The Ambler Warning
by Robert Ludlum

If you enjoyed The Bourne Identity you'll love this book. Has a very shocking and heartbreaking ending. I didn't see it coming. Full of thrills and chills.

At Stand Up For Kids in Mississippi read how a federal law will allow teachers to preform strip searches on students.

The Public School at Home Debate !

Jennifer Barnett Reid in School or Scam? ask why taxpayers should foot the bill for public school at home.

Because families in the Virtual School must be able to have an adult at home full-time, it's effectively off limits to many, although Greenway said that about 30 percent of children in the school this year are low-income, and some live with only one parent. The online-school model, though, is beyond the intent of Arkansas's charter school law, Argue said, and widening the umbrella of public education to include homeschooling simply because it meets the needs of a certain segment of families would be taking the first step down a perilous road. "If we redefine public education to include homeschooling, the next logical debate is, why not broaden it to include private schools or church schools?" he said.

National Charter School Watch Blog ask If Homeschool Advocates Are Literalist?

If “literalism” means “seeking the plain meaning without exaggeration, distortion, or inaccuracy”, and separating the facts from someone’s ideals, then yes, I would classify myself as a literalist when it comes to seeing the necessity in acknowledging the distinctions between homeschooling and public school-at- home programs. I would ask national and state homeschool advocates to consider applying their efforts to presenting these facts:

Homeschooling is
1. Not a public school choice.
2. Homeschooling is not a government program. It is an education option as separate as non-government funded, private education.
3. Options such as charter schools and public virtual schools are choices which are not independent of public schooling.
4. Homeschooled students are not under federal NCLB requirements, nor are they required to keep state learning standards.

To those who would seek to vilify others for acknowledging public school-at-home is not homeschooling, I would encourage tolerance for other’s viewpoints and a greater respect for our homeschool diversity.

I encourage you to read these two post in their entirety. Homeschoolers must stay abreast of the public school at home debate, in order to safe guard their homeschooling freedoms or we may all be doing public school at home rather we want to or not.

American History

You can now visit the Museum of the Confederacy online.

Hummingbirds

I saw a hummingbird in my yard today. Everyone now is a terrific time to put up hummingbird feeders. Here is a recipe for hummingbird food. Also when planting flowers it's a terrific idea to plant those that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Not only will you be able to enjoy the flowers, but you can enjoy the hummingbird and butterfly visitors they attract.

If you are interested in Hummingbirds check out Operation Ruby Throat, they welcome homeschool participation.

Creole Anyone?

A Florida school's Creole classes are causing a stir.

Rico and Kalyn James were among dozens of parents and school officials who participated in a survey to choose the languages for the school's new dual-language program. The parents were given the options of French, Spanish and Creole. According to the survey, French and Spanish were the top choices.

So why was Creole picked?

Several parents in Morningside's attendance zone say they were blind-sided by the implementation of Creole into the school's curriculum, a decision they argue was influenced by Haitian solidarity, which undermined the wishes of many non-Haitian parents.

Chalk it up to multi-culturalism. Spanish or French would have served these children better, but it's more important to be politically correct and culturally diverse.

Papal Regret

We all know how the media was instrumental in destroying Senator Trent Lott's career as Speaker of the House by taking a statement he made at a private birthday party out of context. Now they are doing it with the Pope.

The speech was largely a scholarly address criticizing the West for submitting itself too much to reason, and shutting belief in God out of science and philosophy. But he began by recounting a discussion of Christianity and Islam between a 14th-century Byzantine Christian emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, and a Persian scholar. "Benedict said, I quote, ‘Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached'-Manuel II Paleologus’’ . Benedict also briefly considered the Islamic concept of jihad, which he defined as “holy war,” and said that violence in the name of religion was contrary to God’s nature and to reason.

But never mind what Pope Benedict said. Let's take a look at the Muslims response.

A Turkish man with a fake gun tried to storm a Protestant church in Turkey’s capital, Ankara. He was arrested after worshipers trapped him in the church entryway.

Why did he attempt to storm a Protestant Church? The Pope does not and never has spoken for Protestant's. Apparently Muslims are so ignorant of the Christian religion that they do not understand that there is a difference between Catholics and Protestants and that the Pope does not have any sway over Protestants.

And if you want to prove your religion isn't evil and inhuman then burning an effigy of the Pope and posting a warning on a web site threatening war against “worshipers of the cross” doesn't seem to be the best way to go about it.

Anne Applebaum of The Washington Post thinks we should all join together to protect "free speech".

