Kathleen Desmarais

Finishing up History Odyssey MT2 guide. The course is written, maps are done, and worksheets finished. Feedback is steadily coming in from reviewing families. What is taking me so long is a huge learning curve with “style sheets” in Adobe InDesign. In a moment of insanity, I decided it would be a great idea to “pretty-up” HO. Make it not look like “something created by an amateur designer on a home computer.” (Even though it is.) What I failed to consider is the fact that I will now have to go back and change all the existing HO courses to now match this new design. (I have a bad habit of making more work for myself. Apparently, I don’t think I have enough to do.)

So I had Michelle from Michelle M White Designs create me a new layout using InDesign style sheets. She created what I think is a lovely and not too school-like design (see below). All I have to do is simply place the text into the design. Yeah right! Simple for someone who knows what they are doing, maybe. After three weeks I am only on lesson 32 of 99 and still have all the maps and worksheets to do. Michelle graciously offered to do this for me, reminding me that she could have it done in just a couple of days (rub it in, Michelle). But I need to LEARN this stuff. With every new project, I try to learn at least one new skill. This is how homeschool publishers stay in business: Doing as much as they can themselves. So as I struggle through this update, I am learning new skills that will save Pandia Press (and ultimately you, the customer) lots of money now and in the future. I hope you like the new design.   

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I finally received an email back from someone at Kingfisher. It’s from an editorial assistant. I don’t beleive she is a decision-maker, but it was great to hear from someone. And she does seem to actually care:

Dear Kathleen,
    Thank you very much for your email regarding the status of Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. Unfortunately, I am unable to give you a definite answer regarding whether the book is going out of print of not. This is because the matter has not been decided, but will be by the end of February.
     I’m sorry to keep you waiting for an answer, but please be assured that as soon as a decision is made, then I shall email you to let you know. The book is currently available on Amazon if you did want to purchase some more.
     Many thanks, and apologies once more the delay.
Lizzie Yeates

Lizzie Yeates
Editorial Assistant
Kingfisher
The Macmillan Building
4 Crinan Street
London N1 9XW

She is correct about Amazon having Kingfisher. Last week Amazon reported they only had 2 Kingfishers left in stock (which I purchased) and then the very next day they were fully stocked again–hmmmmm. And this is a book that even the publisher doesn’t have in stock (naughty, naughty Amazon).

So I guess we will have to wait until maybe March to hear the news. Meanwhile, on I write….

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Thanks to all who have emailed me giving support to continue writing Modern Times (level two). Yes, I will continue! But I won’t be publishing a print edition (only the eBook) until I am sure Kingfisher History Encyclopedia is back. And there is good news on that front—the Kingfisher line has been bought by MacMillan. This just happened. Last week the Kingfisher page was on the Houghton Mifflin site, now it’s moved to MacMillan. AND they have KFH history listed as “on backorder” not “out of print.” While this doesn’t mean they are going to print more, it certainly provides a ray of hope. I have emailed MacMillan and even this guy. His name is Angus (I love that name) Killick and he is the new associate publisher of Kingfisher effective 5 days ago. He will be in charge of all U.S. publishing of Kingfisher titles. I emailed his facebook (only email address I could find) but if I get a better email address for him, I will post it. I encourage others to email MacMillan and request they consider republishing KFH. Let them know how much it means to you. When I get a good email for Angus Killick, you can email him too. Maybe we can pressure them into it!

But for now I will get on with the eBook edition of MT2. I can even feel the wind coming back into my sails. I am working on one of the last lesson that deals with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. This has been an interesting and challenging lesson to write. It is not only history (going back to ancient times and the Diaspora, and more recently back to WW II when Britain turned the issue of Palestine control over to the U.N. and they partitioned Palestine into two states: one Jewish, one Arab), but it is also a current event that makes the news every week. We don’t have the advantage of time to effectively analyze this event. I am considering having students debate the issue from one side. Creating a great opportunity to introduce debating techniques. Or analyzing the event as a current event. Or maybe just make a point-counterpoint argument where I’ll provide the points and the student provides the counterpoints.

