28 Things That Happened After The Harry Potter Books Ended
This was kind of fun: 28 Things That Happened After The Harry Potter Books Ended
The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival
The latest Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is up at The Common Room.
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: SmallWorld.
Sarah posts her request for submissions here.
This will be the 399th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Sarah posts her request for submissions here.
This will be the 399th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Summer Time Edition
Monique is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Living Life and Learning.
She starts the carnival with:
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We had an unexpected visitor who has been with us the past 2 weeks, my brother!
So we have not done any school in 2 weeks. It was not my plan but the kids are enjoying themselves. We are tending to the garden, and spending a lot of time outdoors. I can already feel the cold starting to seep in. Our summers are so short.
I know that it will be a lot harder to start school back up, but I am definitely enjoying this break.
Everyone has their own reasons for homeschooling – we are accidental homeschoolers, We decided to homeschooling for several months and have always taken it one year at a time. It has worked out for my oldest M1, but we’re just taking it as it goes.
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Enjoy!
She starts the carnival with:
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We had an unexpected visitor who has been with us the past 2 weeks, my brother!
So we have not done any school in 2 weeks. It was not my plan but the kids are enjoying themselves. We are tending to the garden, and spending a lot of time outdoors. I can already feel the cold starting to seep in. Our summers are so short.
I know that it will be a lot harder to start school back up, but I am definitely enjoying this break.
Everyone has their own reasons for homeschooling – we are accidental homeschoolers, We decided to homeschooling for several months and have always taken it one year at a time. It has worked out for my oldest M1, but we’re just taking it as it goes.
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Enjoy!
Last Temp Standing
Last week I wrote about my oldest daughter's first "real" job.
Here is her update:
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Two weeks ago I got my first “real” and “grown-up” job. I worked for a local college bookstore. They needed some temps for the rush at the start of the semester.
The first day there was eight temps, four at the counter and four runners. I was at the counter. I helped get the book list together and process the transaction and then would hand the book list to a runner.
After the first week they started to let some of the temps go as the rush began to end. There were now only three temps. Sometimes it was really busy and other times it was really slow. One of the temps then left half way through the week for school. Then on the Friday, the manager wanted one temp to stay till four to man the store while he was in a meeting. I got to be that temp.
The manager mentioned having some of the temps back for midterm and that he would like it if I was in that group.
It was nice to see some “real” validation off my belief that homeschoolers are just as competent if not sometimes more competent then their public schooled peer group. I was able to work alongside adults in a “real” and “grown-up” job and I didn’t suffer in comparison.
Here is her update:
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Two weeks ago I got my first “real” and “grown-up” job. I worked for a local college bookstore. They needed some temps for the rush at the start of the semester.
The first day there was eight temps, four at the counter and four runners. I was at the counter. I helped get the book list together and process the transaction and then would hand the book list to a runner.
After the first week they started to let some of the temps go as the rush began to end. There were now only three temps. Sometimes it was really busy and other times it was really slow. One of the temps then left half way through the week for school. Then on the Friday, the manager wanted one temp to stay till four to man the store while he was in a meeting. I got to be that temp.
The manager mentioned having some of the temps back for midterm and that he would like it if I was in that group.
It was nice to see some “real” validation off my belief that homeschoolers are just as competent if not sometimes more competent then their public schooled peer group. I was able to work alongside adults in a “real” and “grown-up” job and I didn’t suffer in comparison.
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Living Life and Learning
This will be the 398th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 398th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Summertime edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Janice Campbell - Taking time for things that matter.
Janice starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the July 30, 2013 edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! I’m delighted you’ve stopped by, as we have a collection of interesting articles for you. You’ll find serious articles on the state of education and leaving a homeschooling legacy, helpful articles on planning and organizing your school year and day, and a few extras on things such as how to whistle, whether homeschoolers can redeem BoxTops for Education, and more. I hope you enjoy the carnival!
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Enjoy!
Janice starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the July 30, 2013 edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! I’m delighted you’ve stopped by, as we have a collection of interesting articles for you. You’ll find serious articles on the state of education and leaving a homeschooling legacy, helpful articles on planning and organizing your school year and day, and a few extras on things such as how to whistle, whether homeschoolers can redeem BoxTops for Education, and more. I hope you enjoy the carnival!
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Enjoy!
Homeschooling and the job market
As parents we are trying to raise our children to be hard workers, to be kind and to be competent. We want them to know and love God. We love homeschooling because it allows us to focus on the whole process and not separate out academics as one of the most important items in the world.
Many parents are happy public schools have a focus on academics so their children will be able to get good jobs, with the end being a good career. We don’t see a well-paying job as the ultimate goal.
Having said all that, I am happy that our oldest daughter seems to be off to a good step in the adult world of the job market. For the last couple years our oldest has been able to make good money babysitting, often $100 in a week. She has pretty simple tastes and hasn't felt a need find full time employment.
This summer she decided to look for a full time job. She had a hard time at first. I was pleased that she kept looking after applying at a couple dozen places. Early in July she finally had success with a temp agency. She got a job to help out with a college bookstore.
She has enjoyed the job and the managers seem happy with her. They have kept her around while it sounds like they have let a few others go.
Homeschooling doesn't seem to limit children in the adult job market!!!
Many parents are happy public schools have a focus on academics so their children will be able to get good jobs, with the end being a good career. We don’t see a well-paying job as the ultimate goal.
Having said all that, I am happy that our oldest daughter seems to be off to a good step in the adult world of the job market. For the last couple years our oldest has been able to make good money babysitting, often $100 in a week. She has pretty simple tastes and hasn't felt a need find full time employment.
This summer she decided to look for a full time job. She had a hard time at first. I was pleased that she kept looking after applying at a couple dozen places. Early in July she finally had success with a temp agency. She got a job to help out with a college bookstore.
She has enjoyed the job and the managers seem happy with her. They have kept her around while it sounds like they have let a few others go.
Homeschooling doesn't seem to limit children in the adult job market!!!
This week's Homeschool Showcase is up
Kris is hosting this week's Homeschool Showcase at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - Instagram Edition (plus mobile photography tips)
Heather is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Sprittibee.
She starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the Random Instagram Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! If you are new to ‘blog carnivals’, please read the link at the bottom of this post to find out more. This post has many links that take you off-site to other homeschool blogs where you can read their ‘showcased’ article submission. If you would like to submit an article for a future carnival or host the carnival on your site, please see the bottom section to find out how. Each carnival writer has the option to put their compilation to a ‘theme’ if they so choose. Being a fangirl for Instagram (which you can use on almost any smart phone these days), I figured I would share some of my random photo art with you – and give you a few photo quotes and pointers in between all these great homeschool blog links!
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Enjoy!
She starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the Random Instagram Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! If you are new to ‘blog carnivals’, please read the link at the bottom of this post to find out more. This post has many links that take you off-site to other homeschool blogs where you can read their ‘showcased’ article submission. If you would like to submit an article for a future carnival or host the carnival on your site, please see the bottom section to find out how. Each carnival writer has the option to put their compilation to a ‘theme’ if they so choose. Being a fangirl for Instagram (which you can use on almost any smart phone these days), I figured I would share some of my random photo art with you – and give you a few photo quotes and pointers in between all these great homeschool blog links!
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Enjoy!
Common Core
I was very impressed by Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Author of Why I Am a 'Liberal' and Other Conservative Ideas.
As homeschoolers, we sometimes get caught in the crossfire of new educational programs, as such programs tend to affect text books, college application criteria and so forth.
I really want a transcript of his speech. There are so many note worthy things he said that I would like to quote, but I don't want to take the time to transcribe the entire thing.
As homeschoolers, we sometimes get caught in the crossfire of new educational programs, as such programs tend to affect text books, college application criteria and so forth.
I really want a transcript of his speech. There are so many note worthy things he said that I would like to quote, but I don't want to take the time to transcribe the entire thing.
A cloaking device
Maybe Harry Potter's invisibility cloak isn't too far off.
Researchers suggest magicians' mirror tricks could be used as large scale cloaking devices covers some science in making things "disappear."
Here's a video showing the effect:
And here is a video showing how it is done:
Pretty cool!
Researchers suggest magicians' mirror tricks could be used as large scale cloaking devices covers some science in making things "disappear."
Here's a video showing the effect:
And here is a video showing how it is done:
Pretty cool!
Five types of emails to improve your life
Make your life better by sending five simple emails has some good thoughts.
My "Don't" list
This week, I've had the opportunity to answer questions from parents who are preparing to homeschool their children. Over the years, I've had quite a few such conversations.
I thought it was interesting that in my conversations with parents, they are largely worried about their child getting into college.
So here is my "Don't List:"
1) Don't worry about your child getting into college while he or she is in kindergarten. Focus on the developmental needs of the child in the stage he/she is currently in. Far too many parents and educators torture little children in the theoretical pursuit of a college education. (I could do a whole series on this problem alone.)
