From Fox News Sunday yesterday: (CHRIS) WALLACE: And, finally, Senator Biden — finally, we’ve got about 30 seconds left, but I can’t let you go without some politics. As we’ve mentioned, you’re in South Carolina right now, on the campaign trial. Thirty seconds or less, what kind of a chance would a Northeastern liberal like Joe [...]

Happy Holidays - the 2007 SCHSF Annual Letter is now posted here (http://www.schsf.org/newsletters/SCHSF_2007_Annual_Letter.pdf).

Thank you, faithful readers, for patiently waiting with us for our new website.  Bad news, it’s still not ready.  Good news, it is awfully close — close enough, in fact, that we can share a taste of it with you.  The temporary link is http://parentalrights.easycgi.com/.  Feel free to click on it and take a look [...]

While memory of most of the year's newsworthy individuals will fade, we bet these five will stick.

[Editor: Considering Homeschooling is proud to present this special guest column by Michedolene Hogan of Unique Parenting.] By: Michedolene Hogan When parents send their children to school, they expect for their children to be taught the necessary academic skills appropriate for their age.  Yet, there scope of education is growing at an alarming rate.  Schools have begun to overstep their boundaries and assume the role of the home in many aspects such as the socialization of our children. According to the 2003 Webster's New World dictionary, to socialize means to make fit for living in a group.  This definition is similar to that found in the 1810 Merriam-Webster which states: To make social: especially to fit or train for a social environment.  In order to be properly socialized, children must be able to be sociable, having a disposition to associate and converse with others.  Children must have the ability to join in company or society and to unite in a general interest.  Children must also have the ability to work in conjunction with others in the community and conform to laws.  Children must exhibit respect for authority and an understanding of how the world works.  Observation and practice are the main tools that children employ in order to learn these social skills.  Based on the aforementioned necessary skills one would assume that the best place to learn such skills is in a classroom surrounded with peers and authority figures, right?  Wrong. What kids really learn in traditional public education settings Traditional public schools settings are not as idealistic.  Children may be surrounded by their peers but, these are not the best role models for social behavior.  In schools, children often meet peers who are involved in delinquency, low academic achievement and exhibiting behavior problems.  These are the children who get the most attention from their teachers and as a result, stand out to their peers.  In the end, our children learn an unacceptable concept of social behavior by practicing what they observe.  Despite this reality, the school continues to take the lead in training children for social situations. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, in their research on the validity of Early Childhood Education, determined that enrollment in formal schooling before ages 8-12 was not as effective as projected, but put children’s development at risk.  They presented evidence of a correlation between the following childhood problems and the increasingly earlier enrollment of students: Juvenile delinquency Nearsightedness Increased enrollment of students in special education classes Behavioral problems Early enrollment in schools interrupts bonds and emotional development that children form in the home with parents.  This damage, as found by the Raymond and Dorothy Moore, is not repaired in an institutional setting. Over 8,000 studies were conducted in the 1970’s by the Moores.  In the end, they concluded that, “Where possible, children should be withheld from formal schooling until at least ages 8-10” because, “children are not mature enough for formal school programs until their senses, coordination, neurological development and cognition are ready.” Another theory, developed by teacher John Caldwell Holt, stated that “academic failure of school children was caused by pressure placed on children in schools.”  He declared in 1980, “I want to make it clear that I don't see home schooling as some kind of answer to badness of schools.  I think that the home is the proper base for the exploration of the world which we call learning or education.  Home would be the best base no matter how good the schools were.” The school setting expects children to handle a whole new set of emotions as early as 3 years of age.  At this tender age, children do not even understand their emotions, much less know how to appropriately deal with them.  Children end up imitating their peers, whom as stated earlier may be involved in a number of behavior issues.  The impact of a child’s sociability is an absolutely harmful progression away from positive sociability and self-concept. This progression is best explained in When Education Becomes Abuse: A Different Look at the Mental Health of Children. Here is their explanation of the sequence of emotions experienced by young children in early childhood settings: Uncertainty as the child leaves the family for a less secure environment Puzzlement at the new pressures and restrictions of the classroom Frustration because they are not ready to handle the regimentation of formal lessons (unready learning tools – senses, cognition, brain hemispheres, coordination) Hyperactivity growing out of nerves and jitters from frustration Failure which quite naturally flows from the four experiences above Delinquency which is failure's twin Benefits of Home Schooling Learning in the home is the best option.  Home is the where true learning, exploring the world, takes place.  ‘Learning’ in this case includes not only academic education but also an understanding of the social environment of the world.  Teaching children in the home has countless benefits including: Home provides the proper atmosphere and value system to build upon.  Home sets the example of honoring and respecting authority.  Home teaches children how to be part of their community both physically and spiritually. Children with home as their base of exploration benefit from more time spent with warm, responsive parents, limited time with peers and free exploration under parental guidance.  The parents are in control of the social influences and the child isn't exposed to the whirlwind of emotions that come with early childhood education.  Children build a strong bond with the parents as the center example for proper social behavior and are given more opportunities to be among their community in a guided manner. The National Home Education Research Institute conducted a survey in 2003 of 7,300 adults who had been home schooled.  Their astounding results once again make a case for the home; 71% home schooled adults are active and involved in their community compared to 37% of U.S. Adults from a traditional education background.  76% of home schooled adults between 18-24 voted within the last five years compared to 29%.  The numbers are even greater in larger groups at 95% compared with 53% of traditional schooled adults.  The survey also reported that 58.9% of home schooled adults reported that they are “very happy” with life compared with 27.6% for the general U.S. Population.  73.2% find life “exciting,” compared with 47.3%. Socialization is to make social: especially to fit or train for a social environment.  Children best acquire this skill through the practice and observation in the home, not in the schools.  Raymond and Dorothy Moore recognized this need in their first publication in 1975.  That was just the tip of the iceberg in the research of socialization and teaching children.  Evidence abounds and grows continually to support the home as the best place to socialize our children.  Most recently, the NHERI statistics drive home the essential call to all parents to model their successful and productive adult lives with their children as the best social example to follow. About the Author: Michedolene Hogan lives in a quiet neighborhood of Yucaipa CA with her husband of 15yrs.  Her favorite activities include spending time with her family and crafting fun family activities.  She finds her greatest satisfaction in being a stay at home mom raising healthy children and publishes a bi-weekly newsletter offering advice for building strong families.

