One of the things that homeschooling has the ability to really emphasize is learning everywhere. This certainly applies to historical events--it's the 4th tomorrow and what better time to brush up on some history?

But equally compelling, if not more so, is the historical reason we use fireworks to celebrate the day (guns were involved? Really?). At least, the prospect of explosions was a tad more interesting to me as a youngster than taxes... that may have shifted since then.

...I must be growing up. I think about taxes more than pyrotechnics.

Ouch.

So, as an "elderly chap", what can I do to get back into the spirit of learning? War and struggle for freedoms has become a little too sordid for me as of late, and I while things aren't perfect, I'm not sure it's time to start throwing tea in the lakes of my land-locked state.

Well, I still like fireworks. I could go research what chemicals make the fireworks turn red or yellow or blue. Well, looks like "lithium carbonate", "sodium nitrate", and "copper (I) chloride". Cool. It's been a while since I looked at those kinds of equations.

Or how about physics? If one of the kids on my block lights a 5 gram fire cracker and it goes into the air at a rate of 2 meters/second^2, it would have a force of 0.01 newtons. Not that there'd be a good way to find the acceleration of your firecracker, but it does give a visual representation of what force looks like in action.

So while you're "ooo"ing and "aaa"ing over the noisy light show tomorrow, remember the incredible blessings we experience here in the US, and rejoice in the opportunity and freedom you have to learn at home. And if you get sick of covering your ears to avoid permanent hearing loss, maybe go brush up on sound and the odd world of decibels.

Happy 4th!

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

As I've poured over homeschooling mom's blogs, I kept asking myself: Where does Sonlight fit in all this?

People are using all sorts of homeschooling options, swearing by some and decrying others. There seems to be an equal amount of passion for just about every provider or home-grown learning structure out there. Some like the flexibility of this option, the structure of that; the literature of this curriculum, the workbooks of that one. Someone loves the way this package covers a subject, yet someone else will hate it.

What? How is this possible?

Well, just like me and my siblings: People are very different. So no one thing is perfect for everyone.

In fact, that's the point of several of Sonlight's articles.

But knowing this doesn't really answer the question of: Where does Sonlight fit? Who is the "Sonlight mom"? What does a Sonlight user look like? And then, how do we find these people and tell them about Sonlight so they can enjoy the experience?

My latest idea:

The Three Eggs

Here we have the "workbook", Sonlight, and the "do it yourself/free web" versions of homeschooling. All have their place, their strengths, their weaknesses. Which is why we don't all raise chickens or buy cage free eggs.

I'm tweaking with the script now and thinking about producing a trial video.

We'll see.

I would love to hear your thoughts on analogies you've used to explain the different education options out there with your friends.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I just read an amazing post that made me tear up. Absolutely amazing. A very good reminder that we are not perfect, but there's a reason that's okay.

But I sensed a different theme today since Kristen has already covered grace and forgiveness so well.

Today's theme was businesses, corporations, and the "evil empires" of the homeschool curriculum world. As a member of one of these, and a firm believer in it--not to mention being raised by a semi-heretic--I feel a keen duty to respond. In fact, I already have (and I hope I did so well, winsomely, graciously, and with love and a touch of humor). But now I'd like to more proactively deal with the subject: Sonlight Curriculum as a homeschool provider, company, and business entity.

Sonlight's primary goal is to enable parents to raise their children in the homeschool environment. As my mom has said from the beginning: To keep parents "in the field" one more year. This started with missionaries overseas, but has since morphed to include homeschooling parents everywhere. The goal is to provide a resource that people can come to for materials if they do not have access to them where they are. In that sense, Sonlight is a service. And thus, customer service is a huge priority.

But aren't homeschool companies like Sonlight money-grubbing? I mean, can't I find the books cheaper elsewhere?

Perhaps.

But online book retailers are purely in it for the profit. Companies dedicated to your homeschooling experience do far more. They exist to help you with your success in educating your children, not just selling you a box of books. In fact, every homeschool curriculum provider is also giving you the time and effort it takes to compile and organize the materials, testing, adjusting, and working to make your experience the best that it can be.

At least, that's how it is here at Sonlight. I'm guessing it's true for the other guys as well.

So, yes, Sonlight Curriculum is a business. A business that makes it possible for you to teach your children "The way you wish you'd been taught. Guaranteed." And if it turns out not to be that way for you, please send it back.

Where else do you get a 100% guarantee like that?

You can't if you do it yourself.

Not that you shouldn't do it yourself if you want to. Rather, Sonlight provides a unique opportunity that we want to make as painless to try as possible. We want you to find the right match for you and your kids. If that's not Sonlight, that's fine. And with the guarantee, you can spend half a year figuring that out before you are in any real financial binds.

As a company we can do that for you.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

When I see something that is wrong it really bothers me. And so I am not always as gracious as I should be when dealing with situations.

That's a "growth area" for me.

And so, for me, this whole debate about how much intervention the government should make on homeschoolers has been a challenge. If I was still my Jr. High Self (very glad I've grown up a little since then), I'd be ranting and raving. Now I only do it when I get home and start talking about it with my friends and family <smile>.

But a post by Milton Gaither gave me a moment's pause. Not because it changes my opinions at all, but because it casts light on my thoughts in a slightly different way, which may help explain things a little better.

The post, and the linked article, is about American Muslims homeschooling.

How do you feel about that?

To be honest, there's a slight discomfort associated with that idea; similar to when a couple of "punks" (local teenagers) stop on the sidewalk in front of my house for a few minutes ['What are they up to?']. But like the kids in front of my house, the majority of Muslim homeschoolers are not doing it for any ignoble purpose. But this becomes more of an issue because there are many similarities to the Christian homeschooling community, as Mr. Gaither points out.

