Yes, You Can! – November 2020
by Norma Vandevender
There are multiple reasons why a parent decides to educate at home. Despite the various reasons, the common factor is love and the desire to give their children the best education possible. When you start with love, education at home is possible. Residing where the state law supports you makes it more feasible.
On June 15, 1994, the Texas Supreme Court guaranteed the right for Texas parents to educate their children at home without fear of prosecution. The court ruled that schools at home are considered a type of private school and thus offering parents great freedom in their educational curriculum and schedule. Since it is established that we have the right to educate at home, you may still be asking yourself, “Can I educate my children without a teaching degree?” Yes! You most certainly can! With proper guidance and preparation, an education at home is possible.
I am not an occupational therapist, but I helped my daughter to crawl. As she got stronger, I taught her to walk, eat, and use the bathroom. I am not a speech-language pathologist, but I was able to teach her how to talk. I am not a pediatrician, but I took care of her when she had fevers, scratches, and a couple of stomach viruses. On all these occasions, I may not have had a degree, but I informed myself and searched for solutions of how to undertake her development or take care of her health. I made lists of the necessary things and armed myself with the tools. The answers were not always easy to locate or given to me by my family. I read books, subscribed to new-mom blogs, and talked to my daughter’s pediatrician to reach an educated decision regarding what was best for her well-being.
So how can a parent without a teaching degree be an educator at home? By applying the same process of setting goals, researching the unknown, and seeking out expert advice. Fortunately, in San Antonio, there is FEAST, your homeschool resource center dedicated to helping families on their teaching path. Their mission is to support the benefits of parent-directed education. Think of them as your partner on this journey. With a staff and board of directors comprised of homeschool families, they can help you get started on the right foot, steer you around the speed-bumps, and make sure you get to the next phase of your journey. I turned to them multiple times, and they helped build up my confidence to teach my child. Also, veteran homeschooling parents and guardians are loaded with experience and homeschool knowledge. They are eager to share what has worked and what was thrown out the window. They too have felt those nerves and have questioned themselves like every new homeschool parent.
There are so many additional educational resources on social media, especially with the situation we are experiencing this year with the pandemic. Seek out homeschool groups (list available on FEAST website), the local homeschool community, your local library, and subscribe to homeschool blogs.
When the going gets tough, you can always seek out the help of a tutor because you do not have to teach all your child’s classes.
Take a deep breath, let your love for your family be the fuel that drives your attempt to offer a well- rounded education to your children, and remember that you do not have to feel alone in this. There is a support group out there to help along the way. Yes! You can teach!
Si, Se Puede – Noviembre 2020
de Norma Vandevender
Hay varias razones por las que un padre decide educar en casa. A pesar de las diversas razones, el factor común es el amor y el deseo de dar a sus hijos la mejor educación posible. Cuando empiezas con amor, la educación en casa es posible. Residir donde la ley estatal lo apoya, lo hace más factible.
El 15 de junio de 1994, la Corte Suprema de Texas garantizó el derecho a los padres de Texas para educar a sus hijos en casa sin temor a ser procesados. El tribunal dictaminó que las escuelas en casa se consideran un tipo de escuela privada. Por lo tanto, ofrece a los padres una gran libertad en su currículo educativo y horario. Puesto que se establece que tenemos el derecho de educar en casa, es posible que aún se pregunte: “¿Puedo educar a mis hijos sin un título de enseñanza?”
¡Sí! ¡Ciertamente sí que puedes! Con la orientación y preparación adecuadas es posible una educación en el hogar.
No soy terapeuta ocupacional, pero ayudé a mi hija a gatear. A medida que se hizo más fuerte, le enseñé a caminar, comer y usar el baño. No soy patólogo del habla y el lenguaje, pero pude enseñarle a hablar. No soy pediatra, pero la cuidé cuando tenía fiebre, pequeños raspones y un par de virus estomacales. En todas estas ocasiones, puede que no haya tenido un título, pero me informé y busqué soluciones de cómo emprender su desarrollo o cuidar de su salud. Hice listas de las cosas necesarias y me armé con las herramientas. Las respuestas no siempre fueron fáciles de localizar. Leí libros, me suscribí a blogs de nueva mamá y hablé con el pediatra de mi hija para llegar a una decisión educada sobre lo que era mejor para su bienestar.
