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    Theresa Lode or, simply “T”, had her world turned upside down and inside out when her son was diagnosed with ADHD and a few other goodies. Her choice- follow the doctor's orders....or trust her heart and delve into the world of Free Range Education. She chose the latter...

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Where to begin (or start over again) as a homeschooler

Posted on November 23, 2010 by therealmotherlode

Where do you begin home schooling your kids?  Lord knows you’ve probably been wooed by glossy home school catalogs.  Or flashy marketing on the internet.

If only you could find the right curriculum, right?  It’s just a matter of the right curriculum…

Bleck, bleck! No, NO a thousand times no!!!!

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Listen closely….I could save you a lot of money.

The first key to homeschooling your kid, Free Range or otherwise is to first KNOW your child.

Socrates said, “Know thyself” and the wisdom of those words is as true now as they’ve ever been.   And given the times we live in, they are even more important.

My friend and career coach Dan Miller has coached countless people in finding work they love.  The process of finding work you love begins with first looking within. He says 85% of the job search must begin with inward reflection.

It’s true for a job and it’s also true for your child.  How are they wired?  What are their gifts, dreams, passions?  What activities do they lose all track of time?

It is then that you begin to plan a course of action.

And this is precisely why I am SO excited about what my friend Deb Ingino is doing over at her business, My Wired Style.  I can’t think of a better tool to help parents understand their child’s wiring.

No, it’s not going to help you plot out their life’s course.  But it will help you understand that your child may need a difference approach to “school.”  Or help you understand why little Johnny needs things just so when he studies.  Or how to avoid conflict with your domineering seven-year-old.  (You may even realize your kid’s not as “ADHD” as you thought he was.)

On my top right side bar, I put a link to My Wired Style.  I encourage you to take a look at what Deb has to offer.  I’ve done the profiles on my kids and it was enormously helpful.  (Jay and I did the “adult” version of the DISC survey; it is way fun.)

I’m telling you, the small amount you’ll spend on this ($29) will MORE than pay for itself if it helps you avoid buying a workbook driven curriculum for your busy body boy.

And yes…I am an affiliate.  (Read: I earn commission for referrals.)  And I am also confident that the value you’ll gain from this far surpasses the cost.

Are you waiting for the “But wait, there’s more!”  Well, here you go:

Use the coupon code: freerangeed and Deb will give you a 50% discount.  That’s not a black Friday deal.  Just use it when you’re ready.

You’ll hear me talking about My Wired Style in the days ahead because I’m confident it’s a great first step to take when considering homeschooling OR you realize how you’re homeschooling right now just isn’t working.

In the meanwhile…from the Lode family to yours:

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, education, Free Range Education, homeschooling, parenting, Personal development, The Mother Lode Project | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

A radical idea

Posted on August 16, 2010 by therealmotherlode

Today I participated in a ritual celebrated by parents all across the country this time of year.  The weeks prior to the Blessed Event are spent in a shopping flurry with much joyful anticipation, or dread, depending on one’s perspective.   Women will fling back the shutters on their windows and step blinking onto their porches into the sunshine.  It’s a new day!  Order and peace in the universe are restored.

The kids are back in school. (Two of them in our home, anyway.)

But I’m far from doing the Snoopy Happy Dance because I really miss them.  Yes, I am looking forward to some rare “me” time while they’re in school.  And I am a big fan of schedules; I’m just wired that way.

The other day, I read a thoughtful article entitled, “Imagine Teaching Your Kids At Home.” I appreciate the guy’s honesty- he and his wife aren’t so certain they’re willing to sacrifice the income and time freedom to home educate their kids.   Homeschooling ISN’T for everyone.

But it made me consider once again how radical compulsory schooling is.  150 or so years ago an article entitled “Imagine Sending Your Kids To School” would have been considered insanity.  Families lived, worked and learned together.

Like the frog in the heating pot of water, over the years, we’ve accepted our radical schooling models as normal…even healthy.