I keep seeing stories about homeschooled college football star and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.  The prospect of competing in high school sports, scouting, and having a professional sports career are not concerns for our family.  But, sports are a consideration for many families considering homeschooling, especially as families consider homeschooling high school. In some states, homeschoolers are able to play on local public school teams.  In other states certain homeschoolers are fighting to change laws to allow homeschoolers to play.  The public school bureaucrats, of course, don't want private homeschoolers playing on their teams.  My personal opinion is that I don't want anything the government schools have to offer.  With "free" goodies comes control and government control of my home school would be an anathema.  The good news is that the options for private sports training are many and varied.  Private and amateur leagues abound in most metro areas. For example, the Oklahoma Christian Home Educated Football Association is a nonprofit Christian athletic organization established to serve homeschool families in Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas.  Although the public schools may have larger programs for traditional team sports, we live in a new world order of sporting.  Baseball and American football are not Olympic sports.  (Baseball and softball was voted off the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.)  The internet provides a medium for acquiring the best training information regardless of your locale.  So, if it’s the training, discipline, team experience, or personal confidence that you are hoping sports will help provide your children, homeschooling is still the best option... if your children love the Lord, sports is just another avenue where these positive character traits can be a good witness. Let's pray that Tim Tebow can continue to be a good witness for the Lord and homeschoolers.  Here is some Tim Tebow biography from Wikipedia: Timothy "Tim" Richard Tebow (born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the Florida Gators. He was the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season and was the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Tebow played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where he became a Division I-A recruit and ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a senior. After a tight recruiting battle, he chose to attend the University of Florida over the University of Alabama. Tebow, being a dual threat quarterback adept at rushing and passing the football, was used in his freshman season largely as a change of pace to the Gators' more traditional quarterback, Chris Leak. His contribution in the 2006 college football season was as a key reserve who helped the Gators win college football's national championship game for the first time since 1996. As a sophomore in the 2007 season, he became the Gators' starting quarterback and broke the Southeastern Conference records for both rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns accounted for in a single season. In addition to the Heisman Trophy, his performance in 2007 also earned him the Maxwell Award as the nation's top football player, the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback, and the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport. Tebow was born on August 14, 1987 in the Philippines to Bob and Pam Tebow, who were serving as Christian missionaries at the time. While pregnant Pam suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of extremely strong drugs used to bring her out of a coma and to relieve her dysentery, the fetus had experienced a severe placental abruption. Expecting a stillbirth, doctors recommended an abortion to protect her own life. She carried the baby to term, and both mother and child survived. All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family’s deep Christian beliefs along the way. In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. The law specifies that homeschooled students may participate on the team of the local school in the school district in which they live. The Tebows lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tim played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he began to explore his options to play for a new high school. He decided to attend Nease High School, which under head coach Craig Howard was known for having a passing offense. With the rest of his family living on a farm in Duval County, Tim and his mother moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the football team at Nease. His performance soon began to turn some heads, and led to a minor controversy over him being a homeschooled student that chose for which school he wanted to play. As a junior at Nease, Tebow’s stock rose as he became a major college football quarterback prospect and was named the state of Florida's Player of the Year. He would repeat as Player of the Year in his senior season. One of his highlights as a high school athlete was finishing a game on a broken leg. During his senior season he led the Nease Panthers to a state title, earned All-State honors, was named Florida's Mr. Football and a Parade All-American. Tebow finished his high school career with 9,810 passing yards, 3,186 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns and 62 rushing touchdowns. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game in San Antonio, Texas which features the top 78 senior high school football players in the nation and is shown nationally on NBC television. Tebow was considered one of the nation’s top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN “Faces in Sports” documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim’s homeschool controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process. Tim Tebow was also featured in Sports Illustrated on the “Faces in the Crowd” page. In 2007 he was named to FHSAA's All-Century Team that listed the Top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100 year history of high school football. Despite having family ties to the University of Florida, where his parents first met as students, he remained open-minded during the recruiting process and became very close to Alabama coach Mike Shula. After careful consideration he decided to play for Urban Meyer's Florida Gators. One of the reasons he chose Florida was because of Meyer's spread option offense, an offense for which Tebow was deemed a prototypical quarterback. Tebow spent the last three summers before enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work.

