My Cup Runneth Over

Homeschool

   

 

I really need to get better about some kind of official first day of school picture! Before we began homeschooling the boys - we always stood them out on the front step and took pictures of them on our way out the door on the first day of school. They were super cute - all slicked up in new school uniform clothes, fresh haircuts, new backpacks and lunch bags. I think we took a few first day of homeschool pics for the first couple years of school. But, then I slacked off! Last year thiswas Loe's first day. Though the post a couple days later show more of her school books and passion for learning! And this post talked about what the boys were up to. This year these are the only pictures I've taken so far of school! And it is actually of Loe's snacktime!(Note to self - take some more school pics!) Loe & Ren received these adorable tea cups and saucers from some friends. Loe thought it would be grand to have her snack served on those - each day last week! Makes a snack and some rice milk extra special.

So far Loe is doing great with first grade. I keep wondering if letting her start kindergarten when she was still 4 might catch up with her and we'll need to slow down. But, not so far. She is doing Sonlight's Core 1 - Intro to World History - which covers history, geography, bible, reading and language arts. We also are using Sonlight's science 1 along with more Handwriting Without Tears (she has probably used 4-5 of their books - she always wants to do several pages at each setting and since I don't feel like she's quite ready for cursive - I keep picking up more of the few printing books they have). She's using Horizons for math, Come Look With Me books for art and I picked up a Draw, Write, Now book at the conference that looked fun. I found a Nature Journal for her at the conference and she has already started using it and is loving it! She is also taking art, history of famous Christian people, choir, math concepts and soccer at CHESS this year! She's THRILLED to be able to stay all day and have lunch there with her friends! I find it very odd to think about dropping her off from 8-2! We'll see how a semester of this goes for her. We can always back off next semester. At this point her school day is still pretty short and so we can double up now and then and allow a full day off for classes at CHESS on Wednesdays. She is also going to be taking two hours of ballet and worship dance class on Friday afternoons along with Tae Kwon Do that continues on Thursday evenings. A fuller year then I envisioned - but I think Loe will handle it fine. We may back off next semester.

Chase is a senior - I just do NOT know how that happened! He is still working one morning a week with Trevor, but will probably look for a job as soon as he gets his license. He is also taking classes at CHESS - speech, creative composition and chemistry. And at home he's doing spanish, Sonlight's British Literature (he was SO happy to get back to Sonlight after taking a year off last year!), bible, math review along with finishing up Driver's Ed and hopefully attending TeenPact in the spring for government. We hope that we can make it work to send him to a Worldview Academy next summer - we have heard amazing things from other kids who have spent two weeks there. Chase isn't sure yet - but he's actually exploring the possibility of becoming a dentist. We're praying with him and for him as he seeks the Lord for direction. He and Trevor picked up a book about jobs and personalities at the homeschool conference and after going through that book - this is the job that is standing out the most to him right now. So exciting to think about what God has for Chase's future.

Hunter is already a sophomore! Though he has enjoyed many Sonlight cores over the years - he was ready for a break this year and is tackling the Notgrass US History that Chase used last year. The stack of books for literature is much shorter and it's more of a textbook/lesson/test type of curriculum. It covers history, English/literature and bible. That is appealing to Hunter right now. He's also taking Spanish here at home and will probably begin driver's ed soon as he's ready to get his permit! (Aaahhhh - two teenage drivers?!) He's taking speech, geometry and chemistry at CHESS. He's also planning to attend TeenPact. And he's doing Tae Kwon Do with Trevor this year. It could change - but right now Hunter is considering a career in computer hardware engineering. Whether or not he sticks with that direction or not - he mentioned that just having a goal has helped him to focus and buckle down with his studies. Motivation is a good thing. All in all looks like a great school year. We are reading Elisabeth Elliot's Passion & Purity together during family devotions in the morning. Trevor also reads some scripture each morning as well. We're looking into a new bible study that we can all do together - even Loe. That would be so fun!

As much as I get bogged down at times by my procrastination regarding paperwork and records (I bring a lot of that on myself by doing more then is required by the state or satellite school!) And even though we deal with attitude issues and occasionally ill-fitting curriculum - I STILL LOVE homeschooling! The blessings are abundant. If the boys were in school we'd see SO much less of them during these years and for our family that just wouldn't fit! We are looking forward school discussions, field trips, read alouds (kids are NEVER too old for that!) and more. We all love watching Ren discover the world around her - she is starting to say more and more words and loves to pretend to count and sings her own version of the ABC's! She tries to copy everything Loe is doing. What a hoot she is! Just today Loe was trying to do her math with Ren looking over her shoulder YELLING 'ice cream' over and over because there was a picture of an ice cream cone on Loe's math sheet! It cracked us up!

