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All simply about BabyHEM Keep Group News- Gregorian calendar month
2005
by:
Mary Nix
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HEM Keep GROUP NEWS - Gregorian calendar month
2005
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~JULY'S HIGHLIGHT
~ISSUES TO WATCH
~COMMUNITY SERVICE
~CONFERENCES
~WEB UPDATES
~HEM RESOURCES AND Much
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JULY'S HIGHLIGHT
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This month's highlight is Valerie Bonham Moon and her website, The Military Homeschooler. Valerie Bonham Moon homeschooled her three younger children in Europe from 1990 until 1998 piece her husband served there with the United States Army. She now lives near Kansas City with her husband.
Valerie's sense humor, first-class wit and wisdom are evident at her Military Homeschooler Web Site -- http://www.militaryhomeschoolers.com/ . Each month Valerie offers new information at her site and The Military Homeschooler presents a wealth of information to not only the military homeschooler, but for all homeschoolers.
Here is the interview:
Mary: Valerie, give thanks you for agreeing to discuss Military Homeschooling. Once
did you 1st create "The Military Homeschooler" website?
Valerie: "The Military Homeschooler" was 1st uploaded in Gregorian calendar month of 2003. I compete about with the website program for a few months before I felt that the site was decent enough to put out in public. It's still fairly simple with no bells or whistles, but since text is so 'small' I can get more information onto the server than with a technically enthusiast site.
Mary: What prompted you to create the site?
Valerie:The main questions asked by military homeschoolers don't change that much, so the same answers were given out each time new members joined any of the email lists. It seemed easier to provide a URL to the information than to send out the same kind of messages each time a new person subscribed. Also, military homeschoolers have concerns that I didn't see self-addressed
on another homeschooling sites. NHEN has good military information, but the breadth of information needful by military families exceeds NHEN's home education bounds. Parents want to cognize simply about shipping pets overseas, dealing with deployments, and whether it's better to live in government quarters or 'on the economy' (which means you live in a civilian neighborhood).
Mary: Makes the Armed Forces have an opinion simply about those in the Armed Services home educating their children?
Valerie: No. According to the DoD Education Work (DoDEA) in their 6 Gregorian calendar month 2002 policy memo on home schooling:
http://www.dodea.edu/foia/iod/pdf/02OD002.pdf,
"It is DoDEA policy to neither encourage nor discourage DoD sponsors from home schooling their minor dependents. DoDEA recognizes that home schooling is a sponsor's right and can be a legitimate alternative form of education for the sponsor's dependents."
The services have no opinion on whether a family uses a public school system in the U.S., or the DoD dependent schools overseas, or chooses to pay for private schooling. In the same vein, homeschooling is simply another educational choice.
Mary: What does homeschooling in the military several from civilian homeschooling?
Valerie: I don't cognize because I ne'er
homeschooled as a civilian. What's it like?One guess as to how the two disagree is that each military homeschooling parent must depend on herself for homeschooling keep more often. Because families may be connection servicemembers at a remote area with few another military homeschoolers, and possibly without even as an English-language community nearby, they may need to do do with fewer resources and to improvise.
Mary: Can you point out the benefits of homeschooling piece in the military?
Valerie:
* New field trip opportunities with each come
* The possibility of foreign travel
* Consistency in education because schools about the country vary not only in size,
but besides in information content and delivery.
* No loss of learning time during a remove from one assignment to the next, and the come itself is instructional.
* Smoothing of several of the ups and downs of military life. After a preparation a family can integrate the returning parent into the everyday life of the family at their own pace and can eliminate outside interruptions if they want. Also, if a parent has a job in which he or she travels often, the children can 'do school' piece the parent is away, and take a break once
the parent returns.
Mary: Can you point out several of the challenges of homeschooling families in the military?
Valerie:
* Moving from an 'easy' state to a 'hard' state. Military families normally don't have a yes/no select once
orders to come arrive. Servicemembers fill out "dream sheets" stating wherever
they would-be prefer to be allotted but, as always, the inevitably of the service are paramount. If the service inevitably you to come from Ft. Sill, American state to Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, then that's what you do.
