[“Instead of just standing there watching, can you get me more popsicle sticks for my important STEM work?”]

Coming home from work today, my daughter greeted me with, “Daddy, look what I made in STEM today!” This year the kids have been attending a 2-day/week homeschool co-op. “STEM” is one of their subjects, and yes, it stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”.

What she made was a little caterpillar marionette, constructed of colored fuzzballs on a string, draped from a popsicle stick. It was cute, and I am a proud papa. It’s the perfect sort of activity for a six-year-old. It was also what in a more innocent age would have been called “arts and crafts” rather than anything to do with “STEM.”  (more…)

My oldest will be old enough for Kindergarten in the fall. The small talk question of the moment from our fellow parents is, “Where are you enrolling him?” In our school district, that’s more than a geography question. It’s a big district with more or less open enrollment, and they’ve done an admirable job of making sure there is an abundance of options. Gifted programs, foreign language immersion schools, charter schools with a patriotic focus, etc.

He won’t be going to any of those, however. As we’ve anticipated since before he was born, he’s going to be homeschooled.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you homeschooling? Is it for academic or moral reasons or what?”

No one asks these questions of parents who send their kids to the Japanese immersion school. (more…)