Waiting for Superman

{Here it is: Education--the only issue I'm willing to get 'political' about on Bloom. Only it isn't political to me. I came to all my own conclusions after being a teacher and making my own observations about teachers and schools. Nothing partisan. This is what I experienced and what I believe.}

After this post a few months ago, several of you suggested I watch Waiting for Superman. I'm now recommending that all of you watch it.

Here's the thing. I received an excellent public school education. I have tender memories of my third grade year. I can still picture myself sitting in that classroom--on the second story of an antiquated school building. A row of windows gave view to the large trees outside, their leaves blowing in the breeze. Inside that classroom absolute magic happened. Why? Because Mrs. Shirley Goodrich was an outstanding educator.

I'm with Michelle Rhee. I believe schools are only as good as their teachers. And I believe the only way to make sure every teacher is excellent is to ditch tenure and increase competition.

We have a darling friend who recently lost her teaching position. She is an amazing teacher, absolutely beloved by students and parents. But she is new to this particular district, so when cuts came, she was among the first on the chopping block. She has to say a tearful goodbye to students who were looking forward to her instruction for years because the teacher next door (who may or may not match up) has seniority. Her advice to angry parents who believe their children's rights are being sacrificed to meet the needs of the teacher's union: "Make noise."

We are in a constant conversation here at Bloom about education. We know home schooling or charter or private school options might be preferable for some of our children.

I just have to say that after watching Waiting for Superman, and seeing what some of those charter schools are accomplishing in underprivileged, inner city neighborhoods, I can see the potential. If our public schools followed that model, I think we could completely reform the public system in one generation or less. I really believe that. What's it going to take to accomplish that? We have to fight for our children. We have to get informed and make noise.

--anne

We Heart Teachers

printable apple stationary from creature comforts

Since I didn't send Henry to preschool, this was our first year in a classroom and I'm just sitting here, blinking, wondering how it can possibly be June already?! There were lots of great things about the year, but the very best thing was Henry's darling teacher. I never imagined I'd be so sentimental at the end of the year, but I know we had a gem of a teacher this year and I'm so sad to move on!

As you might suspect, I want to do something sweet for her next week to show just a tiny shadow of the adoration and appreciation we feel for her. I've had fun poking around the internets for inspiration. Wanted to share a few of my favorites with you:

Yum! You Take the Cake from Make it Do

Colored Pencil Vase from Happy Clippings - practical, pretty and so easy to do

Package your gift pretty with this bright, happy bag topper from Thirty Handmade Days

love this printable from Heirloom Paperie

(would be cute to give with a pretty cake mix or stick to a glass jar filled with sweets.)

Hope this gets your wheels turning for end-of-the-year teacher gifts. As cute as all these ideas are, probably the most meaningful gift we can give teachers is a thoughtful note expressing sincere gratitude for what they do.

Bloom Reviews: Meet the Masters

We had the super-lucky privilege of being able to review a Meet the Masters (MTM) art unit for Henry's kindergarten class. MTM is an art curriculum suited for grades K-8 which explores the life history and artistic style of 35 master artists. The curriculum includes a power point presentation about the artist's life and work and an art project done in the style of the artist. We got to learn about Van Gogh.

My first impression, upon unpacking the (big!) MTM box that arrived in the mail, was how thorough and inclusive the materials provided were. It was like Christmas morning, pulling out an art smock, palette, brush, wide-brim hat & candles (Van Gogh fancied painting at night) -- all the props we'd need to turn a classroom volunteer (me!) into a believable Van Gogh. In addition, there were 36 packs of oil pastels for the children to use for their art projects and a comprehensive curriculum for the teacher to use for the educational portion of the unit - slides and script and a thorough written lesson plan that detailed each step and every objective of the process. It was "just add water" in its simplicity. So right from the beginning I was impressed with the forethought and organization of the MTM program and how do-able it would seem to a teacher or parent. I was also impressed by the fact that in the curriculum we received they offered several adaptations of the material to make it suitable for whatever age group you would be presenting to.

trying to be vincent-like :)

But when I got to observe the implementation in Henry's class, the thing that made a real believer out of me was seeing how absolutely captivated the kids were by the whole thing. They loved it! They ooooh'd and aaaww'd over the brilliant colors and funky textures of Van Gogh's paintings. They thought I was pretty silly in my smock, hat and goofy glasses, too. I loved realizing that even little five and six year olds are eager to learn about master artists and excited to try to imitate their style. They are capable of so much creativity! Every time I've volunteered in class since, at least one student brings up our MTM lesson and talks about how fun it was and how much they loved my painting (Starry Night). It makes me sad to think that art education is often foregone with budget cuts because I could see the kids' excitement for it and know they relish in opportunities for creative expression.

the creative process

The only part of the program that I wasn't crazy about was that when the kids did their art project it was quite prescribed. The teacher put her example drawing at the front of the classroom and encouraged them to copy it exactly. I thought there could have been more room for creativity and individual expression, while still trying to help kids render something in the style of Van Gogh. That was just my observation as a casually observing parent, perhaps there are reasons behind that method. One good thing about following a prescribed method is that every child felt like he'd created a masterpiece - it set them up for success. They all felt pride and satisfaction in their work.

a student shows off his masterpiece

Overall, I was overwhelmingly impressed with Meet the Masters. Henry and his peers loved it. His teacher loved it. I loved being able to be part of it. It really energized me about art education and facilitating opportunities for creativity in the classroom and at home.

