Special Connection Homeschool

OK, so it's not out yet, but it will be in just a few days.  Starting on Monday March 31st the movie Building the Machine will be available to view online for FREE.  I have been very skeptical of Common Core for quite some time.  As more and more states have signed on and began its implementation it has become apparent that it is a nightmare, at least for the public school student.  While I am a homeschooler I am also concerned about how they will eventually want to impose these standards on us. While there is much I still don't know, I do know that I trust the people behind making this film and I am eager to hear what they have to say.  Here is a trailer that might peak your interest.  If it does, be sure to go to the Building the Machine website on March 31st and see it for yourself! 

I have some really exciting news!  I will be presenting a session at the upcoming 321 Down Syndrome eConference !  The 321 eConference is scheduled for March 21, 22, & 23 to help families connect for World Down Syndrome Day!  There will be some great workshops covering a variety of topics.  The exciting news for me is that this year there will be a session specifically for parents who homeschool!  I will be the one presenting the session, 'Homeschooling Helps' on Friday March 21 at 3:00pm EST but I am more excited that the topic is even available.  I enjoy going to conventions and learning about how to help my daughter who has Down syndrome but I often find that many of the workshops are not as relevant if your child is privately schooled.  While I understand the importance of IEP meeting workshops it will be fun to have a workshop where we can discuss issues specific to our form of education as well. I hope some of you will be able to join us...

Here is a great tool to help homeschoolers start off the new year, the always FREE digital edition of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine .  Check out the current edition by clicking on the cover below! You can also get The Old Schoolhouse To Go by downloading their FREE app available for Iphone, Android, Kindle Fire and Nook!

I was thinking the other day about the picketing going on of fast food restaurants and how they want workers there to make $15.00 an hour.  They are complaining that the minimum wage is not a fair wage.  In fact they are beginning to replace the word "fair" with "living."  They want every single person who gets a job to get a "living" wage, which means they can live off of what they make regardless of whether or not the work they do is worth it. Before you start getting all up in arms as if I am looking down on the fast food industry by saying their work is not "worth" a certain amount you must know that I have not only worked fast food, I was raised in it.  My daddy worked fast food almost all of my life.  He managed many fast food restaurants and was sometimes the supervisor of several stores.  I know first hand how physically hard the work can be.  However, while it is hard work, there are basically no skills required for non-management posi...

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine digital issue is FREE.  Here is the link to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine September/October Issue .  Enjoy!

You have finished your schooling and all of your chores and now you have to run to the store to do some shopping.  You are in a hurry but you notice your child is dragging behind.  They keep stopping to look at everything!  It's so frustrating because you are tired and just want to get home so you can finally relax, or worse yet start dinner and do more work for the day.  What do you do? Typically we hurry the child along and scold them for continually stopping.  The problem is that we are missing some valuable opportunities for learning.  The hardest thing for me to do as a homeschool teacher was to stop thinking that my school had to look, act and function like a brick and mortar school.  The fact that you school at home does not mean that once the clock hits a certain time or when the lessons are complete that school is over.  Homeschooling means that the child is constantly in a state of learning. Being the parent of a child with special n...

In my conversations with non-homeschooling families I often get comments that while I am doing a great job teaching Gess some parents are just not smart enough, or educated enough to teach their own children at home.  I remember one conversation in particular where they were saying a specific mom was just not intelligent enough to homeschool her kids.  In fact, she wasn't very bright at all and therefore should not be allowed to homeschool.  My response was, "Oh I didn't know she was homeschooled."  With a confused look they responded "The mom?  Oh no she wasn't homeschooled.  She went to public school." To which I replied, "Well it doesn't look like that worked out very well for her then, does it?"  I believe that doubting the ability of a person to be able to teach a child is not an argument against homeschool but rather one against the value of the school that person attended, which generally turns out to be public school.  If the scho...

The Schoolhouse Expo started yesterday but it's not too late to get in on it.  There are still 4 days (counting today) of great speakers and if you are registered you will receive access to the recorded sessions that you missed anyway!  I had to miss yesterday due to a busy schedule so I am looking forward to that myself! Tonight I am anxiously waiting to hear Dean Butler and Ray Comfort and have my scheduled all filled out with what sessions I want to catch the rest of the week!  Be sure to register soon and catch up.  Sessions start at 1:00pm EST. You know one thing that is really great about doing a conference this way?  You don't have to choose between sessions!  Every conference I go to I have to skip one person in order to hear another and then I have to pay extra to order the audio if I miss it!  Well not with the Schoolhouse Expo, you get to catch them all.  They are not going at the same time and if you miss them for other reasons ...

Source: TopMastersInEducation.com

The Old Schoolhouse Expo is just one week from today and I am really looking forward to it.  As I have said, I haven't been able to attend a homeschool convention for a few years now and I could really use that this year.  I love the encouragement you get but I also love learning new things myself.  I am especially interested in hearing a few of the speakers. My favorite isn't really a homeschool specific speaker but he is someone whose ministry  I have followed and I am excited about his latest movie release Evolution Vs. God .  Ray Comfort of Living Waters has really impacted how I share the gospel.  In fact it was his ministries visual Ten Commandants that we used to teach Gess with. There are also a few speakers who will be talking about the law and our how to protect our homeschooling freedoms. That is a real concern and passion of mine.  I feel we are losing more and more freedom every day and unfortunately too many people think we shou...

