No Child Left On Their Behinds

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Teachers–and I’m one of those now–have their own kind of humor. After returning to that noble profession after a 13-year hiatus and surviving my first two weeks in a Title 1 school, I wanted to share with you a story sent to me today. It makes me...

Homey Birthday to Me

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I turned three-years-old yesterday. Three years as a homeschooling mom, an occupation I swore I would never have. And yet here I am. It’s been quite a four-fold learning experience as teacher, counselor, principal, and cafeteria chef to my two daughters, grades 4th...

Lists, Lessons, and Lyposuction

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I’d have made a good Pharisee.  I love lists.  Further, I love checking off my lists.  I love looking at all that I’ve accomplished in a given period of time.  It makes me feel productive.  It makes me feel powerful and in control of something in my life (With three...

Teach a Kid to Fish

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There’s a Christian proverb that most parents cling to like a lifeline: “Teach a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” It sounds so simple.  The burning question that every parent asks is, what is “old?”  Is it 10, 20, or 50? ...

The Retirement of Supermom

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That’s it. I’m turning in my cape, abandoning my tights, and surrendering my mask. Supermom has officially retired. It has nothing to do with the fact that I recently turned 48 and the half-century mark is looming ever larger. Nor does it have to do with my gross lack...

The Worms are Dead

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The worms are dead. And if they are any indication of my future as a homeschool mom, I’m in trouble. I got up on Monday morning, walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for my sleepy army, and thought I caught the faint whiff of stink. At first I thought it was...

I’m Still Here…With Worms No Less

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Okay, I survived my first week of homeschooling. But it was just the first week.  And to best honest, it was actually, well,…fun. I think science has become our favorite subject. Last week we did really cool stuff like make globes out of oranges, then cut the skins...

Time, Time and More Time

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All right. You know I was already reluctant to get into this homeschooling thing. Hey, I got a rep to protect, ya know? The rep of a modern day, multi-tasking, professional working mother who secretly dreams about being a full-time writer, i.e., paying my bills with...

Humbug & Homeschooling

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Don’t you just love it when you end up eating the words, “I will never…” I used to proclaim that fateful statement about homeschooling. I’d heard about those weird homeschooled kids who were as socially dysfunctional as David Zellaby and his Aryan siblings from the...