The family is doing just fine. We have had GREAT 70° weather. (That is a stab to all my friends and family who have been freezing up north, including my brother who works at his desk with a heating pad on his back!) So we have been outside a lot, practicing unschooling and “living in the moment” as I call it when we don’t get our school work done. I am taking Charlie (7) to The Magic Kingdom on his birthday this weekend because you can now get in free on your birthday and we have to take advantage of all these opportunities. Sarah got her photo shoot pictures back. They are beautiful but it is a little shocking to see bikini pictures of your 15 year old! She is also busy entering drassage horse riding shows. Chris got a new computer for Christmas has been attached to it since. Charlie recently rehabbed a bunny back to health. Gracie is, well, Gracie. All I can say is that it’s a good thing for her that she is so cute.

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Kingfisher History is out of print! I’ve known this for awhile, but I’ve been in denial, or a state of wishful thinking. One of my vendors called me many weeks ago and told me she could not get any more copies. Well, I thought, that happens sometimes. Quite often when a publisher is going to reprint a book or make other changes, the book will be temporarily unavailable. Even when I checked online and saw OOP mentioned on several sites, I still thought little of it. Surely that just meant this edition is OOP, but soon there will be news of the new edition. Kingfisher does get updated about every 4 years. So I tucked it away and continued working on Modern Times 2. I even commissioned the cover from the fabulous Jana Rade at Impact Studios. 

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Well now it’s time to take the blinders off and wake up! KINGFISHER IS OUT OF PRINT! Holy cow! Holy, holy cow! This is huge for our History Odyssey line. I read SWB’s post about having to rewrite a few entries in the new edition of The Well-Trained Mind because of the KFH mess. If only it were that simple for Pandia Press! A few entries—I’d take that and be thankful! For me it means the possibility of rewriting (completely rewriting) 4 courses! That’s four full years of curriculum affected. I always knew when I started HO, that the format made the course dependent upon other publishers and the availability of other books. I took on this risk willingly, thinking I could always make adjustments in rewrites. And in fact we have experienced some disappointments with books going out of print. Most recently was The Usborne Internet-Linked Viking World. I had to offer web links as research alternatives since there is not a good middle-school level replacement for this book. And it appears that Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors may be out of print or just on hold, not sure yet. But all of these we have taken in stride and although they caused a few extra days of work, it’s nothing I couldn’t handle. Until now.

HO level 2 is dependent on KFH. And to continue publishing it is akin to manufacturing canoes when no one is selling paddles. I’m not saying uncle yet, but I am seriously considering the options, and there aren’t too many—continue publishing the book and pull from the customer base of those who either already own the book or can get a hold of a copy from used-book sellers, rewrite the courses, or let it go.

I am about three lessons and half a dozen maps away from completing Modern Times 2. I am torn whether I should finish it or not. And I was looking forward to writing teacher guides for level 2. I am considering finishing MT 2 (since I am almost done anyway) and making it available as an eBook only. I would like to wait a few months and see what happens with KFH before making any decision on the series. I am hearing conflicting reports that perhaps Houghton Mifflin sold the Kingfisher line, which would be fabulous since HM appears to have totally screwed-up their financials.  

I just can’t fully believe at this time that KFH won’t come back in some form or another. It is too popular a book. Honestly, I don’t know a homeschooler that doesn’t have a copy. I am anxious to hear customer opinions on this. Perhaps I’ll run a poll soon. In the meantime, print copies of level 2 are still available (I have LOTS of copies still) from our vendors and of course the eBooks are still around.

  Ah, time to think of something else, this is very depressing. I’m off to make carrot cake. Cake—the cure for just about everything! 

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Sorry I haven’t posted lately. 5 months since my last post! That’s really bad.

