Historical lesson in partisan politics

Thomas Jefferson, whose chief political rival was Alexander Hamilton, explains how negative campaigning, partisan politics and contested elections have been part of the American political system since the earliest days of the republic in “The Will of the People,” an installment in Colonial Williamsburg’s Electronic Field Trip Series. Colonial Williamsburg is offering free access to this electronic field trip throughout the month of September. Visit giftnation.history.org to register.

Home school to high school

So how did Allegra fare during her freshman year at a charter public high school? Here is her end-of-year report card, showing by subject the earned numerical average out of a possible 100:

English                  98

Latin I                    97

French II              95

US History           96

Science                 95

Math                     91

She also received a perfect score on the National Latin Exam. Clearly, Allegra did not fall behind her peers by being schooled at home. As her mother and as a teacher, I offer this as encouragement to those of you worried about the result of homeschooling.

And on the social side? Allegra is not the social misfit some predicted she might be. She connected with like-minded kids almost immediately. She attended her first dance and joined clubs. This summer, she and her friends have been doing what many other 14- and 15-year-old girls enjoy: sleep-overs, mall visits, beach days, birthday parties. Individually, they are involved in activities that interest them. For example, Allegra volunteers at the local library and at a small local museum. One friend acts in plays at the local junior theater, and yet another works at a bookstore. While isolating at times, homeschooling helped Allegra to understand herself and to choose friends who would buoy her, not drag her down. If she had remained at our public middle school, I think the outcome might have been different.

Government in action

An election year, this is prime time to teach your homeschooler lessons in civics. You might start by defining democracy and comparing it with other forms of government throughout the world. Discuss the individual’s role in a democracy. Talk about the two major political parties in the United States and their ideological differences. How have the political parties changed throughout history? Discuss the three branches of U.S. government and their functions. When Allegra and I covered this last year, we used a “branches of government” bulletin board set from Oriental Trading (at right). This set proved to be tremendously helpful for a visual learner. While this particular item is no longer available, Oriental Trading offers a similar U.S. Government Learning Chart set, and Carson-Dellosa Publishing offers a “Branches of the U.S. Government” bulletin board set. Our nation is in the midst of caucuses, so starting now, you’ll find an abundance of free material in the news to bring into your homeschool classroom. This is history in the making. Share it with your student!