2) Don't bases your academic goals on your neighborhood school's curriculum or state standards. Base your academic goals on your child's needs and his/her interests.Yes, there are academic standards for college, but children develop at different rates and blossom at different ages. Don't hold your child back or hurry them along to meet some arbitrary and artificially created "standard." If you must have outside validation for your academic plans, please use research based criteria and not ego driven benchmarks.
3) Don't neglect the non-academic subjects. No matter what career you children ultimately chooses, where they go to college or if they go to college at all, he or she will need to know how to do laundry, clean the house, balance a check book, change a diaper, cook a simple meal, and so forth.
4) Don't worry so much. Enjoy your time with your children today. As the good book says, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Worrying about college while your child is in grade school is a waste of energy. Also, the educational landscape is constantly changing. The criteria used today may not be the criteria used ten years from now.
5) Don't complain about your neighborhood school, the school your kids used to attend, or any other educational option. It just irritates your friends and neighbors who have made the choice to entrust their children to those institutions. If your friends, neighbors and relative feel that they have to defend their educational choices, they will not come to you with their questions about homeschooling when they are ready to make a change.
I thought it was interesting that in my conversations with parents, they are largely worried about their child getting into college.
So here is my "Don't List:"
1) Don't worry about your child getting into college while he or she is in kindergarten. Focus on the developmental needs of the child in the stage he/she is currently in. Far too many parents and educators torture little children in the theoretical pursuit of a college education. (I could do a whole series on this problem alone.)
2) Don't bases your academic goals on your neighborhood school's curriculum or state standards. Base your academic goals on your child's needs and his/her interests.Yes, there are academic standards for college, but children develop at different rates and blossom at different ages. Don't hold your child back or hurry them along to meet some arbitrary and artificially created "standard." If you must have outside validation for your academic plans, please use research based criteria and not ego driven benchmarks.
3) Don't neglect the non-academic subjects. No matter what career you children ultimately chooses, where they go to college or if they go to college at all, he or she will need to know how to do laundry, clean the house, balance a check book, change a diaper, cook a simple meal, and so forth.
4) Don't worry so much. Enjoy your time with your children today. As the good book says, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Worrying about college while your child is in grade school is a waste of energy. Also, the educational landscape is constantly changing. The criteria used today may not be the criteria used ten years from now.
5) Don't complain about your neighborhood school, the school your kids used to attend, or any other educational option. It just irritates your friends and neighbors who have made the choice to entrust their children to those institutions. If your friends, neighbors and relative feel that they have to defend their educational choices, they will not come to you with their questions about homeschooling when they are ready to make a change.
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Sprittibee
This will be the 395th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 395th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - Homeschooling and Quilting
Katherine is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at No Fighting, No Biting!
She starts the carnival with:
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One of the beauties of homeschooling is the opportunity to educate a child as well as help form their character. Those of us who have taught our own children from their earliest years through 8th grade, or even all the way to 12th grade graduation, know that this is a long, and sometimes arduous process. One of my hobbies is quilting, a useful art that transforms fabric into a beautiful object that can warm the body and soul for a lifetime. It takes a great deal of time and perseverance to make a quilt, just as it does to teach a child to read, write, count, and slowly learn to think and reason.
First you select yardage of fabric in your favorite colors, wash it, press it, and cut it according to the pattern selected. There are many homeschooling curriculum choices available from traditional, to classical, to unschooling.
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She starts the carnival with:
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One of the beauties of homeschooling is the opportunity to educate a child as well as help form their character. Those of us who have taught our own children from their earliest years through 8th grade, or even all the way to 12th grade graduation, know that this is a long, and sometimes arduous process. One of my hobbies is quilting, a useful art that transforms fabric into a beautiful object that can warm the body and soul for a lifetime. It takes a great deal of time and perseverance to make a quilt, just as it does to teach a child to read, write, count, and slowly learn to think and reason.
First you select yardage of fabric in your favorite colors, wash it, press it, and cut it according to the pattern selected. There are many homeschooling curriculum choices available from traditional, to classical, to unschooling.
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A report from my youngest daughter
My youngest daughter recently turned 13. We now have three teenage daughters!
I asked the youngest to provide a summary of her summer. Here it is:
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During the summer I’ve been trying to stay productive, with more than a little coaching from my parents. Luckily they’ve been keeping me busy. My father frequently reminds me to make a list each day as a way to stay on track. It has been helping.
Some of my goals are to stay fit, study my scriptures more, spend more time with family and last but not least spend time with my pet rabbit. In addition to all that, my parents have me doing yard work, house work and a little math. But I still have time for friends and biking as well as playing on the computer. (One of the family rules is we don’t get to play on the computer until after 3:00 PM.) It’s a good thing all my years of homeschooling have taught me to be self-motivated and stay focused.
This summer might not be overly relaxed but it has been fun and I expect it will continue to be very fun. I’ve had the opportunity to attend our churches girls’ camp, which was a great summer experience.
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One of the greatest pleasures is being a parent and watching your children turn out well.
I asked the youngest to provide a summary of her summer. Here it is:
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During the summer I’ve been trying to stay productive, with more than a little coaching from my parents. Luckily they’ve been keeping me busy. My father frequently reminds me to make a list each day as a way to stay on track. It has been helping.
Some of my goals are to stay fit, study my scriptures more, spend more time with family and last but not least spend time with my pet rabbit. In addition to all that, my parents have me doing yard work, house work and a little math. But I still have time for friends and biking as well as playing on the computer. (One of the family rules is we don’t get to play on the computer until after 3:00 PM.) It’s a good thing all my years of homeschooling have taught me to be self-motivated and stay focused.
This summer might not be overly relaxed but it has been fun and I expect it will continue to be very fun. I’ve had the opportunity to attend our churches girls’ camp, which was a great summer experience.
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One of the greatest pleasures is being a parent and watching your children turn out well.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at The Home Grown Mommy.
The carnival starts with:
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Thank you all so much for coming over to check out all the awesome wisdom being shared by fellow homeschooling families!
Thank you to those of you who participated by sending in articles! You help keep this wonderful resource running.
I noticed the number of article submissions are way down from the last time I hosted – let’s all share this carnival with friends, through Facebook and other social media outlets, our blogs, etc. This is such a great way for all of us to gain some insight through what other families have experienced – let’s help it grow bigger than ever before!!
On that note, here is this week’s edition of The Carnival of Homeschooling!!
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Enjoy!
The carnival starts with:
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Thank you all so much for coming over to check out all the awesome wisdom being shared by fellow homeschooling families!
Thank you to those of you who participated by sending in articles! You help keep this wonderful resource running.
I noticed the number of article submissions are way down from the last time I hosted – let’s all share this carnival with friends, through Facebook and other social media outlets, our blogs, etc. This is such a great way for all of us to gain some insight through what other families have experienced – let’s help it grow bigger than ever before!!
On that note, here is this week’s edition of The Carnival of Homeschooling!!
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Enjoy!
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: No Fighting, No Biting!
This will be the 394th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 394th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Where we are after 14 years of homeschooling
Our oldest daughter has completed her first year of community college as a full time student. She began attending community college part time the second half of her junior year in Cate Academy under the concurrent enrollment option (which is free).
Daughter #1 hasn’t really settled on a major yet. She began as an Interior Design major, but branched out into a wide variety of classes, including criminal law. We jokingly say that she is going to be the “fashion police.”
One of our biggest surprises is that our math challenged daughter has gotten A’s in college math classes (Intermediate Algebra and Geometry) and is planning on taking more math classes. This is the kid who in the 4th grade couldn’t get 100 simple addition problems right to save her life. She took two years to complete the Saxon Algebra I book and two years to complete the Saxon Algebra II book. We are pleased to see that slow and steady actually does win the race.
Our second daughter has completed her junior year of high school. She passed the CHSPE easily and got A's in the two classes she took at the community college last semester. This kid has already picked a major and has planned out next year’s community college classes so that she will have many of the core classes for her major completed even before she applies to the program at a 4 year college next year.
She also struggled with math but got a respectable math score on the ACT and SAT. She also tested out of much of the college math requirements. As much as I would love her to try more advanced math, her major does not require it. She needs only to take Statistics to complete her college math credits, which she plans to do next semester at the community college with the concurrent enrollment.
We don't advertise that she has already passed the CHSPE or she would have to pay tuition at the community college. We don't produce that documentation until she needs it to start college as a full time student in the fall of 2014.
Our youngest daughter will be beginning the 8th grade (homeschool) in the fall. She is the only child we’ve had thus far who was on track to take Algebra in the 8thgrade. I tried with the other kids, but they just weren't ready. This is the kid who taught herself to read on Starfall.com.
Since her older sisters were such late readers (somewhere between 3rd – 5thgrade), it never occurred to me to even try to teach her to read earlier. She was ready before I thought to invest any serious effort. We ended up with a few Explode the Code books that she never needed. This is also the kid that can spell which is something that no one else in the family does easily.
Academically, this child is the most advanced for her age. This is also the kids that I have done the least for. By the time she came around, my time was stretched between 3 children. Just about the time she started school, her younger brother with special needs joined our family. I have no explanation of why she has done so well other than this is also the kid who did all the occupational therapy routines with her younger brother to encourage him along. And, she had the secondary exposure to all her older siblings' activities.
