Summer is winding down, and September is just around the corner. It's the time of year when thoughts turn to "school."

As you begin your homeschool year, remember that homeschool is not "school at home." Home education is simply a natural part of living, thinking, imagining, creating, learning, doing, and growing each day.

School Models That Won't Work

The "school" system was unfortunately modeled on authoritarian Prussian schools. Intents were not necessarily the "intellectual training of children but the conditioning of children to obedience, subordination, and collective life."

The state viewed itself as "the true parent of children."

As a dissatisfied Albert Einstein said about his experience with Prussian schooling: "It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry."

An early proponent of state control of education in America states: "Let our pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself, but that he is public property." - Benjamin Rush

Sociologist Edward Ross believed in giving the child a teacher to imitate, instead of his father. He saw the school as the means for gathering "little plastic lumps of human dough from private households and [shaping] them on the social kneadingboard."

"Education reformer" Horace Mann said: "We, who are engaged in the sacred cause of education, are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages to our cause."

Encourage Imagination, Creativity, and Inventiveness

These are just a few of the reasons why it's important to understand that homeschool is not "school at home."

As parents of wonderful, curious, eager children, spend time talking with your children to determine what interests them, what they want to explore this year, what they want to learn or delve into, and their ideas on how to go about learning these things.

What amazing things can your child imagine? What fantastic creations can your child conceive of, invent, construct, create, bring to life? What unique capabilities or qualities can your child share with others or use in a way that makes a positive difference in his or her life, as well as in the lives of others?

As author Joel Turtel stated: "Parents, for your children's sake, walk away from the public schools. Also, don't depend on vouchers or charter schools, which are few and far between. Take control of your children's education and the values you teach them by homeschooling your kids or enrolling them in a low-cost Internet private school of your choice. Your children's future is at stake, and so is, by the way, the future of our Republic and our liberties."

Success and Joy through Home Education

So, as you begin your homeschool year this year, remember that it's not "school" you want to model your homeschool upon. Rather, it's your family's values, morals, and educational goals of your children that you want to keep in mind. It's the way they learn best, that you want to model your homeschool upon. It's their curiosity, eagerness, and joy of learning that you want to follow. It's the excitement of guiding them and helping them to learn, which results in a positive educational experience for your entire family, a lifetime of wonderful memories that you will all treasure forever.

As you may know, spring brings birds back to town. I love birds and just enjoyed watching them as they came around then left. But I started getting serious about wanting them to stick around more and did research into the whole backyard bird thing. I learned a lot, but mostly that you can really sink a lot of time and money into it and it can become addictive. Or you really can do it very cheaply and enjoy the presence of birds who find your yard a great stop on their daily runs. It’s a wonderful activity for children and if you’ll follow these instructions your kids will be learning without realizing they’re doing it.

A little background first. As you may know, winter sends the birds packing for warmer climates. As they pass through they are looking to fatten up. So during winter months they want fat. As spring approaches they change their diet to more seed and worms for protein. Their main goal as they return is to mate and raise their young.

Over the years I have learned some cool habits about the common birds we have around here, Blue jays and Cardinals. We have also identified several cardinal couples. It is wonderful to watch them show up, watch the female get fat, notice she has disappeared and then to see both the male and female show up with the babies. Their habits at the feeders are so sweet. The male will sit nearby and keep a watch for the female while she eats. Then when the babies come along, the male will work with them and teach them how to break open sunflower seeds. They rotate as a family from the trees to the feeder to the ground.

Getting Birds to Your Backyard

But to get this excitement, you have to create a yard where they know there will be food available. This can get as outrageous as you’d like or as simple as you’d like. For me and a limited budget I chose to do the following. I bought 2 poles with hook ends for hanging bird feeders. Then I decided to use the trees for the rest. I bought 4 very cheap feeders and a large bag of wild bird seed. You’ll also need some peanut butter and pine cones.

The key is to create a situation where the birds can eat near a tree line or safe distance away from the house. Then stagger the feeders closer and closer to the house or a large window. We managed to get the closest feeder 1 foot from a window. As they eat the food in the furthest feeder they will start to venture to the next closest feeder and so on.

For the pine cones, put peanut butter on them and roll them in seed and hang them around the yard also. This has a mixture of fat, protein and the seed they want.

Many people get upset when squirrels come to the feeders but we enjoy them just as much. Their antics are hysterical as they try to hang on and maneuver the feeders. Sometimes we’ll buy peanuts still in the shell and litter them on the ground for them, not the salted or roasted ones, just the plain ones.

