Recent homeschool and education articles

Universal school vouchers could be coming to Georgia

Education examiner week in review February 1, 2008

What's right with public education: It's available to all

Parental Valentine's Day stress and the Sadie Hawkins dance

Freaky Friday: Sex change SAT and other odd stories in education

Homeschoolers Shouldn't Fret over College

by Andrea Hermitt

My subscription to the Homescholar Record came to day and it carried great news.

Will the mom of the new Octuplets Homeschool?

by Andrea Hermitt

When I think about the mom

who just added 8 children to the six she already has, my only thought is "how is she going to get one on one time with each of them". My next thought was of the Duggar Family. According to Newsvine.

South Dakota School Board Wants Homeschoolers Back

by Andrea Hermitt

According to the HSLDA. the Rapid city School Board in South Dakota wants to recruit homeschoolers in an effort to bring more money into the district. Read more about Rapid City school budget woes.

Should you hire a high-end homeschool professional

by Andrea Hermitt

In a tongue-in-cheek article that manages to kick homeschoolers a few times in the process, a Cityfile New York article introduces an entrepreneur supplies high end teachers to affluent homeschool families.

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com

My Most Recent articles about homeschooling

Homeschoolers and Sports Teams
Tim Tebow didn't let rules against homeschoolers playing High School football in Oklahoma stop him. Instead, he played football for Nease High School in Jacksonville Florida. This led to winning a Scholarship to Flordia State and also a Heisman Trophy.

Is your homeschoolers plate too full?
I sat down and counted all of the activities my homeschoolers were in this year and realized that their plates just might be too full. Looking at my son's schedule, I counted Drama club, Chorus, Introduction to Drama Class, Piano Lessons
, Music Theory Class,

Homeschoolers take back the mall

As I walked through the mall today I noticed several things. The first thing I noticed was that there were numerous school age kids in the mall with their parents.


The Carnival of Homeschooling puts you in great company

If from time to time you feel alone in your homeschooling endeavors, never fear, you are not... not by a longshot. As proof of this, I submit to you the Carnival of Homechooling. The Carnival of Homeschooling is a roving blog hosted by a different homeschooler each week.

Notes from a homeschooling mom: It takes a community
January 3, 12:25 PM
I took it upon myself this week to begin compiling homeschool resources for kids in my county. When I began homeschooling my kids six or so years ago (I've lost count) there were several local homeschooling groups with a plethora of activities.

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com

My recent homeschooling and education articles

What about Honors, AP, and IB Programs?
As my son works on his high school program, I have been double checking to make sure is on track to be on equal ground with other students who will be apply to college along with him. Since he is college bound, in my mind, he must be able to compete with other college students on their level.


A Warning for Hybrid Homeschoolers
Some time ago, I explained that the best label for our family in the homeschooling realm is hybrid homeschooling. Hybrid homeschoolers work in the middle ground between school and home.

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: Cheating
Reports of an increase in students cheating has caught America by surprise. Sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38 percent did so two or more times, up from 60 percent and 35 percent in a 2006 survey.


Grant and Scholarship Advice for HomeschoolersAs the costs of state colleges continue to rise deeming them unaffordable, I am becoming worried about how my homeschooled kids will pay for college.


Clean Up Your Act or You're Homeschooling!
As a homeschooler, I may have threatened my kids once or twice that if they did not show me more respect or cooperation, they would have to go to public school. This usually gets them in line. They've been there, done that, and don't want to do it again.

Notes from a homeschooling mom: high school
While most people managed to keep their opinions to themselves when it came to homeschooling my young kids, as they approached middle and high school, I could see a certain frantic ...


Students cheat because we teach them to
Speaking of kids cheating in school!"Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for the city school system, found in a report issued on Wednesday that the assistant principal, Ruth Ralston, of the High School for Contemporary Arts...


Why are kids cheating in school
With 95% of high school students admitting to cheating in school one has to wonder why they cheat. Even more so, one has to wonder why 93 percent feel justified in cheating. Now I was not an angel in high school. As I remember it, I... Read More

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com

Update on Families.com blog

Over at families.com blog where I blog about homeschooling, I have been working on listing homeschool resources and groups for each state. This is going to take months. So far I have done California and Alabama

Meanwhile, I also wrote: Are You Prepared for an Unexpected Change?


Considering the CLEP exams for homeschoolers

Homeschool Questions and Answers: Reversing Letters

Proposed NJ Homeschool Legislation

Homeschool Questions and Answers: Homeschooling a Kindergartener

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com

Back to homeschool

Yeah! It's a new year, I even sent out my intent to homeschool form on time!