Yes, I know, times change.  Which makes it even more imperative that our current factory-based models for education get a complete overhaul.   Our kids are not prepared to enter today’s redefined (and outsourced) workplace!

The government sure as hell isn’t going to fix the problems; they created a lot of this mess.  And even with great people on local school boards; their hands are tied too. (Remember the words of that sage, Mark Twain, “In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.”)

It’s going to have to start in the home. How’s that for a radical idea?


Filed under: education, homeschooling, Public schooling | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Two years Spanish….in one month!

Posted on May 5, 2010 by therealmotherlode

I always cringe when I hear of a kid going to school for a degree in a foreign language IF they’re doing it simply to “learn the language.”  Sure…some fields are going to require a degree but if learning the language is the objective why not try something like this?

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a university program, this family offers a unique opportunity for teens to learn Spanish while spending a month in a cozy town in Ecuador.  I’ve been chatting back and forth via email with the mom, Chelsea and am so impressed with the amount of research and time that has gone into the program they have developed.

This is a fine example of real world education!

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Personal development | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Unschooling: How GMA got it wrong

Posted on April 21, 2010 by therealmotherlode

Just had to post this link to an outstanding article on unschooling.  I found myself nodding along in agreement as I read it.

Our experience has been similar to this man’s.  Caleb and Molly both were quickly in step with what was going on in their public school classrooms.  They are both extremely bright and I believe this is in part because they’ve had the freedom to explore their interests.

Will they always be in public school?  I don’t know.  They see the flaws of system and as I said when they were home educated, we’ll take it one school year at a time.

Now Daniel on the other hand.  He has never been in school and I doubt that he will ever be in school.  Which is fine with me.  The drive and brilliance this kid has amazes anyone who spends time with him.   I told you not that long ago that he received a job offer working for a radio station.

99% of the technical knowledge has come from Daniel’s own initiative.  (With the help of many willing mentors and experts- God bless them all.)

Of course, not every kid is going to have the drive that Daniel has.  But that’s the whole point…You and your child find out what makes them tick.  And for some kids, it’s going to take more time than other.  (This does NOT mean that you let your kid sit around on his butt all day and watch Sponge Bob Square Pants.  I know you know that but I just had to say.)

Anyway.  Check out the article.

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, Personal development, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

A visit with Chris Davis

Posted on February 26, 2010 by therealmotherlode

For those of you who’ve been homeschooling for awhile, Chris Davis’ name isn’t new to you.  He was homeschooling back when homeschooling wasn’t cool (isn’t that a country song?) and has mentored and encouraged thousands of home educators through the years.

And if you haven’t met Chris, I encourage you to purchase a copy of his book, I Saw the Angel in the Marble.

Our lives have been enriched with his friendship as well as knowing a few of his kids.  (His kids are amazing human beings.)

Today, Chris still works in the education field but as a public school substitute teacher.  (He comes from a family of educators and holds a Master’s degree in Education.)

In an email chat with him recently, he shared some of his observations of what is driving schools.  He notes that some of these thoughts stemmed from a candid conversation with a school administrator.

And then, when substituting recently, a student asked Chris, “Why do we have to learn this stuff?”  The class expressed their hatred for their teacher. What drives schools these days?

In true Chris fashion, he didn’t answer their question until they had thought for themselves; they knew the answer already, he told them   And then he spilled the beans.

With out further ado, Ladies and germs….Chris Davis:

I said, “There is a small group of people who write the questions that are on the TCAP Test you have to take at the end of each year. The people who write the textbooks then make sure they put the information in their books that cover these questions. Teachers became teachers because they love science or history or math and they want to teach you really cool stuff that will cause YOU to love science or history or math or that may, actually, be useful to you. But, they can’t.

“The TCAP Test you take at the end of the school year is what drives everything that happens in every classroom. When you take the TCAP you receive a grade that says you do or don’t know the questions that small group of people have put on the test. Your teacher receives a grade on how well his class does on the test. The school receives a grade on how well all the students in the school do on the test. The county receives a grade on how well all the schools in the county do on the test. The state receives a grade on how well all the counties in the state do on the test.

