~ September 2011 ~

Dear Readers,

Happy September! This month is the 4th anniversary of my monthly newsletter. To celebrate, I'm having a special 4 for $40.00 sale - plus you'll even get FREE shipping! This wonderful set of books will provide a source of refreshing encouragement and practical motivation throughout your school year ... at a price you can’t resist - almost 50% off!

Featured Article

A new school year is here! You want this to be your best year ever, right? Well, have you written your homeschool mission statement yet? My e-book will show you how.

How to Write a Homeschool Mission Statement is an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide that explains in practical terms how to create, utilize, and display a homeschool mission statement. It includes: Examples, Discussion Questions, Worksheets, Keyword List, Scriptures, Quotations, Mottoes, Things to Do, and more!

A homeschool mission statement is like a compass that guides your course. When referred to regularly, it helps to shape the goals you set and the decisions you make that lead to your destination. By defining timeless values that do not change, it provides direction for strategies that do change.

A homeschool mission statement proclaims the reason and purpose of your homeschool. It describes its desired effect upon family members. The mission statement incorporates values, principles, and philosophies. It should be positive, uplifting, and empowering. It may include ends (goals) and means (how to go about achieving those goals) that specify how the mission is to be accomplished day by day and into the future.

If you are a new homeschooler, the reasons for homeschooling your children are probably still fresh in your mind. This e-book will help you clarify those reasons and put your educational plan in writing to ensure that your homeschool starts out on a strong foundation and continues to function well into the future.

If you have been homeschooling for a while, you may have noticed that the busyness of daily life often seems to distract you from the principles that matter most. Your family can get back on track by preparing a homeschool mission statement to assist in guiding you from this day forward.

Your homeschool mission statement should be a "living" document. Don't just file it away--use it, review it, memorize it. By comparing your actions to the mission statement, you can tell if you are straying off the path. If you have difficulties, the mission statement helps you get back on track by motivating you to make course corrections.

By placing the homeschool mission statement in your school room or in a prominent place where the family gathers, it will be a constant reminder of your homeschool's purpose and principles. Look at it often and regularly consider how you are conducting your homeschool in accordance with the homeschool mission statement.

Download your copy of How to Write a Homeschool Mission Statement, a 36-page e-book for only $4.95! (WAS $8.50)

Book of the Month

Constitution Week is coming up soon! This is the perfect time for all citizens young and old to review and study the U.S. Constitution. A thorough knowledge of the Constitution is more important today than ever. The legacy of my late father-in-law, Whitten Printers of Phoenix produces a Citizens Rule Book which contains the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and quotes by Founding Fathers. Consider distributing this pocket-sized Constitution booklet to family, friends, homeschoolers, community groups, church members, co-workers. Only $1.00 each! Order online at HomeschoolPatriot.com.

Famous Homeschoolers

Every year around Labor Day, I think of the American poet Walt Whitman. Labor Day is a tribute to the contributions that workers have made to our nation’s strength, prosperity, standard of living, and ultimately to our founding ideals of democracy and freedom. Whitman referred to himself as "one of the roughs," a common laborer. He worked as a printer, editor, journalist, and publisher at the time of the American publishing industry's phenomenal growth after the Revolution, when authors and publishers were establishing for America a literary culture of its own. Whitman promoted himself as the poet of American democracy and of the common man. Definitely not one of the academically elite, Whitman attended one of the newly founded New York public schools until age 11, but most of his meaningful learning came from his years of self-education. Read his biography here: http://www.famoushomeschoolers.net/bio_walt-whitman.html.

Reading Between the Lines

Is Public Education Necessary?

In early American history, a literate and well-educated majority of Americans thrived without a national, tax-funded educational program. In fact, few of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and drafted the U.S. Constitution had ever seen a public school, and yet they benefited from a free system of education vastly superior to the imagined benefits of today's state-controlled schooling. What happened over the course of the last two and a half centuries? Where did we get the idea that state-provided education is desirable and necessary? In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to begin forced schooling. At that time, it took soldiers and guns to get parents to hand over their children. Why was that? And how did Americans then come to surrender the educational freedom that produced such widespread academic excellence to embrace a state of functional illiteracy under complete government control?

Is Public Education Necessary? by Samuel Blumenfeld unpacks two centuries of source material to present an accurate history of the religious and philosophical transformations that gave birth to the educational statism controlling America's children today. From the New England Puritans who wanted to make sure everyone could read the Bible, to the Unitarians who wanted to perfect humankind and reform the world, Blumenfeld shows that public education in America has always been more about religion than literacy. He then goes on to demonstrate that the push for public schools has not been a democratic movement concerned with empowering the people, but a campaign by the wealthy and powerful “intellectual elites” to maintain social order – all the while brainwashing the public to believe something totally different from their real motives. As a result, today many well intentioned people are passionate supporters of the public schools, totally unaware of the actual intentions behind these institutions.

Is Public Education Necessary? is an eye-opening study of the history of education in America. This is a well-researched, carefully documented book with extensive quotations from original sources, great for research and well worth reading. At 229 pages, Blumenfeld’s book is much more focused than John Taylor Gatto’s Underground History of American Education which is almost twice as long. However, Gatto’s book is available in its entirety online for free at www.johntaylorgatto.com. A free audio version is also available online at www.unwelcomeguests.net. If you’d like something shorter to start with, read Education: Free and Compulsory by Murray Rothbard. It was written decades ago, in 1971, and yet amazingly supports homeschooling which was essentially unheard of at that time. Rothbard’s book is only about 50 pages long, and it’s also available online for free, at http://mises.org/resources/2689.

As homeschoolers, we have a chance to restore balance to the nation’s educational system by raising students who (contrary to popular opinion) CAN THINK for themselves – which is probably why the power elite tend to be so adamantly opposed to home education. And that’s exactly why more American citizens need to wise up to the REAL history of public education in this country.

Learning Links

• 9-11 Heroes (September 11 - we will never forget.)

• Grandparents Day (Remember your Grandparents on September 13.)

• Constitution Day (Constitution Day is September 17. That whole week is designated as Constitution Week.)

• Monarch Butterflies (The Monarch Butterfly's fall migration.)

• Autumn Leaves (Activities and resources for learning about fall leaves.)

• Autumn is for Apples (Learn a little bit about Johnny Appleseed - his birthday is September 26 - and try some yummy apple recipes.)

• Pirates (September 19 is "Talk Like a Pirate Day.")

• Etiquette & Ethics (September is Children's Good Manners Month.)

Freebie of the Month

Constitution Challenge - In honor of Constitution Week which is September 17–23, have your children memorize the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. I've put together a decorative copy of The Preamble, a memory activity, memorization tips, vocabulary, and Constitutional Quotations for Copywork (4 pages total).

Rules of Civility - Have your children learn general courtesies, manners and morals the way George Washington did! Click here for a free copy of "George Washington's Rules of Civility" in a 17-page e-book.

September & October Calendar - Print out these calendar pages and hang on your fridge, next to your computer, or keep in a binder. Includes a convenient list of holidays and special days, plus space for notes.

(Requires Adobe Reader: click here for free download.)

Quote of the Month

“You must not know too much or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and watercraft; a certain free-margin , or even vagueness - ignorance, credulity - helps your enjoyment of these things.” ~Walt Whitman

A Note From Teri...

Don't forget the special sale I’m having this month - save over 50% on my exclusive 4-for-$40.00 set of books!

Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom
Easy Homeschooling Techniques
Easy Homeschooling Curriculum
Easy Homeschooling Companion

Click here for detailed book descriptions!

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Happy Homeschooling!