Education Without School

If you never quite mastered typing without looking at the keys, either on a typewriter (what's that?) or on a keyboard, then check out the following link to learn "Touch Typing."  https://www.keybr.com/ "This is keybr.com, a web application that will help you teach touch typing. Touch typing is typing without using the sense of sight to find the keys. A person possessing touch typing skills will know their location on the keyboard through muscle memory. It can improve any individual's typing speed and accuracy dramatically." This is great for parents who are home and suddenly have a little more time on their hands and who would like to brush up their basic job skills. And this is also great for students who are beginning to use their keyboards more and would do well to learn "Touch Typing," rather than "hunt and peck" typing. A cut above typical typing programs, this online service provides an introductory tutorial explaining in clear ter...

For those who read my blog on the Michigan high school sophomore who is incarcerated for not completing her online homework on time during the pandemic, please read some follow-up to this story: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-michigan-supreme-court-is-reviewing-the-case-of-a-teenager-incarcerated-after-not-doing-online-schoolwork-during-the-pandemic Although this student is still incarcerated for this "terrible" crime, several legal teams, attorneys and groups are working on her release. Let's hope this happens sooner rather than later!  Not that this has ever happened to any student in Ohio, at least not to my knowledge. However, I did encounter some outrageously ridiculous limitations in Ohio e-schooling programs when my daughter attempted to use them. We withdrew from e-schooling and opted for our own home education program, choosing self-directed and self-motivated studies, and never regretted this choice.  I will continue to update this story as I read about ...

In Ohio, parents can opt for tax-paid e-schooling in lieu of attending a brick and mortar school. Or parents can notify the superintendent of their school district that they have chosen to educate their children at home, on their own. See my previous posts on how to do this with a brief notification letter.  Which is better? What will work best for your child or children? That will vary from child to child, from family to family. But I have found that e-schooling can't compare to the richness that students can find by following a self-directed and self-motivated curriculum instead of one established by the businessmen who have set up and run the e-schools.  If that isn't enough, then consider what has happened recently. A young girl, 15 years old, is currently in a juvenile facility because a judge said that she wasn't doing her e-school homework. This case has many people shaking their heads and wondering what has happened to our legal system. Read more about this case and...

I have been listening to what the local media is saying about homeschooling and quickly discovered that they are telling parents that they must “apply” for permission to homeschool in Ohio. This is simply not true! We do not ask for permission or apply for permission in Ohio. We “notify,” following the notification requirements of the Ohio Administrative Code.  Some school districts insist that parents must fill out a specific form, often provided by the school district. This is also not true. These forms usually request information that is not required by the administrative code. I recommend that parents write a letter in which they specify that they will fulfill all the requirements of the administrative code, following the precise letter of the law, no more, no less.  So, for those who are preparing this type of letter, here is a sample letter that covers the bare minimum of what the Ohio Administrative Code 3301-34-04 requires: “CONCISE OHIO NOTIFICATION LETTER This letter...

This subject has found a regular place in the news media these days. What is best for our children? Do we send them off to school or keep them home? The media refers to keeping them home as "homeschooling," but in many cases, the students enroll in tax-funded e-schools and must follow curriculums that parallel those in brick and mortar schools. So, parents have at least three options: Send their children to their local schools. Enroll their children in an online tax-supported e-school program that fulfills the state's requirements. Notify one's school district that you are electing to educate your children at home, on your own, following your own curricular choices. A fourth choice that many families often choose is enrolling students in private or parochial schools.  What's best? That will vary from family to family and from child to child sometimes. Is there someone who can be in charge of your students throughout the school day and often into the night? Since n...

     For those who may be new to what is often referred to as “unschooling,” or self-directed learning, I would like to suggest that you take the time to read John Taylor Gatto’s brief book (145 pages) in which he explains what this is and why he, a New York City public school teacher for more than 30 years, a teacher who won every award available in the State of New York and New York City, walked away from all his years of training and experience in public school education and threw his support behind home education.  You can find a good pdf version of this book, Dumbling Us Down , here: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxpaGVmaWxlczF8Z3g6NzdiMzQ5OWVkNTNlM2FmOA You might even want to download this or print it out for future reference. It will make you think about education in a whole different light.  The other John Taylor Gatto book that I highly recommend is his larger volume, The Underground History of American...

If anyone would like to take a moment to review what Independence Day is all about, please visit Heather Cox Richardson's "Letters From An American" blog at the link below: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/people/4875576-heather-cox-richardson   Her July 3rd post is brief but hits the basics of our founders' intentions for the nation in which we live. Our democratic republic that operates under a constitution is unique in many ways. Heather Cox Richardson points out a few in this post.  If you like you may subscribe to her free blog.  Happy Fourth of July! Norma Curry CATCH Founder The Unschoolers Parent's Guide Co-founder