So, should the government step in to make sure there is no "unfettered" "anarchy" (or even terrorism) going on? I mean, we sure don't want any abuse to be happening any more than we would like someone to blow up a bus.

But this is where the argument falls apart.

Of course no one wants to allow parents to abuse their children! Of course we don't want terrorists to run rampant. No one is arguing that we should.

But is the government the right "person" for the job? Should we sit back and let "the government... protect us"?

No.

Because if we do that, we make way for what just about every single utopian-society-gone-bad movie or book out there warns us against: Totalitarian government.

It is bad to leave people to their own devices without any kind of outside influence, sure, but it is even worse to let a government (made up of people) do the same.

But what of our checks and balances? We have those in place so our government won't become totalitarian.

Yes, in theory. But if we let them start dictating things for us, we should not be surprised when we end up in a dictatorship.

I will leave you with a brilliant quote: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

This blog has been in flux. That's not surprising since I just started it last week. (Sorry to all of you who tried to access the blog last week while we were fighting with the URL and ISP.)

The latest change: I just added a fun little Facebook icon over on the right there.

Am I actively promoting Facebook? No, but I will say that even my mom has started using it to keep herself connected with my little brother while he's away at college. This is important.

An interesting article from "Digital Directions" talks about how kids in school are getting busted for posting pictures of themselves drinking and such online. There is also a lot of online bullying going on as well.

So, wouldn't you like to know what's happening to your kid out in the world? If your child is using Facebook, Myspace, has a blog, or is active anywhere online... ask him or her to become your friend and add their blog to your RSS reader. It's just one more way you can stay "up" on what is happening in your child's life.

And if you have trouble figuring out this whole "social networking" thing, ask questions. Your kids may roll their eyes, but your active interest in what they are up to is important to them. And if you get really stuck, you can always post a question here. I'm happy to help <smile>.

And while on the topic of things I've put over on the right, I don't want to be redundant with the "Other Posts of Note", but Lyn Newton just said that "teachers should be parents." Of course, as a public school teacher she is advocating parents becoming teachers in the school system, but she's right: Parents should be teachers... you've already been one.

Tomorrow I will tell you about something I just learned about on Sonlight.com. It's way cool.

Oh, the suspense!

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I got a call yesterday from our adoption agency with news that since most people in Kyrgyzstan think all Americans are movie stars and have millions of dollars, we would not be eligible for any kind of discounts if we adopt more than one kid. 'That shouldn't be a big deal,' I thought. 'What kinds of expenses are there?'

So, I asked.

"Well, you'll need $12,000 for this... $6,000 for that..." and on and on it went.

In the end, it is estimated that we'll need around $50K just for the Kyrgyzstan fees. That's not including the fees we've already paid, travel, food... oh man. And if someone had told me that it would cost around $75,000 to adopt three kids, I don't know if I'd ever have started. But now that we've filled out half the paperwork, signed a bunch of checks, seen pictures, and really felt like this was something we're supposed to do, we're going to keep moving forward ...and apply for a few grants <smile>.

And this is easily applied to homeschooling.

[NB: I sincerely hope that no one gets sick of me drawing parallels between the two because I have a feeling that I probably will do so often since they are both such a big part of my life experience]

I've been trying to discover the reasons why people do and do not buy from Sonlight for their homeschool curriculum. Cost is the big reason, so when they look at the price they immediately write it off: Nope, can't do that.

But we need to move beyond the cost of things and look at their value. How much is it worth to adopt children? How much is it worth to teach them?

And so someone suggested that instead of starting with the price, start with the value. For me, adopting three beautiful children is an immeasurable blessing, and homeschooling them will be the same. And with Sonlight Curriculum we will build a library of fantastic books that my kids will be able to enjoy their entire lives. I know I still love many of the books I read growing up with Sonlight.

Some Sonlight Books

Much like college, only far more intimate, the opportunity to homeschool your children is a worthwhile investment. And there is value in it.

I realize that finances are a real hurdle for some of us (and with this adoption thing, boy, do I ever understand that), but if this is what we should be doing--and the amazing value of it seems to say that we should--then the price is merely a hurdle to get over, an obstacle to overcome, and not a barrier that stops us.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Melanie Hubbard, a public school teacher who used to teach at the collegiate level, has an amazing article on the failures of the public school system. The article is well worth at least skimming for the details that interest you. But what stuck out to me the most was the beginning of the last paragraph in her article:

"I can't do this. I can't parent 150 kids a day, much less educate them."

This reminded me of another post where a public school teacher accosted a homeschooling mother and asked how she could handle so many children.

"How many children are there per teacher in the schools?"
"Thirty."
"Well, I have fewer children to watch than a teacher."

Brilliant.

But the bigger issue is this: Public schools are required to take on the role of parenting. In fact, that seems to be the entire goal of the German school system. School is just as much about teaching values and caring for kids as it is about the three "R"s... maybe more so.

And that's why the system is failing.*

Homeschooling is not for everyone, sure, but it seems equally true that the public school system should not be for anyone as it currently exists. Melanie says it really well:

I believe in a level playing field for all, and it irks me that some can pay for what all deserve. ...I am unaccountably in tears — tears, I decide, of outrage.

She is talking about private schools that not everyone can afford. But the same is true of homeschooling. Many people just can't afford it, due to a lack of time or money, or both. Or perhaps, as Ms. Hubbard seems be, they may have yet to be shown how viable homeschooling really is.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

*I realized as I wrote this line that it would require a blog post of its own. I will post that tomorrow. And as for Ms. Hubbard's desire for a "level playing field"... it's just impractical. I agree that we should all ideally have loving, nurturing and involved parents, but that just isn't going to happen. So even here, the benefits of considering your involvement in your child's education, even in a school system outside your home, point toward homeschooling.