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Growing Without Schooling 119

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&rtentt News & Reports p. 3-5 College Admissions News; News from the Philippines

andJapan The Power of Pen-Pals p. 6-8 Pen-pals are one way for homeschoolers to discuss and debate ideas with other kids Challenges

& Concerns p. 9-1 1

Comparing Oneself to Others; Trying Not to Worry About Reading; Unschooling: Philosophy or Learning Style; More on "Doing Nothing" GWS Celebrates! Scenes from Our 20th Anniversary

Conference p. f2-15 FOCUS: Hard Times at llome: Is Homeschooling Still Possible? p. 16-20 Parents write about homeschooling during divorce,

after a death in the family, and after struggling with substance abuse and troubled family backgrounds Taking Charge of My Education p.2l-22 How homeschooling ideas helped a student in school Watching Children Learn p.23-28

Helping; AYoung Child's Learning; Thoughts from a 12-Year-Old; Audubon Society; Interested in Politics; Visiting Europe Resources & Recommendations p. 29

Nov./DEc.'97

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C]ANNOT VOUCH FOR ANY CLAIMS MADE BY AD\''ERTISERS.

Growing Without Schooling #l 19, Vol. 20, No. 4. ISSN #0475-5305. Published by Holt Associ{tes. 2269 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 02140. $25,/yr Date of issue: No!:/Dec. 1997 Sccond-class posuge paid at Boston, tr{,A and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GWS, 2269 Mass. Avc, Carnbridge, NtrA.02140 AD\ERTISERS: Space resemtion deadlincs are the lst ofodd-ntunbered morrrhs Copy dcildlines are the l5th. For rates and other info, write Barb Lundgrcn,30l3 Hickory Hill, Collelville TX 76034r call 817-54G6423.

,A Al tlIl"

AN'I' AD ET

Is homeschooling easier when things are going smoothly at home? Sure, but then just about everything is. Is home-

schooling harder during times of family crisis? Sure, butjust about , FS everything is' The question for ZltUe \l/ families who have been homeschooling for a long time is: does homeschooling become impossiblewhen a family crisis hits? \4lhen the situation at home is stressful or even unhealthy, people's immediate response is rypically, "Get the kids out of there; homeschooling is no longer an option." For some families, homeschoolingjust doesn'tfeellike an option during life's hardest times. School may even seem like a respite or a haven when compared to a bad situation at home - and in some situations, with some tlpes of schools, this might be true. But the parents who write for this issue's Focus force us to reconsider the idea that homeschooling is impossible when times are tough at home. These parents say, having our children around enabled us to deal with family crises as afamily, and, equally important, within a community. Homeschooling can be an asset during a family's hardest days if it's seen as a foundation that is both solid enough to support the family and flexible enough to bend to its current, out-of-the-ordinary needs. Homeschooling continued working for these families because they let "homeschooling" mean whatever they needed it to mean at the time. Sometimes it meant immersing oneself in the study of Ancient Greece because that was a welcome escape from the pain and grief of caring for a severely ill father. Sometimes it meant abandoning one's usual rou-tine in order to sleep and think and just try to absorb the changes that a divorce brings. Either way, the emphasis was on letting homeschooling serve one's needs rather than dictate them. Homeschooling also continued working because the families didn't try to do everything themselves - a good guiding principle even in the best of times. Other family members and friends were crucial to their kids', and their own, passage through the difficult time. The kids were able to look outward when they needed to look outward (to turn to others for what wasn't available at home) and to turn inward when they needed to turn inward (to forego familiar activities to focus on themselves or on the family). For one of the families who wrote for this issue, the question was not, "Can we continue homeschooling during a tough situation?" but "Given the many stresses under which our family labors" - notably, substance abuse and a very difficult childhood history - "can we even consider starting homeschooling?" Their answer, that homeschooling was the catalyst that led them to become the kind of family they wanted to be, shows very dramatically that it's notjust kids who can change through homeschooling, it's entire families as well. Raising one's children, in the fullest sense of the word, and not delegating that task to someone else, is what makes families stronger. fuJohn Holt put it, people then have money in the bank which they can draw on when times get tough. - Susannah Sheffer Gnowxc WruHour ScHooI-It'tc #119

.