“Depending on how the student does on the test, his grade causes him to be held back, passed on to the next grade, or passed on into the “dumb classes”. If the whole class does poorly, the teacher can lose his job. If enough classes do poorly, the principal loses his job and the school is put on probation. If enough classes do poorly a few years in a row, the school loses Federal money. If enough schools do poorly, the superintendent loses his job and the entire system could lose Federal money.

“So, you can see that everyone is afraid that you, the students, might do poorly on your TCAP Test. Being afraid sucks because it makes teachers treat you like slaves and it makes them teach things that cause you to say, ‘Why do we have to learn this stuff?’ and they can’t answer you because, mostly, they wouldn’t teach ‘this stuff’ in the first place unless they were forced to do so.

“Can you see now how powerful that little group of test question writers is? They drive everything that is done in the schoolroom.

“Poor principal. Poor teacher. Poor you.

“And, as long as someone has the power to give or withhold money, everyone does what they are told.” (Emphasis mine.)

Bravo, bravo. Standing O’s for Chris.  Would someone please shout, “Amen?”

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | 8 Comments »

Answering the call of his heart

Posted on January 14, 2010 by therealmotherlode

Since Daniel was two his interest in telephones has done nothing but grow.  And if there is a rare moment that he’s on the internet, it may be because he’s watching something like this:

Here’s his smaller version of a switching system:

A small sampling of some of his work

And here’s a close up:

Don't ask me how it works....but it does....

Ya gotta love it!

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Labels are for Soup Cans | Tagged: , , | 6 Comments »

Genius is as common as dirt

Posted on January 13, 2010 by therealmotherlode

I received a letter from the school district over the upcoming ACT Explore Test.  It is “a curriculum-based assessment program normed for the eight grade.”  It will be given to fifth and sixth graders in March.   Okaaaaaay, it’s normed for the eighth grade but given to fifth and sixth graders. (?)

I kept reading:  If your child has already taken this test and you’d them them retested, parents  may do so through the Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search program.  (That’s “BESTS” for short.)

BESTS is a gifted education and talent development agency that identifies gifted, talented and artistic learners, the letter said.  And the measure?  If the student scored at the 95th percentile on his/her most recent achievement test.

What a narrow myopic way to measure students.  I find this very disturbing because it imparts a subtle message to the rest of us (that would be 95%) that we’re not gifted.  Yeah…I’m an adult and see it for what’s its worth.  But try to explain that to 12-year-old struggling with their self worth. Especially because it’s an uphill battle to earn “C’s”.

Yeah, yeah…. I know they’re trying to find a way to tailor educational plans to help those with academic prowess.

What about the rest of us though?

The educational system has got to be reworked….from the ground up.  And I suggest they start with a conviction that John Taylor Gatto developed over his years of working as a public educator.

After a long life, and thirty years in the public school trenches, I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.

Filed under: education, Labels are for Soup Cans, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

I’ve thrown my kids to the devil

Posted on October 28, 2009 by therealmotherlode

Thrown them into the pit…cast their souls to perdition.  Or at least that’s what this article suggested.

I read it in a homeschool magazine; the author’s opinion was quite clear: If you put your kids in public school, you are rejecting “Godly” teaching and indoctrinating your child in the world.  (And hence you’re in disobedience to God.)  You’re on a slippery slope!  And next thing you know, the kids won’t want to go to church and then they’ll turn away from God, get body piercings, tats and run with people named, “Spike” who has the a vanity plate on his pimp mobile that says, “PlaaaBoy.”

Oh Puh-leez.  I am SO over the Public School is the Boogey Man.  I am SO over every Christian parent MUST educate their children at home.  I am SO over it all.

