, wtrlch would be a btg help to us and to the interested people we llsted above. 4. If you don't see your local ltbrary listed here, condlder asldng the librartan to subscrlbe, Experience has shown us that librarians are much more reccptive to requests from thelr own patrons than to mailings they recclve from ttre perlodtcals themselves. Ltbrarlans are often espec-tally interested in makfng sure that homeschoolers te the area have the lnformadon they need. A request from you wtll therefore go much farther than any ellort
Haston Free Library, N Brookfleld MA Marlborough Pub Ub, Marlborough MA Gutman Ltbrary, Hanrard Unlversl$r, Cambrtdge MA Nashua Publtc Ltbrary, Nashua NH AnUoch/NE, crad Schl Ubrary, Keene NH Mantor Llbrary, Farmlngton ME Woodstock Llbrary, Woodstock NY State U College, James Mttne Ubrary, OneontaNY Olean Fublic Ubrary, Olean NY Monroe Clty Pub Ubrary, Stroudsburg PA Free Library, Ptrtladelphta PA Clattenbery Meml Llbrary, LutheMlle MD Greensboro Public Llbrary, Greensboro NC Mack Llbrary, Greenvllle SC Seby Jones Ltbrary, Tocrcoa GA I-eon Cty Publtc Ltbrary, Tallahassee Fl, GeaugaWest L;lbrary, Chesterland OH Stark Co Dtst Libraqr, Canton OH Pub Ubrary of Clnc'lrmad, Clnclnnafl OH Portsmouth Pub Ubrary, Portsmouth OH Lebanon Public Library, lebanon IN Broad Rtpple Pub Ubrary, lndlanapolrs IN DeMotte Publtc Ltbrary, DeMotte IN Valpar:afso Fublic Ltbrary, Valparatso IN Plymouth Public Library, Ptymouth IN Muncle Publtc Ubrary, Muncte IN Monroe Co Public Ltbrary, Bloomlng;ton IN Evansvtlle Public Ubrary, Evansvtlle IN Brown Cty Ubrary, Green Bay WI Iola Village Ltbrary, Iola WI Henneptn Cty Ltbrary, Mtnnetonka MN Duluth Publtc Ubrary, Dtrluth MN Arlington Hts Mem Ltb, Arllngton Hts IL Rolflng Mem Llbrary, Deerfleld IL
Joltet Public Llbrary, Joltet IL Ctricago Public Ltbrary, Sulzer Branch, Ctricago IL U of Chicago Ltbrary, Clrtcago IL Normal Publtc Ltbrary, Normal IL O'Fallon Public Library, O'Fallon IL St Louis Co Llbrary, St Louts MO Lee's Summtt Br Llbrary, ke's Summtt MO Mid Contlnent Pub Lfb, Ibnsas Cfty MO Wichtta Public Ubnary, Wictrita KS Hutchlnson Publtc Library, Hutctrlnson KS Ltncoln Ctty Ubrary, Ltncoln IYE NE
Dallas Pulllq lJbrary, Dallec fi Dallas Theological Theologfcal Semfnary, Ttrrpln Llbrary, Dallasfi Ubrary, Dallas T Waco Mcknnlan Co Ltbrary, WacoTX Llncoln Park Br Ubrary, Greeley CO Phoenlx Publlc Llbrary, Phoenlx AZ Tempe Publtc Libraryr,Tempe AZ Yuma Cty Ubrary Dlstrlct, Yurlra IV Fatrfleld-Sutsun Llbrary, Falrfleld CA Felton Br Library, Felton CA Branclforte Br Ltbrary, Santa Cruz CA Marun Luther Klng Mem Llbrary, Sacra-
rnento CA
HawaII State lJbrar5r, Honolulu HI Forcst Grorre Clty Ubrary, Forest Grove OR
Multnomah Cty Ubrary, Fortland OR Tlgard Publtc Ubrary, Tlgard OR Salem Rrbllc Ubrary, Salem OR Coreallts Publtc Ltbrary, Corvallts OR Eugene Publlc Ltbrary, Eugene OR Douglas Cty Ubrar5r, Rosenberg OR
Sprlngfteld Publlc Ubrary, Sprlngfleld OR Jackson Cty Lfbrary, Medford OR Deschutes Cty Ubrary, Bend OR Regfl Federal Way Ubrary, Federal Way WA Black Diamond Ub, Black Dtamond WA
Carnadon Ubrary, Carnatlon WA Lynnwood Ubrary, L5rnnwood WA Mountlake Terr Llb, Mountlake Terr WA Flenton Publtc Ubrary, Renton WA Green Lake Br Llbrary, Seattle WA Lahe Ctty Br Llbrary, Seattle WA Shoreltne Llbrary, Seattle WA Everett Rrbltc Ubrary, Everett WA Coupevllle Ltbrary, Coupevllle lVA
lake Sterrens Lfbrary, lake Stevens WA Lan$ey Ubrary, Lan$ey WA Snolsle Regl Llbrary, Marysville WA Monroe Ubrary, Monroe WA Oak Harbor Library, Oak Harbor WA Sultan Ltbnary, Sultan WA Port Townsend Ltbrary, Port Townsend WA Tacoma Publtc Ltbrary, Tacoma WA Camas Public Llbrary, Camas WA Rtdgelleld Br Ltbmry, Rtdgeffeld WA Ft Vancouver Re$l Ltbrary, Vancouver WA Netll Publlc Ltbrary, Pullman WA Spokane Publtc Ltbrary, Spokane WA loussac Llbrary, Anchorage AK Tanana Comm Ubrary, Tanana AK Halnes Brgh Publtc Ltbrary, Hatnes AK
Libraries with Expired GWS Subscriptions The Jones Llbrary, Amherst MA Cambrtdge Public Ltbrary, Cambridge MA Mtddleborough Pub Ltb, Middleboro MA New Bedford Pub Ltbrary, New Bedford MA Portland Public Library, Portland ME Peaks Island Fub Ubrary, Peaks Island ME Varnum Mem LlbrarJr, Jefferson VT Wlndham Free Ltbrary, Wirndham CT Yale Untverstty Library, New Haven CT Mtd Count5r Pub Llbrary, Center Reach NY Gre+;nbrtar Library, kwlsburg WV Way Public Library, Perrysburg OH Addison l\rp Lfbrary, konard MI Preston Public Ubrary, keston MN Del(alb Publtc Ubrary, DeKalb IL Ltberty Br Llbrary, Liberty MO wtchtta state u, Ablah Lrbrary, wichtta KS Neumann Ltbrary, Houston fi Greely Public Ubrary, Greely CO Yolo Cty Ltbrary, Davls Br, Davls CA
Arltngton Llbrary, Arltngton WA Darrlngton Ltbrary, Darrlngton WA Lynden Lfbrary, Lynden WA
Muldlteo Ubrary, Muldlteo WA Snohomlsh R-rb Lfbrary, Snohomish WA Starrwood Ubrary, Stanwood WA
Talkeetna Publlc Ltbrary, Talkeetna AK Omak Publtc Llbrary, Tenakee Springs AK
Groc/tng
Wthout Schooling #85
News
&
Reports
Report from Carnegie Hall Ftom Pat Fatenga: Everyone knows how to get to Carne-
gie
Hdl - you pracflce. I nerrer thought of
my years of work at Holt Assoclates,/GWS as pracucc for an engagernent at Carnegle Hall, yet tr a way tlrey were. When.John Gatto llrst approached me tn August about
the posslblltty of me, hlm, and Dan Greenberg, founder of Sudbury Valley
School, speaking about -The Extrausted School' at Carnegfle Hall, I tmmedtately said yes, though I had lots ofquestlons. 'Where ts the fundtng gotrg to come
from?'
"I'll pay for lt out of my savlngs and my own fundnlstng efforts,' satd Jobn. "You'll go brokel You won't get mor,e IOO people to pay to llsten to us.' 'Don't worry about the money; that's my department. If I had even mor€ money than I do I'd spend tt all on thls. Thls ls something IVe dectded ls worth dotng. I
than
think you're underesurnadng people's
need to hear our ldeas, Pat. People will listen to me talk for hours, and I'm a lousy speakerl See, lt's what I'm sayfueg that grabs them. People are yearnlng to know how we got tnto this schooltng mess and that there are better school choic€s than government schooling that they can use. I have llttle doubt that tlre elIect of Just people' rentlng Carnegle Hall and havtng their say - dtsplaylng worlidng opflons - ls, Iike the shot heard round the world, gotng to build with time.' As tlre wenlng took shape and more speakers were added to the program I began
to marvel at how the absolute convlcilon of one miul can pracdcally wlll such a maJor event lnto eldstence ln less than ti/elve weeks, ThIs was not accompllshed wlthout difllculty: several colleges, unlons, and other groups who didn't llke the ldeas to be espoused that evenlng acdve$ opposed people attendlng or supportlng the errent for several weeks leadtng up to lt. kofessional fundralsers wouldn't work for the event because they consldered lt'too radical." John didn't let these setbacks stop hlm. He told me after the errent that in spite of these factors and 'tn spite of havlng virtually no money - even belng $7OOO short of stmply payhg for the hall a week before the shonr - in sptte of the fact that there were no rehearsals - that some of the parttcipants dtdn't even know one another, and some of them cordtally disliked one another's ldeas - ln splte of the fact that we had two l4-year-old boys as masters of ceremonles lnstead of Bill Moyers (who wrote that he was very interested ln the event but would be ln China at the time) - we drew lO24 people, a fact I learned by sfmply counflng the tlcket stubsl" What an wentngl John hlred a planlst to play Mozart before the show started and during lntermisslon. The men wore tatls, the women black gowns. The l4-year-olds wore top hats and looked very natty. My
Growtng
Wthout Schooling #85
lmpresslon of the audlence was that they were largely school people - teachers, admtnisfators, and professons - wlth a number of lnterested pa.rents, homeschoolers and dtematlve schoolers also tn attendance. Before the errcnt John told rne several ttmes that homeschoolers seemed to be the ones who supported the errent most; lndeed, I met horneschoolers Dan and Andy Endsley who traveled from Ohto to be there: Seth Roclcnuller and lktharlne Houk fmm upstate NY, and I heard of, though I dldn't meet, a group of homeschoolers who had traveled from FlortdaThe evenlng nras stmctured so Vlctor
Gonzals,, a l -year-old student of John's, was tlre flrst one to face the crowd. He provlded me wlth one of two tmages of the
nlght I can never forget: We got the cue to start. I saw the large crowd stlently uralHng ln darkness, a single shaft ofspotltght walUng for Vlctor to walk towards tL I patted Vlctor on hls shoulder, wtshed htm luck, and saw him take a deep breath. Then I saw hls ltttle frame, sllhouetted ln talls and top hat bravelywalk to the podtum and open the errentng. He soon got the audlence to lauglr exactl5l where he wanted a laugh, and he lntroduced each speaker flawless$, as dtd trts counte4rart for the second half of the eventng, Jamaal Watson. Both performed after onlJr a fenr runthrougfrs about two hours before curtaln ttme. Agaln, I was shovm how capable youngsteF can be when they ar,e trusted and treated wtth respecl When Vlctor llntshed trts 'sptel' he lntroduced John Gatto, whose role lior the evenlng was to crlUclze schools; the other speakers wer€ to avold crlticlztng schools and tnstead pres€nt as forcefully as we cpuld the unlque logtcs behtnd our rrarious educatlonal approaches. I spoke next, then came Dan Greenberg (SudburyValley School), Kathleen Young (from the
Waldorf-tnsptred Hawthome Valley Farm School), and a former student of John's, Roland Legtardt-Laura, who spoke about his adventures ln self-educatlon as fllmmaker, poet, and general cuntactor, The sec-ond half of the ntght conststed of Dave Lehman fthaca Alternatlve Communtty School) and another former student of John's, BarbaraJtll Cummlngs, who spoke about her self-educatlon ln the Ileld of ecologr, teachlng herself Portuguese and lMng ln the Arnazon to examtne the tmpact of dam-butldlng on the local natlve cultures. Mary Leue then spoke of her Albany Free School, wtdch owns ten buildings and operates slx bustnesses as part of lts 'communlty' currtculum. John followed her with hls closlng remarks for the evenlng and we all retted to the Maestro's dresstng room for a recepflon. Before the errent John urrote to us all that our prtrnary purpose was to furform and be useful to the people who would come to hear us. Our long range purpose was to establish that choices are avallable and to suggest that no one can malre a sane declslon without knowlng what those cholces are. Thatwe succeeded ln these goals has become apparent to me. John ls nowbelng asked to use the Carnegte Hall errent as a
model for presenttng local educatlon opHons tn other parts of the countql. He wlll speak tn Olympfa, Washftegton on February lOth, and stmllar events ar€ belng scheduled throughout the country thfs sprlng. John recently wrote to me, 'We have establLshed a model - whlch can and wlll be lmproved upon, of course - and lt ts a model whose edstence wtll be slowly heard of, mark my word, because tt stlently asks the quesdon - why wasn't thts [etttrg People know about all thelr educaflonal optlonsl done before? And done by those who have the steurardsbtp of our schools?'
ByJohn's example, we seeJustwhat can be acrompltshed, on a grand scale, by Just one perslon. I doubt Camegfe Hatl wlll
6rer see such an assorhnent ofnonprofesslonals taHng over lts stage, which brtngs me to the second tndellble irnage of that nfghe the shoes that came urith John's talls were too flght for hfrn, so he took them oll He then spoke all evening in his stoclidng feetl
For tnformadon about upcoming 'Exhausted School' events write: John
Gatto, 235 E 76th St, l{Yl{Y lOO23.
For lnformaflon about avatlability of tapes or transcrtpts of the event at Carnegle Hallwrtte: The Odysseus Group,
295E 8thst. Sutte3W, NYI{Y
1OOO9.
How Many Homeschoolers? PaHcIa L{nes sent us a copy oJ her
paper, 'Estlnlufiltg the Home *hnled fupulatjor'' r.uhtch ls availoble al rp cost
iom tIE U.S. Ibparhtert
oJ Mrtcolton" search Washington DC 2O2 O 8' 5&6. Anercerpt:
Qlfre
oJ Re
Ttds paper provldes an estlmate of the
number of school-aged children who were educated at home ln the school year 199O91 and explalns how to derlve such an esflmate. The estimate ls between 248,5OO353,5OO
chlldren. Although rougftly done,
the esttmate gatns credtbtltty because it rests on lnformatlon from two lndependent sources, and from a tl:lrd partially lndependent source. The three sources are: l) currtcular suppllers and their data on 'enrollments,' 2) state departments of educadon and thelr data on children in famllies who flle papers wtth state or local offIclals, and 3) home school leaders. (By home school leaders. I mean olllcers in home school assoclations and support groups of varylng slzes.) AdJustments were GROWINC WITHOUT SCHooUNG #85. Vol. I 5. No, l. ISSN #0475-5305. Publlshed bt-monthly by Holt Assoc'latcs, 2269 Massachusetts Ave, Canbrldge MA O2laO. $25 /yr. Date of Issue: Fcbruary I, 19S2. Sccond-class postage Paid at Boeton. MAPOSTMASTER: Scnd addrcss dranges to GWS, 2269 Magsachusctts Ave, Cambridge lrllA O214O, ADVERTISERS: Dcadltnes are the lSth ofodd-
numbered months.
4 rnade to the lnformaflon from each source, to account for chtldren who were llkely to be mtsslng, glven the ltmltauons of that souroe.
The paper does not account for ctrlldren whose parents harrc totally avotded any connecflon to horcschoollng organfzatlons, crrrrlcul,ar suppllers, or state or loeal educaflon agencles. This could include chlldren of rntgrants and chlldren of parents who deslre complete anonymlty. If there arre very many ctdldren who are homeschooled ln these categorles, ttren the estknate wlll be understated. ... These three esflmates and the authoCs estlmates over serrcral years lndicate steady growth tn the homeschool movement. In the pa.st, the flrst method [data from currlcular suppllersl was the only one used. It ytelded a rough estlrnate of at least 6O,0OO and perhaps as m€rny as I2S,OOO chlldren for the fell of 1983: ln the fall of 1985, of 122,@O tD 2&,@O ctrlldren: and tn the fall of 1988, between 15O,OOO to 3OO,OOO school-aged ctrlldren ln home schools. Applfed retnoacttuely, this method suggests an estlnrate of roughly lO,Ooo tolS,OOO ctrlldren recetved thelr educatlon at home ln the late 197Os and early l98os - a nurnber that comes close to the esflmate made byJohn Holt at that
time, [SS:] The paper lncludes an appendlx
that llsts esflmates ln each state. The chart indicates how the estlmated number was obtained - ln some cases lt ls the number of children reglstercd wtth the state (ln states that requlre famtlies to reglster at a central locadon); Ln other cases the estlmate ls adJusted because farnllfes can enloll tn a prlvate school but actually be homeschooling, and so on. In states such as Massachusetts, where the local educatlon authorlfles (i.e. local school dtstrlcts) harrc the sole responstblllt5r for homeschoolers, flgures
are often unavallable or only loosel5l estlmated.
Cooperative School District I 99
Cdette Clark wrote ht tle Nowm}er lssue o/The Grapevlne, tlte neusletter
t
oJ the Mlmesota Honcschmlers Nllonrrl. In the fall of 1988, after a year of strugglfng wtth confuslon generated by the le$slatlon of the 'gutdellnes' for home educatlon, the homeschoollng famtltes of Wayzata #284 Independent School Dtstrlct asked to meet wlth the schml admlntstration. It was our hope to clearly establish what the school distrlct wanted from us and whatwe could expect from the school
dlstrlct. At that lnlttal meetlng, Dr. Landswerk
superlntendent), Dr. Brodle (currtculum), and Dr. Anderson (testln$ represented the school dtstrlcL and all but one home' schoollng famlly was represented. It became apparent that both stdes had misgivtngs and some mlsconceptlons that needed to be addressed. The results ofthat meeting formed the foundaUon of what has become one of the best cooperatlrrc relationshlps between school dlstrlct and home educators. Among the many quesHons resolved
that day was the quesflon of 'ttnresharlng,' or allowlng homeschooled students to make use of arallable classroom lnstnrcflon ln areas that the famlly felt [thelr own resx>urctsl {rcr€ tnadequate (such as forergn language, sclence lab, etc.). The admlntstradon felt that such an arranggment rpould be feaslble and ltheyl would work wtth the farntlles tndMdually tf rcquested. Several months later, I contacted Dr. Brodle to lnqulrre lf the school dtstrlct was sull wllllng to allow my tcto chtldren to take a course orrcr at WestJunlor Htglr on an clectrrc basls. We had come to the concluslon that they really needed a tradltlonal classroom envlronment for the study of a foretgn language where they would be wlth otlrerg ln order to dtalogue. He qutcldy agreed and paved the way by offerlng to contact the prlnclpal, Mr, Watght, who ln turn got back to me. I was gtrrcn the opportunfty to choose the tlme best sutted for ourschedule and he contlnued to send out class lnformatlon as wan
neded. Just before the start of classes, we met wlth thelr teacher and Peter and Bethany were $ven a tour of the school. Ttrts was done quletly and wlthout fuss, but went a long way ln reassurlng them that they vrcre welcome and not regarded as an oddlty. Slnce thts was the flrst flrrre homeschoolers were to be taldng class€s lndependently tn the school, the teacher nas a little cpncerned orter how the class would accept thetr pres€nce. But from the very
Ilrst day they tntegrated smoothly, and by Ilrst quarter conferences, thelr teacherwas dellghted wtth thelr lnfluencc on the class
and wtth the fact that they were compettng for the tnro top grades. After establlshfng the precedent, we branched out ftrto other areas. They took otherclasses, parttctpated ln sports, and acted Ln theJunlor hfgh sprlng play. Nothlng was prohlblted, nor were they ever rnade to feel unurclcome. Ttre stall always went the extra mtle to make us feel accepted as partners tn educatlng our
chtldren.
State News For addresses oJ state ond leol oryanl".rrllot1s, see GWS *84 or our Honrrschcroltrtg Resource Llst, avallaWe
Jor $2.5O.
ucctlng wlth collcgc Admlrrlonr Dlrccton
I{ew Eampehlrc: Slrtrley Mlnster
wrote tn ttre Homeschool Assoctates of New En$and newsletter that she recently
tourcd New Hampshlr,e colleges to leam about the campuses and oller lnformatlon about homeschooltng. She wrltes, 'Sponsored by the New Hampshlre College and Unfuerstty Councll, [the tourl was destgned
for trfgh school gutdance counselors. Slnc€ I am certifted ln gutdance, I serve tn that capaclty at the North Atlanflc Regtonal Schools. ... Wtrlle at each college, I spoke with faculty, staff, and students. But ltwas rr{f opportuntty to talk personally wlth each admlsslons dlrector (and rnany of the college prestdents) whlch prorrcd most enlfghtenlng to me and, I think. to thenr Asking them lf they had enrolled any homeschooled students, gMng them
arttdes about home-taught students, and provtdlng lnstght lnto a how a homeschooler's appltcadon mfght be reirlewed scemed to help them see the posslbtlity of enrolllng these students tn the fuhrre. More than one admtsslons dlrector told me that he had heard of horneschoollng, but didn't really know what tt meant. ... TWo admisslons dtectors told me that facul$r mem-
bers wer€ homeschoollng their own ctrildrenl I was pleased to learn tlnt one of these colleges has already admttted a homeschooled student."
Proporcd Chaagcr to Rclulatioae North Delot* The Department of Publlc Inskuctlon ls proposlng changes to the homeschooltng reguladons, according to a rnatltng from the North Dakota Home School .dssoclation. The changes concern how much ttme certfiIed teachers are requlred to spcnd supervtslng a home school prograrn, and rules for homeschooled ituilents who want to recelve a hlgh school dtploma. NDHSA wants the language tn the ILit proposed change clartlled so that there wtll be no confuslon about how many hours ofsupervlslon are required (an average of one hour a week for one child, wtth a half hour added for each additlonal ctrtld ln the farnlly.) NDHSA ls also conccmed that the rcqulrements for a hlgh school dtploma may not be falr to homeschoolers.
Blll tb8t Would ErPand Conpulrory School Requlrcments Opporlng
Pcnneylvanl* In GWS #83, we wrote that HB 1695. whlch would lower the compulsory school age from 8 to 6 and ralse lt from l7 to 18, had passed out ofthe House Educadon Commlttee. The fall l99l lssue of Pernsylvanla flomesclpolrers now r€ports that about 3OO homeschoolers ftUtea agalnst the btll at the Capitol on October l6th. Howard Fttchman writes that after the lobbying day, several ofthe Representattues who had sponsored the btll wlthdrcw thelr names from sponsorstrip, and tt looks as though the btll won't be brought up for a vote tn the House untll June 1992, so horneschoolers can condnue to oppose lt undl then. .-t4**
Calendar Aprtl 4. 1992: Holt Assoclates Fair at Green Street Bapdst Church, Melrose, For lnfo: 617-8At-3 lOO.
ApdLL!-4: Northern
CA
conference tn
707-
Aprll 24-25; Wlsconstn Parents Assoclaflon 9th annual conGrence on home educaflon tn Stevens Polnt. For lnfo: WPA" PO Box25O2, MadtsonW 53701, or Mellssa Fllce, 7 15-34 l-6378.
Aortl 29-Mav 3: Nadonal Coalition of Altemaflve Communlt5r Schools confer-
ence at the Indlanapolts Boys & Glrls Camp outslde Noblesvllle, IN. For lnfo: Faye
Jenklns, 4069 Westover Dr, Indianapolis
317-a7*U72 or NCACS, 58 Schoolhouse Rd, Summertown TN 38483. We are happy to prlnt notlc€s of major homeschoollng and alternatlve education errents, butwe need plenty of notice. Deadllne for GWS #86 (events tn May or later) is 3/ lO. Deadline for GWS #87 (events in July or later) ts 5/ lO. IN,16268;
cro\plng Wtthout Schooling #85
5
John Holt on Assessment and Self-Esteem 'flle Jdlon bg Is an ewrptJrom a qtea'h thrrt,brvr Hdt gatn at Reed dlege In Orqorv Jarunry 16, 1969:
I thfnk the only way ln whlch ctrtldren, or lndeed anybody, get a sense of dlgyrlty, crmpetence, nrorth, and self-esteern" ts by succeedlngby thelr standards to thetr onm satlsfactlon, not anybody else's, at tasks of thetr own choosteg. They don't feel tlds way by learntng toJump thmugh hoops wblch we hold up htgher and hlgher. They don't feel ttris uray by betng ghrcn a httle puppy biscult each tlme theyJump thmugh the hoop, whether tfs a gold star or a paper marked IOO tacked on the urall, or the Ptrl Beta Ibppa key dangltng from thetr key chatn. I say, lt's on} when they choose a task and complete lt to thelr own satlsfacflon that they get this sense of gpowth, of derrelopment. Now, thls touches on the matter of what we do when they plunge lnto thtngs that are too much for them. I thlnk of serreral things here. ... Ttrere's an enorrnous dlfference between dtsappointment and fallure. The lnfant, the one year old, two year old, three year old, loeows pracdcally conUnual dlsappolntment Nothtng that he does works out the way he hopes or erqrects lt wt[. He can't do anSrthlr4;as well as anybody else, and he knows tt. He is not fooled. He may play fantasy gzunes - the texts talk about the infant omnlpotent, but t}is ls escape, ttrls Is a sop to trts vanlty. He
really knows. I have to tellyou the story I told at lunch about my slster and her then-4-year-old boy. She was watctrlng hlm playtng or dolng somethlng ln her room one day, and she looked at hlrn fond\r and ln a voice Just full of love and probably a llttle envy, she sald to hlm, 'How does tt feel to be 4?' He stopped what he was dotng and looked up at her qulte serlous\r and said, 'Ferfectly ghastly.' Now, you mlss somethtng awfully fmportant tf you don't know that about chlldren. lhey don't ltke betng ltttle; they urant to be big. They don't ltke belng ptcked up, put down, told to go here, there, they don't llke thelr lncompetence, weakness, powerlessness, subservlence. ...
I was vtsittnt the Llttle School ofSeattle, a ffrst or second gyade class, and got tnto a conversaflon wlth a bunch of 6 or 7 year olds. Somehow the matter of age came up, and I asked, 'Ifyou had a maglc rlng and could be any age, what age would you ltke to be?' One llttle ldd satd she would ltke to be a ltttle baby agah, because she d love to have another chance to suck on that bottle (there's
probably a domesdc tragedy there that I dtdn't pry tnto). Everybody else tn the class rrnnted to be older, much older. The youngest age I can remember belng named uras 12. One glrl satd, 'I urant to be 12 'cause ttren I could have a horse.'Most of themwanted to be 16, 18, 2l - theheckwtthberng6. ... The litfle kid ts dtsappolnted because he can't do what he wants to do. But he doesn't thtnk of htmself as falllng. Fatllng ts a concept which heJust doesn't have. We lntroduce tt lnto hls world, and we don't mean to, but we do lt usually when urc brlng tn the
noflon of a tlme ltrntt. If you say to somebody, 'Do somethlr4;,' and he says, 'Well, how long do I have to get tt done?' and you say, "I dont ca!e, as long as tt takes,' there's no problem of fallure here. But tfyou say to sornebody, Do somethlrlgby 6:O0 tomorrow," or "By ten seconds from now," when ten seconds, or tomorrow, or next week, or the end ofthe school year comes around and he hasn't done lt he's fatled and somebody else wrltes lt down tn a little boolc lt's the ttme ltmlt that lntroduces the noflon of fallure. When there's no tlme ltmtt, the ltttle ldd Just thlnks, 'Well, not
yet.'
