Turtle Lessons About Living and Learning

I am a firm believer that if one takes a moment each day to observe nature, many lessons can be observed and answers given to live a natural lifestyle deeply connected with the earth in which we live. Everything from trees and plants, weather patterns and seasons, to the animals and their behavior all can act as teachers and guides.

What can a turtle teach us about living and learning?

To start :  If slow and steady wins the race.......why then does public schools take the position of the hare and not the tortoise? Why are they is such a hurry to cram more and more information into younger and younger minds and then scream how it is a flawed and broken system that needs to be reformed?  Perhaps they should reconsider the message of the Tortoise and Hare!

Some things we can learn from our Turtle friends:

1.) Keep it slow and steady and you will see progression of learning and not as likely to have periods of burnout or a frustrated child overwhelmed by too fast a pace. Kids learn, well people in general really all learn in their own time, at their own pace and that is perfectly okay. Not over scheduling activities gives us plenty of time to take a laid back approach which allows us to take in more and observe more. By observing more we can rise to the challenge of taking cues from the observations on bringing in and seeking opportunities of things that would light a fire of passion to learning.

2.) How to Shield yourself from negative energies- the outside world can be highly critical of homeschoolers, even more so to unschoolers. Their words can be hard, cold and given without thought based in information, only fear of the unknown. While the outside world can be hard, we can be soft and kind, safely tucked into an environment of love, connection and safe boundaries where natural learning can flourish. We do not need to let the thoughts of others harden us to the core, but we can keep a thick skin on the outside so we go about our lives unaffected by others opinions.

3.) Sometimes life gets in the way, stuff happens, health fails, our world gets turned upside down. Don't give up, while it is extremely difficult to right yourself, and may take great effort, it is NOT impossible!

4.) Home can literally be where ever we go, which works splendidly for gypsy souls, travelers and world schoolers. Home does not have to be bricks and sticks and permanency. Home is not a building, it is what lives inside the building that makes it a home. Where family goes, home goes. Taking our home with us does not mean keeping yourself chained within a small world, but by being able to take it with you, you can become part of a much bigger world.

5.) Develop ideas, and even though they may stay buried for awhile, allow them to hatch naturally. Fully explore your ideas, nurture them, grow them, give them light and let them expand and develop by going with the flow, naturally without rushing it.

6.) That it is okay to retreat  inside to the safety and coziness of your home, you do not always have to be out and about, visible and on the go.

7.) That some of us may seem a little cold and hard on the outside but is just our defense after dealing with too many who don't "get" it. Give it a little time to get to know us, many of us are really quite soft, loving and generous on the inside.

8.) Stay grounded and connected within our daily environment, take a moment to breath in all the goodness in the morning. Take a few minutes to meditate or yoga, breathing exercises and find your calm for the day trying to hold on to that for the duration of the day.

9.) That it is okay to be a teenage, a mutant or a ninja as one friend so humorously puts it! I will not expand on that, I will leave it to your vivid imagination for the deeper meaning!

10.)  As their are varieties of turtles, same is the number of homeschooling methods, find which one works for you. Each species of turtle has very different needs and habitats and you will find this goes for homeschool methods as well.

11.) Know it is okay to take a little longer to get somewhere but take time to always be in the present, taking in everything about your surrounds and what is going on within it. Plan accordingly so you can take your time without having to rush.

12.) Know your goals ( goes for life in general!) and do not let all the little distractions move you off course. Keep heading in the direction of your goals and you will get there!

As you can see, our friends the turtles have a lot to teach us, can you think of  lesson from turtle that is not mentioned here? Leave a comment and let us know!

A Letter From Dad

I have been wrestling with Public Schooling vs Home Schooling for several years. My daughters are both home schooling their children and for the longest time I have opposed it. Then I started doing some serious research on the subject and like everything else in today's society, I am totally confused.

Some of the cons that I found in public schools are violence, peer pressure, drugs, and promiscuity.

Some of the cons that I found in home schooling are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development, precludes children from experiencing real life.

When I watched Laurette Lynn's video Don't Go To School Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ptDeTxHsxU and said...WOW this makes a lot of sense...we are being dumbed down.

Dr. Thomas Smedley believes that home schooled have superior socialization skills, and his research supports his claim. Vineyard Adaptive Behavior Scales test to identify mature and well-adapted behaviors in children. Home learners ranked in the 84th percentile, publicly schooled students, were drastically lower in the 23rd.

Then on the side of public schools three boys from West Bloomfield High School have been appointed to West Point setting a precedent. They were the first three seniors from the same high school that were ever appointed into the same West Point Class...what an achievement!