When she was a young, I would work one on one with one of the older children while the other child "played with the baby." Then the older girls would switch places. I did spend some one on one time with our youngest, but it was proportionally much less than the two older girls.
Our youngest child (Baby Bop) and only son thus far, has finished is first year of “homeschooling” which to outsiders looked a lot like playing in the back yard. I focused on speech (he has a significant speech delay), brain development through movement and literacy through listening to books on tape.
We have a tutor that comes in once a week to spend an hour with him doing whatever she wants. She has a BS in engineering and an MA in Occupational therapy, and has an incredible sense of what he needs. By school standards we are behind, but since 2 out of 3 of my other kids developed on their own schedule, I haven’t worried too much about it.
Baby Bop is progressing and his neurodevelopmental issues are fading with time. I plan to be a bit more structured next year, but I am more concerned with basic brain development than I am with artificial academic mile posts that he will hit when his brain in ready.
And that is what our 14th year old homeschooling looks like.
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Home Grown Mommy
This will be the 393rd edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 393rd edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
A problem which has existed for centuries
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
We hang the petty thieves and
appoint the great ones to public office.
-Aesop
We hang the petty thieves and
appoint the great ones to public office.
-Aesop
Celebrating the July 4th
I think one good way to celebrate the 4th of July is to write our leaders. I've already sent off a set of letters.
Here is a site for Contacting your Elected Officials.
You can contact the President of the United States.
Your Senators.
Your Congressman.
Tell them what you think needs to be done to make this a better country.
I think it is our duty as citizens to frequently voice our concerns.
Here is a site for Contacting your Elected Officials.
You can contact the President of the United States.
Your Senators.
Your Congressman.
Tell them what you think needs to be done to make this a better country.
I think it is our duty as citizens to frequently voice our concerns.
Happy July 4th
We wish you all the best on this July 4th.
As a reminder of what our Founding Father fought for here is the Declaration of Independence:
As a reminder of what our Founding Father fought for here is the Declaration of Independence:
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The "Enjoy Reinvention" Edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Dewey's Treehouse.
Mama Squirrel starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to the 392nd Carnival of Homeschooling!
This week's Carnival theme is from a submission by Julie Bogart of Brave Writer. "It's reinvention time!" discusses the reasons even experienced homeschool moms keep reinventing, improving, tweaking what we use and how we teach. Sometimes it's because the kids have changed...and sometimes it's because the teacher has!
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Mama Squirrel starts the carnival with:
----------
Welcome to the 392nd Carnival of Homeschooling!
This week's Carnival theme is from a submission by Julie Bogart of Brave Writer. "It's reinvention time!" discusses the reasons even experienced homeschool moms keep reinventing, improving, tweaking what we use and how we teach. Sometimes it's because the kids have changed...and sometimes it's because the teacher has!
----------
A sign of success
One of the things we like about homeschooling is the opportunity for quicker and more complete mastery of academic subjects. We think it is wonderful that we can tailor the instruction to each of our children.
But even more important to us is character development. We want our children to be self-driven, to be able to set and work towards goals, and to learn to take ownership for their lives.
I am very excited that my sixteen-year-old daughter has taken ownership for what she will do this summer. She has decided what she wants to accomplish in the next couple months and has built a chart to mark off her progress.
Here are some of the areas she wants to work on:
Saxon Math lessons & Aleks – Math is one of her weak spots
SAT & ACT sections – She has taken each test and will be taking them again this Fall
ASL – she wants to get ready for taking her second American Sign Language class
Exercise – strengthen her body
Yard work – help with the garden
House work – help keep the chaos at a low level
Violin & Piano – maintain and improve her musical skills
Good book – we strongly encourage our children to read more than just entertaining books
Scripture study – strengthen her soul
We may need to reminder her once in a while, but for the most part she will keep her chart in a visible place and stay on top of these areas.
It should be a good summer!
But even more important to us is character development. We want our children to be self-driven, to be able to set and work towards goals, and to learn to take ownership for their lives.
I am very excited that my sixteen-year-old daughter has taken ownership for what she will do this summer. She has decided what she wants to accomplish in the next couple months and has built a chart to mark off her progress.
Here are some of the areas she wants to work on:
Saxon Math lessons & Aleks – Math is one of her weak spots
SAT & ACT sections – She has taken each test and will be taking them again this Fall
ASL – she wants to get ready for taking her second American Sign Language class
Exercise – strengthen her body
Yard work – help with the garden
House work – help keep the chaos at a low level
Violin & Piano – maintain and improve her musical skills
Good book – we strongly encourage our children to read more than just entertaining books
Scripture study – strengthen her soul
We may need to reminder her once in a while, but for the most part she will keep her chart in a visible place and stay on top of these areas.
It should be a good summer!
This week's Homeschool Showcase is up
This week's Homeschool Showcase is up at at Weird Unsocilized Homeschoolers.
The start of a new month - try something new for 30 days
I like Matt Cutts' TED talk on Try something new for 30 days.
Consider trying something new for the month of July.
Consider trying something new for the month of July.
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Dewey's Treehouse.
This will be the 392nd edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 392nd edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Amazing Superpowers edition!
Cristina is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Home Spun Juggling.
She starts the carnival with:
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Mutant and meta-human. Born with it or developed special skills through some accidental event or sheer force of will. Superheroes have this in common: Superpowers.
Enjoy!
She starts the carnival with:
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Mutant and meta-human. Born with it or developed special skills through some accidental event or sheer force of will. Superheroes have this in common: Superpowers.
I've loved comics and cartoon heroes since I was a kid. I always imagined what it would be like to have superhuman skills. Would I fly? Walk through walls? Turn invisible? Becoming a mom and home educator didn't end these flights of fancy. If anything, superpowers are more appealing to a busy homeschooling parent like me. What superpowers would you have?
----------Enjoy!
Anticipation
One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
-Arnold Glasow
I am always excited when one of my daughters says hey we are doing this next week, I'll start preparing now. For example when they go on trips they are often packed days in advance. In contrast Janine and I normally finish packing the night before.
Here is another great quote along the same lines:
The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment.
- author unknown
Thoughts about various curriculums, from a student's perspective
Hey this is the eldest child again. One of the great things about homeschooling is choosing your own curriculum. You can select the curriculum that works best for you.
Through the years my family has used several different curriculums for English, History, and Spelling.
For English when I first started I would read a chapter of a McGuffy reader and write a paragraph prompted by the questions. We had the Original McGuffey's Eclectic Reading Series. It was old and kind of worn.
Then we did IEW for English. This we actually did as a group at co-op. We would read through a paragraph, highlight the key words, put together a key words outline, and write two drafts. We then would read our paragraphs out loud.
Then I took English at Liahona Academy, a distance learning program. With Liahona I did many different assignments. I watched video clips and listened to music for metaphors and similes. I wrote papers on the heroic cycle, and compared and contrasted essays.
For Spelling I first started with a spelling work book that had word search, crossword, and other activities designed to help memorize the spelling words.
Then we moved to Spelling Power. Spelling Power gave a quick spelling quiz every day and then I practiced only the words I missed.
The first History book I had was this thick old book called History of the World. It read like a fairy tale and was pretty cool.
But for most of school we used the Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer. For a couple months we had a long butcher paper timeline on our wall in the hall. I really recommend the text book. It’s engaging and easy to learn from.
Through the years my family has used several different curriculums for English, History, and Spelling.
For English when I first started I would read a chapter of a McGuffy reader and write a paragraph prompted by the questions. We had the Original McGuffey's Eclectic Reading Series. It was old and kind of worn.
Then we did IEW for English. This we actually did as a group at co-op. We would read through a paragraph, highlight the key words, put together a key words outline, and write two drafts. We then would read our paragraphs out loud.
Then I took English at Liahona Academy, a distance learning program. With Liahona I did many different assignments. I watched video clips and listened to music for metaphors and similes. I wrote papers on the heroic cycle, and compared and contrasted essays.
For Spelling I first started with a spelling work book that had word search, crossword, and other activities designed to help memorize the spelling words.
Then we moved to Spelling Power. Spelling Power gave a quick spelling quiz every day and then I practiced only the words I missed.
The first History book I had was this thick old book called History of the World. It read like a fairy tale and was pretty cool.
But for most of school we used the Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer. For a couple months we had a long butcher paper timeline on our wall in the hall. I really recommend the text book. It’s engaging and easy to learn from.
Your perspective affects your response
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
If you don't like someone, the way he holds his spoon makes you furious; if you like him, he can turn his plate over into your lap and you won't mind.-Irving Becker
If you don't like someone, the way he holds his spoon makes you furious; if you like him, he can turn his plate over into your lap and you won't mind.-Irving Becker
Some of our best posts from October 2007
Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for over seven years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from October 2007:
The cost of education has risen a factor of ten over the last 78 years is a post about how the real price of government schools, adjusted for inflation, has exploded over the last several decades.
Economics in one lesson has some resources.
I wondered if Sputnik the beginning of the end? for public education.
I have found that one of the benefits of homeschooling is children retain their love for learning.
