From a Cluttered Desk

I am Tammy Cardwell, she of the cluttered desk. (Hey, you think I'm kidding?!) I'm having a blast here in Blogland and invite to you to peruse my ramblings. Like a buffet, they offer variety - essentially whatever makes it to the top of the piles that sometimes clutter my brain. We'll eventually cover it all - homeschooling, God, our church, the Eclectic Homeschool Online, books I'm writing and publishing, conferences I speak at, the joys of grandmotherhood, and hopefully chocolate. Of course, this is only what's near the top now. Who knows what's in those piles?

Like many bloggers, I regularly look at my site stats. I watch where people come from and what brings them here. One of the most interesting things to watch is search strings - the words people type into search engines when they’re seeking out specific information. Sometimes these searches are absolutely hysterical and I wonder how in the world the search engine thought my blog fit the criteria, then I’m curious about what made the seeker click on my link, and I’ll often run the same search to see what else pops up. Other times it’s encouraging because I know that somehow, some way, things I’m saying are attracting people’s attention. If I were more business oriented, I might even figure out a way to work with the search strings to bring more visitors to my blog…but that’s another post.

Other times the search strings are far from funny, like the ones I found yesterday. They varied slightly, but in essence were…

free copy see i told me so

Now, it is possible that this person  was searching for some other book entitled See, I Told Me So, but even if they were I’m going to say what I have to say on that author’s behalf as well as my own.

For the benefit of those who do not know, See, I Told Me So! is one of my ebooks. I and a group of homeschool parents and graduates wrote it to encourage anxious homeschoolers, to reassure them that no matter what your life looks like it is possible to homeschool and raise responsible children….to look back at homeschooling and say, "See, I told me so! I knew it was going to come out all right!" We, as a group, put countless hours into writing this book, and then I put even more hours into editing it and prepping it to publish as an ebook and then to market it. Because I want as many people to be able to read it as possible, I’ve priced it at $9.95, which is about as low as you can go and people not think a book must be worthless.

I have given hundreds…perhaps thousands…of copies away for free. I’ve spoken at conferences where I offered it to attendees as a free download. I’ve been part of benefits and fundraisers where I offered it as part of download packages people would receive after making donations. I’ve even given free copies to individuals as I felt the Lord lead. It is an important message that I and those who co-authored it with me want to get out and as a result I am open, on occasion, to taking part in projects that put it in the hands of other people without me making a dime.

But me choosing to give copies away for free and someone else choosing to give copies away for free are two different things. It is MY book. When someone stumbles across a link that was intended to be a private link for conference members to download their free copy and the discoverer - who is not a conference member - downloads a copy, they’re stealing. And when that person shares the link with others and those people download copies, that also is stealing. I’m using a concrete example here. This very thing has happened, where someone discovered just such a link and shared it on at least one homeschool list I know of.

Another scenario that has played out, more than once, is where "thrify" homeschoolers "share" their efiles of this and other ebooks. This can be as small as one homeschooler emailing a copy to a friend and as large as one woman I’m aware of who set up a yahoo group specifically so that she could share illegal copies of hundreds of homeschool products.

Even if you do find it as a supposedly free download online…that doesn’t mean it’s free.

With few exceptions, when someone purchases an ebook, they are purchasing THAT copy of the book. THAT copy is their copy. If they make a copy of it, there is no longer one copy; there are two - and the second is an illegal copy. This is because they did not buy copy right; they bought a single book. It may be easy to make copies of and share ebooks and other electronic products, but you have to think of them as if they were printed…at least if your ethics are right.

As harsh as it sounds, if someone’s hard drive crashes and they lose the book, it’s just as if they accidently left a regular book on a seat in the subway, they’ve lost the book and should buy another if they want it replaced. Now, most of the publishers I know personally would probably replace the ebook in this instance if it had originally been purchased directly from them (I almost surely would), but they’re certainly not required to by law or even ethics.

Yes, it bugged me to see that someone was trying to find a free copy of a book that I have a massive amount of hours, prayer, and effort invested in, a book that should be helping me make it financially.

