I rearranged my furniture the other day so that, instead of facing a white wall, I can now look out 4 different windows on 2 sides of the house while I'm on the computer. Well, apparently, Mother Nature thought she'd be helpful and give me Something to Look At -- or maybe the old gal was just bored and it brought out her sense of humor. Black humor, mind you. Twisty, turny, practical joke kind of humor. Because, what does she do? Seeing as yesterday was the first official day of spring (after a long and VERY dreary Ground Hog Day kind of winter with snow past my you-know-what). She sends more my way last night. And not just any snow. Oh no. 10 inches of the frozen white stuff, complete with gusting, shifting winds. A regular blizzard. Hohoho, thanks Mother, very amusing. I was actually hoping for a view of birdies, squirrels, maybe some new green grass and spring flowers. Comprende? Now behave yourself. You've had enough fun for one year.



Anyway, it's perfect reading weather, so I'm sitting here, off for the day because it's Good Friday, all cozied up in my favorite blanket, a cup of hot chocolate warming one hand, and a copy of Mary Griffith's Viral Homeschooling: Reflections on the Homeschooling Life in the other. Sadly, it's taken me nearly a year to sit down to read this book. Now, I've known Mary a long time -- I just counted; 13 years! Geez Louise, can that be right? -- and between her good nature and the fact that she knows exactly what this past year has wrought for me; namely a divorce after 26 years of marriage, 3 moves, 3 new jobs, 1 name change, 1 car accident, quitting smoking, an old, trusted friend stealing $7,000+ from me (translation: yet another court case, but this one may last forever) plus a jolt of double empty nest syndrome -- I'm pretty sure she understands and forgives my post traumatic brain farts. In fact, I'm sure of it. That's just how Mary is.

She's also a fun (and funny) person to talk to. And read the writings of. This latest book of hers is about being done with homeschooling. You know, that day when the kids are finally off to college or work or marriage, and you get to look back on all those years of home learning. What brought you there, the mistakes you made, the things you learned, the fun you had, what you would've done differently. How homeschooling's changed you, how it's affected your kids. I'm just finishing the first chapter, Introduction: The Making of a Famous Homeschool Author and I'm already chuckling. It's a time I remember well; when she suddenly went from being simply 'Mary' to being ::::insert drum roll here:::: THE Mary Griffith. An overnight sensation. Wow. I was suddenly the friend of An Honest-to-Goodness Celebrity.

In chapter 1, Mary wrote:

"It's not as if I deliberately set out to become a Famous Homeschool Author. It was very nearly an accident that I wrote my books at all. ....When The Homeschooling Handbook was first published, my daughters were only 13 and 9. Neither I nor my family was prepared for the response [the book] received. I'd spoken at homeschool conferences before, and at not-back-to-school information nights, but always before I'd been just another homeschooling parent.... But now that my book was in print, and people could order it from Amazon or walk into a local bookstore and pick a copy off the shelf, many in my audiences apparently believed that what I had to say was more credible and more important than it had been the previous month....

Suddenly parents asked questions I didn't know how to answer: How many and which types of arithmetic problems should their six-year-old be doing each day? What time should their nine-year-old be going to bed? If they required their kids to keep journals, what should they make sure their kids wrote about? How could they keep their kids from watching TV or ingesting sugar products when they were at other people's houses?

My daughters thought all these questions were hilarious. Kate, the then-13-year-old, was the one who came up with the "Famous Homeschool Author" label for my speaking persona, and she managed to invest that title with all the ironic, pitying contempt that a 13-year-old can muster for a deeply uncool parent so obviously lacking the skills and expertise expected of any grown-up, let alone someone who was supposed to know what she was talking about. Christie, nearly four years younger, was more direct: "Mom, why do they ask you things you don't know?"



Oh yeah, I remember. I still to this day will once in awhile greet her with a reverent, "Am I speaking to THE Mary?" when she answers the phone. LOL, this is gonna be fun.

Tags: unschooling | homeschooling | books

It's that time of year again.

Colorado law requires that all homeschooled students be tested or evaluated in the odd years: 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th grades. (If you're not sure of the difference between tests and evals, check out the Law in a Nutshell page.) The Colorado Springs Homeschool Support Group, in conjunction with Columbine Academy, will be administering the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for 9th and 11th grades on April 16-17, 2008 in Colorado Springs. The deadline to get your application into them is March 31st. Hurry hurry, it's comin' up fast!

Cost is $30 for the first child, $20 for the second. Download the application from CSHSG's website. Thanks to the ever-diligent Jeff Doney for sharing this on the Home Education Leader's Place in Colorado mailing list.

Tags: homeschooling | tests

On February 28, 2008, a California appellate court surprised the world. In the case of Re: Rachel L., they reinterpreted the state's education code and handed down a ruling that said, in effect, homeschooling is now illegal, unless the parent is a certified teacher. Well, man oh man, the news hit the wire within mere minutes. The media picked it up, everybody from the San Francisco Chronicle to FOX News ran stories. Homeschoolers from coast to coast began blogging about it, writing emails to friends, posting it to mailing lists, updating their web sites. It was a tense situation, but then it turned into a downright earthquake. A few days after the fact, HSLDA (the Home School Legal Defense Association) sent out an Alert to its members, requesting signatures on a petition they intended to send to the California Supreme Court. They wanted the Court to "depublish" the original decision so it couldn't take away your homeschooling rights. Or mine. Parents read it, panicked and forwarded the link to all corners of the globe.

I am here to say, relax. The sky is not falling. And please ignore this petition. It'll just annoy the court and it's not needed in any case. HSLDA should have checked with the folks in the know in California -- the state homeschooling organizations -- before they unilaterally stepped in and broadcast their alarmist "solution." Unfortunately, HSLDA's SOP seems to be to Leap Before Looking. I'm not a big fan. And here's the tip of the iceberg why.

Anyway, the situation is well in hand. Gov. Arnie came out with this statement, championing home educators' rights and denouncing the ruling, causing cheers and high fives across the nation. The two big state organizations, CHN (California Homeschool Network) and HSN (HomeSchool Association of California) are keeping a close eye on the situation. They also have several members who are also lawyers, working on finding solutions. In addition, Debbie Schwarzer, HSC's Legal Team Co-Chair just posted two great updates, Appellate Court Case, Please Remain Calm and the even more amazing Good News Update announcing that two of the finest law firms in the state have offered their help! Pro bono no less! (In other words -- FREE.) (WOW.)

Here are the best places to to check for updates. (These folks are much better at this stuff than I am.)

A to Z's Home's Cool
HEM Takes a Closer Look: Is It Time for California Homeschoolers to Panic?
Home Education Magazine: News and Commentary
Homefires: California Homeschool Legal Challenge

In closing, what's this got to do with us here in the adjoining western states? Everything. Nothing ever happens in a vaccuum. What you can do: Pay attention to the news. Know your homeschooling law like the back of your hand. You can't stand up for your rights if you don't know what they are.

Tags: Home School | homeschooling | legal