Pandia Press Update – Chemistry (1) is finished! Well, almost, it’s finished as far as the writer and myself are concerned. It is in the hands of the editor. And then the printer. It is scheduled to be ready in March (the eBook hopefully in Feb). It is an extraordinary book! It turned out so much better than I envisioned. I know you will LOVE it! You can view a sample online now at www.pandiapress.com . (Part of the Try It Before You Buy It offer.)

Speaking of which, you can now try out all Pandia Press courses before you buy. The first several lessons of each course are available as eBooks at Pandia Press. Hopefully this will answer a lot of questions. It seems the sample lessons that we had online were just not enough. So now you can go ahead and start a course. If it works, great! Just purchase the rest.

Modern Times (2) is almost done. I have several families reviewing the course. I plan to have it available in March as well. (The eBook may be sooner.) After that, I will focus on writing the very much requested Teacher Guides for level 2. The teacher guides will contain tests, suggested answers, and much more. I think they will be a nice addition (although not completely necessary) to the level 2 books.

Let’s see, what else… Oh! R.E.A.L. Science is now called R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey (RSO) to further delineate from similar-sounding courses. (That’s all I will say about that, although I wish I could say more.) And I have a writer for a high school American history course.

Physics (1) and Biology (2) are well under way. So is an art history course. And I am currently reviewing several submissions for a literature-based language arts program. Hopefully I will secure a writer for that soon.

The Desmarais Family – Still “victims” of the current economy and our new house is on perpetual hold. Small amounts of tinkering going on but nothing substantial. 

My oldest daughter has the fashion bug. This is something that both thrills me and saddens me. Sarah is a smart girl. She is an extraordinary writer and can read classic literature like it’s Dr. Seuss. But she wants nothing to do with academics. (Confession time here. Yes, the daughter of a classical education Mom is not academic, (sigh) you can only lead a horse to water.) She wants to be a fashion designer, and a runway model! This has been her dream since she was 5. So, finally I conceded. And it turns out she just might be successful at it. The model agencies were very smitten with her and she had her first photo shoot last weekend. Here is my picture of her, I will post some professional ones when we get them.

I am really happy about one aspect of this though. Sarah has a level of confidence that I could only dream of having at 15. Like her, I was tall at a young age (started at 5′8″ and was 5′10″ before high school was over). I was HORRIFIED by my height in school. It was not a good thing to be taller than most all my classmates, especially the boys. It is the reason I still struggle with poor posture, the product of 4 years trying to look shorter than I was. But because Sarah is homeschooled, she has never had to feel that negativity. And since she is wanting to be model, she was THRILLED when she finally reached 5′8″ and her shoe size jumped to 9!

Another unexpected benefit of homeschooling!

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We start school tomorrow in my house. This is my favorite time of the school year! the beginning. I get all excited gathering materials (especially art materials–I love new paints, markers, pencils, crisp white paper). The anticipation of the school year really gets me gitty. I have all the school books neatly stacked with the spines still stiff and new schedules posted on the fridge. I think about all we are going to learn, all the neat field trips we will take, my darlings sitting around the table filling their minds with great things. (Hey, a Mom can dream.) Ahhh! I take a moment to enjoy it…….

Because I know in about 4 days it will be all out the window–pencils broken, marker set down to three, can’t find the scissors, can’t find my math book, I really hate this writing course, this schedule is not working for me, do I really have to read this? And we will settle down into something more realistic. But it’s all good. It rarely goes the way I plan it but my kids always end up learning and have a great time.

This year we will be taking a trip up the east coast to visit Williamsburg, Washington DC, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Lancaster CO., and NYC. I have been planning this trip for two years to coincide with our study of early American history. I remember taking this trip myself when I was a kid and really enjoying it. What a great opportunity we homeschoolers have to experience history this way. It’s not just about text books, but really seeing where it all happened. I am especially looking forward to the reenactments at Williamsburg.