Henry's school doesn't get a lot of PTO funding, so I was happy to learn that there are several grants available for art programs in public schools. MTM actually has quite a bit of information on grant writing, a list of endowments for the arts and corporations that sponsor art education in public schools; this is something I am currently looking into as I would really like to see MTM become more widely available at our school.

Bottom line: Fantastic program. I'm a huge fan. Many thanks to Meet The Masters for facilitating this opportunity for Henry and his pals.

Want to learn more? Read all about it here.

Friday Forum: How to Raise Boys Who Read

Good morning/afternoon, friends! Sorry for the delay in posting today's Friday Forum - we had a little confusion amongst the Bloom Staff this morning :) But we're really interested in today's topic and hope you'll weigh in.

A few months ago we came across this article about boys and literature. It got our wheels turning and we really want to talk about it.

Here are a few excerpts to help you understand the premise:

Author Thomas Spence points out that boys are increasingly more unfit for the classroom - especially when it comes to reading. Boys consistently score lower than their female counterparts on reading proficiency assessments - and the discrepancy is found in every socio-economic and ethnic segment of the population.

In order to get boys to read, publishing houses have started to "meet the boys where they are" catering to their fascinations with bodily humor offering titles like Captain Underpants and Sir Fartsalot Hunts The Booger.

Some say that at least this kind of literature "gets the kids reading." But I love what the author points out:

One obvious problem with the "SweetFarts" philosophy of education is that it is more suited to producing a generation of barbarians and morons than to raising the sort of men who make good husbands, fathers and professionals. If you keep meeting a boy where he is, he doesn't go very far.

He continues with the observation that the appearance of the boy/girl literacy gap happened to coincide with the surge of video games and recreational internet, noting that boys spend more time "plugged in" than girls do and suggesting that this increased screen time causes their academics to suffer.

He ends with this fascinating conclusion:

I offer a final piece of evidence that is perhaps unanswerable: There is no literacy gap between home-schooled boys and girls. How many of these families, do you suppose, have thrown grossology parties?

What do you think about all this? Grossology as a literature genre? Screen time interfering with academics? (How could it not?? Kids get used to hyper-sensation, technicolor graphics and psychedelic sound effects; even the most gripping of chapter books would pale in comparison to that level of stimulation.) How have you been successful in encouraging your sons to read?

You really should take a minute to read the whole article - it's excellent.

xo,

em and anne

What you can do for your public school

We've had some great discussion at Bloom about educating our children. We've talked about some general concerns we all have about sending our kids off to school. We've discussed the option of charter schools and the option of home schooling. But I would guess the majority of us are going the public school route.

Maybe you are entirely satisfied with your public school. I certainly hope that is the case. But I happen to know that many of you aren't. Because of my time spent teaching, I often have sisters/friends/neighbors expressing concerns or dissatisfaction to me, asking me what I would do in their situation. They are most often frustrated with teachers who aren't meeting their children's needs.

I may have traded my briefcase for a diaper bag, but I am still passionate about my once upon a time career as teacher. I am passionate about education. Particularly education reform. Today's post is 2 parts. Part one--what is happening in education reform and how I think we can see overall improvement in American schools. Part two--what you can do RIGHT NOW to make your public school amazing.

Part one:

Em and I typically avoid getting political on Bloom. We don't think Bloom is quite the right forum for discussing the national debt or who might run in 2012. But today I'm going there because it's about our children and I think it's appropriate for this particular venue.

I think the number one problem in public education is tenure. Tenure essentially means that after three years of provisional teaching, a teacher can have complete job security and can't get fired for almost anything, short of physically harming a child. Tenure also means that when budget-required layoffs come, younger teachers get fired while teachers with seniority keep their jobs, regardless of performance. Tenure is protected by laws which teacher unions fight hard to protect. And I just think that's wrong. I taught next to too many teachers who didn't belong in the classroom. Teachers who were lazy, teachers who used the same purple ditto sheets I was taught with in the '80s, teachers who aren't implementing the latest strategies and programs, teachers who--quite frankly--know they can't get fired.

So what do we do?

Meet Michelle Rhee. She just finished over three years as chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., where she created all sorts of awesome upheaval--getting bad teachers and administrators removed, and fighting for students' rights. Now she has started Students First, an organization dedicated to: Treating teachers like professionals, Empowering parents and families with real choices and real information, and Ensuring accountability for every dollar and every child. (See this editorial Rhee wrote in the Wall Street Journal.) Some of Rhee's sentiments are a bit extreme for me, but overall I agree with her platform and am thrilled to see someone leading real reform in American education. You can read more about Students First (including what you can do to get involved) here.

Part Two:

We all know that legislative reform takes a lot of time. So what can we do right now?

I would bet that most of you mothers of school-aged children spend some time volunteering in the classroom. Ask yourself, 'could I spend more time there?' Some of the charter schools that we rave about require upwards of 20 hours/month from every parent. No wonder they can boast such excellent teacher to student ratios! Just imagine if we all doubled the amount of time we spend in our children's classrooms. What an awesome force we would be!

There are all sorts of things teachers need help with. Here are three areas I would suggest:

#1. Simple tasks (grading papers, cutting out, making copies, etc.)--
As a teacher with almost no prep time during the day, it was often a sigh of relief to have a parent come in and take care of some of the simple tasks that were piling up. It gave me more time for planning lessons and working with individuals.

#2. Working with students one on one--
*The most important example of this is working with children whose reading is below grade level and need extra support. (Make sure the teacher gives you some instruction on what reading strategies the particular child needs to work on and how to help them with those.)