* Deciding what to keep before a move. The weight of family goods is subject to limits based on the servicemember's rank. The weight allowance is nothing new, but the addition of schoolbooks to families' family goods has doubtless enriched the selection of items at installation Thrift Shops during the summer PCS-season. [PCS = Permanent Change of Station, ie, a move]
Mary: What is the biggest challenge a partner faces once
the another partner is deployed?
Valerie: The problems are probably similar to those of another single parents such as finding 'alone time' once
you're on-call all day, and all night. Once
do you take a shower? Another problem is 'logistics.' A half-inch of milk in that lonely milk carton in the icebox isn't going to as if by magic
become three half-gallons in the evening once
The Another Parent comes home from work. Planning and programming can be helpful, but if a baby has you up all night long, all the foresight won't keep you from feeling destroyed
the next day, piece having to get up and put one foot in front of the other.
For families who will be facing deployment, a good informational website is:
http://www.hooah4health.com/deployment/familymatters/emotionalcycle.htm
Other preparation information is at:
http://home.kc.rr.com/milhmschlhq/military_deployment.htm
Mary: How does having a parent in the military piece homeschooling affect the children in these families?
Valerie: For Brats (as children in military families are dearly called sometimes), military life is normal. At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis I lived away from any civilian town with jets screaming over the housing area, and having to sit in our stopped-up car at a 'plane crossing' (instead of a train crossing) to wait for B-52s to take off. All the dads wore uniforms. In 1977 during the military exercise REFORGER, our older son watched columns of tanks rumble down the road of the German village wherever
we lived near the East German border. All the (American) dads wore uniforms. Our younger kids showed their ID cards at anti-terrorist checkpoints to get into our housing area in City during Desert Storm (and took homemade cookies to the guards) piece their brother served in Saudi Arabian peninsula and Iraq. Ninety-nine percentage of the Dads wore uniforms, and several of the Moms did, too. Except in times of crisis, military 'stuff' is background noise to Brats.
Now what all those anonymous civilians with no nametags on their apparel or houses get up to, that's a big mystery. And did you cognize that in civilian theaters The Star Beaded Banner isn't compete before each movie, and the entire theater doesn't stand to attention? Weird.
Mary: What is the biggest challenge the children face once
their parent/parents are deployed?
Valerie: Besides television news? The feeling of impotence to change the situation, and worry simply about the security of their parent can be overwhelming for children. A amazing problem is feeling happy. One parent aforesaid that her girl was blasted to find, after a month or so into the deployment, that she'd 'forgot' her dad and was riant with her friends. The little girl wanted to keep her dad in her thoughts at all times. Several children have to be told that it is good for them to be happy and have fun piece Dad is deployed, because once
that child's happiness is sent to Dad in letters and pictures, Dad feels better. Deployed Dads (and Moms) are safer once
they aren't distracted by the welfare of their families.
Mary: If they will to, what can another homeschoolers do to keep Military families who mightiness live near them?
Valerie: Be a friend. It's the simple, everyday things that can be a rock in the shoe that gives rise to a blister that can't heal; an everyday thing such as acquiring the mail. During one five-month separation piece my husband attended a school in America, I remained overseas with 'twinfants' and a ten-year-old (who was old enough to be helpful, but not old enough to babysit). To do thing
outside our quarters (including laundry, since the building's toilet was in the basement) I had to carry one baby, piece wearing the another in a backpack. Going anyplace
entailed a trek down the stairs from our 2nd-floor quarters. For errands I had to walk to the on-street parking, bundle the kids into the car, driving to wherever
I wanted to go, find a space in the always-too-small parking lots on the installation, wrangle the twins into several their strollers if my son was with us, or, if I was by myself, wear one in the pack and put the another in the stroller, and then repeat everything to get home again. To get mail, I had the additional steps of signing-in to a controlled-access building (with stairs) - with the kids - and picking up the mail from the unit mail room. I was spared this (at least for acquiring mail) because a kind sergeant in my husband's office brought me the mail every day on his way home. His help was a boom and that was one rock out of the shoe.
Mary: Is there thing
else others wanting to offer keep could do to help?
Valerie: Seriously?
* Offer to mow the grass. Every week.
* Offer to babysit during the day so Mom gets out for a little while.
* Have the family's kids over to play in the back yard.