We just finished our last science co-op class today! That has been great fun. Our group dwindled a bit from about 12 families down to 6 core families. The smaller group has been much better. (I highly recommend it.) Today we ended with making the Plant Parts Salad and had a pizza and pool party to celebrate.

With Pandia Press, I am still hard at work formatting Chemistry (1) and writing Modern Times (2). With MT2 I have recently spent weeks trying to write a series of lessons about socialism, communism, fascism, and Animal Farm. OMG – try doing an internet search for socialism or communism. It’s really difficult to find straightforward, unbiased, history information. You end up getting sites like Marxist teens, communists unite, score with the socialists.(OK, I made all of those up, but it was something like that.) Wow! I didn’t realize how many groups out there actually think Karl Marx and Lenin had a good idea that could work here in America. I guess they have never heard of Stalin or China. So now you know how I feel about it, I’m a Capitalist girl. But I try very hard not to let that show in the course. I actually think communism is a good idea on very small scale. I mean, I would love to live with a group of families, sharing resources, community garden, watching my kids for me, sharing chores, everybody equal, sharing property rights, nobody getting ahead . . . wait, how would that work? Maybe it’s not a good idea AT ALL.

I’ll let you all know how our first few weeks of school, our trip, and the communists turn out.

Kathleen

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I’ve been putting off this post. You see, I don’t like being late. Okay, that’s an understatement. In fact it is my biggest pet peeve–running late and waiting on others who are late. When I was in college, I would rather have skipped a class than show up late. I once broke up with a great guy simply because he couldn’t ever seem to get anywhere on time and I knew that was something I couldn’t live with. I don’t go to drive-throughs when there are a lot of people in the car because I get anxious knowing the person on the other end is waiting for us to get our order together. So now with great anguish I have to say– I am running late. Middle Ages (3) and Modern Times (2) will not be published this year–there I said it, uuggg! They say you are suppose to feel better when you can admit the truth, but I don’t feel better at all. I know there are many who are waiting on these courses, many who have planned their next school year to include these courses. I am really sorry to disappoint those people.

So what happened? Well, several things. But mostly I just took on too much (maybe you can relate?) I am trying to get out all the eBooks by the end of summer. Each eBook is taking about 50 hours to format. So that’s 11 courses x 50 = 550 hours staring at a computer screen. At one point, somewhere between Ancients (2) and Ancients (3), my left hand became stiff and numb and I couldn’t type for a week. Also I have been very busy formatting Chemistry (1). The great writer of Chem 1 has finished in record speed and now it’s up to me to get it published. There has been such a huge demand for chem 1 that I have put it on a fast track. Then there is the fam. My eldest is starting high school this coming year and it would not be an exaggeration to say that I am terrified. And when I get worried, I plan. So we have her courses carefully laid out, a notebook compiled that would impress any college board, and every hour scheduled. (Luckily for me, my daughter enjoys this level of structure and is actually looking forward to being graded for the first time). At the other end of the spectrum, is my 1 1/2 y.o. If you have read my posts before, you know what she is like. Never before have I met a child who can scale kitchen cabinets and will push around furniture, stack it up, and reach whatever I was sure was out of reach. Then there are the two boys in the middle who I feel never get enough attention, what with their sisters hogging it all. Then there’s our house on the market, not selling but still needing to be “show clean” all the time –you get the point. I’m too busy, just like many home schooling moms.

So I am moving the release date for MT (2) to 2009, hopefully early 2009. I don’t have a date for EM (3). But the good news is, Chem (1) and Physics (1) and maybe even Life (2) are also scheduled for 2009. So just because there hasn’t been anything brand new coming out of Pandia Press for awhile, please know that I am working, probably harder than I ever have.