*Another great example of this is performing math assessments with individual students. Some math skills--such as counting out loud to 100 or counting a pile of coins--are difficult, even impossible to assess in a written exam. As a parent volunteer, you could pull children aside and assess these critical skills. If your child's teacher doesn't have assessments like this in place, suggest them, and help the teacher set them up.

#3. Teaching--
In many schools there have been drastic budget cuts, resulting in the disintegration of things like PE specialists, music programs, and art instruction. When I taught second grade, it was up to me to teach everything. Thankfully, I had excellent training and passion for the arts, so my students still got visual art, drama, and music. But a lot of classroom teachers don't have much training in those areas, and even if they do, many have no interest or confidence in teaching those subjects, so many students are completely missing out on the arts.

This is where you come in. You could help the students put on a small play. You could come in for an hour a week to help them learn holiday songs or basic music skills. My favorite example of a way you could help is this: The Meet the Masters Program. It is an excellent program available for purchase by schools and best run by PTAs. Using the program's instructions and materials, you teach students about famous artists--their lives and artwork, and then help the students create a piece of art based on the artist's style. It is a brilliant program. I absolutely love it! You could suggest its use in your school, help the PTA raise funds to purchase it, and organize a schedule for it to be used in the school. Read all about it here.

Conclusion:

I can see some of you reading this and thinking, 'But I pay taxes for teachers to teach my children. Why should I spend so much time in the schools when I'm paying other people to be there?'

I'm not suggesting teachers aren't responsible for teaching your children. But right now teachers are dealing with over-crowded classrooms, little help from aids, few specialty teachers, and low budgets. Some teachers deal with these challenges brilliantly, but some don't. And the reality is, your child may be missing out. You can help change that.

Feel free to weigh in with comments, ideas, etc.
Loves,
anne

Insect Lore!

When I was a little girl, we'd constantly play in the vacant field next door and return home with monarch caterpillars and milkweed. We'd put them in jars and watch the whole process from caterpillar to pupa to gorgeous butterfly. Absolute magic.

Unable to duplicate that naturally for my children, I sought help from a company I've heard great things about for a long time--Insect Lore. They sent some Painted Lady caterpillars our way last month, and I could not be more excited to show you the wonder that followed.

One afternoon a delivery man rang our doorbell and the children (including cousin Mary) were so excited, they plopped right down on the porch to open our caterpillar package.

Insect Lore sends absolutely everything you need--the caterpillars (in a culture with all the food they'll need), a butterfly garden (for when it's time for them to hatch), and very clear, thorough instructions.

For a week we kept our eyes on the culture cup and watched the caterpillars change from tiny to plump (Eric Carle wasn't kidding!).

Then one day the caterpillars started toward the lid of the cup. By the next day, their pupas were formed and we followed the instructions for putting them into the butterfly garden.

Along the way, we did some simple corresponding art projects. The boys loved making egg carton and pipe cleaner caterpillars.

But Blaine was so disgusted with his imperfect tissue paper butterfly that he directly marched it to the garbage can. C'est la vie!

Insect Lore suggests you plan your butterfly hatching experience around any sort of vacations or things that would disrupt the process, but we had some necessary travel come up, so into the car went our pupas! They drove all the way to Grandma's house in Utah with us and began hatching within the first couple days of our stay there. It was so exciting to wake the boys up in the morning with the news, "The first butterfly is out!"

We followed the instructions to put something sugary in the garden (like flowers sprinkled with sugar water or watermelon) for our butterflies to eat. Watching them pop out one by one and learn to spread their wings was utterly inspiring. I loved how many questions the boys asked and how even the adults in the house were mesmerized.

After a couple of days of admiring our Painted Ladies in their garden, we knew it was time to release them to the wild.

Lucky for us, Grandma's neighbors have a butterfly bush, a perfectly fitting home, we thought.

It was hard to say goodbye, but we did it!

Sincerely, I cannot think of an educational experience I've loved more with my children. We had weeks of magic with this activity! At Bloom we try to focus on making our lives and our children's lives more meaningful. This is just the sort of thing that fulfills that goal so well that I want to shout it from the rooftops!

xo,
anne

P.S There are a lot of great products available at Insect Lore. Find exactly what we used here.

What your child should know before Kindergarten by Bloom guest Alicia

Meet Alicia. A top-notch teacher, and one of the most loyal friends I've ever had. We drove through rain, sleet, and snow together to teach second grade in two colorful classrooms across from each other. When she writes to me about the start of a new school year, I still get a bit sad and envious. She's here today to give us the scoop on Kindergarten. Thanks, Alicia!

I am Alicia and I teach Kindergarten. Sometimes I feel like there should be a 12-
step program for teachers! All kidding aside, let me start with my credentials. I am
currently teaching in my sixth year. I taught second grade for three years and have
been teaching kindergarten since 2008. I cannot be called a veteran teacher yet,
but I feel I have enough experience under my belt to know what I am talking about. I
feel like I am at a good place in my career. I have been teaching long enough to be
experienced but I am still close enough to college to be up to date on the latest research
and developmentally appropriate practices.

