Life on the Road

I love LEGO.  My family has always loved LEGO.

My grandmother (a VERY tidy person, and very proper in many ways) was horrified when she came to visit for the holidays one year.  I was about 12, and my sister was about 6.  Mom and Dad had taken out all the Dining Room furniture, and covered most of the floor (wall-to-wall carpeted) with sheets of plywood.

Then, there were the LEGOs…

To keep us from arguing about parts, I suppose, they got my sister sets from the City theme, while I had Space sets. 

And boy, did we have sets.

The Dining Room stayed in that condition for quite some time, and I suspect we had every set made for those two themes at that time - plus any number of generic brick sets.

But you know, even those “specialized” sets had primarily “regular” bricks.  The only thing that made them a “set” was the particular assortment, and the instructions for assembling them into a Hotel, or a Spaceport, or whatever.

I’ve been buying LEGOs for Nick for over a decade now, and we’ve got lots of the “Duplo” big bricks now, too.  And frankly, I’m a little troubled by what’s out there on the shelves.

A set today is composed primarily of specialized pieces that ARE something - the hull of the ship,  the fender of a car, etc.  You don’t have to construct the whole model out of little cubes, you just have to snap the components together.

Doesn’t that totally eliminate everything we love about LEGO?

Where’s the creativity?  Where’s the thinking outside the box?  Heck, where’s the ability to dump them all into a big pile on the floor and just build a gigantic block tower with your kid sister that’s as tall as she is?

This is just one more thing that’s widely regarded as “progress” that I don’t find beneficial.  If I want to buy them a toy boat or a toy car, I’ll just buy one.  If I buy them LEGOs, I want them to be able to engage in stimulating, creative play.

Luckily, you can still order various “basic brick assortment” sets online (I’m sure some specialty stores still carry them, too - just not around here). 

It all started out as a simple transaction at PaperBackSwap. 

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy that site?  We send off the books we’ve read, and get a constant fresh supply coming in - and you even get free credits just for signing up!  (If you check it out, tell ‘em tiffanyblitz sent you)

But anyway, along with the last book I received was an intriguing thing.  Titled “Informal Book Club,” it’s what we used to call a Chain Letter - in a good way.

You remember the deal, right:

• I send a book to the person whose name is first on the list.
• I remove their name, and add my name to the bottom of the list.
• I send the letter and the revised list to six people.
• Before long I have a mailbox full of books!

This is a pretty mild version: You only have to send it to six people (not ten or something), and there are only two names on the “list” (meaning you don’t get the promise of “856 books!” but that you’re more likely to get some before it dies out).

I haven’t committed to it yet…

I think it’s a great idea, and works out to be a good deal no matter how you look at it.

Shipping one book that I no longer want, using Media Mail rates, is cheap and easy.  I’ll get at least some new books from it, and possibly up to 36!  I can read the ones that interst me, and all of them can be swapped for PaperBackSwap credits to get the books I really want.

The letter could just as easily be sent out as an email, saving even the printing and mailing cost and hassle of that part.

But I’m not sure I know six people that would want to participate - at least not well enough to feel right about asking.

Would you like to join the Book-O-Rama?  Just comment or email me (tiffany (at) tiffanyblitz (dot) com) with your email addy, and you’re in! 

So Mr. Nick is taking “Honors English I” in school.  Honors - you get an extra grade point in the GPA reckoning, since it’s more work (or harder, or whatever).

I do understand that both rules and common usage change over time, but I just think this is silly.  Let me share.

The exercise is to read a section of a Greek myth which is written with no punctuation or capitalization, and correct it.  Simple, yes?

The beginning of the story, for context, is this:

A Story of Hospitality

Zeus wanted all mortals to be generous to strangers.  He ordered people on Earth to give food, drink and shelter to any stranger in the land.  Sometimes he would visit the Earth in disguise to see if his law was being followed.

Then you get to punctuate this section:

during such a visit to phrygia a land in asia minor zeus and hermes disguised themselves as beggars the two gods began to knock on door to see if people would offer them the hospitality zeus required they visited many homes of wealthy and middle class people but no one would offer them anything to eat or drink

Nick, Wolf and I all thought the exercise was quite straightforward, and corrected it this way:

During such a visit to Phrygia, a land in Asia Minor, Zeus and Hermes disguised themselves as beggars.  The two gods began to knock on doors to see if people would offer them the hospitality Zeus required.  They visited many homes of wealthy and middle class people, but no one would offer them anything to eat or drink.

Nick’s teacher, however, stated that the correct answer was as follows (emphasis to debated section added):

During such a visit to Phrygia, a land in Asia Minor, Zeus and Hermes disguised themselves as beggars.  The two gods began to knock on doors to see if people would offer them the hospitality. Zeus required they visit many homes of wealthy and middle class people, but no one would offer them anything to eat or drink.