Entonces, ¿Cómo puede un padre sin un título de enseñanza ser un educador en casa? Aplicando el mismo proceso de establecer metas, investigar lo desconocido y buscar asesoramiento de expertos. Afortunadamente, en San Antonio está FEAST, su centro de recursos escolares dedicados a ayudar a las familias en su camino de enseñanza. Su misión es apoyar para el beneficio de
la educación dirigida por los padres. Piense en ellos como su compañero en este viaje. Con un personal y una junta directiva compuesta por familias de escuelas en casa. En este centro de recursos para homeschool pueden ayudarle a comenzar con el pie derecho, guiarlo, y brindar apoyo para que usted pueda llegar a la siguiente fase de su viaje educacional. Yo los he buscado varias veces y me ayudaron a aumentar mi confianza para enseñar a mi hija.
Hay tantos recursos educativos adicionales en las redes sociales, especialmente con la situación que estamos viviendo este año con la pandemia. Busque grupos escolares en casa (lista disponible en el sitio web de FEAST), la comunidad local de la escuela en casa, su biblioteca local y suscríbase a los blogs de homeschool. Cuando las cosas se vuelven difíciles siempre se puede buscar la ayuda de un tutor porque usted no tiene que enseñar todas las clases de su hijo.
Respire, deje que su amor por su familia sea el combustible que impulsa su intento de ofrecer una educación completa a sus hijos y recuerde que no tiene que sentirte solo en esto. Si ya decidió iniciar su homeschool y no sabe cómo dar el primer paso, hay un recurso de apoyo para ayudar en el camino y es FEAST. Tanto fue su ayuda que ya trabajo allí los martes y jueves. Llámeme y haga su cita para un cafecito o un chocolatito con Norma. Si me avisa con tiempo hasta puedo ir por pan dulce. Con mucho gusto le ofrezco asesoría de homeschool o educación en casa. ¡Sí, puede enseñar!
Blog – October 2020
As I sit here with a blank screen, I am transported back to school when I was faced with a blank sheet of paper and was told to write. “Write? Write about what?” I would ask. “Write about anything. Write about what you did last summer,” I was told. There I sat with a blank sheet of paper looking around the room at all the kids busily writing away. Writing about anything was way too broad, and writing about a summer in which I sat around and did nothing wasn’t something I wanted to share. I could make something up, but I wasn’t that creative. What did the other kids know that I didn’t? Were their lives that fantastic that they couldn’t wait to write about it? Were they such skilled writers that putting pencil to paper was actually enjoyable to them? I think I know now…they were not afraid. They weren’t afraid
to make mistakes. They weren’t afraid to share the not so exciting events of their lives. They weren’t afraid of the grammar, spelling, and mechanic rules they were about to break. I was. My past attempts at writing were met with red ink and lots of it. Red ink was all I could see.
Red represented all the things I did wrong. Sometimes the ink was blue, purple, or green, but the sentiment was the same—I wasn’t a good writer.
As teachers, we want our children to develop into skilled writers, and we have the best of intentions when correcting mistakes and giving constructive criticism. What message are we sending our emergent or reluctant writers when we mark all over their stories? The message is clear: HERE ARE ALL OF THE THINGS YOU CAN’T DO, DID WRONG, OR DON’T DO WELL.
My years as a writing specialist, teaching the most reluctant writers, taught me this: 1. Allow students to grow as writers by focusing on and nurturing all that is good about their writing. 2. Take it one step at a time when correcting and asking them to improve upon what they have written. You can accomplish these two things with sticky notes and the acronym TAG. Instead of marking on their stories, I wrote on a sticky note. To keep from writing too much, I stuck to three items. That’s where TAG comes in. T=tell them what you liked about their writing, A=ask them what you as the reader want to know more about, G=give them one, ONE thing to work on. On a side note (a side sticky note to be exact), I would write down all the misspelled words from the week’s writing samples, and those words would find their way to my student’s spelling list. With this approach, by the end of your school year, you would have shared 170- 180 things that were great about their writing and 170-180 ways to improve their work!