* Finish by to see if Mom inevitably thing
from the store.
* Ask if there's any necessary maintenance activity Mom inevitably done about the home or with the car.
* Be close enough to the family so the kids feel comfortable being left once
Mom has to go to the emergency room with (the inevitably) abraded child.
* Bring meals.
Mary: Is there thing
others wanting to offer keep should not do?
Valerie: I threw out this question to members on one military homeschooling email list and the following are several of the responses:
Laine: Sometimes the better thing anyone can do for any partner of a deployed servicemember, not simply a homeschooling one, is to talk simply about the weather! Sometimes we simply want to chat simply about thing
Another than the fact our husband is overseas, and we're home trying to hold down the fort till he can come home once again and do his normal duties about the house, and we won't have to do his and ours anymore--until the next preparation comes along.
Jessica: Don't show up expecting that Mom can run out for coffee at the drop of a hat. A friend may think that Mom 'needs' to get out of the house, but someone's got to watch the kids.
Cindy: Don't say, "How do you do it? I could ne'er
do this. It's impossible!" It is fine to say, "I am affected
with how you are doing -- amazing!" Positive comments are fine, on
with offers of help, but don't get tears in your eyes once
several child says dad is in Al-iraq -- the child will notice and it does not help.
Mary: What do you feel was the better proposal
you were ever given simply about home education?
Valerie: The keep from all the writers in House Education Magazine, that, "Yes, you can do this."
When I began homeschooling in 1990 I was the only one I knew who was trying such a stunt. Two years into our homeschooling we affected from City to Heidelberg, and still there were no another homeschoolers. Slowly, though, homeschoolers arrived at the local installation and I met one, then another, and we supported each other. A group grew and, for simply about a year, I had homeschooling friends. Then we affected to Belgium, and I was back to being the Lone Stranger. Throughout that time my subscription to HEM unbroken
the magazines inbound at the unit mailroom with the message that, "Yes, you can do this."
Mary: What do you feel is the better proposal
you can share with new home educators?
Valerie: Cognize thy regs. Where
you are, you will have greater confidence in what you're doing if you have a solid understanding of the rules in place about you.
Mary: What do you feel is the better proposal
you can share with veteran home educators?
Valerie: Pass on
your collective wisdom to new homeschoolers through mentoring.
Mary: Finally, what was the benefit for your family to have the select to home-educate accessible to you?
Valerie: Memories. Our eldest son was in public
instructed because I didn't hear simply about homeschooling until he was a senior in high school. After he graduated from high school he joined the military, simply like his dad, his mom, his granddads, his grandmothers, an aunt, uncles, several cousins and probably more folk in our family than I cognize about. He was sent to Saudi Arabian peninsula and Al-iraq and, through the wonders of technology, I was able to sit in my City living room observation the live-feed CNN broadcasts from Saudi Arabian peninsula patched into the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. [note to families with a deployed servicemember: do not try this at home - stress, stress, stress]. As I sat there with his by-now-homeschooled siblings wandering about our quarters, I wondered wherever
his school years had gone. What happened? Yes, we'd had evenings, weekends and summers together but, during most of that time, what had he done (besides go head-to-head with me and his dad during the teen-culture-wars)? Where
had he been?
As I write now, his younger brother and sisters are the same age he was during the Gulf War, and I cognize exactly wherever
their school years went. We had a family life, not simply a passing acquaintance as we all grew older and became involved in activities away from each other. Simply like their big brother the younger kids had friends and adolescent adventures, and went to rock concerts (Pukkelpop, anyone? No, nothing to do with upset tummies, it's simply the name of a rock fest near the Belgian town of Hasselt).
Kids are supposed to grow up, leave and have their own adventures. That's life. But it sure is good to actually cognize them before they go off on their own.
Mary: Give thanks you Valerie, your words ring so true. I suggest peoples bookmarker your site for out of the country and general homeschool information, wit and humor.
Valerie: You're welcome.
