ARTICLES ABOUT HOME EDUCATION

A new site for us that has many home education articles from a variety of authors is
http://www.home-school.com/Articles/. As a "trained" educator the following article was
especially helpful to me : "Putting the Home in Homeschooling" by Clay Clarkson. It's about
"seeing your home from God's perspective as a living and learning environment." The
"home-centered learning model" he presents includes five areas of focused studies. See
http://www.home-school.com/Articles/phs25-clayclarkson.html.

"Anti-Homeschooling Excuses: Are They Valid?" by Tamara Eaton
(10 common anti-homeschooling excuses that are actually reasons to home educate)
See http://www.chfweb.net/articles/week15.htm

"Seven Undeniable Truths about Homeschooling" by Harvey Bluedorn
(Truth #5 addresses the SOCIALIZATION issue.) See
http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/7_und_trs_hsing.htm. Also read
"A Comparison of Different Methods and Approaches to Homeschooling" by the
Bluedorns at http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/comparison_approaches.htm

"Traditional Christian Textbook Curricula" by Teri Maxwell, May, 2003.
http://titus2.com/corners/5-03-m.htm

"Beating Homeschool Burnout" by Christine Miller.
http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/homeschooling/burnout.html

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and
attended to with diligence." --Abigail Adams, 1780

"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt
their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an
habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition
to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep
in infancy, they will grovel all their lives." --John Adams

"Narration Beats Tests" by Karen Andreola, written in 1993, is an encouraging article
to read. See http://www.home-school.com/Articles/AndreolaNarration.html. Other articles
about testing can be found at http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/010499a.htm

Mississippi law does not require testing; but if you choose to, please use the results wisely.
We do not recommend testing before about age 10. For those new to homeschooling,
building good character and good work habits are equally important, if not more so,
than the academics; and especially for those with older students who have not been
homeschooled before, "reclaiming your children" is paramount. We cannot teach our
children the answer to every question on every standardized test - that is not even our
desire. Our goal is to encourage their "love of learning," to help them develop their God-
given talents and their ability to think and reason, and to give them the tools they will
need to continue to learn throughout their lives.

We highly recommend Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson. In her chapter on
"Building Your House," she points out that loving God and loving people are the two most
important Biblical principles we can pass along to our children. Matthew 22:37-40 certainly
supports that philosophy. "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Since these two are the foundation for
ALL the law and the prophets, Sally concludes that this is how Jesus defines maturity.
To visit her website see http://www.wholeheart.org/

"Education is not measured by (test scores) degrees earned, books used, awards given, or
the esteem of others. While these things can be worthy, the true education of an individual is
marked by taking what has been learned and using it beyond the self. Graduations might be
more appropriately marked by future lives than by dates on diplomas." (or scores on tests)
Selected.

This is NOT an exhaustive list of materials! The things listed are materials
that either we have used or that have been recommended to us by veteran
homeschoolers. Some of the recommendations listed are those other than
traditional textbooks. We hope something here will be a blessing to you.