Your reluctant writer will begin to see themselves as writers with something valuable to share and will be inspired to continue sharing and growing as a writer. Once they see themselves as successful writers, during this process, you can start the
revision and editing component. You, giving them tools to check their own writing before sending their assignments on to the editor-in-chief (you) for their rewrite and publication (putting it out on display for family and friends to enjoy). If you would like lessons on how to get your reluctant writers to write and enjoy writing, sign up for a Writer’s Workshop Consultation at FEAST’s Resource and Retreat Center.
What is Homeschool ?
Homeschool, homeschool, homeschool… You hear it all over the place nowadays. I am enjoying the many funny memes that have been created and being able to finally laugh along with my family and friends. They finally get my homeschool jokes!
At the beginning of the year, not many people knew what homeschool was all about. Those that had heard of it viewed it as a poor choice in education. I have had my share of negative criticism from my family and friends, especially at the beginning of our journey. This year it has
become a household word and quickly becoming a popular method to educate.
So, what exactly is homeschool? It is education with no boundaries, which makes the world your school because you can jump in to learn about a specific subject at your desired time and not by state mandate. It is the freedom to explore in
depth all which attracts your student in the comfort of your home, at a museum or in a park. It is quality time spent with those you love while learning and building stronger kindred connections. Homeschool is a private school where family values are highlighted, and your religion may be discussed and practiced.
Oh, but it sounds too good to be true! Of course, we experience problematic days; after all, we are working with humans. I had taken deep breaths and questioned my choice, “What was I thinking when I initiated homeschooling?” However, after recalling the precious time my daughter has spent learning how to play the guitar and to love books from my now deceased brother, learning to bake cookies and crochet from my also deceased mother, or practicing her Spanish and learning about our Mexican heritage and culture with my sister, my only regret is not initiating homeschooling sooner. Why? Because homeschool is the beautiful privilege of forming cultural, intellectual, social, and self-motivated human beings.
¿QUÉ ES EDUCACIÓN EN CASA O HOMESCHOOL?
Escuela en casa, escuela en casa, escuela en casa… Lo oyes por todas partes hoy en día. Estoy disfrutando de los muchos memes divertidos que se han creado y poder reír junto con mi familia y amigos. ¡Finalmente entienden mis chistes de la escuela en casa!
A principios de año, no mucha gente sabía de qué se trataba la escuela en casa. Aquellos que habían oído hablar de ella lo veían como una mala elección en la educación. He tenido mi parte de críticas negativas de mi familiares y amigos, especialmente al comienzo de nuestra
jornada. Este año se ha convertido en una palabra familiar y rápidamente esta convirtiéndose en un método popular para educar.
Entonces se pregunta, “¿Qué es exactamente la escuela en casa?” Es la educación sin límites, lo que hace que el mundo se convierte en su escuela. Usted puede elegir para aprender acerca de un tema específico en el momento deseado y no por mandato estatal. Es la libertad
de explorar en profundidad todo lo que atrae a su estudiante en la comodidad de su hogar, en un museo o en un parque. Es tiempo de calidad con sus seres queridos mientras aprendes y construyes conexiones familiares más sólidas. Homeschooling es una escuela privada donde se resaltan los valores familiares, y su religión puede ser discutida y practicada.
¡Oh, pero suena demasiado bueno para ser verdad! Por supuesto, experimentamos días problemáticos, después de todo estamos trabajando con humanos. He respirado profundamente y cuestionado mi elección: “¿Qué estaba pensando cuando decidí dar educación en casa?” Sin embargo, después de recordar el precioso tiempo que mi hija paso aprendiendo a tocar la guitarra y a amar los libros de mi hermano ya fallecido, como aprendió a hornear galletas
y ganchillo de mí también fallecida madre, o practicando su español y aprendiendo sobre nuestra herencia y cultura mexicana con mi hermana, mi único pesar es no haber iniciado homeschooling antes. ¿Por qué? Porque la escuela en casa es el hermoso privilegio de formar seres humanos intelectuales, sociales, culturales y auto motivados.