Eagle’s Wing Academy

I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that I’m a regular writing over at The Homeschool Classroom.  Go check it out – it’s a great resource.  Lots of good articles by fellow homeschooling moms sharing tips, ideas and inspirations.  I just did a three part article on the Homeschool Preschool.  You can find them here:

Part 1 – Preschool At Home…Or Not
Part 2 – Toys and Games for the Preschooler
Part 3- A Preschooler’s Day

I need to take a break from writing for The Homeschool Classroom for a few weeks.  Nothing serious, I just need a break and get some pre-pre-move stuff done.

So if you’ve got a good idea for an article that you’d like to write, now’s your chance!  Actually, it could be an article you’ve already posted on your blog, you just need to state that at the end of your article.  Search your mind and your archives and help me out by submitting an article to run during my hiatus.

Details on becoming either a guest writer, regular or semi-regular writer can be found here: Guest Writers.

What sort of topics are we looking for?  Product and curriculum reviews (positive and negative), craft ideas, organizational tips, co-op ideas, more preschooler ideas, teaching a child with disabilities.  Do you follow a Montessori model or use Charlotte Mason’s ideas?  We’d love to see more information on these methods.  Anything that has to do with homeschooling is good!

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This just in:  The Boy got an A in math.  Not on one test, but for the whole book.  This boy.  Got an A.

He’s made such a huge improvement in his attitude towards school which has shown up in his math grades.  He’s worked so hard to overcome his difficulties and I’ve gotten so much better in being compassionate and patient.  He called his daddy at work to tell him, then played a little air guitar in celebration.

So anyway…just had to share.  An A in math!

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I’m a bit of history geek, I admit it.  I love to watch history documentaries and read historical novels.  I’m loving reading history to Boo and Pumpkin Girl.  And I love making timelines with them.

I got a little crazy when I saw the products over at Homeschool In the Woods.  I even bought a timeline book for myself.

To read more about my timeline madness, including reviews of some of the Homeschool In the Woods products and how I use timelines in our homeschool, please visit me over at the Homeschool Classroom: Using Timelines to Teach History.

Also, we’re having a little give away over there this week.  Click over to this article specifically – $25 Amazon.com Gift Certificate Giveaway – for information on how to enter.

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For all the clutter I battle in my home, I am surprisingly obsessive about keeping good care of our books.  All of my books are as neat and pristine as the day I bought them.  I love the sight and feel of a beautiful dust jacket.  I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

My children however – not so much with the careful use of their books.  After seeing Pumpkin’s treatment of Little House on the Big Woods, she’s not allowed to read the rest of my collection of the Little House series.  She can check them out of the library, thank you very much.

And that limited edition copy of Charlotte’s Web, with it’s color pictures?  Forget it.

I’m crazed, I know.

My children are voracious readers.   This summer, Pumpkin went through every one of the books meant to be her readers for the next 2 years.  That’s OK, but the books came back rather beat up.  I won’t even get into what happened to our copies of the Curious George collections and the cover of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

So what’s an obsessed mom to do?

Protect her beloved books with library supplies, that’s what!  All the details of what to buy and how to protect both hard cover dust jackets and paper back books can be found on my post today at The Homeschool Classroom:  Protecting Your Books With Library Supplies.

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Did you know my oldest boy was a preschool drop-out?

Yes, it’s true.  Seven years ago, I was fairly new to the parenting world, with a soon-to-be 3 year old boy and an 8 month old baby girl. My Boo was what I called a “Velcro baby”, meaning that he clung to me like the familiar hook and loop tape. When we had to be separated, you could almost hear the ripping. He was a non-stop mover and talker who just loved to be with his family.

So I did what every sensitive, loving mother would do – I put him in preschool.

For the rest of the story and to find out how I started homeschooling, check out my post on the Homeschool Classroom.

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I have been blissfully living a life free of homeschool laws.  In Korea, as the family of a US soldier, the education of children was placed firmly under the responsibility of the parents.  Put them in the school provided on base, or one off base or homeschool – they didn’t care, as long as you were indeed educating them.

Then we moved to DC.  Several years ago, DC attempted to enact some outrageous homeschool laws that included pop home inspections.  Those laws were struck down immediately and the powers that be were way too concerned with other things to bother with better laws.  As a result, all you had to do was notify the schools if you were pulling a child out of a DC school.  That was it.

Well, that all changed last month.  Now we have to notify the Office of the State Superintendent of Education that we are homeschooling.  We have to keep a portfolio of our children’s work and provide a copy of our high school diploma.  If the OSSE determines there is cause for worry, they can request up to 2 portfolio reviews a year.

Through the grace of God, my high school diploma was not in non-temp storage like usual.  Non-temp storage is your stuff the military stores for you when they attempt to cram you into a house too small for your soldier’s rank.  It’s free, but the catch is this – you cannot access those things until they are delivered to your next assignment.  For various and sundry reasons relating to 5 years worth of non-temp storage being delivered at the same time as all our other household goods, having a one month old baby and general unpacking lethargy, we missed the 30 day deadline to send things back into non-temp storage here.

The point is, and I do have one, my high school diploma was available to be copied and sent in as demanded requested.

The funny thing is, this law just came to the table a few months ago and was passed last month.  And yet they set a deadline of August 15th to have your intent to homeschool form in.  Apparently, the OSSE estimates there to be 130 homeschool families in all of the District of Columbia.

Let that sink in for a moment.

With a population of 588, 292 (according to the census), only 130 of them homeschool.  I have to say that on our base alone there are 70 families registered in our homeschool group.  So that means that there are only 60 additional homeschool families in the entire District.

I’m imagining the single filing cabinet that has been set aside to accommodate 260 pieces of paper (intent form plus a copy of diploma).

Someone is going to be very surprised on Friday as the mail starts to pour in.

I did my part to plug up the system and took a moment to fill in the form and copy my diploma.

I may have a slight problem with authority, but I’m not actually going to break the law.

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