Here are my recent homeschool articles on families.com

Back to Homeschool 2008-2009
by Andrea Hermitt

I have spent the better part of the last two days in back-to-homeschool mode. We had a busy and productive summer working on problem areas, and even managed to get in a bit of travel by taking a working vacation for one of my daughters pageant activities.

Read more


Homeschooling Older Kids
by Andrea Hermitt

I am becoming acutely aware that homeschooling older kids are a much different animal than homeschooling small kids.

Read more

Pizza Hut Encourages Reading and Welcomes Homeschoolers Too
by Andrea Hermitt

Pizza Hut Book It! Program has been ongoing for many years to encourage students to read and has always awarded homeschoolers with pizza and other prizes. Previously when homeschoolers wanted to participate they had to do so through a homeschool group or co-op.

Read more

An Effort to Court Florida Homeschoolers Falls Short
by Andrea Hermitt

"Pasco County (Florida) teacher Mike Maynard also stood at the podium and told parents their children would receive a better education in public schools - a statement that sent a rumble of angry laughter through the crowd.

Read more

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

LA trip update

Sorry I've been so quiet lately, but I have been preparing for a trip and am currently in Los Angeles California!



Here is a picture of my daughter at the back lot of the Tonight show where she got Jay Leno's Autograph.



(see the words above her head)



Meanwhile here are some recent posts on my Families.com blog.

Homeschooling Away From Home

Just Because it does not look like Education


Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Recent Homeschooling articles at Families.com

Beginning Homeschooling Again
by Andrea Hermitt

Many people are deciding to homeschool this year after taking a hiatus and having homeschooling in the past and then putting their kids in school. They may have homeschooled two years ago. They may have homeschooled six years ago.

When to Purchase More Expensive Curriculum
by Andrea Hermitt

It is time to purchase homeschooling curriculum for the 2008-2009 school year. Homeschoolers everywhere are trying to decide if they are going to continue with the same curriculum maker, if they are going to try something new, and how much they are going to pay. These can be difficult decisions.


Guiding Your Homeschooler Through High School and Into College
by Andrea Hermitt

Yesterday I worked as a local elections officer (I do this several times a year). Besides the 16 hour day dealing with hundreds of people, many who can be quite hostile, one thing that always happens when I work elections is that I end up telling all of my elections coworkers that I homeschool.

Teaching For the Big Test
by Andrea Hermitt

Homeschoolers especially do not like teaching for the test, or even taking tests, but it is hard to avoid the SAT if you are college bound. The SAT is probably the most important test a homeschooler can take so teaching for this test can take a full year of concentrated study.

California Homeschool Ruling looks Positive
by Andrea Hermitt

There still hasn't been a ruling on the final verdict on legality of homeschooling in California. Apparently the child abuse case that started the whole thing has been dismissed. Still, the greater issue is still under consideration. Here is a bit of background from the Latimes.

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom



Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Homeschoolers vs homeschoolers

Whether we as homeschoolers want to admit it or not, we are often very unsupportive of each other. We criticize those who don't homeschool the same way that we do. We think that our way is the only right way.

We need to stop.

Here is an article I recently wrote about this entitled Why Can't all Homeschoolers Get Along?

There's nothing about a group of homeschooling mom's getting together to discuss homeschooling their kids. Often it is a source of encouragement and a much needed time of connection with people who are like minded. Sometimes however, such meetings can get contentious.

read more here

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Defending Homeschooling

I spent a bit of time defending homeschooling on my families.com blog. Another blogger on the site decided to spend time giving a teachers opinion, which of course was off the mark as far as a homeschooler like myself is concerned.

Some of the articles I wrote are

Dealing With Homeschool Inconsistencies
by Andrea Hermitt

In a past article on the Cons of Homeschooling, I responded to stereotypes that people see as cons of homeschooling and also mentioned some of my own ideas about possible cons of homeschooling.

Perceptions of Homeschooling: When others think you are doing a bad job
by Andrea Hermitt

One of the hardest parts of being a homeschooler is dealing with the criticism that goes along with it. Just reading the occasional article or blog makes it clear that by homeschooling people have the perception that we are doing a bad job with my kids.

Perceptions of Homeschooling: The Weird Issue
by Andrea Hermitt

When I was a teenager, my family (including parents and siblings) used to tease me about being weird and perhaps a bit crazy. The reason was that I was always doing something unexpected, and a bit off color. I said things they did not expect. I had ideas that were a bit unusual.

Perceptions of Homeschooling from the Media
by Andrea Hermitt

I just read a 10 page article on homeschooling that showed up in my Google Alerts today. It actually turned out to be dated Oct 5, 1998, but it came to my email box as new news. Still, there were several statements in this article about homeschooling that caught my eye.

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Here's to being Weird!

I wrote an article this morning about how people perceive homeschoolers as weird.