So, how do you decide which is best? Just type in Student Loan Debt Crushing College Dreams in your search engine and read the horific costs facing students and parents. It is no wonder Laurette Lynn calls it a Ponzi Scheme. (Consume, debt, work, consume, debt, work).

I don't have the answer. Perhaps some of my fellow community members would like to respond.

Source: Socialization: Homeschooling vs. Schools http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/144135.aspx

Don't Go To School Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ptDeTxHsxU

 

My Response:

"Some of the cons that I found in home schooling are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development, precludes children from experiencing real life."

Okay now exactly where does this info come from as this statement could not be more off base than a mosquito on pluto.

First of all There will always be pros and cons to everything, that's the balance of the universe.

Now first of this statement "Some of the cons that I found in home schooling are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development, precludes children from experiencing real life."

Lets start with emotionally unstable-- sure the child that goes in to school and shoots his 8 year old classmates, or those that bully students so far as to commit suicide--emotionally stable?
Self-worth and self esteem knocked constantly down from grades and overly used labels of worthlessness a recipe for emotional stability?


Where do you get this information .....your personal feelings or from reports made by public schools that are losing $3,000 to $8,000 for every child who is homeschooled? Does it come from reports made by those who have never ever homeschooled and making these statements from the ONE homeschooled kid they know or just blind statements not based on knowledge at all on the subject?

This sentence may be accurate for the tiny few that live in the most secluded and remote areas of our country and another small handful that are living in homes that use homeschooling as a shelter to hide abuse.

For the other 2 million homeschoolers the children are emotionally nurtured, emotionally supported, and in general well rounded emotionally surrounded by people and friends that love them them, encourage them and inspire them.

Deprived of Social Development? In what way, because many are not following the cookie cutter model of what and when the public schools have set for grades? Because many do not imitate the model of public school at home which to those who do not understand homeschooling look at it as being behind rather than just a different type of curriculum or learning of innovation? Or perhaps that statement comes from the fact that many families that chose to home school is because they have special needs children or children with learning disabilities!

For example my dyslexic daughter really struggles with reading and spelling this is an automatic strike against me as a homeschooling parent and I am to blame for her not being farther ahead and the quick assumption that homeschooling sucks is made. Those that question it vocally make her feel stupid and ashamed for they do not understand Dyslexia and how hard this is for those that struggle with it. This is not the case however, she is a highly creative and intelligent girl, her mind simply processes things differently. Words come out she thinks is right and to her they sound right but to everyone else they are messed up words or ones we do not understand until we understand which word she is actually trying to say. However NOBODY questions my 40 year old husband, my 26 year old daughter or my 25 year old son, all of whom went to public schools and can NOT spell , seriously in my family we had to make up a new scrabble game where the rule was to MISS SPELL everything and if it sounds it, it is it! You CAN NOT SPELL it correctly------this was the only way they will play scrabble with me as my ability to spell intimidates them. Yet nobody puts the public schools in question against the firing line for these adults not knowing how to spell. This does not stop there, the statistics of those graduating public school that are considered illiterate are staggering. Yet that is not questioned simply because it is public school?

My favorite part of this sentence-----PRECLUDES CHILDREN FROM EXPERIENCING REAL LIFE-----What the? Seriously? a room with 4 walls, no windows, teaching a subject that does not apply to real life at all, teaching that learning ONLY happens in a classroom separate from life, in a room overcrowded with kids ALL THE SAME AGE ( which by the way humans are not designed to only socialize with people all our own age) having to raise your hand to even go to the bathroom...........this is REAL life? 

Curriculum in public school is a whole lot of busy work, not much to do at all with REAL LIFE

This statement seems to stem from pioneering days long gone, after all we live in the 21rst Century, people do not stay home or live in caves anymore.

Homeschoolers live REAL LIFE each and everyday, how then could the children of homeschooled families be precluded from living real life?

Laundry, cooking, price comparing, shopping, homeschool group activities, museums, fishing, bankers, online gaming, garage saling, zoos, parks, art workshops, music lessons, homeschool sports leagues, dance lessons, helping elderly neighbors, time with friends of ALL ages, cleaning house, reading, camping, eating out at restraunts, building things, hiking, sewing, researching, libraries blah blah blah I could for ever, but OMG this is NOT REAL LIFE?

Wow then what is? Sorry but being in a box being told what and when to learn and 1 out of every 4 kids being drugged from ages 3 to 18 THAT IS NOT REAL LIFE!

And West Point, yeah it is an achievement but homeschoolers achieve too, they consistently win State and National Spelling Bees, Geography bees and other competitions. They go on to Top Colleges (if they choose to do so) become successful engineers, doctors, lawyers, and entrepenuars.