 

 

  

Enjoying the new home and getting ready for school to start!

  Despite some very annoying issues - that are being resolved (slowly!) - we are truly enjoying this great, new place. The chance to spread out, so much great light and fun views! I so want our typical dry Colorado air back. Between the humidity and the outside of the windows being pretty grubby (we've been focusing on cleaning the inside so far)- pics aren't turning out well right now. I'll wait and post some more later on.

Many places to kick back with a book - including their bedroom if Ren is on the prowl!

Loe saw these math blocks in a box and begged to play with them during quiet time.

 

Ren grabbed a book and a blanket and crawled up on the couch to "read"! :)

 

For some reason this small platform as the stairs turn upward is a favorite place for the girls to play.

 

Loe reading her way through a book.

Ren's temporary (we hope!) sleeping arrangement - her crib snugged up to our bed. It actually works out pretty well. She feels secure and we all sleep better. I don't get kicked or head butted nearly as often now!

 

We're working on setting up a play and craft area downstairs - but in the meantime they have been drawing and creating on the floor.

 

Hunter doing some gaming in the loft. Right now it's still got boxes and empty bookshelves - can't wait to unpack this room when the carpet is dealt with. It's a great room!

 

The girls found the Build-A-Bear stuff and Ren thinks the glasses are pretty cool!

Trevor was pulling weeds in the backyard (that has no grass - yet) and came across grapevines - we all thought that was pretty cool! They're pretty sad - small plants on the ground with nothing to climb.

But, here is the real size - they are on a small plate! Cute - ha?! Obviously not quite ready yet. I didn't know grapes would even grow on this side of the mountains.

There are also tomatoes, odd looking squash and lots of peppers - which Trevor is pretty excited about! Along with a few trees, flowering bushes, iris and holyhocks.  Not bad considering we didn't plant or nurture any of this stuff. We've never been big into gardening - though I think the process would be good for the kids and the produce would be good for all of us! Maybe we'll plant some more things next year.

We are starting school this week. Today we decided to surprise the kids with one more day of summer vacation - swimming, Cold Stone and shopping for school supplies. Though it's a tad brisk out right now - might have to do a walk and visit to the park or something else instead of swimming. We start in August - but definitely allow some flexibility - to enjoy the rest of summer when opportunities arise. It's making me crazy to not be able to get totally organized - but we know we'll have to box up and move all of that stuff when they do the carpets - so instead I just put each of the kids' stuff in a clear box (or two) and we'll just drag it out to do school. Trevor and I spent some time praying last night over the kids and our upcoming school year. We're excited for a great year and looking forward to learning with our kids and enjoying the time God has given us with them.

Do Hard Things

                   

The boys have attended the Rebelution Conference twice and have both been challenged and enjoyed it each time. Alex and Brett Harris started their blog a few years ago and it grew quickly. Their big theme is to challenge teens to rebel against society's low expectations. It is impressive to hear these two speak and their book is excellent. Chase bought it and discovered there is a study guide to download. So, he instigated a bible study with some friends. We meet twice a month with 5 other kids along with various parents and younger siblings (who go play with Loe). Chase leads the discussion, which is so great because it stretches him out of his comfort zone a LOT! The parents try to let the kids do the talking. But, do jump in now and then with (hopefully!) bits of wisdom for these kids.

It can be easy at times to be so negative and critical of my kids. I slip into times of wishing they were more like this or less like that, focusing on their weaknesses instead of their strengths. But, watching them all share and become more open with their group; challenging each other to " do hard things" reminds me that God is doing a work in their lives. They really are good kids! I am blessed!

                      

A nature walk (and a prayer request)

                       

Yesterday while Trevor was fixing homemade tomato soup and mozzerella-pesto grilled sandwiches (yum!) the girls and I ventured out for a walk. Loe ran for her science book and opened it to the section on flowers to take along. She had went with Grandpa to pick up a pizza the night before and past some flowers that she suggested we go take a look at! It was nice to be out to get some fresh air and enjoy God's gorgeous creation.

