Free Republic

Conservative Christian leaders are outraged at the California appeals court decision last week rejecting a parent's right to educate their children at home. “What has occurred is another egregious decision handed down by a California appeals court that strikes at the very heart and soul of families and their children," said Focus on the Family founder and chairman Dr. James Dobson, in a broadcast Friday. "How dare these judges have the audacity to label tens of thousands of parents criminals – the equivalent to drug dealers or pickpockets – because they want to raise and educate their children according to...

OTTUMWA — Fred Thompson’s campaign slogged through yet another winter storm to get to Ottumwa supporters on Friday. His reward was a packed room at Hotel Ottumwa. The audience was younger than that for most campaign events. It helped that school is out for the winter break. And it helped that Thompson’s visit was in the middle of the day. That was part of what convinced Phil and Constance Cavanaugh to bring their three children. Not that the Cavanaughs follow the school schedule. They home school the kids. “It’s the timing of the event, and he’s my second choice,” Phil...

Huckabee's name is no longer a mystery to Iowa's Republican voters, in large part because of an extensive network of home-schoolers like Roe who have helped lift his underfunded campaign from obscurity to the front of a crowded field. Opinion polls show that his haphazard approach is trumping the studied strategy of Mitt Romney, who invested millions only to be shunned by many religious conservatives such as Roe, who see the former Baptist preacher from Hope, Ark., as their champion. While early attention focused on Romney and other better-known and better-funded opponents, home-schoolers rallied to Huckabee's cause, attracted by his...

“Every child should experience a bloody nose in the school yard. This is simply part of growing up and part of the socialization process.” This statement was made in a legal brief many years ago by an attorney representing the State of North Dakota. He was arguing that education is more than academics. Ignoring the fact that North Dakota’s homeschooled children were doing very well academically, the state took the position that children need to be “properly socialized”—and that proper socialization can only take place in a traditional school setting. The universal need for a bloody nose experience claim would...

FAITH UNDER FIRE Germany silences pro-lifers, homeschoolers, creationists Crime is 'incitement of the people,' court rules in ordering prison term Posted: June 28, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Chelsea Schilling © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com A 55-year-old Lutheran pastor has been found guilty of "volksverhetzung" or "incitement of the people" by a German court and will spend a year in jail after an Erlangen court claimed he made a statement denying the Holocaust suffered by the Jews at the hands of Nazi-Germany during World War II. Johannes Lerle compared Germany's abortion rate of 150,000 annually to the murder of Jews in Auschwitz...

Mother's Day is, to be honest, somewhat of an annoyance. It's manifestly one of those tedious Hallmark holidays wherein everyone is supposed to run out and support the revenue stream of cardboard manufacturers in the name of expressing gratitude to mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone else to whom we might be related. I imagine it won't be long until Sept. 18 is declared Anonymous Sperm Donor's Day, which will probably be celebrated by giving matching card sets to one's two mommies and lighting a candle for dear old anonymous sperm donor, whoever he might be. Mothers are not only important,...

TRENTON, March 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Honorable Thomas Zampino of the Family Division of the New Jersey Superior Court has ordered penal charges against a home-schooling mother of seven. According to a report by Matt Bowman on the website constitutionallycorrect.com, the mother's supposed infraction is home-schooling her children without supervision from the local school board - a right explicitly upheld in New Jersey law. According to the court's opinion, Tara Hamilton is the defendant in a suit brought against her by her recently estranged husband, Stephen Hamilton. Stephen brought the suit in an attempt to force Tara to enroll their...

The 2006 legislative session is over at the House of Representatives in Puerto Rico, and House Bill 2754, proposed to regulate homeschooling, was defeated. Homeschoolers lobbying against it have obtained a great victory and have much to be thankful for. However, it is still alive for the next legislative session due to a last-minute technical move. On Monday, November 6, 2006, H.B. 2754 reached the floor for a vote at 9:30 p.m. Homeschoolers young and old, wearing yellow shirts, had filled the stands of the ancient hall at the Capitol building since the early afternoon hours. The bill was defeated,...

CBNNews.com - HEIDELBERG, Germany - In today's Germany, almost anything goes. Just don't try to teach your children at home. Because if you do, you'll be sent to jail. German parents who want to homeschool have to decide. This, in a western democracy that is tolerant of just about anything, except teaching your children at home. In a little town near Heidelberg, we met members of four German homeschool families who either had already served jail time or were about to be arrested. They are actually German Baptists from Russia. Because of their German blood, they were allowed to return...