Once you have your backyard set up, just wait. As the birds return you’ll notice that one day you’ll see a bird at one of your feeders. Word spreads quickly through the bird community that your place is set up and ready. When they find that there’s still food, day after day, they will decide to nest here. If you let the feeders get empty and don’t refill them, they will set up house somewhere else. Each day you will see more and more and more birds until you get up one morning and your backyard is a bird convention! Those mornings are great!

Another great thing is after the rains. The rain brings the worms to the surface so right after the rain stops, the birds come out and start pecking on the ground. You can watch them pull worms up right out of the ground.

Getting Kids Involved

So how can you get the kids involved? You can start by having them read this article to learn all the things they can see. Then get them involved in getting the seed and making the pine cones and getting things set up like it’s a party. Set your deadline for March and then start the vigil.

Asking them each day if they see any birds raises the excitement level. As spring moves on and the populations grow, it gets more exciting. We keep several items on hand. We have a pair of binoculars, a bird identification key and a camera, ready to go. We have decided this year to take pictures of the same male and female cardinal that return and mate each year. We will document them from the beginning to when they bring the babies out. The babies are gray and fluffy, then as summer moves on, they fill in, and by the end of summer the males are mostly red and ready to leave.

You can have your kids take pictures of each bird, print it out, identify it, and create a page for each bird. Then at the end of the season create a book out of them called common birds in (your city). Look up the locations of these birds and their migratory patterns. Try to figure out where they might be in October, November and about when you think they leave their southern home and are returning, and how long it will take them to get back. My son and I talk frequently right now about where we think our birds are. We are thinking about making a bird feeder this year. You can also find printables, drawings of the birds and the kids can try to color them based on the birds they see outside.

My son is now 9 but we began when he was 7. He has grown attached to them, knows them by names he has given them and knows all the fights between the jays and the chickadees, and the jays and the cats. He realizes that the jays leave the cardinals alone but they’ll pick fights with all the others.

In the winter, I have frozen grease in glasses and I dump the grease pucks all over the back yard. As the birds start returning and the few who remain eat on them while it’s still cold. We will break out the feeders and wash them and fill them in March to prepare for our extended family’s return. We sure have missed them!

Feathered Friends

I am surprised at how much my son knows about birds now and how involved he is with their lives and patterns. I love it because it helps him remember how tied to the earth we are and that we too have cycles and seasons and we grow and change. I like that he finds them to be family and friends and treats all things equally. Whether human or animal, he treats them like they are equal and with respect. He has learned timing and patience and preparation.

I hope you have fun with your kids this summer with this activity and I hope you too will learn just how simple it is to transform your yard into a wonderland of birds. It is also fun to go online and learn how to build your own feeders, creating more pride in helping to serve our feathered friends.

Let's use another subject to illustrate what drawing is. Take the English language. Little kids learn to speak the language pretty well before they go to school. Likewise children like to scribble and sometimes color before they get school age (whatever that is?). So, by the time any formal teaching of grammar (the set of logical and structural rules that govern the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural language) we have children that already speak the language. Isn't it peculiar that we are teaching them what they have already learned?

Anyway. Drawing is like grammar. A child or adult has learned to move their hand and hold a pencil and now we teachers have to do a bit of work to remove the "ain'ts" and the ubiquitous "likes" and add pleasantries like verbs that agree with nouns and what to capitalize and to instruct where that squirrelly comma goes and doesn't go. Do we call this training Literature? Do we call it Poetry? Do we saddle the grammar teaching with any idea of artistry? Do we assume that children have to be born with an innate and inspired grasp of English in order to digest the practical teaching of grammar? NO! Why then is Drawing and the teaching of drawing so associated with art? The idea of art, artist, inspiration, "I can't draw a straight line," is absolute nonsense as it pertains to drawing. It's not only nonsense, it's destructive and has destroyed many children's idea of themselves as "drawers" because they knew they weren't "artists". But I digress....

Now begins the positive way to teach drawing.

I break the process down into three major areas:

Moving Your Hand

The reason my book [Simply Draw with Bob Parsons] begins with shading using Short, Parallel Lines (SPL's) and not shapes is because we have to learn to control a quarter inch of paper before we take on the whole sheet. And along with any learning, incentives keep the student motivated. Learning to make SPL's leads them immediately into embellishments and patterns and pretty fun exercises. But more importantly, it builds into the mind an instant presupposition of "I can draw!"

Moving your hand usually has some corrections involved. And just like poor grammatical habits, old ergonomic patterns do not go away immediately. However, superior results are usually all it takes for a child to switch to holding their pen and body in a way that will help them because, after all, they now know they are a drawer and a drawer does this.