                          

                         

                        

                        

                       

                       

As summery as this all looks - fall has definitely arrived. The evenings are cool, the mornings are chilly, the leaves are beginning to change! We've had some cool days - but this week the temps have been very nice. In fact today it's supposed to reach 89 degrees. It takes much longer for it to reach the high temp - but we are going to take advantage of that and get in the pool later this afternoon! I can't believe September is almost over.  

                          

We would appreciate prayer for Ren. She is teething and perhaps it's combined with adjusting to her new surroundings. But, she's not been sleeping well at night and so neither have I! This week I've been able to keep her relatively quiet so she doesn't keep everyone else awake - but missing 2-3 hours of sleep each night has been tough. The girls and I have slept in some and that helps. But, it messes with our family schedule and sometimes with the nap schedule. So, please pray for Ren to cut these next several teeth - painlessly and with lots of good rest! Thank-you!

It's Chess Club time again!

The kids SO enjoy getting together for Chess Club. We decided to meet twice a month again this year. Last year we met at Susan's farm house out in the country for each meeting. But, this year we are alternating from house to house. Friday we met here. The usual schedule is as follows: we arrive around 3 - the kids immediately go play outside. The big kids play football or frisbee and the little ones go goof off together - playing games, dolls or find whatever animals are around to visit or play with. The moms set out a bunch of snacks that we've all brought ranging from popcorn to cookies, brownies to fruit or veggie plates, crackers to quick bread and the list goes on. Everybody always jokes that there is no need to fix dinner on Chess Club nights, as the kids are never hungry that evening!

We call the kids in and Patti usually leads the big kids (and moms) in a discussion about the next chapter in The Fallacy Detective book that we are continuing to work through this year. She does a great job and often adds in a fun game or demonstration to help make a point or define a certain type of fallacy. After book discussion is over, the kids flee to play while we set up chess boards. We eventually call them in to play a few games of chess. Again, Patti is wonderful - she always has a schedule of who plays who for each game. The kids grab big platefuls of snacks and sit down to play. The moms grab a cup of hot tea and thoroughly enjoy a good visit. We try to end around 5 - but it is usually 5:30 and sometimes going on 6 when we wrap it up. '

Two of the families (plus one boy who usually rides along with another family) go to our church. The other two don't.  It's been fun to get to deepen current relationships and get to know these newer dear friends. God really blessed us with this group. There are 9 boys in all, each one close to the age of Chase or Hunter. And 6 girls who come along who range in age from 4 through 15 (Ren is the baby). They all have such a great time together and are great with the little girls. My girls are completely spoiled by this group of girls.

On Friday since we met here and the weather was mild - the kids decided to swim instead of play football or frisbee. It was nice to be able to take advantage of the warm fall day.

                       

                         

                          

Read, Loe, Read!

Loe is about half way through her '...100 Easy Lessons' reading book. She is doing really well. Some days it flows better than others, but over all it's really starting to click for her. A few days ago we finally unpacked our box of kid books we had for the boys when they were little, along with some that were Loe's. So, she's been pulling out several a day and asking me to read to her. It's one of my favorite things to do with my kids so I ablige as much as I can!

Today she asked me to read Go, Dog. Go! to her. (Good choice Katelynn! She was quite concerned when she opened up her book after not seeing it for a long while and saw writing on the inside cover. Until I reassured her it is OK to write in a book when it's a gift to someone and that it came from you!) I casually mentioned that she could probably read many of the words in this book on her own and she jumped all over that...asking if she could read it to me! So, she began...I had to get up and work on laundry twice and she followed me - asking me for help on the words she didn't get or found one of the boys and asked them. She was determined to get through that book and that she did! It was so fun and totally took me by surprise. When she finished she felt so good about it! I could see the light go on even brighter as she realized the doors learning to read would open for her. I have been pondering what to do about school for her this year. Because she won't be five until November I wasn't sure if she would be ready for kindergarten level work this fall, or if she'd be bored with more preschool type of stuff. The blessing of homeschooling is that we can start with something and change it as we go if we need to. As each week goes by I'm thinking she'll be ready for Sonlight's kindergarten core - at least in some subjects, if not all. My concern is that we start too early and she may start to feel overwhelmed as the years go by. But, we can always adjust as we go and shift gears if we need to. And Sonlight now offers 3 levels of reading/language arts with their early cores - which will be so nice to customize what she's ready for in that area. Very strange to think about having a junior, freshman, possible kindergartener and baby/toddler this coming year! That should keep me on my toes. ;)