Several members of the De Soto Homeschool Group participated in a food drive Nov. 4 for the local food pantry. The group distributed fliers in neighborhoods around town earlier in the week, then went back Nov. 4 to collect the donations. More than 1,200 pounds of food/supplies were collected. "My children thoroughly enjoyed participating in every part of the food drive," Debra Holloman said. "They enjoyed walking through our neighborhood, handing out fliers, meeting people at their doors, and then ultimately picking up donations from our neighbor's porches. "It is so rewarding to see my children enjoying doing something to...

Wichita Homeschool of Wichita, Kan., won out over 29 other teams from five states in the BEST Award category in the Frontier Trails BEST Regional Robotics Competition held Nov. 4 at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, taking the top honors for the second year in a row. Wichita Homeschool also took second place in the robot competition category, behind Ambassadors for Christ Academy of Bentonville. Taking second place in the BEST Award Category was Circle High School of Towanda, Kan., with Lebanon High School of Lebanon, Mo., in third place. In the Robot Competition category, also placing were...

For years, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education had in place a policy that applied to all homeschool graduates who were seeking admission into any Colorado state college. This policy was reported to the Home School Legal Defense Association by homeschoolers who believed it was discriminatory. The policy required all state colleges in Colorado to automatically give every homeschool applicants a 3.0 grade point average—no exceptions. It didn’t even matter if a homeschooler’s high school transcript had a grade point average higher than a 3.0; the homeschool student’s high school transcript always showed a 3.0. This automatic designation of a...

"Had I kept studying at school, I could have learned something else. But I am happy that I could study what I liked," said Kim Se-jong, 19. And he did it all from home. Kim just received early admission to Inha University in Incheon. Kim was a high-school junior when he dropped out, despite his parents’ opposition. Kim was doing well at school, but he thought that the school curriculum was no different from that found at private cram institutes. So he decided to quit and arrange his own study plans, listening to Internet lectures and studying at a nearby...

A government official has shouldered the blame for a brief scare among the homeschool community. Rod Helder, director of the Division of Non-Public Education, allowed his office to send out a letter to homeschooling parents telling them to report to a police station, with their children, for a "review" of their work. "I have to take the blame for what happened here," Helder said. "We have to hold these reviews at places where we can meet at no charge. Usually it's a library, a church, or a local government office." The choice, this year, of a police substation in a...

Sixty homeschoolers traveled back in time for a history lesson recently near Webster Lake on the White/Habersham county line. The children and their parents participated in "Living History - Building a Nation," an event organized by the Northeast Georgia Homeschool Association. The association includes members from White, Habersham, Hall and Stephens counties. Historical re-enactors from the Coalition of Historical Trekkers (COHT) were happy to share their passion for history and demonstrate to homeschoolers the skills American pioneers used to survive. "We want kids and parents to understand that these skills are important," said Veronica Wiese, COHT vice president. Wiese said...

While many children roll out of bed, get dressed, prepare for school and head out the door to the school bus, some children skip the school bus routine and head to the kitchen table for their reading, writing and arithmetic lessons. For Rick and Amy Stacy the decision to home school their children was made before the children were born. “Before we got married, we discussed child reading issues,” Amy said. “Rick’s sisters were home schooling and he really liked what they were doing and that was the beginning.” Parents opt for home schooling for a variety of reasons, some...

For years, colleges have targeted specific groups for admission, from black and Hispanic students to National Merit scholars, to name a few. Now they're reaching out to another growing population: home-schooled students. "We are doing more," said Paul Jones, vice president for institutional research and enrollment management at Georgia College & State University. "We haven't done enough, but I think that's something that we want to change and do better." One of the efforts the university has undertaken is purchasing names of home-schooled students and sending them information about the college, Jones said. "We're going to be much more assertive...

Locally, much of that growth is coming from children who previously attended the region's lowest-performing schools. In the 2005-06 school year, at least 23,455 Indiana families obtained private school numbers from the state -- a voluntary step -- to pull students from schools to try another approach. No ISTEP tests. Often no desks. Sometimes no textbooks. While local districts have seen dramatic increases in the number of children homeschooled, the total is still small: Just 2 percent of students statewide are homeschooled. Locally, families are using parent-designed education to further educational beliefs, pursue religious training or avoid the pitfalls of...

SILVERTON – While rarely completely isolated, traditional home schooled children are often considered different or strange among students in mainstream classrooms However, changes are afoot as more parents break ties with traditional brick and mortar schools and turn to home schooling as a workable alternative. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, these changes are happening at a quicker rate than previously experienced. One study conducted by the governmental agency showed there were roughly 850,000 home schooled kids in 1999 and 1.1 million by 2003. While no data specifically for the Silver Falls or Mount Angel School Districts was...

