About Carma
I’m Carma, matriarch of my family of six. The VP is my husband of 26 years and we have four wonderful children together: Nova, Lock, Kyro, and Mink (yes, those are pseudonyms, but my name is really Carma). We married in the middle of our college careers, which then took much longer to finish than normal due to moves to new cities and out of state, hiatuses for work, and other things, which is largely why our children didn’t start coming until ten years into our marriage. We have two teens and two elementary age kids as of this writing (2012).
And no, none of them actually look anything like me.
Our children were all born at home, full-term breastfed (also known as extended), and slept in our room for several years. They have always been homeschooled … I can’t say 100% unschooled since The VP is not 100% on board with that, but we are about as relaxed as homeschoolers can get and not be 100% unschooling.
I decided in the last year of getting my elementary education degree that I would homeschool, not entirely for the reasons you probably suppose. You can read that longish saga here if you wish, but in brief: though there are a few practical points of my degree I like having, none of them actually relate to teaching your own children at home, so don’t sweat homeschooling just because you don’t have a teaching degree.
For the rest: The VP is, in fact, a VP in educational administration at a large university. I worked as an office manager, proofreader, and editor in my years B.C. (Before Children) and (important point!) this blog is written in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style.
About Winging It
What you might see here: homeschooling (oh, yes, lots of homeschooling), unschooling, and stupid school tricks (also known as “excellent reasons to homeschool”); comics about my family drawn by the ever-talented Nova; mindful parenting; my (frequently pitiful attempts at) photography; spirituality and faith; holistic health and real, traditional food; family adventures; videos by my brilliant children; freedom and libertarianism; and … well, really, just about any little thing that strikes my fancy at the time.
So you have been warned … if you’re reading my stuff, you’re winging it with me!
Grab My Button to Link to Winging It:
<div align="center"><a href="http://winging-it.me" title="Winging It"><img src="http://winging-it.me/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/button-winging-it-3.jpg" alt="Winging It" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
Financial Disclosure
This is a personal blog, and the opinions expressed here are my own. Any products I recommend here will be products I have reviewed for quality and my honest opinion will always be presented. I am not paid to write any reviews, but I may receive a compensation if any reader makes a purchase by clicking to its page from this site. I am an advertising affiliate with Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. The Shop page features original designs made by me and produced through Zazzle and Cafepress, online print-on-demand storefronts.
Other
Background Zendoodle by my daughter Nova.
Find more about me on:
http://www.facebook.com/homeschool.the.revolution
http://plus.google.com/117466028423229906459
http://www.twitter.com/tandemonimom
YouTube
Learning to Read: How My Unnatural Reader Began Reading
10,000 Hours
You Learn to Teach by Teaching
He's Bullied, But He's Still Got to Go to School ... Doesn't He?
Schooling Dick Cavett
Giving in to My Kids (or, Why I Unschool)
3 comments
1 ping
Bill Waring says:
November 23, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC 0 )
Wow, this is so cool! Your approach and insight are so valuable — always, but especially among the attitudes forcefully expressed by so many homeschoolers this decade. Anyway, the thoroughness of your essay on how-to history, and on each topic you present, is also so clear and helpful. Thank you for writing, for doing what you have been doing, and for following your path.
May i send a sample of our history stuff for your review, or use? (You did not think this was only a back-patting session?) Because you have such an open-faced, clear-eyed approach, trying to draw together wide swaths of learners, i think you would appreciate our history stuff. If you have not already checked it out, would you accept a set to examine? Would you like ancients or middle ages? Find our stuff at http://www.dianawaring.com. Thanks. Keep it up.
Cara says:
January 15, 2012 at 8:00 am (UTC 0 )
our stories of late or unnatural readers is almost identical~ We received immense amounts of criticism for backing off and simply reading to our son. It was just before his 10th birthday that he was in a situation where he picked up a small chapter book and read it cover to cover in rapid time- was astonished that so much entertainment could be found there and his 2nd book was” The Hobbit” and I tried to dissuade such a hard book right off – he read it with complete comprehension and has blown through more books than I can count a year and a half later.
Carma says:
January 15, 2012 at 9:01 am (UTC 0 )
Cara, I love hearing late reading stories! Very helpful for people who are in the middle of it themselves.
A Heapin’ Helpin’ of Crazy « Homeschool the Revolution says:
November 17, 2011 at 10:55 pm (UTC 0 )
[...] about us ← Time for Homeschool Yearbooks! Idiots, Then School Boards → [...]