Kathleen Desmarais

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

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

Fifty Years of Math 1957 - 2007

1. Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok. )

6. Teaching Math In 2007

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho

This time of the year, when I pay our property taxes, I always have to fight the urge to scream! This year my husband and I are paying over $2100 in the form of property taxes directly to the public school systems in two different counties. And that’s just the property taxes. In Florida, school systems also get a share of sales tax, impact fees when building a new house, and of course the lottery. (By contrast, we are only paying $11 for parks and less than $500 for emergency services.) I really resent paying all this money to the school system. All I can think about is what I could do with that $2100 for my own kids this year. People who do not have school-age kids, or those who pay for private school might get equally aggravated. I do not buy the argument that public education is everyone’s burden! I believe that if you brought a child into this world, then you are responsible for that child’s education, not everyone else who dares to own property. And why is it the property owners who bare this burden? Is there a punishment for owning property–You must then make sure everyone gets an education, even if it is a bad one?

There is so much waste in school systems. IMO schools get way more money than they need. The system in Florida is so top heavy and full of bureaucracy and waste. For example, I operate an umbrella school in Florida in which a few homeschooling families are enrolled. We do not have a school building; each family teaches their own children, in their homes. But in our state, umbrella schools are considered private schools just like a traditional brick and mortar school. So I get all of the mail that any school in FL receives. About 10 times a year I receive a huge box that has been overnighted to me, like it is some big emergency, that is full of about 50 full color, very expensive posters that I am suppose to hang up on the walls of my “school” and several hundred color brochures to pass out to my “students.” I can’t even image what the cost of these packages must be. I have called, emailed, and written the school system begging them to stop sending me these boxes, but to no avail.

I don’t think it would be too difficult to determine which property owners have kids in the public school system. These are the families who should be paying this tax. At the very, very least, I should be able to deduct from my taxes the cost of materials I buy educating my own children. It only seems fair, since I am paying for my neighbors’ children’s education. I think that those who pay for private education for their children should also be able to write off tuition costs.

Oops! I think my Libertarianism is showing!

Yesterday I posted an entry advocating block scheduling for homeschool. While I still believe it to be a good option for homeschool, I am aware that block scheduling has its opponents. Block scheduling has been tried in public schools with varying degrees of success. It has become popular in public schools in Canada and the United States (especially in Virgina, North Carolina, and Colorado). Testing of public school children has indicated mixed results with regards to the success of block scheduling. But as with most things, comparing the home school environment to the public school environment is synonymous with apples to oranges. I hesitate to take any reviews of public school block scheduling to heart, whether positive or negative. The environments and circumstances are just too different. Take, for example, some of the reasons public schools try block scheduling–less time in the hallways means less opportunity for kids to get in trouble, less papers for teachers to grade, and fewer behavior problems means fewer detentions. While this is great for public schools, it hardly correlates to the home environment. Listen to this criticism of block scheduling in public schools:

My experience is that when motivated students are hungry for knowledge and are being fed by a motivated teacher, a class could continue for hours and still be effective. But the realities of public education make this an unrealistic scenario. Typical students already have difficulty maintaining interest over a 50-minute class. — Jeff Lindsay

So, in other words, public school students have already lost a love of learning so why would they want their classes to be longer? Get in and get out is much more appealing! In my experience home schooled students like to learn and the opportunity to spend all day delving into a subject without interruption can be very rewarding and effective. While I have not engaged in standardized testing studies of the effectiveness of block scheduling (don’t get me started on my opinion of testing); I know my kids still remember a great deal of information from subjects we blocked over a year ago.

Also the type of block scheduling used in public schools is quite different than the schedule I proposed for homeschooling. The type of block scheduling used in public schools is generally called “accelerated scheduling” or “4×4 blocking.” With this schedule students study 4 blocks at a time with four 90 min. classes each day. Then there is the “alternative block schedule” or “A/B blocking” in which students study six to eight blocks at a time, alternating days with three to four blocks studied on one day and the others studied the next day, alternating each day. Personally, I think this is still too many subjects and contradicts the benefits of block scheduling. And a 90 min. period is not long enough to get fully immersed in a subject and participate in major projects. I suggest only one or two blocks be studied at a time. Also in public school blocking, no subject is exempt from blocking. Math, foreign language, and even music are blocked. The president of Saxon math had this to say about blocking:

The concept of “block scheduling” or “flex scheduling” has recently come into vogue and is being implemented in [public] schools throughout the country. Many Saxon users now face the challenge of implementing the Saxon program within a block schedule… Saxon Publishers does not advocate the use of block scheduling. If you are considering whether to implement block scheduling, we suggest you do not. We believe that children learn most effectively when they are exposed to concepts in small, easily understandable pieces called increments and when new concepts and skills are reviewed continuously. Dr. Frank Y. H. Wang, President of Saxon Publishers

In my proposal I suggest that there are courses, such as math , foreign language, and music, that are not conducive to block scheduling. These subjects require consistant drilling for better retention. Retention of other subjects, however, is improved when students take a real interest. Block scheduling allows the time for students to develop that interest.

While I have not always used a strict block schedule with my kids, I usually use some form of it every year. And for those times when our family life is busier than normal, we use block scheduling with surprising success.

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.