The Romanian Homeschool Association was established a few years ago by a homeschool father and pastor, Gabriel Curcubet. Gabriel is often referred to by those who support the association as “Gabor.” Gabor has worked tirelessly with Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel of HSLDA, to find a way that homeschoolers in Romania can homeschool legally. Currently, the law does not specifically allow for homeschooling. However, homeschoolers have united with Gabor’s national homeschool association to have a “legal covering.” At this point, the homeschoolers have been left alone since the authorities believe they have accountability with Gabor’s homeschool association. Gabor’s Romanian Homeschool Association...

If there’s a drum beating a cadence for the Coe family, it’s beating double time. Like any family, this is a busy household. But, on top of the expected day-to-day bustle of home life and work, Dan and Nancy Coe have personally assumed the educational responsibilities for their eight children: Sarah, 17; Hannah, 15; Rachel, 13; David, 11; Rebekah, 9; Daniel, 7; Josiah, 5; and Chloe, 3. When do the Coes, who own Handpainted and sell the one-of-a-kind handpainted furniture they create, squeeze in a day’s worth of lhomeschooling? “Between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. on any given day,” Nancy...

Free Republic Homeschoolers’ Forum 2006-2007A spot for homeschoolers on Free Republic to share information First, a big, hearty CONGRATULATIONS to all those students who graduated this year! May you enjoy happiness and success in all of your endeavors. For those of us still working toward that goal, this forum has been a wealth of information. News articles and legislative alerts keep us up-to-date here. Many thanks to Jim Robinson and Free Republic! Last summer, we shared homeschooling advice with each other on this thread. All of the books, curricula, and resources mentioned on that thread – as well as a...

The National Spelling Bee began its first rounds today. All of the action can be followed at: www.spellingbee.com. Also, the championship rounds will be broadcast live on ABC (for the first time) beginning at 8PM EST Thursday evening. I'm placing my guess on Speller #238, Samir Patel, from Fort Worth, Texas. He will be worth the price of admission for you to watch tomorrow evening. He was HILARIOUS last year when we participated in the Bee!

Mitchell Yaksh graduated Saturday in a hand-me-down cap and gown, the valedictorian in a class of one. He was the scholar making the speech, the butt of sibling jokes and the hazel-eyed babe in diapers grinning in the family photos. The diploma he accepted doesn't carry the crest of Mitchell's neighborhood high school. It does have some fancy writing and his name in big letters — Mitchell Luke Yaksh. It's signed by his parents, Michael and Marilyn Yaksh, the principal and lead teacher of Saybrook Christian, the Lilburn home school located in the family den and named after the street...

PRESIDENTIAL HOME-SCHOOLERS"As you probably know, Monday will be Presidents' Day. Originally intended as the celebration of George Washington's birthday, it is now widely accepted as a day to honor U.S. Presidents in general. This special holiday has particular significance to homeschoolers, since many of our Presidents received their early education, either completely or in part, through what would today be known as homeschooling.  Here's the full list of ten:George WashingtonThomas JeffersonJohn Quincy AdamsJames MadisonWilliam Henry HarrisonJohn TylerAbraham LincolnTheodore RooseveltWoodrow WilsonFranklin Delano Roosevelt- The Homeschool Enrichment newsletter, 2/15/06

Alessandra over at Virtue Blog has the story of this year's new American Girl's "Girl of the Year" doll being homeschooled. Alessandra asked whether this was a new highlight for homeschoolers. Compared to Home Schoolers taking home national prizes in the National Spelling and Geography bees, I'll have to say no. Even, in terms of media, its probably not all that big. Jess (the girl doll) is homeschooled with a reason, her parents are exploring Aztec ruins. In that same vain, CBS had a series a few years back with a homeschool family as the lead characters. Promised Land was...

A spot for homeschool families to share advice and offer support as we prepare for the 2005-2006 Homeschool Year Many home-educated children continue their lessons throughout the summer, but we parents often look to purchase new materials and begin new projects in September. In the past, FR homeschoolers started a thread every year to post links and recommend books and materials to each other. I haven't seen that done recently, so I'm creating one here. (My apologies if I missed anything). If there is anything you'd like to recommend to other home educators, please do so: Are there books, CDs,...

WASHINGTON - Texan Samir Patel not only spelled correctly nearly all the words he drew during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, he also rattled off their definitions. But it wasn't good enough. The 11-year-old tied for second in the 78th annual competition Thursday after missing the word "roscian," which means pertaining to or involving acting. He was in a fierce competition, going head-to-head with three spellers for five rounds before making an error. In the end, it was 13-year-old Anurag Kashyap of Poway, Calif., who came out on top with the correct spelling of "appoggiatura," a musical note. Aliya Deri,...