... The defense ls often made ofconnenflonal school pracflces that they are reallsflc, To me, thls ts almost the most preposterous
thing you can s€ry about conrrcnflonal schools. lWhat goes on ln theml doesn't bear any reladonstrip to any other part of ltfe. It hasn't anyttring to do wtth real worh or real learntng ... the whole pattem ofreqrards, penalfles, and punlshments doesn't bear any
Growtng
Wthout Schoollng #85
resemblance to the nray the real world works. People love to say that the clagsroom ls prepar:adon for the real urcrld. Thafs utter nonserure. The management consultant, Peter Drucker, had an arHcle ln a rnagaztne called Careers lbdaglra whlch he quoted a whole lot of bust ressrnen as saylng ttrat one of the problems we have wtth thes€ ktds Settlng out of college ls that they're used to Hng told that errcry tlme they do somethlr4S someone glves them an A, B, or C, and says that that was very good, or not so good. They don t know how to assess thelr own work, they can't become tndependent of thls authorlty support. [SS:l Ttrfs speech seemsnery tlmely to me, because educators
talk a lot these days about the lssue of assessment and the tmportance of self-esteern- When I read John's thoughts ltocrurred to me, as lt has before, that when adults debate how to assess ctrlldren, lt ls assumed that the task ts to detenrrlne how well a ctrtld has measurcd up to the teacher's or the etate's standards. Someone else sets the standards, and someone else does the
I fhlnl the only way ln whlcb
chlldren get
a sente of thelr dlgnttlr, competence, worth, and self-esteem, fs by ssssssdlng by thelr gtandards to thelr own satlsfactlon, not anybody elBe's, at tatts of thelr own chooslng.
assesslng. No one talks about the value of leamtng to set standards for oneself or of derrcloptng the abilrty to assess one's own work and actrlerrcment. I thlnk - and John's Ibeal comment suggests - that these skllls are lmportant, and homeschoolers who thlnk so too mlght conslder maldng sorrrc ldnd of statement to that elfect ln negotladons wtth school olllctals about how horneschoollng chtldren wlll be assessed. I'm not suggesttrg that subsdhrtlng a ctrlld's self-assessment for a parent's or school ofilclal's ass€ssment would be an easy way to sattsff the evalua' tlon requlnernent of some state lants. But nerrertheless I thtnk lt could be a good tdea to remlnd educators of an aslrct of the assessrnent quesflon that they often orrerlook. Someflrnes schools gtrrc passfng attenflon to the nodon that self-assessment ts an lmportant sldll by, for ercample, asldng students to gfve themselrrcs thetr own grades. Ghts ts usualbr done as an exerclse and not as a way of gMng students true porver over what goes down on thetr report cards.) For most students, thls ends up betng a guesstng exerctse rrnre than anlrthtng else. TheJob ls to guess howwellyou'rrc measured up to the teacher's standards, done what the teacher wanted you to do. Tfuly assesslng how well they have done accordlng to thelr own standards ls somethlng very few students have a chance to do, or ever trust themselves enough to dowell. I was exclted by the letters that homeschoolers wrote for the Foctrs ln GWS #84, about worHng tourard a goal, because they shourcd howwell ldds can set thetr own goalg and standards, and Judge thelr ourn work, lf glven the chance. And tfs not as lf klds who are allowed to set thet oqm standards eet low ones, elther (wtrtch ts what adults who don't much trust ctrlldren probably belleve). Emtly Fal$anks wrote about taHn41 up dance alter belng tnsplred by the Veselka Uknnfan Dancc Tloupe of Vlctorla- She satd she works hard at lt because 'I want to dance like the Veselka-' No low standards herel There's a wonderful passage ln Neuer Too Iate ln which John
6 Holt says thatwhen people leamed that hewas shrdylng the cello without a teacher, they would ask 'Where do you get your standards from?' He erplafned that he got hts standards from the great celltsts whose playlng he lorrcd and admtred and llstened to tn recordlngs and at conccrts. It ts absurd and unfalr to say tlrat urc cannot asptre to anythlng, cannot hare any sense ofthe goal for wtdch we are worldng, unless someone else tells us oractly what that goal ts and lets us lmow at all tlmes how close we are to lL Havlng hfgh standards can lead to frustraHon someflmes, but not lf we don't have to aclderre our goal by any parflcular tlme, as John potnts ouL Who determlnes the flme bywhlch Emlly has to be able to dance ltke the Veselka? Arrd along the way she wtll harrc many opportuntdes toJudge her progpess, and to be sadsfled (or perhaps frustrated) by how far she has come. I do recogntze thatJudglng one's own work tsnt alurays easy. Someilmes we are too close to our own work to erraluate tL I tltfnk It's posstble to help people ttrtnk about howwell they have met thelr own standards, maybe by gMng them some PersPectlve on thet work (tape rccordfng thelr muslc Playlng so they can listen to tt later, savlng drafts of thelr wrtting so that they can see how theyVe tmprcved over dme, and so on). Also, lf you understand what someone fs trJrlng to do, you may be able to offer an oplnlon about how close they'ne come, what sflll needs u/orlc But tttfs fs aU very dlfferent fromJudglng howwell someone has measured up to outslde standards. Agaln, I thlnk lt would be \rcry tnterestlng for homeschoolers to say that they nalue self-assessment as a sldll and are gotng to work to help thetr ldds develop that abtltty. Perhaps tt would errcn be posslble to talk to people tn vartous ldnds of adult work and eliclt statements slmtliar to the one John heard, about how tmportant lt ls to be able to Judge one's own work wlthout ahrrays dependlng on outslde approval or crldclsm. Flnally, one thoug;ht about self-esteem. Recently, a reader
'I feel ltke I'm lacHng sonrcthlrry soctally - my self-esteem ls sflll not that great. So I worry that our son wlll have the same problern But echool dtd not help me soctally - ln fact, maybe I rpouldVe done better lf I hadn't had to go to school at age 5. Also, I belleve that self-esteem cornes from successful accompllshments from trylr4 thlngs and dolr4 thfngs. Also frtom encouragement. But I sflll x,onder about the soctallzadon and self-esteem quesUon.' I ftlnk Urfs reader wlll be reassured by John's comments about what fosters self-esteerru succeedtng to one's ounr standards at tasks of one's own chooslng; notJumPtng through hoops that others hold out. Thts thouglrt rtngs true to me for two Feasons: flrst, because so many pâ&#x201A;Źople who are good atJumPing thrcugh hoops - who succeed to others' safisfacflon - don't have parttcular$ htgh self<steem, and sâ&#x201A;Źcond, because I think ctdldren belterre what ogerlence shous them about themselves more than they belterrc what adults sagr about thelr abtlttles' That ts, suPPose you have a chlld who feels shrptd (because of abad school experlence, because she ts a late reader tn a soclety that doesn't understand late readers, or forwhaterrer reason). Parents wrlte to us about such children all the tlme, and they say, 'I keep telling her that she is smart and capable, but she doesn t belleve me.' Klds often thlnk, 'Oh, she's my mother, she has to say that.' But what seems to vrork ls for the ctrlld to be tn a slhradon that allows her to see for herself that she ls srnart, capable. whaterrer. A chlld who felt bad about her readlng abtllty comes home from a day at a theater class and says, 'Hey, you know, I could read those scrlpts as well as the otlrer ldds.'A chlld who felt clumsy and tn ereryone's uray llnds herself suddenly needed when the nelghbors are trylng to Mt heavy boxes and comes home tltnt<tng, 'I really helped wfth that.' In some cases tt maybe up to the pa.rcnt to do some creatlne ttrtntOng about how to rrake such experiences avatlable to the chtld. I welcome arry oramples of thls, or further thougfits on the lssue. wrote,
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For more information send this ad along with your name and address to: Clonlara School 1289 Jewett St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104
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Director (313) 76945rs
Growlng Wlthout Schoolng #85
How Mothers Find Time For Themselves rnessages, do errands or oofDrlng. Dependtng;on the stage of my current
These wrlters are respondlng to Ratn Makors letter ln GWS #89, 'Mother Wants Tlme Alone."
qrtflng proJect, havlng chlldren around may or may not be OK I recent! ffnfshed
Sharing Responsibilities
stnrckwtth an tdea, I rnayJustJot down
F}om Jane Dwlnell MD:
I would llke to respond to Raln Mako's request for ldeas about pa.rents gettlng privacy and flme for tJremselves, Slnce my hlds are appro:dmatel5r the same age Dana, 4 l,/2, and Sayer, 14 months - and we llve somewhat the same klnd of Me (isolated ln the countqr, self-employed at home, famtly bed), I hope my suggesdons are useful. We are able to have tlme alone (indivldually, that ts) because we share parentlng (and all household urcrk) equally, and we tnclude our chlldren ln as much of our work as posslble. The chlldren pardctpate ln all our homesteading work gardentng, woodspltttlng and stacHng, animal care, cannlng, cooktng, ctrfmney cleantng, laundry, repalrs, housecleantng, etc. Sayer mayJust be toddltng around or ridtng tn the backpack (although today h, he tried stacldng wood), buttt Dana ls very busy helpirq and has been for a lon4l helpirg lono tlme. She stacks wood, harvests vegetables and cuts them up ror themup urem for processlng, srre forprocesslng. she leeds feâ&#x201A;Źds anlrnals anlmal and gathers eggs, etc. By partlclpatlng tn the necessary work for survMal, they understand that tt ts lmportant and t}at lt is just part of Me. We often start the day by discussing theJobs that need to be done as well as the fun stulf we wlll do. Dana understands that tfvrc get the wood spllt and stacked, then we can go to the ltbrary or play a game. She also understands that after the game then Jane and Sly (Mom get some tlme to do what they
ill|*,
She doesn't always hke lt when we 'do
our own thfng,' but she wlll flnd any
number ofthings to occup5r herself. Sayer, differcnt story, and \il,e try to schedule certaln actlvltles around hls naptlmes. But he wlll often play wtth Dana or otherwlse amuse blmself near a parent, (He ts playlng wlth some shells on the floor as I write thls.) A.s parents, we declde whose personal work can tolerate Sayer's presence, and then that parent ls 'on' childcare for a certaln amount of tlme, HaIf our lncome ls from homestead proJects - maple syrup, salsa, eggs, and vegetables - and the enttre farntly parttctpates tn thoseventures. Dana and Sayer are happy to dellner to restauxants and stores, to help harvest and chop vegetables, to attend out-of-town fatrs, to play ln the sugarhouse. The other half comes from our personal careers - I am a freelance wrlter and Sky is a famtly medlator. While Sky clearly cannot have chlldren wlth hJm durlng medlaUon sesslons, he wlll us"ally take Danawhen he has to attend meetlngs or go to hls olllc.e to do papenvork. Both ldds wtll often go wtth him tf he has to check trts matl and of course, ls a
Growlng Wthout Schmltng #85
wrtdng a book, and could not hanrc them around for the actual urrlflng. But for edfHng and prlndng the manuscrtpt, lt uras flne. If I harrc to be dotng ctrtldcare and am some notes and vratt for another dme to wrlte. I amalso fortunate because I can
wrtte wtth lots of nolse and actMty around me; I do notneed peacc and quiet.
Sky and I both do yarlous types of nolunteer worh and usualbf at least one chtld accompa.nles us. When one parent has one ctrild wtth hfm or her, lt eases the burden on the other parent I ffnd that tf Dana ls gone wtth Slgr, for tnstance, and Sayer ts taktng a nap, tn a good mood, or ln the backpa.ck, I can get an extraordinaqr
amount of work done. At one potnt, when Sayer nras smaller and needier, we tnsfituted'three hours.' That meant that Slry and I each got three hours a day, at least four days a week, to do whaterrer we wanted wltlrout chlldcare
responsibllides. Someflmes I wrote and sorredmes I napped or read for pleasure; Slry read, made phone calls, and dld other
rnedlaflon-related work The tlme dtd not necessarllJr have to be used for lncomeproducfurgwork - ltwas up to us, We dtscovered after dolng thts for a couple of months thatwe were then able to ask each other for the tlme we needed without betng so formal. Dana understood that when we were on our'three hours,' erren lf we were ln tlre same room (the computer ls ln the Itvtng roorn), you ould not talk to us or bother us ln any way. Our maln stmggle nowls to ffnd ttme to be alone together as a couple. Slnce we have a farnll5r bed and e\rcryone goes to sleep andwakes upatthe same flme, we don't have the flme tn the eventng that rnany parents have. We harrc trted staytng up later but we are usuall5r much too dred. A few tlmes ayear an aunt or g;randmother wtll take the ldds for a day, but urc would llke something on a negular basts. flhe relatlves all ltve far away.) We have talked about tradtng ctrtldcare wlth another farnily but harrc not found a compadble one. It wlll be e:sier when Sayer has weaned and sleeps through tlie ntght - urc mtght not get as tlr,ed and wtll be able to stay up later. And we know that, all too soon, theywlll grow up and be ollln thelr own world, and nre'll have all the tlme we need. For now we are learnfng paflence and fledbtlttSr.
long hours and hasn't been able to help
wtth the cooHng or ctrlld care. One of the problems wlth thfs was that I found I was begtnnlng to scruUnlze how he spent hts uprk tlme. If I happened to go downstalrs and found hlm talklng on the telephone wlth a cllent and laughturg, I would uronder whether thls conversafion was buslness or pleasure. Heaven forbid he should have a phone conversaflon wtth tris brotherl My tnstdes would churn and I would mutter, 'He has all thls free tlme.
Wherc ls mlne?'The curse of compeflflon strlkes agaln. In rrSr saner rnoments I would realize tlntu/e all need space to work, and Judglreg each other can lead to Jealousy and resentment. After a conrrcrsatlon wlth a frtend I began to look at thls lssue oftkne tx a dlfferent uray. My frlend's chlld had been home slck ftom school for two weeks. She uras frantlc and lamenflng the fact that she dtdn't have a moment to herself. Granted, a stck chtld can take almost constant care and make anyone feel trapped tnslde the house, but I was taHng thls same notlon that I needed my tlme and was resentful tf I dtdn't get n dally. As I began to errarnlne my feeltngs more closel5r I found that I was seelng our ctrlldren as robbtng me of my tlme. They were prerrcntlng me from accompllshlng my'creatfirc'work I took ttrts prernlse and turned lt on lts head and began to look at my children not as lnternrpdons but as enhancers. Stnce I arrr comnltted to homeschoollng, we will be together most of the ttme. I am not gohg to have several hours or any sâ&#x201A;Źt anount of tlme to myself dal!. One of the reasons I homeschool ls to be together as a farntly. And yet here I was t5dng to get rld of the ctrlldren. The message was that they urcre tn the way of my tmportant work. Ttre need to alter my percepHon of the chtldren, Kate and Jacob, seemed lmperative, Oncre I was able to share my life more fu$ wlth them my resentment dtsappeared. For oample, when I am ansurerlng a breastfeedtng quesdon on the phone I wlll pause to explatn to Ibte the lmportance of the lnformatlon to the wornan. S|rrcc thls ls routtne to Kate and Jacob tt no longer rcqulres a lengthy
Pinewood School Brinqs Home Educotion fo Yo-u (303) 838-4418
Olivio C,
Learning Not to Resent Children
Lorio
Director
F}om Karen Mendr.hldlds (NI:
Tm frequently I have felt resentful at Iwasn'tgettln!
the end of the daybecause
enough tlme for myself. ltfy husband and I have a home business. At thts potnt I spend most of my day wtth our chlldren and he nrns our buslness. He has been putttng tn
SCHOOL 112 Rood D Pine
Colorodo 80470
Seryrng Home Educolors Since i98l
I
8 erplanaHon butJust a short code word. At other flmes the chlldren can help me wtth parts of proJects or do thelr own work alongslde me. For o<ample, when I was destgntng my hollday greedng card IGte was destgnlng hers and Jacob uras cuttlng
what scheduled ttmes. It{y fully prtvate
paperand $ulng.
work.
to turn rny attenflon to the chlldren willingly (most of the ttme). Sometlmes tt ls only for a mlnute - Kate wants me to see the cushlon and blanket boat she made, or Jacob needs a glass of water. At other tlmes they need some rnommy tlme. Then we slt and read or eat or pLay. My other work
work (wtth the posstbtllty of a few lnter-
Nourwhen I am tnGmrpted I am able
waits. Besldes changtng my attltude toward my famlly, I also gave myself pennlsslon to do what gtrrcs me pleasure durtng the day. Before, I uaould nerrer read orwrlte or anythtngwhen therewaswork to be done, When I thought more about thts I concluded
that the message lhte andJacob were recelving uras that for thelr mother, chores were lmportant and readtng and wnflng and play could be pushed aslde forwhen that rare commodtty (free ttme) presented
ttself. The result of all thls has been a more sadsffed me, chlldren who see thelr mom taking ttme to work on proJects she wants to work on, and much more famlbr harmony. Ohyes, the house is messler at tlmes, but tt all gets done wentua[r.
A llelptul Schedule Ftom Kit Sugrue (ON:
I am an ardst/writer who works at home. My husband ls current$r worHng only part-ttme at our local food co-op. We supplement our lncome wlth a rental proper$r we own (when lt makes more than it costs). Though we are considered 'lowlncome,' we feel tlme wtth the family ts more lmportant than the money we would make with steadier Jobs. That extra time at home glves my husband and me the optlon of prlvacy lfwe feel we need tt, My husband doesn't se€rn to need as much as I do, and I don't need as much as I thought I dtd before marriage and ctrlldren (those thlngs do tend to change one's atflhrdes a bl$. But, espectally wlth the type of work I do, a certaln amount of prlvacy ls needed. For those acdvldes I can't share wlth Ertka (5) and Chrls (3 l/21,I have some-
Creative Homeschooling h&dil Grades K-12 since 1975 Tf'* -,-#_vlt
Integrative l-earning
For hdy, Mnd and Spirit Oak Madow
khml
Post Office Box 712 Blacksburg, VA 24063 (703) 731-3263.
tlme te b€tqrcen 5:3O and 7:3O AM, wtrtle qreryone else ln the house (and most people outslde ofthe house) are stlll asleep. Ifs a tnrly qutet flme, errcn derrold of phone calls; a tlme I can really conccntrate on n{r When the ldds do getup I usually take a break to say good rpmtng, get thelr breakhsts, and take care ofother needs. I then dectde whether I want to go back to
rupdons - whlch can usually be taken care of wtth a qulck hug) orJotn ln on whaterrcr actMty my husband and ldds have planned for the rnornlng. Thts ts hts scheduled tlme wtth them. After lunch ls my scheduled ttme wtth the ktds, as thls l,s the tkne my husband goes to work. On the days he
doesn'tworh
he decldes lf he'llJotn us then, or leave us to our oum actlvlfles whlle he takes care of Jobs and errands.
In the evenlng tfs sort ofa free-for-all
unfll bedtlme, when I'm almost always the one to read to the lidds. My husband ltkes the wenlng to relax or be wtth me. Our tlme
together (wtthout the Hds) ls sometlmes shortened as I need to get to bed shortly after the klds do ln order to get up early. My husband doesn't get home unfll afterwe're all tix bed, on the nights he works. The tlme we don't spend wtth the ktds lsn t alurays Just for us. Household chores sttll need dotng. Though the ktds are usually wtllng to help ou! and enJoy some cooHng, gardenlng, wood haultng, and even cleanlqg, there are usually other thlngs they uzould rather do durlng thelr time wtth us. Keeping prtorltles str:atght ls funportant here. DlrV dlshes can uralt ln favor of a walk tn the woods when the weather ls nlce, but lf we haven't bmuglrt the wood ln we don't have heat 'dl lt's done.
The key to tlris schedule ts flodbiltty and betng aware of speclal needs. If my husband needs to talkwtth me, somedmes the ldds flnd thelr own thlngs to do or I stay up late. Ifthe ldde ne€d rnore attenflon, more flrne ls gtven. I set up the schedule, so my needs are also usually rnet. And IVe found that wtth ttrls schedule, the ldds feel more sure of getUng thelr needs met, and wtll therefore leave us alone durlng our dme more readll5r than they uiould before we had thts schedule, and they'll
certalnly let us know lf weVe taken too much of thelr flme for ourselrres. Baslc gutdelines keep thlngs fatr, and flodbilfty keeps thtngs tnterestlng.
They Get Mone Independent homJeatette larsrrn
oJ
dordo:
I planned to homeschool my klds since before they nrere bom. We share a
famtly bed and my klds were kangaroo babtes, spendlng the maJortty of thelr tlme fur a front or back pack unfll they were about 3. I can understand Raln Mako's deslre for some tlme alone. For the flrst three years that we had chlldren, we llved on an lsolated farm on the Wyomlng border. There was a small crmmunlty up there and tn many ways lt was nlce, but so many of the ctrlldren I saw
up there were gowtng up ln tgnorance of the world. So we moved lnto a small tourn tn southern Colorado. My husband works as a counselor tn the schools. I sttll malntaln a small farm and have a home bustness rnaHng a unlque klds'toy, among other thlngs. We perform at a Flenalssance Festlval tn the summer. And we homeschool our klds. Ttrere are days, [ke when I have a big order to get out, or I'm tqrlng to get ready to present a unrkshop, or I'm frandc about getdng the btlls pafd, that I swear I'm going to send the ldds to school. Those nlne free hours aday sure are tempdng. When I get upught about somethlng, the ldds get cltngl and demand more attendon. It can escalate to some serlous dtsagreements. But IVe found that lf I can take a deep breath, Ilnd one of my favorlte liitds'books and then slt down and read for a few mlnutes, we all feel better, Then, lf I'll lnvolve the ktds by letttng them tag Items or check for loose threads or draw plctures on boxes ofwhat the boxes iontafn, we all settle down. kttlng the kids help may take longer now, but we're at the polnt where I can see that they're gotng to be a btg help ln the buslness real soon. They do get older and more lndependent. SIx months ago I could hardly tmagine havtng dme for myself, and I had to hlre a htgh school gtrl to come and take the klds to the park tn the aftemoons so I could get my buslness done. Butboth of the lrdds matured a lot over the summer, They started prepartng their own food. ArJuna, then 6, got to wher€ he would gutde people around our area oftlre festllral, and Ranl, 5, went shopptngby herself to spend the money she earned helptng ln our booth. Nov they're both starttng to read so they can look up a lot of their questions themselves, and theyVe always been very self-dlrected about thelr learnltxg. I worry perfodtcally about them not leamlng what they're "supposed' to know, but I can look at ftlends'chlldren of the same age who are tn school, and I am reassured. So now I'm havtng to adJust from my whole day betng centered around the ktds and crammtng my work tn where I could, to havlng to dtsc{plne myself to do my work and make a schedule. I always let the lilds know where I'm worlidng around the plac.e and thev feel free to come and ask me -whenever. ^to I sflll often have to help them take breaks from what I'm doing to help read a book or ffx a brcken toy, but it has suddenly bec,ome easy to lose a whole mornlng readtng a magazlne, I felt rather amused and smug the other day when a frlend of mine was complalnlng that she was gotng to have to quit sewing for me, 'Now with the llds in school, I'm always on the rrn,' she explafned, 'Wtth havlng to run them both to school, and meetlngs and lessons after school and PTA and helpteg wlth classes and homework, lJust dont have the time.' Sendingyour ldds to school doesn't seem to solve ttme problems.
Siblings Learn to Play Together Ftom Carolgn Ellts oJ Maryland As a motlrer of four, I think Ratn's
Growing Wthout Schooling #85
I children s ages are bastcally as bad as-lt pets. As vou have more chlldren, the older -tt .-ssartly getung older, of 5rr." tt course, so that thouglr the traln ls growlng' so to speak, the older ones are getttr4 to be truly ulseful by 5 and lndtspensable by 7. A second thought ls tn rcsPonse to Raln's comment that her children want interacfion and compa.ny twent5l-four hours a day. Our 4 year old belongs to that constant-comlnnlon club. Our 6 year old ls a less frequent member, but he too can get into the'I want a frlend ovef blues. My answer ts not ahuays no, but tn general tt ls no. What I teU the chlldren ls, -There are four ofyou here. You're bored? So ls your sister. Play wlth her. You can help her become a great pLaynnate.' Of course our children play wfth other ctrildren too, but I take special palns to see that they develop good relatlonshtps amongst each other. I want to protect and dwelop thelr brotherhood and sisterhood. And now after a few years I see red fnrit. Our 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter would nerrer have related to each other wlthout enoourErgement. I see play as a talent/gtft to traln up. It's through a healthy lsolatlon that the child learns what's avallable to do at home, how to be creatfue and tma4fnadve' how to dial down and relax. A rlch home environment ls a prcrequlsite for success here. Paint, clay, !arn, Iegos, and books are wonderful regources. Hammers, natls, wood, and somethlng to clirnb on are gneat too. The tdea ts that lf the chlldren are happy and growtng ln thetr abtltty_ to obq and-rtspond to you, then you rrlll have free time. Our 9 year old ls basically busy all day. Our 6 year old needs very ltttle dtrection. Home ls hls workshop and he knows all the tools and knows how to combtne them in any number of ways. Brtcks become ramps for blkes when you put a board on them, leaves become hideouts or materlal for stuffIng clothes. Our 4 year old does need help tn mhfng the gold of home, but she's learnlng from the two older children how to do tt. Our 2 year old ls thrilled simply to be outslde and t"gdng along wtth the others. when thtngs are worldng rlght I have tons of flme, Sure, I could use more, but I'm thrilled to hanre as much as I have. I can sit down and weave for an hour without anyone havtng a maJor breakdown, I can play the plano for a half hour or more wlthout a dlsaster. But I remember when I couldnt do that. To Raln: your llttle 3 year old urill be 'turnfng the comer' soon if he hasn t already. Don't despatr.
keeolnE an eye and ear out.)
't'ri
aleo a flrm beltever tn a mldday nap for fnfants and young ctrlldren. It's as much for me as for theml If bryond naP age' a oerlod ofqulet - at least an hour - ls eristv h"ttaied by older chtldren' i want my children to be lndePendent, and I feel they *lX learn so only by pracflclnE at worldnA on thelr own now. I en iur.ge their to thlnk and act on thelr own. But I am arrallable to themwhen they need me. Ttrls nrearrs certatn actMdee for me are outdurlng the day. Ones easlly lntemrpted (sewlng, cleanlrg' drawlng, and some aspects ofmy bustness) are done whlle the chlldren are around. Ttrose qreater conc=ntradon are done requlrlnA -nap/q:ulet sme or when th:y'ry + at nlght. 0'm not aware tlnt a faml$-betr means all must retlre at the same tlme' Chtldren usually need more sleep than adults do.) Flndlv. rnv husband and I sometlmes free the otir"t ott . Whlle one ts wlth the ctrlldren (at home or away) the other has some truly free ttme. Admfttedly' I spend some of such dme on mundane actMtles such as grocry shopptng. But not alll
*atdora
found that havlng; another Hd overwho ls the same age as my ldd also
frees rne up to do housework, etc., because
the turc chtldren generally amuse each other and don t need much from me'
ryg!
Trading with Other Mothers Flom Allson llcMalun oJ Neut Yo*:
I llve ln BrooklYn, New York, so I am
not tsoliated tn the country as Raln Mako ts, but I thlnk some of my soluttons mlght work for her. I harrc a l7-month-old daugbter and I also work at home (wrttlng
I
the
garten at least, and we may continue u/orks Yrcll for werYone. My husband and I also make a
f lt
practt& ofbabystttlng one nlght a week
so
the other can go ouL My husband dances
wtth a folk danctng team and practlces once aweek. When tt's my turn I catch up with my glrlfrtends, see a movle, take a class, etc.
I
Learn & Grotv*,,n
*.