September 2007 was also when we were still new to Foster Care. Here are some posts about our experiences: Update on our third foster care child, First Day of School and First Day of School - Part 2.
And September 2007 was when I first listened to The Day The Routers Died...
Even now I find this amazing.
The cost of education has risen a factor of ten over the last 78 years is a post about how the real price of government schools, adjusted for inflation, has exploded over the last several decades.
Economics in one lesson has some resources.
I wondered if Sputnik the beginning of the end? for public education.
I have found that one of the benefits of homeschooling is children retain their love for learning.
September 2007 was also when we were still new to Foster Care. Here are some posts about our experiences: Update on our third foster care child, First Day of School and First Day of School - Part 2.
And September 2007 was when I first listened to The Day The Routers Died...
Even now I find this amazing.
Life Humor 1.N
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
----------
Does anyone know why they have locks on the doors at 7-11 if they're open 24 hours?
----------
What's the difference between the Boy Scouts and [name your org]?.......
The Boy Scouts have adult leadership!
----------
Three men were in the hospital waiting room while their respective wives to deliver.
Finally a nurse comes out asking for Mr. J. "Congratulations, you're the proud father of twins!" "Isn't that fascinating, I come from Twin Forks." and he runs off to see his family.
The nurse returns for Mr S. "Congratulations, you're the proud father of triplets!" "Isn't that fascinating, I come from the Triple Cities." and he hurries off.
Immediately the third father stands up and starts to leave. The nurse stops him and inquires about where he's going. "HOME", he says, "to the Thousand Islands!!"
----------
To meet a project deadline, my programmers worked overtime for several weeks. On the final evening, one woman said: "Boss, do you have a copy of the latest IRS tax regulations? There's something I want to look up."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Use of the office as a home."
----------
"Nowadays, when opportunity knocks, you have to unlock both dead bolts, remove the chain, and turn off the burglar alarm..."
----------
Message sent out: If anyone is walking (or even sitting) around with a blue Pilot pen with a transparent barrel which doesn't belong to them; I think it is probably mine. I've lost three. They seem to have walked away from my office.
The reply: Reboot your office. They might come back.
----------
Werner von Braun said, "Basic research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing."
----------
Bad luck is having your operation by the winner of the local grammar school's doctor-for-a-day contest.
----------
Practicing medicine in the Bronx has its complications, but the following is something even we don't have to put up with:
DHAKA (Bangladesh): At least 50 patients ran screaming from their beds after five cobras reared their heads in a packed ward on the third floor of Dacca Medical College Hospital, officials said yesterday.
Hospital employees killed the poisonous snakes after Tuesday's fright, but snake charmers were summoned today in case more serpents were lurking in the hospital.
--
Craig Werner (MD/PhD '91)
----------
Oxymorons:
Jumbo Shrimp
pretty ugly
good grief
friendly competitor
committed schedule
marketing strategy
----------
Daffy-nitions:
Fascinate: Ma had nine buttons on her nightgown, but she could only fascinate.
Pasteurize: The water's only up to my neck, but it's pasteurize.
Gruesome: My dad stopped shaving and gruesome whiskers.
----------
----------
Does anyone know why they have locks on the doors at 7-11 if they're open 24 hours?
----------
What's the difference between the Boy Scouts and [name your org]?.......
The Boy Scouts have adult leadership!
----------
Three men were in the hospital waiting room while their respective wives to deliver.
Finally a nurse comes out asking for Mr. J. "Congratulations, you're the proud father of twins!" "Isn't that fascinating, I come from Twin Forks." and he runs off to see his family.
The nurse returns for Mr S. "Congratulations, you're the proud father of triplets!" "Isn't that fascinating, I come from the Triple Cities." and he hurries off.
Immediately the third father stands up and starts to leave. The nurse stops him and inquires about where he's going. "HOME", he says, "to the Thousand Islands!!"
----------
To meet a project deadline, my programmers worked overtime for several weeks. On the final evening, one woman said: "Boss, do you have a copy of the latest IRS tax regulations? There's something I want to look up."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Use of the office as a home."
----------
"Nowadays, when opportunity knocks, you have to unlock both dead bolts, remove the chain, and turn off the burglar alarm..."
----------
Message sent out: If anyone is walking (or even sitting) around with a blue Pilot pen with a transparent barrel which doesn't belong to them; I think it is probably mine. I've lost three. They seem to have walked away from my office.
The reply: Reboot your office. They might come back.
----------
Werner von Braun said, "Basic research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing."
----------
Bad luck is having your operation by the winner of the local grammar school's doctor-for-a-day contest.
----------
Practicing medicine in the Bronx has its complications, but the following is something even we don't have to put up with:
DHAKA (Bangladesh): At least 50 patients ran screaming from their beds after five cobras reared their heads in a packed ward on the third floor of Dacca Medical College Hospital, officials said yesterday.
Hospital employees killed the poisonous snakes after Tuesday's fright, but snake charmers were summoned today in case more serpents were lurking in the hospital.
--
Craig Werner (MD/PhD '91)
----------
Oxymorons:
Jumbo Shrimp
pretty ugly
good grief
friendly competitor
committed schedule
marketing strategy
----------
Daffy-nitions:
Fascinate: Ma had nine buttons on her nightgown, but she could only fascinate.
Pasteurize: The water's only up to my neck, but it's pasteurize.
Gruesome: My dad stopped shaving and gruesome whiskers.
----------
A reason to homeschool your boys - because public schools want them to act like girls
Jessica Lehey has a nice article at The Atlantic on Stop Penalizing Boys for Not Being Able to Sit Still at School. She summarizes some of the problems with how public schools treat boys with:
-----------
Something is rotten in the state of boys' education, and I can't help but suspect that the pattern I have seen in my classroom may have something to do with a collective failure to adequately educate boys. The statistics are grim. According to the book Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Strategies That Work and Why, boys are kept back in schools at twice the rate of girls. Boys get expelled from preschool nearly five times more often than girls. Boys are diagnosed with learning disorders and attention problems at nearly four times the rate of girls. They do less homework and get a greater proportion of the low grades. Boys are more likely to drop out of school, and make up only 43 percent of college students. Furthermore, boys are nearly three times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Considering 11 percent of U.S. children--6.4 million in all--have been diagnosed with a ADHD, that's a lot of boys bouncing around U.S. classrooms.
-----------
I am so glad we can homeschool my son and allow him to be a boy.
-----------
Something is rotten in the state of boys' education, and I can't help but suspect that the pattern I have seen in my classroom may have something to do with a collective failure to adequately educate boys. The statistics are grim. According to the book Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Strategies That Work and Why, boys are kept back in schools at twice the rate of girls. Boys get expelled from preschool nearly five times more often than girls. Boys are diagnosed with learning disorders and attention problems at nearly four times the rate of girls. They do less homework and get a greater proportion of the low grades. Boys are more likely to drop out of school, and make up only 43 percent of college students. Furthermore, boys are nearly three times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Considering 11 percent of U.S. children--6.4 million in all--have been diagnosed with a ADHD, that's a lot of boys bouncing around U.S. classrooms.
-----------
I am so glad we can homeschool my son and allow him to be a boy.
Higher education may really pay
The whole Higher Education world is starting to undergo some huge changes. This is fascinating, Udemy reports that Their top 10 instructors together made $5M.
Wow!
Wow!
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Home Spun Juggling.
This will be the 391st edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 391st edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Book review: The Mountain Valley War by Louis L’Amour
The Mountain Valley War is one of Louis L’Amour’s best.
Louis L’Amour wrote dozens of stories with non-reoccurring characters. The hero would appear in one book never to be seen again. On the other side was almost two dozen novels about the Sackett family. The Sackett books spanned several generations. In between these Louis L’Amour had a few characters that popped up in various novels and short stories. Kilkenny was one such. There were three novels and three short stories about Kilkenny.
For some reason Kilkenny is one of my favorite Louis L’Amour characters. He had many of the traditional traits: fast with a gun, a good fist fighter, smart, stood up for justice and for most of the stories he rode off into the sunset, alone.
“The Mountain Valley War” is the last Kilkenny novel. Once again our hero is minding his own business. He is up in the mountains of Idaho building up a small ranch. Then a cattle baron starts pushing his weight around. He wants more land, and he kills for it. Kilkenny gets involved and rallies to the side of the small settlers. In addition to all that, trouble has followed him from the story of “The Rider of Lost Creek.” We have lots of gun battles and some fist fights. The action just moves from page to page.
Personally I recommend you start with “Kilkenny” and “The Rider of Lost Creek” before reading “The Mountain Valley War.” But if you like Louis L'Amour or westerns in general you can jump straight to "The Mountain Valley War."
Louis L’Amour wrote dozens of stories with non-reoccurring characters. The hero would appear in one book never to be seen again. On the other side was almost two dozen novels about the Sackett family. The Sackett books spanned several generations. In between these Louis L’Amour had a few characters that popped up in various novels and short stories. Kilkenny was one such. There were three novels and three short stories about Kilkenny.