WASHINGTON - Seventh-grader Tyler Curtis says he's never had to worry much about doing well at his studies, and he's not about to start now. That's saying something. Tyler is facing 272 of the country's best young spellers — and the biggest prize ever — at the 78th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee running Wednesday and Thursday. "It would be nice to win," the 13-year-old from Camden, Tenn., said Tuesday. "But I'm not going to get all stressed out over it." His competitors include 145 boys and 127 girls aged 9 to 14, mostly from around the country and U.S....

NEW PORT RICHEY - When Sarah Cheney began excelling in her home school lessons, her parents decided it was time for some accelerated learning at the next level. So they joined what has become a growing trend for home schooled high school students. The Cheneys signed up their daughter for dual-enrollment courses at Pasco-Hernando Community College, an option once reserved for students in public schools. ``She's done well,'' said Richard Cheney, her father. ``She's gotten all A's, except one B.'' Dual enrollment allows teenagers to take college courses while they are still in high school. The credits earned are counted...

Barnes and Noble University is offering a free online course starting May 2, about getting started with homeschooling. I've taken a couple of their courses (not this one), and typically, course materials consist of activities and short readings posted for discussion and opinion. (Of course B&N would like you to buy the recommended books, but you don't really have to. No tests!) The main value is being able to chat with like-minded folks. The course outline is here: http://educate.barnesandnoble.com/educate/bn/home/catalog/toc.jsp?productId=25320

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from a speech given by Kevin Swanson, the executive director of the Colorado Home School Association, at a banquet that was part of Homeschool Day at the state Capitol April 8. One-hundred and twenty years ago, when Laura Ingalls Wilder walked into her one-room schoolhouse, there were no police officers in the hallways, and not a single arrest made the entire school year. A police officer in Colorado Springs recently told me that he makes an arrest a day at a high school in that city. One-hundred years ago, there were barely 3-4 percent...

MYRTLE POINT, Oregon (AP) -- One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music. The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents. Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to...

One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music. The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents. Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to their annoyance that the teacher's...

MYRTLE POINT - One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music. The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents. Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to their...

Homeschool numbers growing, tracking difficultWednesday, April 6, 2005 Denver, Colo. – An outgrowth of the 1960s alternative school movement, homeschooling, is on the upswing in the United States, and a Penn State researcher is trying to piece together a snapshot of the movement where in many cases, states require little record keeping. "Until the 1980s, most of the students kept out of regular schools to be homeschooled were breaking state laws," says JoAnn C. Vender, graduate student in geography. "In research on the geography of education, there are very few studies on home schooling because the data are hard to...

A homeschool group in South Carolina is beginning to raise funds to help defend two of its members – a teenage boy and a mother – who were arrested after a confrontation with a plainclothes police officer at a park. The incident occurred at Simpsonville Park in Simpsonville, S.C. last Wednesday. A group of mothers and children from Upstate Homeschoolers Unlimited were socializing and playing in the park – a common activity for homeschool support groups. After a call came in to police about someone in the park having a knife, a plainclothes policeman rushed into the picnic shelter where...

Vaughn Could Graduate College At 19 POSTED: 1:32 pm CST November 8, 2004 UPDATED: 2:10 pm CST November 8, 2004 KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Homeschooling helped a local girl graduate high school and make history at an area college, KMBC's Natalie Moultrie reported. Charion Vaughn, 15, is the youngest student on campus at Kansas City, Kan., Community College. "They're shocked, telling me I'm lying. And I have to prove it, then they're pretty much impressed," Vaughn said. Vaughn is not only the youngest on campus, but because of her high ACT scores, her college is paid for. Vaughn and her...

Experts Say Homeschooled Children Better Prepared Academically CLEVELAND -- The numbers for home-schooled children are booming. Researchers say it's grown 28 percent over the past four years. But does spending time outside of the traditional classroom hurt their social skills? One of the biggest criticisms of home schooling is that children will lack the social skills necessary to become successful adults. NewsChannel5's Debora Lee talked to two college students who got their elementary and secondary education at home in order to get their point of view on the homeschooling debate. Jon Woodhams is a freshman at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory...

It took Pam Rudolph about six months of consideration before doing something that changed the way her family lives. “It’s not a decision you make lightly by any means,” Rudolph said. When Rudolph’s son, Clay, 13, was in fifth grade, she was concerned about how preoccupied he was with with his clothes and other trends at school. “It really upset him ... It started affecting his grades,” she said. Knowing two families in which the children were homeschooled encouraged Rudolph in making the decision to homeschool her own three children. “I saw how happy their children were,” she said. After...

