HOMEschooling in Maine

Homeschoolers of Maine’s Annual Magazine

HOMEschooling in Maine Volume 28--2018

Know Your Students: Identify Their Personal Learning Styles Homeschooling for the First Time in High School Help! I’m Organizationally Challenged Annual Short Story Contest True Religion Bonus Section: Beginners’ Handbook

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HOMEschooling in Maine Volume 28 2018

Editor-in-Chief: Kimberly Miller Editorial Staff: Kathy Green, Proof Reader Brandi Schunk, Proof Reader Photographic contributors: Kimberly Miller & stock photos Printer: Printing provided by Print Mail of Maine, Portland.

HOMEschooling in Maine is published by Homeschoolers of Maine PO Box 159 Camden, ME 04843-0159 (207)763-2880 (Fax 207-763-4352) HOME Board Members: Ed and Kathy Green homeschl@midcoast.com

Kathi Kearney

kkearney@midcoast.com

Chris and Tiffany Wilcoxson pastor@lifsource.org

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In This Issue

HOME’s 20/20 Vision 5

HOME’s Regional Representatives 6 Complying With Maine’s Homeschool Law--It’s Easy!

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Know Your Students: Identify Their Personal Leanring Styles

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Homeschooling for the First Time in High School

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Help! I’m Organizationally Challenged 16

Short Story Contest 19 True Religion 22 Schedule of Events 2018-2019 24 Reasons to Support Your State Organization

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Bonus Section: Beginners’ Handbook 26

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Homeschoolers of Maine is dedicated to furthering the interests of the education of children by their parents by all lawful means, including, but not limited to, support of and assistance to families who are educating their own children, dissemination of legislative and other information affecting the rights of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children, participation in and sponsorship of conventions and educational seminars for teaching parents.

Look at What’s New at HOME’s Website!

Check out our website for the latest in news and events from Homeschoolers of Maine!

It contains valuable information and encouragement to help you along, no matter where you may be in your homeschooling journey. On the website, you will find the HOME Blog, Upcoming Events, Discussion Forums, a Local Area Event Listing, and a very helpful Resources section. Find out the basics of how to get started, research homeschooling laws in our state, and even share a bit about your own homeschooling journey on our Share Your Story page!

Visit www.homeschoolersofmaine.org today!

HOMEschooling in Maine Advertising Rates Inside Front Cover - $200 Inside Back Cover - $200 Outside Back Cover (color) - $250 Full Page Ad - $100 1/2 Page Ad - $75 1/4 Page Ad - $50 1/8 Page - Business Card - $30 Classified Page - $10

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For more information, contact Mary Collier at mary4homeadv@gmail.com.

Stay in Touch with HOME! There are so many ways to stay in touch and communicate with HOME: sign up for our Email news updates, follow our Facebook page, join the HOME Convention Facebook group, participate in our discussion forums, or just pick up the phone! Find out more on the Contact Us page of our website: www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/contact-us

HOME’s 20/20 Vision What lies ahead for HOME and homeschooling in Maine?

Growth!

While the school age population is declining, homeschooling in Maine continues to grow! Over the past decade, homeschooling has increased by more than 35%. As a result, the ministry of HOME continues to grow and expand its reach in an effort to meet the needs of homeschool families.

Success!

Over the course of a year, it now takes more than one hundred HOME volunteers to carry out the work of this vital ministry in our state. The success of HOME’s activities, field trips and annual events (i.e. convention, graduation ceremony, used curriculum sale, etc.) depend on the helping hands of many. Our HOME Digest, website, social networking tools, and other regular publications require quite a number of experienced and talented volunteers. Trained staff and volunteers help with annual assessments and curriculum planning. Experienced volunteers assist Maine homeschoolers every day with their many questions and concerns.

Freedom!

In addition to meeting needs, protecting homeschool freedoms is of paramount importance to HOME. Throughout the year, several volunteers spend many hours monitoring federal and state efforts to control or regulate homeschooling. During the legislative session each year, HOME’s President attends a number of public hearings and committee work sessions to determine any possible impact of proposed new laws on homeschooling.

Security!

As each new year passes, we can look back over past years with grateful hearts. Though we have faced many challenges, God has granted many blessings and protections to Maine homeschool families. Through much sacrifice and with great courage, the early pioneers cleared and paved the way toward greater homeschool freedom in Maine. As a result, many more families are able to travel the road safely and securely with the assurance of help, support and clear direction all along the way.

Strong Leadership!

Though it is difficult to see what lies ahead, we know that we must plan for and expect continued growth in homeschooling in Maine. HOME must be ready to serve even greater numbers as more and more families seek refuge from the world and from public schools.

HOME is building a foundation of strong leaders in every corner of the state to help. However, in the years ahead we will need more than that. Future HOME leaders will need greater space to house and provide resources and services to homeschool families. Even at this juncture, our HOME Office is too small a space to serve others, comfortably. Storage and meeting space is extremely limited.

Hope for the Future!

We will move forward with hope, and trust that the Lord will continue to provide as He always has. However, each of us must do our part. Please prayerfully consider how you can join us to become a part of HOME’s 20/20 Vision for the future. By 2020, we truly hope to have passed the leadership baton to a new generation of committed and capable leaders who will continue to open HOME’s doors wide, and welcome many more families into the safe refuge that homeschooling provides.

Thank you, and God bless you!

HOME Board of Directors Please join in the work of HOME by supporting the ministry with your financial gift. Levels of support include many discounts and benefits! See the form on page 33 for more information on how to join.

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HOME’s Regional Representatives HOME Regional Representatives are veteran homeschoolers who bring the ministry of HOME closer to homeschooling families in every area of the state.

Regional Reps provide a HOME presence within their region that is informative and encouraging. They are often the first friendly voice for a new homeschooling family.

Region 1: Aroostook & Piscataquis Counties Regional Reps - John & Sharon Bulley (207) 532-6734 - Houlton, ME

jsbulley@pwless.net Region 2: Penobscot, Hancock & Washington Counties Regional Reps. - John & Sharon Bosley (207) 546-7766 - Millbridge, ME

coastalwork@juno.com Region 3: Knox, Lincoln & Waldo Counties Regional Reps. - Zach & Kim Mazone (207) 751-8484 - Dresden, ME

eaglecovefarm@gmail.com

Region 4: Sagadahoc, Somerset & Kennebec Counties Regional Reps. - Robert & Amy Decker (207) 737-8885 - Bowdoinham, ME

stampinamy@myfairpoint.net Region 5: Androscoggin, Oxford & Franklin Counties Regional Reps. - Daryl & Michelle Collomy (207) 423-6783 - Hiram, ME

room4more29@gmail.com Region 6: Cumberland & York Counties Regional Reps. - TBD (Please contact Region 5 or the HOME office.)

Support HOME With a Portfolio Evaluation Visit the HOME Website for More Information!

Maine law requires homeschoolers who have filed letters of intent to homeschool to submit the results of assessments, annually, to both the local superintendent’s office and the Maine Department of Education in Augusta at the end of each school year, no later than September 1.

Throughout the summer months, Homeschoolers of Maine (HOME) provides a convenient method for annual assessment, which fulfills the requirements of our homeschool statute. Portfolio reviews through HOME are easy, inexpensive, and require a minimal amount of preparation for the homeschooling parent. By participating in a portfolio review through HOME, you will also be supporting your state homeschool organization!

