Happy Easter, friends!
- More independence please (mid-year homeschool changes) :: Beauty That Moves
- 10 ways to ensure homeschool burnout :: The Holistic Homeschooler
- The World-Wide Smarty Pants Homeschool Exchange :: Sweet T Homeschool Blog (Get paired up with a family in another part of the country & exchange a little learning!)
- 18 reasons why doctors and lawyers homeschool their children :: Childrens MD
- As death nears, she passes down the dance :: New Haven Independent (Meet our talented, inspiring friend Mnikesa. Please say a prayer for her and her family today!)
“There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou – Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.”
~ Emily Bronte
Thank you for sharing Mnikesa’s story, it is very touching.
I just wanted to let you know I was very disappointed with some of your links for this weekend. I normally am quite eager to look through what you suggest, but found myself offended by the link “18 reasons why doctors and lawyers homeschool their children :: Childrens MD”.
I found her writing voice to be unpleasant and laced with superiority. She writes about going to her first homeschool meeting “Surprisingly it was full of doctors, lawyers, former public school teachers, and other professionals. These were not the stay-at-home-moms in long skirts that I expected.”. Apparently in her eyes if you are a doctor, lawyer or other professional it is ok to take charge of your children’s education, but otherwise you are someone she looks down upon, or a ” a right-wing kook”.
She is a pediatrician, but she talks about how she no longer spanks her children now that she home schools. This links to another post by her where she states this ” When I became a pediatrician, I took care of toddlers that ultimately died from corporal punishment. I watched their brains swell until the neurosurgeons had to drill holes in their skulls to release the pressure. I took care of one teen who was beaten so badly by his mother that he was hospitalized with renal failure.”. Yet she still would use some form of physical punishment on a child, someone younger, weaker, and utterly dependent upon her.
Finally she mentions finances, and how it is a great way to save money. According to her, your choices otherwise are daycare or private school. Apparently she ” knows many families homeschooling on family Incomes of 40 -60K”.
I understand that homeschooling and homeschoolers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and she is simply a representation of one kind, but I am truly surprised that simple homeschool is promoting her and her work.
In response I would also like to state this. I am the mother of a young family. We make a out 25,000 a year as our FAMILY income. Private school has never been on option for us and neither has daycare (even if we had wanted them). I homeschool one incredibly bright little daughter and a special needs son. To do this our family lives on one income even though another would bring definately bring more luxuries. I am not a professional anything, although I am very well educated and wish to impart my love of learning to my children. Physical punishments are never ok in my house, and I teach my children to protect those younger and weaker then themselves. I do not homeschool for religious reasons, but do so because I feel that it is in my children’s best interests. I work hard everyday, and so do my husband and children. We are who we are, and I am proud to be part of my family.
I totally agree with Jo… homeschooling is not about “status” of parents… its about the goodwill, dedication and care for the children…
— rishi