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books and magaztne arflcles)' Once aweek I meet wtth ot6er parents of young chlldren ln a plavgrouP. Somedmes I trade u'ith these parents - I take their babv'srtfiis -for lud a fJv hours and l,ater ln the week thev take mv ldd for a few hours. Thls glves nrc-tlme to do thtngs I can't do wtth the underfool babv -I'rrc
(WN:
I'm a homeschoollng mother of three:
two glrls, 9 and 7, and a boy, almost 4. For the irost part I'm only mintmally lrrvolved
with my Chtldren's actlvlues and only
rarely asslgyr work or Play to thern,This ls no lels true for the 3 year old than for tris older slsters. And tt has been so stnce they could move about on thelr own. Ttrls certalnly doesn't mean I'm unaware of what they're dotng. (One has only o-nce to lose half-one's tomato croP to chtldren pretendtng the frutt ts food before alrrays
Gros/tng
Wthout Schoonng #85
TOOLINC AROUND t
FREE CATALOG
(408) 286-9770 PO box
720100
. sAN JOSE, CA ssli2-0100
l
l0
Challenges
&
Concerns
Worries About Kids Being Judged Ilsa Tlelchler (NY) ufites: I have been a homeschoollng parent for slx years. IVIy four ctrlldren range tn age from 3 to l l years old. When I read Sky Yardley's essay about Jud Jerome ln GWS #83, tt brought up somethlng that bothers me at tlmes. Slry wrote about readlng a letter from Jud's l4-year-old unschooled son, Topher, and 'feellng embarrassed for trtm about trts 'chtldlsh' penmanshlp and trls'atroclous' spellfng.' Sky safd he thought vrrlilng lfke that made Topher
look stuptd, even though he knew that wasn't the case. I think a lot of people could make a Judgment llke that about my ldds'wrtflng, and wonder about thetr lntelligence and my competence as thelr teacher, Sometlmes I flnd myself pushfng harder for school-type work from my Hds because I'm nervous about what thelr Scout leaders, relaflves, and frlends wfll thtnk about them and about homeschoolrng Lr general lfthcy don t seem up to grade lerrel. Wtll people see thelr wrtflng (or whatever), Judge them as slow or stupld or treat them worse than they would otherwlse? Wtll they feel sorry for themselves as homeschoolers because they are'behrnd' and thtnk I'm a bad parent for not sendtng them to schml so they can be normal? I know I should not care what anyone thinks as long as I'm dolng the best I can, but I think homeschoollng parents, especlally unschoollng ones, need to have a lot of guts. Even though I amwell supported as a homeschooler, I sdll have attacks of worry about how my chtldren wtll flt tnto the world, ffnd frtends, Ilnd saflsSlng work, etc. Homeschooling does make kids dillerent (thank goodness: thafs why I do it). WiU they always feel apart from other people? Will tt bother them tf they do? What I urant for my klds ls for them to grow up feellng loved for thetr tndtvtdual-
tty and conlldent tn thelr abtlity to do whatever they need to make a sattsSrlng hfe for themselves. I know school would not be the place they'd get thts. I thtnk a lot of my an:det5r of fttttng ln and seemtng normal comes from havlng been schooled myself. These lssues are all-important at school. I'm wonderlng hour other homeschooling parents have dealt wtth the subtle ellects of thelr own schoollng whlle
trying to gfue thetr chlldren an envlronment where tndfufduality and selfconfldenc.e are nurtured and there ls no necd to be llke everyone else to feel secure,
respnd. to a lettq h tle Cholbrges & Concems sectlorL we'dloveto se acopA oJ gour req)orry. IJ gou
Meeting People From Different Backgrounds: Theater Class is a Good Way MonoWeber (NY) wflles: I found out about my drama class when my fam$ went to an art show. 'Mona,' my rnom sald, 'how vrould you llke to take drama?'And I replied I would. I took dramaand enJoyed lL When theyear ofdrama ended, I got a scholarshtp to go back agatn. Now I take drama on Wednesdays. In rrry class there ls one Indian glrl, one Aslan gtrl, a few Hlspantc ldds, and
about three Afrlcan-Amerlcan ctrtldren. I don't thlnk that belng black or Hlspanlc matters ln drama or ln the outslde world, We are putflng on a play tn Aprtl, and there are Black ldds marrled to wlrtte lidds tn the play. I don't think thts matters at all. We are all the same, whlte or black or Spantsh
or whatever. T?rercsa blorrls, Mona's nother, odds: We chose to olfer Mona
thls class
part$r because the arts school ls commltted to servlng our communlty and our communlty ts a mtxed one. Althougfr Mona and her brother Isaac meet marry Hds tre the playground, they do not harrc regular sustalned contact wtth many of tlrenl and urc felt tbls class would olfer that. I know from experlencc that formtng relatlonshtps wtth people from ditrerent backgrounds helps to dtspel stereotlpes, and thls ls an tmportant educatlonal conslderatlon to us. Our'educatlonal plan'lncorporates what ls known as multlculturallsmbecause we feel that a background tn other cultures and history, besldes the
tradtflonal Anglo-Saxon emphasts, will
better prepare our children for a future where people from all over the world mlx freely. Peacekeeplng wtll be a prlorlty ln the fuhrre: tndeed, lt ls a prlorlty now. Fardlfarfty wtth dtfferent cultures and wtth people who appear to be dilferent wtll be a strong asset. It ls also fun to study the tradlttons and mores of other cultures and these studles tle lnto geography, hlstory, and our day-today Me here ln New York
Ctty.
E4ioying Experiences Together l}om Jearuv Fenrafl-Anrrs ol Hanoall:
Our chlldren have a Caucasian mom and a Ftltptno/Spanrsh/Chlnese dad. They are 'mlxed.' We ltved ln a ractally mlxed area and the chlldren have frlends from different cultures, wtth dtllerent economlc backgrounds. We don't go looktng for people who are dlfferenL What weVe nodced ts that the ctrildren become filendly v/tth someone when they ar€ enJoylng
the same experlence and lnterest. For
erample, they wlll play for hours wtth ctdldren younger and older than them - at flmes much older oryoun4ler - at ttre beach, because they are ln a slhratlon that they all errJoy. Economtc background or ethnlc group doesn't matter. We try taldng other cultures lnto our home throughbooks, muslc, and documentary fllms. We are also qulck to Polnt out
dtfierent ways of lMng and dlfferent beltefs, whether th.y b. about religlous, polfflcal, or famtly lfe. I1ee ctrlldren enJoy trytng dtllerent foods, our favorlte betng Thal food, wtrlch wtll lead us to dlscusslons about Thailand, That ways ofworstrlp, polldcs, and the Thal people ln Hawall. It's nlce to read about people across the $obe, but also tmportant for the chlldren to read about people's differences and dllTerent ltfestyles te thelr commu-
ntty.
Handling Insensitive Questions
Agaruu. WilIlr:.nt.s MD urttes:
The letters about meeting people of dlfferent backgrounds remfnded me of a
flme when I was the person belng met, the person of a dllferent ethnlc and raclal background. Wtrtle attendlng aweekend 4H workshop for young teens ln Michigan, I had the mlsforhrne of meeting a girl whose famlly, somedme tn the past, came from Europe to the U.S. She made some com-
ment about how Aflcan-Amerlcans talk.
lhen
she looked at me and said, -You aren't Black, are you?' I tnformed her that I was. She secmed confused and satd, 'Isn't one ofyour parents regular and the other Black?' They are both BLack and both regularl' I tnformed her. I really wasn't enjoylng the conversatlon. I was getting a llt0e upset when an old man, also of Europ6an descent, spoke up. He had been standlng nearby and heard the whole conversation. Trytng to make lt better, he asked me where my mother was from.
'Detrolt,' I ansurered. 'No,' he said. 'OrigtnallY, what
country?' 'She ts Black orfgfnallyl Afilcal' I told hlm.
'Oh,'he said. 'I thought shewas a PaclIIc Islanderl' If that qrasn't enou6;h, the girl came uP to me liaterdurlng theweekend and touched my hatr, and sald, 'Ugh, your hair ts strangelI was annoyed and told her that there wer€ many more people tn the world born wtth halr like mlne ttnn wfth hair ltke hers. She had never heand such a thing and satd that of course there weren't. I don t thtnk thts glrl learned or benellted from our me€tlng, but lt is possible that someday she wtll remember and get something out of the e:gerience. It makes a lot of dilference lfyou have an open mtnd and some lmowledge to bring to a meetlng.
Growing Wthout Schooling #85
ll
Watching Children Learn How He l-eamed to Read JIII
futle
(CAJ
uxltes:
Curtts learned to read thls year at
ag;e
7 L /2 to 8. He went from no lnterest ln readtng to lovlng to r€ad tn a matter of monthi. One day when I was too busy to read somethlng to hirn' he sald wtstfrrlly to trts dad, 'I wlsh I could read.' Greg explatned to htm ttrat lf he worked at tt a iittle btt, he would be able to read very quickbr. From then on he read orer1rthtng
and asked quesflons lfhe could not read somethlng. He read steet stgns, somethlr4 my other ldds had done at a muchyounger age, but Curfls had nerter scemed to noflce them. He read cereal boxes, comlc strlps, and spent hours looHng at books. Thls last ls somethlng he had often done anyu/ay, but suddenly tt seemed to be more dlrected. He not only looked at the plctures, but trted to read the words. I offered to work wltlt him, but mostly hewanted to pursue trls
own@urse.
I was fasctnated at trls wlllngness to try anythfng. On our vacatlon thls summer, we took several Cahdn and Hobbes corrlc strlp books for hlm to read, and he loved them. But he also ptcked up the bookwe were readtng aloud and read a chapter to trlmself. Then I knew he'd done it. Now he often reads atread tn the books we are reading together, and I have to catch up on my own. Each of my ctrtldren has leamed to read tn different waYs at different polnts ln thelr life. But each has a love ofbooks and enJoys readtng.
Interested
in Electronics
AarcnLeBntn (FI) wdtes: What makes tt flck? What makes tt work? It was questlons ltke these that lnitiated my lnterest ln electronlcs. I never really was content toJust accept that a radlo played muslc and that a remotecontrolled car could move about on lts own. I always wanted to know why. I often asked my parents why certatn things worked and how drd they rnorrc on thelr own. Many tlmes my Patcnts could not answer my quesdons fu$. Ttrfs left me to Itgure thtngs outon my own. - One of the urays tlrat I learned was by taking everythfrlg apart hen as a young child I sought to learn about electronlcs by first taklng ttrlngs apart (of csurse, lt wasnt unffl I was older that I learned to put them back together). As I got older I wanted to lorow how the thtngs that rnade the things work worked ln the ffrst place. This reqLlred rnore ttran lust taHng ftfngs apart. It requtred research. Thus I looked up everythtng tlrat I oould flnd on the sublect. As my knowledge gr€w (througlt readtng books and magazlnes on electrlctty and electmnlcs and arrythfng I could find tn encyclopedras), I learned hour certaln things worked and why. I also leamed what they were called. My newly found understandtng
Grourlng
Wthout Schoolng #85
seerned to please my parents. I was now
putting the thlngs I took apart back logethir. As I got older I began to make thlngs, too. My parents had thelr doubts about ny abtllfles, especfally when lt came
to getHng the thtngs I made to work Everythlng soon changed, fndudfng thelr expresstons, when I sent a slx-wheeled, nirnote-controlled rrchlcle wlth headlrghts ztpptng through the lMng; roomI condnued bulldhg srnall r€motecontrolled vetrlcles for a while. Then I moved on to radlos. I taught rryself hour to repatr and butld thern I errentuall5r wen deslEned and butlt a portable cassette phyEr. I errcn bullt trito tt a small generalor-ttrat would help rnake the battertes last longer. Ttrls was parHcularly nectslqly conitdertng the only speaher I oould flnd was alrrros[ btgger than the cassette player ttself, so tt used up the batterles faster. Then I began to do some tnventlng. else, began gmall. As I Ttrts, as gatned more experlence I began a four-year experlmentatton wlt'l. electrtcal and mignettc forces ln ortder to create a machlne that would produc= over two dmes the amount of energr requlred to run tt. So far I have come up wtthJust a rnodule of the machlne. Its purpose ls to clrtdown on fuel usage (gas, otl, etc.) It ts not full1r operailonal yet and won't be any tlme soon, because I am havlng to destgn and butld a few parts to make lt run efflclently Just as a rnodule. &enhrall;r I hopc to create the machlne tn tts enttrety. I recently rebutlt a radlo-control car for a ftend and harrc done other baslc r€patrs, I hope that not too far tn the future I can work wtth trtgh-powered lasers.
Learning about Astronomy
about ilanes. Ttrey trad a tlme-llne of planesthat had been tnrrcnted startlng ivtth the Wrlght Brothers. A man there tau{ht rne about how theY know that planes are together by ustng tnfra-red. He also told me ibout a plane called the Sclssors that NASA lnrrcnted but does not use, because the F- 14 Tonratts better. Therr had a scale ttrat would tell you what welgh on all nlne planets and vou-would -th. had a room wtth Ughts --tt. Thet DmlecflnA olf mlrrors that rnade you feel ittriyou iere in the mtddle of space with stari all around. I also met a wornan who was an astronaut, and she now tralns astronauts. She told me about a plane that ls made to be a fake shuttle, so that people can traln for the real shuttle. She had also been ln spa.cebefore. She had ptctures she had taken of a ltghurlng storm she got caught tn. I also got to see a real spacecraft
and brlng home plcttrres. One of the people from NASA vlslttng the museum the day I was there brought tlrese neat t}tngs stmtl,ar to ttnker toys. He
showed howhe used themathlsJob. He uses them to bulld models of space statlons that I{ASA wlll someday use. I got to talk to hlm for a long ttme, and I asked him a ztlllon questlons. I have always Uked to build with blocks, legos - anyth{ng, and tt tnterested rne to see someone dolng ttds tvpe of butldtng for a lMng. I asked what litird of d.gr.e and study he had worked on, and he told me engtneertng. So now I am gofng to go to the lfbra and see what I can -alout tt' tt rntght be somethlng I want frna
to learn aboul
Interested in
Robbie Fprp|rr oi VIryhIa wdtes:
I remember llrst being teterested
because tt deab wtth the future. I ltke to tmaglne that one day some of these thtngs wlll be true. A couple ofureeks ago, vrc vlslted Lanslert NA^SA ln a clt]r close by. I leamed
fur
astnonomy when I was 9. I bought a book on astronorrry because tt lookcd lnteresttng, and I'rrc been hooked e'rrcr stnc=. I got d"d to take me to our local planetartum -y serreral ttmes. When I uns younger, the planetarlum rnade me feel ltke I was ln a ipaceslrtp. As I got oldea I found tfsJust a b-utldtng. Some of our planetarlum's programs xrcr€ good, and snrnewene bOruXCt ttre one on Etnstetn and the one on the spacc race are rny fartorltes. I llked the EtxJtetn program so much that I started readtng about htrn My farnlly vlsft€d selrcral museums, also. We v|sfd one ln North Caloltna and I got to touch a rock from the moon. I also urent tnto a reproducflon of the A;;ollo. I vtslted a better planetartum nearby' and I ggt to lfsten to a copy ofthe tape that ts playtrg on Vogqer I. On that tape are i|ffetent languages and dtfferent types of muslc ln case other ltfe forms hear lt. Durlng thls tlme of befng hterested ln astnonomy, I hane collected a few books that I really ltke. I also check out boks from the tiUrary. I ltke to watch Star Tl€k
Photogiraphy Jesse Wfll{anns (W'N wrttrs:
I harrc always ltked taldng plctures. All urc us€d to have was an old lrrstamafic' We hardlv 6fer ggt fflm for lt' so when we dtd I would shoot the whole roll tn a day. A couple of vears ago we started keeplng IIlm m tfre camera all-the ttme, and lt would last for up to two or threc months. lhen a couple of-vears ago I became sllghtly fntei'ested tn nature photography. The Ilash bulbs for the old camera cost a fortune, and slnce most of the wtldIfe around where we llve ls elther out at ntght or earl5l rrpmlng, the old camera q'asn't pracu&I. My btrthday was corntng up and one ofthe tldngs I wanted was a carnera, so nry grandparents €ot t-ne one' It ts pretty much automaflc fyou lrave to wlnd ano rewtnd the filrr0 but I llke tt a loL It has a bullt-tn tlash whlch ts really ntce.
Later I became lnterested ln dweloplng rrv own black-and-whtte |lkrl so I ai&a6a to take a ldds'photography class offered thr,ouglr our local parks departmenL wtrlch ts currently gotng on. There
L2 are three other ldds ln the class. We take plctu.res, develop our lllrr\ and prtnt lt. We get to use a darkroom and all the equtpment as part ofthe class. I hope to have a darkroom someday, but I thtnk that I wtll take the class agaln before I get a dark-
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room. Strce we only have llmtted solar pourcr and no runnlngwater, we would probably have to set up a darkroom tn my grandparents'basement. Ttrey llve close by and we go tlrere all the tlrrrc, so that wouldn't be much of a problem. In the future I look forqrard to taktng plctures of nature, all my house plants, and else ttrat seems lnteresflng, I
espectally look forward to dercloplng my own plctr,rres.
Setting Her Own Goals in Singing Adele Gadbk MA) wdtes: Lastyear, whenShalmawas 5, she wanted to go to an after-school playgroup that met turlce aweek ln our town. It seemed to be very unstructured and a good nray for her to be wlth some of her ftends, so we let her go. She enJoyed ft (although ft seemed to me as lf lturere becoming more and more llke school as the year went on) and on the last day thene was a show for the parents. The slx chlldren stood up and sang songs together (all doing e;<actl5r the same hand motlons, of course). Shaynarould not look stratght ahead lnto the audlence and barely rnouthed thewords to the songs.
She uns obvlous$ very uncomfortable tn thts forced sltuaflon. Thts past Septemberour nlece had a Bat Mttzrrah party wtth about one hundred and fffty people. Durlng the summer, Shayna heard that her uncle would be performlng at the pargr, and she announced that shewanted to stng The Sun Wlll Come Out Tomorrow,' from the muslcal Annle, at the party, Her aunt and uncle told her that she could stng, but no one really beleved that she would go through wtth tt (except me and her dad). She practtced hterally every day for two months. At the party she dld not even hesltate when handed the mlcrophone. She belted out her song (h tune, yetl) and was potsed and conlldent. The key here, ofcourse, ls that lt was her songl, and erren more tmportant, her tdea to shg tt. It uras hard to belleve that thls was the same ctrlld who, only months before, had 'bombed' ln her playgroup show, The response from relatives was trxteresttng. 'How dld you 6rer get her to do tt?' and 'I dtdn't know she was taktng shgng lessons' were common comments. These peopleJust assumed that someone aslde from Shayna herself must harrc been responslble for her succcss. The tnrth ls we had oflered no encouragement at all. We dld not want her to feel pressured to perform ln any uray. To me, thts contrast between Shayna's two performances epltomlzes the dlllerence between schooltng and not schooling. In her school performance, she not only had no cholc.e tn what she performed, but she couldn't even declde {f shewanted to perform, Who wouldn't be uncomfortable
tn a sltuaflon hke that? Her second performancâ&#x201A;Ź was hers the mlnute she came up wtth the ldea to slng, and no one could have mtssed theJoy on her face when she successfully completed the goal she had set for herself. I feel conlldent that as long as we homeschool, Shayna will ctntteue to set and meet her ourngoals - something thatJust doesn't happen ln school.
Coping with Frustration in Music Lessons Shalt Henry MN) urites: I have a slster who ls a musiclan (she plays the double bass), so IJ has attended orchestra performances since he was a small baby. He always seemed to love to llsten to the muslc and would sit quietly, so we were comfortable wtth brlnglng him along. Shortly before hds thlrd birthday, hebegan to ask to take muslc lessons. I stgned him up for a'movement with muslc'class and bought trtm a crate lllled
wtth rhythm lnstnrments for trls blrthday'
The tnstmments lnterested hlm for a couple ofweeks, but the class was nothing short of dlsaster. The room lllled with other children marchtng anound to loud muslc and the orders of the lnstructor frlghtened hlrn He would follow me compltantly ln whlcherrer direcflon we werâ&#x201A;Ź supposed to go, but hts grip on my legs only Ughtened as the class c.ontlnued. After a few classes, we counted the monry spent as a loss to ergerlence, and quit attending. So much for the age-appropriateness of
thls sort of actMty. He conflnued to ask for music lessons. hones! I bellerred he was too young'
To be
My slster would extol the virtues of early lessons for ear tt:alntng, and began to talk a lot about the Suzuld method. I read some arttcles about lt and the tdeas behind the method seemed loglcal, but I was left with an lnescapable lmpresslon of one more acdvtty ln whdch Parents are pushing ctrtldren at too young an age ln order to fulllll something they felt was rnisslng from thetr own chlldhoods, add Gathers to thelr compeflttve caps, etc. TJ persisted and I stalled. Shortly after moving to Mtnnesota, I began looldng lnto various progSams for young chlldren agah. At this polnt TJ was almost 5. I recetved literature from 'dwelopmental" programs (wtdch seemed Itke the loglcal choice to me), Suzuld
studlos, and prlvate plano tnstructors wttltng to take young students. I read the brochures aloud toTU so that hewould feel as lf he had some control over the decision, but I dtd my best to accentuate the positive aspects ofthe ones that appealed to me. TU wasn't fooled. The developmental sorts of programs (wlth more rhythm lnstruments, danctng, etc.) dtd not lnterest him in the
least. He told me he rvanted to take lessons alone, and wanted to play the flute. The flute?l Where dld he come up with this, I wondered. Not only would the classes of my preference not do, but the plano was out too, Thls left us with one Suzuki studio that would even consider a flute student who was so young. Slnc.e we were traveling so much that fall, I talked TiJ lnto waiting unfll after Chrtsknas to be$n lessons,
Growlng Wthout Schooling #85
l3 called the studto to nrake arrangements, and ordered the flute. kssons began and, unfortunately, I thought, so dtd datly practlce: days and days of spitting rice acrosg the bathroom floor and trylng to kdtate that procedure to get a sound out ofthe headJolnt ofthe {lute. No sound, but lots of tears. I was beginnlng to thtnk that thts whole thtng was a blg mlstake, He was too young for the pressure of thls sort of dally commltment, and I saw that fatlure was lmmlnent. T\ro or three tlmes aweek I would ask TJ tf he was sure he wanted to do thls, clearly trsinuattng that I dtdn't thlnk he should continue. Each tkne, he was adarrrant about conflnutng, surprtsed that I dtdn't see how much he was leanrtng. I could only think of all the money we were spendlng for spittlng rlce. Six weeks later, the flrst squeaky sound came out of the headJoint, and we were thrllled. Shortly thereafter, hls teacher told htm he could put the whole flute together and begln plalng the notes which he had already learned to llnger. Each note was a chore. Ignorantly, I thought that once he got a sound, the notes would follow easily. That uras not the case, however, and lt took him a couple of weeks to be able to blow some notes conslstentlJr. But they came, and more have come slnce then. Practlc'es remained roug;h for a while, as some days TU could get beauflful tones from the flute while other days tt seemed only to want to screech. I urasn't sure what made the diflerence and I didn't know much about music ln the first plac.e. The summer came and went wlthout so much as a day's practlcc and I was glad
not to have the responsibtltty nor be dealing with TU's and my frustraUon over difllcult sesslons. Then fall came, and TJ enthusiasflca$r began lessons agaln. $re were dumbfounded at how he was pracflcally starting at the beglnnlng agaln, due to the Lack of practlce, I'm sure trls teacher w€ul mor€ than a ltttle frustrated wlth us, but she nener let on. TU was unconcemed, conlldent that he would catch up qutckly. At this polnt I made the cpmmltment to htm and to myself to back htm up one hundred percent ln thls endeavor. My husband Tlm also agreed to take orrcr pracdce sesslons ln the eventng, as TU was silll dividtng pracflce flme because hls hands and flngers got ttrred tf he played too long at oncc. We all agreed that pracflce would be held every day, no matterwhat, with Sundays oIf. TJ dtd catch up qutckly. He got hung up on one song for a long wtrlle, unfll one day tt cltcked wlth both of us that by practtcturg trls F scale hts was pracdcally playing the song anyuray (a great rerrelation to me that songs are made up of components of scales). Stnce that tlme, he ts learning each song more and more quickly desptte the fact that the songs are getting more dl-fflcult. Practlce tsn't alurays easy or fun, but he never has to be reminded to do lt. More often than not, lt's me who's sayfng, 'Oh, can urc watt a bit undl I get such and such done?' It has helped that we reccnt$ dectded to practlce flrst thing after breakfast each morntrg. That way, he ts fr,ee to fool around wtth the flute the rest ofthe day, and I don't hane the pressure of worrytng about whcn we'll get around to pracflce as the day sltps pasL
Gros'lng Without Schoonng #85
I hanrc no tdea lfTU has any spedal apdtude for the flute, but he secms to be progresstng at an acccptable rate for htmself. And he flnds tt enJoyable. It has been a source ofconlldencc and prtde for hlm. He llkes to play for frlends and family as much as they wlll ltsten, Whathas surprlsed me the most has been trls absolute commltment to and htegrfty about pracdce. He ls now worldng trts uray through a chart hls teacher garrc trtm whtch, after thlrty days of consecutlve practtc€, wtll earn hlmaplzza. party wtth other shrdents, Not only has he been remtndlng us about pracdce tlme, but he wlll not sldp even the smallest detatl on hts ltst ofthtngs to be pracdced. Yesterday he had fallen offtrls sled and had a splttflng headache by the time we got to flute pracflce. I could tell he was not feellng too well and suggested thatweJust clap some rh5rthms and play a few slmple songs rather than work through hts repertolre. He exclalmed that hc cpuld not posslbly do that and check offhts day on tds chart. 'I have to pracflc.e crreqrthtng correct$r lf I'm gotng to color ln the next square,' he satd. But, erren norll, I have to catch rnyself when he ts havtng trouble, such as trylng to play tn the trlgfrer range. I know that tn tlme ttrls too wlll cllck and tn the meantlme, he does not seem to rnlnd nearly as much as I do. LooHng back, I see that I was undermtntng trls self-onlldenoe every tlrrrc I suggested that he thlnk about not playtng the flute an1nnore. I was also not exactly a cholce example of a parentwho deals wtth fmstmdon welll The message I was sendtqgwas a ioud and clear, '\tr/hen thlngs get too tough, qutl'Luchly, he tgnored me. Just the other day, he came
runntng out of hls room wtth the llute clutched ta hts hand, ehoutlng happfV, 'I love thls thtng. Usten to thlsl' I'm beglnnhg to love tt too, and I'm learnlr4 a lot about deallng wlth fmstratlon.
TaLing College French Class More Jtotn JflI
tune
Flerrch ln Actbtt I called the professor dtectly before erren tryfng to eroll Crlsfle as I knenr they would not acccpt her wtthout the professor's permtsston. She was so enthuslasflc about Crlsfie dotng this that tt surprlsed me. She has slnc= told me that many of the students would have beneflted greatty by betng homeschooled so that they would harrc a better ldea of what they were dotng and wtry. It took a lltde runnlng around to get Crtsfle enrolled slnce she ls so young, but wtth marry slgpatures I uras able to do tL for Crlsde to have Ttre professor a hrtor from the beglnntng and so tn addtflon to the lesson, wtrlch ls on TV urceldy, and the workbook whlch accompanles lt. she has one hour of tutorlng. The tutor thtnks Crlsfle is delrghtful and she ls by far her favorlte student because Crlsde wants to leam the language, whereas most of the other students arejust E5dng to pass the course. A sad statement on our college
populattonl Recently, Crtsfle had her flr:st test errer, and lt was a college
got a chuckle out
and professorwere so warrn and encouraglng and made surc she knew what to do. The professor graded tt for Crtsde before she left the room (she got an A-) and sent it to Crlstle's tutor so they could go over lt together. The lessons are now beglnnlng to get harder and cover thtngs Crlsile ts not farnilfar wlth etther rn Englfsh or French, but she sHll enJoys lt and wants to stgn up for the secpnd semester. I have noHced ln our local college catalog that they are offerlng a number of language cluntes wtrtch are telephone-asslsted, tndependent oourses through Ohto State Unlversl$r. Thls may be of tnterest to some familles because they ofler many languages, such as
Bulgartan, Foltsh, Serbo4roa$an.