To learn more about the portfolio review process and how to prepare a portfolio for review, visit the HOME website at https://www. homeschoolersofmaine.org/events/home-portfolio-evaluations/.

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You’re Invited to Participate in Homeschoolers of Maine’s 2019

Short story contest!

HOME’s 2019 short story contest kicks off once again at the 2019 Annual Convention! Entries must be received on or before July 1, 2019. To qualify, each student’s entry must be submitted in a Word document and emailed to kcbmiller@gmail.com. This email must include the student’s name, age, home address, and parent’s name. There is a 1,500 word limit.

This year’s theme is Joy in the Journey.

Prizes will be awarded in each of three age categories: ages 7 to 9, ages 10 to 13, and ages 14 to 18. Winning entries will be featured in the fall online issue of the HOMEschooling in Maine magazine.

To find out more, visit the HOME website at: www. homeschoolersofmaine.org

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Know Your Students Identify Their Personal Learning Styles

By Inge P. Cannon

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Educators have many ways of defining and describing the way people process information including learning personalities, modalities, and styles. The simplest to understand and apply involves three categories: lookers, listeners, and movers.

• Lookers (technically termed visual/spatial learners) process information best when they see it.

• Listeners (called auditory learners) are most efficient when they can hear information.

• Movers (kinesthetic or tactile learners) function best when they can physically interact with information in a hands-on way.

dencies of learners in each group. Remember that one child will not demonstrate all the characteristics within a category. If you check off most of the characteristics in one category, you will, however, have confidence that your child probably does best in that area at this time.

Your goal as a teacher should be to make your children eventually comfortable with all three means of getting information. After you have presented a new idea through your child’s preferred style, review the material with some of the other methods to increase your child’s flexibility.

It is helpful for a teaching parent to know his own learn- Visual/Spatial Learners (Lookers): • Tend to be quiet and often need to be coaxed ing style as well as the preferred learning style of each into answering questions. child in the family for several reasons.

• Are excellent “copycats,” functioning best when they “see” what is expected of them.

1. Teacher’s vs. student’s style • Are especially observant of details and can freA teacher will tend to choose curriculum that appeals to quently find items lost by others. his own best way to learn because that’s what makes the • Will take copious notes, even when the teacher most sense to him. If the children’s styles are different, promises to provide handouts. the materials may not make as much sense to them.

• Are visually organized, easily remember where things are, and need to have everything in its 2. Students’ differing styles place.

It is common for curriculum (e.g., a phonics or math • Can assemble most things without help from program) to work extremely well for one child, and printed or pictured instructions. therefore, the parent thinks that subsequent children • Will catch your typographical errors and recshould do even better since he now knows how to teach ognize if they have worked on or seen a page of the material. Then comes the shock! Child No. 2 or No. material before.

3 is wired completely differently and thus needs a differ• Make it a priority to look neat and be color-coent approach. ordinated.

• Are very aware of spatial relationships and 3. Enhanced communications thus able to create well-spaced drawings, diaEffectiveness of communication (even between spousgrams, and graphs. es) is enhanced when we present new or complicated • Doodle on note paper when talking. information in the manner the receiver uses best. The • Tend to have a vivid imagination. entire population of the world is not divided into three • Will have a large reading vocabulary at an early learning groups, however. Thus, some children do very age, especially sight words. well with two of the three styles. Occasionally a child is • Given a choice, would most like to watch televiequally adept at all three. sion or read a book in their spare time.

• Are easily distracted by visual stimuli (e.g., a Sometimes people need to get certain kinds of informanew bulletin board or a bird outside the wintion one way and other kinds of information in a difdow). ferent way. Furthermore, there is no such thing as one • Respond favorably to visible rewards. “right” kind of material for a given learning style.

However, there are more and less efficient ways to use what you have. If your child is not learning what you Visual/spatial learners flourish when: • Taught with books and pictures. want him to learn one way, try another method. Feel • Allowed to work challenging puzzles. free to adapt the materials you have to the methods that • The teacher demonstrates the skill to will help you travel past the roadblocks in your child’s be learned (model it)—“Show me.” mind.

• Shown the word before hearing what it is.

The following checklist will help you identify the ten-

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• Shown a picture of the actual object.

• The position of tongue and lips is demonstrated when new words are presented. Note: If you can’t have the visual learner observe the concept or skill you are teaching, help him visualize it in his mind.

• Taught with the following aids: • Flashcards • Matching games and puzzles (of every kind) • Dictionaries • Card files • “How-to” books with diagrams • Workbooks • Charts, maps, timelines, pictures, and graphs • Written directions • Wall strips and desk tapes • Well-defined assignments

• Enjoy listening to a radio, tapes, or CDs in their spare time.

• Respond well to phonetic reading programs, usually demonstrating excellent word attack skills.

• Find it easy to follow oral directions.

• Are easily distracted by background noises.

• Respond favorably to verbal praise.

Auditory learners flourish when: • Told every step of the skill to be learned.

• Allowed to move their lips or subvocalize to increase reading comprehension.

• Neurological impressions are combined in reading: read orally to student while he points to the word being read.

• Memorizing rules, plays, poetry, etc.

• Taught with the following aids: • Audiocassettes and CDs • Music • Rhymes Visual/spatial learners tend to struggle with: • Rhythm instruments • Creative writing.

• Clapping, keeping a beat • Reading beyond the literal meaning of a pas• Echo games (singing and rhythm) sage.

• Creating conversation for puppets • Applying arithmetic to word problems.

• Field trips with interview focus • Thinking beyond the obvious.

• Integrated content (interdisciplinary) • Forming a hypothesis and testing it with experiments.

Auditory learners tend to struggle with: • Adjusting to changes in curriculum.

• Reading technical or non-fiction writing.

• Rewriting and editing written work.

Auditory learners (Listeners): • Properly researching footnotes.

• Love to communicate and can generally “talk • Paying attention to detail for accuracy in math, your ear off.” science, and history.

• Remember jingles, poems, and television com• Developing perseverance. mercials effortlessly.

• Continually keep a rhythmic pattern going by Kinesthetic/tactile learners (Movers): tapping or making sounds.

• Relate to others more comfortably in action and • Usually sing beautifully and have excellent body than in words. pitch memory.

• Tend to live in perpetual motion, rarely sit still; • Generally remember names of people they’ve often labeled hyperactive. met or heard about.

• Try to touch everything they see or walk past • Find it easy to express themselves verbally.

• Use lots of gestures and facial expressions when • Tend to read out loud or subvocalize while talking. reading.

• Tend to show anger physically (e.g., by stomping • Often sound older than their chronological age feet and slamming doors). (as a result of their ability to process language • Prefer to try things out by touching and feeling, patterns with “tape-recorder accuracy”). even as they get older.

• Tend to sort out their problems by talking • Often make paper airplanes and fans out of their about them. papers.

• Sound out words and are, therefore, usually • Prefer to be playing, jumping, running, or wresphonetic spellers. tling in their spare time.

• Tend to be poor test takers because they can’t • Have excellent muscle coordination in sports sort out visual material fast enough. which require skills in balancing.

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• Can successfully maintain balance while blind• Conducting motions in music folded.

• Timelines and maps that he makes himself • Are most distracted when they must be still or • The key is variety in methods, with lots of handsthings get “too quiet.” on activities.

• Tend to dislike long-range goal setting and complicated projects.

Kinesthetic/tactile learners tend to struggle with: • Are excellent at taking gadgets apart and can • Concentrating on phonics, grammar, and math put them back together again. rules.

