BHS Ongoing 'blog

Among the first links on the list at right, newly-featured are an article from the front page of Saturday's NYTimes on "unschooling"-- and another, just following, of a series of letters written in response to the article.

Very interesting!

Let's Teach Them Well.

-BHS

posted by Unknown @ 1:04 PM 0 comments

Quote, on the subject of 'socialization' in relation to homeschooling. The quote is from the link "Montessori Homeschooling" at the right of all BHS pages.

The term "Montessori" can be replaced with the phrase "best-possible" or something similar:

"Q. What about socialization?
A. The word socialization, contrary to the opinion of some, does not mean spending the weekdays competing with 25 human beings one's own age. In a natural community children spend their daily lives with old people, babies, and everyone in between. They do not compete, but learn to search out the needs of others and to help them live and learn. This mixed age group and habit of teaching and helping others, and being helped and taught by people younger or older than oneself, is a part of Montessori classes at all ages and is easy to fit into the Montessori homeschooling plan."

Let's Teach Them Well.

-DaddyZ

posted by Unknown @ 8:52 AM 0 comments

The composted soil is working!

That is, in a couple of planters we've got going in a sunny windowsill, filled with the composted soil recently harvested from our roof bin-- there are already lots of green, vibrant sprouts asserting themselves!

We'll keep updating the progress!

Let's Teach Them Well,

-DaddyZ

posted by Unknown @ 8:22 AM 0 comments

Happy Halloween!

Don't have pix yet of the kids, but they looked great, had a great day, lots of fun trick-or-treating and costume-watching throughout the evening, in Clinton Hill, Brookyn.

Good, Fun Day/ Night!

Additionally, yesterday, harvested some of the composted soil we've been feeding for over a year now... Great, Deep-Brown soil! We planted a sprouting potato, an onion and some garlic cloves, flower, lettuce and other veggie seeds... we'll be watering it daily... see what grows, best!

We added some of the plentiful brown leaves around these days into the compost bin, and some new soil... ready for another year of production!

The kids are really hands-on in the process, we actively discuss all we're doing... they frequently seem to get it, completely. Very rewarding and lotsa fun!

-DaddyZ

posted by Unknown @ 8:15 AM 0 comments

"As it stands now, the current system of public education is perfectly designed to produce a permanent underclass by sorting students on the basis of out-of-date standards."

Not so bleak an analysis as the eye-catching quote suggests, the study

"The Future of Public Primary School Education in the United States"

is very worth-reading.

Let's Teach Them Well.

-DaddyZ

Click the "Future of Pubic Education" link at right near the bottom of the links list, or cut'n paste the following address:

http://www.gbn.com:80/ArticleDisplayServlet.srv?aid=38177

Enjoy inJoy.

posted by Unknown @ 8:27 AM 0 comments

10/24/06

Bought two pumpkins today with Naia at a local farmer's market. With Naia and Ben today, carved two pumpkins (they art-designed every aspect of the two displayed-- telling me what shape to make the eyes, they both wanted the one-tooth look... fun!!!!)

HAPPY PUMPKIN-COSTUME DAY UPCOMING!!!!!

-DaddyZ

posted by Unknown @ 3:36 PM 0 comments

Yellow Brick Road:

3 New Links to recommend reading:

"Zen Homeschool",
"Child-Led Learning"
and "Global Village Peace Studies".

Enjoy inJoy.

Let's Teach Them Well.

-BHS

posted by Unknown @ 7:45 PM 0 comments

Wikipedia has a great, comprehensive entry on the subject of homeschooling.

Of particular note and potential interest, it includes the research and statistics confirming the impressive results, both academically and socially, achieved by homeschooled children.

To see these results, click on "Academic/Social Results, HS" link at right, or cut and paste the following link into a browser:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling#Research_results

You'll be impressed and inspired!

-Zack

posted by Unknown @ 9:35 AM 0 comments

An author to know about, in looking critically and closely into the dysfunctions currently prevalent within many schools, our culture's emphasis on testing and "standards" and more and more homework and multiple-choice and...

his name is Alfie Kohn. He doesn't appear to specifically endorse homeschooling-- but his insights into what's NOT improving in systemized, mainstream, "Leave No Child's Behind" schooling are highly insightful, and relevant to the difference in emphasis, approach and philosophy espoused by BrooklynHomeSchool.

See the "Alfie Kohn" link at right, or cut 'n paste: http://www.alfiekohn.org/articles.htm
into your browser window.

Among the articles included, BHS highly-recommends "Unconditional Teaching," "Getting-Hit-on-the-Head Lessons," and "Five Reasons to Stop Saying 'Good Job!"-- the last of which has as much or more to do with parenting a young child as with education, specifically-- though this 'blog's readers are likely to be among those aware of how closely-connected such realms are... : )

Let's Teach Them Well!

-BHS

posted by Unknown @ 7:15 PM 0 comments

Hudson Valley Sudbury School:

As Brooklyn HomeSchool embraces the ethic of "free" or democratic schools-- though not to the letter of any "law" or "rule" of any particular approach to education-- we've added a link at right to the following site, which you can also cut 'n paste from below:
http://www.hudsonvalleyschool.org/index.php

on the site, feel free to peruse the "articles" section, which provides a lot of information on Sudbury Schools' orientation(s), what makes them unique and effective, and some informative critique of more conventional approaches to regimented, more "forced" education approaches (including most-all public schools, and many private schools).

If you like (or like the idea(s) of BHS, you may also like Sudbury's model, focus (and intentional lack-thereof), and approach to education. And if you like Sudbury's model and approach-- you're likely to like BHS's orientation and priorities. Though we admire and emulate many of the educational values of "free" schools such as Sudbury, BHS is more malleable, less wedded to free-school values particularly. We're ready to work together with parents and students to create a mix of styles and strategies that work best for all, to effect the greatest possible, customized education.

While on the subject of free, democratic-schools and their philosophies-- check out:
http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/pages/about.html

Summerhill School, in the U.K., is regarded as the original such schools, and originated the model and philosophy and values pursued by Sudbury and other such schools here in the United States and globally. A.S. Neill established Summerhill School, and has written (among other things) and excellent book of the same name as the school... Cut 'n paste the above, or click the "Summerhill School" link at right-- and on that site, of particular interest to learn more is the link "RESEARCH INFORMATION".

It's worth researching.

Enjoy InJoy

and,

Let's Teach Them Well.

-BHS

posted by Unknown @ 7:14 PM 0 comments