Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Jun. 16, 2011

Homeschool Support?

By Judy

It's summer and homeschool conventions are in the air. I've traveled to four so far this year to represent Sonlight in various exhibit halls. Perhaps because I am reaching the half century mark this year, I found myself comparing this year's conventions and attendees to those I remember when I first began attending conventions some 17 years ago. Reflecting on the differences has made for some interesting conversation with others of my "generation".

I also have the privilege of acting as the program director for a state convention here in the northeast. We will be holding our post-convention recap and strategy meeting this weekend. Each year this meeting causes me to consider the perceived needs and wants of homeschoolers and whether or not we are effectively meeting those needs.

In the "early years" of homeschooling, conventions were eagerly anticipated as an opportunity to gather with others of like-minded thought when it came to educational choices. It was a chance to re-group and be encouraged in the rather unique path you had chosen. There was an almost desperate need to hear that what you were doing was right and good.

Today's conventions seem to be more consumer-oriented. With so many to choose from, most folks have the option of attending at least 2, and maybe 3, within driving distance. In this age of Facebook and Twitter, "virtual conventions" are also beginning to appear on the horizon. Curriculum choices are available to preview online, live chat services offer a homeschool advisor at your fingertips, and homeschool forums, chat rooms and blogs, provide virtually everything that a "skin on" convention has to offer without ever leaving home.

So are homeschool conventions and local support group meetings headed the way of the dinosaur? Will they soon be extinct? I truly hope not. While I believe that technology is a wonderful and useful tool, there is just nothing that meets our built-in need for relationship and encouragement like a homeschool convention (or a support group meeting). As I stood on various convention floors this year and talked with new homeschooling parents, admired their babies and toddlers, engaged in some Homeschool 101 conversation, encouraged them that they CAN indeed do this homeschool thing, and hugged them before they left ... I considered time and time again that nothing will ever replace that eye-to-eye, face-to-face experience that an "in-person" event has to offer. It is worth the effort of finding child care, saving pennies for convention registration and possible hotel stay, and arranging transportation.

A thought to contemplate ... if you're a "veteran" homeschooler as I am, and really feel no compelling need to attend a homeschool convention ... consider how valuable your life experience would be to new homeschoolers just beginning their journey. Give some thought to volunteering or working on your local convention team as a means of "giving back" to those who supported you during the early years of your homeschool experience. I guarantee you it's worth your time and effort.

Still traveling the path ...
~Judy
Sonlight Customer Champion

Tagged conventions, support | 2 Comments

Jun. 15, 2011

Summer Bummer

By Luke

This morning I read about how Erika's family is already missing school. Such a problem to have! <smile>

It's been a long time since I had a summer break. Even when I was finishing up high school, I was creating Science DVDs instead of playing with the friends I didn't have. So I'm reaching back in my mind when I think about my childhood summers. I don't recall missing school because we still got up early to go to swim practice, we still read every night before bed, we still had fascinating family discussions, and I spent a ton of time at my friends' houses (like I did while we did school as well).

But, yes, summer isn't always all that it's imagined to be. The change or loss of routine, the cries of boredom, the heat, the schedule that seems to fill up even more than during the rest of the year... all conspire to bring about a summer bummer.

My suggestion? Grab one of your favorite books--or one that you didn't get to--and read together on a regular basis, like bedtime. Interested in something new and fresh? You could always start reading some of next year's books now, especially if you were thinking of doing a 4-Day program. You could get the 5-Day Core program just to have a couple extra books to read over the summer.

Looking for a few more suggestions? Kelly, Jill and Judy have some great summertime tips:

Are you enjoying your summer? What great things are you planning to do?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged summer | 5 Comments

Jun. 13, 2011

What Good is Christianity?

By Robert

According to a study by Barna Research, 61 percent of twentysomethings who were once active as teens in churches "are now spiritually disengaged."