• Find listening a difficult challenge.

• Reading for information.

• Respond more favorably to a “pat on the back” • Doing analytical work. than to “stars” or a favorable comment.

• Proofreading their work.

• Doing research-related writing.

Kinesthetic/tactile learners flourish when: • Completing long-term projects in science and • Their learning experiences allow as many ophistory. portunities as possible to do or feel (touch).

• Understanding the relevance of their work to • They can demonstrate or model a task for other other academic goals. students.

• Taught through role playing or panto m i m e . For More Information They love short, dynamic presentations.

• Pointing with fingers to follow or anchor words Dr. Ronald and Inge Cannon operate Education PLUS, in early reading. a speaking and publishing ministry for homeschool • They are kept moving with appropriate activi- families. Inge’s workshop, “Learning Styles,” is availties. They love construction. able for purchase on audio.

• Taught with the following aids: • Finger plays and puppet theater The Cannons’ primary focus is training parents to im• Tracing motions (in the air, on paper, on the plement the many benefits of a discipleship lifestyle in wall or floor) home education. They offer many training tools to in• Tactile experiences with sandpaper, sand, clay, spire and empower parents—particularly in the area of water, etc. crafting apprenticeship programs, choosing high school • Travel and field trips curriculum, and presenting academic credentials for • Felt pens (texture) home school graduates (transcripts, resumes, portfoli• Math manipulatives (blocks, rods, chips, play os, etc.) money) • Plays and dramatic interpretations Used with permission.

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Homeschooling for the First Time in High School

By Carol Becker and Diane Kummer

“I have a 10th grader I’m withdrawing from public school next week, and I’ve never homeschooled. Can you help me get started?” We hear this question quite frequently as more families are choosing to begin homeschooling after parents have removed teens from private or public high schools.

Some families will homeschool for a year or more in order to graduate their teens. These families usually have a firm conviction that homeschooling is the right step, even though they have questions and uncertainties about how to do it.

This may be your situation or that of someone you know.

In either case, first-time homeschooling parents can explore ways to get connected, find teacher training, see the bigger picture, and step up to documentation to confidently homeschool teens.

Get connected As you begin the transition to homeschooling, you may have many things on your mind: catching up on lost academic ground, tackling your teen’s motivational issues, addressing special needs, fostering encouragement, creating an effective learning environment, choosing curricula, guiding toward a career, and pulling all these pieces together. The larg-

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er homeschool community can offer experienced advice for first-time homeschool parents and effective ways for your teen to recover, regroup, and begin to flourish at home.

First, find other homeschooling families in your local area.

The HSLDA website lists local homeschool groups by state and county (http://www.hslda.org). (If you are a mentor to a first-time homeschooling family and your homeschool group isn’t listed, please contact HSLDA Group Services for a free listing.) Contact each group listed to discover what it offers, such as teen social activities, team sports, academic classes, electives, used-curriculum fairs, parent meetings, speakers, etc.

Support group and co-op parents often share about resources that have really worked for them. Good homeschooling blogs can also point you toward resources. HSLDA’s Homeschooling Now discusses ideas, methods, strategies, curriculum, and more. When a blogger (or friend) recommends a resource, ask questions to discover why it has proven so beneficial. If their reasons align with your goals and strengths, then the resource might be a good one to pursue. If not, keep searching before you invest time and money.

As you read favorite blogs, think about why they encourage you. (If a blogger leaves you feeling discouraged, defeated, and inept, find a new blogging outlet!) Encouraging bloggers exhibit honesty, creativity, humor, perspective, wisdom, purpose, and resilience, inspiring you to set goals and renew your energy. (All of these attributes are valuable to look for in a homeschooling mentor, too.)

Speaking of mentors, it takes time and effort to find one, but the benefit is worth the investment! A mentor with a teen older than yours can give you a vision for your homeschool, and you will benefit from the lessons she has learned along the way. You can begin by reaching out to veteran homeschooling parents, whether they still have teens at home or have finished homeschooling. These seasoned parents understand the uniqueness of each teen and know that the resources that worked so wonderfully for one teen may not be a good choice for another. Often, these mentors can provide wise answers to honest questions, and their suggestions may help you sort through options.

If at first you don’t succeed, do try again! It can take a few tries to find someone with whom you can privately discuss your family dynamics, curriculum issues, educational questions, alternate teaching methods, and creative approaches.

In addition to connecting with a local homeschool veteran (or when one isn’t available), HSLDA members can contact HSLDA’s High School Consultants. We have the opportunity to speak with hundreds of families each month, and personalized attention is our goal. Are you looking for a supportive sounding board for your ideas, a sympathetic ear to hear your concerns, and an understanding mom who can relate to your hopes and fears? No matter your question or need, we share openly about our experiences homeschooling through high school, and we will help you think through your options in productive and creative ways.

Find teacher training Attending a homeschool conference in your area is an excellent way to take advantage of teacher training. Conferences bring in full slates of speakers who offer workshops in their areas of expertise. At these events, you can talk with the speakers about your individual circumstances. You can also purchase workshop recordings at most conferences for later review.

Homeschool conference exhibit halls provide an opportunity to visit with vendors, talk with curriculum authors, peruse textbooks, and watch demonstrations. These give you a much better picture of the usefulness and appropriateness of teaching materials than online curriculum descriptions can. Seeing and evaluating the material, as well as speaking with people who actually use it, are great methods to select

resources.

See the bigger picture High school’s purpose is to launch teens into the adult world, and homeschooling offers a variety of engaging ways for students to prepare for every sector of the job market and higher education. Helping your teen see beyond the here and now takes discernment, vision, diplomacy, and interest.

Choose from the options below to help guide your teen toward his or her future goals.

Customize high school to suit your teen’s future plans.

• Consider dual enrollment (PSEO or concurrent enrollment), which allows your student to get a jump start on earning college credit.

• Utilize on-the-job experience to help your teen decide if further training or a college degree makes sense.

• Pursue apprenticeships.

• Prepare for technology or trade schools. Investigate this option during 10th–12th grades to discover if there are any required high school courses, which must be completed before applying.

• Seek career guidance and learn about resumes.

• Scope out military enlistment.

• Plan for and apply to college.

• Understand financial aid.

• Find scholarships.

Step up to documentation • Recordkeeping is very important during the high school years, but it needn’t be a fearful undertaking! Good records open doors of opportunity for your graduate.

• A homeschool transcript includes all courses your teen completes, whether they are taught at home or taken from an outside provider, public school, private school, or college. HSLDA members can speak with the High School Consultants on recommended ways to create transcripts including courses from a variety of venues.

• A homeschool diploma is the reward for your teen’s completion of a high school course of study that prepares him or her for future endeavors!

Jumping into homeschooling during the high school years is a leap of faith, commitment, and responsibility. You can do this! We encourage you to line up networks of support, benefit from teacher training opportunities, keep a long-term perspective, and carefully document your teen’s high school course work. You’ll find that homeschool parents are eager to help you, and HSLDA’s High School Consultants are enthusiastically cheering you on! We look forward to hearing from you and providing you with support. (Visit our website at www.hslda.org.)

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Used with permission.

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Help! I’m Organizationally Challenged

By Vicki Bentley

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As I’ve spoken with many of you on the phone or via email and shared with you in person at your state conventions, a recurring theme has been: Help! I’m committed to homeschooling, but I’m feeling overwhelmed just by everyday life!