For some reason Kilkenny is one of my favorite Louis L’Amour characters. He had many of the traditional traits: fast with a gun, a good fist fighter, smart, stood up for justice and for most of the stories he rode off into the sunset, alone.
“The Mountain Valley War” is the last Kilkenny novel. Once again our hero is minding his own business. He is up in the mountains of Idaho building up a small ranch. Then a cattle baron starts pushing his weight around. He wants more land, and he kills for it. Kilkenny gets involved and rallies to the side of the small settlers. In addition to all that, trouble has followed him from the story of “The Rider of Lost Creek.” We have lots of gun battles and some fist fights. The action just moves from page to page.
Personally I recommend you start with “Kilkenny” and “The Rider of Lost Creek” before reading “The Mountain Valley War.” But if you like Louis L'Amour or westerns in general you can jump straight to "The Mountain Valley War."
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up
ChristineTheCurious is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Our Curious Home.
She has a theme of "Floods and Picnics" and starts with:
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This is the time of year when my kids wish we didn’t school year round (we do take off August and most of December, and random days we are grumpy in February, and you get the idea.)
----------
Enjoy.
She has a theme of "Floods and Picnics" and starts with:
----------
This is the time of year when my kids wish we didn’t school year round (we do take off August and most of December, and random days we are grumpy in February, and you get the idea.)
----------
Enjoy.
I'm glad we can homeschool in the United States
I was reflecting today at just how glad I am we can homeschool in the United States. The public schools are so broken. They will arrest a young children for wearing a politically in-correct shirt or for drawing a picture of a gun. Hundreds of thousands of students drop out each year. And many of those who do "graduate" don't know how to read or write.
Recently I've been reading a few articles in the new about a bill in the California legilature. The bill may have a noble goal of providing equality between the sexes. But the approach seems so crazy. AB 1266 will allow students to students into the locker room of the sex they identify with. So if a guy says he feels like a girl it appears these bill will then allow him to take a shower in the girls' locker room. One article explains:
----------
The cultural debate over "transgender rights" in public schools has moved to California, where a legislative committee passed a bill April 17 that would outlaw sex-segregated bathrooms and athletic teams.
Under the bill — which passed the Assembly Education Committee by a vote of 5-2 — a student will be "permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, and facilities, including athletic teams and competitions," consistent with "his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records."
This means that boys who say they identify as girls can use the girls' restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa. It also means that girls who want to play on boys' teams, and boys who want to play on girls' teams, will be allowed to do so. The key will be their "gender identity" — what sex they identify as — and not their birth certificate.
----------
Insane.
It is no wonder that homeschooling has exploded over the last decade and many expect it to continue to skyrocket.
In general the United States is pretty friendly to homeschooling. For example a recent ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court says a homeschooling family can set their own school calendar, that they don't have to start in August or September.
It is sad that other countries persecute homeschoolers.
For example the Johansson family in Sweden was getting read to leave the country when officials boarded the plane and took Domenic, a 7-year-old boy, from his parents. It appears that in part the officials in Sweden took the boy because he was being homeschooled. The parents haven't seen their son in three years.
And the Roemeike family, from Germany, fled their country because they were not being allowed to homeschool. I'm said that the Obama Administration has denied the Roemeike's bid to seek asylum in the United States.
There are still many issues and problems with education and homeschooling in the United States, but I am glad we can homeschool here with relatively little hassle.
Recently I've been reading a few articles in the new about a bill in the California legilature. The bill may have a noble goal of providing equality between the sexes. But the approach seems so crazy. AB 1266 will allow students to students into the locker room of the sex they identify with. So if a guy says he feels like a girl it appears these bill will then allow him to take a shower in the girls' locker room. One article explains:
----------
The cultural debate over "transgender rights" in public schools has moved to California, where a legislative committee passed a bill April 17 that would outlaw sex-segregated bathrooms and athletic teams.
Under the bill — which passed the Assembly Education Committee by a vote of 5-2 — a student will be "permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, and facilities, including athletic teams and competitions," consistent with "his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records."
This means that boys who say they identify as girls can use the girls' restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa. It also means that girls who want to play on boys' teams, and boys who want to play on girls' teams, will be allowed to do so. The key will be their "gender identity" — what sex they identify as — and not their birth certificate.
----------
Insane.
It is no wonder that homeschooling has exploded over the last decade and many expect it to continue to skyrocket.
In general the United States is pretty friendly to homeschooling. For example a recent ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court says a homeschooling family can set their own school calendar, that they don't have to start in August or September.
It is sad that other countries persecute homeschoolers.
For example the Johansson family in Sweden was getting read to leave the country when officials boarded the plane and took Domenic, a 7-year-old boy, from his parents. It appears that in part the officials in Sweden took the boy because he was being homeschooled. The parents haven't seen their son in three years.
And the Roemeike family, from Germany, fled their country because they were not being allowed to homeschool. I'm said that the Obama Administration has denied the Roemeike's bid to seek asylum in the United States.
There are still many issues and problems with education and homeschooling in the United States, but I am glad we can homeschool here with relatively little hassle.
College 2020
It is clear higher education is changing. It is not clear exactly how things will shake out. My expectation is that as more people move to these new massive online classes from a few universities that other universities will go out of business.
In Seven Years 'til the Revolution? Jane Shaw shares her thoughts. She starts with:
----------
In spite of all the alarm over rising costs and excessive borrowing for college, one person is confident that college will be far less expensive in just a few years.
In the vision outlined by Vance H. Fried, there will be little need for federally subsidized loans. Many parents will be able to pay for college for their children out of current income.
----------
In Seven Years 'til the Revolution? Jane Shaw shares her thoughts. She starts with:
----------
In spite of all the alarm over rising costs and excessive borrowing for college, one person is confident that college will be far less expensive in just a few years.
In the vision outlined by Vance H. Fried, there will be little need for federally subsidized loans. Many parents will be able to pay for college for their children out of current income.
----------
Some of our best posts from September 2007
Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for over seven years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from September 2007:
I posted eight Reasons to Blog.
I shared Some of the benefits of homeschooling.
I challenged parents to teach their children to Keep looking after you find "The right answer."
Janine continued to write about our experience with music and homeschooling: What about Band? - Part 2, What about Band? - Day Three and Music lessons.
We had a few Thoughts about the Value of Education.
I posted eight Reasons to Blog.
I shared Some of the benefits of homeschooling.
I challenged parents to teach their children to Keep looking after you find "The right answer."
Janine continued to write about our experience with music and homeschooling: What about Band? - Part 2, What about Band? - Day Three and Music lessons.
We had a few Thoughts about the Value of Education.
Life Humor 1.M
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
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Tom had this problem of getting up late in the morning and was always late for work. His boss was mad at him and threatened to fire him if he didn't do something about it. So Tom went to his doctor who gave him a pill and told him to take it before he went to bed.
Tom slept well and in fact beat the alarm in the morning. He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.
"Boss", he said,
"The pill actually worked !"
"That's all fine" said the boss, " But where were you yesterday ? "
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Did you hear about the midget who was running away from the Prague Police?
He ran up to a house, knocked on the door and asked the woman who opened the door if she would cache a small Czech
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One day a three-legged dog moseyed into Dodge City, Kansas. He was your typical western dog, he had a bandana around his neck and a snarl on his lips.
Anyway, Matt Dillon met the dog in the middle of Main Street amidst all his fans and said, "Three-Legged dog, this heres a peaceful community, we don't want no trouble."
To which the three-legged dog replied, "Matt, I'm not looking for no trouble neither, I'm just lookin' for the man that shot my pa(w)!"
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Q: What do you call a short psychic who escapes from prison?
A: A small medium at large.
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Know why they don't let government workers look out the window in the morning?
So they'll have something to do in the afternoon!
----------
Seems there was a barber in Chicago by the name of Joe Garibaldi. Joe loved to brag to his customers that he "knows everybody who's anybody." The walls of the shop are resplendent with autographed pictures of celebrities and notables.
One regular customer grows a little weary of hearing all the bragging, and decides to call Joe on it by telling him "I bet you 50 bucks you don't even know Sinatra!"
"Frankie?" sez Joe, "We were childhood buddies. For the price of the airfare, I'll take you to Vegas and prove it".
Being comfortable financially, the customer agrees to add the airfare to the bet, and they fly to Las Vegas and catch Frank's show. After the show, Joe takes the guy back to the dressing rooms, where Sinatra greets him warmly and has them both in for drinks. Back in Chicago, the customer is even more peeved at losing the bet, and determines to find some way to win it back.
One day he asks Joe if he knows Reagan. "Hell," sez Joe, "I got him into pictures." For the price of the airfare, I'll prove it to you." So off they go to D.C., where they join the daily tour of the White House. As they stroll through the East Wing, a door opens and old Ronnie steps out, surrounded by G-men. He spots Joe, pushes his way past the Secret Service guys, and embraces him like old times...
Back in Chicago again, the customer decides to have one last all-out attempt at retribution. "Hey, Joe," he says, "I'll bet you don't know the Pope ... heck, he ain't even Italian this time around!" "You betcha I do," sez Joe, "and for the price of the airfare, etc. etc."