According to Canada’s CBC News, the Quebec Court of Appeal in Montreal on Tuesday (January 13) heard arguments in the case of a Gatineau father seeking clarification of parental rights after his daughter took him to court in June 2008 and won a judgement to overturn a grounding he had imposed on her for disobedience. [...]

Latest news available on the peanut recall.  Read it here:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_re_us/salmonella_outbreak Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

As a fitness expert, you know I’ll never promise you a pill is going to be the answer to that “jiggle in your wiggle.” If you want six pack abs you’re going to have to work for them. BUT… There is some very promising research out there in regards to a dietary supplement you’ve probably been hearing a lot about. Yes, I’m talking about Essential Fatty Acids. You probably have heard them called something like Fish Oil pills. How’s this for good news?! *University of Georgia researchers have found something pretty amazing about Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA. Get this: The actually help STOP the conversion of pre-fat cells into fat cells by causing them to die out before they can mature. Once a pre-fat cell becomes a fat cell, well, there’s no turning back. You’ve got that fat cell for life. Imagine, actually decreasing the accumulation of fat by taking an Essential Fatty Acid supplement containing DHA! Now let me do my best infomercial voice for you… But wait, there’s more! Seriously, that’s not the only benefit of Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA. According to studies** done at the University of South Australia people that combined exercise with Essential Fatty Acid supplements containing DHA saw greater fat loss than the test group that only exercised and did not take the supplement. How can you not be excited by these research studies?? Now, personally, I don’t like Fish Oil pills because they cause you to burp like crazy. If you’ve ever taken them you know exactly what I mean. And they aren’t always the highest quality. I prefer EFA Icon from Prograde Nutrition because they use Krill Oil. It’s been found to be a superior source of Essential Fatty Acids containing DHA. Plus, with EFA Icon there are NO fish burps. And I haven’t even mentioned all the amazing health benefits from this dietary supplement. If you’re looking to accelerate your fat loss results than I really recommend you go with Prograde Nutrition’s EFA Icon. You can get it here: http:/inspirationfitness.getprograde.com/icon Remember, EFA Icon is NOT a miracle solution. You will need sound nutrition and exercise. BUT the research is there. It’s definitely a supplement with powerful fat loss properties. http:/inspirationfitness.getprograde.com/icon * Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 136:2965-2969** American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85:1267-1274 Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