For those of you who were “born organized,” you either picked up the necessary skills sort of by osmosis, or you are quickly able to assimilate the ideas found in the typical organizing book. But for others, standard organizing tools sometimes don’t make sense, and we wonder what’s wrong with us. So this month, I’d like to share with you some tools that have helped this mom and other busy moms across the country to homeschool and get dinner on the table. . . on the same day. (Even if you are organized by nature, you may have a child who can benefit from this newsletter!)

Hope for the Organizationally Challenged I am not naturally organized, at least not on the outside. I am fairly organized in my head, but I have trouble translating that to the physical realm because I am very visual, and if I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist (i.e., I can’t put that away someplace; I might forget to deal with it). Boy, can that make for a mess!

What I share with you here is not the only way to approach time/life management or organization, but it has been successful for me and many with whom I’ve shared it, so I hope it will encourage you. Here are three tools that have helped me clear most of the clutter from my desk and my mind: • Daily routines—where I can see them • Workable, categorized to-do lists—where I can see them • Time reminders—where I can see (and hear) them Start with a Routine When you feel so incredibly overwhelmed, just start with the basics. What is getting dropped that just can’t? Meals?

Bedtimes? Basic housekeeping? Revisit your routine—I don’t mean the sort of schedule that has you checking the todo list every eight minutes, or dinging a bell to move from lunch to naptime. I mean covering at least the basics and having some regularity to your day. Knowing what comes next, without having to make one more decision, can be a relief. Children find security in routine, and we moms can find emotional freedom in having a basic structure for the day or week.

Don’t know where to begin? Mealtimes and bedtimes make a great framework for a routine. For example: “I’ll make a great effort to have breakfast by 7:30 and then lunch ready at 1:00 and supper at 6:30, and everyone has to be in their

rooms by 9:00 p.m., whether they are in bed or quietly reading or something else safe (depending on ages).” Then plug everything else in around those times.

It helped us to have a morning start-up time of 8:45 to meet in the living room for 15 minutes of family devotions. I would drop all else at 8:45 to put on a praise and worship recording, call the kids in, and we’d just close our eyes and sing one or two songs. Then we’d have a quickie devotional or Bible/ character lesson for about 10 minutes (from a book and the Bible—no major planning or thinking required), then pray together, either one of us or anyone who was led to. This gave me a consistent, prayerful, focused start to my school day, got everyone in one room, and gave us a launching point. That doesn’t mean we didn’t occasionally crash and burn later, but at least we started right!

What has to get done in a typical week in your house? What recurring activities can you plug into a repeating weekly routine? My goal is to run on autopilot as much as possible, so I needed a routine that helps me not have to think too hard.

I made columns on a paper and labeled them Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on through the week, and then plugged in each of my essentials on a day of the week. For example, learning time (homeschooling) was a daily activity, as were meals, but I could schedule most of the other items on specific days. The most fundamental household tasks were already part of our household management system (chore chart), so we already had dishes, daily bathroom tidying, and other chores covered.

(One important reason for me to have assigned days for most tasks was to give me liberty on the other days. If Tuesday and Friday are my laundry days, I don’t have to feel “behind” on Wednesday or Thursday when the pile is three feet high; it isn’t laundry day yet!)

I typed each of the daily routines onto a 4x6-inch card and put the cards into an inexpensive photo flip album; you can often find vinyl versions at the local dollar store. This flip-album sits in a conspicuous spot—in my house, near my computer—so I will often be reminded of my routine for that day. At the end of the day, I simply flip to the next page to be ready for tomorrow. It is vertical, so I cannot easily lose it or pile anything on top of it.

A Visual To-Do List For many years, a notebook-style to-do list worked well for me. I don’t know what happened, but over the years, digging through a notebook or having to keep a steno-pad list unburied on my desk became more and more challenging. Setting my month-at-a-glance calendar upright in a decorative cast iron cookbook stand on my desk was a starting point—so it

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couldn’t get buried—but turning the pages for multiple todo lists was difficult (and we know what happens if we don’t make it easy to do the to-do list; we don’t!). I needed to be and pray for his drive home.” (This might be even more efable to see multiple upcoming tasks and projects. Enter: The fective if I have my wonderful husband actually record the message!).

Pocket Chart.

The particular model I found is an 11x12-inch vinyl easel with five rows of clear plastic pockets into which I can insert three 3.5-inch squares of paper (standard memo cube size) per row. The cards in the left column are household related, while the center column cards are work related and the right column are home-business related. I jot tasks onto the cards as I think of them, and cross them off as they are completed.

When the card is filled, I can turn it over to use the other side; then the card can be trashed. Because the cards aren’t dated, there is no transferring of tasks from day to day, unless the card gets almost filled and you want it to look nicer or have more space.

In his book, Getting Things Done, author David Allen discusses context lists. While that terminology was foreign to me, my daughter says this is basically the same concept, just using cards in the pockets instead of pages in a notebook.

Several moms have commented on how helpful it is for them—or for their children—to have their to-do lists outlined vertically like this in a tangible, accessible, and easily compartmentalized format. If a pocket chart is not an option for you, large self-stick notes on an easel or standing picture frame could be substituted.

Maybe you have children who could benefit from impartial “third party” reminders during the day. They could even record their own so they would be nagging themselves along the way!

Another homeschooling mom invested in a clock with quarter-hour chimes to remind her of the passing of time. Another programs her phone to call herself during the day, and yet another utilizes her computer’s features to send herself timely reminders. Whatever you might choose, the important thing is to be realistic and consistent.

Make Time for what Matters Our goal is to glorify God. We can do that better in an orderly home because we can be more gracious to our children when we aren’t rushed or hunting for the keys or always behind, and we can be calmly hospitable. We can start our teaching times without the stress of undone tasks looming large, so we can concentrate on really being with our children.

Look for ways to bring order to your home, but don’t allow organization to be an idol. Get organized to give you the time and liberty for relationships.

A vertical organizer can help keep your schedule and lists Gotta go—time to make supper! visible.

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun My good intentions, routines, and lists did me no good if I didn’t notice the time. I have an incredibly nonexistent concept of time. I could get something out for dinner, have wonderful intentions, and still get blindsided by the arrival of my sweet husband at dinnertime. I needed to set an alarm to start dinner. Better yet—one of those “his and hers” alarm clocks with two alarms, or more!

What I finally settled upon was one of those alarms designed to remind elderly patients to take their pills (some of them have up to 24 alarms each day!). The model I eventually found not only works simply and easily and has six—count ’em, six!—recurring alarms, but I can record a 10-second message for each alarm setting. At 7:30: “Beep, beep, beepGood morning! Time to exercise and pray for your family.”

A bit later: “Beep, beep, beep8:30. Did you take something out for supper? It’s time to start work and pray for the homeschooling families.” And so on throughout the day until, “It’s 5:00—time to start supper for your wonderful husband

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Used with permission.

HOME’s Short Story Contest Winning Entry In this section, you will find the winning entry in our 4th Annual Short Story Contest. We enjoyed reading each entry we received and were impressed with the talented young authors.

We are so pleased to share this wonderful winning entry with you. Congratulations to this young writer!

Book of Wonder

By Isabelle Constant, age 9

Petunia was the most miserable kid in the country.