Build with Your Mind

Drawing shapes and putting them together is more understanding than hand-eye coordination. It becomes like building blocks or Lincoln Logs. We learn two basic shapes and have fun with them and several permutations and variations of the two basic shapes, shading and having fun with them. The purpose is to get us to think on how to construct a drawing. We're still not doing art, per se. But we are adding basic things together, which do communicate a more complex statement.

Open Your Eyes

I was restless.

I was a homeschooled student in a rural area with very few friends. I had an excellent curriculum—math, science, history, English, logic, and whatever bits and pieces my mother passed along to make my brain buzz with a little extra fervor. Hunky-dory.

Not my thing.

In public and private schools, children are allotted a particular number of years of a particular number of subjects that they must complete. This makes a great deal of sense when the system has to work mechanically and the only efficient way to operate is to put kids in large groups when you regale them with facts unadjusted to their levels of understanding.

Teaching Oneself

Some biography I’ve long since lost told me that when Winston Churchill was a young soldier in India, he spent his afternoons earning the education he had never bothered with at school. He read classics, he read old newspapers, and he read the Parliamentary register. His idea grabbed my attention. My (dedicated, long-suffering) mother had already given me all the tools I needed to pursue Churchill’s plan—I could read for comprehension, I could think for myself, and I loved scholarship. Without dropping my already-established course load, I started adding whatever I wanted to learn.

The plot began by crashing with grand style. Math was a weak point, so I tried to teach myself geometry. It was a horrible idea. I didn’t know how to do proofs, and my mother is of my camp when it comes to math, so I had no one to explain it to me and I gave myself failing grades on my first six tests.

The geometry fiasco failed to dent my thick skull. The endeavor continued. Whatever books I could find, I delved into. Online shopping and public libraries were my best friends. I worked on both strengths and weaknesses with equal enthusiasm, often turning the latter into the former (literature and grammar were bad points in high school; I am now at college and an English major).

Higher Learning

Our house had a spacious attic and a black roof. There was no earthly reason that the attic should be unused, except that in the summer heat no sane person would go up there. Since books and Churchill had absconded with my sanity, I made the attic my bedroom and filled it with supplies and projects. For the best part of the summer of ’06, I sweated my way to a better education.

That August, my parents took me to the admissions office of Truman State University on a whim and I was admitted. I began school that September on scholarship. I was 16.

Flexibility Is Key

There are many such stories out there featuring far more impressive and more rapid progress—there are so many because flexibility is one of the biggest advantages homeschooling sends the way of its participants. Whatever the student’s aptitude and enthusiasm, the opportunity is there for that student to get ahead of the curve or to take extra time and broaden his knowledge. He/she can enter the college or world whenever student and parents find that readiness.

There are a few things I’d like to point out about how it turned out for me—particularly with regard to my passage into college. The transition, at least for an introvert of my caliber, can be rocky. As much as there is to be said against the kids-have-to-be-social-butterflies mentality, it was tougher for me to integrate at college because I had very rarely had contact with other teens.

College Admissions

When my parents and I went barreling into the Truman State admissions office, the first thing the counselors asked about was standardized test scores. I didn’t need a GED, and I was told that in light of my scores, my application essay was not very relevant. I don’t mean to suggest that GEDs, application essays, and other aspects of the application process should be ignored, but that a homeschooler’s standardized tests are likely to get more attention than a public- or private-schooler’s because homeschoolers’ GPAs are not broadly viewed as reliable. Not necessarily fair, but true.

Follow Your Curiosity

If you are a parent and have driven kids, I strongly encourage you to give them every chance to pile on the electives or speed up their core curriculum progress. If you are a bored homeschooled student, consider following your curiosity a step farther and carving out your own plan. It’s well worth it.

Andrew Tipping is a grateful former homeschooler and now a junior English major at Truman State University in Kirskville, MO. He enjoys reading, writing, boxing, wrestling, and just about anything having to do with music.

Eight years ago I was handed a high school diploma from two very proud parents. Ironically, that is the same amount of time my parent’s spent educating me at home. Now, for the first time, I am a homeschool alumnus as long as I was a homeschooled student. Those eight years have been a rollercoaster ride of exciting adventures and overwhelming challenges and have fulfilled the dreams of that excited high school senior who was ready to embark on a new life. After receiving a full ride scholarship at a private university, I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts in History and a Bachelors of Science in Information Systems Management. From there, I moved away from home to Santa Barbara, CA, where I worked for two years before making the trek East to work as a Vice President at a management consulting firm.