Why is it that so many young Christians eventually "disengage" from the faith? There are likely a number of contributing factors. One of them may be a lack of facts when it comes to understanding the many positive contributions Christianity has made to the world. Also, with so many contemporary challenges to the Christian faith, from hostile skeptics to competing religious beliefs, many Christians aren't sure how to respond.

With these points in mind, Sonlight recently completed development of What Good is Christianity? This is an exciting and stimulating 18-week, upper-level high school curriculum designed to equip teenagers as they prepare to graduate, pursue college studies, and begin their adult lives. Along with Sonlight's president, Sarita Holzmann, I worked hard to bring together the finest resources to make What Good is Christianity? the best that it could be.

Although the primary emphasis is on the facts of Christian history, noting Christianity's many positive influences, What Good is Christianity? also covers a lot of related ground. For instance, we address criticisms of the so-called new atheists, as well as the relationship between Christianity and the fine arts, literature, science, charity, democracy, social justice, and more.

We've brought together seven wonderful resources (six books and a DVD set), plus our detailed Instructor's Guide that includes numerous notes, suggested assignments, discussion questions, and bonus articles on important topics.

As a father of four homeschooled children, I want to do whatever I can to keep my kids from becoming one of the 61 percent who will ultimately "disengage" from their faith. Are your high school children ready to face the many challenges to their faith? Help prepare them with What Good is Christianity?

Why do you think so many Christian youth eventually "disengage" from the faith?

Robert Velarde
Product Development
Sonlight Curriculum

Tagged Christianity, college, curriculum | 21 Comments

Jun. 7, 2011

Gender Matters in Education

By Luke

Gender is showing up in articles again and again and again these days. The basic thrust of this in vogue idea--which appears to have been around for a little over 50 years now--is that "gender" is more than just your physiology.

Okay, sure. But this idea is no more enlightening than to say that "orange" can refer to a fruit, a color or a non-rhyme-able word. Far more important is to consider the deeper root of the discussion. Are we talking about food or art or creative writing? Similarly, we must unearth what is driving this latest thrust to let our children "discover"/"decide" their gender for themselves.

To me, Storm's parents are simply confusing the issue. While social pressures do affect how we treat boys and girls--often damagingly so--the solution is not to try to mask biological gender. Rather, as Dr. Sax so masterfully explains: We must learn about the innate differences in biology so we can give our sons and daughters equal opportunities to succeed. In fact, I would argue that trying to ignore biological differences will make it harder for a child to develop because the innate differences are not addressed and applied.

The other issue is similarly mislabeled. The roles and preferences of children are not defined by society any more than they are by biology. Both impact the student, to be sure, but personality, opportunity, and aptitude are equally influential. To put such an emphasis on essentially overthrowing one's biology is a mistake. If anything, we should overthrow society's limitations and work within the various strengths our biology gives us as we pursue the things of which we are gifted and blessed to take part.

I've written about Dr. Sax's Why Gender Matters before, but this issue has come up yet again. Dr. Sax champions the point that understanding biology frees us from the assumptions of society. Gender matters in education because if we do not take the time to understand how it influences our lives, we will be limited by our ignorance.

If you have not read Why Gender Matters, I urge you to do so. I was blown away by what I learned. And considering how hot of a topic this is today, now is the time to get the facts.

Have you noticed a recent glut of gender discussion? What are your thoughts and insights?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged education, gender | 3 Comments

Jun. 6, 2011

How Do You Grade?

By Luke

I grew up hearing terms like "80th percentile" and "satisfactory" when it came to my biennial tests. I knew that a letter-based grade system existed, and I quickly realized that--truly--the only grade I should ever get was an A. How could anyone settle for less than an A?

In our homeschool, we did things until we got it right. So, I guess, our "grading" was based on a pass/fail standard where failure was not an option. The concept of being forced to stop learning something so you could be given a mark on how well you did at that moment felt astonishingly myopic. How is that a useful statistic? Wouldn't it be better to master the topic at hand before moving on?