Let me start be telling you a teaching story. Before kindergarten actually starts,
each student has an individual appointment with the teacher to assess the student’s
knowledge. Usually most students are right where they should be. Then there are the
really high students and the really low students. Last year after assessing a certain
student, I went out in the hall to tell the parents that I was concerned. This particular
student only knew the lowercase version of the first letter of his name, knew no
sounds, and could only count to 5. In other words, he was low, low, low. This was the
conversation:

me- “I’m a little concerned. J is pretty low. He knew …but that’s it.”
mom (with and incredulous look on her face)-“Well, yeah. He’s never been to school
before.” (and the tone-oh the tone. I may have sensed a ‘duh’ in there).
me- “uh…”

After a few seconds of literal stunned silence, I told the mom it was probably a matter
of exposure then and we would talk soon to see if he needs extra support. I couldn’t
believe that I had heard that. I didn’t realize that some parents thought they weren’t
responsible for their child’s learning. You are, by the way.

As a mother myself (I have two little ones of my own, Elinor and John [we (I) love Jane
Austen!]), I cannot even imagine not having an active role in my child’s education. BUT,
it does get overwhelming. Below are the basic concepts your child should know before
kindergarten.

I focused my tips on academic skills. I have broken each of the four areas into two to
three sections: benchmark level, the ideal level, and in some cases, the ideal ideal level.

Alphabet/Phonics (letters and sounds)
*Benchmark level - Each student should know at least 12 letters and 4 sounds
when entering kindergarten. We like to say about half the letters and a few sounds.
*Ideal - most letters and at least half the sounds
*Ideal ideal - all letters and sounds

A few tips:
Make sure you teach capitals AND lowercase levels. Most students learn
capitals without much thought of lowercase letters. Most of the letters in our
environment are lowercase yet we focus on the uppercase. In our school district, we only test the lowercase letters. Some students learn the sounds before the letter names. That’s totally OK! If
that happens, I simply switch the benchmark (know at least 12 sounds and 4 letter
names). Focus on what your child is picking up. Also, make sure you start with environmental print (environmental print just means print in the environment such as on cereal boxes, restaurants, store names, etc.). Children need to connect what they are learning with what they already know. Learning needs to be meaningful and real. A good way to make those connections
is to connect to the child’s name. For example-“Oh look! I see an l on the Lowe’s sign! You have an l in your name, Elinor! L says /l/ like Lowe’s.”

Name
*Benchmark level- recognize name.
*Ideal - write name from left to right.
*Ideal ideal - write name with the first letter capital and the rest lower-case letters.

Ideas:
-Treasure hunt for name strips hidden around the house.
-Make name collages with letters from magazines-especially using environmental
print (E from extra gum, l from lemonade mix, i from IHOP ad, n from Nutella, o from
orange juice container, r from Red Robin ad). Make sure to get matching vowel
sounds. For example, when making Elinor, make sure to find a short vowel sound,
not a long vowel sound.
-Prepare for writing by first starting with fine motor skills. To strengthen fine
motor skills, move around rice, tear paper, snap snaps, button buttons, use scissors,
anything to increase little movements. Then move to writing name in/with things:
make a rice/salt/sugar table with a cookie sheet and let them write their name in
it. Make playdough snakes and make letters out of them. Then graduate into big
writing utensils-markers then crayons and finally pens and pencils. It’s never too
early to show your child the correct grip! When you teach your child to write letters, encourage them to start at the top. Here’s a song we sing in our classroom (sung to the tune If You’re Happy and You Know It):
If you ever write a letter start at the top,
If you ever write a letter start at the top,
If you ever write a letter, then you better, better, better
If you ever write a letter start at the top,

Math
*Benchmark - count to 10.
*Ideal - count to 25.
*Ideal ideal – count past 25 and recognize numerals at least to 10.
Your child should also be able to count at least 10 objects and to name the basic
colors and basic shapes.

Phonemic Awareness (orally playing with language)
*Benchmark - pick out the rhyme pairs (when given 3-4 choices) 50% of the time.
*Ideal - pick out the rhyme pairs (when given 3-4 choices) 100% of the time.
*Ideal ideal - create their own rhyming pairs.
You should also work on beginning and ending sounds. One thing to remember is that
phonemic awareness is strictly oral. Once you write it down it becomes phonics. This
is the most fun area in my opinion (and the easiest, too!). While you are driving in the
car you can make up silly rhymes. You can change the beginning sound of everything
you see. If you see a car, a fire engine, a store, and a dog, change them all to start with
a /b/ sound. “I see a bar, a bire bengine, a bore, and a bog.” Trust me, your children
will think it’s a game and will be learning so much!

Other helpful things:
Students should know their full name, phone number, and address. It is SUPER helpful if your child can put on and tie his/her shoes. He/she also needs to be able to zip up pants and coats.

Lastly, I want to say that you are the parent. You know your child. You know what your
child can and cannot do. Please use this as your guide, not as something to stress
you or your child. Please, please, please do not push your child. Do not sit and do
flashcards with your preschool-aged child unless your child genuinely enjoys it. But, you
also need to make sure they are exposed to many things and when they are ready, be
there to teach them. Learning-especially for the younger students-needs to be fun. My
goal as a Kindergarten teacher is to meet my students needs academically and socially,
but most importantly to help the students LOVE learning. That should be a big part of
your job, too. Teachers cannot do it all.

Lastly lastly, I want to say a little about development. Each child develops at a different
pace. If you are concerned about a learning disorder, make sure you talk to someone.
There are so many resources available now! And if it is severe, there are preschool
programs available for free through most school districts across the nation. If you are
concerned but not sure, my advice is to wait and see. I tell my parents who have low
students to wait until the end of the first term and then we will reevaluate. So many
times students just click one day. They may just need a different experience with the
skills, more practice, social tutoring, etc. However, if your child still does not meet the
above ideas by mid kindergarten, I would really talk to your teacher and/or the school
principal. But that is my own opinion - trust your parental instinct.