The fanatics attacking the pope already limit the right to free speech among their own followers. I don't see why we should allow them to limit our right to free speech, too.

Lesson Plans can be found at the New York Times.

Bird Walk

The Bird Walk at Gulf Island National Seashore, was well worth getting up early for. I am thrilled that Sean and I got to see a Clapper Rail. These are very shy birds, we had heard them for awhile, but we didn't see one until the tour was almost over and we were busy checking off the birds we saw. And then right in front of us one flew up out of the grass and hovered for a few seconds before sinking back out of sight in the grass.

Other birds we saw:
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Ospry
Laughing Gull
A Tern (sorry but I don't know what kind of tern it was)
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Warbler (again I am not sure what kind, but there were several flying around a pine tree)

For those of you interested in identifying the birds you see check out Cornell Lab's online bird guide.

The weather was nice and sunny this morning, so the walk was very pleasant. We also saw some lovely wildflowers. Morning glories are a favorite of mine, so I was thrilled to see them along the trail.

We should start seeing humming birds around here soon, so I am fixing to go put some food in my humming bird feeders.

This is my entry to win a camera in the "Capture the Educational Moment" Contest sponsored by Spunky and Academic Superstore.


Related Tags: birds, clapper rail, on-line bird guide, Gulf Island National Seashore

The Thinking Mother: Carnival of Homeschooling Week 38: The Five W's and One H

This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up, so drop by for some educational and entertaining post.

What is the value of an education?

Henry Cate's ask What is the value of an education? Read the Cate's Why Homeschool blog for the answer.

Homeschool Woes in Oregon

What's really interesting is the parents didn't realize their children were taking part in a homeschool program.

The Sisters school district received $1.2 million in public funds for a homeschool program in violation of a state ban on the use of public money to benefit a religious institution, a state audit has found. Auditors also found that parents of Sonrise students were not generally aware that their children were participating in the district's homeschool program, although the district was receiving money for the costs associated with educating those students.

If it's really homeschooling how can the parents not know????

Articles of Note From the Metro Business Chronicle Blog

Kirk Thompson explains why education fails to make the grade in Mississippi. Of particular concern is the fact that civil rights education is being promoted over science, math & reading - skills Mississippi public school students definitely need to improve.

How any education superintendent, educator, or school administrator can look at these numbers and argue for more social education in Mississippi schools is also staggering. When less than half of the students are performing at NAEP Basic level, it is time to implement another language arts class, not civil rights education. Are there any more basic skills than reading and math? A child will be unable to learn history from a history book or create a poster of his or her favorite culture if the ability to read has not been developed properly.

Considering that we throw more tax money at education then we do defense the failure of our public schools is alarming. Sadly students were better educated years ago.

A hundred years ago, the average high school student could speak and read both ancient Greek and Latin. Today? Most. Lack. Knowledge. That speaks for itself.

Natalie Criss's article on capitalism is well worth reading. And if you ever doubted the importance of education consider this.

Capitalism is the result of thoughtful, engaged, rational minds. Therefore, paralysis brought on by indecision is the biggest threat to capitalism.

These two article are well worth reading in their entirety so grab a cup of coffee, click on the links and get busy reading.

Related Tags: Kirk Thompson, education, Natalie Criss, capitalism, civil rights, reading, math, science

Public Schools & Bullying

Three boys were bullied and harassed so badly that they devised a scheme to harm classmates. One of they boys was teased because of his weight and a learning disability. His Mother made teachers aware of the bullying and harassment but nothing was ever done.

Sturtz's mother said her son was kicked out of the school last year for bringing a knife because he felt he needed protection. He was assigned to an alternative school for the last part of the year. She said she called the principal and social workers to alert them to her son being bullied but no one ever called back.

"He didn't want to go to school because of the kids and he knew the teachers wouldn't do anything because we tried last year," the mother said.

Now the victims of the bullying and harassment face jail time, while the bullies get off. Why weren't the bullies punished? Why wasn't the harassment stopped? Why did school authorities allow these kids to be bullied and harassed for years?

A New Plan For Mississsippi

The Mississippi Press insist that we need a new education plan for Mississsippi. Considering these chilling facts

The state's graduation rate is 60 percent. Of the students entering ninth-grade, 35 percent drop out before graduation.

I agree.

Has Anyone Heard of Separation of Church & State?

One has too wonder what the Bush boys were doing during Civics.

Holy Land Park scored a major victory this summer when Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill granting a property-tax exemption to nonprofit organizations that display biblical manuscripts or that stage scenes from the Bible. Holy Land paid a team of lobbyists between $10,000 and $30,000 to push the legislation through, according to lobbyists' records.