Frankly, I'm Ok with it. Read the full article here

Other recent article I have written for families.com are:

Perceptions of Homeschooling: When others think you are doing a bad job

Dealing With Homeschool Inconsistencies

College Bound Homeschoolers, Check out the College Board Website


Invalid Reasons to Homeschool: A Rebuttal to a Public Educators Opinion
Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

and more

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

My families.com recap for this week

Homeschoolers and the Great Subway Debacle
by Andrea Hermitt

In the last two weeks, here has been a huge uproar in the homeschooling community. It seems that Subway, the restaurant that serves sandwiches, has snubbed homeschoolers by introducing a writing contest, and adding the stipulation that no homeschoolers were allowed to compete.

Why So Many Parents Homeschool "Problem" Children
by Andrea Hermitt

A teacher of a five year old boy is recorded calling the child "pathetic", "selfish", and "ignorant" and discouraging other kids from being his friend. The teachers union saying that the teacher's rights have been violated.

An Entire Georgia County Could Turn to Homeschooling
by Andrea Hermitt

I recently wrote an article entitled Clayton County GA Parents Should Look into Homeschooling I do not think I really believed that an entire school district might have no other choice than to actually turn to homeschooling.


Tennessee Homeschool Graduates Face Diploma Issues
by Andrea Hermitt

A police officer received a perfect 4.0 average at the police academy, but has lost his certification because he received a category IV high school diploma. (A Category IV high school diploma is awarded to private church schools and homeschoolers).

Typical High School Course of Study: Language Arts Part 1
by Andrea Hermitt

Four years of language arts classes are required to complete high school. There really is not much variety in the language arts choices, as you need to show that you took 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade language arts to show you have earned a "diploma".

Typical High School Course of Study: Language Arts Part 2
by Andrea Hermitt

Four years of language arts classes are required to complete high school. There really is not much variety in the language arts choices, as you need to show that you took 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade language arts to show you have earned a "diploma".

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: Electronic monitoring
by Andrea Hermitt

In a time of mass failure of standardized tests, and children finishing high school unable to read or do college level math, it seems that schools are spending more time and money worried about behavior and tracking kids than actually teaching them anything.

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Recent Articles I wrote for families.com

Reasons I am Glad We Homeschool: Gateway Tests
by Andrea Hermitt

It was just announced in Georgia, where I live, that 40% of 8th graders have failed the CRCT math test that allows them to move on to high school. (This number varies based on the reports and could be as high as 60% failure rate.

Homeschool Resource Review: Spelling City
by Andrea Hermitt

I spent the morning preparing my daughters spelling lessons for the summer. She is working on spelling this summer because I do not want her using poor spelling as an excuse any longer. She likes to do a half-hearted approach to her spelling and say, "I'm just a poor speller".

Middle School Homeschool Basics: Math
by Andrea Hermitt

Middle school math, i.e. 6th 7th and 8th grade math are generally the same math concepts repeated at a slightly greater difficulty each year. It basically prepares students for algebra. If middle school students do, very well with middle school math they can start Algebra in 8th grade.

Homeschooling for Free, Part two
by Andrea Hermitt

If you are looking for ways to homeschool your kids for free (or with minimal financial output), there are many online resources you can use. Some time ago, Valorie Delp gave a great list of free websites you can use for homeschooling in her post Homeschooling for free.

Problems with Alaska Charter Homeschools
by Andrea Hermitt

Is Alaska homeschoolers' free ride coming to an end? Homeschooler in Alaska have had an easy ride. Because of the Geography of the state and the difficult commutes of Alaskan children, homeschooling has made good sense to both parents and school districts.

14 May 2008 12:34 PM
Middle School Homeschool Basics: Social Studies
by Andrea Hermitt

World book has a list of topics that your students should learn from grade school through high school. For middle school years, I strongly disagree the way in which the topics are arranged for each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade social studies.

Comparing Homeschool Abuse to General Childhood Abuse
by Andrea Hermitt

"HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) ― A Harford County child starves to death, leaving a senator to wonder if the state should be checking in on the welfare of children who are schooled at home." I see a headline similar to this about 4 times a year.

Socialization of Homeschoolers in the Upper Grades
by Andrea Hermitt

I have been observing as my homeschooled kids enter and exit the middle school years, that the socialization that public school advocates say our kids so sorely need actually cannot be avoided.

Interview with a Graduating Unschooler: Andi Enns Part 1
by Andrea Hermitt

I was contacted recently by a young lady who had created a guide to unschooling for teens. I found her personal story quite interesting and new I had to interview here. Here is part 1 of that interview.



Interview with a Graduating Unschooler: Andi Enns Part 2
by Andrea Hermitt

I was contacted recently by a young lady who had created a guide to unschooling for teens. I found her personal story quite interesting and new I had to interview here. Part 1 of this interview addressed her early homeschool years and her switch from homeschooling to unschooling.

