Articles written by Sandra Devera

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About me - Sandra Devera

I have been telling stories (with dramatic voices and lots of hand waving) since I was three. Becoming a writer wasn't so much a career choice as a necessity since whatever I did, turned into a story. I had been teacher's pet for every English teacher I ever

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Education > Homeschooling Solutions to homeschooling socialization issues: 1 of 19

Socialization, in practical terms, is teaching someone how to behave around people in the world they live in. The world I live in is full of people of all ages, cultures, and economic backgrounds who have varied skills, careers, and hobbies. In a quality homeschool environment children interact with the whole spectrum of hum...
Hobbies & Games > Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts Reasons why scrapbooking is so popular: 1 of 15

Since taking up scrapbooking, I have often wondered "Why is this so addictive?" What makes an adult collect colored papers and stickers and become a connoisseur of delicate cutting tools and adhesives? It's easy to find reasons as to how scrapbooking has become popular - improved tools, computer technology, media publicity, ...
Pets & Animals > Pet Ownership Why some people love their pets as if they were babies: 2 of 19

I noticed a procedural change when I showed up at the vet with my thirteen-year-old collie/shepherd mix Lady. Instead of signing in under the column labeled "owner" there was now a place to sign in as "pet parent." I bemusedly wrote my name down in the space. But then there was a place previously marked "pet name" that was n...
Education > Homeschooling Great homeschooling books for beginners: 1 of 9

After thirteen years of homeschooling, lots of homeschool advice books have come and gone on my shelves. I'd like to share with anyone considering home education the five books that have found a permanent home within arm's reach of my desk. When I take a weekend away each summer to pray and plan through the next year's homes...
Relationships & Family > Married Life You, your spouse and World of Warcraft: A semi-healthy relationship: 3 of 15

I could have been a WOW widow. Instead, I became a Dranei Hunter. If I were single, I'd never play any kind of on-line game. Let's face it, I'm a 48-year-old woman who likes sewing and shopping and playing with my pets. But, I never want to be single again and since both my husband and my son have multiple characters at vari...
Education > Education (Other) Assessing the importance of learning foreign languages: 7 of 30

The poster in my high school French class read, "The limits of my language are the limits of my world." I looked up the original quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein and liked it even better, "The limits of my language are the limits of my mind." Words are the tools with which we form thought. Each language has phrases or expression...
Education > Homeschooling Homeschooling: The value of educational games: 1 of 4

One of the great advantages to homeschooling is the ability to use educational games to reinforce learning to a greater degree than can be used in a traditional classroom with 30 children wanting their "turn" at the game. The value of educational games in homeschooling is that you can take learning concepts for math, reading...
Arts & Humanities > Religious Literature Book reviews: Nation, by Terry Pratchett: 1 of 3

Terry Pratchett's 367-page Nation can hold its own with such "shipwrecked on a tropical isle" novels as Robison Crusoe, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and the high-school-required-reading-classic Lord of the Flies. In several ways, it is a more satisfying read than any of them. Mau is a teenage boy sailing his canoe home to hi...
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues Do the Ten Commandments matter?: 11 of 28

Do the Ten Commandments matter? Do you believe the owner's manual for a complicated piece of machinery is important? Lots of people refer to their "auto operator's guide" or the manual that came with their computer. Many people never read the "safety tips" or the "manufacturer's suggestions" when they acquire something new a...
Education > Homeschooling Homeschooling: The hype and the truth: 6 of 12

True story: A mother called our local homeschool association and said, "I've been reading about homeschooling and I think that would be wonderful for my children. Do you have anybody that could do that for me?" Somehow in reading the hype about homeschooled children scoring off the charts in the SAT's, and starting businesse...