Eloise is also really taking off in figuring out numbers and starting to do simple math. She's just so curious about everything and soaks up knowledge like a sponge. She has used up all of the work books and sticker books around the house. I really need to order some more - she loves them. Another thing that has always amazed me about her is her awareness of where we are and how to get places. I remember noticing that about her when she was really little - but now she knows where we are all over town and recognizes streets and knows which way to turn to get here and there. It is a hoot! Maybe she'll have a better sense of direction than me - that would be good! It's funny how interested she is in certain areas and completely uninterested in others. Like animals - she could care less about animal books and learning about all the different animals. The boys, especially Chase were SO into that at this age. She does love our pets and has an imaginary pet rabbit that lives in her room, which she feeds and plays with daily. :) Other than that, she's not all that interested. Though there were two very cute bunnies in our front yard today that she kept an eye on for quite a while. So, maybe her interest will pick up over time. The boys and I are animal lovers - so it's hard to imagine that she won't be like that. But, perhaps she's going to be more like Trevor in that area. He likes them alright, but could live without them very easily.

I think having a 10 year age difference between Hunter and Loe is part of why she seems like a first-born child. She has more of my time, though I don't feel like I spend a TON of time actually teaching her. But, you know how it is when we are home with kids all day - they just follow along and learn as we are living life together. Ah the joys of each child and their very unique personalities and strengths. It is such fun seeing the world through the eyes of a little person again.   

                                 

 

Reading video

I just remembered that I was going to retry uploading the video of Loe reading. So, here she is...we had just read this sentence together before I took out the camera, so she was a bit familiar with a couple of the words, but on the other hand you can see that she is a tad impatient and looks around for a picture or hint of the word so she doesn't have to sound them all out! Sometimes she just guesses - little goofball.

                                 

                               

Learning To Read

                                       

                                                    

                                 

Eloise has been eager to learn since we brought her home, though during that first year she was so busy moving it was hard to tell that she was indeed soaking all kinds of things up. I am excited to have the opportunity (and perhaps a bit intimidated!) to teach her and her sister from the beginning. We caught a glimpses of what a little sponge she is on her second birthday when we gave her a bag full of goodies from the dollar store (don't ya love how easy 2 year olds are to please?!) and her favorite item was a foam puzzle of the alphabet. She played with that so frequently that she had the shapes and names of each letter down pat with in a few months. Sometime during that next year we picked up some used copies of the Letter Factory DVDs from a homeschool family. Those videos along with reading many, many books together taught her the sounds those letters make.

She has been wanting to learn to read for a long while. I picked up this book last spring at a used homeschool book sale and later this past fall we finally started it. We've been somewhat sporadic (which isn't recommended), but she is definitely learning and thrilled that she can read a sentence now and it tells about a picture. (I have to cover up the picture at first because otherwise she gets so excited that she tries to guess the words in the sentence!) What a thrill to see that light come on and watch her go from a tiny toddler who understood no English and spoke only "monkey chatter" (as we lovingly called it) all the way to this little learning, talking, reading machine. We also work on a little math here and there, some handwriting, the calendar and telling time as well as various other Usborne workbooks. We didn't do much over the holiday break and then Mara came to stay and they were so busy playing that Loe only asked to do school once or twice when Mara was at her Grandma's or home for the weekend with her sisters.

I always ask her if she wants to sit in her booster chair so she's up closer to the table in a more comfortable position, but she rarely wants to. She prefers these goofy positions or sometimes my lap. Nothing like a workout for the muscles along with some stretching while she works on handwriting. Such a multi-tasker! ;) There is a was going to be a video below of Loe doing a bit of a reading lesson. However, Youtube is doing some site maintenence and so I'll try to post it later tonight or tomorrow. I really will try to do a post of our "typical" school day with all three kids one of these days!