Eight years at home and eight years in the “real” world. Wow, time really does go fast. This seems an appropriate moment to look back and reflect on those sixteen years and how homeschooling prepared me for life after my high school diploma. Hindsight is 20/20 so I would like to spend a few minutes sharing with you a little about what I consider some of the most valuable aspects of homeschooling: the lessons I never forgot, the principles that have had the largest impact on me and the training that still plays such an important part in my life.

Family Bond – A homeschooling family spends more time together than any other group within society. And spending so much time together ensures that you know every button to push and each irritating habit of your family members. However, it also gives you the incredible blessing of spending a majority of time with the people who will always love and be there for you. Looking back, I do not wish I hung out more with my “cool” friends but I do miss my family and wish I could spend more time with them today.

Of course, growing up there were the times when I didn’t really want to homeschool, especially when my friends seemed to have such exciting and fun lives. However, God taught me patience and the importance of seasons in life. Growing up was a time to receive the lessons, principles, and training my parents needed to teach me so that when I was ready, I could leave the nest and stand strong.

Godly Principles – Spending so much time with my parents gave me the opportunity to watch them live their lives. Actions speak louder than words and how my parents lived their lives, the decisions they made, the times they choose to do what was right and the sacrifices they made are how I really learned what it meant to be a Christian. You cannot hide your true colors and what you believe – not just what you say – from those who are constantly around you. My parents choose to homeschool because they wanted to raise Godly young women who are not afraid to take a moral stand in a very ungodly world. Their example taught me about my God as they instilled in me the Godly principles they so strongly believed in. I am sure my parents were all too often discouraged and frustrated by our actions and choices but they never gave up and their lessons never stopped. Even today, I can hear their voice when faced with a difficult decision and knowing how they would handle a situation makes me be less prone to compromise.

Education – Today, former homeschool critics are being forced to admit that homeschooling provides children with a solid education. I still believe that my mom was a tougher teacher than any of my college professors. Why? Because she intrinsically knew what I was capable of and never settled for anything less. This instilled in me discipline and a habit of always doing my best. Homeschooling also afforded me the opportunity to become an independent learner who could successfully manage time and complete assignments responsibly. Thankfully, I learned this valuable skill long before my peers, which gave me a head start both in my past studies and in my current career. But, perhaps one of the most important things I took away from homeschooling was a love of learning. Education eventually comes to an end but learning lasts a lifetime. Thanks to homeschooling I will continue to learn—not because I have to—but because I want to.

In college, I remember one of my favorite professors approaching me one day and asking what high school I had attended. When I responded that I was homeschooled he immediately commented that in his 40 years of teaching he came to realize that students with my ability and discipline have either attended exclusive prep schools or been homeschooled. This comment is proof that the education my parent’s provided and the habits they formed to study hard, manage my time, not give up and most of all, give a 100% effort, 100% of the time really paid off.

Communication – Communication skills are often the most overlooked but priceless training parents can provide their children. This means teaching students how to communicate with individuals of all age levels, proper introductions, speaking well in public, writing succinctly and even knowing which fork to eat a salad with at a formal dinner.

Little did my mom realize when she was stressing the value of communication skills that I would one day have the opportunity to dine with Senators, Congressman, Cabinet Members and some of the wealthiest people in the country. Or that I would be interviewed on live television and have the opportunity to discuss homeschooling with a former Attorney General of the United States. Acquiring strong communication skills has been one of the most valuable assets I have gained from homeschooling. These lessons have served me well time and again and instilled in me a confidence to face new and overwhelming situations. A good GPA is important and extracurricular activities are helpful but without communication skills, a student will never go as far in this world as they could have.

And that brings me back to now -– far from home but pursuing my dreams. I have been blessed with many incredible opportunities and have traveled the world experiencing new things. Growing up, my parents took to heart the verse, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” And all I can do is thank them for the sacrifices they made and the lessons they instilled in me that have molded me in to who I am.

Before signing off, I’d like to offer a quick thought to homeschooling parents —- live by example and remember that your children/students are always watching; instill in them a love for God; challenge your children to always do their best; provide them with an exciting learning environment and a solid education and, finally, keep teaching them communication skills even when they don’t like it. Believe me, one day they will thank you for it!

Michelle N. Healey was homeschooled from the 5th grade through high school. She attended California Baptist University where she graduated summa cum laude with a double major in History and Information Systems Management. Michelle now lives in Washington D.C. and currently works as the Vice President of A.C. Fitzgerald & Associates. Michelle looks forward to one-day homeschooling her own children.