But I've also noticed that those drawn to the stage--or backstage--can be, well, odd. Very odd. Sometimes socially awkwardly odd. Tilt-your-head-quizzically-to-the-side odd. Maybe it was because I was in public school and several of my theater friends were Wiccan... but it's more than that. There's a certain personality that fits the stage.

The same is true for a great many pursuits. That's how stereotypes emerge. We notice that cheerleaders--engaged in a very public show of themselves--are conscious of how they appear. We applaud athletes for their dedication and persistence, though their activity of choice rewards such things. We see that gamers are creative nerds, often more comfortable in their digital bodies than their own, overlooking the ways the games are, themselves, a massively creative and liberating media free from the confines of reality.

So what draws us to homeschooling? What's our "personality"?

We're odd ourselves, to be sure, going against the flow of the general masses. We're willing to chart a different path. Perhaps that's why so many reasons to homeschool are based on the stark differences between homeschooling and the other options available to us and our children.

Granted, like all stereotypes, nothing universally sticks. In fact, one of the cool things about reading a wide variety of homeschool blogs is seeing how different everyone is. You are unique. Your challenges are unique. Your children are each unique. And yet, we can all homeschool and enjoy learning together through great books.

Are we odd? Absolutely. But not that much odder than anyone else. We just get to cuddle with our family on the couch and grow together.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Now an employee, I'd say they've done a good job. I've participated in a wide variety of positions at Sonlight. I've helped in Customer Service; I've worked in Product Development; I've spent summers in the Warehouse. I've had the privilege of seeing every side of this company. And we do things right.

We take seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of the things God has entrusted to us. That means creating good work environments, among other things.

The topic of taking care of employees came up over lunch yesterday after my dad read the article A day in the life of a warehouse wage slave in The Week. As one who has spent time as a Picker and a Packer, I appreciate the thick foam mats Sonlight places on the concrete. (Having been to a homeschool convention recently, I know what happens when you don't stand on padding!) The story of how horrible the shipping conditions are for other online retailers stood in stark contrast to how pleasant it is to work for a company that cares about its employees and customers by keeping "the bottom line" in healthy perspective. And what's more? By God's grace, we have kept our prices competitive--and often below--that of the competition... companies that rely on rather appalling practices.

Just this morning, I bumped into a young man who works at Sonlight over the summer when he's not in school. I met him last year. "Good to see you again," he said with a smile.

"Good to see you too," I said. And it was. Because people like working at Sonlight.

...and that makes it even easier to love working here too.

What do you think of the lemonade stand dilemma? Have you ever had an employer take really good care of you?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

In some cases, yes. Every family is different, so grouping students isn't always straightforward. If you have a unique or complex situation, I highly recommend you chat with a Sonlight Curriculum Advisor. Advisors can answer your questions and help you find the materials that will work best for your family.

But, in general, combining students is not difficult with Sonlight. For years, Sonia, Sonlight's online internet advisor, has been able to help you place your students in "Study Groups" so they can work from the same Core program. And this year, we made her process even better!

We used beads to help visualize the grouping process

We spent hours discussing how make it easier for you to group your children using Sonlight. We went through four designs and several iterations of code logic to make the process seamless for you. Today, you quickly add your students and then put them into groups.

Adding Students

Want to customize those groups? No problem! Simply check and uncheck students you want to combine. Then, click the "Select Curriculum" button, or click one of the Scratch Pad icons, and Sonia will help you, step-by-step, through the process of selecting everything you need for your students.

Grouping Students

If you haven't done so already, check out the Sonia. And even if you don't have a bunch of students you want to combine using Sonlight, feel free to add a few and play with the updated grouping tool.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

But still, you may want more. Your children may be voracious readers whom you simply can't satiate. You need a constant flow of reading material and books to keep them going. On the other hand, your children may be more like me: Reading just a few carefully selected titles. In that case, you want to make sure the books they read are the best of the best in literature.

We've known this is a real need for over seven years. And this year, we've finally been able to make our solution a reality. Introducing: Sonlight Summer Readers.

These competitively priced book packs contain some of the best reading you'll ever have the privilege to do. And of all the amazing books I've read (and had read to me), one of my all time favorites is making its way to the forefront again. Years ago it was included in a "Holzmann Family Favorites" Christmas Sale, so it's nice to have it back again.

Here's the important thing: None of these books are included in Sonlight's homeschooling curriculum packages. They won't show up in your Core or Mulit-Subject Packages.

In other words: These fantastic reader packages make great summer readers and gifts. In fact, I think it would be fun way to introduce families to the joy of reading (together) without the pressure of "school" and "learning." Families can fall in love with literature together. And, who knows, maybe these books can inspire them to look more closely at a literature-based approach to education.

If you haven't checked out Sonlight's new Summer Reader Packages, you should. ...right now.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

I'm going to film because Sarita is speaking at two conventions this year. If you happen to be there, you'll get to meet her... and I'll be around as well <smile>. But conventions offer more than just a possibility of bumping into fun people. You can also meet with your Sonlight Curriculum Consultant (another very fun person!) and get your questions answered.

So, I'm off! Please pray that travel goes smoothly and all my equipment makes it there intact. My mom and I are traveling a lot these new few weeks, so your prayers are most appreciated.

Thank you! And I hope I get to meet at least one of you at either the Texas or North Carolina homeschool convention in the coming days.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

For example, after Sonlight got started, my mom and dad pretty much did everything. You can read more of the story of the early days of Sonlight, but if something needed to be done, my parents would just make it happen.

