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I’d love to meet you this month!  Please join me if you are in Washington or Oregon!

Meet The HomeScholar

Reach East

“High School Records for Fun and Profit”
Monday, February 13
7:00pm
Crossroads Bible Church Bellevue, WA
Reach East website

First Class Ministries Homeschool Seminar
“Preparing for Homeschool High School”
Friday, February 17
12:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Damascus, Oregon
$30/person or $50/both days
Contact Michelle
503-327-4626
MLaw1970@aol.com

First Class Ministries Homeschool Seminar
Saturday February 18
Vancouver, Washington
“How to Prepare for College Admissions and Scholarships”
Saturday February 18
10 am to 2:30 pm
Vancouver, Washington
$30/person or $50/both days Contact Michelle
503-327-4626
MLaw1970@aol.com

Washington Homeschool Organization Convention
June 15-16, 2012
Puyallup, WA
WHO Convention

Oregon Christian Home Education Conference 
June 22-23, 2012
Oregon Convention Center
mail@oceanetwork.org

If you can’t come to my area, I would love to come closer to you.  Please ask your homeschool convention organizer to have me speak at your convention next year.  Because I have other family responsibilities, I can’t go to conventions unless I’m asked to speak.  For information on my speeches, you can find information here:
Speaker Information
Old Schoolhouse Speaker Bureau
or Balancing the Sword Speakers Page
Contact me for more information

Congratulations, Donna! Thank you to Anita Mellott and Judson Press for providing a copy of Anita’s book, School is Where the Home Is: 180 Devotions for Parents.

I hope that each of you have taken the opportunity to check out Anita’s book. It’s a great dose of encouragement just when we need it!

Our monthly newsletter comes out on the first of every month.  Sign up for your free monthly newsletter here.

My newsletter includes a section called “In the News.” Check out what those wild and crazy homeschoolers are doing these days!

In The News

Rick Santorum: Homeschooling Dad
“I’ll Home-School In The White House” Read article

Ron Paul and Homeschoolers Influential Homeschoolers Coalesce Behind Ron Paul
TheNewAmerican.com
Ron Paul is an enemy of homeschooling
Michael Farris of HSLDA

Tim Tebow: Homeschool High School Graduate
Tim Tebow’s Unusual Education
Washington Post Article

Kansas State Starting Quarterback Homeschooled
“Klein is fluent in the locker-room language, even if his actual words sound strange to some ears. No one has ever heard him swear, and he will sprinkle conversations with old-timey phrases that make his teammates chuckle.”
cjonline.com/sports

Most Influential in the Country Homeschooled
Woodlands teen recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the most influential and inspirational people in the country under 30
ABC News

Teen of the Week
Home school student works hard and aims high
Read PaducahSun.com

Census and Homeschoolers
Three percent of American students, about 1.5 million children, are homeschooled. Learn what the U.S. Census says about homeschool families. Read the story.

Everything a homeschool student needs to know doesn’t happen all at once. That is why high school takes four years. Let this video post be of encouragement to you today.

Learn more about steps you can take right now to meet all of your homeschool high school goals.

Whoops!  Did you forget that your child is a senior this year?  Have you completely spaced out about applying to colleges?

Some homeschool parents feel like they are always behind a step.  If senior year is upon you, and you haven’t begun the final sprint toward college, I can help!  My article called “Senior Year Hail Mary Play” can get you the winning touchdown!  In this article I share a story about my facebook friend Brittany – a very important story about success, perseverance, and planning ahead in case of a crisis year.   Let me share with you her success story!   You can still create your winning strategy now!

Read Senior Year Hail Mary Play

It would be lovely if every child wanted to specialize in something reasonable.  Something that made money, provided income, or was valuable for family harmony.  Sadly, most teenagers are still children, at least some of the time, and they may want to specialize in the most unusual things!  Instead of worrying, try to translate their interests into something reasonable.  In other words, if they DID specialize in that one seemingly – bizarre thing, what would that look like?

Loralee wrote to me because her child loves only legos.  If you took that interest and added a few years, what would it look like?

I just read one of your articles about encouraging your child’s passions. I wish my 15 yr old son had a passion like chess or piano or fiddle playing! While he does read a lot (like your son, I assume), and has hobbies such as leathercraft, and biking, the thing he’s passionate about is LEGOs! He loves them and wants to be a LEGO designer. My husband feels that’s a childish thing to be doing all the time (and so do I to a lesser degree). He’s has upper average grades, and we don’t live in Sweden, and there are a million other kids who want to do the same thing, so it doesn’t seem likely he’ll get very far in his desired field.  So, how do I encourage his passion when I feel he should be growing out of it?  Thank you very much for your time! ~ Loralee

Lego needs engineers. Engineers begin their careers with Legos. Legos are the cornerstone of many science and engineering programs, leagues, and clubs.  For that reason, it looks like Legos are a GREAT way to ignite passion!  Check out these links for more information:

Perhaps your child would like to compete in a science and engineering fair. To find one in your area, Google Science & Engineering Fair with the name of your state, or start by look at  ISEF: Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

For a “degree in Legos” working at the LEGO company, to create something knew a person might need a chemical or mechanical engineering degree. If you urge your child in that direction, you can’t go wrong. He’ll be prepared for anything! During high school, he’ll need math each year, plus biology, chemistry, and physics. By the time he is done with high school, he may have modified his goals slightly, but this preparation will give him maximum flexibility.