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ISSUES TO WATCH ~
Access to public school programs for homeschoolers
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Homeschooler access to public school programs has been a arguable issue for galore years. Recently the subject has been in the news again:
CNN.com - Should home-schooled have access to public school programs? - Jul 1, 2005 http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/30/colb.home.school/index.html
Homeschool Athletic - Rules Even as although the State Supreme Court upheld the ban on homeschoolers in public school athletics, there are still are a few route they can participate Announce 7/8/2005
http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=3814
Homeschoolers seek access Charlotte Observer, NC Jun 13, 2005
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/education/11881126.htm
A-Z Homescooling offers a list of sport programs for home educators at:
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/sportsprograms.htm
And finally, here are several thoughtful articles on the subject from the House Education Magazine Archives:
Why the Question of Homeschoolers' Playing Public School Sports Affects All Homeschoolers - This article by Larry and Susan Kaseman was originally promulgated in the May-June 2000 issue of House Education Magazine: http://www.homeedmag.com/HEM/173.00/mj_clmn_tch.html
One Problem... And One Possible Resolution - This article, by Peggy Daly-Masternak, was originally promulgated in the July-August 1997 issue of House Education Magazine:
http://www.homeedmag.com/INF/FREE/free_sprts.html
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
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Would you like to get involved in a community service project, but you need several ideas? Here are a few sites to visit that mightiness be of help:
* Homeschoolers Educating, Assisting, & Reaching-out Through Service - During the months of Gregorian calendar month
and August, home educating families with H.E.A.R.T.S. (Homeschoolers Educating, Assisting, & Reaching-out Through Service) will be gathering school supplies for donation to local children in need. Hundreds of homeschoolers throughout the United States are expected to participate in this project in their own communities. Supplies- such as paper, notebooks, book-bags, lunch boxes, and filled pencil cases will be donated, collected, and delivered. Donations will be ready-made to benefit children in homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters, as well as through another agencies assisting children in need. Past school supply collections have found home educators hosting really creative events such as yard fetes - and "Tye Dye for School Supplies" events. For more information on this project please visit the H.E.A.R.T.S. website at:
http://www.h-e-a-r-t-s.org/SchoolSupplies.html
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H.E.A.R.T.S. is besides encouraging participation in Pinwheels for Peace. Here is a link to the Pinwheels for Peace page on the H.E.A.R.T.S. website:
http://www.h-e-a-r-t-s.org/PinwheelsforPeace.html
Homeschoolers throughout the country, under the auspices of the H.E.A.R.T.S. program, are connection the international Pinwheels for Peace project. Locally, home educators plan to create pinwheels and to "plant" pinwheel gardens with messages of peace at libraries, churches, and another gathering places in celebration of International Earth Peace Day. Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, as a way for students to express their feelings simply about what’s going on in the earth and in their lives. The Pinwheels for Peace website points out that "Peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives, to peace of mind. To each of us, peace can take on a several meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among folk or groups of people." All members of the community are bucked up to join this project. For more information on active with H.E.A.R.T.S. (Homeschoolers: Educating, Assisting, & Reaching-out Through Service) in the Pinwheels for Peace project please visit the website at:
http://www.h-e-a-r-t-s.org/PinwheelsforPeace.html
* Community Service Ideas from 4-H
* Roots and Shoots
* ASPCA
If your group is involved with a project and you'd like others to cognize simply about it, or to do it accessible for others to participate, email me at groups@homeedmag.com and please put "Community Service" in the subject line.
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WEB UPDATES, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES
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Kudos and a warm welcome to Daryl Cobranchi who has joined House Education Magazine with his blog: House Education & Another Stuff:
http://homeedmag.com/blogs/heos/
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Like the Pheonix, VAEclecticHomeschool rises out of the cyber-ashes and becomes VAEclecticHS!
The VAEclecticHS List is the rebirth of VAEclecticHomeschool, which was a large, active list for in-depth discussion of issues poignant homeschooling, and for news simply about media articles and programs, projected legislation, research, conferences and another information of interest to Virginia homeschoolers.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VAEclecticHS/
VAEclecticHS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Kudos to Noelle Scelina, Sam Weldon, Brianna Marasco, Tar Marasco, Jeremy Whitson, Jacob Whitson, Mieks Steven, Alli Steven, and coach Agnes gonxha bojaxhiu Steven, all members of the comprehensive
Ohio HEART keep group who recently received a TOP AWARD at toy challenge national SHOWCASE. They were one of 300 teams that participated from across the country and they went on to tie for second place at the TOYchallenge Final Judgement and Awards Ceremony control on Gregorian calendar month
27 at Hasbro's headquarters in Pawtucket, R.I. with their innovative game called "Trash It". Trash it is designed for those 8 and up and encourages recycling.