So by now you’ve probably heard that Olympic champion Michael Phelps has gotten himself into a little bit of hot (bong) water. I felt I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by without sharing some lessons from his mishap. First, we all have to remember that we’re role models. Somebody somewhere is looking up to us for guidance. It’s a shame Michael Phelps screwed up, but he did. What’s done is done. I know it reminded me that as a fitness pro, I MUST lead by example. Second, again, he screwed up. He’s young and there will be many more mistakes and misjudgments in his future.  And while I’m not one to give people a million chances, I do believe in second chances. And forgiveness. Which, when it comes to melting fat and getting fit, is VERY important. I can tell you from experience working with hundreds of people with similar goals to yours, you WILL screw up somewhere along the way. The key to success is to forgive yourself and move forward. The people who truly fail are the ones that just give up the first time they make a mistake. Third, this has nothing to do with what Michael Phelps has recently done, but it’s another great reminder. If you want a lean, hard body and 6 pack abs, or just to be fitter and healthier, you’re going to need to WORK. Regardless of his recent actions Michael Phelps is an Olympic Champ because he worked his rear end off. Don’t fool yourself into thinking achieving your fitness goals is going to be a piece of cake. Fourth, much was made during the Olympics of Michael Phelps and the massive amounts of calories he was consuming. If YOU want to get into peak condition you need the proper nutrition. Period. Look, if you’re not eating enough fruits and vegetables you need a Whole Foods based multi like Prograde Nutrition’s VGF 25+ http://InspirationFitness.getprograde.com/vgf If you aren’t optimizing your workouts by refueling with the correct blend of carbs to protein (based on the research) then you need to start using Prograde Workout   http://InspirationFitness.getprograde.com/workout) like I do. Anyway, when you see a news story like this one involving Michael Phelps, always remember to look for the positive lessons you can learn. PS - If you’re serious about your training and want the best nutritional products, then use what I use - Prograde Nutrition http://InspirationFitness.getprograde.com) Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

To all our friends and everyone considering homeschooling in Orange County, California: This month's Exploring Homeschooling™ Orange County is a special introduction to homeschooling by Susan Beatty, founder of the Christian Home Educators Association of California.  Today, Susan is a leader in the homeschool movement, but at one time she started too.  Come learn for yourself or to introduce a friend to the how and why of private Biblical homeschooling.  You will learn: What types of homeschooling options are available and which ones are the best for you.   Different homeschooling teaching approaches, what they are, the pros and cons of each, and how they can be used in your family.   A courses of study - what it is and how to develop one.   How to set up your records so that you are compliant with state requirements or regulations.   Some of the special things that you can do that other educational choices will not offer.   The unexpected blessings to your family that come through private Biblical homeschooling. Susan will share from a wealth of experience, having homeschooled her own children and helped thousands of others learn about and succeed in homeschooling their own children. Susan and her husband Larry began CHEA of California and started homeschooling their three children in 1982.  In addition, Susan ran an Independent Study Program from 1985 to 1998.  She even found time to write An Introduction to Home Education manual. Susan and Larry have graduated all three children, the last child in 1998, and Susan has continued to be an integral part of CHEA, currently are as a member of the board of directors, general manager, and events manager. Susan writes and speaks at workshops and conventions on home education, annual national leadership conferences on homeschooling, and is a founding board member of The National Alliance for Christian Home Education Leadership. As a spokesperson for the home education community, Susan is interviewed for radio, television, and newspapers. Susan is a professional writer/journalist with a BA degree (1971) from Cal State University Los Angeles and a graduate of CLASS (Christian Leaders and Speakers Seminars). If you are considering homeschooling, starting out, or just curious, this informative free seminar will be a true blessing.  Get all the details here.  

Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I’ll make this short and sweet. Here are two Guilt Free Fat Fighters (and a BIG reminder) to enjoy tomorrow: 1) Celebration Sorbet Put a scoop of raspberry (or whatever your favorite flavor is) sorbet in a martini glass and sprinkle with fresh berries. Drizzle with champagne or sparkling apple cider. 2) Strawberry Dippers Dip whole strawberries in low-fat French vanilla, lemon chiffon or chocolate yogurt. Easy, huh? Guilt free AND delicious! My buddies at Prograde Nutrition are having a “Chocolate is for Lovers” sale for Valentine’s Day. Read below to find out how to save 14% on all purchases of their AMAZING organic dark chocolate Prograde Cravers. Seriously, they are the BEST tasting healthy snack bar on the planet. Happy Valentine’s Day!   PS - Here are all the details on Prograde Nutrition’s 14% off Prograde Cravers sale. Organic Dark Chocolate Prograde Cravers have no preservatives, only 180 calories and they come in three delicious flavors: peanut butter, almond butter and spirulina. The even better news is they are on sale all this week for Valentine’s Day. Here’s everything you need to know: - Again, because it’s Valentine’s Day, the sale is 14% off all purcahses of Prograde Cravers - When you checkout you will enter this coupon code to save the 14%:    vday0909 - Shipping will take 3-5 days, so while I HIGHLY recommend you jump all over this sale, don’t purchase these as a gift expecting them to be their for Valentine’s Day itself. Buy them as a healthy gift for yourself or others. - Sorry, Prograde Cravers are not available overseas - The offer cannot be combined with others from Prograde and it ends this Saturday, February 14th at 11:59pm EST. - Prograde Cravers are NOT available in stores anywhere. You can only find them online here: Prograde Cravers (hyperlink to http://inspirationfitness.getprograde.com/cravers) Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

I was reading a news article today that I just had to share with you.  Apparently, it’s not only restaurants that have blown up their portions.  Cookbooks are jumping in also. A very popular cookbook has been supersizing portions since the 70’s.  Don’t take my word for it.  Read it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090217/ap_on_he_me/fat_recipes Portion distortion is a North American disease. Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

The SCHSF 2008 newsletter is now available. View a copy in PDF format by clicking on the link below: SCHSF 2008 Newsletter (#)

Are your kids on MySpace or Facebook?  Then they may be facing the same dangers that they might in public school.   According to the New York Times and Washington Post, MySpace has deleted 29,000 registered sexual predators from its membership and Facebook is not far behind... and those are just the sexual predators that they found out about! The good news is that there is a full featured, parent driven social networking site on the way just for Christian homeschoolers.  I can't divulge too much right now as the project is still in development, but the principals are interested in finding likeminded Christian homeschoolers as investors and ministry partners for this new online community. If you are interested in becoming an investor or ministry partner in this ground floor opportunity, please email homeschoolspace@gmail.com.