There are two reasons why this miserable fact would be true. Number one is that she had been bored for almost the entire summer vacation and she only had one more week to try to convince her foster parents to take her to somewhere fun. Number two is because her foster parents were the meanest in the world.The were always making her do chores and there favorite thing to do was constantly yell at petunia. Right now they were making her wash dirty clothes. As she was about to put Mr.Tools dirty underwear in the washer when she heard a scratchy voice from downstairs yell “Petunia, get down here now!” Yelled the scariest voice ever. Petunia ran down the stairs as fast as she could go not wanting to upset her mother more than she already was. Finally after five minutes of running she arrived at the table. What she found did not look very edible but she was so hungry that she eat all her soggy bacon along with a not very scrambled egg. That was the other thing about her foster parents. They were awful cooks. So after eating that awful bacon, she decide to go to her friend Jakes house. Once gaining her moms permission to go, she immediately ran to the car she waited 5 minutes till her mom finally came to the car.

“What took you so long, slow poke mother?” Yelled Petunia but her mother did not reply. Finally they were at Jakes house. Jake ran out of the house when the car was parked. After saying their byes and hellos they went in the house. Petunia had not been in Jakes house since she was about 2 years old, so she wanted to take a look around. The floor was marble and the ceiling was a dark chocolate color. There was the most fanciest fan like thing with candles on top. There was a spiral staircase leading to Jakes

bedroom. Her and Jake had been friend since the beginning of time. She had seen Jake many times but they rarely go to each others houses. ‘’Ummm, hey would you like to take a ride on my blue four wheeler?” said Jake.

Being the smart girl that she was (because what person would not like to go on a ride in a flour wheeler?) she took the offer. They Speed across the dirt road the wind slamming against Petunia face.

But even with the wind in her ear Petunia could hear Jake in a small voice say “I am taking you somewhere very special”.

Jake made Petunia close her eyes. She could feel the rush of the wind stop. Once inside the mystery building Jake told her to open her eyes. She knew what the building was once she opened her eyes, it was a beautiful library. It was a truly pretty place.

The floor was a glistening white with not a speck in sight. The ceiling was a very bold yellow. There were 10,000 shelves (there was a poster on the wall that had the amount of bookshelves) spread across the whole room. She had no idea what book they did not have. Right after having a good look around she dashed right over to the history books along with the towns records. She wanted to see if the library had a bad history. She found the perfect book.

She picked it up and saw to her amazement that the book was glowing a greenish yellowish color, but in bright letters was her name. It was like the book was begging Petunia to read it. As she opened it she saw out of the corner of her eye Jake screaming something. So she shut the book and went to see what Jake was yelling about. She was about to walk over to Jake when she stopped. She then walked over to the book again. She really wanted to see what the book was glowing about or the fact that her name was on the weird glowing book. But what was Jake 19

screaming about? Her mind was going crazy over which decision she would choose.

Finally, after thinking a lot, she chose the book.

Right as she started to open the book she went to the table of levels as the book called it. She was most interested in the section about fantasy. As she opened the book the world around her seemed to blur. The words in the book popped up in the air. The swirled around like a word tornado. Her mind felt like it was tied in knots. The next moment she opened her eyes she was in a land full of pixies. The ground was a weird shade of yellow, and the sky was literally pink.

The pixies were goblin like things but they were super tiny. The pixies seemed to be mad at Petunia for dropping down so suddenly. They told her if she had told them that she was coming today they could have prepared a feast to celebrate. She asked the pixies if they had seen a boy with brown hair named Jake.

After the pixies told her that their cousins had seen Jake on the mountain she deiced to ask the pixies if they had mountain gear.

ed to go to bed to think about all of this, but she heard lovely singing from upstairs. She ran upstairs to see who was singing. As soon as she saw who was singing she tried to scream but words failed her.

“Sirens!” She was able to squeak out.

Then out of no here she thought of a plan. First she ran to the wheel, then she started to drive the huge ship. She then saw Jake walking to the edge of the of the ship so she toke a sharp turn to the right, so he wouldn’t go near the Sirens She screamed at what was ahead of her. It was waterfall. Then at that very moment everybody woke up as if they heard her scream. What if the book was trying to keep her alive? What if the book made that little rock stick out of the mountain to save her? If so it was creepy and cool. Then she remembered they were about to fall down a giant waterfall.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Screamed Jack as soon as he looked up. He took one look around then went right to Greybeard who was just waking up. He too After getting the supplies she needed, she headed up looked around and screamed. He ran right to the the trail to the mountain. On her way she spotted wheel and shoved Petunia of the wheel. As soon as four Phoenixes, five sea serpents in the river, one they were a safe amount of distance away from the dragon and 5 griffons. Finally she arrived at the very waterfall, Petunia ran over to Jake to see what we top of the mountain, but she could not see Jake. At had to de to get out of the book. the very bottom of the mountain was a river and tiny specks she thought were people and in the middle of “Of course I know we have to find the book that says the specks was a brown blotch . As she sat there Escape, we had to get to Mount Phoenix so that is thinking what Jake was doing she heard a cracking why I went to the ship.’’ So after getting that innoise. She looked at the rock she was sitting on and formation she ran to the captain to tell him about suddenly she was falling. As she came closer to what Mount Phoenix. As soon as they were there, she looked liked the end of her life, she saw something. grabbed the gear the pixies gave her. The views A drop of light, hope, and life. She saw a tiny lit- were beautiful. The sky was a deep orange, the grass tle rock hanging in her reach. She grabbed this rock a deep deep green and the mountains looked as if and death now seemed as if it and never been there. they went on forever. Then she saw it, the book that She looked up from the tiny rock she was hanging sent her and would now send her back. She opened from. Surprised to see Jake, she ceased his hand for the book, then seeing the familiar word tornado and help. The trip down the mountain took two minutes the same feeling as before she was off. As soon as tops. She then knew what the big brown dot was she she opened her eyes she was so happy a feeling she had seen, a huge ship. She met the captain of the had not felt for years. ship who’s name is Graybeard and who’s brother is Blackbeard. On there journey Jake tells everything The book had taught her lesson: no matter how about the book to her and how it makes adventures dark a moment seams there always will be some come to life. So she asked Graybeard if he had seen a light. She felt as if this was the happiest moment of black book with the words escape on it (for this was her life. the only way to escape). To her surprise he said yes.

She was almost leaping for joy, she would finally get THE END home! After hearing that surprising news she want-

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True Religion

By Ronald Nasman

Tanya stood by the large classroom window solemnly looking out at the winter scene before her. The fields were white, the snow not quite deep enough to cover the broken stalks left behind by the fall harvest. The day was bright and sunny, but it could not overcome the chill that gripped her heart. Her eyes traced the road as it ran out toward the town along the slope of the slow rolling hill on which her orphanage was situated. There on the road, just before it dropped over the ridge, a blue van slowly traversed the uneven lane. As the van slowly

vanished over the hill, Tanya dropped her eyes. That was it. Her friend, Luba, was gone, adopted by a family in America.

This story is more than just a tale about a sad parting between two friends. This short paragraph defines a stark reality, the difference between hope and hopelessness, freedom and bondage, even life and death. Being the adoptive parent of three children from Ukraine, I am well aware of the statistics. I know the majority of

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girls aging out of the orphanage will find themselves in prostitution and the majority of boys will turn to crime.

I know how many will turn to alcohol, drugs and even suicide to escape the hardships of their lives. Even here in America, we can see the difference in the outcomes for children coming of age from intact family structures compared with those from broken and dysfunctional homes. The problem seems so impossibly large and unsolvable and in fact so beyond us that we just shake our heads and turn our focus to some more immediate and solvable problem, never thinking that perhaps we have a role to play, perhaps we may be part of the solution, perhaps we can make a difference. That was my thinking at one time.