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I know it’s been awhile since I last posted. But while it’s been quiet here, it’s been crazy everywhere else for Pandia Press. So much to tell…

As you know, I have been on a quest to get more science books written. Well in my zeal, I secured not one, but two science writers! I can’t say enough about these two great ladies. They not only have the background, time, and strong desire to write the courses, they have firsthand experience with homeschooling and the talent to capture your children’s attention and make science fun. The courses that are being produced are exceeding all of my high expectations. These will be far from fluff courses. Serious, core science topics are taught and presented in a way that even the most science-phobic Mom will look like she knows it all! In the works are chemistry, physics, and biology. (Go ahead, dance around the room, I’ll wait.) Awesome isn’t it? That’s all the info I can give right now. No release dates yet but I promise that as soon as I know, you will know. It’s always been a feast or famine situation with REAL Science, and now it appears dinner is served!

In between writer contract negotiations, I have managed to release the first three Pandia Press eBooks. History Odyssey Ancients 1, Ancients 2, and REAL Science Life are now available as eBooks directly from Pandia Press. The history eBooks have been very popular, the science a little slower but it was just added. I am curious to hear customer feedback about how they use their eBooks and which courses are conducive to this format. Next to be released will be Ancients 3 and Earth and Space.

And in between writers and eBooks, I have stolen a minute or two to work on Modern Times 2. I love this time period! The amount of information for good writing assignments is overwhelming. My challenge has been to limit the course to being only a year long and it not taking the rest of your child’s life to complete! I have decided to add a year-long assignment to the course–writing a research paper. This will be a big assignment but there are plenty of instructions, reminders, and help along the way. I want 8th graders to be able to have these writing skills under their belts in preparation for thesis papers in high school and college. I think this course will provide that in a way that is nonthreatening and hopefully enjoyable. I am working my way through Around the World in Eighty Days. This classic by Jules Verne will provide a great overview of Modern Times and world geography. Students will follow along with Phileas Fogg and Passeportout as they circumnavigate the globe by train, boat, and even elephant! What a fun way to learn about different cultures and geography.

I’ll spare you all the personal drama and home-life updates. But they have been happening too. I love my crazy life! It is an honor to be able to provide home school materials to the most fabulous families on the planet and to be able to stay at home with my own fabulous family. “I would stand in line for this!” –Kathleen

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I am in the process of evaluating the marketability of e-books and if Pandia Press publications should be offered as e-books through electronic downloads. These would be offered along side print copies with customers having a choice–hard copy or e-book. Electronic downloads offer several advantages for customers and for publishers.

For customers:

1. No waiting. Instantly receive your book and use it right away.
2. E-books are interactive with live links, bookmarks, and text anchors.
3. Worksheets and maps can be easily printed from your desktop. If your child makes a mistake, no problem just print another one.
4. E-books are generally less expensive and come with no shipping costs.

For publishers:

1. E-books are easily edited. Error corrections don’t have to wait for the next print run.
2. Paper and money saved with less printing (hey, that’s one for the environment too).
3. Higher profit margins due to less cost of production.
4. Affiliate programs.
5. No trips to the post office (always a good thing).
6. No “lost” packages.

There are a few disadvantages:

1. No hard copy to hold and pages to flip through (unless you print it).
2. Customer will have to print worksheets and maps.
3. Reading off a computer screen can be tiresome.
4. E-books are easily pirated and shared illegally with others.

I am also considering offering a seperate Homeschool Tracker file along with each e-book. Homeschool Tracker is popular homeschool scheduling software.

Let your opinion be heard! Please help me with this decision. Do you want to see e-books of History Odyssey and R.E.A.L. Science? Please participate in the poll found in the sidebar.