What about a theme park that displays the Koran does it get a tax break? What about a Wican theme park will they get tax breaks? I imagine sooner or later someone will challenge government support for only Christianity based theme parks. After all the government isn't suppose to support one religion over another, the bill Jeb Bush signed does.

Related Tags: Holy Land Theme Park, Florida, Jeb Bush, tax exemptions for Christian Theme Parks

Public Schools Are Not Safe

The safety of their children provides a strong motivation for some parents to homeschool. Apparently not only are public schools failing to educate children, they are also failing to create good citizens.

Two teenage boys amassed a cache of guns, ammunition, bombs and other weapons at their homes and apparently planned to use them to attack their high school, authorities said Thursday.

Lonely Girl 15

Her You Tube profile states Bree is home-schooled . Viewers are led to believe she is the daughter of strictly religious parents. But somehow Bree is able to find the time and technology to upload video blogs of her innermost thoughts, without her parents knowledge. Too bad they can't come up with anything more original then the typical homeschool stereotypes.

You see it's a hoax. Bree is played by actress Jessica Rose, a 20-ish resident of New Zealand and Los Angeles and a graduate of the New York Film Academy. The whole project appears to be the early serialized version of what eventually will become a movie.

It certainly doesn't portray homeschoolers in the best light. Considering the public generally has a lot of misconceptions about homeschoolers this is one hoax that needs to be brought to light sooner rather then later. If you want to do a fictionalized story about homeschoolers fine, but make sure everyone knows it's fiction.

Related Tags: YouTube, Lonelygirl15, Bree, hoax, homeschool, strict religious parents

The Thinking Mother: Please Contribute To The Next Carnival of Homechooling

The next COH will be hosted by The Thinking Mother who is asking for contributions. She has some wonderful tips for those who would like to contribute but are suffering from writer's block.

A MEME About Books

One book that changed your life:
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, while it hasn't changed my life in a big way, it has changed the way I think about somethings.

One book that you've read more than once:
Lord of the Rings by Tolkien

One book that you would want on a desert island:
How on earth do you expect me to manage with just one. Honestly you have to at least let me have all the books on my family room book shelves. But I demand a public library on this desert island. They can drop new books by plane every month or something.

One book that made you laugh:
They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? Actually anything by Patrick F. McManus is guaranteed to have me giggling.

One book that made you cry:
A Tale of Two Cities

One book that you wish had been written:
I just wish Tolkien and some of my other favorite authors were still alive and churning out books for me to read.

One book you could not put down:
Any book I pick up.

One book you are currently reading:
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, I can't wait for him to finish the third one in the series.


One book you've been meaning to read:
Gosh you expect me to pick just one off my list of 100+, that I add a new book to almost everyday.

Odds & Ends

Dana Hanley at Homeland Stupidity (gotta love that blog title) defends homeschoolers from Kelley Course's outrageous demand that homeschoolers be subject to visits from social services in Indiana.


McGann's Factors has tips for homeschoolers who wish to attend MIT.

Related Tags: homeschoolers, social services, Kelley Course, Indiana, , MIT, admission policy

9/11

The Democrats told me not to watch it because it bashed the Clinton administration. I can only wonder what on earth they were referring to. The film didn't mention Clinton, and only briefly showed the firemen listening to President George W. Bush on TV. The documentary itself was more focused on the reactions of the firemen watching TV, then on what they were watching.

The American Family Association told me not to watch it because of the swear words. Considering the outcry they raised and their threats to have the FCC fine CBS if they showed it I was surprised at how little profanity was in the documentary.

I found the documentary moving, and extremely sad. I will never forget the chilling sound of the bodies hitting the ground. Made by Gedeon and Jules Naudet who were actually filming a documentary about a rookie firefighter when the World Trade Center was attacked it's focus is on the firemen from Engine 7. How they desperately tried to get the people out, how they dealt with the loss of friends and fellow fire fighters, how their escape from tower one was a miracle, and the survivors guilt they deal with even now. It also documented their grim determination to go back the next day and rescue anyone trapped and their dismay when they realized all that was left was body parts and dust.

Today they still deal with survivors guilt and some have medical problems related to 9/11, but you have to admire the resilience of those who go on fighting fires, go on saving lives and rejoice in the lives they were able to save 9/11, while never forgetting those who were lost.