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learn, they need to know love. Before they can know love, they need to bond. Before they can bond, they need to feel safe. To feel safe, they need to test, and retest, and at each point, receive the love they have lacked for so long. This is a long process very well suited to a constant family environment, and we have found the fruit of it sweet and full of joy.

Now I can clearly see the need, the very great need, for the children the world has no use for, and at the same moment, see the ability to accommodate this need within the homes of the faithful. While it would be presumptuous to assume that all families are at a point to accept a child through adoption, foster care or even hosting for a season, many families are at that point Our life was very busy with our four boys; filled with even if they do not realize it. In Philippians 2 we read homeschooling, church, sports and family activities. how Christ, ever our example, made Himself vulnerable When my wife asked me what I thought of adopting a to provide help to the helpless. Indeed our homes are child, I responded quickly and emphatically, “No!” It our fortress, and we have buttressed them to keep God was an obvious, logical answer, so I thought. We were in and the world out. Yet are we willing to be vulnerable in no position to entertain such a proposition. Our plate in order to provide the love and assistance to those who was full enough. My wife never mentioned it again to so desperately need it? I encourage you to consider the me, but decided to make it a matter for prayer, while I true religion to which Christ has called us. There are forgot all about the conversation. many options available to those who are interested in meeting the needs of the fatherless, even for those who As time went by we decided it would be beneficial for can’t welcome an orphan into their own home at this the family to go on a missions trip together. A visiting time. If you would like to learn more about these opmissionary our church supported was seeking folks to portunities, please consider the following resources: come to help him in Ukraine. Accepting the challenge, we found ourselves visiting multiple orphanages, shelUkrainian Resource Center: ters, and villages over a two week period. We ran VBS www.ukrainianresourcecenter.com programs, provided medicine, supplies and assistance for the sponsored health clinics and got to meet many The Ukrainian Resource Center is a Christian non-profit wonderful people. On a sleepless overnight train ride focused on the needs of Ukrainian orphans. They proat the end of the first week, I was reading in Psalms. I vide winter and summer hosting opportunities allowing came across Ps 68:6, “God sets the lonely in families.” many orphans to experience the love of a family for the [NIV] The faces of the orphan children ran through very first time. Even if you cannot host, there are other my mind. There were the ones that crowded around ways to help, including financial donations and locating us, looking for love and attention, even if it was just for other host families. a short moment of our time. There were also the ones that retreated and kept to themselves, watching from a Justice for Orphans: distance, not daring to trust these foreigners or anyone http://justicefororphansny.org else for that matter. They were real. They were valued

by God, and in fact they were precious to Him. In that Justice for Orphans is a New York based Christian instant, I knew the heart of the Father and I knew His non-profit focused on rallying the church to the cause of will. The following year we brought our first adopted the fatherless. They run a weekly radio program “Orson home from Ukraine. phans No More”, present at regional churches, and most importantly provide crucial training and support that In time we have come to realize the extent to which a adoptive parents need to be successful. homeschool environment provides an optimal setting for these children to heal, grow and learn. To truly

Homeschoolers of Maine’s

Schedule of Events 2018-2019 New & veteran homeschoolers alike…

Stay informed and encouraged through HOME sponsored workshops, field trips, annual events, book sales and more!

HOME’s Upcoming Events:

Annual HOME Convention

March 21--23, 2019

Inventory Clearance Sale

March 21--23, 2019

HOME Graduation Ceremony

March 23, 2019

Used Curriculum Sale & Expo

May 18, 2019

Homeschool Day at the Capitol

May 22, 2019

Barnes & Noble and Homeschool Mini Conference

August, 2019

New England Heritage Days

Fall 2019

Please visit the HOME website for all details and information regarding the upcoming events listed above at www.homeschoolersofmaine.org.

More events will be added throughout the year! Check our website for the latest.

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15 Reasons to Support Your State Homeschool Organization Homeschoolers of Maine (HOME)...

• helps families get started in homeschooling year round.

• provides telephone counseling to help homeschoolers year round.

• is a non-profit, 501C-3 ministry-based organization run by a volunteer board of directors and trained leadership teams.

• is a reliable, knowledgeable and accurate source of information regarding homeschooling in Maine.

• provides up-to-the minute news and articles of interest via printed resources, mailings, email updates, website, facebook and twitter.

• stays up to date on issues affecting homeschooling in our state.

• maintains a liaison with state elected officials, and constantly works to preserve and protect homeschooling in Maine.

• maintains a network of HOME Representatives throughout the state to provide guidance and support to new and veteran homeschoolers.

• organizes many events and field trips throughout the year to encourage and equip homeschoolers.

• conducts portfolio reviews.

• holds an annual convention.

• holds an annual used curriculum sale.

• holds an annual high school graduation ceremony.

• reinvests all monies earned back into homeschooling in Maine.

• has fought the good fight for homeschooling rights for nearly 30 years.

Thank you for your support!

Join HOME Today!

HOME is Families Helping Families. Please join us to help with our mission. You will receive great benefits, too! These benefits are our way of saying “thank you” for your support.

You can become a Family Helping Families in one of five ways:

Name:______________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________

□ HOME Subscriber Families - $10 to $24/year donation

City:________________________________State:____________ Zip:_____________________

□ HOME Affiliate Families—Free!

□ HOME Friends of Families – $25 to $99/year □ HOME Founding Families - $100 to $499/year

Phone:(____)______________Email_______________________

□ HOME VIP Families - $500 to $1000/year

Membership Level:______________________________________

□ HOME Lifetime Families - $1000

Amount enclosed: _______________________________________ Send to: HOME, PO Box 159, Camden, ME 04843-0159

Find out more at our website at https://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/join/

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Visit our website for a description of benefits at each level.

HOME Beginners’ Handbook 2018 - 2019

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Homeschooling: The BIG Questions Is it legal?

How much time does it take?

“Because the United States Constitution is the highest law of the land, homeschooling has always been legal in all 50 states,” says Michael Farris of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). “It has been a bit of a fight to get the various members of the education and social services establishment to accept that fact, but great progress has been made.

Currently about two-thirds of the states have specific laws authorizing and regulating homeschooling. In the balance of the states, homeschoolers may legally operate as a small private school or provide ‘equivalent instruction.’ The details vary considerably from state to state and opinions about the law vary from district to district. What does not vary is HSLDA’s commitment to the constitutional right to teach one’s children at home.”  I don’t have a teaching degree. Can I really teach my child?

A lot less than you think. Homeschooled students don’t have to take time to change classes or travel to and from a school, so they can proceed at their own pace. In elementary years especially, parents and children often find that they may only need a few hours to accomplish their work for the day.  You’ll be surprised at the subjects that can span grade levels. Certain curricula lend themselves to multi-level teaching. You can design your program so that older children work independently in the morning while you work individually with younger children, and then while younger children take naps in the afternoon, you can have one-on-one time with older students.

Yes, research and practical experience show that it is dedication and hard work, not special training, that produce outstanding educational results in a homeschool setting.

How do I do it?

Where do I find curriculum and materials?

There’s an ever-increasing variety of curriculum—from traditional textbooks to homeschool-specific curriculum and correspondence courses.