::::thinking:::::

Okay, I’m going to be a little more open than usual. See, most seem to envision publishers as being people with money. Most of us are not; in fact, in the homeschool arena the opposite is usually the case. In point of fact, my monthly income is… Huh… I suppose I shouldn’t share hard figures. Let me just say this. I’m frugal. We’ve lived frugally for years because we’ve had to. At the very least, it would be nice if my publishing company could make enough money to keep me online, but when I leave the house I’m living in right now (returning to the old house even though Ike left it in even worse shape), there is every possibility - probability - that I will be offline, because paying the local cable company isn’t even remotely in the budget right now. I’m just rejoicing that I’ll be able to pay the electric company tomorrow. And the water company? Well, they’ll have to wait and so will running water. Normally, our grocery budget is about $50 a week, maybe $100 on a really good week. Splurges are rare and I was absolutely thrilled today when I was finally in a position financially that I could buy not one, but two pair of work shoes and a new pair of work slacks. (Shoe Carnival and Burlington Coat Factory…bless you!)

So you see, YES, it does impact me when people steal copies of See, I Told Me So! Just say ten copies are shared illegally every month. That’s $99.50 that, were the books purchased from me instead, would have been enough to keep me online…or put gas in the car…or bought groceries…or paid a chunk of the light bill…or…

It matters, which is why I finally decided to say something. I try really hard not to offend people, most of the time, but right now… I guess you’d say I’m the one who is offended.

Celebraing Jesus! (in the midst of everything)
Tammy C

Join the Campaign

A friend’s family has a dream that is close to my heart and I’ve got to share.

My friend’s name is Jill Novak and the dream is Hopeful Farm, a place where families with special needs members can go for some true rest and relaxation (And LOTS of fun.) Jill is hosting an online benefit. Through this benefit, you can get an outstanding collection of gifts in exchange for a tax deductible donation, and bless a world of special people at the same time.

Hopeful Farm Benefit
 
Also, listen to an interview on Mom-to-Mom Radio Show to learn more about what they are doing. Here is the link to Cindy Rushton’s website:
 
http://www.MomtoMomRadioShow.com
 

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Yeah, coming out of nowhere this is a little strange, and it’s a post that doesn’t update you one bit on what’s going on in my life. But I’m at my son’s house and just stumbled across this blog entry by an unschooled young man who decided to try a year of public high school. His take on the experience is eye opening and he does a great job of expressing his thoughts.

Unschool v School

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Friends, I’m in a serious bind and could really use some help.

You all know that I recently returned from a wonderful, desperately-needed cruise (And, again, I thank my sister and friends who made this trip possible!). This was an unpaid vacation for me, which is no surprise since I’ve only been with the company 8 months or so. The surprise I did get, serious shock, actually, was finding that I’m not scheduled to work at all this week either.

Can we say "Not good!"?

I’m the only one earning money in our house right now and this means it will be the 20th of next month before I get a paycheck of any sort from the job that earns me the bulk of our income. Knowing this, I’ve been scrambling to see what I can do to bring in some more money in the immediate future (Like…well…yesterday would be nice. LOL!) and have decided on a special CJ Press offer.

Here’s the offer.
Visit http://www.cjpress.net and purchase any of my CJ Press products (This does NOT include the music, which isn’t published by CJP) between now and Thursday, May 29th, and I will send you a link to download a free copy of See, I Told Me So!: Homeschool Veterans Declare, “You Can Stop Worrying!” ($9.95 value). If you already own a copy of this ebook, this means you’ll have a copy you can send to a friend, and everyone who has read it knows that every homeschooler needs it.

Remember, there is a deadline on this offer: Thursday, May 29th.

It would help me greatly if you could make even a small purchase (I’ve eBooks and eWorkshops that are only $5.95.) and then share the opportunity with your homeschooling friends. This is a fantastic chance to get a copy of one of the top ebooks that every homeschooler needs.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

A friend and I have teamed up to give away a few copies of my ebook, A Homeschool that Handles the Hard Times: A Guide for Christian Homeschoolers. The idea began with her, so the "game" begins on her blog. Just read this post on Homeschooling is Life! and you’ll find out what you have to do to enter. You just might win an ebook…or two.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

For the benefit of my non-UHSE readers… If you pay attention to post comments, you’ve seen several by UHSE attendees. These people are all vying for one of the door prizes I’m giving out each day. (Door prizes are part of the benefit of attending the Ultimate Homeschool Expo!)

I wanted to take a moment to explain the process to those of you who are commenting for a door prize, so you’ll know it’s all on the up and up.

