Do Kids Learn More By Writing Instead of Typing?

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Barbara Frank

I taught my kids to print and to write in cursive, but I also encouraged them to compose on a keyboard.

When I was a teen, I learned to compose my work on the typewriter at a journalism camp, and I found it to be much more efficient. So having kids in the computer age, it seemed like a no-brainer to teach them to type so they could type their essays on the computer. Besides, writing things out in cursive seemed so time-consuming and old-school.

Now I’m rethinking my stance. A recent scientific study showed that kids learned more by reading and writing by hand than by reading and then composing on a keyboard. Apparently the extra time it takes to write something by hand instead of typing it gives the brain a chance to absorb everything better. This makes sense to me.

I”m curious: what do you think?

Homeschooling and Unemployed Parents

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Barbara Frank

I heard on the radio this morning that 40% of the unemployed have been out of work for over a year. I don’t know how they come up with these statistics, but a quick mental survey of the people in my family and social circle makes me think that 40% is close to accurate or maybe even a little on the low side.

Am I the only person who thinks these people could take advantage of their downtime by homeschooling their kids? Given the state of the schools today, it seems like a win-win situation: the unemployed person finds something worthwhile to do with their days, and their child or teen actually learns a few things by working with their parent. Many of these parents aren’t going to find a job anytime soon. Given the changes in our economy, homeschooling might even turn out to be a long-term solution for both parent and child.

After all, homeschooling isn’t that hard, and teaching a child can be done much more efficiently at home than in a classroom of 30 students (62 if you live in Detroit.) Considering that many high schools students now text their way through class, it’s pretty easy to learn more at home than at school these days.

With all the great educational tools available in public libraries and on the Internet (for instance, there’s a nice free math and science education just waiting for young people right here), what can the schools do for kids today that we parents can’t? (Please don’t tell me that football games and proms are essential, because an entire generation of homeschooled adults have shown that they aren’t!)

Some people believe that the public schools are already going down, as Gary North has stated in his excellent article on the subject. The quality of education continues its slide into the abyss, and funding is likely to be cut, thanks to the financial problems most states and the Feds are struggling with.

I think that dying schools and unemployed parents could be blessings in disguise for American families. Unemployed parents who decide to take advantage of their newly found free time to facilitate their children’s learning can develop closer relationships with them while giving them a better, more individualized education that they can get in school. At the same time, they’ll combat the demoralizing feelings that come with being unemployed because they’ll be spending their days doing something that’s important and personally rewarding. They may even find that they feel better about themselves than they did when they were employed. Win-win, indeed!

Huge New Carnival of Homeschooling

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Barbara Frank

This week’s Carnival of Homeschooling celebrates its 5th anniversary, and is hosted by the Cate family, who originated it. It’s one of the longest running blog carnivals out there. Its theme is the movie “Princess Bride,” which is beloved by many homeschoolers, including a few that used to live in our house 🙂

You won’t believe how many great posts there are at this anniversary carnival…….see for yourself!

Black Home Educators Embrace Their Cultural Heritage

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Barbara Frank

I was delighted to see this pro-homeschooling article in my hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune.

The article describes the increase in homeschooling among black families. Thanks to homeschooling, not only do these children escape the public school experience, but their parents can tailor their education to include their African-American heritage.

Many people homeschool their children for religious reasons. But we don’t often talk about homeschooling in terms of being able to emphasize our cultural heritage. Parents who take the time to teach their children about their cultural heritage give them something that they’ll always appreciate and cherish. I’m so glad that more and more Americans of all races and cultural backgrounds are giving their children this gift by homeschooling them!