Nov.,/Dac. '97


llreru 6,ftlqortt College Admissions News Survey of Acceptance Rates

for

produce much more solid conclusions begin to collect this data.

as admissions offices

flomeschoolers Ken Danford of the Pnthfinder Learnng Center in Amherst, Mass. sent us a oopy of a paper he's written, "College Acceptance for Homeschooling Students: Limited Data Shows Comparabk Rates to High Rates

School Students." Some ext:erbts:

... One hundred colleges and universities were sur-veyed about the num-

ber of homeschooling applicants they have received during each of the past five years, the number of these applicants accepted, and the average rate of acceptance for all applicants at their school. Thirty-one schools responded. The results indicate that most schools do not have the data requested - few schools can identi$ the number of applications they have received from homeschoolers. Those that did respond often hadjust one or fwo years' worth of data, and a nurnber of schools responded that they arejust beginning to gather such statistics. The schools with actual numbers to report reveal that homeschoolers tend to do about as well as traditionally schooled students in gaining adrnission. In the fifteen schools that did supply data, homeschooling applicants had acceptance rates somewhat better than average at public universities and somewhat worse than average rates at private colleges and universities, but the number of applicants involved is so small as to make even these claims shaky. Significantly, no school categorically rejects or denies admission to those who homeschool, and it appears that homeschoolers who rnake strong cases for admission through test scores, portfolios, and other presentations can gain admission to any college or university in the United States, and that the decision to homeschool in itself neither helps nor hinders this process. Continued research in this area over the next several years may

... Several respondents offered written comments which shed a bit more light on the current state of

affairs, all of which suggest that homeschooling applicants are welcome and respected at admissions offices and that horneschoolers who matriculate seem to perform admirably at these schools. A note from the University of Vermont characterizes this entire study:

"Unfortunately, our office does not have any reliable method of tracking homeschooled students in the admissions process. Even the anec-

dotal information we have is inconsistent. It is clouded by memory of some horneschoolers who were in and out of other schools sporadically. We also know many students who were homeschooled for their entire high school careers. What we have seen consistently is that many horneschoolers are very solid stlrdents. They are well prepared for college work." Brigham Young University wrote, "Homeschooled students are performing, on average, at the B+ (3.4) level at BYU." The University of Massachusetts noted, " IHomeschoolers are] some of orlr top students." Several expressed concerns about homeschoolers being prepared for the admissions process requirements some transcript or GED, standardized tests, and a demonstrated range of courses taken at a college prep level,

including foreign language. The University of Vermont wrote, "[We] are aware of only one recurring problem with horneschooled students. Some of our homeschooled applicants are missing the University's entrance requirements." Aside from such concerns, the general tone of the responses was positive and curious - several respondents

mentioned looking forward to seeing

Gnowrxc Wrrnour Scuoor.rNc #119 o Nov./Dnr;. '97

the results. The Williams College response exemplified this tone with the enthusiastic conclusion, "Personally, I think homeschooling is great!" ... Perhaps the most striking conclusion fof this study] is one that might easily go unnoticed. No school

categorically rejects admission to homeschooled students. Many families making the decision about whether to homeschool express concerns about the implications of this decision for future college admissions. The evidence generated in this study indicates that homeschoolers who create a transcript or hard evidence of academic work, perform well on a battery of standardized tests, and acquire a GED

if necessary will face little trouble in gaining admission to college. .... Whether the choice to homeschool helps or hinders the admissions process for college-bound youth remains an open question. The selfselection involved in the type of student who might homeschool and then apply to college raises questions when trying to compare homeschooling acceptance rates to the general rates for all students. The University of Kentucky observes, "Our experience has been that only very well qualified students apply to UK from homeschool programs, which will skew the 'acceptance rate."' On the other hand, it is unclear why the self-selection process in choosing what schools to apply to would be any different for homeschoolers than for traditionally educated students. ... It seems that the sooner colleges and universities adjust their data collection to provide feedback on Ihomeschoolers' acceptance rates], the more they will able to contribute to families and students confronting the daunting decision of whether educating themselves is an appropriate choice. The limited conclusion here is that the choice to homeschool in and of itself poses no serious risk or benefit to the college admissions process. fuaders interested in

the

full

text

of

Ken's suruq results should send $3 to coaer costs to Ken Danford, Pathfinder Learning Center, 255 N. Plcasant St, Amherst MA 01002.


