We are not at the cell phone/laptop stage and do not have a television. Not sure when that will all change, but thanks for the post. Something to consider for the future.

You can feel her frustration.

I'm not knocking that necessarily. I never had to homeschool more than one kid at a time, which must present tremendous challenges. And, having a husband who has to have state-of-the-art everything, I can understand some of her frustration with the gizmos. I had to battle to ensure that the TV was not usually turned on until schoolwork was finished.

But I have also found that technology offers extremely helpful tools that not only teach my son, but spur his enthusiasm to learn. In fact, part of the reason he began reading at age 3 was because he wanted to learn how to play video games, like his older brothers, and needed to learn to read instruction manuals to do so. I began teaching him by using a Leap Frog "Leap Top" computer toy. And, with regard to the video games that a lot of folks love to bash, he's learned quite a bit about history, science, and technology as a result of time spent playing.

Sometimes we don't stick to the teacher's manual. My husband, who has a Zoology degree, does the math and science with our son. He only assigns enough math problems to ensure that he understands the concept and can perform the task. Part of our reason for homeschooling was to ditch the busy work, so there'd be more time for learning other things.

I often alter the assigned composition themes to subjects he can write about with ease and clarity. And I let him work on the computer, but without spelling and grammar check tools.
Being able to stick to a particular schedule is a good skill; but I think being flexible is more valuable in many ways.

The ability to shape the learning experience directly to your child's needs is powerful. I wish every child in every community could receive that experience.

it would be within a network. That way, likeminded people get together with their kids, teach what they are best in and the kids get more socialization. Everyone needs a break!

has a field trip and special programs coordinator who acts as a liason between the school and the students. We get together for various activities, exchange ideas, and get to know each other better.

I especially like the fact that the activities present my middle-schooler with an opportunity to take charge of his own education and gain an understanding of some of the challenges other kids face...like ADHD.

To whom it may concern:

On March 30th to April 2nd, 2012, the grassroots education reform organization United Opt Out National (http://unitedoptout.com) will be holding an event in Washington, DC called Occupy the DOE. As a collection of teacher educators, K-12 teachers, and parents from around the country, we ask for your participation and support.

For more than a decade, the reform narrative in education has been dominated by test-based accountability, competition, and punishment. Large foundations and other corporate entities have propagated market-based principles like school choice, pay-for-performance, and for-profit management of schools. Consequently, large amounts of private wealth go towards influencing legislators and other public officials to dismantle public education, ultimately in favor of a private system that can be run for profit.

The key lever is the vaunted score on high-stakes state standardized tests, used to justify a slew of controversial decisions. As a result of ten years of this kind of reform, we are experiencing schools just as segregated by race and social class as they were in the 1950s. We in the United States are also experiencing a teaching profession that is constantly undermined and under attack. The culture of punishment and competition created under No Child Left Behind and now Race to the Top has proven to be a massive failure. Yet, private entities still push for test-based accountability measures despite near-universal opposition from educators and the pile of evidence against it.

In order to grind this failed reform climate to a screeching halt, we at United Opt Out National feel that an ultimate act of civil disobedience is all that we have left. We therefore call upon educators, leaders, parents, and students across our vast public education system to withhold the data by opting out of their state’s standardized tests. If policy-makers, legislators, and other officials cannot make responsible decisions based on quantitative data, and if they refuse to appreciate evidence to the contrary, then the only arrow left in our quiver is to simply refuse to hand over the data.

We at United Opt Out National certainly understand the potential consequences of refusing state standardized tests. We appreciate the reluctance of teachers and administrators to engage in an opt-out measure. Various state departments of education and their officials falsely claim that parents do not have the legal right to opt-out, that their refusal to concede to the tests will unfairly punish their children and their schools. While officials might be able to fire teachers, they cannot fire parents. If school systems wish to continue their obsession with test scores, then they must also be prepared to offer alternatives for the growing wave of parents who see test preparation violating their consciences and robbing their children of meaningful educational experiences.

Our Occupy the DOE event will include numerous teach-ins, social events, and actions in protest against test-based and corporate driven education reforms. In preservation of a free and equitable public education, and to support a new direction in education reform, we ask that you strongly consider participating in our event. If you would like any other information, feel free to contact any one of our administrators through our site at http://unitedoptout.com, which provides direct links to our myriad social media accounts, endorsements, readings, and other documentation.

Thank you for your consideration,

United Opt Out National
http://unitedoptout.com