( I am looking around to find the hidden cameras for You got Plunked or Smile your on cadid camera) While this is a statement made by those against homeschooling who know nothing about homeschooling it is not a statement made by any reason or logic in the least and certainly holds no credibility whatsoever.

Homeschoolers are very active families that are not confined to a small box for the best years of their children lives. We have and use a very wide world as our classroom being quite active where learning is not seperate from life. Real life, real living each and everyday where it is all connected.

Quick note, my reply may seem to be very against public schools however that is certainly not the case. Homeschooling is not for everyone and public schools will always be needed yet one certainly can not deny all the problems public schools are dealing with today. My heart actually goes out to those wonderful teachers out there really trying to make a difference and yet still have to work within the structure and policies of their school. It is not easy being a teacher in todays world and I fully acknowledge that.

Homeschooling vs Public Schools have been a long going argument now and it really is not about which is better or which is right and which is wrong. It is about personal choice and what a parent feels is best for thier individual families.

For me, I do not wish for spring break or summer break to be over so I can get peace and quiet when they go to school. My kids do not drive me crazy or disturb my peace. They are not a burden to me that I can not wait to hand over to someone elses care for the most important years of their life. They do not give me headaches, or make me want to pull my hair out. They are the most interesting people that I choose to spend each and every day with that I know.

It is not about right and wrong, it is about choices that we all have the freedom to make as our children will always be our largest responsability and the most important job we will EVER have in our life. Family unity and family value are dying in this country, homeschooling families build on these precious family relationships trying to keep core values, sound principles and close family relationships that will make a strong foundation on which to build a REAL life on.

Every homeschooling family has a different reason to do so, but is still about CHOICE, not right, not wrong.

There is a reason however the numbers climb at a faster and more rapid pace each year..........

Carrie

 

Reading Help Activity

Awhile ago, an online friend of mine who happened to work with Dyslexia children gave me this idea for an activity to use with my daughter. My daughter really works hard at reading but it is not something that is coming easy, perhaps she simply is not ready. Being interested in reading and being ready to read are really 2 different things. However I figured if this idea may help her along and make it easier for her to learn while finding it fun and enjoyable why not?

So the idea is to write out words but write the vowels in a different color than the rest of the word. We are just doing a simple notebook and am starting by going through the alphabet writing down 8 or 9 new vocab words a day.  While writing the vowels in different colors DID indeed seem to help a lot, Corin asked if I would write out different colors by the syllables rather than vowels. So we tried it and for Corin writing syllables in different colors really helped by leaps and bounds.

Whether it is helping her to slow down, or making it easier for her to break up the words, or just the different colors are helping send the messages in clearer images to her brain, not sure. What I do know is that she is really really enjoying this activity and it IS making reading words much easier for her! Once we go through the new day's vocab words, she likes to then work backwards going over each page again!

I have never pressured her to read and have always taken a relaxed approach with her, being very patient helping her sound out words when she wanted help. It has been a very natural process, a natural process her brother seemed to be able to do over night when one day at 8 years old it simply clicked for him and he knew how. For Corin, it has been a much longer journey, one she has gotten frustrated with many of times for how difficult it seemed to her. Is she Dyslexic? maybe, she has aunts that are, I suppose it may depend on how you look at learning disabilities and the labels that are used for them.

Regardless of the reasons she is only beginning to grasp how to read at 10, I am confident that when she is ready, she will read. I am confident that many other unschoolers report their children learning to read at 10, 12 and sometimes even as late as 14 and that when they do, you do not see a gap. I am confident that while one child is ready to learn to read by age 8 that another child is not ready and that is perfectly okay, that forces the issue may cause much more harm than good. I am confident that as my daughter has struggled in this area for quite a while now, that the way we have allowed it to develop naturally, with no pressure, crying or shouting, that she still LOVES to read and has a deep love for books. I am happy to have found an activity that she finds really fun and that is making a difficult task, easier and more enjoyable for her.

Homeschoolers Don't Learn Anything.............

I hear this comment quite a bit from Non-homeschoolers including my children's friends after only a week before they wished they were homeschooled.

Homeschoolers don't learn anything............WOW SERIOUSLY? That is quite a bold statement and I suppose may be the answer of the parents to the children who run home saying they wished they were homeschooled as a way to stop the argument right there and then. I suppose this statement also may come from those who met ONE homeschooler that really was not learning much and could not tell the difference between a puppy and kitten at age of 16! (UMMMMMM OH YEAH been there done that MET ONE with that exact example!) 