Interview with a Graduating Unschooler: Andi Enns Part 3
by Andrea Hermitt

I was contacted recently by a young lady who had created a guide to unschooling for teens. I found her personal story quite interesting and new I had to interview here. Part 1 of this interview addressed her early homeschool years and her switch from homeschooling to unschooling.
Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Recent articles I wrote for families.com

Forgive me for not being more active lately, but as you may or may not know, I write for the families.com homeschool blog. Here are some of my recent blogs:

Fifth Grade Math Curriculum

Fifth grade math curriculum builds upon what was learned in previous years. Your child may already know many of these concepts, but they must be practiced at a higher difficulty level. Here are the math concepts that your fifth grader should learn.

Homeschooling making Schools of the Future Possible

If you were an elementary school student in the 1970's like I was, then you remember predictions of what it would be like to like in the year 2000.


What are your homeschoolers doing this summer?

As summer approaches, it is time for my family to switch from out regular homeschool schedule to out summer schedule. I want my children to continue spending time purposely learning every day without burning them out.


How to Make Your Homeschoolers Good Citizens


Yesterday I addressed the assumption that homeschoolers may turn out to be poor citizens. Realizing that this accusation is just another way to make homeschooling appear inferior, just like the socialization issue, it is still important for homeschoolers to work to invalidate such statements.

Can Homeschoolers Be Good Citizens?

I recently came across a conversation on one of my homeschooling email lists about homeschooling and citizenship.


Fourth Grade Homeschool Basics

For your child's fourth grade curriculum, I have complied a list for each subject for you to use. Each page will have a list of recommended subjects that you should cover as well as links to materials that I recommend. This list also contains information brought to you by other bloggers.


Fourth Grade Language Arts Part 2


Fourth Grade language arts skills builds upon skills learned in previous years. Here is part 2 of the list of fourth grade language arts skills adapted from the World book website along with my suggestions for teaching these skills.

Fourth grade Language Arts Part 1


Fourth Grade language arts skills builds upon skills learned in previous years. Here is part 1 of the list of fourth grade language arts skills adapted from the World book website along with my suggestions for teaching these skills.

What Does it Feel Like to be a Homeschooler?

Homeschoolers, especially homeschooling parents experience a wide range of emotions. Some of these emotions come from within; others are a result of outside experiences. Some are very good. Others are not so great.

Fourth Grade Science Curriculum

Fourth grade science curriculum focuses on nature, such as plant, weather, pollution, and the earth's place in the solar system. The following list of lessons was adapted from the list at World Book Encyclopedia. I am adding suggestions you can use to teach these lessons.

Read the families.com homeschool blog here:

Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom

Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog

Families.com homeschooling week in review May 19, - May 25, 2007

This past week on the families.com homeschooling blog, topics included religion, teaching creation, physical education, and sending homeschoolers to summer camp. Here is the Families.com homeschooling week in review for May 19, - May 25, 2007.

Read the families.com homeschool blog

Here is the Homeschooling Week in Review April 21- April 27, 2008


This past week on the families.com homeschooling blog, we discussed more curriculums that you can use to homeschool your child, plus several important topics for homeschoolers. ... read more here

Families.com Blogs are back!

We had some changes and a blogging hiatus at families.com, but we are back now.

Check out my blog On reasons to quit homeschooling as well as...





my homeschool glossary I just finished. In addition, you will want to check out the homeschool curriculum glossary I am working on. It will take a while to list and explain all of the curriculums I have found, but it will surely be worth the wait.

Families.com homeschool week in review

Here is the families.com week in review for Feb 16. enjoy!

Families.com Homeschooling week in review

Here is a compilation of the blogs of myself and my fellow homeschooling bloggers on families.com:

It is February, and this week we are really feeling winter, even in the south. We are introspective, philosophical and cold. One of our favorite collective pastimes this week seems to be curling up with a good book. Here is the families.com homeschooling week in review:

Families.com Homeschooling Week in Review January 28, 2007

It has been a busy house here are the homeschool blog at families.com. Here is what we have been up to:
Monday January 22, 2007
We started the week talking about homeschooling for others and hiring homeschoolers with I Want to Homeschool Your Child, I Want You to Homeschool My Child, and Homeschool Tutors must Manage Expectations, by yours truly (Andrea Hermitt).

read more at my families.com blog

This week on Families.com

We saw many changes in the homeschool blog this week. We said see ya' round to Valorie, who is writing for another families.com blog, and hello to a brand new blogger, Karen. Keep an eye out for guest blogs from Valorie. We also spent some time visiting with bloggers from other categories.

http://homeschooling.families.com/blog/the-sunday-evening-review-january-21-2007...

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