As one of the "web guys" here at Sonlight, I have to keep an eye on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We want people to be able to find our site if they search for "homeschool curriculum" and "curriculum packages" and "Christian homeschooling" ... you get the picture. And so, we try to make sure our pages contain those words so Googlebot can help others find our incredible homeschool materials and support.

Aside: yes, Sonlight's curriculum is really, really good. Sonlight is not for everyone, sure, but if it is a fit for you and your family, it is the best. Not that I'm biased or anything <smile>.

I also try to keep an eye on what others are saying about Sonlight out here on the intertubes. And I keep running into these sites that seem to have taken SEO to a whole new level of insanity. For example, I came across the following blog post today:

Sonlight Curriculum Vendor of total homeschool package

Looks potentially useful. What does it have to say? Near as I can tell, the first bit is about Sonlight, and the rest is not. And even the bit about Sonlight is almost unintelligible:

NotesResources are ranked within each topic the first listed is the useful and the last the least useful, in my opinion. Also offers lots of info on and resources for homeschooling. Catalog downloadable updates for users

Huh?

I poked around the site a little more and discovered that many of the posts appear to be nothing more than textual vomit--that was for you, Melonie <smile>--trying to pass for SEO.

If you find that I ever start doing something that works for machines but is meaningless to you, please ask me to stop.

Thank you.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Stereotypes abound.

They are a fact of life, and, in some ways, vital to our ability to function. Without stereotypes we would be forced to experience everything as brand new, completely unique, and utterly foreign. Every encounter would be a jumble of questions and discovery that would leave us exhausted at the end of the day.

"Will that two-year-old speak to me as an informed adult, or in gibberish?"

"Does the girl ringing up my purchase want a hug, or should I just smile?"

"Does that kid on the skateboard with piercings all over want to be engaged in a conversation about Calculus, or should I keep things 'chill' instead?"

Granted, the child may be eloquent, the girl may actually like hugs, and the skater boy may be very adept at Calculus. In fact, there's even a wildly popular TV show based around building up stereotypes and then taking them apart.

And so, while very useful--and the foundation of quite a bit of comedy--stereotypes aren't always accurate or helpful.

There are many of these less than ideal stereotypes surrounding homeschoolers... and Christians... and as a Christian who was homeschooled and then went off to a Christian University, sometimes I wonder how many of those stereotypes are closer to reality than would be ideal. And how much of a positive impact do I have on others, especially since I know my own foibles and failures all too well? How much real, positive change has my life had because of who I am, what I believe, and what I've been through?

Today I read about a book that seems to provide some interesting insight into the Christian side of things (sorry, it's not really about homeschooling at all). This book is written by a young man raised in a liberal secular home who decided to spend a semester at Liberty University. The review is fascinating enough, but I'm guessing the book will really open our eyes.

Rosslyn Elliott

May all of us--Christian, atheist, homeschooled, public school teacher, or otherwise--learn that we may be wrong about our assumptions and our stereotypes may be off. And may we all embody the good aspects of our particular groups' stereotypes in a way that inspires love and good-will.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Last night was a big night: We finished off one tube of toothpaste and started on another one. ...which my wife promptly squeezed from the center of the tube.

Not that I'm bitter or anything.

The fact that she clearly refuses to correctly use the toothpaste tube doesn't cause that much marital strife.

Really.

Proper Toothpaste Usage

...where was I?

Ah yes.

As I walked to the recycle bin to dispose of the box in an environmentally friendly way, I felt a rather strong desire to keep the box just in case. 'Just think of all the things you could do with that box,' my inner child said to me.

'Like what?' I queried.

My inner child couldn't think of anything precisely, and so the box went into the recycle bin. But as I walked back toward the bathroom--where my wife was mutilating the shiny new tube of paste--I realized that something had just died a little more within me: The belief that raw materials are worth something simply because of the potential they contain; raw materials wait for our creativity to bring them to life and give them purpose.

I still get giddy about a 1'x2' bit of 1/4" flooring rubber, but I no longer keep Mac & Cheese boxes to turn them into burning buildings for a video (unfortunately, my mom caught me heading out the door armed with paper, a box, and matches before I was able to create that scene). I think I've lost something about creative thinking and natural wonder, and I hope I get it back when I'm finally a dad. I remember all the time I had as a homeschooled child that let me create cell phones from plywood and used cap gun caps, rocket ships from bicycle pumps, and castles from toilet paper tubes. A shoe box used to be the perfect foundation for... well... something.

And I've lost much of that, but I think I will need to get it back. For now, I must live vicariously through all of you. What crazy creative things have your children recently done with the "junk"/"treasures" around your house lately?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father