Certainly.

But I was growing up in the privilege of homeschooling where we had the time and freedom to pursue learning at a pace I required. Grades are, in my estimation, a nasty byproduct of mass education. They are the only motivator we can offer. They are the only metric we can measure. Grades are how we compare 30 students forced to move through content together.

The question, then, is: How do we apply this system to homeschooling? It certainly didn't fit with how my family did school.

I know some homeschool families give grades based on effort. That makes sense. So, I'm curious: How do you give grades?

On Wednesday, Judy is going to share about grading and Sonlight. I look forward to seeing what she has to say and how that compares to your insights!

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged grades | 4 Comments

Jun. 1, 2011

My Passion: To Equip and Educate

By Robert

How did a former atheist end up writing Christian curriculum at Sonlight? That's a long story that I can't answer completely in one blog post. Fortunately, every now and then I'll contribute a post here and can fill in details as we go. Let's start with who I am.

My name is Robert Velarde and I serve as a curriculum creator on Sonlight's product development team. I'm also father to four wonderful homeschooled children.

Although my bachelor's degree is in music, after I became a Christian I pursued ministry-oriented interests, being especially interested in anything relating to comparative religions and apologetics—the reasoned defense of Christianity. This resulted in many years of service with Christian ministries, graduate studies in philosophy, and a master's degree in religion. As I matured as a Christian, I had a desire grow to write books—something I've had the joy of doing repeatedly now.

At Sonlight I work with a gifted, creative team of dedicated people. I meet with Sonlight's president, Sarita Holzmann, regularly as we discuss ideas, refine products, edit content, and do the best we can to make homeschooling easy and edifying. One of the products I had the pleasure of working on recently is What Good is Christianity?

My passion is to equip and educate Christians so they know what they believe and why they believe it, and are able to understand and articulate their own perspective, as well as opposing viewpoints. In short, every believer needs to develop their view of the world. A robust Christian worldview is integrated into all of life and is capable of intelligently interacting with any ideas and challenges it encounters.

In future posts I'd like to explore in more detail some of the ideas brought up here. I'd also love to hear from you.

What would you like me to blog about?
Would you like to hear about my life as a homeschool dad?
Do you want to know more about Christian apologetics?
Is some Bible problem or question about your faith troubling you?
What are you doing to equip your homeschooled children in their worldview?

Let me know!

Tagged apologetics, Christianity, curriculum | 11 Comments

May. 31, 2011

Which Direction Does Fire Burn?

By Luke

The fire flickered as the parents talked and the kids played. The father turned to one of his sons and asked, "Does fire burn uphill or downhill?"

The boy paused, considering the question. He tried to remember if he had seen any examples of this happening in life. Had he witnessed a fire on a hill?

His father waited a moment. When it was clear the boy was fixated on the wrong information, he asked, "Does heat rise or sink?"

"Heat rises."

"So if a fire is on a hill, will it go up or down?"

The scene unfolded before me. I'd had similar conversations when I was growing up. But now the beauty of life-long learning struck me anew. 'Is this how most parents talk with their children?'

As a homeschooler, the idea of taking every opportunity and turning it into a discussion or "teaching moment" is natural. Of course fire should inspire us to ask questions about the physics of heat! But does everyone see it that way?

If so, then far more people should be homeschooling because they are already doing it.

If not, then far more people should be homeschooling because of how it changes the way we see the world and interact with our children.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

P.S. I just got my third order from Sonlight: Rosetta Stone Italian. With sale prices this low and a wife interested in linguistics, how could I refuse such an offer? Check out the incredible Rosetta Stone sale going on right now!

Rosetta Stone Italian

Tagged Homeschooling | 2 Comments

Homeschool Support?

Summer Bummer

What Good is Christianity?

Gender Matters in Education

How Do You Grade?

My Passion: To Equip and Educate

Which Direction Does Fire Burn?

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