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Some Blog Business:
Blog comments are beautiful things. ...unless they are from "Anonymous" who is sharing links that are, well, less than ideal.

That is why I have fiddled with Blogger's code and finally figured out how to make Anonymous's comments no longer show up on a post's main page. They will still be in the "Post a Comment" section until I delete them, but at least my blog's posts will be cleaner. Now, on with the post!

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All Things Being Equal, Who's Best?

I was forwarded a link to the August, 2009 NHERI findings summary. There are some interesting stats, but one idea really caught my attention:

There are no statistically significant differences in achievement by whether the student has been home educated all his or her academic life [or] whether the student is enrolled in a full-service curriculum...

There are [marginally] statistically significant differences in achievement among homeschool students when classified by ...amount of money spent on education, ...degree of structure in the homeschooling, [and] amount of time student spends in structured learning...

In other words: It looks like it doesn't much matter what curriculum you use or for how long.

At first that stung. I really want to be able to tell everyone that Sonlight is the shining difference in the homeschool marketplace. I would love it if the study had said, "Students who use Sonlight far and away out-perform their peers." But that's not what the data show.

Thanks for bursting my bubble.

But then I thought about it more: So what? This actually reinforces something I've said over and over again, "Homeschooling is a great option!" And Sonlight, Sonlight is one of the really great options; not because your students will suddenly become smarter, more gifted, test better, achieve great things or outshine their peers. Sonlight is a great option because of the very thing we guarantee:

You will love to teach and your students will love to learn with Sonlight, or your money back.

Your educational outcome will be more-or-less on par with other excellent homeschool results. Sonlight won't be what makes your students succeed. But Sonlight will provide you with a homeschooling experience that you and your family will love.

And if all other things are equal, that's a really big deal.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

P.S. I don't know much about weasel nail clippers, but I do have a bit of experience with trimming rat teeth. Not very much fun. Thanks, Mrs. C, for this blog's title.

I read an interview with Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) in the Costco Magazine a while back. The point that stuck with me was that Mr. Adams says he struggles to remember what topics he's already covered in his strip.

Now, he's been doing Dilbert for 20 years. But as I come up on another year of blogging, I can relate to his struggle ...and I haven't been doing this nearly as long. I'm struck again and again with the thought, "Have I blogged about this already?"

Repetition is fine, sure. But I don't want to bore anyone by repeating myself. If I'm going to say the same thing again and again, it needs to be with purpose, reason and intentionality. I mean, it's okay to repeat an idea... but not if it drives readers away. Yet, I realize that people stumble across this blog from time to time, and I don't want them to miss anything, which is one reason why I repeat myself. But that means I'm being repetitive. And repetition is fine, sure. But I don't want to bore anyone...

<cough>

You get the picture.

Of course, you're not sitting in a cube like me or Dilbert. You're spending your days homeschooling. You're reading incredible books. You're doing fun science experiments. You're relearning math. You're experiencing the joy of life-long learning. So everything is new every day, yes?

No?

Even with all the wonderful books you're reading with your students, life can become a grind. Even homeschooling can feel repetitive. Holiday breaks can be great, but they can also emphasize your routine as well. And that can be disheartening.

So mix it up a bit.

The girls loved listening to "grandpa" and "grandma" read to them while we visited over Christmas. And they're not the only ones. Even college graduates still find joy in Sonlight's Read-Alouds.

If you're looking for something new and different in the coming year--or just feeling "the grind"--then perhaps ask someone else to do a little reading.

It may just make your day and bring a fresh perspective to your homeschooling journey.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Olfactory cues are powerful things. To this day the smell of my parent's leather couch brings me back to several specific titles I read while homeschooled. Campfire smoke trapped in clothing transports me to the woods. Chlorine raises my pulse as I remember preparing to swim the mile at Nationals.

Other smells are even more naturally tied. The scent of a Christmas tree. Cookies and bread baking in the oven. The smell of snow as it approaches on the night air. Wet wool mittens as they dry.

But one smell consistently causes my eyes to well up with tears: My car's heater running at full blast.

Something about that hot, dry air rushing over my face in my frozen car reminds me of "the holidays." I don't know what it is about this time of year but I don't feel a closeness to all humanity. Instead, I feel distant, aloof, alone.

