You CAN Create a high school transcript, Homeschool Mom!

Twenty years ago, I spent several hundred dollars to take Tests & Measurements, a junior-level course in teacher's college. I slogged through lectures, power points, and sample scenarios in order to learn how to properly assess, measure, and award credit.

After teaching in the classroom for seven years and homeschooling the last 13, I've learned two things about tests and measurements. First, while that college-level class was certainly helpful, it could have been summed up in a pamphlet or a short, one-day workshop. And second, when your kids enter the upper grades, you don't have to have a bunch of letters behind your name to create a watertight high school transcript.

But it's helpful to have some basic direction.

What We're Reading in June 2020

This month, I've been reminded once again what a stubborn reader I am. I don't like being told what to read. A suggestion is good. I never mind a suggestion. But, when I'm forced to read a book for a class or to fulfill a requirement, I usually end up hating it. 

It can be a critically-acclaimed book that ranks high on every list. It can even be a book that I'd otherwise really value and like. If "have to" has been stamped on it in any way, I can almost guarantee that I will plod my way through it, forcing my fingers to turn each page. 

What can I say? I guess I'm a bit of a book rebel.

5 Common Mistakes Parents Make When Teaching Reading

I was watching an Instagram story the other day. It was a 30-second peek into a preschool reading lesson. The screen showed a little four or five-ish girl sifting through alphabet cards that were haphazardly laid out in front of her.

She picked up the letter G card and with all the pluck and moxie of a firstborn, shouted out, "Gu!" Next came H. "Hu!" she declared.

She was confident. She was determined. This was her moment. She was reading and she wanted those of us behind the screen to know it.

Gentle Schooling for Summer 2020

We'll be pulling the plug on the 2019-2020 school year very soon. We'll pack the books away, take the annual last-day photo on the front stoop, and fill out the end-of-school interviews.

Typically, we celebrate summer break by taking a day trip to someplace fun and educational like a logging encampment or a science center. But with everything closed due to the global pandemic, I've formulated Plan B: a first-day-of-summer basket.

What We're Reading in May 2020

What does a bucket of mud have to do with a reading list? Well, I'm glad you asked.

It's just one example of how interests steer learning.
Let me explain...
We live in an area with a high clay count. You can dig a shallow hole in our backyard and scoop out truckloads of it. Since moving to this area last spring, my middle son has been slowly teaching himself how to extract, purify, and mold this natural clay to make pots, bowls, cups, and plates of all kinds.