You know you are a homeschooler When?

Yep, we said that saying so many times:   You know you are a homeschooler when? 


When everything you do leads into schooling.  


Example:  You go to the grocery store and you compare prices:  Math

You do some work around the house you have to measure or cut: Math again.

You bake a cake wow you got Math again along with home ec.  


We can go out to eat while we are waiting for our food, we will talk about something and it always leads to school.   

I wonder why that is?   I guess because we enjoy teaching and learning right along with our children.  Its so much fun to watch there eyes light up when they learn something new. 

Alot of people will hear us talking and say do you all homeschool and we say yes. They say wow that is neat. We can tell you are very intestered in your children schooling. We say yes its important to us. They then say they can usually tell a homeschool family by the way they dress but we set them off. We don't wear dresses like alot of them do.  I said its not what wear. LOL 

The other day we were eating and Baby Wolf and Oldest Wolf told us something we been waiting to hear.  They both thank us for homeschooling them and told us that there children would also be homeschool.  Yea.  I am so glad.  

 

Getting ready to open the School Doors again!

Well our summer vacation is almost over with.  Time to open the books again and hit it hard. 

I know its early but when you live in the South and its in the triple digit, its hard to do anything outside so we start school early and take some extra days off in the winter time when we can go outside and not fry our little brains in five minutes. 


Most the books have been order. Once  again in Math we will do Teaching Textbook what a wonderful program.  Wolf Daughters have both enjoy it and they seem to understand it well. 

Now we are looking into some literature stuff for Baby Wolf Daughter.  There is alot of good stuff out there just have to decide what we want to do and when.   She loves alot of the older stuff.  So, tomorrow will look up alot of that stuff and get it all in line. 


So, another year almost ready to beginning at Wolf Bay High

Wonderful day at the beach!

We decide to load up in the Wolf mobile and go for a ride and check out the beach. 

We had a wonderful time on the beach, nice breeze so kept it us cooler.  Alot of people from all the place enjoying the wonderful beach. 


We were laughing you can always tell when people are from out of town. They feed the sea gulls. People that live around here don't feed them. They are mean birds. Once you feed them they don't leave you alone.  

We were talking about the time. Baby Wolf Daughter was at the beach we were going to eat some cheetos. She went to the car to get the bag.  We were new in the South and we didn't know that seagulls love bright colors.   Well Baby Wolf Daughter was six then.   She got in the car and got the cheetos was bringing them back to us.  The seagulls seen her. Now the bag wasn't open it was shut yet. But, she was carry it and they attach her.  Got her on the ground. Before we could get to her. They had open the bag and was peeking her, left two good marks on her.  So, when we go to the beach we don't usually eat to much. 

We had a hard time getting little wolf daughter back to the beach, she still don't care for it. 

Got this sent to my e mail today. A must read story on homeschooling.

A Public School Teacher Talks Homeschooling

June 23, 2011 56 Comments

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Hi!  My name is Jenny Buttler, and {{brace yourselves}} I don’t homeschool.  Now, before you shooo me on off, let me reassure you that I would if I could.  Huh?  It’s not too late you say?  I know.  But I’m not gonna.  And I’m not here to convince you that you shouldn’t either.  In fact…  I’m here to encourage all you hip homeschoolin’ hotties…. and support you and to reassure you that as a homeschooling mom, you are making the right choice.
So who do I think I am, comin’ all up in here and preachin….  well, for starters, you can find me at my {new} blog Our Southern Grace, where I blog about life in the south, God’s abundant grace, and life inbetween!  I’ve got three kiddos, Nathan (12), Gracyn (6), and Whitley (3).  I’m a Texas girl born and raised, and if you’d like a taste of the South (both literally and spiritually), I’d love nothing more than if you’d hop on over for a visit.  But before you do…  A little about my non~homeschoolin’ background…
So why don’t I homeschool?  Well, I’m just gonna be honest and say that I’ve got three very strong willed children and I don’t feel like I could keep the comittment to give them what they need in education.  I am a teacher though, and that’s another reason why I don’t homeschool.  Because teaching is what God has called me to do, and He knows that we are in dire need of some christian teachers in public school.  As a public school teacher, the biggest question I receive from homeschooling friends is…. are they doing the right thing by homeschooling.  Is public school so bad?  The quick answer…  yes.  And no.
So, what makes public school so good or so bad?  Besides the processed food they serve in the cafeteria’s….  Here are ten reasons why you should homeschool your children (from a public teacher point of view):

1. Individuality: All teachers {should} believe that individualized education is better than one size fits all education, but sadly…  many just ignore the individual and teach the group.
2. Time Management: There is no time wasted (taking role, taking 25 students to the bathroom 3-4 times a day, standing in line for library, music, PE, lunch, recess, to go home, etc.).  I used a timer one day to prove a point, we wasted almost an entire hour forming lines for these things.




Some kids can’t fill in bubbles.
no lie!