The approach this man took in the article is not unfamiliar to me:  State fearful statistics…quote a few highly disturbing articles of evil liberals trying to get homosexual agendas into the classroom and in short….remove any options for education beyond a Bob Jones, honest-to-God, King-Jimmy- approved-homeschool-education.  (Gee, too bad about those stress related health issues, mama.)

Don’t forget to throw in the Scriptures that support Worldy vs. Biblical views.  (As interpreted by the American Religious Association Code of Behavior.)

Finally….the script offers the promise to the faithful:   Do all these things and your kids will follow God and your home will be free from stress and the evils of the world.  And they all lived happily ever after.

Uh huh.  (Can you say, “Embittered, disappointed believer?”)

Now, I’m not writing about this to start a spitting match on what education model is better than another. Every kid is different…every family….every school.

For the record, I personally do not agree with the model the public schools follow.  And I hope that I am always clear in my distinction between “The System” versus the hard working, devoted teachers that teach there.  (And yes, I know there are some bad teachers out there, okay?)

Nor do I think homeschooling is a good option for some families.  In a perfect world, right?

This is about that wonderful, freeing, God given gift called CHOICE.

When my daughter first approached me about attending public school, it challenged me.  She called me on something that I’d always given lip service to.  That, each year we would decide to home school or not for the upcoming year.

This article highlights some of my objections to government schooling but now I look past the rhetoric and see a butt-load of fear, hyperbole and control behind it.  And we set up a stranglehold of immovable boundaries.  It sounds something like this:

We must keep our children home at all costs.  Remove any choices from them.  And in the still of the night when you’re staring wide eyed at the ceiling….hope to God it all works out okay.  And gee.  Too bad about that migraine; but we all know that Saxon Math is tHE WAY to go, right?

Oh, bleck, bleck, BLECK!  Did you notice “trusting peacefully in God” never enters into this picture?

Releasing our children to make some choices….even if I don’t agree with the choice….is, what I believe is a healthy step toward teaching them about the grace of God.  (Now don’t go an email me that it’s stupid to allow a six-year-old to play in traffic.  That IS stupid and it’s not what I’m talking about.)

The grace of God does not order me to a live a certain lifestyle.  Nor does it order me to convince you to live the same way I feel I must live.  It is an invitation to a relationship whereby changes occur that are more organic than an overpriced apple at Whole Foods.

The grace of God says perfect love casts out all fear.  The grace of God says, Jump in and find me in every circumstances….yea verily….find me in the heart of a devoted teacher, who, btw….is also frustrated with the system.

The grace of God says, Let’s sit down and talk about your decisions.  Let’s talk about the bad ones….the good ones….and then let me help you walk through the consequences.

It’s a scary and empowering journey to embark on.  Instead of learning to follow the do’s and don’ts …I’m learning to follow His voice and trusting my kids to do the same.

A child who is unafraid of making choices will become a powerful adult.

And for right now, it means embarking on a journey with my kids I would never have imagined.  And we’ll explore it together…

theresa_sig

Filed under: church, education, family life, homeschooling, parenting, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

It’s time for a new educational model

Posted on July 8, 2009 by therealmotherlode

While swimming at the Y the other day, I enjoyed watching a young kiddo getting swim lessons. Teacher and student alike were having a great time. The young teacher was offering gentle encouragement while their young apprentice mastered a new stroke.

I thought to myself what a brilliant picture of education in action. Here was a young adult who had already mastered a skill and was it passing down to an eager youngster who had the desire to learn.

Yes, I see that hand in the front of the class. Well that’s fine for swim lessons but kids need SCHOOL.

Or do they?

Daniel, my electrical/plumbing prodigy latches on to any service guy that will give him the time of day. Presently, he volunteers time at an Antique Mall where the owner is more than happy to show Daniel the ropes of the business. And you’ve already heard about his telephone expert friend, Jim.

This hand –to-hand, mind-meld sort of passing of knowledge is educating my son in ways I could never have dreamed of.