To all our friends and everyone considering homeschooling in Orange County, California: This month's Exploring Homeschooling™ Orange County is a special introduction to homeschooling by Susan Beatty, founder of the Christian Home Educators Association of California.  Today, Susan is a leader in the homeschool movement, but at one time she started too.  Come learn for yourself or to introduce a friend to the how and why of private Biblical homeschooling.  You will learn: What types of homeschooling options are available and which ones are the best for you.   Different homeschooling teaching approaches, what they are, the pros and cons of each, and how they can be used in your family.   A courses of study - what it is and how to develop one.   How to set up your records so that you are compliant with state requirements or regulations.   Some of the special things that you can do that other educational choices will not offer.   The unexpected blessings to your family that come through private Biblical homeschooling. Susan will share from a wealth of experience, having homeschooled her own children and helped thousands of others learn about and succeed in homeschooling their own children. Susan and her husband Larry began CHEA of California and started homeschooling their three children in 1982.  In addition, Susan ran an Independent Study Program from 1985 to 1998.  She even found time to write An Introduction to Home Education manual. Susan and Larry have graduated all three children, the last child in 1998, and Susan has continued to be an integral part of CHEA, currently are as a member of the board of directors, general manager, and events manager. Susan writes and speaks at workshops and conventions on home education, annual national leadership conferences on homeschooling, and is a founding board member of The National Alliance for Christian Home Education Leadership. As a spokesperson for the home education community, Susan is interviewed for radio, television, and newspapers. Susan is a professional writer/journalist with a BA degree (1971) from Cal State University Los Angeles and a graduate of CLASS (Christian Leaders and Speakers Seminars). If you are considering homeschooling, starting out, or just curious, this informative free seminar will be a true blessing.  Get all the details here.  

Are your kids on MySpace or Facebook?  Then they may be facing the same dangers that they might in public school.   According to the New York Times and Washington Post, MySpace has deleted 29,000 registered sexual predators from its membership and Facebook is not far behind... and those are just the sexual predators that they found out about! The good news is that there is a full featured, parent driven social networking site on the way just for Christian homeschoolers.  I can't divulge too much right now as the project is still in development, but the principals are interested in finding likeminded Christian homeschoolers as investors and ministry partners for this new online community. If you are interested in becoming an investor or ministry partner in this ground floor opportunity, please email homeschoolspace@gmail.com.