Again, congratulations to each of you!
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The Military Homeschooler was updated--7 Jul 05
As your see in this month's highlight, The Military Homeschooler is not simply just about the Military, but it besides offers a wealth of information on homeschooling outside of the United States and General Homeschool Information. See the articles, with coupled references, at:
http://www.militaryhomeschoolers.com/
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CONFERENCES
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The Learning In Our Own Way Conference
August 12 - 14, 2005
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Woburn, MA
Voice: 781 - 395-8508 Fax: 781-874-1053
www.learninginourownway.com
The 9th National Rethinking Education Conference is
September 1 - 5: Labor Day Weekend
"To Thine Own Self Be True"
www.rethinkingeducation.com
HURRY - REGISTER by Gregorian calendar month
15 and save $20 per person!
Visit HEM's Conference Calendar at http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/calendar to find another conventions coming to an area near you. If you are having a conference, seminar or possibly a acquiring started homeschooling meeting, here are several FREE resources from House Education Magazine:
· Acquiring Started: http://www.homeedmag.com/gettingstarted.html
· Questions and Answers: http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_hsinf.html
· HEM’s Free Information and Resource Guide:
http://www.homeedmag.com/ORD/mtrlst.html
· House Education Magazine Resources:
http://www.homeedmag.com/HSRSC/hsrsc_gn.html
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UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS
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August- Annette Jurczyk and her National Charter Schools Watch (NCSW) list
September- Midsouth Eclectic Homeschool Network and its founder Jeanne Faulconer
October- Chaise Mobile
and Amy Wilson share the history of their grass roots triumph in
Virginia!
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HEM RESOURCES, HEM BLOGS and Much
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Home Education Magazine's Editorial Blog: The weblog of Helen of troy Hegener, co-publisher
and managing editor of House Education Magazine:
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/editorial/
Home Education Magazine's News and Comment Blog: Homeschooling in the
national media, with comment by Ann Lahrson Fisher. Besides provides space for continuing
comment and discussion of news items by the weblog readers:
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/newscomm/
Home Education Magazine's Keep Group News Blog: In progress encouragement and resources for keep group volunteers, including a monthly newsletter, coordinated by HEM Keep Groups Liaison Mary Nix:
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/groupnews/
Home Education and Another Stuff: Cyber-charters are NOT homeschools, Daryl Cobranchi's HEM blog:
http://homeedmag.com/blogs/heos/
Home Education Magazine's Resources Blog:Learning resources reviewed and described, with space for comments by homeschoolers who use the resources, and links to the institution web sites:
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/resources/
Home Education Magazine's Conference Blog: A listing of conferences, conventions and another events, with contact information and links:
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/calendar/
HEM's Online Newsletter:
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html
AHA Weblogs Web log - The AHA's web log showcasing homeschooling weblogs:
http://aha.typepad.com/weblogs_blog/
Subscribe to House Education Magazine:
https://www.homeedmag.com/ORD/_frm_order.html
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Thanks for taking the time to see this month's newsletter. Be sure to bookmarker House Education Magazine's Keep Group page, which can be accessed at:
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_groups.html
Listing your group on the HEM Keep Group web pages is a free service provided by House Education Magazine. To list your group, fill-in the form at
http://www.homeedmag.com/groups2.html
Looking forward visiting with you all next month!
Mary Nix
HEM's Keep Group Liaison
http://www.homeedmag.com/groups.html
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_groups.html
Subscribe to HEM Keep GROUP NEWS here:
http://www.homeedmag.com/news/
This service is accessible free. See the news-sheet at:
http://www.homeedmag.com/groups/groupnews.html
© 2005 House Education Magazine (All rights reserved). This news-sheet is provided as a free service of House Education Magazine. Readers are bucked up to forward this news-sheet in its entirety, including headers and footers, to others who mightiness besides find its contents helpful.
Simply simply about the author:
Mary Nix lives in Ohio wherever
she enjoys living and learning with her family.
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