3. Standardized Tests: There are no standardized tests, which means that your child won’t have to sit through three hours of instruction on how to write his name in squares or how to fill in bubbles.
4. Substitute teachers: There are no substitute teachers who will play movies all day (while on facebook) while you are gone for training on how to give standardized tests.
5. Seating arrangements: At home, your child does not have to sit next to the kids from The Children of the Corn.
6. Religion & Spirituality: At home, you won’t have 2 Jehovah Witness parents, one Muslim parent, and one African-American parent complaining that you are teaching religion at Christmas time when you are really teaching cultures from around the world, and reciting the constitution to you during your parent conference, or not allowing their child to participate in a class party.
7. Dress Code: This may sound like a silly one, but when you homeschool – there are no backbreaking back to school shopping sprees.  There are also no fashion shows, and no one to judge your children if they are not wearing the latest trends.
8. Lesson Plans: As your child’s only teacher, you have plenty of time to carefully plan out how you are going to teach.  You won’t have to worry about missing school for training, observations from your superiors to make sure you are teaching what is going to be tested, you won’t have to hold tutorials or parent conferences, you won’t have to document special needs children, you won’t have to grade 35 research papers, or make 20 phone calls after school.
9. Sheltered: Oh yes.  If you choose to homeschool your children, they will live a sheltered and secluded life, barren from friends and any type of socialization.  Sheltered from things like lockdowns, and drug-raids, and children who are so emotionally disturbed they have to be removed from the classroom by two grown men.  Things like children who think they are gay because they have two mommies, or children who know about s-e-x at the age of 10, firsthand.



Even though we don’t homeschool, I take every
opportunity to teach my own kiddos!

10. Field Trips: In public school, we were limited to one field trip at the end of the year.  When you homeschool, you can choose where you want to go to deepen and enrich your child’s education.  And the choices are limitless!  Art Museums for Art, Ballet Recitals, Concerts of all sort, plays at a local theatre company, children’s museums, History Museums, Galleries, Aquariums, Zoos, Nature Hikes, Weather Observations, PE events.  I could go on and on!

Don’t get me wrong – there are an abundance of good things about public school.  And I teach, because I feel that it is what God has called me to do.  Most teachers won’t tell you that you shouldn’t homeschool.  Because we know why you are making that choice.  We live it, we see it, we teach it.  We go to bed thinking about how to manage it, how to challenge it, how to make it flourish and thrive in a world that is full of challenges and limitations.  We know how much work goes into every aspect of planning a school day, and how unforeseen events can unfold.
We know what takes place in the classroom, in the cafeteria, in the restrooms, in special ed meetings, and in the principals office.  And it’s not pretty.  So as a public school teacher, who chooses to look at my students through the eyes of Christ… I want to commend you for making the choice to teach.  But I also want to challenge you.
As public school teachers, we do not have the same freedoms that you homeschooling moms have…  things like projects,  field trips, which curriculum to use.  You do. We don’t have the freedom to focus for an extended period of time on one subject when students are struggling.  You do. We don’t have the freedom to take multiple field trips to supplement curriculum.  You do. We don’t have the freedom to challenge our students in creative ways that make them use both sides of their brains thanks to things like standardized testing…  YOU DO!!
So I want to challenge each of you reading this, to look at homeschooling with fresh eyes, and after this summer I want you to teach your kids with passion!  Look beyond the frustrations and temper tandrums and the I don’t want to’s and see your children in the classroom that you have given them and remind yourselves that teaching is a full time job and your children deserve the very best.
Whether it is taking a field trip, or working on your schedule, or changing your curriculum….. let’s generate some discussion that we can all benefit from…..  What area’s do you need to improve in…  leave us a comment or question below on how  you are going to go above and beyond and challenge your students!!

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Comments

Malea says:

June 23, 2011 at 10:15 pm

Beautiful post! My son’s last public school teacher, before we began homeschooling was also very encouraging. Thank you for sharing your support and understanding

Why do people like to judge? or think they are better then others.

We have given and given to so many people its not funny.  That includes family and friends.  It seems like the more we give the more people like us. The minute we stop or brighten up our name turns to mud and we are nothing and called all kinds of bad names.  


Why, do people treat others like that, its so sad.  Why?  We loved to give and help others so much its not funny.  But, you know sometimes things get hard for everyone not just you and sometimes we just don't want too, we want to give to others or help others.  

Why do you have to be so mean and call us names and say things about us that aren't true.  We do hear what you say and see it too.  So, grow up. 


Sometimes we like to just sit outside and feel the air or smell the rain when it does it rain. You and others do and we don't say anything.  Its a free world its not just your world. 


So, last night daddy wolf and I had a long time I am tired of giving and be nice. I know I shouldn't feel this way but guess what if you aren't nice I am not going to be either. If you throw dirty looks or say something about our me or my family I will do the same. I know its not the right way to do it but I been nice long enough and it don't get you anywhere. 


True friends are hard to find. Ones that will be there through thick or thin..  ones that wouldn't judge you for you everything you do. We all were put on this world for reason and yes sometimes we do things differently. 

Half Price Books!

I love going to Half Price Books for books.  Its wonderful opening your door and seeing  a lot of books.  It seems like we never can get enough books.   

That's the joy of homeschooling love tons and tons of books.  


It seems no matter when you go to half price books there is always something new.  We seem to be able to fine all the books we need and never pay full price for them and being a homeschooler or teacher we get discounts there too.   Who don't like discounts.  Just when you go in tell them you are a homeschooler they will give you a form to fill out and bingo you will get a discount from now on. It helps alot too when they have books on sale and you get a discount, the books are almost free. 



Don't forget to sign up for if you want to join the give away working on the prize.   Its a wonderful homeschool tool we loved it and know who ever gets it will put it to good use.

Give away!

Going to have  a  give away on here in a week or two. Keep watching. If you aren't a follower need to sign up so you have a change at my first give away.