We are looking for humorous, warm anecdotes and true stories illustrating that homeschooling is the best educational alternative around.
All material printed in the Court Report will be credited, and the contributor will receive a $10 coupon good toward any HSLDA publication of his choice. Submissions may be edited for space. Please be aware that we cannot return photographs.
Mail submissions to:
Attn: Stories, HSLDA
P.O. Box 3000
Purcellville, VA 20134
Or email us (include “Stories” in the subject line) at: ComDept@hslda.org
Doing Hard Time?
When we received a citation to appear in court to obtain a dog license, I decided this would be a good field trip for our eight homeschooled children. We quietly sat through hours of cases, starting with more criminal types and ending with ours. I had received several looks and comments about the children maybe wanting to wait somewhere else, but I explained it was an educational experience.
As we left, someone asked my 3-year-old daughter, “And what did you learn today?”
“Patience,” Sarah answered.
—by Suzenne C. / Green Valley, AZ
Two Cheers for Vocabulary
While my son and I were going over his spelling words, his 3-year-old sister was playing nearby. When I called out a word for him to spell, she would use it in a sentence. We came to the word “raw.” I didn’t think she would know what this meant.
Sure enough, she sat there thinking
for a while. She finally chimed in with her own version of hurrah: “Hoo-raw! Hoo-raw!”
—by Susan K. / Georgetown, TX
Learning not to Miss the “Mess”
As a traveling homeschooling father of five, I am often hard-pressed for time. One day, while my wife was in town taking care of some things, I was whining about how I had accomplished nothing, having spent an entire morning “messing around” with my 1-year-old son.
Eleven-year-old Lydia’s immediate but respectful response convicted me of my selfish attitude and made me proud of the wisdom my girl had acquired. She observed, “Dad, you aren’t messing around; you are fathering him.”
—by Andy B. / Wilmington, OH
Special Delivery
One of our daughters is a very bright and witty child but has real difficulties with fine motor skills. Many days I have wondered whether I am the best teacher for her.
Recently she found a box of mailing labels in the drawer where we keep pencils and erasers. As she brought her school books to the table, I read the mailing label she had stuck to her shirt. It read:
To: Mommy
From: God
That put all things in proper
perspective.
—by Stephanie F. / Goldsboro, NC
A Major Uprising
I was trying to nudge my daughter a bit on one of her vocabulary words and said, “Some parents have trouble with this: Sibling ri- … ri- … ”
To which she hesitantly replied, “Riots?”
The word I was looking for was rivalry!
—by Gail H. / Mullica Hill, NJ
Not Missing her Calling
Today I was reviewing a science chapter with my 8th grader, who has always been homeschooled. The chapter focused on basic biochemistry and metabolism, which I find particularly interesting.
My son listened to my lengthy explanations and then observed, “Mom, you should be a teacher!”
Startling Start to the Day
Our youngest daughter, Tiffany, has been notorious for not wanting to get out of bed, even resorting to such measures as placing a “do not disturb” sign on the end of her bed. One day, as I entered the girls’ room to wake them, it became obvious that her vocabulary was expanding. Tiffany pulled the covers around her and complained, “No cacophony!”
— by Bryan & Martha D. / Jackson, TN
Discerning the Times
Last year, our family was studying the Book of Revelation. One day, my mother asked my 6-year-old sister what time it was.
Confidently, she trotted to the microwave and looked at its clock. A few seconds later, we were surprised to hear her proclaim: “It is the END time!”
—by Joanna S. / Escondido, CA
