Parents --- Homeschooling Can Take A Lot Less Time Than You Think

Written by Joel Turtel


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So, according torepparttar authors, if home-schooled children study for only two hours a day, year round, they will get three times more educational hours on academic basics like reading, writing, and arithmetic than public-school students get.

Not only does teaching your childrepparttar 148011 basics at home take far less time than you thought, but teaching these skills is even easier today because parents now have allrepparttar 148012 educational resources available to them that we’ve already noted. Also, bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders have whole sections full of books about teaching your child to read, write, and do basic math, as well as books that will interest and challenge young readers.

Once your children learn to read well,repparttar 148013 whole world of learning opens to them. They can explore any subject that interests them, and read ever more difficult material by themselves in books or onrepparttar 148014 computer. For a small subscription fee, your children can studyrepparttar 148015 entire Encyclopedia Britannica onrepparttar 148016 Internet. They can access almost every major library inrepparttar 148017 world throughrepparttar 148018 Internet, includingrepparttar 148019 Library of Congress. If your kids love to read and learn,repparttar 148020 Internet provides unlimited resources.

Once your children read fluently, you can point them towards your local library or bookstore, supervise their studies, and see where their interests lie. Your job is to introduce your kids to as many different subjects and resources as possible. Have them take art classes atrepparttar 148021 local YMCA, library, or arts and crafts store. Introduce them to different kinds of music. See if they enjoy a music lesson onrepparttar 148022 piano, guitar, or drums. Give them classic novels by great authors to read.

Most home-schooling parents spend about three to four hours a day homeschooling their kids. The key point to remember is that you have many options and a vast amount of educational resource material available to help you homeschool your children and quickly teach themrepparttar 148023 basics. When you take advantage of this material, home-schooling can be fairly easy and take much less time than you think.

Article Copyrighted © 2005 by Joel Turtel.

Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of “Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children." Contact Information: Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, Email: lbooksusa@aol.com, Phone: 718-447-7348.


Won Ton or Kreplach? How We Raise Children in Our Chinese-Jewish Family

Written by Jack Botwinik


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While we cherish both backgrounds, when we have to choose between them Jewish holidays and observances take precedence over Chinese holidays and customs. Belinda finds Judaism meaningful and she has learned to love it more than Chinese traditions. Judaism is central to us, and it helps imbue our lives with meaning and direction..

How did we get to this arrangement? Fromrepparttar moment we began dating, we enthusiastically explored each other's cultures through visiting many ethnic establishments and participating in various cultural activities. Our goal was to broaden our horizons and to takerepparttar 148010 best of both worlds. However, as my parents were vehemently opposed to my dating Belinda because my religion prohibits intermarriage, we delved deeper into Judaism while also examining other religions. We read voraciously on different spiritualities. We attended Chinese churches, Buddhist and Taoist temples; took part in Jews for Jesus, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jewish synagogues and events; visited a Sikh Gurdwara, a Muslim mosque; and toured Israel for a month. It was a long but worthwhile journey. Through it all, we inspired each other in our spiritual growth, and helped shape each other's outlook on life. Belinda eventually converted to Judaism after more than four years of exploring and learning. She genuinely loves Judaism. An important reason that my wife and I have adjusted to each other so well is that we had developed a common vision for ourselves before we got married.

We are now connected to a Torah-observant community where people are accepting of us and our Asian-looking Jewish children. We were forewarned byrepparttar 148011 rabbinical court which presided over my wife's conversion that there would always be some Jews who, out of ignorance of Judaism, look down at converts and their children as being "not really" Jewish. Thank God, we have not experienced this kind of debasement.

We hope that as our children grow up, they will question, investigate and renew their commitment to our Jewish heritage, and also respect and honor their Chinese roots. That they will carry their Jewishness into their own relationships and raise their children with healthy and life-affirming values and practices.

This article originally appeared on www.InterfaithFamily.com, a member ofrepparttar 148012 Jewz.com Media Network.

Author of Chicken Soup with Chopsticks. See www.PaperSpider.Net

Order: 1-888-BOOKS-88. Wholesalers: Ingram, Baker & Taylor

Jack Botwinik grew up in a culturally rich family, speaking 5 languages. In addition to speaking in public, Jack helps couples in interfaith dating relationships 1-on-1.


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