2003 News

Homeschooling News 2003
From near and far in reverse chronological order.

Note: Newspaper links can quickly go "bad" as they are archived.
If the link doesn't work try checking the newspaper's search feature.

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11/0/03 Lottery Scholarship Score Equity
Quoting from Nashville's City Paper "[Rep. Chris] Newton, a Republican from Benton, wants to lower the requirements that must be met for home-schooled students to obtain a lottery scholarship." While technically accurate I'm afraid this sentence will lead skimmers with the notion that homeschoolers are asking for special treatment. What Rep. Newton's legislation will do is give homeschoolers equity with private and public schoolers. Currently the law requires homeschoolers to score 4 points (on the ACT) higher than their private and public school peers on the very same test given and graded by a disinterested third party.

Read the rest of this article from the City Paper

10/23/03 Scholarship concerns
This morning's Tennessean reports that Rep. Casada is concerned about the inequity in scores required by homeschoolers to qualify for the lottery scholarships. We appreciate his concern and look forward to his support in January when the legislature reconvenes.

Read the rest of this article here.

10/16/03 A must visit website in light of the recent CBS hatchet job on homeschooling can be found here: http://www.design-a-website.com/dark.htm where a web mastering mother does a light hearted exposé of homeschooling. I'm thinking her description ought to be the new definition of homeschooling. Forget whether you're part of a charter program, if you use K12 or if you "Stand for Homeschooling", if your home doesn't look like this are you really a homeschooler?

10/13/03 "Dark side of Homeschooling" CBS news did a two part report which focuses on child abuse in the 'virtually unregulated' homeschooling community. Here is a rebuttal from North Carolina Home Education. WorldNetDaily has a fairly accurate overview here

10/8/03 Their own one room schoolhouse

"Maria [Smith] has home schooled Samantha, 7, for three years at the dining room table in the family's Palmyra home. The Smiths' new schoolhouse -- made of rough lumber and stained brown with a forest green metal roof -- provides room for Maria to have teaching resources at her fingertips and a pleasant, bright little haven to learn."

Read the rest of this article from the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle here.

10/05/03 This just in...HSers are active.

"Students are pictured [in a current yearbook] singing in choir, marching in the band, cheerleading and even posing proudly as members of their own national honor society.

"There are a lot more things available now than when I first started," said Sheila Moore, a mom who taught her three daughters at home."

Read the rest of this article from the Memphis Commercial-Appeal here.

9/10/03 Two Clarksville homeschool groups got positive press from the Leaf-Chronicle on this date. The brand new SHARE (Secular Homeschoolers: Any Religion, Eclectic) group's recent fossil hunting trip in Rotary Park was highlighted here as well as the Koinonia homeschool cooperative's recent new session here.
7/03 The Cover of Boy's Life

features Scott Bowerman age 13, Michael Cottrel age 13, Jason Hankins, age 13 and Alex Cottrel age 18. The four Greeneville homeschool boys from Troop 46 portrayed runners during the 140th anniversary of The Battle of Gettysberg. They had the opportunity to visit with and aid two veteran Boy Scouts who helped at the last Civil War Veteran reunion in 1938. Reenacting is a family activity for all these boys. (Thanks to Lynn Bowerman for sharing this story.)

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Mock Trail team wins 2nd national championship in a row. Last year FCA's team was the first homeschool team to qualify let alone win. This year they repeated their outstanding performance!

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HSers Pantomime 1/24/03: Mary Beth Gray and brothers Daniel & Steven Swaw's participation in a pantomime troupe was recently highlighted in a Dickson Herald article which was also picked up by the Tennessean. The troupe called SWAT (Soul Winning Action Team) is a 10 member group of teens which uses dance, drama, sign language and mime to share their faith.

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Burch Girls win at MAQS

Emily and Cameron Burch, homeschoolers from Trenton, Tennessee, are shown with their winning 2002 MAQS (Museum of American Quilters' Society) School Block Challenge quilt block. Children of John and Harriet Burch, the girls and their sister, Hannah, also won FIRST PLACE in the high school division of the 2003 School Block Challenge. This is Cameron's second year in a row for a First Place in the high school division of this contest. Cameron designed and constructed the blocks both years, teaching her sisters how to quilt.

Winning Burch Quilt

"Tennessee Log Home"

MAQS gives away more than $1000 annually in prize money to School Block Challenge winners, and this year over 100 blocks from students in four states were submitted. Students within 300 miles of Paducah, KY can participate, and contestants came from over 30 schools this year.

Homeschoolers were the ones who took top honors in all categories this year, including the Grand Prize to Sarah Fossett and Allison Helton of Paducah, Kentucky. The School Block Challenge will be on display at MAQS until Feb. 22, and the winning blocks will be displayed for a whole year at this museum in Paducah, Kentucky, which is the "Quilting Capitol of the World."

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1/4/03: Dawn Collins, of NHE (Network of Home Education) is quoted again about their chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha! This time in the Washington Times.

"Home-schooling is often looked at as just parents giving grades to their children," said Dawn Collins, of Jackson, Tenn., a member of the Network of Home Educators [sic] who home-schools her daughter, Emily, 8. "But we have to be realistic in what colleges are looking for," she said. "Colleges look at what type of service work children do and their grade-point average and what activities they are involved in. This is one way our students can get help with getting college scholarships, and every family knows that is important." Mrs. Collins and the Network of Home Educators have recently submitted an application to open a second chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha in Tennessee.

Postscript: Sadly, Dawn Collins passed away in her sleep in April of 2003. She has been tremendously missed by her husband, daughter and the homeschooling community she served.

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Homeschool Honor Society was the topic of a recent long article published in the 12/15/02 Tennessean. The Network of Home Education in the Jackson area has formed an Eta Sigma Alpha chapter and their Dawn Collins (mis-identified as "Collier" by the paper) is heading it up. Sheila Moore of Collierville was also quoted as were TnHomeEd's Kay Brooks and her son. Sheila Moore can provide information about the Memphis chapter. Here's the link to the article.

4/17/03: The Jackson Sounds and Melody's Heavenly Chorus, a homeschool band and chorus in Jackson, are highlighted in Jackson Sun article. They have performed before Diamond Jaxx games as part of a kids day event at Pringle's Park. Phyllis Broadus, Harriet Burch and Brenda Keeton are all quoted. Also drummer, Matthew Levario and flutest Jordan Kelly have their say.

The Band Store, owned by Bridget and Johnny Chandler, have apparently discovered what many vendors are learning...partnering with homeschoolers is good business.

See main TnHomeEd page.