Which is crazy. I'm always with friends and family. We go the church services. We have parties. We eat, drink and are merry.

Perhaps that's the problem.

I'm an introvert and a homebody. Parties don't elevate me. "Catching up" with distant relatives feels forced. The inevitable exhausted drive home in the cold dark nights around Christmas just gets to me.

Night Drive

I love celebrating with my family. I do enjoy the opportunities and connections this time of year allows. I have a New Year's party every year at my house. So it's not that I don't like this time of year. But for whatever reason, the smell of my car's heater reminds me that I often feel lonely too.

Why so glum?

Yesterday I spent some time crafting a couple blog comments. Both have been rejected by the blog authors. One went so far as to slam me for attempting to comment.

I take my position seriously. I love interacting with people on blogs. I am thrilled when I meet a new person.

But some days, much like those cold holiday night drives, I feel alone.

Do you ever get moody near the holidays, or is it just me?

What's your favorite memory that comes back to you when you smell something?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

P.S. I'm not really fishing for positive comments here, but I sure do appreciate them <smile>.

Presents, trees, family and friends, eggnog, reindeer, corny old movies, potentially even cornier music, red and green decorations hanging everywhere, cards from people you've never met, sales, and conspiracy theories.

Ah... Christmas.

I was thinking about writing a series on this, but "the bounce has gone out of my bungee." And I did a series last week, so... yeah. No series. Just a few points that have struck me over the last few weeks.

Twice now I've heard people discuss the things that Christmas "borrowed" from pre-Christian beliefs. Seems to be a rather popular topic this time of the year. And why not? If Christ's birth is merely the conglomeration of myths cut and pasted together, then that sure puts Christianity in a bad light.

Trouble is: While many of the commonly cited religions/mythologies do predate Christ, their ties to Christ don't appear until well after Christ Himself.

Huh?

Winter Solstice has long been celebrated by cultures worldwide. And with good reason: Agrarian cultures are tied closely to the changing seasons. But ties to a Son of God, born of a virgin, later to die a martyr's death and rise again to save mankind... yeah, those all got tied to various mythologies post-Christ.

My mom researched this a few weeks back in response to a letter she received. And my pastor talked about it yesterday. Since it came up twice, thought it was time to pass it along. Fear not: If anything, pagans borrowed from Christians for this one.

On the other side of the conspiracy fence is the group of Christians who decry Christmas because it borrows from pagans. Yep, that's right: Same complaint, slightly different bent. The argument goes that since this is a man-made potentially borrowed from pagans "holy day," we are to avoid it. Much like Halloween, only without the added ammunition of demons and ghouls.

Thus far, I haven't seen anything in Scripture that even hints at staying away from remembering Christ and spending time rejoicing in His goodness to us with friends and family. I've read a few blog posts on this recently, but they have been far from compelling. But, sure: The consumerism is a tad out of control. And it's a pain to find presents for everyone <smile>.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Solstice or nothing, I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter. I do love me a good conspiracy <smile>.

For me, the only question that remains is this: Why do we have so many songs about Christ's birth, but so few about His Resurrection?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Parenting is hard. Homeschooling isn't.

That's my naive view of the moment. What's so hard about reading books together? I do that just about every night before bedtime. What's so hard about drilling kids on their colors and encouraging them to count? No, no... homeschooling is cake.

Parenting is rough! Good grief. Why didn't anyone tell me!?!

...wait... oh, right. You did.

I often giggle along while reading my Other Posts of Note; so many great stories of how parenting is both a delight and a strain. But, come on!

...

You've probably gathered this by now, but yesterday was not a good day.

Not good at all.

Bad attitudes all around (yep, me too). A constipated child (two hours of wailing and gnashing of teeth to get a "poopy" out. ...sign me up¹).

<sigh>

His mercies are new every morning. And that is a very good thing.

Seriously: If you can survive your children till they get to formal school age, homeschooling will be cake.

Cake, I tell you. No lie.²

Okay, sure, I'm sure there will be days where homeschooling is difficult. I know there will be. But posterity is kicking my posterior right now.

Homeschooling is not hard. It's the parenting that's killing me.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

¹Thankfully, my wife handled that. She's a saint.
²This is a joke. A very good joke, I might add. Very funny. To me. Since it's possible you haven't played Portal just take my word for it. Or smile and shake your head. My wife does.