On this site, comments are moderated. First-time posters have to wait for their comments to be approved; that’s why some comments (Those of previous posters) show up right away and others don’t. Once I approve all of the comments, they’re there in order of posting.

But not everyone posts comments to the same blog entry, so I select winners by going into the back office and looking at all comments, selecting the first three from the time-stamped list.

Well, actually, both yesterday and today I selected the first five; I just couldn’t stop at three. I may or may not continue this; we’ll see.

And for all of the wonderful comments about how much you’ve appreciated my workshops, THANK YOU. I have a heart for homeschoolers and desire to help in any way I can. Knowing that you’re enjoying the workshops we recorded during the preview chats is a true blessing to me.

Have fun, guys!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

I just received an email from someone who lives in Texas (My state) and is considering homeschooling. In answering her email, I realized that what I was saying is valuable for anyone who is thinking about taking the homeschooling challenge, and at this time of the year there are many such people around.

So I’m pasting my reply to her here, in hopes of also helping others.

First, all you need to do in Texas is teach "reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship in a bona fide manner from a written curriculum from any source."

That may not be an exact quote of the regulations, but it’s very close. In Texas, homeschools are private schools and fall under private school regulations. What I quoted above is IT. We have no required number of days of attendance, we don’t report to anyone, we don’t have to keep records to satisfy state regs, we don’t have to use any specific curriculum, and we don’t have to test. We just have to teach those five things to our children from the age of 6 through graduation (Which can happen earlier than the traditional 17 or so years of age.) and how you choose to teach them is up to you.

The curriculum question is a HUGE one in that there are as many different ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. After years and years of working with homeschoolers, I’ve seen that most start out doing what they know from their own school days; they recreate school in their homes with traditional curriculum, set schedules, and…frankly…a lot of burnout. By the end of two or three years, most of these people have either moved on to a more realistic (And, in my opinion, effective) method of homeschooling or they’ve given up on homeschooling completely. I hate to see the latter and so strongly advise all new homeschoolers to forget about trying to recreate the traditional school in your home. After all, it’s a method of education that isn’t working all that well in the public schools, right?

So where does that leave you? With a world of options! I can’t even begin to share all of them in a single email, so I’m going to suggest, instead, that you do some research. I advise you to go to EHO Lite, which is the version of the Eclectic Homeschool Online that is designed specifically with new and wannabe homeschoolers in mind. Here you can read about the various educational approaches and get a feel for the ones that seem most promising for your family’s specific circumstances. You can read several articles and, when you’re ready, follow the link to the full version of the site and get even more, including over 2,500 reviews of various programs and curriculum offerings as well as links to other helpful sites on the web.

Don’t bypass this important first step. Homeschooling begins with you, the parent, schooling yourself in the basics of what some would call  a new career. While you’re doing this, if you want to go ahead and pull your children out of school, you can have them spend their time thinking about and making notes on the types of things they would like to be studying. Let them select books from the library and visit websites that will feed their interests and passions. Let them explore the physical world you live in. (Now’s a great time of year to get them sketchbooks and have them start keeping nature notebooks - drawing pictures of things they see, taking notes, recording interesting factual information…) Too, consider letting them in on your homeschooling study so that you all enter this new adventure with the same vision.

As to cost, that can vary greatly. Most people who have never homeschooled think it’s necessarily expensive, but I homeschooled for years on a gross income of around $20,000. The basic principle is that you will invest some combination of time and money. If you’re willing to invest more time (Your personal time), you’ll be able to school on less money. If you’re unable or unwilling to invest time, you’ll need to spend more money. Truly, a parent who is willing to do some digging can, with the help of a computer and a reliable Internet connection, homeschool for very little money indeed.

There are a couple of books I recommend to new homeschoolers. One is mine - See, I Told Me So!: Homeschool Veterans Declare "You Can Stop Worrying!" It’s an ebook that will help you see just what I mean when  I say there are any number of ways to homeschool. Too, every one of the contributors is either a graduate or a parent who has already graduated children. We all found the same thing to be true - that most of the things homeschoolers worry about aren’t worth worrying about at all. You can buy it and download it right away.

The other book I often advise new homeschoolers to get their hands on is written by Cathy Duffy, one of homeschooling’s true veterans. It’s 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach for Your Child’s Learning Style, and you can read my review of it at EHO.