*

Nrws & Rrponrs 'i.

score requirements." For a free copy of the updated list, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Tests Optional at FairTest, 342 Broadway, Cambridge MA 02139. A directory of these schools is also available on FairTest's web page:

More SAT-Optional Schools The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) has for several years maintained a list of colleges that make the SAI and ACT optional for applicants. A recent press release from FairTest announces that "at least 280 four-year college and university campuses now do not use ACT or SAT results to make admissions decisions for many applicants.

http://fairtest.org U.S. Armed Forces Requirements Andrar Hill of Minnesota writes:

That figure represents an increase of more than four dozen test-score oF tional schools since a similar FairTest count in 1995 and a rise in the total by almost one hundred since 1994." The press release continues: "The current ACT/SAI optional list includes highly selective private liberal

I began my home education in a brief and unhappy attempt at public high school, I returned to homeschooling to finish my high school education. In selecting a curriculum, my family and I settled on American School. based in Chicago. One of the most important reasons I chose American School over other programs was that American

fifth grade. After

arts schools, such as Bates, Bowdoin,

Dickinson, Lafayette, and Muhlenas well as public universities in several states including Arkansas, Kan-

berg,

sas, Maine, Oregon, and, most re-

cently, Texas, which now automatically admits all students who graduated in

the top l0 percent of their high school classes without considering test scores. According to FairTest Executive Director Laura Barrett, 'The growing test-score optional movement reflects increasing concerns that reliance on ACT and SAI results limits the diversity of applicant pools, excludes many young people whose talents are not reflected by multiple-choice tests, and favors students who can afford expensive coaching classes.' ... In addition to the 280 schools on the list, FairTest found that hundreds ofother undergraduate institutions have deemphasized standardized exams in their admissions processes but have not yet taken the step of dropping their test

School advertised that its diplomas were acceptable to the U.S. Armed Forces. Although I was not consideringjoining the service at the time, the fact that I could join with an American School diploma was a strong selling

point. Now, several years after graduating from American School, I applied for enlistment in the U.S. Navy to take advantage of the Monterey, California Defense Language Institute. During

the admissions process, I was embarrassed and appalled to learn that my hard-earned American School diploma was completely unacceptable to not only the Naly but to all branches of the Armed Forces. Fortunately, I had already completed several years of college, and my college credits were acceptable to the Navy. Home-educated high school

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students should be aware that no nontraditional high school diploma such as a GED, American School diploma,

or other non-classroom-participationbased diploma is acceptable for enlistment in the U.S. military. Many such diplomas were accepted at one time but are no longer accepted due to a

change in regulations. I know from personal experience that the American School has neglected to inform its students and recent graduates of this change, and it is possible that there are other programs that have failed to notiS their students. I recommend that anyone in a non-traditional program that is advertised as acceptable to the U.S. military ask for a guarantee in writing and check with their local recruitment office.

News from the Philippines Candace Thayrr-Coe wrote about homeschooling in the Philippines for our Focus in GWS #109, "Homcschooling Abroad." Now she tn"ites:

I continue to meet more people interested in their children learning at home one way or another. I am very involved with organizing and facilitating the growth of this community. I have held three homeschooling gettogethers where I have shared our library of books and newsletters; I have put together a Homeschoolers' Directory along with ideas about how to use it to share talents that will benefit our children. (I've suggested a Writers Club, Games Day, Book Club, Theme Day, to name a few.) I decided to get the ball rolling by announcing an art workshop for homeschoolers. Now there are 10 to 12 children regularly attending every Friday afternoon for about four hours. The children range from age 6 to 12. There is plenty of time to do art, socialize, have a snack, and swim. I further facilitated the growth of the homeschooling community here by placing a notice about our supportive homeschooling group in the "Support and Interest" page ofthe American Women's Club newsletter. I also put a notice in the Asian Develop ment Bank Women's Club newsletter requesting tutors among the foreign spouses ofBank personnel (who are

GnowNc WrrHour ScHoot-txc #119 r Nov./Dnc. '97


* now legally able to work here). Recently, I made a flier and, through a friend, put it up at the National Science High School, asking for graduating students who might be interested in doing science experiments together with homeschooled children. I made the offer as a summerjob possibility and received many calls, so I made a list of the students who responded and sent it to all the homeschooling families in our group. I got the ball rolling by hiring two graduating students to do a science workshop with my own children. We invite other families to join, but one at a time so ttrat the kids can really be involved and notjust watching. I am hoping that someone else besides me will hold a homeschooling get-together. Our group is made up of a combination of Filipino families and foreign families, and some are mixed

North American/Filipino. It mayjust be too difficult to create and maintain a homeschooling group because we are all so philosophically and culturally different. Furthermore, there is the added difficulty of dealing with a very class-stratified society. On the

bright side, I have gotten feedback that the Directory of Homeschooling Families in our area is being used.

