A recruiting poster for the US Army profiles a man in a tee shirt inscribed with the words, “A man has to do what a man has to do.” That slogan ap- plies appropriately to home- school dads and husbands. The problem is that the aver- age homeschool man has no idea “what he has to do” to be a “perfect” homeschool father/husband. In spite of numerous self-help books and articles on effective ho- meschooling, most dads/ husbands succumb to “try this, or try that” as they at- tempt “to do what they have to do” to equip spouses to educate their children, and to guide their children toward maturity. Sadly, and often tragically, too many home- school men fail to realize that they are not meeting the needs of either their spouse or children. Ultimately, the men presume that they are “over their heads” with other responsibilities, and decide to let their wives take care of homeschooling issues. That is an awful mistake. It usu- ally leads to difficulties and even heartache. That scenario presents two very awkward conditions: The wife can feel over- whelmed and abandoned, and the children can suffer from “absentee-fatherism”. The average homeschool dad/husband assumes that his primary role is to provide food, shelter, and clothing, and address academics only when requested by his wife. That seems reasonable, con- sidering that most husbands work at “day jobs” in order to provide material necessi- ties for their families. Men arrive home tired, emotion- ally spent, and ready for rest. However, so are the wives and mothers who have la- bored exhaustively all day at demanding roles as teachers, cooks, child-care experts, and house-keepers. Without intending to ne- glect his family, a homes- chool dad can melt into a re- clusive position in which he assumes that he is not need- ed between 5:30 p.m. and bedtime. Such a perspective is devastating to his fami- ly, and if not corrected, will likely result in shattered re- lationships with spouse and children. A significant truth is that children are designed to idolize and revere their fathers, and want (need) for dads to be involved on a dai- ly basis to guide, encourage, discipline, and love. A stark reality is that children who are not nurtured, guided, and trained by fathers usually drift or rush toward deviant lifestyles. Dads who neglect to participate actively in ho- meschooling, in effect, are committing their children P rior to the early 1800’s, education in the Unit- ed States was a mixed bag, depending on region -- suburban vs. urban; gen- der, race and other diverse factors. Educational options included private schools, church-based schools in smaller communities, tui- tion-based schools and other options. What was lacking was a sense of organization and standardization. In the 1830’s Horace Mann, a Massachusetts legislator and director of the state’s Department of Education, directed his energy to the creation of a public-school model. He advocated for a free education for all chil- dren, under the premise of creating “good citizens” and a “compliant work force”, hence the need for a com- mon approach and result. This became the genesis of our modern-day chaos known as public school. Part of the methodology of the public school system is to maintain age segregation as much as possible. Here in California, this process is initiated through “compul- sory attendance” standards starting at age six. Ready or not, your student will be in first grade at age six with other children of the same age. You must ask yourself, “What if my child is not ready to manage the curric- ulum established by the state or be socially confident?” The answer from the author- serving you for 28 years - thank you By Carolyn Forte By Martin Forte I n the past 30 years, I have heard dozens of reasons to homeschool from hundreds of parents and kids. Most of the rea- sons fell into the category of wanting something better for their children than insti- tutional schooling provides. Ironically, the vast major- ity of those who abandon school, bring it right into their homes by adopting the very same methods and materials used by the insti- tution they just rejected. The inconsistency of this behav- ior is seldom recognized as such, even when the result is disaster piled upon disaster. This is even true when the reason for rejecting school was academic, whether a lack thereof or a difficulty in “keeping up.” In fact, those whose children had the most difficulty with schoolwork tend to be the most resistant to a drastic change in curric- ulum style. Similarly, those who choose to homeschool for religious reasons often in- sist on following the same model they left in the sec- ular schools by choosing a “Christian curriculum” which almost perfectly mir- rors its secular counterpart, thus missing the excellent opportunities that homes- chooling provides. What lies behind this pro- clivity to continue down an obviously unproductive path? It appears that humans are resistant to change; we almost always fall back on anything familiar, produc- tive or not. It sounds easy to buy a packaged curriculum and then try to force feed it to the kids, believing that is what education is all about. Therein lies the TRAP. We all went to a school where we were encouraged to re- gurgitate measured bits of information on cue to our The Trap and the Treadmill continued on page 8 Does Age Equal Grade? continued on page 13 The Perfect Homeschool Dad/Husband: Forget It; He Doesn’t Exist! By Ronald E. Johnson, C.Ph.D. (1939-2018) continued on page 29 What Do You Mean by “Normalization?” – Montessori Vocabulary Made Clear – Part 2 By Maren Schmidt I f you sometimes won- der whether your child’s Montessori teacher is talking about science or children, the answer is yes! In this two- part article, 12 key terms are defined by experi- enced Montessori parent, teacher, school founder, school director, and col- umnist Maren Schmidt M. Ed.: • Normalization • Cosmic Education • Four Planes of Development • Freedom & Responsibility • Going Out • Absorbent Mind • Point of Interest • Practical Life • Prepared Environment • Sensitive Periods • Work • Work Cycle Understanding Mon- tessori’s Terminology Montessori’s was one of the first educational theories to spring from direct, ongoing scientific observation of children. Dr. Montessori did not have a ready-made vo- cabulary with which to describe the behaviors continued on page 21 ADVERTISER & ARTICLE INDEX - Page 9 For Sale Now! Visit www.cbcg.org www.excellenceineducation.com www.excellenceineducation.com “The purpose of education should be to create the love of learning and over time create a self-learner.” Award-winning Grammar Program Page 32