Blog
Afraid of Science Labs?
“I can’t do labs! They are messy or scary and I need special equipment.” The good news is that you don’t and you can do it! Science and discovery are all around us. You don’t need special equipment. You can do many labs with items around your house or found at your...
Am I Homeschooling a Snowflake? How to Create a Strong Thinker
I have been homeschooling for twenty years, and I must say that our world feels more tumultuous, harried, frenetic, and down-right scary than it did when I first started. I have also noticed students in my classroom are stressed and overwhelmed by a variety of...
Can Studying a Foreign Language Improve SAT/ACT Scores?
Can studying a foreign language improve SAT/ACT scores? Jawohl! Klaro! Bien sûr! If you have homeschoolers in middle school, chances are you have the SAT or ACT exams on a back burner. Now is the time to start preparing them by including a foreign language in...
Excelsior Classes Prepares Students for CLEP Exams
Last summer, one of my German students, Elijah, took and passed the German CLEP exam, albeit on the second try. The first time, he did not tell me he was taking the exam. Otherwise, I would have helped him prepare. His mother tells the story: We have such good news to...
Homeschoolers Scoring High on Literature and Essay Testing (Part 2)
As noted in Part 1, your homeschooled student probably falls well above their peers on the scale of thinking skills and being well-read. The key to scoring highly on essay testing is a matter of harnessing their knowledge quickly and effectively on the page. Synthesis...
The Great American Eclipse of 2017
I’m continuing the topic of the upcoming solar eclipse known as the Great American Eclipse. The states the eclipse will traverse are, in order: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South...
The Total Solar Eclipse of 1919
The Total Solar Eclipse of 1919 Today I want to explain how the total solar eclipse in 1919 made Albert Einstein a celebrity. To do that, I must refer to his General Theory of Relativity. And I simply cannot grasp it. I was taught it, I’ve read about it, I’ve watched...
Umlauts: What’s the Deal with the Two Dots?
Have you ever seen German words with two dots over some of the letters? Are they really necessary or do they just make a heavy-metal band name look cool, like Mötley Crüe and Motörhead? It’s doubtful these bäd böys actually knew whät they were döing when ädding...
Five Common Pitfalls for English Speakers Learning Spanish to Avoid
Five Common Pitfalls for English Speakers Learning Spanish to Avoid English speakers encounter many pitfalls when they are learning Spanish. Below are five of the most common ones. El día, el problema not la día, la problema The often-repeated phrase ‘no problemo’ is...
Why Middle School History Is Important
The other day a friend asked me why her child needs to study history in middle school. After all, they read history story picture books early on, and they would be taking history classes in high school. Couldn’t they just skip history in the middle school years? You...
What Is The Electoral College and Does It Reflect The Popular Vote of The People?
If you examine Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, you will not find the words “Electoral College” anywhere. Rather, you will find the system by which states appoint representatives, or “Electors,” to choose the President of the United States. Each...
Summer Fun and Education: Can You Have Both?
As the books and computers are put away and the grades have all been handed out, I am often left with a feeling of worry. What will we do this summer? Will it be a summer filled with TV, computer games, and Xbox? That is the last thing I want; however, sometimes I...