The Old Schoolhouse Expo is a great opportunity to attend a homeschool convention from the comfort of your own home!  I have missed going to my favorite homeschool convention for the last several years because it is the same week as our state wide Special Olympics competition.  Even when I do go I have the expense of fuel and/or lodging costs because the nearest convention is at least 2 hours away.  That is one reason I am really looking forward to the Schoolhouse Expo which will won't cost me any travel expenses at all! The Schoolhouse Expo - Homeschooling With Heart  will run August 19-23 from 1:00pm to 8:00pm EST.  They have an amazing list of 30 speakers including Ray Comfort, Andrew Pudewa, Todd Wilson and Dean Butler (yes Almonzo from Little House on the Prairie). The cost is $24 and gives you access to all seminars right from where you are. You can visit the website to learn more and purchase your ticket .  You could also try to win one for ...

We decided to homeschool our daughter before she was born but when we found out she had Down syndrome we weren't so sure if we would still be able to do that.  However, by the time Gess was ready for school we not only knew that we were capable of homeschooling, we were convinced it was the best choice for us. The hardest part of homeschooling a child with special needs was finding resources to use.  I was constantly on the internet searching for information and ideas about how to teach Gess.  There was one time I found a great resource on teaching children with Down syndrome to read.  A few months later I lost the link.  I went back to search for it but and after hours and hours with no results I finally gave up. That's when I decided I not only needed to organize my information better, I needed to share it with others. I figured if I had this much trouble finding information, maybe others did too. Special Connection Homeschool was sparked from that idea....

I have been "officially" homeschooling Gess who has Down syndrome for almost 6 years now.  She is technically in the 5th grade although her skill level may vary in certain subjects.  I remember when she was born how we struggled with whether or not we could actually homeschool because of her special needs and I am here to tell you, yes you can ! I felt all alone when I first started.  Living in a small town I found that our homeschool support group was already small and there were not any other parents who had a child with special needs. I am also involved in a Down syndrome support group but none of those moms were homeschooling.  It is frightening to think you are doing this alone, especially since you don't know what to expect.  I had never homeschooled at all before so finding out that the child I intended to homeschool also had special needs made me really reconsider my options. One of the major factors that changed my perspective was hearing the horr...

Here is this month's FREE  June issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine , an excellent resource for homeschoolers. Enjoy!

Here is this month's FREE digital issue of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (May 2013) .  This is an excellent resource for Homeschoolers!

My work in missions and the church has allowed me the opportunity to minister to various types of individuals and families.  I find that people who end up in poverty, at least here in America, often do so because of bad choices or decisions they have made.  These decisions are bad in the sense that they are not beneficial, not that they are actually evil.  Yes, there are those who end up in poverty because of alcoholism, drugs, and crime but often the decisions are just poor ones. A family can end up homeless simply because they rented a house or apartment that is beyond their means.  They made the wrong choice in choosing a home.  It wasn't bad to want that nicer or larger home for their family but it was a bad choice because they couldn't afford it.  After months of getting behind on their bills they ultimately can end up evicted and on the street.  That certainly is bad. There are tons of choices that families make each day that affect their lif...

I wanted to share this video that explains more eloquently then I did yesterday the story of the Romeike's struggle and how you can help.  I beg you to watch and respond if you feel led.

Have you heard about the plight of the Romeike family?  If not you need to.  The Romeike family were persecuted in Germany simply for homeschooling their children.  Yep, that is right.  Homeschooling is illegal in Germany.  The Romeike family had one option, public school or have their children taken away from them for wanting to provide their education themselves.  So they did what most any family would do, find a way to practice their freedom.  To do that they came to America.  I was so excited when I heard that the Romeike family was granted asylum and allowed to stay and homeschool their family freely here in the USA.  But they received stunning news.  The Obama administration decided to OPPOSE their asylum ruling and now is threatening to overturn it because they claim that the right to homeschool is not basic right and therefore not worth granting asylum for!  This is not only bad news for the Romeike family, it is bad ne...

Here is the FREE digital April Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine .  Enjoy!

Homework sounds so silly in a homeschool setting.  Many parents argue that it isn't even necessary.  I used to be of that mindset myself, but I have realized there is an important concept behind it that children need to learn.  It is important for children to be given a task to do later and then to remember to do it without being reminded.  Unfortunately many children never get the hang of it, even if they go to a traditional school.  Kids continue to forget or simply not do their assignments.  This is something every adult must do in their life whether married or single, employed or a volunteer.  There will be always be tasks you must remember to do.  With Gess having special needs I think it is important to begin teaching her these skills. After the initial chuckle of whether or not we should even call it home work since all of our work is done at home, I started making assignments for Gess.  My board usually looks something like this. ...