Here are some helpful links:
playdough recipe

Starfall (I love that Anne has mentioned it before-this is what we do at computers in
kindergarten.)

Making Learning Fun-lots of great ideas for younger children.

uen.org - this is the Utah specific curriculum, but I am sure you can find your
own state’s core curriculum by Googling it.

Thank you so much for this, Alicia! Even for mothers without Kindergarteners this year, this is definitely one to bookmark for the future!

Friday Forum: Alternative Schooling Options (Part Two--Home School)

The past few weeks at Bloom, we've been discussing education options for our children. (See here and here to catch up.)

At Bloom, we don't take any specific stance on this issue, but we feel it vitally important for parents to glean all the information they can on all of their options, and choose what's best for each child.

Today we have the privilege of hearing from our friend, Wendy--a mother of six home-schooled children. There are a few reasons we sought her opinions for our Bloom readers.
1. She has a lot of experience on this topic--about 11 years worth, in fact.
2. She is very enthusiastic about home school, but she keeps it real and tells it like it is.
3. Her children (ranging in age from seven to nineteen) are outstanding. Smart, confident, capable, fun, and exceptionally socially adept.

Welcome, Wendy. Thank you so much for being here!

Reading with Tanner, Madi & Janelle. This really sums up what the sweet moments feel like.

Bloom: How did you decide that home school was right for your family?

Wendy: When my children were beginning elementary school I began to investigate options for middle school. (Stories of happenings at the middle school (drug use, bullies, immodesty, lack of morals) can be fairly frightening when your kiddos are such little cherubs!)

As I studied more about home schooling, I was intrigued by the benefits of home schooling. Most of the books I studied concluded that:
1) Home schooled children tend to accept their parent’s belief system because they value their parents more than their peers.
2) Home schooling families are tightly bonded because of all the experiences they have shared.
3) Home schooled children have the advantage of one on one tutoring, and the flexibility to explore topics more deeply.
4) Home schooled children are able to fluidly socialize with younger children and older children or adults. They are not of the mindset that they can only “hang with kids their own age.”
5) The entire family takes on a “love of learning.” The atmosphere of the family becomes such that education is a priority and a treasure.

I was captivated by these benefits and wanted each of them in my own family.

Simultaneously, one of my elementary school kiddos was struggling…academically (was easily distracted and would rather have been playing legos)… and socially (was a complete follower of the gutter behavior happening around him.) I had dreams of this child growing up to be a strong, moral, well educated MAN and I couldn’t bear to stand by and watch him erode. I knew I could make a difference in his life, so the “mamma bear” in me rose up and we began our home schooling journey. I now have 11 years of home schooling under my belt, and it will be a total of 16 years when this experiment is over.

During that time we have added 2 new babies to our family and moved 4 times. Throughout each of these major events, I was amazed at how smoothly the transition happened. There might have been a week where the school kids only did a math lesson & practiced reading, but we made up their other lessons in the following weeks and they have not been hurt in the least.

Bloom: What are good reasons for home schooling vs. not so good ones?

Wendy: If you choose to Home school, understand that there will be dark, frustrating times everyday. There will also be joys and deeply satisfying moments everyday. (Sounds like parenting, right?)

Home schooling requires 100% commitment and a sacrifice of hobbies, crafts, answering the telephone during the day, and often friend time (especially if you have “Mom friends” who call you daily or meet up with you for play dates and hours of chatting.) To do it right, you must be willing to give up these things in order to focus on the education of your kiddos. If you are unable to commit at this level, or you have a part-time job or other matters that demand your attention, then don’t even consider home schooling. It might push you over the edge.
(Editor's note--keep in mind that this is the perspective of a mother of six!)

Finally, a wise home schooler once said to me, “Before you decide to home school, you’d better pray about it and make certain God is behind your decision. Then, when the difficult times come (and they will come) you will be able to lean on the knowledge that God is behind your decision.”

Bloom: What do you do with younger children during school time?

Wendy: Newborns are the easiest because they just lie in your arms. It is the 18 month to 3 years olds that will drive you crazy! They are at a high maintenance age, throwing tantrums, then climbing on the table to mimic the older kids and scribbling in the math books, etc. (When this happened, we would write the child’s name and age next to the scribbles. Several years later that same child will be working in the math book and come to a page with their childhood scribbles! It is quite sweet now.)

For several years, I assigned the four older kiddos to each teach a 30 minute preschool lesson twice a week to their younger sisters. The little girls loved the attention and the older kids loved the teaching. I have also had older siblings read aloud to younger kids or teach simple subjects like handwriting, phonics or spelling. This worked well when my time was in high demand with other kids.

Bloom: How did you choose a curriculum?

Wendy: There are so many curriculums that you could change every year and never run out! Resources for homeschoolers are incredibly abundant.

Understand that there are two extreme views of homeschooling:
1. You must bring the public school to your kitchen table, providing your child with 6 textbooks and 6 workbooks…one for each subject.
2. The “unschooling” method, where curriculum is guided by the child’s interest.

I chose an approach right in the middle which focuses on unit studies. These are units with lots of ‘hands on’ learning and are well suited to all of us, (especially pencil-resistant kids who would rather be playing legos.)

This hands-on activity turned into a first aid lesson!