Discovering Benefits
of Homeschooling
(CN:
Crtsfle (13) has been enmlled ln a College by TV class ttrls sernester called
mtd-terrn We all
ofthat Agaln, her tutor
Jtdg
Gflttgan (CO) wfites:
I would llke to add rrSr support to the
statement that homeschooltng strengthens
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t4 slblng relaflonslrtps. We have not alrrays homeschooled. In fact our three chlldren started homeschoollng one at a flme, begbnfr4 wtth the oldest. At flrst urc trted part-tlme schml arrangements, but they were exhaustlng to negodate and the parttimer felt ltke an oddball. Ouryoungest who ts probably the most soclal, developed the ldea tn school that she had to have constant sarne-age companlonshlp, Often when I showed up to plck her up from school she u,ould whlne for a friend to come over. Thts ls the llrst year they harrc all been home. Ttds, combln€d wtth morrtng to a new part of the country, has made us rely on each other much more for comlnnlonstrlp. At flrst, we were all a little out of sorts, trylng to adJust to a lot ofchange. But as we settle doum, I noflce that all three play together a lot more than they used to. They enJoy playtng together, although we do have flghts somettmes. They have spontaneously put on plays together, read to theyoungest, had fantasy games. They notlcre and apprectate each other's strengths. They enJoy gokrg out lnto the world (grocery shopplng, etc.) as my "force lleld of ldds,' as th€y refer to thelr collecdve body. It ls a challenge to meet nelrr frlends, slnce our chlldren are not tn school and we are livtng ln a new place. Our new nelghborhood l,s full of lidds, but they are all scheduled. Rarelydo they appearouton the street looktng for fun. I for one am really enJoyfng betng enen less scheduled than we were before our move. Our son says the only reason he would want to go to school ls to meet other klds. But he deffnltely does notwant to go that badly. His lastyearof school (third grade), he stated that school was u/asttng hls Me. Weagreed. The other day I commented to hnm that he ahrrays seems to have somethlng to do. He responded that he used to thtnk someone had to tell hlrn what to do, but now he Just thtnks of what he urants to do. I thlnk thls ls one of the greatest beneflts of
homeschoolng - that ldds have tlme and freedom to dlscover what thqr are tnterested lnand to pursue that Aslde from rnldng frlends among other homeschoolers here, we have gotten some frlends through socccr and church. We have been assertive about asklng people over, ollering rtdes, and Just going out of our way to talk to people. But the nronderful thing now ls that lt doesn't feel so urgent to have same-age frlends avallable for our children all the ttme. In fact, we really like Just us being together. It's espectally wonderful for us because ouryoungestJotned our farnlly as a foster daughter about fouryears ago, and we went through some rrcry tough dmes together. Sincewe moned and began homeschoollng, I thlnk she feels a whole new level ofacceptance. I am also glad that she ls homeschooltng now because I feel quite sure that shewould be labeled attenflon deflclt or dyslodc ln school. As tt ls, she ls learnfng tr her own way and I am trying not to be tm teacherly. She seems to be rrcry much a stght reader. When I tr5r to throw ln too much phonlcs, soundtng out words, she says, "Morn" don't make tt hard for mel' She also told me not to say "Goodl' all the ttme.
Seems ltke I read about that once long ago ln relaflon to baseball pracflce tn a John Holt book. OK now I really belteve ltl We also enJoy
thaturc can sldp along
at our own pace and get to the good parts of subJects. In math our slxth grade-age son ls
dolng thrngs that I dtd tn htgh school. It ls fun to show hlm how equatlons can be gaphed, and more mathemaflcal stulf
than Just arlthmetlc. I am learnlng so much fmm horreschooltng, too, espectally about htstory and other cultures. Often ln the errenlng urc'll read aloud about famous people's Itrrcs. Our ldds say they lorc htstory. It ls fasctnattng once you get down to the detatls about people's llves and thelr feeltngs. I also love and apprec'late the freedom to be creafirrc and antmatod (harc fun) ln our leamtr4. Our thlrd grade daugfrter latched rlght on to the tdea of mulfldtgtt muldpllcatlon when we dld a spontaneous Itttle slidt of -Ilre Dtstrlbudrrc Prlnce' who rescues the prlncesses one at a tlme from the dungeon. It came up totally by accldent when our son wrote dov,rn 'dtstrlbuflve
prlnce' tnstead of "dtstrlbuttue prlnctple.' Itumuld be pretty hard to selze that opportunlty ln a school settlnS.
Involving Kids in Work Will Clatke MA) wfites: I've been meanlng, for sorne tlme, to
wrlte about lnvolvlng chlldren ln thelr parents'worl<" and lt was the unnderful
letters from l(al and Kerdn Crourc (GWS *83) that ffnally tasplred me to do so. A,s a landscape gardener, most of rrry work ls on cllents'property and charged by the hour. Occastona$r Lyn and the gtrls wtll help me, for a few hours, on aJob when the
cllents aren't home, and lt works out very well. Lyn gets a &ctdone, and enJoys the feellng of accompltslrtng somethlng and mahng a contrlbudon. The gtrls' contrtbudons, usua\r, rnore than make up for tlre ttme spent helplng them, but I charge a Itttle less ttme than we actually worlq Just to be safe. We've also done thts wlth the knowledge, and presence, ofone cllent - a sympa.theflc grandrrnther. In general though, I worry that cllents would be uncomfortable wtth the arrangement. I thfnk they rrould feel that they wouldn t get their nxrn€y's worth and many would consider lt unprofesslonal. Of course some of the work ls done at home and Chelsea and Rachael help by vraterlng nursery stock, helplng to pot plants, etc. I wonder lf arry readers who are trades people, consultants, and so forth, have been able to sucfcessfully mesh thelr chlldren and thelr
work? The Crovres'letters also remtnded me of an artlcle, ln The fustutGlobe a year or so ago, about ctrtld laborabuses. An orample stted was of an AsLan ctdld who helped hts father tn a garrrent factory. The reporter quoted the chtld as saylng somethlng llke: 'I Just help my father sorrrctlmes. I stack the pockets up.' Obvlously, the reader was meant to be outraged, but, from
the skewed perspecdve ofa homeschooler,
I had to wonder - perhaps something nery poslflve was happenfng there. Harrc any readers been accused ofabuse for allowlng thetr chtldren to work?
Games Should Be For Fun, Not For Schoolwork Salll nore
jom JflI tune
(CN:
I have done some rellecilng on games reccntly. I am a lorrcr of games and challenges, and our farntly often plays a rrarlety of games, from word games to geography, strategf, and trtrda games. I have alnrays looked at gan,eg as awonderful leamlng sltuadon and often write them douin on our school reports. BUT, that ts notwhywe play them. We playbecausewe llke to, and we adJust scorlng and rules to glne oreryone a falr chance. Recently ln a dbcusslon wlth some frlends about spelltng and dlfferent methods of getung a ldd to spell reasonably well, I made the comment that lfyou want your ldds to spell vrcll, all you need to do ls play Boggle. One frtend responded that they should get tt out and try rt agafn, and then It trit me. Llke anythfng else, games are schoolwork tf used as such. In a classroom, they may be the least offenslve approach to leamfng somethlng, but they are classurork. I harrc changed my optrlon about recommendtng games, unless lt ls to a family tfnt really enJoys them to begln with. For game lovers, Naflonal Geograhic has put out a game called On iS,.sslgnment, whJch ls by far tlre most tnterestlng geography game yet. Gcrres Magazlne ls really speclal If you llke puzzles and games ln general. In additlon to word puzzles, they have revlews, artlcles, contests, and many thlngs to entertaln the whole farrdly. Through thts magaztrxe I became aware of a geography contest whlch we entered thls fall. What funl We dtd tt as a family and spent many hours readlng througb the con-
test booklet and followlng the dillerent maps that were lncluded. For more lnformaflon, you can wrtte to Clrcumglobal TrophyDash, PO Box53, LaCanadaCA 9lo12.
Last Chance for Letter Stories In GlliiS *8, I4nMilumofiered to the wrhtrg of rotrtd-robttlletter storbs bg lrl.o;4. - she arranges people
mrdtute
lngroups oJJour,
ardtle
eachgroup
story ond passes It tD tlv rcnn@rl'&rlr, ula adds onto tte story and tlren sends ft oru Nour I4n wrltes:
nemfur stafts a
Ttrere was a blg response, Tlvelve storwrttten by a total of 48 people. Some wrlters are au/atttng others of their tes are betng
llll tn a partnershtp of four wrlters. If anyone else wishes to wrtte, please send your name, address, age (5 throughadult) and a large, selfaddressed, stamped envelope to me by March 31, 1992. Afterthatdate, anyone whom I can't match wtth three other wrlters wlll get thelr SASE back with my condolences. Send to Lyn Milum, l2l9 Tlmberland Trall, Altamonte Sprlngs FL 32714. Thank you to all who have sent me such good letters alongwlthyour request to pardctpate. I have really enpyed getting your letters, as well as writing stories myself wlth my partners. age group to pardctpate, to
Grovring Without Schooltng #85
JOHN HOLT'S BOOK AND MUSIC STORE Hey Mom, Can America?
I Ride My Bike Across
by John Seigel Boecner #1596 $14.95 + post.
Bicycles are supposed o be the most efficient mode of fansportation there is, but most people consider bicycling impractical for long distance trreks. Even so, tlnt is what John Seigel Boeuner, his wife, and five 12 and 13 year olds did. They bicycled across the United
through ifthere had been only one person biking. For instance, when they were riding through a sleet slonn on a busy road, getting splastted with slush every time a vehicle passed, it would have been lough for a single person to keep going through all tlrrat misery. There was always the option to get on an airplane and fly the rest of the way home, but ttrey persevered. From reading this book I have learned about all kinds of people - country folk, city folh blacks, whites, southerners, northemers, and others who have been placed in categories other than these, or who are Qucky them) categoryless. The book is a narrative in the first person about an experience that you probably will not be able to have, but if your mom won't let you ride your bike across America reading this book is the next bast thing. Christian Murphy
-
States. "From sea !o shining
sea" was their slogan.
I have always been interested in bicycles, so this book interested me from the beginning, but it will interest anyone. It is not just a book about bicycling; it is a book about the United States and about a learning experience thafjust happened to involve bicycles. The leaming method these seven people used
New World of Travel by Arthur Frommer #1616 $16.95 + post. Whenever I evaluate any sort of reference book, I
is very similar to homeschoolers' way of doing things. As James West, one of the bicycling kids, said in his journal, and as he is quoted on the back cover of the book, "... But now I lell them we are in school - the best kind of school. I say: America is our classroom,
usually look first to see what
it has o say about something I'm familiar with. I figure that
Our bikes are our textbooks, And the people we meet are our leachers." This quote seems to me to exemplify the group's acitude beautifully shown through this book. I had read the book from cover !o cover and then a while after that was asked to review it. I glanced through it o refresh my memory, meaning just to dip in and look at short passages. I began reading, and from dipping in I was dragged under and continued reading the book for a half an hour. And every time thereafter ttnt I have looked at it I have ended up reading it for a while. It is very similar to a fictional adventure novel, except it's real. The people in the group weattrer a tornado, ride through snow storms and extreme heat, yet still make it o their goal. Bicycling is an important part of my life because it gives me independence. I can ride my bike much farther than I could walk, so I can go places I would otherwise have to ask my parents to take me to. But for the people in this book, bicycling gave them a sense ofindependencn anda sense ofreliance on other people. All the kids left their parents and family for four months !o do something not a whole lot of people have done. But they also developed a sense of community with the six other people in the group. If no one else had been there, it would have been difficult to complete the trip at all, and there were certain parrs of the tip that would have been almost impossible to get
ru
way I can gauge how much faith to put in its descriptions of things I don't know anything about. So when this
bigbmkarrived,subtitled"A
Guide to Alternative Vacations in America and Throughout the World," I tlrought, "What about Pinewmds Camp?" Sure enough, there is a chapter listing a dozen folk dance camps, and the first one described, accuratâ&#x201A;Źly and well, is Pinewoods, where I and my family have gone many times. Elsewhere I saw favorable recommendations for organizations that GWS contributors have written about - Servas, Chautauqua, Earthwatch.... So I began to feel ttrat I might do well to listen when this authorrecommends things I'm not at all familiar wittt, like the beaches of East Iong Island or extended stays on the coast of Spain for very fittle money. The book is large, thick, and attractively laid out with plenty of photos. The amount of information is immense. Some things I learned: . tlr,at all the youth hostels around the world have removed the requirement that you must be a youth !o stay there. . how o bargain for a low-cost hotel room, and how to get a second night free.
. which American budget molel chain is absolutely cheapesL
. that some travel agents specialize in filling empty spaces on cruises at bargain prices, and that freighter ships are eager to
Joha lloltrr Boot and tudc 9torc
2269 Massachusetts Ave.
take passengers now. . tlrat two of the Danish
'folk high schools" (really
"people's colleges') are run in English. The book lists addresses for further information, and it's important to note ttrat the bmk is ufiated every yqr - these kinds of organizations can come and go preny quickly. Some of the programs you might want 0o investigate: homestays, home swaps, group camping, foreign langu4ge immersion, nral cottages 0o rent all over Europe, internships, workstays, living hisory... it just goes on and on. Ninety percent of the book emphasizes saving money buying half price theater tickets, choosing destinations with low cost of living, avoiding tourist traps, etc. Only a few expensive programs are listed, such as some of the health resors or educational offerings. The author ges positively gleeful when he gets to tell you about activities that arejust as beneficial and lower in cosL I can imagine two reasons why GWS families would like this book for family ravel and for solo ravel. Families who are not tied to school schedules are much more free !o travel together ("off-season" fu some places is practically defined as "when school is in session'). The book doe,s not particularly address the needs of raveling with children (in facf it swings the other way, spending one section on the growing number of elderly travelers) but many of the opportunities it describes would be perfectly suitable for families. Second, I can imagine young people ready to leave 0re nest poring over this book, sending away for information, discussing what they find with their families, and heading off bravely on their own. Sometimes taking advantage of an organized program is a good compromise between staying at home and wandering randomly all alone. Donna Richoux
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The Gliding Ftight by John Collins #15% $7.95 + posl
Cambrldge, MA 02140
found it easier o fold some of the more complicated origami figures if I could watch someone doing them rather tlnn just following a diagram that never provides quite enough information. Flipping the pages of this book comes very close to actually being able !o watch someone do the more difficult folds. Not all of Collins's designs are difficult, however, and he indicates which planes are easy to create and which require more time and skill. He also indicates which ones do well outdoors on a windy day and which ones require the calmer air inside the house. But the book does more than just tell you about mountain folds and valley folds. It also takes you on a mini-tour of the physics of flight, and Collins is equally clear explaining dihedral angles or Bernoulli's principle or the OOPS (Obvious Operational Problem Syndrome) oss. Clare was the member of our family who seemed to use this book the mosl She spent a good deal of time trying out various models and also shared her interest with her friends. The book saved her one rainy afternoon when she found herself in charge of a sizable group of 3 and 4 year olds while their'parents auended a meeting. She had brought the book and some paper along and made a number of the easy-lo-fold models that she felt fairly sure would fly just ahut any way they were tlrown. Even with the unorthodox throwing techniques the children often use4 the planes managed to fly and entertained the entire group for most of the time they were in Clare's charge. Clare is 12, but I'm not sure age has a lot to do with the ability o enjoy ttris book. Someone older or younger than Clare could easily enjoy it. As Clare's use of it indicates, even very young children can possibly fold some of the simpler planes with an older penon's help, and can definitely fly them themselves. I can even picture adults using this book to relive moments of glory from their youth because, as Collins promises in his inroduction, "If you can fold a straight edge, you can fly," and that's an achievement that's hard to resisl ldadalene Axford Murphy
-
It would
be interesting to find outjust when paper
airplanes were first invented. Did they come before or after the Wright brottrers actually took off? Whatever the answer to that question, paper airplanes seem to have become a part of growing rp in America, since just about everyone I know remembers flying them at some time during his or her childhood. John Collins does not answer my question about the origin of paper anplanas nTlrc Gliding Flight, but he does answer many otler questions about folding them and flying them. Collins, an intemationally award-winning paper airplane designer, presents detailed instructions on how to fold twenty original planes, using just the information in his book and some sheets of 8 lQx Ll" paper. No glue or scissors, no baceries or expensive computer systems are required. His diagrams and explanations are clear, but what are really helpful are his unique flip-through animations. I have always
Making Theater by Herbert Kohl #1608 $12.95 + post.
Making Tlrcater is an engaging, inspiring, and wonderfully inventive handbook for creating drama with children and teens. Of several books I've read on the subject in recent months, this is by far the frontrunner, tlr one to get if you can only get one. H.rberl
R. Kohl
You'll find a wealth of
suggestions for improvisational exercises, developing dramatic themes from improvisations, writing original plays, adapting classics, and dealing creatively with any conflicts that may arise. I loved Kohl's story of the Alice inWondcrlandproduction in which four girls were all determined to win the leading role. Competitiveness and resentment thrcatened o spoil the fun. His solution? Hey,let's have
.Ioha Holt'r Boot aad tuelc Storc
2269 Massachusetts Ave.
four Alices! The problem was solved, and it even inspired an additional new song, "Will the Real Alice Please Stand Up?" Now tlur's show biz. Kohl also includes, as examples of his work with his young friends, many extensive excerpts from plays they've written or adapted together. I was pleased to see so many classics in the repertofue - proof positive that such plays u Anrtgone,Tlw Tempest,andTartuffe are by no means'too difficult for
children." In the book's preface, Kohl summarizas his philosophy toward young people's theater:
. Plays are not sacred and can be adapted to suit
tle actors and the acting situation. . Amateur theater done for pleasure should not
botler with imitating professional productions, but should have as a goal the pleasure of the actors, their friends, and their parenS. . Everyone who wants to play a role should have an opportunity to do so. Young people's ttreater should not be competitive even it means reconceiving and
rewriting plays. . Young playwrights should have an opporurnity to have their work performed in worlshops and communities without worrying about Broadway or even OffOff-Broadway. . Young people's theater can lead to a love of drama and help create an audience for those few who are brave and obsessed enough to try to make playwriting and acting a career.
Kohl's respect for and genuine enjoyment of kids shines through on every page ofthis book. Such a sparkling and infectious spirit of fun pervades the book that it's hard to read it and not want to get involved. The phoographs showing him and his friends at work are a delight. I'll bet they have great cast
Cambrldge, MA02l40
parties (Kohl offers helpful suggestions for planning your own). And though I can't imagine whar additional resources you'll need, Kohl very generously provides a list of these, too.
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Standardized Tests and Our Children: A Guide to Testing Reform by FairTest #1622$3 + post. Through the books we sell and the material we print, we have been offering important information about standardized tests for quite some time, letting readers know how tests are flawed and how to do well on them when necessary. Even though we already offered so much information, we added StandardizedTests and Our Children to our catalog this fall because it will be useful to those who need quick and inexpensive information about how tests work or arguments against tâ&#x201A;Źsting. If you suddenly learn that a bill requiring standardized testing of homeschoolers has been introduced into your state's legislanre, for example, this booklet will help you organize your oprposition even if you don't have much time to prepare. If you need good answen to questions like, "What's the difference between a norm-referenced and a criterionreferenced te,st?" or "How can I argue that tests aren't a reliable measurement of a child's learning?" or "What are some other ways !o document a child's education besides standardized tests?" this
book provides them. At $3 a copy, the booklet is a bargain in any case, but the cartoons make it worth the price, if any doubt remains. It can't hurt to laugh as you help your child prepare for a standardized test, or as you work with your homeschmling group to oppose a testing bill, or as you get ready to explain to your superintendent why you prefer another method of assessment for your child. The cartoons are funny precisely because they highlight most of the major absurdities (and sometimes the out and out dangen) of relying oo
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.Iohn Holt'r Boot aad fuclc Storc
heavily on testing. In one, a student siaing in a classroom of *Should weput children about to take a test asls the teacher, down what we think is right, or what we think you think is right?" In another, a child at the dinner table tells his parents, "What with the reading readiness tests and the basic skills tests and the IQ exams and the sequential tests of educational progress and the mental manrity tess and the minimum competency exams and the grade promotion tests and my prep course for the PSAT, we haven't been leaning anything at school." The booklet also includes some choice examples of flawed test questions. This is always one of my favorite parts of FairTest's newsletter, so I'm glad that they included these examples in their booklet, too. It helps o be reminded of exactly how bad test questions can be. One question from the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Chil&en - Revised, a commonly used IQ test, is, "How tall is the average American man?" Any answer from 5'7" to 5'l l" is considered correct. FairTest commen8, "Children often answer with the height of their own fathers. Asians and Latin Americans are often shorter, while some other men are taller. How does a child's answer to this question show 'intelligence' or lack of it?" The booHet's section, "Better Ways to Evaluale Strrdents," talks about observation and documentation - warching and recording students' activity, and saving examples of their work. Naturally this is something with which homeschmlers are familiar, and these methods of evaluation arc not without their own difficulties, as we all know. But if your immediate goal is to oprpose testing, it will be useful to show that people outside the homeschooling community axe recommending these nontest assessments. (An incidental benefit of this discussion is the portfolio sample ttrat FairTest includes: three drafts of a student's poem, ftom very rough, wittr lofs of crossings out, !o a neat fmal drafr I always say that children should have a chance to see that writing starts out rough and goes through drafs, and here's a nice way to see that in an unexpected context.) In the course of discussing what's wrong with tests, FairTest says, "In no subject area can a multiple-choice test adequately evaluate higher order thinking or the ability o use
,
r E
E
2 F
tI
a
'Afer
schaling. Aow optl/l.)de test gou're skilled. alJlrst orv U1it1g taking tests." 2O gears oJ
slrolJjs
tlnl
ftom StanfurdizedTests and Our CNIdren
Cambrldge, MAO2l40
knowledge to solvereal problems. For example, a mechanic who cannotpass a multiple-choice test on mechanics may still be able to fix your car. ... Even though your child may not do well on standardized tests, he or she may still do well in school and later in life." It's always nice to see others - not just homeschoolers saying these sorts ofthings. Ifyou need !o argue against testing, StandardizedTests and Our Children is a wonderful source of Susannah Sheffer support and information.
-
Book Recommendations Wanted This is 0re time of year during which we acquire and evaluate new items for our catalog, so there's still time for you to send your enthusiastic recommendations for books, tapes, or gadgets we ought !o carry. If you can tell us what is special about the item and why you think it belongs in our catalog, you'll make it much more likely that we will order a review copy and put it through our evaluation pnocess. We lmk forward to hearing from you.
Used Books Wanted We will pay in bookstore credit for these out-of-print books. They must be in good condition: no missing pages, and not wriuen in. We have raised the amount of credit we offer for each book, so do send in any copies you find. And the Children Played, by PaniciaJoudry. #1310. We pay $6.
How to Survive in Your Native Land, by James Herndon.
#l&2. V/epay $3. The \ilay It Spozed
to Be, by James Herndon. #831. We
pay $3.50.
What Ilo I Do Monday? by John Holt. #821. We pay $4. The Underachieving School, by John Holr #1308. We pay $3.
l{hat
Do I Do Monday? for $6 plus shipping, and Spozed to Be for $5 plus shipping. The other titles wontbe for sale until we acquire suff,rcient slock. We sell
The
lilay It
GWS Back Issues, Indexes, and Binders Back Issues: We suongly urge you to get the back issues of GWS, especially if you plan to begin homeschooling. Many of the articles ae as useful and important as when they were printed and we do not plan o repeat the information in them. Yery linle of the material in GWS loses its value over time. We can no longer afford to reprint early issues as stock runs oul We will photocopy them as needed, but the reproduction is not as 8oo4 so we advise you to act now and order while the high-qudity stock remains. Rates: $135 plus postage for a complete seL Fc any other cornbination of back iszues, mailed at one time to one address, the cost is $2 each plus $2 per order. Indexee o GWS (specify item nrmrber): #380 Index to GWS #130, $2.50; #382 Index to #314O $2; #384 Index to #41-5O $2; #385 Index to #51-60, $2; #381 Set of all indexes, $5. Blnders are arrailable with rods that hold GWS without obscuring 8ny text. Gold letters on oover. #330 Binder widr 24 rcds (holds GWS $-2/-), $10; #328 Binder with 18 rods (holds 18 later issues), $9.50. #326 Set of4 binders and 78 rods (holds cWS #1-78), $35. Add packlng and dellvery charge for all items (see previous page).
l9
FOCUS:
Kids Who Have Organized Groups Homeschoolers are often able to Joln group actlvltles ln thelr connunltles, but what lf the group they want to Joln docsn't exlst? For thls lggue't Focur, we lntervleved young people who solved thls problem by
startlng thelr ow-n groups.
Chrlstl,an: We callcd about ten ldds. I thlnk they dtd seem tnterested, and havtng an actMty to do rfght avray really helped. We had a urashtng mactrtne tn the creek behlnd our house lrorneone had thrown tt ln the dttch - and at the llrst meetrng of the club, nrc urcnt down there and got tt out. That was a really good thlng, because tt got ercrybody r€ally tnterested ln the club. Ituns a challenge because tlre washtng mactrtnc w'as really decp tll the dttch, and we had to drag tt out. The parents dtdn't thlnkwe could do ttl
Environmental Club hXeruIeut
Werc gou htn
wlth Chrisf.rrn ad. C)ote Mrttplq PN:
How dld you get
tle ldea toJortn an
eruuhururental club?
Clare: We were readtng the lssue of the Honcschoolercybr Peace newsletter that was on the envlronment, and we got the tdea
Wlut
Wtnt mode gou tldnk oJ stafirg acbrb Jor one
irl-s,tead,
oJldctng
to Jobt?
Christian: We knery there urouldnt already be a homeschoolers'envlronmental club - vrc dtdn't errpect to flnd one to Join, so lf we wanted to be ln one, we would hanrc to start lt . Clare: I thlnk wed been tnterested ln the erMronment for a whlle and had beenuranflng to getagroup started.
Is It hatd to start Votrr ourn gtottp? &ne lcld,s n@ht thtnh LDould, anAone b tXerestd. tn mg ldea?'
"WtV
Christran: Well, Just try ft. All lt takes ts callfng people up and saying, 'I'm thinldng of startlng a club, and we're golng to be meetlng at such-and-such a tlme...'
DId you do ang plam@ fuJorehard, abut wlut tl.e club ttnuld.do, or lrorut Itunuld.run? Christtan: We wanted eyeryone to have a part tn lt, so we
didn't do a whole lot of plannlng. Clare: We wanted the other kids to be lrrvolved Lr the planning
part, too. Christtan: For each meetlng, we would srvttch leaders, because we didn'twant only one person to be tn charge,
haw
It's ptofuHy enowag@ to otler lclds to leor thnt you don't to plantle uhdc thbtg out aleadoJthe.
Chrlsdan: Rtght, because lfyou have a club that has rtgtd plans, where someone says, 'Now we're gotng to do ttrts, nour we're going to do that,' lt doesn't work as well. Ifs better to hane the members of the club, ln conJuncdon wlth the people who started it, decide exactly what they want. Clare: It often helps to have a lot of people thlnlirlng about one idea, because thenyou get a lot more ldeas ofwhat to do.
Hou mang kkls aid. you call? DId tleg seem bterested riglf auag?
Gros'lng Wthout Schooltng #85
ortes
ulo
thonght ttp that
prfltt?
Chrtstian: Yes, because lt was near our house and we knew about tt. Butwe dldn't say, 'OK at the flrst rneeflrigrle're gotng to go get axrashfng machlne out of a dttch.' We e:rplalned that there rvas ttrls urashtng machlne and asked the other ldds tf th€y wanted to help.
to start a club.
arcund.
tle
sorts oJd&tgs
dldyoudo o&er thaf?
