By Linnea Johnson Am I qualified to homeschool? Boy, is that a question fraught with controversy! Every homeschooler has asked that question in the beginning. Not only that, but your friends and family members may ask the same question. You may have had a less than perfect experience homeschooling during the recent pandemic. That interruption in our routines came with … [Read more...] about Are You Really Qualified to Homeschool Your Child?
Parenting
Homeschooling Mother and Author: 6 Ideas For Parents While Schools Are Closed
By Kerry McDonald As schools shut down indefinitely across the country due to coronavirus concerns, many parents are wondering how to get through the coming weeks at home with their children. This is new territory for all of us, especially as “social distancing” becomes the new normal and virtual working and learning spaces replace the real thing. As a homeschooling mother … [Read more...] about Homeschooling Mother and Author: 6 Ideas For Parents While Schools Are Closed
Why I Chose To Un-School My Son
By Nikki Gray Now more than ever before our society is seeing the need to take matters into our own hands and not rely on others to get the job done for us. The topic of un-schooling has become quite popular and with good reason. According to Wikipedia: Unschooling is an educational method and philosophy that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for … [Read more...] about Why I Chose To Un-School My Son
Families Today Have More Schooling Options Than Ever, But Nowhere Near Enough
By Kerry McDonald I am a glass-half-full kind of person, so while we could focus on the criticisms and some of the setbacks related to expanding educational freedom to more families, there is much more to celebrate than to lament. As National School Choice Week kicks off, it’s a great time to spotlight the growing variety and abundance of education options available to … [Read more...] about Families Today Have More Schooling Options Than Ever, But Nowhere Near Enough
93 Vermont Towns Have No Public Schools, But Great Education. How Do They Do It?
By Laura Williams In just a couple of weeks, 50 boys with learning disabilities will take to a stage in Vermont, one after the other, to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory. It’s a daring experiment undertaken each February at the Greenwood School and its population of boys who’ve struggled in public schools. Diagnosed with ADD, dyslexia, and executive function … [Read more...] about 93 Vermont Towns Have No Public Schools, But Great Education. How Do They Do It?
Why so Many College Students Are In Mental Distress—And What Parents Can Do about It
By Kerry McDonald With college classes underway for the fall semester, parents may worry about how their children will navigate campus life, balance academics and social pressures, and find their pathway to a meaningful career. While parents of college students have long shared these common worries, they now confront new concerns. The number of college students … [Read more...] about Why so Many College Students Are In Mental Distress—And What Parents Can Do about It
4 Great Tools for Teaching Kids Economics and Liberty
By Kerry McDonald Whenever my children express an interest in economics or are curious about the ideals of freedom and responsibility, I can barely contain my excitement. It wasn’t until college that I discovered, and fell in love with, economics, and it wasn’t until much later that I understood liberty as a life philosophy. Fortunately, I can avoid stifling their … [Read more...] about 4 Great Tools for Teaching Kids Economics and Liberty
The Value of a Self-Directed Summer for Kids
By Kerry McDonald It’s all over the news these days. Kids are stressed-out, not playing, and, most worrisome, experiencing sharp increases in depression and suicide. Last month, a new paper published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology revealed that adolescent mental health has deteriorated over the last decade, with soaring depression rates for young people ages 14 to … [Read more...] about The Value of a Self-Directed Summer for Kids