Ummm, what?  I mean, it basically makes sense, but isn’t it a bit of a stretch?  And, “offer them the hospitality” period?

One other student in the class backed Nick up on defending his version as correct.  Other students had also done theirs that way, mind you, but they just “corrected” it to her version like sheep.

His teacher is reasonable, at least.  She said essentially that his way was, “another way you could do it…”

What do you all think?

Welcome to the 134th Carnival of Homeschooling!  I am honored to be hosting the carnival a second time, and I want to extend my hearfelt thanks to the dozens of bloggers who submitted these incredibly interesting, challenging, and diverse posts for your reading pleasure.  So without further ado, let’s get on with the show!

Most people (and especially most homeschooling families) have at least a passing knowledge of the 12 labors that Hercules had to complete for Eurystheus.  I would propose that, as homeschoolers, we face a no less daunting set of tasks.

Hercules’ First Task:  Slay the Nemean lion, which no weapon can harm.

Wow, surely, that’s impossible!  Not to Hercules, who simply used the strengths he knew he possessed.  Often, being the best teacher requires us to do some hard work on ourselves first, to gain that perspective.

christinemoers suggests that homeschooling - indeed, parenting in general - requires this kind of tough introspection. Be sure to read What are you afraid of? posted at welcome to my brain . net.

Karen M Gibson suggests that we need to look at our deepest beliefs and motivations for our choices in Your Child Wants to Attend School – Now What? at Leaping From the Box.

Rachel Davis advises that we think about what “schooling” itself really mean - or should mean! - with Why Homeschooling isn’t Lacking in Education! posted at Holy Hillbilly Creations Blog-Where Fashion meets Modesty!.

Evie Maddox takes a look at our scheduling choices in Why Homeschool in Summer? posted at Stay At Home Child.

Dianne M. Buxton discusses How To Find Emotional Intelligence and Positive Thinking In the Ballet World [Ed. note: or anywhere!] at Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes.

Cristina encourages us to learn to let go, in Pushing Buttons posted at Home Spun Juggling.

ChristineMM challenges us to take a hard look at our standards, in Controversial Article About Homeschooler’s Abilities On My Mind posted at The Thinking Mother.

Hercules’ Second Task:  Slay the hydra.

The trouble with a hydra?  You cut off a head, and it just grows right back!  It’s more than one person can do!  Even Hercules called upon his nephew to help out with this task, cauterizing after each of his chops.  Sometimes we do need to reach out, and make use of other resources available to us, and other people’s strengths.

Carol Topp, CPA suggests that we band together to find stength as a coop, in The Homeschool Socialization Problem Solved posted at HomeschoolCPA - Homeschool Blogger.

Alasandra wants to help recognize and validate fellow homeschoolers! Check out The Graphics Winner posted at Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog Awards.

Need a pat on the back for your thrifty schooling choice?  Check out Back to School Shopping: The Homeschool Way from Penelope at The Cafe at the END of the Universe.

Kim Hutmacher talk about using the author to add a dimension to literature, in Making the Author Connection posted at Works in Progress.

David Cassell warns about the current problem with a GED Scam, at selectcoursesblog.com.

A couple of little math boosters from denise at Let’s Play Math!: Free Multiplication Bingo Game and the Crazy 4 Math Contest.

Need a unit study, Matey? Well then ye best hurry along to Little Blue School so’z Lydia can give ye a Treasure Island Homeschool Seminar: Literary Lesson Plans and Nautical Worksheets.

Want to know more about the brain? WAY more? Alvaro Fernandez presents Learning & the Brain: Resources for Educators posted at Sharp Brains.

Hercules’ Third Task:  Capture alive the stag with the horns of gold, sacred to Artemis.

As homeschoolers we learn that the most precious gifts are worth whatever time and effort they cost.  Hercules could have killed the deer easily, and soon - instead he had to follow it around for an entire year waiting for the moment to make the capture.

Thomas J. West advises musicians to “BE PATIENT!” in Music Practice Tips #2: Don’t Exceed Your Brain’s Speed Limit posted at Thomas J. West Music.

Silvia describes her 8 year old learning patience in Flying Success! posted at Po Moyemu–In My Opinion.

Hercules’ Fourth Task:  Capture an enormous boar.

Hey, this is number four in this vein already.  Hercules is an old hand, and the task is no big deal, right?  It’s the same with homeschooling, really.  At some point we’re all new at each thing we attempt - from homeschooling at all, to different curriculums, to teaching a new subject or age group.  But after a while you earn your stripes, and being to feel like you know what you’re doing.  (At least sometimes!)  And the veterans can share their wisdom with those who come after…

Lessa Scherrer aka Princess Mom presents Advice for Newbie Gifted Homeschoolers posted at Help! My Kids Are Smarter than Me!. 

Lori shares her experiences with newbies in What I Wish I Had Known at The Simple Life at Home.