Clare: We garrc r€ports on some part of the envlrronment, to lnformaflon to the other people tn the group. We went on a trtp to see a landllll, wblch was furteresdng bccause you could really leam about what's wrong wtttl the worldl ghrc
Chrtstian: We also went to axrastewater treatment planL Our rnother helped us arrangle these trtps. Yes, Iv:os gotng to oskgoutaut mrchtelp goutededJtom gour patents.
Chrtsttan: $re determtned how often we would meet, but then they would help us wlth transportaflon. Clare: They sat on ttre sldellnes at the meetrngs, because they were tnterested
-
Chrlstian:
-
and every once ln a whlle thrywould make a
20 cornment, Itke a regu.lar person, but they dtdn't lnterfere too much
because they lost the rrcte they feel bad.
or get tnvolved In the plannfng.
CoW fuck to what gou sail a nrdntte ago a}rrut loto gou wanted everyon/e to sornetlnes
b
bru,rhnd
lts hotd,Jor pb
Intle
declslon-lrro.ldng - I tltdrldrgnor4rs tof@l tlrat
Wlvt unre sone lssues tlrct urrc rcaIIy hotd'
wlo start
lrnnbd.tttle
group as theg ate. Dld.VouJeel tlutgouusete the onlg ores nrla,ldtq tle sr4ggeslfurs ad,crrltrg ttp
eueryotue else ls as
Clare: Sometlmes we were able to change ltttle thtngs about the ldea so that everybody would be happy. to agree on?
Itked the toptc of the group, so rre dldn't harrc to try to get people to
Chrtsttan: We nerrcr real$r got a name for the group, that was one thlng nobod5r could errcr agree on, And lt wasn't like one of us would say, 'kfs go to a waste water treatment plant,'and werybody else uiould say, 'Oh, yeah, lefs gol'We alvrays had to talk about lt and get to somethlng that werybody was lnterested
talk or anythfng.
ln.
wtth deas?
Clare No, everybody really wanted to pardclpate, and really
DId gouplck lclds gou laeut uere tXerestd In ment?
tle
envborv
Chrlsttran: We bastcally called all our frlends who were homeschoolers and were around our age.
Clare: I thtnk we dectded to keep tt to ldds older than 8. Thafs one thlng that helped, that urc dtdn't harrc a lot of much younger
Clare: Wtth those rePorts that we gave, some people wanted to do trash and others wanted to do eneqgt, so we spllt lt up and let people do the one they vranted, lnstead of watttng for weryone to agree.
Howlorg dlddegrcupnet?
ktds.
Chrtstian: For a few rrronths, and then our famllSr moved awayand thegroup stopped meetlng.
Chrtstian: If vrc had trted to do the vrashtng machlne proJect and there werr lots of really ltt0e ldds runnlng around, lt would have been harder.
?hts fs sonethbg that seems to ane up abL tllo;t wlen tle otlgttulleader noves autag, the guryJolls opatL I unnder 1f tfterc's angtLttg thrrtcanbe done about tJris.
Hou dld. Wu nrn
tlv neettgs?
Clare: The person who wall leadlng the group that tlme would have an agenda ofthlngs the group should talk about at that
meetlng.
Chrtsttan: lfs tnre, lt does happen a lot. Maybe tfyou had the ortgtnal personwho started the group, and then a second Person who was also really lnterested but maybe dtdn't have the guts to begfn the group, then tf the ortgtnal Person moved away, maybe the other pcrson would be wllling to keep golng wtth a group that had already gtarted.
Chrtstlan: Other people could also ask to harrc somethtr4 put
Mayb
on the agenda-
X hrrs to do ny'rth how lorg a
grrortl'P
hos ben runnry'
too.
Wtnt abut dalslon-mal&g? Chrtstian: That was one thlrg ure had a llt0e trouble wlth. Origlnally we used consensus - when urc had an ldea, we uiould have to come to a oonaensus aboutwhat to do, But I'm not sure that always worked wtth the younger ldds. Consensus lsn't easy, and lt lsn't always easy wlth adults, elther. It may be elmplerJust to vote, but you then have a bunch of people who aren't real\r enthuslasflc about the ldea- It rntght be a good proJect that got \roted on, but
Do gou how ong general tJouglts
abut wlut you dld tlwt
toorlcd utell. or ultot gou unulzj do d{ferendg next tttlc? Chrtstian: I thfnk startlng wlth a proJect ts tmportanl Instead ofJust talldng, you have to do somethlng. Clare: Yeg, that really helps,
Chrlsdan: Maybe for the flrst meedng, the person who starts the club should harrc an ldea of a proJect Just something stmPle -
Clars to nralse people errcn more tnterested tn the tdea than they urcre before, so they'll keep comtng.
Youth Group Intenfuu: ufih Suz-antc KJenp oJ ffisonsfrr: How dtd gou get the dco to staft a youd;h gtottp?
ln our honreschool group, the teenagers werent really getung together, and I felt thatwe needed to get together to do some things. Itwould help us get the soclal llfe that so many people say we aren t getflng. I had been ln a couple ofdllTerentyouth gSoups, and I thought that theyvrcrc really fun, so I dectded to try to start one wlthln our homeschooling group. I called up all the teenagers and told them about my tdea. I lnvtted the ldds to come to my house on the nlght of the next adult meetlng, and we met down ln our basement and trted to flgure out what urc wanted to do. DEI gou gourself Jeel thot gou unntd a 'rtone actltx sxtol L{e, or u)ene gou malnly tlrir:.lclrrg ttlort tFds rtso.s sone*idng you ought to
do?
Grourlng
Wthout Schooling #85
2l I have a very busy soctal ltfe, but I knenr that some of the ldds didn't get out a lot, so I thoug;ht the group would be a good chance, an addltlon to what they already had. I also felt klnd of out of touch with the other homeschoolers. I had adult frlends and would sit in on the adult meetlngs and contrlbute there, but tt uras hard to do the same thfng wtth the teenagers. I thought that tf we had a youth g5oup, maybe we would all become better frlends, get to know each other better. It's great that tlete were enough teenagers In the gtonp to moke your Idca Jeaslhle.
About slx or s€ven shou/ed up the first Ume.
I
alot
oJ
group?
I was ln the youth group at my church, and at that ttme tturas kind of falfng to pleces. I uranted something; llke that, and I wanted to see lfwe could hold lt together. My rnom suggested starthg my own, and she had a lot of advlce because she was the one who started the homeschool group ln ttre area- I thought tt would be great lf we could all work toward a goal together - a fundralser, or somethlng. Starting your owtr group ls easler than lt sounds. All I had to
do was call up people and ask them tf they nranted to cpme, and worked.
lt
Becanse you' d br,en In otler youth groups, dtd. gou ltotx ottg partlcular deos abut lulw gou wantd t]\is one to untk? I brought up suggesdons
We trted to comprornls€ a lot. Some of the Hds had parents who were strlcter than others tn certaln areas, so there were some things they couldn't do. Errcryone would gtve thelr ldeas, and we would talk enough so that urc cpuld declde whlch would be the best thtng to do. I thtnk tt's better to do lt that way, lnstead of votlng on thfngs, because tt eltmlnates hard feellngs. If somebody votes agatnstyou, you tend to hold tt agalnst therrl
Letg
pple ln yotr
1nsltun upuW start bU lmlcblg atound.Jor aqrroq) toJpUL Wfntmode VoudrcIde to startyour outn tJ:dtlk
ontldrgs. Hort dld' Youtallcd aSoutdlscuss@ ad the gror4t make detsbrrs? Dld. gou vote, or dld. gou trrlk unfl ewryone agrd?
durlng the fb:st meeting, and then
asked for other people's suggesflons. Itwas hard at flstbecause nobody wanted to talk, but after a whlle we got some good ldeas.
Hou did you deal uith tlte prcHem oJ radg ta[k@ atJVst? You have to thtnk of what you want to do, and then talk to people you lorow before the meetlng, because they'll ghrc you ldeas of things to bring up at the fii:st meettng. I talked to my bnrther, and my mom, so when the group met I had enough ldeas to kecp us fromJust slttlng around and starlngat each other.
Wtlatdld,tte gonp erdup fuIrg? We dectded to meet whenerrer the adults met for thelr meetlng, so that eltmtnated the transportadon problem. We dtd sctal things, and we talked about ldeas for communltlr servlce, llke
fuck now, Is tlerc arytl*tg you urfsh gou hod done
dlfferentlg? I wtsh rrpre of the ldds had made an ellort to be there, because we dtd have a decllnlng atterrdance, and I'm not sure why that was, lf they had other actMUes orwhaL As forwhat I dld, I wlsh I had been a ltttle flrmer somedtnes. I uras so tnto the tdea that I dldn't urant to do arrythfng that anyone was agalnst' but sometlmes we wouldn't dectde anythlng or do anythlng. I thlnk tf I had been llrmer about saytng, 'Let's declde on thls flrst, and then we can talk about other thtngs,' that mtgbt have been better. I was the oldest, and the group was my tdea. so maybe I should have satd thtngs ltlc that to rnalrc sure that we got thlngs done.
thrs !s atatler su$et, but I urd'erstand tJtat gou specficallg asled to lonesctlrr;il" tlnt X u,asn'tJttst gow motler's dectston atd.I can't rcs{st asktrg you loto that cune abuL When I was tn ftfth grade, I had a couple of teachers that I reatly dtd not get along wlth, one esPeclally. I'm a very creative person, and every ttme I would ask her tf I could do something other than what the book satd to do, somethlng more my style, she wouldn't let me. To me, that dtdn't seem rlglht because I had this great tdea, and was all enthusl,asdc about lt, and yet I had to settle for dolng what errerybody else ln the class was dotng. I dldn't want to ded wtth Orat an)rmore, and I felt that my mom cpuld help me more because she's the same way. So for the second haffof fffth grade, I urcnt to homeschooltng. I had a great dme, because nobody was yelltng at me ln grtn an5rmone, nobody was teaslng me or gettlng on my case for betng a goody-goody. I urent back to school ln slxth grade, because I thought, 'I'rrc rnahrred a lot, so everybody else wlll have too.' Well, that qras wrong. By the second half of slxth grade, I couldnt handle lt anyrnore, and I dropped out agaln. Each summer lt was agonlztng, because I had to dectde whether to
going to stiog Chrtsfunas carols at reflrement homes, or raldng leaves ln the fall. We discussed all these tdeas at meetlngs, butwe didn't have ume to do any of them. After a few months the group sort of fell apart becausc I had aJob, and I couldn't be there for the meeungs. Thry dtdn't do anythtng without me there, so that was a problem. Do gou fan:e ang sr.rggestiens to
lvlp otler paple
annld
tlut
problem? Try to get somebod5r else to lead the group. Have somebody who is irrvolved as much :rs you are. I thtnk lf there had been somebody else who could have led the group, tt would have continued. Dld gou get
de
sense that the group
dld meet a needJor the
other lclcls? A lot of them had other flends, so lt wasn't as though they had a great necd for frlends, but I think tt met a need that wasn't really vocalzed - to get more tevolved wtth the other teenagers ln the homeschool group. Before that we were mor€ llkely to be oII doing separate actlvltles.
Grouring
Wthout Schoo[ng #85
€:666
€66
22 stay home or go back to school. That summer my coustn carne to llve wlth us, and we'r,e the same grade at gchool, so I satd OI{, Ill go wlth hlrrr. I went for serrcnth grade, and that uras the worst year of my Me. I wanted to qutt then, but n1r mom sald to sdck tt out for that year and then come out the next year. I quft h etghth grade, and I haven't been to school slnce.
r.frcrs
Bock Inffh grude, lout on optlor0
dd
you lolow tJut
oJ rrellp
dld
gol,r
d
Jrom gow patents?
We baslcally dld everythfng ourselves. WeJust needed
thelr
hdp to get us to the rncedngs, and we needed them to help us get the craft r€ady. No one rnlnded helptrg.
luresrclulltrg
My mom had started homeschollng my brother, my bllnd brother. When'I asked herlf I could horreschool too, she tlrought about lt and then dectded tt was OK because she knew that I uras havlng a hard Urne dealfng wtth the school system. I unsJust too dlfferent from the other Hds. I had frtends, but bastcall5r I Just 'dtdn't flt ln. I was too smart ln so[re areas, and not smart enough ln other areas. The school uras holdtng me back when I uranted to learn more. l'he Hds ln sercnth grade nrcre the cruelest Hds IVe ever met - the name-calllng, the teastng. Theyurculd ptck on anybody who was the sltghtest btt dlfferent. And the teactrers didn't understand mq lt uras llke I uras pa.rt of a classrwnl not a person.
Hout
log dld tle
club lasl:?
Afterrrc had met four flrneg, once at each person's house, we Just ldnd of dtdnt talk about tt an5mxlre so ttJust dropped. I think that erreryone thought ttnras probably enough. Ifurc had started up alter Chrlstrnas urc mlght have kept gotng longer, but lt uras really
llne.
b Wt thtnlc {t's hatd to start up a dub oJ yow
own?
It wasn't rrcry hard. I guess lfyou urant to start a club and the people you ask don't u/ant to do tt, you should probablyJust llnd other people. I dtdn't know of any frIends who had done somethhg lfke thfs, but I thought tt q,ould be a fun ttrtng to try, to see tf tt urcrlred, and lt dld work rea\r urell.
Older lfomeschoolersf Group
Girls' Club htteruIeut utlth
Wrut rdtd
Anutda Chtlstctt*rt
htcruAo uttth E}ltflg Lbn
oJ Washhtgton:
Hout dld gow gbls' chtb staft?
Wrut
nde
gou uant
(N[I):
btorm
a
grorytJt older
lro,nescltoolers? Well, all the frtends ttnt I uranted to be tn lt I dtdn't see very much, so uras trylng to thlnk of auray that I could get to see them more. I was talldng to my mother about rr5r blrthday party that was comlrg up, and I uns saSrtng tt would be fun tf I could start a club. So thafs how I canrc up wlth the ldea, and ury rnother sald tt was IIne. What dtd gou
lwn
to do to get
kfrs
rluete
InIt, tlgn?
F-lve, and two were slsters, so we met four flmes, once at each house. Achrally, I don't thtnk we errer had a meedng lnstde. We would meet outslde ln a fort or somethlng that they had. Ttrat uras fun. One gtrl had a playground, and nrc urcnt tlrerc.
What dd. gou do at
Ddgouloant gstuantd.to
It stantd?
I started the club at rry btrthday party. In my btrthday party tnvltaflon I sald I uras gotng to gtart a club, but lfyou dtdn't unnt to be tn the club you could sflll come to the party. I dtd wonder what eneryonewould say about the tdea, but all the lilds who carnc to the pargr wanted to be tn the club. One gtrl stopped comlng a.fter a whlle, though. I'm not sure what all the reasone urcre. Hoto marry
I wanted to meet some other homeschoolers, and although there urcre lots of groups for younger ldds, tt dtdn't seem as tf there cns a group of ttrfs typc for older ldds arpund here. I had trled out several dlfferent groups for homeschoolers and marry of them wene very ntce, but they vrere baslcally for younger liilds.
tle nwtugs?
At our ffrst meeflng qrc talked about what rve should do. dlllerent ldeas, but we all agreed on crafts. llle voted a couple of ttnes, and lf no one ltked an ldca then we would drop that ldea, but lt nrasn't too hard to agree. At one gNrls housc wE made a basket, and at another glrl's house urc made Chrlsr'no" omaments bccause tt was getdng close to Chrlstmas. Another flme urc made some cllps wlth rlbbon glued on to ttrern People had
Des getlttg tqetler to do o spec!flc acADUg lllce tJutJel d{fferent.fiomJust golng anr bJrlends' houses to platJ?
topttlrg
At flrst I thought tlrat I uaould put out a nenrsletter for older honrechoolerB, Ttren my mom sald, Tfell, you could have tt for people tn our area.' We came to tlre concluslon that urc cpuld orgaJnt"E enents and have a group of hds tn tlre area- At llrst I uas Hnd of nervous about organlzlng a gnoup. I dtdn't know tf I could do tt, and I knw tt would take a lot ofwork. I wasn't sur€ I could ffnd enough Hds, and luras erren sort of nerrrous about meedng them lf I dtd ffnd therr. I wasn t sure what they'd be llke, and I wondered lf people viould eay the group vrasn't a good ldea. But gou ttent
oled.
wlth X anguoyl Wlat was the
jrst
step?
I declded ttrc f,rst actlvtty upuld be a potluck dlnner at our horne, so I adrcrHsed tn sareral homeschoollng publlcaflons and I genf egf a mlllng asldng fnterested people to call me, I also put up noflcee at the llbrary. I got about t$Enty calls. It uras funny - not eneryone knew I was a ldd. A couple of mothers asked how old my chlldren were. I thought lt uns sort oflnter€sUng that they thought I was a parent, but I don't thfnk they mfnded that I wasn'L When people called me, I got each one's name and addrcss. Then I made up a sheet that o<plalned about the potluck and about the group ln general, and I sent that out to errcryone I had heard
from. Wlengou say that goueqtlald. abut tle grcup hgeneral
gu
meut tJut gou had spec{b tdeas obut lurl:rlt tlte grcup unuld do q llorut X wanld. run?
do
I llke to go over to people's houses to play, too, but ltsras also fun for my frtends to get to know some other frlends of mlne. Ttrese people hadn't r€aly knounr each other before I etart€d the club.
start agtunl, Votll.seS, os opposed
sorraotue else's group?
I kno'what ldnds of actMdes I uranted to do - see a play, tce skate, thfngs llke that. I knery I cranted there to be some klnd of dues to pay for:arodng and malllng costs. I knenr that I vranted
Growlng Wthout Schoo[ng #85
23 parents wtll drhrc them. We also agreed that members don't have to come to errery actMty.
each farnily to organlze some Hnd of actMty. So the podrrck
dbvar
usas
gowfrst ewnl Hout dld, tlut
go?
tlut you'w oryanlzd a gp.tp, do gou horc ang su{E esJor otlrrlrs wta mlght b unnderlng abd starttug one?
Nout
Nlne Ldds came. We had dlnner and then we spoke about posstble actMdes. We came up wtth a llst of about thlrty actMtles. Then we voted on each one to see how rnany people were lnterested tn tL The pl,an was that each pers)n could organlze whatwer actMt5r they wanted, but we thought tt would be nlce for them to see whlch thlngs were of lnterest to the group.
Did.
You had had deJhfte ldeas abut rcttallbs gou come t+t rpllh sbrflor ldcas, or no(?
uantd
to do.
paple
People came up wlth a lot of thtngs Id never thought of, but almost weqrthtng seemed ltke fun. I was lmpressed wlth the things that got ntne votes. They're neat thtngs, ltke seetng Phontom oJ tle Oper+ golng horseback rtdtng, taldng a trtp to Maclidnaw Island, golng to the Toledo Museum of ArL
Now thatthe g;roup llr.s gottenofrtte
gmtd"
ate
ppb
treattng gou es Oe lcader fuause gou'rc the ore rtho ttottglX
U
up? To a certaln extent I arn running tt, but I'm not dectdtng everything. We have a sheet called an Acflvlty Plannlng Sheet - tt lists all the lnformation about each acflvtty, like how much tlckets cost and how to get there, The organlzer fflls lt out and sends lt to me, and I send lt out to all the members. If people urant to go or have any quesdons about the acflvtty, they call the organlzers. Posslble new members are tnvtted to come to an event before paytng dues. I handle calls from new members, too. Whenever someone asks for lnformaton, I send a letter and enclose an furformadon sheet urtth all our actMdes on lt, and I send lnformaflon about the next acttvtty. So I'm dotng some of the general organlzhg, but erreryone gets to organlzr an acttvlt5r.
Wtnt otller octlatlles lrrs the group done? In December a boy organlzed a martlal arts class and presentatlon, and ln January we'r€ golng to vlslt a Sclence Insdtute. At the first meetlng, I trted to get people to stgn up for partlcular months, so I would know that those months were taken care of and thatwe had somethtng planned.
HowIs tlegoup unrl<bg outas agrottp? along?
Are
papb getttg
It's tumtng out really well. Before the potluck, I thought, 'Well, the worst thtng that could happen would be that I don't like the kids,' but it went really nrcll. Everyone gets along, but lt's a really diverse group, everyone's really dlfferent. Ttrere are both boys and girls. The age range ts 1l- 17. I thtnk people ore maktng friends ln the group. I think the group wtll be frlends as awhole, but I thlnk some people will make lndtvtdual friendshtps too.
WlenyoulvordJrom these klds, dldgouget the sense that b neethg a need or trterest that theg had hod?
thts group unuld.
I dld, and I also knew, from talklng about tt wtth my pen-pals, that many older homeschoolers don't knour a lot of others.
Wtnt rttles or pru,edtres hove gou urlleed out? We flgured out the dues: from whenerrer you Joln, lt's a dollar a month unfll the followlng June, so lf you Jolned ln November lt's
$8, wh,lchyou pay atl at once.
It turns out that parents are welcpme to come to everything. thls at the ffrst meetlng, and everyone agreed. We also agreed that younger stbltngs would usuall5r be welcome, but lt would depend on the acthrlt5r, For transportatlon we'll €urange car pools, or people's We talked about
Groudng Wtthout Schooling #85
tlorrs
Just to
go for
t! because
lt can be a neally reurardlng orpert-
ence.
One thtng that r€al} worked uras havlng an lnforrnatlon sheet ready to send to pcople who called asklng for lnformaflon, because I couldn't tell them werythlng on the phone, and thls way I could follow up rtght away when they urcre really lnterested. By theway, you ga\re me the tdea of getflng togetherwtth my pen-pals, and I'm golng to be dotng that, too' One ln Indtana ls golng to come and vtslt me, and I dtscovered tlnt another lives only forty minutes away, and we'rc gotng to see a play together. Elnllg sent us a@pg oJtleLettcr tlut she sends out to people group:
wla askJor tr{omtallon obut tle
Thank you for your lnterest ln the Older Homeschoolers' Group. I am encloslng an ttxformatlon sheet about the group and an acdvtty ltst wblch I hope wlll be of tnterest to you. Addtdonally, please note the Acdvlty Planntng Sheel lEmfly encloses a sheet wtth lnformaflon about the grouP's next scheduled acflvtty.l Ttre members of the group and I would llke to lnvite you to attend ttrts evenl Thene ls no membershlp obligatlon - tt's slmply a cordlal lnvltatlon for you to come and meet us. Although dues are not requlred for ttris flrst actMty, the cost of the event ttself ts tndtcated on the sheet. If you wlll be able to attend' please ell to let me know, and then Place your reservlruon wtth the cpordlnator of the actlvtty, a grouP member whose name ls glven on the Acttvtty Planntng Sheet. If, after thts flrct event, you would Itke toJotn the group, please call me. If you would llke to attend an actMty but are not arratlable for thls one, please let me know, and rr/e wlll be happy to lrrvlte you to another. Due to the out-of-pocket costs of organlztng the group' I wtll not be able to send further lnformaflon unless you exPress lnterest tn attendlng an acflvtty or ln memberstrlp. I look forward to hearlng from you soon. The Older Homeschoolers are a wonderful, dlverse group, whlch I hope you wtll enJoy as much as I do.
24
Book Discussion Groups In G\fS #89, we agked to hear about how honeschoolers were f,ndtng ways to dlgcuss books wltJr people outslde the lmnedlate fanlly.
Library Group Helen &luoan oJ Washtrgton wrlte s: I uras amazed at the flmtng of your request for storles about book dlscusslon groups. I haveJust furished the ffrst fn what I hope wlll become a serles of book dlscussion groups for ldds. Ttds surnmer, I mendoned to our children's llbrarfan that tt was a pfty that the librarSr had so few actMHes dhected towarrd sltChtly older lrdds. I told her that I felt concrmed about the qualfty of books my daughters, ages 8 and lO, rvere readtng. I suggested that a bmk dtscusslon group rntght beJust the thfng to spa.rk an lnterest tn reading tn the grade school hds. Pragrnadcaly, I thougtrt tt mtght be a slmple way to lntroduce my grls to select books otlrer than the Babgsltters' C&rb and Sueet Valleg FIgh serles, The ltbrartan's response nras, -When would you llke to etart gourdlscusslon group?' My lntttal reacflon was amusement but the more I thouglrt about tt the more feaslble tt began to sound. I agreed to try a sertes offlve weekly dlscusslons over the summerr geared towarrds tlre 4th€th grade lerrcl. As I bcgan to hunt for books to read, I dlscovered that chlldren's hterature has undergone a revoludon slnce I u/as a chlld (tn the Dark Ages), Then, there were the classlcs wefghty and often dauntlng for lttfle bralns - and the standard Hardy Boys, Nancy Drcu and BobbseyTWIn fare. I qulckly saw that I was unprepar€d to select our flrst books, and I asked the llbrartan to do it. The ctrlldren's llbrarlans werc enthusiasfic and nery supporttve of thls whole effort. The ltbrary pmvlded us wtth a room for our glroup and adverdsed tt as part of thelr summer r€adlng prograrrr I dfdn't knowwhat to expect from the flrst meettng. I was apprehenslve that my daughterwould be the only one to show up. To my surprlse, not only dtd urc flll our
Remember: We'll gtve you a $5 credlt for wery new GWS
subscrlber you brtqg Ir. (If you brlng ln 5 new subscdbers, you'll ffun enough credtt to cover your ou/n renewal!) For detalls, see p. 3l of thls lssue. (See GWS #82, p. 2, for even more detatls.)
llmtt of fffteen, but we had a wattlng ltst Wewanted to keep the group small for the sake of tnttmacy. We were forced to llmtt tt because lfbrary funds could not provlde many coples of any one publlcatlon (thanks ln part to federal cutbacks). I had nener before moderated a dtscusslon wlth chlldren and I wasn't sure whether tt unuld be dtffIcult to keep the conrrcrsaHonal ball rollfng. We all read the selected book before the vrcek's meeflng. Wlrtle I r€ad lt IJotted doum quesflons and toplcs of conrrcrsatlon that canre to mlnd, and at the end ofeach book I trled to come up wlth some general ldeas upon wtrlch the story touched. I used these notes to keep the dlscusslon rnovlng. The summer sesslon uras succressful beyond my wlldest e4pectadons. The ktds qutckly lost thet shyness and had no trouble sharlng thelr lmpresslons and oplnlons. We had some very ltvely dlscusstons about such lssues as death, preJudtcc, cultural dtverslty, sulclde, war, and freedom ofspeech. I found the hardest thlng for me was to keep my personal oplnlons out of lt and leam to be content wtth the role of neutral moderator. T\vo very posltlve thlngs came as a result of thls sumner experlment. The chlldren requested that we conttnue lnto the school year. They were wen wllllng to meet on Saturdays ln order to accommodate erreryone's schedule. We dectded to alternate weeks between thlrd and fourth gpaders and flfth and slxth graders. This gave us the freedom to plck more challenglng books for the older ldds. We heard that the schools were coverlng Amertcan hlstory, and that helped us narow down our cholces. Thls was a rellef - there ls a v/ealth of great chlldren's llterahrre out there and lt has been very dllllcult to choose. Ttre s€cond result oftlrts grand
ttnt my own chlldren are now chooslng from a much wlder narlet5r of readlng materlals. Ttrey sttll check out ?he Babysllters' Club and Sweet Vaileg HIgh but now they are much rnore wtlllng to gtve my suggestlons a tql also. I know thls trs peer pressure at tts most bentgn - they have seen thelr frtends enJoy the books I s€lected so I must know somethlngl I am Just very grateful that I was able to encourage them tonrand a !6ad61 faq{6 ft Uterature wtthout havlng to resort to brfbery, threats, or censorstrlp (to wtrlch I arn strong;$ opposed), We dld halrc a fery homegchoolers ln our group. I have seen them get nothlng but posldve recepHons from the ldds tn our town. They are greatly envled for thelr freedom. I have often heard the other lidds fn the readtng group, as well as clrildren at ballet lessons and Scouts, tell my daughters howrrcry luc\r they urcre to be homeschooled and how lealous the other ldds are of tlrern One predtctable reacflon to our group, e:rperlrrent ts
wtdch I thlnk ls sJrmptornadc of how bratnwashed we are to thlnk we must have a llcense for errcry undertaldng: I uras amused to flnd parents fnqutrlng about my
ttalnlng and erqrerlence before stgning thelr ktds up for the readtng group. I'm happy to s.ry our llbrarlans don't put much stock ln all that. They are the ffrst to point out the lrrelerrance of professlonal dtles and schooling when lt comes to decldi:eg the abilfty of someone to do aJob - there is only one semester of forrnal chlldren s [brary sc{ence tralnlng among all the
Hds' llbrarlans ln our toqrn. My response to the one pa.rent who asked me rry qualtllcadons was, "I like to read.' I hope thts sort ofdlscusslon group wtll tnsplrre more ldds to say the same. I would stron$y recommend thls to any parent who fs dltng to check out a few U'books and who has an hour to spare onc€ a week. It's been personally rewardtng and lt ls encouraglng to see public tnstitutlons become mor€ \rdlling to work cooperadvely outslde the tndttional educaHonal s€tttng.
