The Everyday Educator

3 January 2012

In This Issue

• Letter from Janice
• Fresh from the Blog: Homeschooling Homesteaders: Teaching Self-Reliance Skills and Winter Poems by Stevenson, Emerson, and Hardy
• Thinking Ahead: SWOT Analysis for Homeschools
• Drawspace: A free art resource
• Subscription Management (Need to change your e-mail? Here's where!)

Dear Friend,

I hope you've returned from the holidays refreshed and renewed, looking forward to the second half of the school year (if you follow a traditional schedule). There's so much I'd like to do before the convention season starts, but it's kicking off early this year with the Self-Reliance Expo in Dallas, February 10-11. It's my first year at this event, but I hope to see you there. 

As I glanced through the last couple of newsletters, I realized that I hadn't told you about the beta version of the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers.  You can read more about it on the blog: http://www.janice-campbell.com/handbook-for-writers/. I think you'll find it useful.

I'd love to hear how you're doing with school, your New Year's resolutions, or anything else, so please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or just reply to this e-mail. I hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter, and find it helpful. Remember, you're always welcome to forward it to friends (with a little note, so they know why they're getting it!). 

Enjoy your week!

Blessings,

Janice Campbell

P.S. Don't miss the 6th Anniversary issue of the Carnival of Homeschooling, hosted at the Why Homeschool blog. The Cate family has invested a lot of time in creating a wonderful resource for homeschoolers, so be sure to stop by and enjoy it.

Janice Campbell

In January, I like to look back at the previous year and consider what worked, what didn't, and what I can do to make the new year better. One analytical strategy is I've borrowed from the business world is SWOT Analysis. It's actually a very useful tool for homeschoolers, so here's a brief overview. SWOT stands for:

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

To apply it to your homeschool, write statements or ask yourself questions in each area. For example:

Strengths

1. I am very strong in teaching literature, writing, history, and art.
2. We have a home library of over 5,000 volumes, and easy access to three public libraries.
3. We live in a place where the boys can easily study and learn about nature (botany, geology, etc.).
4. Donald is able to provide hands-on instruction in practical and technical areas.
5. The boys are able to play sports in a positive environment through our fellowship.
6. The older boys are now driving and can take themselves to music and college.

1. I do not have an adequate background for teaching higher-level math and lab sciences.
2. Our budget is small, so I have to spend a lot of time locating free or low-cost resources.
3. Although there are music, college, and co-op opportunities available, my caregiving responsibilities make it difficult to take advantage of these for the younger boys.
4. [You could list your student's academic weaknesses in this section as well.]

1. There is a type of homeschool curriculum to suit every learning style and budget (though not necessarily at the same time).
2. We have an excellent community chorale that welcomes homeschooled teens.
3. We have contacts who are strong in physics and math, and are willing to provide tutorial assistance in exchange for writing evaluation.
4. We have a nearby community college where the boys can take classes in math, science, and areas of interest.
5. There are several good co-ops in the area that offer classes the boys would enjoy.

1. First-time jobs for the older boys may divert their focus from finishing school.
2. Academic motivation can be difficult to maintain through the ups and downs of adolescence.
3. My caregiving responsibilities sometimes interrupt the flow of school and we all lose focus and don't finish.
4. We don't have an income or budget that will cover the cost of college for all four boys (or for those who choose to go).

Once you have identified your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, you can decide how to use the Strengths and Opportunities to balance the Weaknesses and Threats. For example, if your teen's loss of motivation, your low budget for college, or your weakness in teaching math is a threat, you may decide that the opportunity to take classes at the community college would be a good way to counteract that threat (that's what we did, and it really worked-- see Get a Jump Start on College if you're not familiar with this idea).

I hope you'll find the SWOT Analysis helpful as you plan for the new year. If you find it particularly interesting, here's an article and template that provides a lot more detail. I've always found that purposeful planning makes the school year run much more smoothly for us, and I hope it will do the same for you. 

 Here's a delightful free resource for learning art. 

Drawspace: A Review

A couple of years ago we found a website that offers detailed drawing instruction. Artist and writer Brenda Hoddinott has created a site called Drawspace that offers at least a year of drawing lessons, completely free of charge. The lessons are nicely categorized as Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced, and further broken down into very specific lesson areas. The Beginning series of lessons includes:

• Resources
• Learn to see
• Draw with lines
• Squirkling
• Perspective 1
• Hatching
• Shading forms
• Focus on people
• Cartoons and critters

Each of these subjects is addressed in a series of 6-12 specific lessons. The detailed listings make it easy to zero in on areas of special interest, and avoid those you'd prefer not to tackle. The Intermediate and Advanced lessons are similarly detailed.

If you've wanted to teach your children to draw, or even to learn how for yourself, you now have a simple, easy-to-access way of learning. Don't wait-- start now, and have fun!

 I hope you've enjoyed this issue of the newsletter. If you have questions you'd like to have answered, please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me, and I'll do my best to get you an answer. Please feel free to forward it in its entirety to anyone who may enjoy it, and invite them to subscribe.

And don't forget-- if you're near Dallas, stop by and see me at the Self Reliance Expo. I hope to see you there.  

Thank you!

With gratitude,

Janice

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