Yeah, yeah….I know. This can’t work for everyone. In a perfect world, we’d all have loving tutors and coaches. Parents would never divorce and politicians would serve the best interests of their people. Sounds like a pipe dream eh?

But I think it’s incumbent upon parents to rethink how we do school in the states.

Consider: In some Florida schools, it’s been ruled that…well, here. Read it for yourself. Here’s an excerpt:

Under a new policy up for a vote by the Hernando County School Board next month, the new grade for a missed assignment or test at the elementary level would be 40 percent.
Translation: no more zeros.
The goal, district officials say, is to give kids a statistical fighting chance to turn around their overall grade — something tough to do even with a couple of zeros or a few very low marks on the books.
If approved, Hernando would be the first in the area to set the kind of grading protocol that has sparked a feisty philosophical debate in the world of education.

Say what? Let’s see how this would translate into a life lesson. Johnny grows up….can’t make it to work in the morning because the party at Sally’s house last night was, like, sooooooo awesome…and now he’s, like, hung over. Well, tough nuggies, Mr. Employer….Johnny is expecting that his zero performance still mandates a paycheck.

What an insult to the human spirit. What a demeaning, arrogant way to treat a child. (We know you’re incapable of passing on by your own merit but we’re going to pass you anyway.) Now just turn off your brain and do as we say.

This bodacious policy is wrong on so many levels! But I come back to my point: We must rethink how we do school in America.

I love this comment Chris Davis, a home school dad whose kids are now grown said to me on an earlier post:

I hear young people say they want to live wholly unto the Lord and not by the world’s ways; but there seems to be such a strong urge to “play the only game in town”, meaning following everyone else into the systems set up by this age. Those who have left the Matrix need to show these young people that it REALLY IS POSSIBLE to do what is in one’s heart while holding tenaciously to what Jesus says in Matthew 6.

I know, I know….that pesky in a perfect world thing again…But I’m grateful for folks like Chris, who comes from a long line of public school teachers and possesses a Master’s degree, has seen a glimpse of how this could play out in real life. (And his boys are living proof.) And may I add…this wisdom is just as applicable for those outside the faith community?

It’s a tall order, I know. But like an alcoholic must first admit he’s got a problem, parents need to put down the remote and take fresh look at their child’s school and realize the emperor has no clothes.

And forty percent of nothing is STILL nothing.

theresa_sig

Filed under: Current events, education, homeschooling, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

College is a waste of time

Posted on June 30, 2009 by therealmotherlode

For many people, that is.

This article from the New York Post blew my mind.

“The four-year college degree has come to cost too much and prove too little. It’s now a bad deal for the average student, family, employer, professor and taxpayer.”

As a home educator, curious parents will often ask, “what about college?”  Many are surprised by my answer when I tell them that unless my kids are interested in pursing nursing, engineering or some other applied knowledge field, I discourage notions of college.

This article packs quite the punch in explaining my convictions.

As parents, it is incumbent upon us to allow our children the time and space to explore their passions and giftings.  THIS is the foundation for education.  (Not to be confused with “schooling.”)

I was going to mention the Lemming phenomena here.  You know—those little rodents that will bungee jump off cliffs without the bungee cord?

Well, a quick Google on the topic reveals that they’re not quite as suicidal as once thought and I thought my analogy was finished.  But wait!  Look what else I found on Wikipedia:

While many people believe that lemmings commit mass suicide when they migrate, this is not the case. Driven by strong biological urges, they will migrate in large groupings when population density becomes too great. Lemmings can and do swim and may choose to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat.[7] On occasion, and particularly in the case of the Norway lemmings in Scandinavia, large migrating groups will reach a cliff overlooking the ocean. They will stop until the urge to press on causes them to jump off the cliff and start swimming, sometimes to exhaustion and death. Lemmings are also often pushed into the sea as more and more lemmings arrive at the shore.[8]

What a descriptive picture of the machinery of compulsory education which marches on urging our children to goosestep mindlessly into a losing proposition.

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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