Great Books Program k\omWendg Wartes NVN: Abook dlscusslon elroup was one thing that I uranted very much for my children. So last year, when I read a brtef article saytng that a Great Books kader Tnaining Course was belng offered by a local school dtstrtcL I stgned up. It cost $7O and took tuio days. I found the class to bevery useful. Great Books has both a Read Aloud
and a Juntor Great Books program. They select stories that can generate lnterpretlve quesflons. For o<ample, at the second grade level, the story ofJack and the Beanstalk suggests the questlon, 'Whywasn't Jack content before cltrnblng the beanstalk the thlrd ttme?'The text supports several answers: he was greedy, he wanted advenhrre, he was trylng to prove htmself to tds mother. Evaluadve and hctual quesdons are not used. Leaders learn how to wrtte quesdons and keep discusslons movtng. A leader's gutde ls avallable for each set ofbooks wlth suggested questions. You can purchase books from the Great Books FoundaUon (zK) E. Huron Sl Chicago IL 6O6 I I : l-8{lo222-5a7O) lfyou have taken a course. I taught two classes througih our Boys and Gtrls Club Homeschool Program, I had twelve students, 12-14years old, and really enJoyed the ercperlence. I d suggest that a support group pay to send one or two members to the tratntng oourse, who would agree to then offer a class. The thing I apprectated most about ttds course ts that the leaders are not to lead chlldren to correct answers. The purpose ofthe dlscusslon ls to lead each student to a resoludon of the quesdon for hlm- or herself. Thus, at the end of the sesslon, each ctrtld may have come to a dlfferent concluslon, and that ls Just line. Leaders are supposed to ask lnttlal quesflons about whtch they are truly puzzled and not glve thelr oplnlons. The method ls called Shar€d Inqulry and I thtnk the leadergets as muchoutof the dlscussion as
thestudentsdo.
Growing Wthout Schooltng #85
Homeschoolers' Group Madolerc
/trl4l.uprty
(PN unltcs:
Readtng has always been a farrcrlte acdvtty tn our famtly. I never satv the need
of checHng up on our chlldren's 'r€adtng comprehenslon' because our days are frequently lnternrpted by, 'Hey Moml IVe got to r€ad you thtsl'or I am often treated to the entlne plot of a Just-Snfshed book. But as our ctrildren grew older, they began to want to share thelr dlscoverles and oplnions wlth other than fmmedtate family members and to hear the oplnlons of others as well. Chrtsttan (now 19, hoptng to be involved ln some good dlscusslons and posslbty mect some people who shared trts love of reading, Jotned a lrbrary book discusslon group durlng one summer. The parflctpants were to brtng tn the fltles of their favorlte books and talk about them with the ultimate goal of productng a ltst of books to recommend to other readers of their age group or a llttle younger. By the thtrd sesslon, Chrlstlan was disillusioned. The suggestlons made by the rest of the group conststed mafnly of flOes from the Babgsllters Club serles, a couple of Sroeet Volley HIgh novels or other teenage rornanc€s, plus the olferlngs of a Stephen Klng enthuslast.They dld mention a couple of nonels asstgned to them ln schml, wtrich Chrtstlan looked for tn the library and dectded dtd not lnterest htm. He ended up looldng ltke a btt of an oddball because no one had even heard ofarry ofhts long ltst of favorlte flcflon works (wtrlch included the Green Knowe serles thatwe bought fromJobn Holfs Book and Muslc Store, by the way), except for a couple of the Lloyd Alocander books he rnentloned, He also was the only one to lnclude nonficdon books (btographles, books about wtldlife) among trls favorites. Needless to say, the dlrector of thts program loved Christlan's contribudons and because ofher encouragement he llnlshed the summer, but the nextyearwhen she urged trtm to stgn up again he told her no. Shortly after tlds, one of Chrlsdan's homeschooling frends Jotned a book discusslon group nearwhere he llved, as part of a surnnrer program for cblldren sponsored by the local college. Hts errperlence was more posltlve because they dtd end up dlscusslng some books. But because the teacher dldn't feel she could count on the students actually doing asstgned reading when they weren't belng graded, she would read long passages durtng the class time, wtrtch they would then dtscuss. The actual amount of dlscusslon was therefore lfmlted. ThIs ftend's mother mendoned to me how much he wtshed he could find a good dlscusslon group, The deslre for a book dlscusslon group
tng the ftend I menHoned above) urcre reasonably close to ours ln age and reading
abtllty. Although there was a clear llmttadon to the Me of the group (urc would be rnovlng tn two months), everyone was arDdous to begln arryway, pardcrrlarly our onnr ldds who suspected that there would not be as many older homeschoolers ln the more rural area to wtrtch we urcre nrovtng and thus wanted to selze the opportunlty whtle Itwas there. Organlztng the grcup took much lees Ume than I had anttctpated, or perhaps lt took less slmply because I had lfttle ttme to spare for lt. We kept the group small (two other famllles, for a total of slx lidds) so that schedulfng a date to meet dtd not become a phone marathon. The slze also helped to Irtsure that oreryone would feel there was tlme to speak during a dlscusslon, And so urc began, Our flrst bookwas Madeletne LEngle's A Wbrd kt tle Dorrr, a book almost all tnrnlved had read (some serrcral years before) and had ltked. We felt that tt uras eaqr enougfr forerrcn the youngest member (1O) to handle by hlrnself and yet had enough depth to beardlscusstng at length. I led the dlscusslon, whlch meant I made up a few general quesflons that could open the discusslon and get lt gofng lf tt lagged. I began by asldng the group to point out parts of the book that they parucularly llked or found lnteresflng for one realxln or another. And as I suspected from knowlng the members of ttrts group, the dlscusslon took ofronlts own from there. They agreed and dfsagreed wlth each other, and because they had all read the book thoughtfully, many of them had lssues of thelr owrr they uranted to brlng up, The two other also partlctpated ln the dlscusslon but adults were not looked to as authorltv ffgures, but stmply as partlclpants on same level as the younger members of grouP.
Chooslng the next book proved to
dtffIcult task. Because seneral membe
a .;
the group were very busy and urculd have\ Itttle tlme to read before the next meetlng, vrc ulttrnately dectded that each person would chmse a poem to be dtscussed. She would then let the other pardctpa.nts know the tttle and author lf tt was falrly well known, or gfve coples of lt to them tf they mfght harrc dtlllculty findinC lt. We ended up with a wonderful rrariety of poems, rangtng from Whltrnan's 'O Captaln, My Captatn' to a contemporary poem about a teenage glrl. Each person read hls poem aloud and then we all made our own obsenratlons about lL That meettng was the end of the brtef but gforlous llfe of our bok discusslon group. And even though the pacldng boxes loomed large at that ttme, I harrc ne'rrcr regretted a minute of the time I spent on the
lay fatrly dormant ln our famlly for a
grouP.
while but suddenly popped up agaln when we were beglnntng our transltlon from a suburban/buslness executirrc llfes$rle to a
[SS:l In the Boston area, serrcral llbrarles hold book dlscusslon gpoups for
rural/self-employed one, whlch hvolved much plannlng, a long dlstance move, and a whole lot of work. My lmmedtate reaction to the dlscusslon group tdeawas that I Just didn't have the tlme, but then I began to feel that ttrls was one of those thtngs I should not put off. And so I contacted a couple of famtlles whose chlldren (includ-
Gros'tng Without Schooling #85
adults, In communlfles where thts ts a\ailable, I thtnk tt would be a good opdon for older homeschoolers who, llke Chrtsttan Murphy, aren't sadslled by the teen dlscusslon groups they try. I I thlnk an adult group would welcome an enthusl,asdc young member - or two, lf frlends uranted to try Jotntng together.
Resources & Recommendations Some tnteresttng materlals that have come through our oftlce recently:
tldr' IYesrlcttcn
Joshua Betdler, a l3-year-old horreschooler, scnt us the flrst lssue of SprlWI& a newsletter about ttre envlronment that he publtshes by and for klds. Thls lssue has an artlcle about the raln forest, a revtew of Shoppbtg Jor a Better Wodd a dlrrectory of organ9adons (lncludlng two that areJust for klds), and other lnforrraflon, Subscrlpttons are $3/ yr fromJoshua Betdler, PO Box 3O4, La
€urntacA92253.
Homeschoolers ln Caltfomla have Just begun publrshkg Honeschd Horse Talk whtch tncludes storles, articles, book revlews, and drawlngs about horses. Subscrlpdons are $5 from Naflonal Homeschool Servlce, PO Box 167, Rodeo NM 88056. Other newsletters avallable from the same address and at the same prlce are laArtlsta" an art newsletter Put out by a homeschoollng grouP, At the Heb* a ltterary rnagazlrte for homeschoolers, The Donestlcated Dog, and Honcsclwl Ftyers, a newsletter about afrplanes, hang gltdtng, you
hntl-Spratlng Boollet
Parents and Teachers Agatnst Vlolence ln Educatlon (PTAVE) sent us lts booklet, Plaln Talk About Spankrng, wtrlch ts free ftom PTAVE, 822Harv'Way, #,1O8, Danvllle CA 94526. Llmtt 2O coptes per tndtvtdual; 2oo per organizatton. The pamphlet lncludes arguments against spanklng, suggested reading, and ldeas about how to share thls lnformation w
We spoke wtth the publlshers on thephone and learned that they are lnterested i:r how
ldds publlsh thelr work ln books and newsletters, and tre how they sha::e their work wtth others. Don't be put ollby the phrasc "classroom publtshlng" - they reallv do want to hear from homeschool-Fo. thelr quesdonnaire, wrlte Blue "rs. Heron Publlshlng , 244ffi NW Hansen Rd, Htlls-boro OR 97 124: 503-286-5850 or 5O3621-391l. If you're lnterested, act qutckly.
Eov to st.fi r Wrltlng club
Homeschooler Jacque Williamson has publtshed a booklet called 'How to Start a Wrttireg Club,' bas€d on her erqperiences
wtth her own local homeschoolers'writlng club and wtth others she has vtsited. The boklet dlscrrsses how to organlze a wrlting club, how dtllerent slzes and age ftrnges work, and how to respond to lidds'writing. $3 postpatd from Jacque Wllamson' Rt 2 Box 34OB, CrozetY A 229 32.
26
Volunteer Experiences With Veterinarians Ftom Ntca Chrtsbnsen oj ffisonslru I've been worldng wtth furo veterlnarlans for about ayear. My dad's a doctor, so Ile ahvays been sort of lnterested ln medtclne, and I llke anlnals a lot. After I read a book called The CIrcus Dor;tor. I got really tnterested tn rcterlnartans, and I thought It would be fun to go wlth a vet and see what they dld. IVe known people who hanrc done that - not worked wlth rcts, hxrt gone around wlth adults to seewhat they do. I have a frlend who nolunteers at a newspaper, and her bmther has been gotng wtth someone who ffxes cars, because that's a blg interest of hts. So thls made me thlnk that I could probably work wlth a vet. We called a veterlnary cllnlc that ure had gone to. I thlnk they've had ldds come wlth them before, so the ldea wasn't too new to them. It took a whlle to ffnd a tlme. though, because theywere movtng the cllnic Just at the tlme we called, so I wasn't able to go for about two months, and that was hard. Whem my mom called up she told them that I d been reading that book and that I vras lnterested tn seetng what they did. In thls case, I uranted my mom to be the one to call. If somethlng really pertalns to one of my lnterests, tt's usually lmportant to me to do the calllng, thouglr. I'm really, really lnterested ln pheasants, and to get permtts IVe had to ell wtldMe seMces and endangered specles seMces. Iwanted to make those calls, and ny parents don't know much about pheasants so they
wouldn't have been able to get as much informaflon. But wtth the vets, I wasn't really sure at llrst what ldnd of people they were, so I preferred to have my mom call ln that case. It worked out urcll. One of the rrcts had done a lot of thlnklng about homeschoollng for her dauglrter, erren thougfi her daug;hter ls only 3, so she was reaftr excited that there was a homeschooler who was tnterested tn helptng at the cllnlc. The vet that I went with ttre ffrst Ume works wlth cows, so we dld awhole bunch ofherd checks, and we deltvered a calf. I didn't do anythlng at the cllnlc that day, but I help a lot more at tlre cllnlc now. I'rrc been gotngabout three flmes amonth. and I'd like to start gotng more. They board dogs and cats, so I take themout, walk them, gtve thern attenflon. They also take care of dogs from anlnal shelters - clean them up, gfve them shots. Sornetlrnes I hold dogs wlrtle people are fllltng out forms, or while the dogs are getflng shots. Some people ask why I'm not ln school, espectally tlre farrrrcrs we see when we're out wlth the cows, IVe had a few people ask, 'Are you a homesch@ler?' because there are a lot ofhomeschoolers around here, andwhenl sayyes, some say,
"I think thafs a wonderful ldea.' Both of the vets reall5r llke homeschooltng. I know them really well no\v, and we talk about lots of things. Ttrey ask my oplnlon about ttrlngs, and wtdle they're
dolng thlngs, they'll etart conrrcrsadons wtth me and tell me aboutwhat they're dolng. People at the hospttal where my dad works are a lot rnore serlous and don't llke the tdea of ldds there. l'fiy dad took a cpurse about emergency medlc{ne and I uranted to go, but they satd the doctors wouldn't feel comfortable havlng a lidd around, erren though I wasJust lnterested tn stttlng ln. My father let me trke the tests tlat he brouglrt home anywayl A lot of people don't know tlrat ldds can really help, but rrraybe tt helps lf when you call up you sayyou'ne a horneschooler and youre really tnterested fn thb. A lot of ldds don t have strong lnterests and lfs prcbabty lnteresttng for adults to see kids, [ke homeschoolers, who have strong lnterests. When I got lnter€sted ln rvorldng wtth the rcts I read a lot about tt, and I really thought about tt. Veterlnary medlclne ls Just one of my interests, though, What I really rvant to be is a bluegrass muslclan, But when our ardmals are slch lt's nlcc to know somethlng about tt, and I really llke worldng wtth the vets.
At a Science Center JoshWhlte oJ Ohb wrTtes: I'rrc been nolunteerlng at Otrlo's Center ofSclence and Industry (better knourn as COSI) since thts past surnmer. I'm enrolled ln Clonlara's Home Based Educadon Prograrn, and they requfre a certaln amount of communtty seMc= or nolunteer work. So, naturally, I began to look for nolunteerlng
opportunltles. One day wtrlle my famtly and I urere on one of our annual trtps to COSI, Mom ptcked up a brochure on volunteerlng there. I was deltghted at ttrts opportuntty and found out that lt ls very slmple to nolunteer. All I had to do uras attend some (free) Uatntng sesslons, malntatn at least a C grade average, and be 14 years or older.
The last of these qualtflcatlons was the easlest for rrrc to meetl COSI can't really be classlfled as a typtcal museunl Most everythtng ts handson and reltes prtmarlly on the vtsltor's lnteracdon, lnteresL and parttctpadon. Thafs wher€ the volunteer comes ln. The nolunteer has the task of lnterprettng,
explalntng, and lnter€sttng the vlsltor ln the extrlbtts. I also conductvarlous sclentlfic dernonstradons that lnform the vlsttor and lrrvolve them as well. COSI ts dMded lnto three floors: the flrst floor, phystcal sclences, the second floor, trlstory and earth sclences, and the thlrd floor, llfe sclences. I chose to work on the flrst floor because there was a lot of stuff on physlcs and chemlstr5r on that floor, a couple of sub;ects I happen to be
pardcularly fond of. I also ptcked the flrst floor because ofthe head supervlsors - a couple of real characters. A $plcal day at COSI begtns wtth the entlne staff and roster of volunteers meeflngwhlle the supeMsors make out the schedule for the day. WhenCOSI opens,
I usually start out by roamtng the vast flrst floor and corwerslng wtth the few vlsltors as they trtckle ln. I explaln and lnterpret the extrtbtts to the vlsltors, help people ffnd dlrecuons to other parts of the bulldlng, and use speclal exhtbits called 'floor vehlcles.' A floor vehlcle ls a moblle exlrlblt that can be shown and explafned to vlsltors to encourrage them to paructpate, get lnnohrcd, learn, lnteract, and above all, have fun. Sorne lloor vehlcles that I'm able to uae are thtngs ltke a Laser and mlrrors to
demonstrate dlfrerences between csherent and lncoherent llght and a Tesla csil to dernonstrate some neat facts about electrtclt5r. Nenr floor vehlcles and exhibits are always belng destgned, and volunteer contrlbuflons are welcomed: thisJust adds to the excltement of worktng at COSI. Eventually, after I somewhat mastered floor acflvlfles, I learned to do public dernonstradons, or shows. Generally, when I conduct a show, I stand on a stage and talk from a mlcrophone to a large group of people, Shows are dtlflcult to master. The ffrst one I learned to do was the Electrostaflc Generator show. In ttris show I demonstrate some of the amaztng properdes of plaln old staflc electrictty. I talk a ltttle blt about tt and ask some openended quesdons that stlmulate the visltors to become lnvolved. I then ask somebody fipm tlre audlencr to corne up to the stage and put thelr hand on the spherical head of the electnostadc generator. The generator charges thelr bodtes and causes their hair to stand upl I discuss thts and other propertles of stattc electrtcit5r until the show's about orrer; then I end lt by shocktng the croud. Thry get a real charge out ofthatl I recently learned how to do the Cyro Roboflcs demonstratlon. Ttds show is all about Qyro, a huge tndustrtal robot arm. I begtn by talldng about the meanlng of technologl and discussteg some conunon myths about robots. Then I prove how easy It ls to operate Cyro by selectlng a person from the audlence to operate the robot. The rest of the show is Just Cyro demonstrating lrts dlllerent arm movements and hls abilfty to draw plctures from a computer Program. Although I do not plan a career in sclence, but rather one ln art or u/ritlng, rny er(perlence at COSI has proven hlghly benellctal to me. I rralue the scientlllc facts
that fve barned and wlll ulumately put to use, but the communlcaflon sldlls IVe acqulred have been most valuable. I'm not a heavty outspoken lrercon, and I'm franldy qutte terrlble at speaking to groups of people; tfs Just not my personality. Well, Just about the only thtng I do at COSI ts speak to people all day long. My personaltty and my duty clashed. Thank Cod, I leamed to speak - not really well, mlnd you, butwell enough - and to relax ln front ofother people. IVe learned a great deal about forrn, method, and manner fur public speaHng, effecflve speech, and presentatlon through my experlence. I also beneflt from the opportunity to meet new people. I lfue ln a sort of country
Grourlng
Wthout Schooling #85
27
opportunlt5l to share my Chrlsttan falth
get to s€e COSI'a many urcnderful qhlbtts regnlarly and to leam a lot about each one. No rnatter how many tlmes I go, there always seems to be somettrtng; that I hadn't yet noHced. Another great plus ls that I get to
I also appreclate the chancrc to observe, as well as take part rn and tnlluence, ttre behtnd-the-scenes acflvlfles and programs at COSI. I get to see what rnakes a great sclencr museum tlck. In addttton, I
nolunteer notJust durlng the summer and onweekends, but onweekdays durlng the school year as q,ell. I've had stalf members and supervlsors tell rrr they tlrlnk tfs great that I'm able to come tn on weekdays; some even shorp,ed a spark of tnterest about
region wher€ houaea are spread out and people my age are scaroe. Most COSI volunteers are unusr:a$l mahrr€ and lntelllgent people, whtch makes for most$ enltghtened dlscusslon. I also have a potenttal
with others.
Einstein the Autodidact Flom a nuntscrlpt bg Hourud,
R
flrlrrstelrr called 'The Holy
Curiostt5r of Inqulry': Albert Etnstetn as Student and Educaton
.,. It may well be falr to say that at least for Elnstetn, formal schoollng had llttle to do with thtnldng and learnfng ... I do not mean to say, howener, that Etnstetn leamed nothlng valuable at school, or that trls sufferlng there was unallevtated. Indeed he had congenld memorles of at least one teacher at the G5rmnastum, and very good feelngs ln genenl about hls year at Aar:rau, Switzerland. The potnt ls sfmply that retrospectfraly, Etrstetn's learntreg ln class struck hlm as nelther fundarnental nor tmplraUonal, nelther deep nor lasflng. Rather, hts tnteUectuafly formadve rnorrents, those wtrtch he recalled to have made a'deep and lastfurg lmpresslon,'were had elther outslde, or tn splG of, schools. In trts "obttuary' Inear the end of hts Me Etesteln wrote an autobtography wtrlch he Joktt gly called hts obttuaryl Elnstetn referred to yet another cruclal educatlonal experlencr, 'a second wonder,' he wrote, 'of a totally dtllerent nature: tn a ltttle book dealing wtth Eucldtan plane geometry...' Thls was the famous heillge Geoneffie-Buchleln (holy georretry booklet) whlch came his way, probably because he asked hts parents for lt, when he was twelve. But even before Albert confronted 'the sacr€d text,' he was mathemaflcally engaged. And thls ls becaus€ ln sptte of a mathematlcally lmpoverlshed school envlronment, hls home envircnment ln Seymour Papert's e{presslon, was endched by the presence of 'mathemaflcs spealdng adults,'The tdea here ls that chlldren, [ke the young Etnstetn, are encouragd and motivated by ttrelr own destne for competence and parflclpa.flon in g3own-up Me to acqutre the language(s) that is/are spoken ln the home. When mathemaflcs, for er<ample, ls an lnextrlcable feature of the chlld's early envlronment there ts wantshlngly little chance of tt appearlng allen and 'dtssociated' tn thelr later experienc-e. Such chlldren are often hlgfrly succe*sful tn school mathematlcs ln sptte of poor lnstrucflon and currlculum destgrr. In young Albert's case, Uncle Jakob, hts fathet's buslness partner and engtneer, rehforced the boy's apdtude for problem sohdng by presentlng hlm wlth challengfng mlnd hvtsters from tlme to time. .,. It vras tbls Uncle Jakob who tntttated hlm lnto the secret of the $rthagorean theorem, whlch Elnsteln remembered to harrc set about to prove for hlmself 'on the basls of the slmtlartty of trian$es.'Thls feat young Albert accompltshed before he was e"rposed to plane geometry as a formal study. ... ... By the ilme he was fourteen, Elnstein had tauglrt htmself calculus, fn all probabtltty from H.B. Lubsen's textbooks, whtch happen to bear Uncle Jakob's slgpature on the flyleaf. Thls uncle, ofwhomwe harc already heard, was the same personwho described algebra as 'a calculus of lndolencc.' When you don t know a quantrty, he explatned to trls apt pupil, all you hanrc to do is hold lts place wtth an x. The ldea ls to treat tt as thougb you know lt, only to determine tt for real later on. Ttrts explanaUon of algebra no doubt pleased young Albert, who soon found hlmself at home with equaflons that would have mysttlled classmat$ sflll at sea wlth dectmals. My susplclon ts that Jakob presented mathemaflcs as a reurardtng kind of play, an entertalnment that,
Growlng Without Schooltng #85
hornesctroollng. They also aPPrectate my berng avatlable on days when help ls gcaroe.
The lmportance COSI placcs on tts riolunteer prognam makes trre feel responslble and of value to the museurn Also. COSI fs a hfghly respected tnsdtuflon around thts area and rnany others, so my peforrrnnce there may help me get a real paylng Job.
whaterrer else tt mtght be, was pre-emlnently fun. Etnsteln's home
envlronrnent was congenlal for hundngl x's and Provlng theorems ln norrcl ways. The game vras to do tt wlthout the book, that ls to say, to ffgure tt out oneseff, and therefore to savor theJoy ofone's own dlscovery. Uncle Jakob wasn't a professlonal teacher, but more lmportant, he was an tntercsted, s5mrpattreflc adult who was able to communlcate hls enthuslasnr, no doubt, by example. ,,. I have made the obserrraflon that Elnstetn wEul an autodldact, literally that he was self-taught. Not onbr dtd the mathemadcs culture anallable to hlm at horne prepare hlm to acqutre school artthmeflc wlthout dllllculty, but he also seems to have been encounged to bulld on that foundaflon as he, and not
lr lnportant ls that he seens, early on, to have been ln control of hls learnlng to an estonlshlng degree.
What
someone else, teacher or other adult, saw flt. That the young Etnsteln learned dtrectly from books and creatlve play, rather than formally, by verbal lnstnrcflon tn a pl,ace called school, ls not, to my mfnd, especta$ tllumtnaUng. What ts tmportant ls that he soems, earf on, to hane been ln contrrol of trts learntng to an astontstrtng degree. He asked for books; he got ttrern He asked quesflons, hls own quesdons, and made progress flndfng the ansarers for hlmself. Thls ls very unusual and very noteworthy fndeed. In educaflon, Etnstetn bene0ted from a tmly extraordtnary lailtude for selfdetermtnatlon. This llberty was cruclal for trls own dwelopment and for trts tdeas about educadon later on. My guess ts that Elnstetr's appr€ctadon for fi'eedom, together wlth his remarkable degree of self-rellance, had thefr beghnfrgs tn the home envlronment of trls chtldhmd. Of coune enen Einsteln's ctrtldhood was not entlrrely dwold coerslon. Mtddle class farnt} Me tn Munlch at the end of the l9th c=nhrry tended to be rtgldly stuctured, hlerarchlcal and patrlar-
chal. Enen the glfted and lndependent young Elnstetn uras obliged to perform soltd mlddle class rttuals, whlch, wtth the muslcally talented rnother that he had, tncluded lessons on the vlolin. As lt happ.ns, hls career as a'flddler' (Etnstetn's erpresslon) rlchly tllustrates the Hnd of learner he was. For Albert was consigped to vlolln lessons at the age of slx, wlth tndilferent suocelts at best. .ds he tells the story, 'I really began to learn onbr when I was 13 years old, matnly after I had fallen ln love wlth Mozart's sonatas. The attempt to reproduce to some extent, thetr arflsflc content and slngular grace compelled me to lrnprove my technlque, whlch lmprovernent I obtalned from these sonatas wlthout Pracuclng systematlcally.' By common consensus Elnstetn derrcloped lnto a falrly shllful arnteur vtoltntsL It rnay well be that that learnfng the vtoltn mtrrors learnlng mathernadcs, or slmply leamlng tn general. As long as Albert mechanfcally executed the scales and compelled hls llngers Joylessly to llnd thelr poslflons on the strlngs, trls progress stagnated. Apparently, Ehsteln learned, not by practtclng but by playlng, tn elfect, not by prepartng to make muslc butby maldng ft.