14 year veteran Jena offers us Advice for First Year Homeschoolers, from Yarns of the Heart.

Katherine gives her review of a great resource for the preschool set: Kumon Workbooks, at No fighting, no biting!

Susan Gaissert advises letting young readers graze! Check out No Syllabus, No Problem posted at The Expanding Life.

Two terrific posts about kids learning to read from The Life Without School Blog: Laureen describes writing Upside Down and Backwards, and Jena offers her advice in Teaching a Child How to Read.

Hercules’ Fifth Task:  Clean the Augean stables.

What can I say, everyone knows that there’s always lots of, um, manure to deal with.

Military homeschoolers? Think layers and layers of it! Why Homeschool points to a great resource on the topic in Are you a military homeschooler.

Not so military? How about Government’s latest? Beverly’s Homeschooling Blog (About.com) wonders if the latest goings on there will have California Homeschool ISPs changing names?.

And a little dose of politics from Susan Ryan with Continuation of The Nerve and Isn’t there a law?? posted at Corn and Oil.

Indiana Jane’s Notebook and SpunkyHomeschool both discuss some of the religious controversies that are boiling within the homeschooling community in Ruminating on homeschooling, and Conventional Wisdom, respectively.

Hercules’ Sixth Task:  Drive away the multitude of Stymphalian birds.

One bird is nice, three birds can be lovely and musical.  A swarm of anything, though, is a problem.  And sometimes it really is the little things that make or break a situation.

NerdMom beautifully address an issue near and dear to my heart in The First Key to Homeschooling and Not Losing It over at Nerd Family.

Hercules’ Seventh Task:  Capture the “beautiful and savage” bull that Poseidon gave to Minos, King of Crete.

The tale concludes that Hercules “mastered” the bull, and took it back in a boat.  One of the things homeschoolers often celebrate is our freedom to master things “beautiful and savage” which are spurned by the public school system.

Teresa Wymore talks about the value of great literature (and don’t miss her insightful expose on public school teaching!) in harry potter and homeschool posted at Flesh & Spirit.

Erica Burgan presents Field Trip to the San Diego Zoo! [Ed. note: Need I say more, here?] posted at The Sojourner.

And speaking of the public school system, enjoy Kathy’s review of the book Schooled posted at Homeschoolbuzz.com Reviews.

Hercules’ Eighth Task:  Get the man-eating mares from from Diomedes, King of Thrace.

Let’s take a lesson from the idea that good ol’ Herc might have done this one differently.  Maybe sometimes you can do the most good by working with the system…

Barbara Frank tells us There is Hope with the story of an amazing High School student.

Hercules’ Ninth Task:  Get the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.

Hercules teaches us an important lesson here.  Sometimes, all it takes to get what you want is to ask for it.  (Yes, I know his task doesn’t end that simply)

Hercules’ Tenth Task:  Get the cattle of Geryoh, a monster with three bodies.

Sometimes even the most arduous tasks have wonderful and unlooked-for benefits.  During this task, Hercules set the Pillars of Hercules in place.

Miss Amanda has some fabulous gifts posted in The Perfect Gifts for the Graduated SuperAngel at The Daily Planet. 

Studying Ancient History? Bored? Not likely if you listen to Mrs. C on Trojan Horse Craft posted at Homeschool and Etc..

Hercules’ Eleveth Task:  Bring back the golden apples of Hesperides.

How you feel about this task depends somewhat on a moral judgement - Hercules succeeded by tricking Atlas.  Ethics, morality, values…  It’s a big part of why many of us keep our kids home!

Living By Learning shares some insight about A Game Ethics Lesson from The Karate Kid at On Living By Learning.

Hercules’ Twelfth Task:  Capture Cerebrus alive.  And take him back!

When Hercules successfully brought Cerebrus back, Eurystheus wisely decided that he didn’t want it and ordered Hercules to take it back.  Clearly, the moral of this story is, “Be careful what you ask for - you just might get it.”

Such was my request to allow me to host the carnival this week.  Arrangements were made six months ago, when I hosted the Leaving a Legacy edition back in January.  Who could know that this week I would be layed low by medical problems, and even spend a day in the ER?  But in true heroic fashion… er, with the baby in one arm and the three-year-old climbing up my back…  We’re done! 

Thank you for reading…  Of course, please let me know if you find any errors or broken links!

Please take a moment to post a link to the carnival on your blog, as well as adding it to any social bookmarking sites you use (the “Share This” link, below, will make it easy for most of them!) — help spread the word about homeschooling, and the carnival, and send some traffic to all these terrific bloggers who took the time to share their lives with us.

Don’t forget to send in your post for next week’s carnival, as well, hosted at Consent Of The Governed!  Just click on over to the easy submision form at Blog Carnival anytime before Monday at 6pm Pacific.