My unit studies are on a 4 year rotation. For instance, in science our rotation is as follows:

1. Geology/Astronomy (1/2 a year each)
2. Chemistry
3. Biology (1/2 year about the human body systems, ½ year about the plant & animal kingdoms)
4. Physics (properties of light, color, electricity, magnets, batteries, laws of motion, etc.)

The child who is a 1st grader when we studied Geology, will have it again in 5th grade. Each subject will be taught twice by the time they have finished 8th grade.

Our history book is called The Story of the World; History for the Classical Child by Susan Wise Bauer. Over 4 years it covers history from the beginning of time to the present. (I love this book!) I supplement the stories with additional books/videos from the public library and hands on activities.

Aunt Stacy teaching about Egypt

Bloom: How do you manage teaching kids of various ages/grade levels at the same time?

Wendy: My kids each have their own math, reading, writing, spelling and music levels. They do these assignments first thing in the morning and independent from one another. But our afternoons are spent together learning the same things. This has always been our favorite part of the day! We are learning together, as one family, and making memories as we bring our learning to life.

Bloom: What curriculum do you use? How do you have time to plan?

Wendy: My best training came from the KONOS curriculum. This is a unit study approach which incorporates history, science, social studies, geography, and more. KONOS is easy to use and it taught me how to bring our learning to life! After 4 years I have am now following the previously described History/Science rotation, but I use everything KONOS taught me to create my own lessons. (Through KONOS, I taught these subjects already. It is very easy to apply the activities to my new outlines.)

writing the Declaration of Independence with quill feathers

Making root beer in honor of Samuel Adams, whose father wanted him to be a brewer. (Had he become a brewer, the colonists probably wouldn’t have been stirred to action in Declaring Independence.)

KONOS is well suited to teaching children of different ages. For example, when studying the senses, we learn how the eye works. We dissect a cow’s eyeball (very cool experience). We also compare the human eye to a camera. Younger children are required to tell you how the two compare, while older children would be assigned to write a comparison/contrast paper. Do you see how the family is learning the same things, yet each child is being challenged at their own level? It is beautiful.

Dissecting frogs!

Bloom: What about 'you' time? When do you fit that in?

Wendy: My alone time tends to be shopping at the grocery store or Walmart….and usually happens between 9:30 and 11:30pm.

But my days have a deeper satisfaction that comes from sharing sweet, magical learning moments with my children. And my mind is being stimulated all the time…I have literally learned more because of home schooling than I ever learned growing up.

Bloom: How do you get your kids to treat you like a teacher instead of 'just Mom?'

This has never been a problem. The Mom in this house just happens to be a teacher, as well as a cook, nurse, maid, laundress, etc.

…Well, I must admit that in our house you can also be punished for what I call “lazy learning.” This means if your attitude stinks, you have earned the privilege of cleaning the bathroom. Something magical happens then…the child works through their grumpiness and Mom’s nerves are also calmed as she begins to smell Lysol wafting through the house.

Bloom: What do you think about co-ops?

Wendy: Co-ops can be a fantastic enrichment to your homeschool. I treat them like “icing on the cupcake,” preferring to meet only once a week. This adds excitement to our normal schedule, but allows me to have 4 solid days of regular, core teaching.

A co-op lesson: Eating Greek foods while reclining on soft cushions, & learning Greek root words.

But even without a formal co-op group, don’t be afraid to create your own gathering. While learning about the revolutionary war we called EVERY boy we knew to help us re-enact the Battle at Bunker Hill. They came wearing red sweatshirts and we put white wigs on them. My kiddos taught their friends what happened at Bunker Hill, then we role-played it. We even had a drummer boy! It was terrific fun!

Red Coats storming Bunker Hill, and the patriots defending their position.

Bloom: Do your kids feel isolated or different? Do they ever wish they could go to school?

Wendy: There are certainly times when the “grass looks greener” and my children say they wish they were in public school. But those times are usually when they hear about a skiing field trip, a costume parade/class party, or some fun assembly their friends are talking about.

However, when we are making Sedimentary Pudding Desserts (complete with gummy worm fossils), or when we are taking advantage of a suddenly spring-like day with a bike ride and picnic, I usually say, “How does home school feel today?”

Bloom: A lot of people think all home school kids are weird. How have you helped your kids function so well socially, without sending them to school?

Wendy: I believe a child’s social skills are a reflection of their parents. If parents are shy and terrified to meet new people, their children tend to exhibit those same qualities. On the other hand, if parents model meeting strangers, striking up conversations with people they don’t know, their children will follow that example.

I have also taught my children to look adults in the eyes when they talk to them, and I praise them for answering questions from adults we meet at the grocery store, as well as being able to show kindness and gentleness to younger children. Home schooled children have been labeled as social misfits, but in reality they are some of the nicest young people around! They can talk with and relate to both adults and children.

In my 11 years, I have yet to see a home schooled child who isn’t the first to approach a new child at a park and ask them to play. Most home schooled kiddos are so secure that they believe everyone in the world is just waiting to be their friend.

In these playground situations, I often tease my children by whispering in their ear… “Don’t you know that you are homeschooled and you’re not supposed to be able to make friends?”

Bloom: Do you feel different from others in your community?

Wendy: I tell my children, “People think we are strange for 3 reasons: we have a large family, we are LDS (Mormons), and we home school. They are going to stare, so just get used to it.”

When people ask me prying, judgmental questions about my homeschooling, I smile and simply reply, “It will be clear in 10-15 years if it was a good idea or not!”