28
Additions to Directory Hcre arc the addldons and drangcs that havc comc ln slncc our crmplctc 1992 Dlrectory was publtshcd tr GwS #84. Our Dlrcctory ls not a llst of all subscrlbcrs, but only ofthosc who ask to bc hstcd, so thet othcr GWS rcadcrs. or othcr lntcrcstcd pcoplc. may gct ln touch wtth thcm, Ifyou would llkc to bc lncludcd. plcasc scnd thc cntr5l forn or a 3x5 card (onc famtly pcr card), Plcasc takc care to tncludc all thc lnfornraflon - last Damc, full addrcss, and so on. Tcll us fyou uould rathcr havc your phonc nurnbcr and tor*rr tstcd tnstcad of your mallkg address (wc dcrt havc space to
lrstbooil. lf a Dlrcctory llsung fs follorcd by a @1, thc famlly ls wlltng to host GWS travclcrs who makc advancc arrangemcnts ln wr16ng. If a namc tn a GWS story f,s follorred b5r a state abbrer'laflon ln parenthcscs, that pcrson ls tn the Dtncctory. Wc are happry to fonrrard mall to those whosc addrcgscs elc not tn thc Dlrcctory. If you wartt us to foruard thc bttcr wtthout rcadkrg It, mark thc oulstde of thc crrvclopc wlth vrttcds namc/dcscrlptlon and thc lssuc numbcr. Ifyou want us to rcad thc lcttcr and thccr fonrard tt. pleasc cnclosc anothcr stampcd crnrclopc. Whcn you scrd us an addrcss changc for a subscrlpdon, pleasc rrmlnd us tflou are ln thc f,)k€ctory, so wc can change lt hcoc, too. Plcasc rcmcmbcr that wc can't crntrrol how thc Dtr,cctoqy !s uscd; ilyou rrcclrrc rrrwentcd matl as a rcsult of bclng llstcd, Just toss lt out. & Dcborah GERIIART - Jcffry (Amanda/77, Sarah/79. Olvla/8l, Laura/8a, Emily/9o) 242O S Plac{ta Hohokam, llrcson A:Z
a5746
CA lYorrth (dpr 9ll(XX) & rp) Ronnlc & Marsha (Nova/8t!) PO Bq 781. Bcn Lomond 95OO5 (changc) .o. Blll & Ilsa COLE (Jcldt/8a, Trq | 87, Drcrll 189) l25O St Charlcs St, Alameda ${$Q I oor $qza111s & Lawrcncc CORY (Sarah/78, Davtd/7g) PO Bo:r 6275, FJrecmVallcy94570... Marlarmc & Stephcn GREENBERG 0-fana/86. Tobtas/8Z 9r6-274-299tt (crass Valley) 94706 (drarrg|c) (IIt ... Lyr- & Jcancttc JOHNSON fPaul/82, Jacob/84, Kerrtur/86, Natalc/8a. Hcathcr/gl) 3:l4l Nut Plalns f,lr, Sacramcnto g$g!/ ooofelaryla & Jkn O'BRIEN Urm/78, Jason/84, Justln/gOl 650 Chaprnan [.n. Pctaluma 94952 C'A South (dD. to 9,[OOO)
- Narry &
Alan EDMUNDSON (Chrtstyn/84. Allsha/86, Bradlcy/89) 974 Cocopah. Santa Barbara 9{ll lO (changcl oor GIoIeMcDERMOTT&Davld FTANK (Dantcl/E2, Sam/80 f rcO N Mohnc, Fbesno St/Q$ mo Qsffiy McNLj!TY & Stcfdr CZAPSIff (Ablgsil/?7, Cbdc/79. Vtolct Rosc | 87,Mrctc / SOI t1478 Stcrn Av, Sherrnan Oaks 91423 (Et ooo 111 & Rebckalr ItlflLANO (Dn'td/EO) 9l$372-282 (Rcdondo Bcach)
...
Ron &AqgclaSlAIJ(ER
(Wcslcy/87, Yolanda/91) 3494O Bouquct C)m, Saugus 9135O o.. I.cc &EdlJEWESTEugene/84) 1325 S BromlcyAv, W Covlna 91790
Judy GIIIICIAN & Davtd I(INE tlz&ary |-eO, Caltltn/83. Stsphanrc/8s) r0rl0 CO
Oakdalc Pl, Bouldcr 8O3O447t18 (changc) oor.16y & Hcnry SCIIULTZ (Aaron,/86, Jarrlcl8fl,l2715E
Maplcnood Av,
(H)
Ilttlcton 80f2l-2823 (dangc)
2d)a Edco Rd, Wlhnlngtoa l98lQ ooo 114s166 6 SIDA tElcanc/88, Ru0r/8g) l0tl Whltc Faum Rd. Ncryark f 97f f khangcl ooo Jsgcph Q Bcth TERRY (Joey/85) 37 Mllh*rlg[t Dr, Itlcrrark
reTrl Fl
Drydcn Rd, Fleevlllc 13068 ... qmthla &Jcrry XUZ.llEWSIfl (Mrchacl/86, Mlchcllc/8a, Chrlsttnc/g0) 15G42 16 Rd, Wtrttcstonc 11357 ... Kathcrlnc WOIJ' & Pctcc CIARK Ucsslca & Mtcghl87l FO Box 138, Thrxton rgr58 GI)
FL - Suslc & Xcn MICHAEL {Dan/85, Stevc/8? 6O14 tIW 52 Tcrr, Galncsvlllc 32606
OE Davtd & Nan ERBAUCH (Za&tt/77 Noah/82) 47 S Maln St, WAlcxandrta 453a1-
{dmngd (nl
t243
I:rry
I
& NedVARE (Cassldy/ -LuzSIIOSIE $,tldrosc Av, Gullford 0649l (dtalgie)
Gf
DE
-Jody
& Jus6n HYAIT (Andcrs/83)
(Sanh/7s.
- Jon & Bgthcr LIII,EMOE Ethan/&4, Rachd/88) 3f,|tl Scmrncg St, East Folnt 30{t44 m GA
IIf
GREGORY & Lcc LEDERER - Ihtc (Auhrmn/84. Mlcah/88) 2a:!5 NW Bryant St, OR
973tt0..r Ronald & Chloc IARI/IK
Conrallls
lda nlTa) 12@ Wlllow.
La Grade 97850 FI)
(Devld/82,
& Rcglna REITER - John Mam/86, Sknon/89 f 6f 8 Southcagt Bhd, Eyansr'illc 47714 tIIl
IA-Llsa & Tom JOHNSON (Jake/80, Kcilra/ 32. Mldracl/85) RR 2 Box'139, Esscx 5163S
IA- Shella MURPHEI& Nlcholag TRENTIOOSiIA (Ccc{lla/8:1, Mllcs/88) 2006 Cadlz, Ncw Orlcans ?Of f S E4 ooo B{dl6 ft psdccrg I/EIIJ.ON (tonylea, Chrrs,/86, Annc/gO) 8lO Llvc Oak. Lakc Charlcs 70601
IE - Wllllam & Lorrafne HOYT (Joerrn,/ 81, Zadaryl86) ,f4 Ra1'mord fill Rd, Raymond 0'4071 UD -Bil & Srsan STREAI(ER tVJ/83, Joocph/89) l33OO Fredcrtck Rd, \[f FYlcndshtp
2t794
IA-Davc& Suc GIUUAM) 0cssc/79, Jarp,l&2l l0l Country Crrclc, S Dcrlrts 02660
(&angc) ... Andy & Channtu{g MIGNER (Chrlstophcr/87, Taylor/89) f l8 Cobtelgh Rd, Boxborouglr OfZfg (dtangc) ooo 1y611 Q f,61dy PAYNE Uulran/eq fg Eastman Rd, Somcrvtllc Qil tll{! ooo pll6n & Glcrrn PROTTAS MolV & Radrcl/84, Davld/8? 9 Overhlll Rd, Nadck O1760 El ooo 1a.61"1 n Sharn TERRY [Ellzabcth/87, Ian/89) 23 Mowrtalr St, Sharon ()!1067 (ID
XIf Llrda & Davld ERICKSON-DAVIS IMoryerr/B2, Cordclta,/84| Rt 2 Box l1l, Lakc Park 56554 m ooo ft11fft TIAMUN & Davld HUSIED [Margot/88, lrcrrc/8g| 222O 28 Av S, Mtrmcapolts 55406
I
11I
-
Robcrt & Holll CORIELYOU
6lcxandcr/88, Edc/9f) 2(Xt Lqdord In, Houston 77080 ... Rcglna & Jltn PONGRASS (Mtles/78, Quenth/79) 2l l3l Park Trec h, Katy
774fi W'
\n-Armcttc URBSCFIAT& Ero LIPPOLD 0vo/86. Kycl88) RR *l Box 494, South Hero 05486 F) eoo l6llg1!$f PBN BERG & Gary RODES @orfarrne/80, Alcxandcr / el rc BO]{ 42, Craftsbury Common O5827 Collcttc & Mlchacl BARRY-REC
YA
- CYJ/stal/86) PO Box r22a,bnnglon (Wtlltc/83, ltl.ltS
ooo JapSMlkc XJRK(Davc/78, Mtchclle,/ 8T) NORIHERN VA HOMESCHOOLERS/LEARN, 4776 Fathorn Pl, StcdtDg 22f 70 (char4;c) ... Robcrt & Pcgg/ Suc TRUETT (Joshua/8l. Isaac/ 8(t, Hannah/86, Pctcr/8g) 3718 Burke Rd,
Rldrmond 23223
E
FA Davld & Nancy DEAVER (Diana/82, Jamcs/85. Jobn/88, Asher/9O) lS55A Ewlrtg Jacobs Rd. FortArrgclcs 98i)62 (H) ooo Jsli6 $ Kcith SCANDORA (Rhlannon/82. F[kld/84. Tyl
84 8rg
NE 84, Scattlc 98115
Vlf
Lawrrrcc & Grctdtco I(AIIN
- Emtly/8s) 718 (Mcghan/82. Marflnsbu4 254Of
NM
St.
Ceaedr: IIANSON [BcnJamrn/79.
BC
-Weody Amy/83) C-9 RRI' Long Harbour, Ganges vgl4T6 (E)
"' Catc trlEIR & Ian CROCI(ER {Matthcry/82, Alwyn/88) Box 67, Bamffcld VOR IBO
(al
fO
- Rorrry & Carol TAG Wvrd,/77 , Anry I eO, Rachel/8fl Rt2 Box 63. Sprlrgffeld 65804 IfE-Ted & I{athy BROOKS 0r.a/e3, laol 84. Mctssa/a5) 321a,,,,,,, Rd. Dcrry o3O38 (I4 ... Ray & Mary Arm CI.oUflER 6ddle/88) RFD 2 Box 515, Llttlcton G3561 m -. C:ndl & L€n JAFX/I Uonathan/84, Jakc/881 57-L Andcrson Ilrll, Enffcld 037t18 ldrer4p) .- p4sn & Rchard ROGERS (Justrn/80, Ian/E3, Lcon/8?,
9ucntln/
9f) PO Box 197, Rt l2-A, Plalnffcld O378r
m
lf.I- Rcncc IEAW& Stevcn KOHN (Rcbccca/88) 36-24 Flalc St, FaHawnOT4IO (dangc) ooo Kcn & Llz LIPMAN-STERN (Sam/86' Jonah/891 341-C Crorpcll's Rd. H|ghfand Park o89(x
Othcr locetloar - Bob & Marlc McFETRIDGE tEllz.La/87, Klva/gf) 8()1l E Washlngton, Bro*xrwlllc
fi
resldcrrcc ls ln
78520 (mattng address .oo ps96 g
fcdco)
-
V7 MICHAEL Flaruuh/86, Sareh/8n".tcrt Constantlnc Rd. Hernpstcad, Iondon NWg 2LR, hSl.d fl) ooo 1go61o & RendY MELSEN {sas}ral8g} 2-22-8 llarcE Sctagaya-ku, Tokyo. rtrFl 156 (El .- Arurc & Fd WFIEELER Clcssrca/7g. Radd/8a, Nkholas/8g| USAID/ Dhaka/612o. Wasllngtor DC 20521-6120 (nuiUdcrtl ." Davld & tMrtcrurc WHITEHEAD (I(rlstal/79, Patrrck/8I, Dantcl/86) PSC 478-G, FFO AP 96313-1800 (Krmftryll
Fl
lfl - Ikra BERTHOIJ' 0\dehssa/8t1, Ncvla. 85, Kyla,/88) #l RD 656:i NBLJ4, firilIand 87417 (fl ooo 61o* RAY (Flcathcr/82, Montca/86) 3O7
crcrlF to rdd to thc Dlrtctory of o4pnlatloar thrt nr publlrhcd ln GWA #84: GA - Atlanta Altcrratlvc Educaflon Nctwck, c/o Paymcr. I158 McConnell flr,
Plrlo Rd, Senta Fc 875O1
D,ccatur 3O03!l
(Caralca/84,
Ihthlc & Rck ARNOLD I$rk/84 -3f 75 St. Rt lS,Thrxton l$t$$ oor ltufly IfY
791 22
.
& Ray CRIMMINS (Hcathcr/84,E,mWlf]V l0z
o. I$mbcrly KLINE
Brcok St. Wcst Sqyvlllc I I 796 & Kcr'ln Mc{TOWAIII [rayl86, Pcrrt/gl) 46E W
fO -Homc Schoollng Nctwork,47 Clcnnont Ln. St Ipuls 6€t124 lfE
-
Educadon,
Of -
Ncw tlampshrnc Alliancc for Home Box 4541. Mandrcstcr O3lO8 Lcamtng AII\Mays, 7 Carryon Oaks
PCI
Dr. Md.oud 74851: 4O$38&5979
Growlng Wthout Schooltng #85
29
Addrc.. chragcr: VA - Northarr VA Homcschoolcrs4.carn, 4776 Fathom Pl. Stctllng 22f70 UE Matrc Hosrcschool Assoc, 207'72* a55a (change phorrc numbcr only) IIA Applc Country Homcschoollqg Assoc, 5 t 508-456-8515 {chanrgc phonc numbcr orrl5r)
Complete Lists
of Resources
Oncc ayearwc prtrt or:r complctc llsts of hclpful tcachcrs. law5rcrs, p,rofcssors, psSrchologtsts. school dlstrtcts, and resor:rcc peoplc. As wlth our Dtcctory of Famllks. wc prlnt addtdorrs and chanlgcs to thcsc lfsts throughout thc ycar, so plcasc consnuc to scnd Orcm br. lfyou'rc sendlng us a changc of addrcss for a subscrlp tlon, plcasc lct us knou' lf you'rc on one of tlcsc lists so thatwc can changc lthcr€, too. wct€
always lntcrcstcd to
knor whcthcr pcoplc
appreclatc havtng thls hrformatlon avallable, so do let us know whcthcc thcsc llsts are bclng uscd.
Certified Teachers Thesc cerflffed teachcrs are wtlllng to hclp
homeschoolcrs: AK - Roy SHIMP, SOIO Davls Rd Apt 863.
Fatbanks 997@; 9o7-474-89ill lliZ - Ibthlcctr M. KNEZ, Wcstcrn Reservaflon,
PC)
NavaJo
Box 8a9, Ttrba Clty 86(X5;
SpcclalEd
c,A south (ztpr to s{ooo) - Ttrtu ANDERSON, 6949 Fisk Av. San Dtcgo 92122; 619-453-1086 ... Karcn BISHOP, N County Pl, 2204 El Camlno Rcal, Sultc 312, Occansldc g!Q${ ooo J6[n BOSTON. PO Box 92. Escondldo 92033: 619749-1522 ... Ruth BOTHNE. 17355 Melodyln, Ios Gatos 95mO; 408-353-3620 ... Michcllc BUSH. 2374 Storryvalc Rd, TLrJunga 91042; 818-352-Q$t$ ooo $sldyDOERIEL. Po Box 3O I Sl I . Escondlds $ilQ{lQ roo }ls$ HAMME& PO Box 45918, bs Argclcs 9OO45l 213-2816025 ... Sarah LES[.IE, 1846 NEdgemont #6, Ias
2l&662-567 | C*L North (rtpr 9{O{Xl & up) - Ma4arct ARIGHI, 6O15 MaurltantaAv. Oakland 94@5;
Angcf cs 90rA27 1
l(61ps Qfi[flp, 2l@3 Lynn Ln, Sonora 9537O o.. MertlynDeVORE, 4273 Forbcstown Rd, Orovlllc 95966 ... Jasmlrt GERER, 414 Emcllne Av, Santa Cruz 95O6O1 4O8423-831 I .r Sharron GREENE. PO Box 52, Carlotta 95528 ..o Chcryl STE\r'ENS, 2,186 Pcbblc Beach Loop, Lafayettc !)4549 K-12, spcclal ed) "' Scott YOUNG, Charlottc's Web, l2O7'F Bridgeway, Sausallto CA 94965; 4l$332'2244 CO - Kara BERTHOLF. #l Rd 6565 NBU4, Kirtland 87417 (ccflfffed tnCO & [tfftdl ooo $s1d1s GUENTHER 29i13 Sunsct Dr, Goldcn 8O4Ol; Engltsh, Spanlsh, Frcrrch gt - Gcoftey SMITH, 365 Bellaruc Rd. New Haven O65l l; 2O3-ZA7-5659i Eng. math. 7-12. 415-653-5098
ooo
admln FL - Charlottc THIEN, l22ol Old XtuUs Rd' Jacksonvllle 322 l9l 9(X-768-O472 ... Roger TRUNK. Rt I Box llO. Satsuma32l89:9O4-64$ 4479 HI - Debbie KUXAHIKO, FAI\,ULY ACADEMY' 72-396O llawail Bclt Rd, Ikllua-Kuna 9674O IA' Rita EBELING, 324 Crrsccnt ln' Ft Madison 52627 IN - Maric DUSING, FAIUILY ACADEMY. Rt I Box 5O9. Poland 47868: 812-986-2884 LA - Rfchard & Sharon CARGIN' 25 6th Av NE. LcMars Sl(Xll ME - Kathf KEARNEY, Box 69, New Sharon
Growing Wthout Schmling #85
O4955; ME &VTK-I2...LouAntraFERKII\IS, Rt t Bcx22-C, Feoobecot O4476t 207-*2&8609 tK-8) fD - Franccs MOYER 4OlTWlnfam Ln,
Borrk 20715
IA- Gcorrgc FOLTRNIE& RFD 2 Box lol, Erlmffcld OIOIO (Flt<rch) ooo Adclc GARLICI(, 96 Coolldgc Clr. Northborough OlA32 -. Thomas MAHER 3O Park St. Wakcffcld Ol88O; 617-246' 7634 ... Fa:lth Joncs OZAlil. 9 Tlldturst Ln, Marblchcad Ol 945 ooo Marlo PAGNOM, 76 Emsley Tcr, Methr.rcn O1844 ... Llnde ZUERII, Box 619. SDepot Rd, Cataumct MA02534 II - Kathy DOMHUE. Box 8().B S Supcrlor Rd. AtlanflcMlrrc 49905' K-l2... BorrnlcMIESEL. I f I f CricHcsood S\il, lfircml4g 49509 .o Dlruh MORRISON, T6 Latta St, Battle Gcck 49O15; 712 ... Mtulcl PNI(O. 321 NWlltam. Ludtngton 494{ll; K-12 flf - Jcarurc BOURQUIN. 1568 McMaham BI'vd, Ely 55731 ooo Llnda WINSOR, 1927 Jarncs Avc. St, Paul 551O5 nt - Sandy MADKIF:F, MTNOTOIA ACTIVITI CTR,2O7 Coarl Av, Mlnotola O8341: 6O9-697- l64tl: K-12 Eng N[ - IGra BEKIIOLF. #r Rd 6565 NBU4. Klrtland 87417 (ccruncd tn CO & NM) lfT - Lyman BARRY, 9i197 Shaw Rd, Nun& 14517; 7f S468-265Q scterrct... f,)l,ancCHODAN. RD I Box 462, Romc 13440 ... Chcryl COONEY. 225 Rector Pl, 9R, liIY NY rO28O Nf, Nr, MAI 'o' Lucrctia GABRIEL, 12 Falrway Ct, AIba47 12208; sclens6 ooo J6lul Taylor GATTO, 235 W 76 St' Ncw YorkIVY lfi)113... JcryctHOUCX, RR f Box f '184"
BrantLa}c 1281 5: 5l&494-2072t clen. ooo l(gftl KEARNEI. l2SOAmstcrdam Av *6O4, NcwYork l0(f2? ... It[atr11n MILLER" 3t]74 Aikcns Rd. WatbnsGlen 14891; rnath, sct, accounflDg "'
Natallc ThfZ, 332O Bafnbrtdge Av, Bronx NY lo4l67t 212-654-7918 (elern) OE - Elizabeth LOWER, 5O22 Wabash Dr' Fafndd 45O14: 513.86S2891 (Mmtessorl) OR - Marllyn I!WE, 50$362-1203 (SPanlsh K- I 2 , Enghsh 7- I 2) oor lifgty MAYFIELD. 24874 W Brush Crcck Rd, Swect Homc 97386: fi3-367 -247 4i $ | t ooo l\rtar3l6 sPANl. AIrlrA KIDSAC/|IIEMY, 4640 Sl / 182' Aloha 97OO7: 503-642-4094; K-8 PA - Dcbby BELL,6 Royal Rd, PaknYra I 7O78: languagc ooo p6$6qah DOERFEL, I 360 i{rltnc, Rosbrn 19691 oo KathyHOLLEGER 3106
Srcdc Rd. tibrrtstown l94Ol oee RIckKEPFIART. Fltgh St, Malvcrn f 9355 (clern) Af, - LlndaJONES, S3Ol Hcrnlock, Ternplc 76501: clcm VA - Scott CHRISTTAN. Rt 5 Box 358,
I
Martlnsvlllc 24 1 l2l 7o3-632'37$() ooo [dsy FREED. lS25WGracc St, Rchmond 2322O
{Montcssorl)
WA - FAJ\{ILY ACADEMY (tcachcrs all over WA state), 146 SM53 Box 29O. Scattlc 981 66; 206-246-9227 ... Kaftn FI)GI,E, 14241 NE Wdrrvl Drnrall *2tttl. WoodtrMllc 9€072; 2o&4al2228 .o.Juhc &Davtd LOYD.Wddron-9a297l (Julic: clcrn, Spantsh. math; Davtd: clcrn, htgh school, Engltsh, Spantsh, Soctd Studles) o' Tara SENNETI. 1 55O6 l gth Av. Tacoma 33445 "' Dctrls WICHAR, CascadcJrHlgfr School' 139O0 NE lSth St, Vancouvcr 9a$fll._2299t 25&6052 WI - Chcryl & Brucc BISHOP' 5148 BluffCt' Sturgeon Bay 54235: elcrn. oooA[sonMcI(EE' 5745 Bittcrsrpcct Pl, Madlson a37o5l clern, vls.
lmpalr
CAI{AI)A - L,csltc AYRE-IASC}IIIE' IO4OCF St. Pcacc RlvcrAB T8S lK7 EI,SEFHERE - Jamcs A. PSTRAIT' St Joscph Hfglr School, Plot 3, Rt 2. Ftcdertkstcd' St'
l0l
Crolx, Vtrgtn Islands
OO84O;
0455. homc W*77A-5761
school 80$772-
Helpful Law5rers gf - Frank Codran, 5l Elm St' PO Box 1a98. Ncrr llarrcn 065O&1898: 203-865-7380 DC - Nurcy LcSourd & Gcorgc Grange U' l9n5 K St frIW Srdtc 3OO. Washtngtct 2OOO& lll5.
2u2-ffi2-2Aoo FL - Charles Baron, l67th and NE 6th. No.
815. N. Mlaml Bcach &316o1 305-77O'l4lO EI - Tom DlGrada. DlGrada Iaw OIBcc. PO Box l78O.Ikllua96734 ID - Lylc Ellascn,2olt ldaho St, Amcrlcan Falls 8321 I ; 2o€'-226-51!18 IA - Cratg Hast ngl, 3f 5 6th St, Ancs
Sfl)lo: 5r$232-2501
E8 - Austtn Kcnt Vlrrccot, 2222Panrcyltra' nra Av. Topeka 66605; 9l&234-q)rl2 fD - Ray Fldler, 805 TFcd Avon Rd' Balflmorc
2I2I
2: 410196-649$
ooo
p4sl
Xlmbcqgcf,, 3905 Bcxlcy Pl. Marlow Hglts 2O746: 30l-899693i!... Dab R. Reld, 7O9f Brangles Rd'
Marrlottsr'llle
IA
zll$l I|-549'|322
- Eugcnc Burkan' 267 MoodY St. Wdtham O2 154; 617-89943!!7 "' Susan Ostb€rg" 4l WarrcrrAv, t{an'ad Ol45l; 5O8-4568515 oooJohnSandclll, I l2 SladcnSt.Dracut
Ola26: 508-957-5528
XI - form Perry, 8976 US 3l' Box 241' Bcrrlco Spgs 49lOIl; 6l$47l-2848 IYY - Davfd Prrllcn. 48 W Maln St, F:llmorc 14735;716-56?-2229 ... Scth Rockmullcr' RD I Box 172E, East Chatham l20ffit 5l*3V2-4277 OE - Davtd A- Flaffcy, 3055 Rodcnbcck Dr. Deyton 4543i1-26$! Io Jalnss psters. lO7 W' Corrrt St. Woodsffcld 43t793t 614-472'lffil PA - Mark Scrnlsch, 56 Wardcn Rd, f,roylestoqm l890l county 'WI - Jack Umplcby. N96wr822l Llnc Rd. Mcrromconcc Falls 530sf-l3Oo 'Ff - Gcrald Mason, PO Box 785' Ptnedalc
82941t 3O7 -367-! l${, ooo\{/llllsl H. TWlchcll. PO
Box 1219. Ptnedalc 82941: 3,07'367'2414
Ilelpful Professors Thc follorvhrg pcoplc are wtlltng to help
homcschooltt4 famtltes tn dcvclopkg curriculum' erralr:aflng progrcss. or ln other ways: Larry Arnoldscn, Box lO McKay Bldg' Brrglam Young U, Provo UT 84602
Graham Ashworttr, 423 F'ox Chapcl Rd'
Ptttsbu4h PA 15238: 412-96{l-88(n Prof. Robcrt A Carlson. Collegc ofEd, Untversity of Saskatchcwan. Saskatoon, Saskatchcwan Canada S7N OWO Sandy Doerfcl, PCf Box
30l33l,
Escondtdo CA
92030 J. Gary lfuor{es. Program tn Educadonal studica, School of Ed, U of Mlchtgan' Arur Arbor
Mt .$rog-1259 Mldracl Masrry, 43 Bumcoat St, I:tcester MA 01524; 617 -a!2-8O t2; ccrdffed school psydrologlst & soctd worker. Martfn Mlllcr, S:tT4Afkcrs Rd' Watldns Glen NY 14891 Mfdracl J. Murphy. Assoc. Prof.. U. of Saskatchcwan, Collcge of Educaflon, Saskatoon' Sask., Cana& STNOWO
Dr, Robcrt Ncrrman, A.gsoc Prof Emerifus' Tcachcr Educadon, S5rracusc U. 137 Huglrcs Pl' Syracus€ NY l32lO S" n, e.".'*y, Ed.D.' XO7 ryler h. Loulsville I(Y 4{r2O5: 502-4592058 Edward Ptno, 189 Antclopc Tr. Parker CO 8O134 Rtchatd Prystorrsty, Profcssor of Engltsh and Humanltics, Irvlnc Vallcy Collcgc' 55OO ln'tne Ctr
flr, Irvlnc CA%272O
BrtanD. Ray. Nadonal Homc Educadon
30 Rescarch lnsututc, Wcstcnr Baptlst Collcgc, SOOO Dccr Park Dr SE. Sslqn OR 97301-9391
Jack Robcrtson, a92 Laguardla Pl #398, Ncw
York lilY lOOl2-142A Gary L. Stwcos, LJntvcrsfty of San Flanclsco, 2486 Pcbblc Bcach toop, Lafapttc CA 94549 Chcstcr
fi
S.
Wtllrems. EfiiU. Box 5518, Tcxarkana
755O1: 214-838-5458
Helpful Psychologists CA - Mldrcllc Bush. 2374 Stor5rvdc Rd. Ttrjunga 9f U2; 8l&352-Ogl5 eor ftut Jlndtsh.