I keep seeing stories about homeschooled college football star and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.  The prospect of competing in high school sports, scouting, and having a professional sports career are not concerns for our family.  But, sports are a consideration for many families considering homeschooling, especially as families consider homeschooling high school. In some states, homeschoolers are able to play on local public school teams.  In other states certain homeschoolers are fighting to change laws to allow homeschoolers to play.  The public school bureaucrats, of course, don't want private homeschoolers playing on their teams.  My personal opinion is that I don't want anything the government schools have to offer.  With "free" goodies comes control and government control of my home school would be an anathema.  The good news is that the options for private sports training are many and varied.  Private and amateur leagues abound in most metro areas. For example, the Oklahoma Christian Home Educated Football Association is a nonprofit Christian athletic organization established to serve homeschool families in Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas.  Although the public schools may have larger programs for traditional team sports, we live in a new world order of sporting.  Baseball and American football are not Olympic sports.  (Baseball and softball was voted off the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.)  The internet provides a medium for acquiring the best training information regardless of your locale.  So, if it’s the training, discipline, team experience, or personal confidence that you are hoping sports will help provide your children, homeschooling is still the best option... if your children love the Lord, sports is just another avenue where these positive character traits can be a good witness. Let's pray that Tim Tebow can continue to be a good witness for the Lord and homeschoolers.  Here is some Tim Tebow biography from Wikipedia: Timothy "Tim" Richard Tebow (born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the Florida Gators. He was the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season and was the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Tebow played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where he became a Division I-A recruit and ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a senior. After a tight recruiting battle, he chose to attend the University of Florida over the University of Alabama. Tebow, being a dual threat quarterback adept at rushing and passing the football, was used in his freshman season largely as a change of pace to the Gators' more traditional quarterback, Chris Leak. His contribution in the 2006 college football season was as a key reserve who helped the Gators win college football's national championship game for the first time since 1996. As a sophomore in the 2007 season, he became the Gators' starting quarterback and broke the Southeastern Conference records for both rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns accounted for in a single season. In addition to the Heisman Trophy, his performance in 2007 also earned him the Maxwell Award as the nation's top football player, the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback, and the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport. Tebow was born on August 14, 1987 in the Philippines to Bob and Pam Tebow, who were serving as Christian missionaries at the time. While pregnant Pam suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of extremely strong drugs used to bring her out of a coma and to relieve her dysentery, the fetus had experienced a severe placental abruption. Expecting a stillbirth, doctors recommended an abortion to protect her own life. She carried the baby to term, and both mother and child survived. All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family’s deep Christian beliefs along the way. In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. The law specifies that homeschooled students may participate on the team of the local school in the school district in which they live. The Tebows lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tim played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he began to explore his options to play for a new high school. He decided to attend Nease High School, which under head coach Craig Howard was known for having a passing offense. With the rest of his family living on a farm in Duval County, Tim and his mother moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the football team at Nease. His performance soon began to turn some heads, and led to a minor controversy over him being a homeschooled student that chose for which school he wanted to play. As a junior at Nease, Tebow’s stock rose as he became a major college football quarterback prospect and was named the state of Florida's Player of the Year. He would repeat as Player of the Year in his senior season. One of his highlights as a high school athlete was finishing a game on a broken leg. During his senior season he led the Nease Panthers to a state title, earned All-State honors, was named Florida's Mr. Football and a Parade All-American. Tebow finished his high school career with 9,810 passing yards, 3,186 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns and 62 rushing touchdowns. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game in San Antonio, Texas which features the top 78 senior high school football players in the nation and is shown nationally on NBC television. Tebow was considered one of the nation’s top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN “Faces in Sports” documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim’s homeschool controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process. Tim Tebow was also featured in Sports Illustrated on the “Faces in the Crowd” page. In 2007 he was named to FHSAA's All-Century Team that listed the Top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100 year history of high school football. Despite having family ties to the University of Florida, where his parents first met as students, he remained open-minded during the recruiting process and became very close to Alabama coach Mike Shula. After careful consideration he decided to play for Urban Meyer's Florida Gators. One of the reasons he chose Florida was because of Meyer's spread option offense, an offense for which Tebow was deemed a prototypical quarterback. Tebow spent the last three summers before enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work.

Transcripts, Unschooling, Summer Fun, No-cost Homeschooling Resources

Science Friday is a live news/talk show about science that is broadcast every Friday on National Public Radio (NPR) stations nationwide. NPR has made new video-based science lessons available to complement the show free of charge on their Web site.

This course will set you apart from the workforce, give you an edge. It will teach you how and give you the credentials to boss others around. Develop your organizational skills. Prepare yourself for management positions. DSST Principles of Supervision is a course for you.The DSST Principles of Supervision exam is a 3 credit Business exam that covers material taught in a college level introductory course in management and organizations. It includes the roles of a supervisor, management functions and organizational environment. A complete course description can be found here. This was our second business exam and we recommend taking it after CLEP Principles of Management. Here are the materials we used, our study method and what you must know to pass. Materials abound for this exam but the good news is that most of them are low cost and there is so much cross over from CLEP Management that you are most of the way there.Here is what we used: Peterson's online exams DSST Principles of Supervision (DANTES series) (Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (Dantes)) InstantCert (both the cards and the forum feedback)Our method for this exam was quick and intense. We studied the Peterson's tests, using the wrong answer study method from another post, paying special attention to the explanations of each question. One of my students said, "Test yourself silly". Study and memorize the feedback from the InstantCert forum. Take the official practice test and when you are scoring in the 60's you should be good to go. This test was updated this summer and we took the new version. Pay special attention to the details. Another student said, "They hound you on the details".You must know the core material from CLEP Management. Focus on:Leadership StylesSupervisor's RolesTheories of Supervision in practiceMake sure you can match theory to theorist, theorist to name, theory to its definition, definition to theory, theory to real lifeInternational and Domestic TradeInternational and Domestic EconomicsEmbargosTariffsBusiness LawUnionsLots of employee hiring proceduresHuman Resource ManagementHave fun with this one. Some of the questions were unfamiliar, but with logic and a little background in Team Policy debate or in the business world you may do well.