I am pleased to announce that Life on the Road is once again hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling this coming week. 

I’m writing this in the hopes that you’ll join the party! (Check out our the last adventure, from January, here)

If you have a blog, you’re welcome to submit an article: 

• The post can be new or old - anything you’ve written is fair game!
• Your *blog* does not have to be about homeschooling, only the post you submit.

It’s easy to submit with the Blog Carnival form.

You can also find more info at the website that runs the carnival, “Why Homeschool“.

Hope to see you at the carnival! 

Nick has been accepted to Coral Reef, the exclusive Performing Arts Magnet High Schhol he auditioned for last month!

What a thrill for him to open that letter and know that he was a “first-round draft pick”!  

They run a summer school program for incoming kids called “Ready for the Reef,” which I think will be especially helpful since he will not just be new to High School, and to their “fast paced, academically demanding environment,” but will be transitioning from homeschooling.

Big changes…

We’re SO pround of Nick, though.  Less than 1 in 3 applicants to the Music programs there are invited to attend, so he really showed some talent!

If he will continue to develop his talent, we really do believe God has given him a gift that will take him far (including college scholarships!)…

I was pleasantly surprised when I was emailed by Ms. Fox’s “people” asking if I’d be interested in having her guest post on my blog.  I think they were even more surprised when I told them they’d have to send me a copy to read first.  Who am I to be so demanding, right? 

Well, I’m delighted that I made the request, because the book is wonderful… the whole idea is wonderful…  It addresses many of the issues I have been frustrated with in the school system (some of the reasons we homeschool) - like the fact that “No Child Left Behind” works out to be “No Child Allowed to Excel.”

Since I am still recovering from my illness (more on that later!), I’m going to let Ms. Fox’s prepared Q&A give you the basics.  Be sure to read to the end for the low-down on the Book Give-Away!