They do indeed jet to the Vatican, and arrive at St. Peter's basilica during one of the large open-air masses the Pope conducts from a balcony. The piazza is packed with pilgrims, rosaries in hand, waiting for services to start. Joe and the customer are sandwiched between some sweet little old Italian senoras.
Joe turns to the customer and says "This is gonna be tough .. I don't think I can get us both into the chambers before Mass starts, but I'll tell you what. You keep an eye on that balcony up there, 'cuz that's where the Pope says Mass from. I'm going inside to meet him, and then I'll be back."
With that, Joe elbows his way off into the crowd. Left alone, the customer soon sees a small figure appear at the balcony and begin the ceremony. Soon, a second figure joins him, and they turn and hug each other warmly.
Pondering all this, the customer speculates that:
(1) he is so far away he can't really make out either of them and
(2) Joe has won so much money from him that he could conceivably stage the whole thing.
With that in mind, he nudges the little old lady next to him, who looks up from her rosary. "Excuse me, senora, but can you tell me, is that REALLY the Pope up there?"
The old woman squints hard in the direction of the balcony, and responds "I'm-a not sure, but the other fella with him is-a Joe Garibaldi!"
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Tom had this problem of getting up late in the morning and was always late for work. His boss was mad at him and threatened to fire him if he didn't do something about it. So Tom went to his doctor who gave him a pill and told him to take it before he went to bed.
Tom slept well and in fact beat the alarm in the morning. He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.
"Boss", he said,
"The pill actually worked !"
"That's all fine" said the boss, " But where were you yesterday ? "
----------
Did you hear about the midget who was running away from the Prague Police?
He ran up to a house, knocked on the door and asked the woman who opened the door if she would cache a small Czech
----------
One day a three-legged dog moseyed into Dodge City, Kansas. He was your typical western dog, he had a bandana around his neck and a snarl on his lips.
Anyway, Matt Dillon met the dog in the middle of Main Street amidst all his fans and said, "Three-Legged dog, this heres a peaceful community, we don't want no trouble."
To which the three-legged dog replied, "Matt, I'm not looking for no trouble neither, I'm just lookin' for the man that shot my pa(w)!"
----------
Q: What do you call a short psychic who escapes from prison?
A: A small medium at large.
----------
Know why they don't let government workers look out the window in the morning?
So they'll have something to do in the afternoon!
----------
Seems there was a barber in Chicago by the name of Joe Garibaldi. Joe loved to brag to his customers that he "knows everybody who's anybody." The walls of the shop are resplendent with autographed pictures of celebrities and notables.
One regular customer grows a little weary of hearing all the bragging, and decides to call Joe on it by telling him "I bet you 50 bucks you don't even know Sinatra!"
"Frankie?" sez Joe, "We were childhood buddies. For the price of the airfare, I'll take you to Vegas and prove it".
Being comfortable financially, the customer agrees to add the airfare to the bet, and they fly to Las Vegas and catch Frank's show. After the show, Joe takes the guy back to the dressing rooms, where Sinatra greets him warmly and has them both in for drinks. Back in Chicago, the customer is even more peeved at losing the bet, and determines to find some way to win it back.
One day he asks Joe if he knows Reagan. "Hell," sez Joe, "I got him into pictures." For the price of the airfare, I'll prove it to you." So off they go to D.C., where they join the daily tour of the White House. As they stroll through the East Wing, a door opens and old Ronnie steps out, surrounded by G-men. He spots Joe, pushes his way past the Secret Service guys, and embraces him like old times...
Back in Chicago again, the customer decides to have one last all-out attempt at retribution. "Hey, Joe," he says, "I'll bet you don't know the Pope ... heck, he ain't even Italian this time around!" "You betcha I do," sez Joe, "and for the price of the airfare, etc. etc."
They do indeed jet to the Vatican, and arrive at St. Peter's basilica during one of the large open-air masses the Pope conducts from a balcony. The piazza is packed with pilgrims, rosaries in hand, waiting for services to start. Joe and the customer are sandwiched between some sweet little old Italian senoras.
Joe turns to the customer and says "This is gonna be tough .. I don't think I can get us both into the chambers before Mass starts, but I'll tell you what. You keep an eye on that balcony up there, 'cuz that's where the Pope says Mass from. I'm going inside to meet him, and then I'll be back."
With that, Joe elbows his way off into the crowd. Left alone, the customer soon sees a small figure appear at the balcony and begin the ceremony. Soon, a second figure joins him, and they turn and hug each other warmly.
Pondering all this, the customer speculates that:
(1) he is so far away he can't really make out either of them and
(2) Joe has won so much money from him that he could conceivably stage the whole thing.
With that in mind, he nudges the little old lady next to him, who looks up from her rosary. "Excuse me, senora, but can you tell me, is that REALLY the Pope up there?"
The old woman squints hard in the direction of the balcony, and responds "I'm-a not sure, but the other fella with him is-a Joe Garibaldi!"
----------
This week's Homeschool Showcase is up
Kris is again hosting the Homeschool Showcase at her blog Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Boy is facing jail for wearing a NRA shirt to public school
This is mind boggling.
14-year-old at the center of "NRA T-Shirt Controversy" now facing possibility of 1 year in jail starts with:
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Suspended and arrested after refusing to change his NRA shirt. Today, 14-year-old Jared Marcum appeared before a judge and was officially charged with obstructing an officer.
A $500 fine and up to a year in jail, that's the penalty that Jared could face, now that a judge has allowed the prosecution to move forward with it's obstructing an officer charge against him.
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The court documents say the policeman is upset that Jared wouldn't stop talking. Imagine that a 14-year-old boy in a stressful situation. Maybe he is nervous. Doesn't seem like a year in jail is the right response. I am surprised the judge let this continue.
I am so glad we homeschool. Our children can wear whatever shirts we allow. We don't have to worry about the capriciousness of others.
Hat tip: Instapundit
14-year-old at the center of "NRA T-Shirt Controversy" now facing possibility of 1 year in jail starts with:
----------
Suspended and arrested after refusing to change his NRA shirt. Today, 14-year-old Jared Marcum appeared before a judge and was officially charged with obstructing an officer.
A $500 fine and up to a year in jail, that's the penalty that Jared could face, now that a judge has allowed the prosecution to move forward with it's obstructing an officer charge against him.
----------
The court documents say the policeman is upset that Jared wouldn't stop talking. Imagine that a 14-year-old boy in a stressful situation. Maybe he is nervous. Doesn't seem like a year in jail is the right response. I am surprised the judge let this continue.
I am so glad we homeschool. Our children can wear whatever shirts we allow. We don't have to worry about the capriciousness of others.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Book review: The Tall Stranger by Louis L’Amour
The Tall Stranger is an average Louis L’Amour, which means it is still pretty good.
Rock, the hero, is a young man who joins a wagon train. He is awkward with words, but not with guns. He helps the wagon train through some tough times, but they don’t trust him. Then a smooth talking man shows up and tells the wagon train about a “short cut.” They follow him.
The glib man wants to use the people in the wagon train to take land away from a cattle baron. Rock is suspicious from the start, but as he is not elegant with words the people in the wagon train ignore his concerns. The story moves pretty quickly.
I am always amazed at Louis L’Amour ability to make every page a page turner. Once started, his stories are hard to put down.
I enjoyed the story and would encourage anyone who had liked other Louis L’Amour stories, or westerns in general, to give “The Tall Stranger" a try.
Rock, the hero, is a young man who joins a wagon train. He is awkward with words, but not with guns. He helps the wagon train through some tough times, but they don’t trust him. Then a smooth talking man shows up and tells the wagon train about a “short cut.” They follow him.
The glib man wants to use the people in the wagon train to take land away from a cattle baron. Rock is suspicious from the start, but as he is not elegant with words the people in the wagon train ignore his concerns. The story moves pretty quickly.
I am always amazed at Louis L’Amour ability to make every page a page turner. Once started, his stories are hard to put down.
I enjoyed the story and would encourage anyone who had liked other Louis L’Amour stories, or westerns in general, to give “The Tall Stranger" a try.
The latest Homeschool Showcase
The latest Homeschool Showcase is up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Too many laws
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.
-Charles de Montesquieu,
philosopher and writer (1689-1755)
Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.
-Charles de Montesquieu,
philosopher and writer (1689-1755)
Be careful about donating money to "charities"
America's worst charities is a long article about how some "charities" rake in a lot of money but do little good. One common tactic is to give a lot of the money raised to the solicitors who raised the money, who often have connections with the leaders of the "charities." And many of these "charities" have names which sound similar to good charities, so you need to be very careful.
For example the "Kids Wish Network" (which sounds like the good Make-A-Wish organization) took in $127.8 million in the last decade and paid $109.8 million to solicitors. Then those in the organization took a salary and after other expenses only 2.5% was spent on direct cash aid.
Janine and I never give money in response to a phone call. If they sound legit we'll ask them to mail us. Very few have ever followed through.
Be careful about donating money. There are many bad charities.