S5SWMrddlcidd, S.3Ol. MhrVlery 94(Xi!;
4lS
969-9981
f,A - Mlclucl Masr47, t13 Burncoat St, L€tccstcr Ol 524; 617-892-8012 (crruffcd school psychologlst and soc{alworkcr) ooo Eh'. Susan Ott, HC 81. Bd( fOA Pctcrsham O1366; 5Oa-724ggg! ooo pssl 9fta.fuoff, Ed.D.. Dtcctorof Guldancc, Southcrn Bcrkshlrc Rcglonal School Distrtct, Shclleld Ql!$/ oro p1. p6gl Dantcl Shca, 145O Bcacorr St. Sultc 8Ol, Brookllnc Oill46i
617-277-42149 NC -
Ilnda Brannon Shamblfn & Wliltam
Shamblln, 219 Wtldflower Rd. Ashcvlllc 288O1:
704-253-6797 oH - Rldard Gcorgc. Canton 44709
l20l
SOth St NW,
OR -J6nHunt, Box9!X)6, Bend OR977O8; 503-382-1547 (prcoatal and famlly counscllr4) PA - Dr. Bob Cornoy. 1724 Snoky Conecrs Rd, Wlltamsport l77ol Tf, - Stcvcn Gutstcfn, PhD,4550 Post Oak PI. Suttc #342, Houston 77A27t 7l*621-7496 \f,A - Holy FarntlSr Instltutc, 43 Flonflcr Rd, Appleton WA 9a6tr1 (counsclors)
Resource People Thc pcople ltsted
bclor havc orpertence wlth
thc follodng subJccts, urd who arc wiltng to correspond wtth othcrs who arc lntcrcstcd.
Adoptlon: Ihthy Donahuc, Box 80.8 S. Superlor Rd, RR I , Atlantrc Mlrc lldl {$$Q$ ooo JerqyWrlgfut, QuakcrCtty, H.C. 60, Box 50. Charlcstor*n NH O36Oll: 6G9543-O9IO Bllndacr: Donald & I(athy Xlernp (son/ 75) N6479 l(roghvlllc Rd, $ratcrloo WI 53594 ooo Ruth Matllsky, IOO S 4th Av, Hlglrland Park l(J Q$$Qu[ ooo llison McKcc, 5745 Blttcrswcct Pl. Madlson WI 53705 Dcehcr: Dcborah DOERFEL, 136O Arltne, Roslyn l9OOl
Doen gyadromc: Elalnc Bcchtold. loa27 Rosedalc Av N, Rt I Box 23{t, Lorctto MN 55tt579793; 612-49a-/$$$ ooe f,pscmary Fkstcnbcqg, PO Box 25266. Scattlc WA 98125
Eam Rrdlo: Shcryl Schulf, 8156 Ltebcr Rd, Indtarrapolts lN 46260; 317-259-477a Ilomc Computcr: Doug Calsb€ck, Box 185. Orange CltylA
Emsley
5l04l ... MadoPagrodl,76
Mlnc MI 49OO5
.o
l(arco trteDklln,
9*t9 Wlnffcld
Rd, BcSmton Bch F1,33436 (.teslce/80 C.P.l ... Marttr Mllcr. 3{t74 Alkcns Rd, Watbns Glcn ltIY l4$$l ooo [2v6rr1g Rcynolds, Rt I Box 766C, Pomona Park FL 3irl8l-9715 oo SaururJr Scott, l90l Barkcr St, Laqrcocc KS 66(X4 glD4lc Pr!c[tr: Janct Hoffinan, PC, Bo:( 288. HamburgPA 1952S(t188 ... Dtanc Mcl,Icll, Sf gf Cty EE, Baflcys HaftorWI ${l(}l oro [31116 kltched,24a6O l280r Placc SE, I(cmtWA 98(Xll o Llsa SpcctoE 2&677 -2ffi2 ot llacrrr Tlrmcr, PC) Box 622, Rcdway CA 95560-0622 ror SPECIAL, Slngk Farcnts Educathrg Chfldftn kr Altcmattuc Lcamtng, c/o Amy Il. Varrcrlo, 2
PtnevlarDr #5. AmcltaOH 45lorl... Chrlstlnc
Wllard. 2ofl) Ptnc Avc, Ias Osos CA 93402
llrYclhg Fenllicr: Irts
& Jhn
Bhrmcrrthal. f f 3r, Bccchwood Dr. llag;crstown MD 21742-WZ ... I-uls & Jcrurlfcr Gotdon (Kadc/8f, Patty/84) lO{155 Grand Av. BloomlngtonMN 5542G522a -. Arlcrrc llal{ht (Bccky/68, Matt/7q 4r5O SoUS *1. RD2, Pakn Bry FL 3119O5 Mnr: GlorLa tlarrlson. PSC 8:l Box R AFO
AE09726
Friendly School DistricLs Thc follorlng l,s a ltst of school dlstrlcts Orat are wllltngly and happtly cnoperaHng wlth homcschoolcf,s, and who alc wtlltrg to bc llstcd ln
GWSasdotgso. Onc rcason for such a llst: wc want to cncouragc and reassur school offictals who may bc hcsttant about approvlr4 homcschoollng and lct them brour that thcrc arc othcr dlstrlcts crdoylrg good rclafloshtpo wlth thclr homeschoolLg fiemilfcs. Also, famllleswho ct willlng to morrc to cscepc a dilScult slhratbnwlth schol ofBclals can havc at lcast somc ldcas about whac to go. (Do bcar ln mlrd that not all statcs rcqulrc homcschoollrg famtltcs to work wtth bcal school dtstrtcts; tn fact, many do not. Noncthclcgs, a coopcrettuc school dlstrlct may glvc homcschoollqg famltcs acccss to crrcnts or matcrlale cvcn tf thcy are not legany rcquhed to apprwc of or
daluatc thosc farntlcs. Wc wlll crly llst thcsc sdrool dlstrlcts undcr
thc followtng condttrons: (l) Thc fsmtly has to bc notJust sadsflcd but plcascd wlth thc coopcradon thc schools arc gMrg to thctr horneschooltng cfforts. (2) Thc schools thcmsclvcs havc to bc happy about belqg lncluded tn thc [st. If thcy are uncasy about tt. or fcar that tt may get them ln troublc wtth sorneonc. wc'd rathcr not subJcct thern to that rtsk. So - lf your dlstrtct ls coopcf,atlng wlth your homcschooltrg, and you would llkc thcrn to bc on thls llst, ask thcm, and lct us krw lf thcy say to goahcad, By thc way, wc would also ltkc to llst school dlstrtcts that would llkc to hclp homcschohng farnllles. but havc not bccrr ablc to do so bccausc no famltcs have yct asked thern.
Tcr, Mcthucn MA 01844
tc.rtrl4 Dlnbllltlcr:
ooo
lfuffiy f]ornhuc.
Supcrtor Rd, RR I, Atlanflc Mlnc MI tl$gQ$ ooo posslyqaqr Ffrstcrrbcrg, FO Box 25266, Seattlc IilA 9al2$ ooo lslls tldscolglrr, RR I Box 146, Ctumtnglram I(Y 42035 (spccch & lar4uagc pathologlsQ ooo Lavcrnc Rgmolds. Rt I Box 766C, Pomona Part FL 32181-97f S ooo Qft6xyt ft Qlrry Steverrs, 2486 Pcbble Bcadr Loop. I^afaycttc CA 94549 (Spcctal Fi., Chcmlcal SrcrrstEdty) fontcrrorl: Glorla llarrlson, PSC 8{t Box R, AFO AE 09726 oooEllzabeth lawcrr, 5928 Momtngstdc Dr. Fatrff€ld OH 45015 Phydcd Eeadlcepl: Janna Books, Box Bo:< aO-B S.
3OlB, Route
2, Santa Fe NM 875O5 Donahuc, Bol( 8O-B S. Sup€rtor Rd, RR
-.
Kathy
l, AtlanHc
CA - Buttc County OfBcc ofEdueatson, 2l2O B Roblnson, Onovlllc CA95965,JamesH.
Scott, Hnclpal, Homc School nogram Lodl Lrnlffcd School Dtstrtct, &3ti W Lockford st. Lodt 952,(); 20&36s7411; Don Shalvcy, Asst. Supt. - Instmcdon K-12
lrma Hcta &hool Dlstrtct. 238(X) $Inrnlt Rd, Ias Gatos 95O3Ol tt0&35$2389: flr. Kcrmcth $mpldns, $rpcrlntcrrdcrrt Dr. Ruth Bothnc, Indcperdcnt Homc Study Prrogram
Dlrcctor Maryrwllle Jofnt Llnlffcd, Mar5xvlllc 95901.
l9l9
B St,
Montcrty Cowrty Office of Educadon. 9Ol Blanco Ctrclc, FO Box EO85f . Sallnas 9{t912:
Bill
I^aPlantc. Iltrcctor of Altcnratlvc hograrns Santa Cntz Cfty Schools, Altcrnadvc Famlly Educadcr. 536 Pafrn St. Santa CYuz 95O6O: tlOS429'3EO6. Attn: Tcrry Joncs. fA - Cambrrtdgc hrbltc Schools, 159 Thomdlkc St, Cambrrldgc 02l4ll 617-49&9233. Contact lt/lr. F}an Folcy. Chath€m hrbltc Schools, Chatham MA (1263II; Supt. Vtda R Gavln. Lowell School Dtstrlct, a9 Applcton, Lowell O1852; 454-5(!1. Jemcs McMahon. A-sst. SuPt. for C\rrrlculum Dcrrclopmcnt. Rocklard Publfc Sdrools, Rockland @37o; Supt. Ronald P. Gcrhart Southccn Bckshfrc Rcgtonal School Dlstrtct. Shcfficld Ol25Z Dkcctor of Guldancc. Paul Shafroff. Thomas A. Consolad. Supt.
Pen-Pals Cblldrcl nathg pca-pelr should write to thosc ltsted. To bc llstcd, scnd namc, agc, addrcss. and l-3 uords on lnt€rtsts oo. Satah KNLJDSEN (Z 34 Tolland Av. Vcrnon CT O6O66; horscs, darrclng, rcadlqg... Nc[ CHAPMAN {12) PO Box 8O672. Falrbanks AI( 997O8; computcrs,
horscs' mtn. blhrtg... Hila4r CAIVIPBELL (7) 3941 Wcybrldgc Way, Sacrarncoto CA 95842: &ewhg, rollcrskatlng, Lrnlcorns mr Qgthy SPURGIN (f0 FO Box 206, Tlshomlngo OK 73460: wrtdng muslc, anlmals oo. Rebccca GRIF'FIN (8) FO Box 25417, Salt l-akc Ctty uf 84125: mystcrlcs, Batblcs. Arnefi6s2 @fl5 ooo Adam WOOIEN (Z 626.3 Vcnus. Bartlett TN 38134: turtlcs, blkcs, plzza ooo DILLINGIIAM, Rt 3 Box 637, Bcrryvtllc AR 72616: Jerry (fO) Scouts, F'lsdrcrtcchnlc. rcadlrg: Frltz (Z blkes. Scouts, rcadlq$ Ilutch (5)btkcs,books, cars ooo f,[gSeccg O'REIII-Y (f O RR I Bo:< 93O, Irrsh Cape Rd, Naparroclr l;81 1245f3.'9742i bablcs, pen-pals. s\vlmmlDg ooo Rachcl IOOMIS (9) 166 Mafn St. Northffeld MA Ol36Oi hamsters. pondltfc, oooldng;
ooo
$1gve HOLMES (8) I 7 I 9 School St ,
Ilralla Walla WA 99362; sports. rcadlr4;. gpmes ... LERNE& 5165 Stqrart, Lapccr MI 48446: Brec (a) plano, art, gcqgraphla l.anl (51 plano, art, gcqlFaPhy... Camcron LOCKWOOD (6) 3O0 Bcrcsford Av, Rcdwood Ctty CA94061i dolls, anfmals, readlng... Kathcrlnc BOr r F NBACH {A 64 Rangcrs f,)r, Hudson NH O3O5l; rcadlrg, Iagos, gnnnasuqs oor TIAGGARD, 3954 kntana Pl. Vl4glrda B€ach VA 23456: Chrlstopher (10) swlmmlng, campln!;, dmwhrg; Mcolc (6) ballet, Barbtca, skaHng
oI\[IQlf'Qf,f), !O6l
Antelope Pl,
Vlrgbel,a Bcadr VA 23456: Adrtennc (9) ballet, art, rollcrskaung; Ashlcy (6) Mntcndo. candy, BROWN, ,4078 Tocnges, St lruls MO 16:
ffll
art...
Ryan (8) drawlrg, karatc, supcrheroes; Alan (6) Gl Jocs. drawlng, kar:atc ... HAZ. Rt I Bor( 1398, Sarrta Marla CA 93454: Mclody (l l) ballet, anlmals, gardcrlng, Rosamc (15) botany, gadcnlng, anlmals ooo l^aurtc CFIANCEY {11) 2908 John Bunch Rd, Sulphur IA 7O6631 cats, rcading. *Tlttng ooo J6y [\,tsMHQN (r2) FO Box 600, Edtnboro PA 16412; Ntntcndo, Scuba dlvlng, 1ptl1 ooo g61ty McMANN (f O) RD I Townhousc, Sacgef,to$'n PA l643ih dolls, fiarmlng. horses ... F.RANK, 1730 N Molt:c. Flcsno CA 93705: Danlcl (9) MnJa turtlcs, computcrs, Supernlnt€rtdo; Sam (5) computcrs, cooldes, RrafB o.r ERICXSON-DAVIS, Rt 2 Bo:( lll. r ^t<c Park MN 56554: Morgan (9, Elrl) fosstls. str'hnmtng,
anlmals; Cordclla (Z skaung, ardmals, swlm-
dllntr; ooo,61t* RIEMAN (14) 3318t1 Gr. So. Ovcrland, Jutan CA 92Gr6; acfln8, muslc, unldng ooo lgalsshe COWIE (7) Rt 3 Box 3171.
Darvsonvtllc GA 3O534; stamps, readL€, drawtng ... Anlta GAY (14) PO Box 998, Bluc Lake C.A 95525; acdng. readtng, muslc
Growtng Wthout Schooling #85
31
Declassified Ads
Subscriptions
& Renewals
Rates: 7otlword,
Subscrlpuons start wlth thc ncxt lssuc publishcd. Our current ratcs are $25 for 6 lssucs. $45 for 12 lssucs. $60 for 18 tssueE. GWS ls publishcd evcry othcr month, A stnglc tssuc costs
0l /wordboldfacc.
Wclconc Eonc ls a 3!l pagc monthly nqrrsletter Plcasc
tcll
__ ":.fry**o'"3-oI._ EYERITEII|C TOU IfE@ EO TFOR,
$4.50.
SCEOOLI|G. Our teadrt4 guldcs arc thc bcst. Flce catalog. L'EARI|II|C AT EOXE, B,ozc 27o. gws 85. Horraunau Hl 96726.8o8-git&9669.
Group Eubrcrlptlolr: Wc offcr group subscrlpflons. ln whlch scvcral cropcs ofcach
FREE gclctcc lrrgrrhc loadcd wf0l o.pcrl-
lssue are mallcd to ooc addrcss. Thc prlcc l,s $18 per pcrsonr and groupo of 5 or morc rrcelvc thc leader's subscrtpdon frec (tn othcr words, a group ofS pays 4 x $16 and tccttves 5 coplcs of each lssuc). Plcasc pay for grotrp subscrlpdons wlth one chccl. Plcasc scnd ln thc names and addresscs ofmembcrs ofour gmup sub, so that we can kecp ln toudr wlth thcm.
Forelgn prJrmcntr must bc clthcr moncy orders ln US frrnds or chccks drar*rr on US banks. We can't afford to acccpt pcrsonal drccks on
Canadlan accounts, e'cn |f thqr havc 'US funds' writtcn on thcm. Wc suggcst that forelgn sub scribers usc Mastcrcard or Vtsa tf pcslblc. Ratcs for Canadlan subscrlbas: $28lyr krdMdual; $21 pcr pcrsor! for gruup subo. For subscrlbcrs outside of North Amcrlca lDdlvldual subs erc $40/yr air mall, $2plf'r surfacc mafl (allorv 2-3 rnonthsl. Group subs arc $2 1 yr pcr pcrson, surfacc matl. Ask us about alr matl ratcs for group subs. Aalilrc|| Chelgcr: lf you're movtng, lct us knowyour ncw addlcso as soon as peslblc. Pleasc enclosc arcccrrt labcl (or copy ofone). lssues mlsscd bccauac ofa changc tn addrcss {that wc wcrcnt nodffcd aboutl may bc rcplaccd for $2 cach. Thc post oftcc dcstr,oys your mlsscd tssues and charges us a nodffcaflon fcc, so wc can't alford to replacc them wlthout chalgc. Rcncselr: At thc bottom of thc ncxt paggc l,s a fonn you can usc to r€f,lew your subscrlpdon. Please help us b5r rcrradng carly. How can you tcll whcrr your subscrlpflon mtr6? Look at thls mole lat'el:
123456 I @ Snvllorrll JIMAI\DMARY S[\,IITH 16MAINST PIAINVILI.E
NY OIIII
The number that ls underllncd ln the examplc tells thc nunbcr of thc ffnal lssuc for thc
subscrtption. Thc Smlt}rs' sub aptres wtth lssuc #86. the next lssuc. But lf wc w€rc to rccclvc thet renewal bcforc wc scnt our foial account chargcs to the maillng housc March 3f). thcy would qualt$ for the fr,ec bonus lssuc.
Rcwerd for Brlnglng
ln Ncr Sub.crlb
ers: Ifyou convlncc someonc to bccomc a ncw subscrlbcr - to take out an lndlvtdual subscrtp tion at $25 a 1rcar - you wlll recclvc a $5 cr,cdlt which you can apply to anyJohn Holt's Book and Muslc Storc ordcr or to your owrr subocrlp tion renewal. Check thc bo:r undcryour maltng label to lndicatc thatyou arc thc orrc whobrought in this new subscrtbcf,. and thcrr cllp or copy thc form and havc your hcrrd ftll tt out and cnclosc thc $25 pa3rmcnt. Wc will p,roc€ss yolrr ftcrrd's subscription and scnd you thc $5 credtt. Thts offer docs not apply to rcnewals, glfts, orgroup subscrlptlons. For a fi.rllcr explanatlon. s€e GWS
mcnts.
TOPSi
ldeas. lO97O S Multrro Rd, Canby
oR970r3. SI{IMER COLLEGE sccks qptcatrone from homcschoolcrs. Four-ycar tbcrel erts cl.rrrlculum. Srnal dtscusstdt classcs. lrrtcnsc studcnt lrnrolvcmerrt. Earl5l cntrancrc op6on, FOB A-sfi), Waukegan IL 6m79. 70&6298400.
cducaflonal nor:lctter for Maclntosh famlles wlth chlldrtrr &12. Satlsfacflm guarantecd. $15/ lO lssucs. Dcsktop Schotng. 1507 Brwk. St. Loufs. MO 63139.
TEE
PRI8f, BRINGS SCIENCE TO YOUR CI{ILD'S LIFIE - a scf,tous sclcncr ncrpslcttcr to hclp you
sherc thc wondcr and fasclrraUm ofsclcncc wlth your drlld. Toplcs focus on carth, lifc and thc physlcat sclcnccs. ActMgcs usc low-coet matcrtds, ert parflclpatory. hands-on, fun, challcoglng and lntcactlvc. Ooc ycar sr.rbscrlp uon (4xf $f 2 Cnd. PRlSlv{ 3466 Wcst Broadway, Vancouvcr. BC V6R 283 Canada. W-737-2742. Hclp pur drtld aplorc thc natural world of sclcrrcc wlth PRIS[fl.
Sprcad thc
pur
good currl.culum errcn bcttcr - tncludc yotrr computcrl Bc a drartcr mcrnbcr to Makc
dcvoted to thc support ofmothcrs who chooee (or would [kc to choosc) to stay homc to nurture thclr famlllcs. Samplc tssue $2, l-par subscrtp6on (12 rssu6l: $15. WELCOME HOME, Dept. HS. 8:llOA Old erurthousc Rd. Vlanna,YA22la2.
*urdl Buyyour ffrst copy of?he
Tenqe Ubmllot
Flandbolc from thc GWS store, but scll lO or morc coptcs to your &lends and carn $5 per copy. Dcrqllq for SASE - Iowry Housc hrbltshcn. FO Box lOl4. Eugcttc. OR
97440. Fdttor/author/publlshcr wants older
.rrrprr f,Er t\o
Arcfcrtrrccmmual trrcludtrg:'Ulhc<c Do I Stan and lVho Strould Not? Currtculum Gutdcs, Corespondcrrcc Schools, Schcdultng, Tcsttrg, Iaws,'ctc. Bookg avatlablc for complctc school ycar ftom MARIANNS ALTERf,IATM EDUCATION SLJPFLY HOUSE. For manual scnd tf25 to Box 88413. D€pt. cWS-LTf , tndtanapolts. IN
4620&0413.
tSE UAGAZnVE FOR YOUrfC TRIAER9: Rcd Aldcr th.urk and thc Young Wrttcrs Club contcst. CA$E PRXZES. Samplc $& Back lssuca +41 Subscrtpflon $12 - 3 lssucs ycarly. Payablc: Iand of Idcas Industrlcs l.td, PO Box 48652 Bcntall C€ntr€, Vancouvcf,, BC, Carnda \/"7)( lA3. SAVE $OS ON MORIENSEN MATH UP TO t()96 OFF REGIJIAR PRICE. I\PWAVAIIABI,E HOME MATfI XXT ONLY $I99 + I()% SIIP. TOLL FREE cnLLvlsa/Mc. r:REE CATALOC CSLL l€fi>
33&9939.
homeschoolcrs' (appro:r. 12 and up) storlca for book. Wlll pay $lOO mlnlmum. Scrrd SASE for Gutdcltncs ard trfo to Gracc Llcvrcllyn, PO Box
lOl4, Eugcnc. OR974i|f).
Yourdrtld wtll lmprovc slgrdficantly ln rcadlng
comgchcnslur wlth'NMSi' - thc Ncw Phonctsc
trstmcflonal Vldco Rcadlng $stcml For any
drtld rcadtngbclor slxth gradc levd - wc tailormake tapcd tnstnrcflon for ycr chlld's readtng nccds. In-dcpth. hlghly oral study of Classic Chlldr€n's Lltcratu-,c Grlonnl/.ecd
- not m€rt 'phontcs.-
cfledvc and
vcr5r affordablc.
LcamlngHorDons. 5924 Fltghplacc Dr, San Dlcgo, CA92129.
'part of thc famtly.Summcr 1991t. Childcat€/consfucdon and carpcntry/gardcntngl. Alnsllc-llamblrns. RFD #3
Ap'prtnUce(s) nccdcd as
Box 177m, Fldtffcld Sprlngs, t\IY 13439.
Non-scctarlan. OLDER GROITP (approx. "ges
I-oohng for homcschool famtllcs for support, frlcrrdshlp. pla5rmatcs. Non-scctarlan. ln arca sur,oundtng St. Cloud, WI. Contact Anrdc I(rupnow 4 14-79S.1066. Publlshcd author wlll mcntor tccragcrs hde lcttcrsl. Ron Rlchardson. tlOOIl Soth Avc SW.
l2-l7):8.E Ulch/Toledo/
Wndsor. 913-3:ll -8406.
Adverttse wlth usl Deadltnes are the lSth of
odd-numbered months.
Scattlc WA 981 16.
l-tno"i
FORII FOR DIREICTORY
Use ttrls form to send us a new entry or a substandal address change to be run ln the next available lssue of GWS,
Adults (ftrst and last names): Organlzatlon (only tf address ls same as famtly):
Chlldren (names/btrthyears):
*42,p.2,
When You lYrite Us Plcasc - (l) Put scparatc ttetns ofbusln€ss on separatc shects of pa.per. (2) Prrt yor:r rramc and address at thc top ofcach lcttcr. (3) Ifyou ask quesdorrs, crrclosc a sclf-addrcsscd stampcd cnvelopc. (41 Tcll us tftfs OK to publish yor:r letter, and whcthcr to usc your namc wlth thc story. We edit lcttcrs for spacc and clartty.
crowirlg Without Schooltng #85
Full address (Str€et, Ctty, State, Zp):
Are you wtlltng to
wrtdnp Yes _
host
GWS readers who make advance arTangements
No
-
Are you tn the 1992 Dtrectory (GWS #84) Yes No Or ln the addltions tr thts lssue? Yes
-
No
-
-
ln
32
PubHcatlons from Holt Assoclates Chlld's Work, by Nancy
GSS wer foundod ln lgTT by John Eolt. Edttor - Susannatr Shdfer
Wallace. rr4zo$12.e5
Publtsher - Patrlck Farenga Contrtbuflng Edttor - Donna Rlchoux Edttortal i{.sslstant - Mary Maher Edttorlal Consultant - Nancy Wallace
Earalng Our Owl Money: Homeschoolers and Under Tell Their
13
Ofrce & Subscrlpflon Manager - Day Farenga Shtpplng/Recetdng Manager - Janls Van Heukelom Shfppfng Asslstants - Stephante D'Arcangelo, Gfnger F'ltzslmmons Ofrce Asststants - Lenard Dlgglns, Ivtandy
Stories. #rsz8$4.s0
tveryone Is Able:
Matrer, Itrtary Matrer, Phoebe Wells Booklceepfng - Katherlne Dooltttle
Drploding the Myth of I.earnireg Disabilities.
Holt Assoctat€s Board of Dlrectors: Patrtck Farenga (Corporate Presfdent), Mary
#268$3.95
Horneschoollng
ln
Maher. Tom Maher, Donna Rlchoux, Susarurah Shefrer Adntsors to the Board: Ann Ban'r (Clerk), lvtary Van Doren, Nancy Wallace
the
News-acollectionof
articles from the popular press.
Copyrlght @1992 Holt Associates, Inc.
#1562 $6.95
All rtghts
reserrrcd.
Respondlng to Chlldren's Wrltlng. #666$3
9S9
Shartng Treagureg: Book Reviews by John Holt.
{:t
#r5r2$5.95
d
o
I grI
pe1ge
J SI'BSCRIPTION ANI' RENEWAL FORU Use ttrts form to begtn or nenew a subscrlpdon to GrowtngWthout Schooltng. For renewals, cltp t}ls form ln lts enttnety (so that you lnclude your address label) and send lt wlth your check or money order tn US funds, or call 617-8Et-3lOO to subscrlbe or renew by Mastercard or Vlsa- Thanks rrcry much. (For more detalls about subscrlpdons and renewals, see page 3 l.)
Renewal
New Subscrlpdon
-
Name:
nLn=
sBl A6'[,
ta rEF r gf6
EF3
iE FF
q o !D
B E{ (,
-
_
l2lssues, tP45
$
[Ei afF
_
lSlssues,tt60
cL85
Eii
tu
g3
t
Ilr \ -{ xl F
$F$
FIn
Clty, State, Zp or Fostal Code:
i r t rrl -F5. =3'' SClO
Ir* s[$
Address (change? Yes/No)
_6lssues, $25
>T5
0sr
Gtft subscrlpflon to be sent to name shown
If change of address. what was old ztp code!
<B d
EEF
17 for shtpping chaqges. b A o
_
1T
a
hices do not lnclude postage. See chart on
1E9 *rg qtBg
fie t,ll
I
dg
I
HEH
$ :EE frEh
coples O $18 each, for a total of $- (note: groups of 5 or rnore recelrrc leader's sub free). Please - send ug the names and address€a of othergpoup members. It ts OK to rent rrry name and address to other orgpnlzadons: Yes_ No_
Group Sub:
Growtrg Wtthout Schmltng #85