Sweden Bans Homeschooling July 3, 2010

Poor Pippi Longstocking, the spirit of homeschooling and unschooling everywhere, has become an anachronism in her home country. While they have not technically banned homeschooling, Sweden has added a rider to the current laws that make it virtually illegal. While the law still allows for alternatives to public school, a new third requirement states that “exceptional circumstances” must be in effect. Under the Swedish judicial system, that is as close to a definitive “no” as you can get without an outright ban. The new laws include this note as to their motivation:

Current school conventions make it clear that the education in school shall be comprehensive and objective, and thereby be created so that all pupils can participate, no matter what religious or philosophical views the pupil or its legal guardian/s may have. In accordance with this it is the opinion of the Government that there is no need of a law to make possible homeschooling based on the religious of philosophical views of the family.

As Pat Farenga states in his blog post about this travesty: “So with the stroke of a pen we see how one’s religious and philosophical views are viewed as subjective baggage that government bureaucrats can dictate to be discarded and left at the door of government schooling.”

You can read the opinion of some Swedish homeschoolers in How the Swedish Government voted against a human right. They report that their government is unhappy with the international attention this issue has already garnered, and include a petition we can sign to support them in their fight against this outrageous ruling.

Kindergartner Suspended for “Intent” June 27, 2010

A kindergartner in Queen Creek, Arizona, was suspended from school for thinking about bringing a knife to school. Not to hurt anyone; he just happened to see a folding pocketknife on his way to school and picked it up to put in his backpack. After a moment, he thought better of carrying it to school and took it out of his backpack and left it where he had found it, far from school grounds. The friends with him at the time talked about it, though, and it got back to the principal, who decided to expel the kindergartner the day before his kindergarten graduation.

When an investigative news team began following up on the story, the principal reinstated the student and said he had not realized that his kindergarten graduation was the next day. You can read the full news story here, if you have the stomach for it.

What a totally missed opportunity to reinforce a wise decision on the part of a five-year-old boy!

Obscure Holidays Can Add Interest to Your Homeschool Day! May 29, 2010

Did you know that yesterday was National Hamburger Day? And today is celebrated as the official End of the Middle Ages Day! Who knew? But more importantly, if you did know, think of how much fun there is in picking up the obscure factoids that surround obscure holidays like these. As Bertrand Russell said, “There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.” With that in mind, you might enjoy a new blog that nominates an Obscure Holiday Funny T-shirt of the Day each day, with a few facts and links for further information.

Here’s a sample from the blog:

T-Shirt of the Day Award for End of the Middle Ages Day:

So what IS the End of the Middle Ages Day? Well, on May 29, 1453, the city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Ottomans under Sultan Mehmed II, who had been beseiging it for months. Historians widely consider this to be the end of the Middle Ages, because Constantinople had been the center of scholarship, the repository of Greek education … and they tended to hoard it. With the influx of the Ottomans, the scholars of Constantinople scattered, and thus began the revival of education based on classical Greek scholarship which we call the Renaissance.
See more Obscure Holiday T-shirts of the Day and learn more factoids!

Silly Bandz Banned in Classrooms May 27, 2010

According to Time Magazine, schools are starting to ban Silly Bandz, rubber wristbands that snap into shapes rather than simple circles when removed from the wrist. “Students fiddle with them during class and arrange swaps … when they should be concentrating on schoolwork.”

The students FIDDLE with them? Good heavens. Call out the militia! If we take away their Silly Bandz, then they won’t have anything to fiddle with and perfect order will be restored. Won’t it?

See these dangerous devices for yourself. Don’t be fooled by the bright colors and cheerful shapes! Remember to exercise caution! Purchase of Silly Bandz may disrupt your homeschool day and give your children something to fiddle with!

Will Harvard Make You Happy? April 21, 2010

I found this gem on Lee Stranahan’s Unschooling: The Movie website. Now THERE is a movie I can’t wait to see! Here is a snippet of Stranahan interviewing Seth Godin (a wildly successful author and entrepreneur),  on education. It’s brilliant, but the most astonishing quote comes near the end:

“One of the studies I’m fond of showed that people who got into Harvard and did not go ended up being as successful, by any measure – happiness or money – as people who got into Harvard and did go. And once you look at a piece of data like that, it’s really hard to figure out why they’re pretending that they’re onto something … because they’re not.” – Seth Godin

Homeschool FAQ April 10, 2010

Got a question about homeschooling? Check out the Homeschool FAQ for a fabulous collection of answers from around the web!

Teen Hugging Panic! April 9, 2010

The new trend in high schools? Hugging. The new trend among principals? Banning the hugs.

National Poetry Month April 8, 2010

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

In honor of National Poetry Month, look for a few ideas for writing poems with your kids here! Here is a simple one: writing an I Am poem.

New Collection of Homeschooling Quotes April 2, 2009

Imagination is more important than knowledge! ~ Einstein ~

Homeschool Quotes – A great collection of quotes and quips on homeschooling, unschooling, life learning, and life! Find just the right words to explain your homeschool lifestyle to skeptics … or help you take the homeschooling plunge … or maybe even help you remember why you decided to homeschool in the first place!

The Ninja Video January 25, 2009

Proud parent moment here: the director and voiceovers are my 13yo daughter; the star of the show is my 11yo son; the bit parts are my 7yo son and 5yo daughter. This is entirely their idea and execution. Enjoy!