* * * * * * * * * *

1. What is the premise of YOUR CHILD’S STRENGTHS? The premise of Your Child’s Strengths is that when you focus on developing and utilizing children’s strengths rather than spending all your time trying to fix, or remediate weaknesses, they grow up to be happier, healthier and more productive citizens.  Additionally, the book is a call to action, claiming that the single biggest issue facing America’s future is the education of our young people. The time for change in our educational system is now, and every day more and people see that is the case. I believe the Strengths Movement will play a very important role in the new system that emerges. Your Child’s Strengths provides parents, teachers and schools clear and practical direction to take in building upon children’s strengths.  
2. How did you come about creating this program?   I have spent twenty-five years as an educator and throughout that time, I have always been a champion for the underdog. This means that where others saw weaknesses in people, I sought out the strengths and in was able to find them. When I arrived at Purnell School, the school was failing as a business and I was determined to make it successful, I built a program that turned away from trying to fix what was wrong and sought, instead, to build on the inherent strengths that were in place. This began to work, and because it worked so well, and school began to thrive so successfully, I developed a program that would also work on the students. So, I started to develop it from the outside in. I began by created a strengths program for the school culture and then wrote the actual four-year curriculum for all of the students to take.  
3. What kind of student were you? I was a great student in grammar school when it was all about learning and pleasing the teacher. In high school, I was a terrible student. I was not engaged, played the system as much as I could and received less than mediocre grades. I was bored by school and distracted by other things going on in my life. When I got to college, I realized that I actually liked to learn and I ended up doing well when I was able to direct my attention to things I felt were going to be meaningful later on in life. I ended up getting two graduate degrees, which I am sure would greatly surprise most of my high school teachers.  
4. You run a girls school in which you have implemented this program. What has the response been among the students, teachers, and parents?  The students love the classes! They feel the Affinities Program in general and the whole philosophy of the school has created a safe haven for them, while challenging them to be their best selves.  I know this because they give speeches about it and talk to me often about their strengths. The teachers also enjoy learning about their strengths. They have a whole professional development program built around developing their own strengths. We also have a personal leadership program that Mike Morrison, the Dean of the University of Toyota created for our teachers that works along the same thematic lines as the Affinities Program. He made it after reading the program. Many of our teachers volunteered to be part of the piloting of this year. Finally, I held a workshop with parents about discovering their own strengths a few weeks ago. My living room on campus was full. I’ll tell you what, this is like some secret sauce and everyone seems to want to taste it.   
5. What are some other areas in which this program is beneficial? I have been contacted by everyone from social services to foster care, to the people from the juvenile justice system about how they can use strengths development and the Affinities Program in particular, to help the people they serve. Many churches, camps and youth groups have also contacted me. The ideas that are in the book can be used with all kinds of groups of people. Doctoral and masters candidates in both the field of teacher preparation and positive psychology have contacted me about using the book and its ideas for classes, for teacher training, and for study for their thesis papers and dissertations. UNICEF has contacted me about using the ideas in the book to develop whole programs to be distributed to their human resource department because they believe that when their worker’s families are taken care of and healthy, then the worker will be more productive. So, it seems to me there are endless uses for the idea in this book. 
6. How do you think the larger community can function within the larger auspices of your program?  Is there any outreach that exists between your school and local community groups for instance?  Currently, there are a lot of different groups of people who are reaching out to me, to the school and to the Strengths Movement as unfolds in schools. People from the Positive Change Corps and the Taos Institute, for example, have met with me to begin planning an international conference on Strengths to change the k-12 system. Employees from Best Buy, have visited the school several times to determine how as a corporations they can link in with the school and the strengths agenda to advance their own social responsibility program that focuses on teenagers.  Schools from all over the country and in fact, the world have called us to see if they come and observe what we are doing, and asking if I can and speak to them.  Schools in California, New Zealand and Canada have requested information. I am also working with the Kellogg Foundation on creating a tool that will assess the strengths (among other things) of drop-outs and be used to determine lost or hidden talent that may help them enter the workforce as productive workers without a degree.  
7. How can we utilize your methods as parents when helping our children set limits? This is a great question.  I think that when children push limits it is because they are testing parents. My experience tells me that kids want both limits and boundaries. When these things are not in place is when kids go a little (and sometimes a lot) nuts. When kids push and break the boundary, the best thing a parent can do is get the child to accept responsibility for the action, engage in a constructive consequence and have a conversation about those behaviors are not going to create a positive life for the child. Parents fall short of this approach when they immediately give out a punishment, and don’t have genuine follow through conversations that refocus behaviors on choices and options having to do with strengths. Good discipline takes time.   
8. What is the earliest age at which teachers and parents can start incorporating your methods? How would this differ for elementary age children versus. high school kids for instance? Strengths can be developed in children at all ages. It begins with noticing what children’s natural tendencies are and helping children to understand what differentiates them from other people. Elementary children should be offered choices and have a say in deciding he things they wish to do. This is often very difficult for parents who have a lot of expectations for their kids. When kids re in high school parents can begin to really engage them in conversations about what makes them feel strong and energized. This is very different than what they are good at doing. Some kids are “good” at doing a lot of things, but not all those activities energize them. It helps if people are able to figure out what truly energizes them. I think that can be determined by looking at how much time a person is willing to spend engaged in any one activity.  
9. What are five things parents of any age child can do right now to help their children develop their strengths? 1)       Give children choices for making decisions which effects their lives. 2)       Listen to what they say about what they like rather than offering advice about you, the adult prefers.3)       Establish routines in the home where each child picks a preferred chore or activity. This will build a sort of discipline around a choice about you like to do within a larger context of something you may have not enjoyed. For example, have the kids help clean the kitchen, but let them choose which part of that task they prefer to do.4)       Talk about your child’s strengths and talk about the strengths of other people you know.5)       Find a successful adult who shares your child’s strengths and encourage that person as a role model.  
10. Do you have numbers for Purnell graduates who have gone to 4 -year colleges? Any case studies?     Over the past 10 years, 99% of Purnell students have been accepted to 4 -year colleges. In the past five years, 100% of the girls have been accepted and 98% have matriculated. Among these schools are Vassar, Smith, Alfred, Drew, Muhlenberg, Linn,  Fashion Institute, Savannah School of Art and Design. There are so many case studies of Purnell Graduates, but one of my favorite is about a girl named Alexandra Spaulding. This is a young woman who came to Purnell from Buffalo New York. When she arrived, she was really unhappy and kind of lost. Her mother says, she was unsure she would ever get through high school, or ever get her life together. She discovered a real strength in art, specifically photography. A lot of times, kids who struggle in a traditional classroom do so because they have a different kind of brain. They are very often quite creative. Well, this girl was one of those. Once she discovered her strength in photography, she followed that passion and worked very hard to develop it into something that would work for her for the rest of her life. She went on after college to attend the Glasgow School of Art and after receiving a master’s degree, she went on to get a PHD and is now a photography professor. This is one of many, many stories about Purnell graduates.   
11. I was intrigued by The Affinities Program as preparation for the workplace and was wondering about the top 10 most sought after jobs today, none of which existed in 2004. What are they? Where did this information come from.  In a widely distributed video called “Shift Happens”, there are dozens of facts cited and among them is a statement made by former Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, who was quoted as saying that by 2010, the 10 most sought after jobs will not have existed in 2004.” Today, some of the top majors in college confirm this statistic. Some majors today that didn’t exist in the last decade are: new media, organic agriculture, e-business, nano-technology, and Homeland Security.  The point of this is that we cannot prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist, but we can make sure they know what their strengths are so that no matter opportunities arise, they can put them to use. The thing about developing strengths, is that we are looking to develop very specific categories of activities and skills that energize a person. Oddly enough, the more specific one is in identifying this, the more places it can be applied.  For example, if I say I have a strength in organizing, I am being very general and I may not have any taste for organizing spaces with things. However, I may narrow that understanding to “I have a strength in organizing events.”  When someone identifies this so specifically, it is what I call a Strengths Epiphany and it can be applied to a variety of jobs and situations.   
12. Is developing strengths only for struggling students? No, It is important for everyone, and most especially or students who very talented at many things. One of the problems we have with high achievers is this drive for what I label “unspecified achievement”.  This is the drive for high achievement in everything in order to be competitive. I find this to be really debilitating to our brightest and most talented kids, as well as everyoneelse.  What it lacks is any kind of focus on helping students discern the kinds of learning experiences that inspire them.  This leads to a generalized sense of anxiety among children when they reach college. You can tell this from the fact that in the nation’s most competitive colleges, the fastest growing department is mental health services.  If children are able to figure out what strengthens them, they will be better able to find a meaningful path and carve out a future from that.    