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Every day I receive emails from customers wondering when the next R.E.A.L. Science book is going to be released. (Actually if I had a dollar for each time I hear this question, I could retire now. O.K., maybe not a dollar, but five would probably do it, I would like to retire well.) The truth is that I don’t have an answer to that question right now. Nobody wishes for another book more than me. But I have not been able to lower my standards or risk my company just to get another book out there. I have spoken to literally hundreds of writers in the last 3 years. I have come close, awfully close, to publishing another book. But something always seems to happen to the writer–serious illness, time conflicts, lack of family support, financial situations, contract disputes, substandard material, etc. You see, it turns out that writers have lives too. Who knew? I have had writers just seem to drop off the face of the earth. (Secretly I think the project drove them insane, but I don’t have the insurance to cover their mental health.) I have had writers who would be great for the program but were unwilling to sign a contract (which is suicide for a publisher). Writing a R.E.A.L. Science book is a REAL commitment. Bad pun, but seriously, it is an enormous undertaking. And I am VERY PICKY. I am not willing to settle for mediocre or biased writing. Home schoolers have enough obstacles to overcome, they need really good curriculum written by a writer that understands and has enough wit to keep their children interested. Don’t you think?

So why am I telling you this? Well, maybe so you will stop asking! Just kidding. I want you to know that I understand–I want it too and I will continue to search high and low for the perfect people and I will not stop until I have found those people even if it is the last thing I do as a publisher. This is my burden and a torch I gladly carry (okay, enough Chariots of Fire). We (the homeschooling community) need good, unbiased, no agenda, REAL science more than any other program. It is the thing we are most lacking. And I know why–GOOD WRITERS ARE HARD TO COME BY. But they are out there–hey, maybe it’s you! Call me!

The good news is that I have had recent contact with a few writers who look very, very promising. I am confident that there will be another book soon. Which one and when? Well, I need to keep some secrets! Stay tuned!

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Update on Kathleen’s journey writing History Odyssey, Modern Times (level 2). A comprehensive world history course intended for grades 7 and up from Pandia Press.

I am behind in writing MT2 (when are writers ever on time?) But I still think I can get it done in time for release this coming summer (albeit late summer). Creating the outline (the sequence) of this course has been challenging. There are so many connections between events and between countries that it is a task to try to separate them all into coherent and manageable parts. I have received many positive comments about the way the other level 2 courses were separated by regions, rather than jumping from one region to another. I am trying to do that with this course, but it has been exceedingly more difficult. Here is the basic outline I am working with now (subject to many changes):

I. An Introduction to Modern Times and the Age of Exploration – a general introduction through geography using Around the World in Eighty Days

II. British Dominance and Colonization – Covers the British Empire from mid 19th century to mid 20th century and its dominance in Africa(along with other European countries), India, Australia, Ireland, southeast Asia, and Canada (Wow, they were everywhere!). Books planned include The Jungle Book and Things Fall Apart.

III. China and Japan – events prior to WWI

IV. The Declining Ottoman Empire and Unification of Europe Prior to WWI (this title is too long) – covers the Ottomans, The Crimean and Balkan wars, the birth of Italy, and unification of Germany

V. North America Prior to WWI – covers the Plain Wars and the American Civil War. Literature- Tom Sawyer and The Red Badge of Courage (or Rifles For Watie)

VI. World War I – I am still searching for good literature for WWI for this age group. (All Quiet on the Western Front will be used in level 3.) Any suggestions are appreciated.

VII. Between the Wars and the Rise of Communism – Covers the Russian Revolution, fascism, Chinese civil war and war with Japan, Spanish Civil War, and the Great Depression. Literature – Animal Farm and No Promises in the Wind

VIII. World War II – Literature – Diary of Anne Frank

IX. Aftermath of WW II – Covers communist China, Italy and the Balkans, The Cold War, and wars in Asia

X. The Middle East- Covers Israel, terrorism, Middle East wars, and the War on Terror

XI. Civil Rights, the Environment, and the Economy – Literature – To Kill a Mocking Bird

Well, that’s the outline as it stands right now. I am sure it will change. I plan to include poetry by Kipling, Tennyson, and others. I appreciate comments or suggestions regarding the outline and the literature. There are a couple of books I am concerned about, I will discuss them in another post.

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