... and fromJapan Kyoho Aizawa writes fromJapan:

This March, the Ministry of Health and Welfare here was trying 10 change the welfare law. The aim of this amendment was to put children who do not go to school, including "school refusers," into the juvenile reformatory. We don't have any alternatives to schooling inJapan, but, as you may know there are so many problems in the schools here: bullying, physical and verbal punishment by the teachers, high pressure, etc. If a child wants to quit school, he or she doesn't have any other way but to be a school refuser. Because of the high pressure that society places on them, they often commit suicide, use violence against their parents, or sleep during the daytime and only get up at night. We took an action to oppose the

recent amendment, with support from GnowrNc Wrruour Scuoor-rNc #119

Nrws & Rlponrs

'l

abroad. We made a demand with more than 300 names (including lawyers, educators, and parents), and took it to the legislature. I was then invited by the committee of Health and Welfare in the House of Representatives and was asked my opinion regarding this amendment, as a home educator. I explained that we need the right to an alternative way of education as soon as possible, especially home-based education. There are about 180,000 chil-

dren here, of elementary and junior high school age, who do not go to school. As I am an advocate of home education, I talked about home education in the U.S. and England. We had translated a booklet called School is I,Jot Compukory from the British homeschooling group Education Otherwise, and I took some of these books with me when I spoke to the committee. The members were surprised to hear about the idea of home education abroad. The members ended up adopting an incidental resolution to the bill salnng that children can't be sent to

the reformatoryjust because they are not going to school. I think we won! But the idea of home education is still in its early stage inJapan. It is very difficult for us because access to higher education andjobs all depend on early schooling. OnJune 19, theJapan Federation of Bar Associations presented a report on the implementation inJapan of the convention on the rights of the child, and in the section on "Education, Leisure, and Cultural Activities, Education and Educational System inJapan," they wrote, "1. Places of education should not be limited to schools, but alternative forms of education such as home-based education should be approved; 2. Children who choose home-based education should be approved as having completed compulsory education, thus entitling these children to receive education at high schools." They had asked my opinion regarding this report and had accepted my advice.

Office News [SS:] We're all gradually recover-

ing from the excitement and intensive work of our 20th anniversary confer-

r Nov.,/Dsc. '97

ence. The staff and the "incredible

conference organizers," as one person referred to them on the evaluation form, did a spectacularjob. You'll see several photos from the conference and read reflections on the experience in this issue. It was certainly great fun for all of us to meet so many GWS readers from all around the country and from abroad, too. Thanks also to the readers who have sent us lovely responses to the anniverary issae (#1 18) ; these too have been gratifying. We will continue to have that special issue for sale throughout the year. This fall our focus will be on expanding the distribution and sales of the materials Holt Associates publishes - the books we have acquired from Home Education Press. such as Cafi Cohen's And \Nhat About ColLege and Linda Dobson's The Art of Education, the titles we have carried for several years, such as Nancy Wallace's Child's Workand those ofJohn Holt's books that we ourselves publish, such as Instead of Education and the new edition of Teach Your Own, and our own publications like Pat Farenga's The Beginner's Guide to Homeschooling the

volume of GWS #1-12, and smaller booklets of selected GWS articles, which we are just working on now any readers have connections with

If

book distributors or have any suggestions about ways to spread the word about these materials - for example, libraries or bookstores or groups to whom we might send our wholesaler's

- please let us know. We apologize for printing the

brochure

phone number of the National Homeschool Association incorrectly in our last issue. The numbe r is: 513-7729580.

Calendar Oct. 2426: Home Educators' Resource Organization (HERO)

of

Oklahoma Fall Family Conference and Retreat at Arrowhead State Park in SE Oklahoma. For info: email moyerles@wiltel.net We are haplry to print announcements of major homeschooling euents, but we need plenQ of notice. Deadlinefor GWS #120 (euents inJan. or later) is Noa. 10.