 * * * * * * * * * * 

Would you like to win a free copy to read for yourself?

For one entry, just leave a comment below with your thoughts about the book or its premise from the tidbits above - what intrigues you? what reings true? what makes you wonder? or ??

For a second entry, post a link to this review/contest on your blog, then come back and leave a comment letting me know (in a separate comment from your first!).

I will “draw” a winner at random on Saturday, April 12th.  If the winner does not leave contact info, or does not get back to me within three days, I will draw someone else…

Good luck!

Welcome, one and all, to the 109th Blog Carnival of Homeschooling!

Thanks to Why Homeschool for allowing us to host the carnival, and to all the many bloggers who contributed.  And with such colorful and self-explanatory post titles, you all have made my job so easy! 

Being 8 months pregnant, there’s not really much else that spends a lot of time on my mind these days (have you voted in my Baby Pool?), so naturally the theme of the carnival had to fit in with that somehow.  A tall order, you say?

Children are a gift, and the responsibility we have to the future is so huge as to be overwhelming.  As homeschoolers, I feel we are taking a far more active role in the training of our children, and have far more opportunities - with every moment of every day - to impart the knowedge, wisdom, traits and values that we feel are important . . . to leave a legacy.

As today (1/29) would also be my father’s birthday were he still alive, this seemed a doubly appropriate theme.

We can encourage our children to reach out in a variety of ways, and leave a legacy of thinking out of the box.

Karen talks about Fostering an Entrepreneurial Spirit at Leaping From The Box. 

Amy Cortez uses travel as a part of her educational program in Travelin’ With The Kid in 2008 posted at Travelin’ With The Kid.

Saralee Sky presents Homeschooling vs Public Education posted at Womb To Grow.

Rose presents Greening up your curriculum posted at Learning at Home.

Joe Hitchem presents Stamp Collecting For Beginners posted at Stamp Collecting.

Carol presents HomeschoolCPA - The best jobs for teens (from a tax perspective) posted at HomeschoolCPA.

April presents Homeschool Hacking Tips: Make your own Nature Journal! posted at Lunablog.net.

We can stay aware of the issues that impact our lives, and leave a legacy of civic involvement.

Susan reminds us to stay civicly aware in State Legislatures are Back in Action, at Corn and Oil.

Timothy Power presents a very thoughtful Thoughts on Banita Jacks, Homeschooling, and Liberty at Sometimes I’m Actually Coherent - a post I think everyone, homeschooler or not, should take the time to read.

Activities Coordinator presents Mississippi’s Messing Up a Good Thing And Failing to Fix a Bad One posted at Life On The Planet.

Barbara presents a public school shocker in I Am Not Making This Up…. at Barbara Frank.

Miss Jocelyn, although not even old enough to vote, brings us a look at the Candidates of 2008 as based on their views of homeschooling at A Pondering Heart.

We can revel in special moments whenever and wherever they occur, and leave a legacy of spontanaiety - and gratitude.

Laura captures a fascinating experience, thanks to her prepared spontanaiety in Serendipity posted at I Ate The Sandbox.

Melissa shares the joy of knowing your kid “gets it” in The Things Children Say posted at Melissa’s Idea Garden. 

Not for those - like my hubby - who are spider squeamish!  Cristina presents Tales from the Tuffet posted at Home Spun Juggling.

Barbara presents some thoughts and ideas on Homeschooling With a New Baby at Fuel.

We can show our children we value their uniqueness - encourage them in their weakness and their strength - and leave a legacy of true self-acceptance. 

Adso of Melk shares Invisibly Gifted: The Problem of Being Profoundly Gifted, but Not in Math on Lorem Ipsum.

Katherine deals patiently with her reluctant writer in furiously writing, at No fighting, no biting! 

Janice Campbell declares that Our Students Need to Write More posted at Janice Campbell: Taking Time For Things That Matter.

christinemoers presents My little one has found her way through a crack posted at welcome to my brain.

