The Autodidact

Lots of folks worry about their kids' handwriting, and how will they ever learn, and what is the BEST and CHEAPEST curriculum out there to teach handwriting? Whoa. Slow down. Let's think about this a minute. Handwriting experts can tell if a sample of writing is a forgery or not when compared to the real thing. Why? Everyone's handwriting is unique and individual. It's almost as unique as the fingerprints on the fingers that do the writing. Cursive writing is like art: it's an expression of our personality and a handwritten note is much more intimate than a typed one. This is all to say that no matter what cursive curriculum we choose to teach our kids how to write, they will develop their own style over time. We adults have done this too. And that's OK! We get so worried about producing wonderfully educated children, we believe that for every subject under the sun we MUST have the right curriculum (and a cheap one, too). Want the cheapest cursive curr...

Well, we graduated our second child from homeschooling. The time we have with our children is fleeting, but I am so glad to be able to home educate them, and be with them as they grow. Dear Lewis, Well, we did it! We finished 12 years of school together. You had to suffer through my blunders and mistakes, and my trying to figure out how to teach you, and for that, I apologize. But you always bore it manfully, patiently and without complaining. And though your formal schooling was only 12 years, your life has been a journey of learning and discovering, and we hope it always will be. You and I had help along the way from very talented people, and some of them are here today, so make sure to thank them. And we could not have done it without your Dad’s unwavering support, so make sure to thank him as well. It is a joy to be your mother, and it has been an honor and a privilege to be your teacher, your guide and your cheerleader. I look back fondly on the years we spent together, ...