Vocabulary Shmabulary

By Sandra

I recently finished teaching an SAT Prep Class at our local community college. I drilled and lectured 20 high school students who signed up for the course, in effort to help them raise their test scores, to know more about what to expect on the test, and to reduce their test anxiety.

What I discovered was that much of the mastery of the test is linked to learning essential root words, stems, prefixes, and suffixes, which aid in reading comprehension and vocabulary in context. The lists of these word parts, which often have their origins in Latin, were not well known by the students in my class.

In light of this, I plan to continue to use a resource called Vocabulary from Classical Roots (Educators Publishing Service), with my own children this year. I’ve used this vocabulary book with my middle school child for a few years. This year I’ve introduced the book to my fourth grade student as well.

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Some Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

By MAD21

Family Education recently had a pretty good article regarding some of "The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling" written by Isabel Shaw.

Ms. Shaw states: "Homeschooling is becoming more popular every day, with a growth rate of 7 to 15 percent per year. There are about two million children currently learning at home. Homeschooled kids do well on standardized tests, are welcome at college and universities, and as adults, have a reputation for being self-directed learners and reliable employees...Almost ten years ago, when I was making the decision to homeschool, I wrote up a list of pros and cons. The pros won me over, but since then, I've discovered there were many more pros and cons that I couldn't possibly have anticipated! To help other parents who are considering homeschooling, here is a new list of pros and cons. This list is based on both my experience and the experiences of dozens of families who've shared with me the ups and downs of their day-to-day homeschooling."

Go check out what Ms Shaw has to say. She makes some good points.

Homeschool Art: Simplicity Works

By Sandra

I‘ve been contemplating what kind of art to teach with my kids in the next school year. I’ve seen so many curricula that can easily be applied at home. But the first semester of our art lessons, I’ve concluded, will be comprised of pencil drawings. Believe it or not, we’ve never delved into drawing basics at our homeschool.

As someone inexperienced with drawing, I wanted to find something that looks easy and fun, not overwhelming for a beginner. I’m hoping my kids will enjoy the practice, and the process of learning and improving, and not feel the pressure to compete for a ribbon at some homeschool fair!

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Who Should Be In Charge Of Your Child's Education?

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster & Parent

Let’s start this article with a short quiz:

1. Can you name the current U.S. Secretary of Education? How about the head of the Maryland State School System? The Superintendent of Harford County Public Schools?

Answer: Arne Duncan, Nancy Grasmick and Robert M. Tomback. (How many did you get right?)

2. Which of the people named in Question #1 are ultimately responsible for your child’s education?

Answer: You!

3. Which question, #1 or #2, is more important for you to get right if your child is to receive a quality education?

Answer: #2, Definitely.

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Approaches to Homeschooling: Eclectic

By Sandra

So many great choices, why limit yourself to one style? That’s exactly what the eclectic homeschooler thinks! If you can see parts of several homeschooling styles that you like, and can envision using a little of each of them in you approach to homeschooling, this method may be for you.

This approach brings freedom to teach each child differently or identically in styles, as is convenient with the learners in your home, or the subjects the learners have in common. This style requires the teacher to test whether the goal of each lesson has been achieved for each child. It’s common in the eclectic home to have a child narrating, to show understanding with literature, while using a traditional textbook approach for science, for example. There is no limit to the number or ways of mixing styles together, unless the child is not progressing within one approach. If that is the case, the homeschooling parent simply adjusts the approach to better fit the subject and style of the student learner.

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