Thankfully, experienced homeschool moms have put together review guides, saving newcomers time and frustration. Just two such guides are Mary Pride’s Complete Guide to Getting Started Homeschooling series and Cathy Duffy’s two volume 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum for Your Child.

What about my child’s special needs?

Thousands of families are homeschooling children whose special needs range from Attention Deficit Disorder to severe multiple handicaps. Parents often find that when they bring these children home to be educated, they come out of the “deep freeze” that has kept them from making significant progress. Gone are the comparisons, labels, social pressures, and distractions that a regular classroom may bring. Parents can offer their children individualized education, flexibility, encouragement, and support, which may be ideal for children who are learning-disabled, medically sensitive, or attention-deficit.

What about socialization & special interests/enrichment activities?

Research has found that most homeschooled students are involved in a wide variety of outside activities, interact with a broad spectrum of people, and make positive contributions to their communities. Experience Start by contacting homeschooling veterans in your local and/or state has shown that homeschoolers are well socialized and able to make lastsupport group—ask what they have tried, what has or has not worked ing friendships across age and cultural divides. for them, and why. You need to get to know your child’s learning style.

Attend a couple of homeschool seminars and curriculum fairs where you Article used with permission. can look at your options firsthand.

Homeschooling: How It All Began As long as there have been parents and children, “homeschooling” has Teachers considered themselves experts. What made these parents think been happening. It was only with the emergence of widespread compul- they could teach their own children? sory public education that this age-old method of instruction was virtually forgotten, but not eradicated.1 While few states specifically prohibited homeschooling, legislators and school officials acted as if they had. Homeschooling parents faced threats Foreign service workers or missionaries who by choice or necessity did of jail time and having their children removed from their home. Some not send their children to boarding schools continued the tradition of were arrested. Many were taken to court. home education. Children who had illnesses that kept them from attending school were frequently taught at home. And families who lived in Parents were confronted by concerned neighbors, worried friends, and the remote areas of Alaska or other isolated regions answered their chil- aghast relatives—all of whom were sure that the homeschooling mom dren’s educational needs with homeschooling. and dad were ruining their children’s lives and dooming them to an un productive future of illiteracy and isolation.

In the 1970s and ’80s, homeschooling experienced a renaissance as a few parents began to question whether the public education system or exist- But those early homeschoolers hung tough. They fought the court battles. ing private schools were right for their individual child. They wondered if They went to the library and crafted their own curricula. And they quithey might be able to do a better job. etly continued teaching, letting their children’s achievement answer the charges of their fiercest critics.

And what do you know? Parents discovered they could do a great job.

They told two friends who told two friends and so on. The modern home- Notes schooling movement was born.

It wasn’t entirely that simple, of course. The early days were rocky.

There were few curriculum suppliers who would sell to homeschoolers.

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Massachusetts passed the first compulsory school attendance law in 1852; by 1918 all states had enacted similar legislation.

1

Article used with permission.

Complying With Maine’s Homeschool Statute...It’s Clear and Simple!

By Ed Green, President and Founder of HOME In May 2003, Governor John Baldacci signed into law a complete overhaul of Maine’s homeschool regulations.

Since then, the law has provided clarity and security to homeschooling families throughout Maine.

Under the law, those wishing to begin homeschooling a child (who has reached his or her 7th birthday or who has not yet reached his or her 17th birthday) for the first time in Maine must file a written notice of intent within the period of 10 days before and 10 days after the beginning of the child’s home instruction program.

This applies to a child removed from school to be homeschooled at any point during the school year , or to a child who moved into Maine at any point during the school year. If the child is currently enrolled in a public or private school, it is advisable (though not required) to file the notice of intent—or at least give the school informal notice—before the child is withdrawn.

The notice of intent must be filed, simultaneously, with the local school superintendent of your school administrative unit (you can find this address by contacting your town office) and with the Commissioner of Education at the Maine Department of Education in Augusta (find this address on the letter of intent forms).

It must include: the full name, signature, and address of the parent or guardian, the full name and age of the student, the date home instruction will or did begin, a statement of assurance that instruction will be provided for at least 175 days annually and will cover the following subjects: English and language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, health education, library skills, fine arts, Maine studies (in at least one grade between grades 6 and 12); and that the student(s) will demonstrate proficiency in the use of the computer (in one grade between grades 7 and 12). a statement of assurance that the parents will submit a year-end assessment.

Each subsequent year, by September 1 the family must file a “subsequent year” letter with the commissioner and the school administrative unit. The letter must state whether the student’s home instruction program will continue. It should be signed by the parent or guardian, and include the parent or guardian’s full

name and address, and, of course, the child’s full name.

The family must enclose a copy of the previous year’s annual assessment results for the child.

Both the one-time notice of intent and the letter each subsequent year should be clear and legible, or you may be inconvenienced by an official contacting you for clarification. The law requires you to keep copies of all items that must be submitted until the homeschool program concludes. (It is advisable to keep them longer). They must be made available to the commissioner upon request.

When mailing documents to the school administrative unit or commissioner, we strongly recommend using certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can prove that you sent the required documents if that ever becomes necessary. Carefully file the green postal receipts. (Please note: The State Postal Center in Augusta is the mail service center for State agencies including the Department of Education. Your DOE mail receipt will come from this address, which is 88 State House Station, and will not be signed. This is not the DOE mailing address, however. Please use the DOE mailing address when sending your documents.)

The process is as straightforward as that! Please Contact HOME if you have further questions or concerns.

Ed and Kathy Green are the parents of four grown daughters who were homeschooled through the 12th grade. After homeschooling their daughters for more than twenty years, Ed and Kathy are now helping with the homeschooling of their grandchildren!

In 1990, Ed and Kathy co-founded Homeschoolers of Maine in an effort to provide information, support and encouragement to homeschoolers throughout the state. Ed currently serves as the President of Homeschoolers of Maine, and speaks throughout the state on topics and issues related to parental rights and homeschooling. Kathy manages the daily details at the HOME Office. They reside in the town of Hope.

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Pre-Trip Planning Checklist Or: (I feel overwhelmed! Where do I begin?)

Good planning is the key to any successful road trip; tions include: this checklist will give you a basic overview as you prepare for this homeschool journey!

Home School Legal Defense Association (540-338-5600, www.hslda.org) Research Homeschooling State organizations Read all you can about home education. (www.homeschoolersofmaine.org) Consider subscribing to homeschooling publications.

Local support groups (check with your state organization for local groups) Attend a state convention (or obtain tapes from the workshops, if this is a mid-year decision).

Specialized support groups, such as those for families of special needs children Read, read, read. (www.NATHHAN.com, for example, or those based on particular interests such as sports, 4-H, etc).

Attend a how-to-get-started seminar in your area, if available.

Set Goals Check out home education web sites on the Internet Why are you homeschooling? What is your idea of an education? What would you be doing if nobody Attend a local support group meeting and ask lots told you that your 5-year-old had to leave home? of questions-other parents often love to talk about Determine where your child is academically, spirhome schooling! Most importantly, talk to other ho- itually, physically, emotionally and socially; this is meschoolers to find out what they do, how and why. your starting point.

And read, read, read!

Set measurable, attainable goals for each child. DisResearch Your State’s Homeschool Law cuss with your spouse (and your child, if appropriate) how these objectives fit into the “big picture” It is legal to homeschool! Basically, you should: of his future.

Familiarize yourself with the statutes of your state code which regulate home education, if applicable. Set personal and family goals.

Be aware of any deadlines you must meet.

Evaluate activities and curriculum against goals.