For example the "Kids Wish Network" (which sounds like the good Make-A-Wish organization) took in $127.8 million in the last decade and paid $109.8 million to solicitors. Then those in the organization took a salary and after other expenses only 2.5% was spent on direct cash aid.
Janine and I never give money in response to a phone call. If they sound legit we'll ask them to mail us. Very few have ever followed through.
Be careful about donating money. There are many bad charities.
Homeschool, socialization and a wedding
When homeschooling first took off many critics claimed that mere parents were not qualified or able to teach their children. They felt it was clear that only “experts” were able to properly school children. Clearly parents would flounder and fail. But as time passed it became apparent that in general children who are homeschooled had greater mastery of academic topics.
So then the critics turned to “socialization.” They again felt it was clear that children who missed out on the public school experience would not be able to function in society. That somehow being forced to be with other people all the same age in a prison like environment was an appropriate way to learn how to get along in life, and by missing out on this experience homeschooled children would suffer. But again as time passed it became apparent that in general children who are do just fine in getting along with others.
Janine and I saw this recently with our children. Last week one of my nieces got married. Our daughters were interacting with the rest of the wedding party just fine. They helped prepare for the reception. They helped serve at the reception. And they helped clean up. At times they were taking care of small children. They met many people they had never seen before in their life and they got along just fine. There were no comments about how socially awkward they were. On the contrary a few people complimented me on how wonderful the girls were.
It is always nice to see your children do well, especially when when the “experts” predicate failure.
So then the critics turned to “socialization.” They again felt it was clear that children who missed out on the public school experience would not be able to function in society. That somehow being forced to be with other people all the same age in a prison like environment was an appropriate way to learn how to get along in life, and by missing out on this experience homeschooled children would suffer. But again as time passed it became apparent that in general children who are do just fine in getting along with others.
Janine and I saw this recently with our children. Last week one of my nieces got married. Our daughters were interacting with the rest of the wedding party just fine. They helped prepare for the reception. They helped serve at the reception. And they helped clean up. At times they were taking care of small children. They met many people they had never seen before in their life and they got along just fine. There were no comments about how socially awkward they were. On the contrary a few people complimented me on how wonderful the girls were.
It is always nice to see your children do well, especially when when the “experts” predicate failure.
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Time4Learning.net.
This will be the 389th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 389th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Life Humor 1.K
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
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BUMPER STICKER SEEN ON A CAR IN FLORIDA:
"Leaving Florida? Take a friend."
-The Commision Against Progress in Florida
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Subject: Praise or attack? Open-Apple, Feb '87 mentions a Wall Street Journal article...
Recently, Apple Computer Inc. purchased a $14.5 Cray Research supercomputer to aid in the design of their next-generation Apple computers.
John Rollwagen, Cray Research Inc. chief executive, told Seymour Cray about how Apple was using their newly purchased Cray supercomputer. "There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Seymour said 'That's interesting, because I'm designing the next Cray with an Apple'."
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Last month, after one the boats was eliminated from the Cup, the crew members decided to go sightseeing for kangaroos. Sure enough, they were successful: They were motoring through the bush when the car hit a kangaroo with a thud. The driver was taken aback. But then he decided it might be neat to take off his official team Gucci jacket, put it on the limp kangaroo, prop up the animal and pose for pictures with it. This worked fine until the kangaroo, who was merely stunned, woke up and bounded away - with the car keys inside the jacket. The stranded crew eventually made it back to civilization, but only after a long, long walk.
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At a recent aviation safety conference, Jack Eggspuler told a story similar to that of the student with the extra $25,000 credited to his account
[Steve Thompson, RISKS-4.46]:
He had banked for years at a small-town bank. One day, a large banking conglomerate bought up the small bank. After this, Jack noticed that his deposits weren't being listed.
He went into the bank to talk to them. It turned out that his account number, which had been assigned to him when the bank was independent, was identical to Borden Industries' account number with the conglomerate. Yup, his penny-ante deposits were going into Borden's account.
He thought it was straightened out. A week or so later he went in to cash a check, and asked for his balance. It was: $9,238,345.35. Ulp! He thought of a new Piper, but settled for a copy of the printout. He's got it hanging on his wall...
GIBU: Garbage in, Bucks out?
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COMPUTER KILLERS OF MARIETTA
MARIETTA, GA. -- If you *really* hate that clunker computer of yours, you can put it in the car, drive to the Bullet Stop in Marietta, GA (off Cobb Drive at Powder Springs Rd.) and put it out of its misery on the two-year old shop's firing range. With a machine gun.
Cathy Lavista of The Bullet Stop explains, "We had an Apple, a little old Apple, and there was a Xerox copy machine. Hewlett-Packard also brought in one of their printers, one of the great big ones, and set circuit boards on top of them. And they blow apart nicely -- little pieces go everywhere. You wouldn't need a very big gun. You could knock it out with 50 rounds off an HK, a German machine gun. Then if you really want to finish it off you could put it out of its misery with a Thompson sub-machine gun. That shoots .45 caliber shot, it's the old gangster gun, and it really cleans it up."
Of the customers: "They shoot from pretty close. By the time they get them in here they hate them. They usually take them out at 30 feet, you like to see what you're doing. When we sweep the range we find little bytes and pieces of things." (She laughs at her cleverness on that last line.) Actually, Ms. Lavista says, computers aren't the only things The Bullet Stop will let you shoot. "You can shoot it as long as you can get it through the doors and it's already dead. We had to open a side door for the printer."
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“I am not here as a serf or vassal. I am not begging my lords for mercy.
Becky Gerritson gave testimoney yesterday to the Ways and Means Committee:
I loved this set of sentances:
I am not here as a serf or vassal. I am not begging my lords for mercy. I’m a born free American woman, wife, mother and citizen. And I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place. It’s not your responsibility to look out for my well-being, and to monitor my speech. It’s not your right to assert an agenda. Your post, the post that you occupy, exists to preserve American liberty. You’ve sworn to perform that duty. And you have faltered.
In response I wrote my congressman and senators asking them to make sure all Americans received equal treatment before the law.
I loved this set of sentances:
I am not here as a serf or vassal. I am not begging my lords for mercy. I’m a born free American woman, wife, mother and citizen. And I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place. It’s not your responsibility to look out for my well-being, and to monitor my speech. It’s not your right to assert an agenda. Your post, the post that you occupy, exists to preserve American liberty. You’ve sworn to perform that duty. And you have faltered.
In response I wrote my congressman and senators asking them to make sure all Americans received equal treatment before the law.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Notes from a Homeschooling Mom.
The carnival starts with:
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So it was my turn to host the Carnival of Homeschooling, I was so very excited, as I am officially a veteran homeschooling having recently graduated my second and last child from homeschooling. She attended a homeschool-hybrid program for the Arts and some literature, and did the rest of her academics at home. So anyway, I was soooo giddy from the sheer glut of all the submissions coming into my email box, but didn't open too many of them right away, because I was still planning the graduation party, so my attention was directed elsewhere.
Well, I can tell you that looks are deceiving, because when I did start digging into the submissions, I found a big-ole-mess of spam. Now correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think us homeschoolers need to read a dozen posts from nanny services on how to keep in-laws from babysitting, or summer activity suggestion. (If I'm wrong, let me know and I will add them in.) I also don't think our main focus here is creating a professional looking garden, from a gardening website. Perhaps these guys need to find the appropriate carnivals to participate in.
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The carnival starts with:
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So it was my turn to host the Carnival of Homeschooling, I was so very excited, as I am officially a veteran homeschooling having recently graduated my second and last child from homeschooling. She attended a homeschool-hybrid program for the Arts and some literature, and did the rest of her academics at home. So anyway, I was soooo giddy from the sheer glut of all the submissions coming into my email box, but didn't open too many of them right away, because I was still planning the graduation party, so my attention was directed elsewhere.
Well, I can tell you that looks are deceiving, because when I did start digging into the submissions, I found a big-ole-mess of spam. Now correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think us homeschoolers need to read a dozen posts from nanny services on how to keep in-laws from babysitting, or summer activity suggestion. (If I'm wrong, let me know and I will add them in.) I also don't think our main focus here is creating a professional looking garden, from a gardening website. Perhaps these guys need to find the appropriate carnivals to participate in.
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Homeschool co-op over the years
Hi, oldest daughter here.
One of the things that we have done as homeschoolers is put together a homeschool co-op. This homeschool co-op has gone through several incarnations.
Our first co-op was held at the in-law suite in the back of one of the member’s house. Here we did chess, theater, IEW writing projects and science projects. Then the owner of the house moved away. Since then we have moved through several different venues.
We held co-op at a local park community center, a church and a garage. We continued to have chess, theater, IEW writing projects, and science projects. We have also added book club, choir, and Lego Mindstorms.
We then moved to another church were we held co-op for several years. At this church we had art class, both appreciation and drawing, gym class, choir, chess, Lego Mindstorms, theater and book club.
Last year for theater the co-op did a production of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. It was lots of fun because an actual drama teacher Mom knew from Church came and helped us. She helped a lot and it turned out rather well.