But there are incredible families who are home schooling; families who completely enrich your life! So we may be weird…but we’re not alone!

Madi and Janelle dissecting a wasp nest

Bloom: Do you homeschool through high school?

Wendy: Our homeschooling has evolved into this….our children are homeschooled through 8th grade. At that time they are given an option to attend public high school. However, high school is a “privilege.” If they stay morally strong and academically focused, they may stay there and enjoy the experience. They know if they begin to mess around, they will be yanked out of public school.

So far, this has been terrific. By 8th grade, my kiddos have naturally begun to pull away from “mommy.” They seem to sense there is a bigger world out there and they are ready for a piece of it.

Four of our children have made this leap now, and they have each flourished.

Their experience in high school has also given them a place to practice surviving in a world so different from the values they are being raised with. They are learning to combat foul language, immodesty, cheating, etc. while still under the influence of their parents. I have watched them become stronger people and I have complete confidence in the decisions they will make when they launch off to college.

Bloom: How do you do it all? Cooking, cleaning, laundry, teaching…

Wendy: “When my load becomes too heavy…I share the work.”

After the 6th baby, (born in September…lousy planning for a school teacher)… my mornings were chaotic. It would take me two hours to make breakfast, nurse & care for the baby, dress the toddler, and try to run a brush though my own hair…all on a disrupted night’s sleep). I quickly made a chart which gave most of those responsibilities to the older 4 kiddos (ages 6-11). Two kids cooked and cleaned up breakfast, one kiddo dressed the toddler, and the other was the “baby lover.” (This was the coveted job, because they just sat on the couch and loved on the newborn after I nursed her.) The jobs rotated every day. Sharing the work load completely eased my burden.

I have applied a similar approach to laundry. I never do laundry by myself. Over the course of a few days, I will run several loads through the wash as I pass by. When we have 4-6 loads of clean laundry built up, I dump it on my bed (knowing that it must be put away in order for me to sleep). I call all the children to my bed and instruct them to “pick out your laundry.” Literally, within 15 minutes, a mountain of laundry is gone.

As you can imagine, with all of us at home (eating, learning, moving & creating), our house can get messy quickly. I have learned that we make bigger messes, but working together, we can clean them up faster. With 4 or 5 able bodies working, we can literally take a house from “trashed” to “respectable” in 15 minutes. We always do a quick clean up at the end of our school day.

I have also learned to let go of a few things:

I have let go of laundry in my children’s drawers being folded (just put it away!).

My husband helped me let go of insisting my kids wear pajamas. (I don’t care what you are wearing…brush your teeth and lie down!) And I now buy canned spaghetti sauce & instant pancake mix rather than making them from scratch. Silly things, but letting them go has eased my world a bit.


Now, if you aren’t turned off of homeschooling by now, I suggest you read The Well-trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer (most libraries have a copy). But WATCH OUT! This book is dangerously inspiring and just might change your life!

Thanks so much, Wendy, for helping us get a concrete understanding of what home school looks and feels like.

Friday Forum: Sending Your Child to School

Don't worry, the home school interview is still in the works, and you'll see it soon!

Today's forum is about sending your child to school. After having a child under your protective wing for so many years, sending him off to school--be it public, private, or charter--is a big deal! And for some of us, it's a bit anxiety inducing.

We want to know...

Did you feel anxious about sending your first child to kindergarten? (I am in knots about sending Henry in the fall, but I work myself into knots over most things, so I'm not entirely alarmed about this, but still curious to hear from other mothers).

If your children attend public school, how would you describe your family's experience with education in the public schools? Have you ever considered or tried alternative options?

My concerns about sending my son to school have less to do with academics and more to do with moral issues and negative social pressure. I realize that in kinder, the extent of this probably won't be much worse that an increased exposure to potty talk and maybe some lame cartoons. But down the road, the social pressure increases and so do the consequences. What have been your observations around these types of issues with your school-aged children? And how have you dealt with these things as they've come up?

Did you notice a change in the overall attitude of your child when he/she first went to school?
How did the routine change affect your child? Was he more emotional/tired/needy? Or did school provide him with a new place to achieve, feel successful and bloom?

Did you notice changes in the overall family dynamics in your home, specifically sibling relationships, when your children started school?


Please feel free to bring up other issues surrounding this topic in the comment thread. We would really love to hear from moms who have experience with school aged kids as well as moms who are yet to enter that phase of family life. One of our favorite things about Bloom is hearing your insights and perspective, so don't hold back!

Friday Forum: Alternative Schooling Options (Part One--Charter Schools)

Having taught in the public school system, I am often asked what I think about public schools, will I send my kids to public schools, etc. My answer? The public school system varies greatly depending on geography. Mostly, I still believe in the public school system, though I think public schools stand in need of much reform (and I'm guessing most of you would agree with me on that). We are still debating about what we will choose--what will be best for our children.

Emily and I thought it would be great to open this up for discussion on Bloom. Since you are likely quite familiar with public schooling, we thought we'd interview some moms who have experience with alternative schooling. We realize this can get emotional, and even political (which is a place we typically avoid on Bloom). But we think it is vital that we talk about this. So, just for the record, Bloom doesn't have a specific stance on which type of schooling is best. We think every mother should get the best information she can, and carefully decide which option is best for each of her children.

The following is an interview with my sister, Kathryn, who resides in North Carolina with her husband and five children (who are all smarter than me, possibly excepting the two-year-old). Her children attend charter schools.