Perhaps that statement also sometimes comes from those who can only understand the type of education that is given through a public school system and if there is one or two things your homeschooled child has not learned yet or has found difficult to learn that their children are learning at this very moment in public school means that homeschooling does not work and a child can not learn. The adults mind is simply to closed minded to see it any other way.

Again, homeschooled children do not learn ANYTHING................ Momma Mia that's a rough statement and certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouth does it not?

How can you possibly learn NOTHING in today's world? How can you possibly not learn ANYTHING in today's world?

Ironically this statement usually comes from people who have NO knowledge of homeschooling whatsoever to base their decisions off of. Ironically this statement I have observed also usually comes from those who are some of the most inattentive parents I have seen. Parents who are quick to scream and yell, kick the family dog, not allow their kids to do anything but spoils them with any new store bought gadget. The kids themselves are spoiled brats, rarely home as they are bounced around from school, to after school programs, to grandmas and where ever else. When they are home the parent is never to be seen while the kid does not even have the know how to stay the blankity blankity blank out of the road and stands there on their bike in the road MAKING THE CARS GO AROUND THEM. The kids do NOT know how to knock on a door and just come over walking on in like they live there having to be told 10 times to KNOCK before entering your home! They do not know a thing about local wildlife or how to treat the family dog properly- cruelty and control are normal and acceptable qualities.

The comments also usually come from people that have never spent anytime at a homeschoolers house or if they have it was a once a year hour visit where all they witnessed was an hour of the kids playing happily and visiting!

I am sorry but can you hear just how stupid that statement that homeschooled children don't learn anything sounds? Do they actually ever THINK about these type of ridiculous statements? Or do they simply fear homeschoolers that heaven forbid their kids may actually want to spend some quality time with them?

My kids certainly will not be learning what their public school counter parts will be learning and all at the same times and grade levels. My kids are always learning though and that is a life long certainty that they will continue to learn as they experience and take part of the world. They learn because it matters to them to learn and is not a bunch of useless facts being drilled into them that will be forgotten the next year. While there certainly is a place for public school it just is not for us but learning is happening just the same, just not the same things! So impossible to go through this life and not learn ANYTHING! Learning is a constant and a natural human trait............

Simply Homeschooled

Simply Homeschooled- keep it simple-keep it real.

To be honest, here at Simply Homeschooled I have no clue what this year will bring even though we are all really excited about another year. While I do not like using labels we do tend to largely follow the philosophy of Unschooling. Unschooling is just one of many methods of homeschooling that is largely child focused and child-led learning that is not forced or coerced in anyway but is allowed to flow creatively and naturally.

Simply Homeschooled is kept in simple terms by not spending large amounts of time in planning. While in fact this year I have planned a little bit as far was what subjects we will be starting, those are the subjects of our interest at the moment. These are only abstractly planned as a way of knowing where to focus our financial learning funds at the moment yet is really nothing set in stone and can be adapted and changed as needed.

I do think for this year I may brainstorm some goals for the year and come up with activities based off those goals, not looking for teachable moments of course but just trying to creatively come up with activities my kids will find interesting as well as engaging and entertaining in order to reach our goals for this year. I will have to do another post after I have brainstormed this years goals.

As for keeping Simply Homeschooled real it means just that really - KEEP IT REAL! This means many of what we choose to do or learn this year will have meaningful connections that is applied to REAL life as learning should not be separated from living. Learning and Living Co-exist together in a continual cycle and not separate of each other. That is why for example we will be working on LIVING MATH this year where connections will be made from real life examples of the daily usages math has in our lives.

I think much of my excitement is coming from this antsy build up of energy and a need for action, to be shaken out of our mundane routine and propelled into a world of inspiration, action, new experiences, joyful living and the connectedness we always build as a family on this journey. Not that our life is mundane or anything but for the last year it has seemed to have gone at a slow pace due to circumstances. At times it can seem mundane and too much of a routine for my tastes, yet I have always thrived on change and shaking things up.

There seems to be an excitement for this year that is far more than any other year has brought, I am not sure why but it is there. Not just on my part either but on the whole family, perhaps there is an unforeseen reason for all the excitement that will be revealed in due time. Perhaps it is due to we have gotten through 3 years of being unschoolers and this 4rth year is bringing true unschooling into our lives where we are not worried about others opinions, we are not trying to grasp and understand the philosophy but we can LIVE the philosophy this year. Whatever the reason, this excitement larger than life is undeniably there this year for each member and I know this will be a remarkable year that I plan to enjoy the ride on!

Hope everyone has a fantastic year regardless of the method of homeschooling you do!