Homeschooling - Preference or Conviction?

SpunkyHomeschool goes back to her archives to dig up a post that is very relevant today because of the political climate we live in. Take a look and ask yourself the question, "Is homeschooling a preference or a conviction?"

Excerpt:

In early 2005, I did a blog series asking readers whether homeschooling was a preference or a conviction based on my own changing thoughts on education and homeschooling.

One of questions I asked was

If your child or children were prevented from getting into college because they didn't have the right credentials (Certificate of Initial Mastery, CIM) due to the fact that they were homeschooled would you still homeschool them through high school or would you change what you are doing to meet those new requirements.

That question was based on the quote then available on the Oregon Department of Ed website .

When you apply to attend a college or university, to get a job, to join the military, or to do volunteer work, the CIM can help you prove why you should be admitted, hired, or allowed to join. It shows you did more than just attend school, take classes, and graduate with a GPA. It shows you worked hard to achieve high standards -standards that people respect in the world beyond high school.

Given Obama is now the President and the likelihood of internationally benchmarked national standards and testing are more likely than when I originally posted, I'd like to ask again:Is homeschooling a preference or a conviction for your family?

See the SpunkyHomeschool web site for the rest of the article!

The square root algorithm...

Basic-Mathematics.com posted this about the square root algorithm:

The square root algorithm, which helps to get the square root without using a calculator is not taught a lot in school todayTeacher usually teach the process once and usually have students use a calculator afterward. If you want to understand how to get the square root without using a calculator, study the following example carefully!

Sorry, there are no shortcuts for this square root algorithm, so you will need patience before you master this algorithm!

Go to the web site to read the rest of the explanation - and then practice it! And don't forget - NO CALCULATORS (ignore the woman in the picture above-lol)!

Go to HomeschoolMath.net for square root worksheets to print out!

Edward Elgar video

This is a YouTube video about Edward Elgar, who composed, among other things, the familiar Pomp and Circumstance. Not only do you get to hear his music, but there are also snippets about his life and pictures of him that come across the screen.



Here is an Edward Elgar web site with more information.

(H/T Harmony Art Mom)

Some online math games...

A number of math games can be found to play online at Basic-Mathematics.com. There are games for working with fractions, integers, finding the greatest common factor and least common multiple, and some basic addition and subtraction games.

Have your students take a few minutes from summer break and get in some math practice!

David Fray - Bach Piano Concerto

I received this in a post from my Google Reader the other day and my 4 y/o wants to watch it again and again. This is French pianist David Fray. I don't know much about him, except he appears to be young, and relatively new and I believe this is his second album. When he plays, he has very expressive facial expressions and movements - which I am guessing is the reason the 4 y/o likes to watch him so much! The video shows him practicing with a strings ensemble. After a few starts and stops, as well as a couple of shots of him being interviewed (in French), they play through the piece. I like to watch his fingers as he plays - he makes it look so easy, and this particular piece seems to have no rests.

Very enjoyable, even if you don't know French. After all, music is a language we call can understand.