Friday, December 27, 2013

Christmas Eve Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling

I hope everyone had a Blessed Solstice and Merry Christmas. The Nerd Family is hosting this weeks CoH.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Monday, September 09, 2013

The Dirty Little Secret H$LDA Doesn't Want You to Know

This is the law that HSLDA keeps referring to as a Nazi  Era Law.
Attendance at school is mandatory for all children in Germany from the age of six until the age of eighteen, and home schooling is not permissible. Children often have a choice between public and private schools. The latter may be religious or secular, and either can obtain governmental subsidies if they are properly accredited.[45] Aside from a few private universities, attendance at colleges and universities is free,[46] and stipends and loans are provided to students who cannot defray their living expenses while studying. [47] 

Nothing really ominous about it, in fact until recently many States in the United States didn't allow homeschooling. Back in 1980, home schooling was illegal in 30 states. It was not until 1993 that all 50 states made the practice lawful in the United States.

The Romeikes had several options. They could have sent their children to an accredited private religious school at government expense. They could have sent their children to an unaccredited private school at their own expense. They could have sent their children to a secular private or public school. Since Germany is part of the European Union they could have moved to another country in the EU that allowed homeschooling or they could work to change the educational laws in Germany so that homeschooling would be legal, while obeying the law.  Germany is a Federal Republic and has a democratic government pretty much like ours.

Instead they choose to ignore all the LEGAL options for educating their children and BROKE THE LAW. Now HSLDA who paid for the Romeikes' to come to the United States and a bunch of Fundamentalist Christians are beating their chest and demanding that we allow these LAW BREAKING MOOCHERS to stay in the United States.

Let's be clear this is NOT about religious persecution. Germany has religious freedom. The German Constitution  (much like our own) protects freedom of religion by guaranteeing free exercise of religion, banning the establishment of a state church, and providing some forms of affirmative governmental support to religious and ideological organizations.

This is about a family choosing to break their countries educational laws with the encouragement of HSLDA and being paid to flee to the United States and stir up controversy. 


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Homeschooling Choice

I have to say I disagree with this author Homeschool is a how-to-live decision not a how-to-learn decision.

I do think children should be given some say in the decision to homeschool. My third and fifth grader (at the time) wanted to be homeschooled, and were very happy when we made the switch from public school to homeschool. I really can't see it working otherwise.

Certainly parents should be the ones making the final decision on where to live, what house to purchase etc., but certainly children should be given some say and their opinions should be taken into consideration when possible when making a decision that affects them.

One of the most enjoyable things about homeschooling was how the kids interest could be taken into account when making lesson plans and choosing additional subjects. I allowed the children to choose which foreign language to learn and they choose Japanese. It gave us all a chance to learn something new and turned out to be very helpful when my husband wound up going to Japan on a business trip.

Listening to your children and showing an interest in their activities is part of good parenting.  Allowing them to make age appropriate decisions and suffer the consequences of those decisions is how they learn to be mature responsible adults capable of making their own decisions.

Saturday, August 03, 2013

Back to Homeschool Kindle Fire Giveaway!

Back to Homeschool Kindle Fire Giveaway! over at Royal Little Lambs.
Back to Homeschool Kindle Fire Giveaway!
Back to Homeschool Kindle Fire Giveaway!
Back to Homeschool Kindle Fire Giveaway!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Book Review

When the Eagle Hunts (Eagle, #3)When the Eagle Hunts by Simon Scarrow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is unbelievable and I am totally disgusted by the number of horses/mules killed.

General Plautius' wife and children are shipwrecked behind enemy lines and taken prisoner by a fanatical set of Druids of the Dark Moon. The Druids have issued an ultimatum free the Druid prisoners captured by the Romans are the General's family will be sacrificed to Cruach at the First Budding. Cato and Macro are sent behind enemy lines with Iceni guides Prasutagus and Boudica to rescue them.

After barely escaping from an ambush, the group finally get on the trail of the Druids and their hostages. They arrive at the sacred grove not long after the Druids left to discover Diomedes (Greek trader trying to avenge his family) impaled on a stake through the anus. Before he dies he tells them the General's family is being taken to Mai Dun - The Great Fortress.

Desperate to reach them before they reach The Great Fortress and a rescue becomes impossible they push on and barely get there in time. When the wagon carrying the prisoners is temporarily separated from it's warrior escort they make their move. Macro is grievously injured in the rescue attempt, unable to free the General's wife who is chained they leave with the two children but the young boy escapes from them and runs back to his Mother. Boudica takes the unconscious Macro and the General's daughter back to Vespasian, while Cato and Prasutagus try to find a way to rescue the General's wife and son. The Druid's angered by the rescue attempt send the boy's finger to Vespasian with the threat that if another rescue attempt is make the prisoners will be sacrificed early. Cato sneaks into The Great Fortress, but is unable to free the hostages.

Vespasian leads an attack on The Great Fortress and Cato with a small band of men sneak in and rescue the General's wife and son. Cato is seriously wounded during the escape and winds up in the same hospital room as Macro. The General's gratitude extends to making Cato a Centurion. Boudica and Prasutagus return to their tribe and are married.

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