Generation Joshua director Ned Ryun – son of the track star and Republican Kansas congressman, Jim Ryun – believes homeschool students have the activist traits that make outstanding citizens and leaders because of their hands-on experience in the battle for homeschool freedom. Generation Joshua was launched this spring with the hope of engaging homeschool teenagers in the political process. Student Action Teams Make A Difference The election data for individual counties show that the Generation Joshua Student Action Teams made a significant impact on the election results. Ohio was the key to the 2004 election. Thousands of Generation Joshua students...

I attended the big Bush rally, held yesterday in Westlake, Ohio. I've heard numbers tossed about from 18 to 25 thousand people. My take is it had to be closer to 25, maybe even more. One of the nicest observations I made was that there were many, many young voters - 30 and younger. From what the media keeps saying, all the younger people are going to vote Kerry. It sure didn't look like it from what I could see. Another observation I made (no surprise) was that there were droves of Christian people (Catholics and Evangelicals) and lots and...

YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK Homeschoolers portrayed as terrorists Federally funded security exercise concocts fictitious foe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: September 22, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com In an federally funded exercise to prepare emergency responders for a terrorist attack, a Michigan county concocted a scenario in which public-school children were threated by a fictitious radical group that believes everyone should be homeschooled. The made-up group was called Wackos Against Schools and Education. The exercise in Muskegon, Mich., yesterday simulated a situation in which a bomb on board a bus full of children knocks the vehicle on its side and fills...

This thread is for those who homeschool, those who want to homeschool, and those who support homeschool families. I know that we face many obstacles, and this is a place for support. Let's create a true "haven" for us to gather and discuss homeschooling within our FR home. This weeks topic is: The "S" Word I know that many if not all of us have heard the socialization argument voiced by friends and family. Many of my friends that have recently started homeschooling have been at a loss in terms of what to say or how to handle this....

Summer is right around the corner and family vacations are being planned. We will soon hear the chorus of "Mom are we there yet?" and "Dad I need to go to the bathroom". In honor of the homeschoolers who have worked so hard this year, we are having a beach party! Bring your sunscreen and sunglasses...we are going to get sand in our shorts. :) CurriculumLearn About The Sun NASA Lesson About The Sun Identifying Seashells CraftsFoam Sun Visors Beaded Sunglass Strap Bring Your Sandcastles Home! I am sure that so many of you had more to add to...

I have had many freep mail me about starting a thread just for homeschoolers. Well I am taking the plunge. This thread is for those who homeschool, those who want to homeschool, and those who support homeschool families. I know that we face many obstacles, and this is a place for support. Let's create a true "haven" for us to gather and discuss homeschooling within our FR home. Monday always seems to be the most hectic. I thought if we started this group on Monday that the start of the week wouldn't be so hard to handle. :) So...

TRENTON, N.J. -- Public education bored Tim Haas, so he and his wife decided they were better suited to care for and educate their two sons than the state. But Haas and the thousands of other New Jersey families that homeschool now face what they say is an unnecessary and unfair intrusion by the same state regulators they tried to escape. A bill in the New Jersey Legislature would require home-schooled children to get state-mandated annual physical exams and take standardized tests required of public school children.

Despite the hundreds of calls, e-mails and the lobbying efforts of HEAV and HSLDA, Governor Warner removed our high school option in HB 675 and wrote his own option. Senator Potts, the chairman of the education committee, and Senator Houck, a leading Democrat along with the Lt. Governor, all urged Governor Warner to sign the bill, but to no avail. Governor Warner's convoluted amendment is unacceptable, so we are urging everyone to call their Delegate and Senator Monday and Tuesday to kill Warner's amendment on Wednesday. We only need simply a majority in one house to kill his amendments. Governor...

VA. - An institution that intends to have a significant impact on the future leadership of the country has been quietly growing in Purcellville and will graduate its first full four-year class of students this month. Patrick Henry Bible College is not your ordinary school of higher learning. "The campus is immaculate, everyone is clean-cut and cheerful. The students about 75% of who have been taught at home rather than in schools - are required to sign a statement of faith before they arrive, confirming (among other things) that they have a literal belief in the teachings of the Bible."...

TEMPE - President Peter Likins on Friday tried to dissuade regents from adopting minimum standards of admission for homeschooled students, saying the universities should be allowed to admit them based on their own criteria. But some homeschooled students say a tougher admissions policy, which takes effect in 2006 and grants automatic admission only to students in the top 25 percent of their high school classes, discriminates against students who were educated at home. Those students have no class rank. They want universities to grant home-schooled students automatic admission based on standardized test scores. But Likins said that would create a...