Homeschooling on the rise in Oregon... PORTLAND, Ore. - —
Social media and advances in in technology have sure made homeschooling a lot easier -- and therefore, a much more viable option for families. That could be one of the reasons why it's on the rise in Oregon. "I have an 8-year-old who loves robotics and he gets to take classes in robotics. I have a 10-year-old who's learning French. I have a 3-year-old who's going to start Taekwondo," Lauren Iscoff said. That 3-year-old is "Bash," short for Sebastian. He's Iscoff's youngest, and the final child she will homeschool. But that's not really the word she likes to use. "'World-schooling' is probably more accurate," she said. "World-schooling," meaning not from a text book in a traditional classroom, she wants her kids to study what they really want. "I don't care what grades they get. I care that they love what they're learning," Iscoff said. The number of homeschoolers is rising in nearly every district in Oregon, according to a look at the data from the past 10 years. There are currently more than 22,000 students registered as homeschoolers in the state, that's according to the Oregon Department of Education. KATU News learned from both parents and the state that the number is likely even higher because not all parents register their student with their local ESD. "It is finding out what works for your kids and works for your family," said Rosalyn Newhouse is with Oregon's Home Education Network, which supports families. "Many community centers have homeschooling sports classes, homeschooling swim teams," she said. KATU Reporter Jackie Labrecque interjected, "Which helps with the socialization, which is a concern for some of the parents?" "You said the S word," Newhouse responded, playfully chastising for asking about "socialization." That's because it is controversial. She argues that homeschoolers -- who often interact with adults and the real world regularly -- can be far more socialized than traditional students, who in some public school settings can get ostracized and marginalized. "In public schools this is where you see a lot of the societal problems with kids. The bullying, and discrimination and the violence, frankly," Newhouse said, noting that's a controversial statement. We caught up with Newhouse at Village Home in Beaverton. It's a place where kids can take all kinds of classes. "The classes are chosen by consensus and people put in proposals... 'I want to teach this thing,'" Newhouse explained. The elective school system is very popular with families that homeschool, like Lauren Iscoff's kids who learn as they wish. "It's unconventional but education's not one size fits all," Iscoff said. https://katu.com/news/local/homeschooling-on-the-rise-across-oregon As always, for homeschooling ideas go to Blossom Learning. Happy homeschooling! The gift of learning by touch... How do you make the an obscure subject tangible? Make it a hands-on project. I can't count how many times I have been faced with a lesson that had the potential to be an "in one ear and out the other" situation. It's easy to read out of a textbook and hope that kids catch something they can hold on to, but really giving them something to hold takes it to a whole other level. When a child has the opportunity to create something beautiful with their own hands, the experience and the memories last for a life-time. I've used Open Culture many times on rainy days for their audio books and great educational videos, but recently came across this truly inspiring article. Found on: Open Culture Dedicated teachers often go well beyond the call of duty, sacrificing large amounts of free time for the betterment of their classrooms and their pupils. Any teacher who’s ever paid for supplies out of their own pocket, then spent the weekend constructing an elaborate bulletin board display, will appreciate the herculean efforts of Sarah Ellen Harding Baker. Baker, a teacher and astronomer in Cedar County, Iowa, is rumored to have spent 7 years embroidering a beautiful appliquéd quilt to use as a visual aid in lectures. Finished in 1876, the quilt is large enough that even a near-sighted student could see its planets and moons from the back row. Orbits are indicated with silken threads against a black background. A comet in the upper left is thought to be Halley's Comet, whose last appearance would have been in 1835, 12 years before Baker’s birth. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where Baker’s quilt is housed, notes that astronomy was deemed an acceptable interest for 19th-century women, which may explain the number of celestial-themed quilts that date to the period. Author and quilt historian Barbara Brackman includes a few on her Material Culture blog, while her Historically Modern blog visits some more recent examples, including one that makes use of a stars-and-earth hot-iron transfer published in Good Housekeeping magazine, to accompany an article celebrating the winners of its 1939 World of Tomorrow Quilt Contest. Baker got just ten years out of her quilt before succumbing to tuberculosis at the age of 39, the mother of 7 children, 5 of whom survived her. As always, for homeschooling ideas go to Blossom Learning. Happy homeschooling! Less Is More...
Sometimes, less is more. I'm talking about academic help for kids with learning differences or delays. I started reading to my daughter as an infant and she always loved stories. We read together every day and as soon as she was old enough, she begged for more. She began school in a Waldorf preschool class and continued into the Grades from there. When she was in 3rd grade her teacher became concerned that her reading skills were not progressing as quickly as her fellow students. She suggested tutoring with a Waldorf specialty teacher. She met with the tutor twice a week, missing class time to do so. By 5th grade she was not showing improvement. In fact, her abilities seemed to have declined. To make matters worse, she was refusing to read! She would cry and fight any time she was asked to do any reading. I continued to read to her, despite people telling me she should be reading to herself. I just didn't want her to be without her precious stories that she loved so much. The specialty teacher said it was time to have her evaluated for learning disabilities. We took her to Psychologist for an evaluation. He diagnosed Ella with ADD and Slow Processing. She was reading at barely a 3rd grade level. He said even with "major intervention" and drugs we would be lucky to get her to 6th grade reading level by High School. Obviously, this was alarming news. After consulting with numerous doctors, we were advised NOT to introduce drugs. So, we upped her tutoring time at school and tried to drill her a home. All of this resulted in a miserable kid who hated to read. She started becoming ill at school and frequently needed to be picked-up before lunchtime. She dreaded going to school. That was when we made the decision to homeschool. I decided to take the pressure off and let her listen to all the audiobooks she wanted. I read to her every day and we plowed through book after book. Her love of stories had not diminished. I found a very patient and kind reading tutor that had experience working with children with learning differences. She started Ella off with science articles on animals she was interested in. She came once a week for one hour. This was the only time she was asked to read. Ella is in 8th grade now and is reading at a 10th grade level. Her tutor just recently said she's finding it difficult to challenge her. She still reads slowly and prefers audiobooks over reading to herself, but her skills are there, and her comprehension is off the charts! I truly believe this is all due to lack of stress from the school environment. There is support and help available to you and I'm happy to share my experience in seeing this approach work for many children just like your own. As always, for homeschooling ideas go to Blossom Learning. Happy homeschooling! |
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