Homeschool Coffee Break Reading List - June 2023

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A long time ago I did an occasional round-up of articles, resources, and just fun things around the web and called it the Coffee Break Reading List, because this blog is the Homeschool Coffee Break, so of course! It included things unrelated to homeschooling too, as it was essentially a collection of the different things I was reading. As I finished the journey through homeschooling my own kids, I did continue tutoring and mentoring homeschool families, and was involved in the homeschool community, but I did this round-up less often, until eventually I left off doing it altogether. After a recent move, I started a new blog which is now the home of the Coffee Break Reading List, but because I still care deeply about homeschooling, I'm still going to try to do a homeschool related reading list here. Here are just a few things I've found during recent coffee breaks that you may find interesting as well.

The homeschool reading corner:

• The Week recently reported about The changing face of home schooling in the US. Overall the home education movement is becoming more diverse, and it's growing. No matter what other reasons are given for choosing to homeschool, the basis appears to be that parents believe it's their right to determine how their kids are educated. Home schooling is legal in all 50 states, but there are varying levels of regulation in the states. One change that's notable is the proliferation of resources to help parents who are homeschooling. These include co-ops, information outlets and groups online, legal representation like HSLDA, and lots of curriculum choices from traditional workbooks to online classes.
• Co-ops and tutorial groups are one way the homeschool families are working together to help each other meet social and education needs. The HSLDA website featured one of these co-ops in this article: 'We're Intended to Rely on Each Other': Urban Homeschoolers Band Together. This story is about a co-op group in Chicago, where homeschooling is a growing trend, that serves a multi-ethnic group of families. The group saw a need for sharing practical information about homeschooling all the way through high school to families who had concerns such as providing education when English is a second language, how to prepare students for college, and how to keep the cost of education affordable. 
• Young people have great ideas for new ways to meet needs address challenges, and home education is one good way to encourage students to really focus on and explore their ideas. The young entrepreneur featured in this Good News Network story is not homeschooled as far as I know, but I share it here because it's good news when this kind of ingenuity and commitment are being used to better the world. This 23-Year-Old Founder is 3D Printing Schools in Madagascar Aiming to be a 'Stepping Stone for the Community'
• Speaking of talented young people, this kid featured in an Upworthy article . . . wow. Again, not a homeschooled kid, but just goes to show that there's so much raw talent out there, and that there are kids who take it upon themselves to learn stuff that they're interested in. 'Spider-verse filmmakers were so wowed by a 14-year-old's trailer remake, they hired him. 
• Last homeschool note to add here is a reminder to visit the HSLDA campaigns page to check on legislation affecting homeschooling in your state and the HSLDA recommendations on those bills.

Yes, I share this every month, I think!

I prefer to make those [educational] choices myself. Not because I think I know 'better' than all those professional educators, but I do think I know my own children best, and consequently which programs and methods would benefit them. Homeschooling is not about rejecting other people and things; it's about making personal and positive choices for your own family. ~Mariette Ulrich

Homeschooled children benefit the community because they are not shaped by peers but by parents. ~Mary Kay Clark

Resource Spotlight:

For most of us, the school year recently wrapped up, but I remember when I was homeschooling, I could hardly wait to get the final report cards done so I could jump into planning for the next year! Even now, I'm itching to work on my lesson plans because I'm tentatively planning on teaching a high school writing class again next school year. If you're looking for planning tools, one source for a great homeschool planner is SchoolhouseTeachers.com. The 2023-2024 Schoolhouse SmartMama Planner is now available free to members. Check it out!

From the archives here at Homeschool Coffee Break: 

With the beginning of July just a few days away, the obvious choice from my archives is this history lesson post that focuses on Canada Day and Independence Day, since both Canada and the United States will be celebrating birthdays. What do you have planned for the celebrations this year?

Celebrating National Birthdays

My personal coffee break reading:

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover

   

Find out more at my book blog Just A Second.

Found anything interesting on the web lately? Read any good books? Leave a comment and let me know!

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