                                       

                                     

                                     

Age of Opportunity

We are working through this book with our Fellowship Team. While we all went into this book thinking it would help us parent our teens in a more godly way, instead we as parents have been convicted and had our eyes opened even more to God's plan for the family. It has brought about some wonderful discussion. He starts out in the first chapter by saying this, "The tummult of the teen years is not only about the attitudes and actions of the teens, but the thoughts, desires, actions and attitudes of the parents as well. (ouch!)...These teen years are hard for us because they expose the wrong thoughts and desires of our own hearts." He goes on to talk about moving our idols out of the way...the idol of comfort, respect, appreciation, success and control. (ouch again) And on the book goes, exposing, our selfish motives as parents and helping us to realign our goals as parents with the goals God has for our kids. Last night after worshiping with the kids for a while, they all went downstairs to play and visit while we had our book discussion. We, not only, talked about the chapter and the different points the author makes, but we spent a long while discussing various situations and how we can apply what we're reading to those areas of our lives and the lives of our kids. Such a simple concept - but so eye openeing to me in this book so far is changing my heart to view each "issue" that comes up with our teens as opportunities to help them see the bigger picture and direct them to the Lord. Rather then seeing it as an area where we have failed as a parent or where our kids will struggle endlessly. God has a bigger vision for our family and we're excited to embrace it! Our team seeks wisdom from each other and God's word and pray for one another. What a blessing that is.

We look around this group and give God glory for these families that all share so much in common. Last night one of the dads and I were joking that we are all for arranged marriages - as we watched all of them interract and have such fun together. Eloise is friends with all of the kids, but one of her newest formed friendships is with Tristen, who is 5 and also in her Sunday School class. She thinks he is the greatest kid and they pal around quite a bit now. Though homeschooling is challenging and has it's own set of trials and tribulations, we all came to the conclusion (again) that engaging in the opportunities that parenting teens brings about is MUCH easier when our teens are home with us. Instead of putting out fires that life brings as our kids fly in and out through a revolving front door, like could happen, we have the opportunity to form a vision and come walk alongside our kids - helping prepare them and seeing everything that pops up as a tool God will help us use to draw them closer to Him.

Yesterday morning, after getting some school done and our daily chores, the kids and I had haircuts late in the morning. I love the relationships that have been built into all areas of our life. I look forward to getting our hair cut - because Lauren, who cuts our hair is also a believer and homeschooler. We visit about all kinds of things and Loe enjoys playing with her daughter. Lauren engages the boys in conversation and it always turns out to be a good visit. After haircuts were over we zipped home for lunch and a brief rest time and then headed out for Chess Club. Yet another group of friends that are an answer to prayer. The boys have found some good friends there, as has Loe. Girls of various ages who dote on her and play with her, including a 5 year old that was adopted domestically by her mom, dad and two older brothers. We all look forward to those days twice a month. Yesterday we reviewed some chapters out of Fallacy Detective and went over a new one. Then we all watched Searching For Bobby Fischer. I love that movie! It's such a fun character study and I always like to see the people change in a positive way by the end. Because it's all about chess - the kids all enjoyed it. Well, some of the younger girls all went to do their own thing, but the boys and moms watched the movie. We did take a break in the middle for pizza and a few of the dads joined us for the last part of the movie. Our next meeting will be back to the book study and playing chess, along with plenty of snacks, moms visiting and little ones exploring our host's home and farm.

Today Trevor and the kids just left to spend a gift card, pick up some things for Hunter's rats, along with a few other errands. I suppose I should think about getting a few things done before the next load of laundry is beeps at me. I imagine we'll do some work around the house and possibly get to some school things and then Trevor and I are looking forward to a date night. It's a clear, blue day with the sun shining through the windows. I love watching how the sun hits different parts of our new home during each season and with the colors inside - it causes the room to feel so warm and inviting. Chores, a cup of tea, shopping, laundry, maybe a movie with the boys while Loe rests and a date night...Saturdays are a good thing! :)

What books are the kids reading?

So, the other day I listed the books I'm reading - as well as some I'm reading to the kids. Today I'll list the books the kids are reading. I'll start with Eloise. She looks at anywhere from 5-20 books a day. Books are a huge part of her life. Which considering it was nearly torture when she came home to sit still long enough to look at a "one sentence per page" board book - that is saying a LOT! I remember pretty much holding her down to finish a book while she squirmed and whined in my lap! Today I read at least one book to her before quiet time in the afternoons and Trevor reads one to her in the evening before bed. Some days we read many during the in between times, others we don't do any extra reading. Since the majority of our little kid books are still packed away in a box - and most of the books we've collected through Usborne have arrived since we moved in - these days she mostly reads Usborne books. We have boxes of books to read and interract with between school books and Usborne books. One of the new ones we received last is called "How Big is a Million". It's a fun story about a young penguin who is curious about how big a million is. Through out the story he sees a hundred and a thousand and at the end there is a poster that we unfold and the penguins are looking up at one million stars - it's very impressive for both kids and adults to see one million of anything! (There truly are exactly one millions starts on the poster - but most of them are tiny and it's hard to see them in the photo.)