Deadlinefor GW #121 (eaents in March or later) is Jan. 10. ) 5


The Pou)er

o

Pen-Pals

lSS:/ A radio host recently asked me how homeschoolers could eaer haae the chance to exchange and. debate ideas with other students. I told her about all the dffirent kinds of groups I hnew about, and I also said that pen-pals are a. wonderful, if less obuious, utay for a similar interaction to occur. Here are some stories that show how this has worked. for a few young people.

Critquing Writing; Discussing Politics and Education FromJoanna Hoyt (ME):

dred-page story about a "perfect world" and its difficulties. Both of us were looking for other people to read and comment on our stories and discuss the

I have always had a hunger for discussion. I live in a small town and only one of my parents drives, which makes it more difficult to talk about things with people outside the family face-to-face. And even if I had been surrounded by people I might have

had a hard time finding people with my interests who had enough time and

energy to discuss them with me. My mother and I have talked through many interesting issues, but even she gets worn down eventually and declares the "question offrce" to be closed. So pen-pal relationships have been invaluable to me. As a 9-year-old I started writing to an unschooled girl who heard about me through GWS. We wrote about the joys and difficulties of having younger siblings, about figuring out how to deal with our mothers, about how hard it was to find girl friencls who didn't talk boys and clothes all the time, and about incidents in our daily lives. Sometimes it helped just to have someone else to write about these things to, regardless of what she answered. We were just beginning to send each other poetry tips on salamander-catching and birding, and thoughts about favorite books when she moved and stopped writing to me. Last year, when I was 14, I was engrossed in writing a long fantasy/ historical fiction story about an eleventh-century minstrel. Susannah Sheffer put me in touch with an unschooled writer who was very close to my age and was working on a hun6

writing experience. Each

whether or not war was ever right and whether or not patriotism involved supporting whatever wars your country was involved in), the highlights of her music and my writing, and the difficulties of balancing art with family time and other projects and studies. And the pen-pal adventure continues. I.just got a letter from a soonto-be unschooler interested in poetry music, conservation, fantasy, and Native American history and I'm looking forward to new issues to discuss and a new perspective on the world.

Discussing Books and Ideas; Supporting Each Other From Dori GrilJin of 'fennessee:

letter included a story installment and comments and questions about the other person's story.Jenny advised me about possible titles, told me when my Welsh geography became confusing, suggested ways to come up with names for difficult characters, and told me when my changes of tone seemed jarring. Sometimes she would make a brief comment on her impression of my story that made me look at it from a different perspective and change it a little bit. In return I asked questions about her characters' personalities and suggested places where she might want to slow down the pace a little bit. We also wrote about other elements in our education. She found it helpful to belong to a math club, a writing club, and a literary club to keep her focused, whereas I preferred to work on tl-rings on my own and at my own pace and share them with family or pen-pals whenever I felt ready to.

I've had a different kind of correspondence with another unschooled pen-pal. I wrote to her because I had heard that she too was interested in writing stories, but in her first reply she said that she had clecided to fbcus on music and let her writir-rg go for awhile. It turned out, however, that we had many other shared interests. We wrote about alternative-healing techniques (I was learning to use wild herbs; she used the gentle hands-on "Bowen technique"), politics (we agreed people should be able to vote before turning l8 and disagreed on

I began writing to pen-pals about five years ago, and since then I've written to about fifry different people (though not all at once). I consider some of my pen-pals to be among my closest friends, and I'm continually amazed that I know so many people so well just by writing to them. Here are a couple of exarnples.

My pen-pal Kathryn has many things in common with me: a love of reading, of Broadway musicals, of writing, dancing, just about everything. We have a very comfortable sort of friendship. We always swap news about books, movies, music, and dance. lt's neat to write to someone who really knows what I'm talking about when I discuss ballet; it's also been encotrraging to write to someone who knows how much dance really means to a clancer. I'm currently

taking at least a year offfrom dance (due to injuries) and that's been hard to deal with. Being able to talk to someone who knows that dancing is

as

breathing and sleeping for me - and almost as hard to give up has made things a bit easier. The more I write to Kathryn, the more I discover we have in comrnon, whether it's little things like having the same favorite sons or bigger things like being different fiom other teenagers around us and having to deal with that. I could hardly write about penpalling without mentioning my dear friend Sarah. We aren't exactly alike, natural

as

but we are startlingly so, and it is

GnowNc Wnuour ScHoor.rN<; #119

. Nov./Dec.