Kevin presents Emotional Intellect and the Homeschooler posted at M4K Homeschooling & Education.

Michelle Kennedy presents Organically Inclined » To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool? posted at Organically Inclined.

We can truly lead by example, and leave a legacy of integrity.

Summer ponders Just What Is Mom Teaching? at Mom Is Teaching.

Elisheva Levin presents Unschooling Anxiety and Adjusting Our Routine posted at Ragamuffin Studies.

SupUrbanMom encourages us all to give thought to our daily school habits in Save a Tree, Would Ya? posted at ROCity Family Adventures.

Lori re-examines her motivation for homeschooling in Re-evaluating Homeschooling posted at The Simple Life at Home.

Tea Party Girl offers a timely word of encouragement: It’s Not All Up to You–Wednesday’s Heart of Tea posted at Tea Party Girl.

Tammy offers her insights on Arrogant Homeschoolers, at Life Without School.

Lori explains How Homeschooling is Like Investing in the Stock Market at MORTpiphanies.

NerdMom explores the famous Yeats quote on education in Heart of the Matter posted at Nerd Family.

We can teach whenever and wherever works best for our family, with whatever materials work best for our family… and leave a legacy of flexibility, open-mindedness, and resourcefulness.

Enjoy the story of an audio-book road trip - Reading On The Road posted at On Living By Learning.

Sheri discusses scheduling in schooling through life posted at Shades of Pink.

GrrlScientist shares her review of Attenborough in Paradise posted at Living the Scientific Life.

Joanne presents Deschooling For Parents posted at An Unschooling Life.

HappyCampers shares a fascinating field trip to A Dairy Goat Homestead? No Whey! posted at Reese’s View Of The World.

Looking for something to read?  The Winter Reading Challnege brings us two submissions:  (Homeschooled Senior) Miss Amanda presents My 2008 List Of Books To Read posted at The Daily Planet, and Jacque presents Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths - Winter Reading Challenge: My Books 2008 posted at Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths.

L presents SCHOLA: Homeschooling With Ben (that’s Benjamin Franklin!) posted at SCHOLA.

Kathy expores boy-focused history with What a Night for a Knight posted at My Quivers Full.

Alasandra presents We Are Celebrating Robert E. Lee’s Birthday Today posted at Alasandra & The Cats.   (Hubby is from Mississippi, so we enjoy the “rebel” side of things here, as well!)

Julie presents an introduction to Visual Mnemonics at Home Education Resources.

Rebecca presents some great - and free - homeschool resources: Free is good! posted at The Upside Down World.

Kathy reviews the 2008 Caldecott medal winner in The Invention of Hugo Cabret: Homeschool Review posted at Homeschoolbuzz.com Reviews.

Beverly shares resources for Groundhog Day Fun at Beverly’s Homeschooling Blog (About.com).

Sol Lederman goes against his math grain and shares some anagramming fun with Male Nerd Sol posted at Wild About Math!.

We can just plain teach our children well, and leave a legacy of competence.

Denise teaches us to play Euclid’s game on a hundred chart posted at Let’s play math!.

Renae shares about Dominion, Reason 2 of Why Study Math posted at Life Nurturing Education.

Alvaro Fernandez explores inner space: Looking inside the Brain: is my Brain Fit? posted at Brain Blog.

Eric Koshinsky introduces Computer-Assisted Language Learning with Give CALL a Try posted at Teachers Call.

ChristineMM discusses the opportnities of a Free Phonics Curriculum Online at The Thinking Mother.

Sunniemom presents some Random Thoughts on Home Education posted at A Woman On Purpose.

Rebecca shares the fun results of a homeschool group event: Mid-Winter Tournament posted at Little Homeschool on the Prairie.

Phil shares about his education in report-writing, with Tales Of A Fourth Grade Something at A Family Runs Through It.

We can train up our children in the ways of our spiritual heritage, and leave a legacy of faith.

Dolfin presents Tu B’Shevat - book review and learning board posted at Lionden Landing.

And an interesting finale, in which homeschooled students have a chance to express the legacy they see developing in their lives:

Why Homeschool presents The Laurel Springs School video contest winners.

Thank you for reading…  Of course, please let me know if you find any errors or broken links!

Please take a moment to post a link to the carnival on your blog, as well as adding it to any social bookmarking sites you use (the “Share This” link, below, will make it easy for most of them!) — help spread the word about homeschooling, and the carnival, and send some traffic to all these terrific bloggers who took the time to share their lives with us.

Don’t forget to send in your post for next week’s carnival, as well, hosted at Beverly’s Homeschool Blog at About.com!  Just click on over to the easy submision form at Blog Carnival…

When Nick started playing clarinet in the middle of his 5th grade year, I was fortunate enough to find a friend whose daughter was no longer playing hers.  With borrowed instrument in hand, we could test the waters without making a great financial commitment.