Are you pursuing a business degree? Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you need to set yourself apart from other entry-level employees at work? If you said yes to any of these, maybe CLEP Principles of Management is a course for you.The CLEP Principles of Management exam is a 3 credit Business exam that covers material taught in a college level introductory course in management and organizations. It includes operational and functional aspects of business and human resources. This was our first business exam and it proved to be a good place to start. Here are the materials we used, our study method and what you must know to pass.Many materials are available for this course but the good news for the cost conscious collegiate is our favorites were almost all free or low cost. We purchased the REA Principles of Management Guide with the CD-ROM practice tests but found other materials we preferred. We used:Principles of Management (Cliffs Quick Review) Peterson's Online Practice examsInstantCert ($20 a month) plus the feedback on the InstantCert forum (priceless)CLEP Official Study Guide 2009 A good study method always works in phases and this course was no exception. First we read through the Cliff's Notes Management text, made flash cards and took notes from it and the InstantCert forum and studied the InstantCert material. Next we began the practice test phase, beginning with the Peterson's tests (see the post on studying wrong answers for more details on this process) and ending with the CLEP Official test for a final exam. As soon as both students were scoring in the 60's or 70's on their practice tests we made the appointment with our local testing center. We are pleased to report that they both passed but not with the scores they would have liked. Here is their advice:Peterson's test were by far the most helpful of all the materials. We were glad to have taken them each twice, at least.CLEP Official was good but it was not a true indication of what would be on the test.Be ready for 20 or more names of management theorists and their theories, some we had not encountered in our practice materials.InstantCert was great.Find another source, like Wikipedia or another textbook for more of the theorists.Take notes at the testing facility during your test (they provide paper for this). Sometimes this helps with eliminating incorrect answers.Make sure you know and understand:1. Types of Power (reward, legitimate, coercive, expert and referent)2. Authority (functional, line, staff)3. Types of management structure (formal, functional, mechanistic, network, organic, team)4. Types of teams (functional, cross-functional, self-directed)A complete exam description can be found at College Board.Sometimes the best part of an exam is when you are finished, and while this is partly true we learned so much about the evolution of management here in the United States, how we manage our homes, how the church is managed, how employees respond to different types of managers and how unions affect business. Having spent time in a large hospital we have new insight into how the staff was organized. I pray that the Lord uses this insight for His glory in the lives of my children.

You are welcome to attend the webinar "Using Chronicling America for Historical Research: The Atlanta Campaign of the United States Civil War" on May 10, 2023 from 6:00-7:00pm EDT.Learn how to use our digitized newspaper collection to conduct historical research, with a special focus on the American Civil War. Join Henry Carter (Library of Congress) and Donald Summerlin (University of Georgia Libraries) to learn how to research military history in Chronicling America, a free digital collection of over 20 million pages from American newspapers published between 1770 and 1963. The presenters will discuss the collection, the search interface, and how to navigate the challenges of working with historic newspapers. The presentation will specifically focus on researching the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War, but the search techniques can be applied to broader military history research. Chronicling America is jointly sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you encounter problems with your registration, please contact ndnptech@loc.gov.Individuals requiring ADA accommodations are requested to submit a request at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.This presentation will be recorded.Click for more information and to register.

Join the Library of Congress for our final online research sprint with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) for their History Unfolded project on May 24, 2023, 6:00-8:00 PM EDT (US and Canada). Search the Library’s historic American newspaper collection, Chronicling America, to find out what people knew and how they reacted to the events leading up to and during the Holocaust.Staff from the Library of Congress will present the Library’s historic newspaper archive, Chronicling America, and demonstrate how to use the advanced search functions. Staff from USHMM will introduce the History Unfolded project, which investigates U.S. press coverage of several Holocaust-related events. They will instruct participants on how to submit relevant newspaper articles to the History Unfolded database. Following the presentations there will be time to conduct your own research and upload findings to History Unfolded.Request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.Click here for more information and to register for the webinar.

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