'97


uncanny at times to hear my own thoughts before I say (or sometimes even think) them. Sarah and I have discussed everything from creation vs. evolution to the relativity of time. The books we're reading always figure in every letter. I've read several books on Sarah's recommendation

-

The Mozart

for example, and Patricia McKillip's fantasy books, which at first I didn't like but now I really appreciate. Sarah is usually the person I turn to when I'm feeling in need of encouragement or empathy. She listens tirelessly while I discuss the trials, tribulations, and joys of publishing my zine, Season,

The Inhwell. She reads my stories and

gives her opinions. She's been a real

source of encouragement as I debate the issue of college. She's going off to college this fall and has shared with me her experiences of the admissions process. And lastly, she believes in me. \A/hen facing floods of rejection letters

from short story markets, I wrote to Sarah in desperation and she responded by assuring me that she had faith in me and my writing. Being believed in like that, by someone outside my family, is so very comforting - and amazing. Of course, pen-palling is a giveand-take situation. I haven't tried to explain just what I provide for my penpals in the way of companionship, encouragement, or insight, because I'm not entirely sure. I know that I

listen to them, believe in them, and give my wholehearted friendship to them. They would have to be the ones to say what those things mean to them. I only know that their friendship means more to me than I could ever fullv explain.

Making a Writer Out of a

cameraman. Theatre Goddess even then, Natalie was our leading lady. Despite repetitious death at the hands of alien invaders, Natalie caught my eye. Having never written a letter in

but the next morning it was back to

my life, I nevertheless asked for Natalie's address at the end of the conference and committed myself to

revisions.

Natalie and I continued our correspondence, writing once a week. The focus in my life shifted from mathematical elegance to verbal eloquence. Prior to our correspondence, I didn't write at all, partly out of shame at my inability to conquer the art and partly owing to a lack of need. Mathematics and art were the realms I most often frequented. Now' there was this girl and the only means of communication was through letters. These had to be impressive letters, so I was a devout believer in my mother's involvement. I would produce the thoughts; she would correct the presentation. My mother was good at grammar and sentence construction, but there came a time when my letters to Natalie ceased being of a public nature. I was 13 and very fond of this girl to whom I would write consistently. Natalie

writing her a letter. I did write Natalie a letter, albeit nine months later. Well. OK: I sent Natalie a form letter. I was new to writing and this stuff didn't come easilyl I had committed to writing to more than one person, and it was obvious that I couldn't write rwo letters; it had already taken me nine months to concoct this one somewhat intelligible note. Then the writing itself had taken eight hours ofwork and about a dozen more in stress. Remember, this was my first real letter. Worse, it was to a girl (that being a good thing for me and a bad thing for the letter). I would write a few sentences, cross out a few sentences. After leaving maybe one word, I'd rush into the kitchen and proclaim that it was hopeless. Must stay the course, however. Even if my most poignant phrase was, "So, you like stufP", this leter was going to enter the

couldn't date until she was 16, but that didn't matter anyrvay since we were separated by three hours of Ohio farmland. Yet, without much ballyhoo, slowly my mother was weaned from our correspondence. After forging my own solo course,

mail stream. The letter was mailed, and three days lateg my mother rushed upstairs to hand me an envelope adorned with stickers and addressed in a flowery cursive. Natalie had replied, and, no less, this Goddess of Speed-writing had replied that night and mailed her response the next morning. This set an ugly trend: now I not only had to reply, but I had to do it quickly! There was nirvana that night as I read and

the letters to Natalie grew even more

worthwhile and engrossing. Eventually, when I was 14, I gave her a telephone call. During the call, she influenced my inconsistent journal entries by relating her own adventures with a diary. These stories inspired me to resume my own journal with vigor,

reread and memorized Natalie's note,

Save your child from math phobia

Books designed to develop mathematical thinking

Nonwriter From Peter Koualhe (OH):

ference in the summer of 1991. At the time, the two of us were 12. I attended a session which proved memorable: for two straight hours a group of eight preteens were left with a video camera and a miniature stage. Camera shy at the time. and with a father that teaches television production, I was

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