All the kids had started their instruments at the beginning of that school year, so it was amazing when he was caught up and flying within a month or so.  Definately something worth pursuing.

Given his age and maturity level, we were still looking for “inexpensive,” and he was thrilled beyond measure at the “cool” clarinet I bought on eBay:

Yeah, it’s red. 

Brand new, only $79.  Sure, it was a “student” model, and probably not even a great one at that…  But it worked.

And it kept on working, giving us more than three years of loyal service with a minimum of problems.

But now Nick is going to be going into High School, where (if you’re persuing music, at least) things change caliber.  And furthermore, he’s applying to the Performing Arts: Music program at an exclusive magnet school in the area called Coral Reef.

From my emails with the band director there, it because clear that at the audition he looks at more thn just their playing.  If a student isn’t taking private lessons, obviously they (their parents) aren’t committed to taking their music to the next level.  Ditto the instrument they’re playing.

The owner of the local music store said that I could “get by” with an upper end plastic clarinet, which would run about $500-$600, or I could go for the real thing and get a wood instrument.  He recommended a Selmer, which he quoted at about $1,300.

When asked for his recommendation, the Coral Reef band director didn’t mince words.  He said without doubt THE CLARINET TO HAVE was the Buffet R13, which 90% of his students played. 

I have also read in several different online sources that an astounding 85% of professionals use that particular horn.  85%?!  I would have been surprised to hear that even 25% of professionals agreed on something so personal… 

And the price tag on a Buffet R13?

Are you sitting down?

No, I mean it…

MSRP is somewhere in the vicinity of $4,400.

<gulp>

Of course you can get them cheaper, and there are any number of places online where you can find one for only $2,600-$2,900.

In spite of what the music store owner had said about older high-quality instruments only appreciating in value, I began a search for a good used R13.  Without a local market, the only place I was able to find them was our old friend eBay - but they were there…

Adhering to hubby’s rule of thumb that anything used should be half the cost of new (or less), we decided at the outset that we would not spend more than $1,300.  And that if, for the price of the lesser brand the music store offered, we could get this amazing professional clarinet - even if used - we would be in good shape.

Now I don’t mind eBay, and I’ve won and lost my share of auctions over time.  But pregnant hormones don’t help, especially when it’s something this important, rather than just some extra baby clothes or whatever…

We bid on a couple of older ones, and lost them.  There is a widerange of prices with the older horns, with some people more than others playing up the idea that these 60’s-80’s clarinets are “vintage” and “golden age,” and implying that “they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.  But of course there was some question of how to know what you were getting, exactly…  If the silver is tarnished, for instance, maybe it just needs cleaning.  But maybe it’s corroded and actually damaged. 

And does it come with a case?  A hard case or a soft case?  A Buffet case or a generic replacement case?  The original Buffet case, or a replacement?  And do I care??

They sold for anywhere from $700 to $1600 or so, with the average seemingly right around $1K.  But then some few didn’t sell at all.  And new ones were selling, too, up there in the upper $2K’s.

Then one came up that really looked good to our simple perspective.  It was a 2006, and the listing stated (plausibly, given the instrument and accessories included) that it had been purchased for the daughter, who was now more interested in pursuing other extra-curricular activities.  It was at $700 with no bids, and only a day to go.

Maybe this one wasn’t going to sell for as much, since it wasn’t “vintage,” eh?  We bid, watched, and hoped.

In the last hour it jumped from $850 to $1200, and in the last minute it was finally had - not by me - for $1332.

<sigh>  Back to square one.

The next one on the block was an older one that looked okay, but uncertain.

Then I found it… 

It was “vintage” and “golden age” and all that - dating from 1970.  But it had recently had an artist overhaul, and was in flawless shape.  Including the original Buffet hard case, even.

It still had a day to goon the auction, so there were no bids yet.  All the clarinets were lingering unbid until the final hours and minutes of their auctions…

So, I simply snatched it! 

The listing included a Buy It Now for $1029, and with that he would ship and insure it free. 

Having done my homework on the R13, then on the market in general, then on eBay… and having prayed together and gotten hubby’s approval to spend up to $1300 for the right deal…  This was a no-brainer.

If you had askd me this time last week if I could spend over $1K on a clarinet and feel like I got a terrific deal, I probably would have laughed…

Stay tuned for the updates when it arrives! 

I am pleased to announce that Life on the Road is hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling for the coming week.  I’m writing this in the hopes that you’ll join the party!

If you blog, you’re welcome to submit an article! 

• The post can be new or old - anything you’ve written is fair game!
• Your *blog* does not have to be about homeschooling, only the post you submit

And it’s easy to submit with the Blog Carnival form.

You can also find more info at the website that runs the carnival, “Why Homeschool“.

Hope to see you at the carnival!  ;)