As Sonlight grew, so did the need for more resources. That's when diseconomies of scale come into play. You can't just add a second person to your team and be twice as effective. Now you have to meet and discuss, divvy up responsibility, communicate vision. Bring on more people and it takes longer. This also requires oversight and management, time devoted to helping your team work together, a person to make sure it all comes together in the end.

And that's the trade off: One person can instantly address a handful of requests. But you can't serve very many people that way. So you have to grow. But in so doing, things take longer. You can serve more people, but it's much more involved.

As an example, I just got out of a meeting where we discussed how we can best serve those waiting on our back-ordered packages. When it was just my mom and dad, they would come up with an idea and it was done. Today, we can't do that.

But we can serve more people than my parents could on their own. I've often heard the term of "turning the ship" to indicate how long it takes a large group of people to make any kind of change. A small kayak allows one person to make a major course change immediately. But if you want to do something that will affect, say, hundreds of passengers, that craft can't be nearly as nimble.

Sonlight has always been--and continues to be--dedicated to serving you on your homeschooling journey. As we've pioneered and championed the literature-based approach to learning, many people have jumped on board... so we built a bigger boat <smile>.

But now it takes longer to make things happen. We're still nowhere near a faceless giant corporation--and we don't want to become that--but we're not exactly a mom and pop shop anymore. That's both good and bad. Bad because things take longer because every decision affects many people. Good because we can serve you and your friends, and their friends, and that family down the street, the missionaries in that country over there...

This has been big year for us. Not just in all the updates and changes we've made to our curriculum. We also released more information earlier than ever. But we learned a lot about how to do that as well. And every year provides new challenges and opportunities. We are so grateful for the opportunity we have to serve you. And we're also grateful for your patience as we learn and grow.

I think we can see similar benefits and disadvantages in homeschooling and educational institutions, mega churches and house gatherings, assembly line cars and handmade custom vehicles, respected electronic brands and the repair shop on the corner, even preparing food for your spouse and a neighborhood picnic.

Thank you for coming along with us on this journey. We're thrilled to be part of your homeschooling adventure.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

P.S. Does "economies of scale" fascinate you? If so, check out Sonlight's Economics Program. There's much to learn about economic theory and how it applies to our lives!

Yes, we're nerds. But we were having a blast.

...bark, bit, byte, ballroom, burst, boink, bellboy, bell bottoms, bath, blustery, blue...

I know some people play games in groups where they go around a circle with a poem that terminates with an opportunity to enter an adjective. If you can't come up with one in rhythm, you're out: "Schrodinger's cat is a __________ cat." Or, have you ever played Scattergories? Brilliant!

...besmirch, beeswax, bigot, birth, biplane, bisect, beige, banister, benign, buck, black...

Games like these are not just fun. They challenge your recall and creativity. They allow us to bounce off the ideas of another. They also introduce us to words we didn't know before.

...bask, band-aid, brand, burnt, belie, busk, bob, bow, bough, beau, built...

As we played, I realized there was something that bound us together: It was our common love of books.

...bouquet, bank, banquet, bellows, best, bland, blister, bedfellows, botox, bug, bishop...

Reading good literature, I've been told, is one of the most effective ways of improving your vocabulary. And reading is fun, so it's a double win. One of the things I dislike about "educational games" is that the game itself rarely is actually, truly enjoyable. It's just slightly less wearisome than flat out repetition and memorization, so we put up with it. The simple ability to enjoy reveling in creative use of a skill? That I like much better.

...borked, beautiful, bigamy, blasphemy, beneath, betwixt, bend, billfold, bygone, botany, Bishkek...

This morning I watched Why Math Instruction Is Unnecessary (one of today's Other Posts of Note). The conclusion John Bennett reaches sounds familiar: Let's focus students' advanced study on games which develop their mental abilities.

What games and activities do your children spontaneously engage in that reinforce what they have learned?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

P.S. While writing this up, I was reminded of my post on poetry. Give it a read if you're feeling brave.

...bear, blunt, bake, bodacious, bulwark, boulder, body, bovine, billiard, burka, bunt...

Puddles slowly gather at the base of each sapling. My mind drifts.

'It takes time for these things to grow. A little water every day. Sunshine. Good soil. We can't expect fruit for a few more years.'

And it hits me: Education is much the same way. Regular exposure. Time. Good materials. And it takes a while for the fruit of our labor to show up.

Watered Trees

So, hang in there.

What leaves, buds, flowers, or fruit have you seen in your homeschool recently?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

And that's fine <smile>.

But if you're stressing out because you want to take advantage of a fee-free payment plan that allows you to spread the cost of your order over 9-months, don't worry. This year we're giving you an extra month to decide which curriculum will best fit your family. We are offering the 9-month Time Payment option through the end of May.

Need help choosing your homeschool curriculum? Have questions about which package will be right for your family? Do you have a complex situation that doesn't fit "normal" parameters? Please chat with a Sonlight Curriculum Advisor!

And, by all means, order today! Once we reach the busy season, it can take up to 10 business days to get your order out the door. If you order now, we'll get it shipped in just a few days. And be sure to take advantage of the Time Payment option that best fits your needs.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

For example, FreddieW (an incredibly popular YouTuber) highly recommends that you keep creating stuff and practice by copying stuff other people have done. Brandon (Freddie's "partner in crime") also notes that people get hung up trying to make one epic movie, when it's far better to focus on producing a bunch of little projects (check out his reasons why in the same video at 6:28).

In other words: The way to improve is to keep practicing while observing that which is good. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by trying to be too perfect or too impressive.

Put another way: Stay humble.

We hinder our ability to learn and grow when we feel like we have to master something before we can try it out.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tamp: pack tightly into a space

Brought to you by Staci Eastin