                                       

                              

The boys, as always, have a stack of books they are working through. Their school work has bible reading scheduled in as well as all of their other school books. In Hunter's stack are a few books for school: Streams to the River, River to the Sea and I mentioned the History of US book that we are reading together in my last book entry. He is also reading Tom Sawyer, but because I haven't read it since I was a kid I thought it would be fun to read it with him. Then last night after we were about 2 pages into it Trevor walked into the room and I instantly knew he would make this a far more entertaining read. He adds in accents and gets really into it when he's in the right mood. So, he willingly took over when I asked if he was interested. :) Hunter is also reading The New Answers Book by Ken Ham, a book he purchased a while back. He has always been drawn to the evolution/creation debate and Answers In Genesis is full of great information having to do with that topic. This is one of their newer books. He's rereading parts of 100 Decisive Battles From Ancient Times to the Present by Paul K. Davis. And he is insisting that I mention his current non-school book of choice - Star Wars Republic Commando - True Colors by Karen Traviss...AKA "The third book in the best Star Wars trilogy EVER" (According to Hunter!)

Chase's non-school book right now (surprisingly I think it's his only one - often he has 3 or 4 going at once) is DeadFall by Robert Liparulo. In his school book stack he has several going: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque, How To Ruin Your Life By 40 by Steve Farrar, Heart to Heart - New Poems inspired by Twentieth Century American Art edited by Jan Greenberg, Selected Poems by Robert Frost and Life book -Our Century In Pictures for Young People. He also is working through the DK 20th Century Day by Day - which is actually in CD ROM form for the computer.

I didn't touch on Trevor's book list. He tends to go in spurts - reading a book now and then. His favorite authors are Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum among others. He often saves up his reading for vacations. He is always reading through the bible and several magazines. Oh I should mention one of his favorites: World Magazine. We all read parts or all of that publication. In fact the boys look for it in the mail each week. Every once in a while he'll grab one of the kids' school books and check it out. He consumes news and information online and on the radio as well as a few nights a week of news on TV. Yep - he's a news junkie. It's probably good - since I practically avoid news - hopefully this helps to balance out our kids! And it's another reason why he's the one who discusses school books with Chase every night (that we're home) after dinner. He has a much bigger perspective and bank of information stored in his brain than I do. So the discussions are much deeper and more applicable for Chase coming from Trevor. I'm SO, SO, SO thankful for Trevor's involvement in our family and specifically in our homeschool. I can say that though I LOVE Sonlight - I don't know if I would choose it for our boys in the upper levels if Trevor didn't take part in discussions. (Though with their instructor's guide we could get through it. I am doing the US history discussion questions with the boys in the afternoons.) Both last year and this year Trevor is the one that does all of the book discussions with Chase. He also fields the occasional (and it's only occasional thanks to Teaching Textbooks and Apologia) question about math or science. This is the second year he has been leading us in family devotions in the morning before work. So, his shorter reading list is probably due to all of that! We are so blessed.

Yes indeed we are a book loving family and I love to look around at pretty much any point during the day and see one or all three kids deeply engrossed in a book. And what is really cool is that after they finish their school work for the day they sometimes play a computer game or go for a bike ride but often they put away a school book and grab a "non-school" book and sit down to read for another hour or two. The books they select for fun tend to be extremely educational choices dealing with godly character or history - like G.A. Henty books or the Ballentyne series that are being republished. Though they also add in some Star Wars books and Chase really enjoys modern novels by Christian authors.

Hunter is reading over my shoulder and said I should mention that I just picked up the book Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. We heard him speak a few years ago and picked up one of his lengthier books called The Underground History of American Education. I glanced through it. But, Trevor was the one who read it. I have seen Dumbing us Down here and there over the years, but a few months ago when Trevor and I were on a date at Borders I saw it on the shelf and sat down to look through it. I found myself reading chapter after chapter. Wow - it's SO enlightening. This man was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and is a recipient of the New York City Teacher of the Year award and New York State Teacher of the Year. I would encourage everyone to read this book - parents, teachers, homeschoolers. It's a pretty quick read, containing only about 100 pages. For those who wonder at some of the reasons (though not all) as to why we have chosen to educate our children at home or just are curious about what is going on the public schools today - this book will open your eyes.