Keep copies of any paperwork you send, and it’s a good idea to mail everything certified, return-receipt Choose Curriculum requested. Be sure that any paperwork you submit is free of spelling or grammatical errors (and cof- By definition, your curriculum is your “course of fee stains!). If you hand deliver, take a receipt to be study”—your road map on this journey! signed (“I have received Mrs. ___’s homeschool paperwork.”)

Look through catalogs, magazines, curriculum guides, and books.

Join Support Organizations Talk to other homeschoolers about what worked You don’t have to make this trip alone! Consider for them and why, as well as what didn’t work and membership in any of the national, state, and local why. organizations that exist to help you. Some sugges- Attend state convention workshops and exhibit 28

halls, as well as local curriculum fairs.

Go to used book sales and used curriculum shops.

Evaluate your child’s learning styles.

Write out daily/weekly plans so you know that your expectations are realistic!

Consider starting each day with a short family devotional time.

Decide which methods seem to fit your family best at this point in time (you may overlap—methods are not mutually exclusive!).

Keep evaluating all your choices against those goals you have set for your family and for each child.

“ED’ U CATE, v.t. [L. educo, educare; e and duco, to lead; It. Educare: Sp. Educar] To bring up, as Purchase Supplies a child; to instruct; to inform and enlighten the understanding; to instill into the mind principles Homeschool resource books of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior. To educate children well is one of the most important Basic home reference materials duties of parents and guardians.

Filing or organizational supplies to keep your paperwork in order ED U CA’ TION, n. [L. educatio] The bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manBookshelves and/or storage cabinets—designate “a ners. Education comprehends all that series of place for everything” instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, Other necessary items as specified in your curricu- and form the manners and habits of youth and fit lum them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts, School supplies such as paper, pencils, pencil sharp- and science is important; to give them a religious ener, rulers, pens, notebooks of some sort, and the education is indispensable; and an immense reproverbial red pen! sponsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.”

Establish a Schedule (Noah Webster in First Edition of an American Decide on your school year, keeping in mind any le- Dictionary of the English Language, 1828) gal requirements in your state. For example, we homeschool for eight weeks on, one week off, August “And these words which I am commanding you through June, taking a four-week break in Decem- today shall be on your heart; and you shall teach ber and again in July. My reasoning is that I can do them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them anything for eight weeks at a time, and then I have when you sit in your house and when you walk by a week to regroup for the next session! Taking only the way and when you lie down and when you rise one month off in summer keeps the girls on their up.” toes academically.

(Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NASB) Have at least a framework for academic and character progress during the year.

Have a family chore schedule in place, or a plan to Article used with permission. keep the house manageable.

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What Curriculum Should You Use? When you hear the word curriculum, you probably cultivate in him? Goals should be measurable and atthink of books. tainable.

While your curriculum will most likely include quite a few books, curriculum is simply a course of study (from the French courir: to run). There is no such thing as The One, Perfect Curriculum, but some approaches and materials will be a better fit for your child than others.

(This can even vary from child to child within one family!)

4. Understand differences in worldviews. You have a worldview, and the publisher and author of the materials you use have a worldview. Are they similar, or will you spend a lot of time “correcting” the values presented? This is especially important when training our little ones; for older students, this can be a timely opportunity to discuss differing views.

“What curriculum should I use?” is the same as asking, “How do I get there?” on this homeschooling journey.

What you are really asking for is a road map to successful home education.

5. Research the various approaches. This is your “mode of transportation” in the home education journey. Below is a basic listing of the most common approaches. One particular approach may be a great fit for your family or you may find that an eclectic approach—mixIf I asked you for directions, what’s the first thing you’d ing and matching or combining from several different probably want to know? Right—you’d want to know approaches—may help you incorporate the ideal matewhere I was trying to go, and from where I was starting. rials for your student’s learning style. There is not one To get somewhere, I need to know my starting point “right” way to homeschool! and my destination, so I can determine the best course to get me there. Let’s walk through those same steps to Common Learning Approaches help you make an informed decision about your course and your materials.

Traditional Classical (includes Principle Approach) 1. Where is my child now (figuratively speaking) and Living Books where do I want him to be next year? Five years from Unit Studies now?

Relaxed/Unschooling 2. Why am I homeschooling? Once you determined where you are going, will you take the “shortcut” or the “scenic route”? Are you catching up or are you leisurely learning? This will influence your curriculum choices.

6. Alternative routes and detours can be helpful. Have you ever gotten behind the “Follow Me” truck in a construction zone? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a lead vehicle when you’re homeschooling? Some of us need to start the drive with some assistance or a “lead car” 3. Set goals: For what am I preparing my child? What like the Follow-Me truck in the construction zone. This relationships, skills, or content knowledge do I need to is especially true if you are beginning homeschooling

Home education has constantly grown over the last two decades. The growth rate is 7% - 15% per year, according to Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute.

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mid-year or “all of a sudden” and you wish you’d had more time to plan a course, but you didn’t. You might choose a simple course to get you “on the road” while researching your options for adjustments for later in the year or next year.

For example, you could just select a language program and a math program (for example, Learning Language Arts through Literature combined with Saxon math) and add living books from the library for science, history, etc.

Or you could select from the many prepackaged curricula available, especially helpful for the first year, such as: Christian Liberty Academy BJU Press Homeschool Alpha Omega has paper-based LifePacs or their CDROM-based Switched-On Schoolhouse that can be done independently or as correspondence courses.

ABeka correspondence or prepackaged Sonlight prepackaged Calvert Christian Light School of Tomorrow (Formerly ACE) My Father’s World Other various pre-packaged materials, or correspondence or online academies Use such a program exclusively or select subjects to use. The next year, you may choose to branch out from there, or continue the program for the entire homeschool journey.

Be prepared for detours and alternative routes. Once, I was coming home from Pittsburgh for at least the sixth time in a few months and suddenly found myself in unfamiliar surroundings. I called my husband at work (collect!) and asked, “If I’m on Skyline Drive, have I missed a turn?” He sighed knowingly and got a map to help me figure an alternative route to get back on track.

You may make adjustments along the way to get back on your homeschooling track—or you may simply decide to revise your destination. Changing course to reach your desired goal is not failure!

7. How much will all this cost? Homeschooling costs more than public school, but less than private school.

That may sound pretty non-committal, but the average

of $500 a year can sound like a burden or a relief, depending on your previous education experience! Some expenses you’ll want to consider include: Curriculum (most likely your greatest expense) Testing fees Home library School supplies Extracurricular activities/lessons Professional memberships State convention 8. Where do I find materials?

Curriculum fairs State homeschool conventions Book stores Catalogs Internet (search for the subject + homeschool curriculum) Used curriculum shops Support group swaps/other homeschoolers Before you buy, ask yourself: How much time do I have?

How much money do I have?

Are there good books on this subject that I could buy with the money?

How much structure do I want/need?

Does this material convey my values?

Does it encourage my children in the goals we’ve set?

Is the material a good “fit” for my child?

Not only does homeschooling give you greater opportunity to encourage your child to achieve his academic potential, but it can give you time and growth in character development and life skills.

Article used with permission.

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It’s not just science, but a study of God’s incredible creation.

It’s not just math, but an encounter with a God of order and logical reasoning.

It’s not just language arts, but an appreciation for God’s great gift of communication.

It’s not just history, but an understanding of mankind and his relationships.

It’s not just the Bible, but the living guide for His children.

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