I’m glad you wrote. Feel free to write again if you have more questions. I’ve made a point of helping homeschoolers since before I began homeschooling in 1990, and my youngest graduated a few years back. I’m here if you need me, just be patient when life interferes and you have to wait a few days for replies. <grin>

Also, if you’re seriously considering homeschooling, the best investment you could make right this minute is to register for the Ultimate Homeschool Expo. It started today and goes on all this week. It involves many many online workshops, some of which have already been recorded and are available to attendees as free downloads. Too, your $40 membership gets you a TON of free gifts (ebooks, audio workshops, and more) that have been donated by the various vendors, things that will help you immeasurably. You can get a ticket for it by clicking the following link.

 http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=tcardwell&pid=1

I’ll tell you straight up that this is an affiliate link, meaning I’ll get a percentage of your ticket price if you register, but I promise you I would be recommending this online conference just as highly if I weren’t getting a dime. It is totally packed with information every homeschooler very much needs.

I hope you do decide to homeschool, and trust that if you do you will genuinely enjoy the adventure!

When people ask how I got started homeschooling, I usually share my "God said" story. Being in a chatty mood, I’ll share it here as well. You see, my husband decided that we would homeschool before we ever really thought about having children; I, of course, informed him that he was a complete idiot. (Well, maybe I didn’t use that word…) Several years later, our oldest went to public school kindergarten and before the year was out I knew he had learned way too many things (having nothing at all to do with the three Rs) that we did NOT want him learning. That school was no longer an option. Due to price, private school was no option. I was caught between the proverbial rock and hard place.

At the same time (Gee…imagine), a friend had begun seriously researching homeschooling. In the midst of her research, she decided to bring Gregg Harris to Houston so that the area’s homeschoolers could learn from him. She called me on "that" morning and told me that she needed someone to run his bookstore during the conference and felt I would be the perfect person since the bookstore manager couldn’t attend the conference and I was so opposed to homeschooling my own kids that I wouldn’t want to anyway.

Yep, you already know where I’m going. I got off the phone with her and returned to my desperate pacing and praying, crying out, "God! What am I going to do?!" His answer wasn’t audible, but it was so clear that it might as well have been.

"You’re going to homeschool like I’ve been telling you to."

My first response was, "But you don’t understand. I’d kill them!" His response was reassurance and, once I accepted what He was saying, total peace - peace I’d been lacking for months. So I called my friend back and informed her that I would be unable to help with the bookstore, but I needed her to tell me more about homeschooling. And that day marked the beginning of a wonderful life. Yes, like every homeschooler, I had self-doubts and days when I wished I were anywhere but home, but in total honesty I believe that choosing to homeschool was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely make changes, but I would most definitely DO it.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

I just received the following in email and thought I should pass it along.

Read all the way to the end and you’ll see that I’ve given you access to yet another of Cindy’s freebies!

Well, she may be, but this homeschooler has some hard choices to make. Will it be Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Chicago, Stanford, or Northwestern University? Man…that’s a tough call. <grin>

Her name is Chelsea Link and she’s been homeschooled since 1st grade. She’s your typical homeschooler in many ways, but hardly your typical teen. Thanks to the freedom she’s has as a homeschooler, she’s studied various "subjects" all over the world; that includes studying the harp in Ireland most summers since she was ten. She’s the reigning world Irish harp champion, she’s thrilled her French tutor, and in recent years she’s been teaching Shakespeare to teens, but in college she plans to study neuroscience. Yep, that is fairly typical of a lot of homeschoolers I know - interests all over the map.

I love the way the article ends…

Link revels in the non-geek description, seizing the opportunity to debunk another common misconception of home-schoolers.

As proof, she ticks off some of her favorites: "CSI," chocolate, music (especially Radiohead and the Shins) and a boyfriend.

And, she did taste rejection:

"I was rejected at Juilliard," she revealed, almost gleefully. "I had a really lousy audition."

The past 12 years have provided a stimulating and creative ride, but now, she’s ready to move on.

"I think I’ve had a pretty normal high school experience . . . just without the high school."

You’ll want to read the whole article, of course. It’s Home-schooled Evanston teen accepted by Harvard, Yale, more, at ChicagoTribune.com.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C