Anne: Why did you enroll your children in charter school?

Kathryn: We live in one of the largest school districts in the nation. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has 33 high schools, 33 middle schools, and over 100 elementary schools—all with one superintendent and school board. The northern suburbs (where we live) have grown substantially in the past couple of decades, and CMS schools has failed to build new schools sufficient to accommodate the growth. Instead, a typical elementary school in our area houses 1400 kids in a school built for 600. Besides the overcrowding issue, we had other concerns with the local public schools. We felt there was little control over curriculum decisions at the classroom or even school level. For example, the district chose readers for the entire district. Every first grade teacher in each of the 100 schools was expected to teach the same reader, no matter if the students were non-readers, or fluent readers.

We started out at our local elementary school and found the teachers to be superb. But they were limited by the bureaucracy of the school and district administrations. We had concerns about one of our children’s academic progress, and when I made an appointment to discuss these with the principal, I could tell she didn’t even know who my son was, after two years at her school. After that and other negative experiences, we decided to look elsewhere.

Anne: How did you select a charter school?

Kathryn: There are several in our area, but we limited our search to a reasonable (15 minutes or less) driving distance. We were also limited by the lottery process. Charter schools are very popular here, so you enter a random lottery and if your child is selected, people say that you got a “golden ticket,” since that child and eventually his or her siblings will be able to attend. Our first lottery experience was terrible. We applied to a “Scholars Academy” which was designed for talented and gifted students. We had to have a psychologist administer an IQ test to even qualify. I attended the lottery and watched as my daughter’s name was the very last name drawn from the bucket. It was so depressing.

But soon after that, a small private school even closer to us was granted a charter, which allowed it to expand and open to the public. We applied and my two oldest kids were admitted after a brief time on the waiting list. This particular charter school is a BASIC school, and we were intrigued by the philosophy. Four years later, we got lucky again in another lottery, and we moved our oldest kids to a charter middle/high school. We chose this one for its highly academic-college prep emphasis.

Anne: Can you describe the school(s) (you can just choose one if you want) your children attended? Teacher-student ratio, daily agenda, grading, building set-up, etc.

Kathryn: Teacher-student ratio is probably what sets our schools apart the most. At our elementary charter school, student ratio is 10 students per teacher. Each class of 18-22 students has a full-time teacher and a full-time assistant. This allows for much more small group work and one-on-one attention for each student. At our middle school, there are around 25 students in each class. At our elementary charter school, there are some unique opportunities not found at typical public schools. For example, they learn Spanish and sign language, participate in service learning, and participate in several performances each year. But there are some things missing. We don’t have a cafeteria or a full-scale media center. Our charter middle school was just able to build a beautiful facility after existing 10 years in mobile classrooms. At the middle and high school level, a charter school typically has fewer athletic teams and elective choices. I think this is just a result of the smaller size.

One significant difference at our elementary school is that typical grades are not given. There is a report card which shows progress, and teachers give periodic “assessments” (not tests).

Anne: Was there anything you didn't like about it? Something you would have preferred be done more like public schools?

Kathryn: Of course I would love there to be bus service! I would also like there to be a more diverse student body. This is something both schools work to achieve, but our charter schools are less diverse (as far as race and S-E-S) than the other public schools.

Anne: Did your school seem accessible to all students? (Would it have been difficult for a lower S-E-S family to attend?)

Kathryn: Our charter schools are accessible to anyone in that the lottery doesn’t discriminate. Even people who want to attend can’t if their numbers aren’t chosen! But there are things that make it hard for some people to attend. People who are new to the area don’t have the option, since lotteries take place in February for the following school year. But more importantly, they are limiting because they don’t provide bus service. It’s not easy for working parents to figure out how to get their kids there. It can be done (with carpools or shuttle buses to and from day car providers), but it’s a little more complicated than putting your kids on the bus to the closest school. Our charter schools also don’t offer school lunch, which is also an important aspect of school for some families.

Anne: Do you think 'charter school' is always synonymous with 'better school?'

Kathryn: Not necessarily. There are charter schools in our area that have failed. They can lose their state charter if they fail to demonstrate fiscal soundness and a certain level of standardized test scores. As with any school, parents need to stay informed and be aware of what’s going on in their children’s classrooms.

Anne: Anything else you want to say about charter schooling??

Kathryn: Something that’s very unfortunate is that charter schools do not receive funds for capital expenses from the state government. All public schools receive a dollar amount per student from state funds for their operating expenses. But regular public schools also receive funds for capital expenditures (their buildings, computers, libraries, etc.). Public charter schools don’t receive these funds so they have to get creative with their operating budgets and also rely heavily on fundraising. It’s not an equitable distribution of the tax dollars, and charter schools in NC are trying to change that legislation.

Also, one big difference I have found with charter schools is that, as I mentioned, we had fabulous teachers at the regular public school. But there are teachers there who are not so fabulous. And it seems the district has to keep them until they retire or decide to move on. We all know teachers who shouldn’t be teaching. Every year you hope and pray your child doesn’t get one of those. At the charter schools, they don’t seem to have this problem. Somehow, they seem to attract a little higher caliber of teacher. And more importantly, they are able to “exit” teachers who aren’t the best. Every year there have been teachers whose contracts haven’t been renewed. So I guess charter schools provide less job security for teachers, but the result is a more qualified teaching staff.

How about you, dear readers? Do you have experience with or questions about charter schooling?

(Part two of this forum--a discussion on home schooling--will take place in a couple of weeks.)