This year I was not able to participate because of school and work. But the co-op did a collection of skits and songs. Among the highlights were the boys rendition of ‘Sherri’ by the Four Seasons and two girls reenactment of Vizzini’s death scene from the Princess Bride.
Co-op has been really fun and very rewarding.
One of the things that we have done as homeschoolers is put together a homeschool co-op. This homeschool co-op has gone through several incarnations.
Our first co-op was held at the in-law suite in the back of one of the member’s house. Here we did chess, theater, IEW writing projects and science projects. Then the owner of the house moved away. Since then we have moved through several different venues.
We held co-op at a local park community center, a church and a garage. We continued to have chess, theater, IEW writing projects, and science projects. We have also added book club, choir, and Lego Mindstorms.
We then moved to another church were we held co-op for several years. At this church we had art class, both appreciation and drawing, gym class, choir, chess, Lego Mindstorms, theater and book club.
Last year for theater the co-op did a production of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. It was lots of fun because an actual drama teacher Mom knew from Church came and helped us. She helped a lot and it turned out rather well.
This year I was not able to participate because of school and work. But the co-op did a collection of skits and songs. Among the highlights were the boys rendition of ‘Sherri’ by the Four Seasons and two girls reenactment of Vizzini’s death scene from the Princess Bride.
Co-op has been really fun and very rewarding.
Some of our best posts from July 2007
Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for over seven years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from July 2007:
Janine has some scary numbers in 250% Increase in use of antipsychotic drugs on children.
She also explores why many teachers haven't mastered basic skills with More on teacher certification.
Janine has two posts about why we homeschool: Part 1 - to promote moral development of my children and Part 2 - to promote fiscal responsibility.
I really enjoyed "The Long Tail" so I wrote Book review: The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson.
Janine has some scary numbers in 250% Increase in use of antipsychotic drugs on children.
She also explores why many teachers haven't mastered basic skills with More on teacher certification.
Janine has two posts about why we homeschool: Part 1 - to promote moral development of my children and Part 2 - to promote fiscal responsibility.
I really enjoyed "The Long Tail" so I wrote Book review: The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson.
Life Humor 1.J
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
A few Light Bulb Jokes:
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Q: How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the bulb has got to really WANT to change.
A': None; the bulb will change itself when it is ready.
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Q: How many pre-med students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five: One to change the bulb and four to pull the ladder out from under him.
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Q: How many valley girls does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Oooh, like, manual labor? Gag me with a spoon! For sure.
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Q: How many Carl Sagans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Billions and billions.
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Q: How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: How many can you afford?
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Q: How many Harvard students does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Just one. He holds the light bulb and the universe revolves around him.
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Q: How many bureaucrats does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two. One to assure the everything possible is being done while the other screws the bulb into the water faucet.
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Q: How many accountants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: What kind of answer did you have in mind?
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Q: How many civil servants does it take to change the light bulb?
A: 45. One to change the bulb, and 44 to do the paperwork.
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Q: How many members of the U.S.S. Enterprise does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 7. Scotty will report to Captain Kirk that the light bulb in the Engineering Section is burnt out, to which Kirk will send Bones to pronounce the bulb dead. Scotty, after checking around, notices that they have no more new light bulbs, and complains that he can't see in the dark to tend to his engines. Kirk must make an emergency stop at the next uncharted planet, Alpha Regula IV, to procure a light bulb from the natives. Kirk, Spock, Bones, Sulu, and 3 red shirt security officers beam down. The 3 security officers are promptly killed by the natives, and the rest of the landing party is captured. Meanwhile, back in orbit, Scotty notices a Klingon ship approaching and must warp out of orbit to escape detection. Bones cures the native king who is suffering from the flu, and as a reward the landing party is set free and given all of the light bulbs they can carry. Scotty cripples the Klingon ship and warps back to the planet just in time to beam up Kirk et. al. The new bulb is inserted, and the Enterprise continues with its five year mission.
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Q: How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one. They don't like to share the spotlight.
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Q: How many dull people does it take to change a light bulb?
A: one.
A few Light Bulb Jokes:
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Q: How many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the bulb has got to really WANT to change.
A': None; the bulb will change itself when it is ready.
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Q: How many pre-med students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five: One to change the bulb and four to pull the ladder out from under him.
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Q: How many valley girls does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Oooh, like, manual labor? Gag me with a spoon! For sure.
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Q: How many Carl Sagans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Billions and billions.
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Q: How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: How many can you afford?
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Q: How many Harvard students does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Just one. He holds the light bulb and the universe revolves around him.
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Q: How many bureaucrats does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two. One to assure the everything possible is being done while the other screws the bulb into the water faucet.
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Q: How many accountants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: What kind of answer did you have in mind?
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Q: How many civil servants does it take to change the light bulb?
A: 45. One to change the bulb, and 44 to do the paperwork.
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Q: How many members of the U.S.S. Enterprise does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 7. Scotty will report to Captain Kirk that the light bulb in the Engineering Section is burnt out, to which Kirk will send Bones to pronounce the bulb dead. Scotty, after checking around, notices that they have no more new light bulbs, and complains that he can't see in the dark to tend to his engines. Kirk must make an emergency stop at the next uncharted planet, Alpha Regula IV, to procure a light bulb from the natives. Kirk, Spock, Bones, Sulu, and 3 red shirt security officers beam down. The 3 security officers are promptly killed by the natives, and the rest of the landing party is captured. Meanwhile, back in orbit, Scotty notices a Klingon ship approaching and must warp out of orbit to escape detection. Bones cures the native king who is suffering from the flu, and as a reward the landing party is set free and given all of the light bulbs they can carry. Scotty cripples the Klingon ship and warps back to the planet just in time to beam up Kirk et. al. The new bulb is inserted, and the Enterprise continues with its five year mission.
----------
Q: How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one. They don't like to share the spotlight.
----------
Q: How many dull people does it take to change a light bulb?
A: one.
A draconian focus on zero-tolerance has led to a lost of common sense
The media reports fairly often about how schools over react to young children even talking about guns. The zero-tolerance war on kindergarteners has some of the worse examples of this I've seen.
The article covers four instances in where young children are suspended from school because of tenuous associations with guns. The worse example was:
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Noah had no gun, toy or otherwise, but Aguirre said his son still was punished for talking with other students about the Nerf guns the family recently bought during a trip to Lincoln City, Ore.
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Yes, the boy was punished because he talked about "Nerf guns."
Crazy.
Hat tip: Instapundit
The article covers four instances in where young children are suspended from school because of tenuous associations with guns. The worse example was:
----------
Noah had no gun, toy or otherwise, but Aguirre said his son still was punished for talking with other students about the Nerf guns the family recently bought during a trip to Lincoln City, Ore.
----------
Yes, the boy was punished because he talked about "Nerf guns."
Crazy.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Reminder: Please send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Notes From A Homeschool Mom
This will be the 388th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 388th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Good column on the future of online education
I enjoyed Andy Kessler's column Professors Are About to Get an Online Education. He writes about some of the recent experiments in the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). There has been a lot of push back because MOOCs threaten teacher's livelihood. Andy makes a great point:
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I was upbraided for not understanding the plight of teachers. The plight of students, as is too often the case in discussions of education, didn't seem to rate the same concern.
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If you are interested in the future of MOOCs the column is worth reading.
Hat tip: Instapundit
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I was upbraided for not understanding the plight of teachers. The plight of students, as is too often the case in discussions of education, didn't seem to rate the same concern.
-----------
If you are interested in the future of MOOCs the column is worth reading.
Hat tip: Instapundit
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at The HSBA Post.
Lisa starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to The Homeschool Post’s edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! Since this carnival is full of a variety of topics we’ve decided to call it the “May Mashup”.
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Lisa starts the carnival with:
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Welcome to The Homeschool Post’s edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! Since this carnival is full of a variety of topics we’ve decided to call it the “May Mashup”.
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Cate Academy Year in Review - Kindergarten
Here's a overview of what Kindergarten looked like at Cate Academy (homeschool) in 2013:
At the most, we spent 30 minutes of "seat time" a day, in comparison to the 60 minutes or more a day of "bike time." We are pretty "unschoolish" in kindergarten, but not true unschoolers because I regularly require a page or two of workbookish stuff and other written exercises.
List of Activities and Resources:
- lots of playing in the back yard
- learning to ride a bike without training wheels
- lots of bike riding
- tactile learning
- speech therapy twice a week
- lots of Legos
- gymnastics class
- Sky High (trampoline jumping place)
- science class at Rock-it Science
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| Science project |
- Get Ready for the Code – Book A
- Get Set for the Code – Book B
- Go for the Code – Book C
- Explode the Code 1
- Bob Books
- Peterson Handwriting
 |
| Notice the smiley face on the letter "g." |
- Wide variety of children’s books
- The “Fun Class” at homeschool co-op
(This usually includes a story about a country or animal and a craft project taught by a mom at co-op.)
- Children’s choir at homeschool co-op
- Art Class at homeschool co-op
(We hired an art teacher to come in once a month. This consisted of a variety of painting and drawing techniques.)
- Spontaneous Educational Opportunities
 |
| Spring Clean Up |
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