Related Tags: 9/11, documentary, AFA, Naudet, New York City Firemen

Book Reviews

Speak You Also A Survivor's Reckoning

by Paul Steinberg

In 1943 Paul Steinberg (age 16) was arrested in Paris and deported to Auschwitz, this is the story of how he survived.

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein

Book One Prodigal Son

&

Book Two City of Night

Set in New Orleans. 200 years ago Victor Frankenstein created a monster. Now the monster is more human then his creator, can Deucalion save humanity from Victor's latest creations?

Florida students celebrate Freedom Week.

Public School at Home Causes Problems For Homeschoolers in PA

Click here to read what the law legally requires of homeschoolers in PA.

Prior to the 2006-2007 school year, Avon Grove School District sent a letter to homeschooling parents notifying them that it had revised its policy for home education programs. Unfortunately, the new policy had little resemblance to the actual requirements for homeschooling under Pennsylvania law. The most egregious deviations from state law were as follows:

*The program of home instruction had to be deemed satisfactory by the Avon Grove School Board in order to receive approval.

*Parents had to submit a written application to the superintendent requesting authorization to conduct a home education program and meet with the superintendent to demonstrate that the parent/guardian has the capability of providing the educational program.

*The policy said that the District reserves the right to have the student evaluated by the school psychologist or other trained personnel to determine the student's mental ability as well as achievement/instructional level.

*The parents had to submit proposed instructional materials to the school district for review prior to approval of the home education program.

*Parents had to be monitored every month to determine whether or not the instructional program is being completed according to the requirements of the School District and state regulations and standards.

*Students receiving in-home instruction had to participate in all standardized testing for public school students at the public school.

*Parents were required to complete the school district's report card indicating the student's rate of progress and submit a copy of the report card to the appropriate building principal on the dates specified by the district.

*Ignoring the administrative procedure of state law, the policy authorized the school district to summarily terminate the home education program if it is determined the student is not making responsible learning progress.

I suppose they assume since they are responsible for insuring that public school at home students meet all the public school requirements they now have the right to interfer with real homeschoolers too. This should put homeschoolers everywhere on alert.

Related Tags: homeschooling laws, school district, Pennsylvania

Distinguishing Between Public School at Home & Homeschooling

In a guest post on Spunky's blog Annette discusses the importance of distinguishing between Public School at Home and Homeschooling.

For those of you who just don't understand the difference, I'll attempt to explain; in terms hopefully even the densest among us can understand. Public School at Home is like renting. You may live in the house, you may consider the house your home; but no matter how often you refer to it as your home it still belongs to your landlord. You can't make changes to the house without his permission and he can kick you out when your lease is up. With public school at home the government (landlord) calls the shots. Homeschooling on the other hand is like being a homeowner, you are free to make changes to your home whenever you want, if you want to rip out the carpeting and replace it with tile; there isn't a problem it's your house. With homeschooling the parents (owners) call the shots. Those of us who wish to distinguish between public school at home (renters) and homeschoolers (homeowners) aren't being mean, we don't feel superior, we aren't elitist and we aren't trying to keep you out of our neighborhood. We are merely trying to explain that there is a difference between doing public school at home and homeschooling. We don't want people (especially lawmakers) to blur the lines. We don't want the government to take away our rights. We will cheerfully welcome you into our groups; just do everyone a favor and don't call yourselves homeschoolers. It confuses people like Dee, who think just because Dan voluntarily chooses to do public school at home and have government oversight other homeschoolers should fall in line and do public school at home too.

Be sure to check out Annette's post on Spunky's blog, she has done a lot of research and her post is very informative.

Evolution

It looks like the same old same old, a small group wants to undermine science for the sake of their religious beliefs.

At issue is a proposal before a state Board of Education committee that would provide science teachers with guidelines for teaching topics. Supporters say it would force students to think critically about complex issues. Critics say it is an attempt to undermine science by encouraging students to question the validity of evolution, stem-cell research and global warming.

While I am all for discussing complex political issues; perhaps a science class isn't the best place for the debate.

Sacrificing Truth on the Altar of Diversity

Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe writes about how textbook publishers often resort to fakery in order to meet their quotas for pictures of handicapped children and minorities. Don't believe everything you see - seems to be the lesson to be learned from this asinine idea that textbooks must show x number of minorities and x number of handicapped children.

And it's perfectly ok to leave out a historically important white male (after all in order to be politically correct white males should be marginalized) as long as you replace them with a minority figure.

Follow Up to The Slippery Slope of Censoring Books

The Sun Herald wrote an outstanding editorial about how our laws in Mississippi are being used against legitimate books.

Public School at Home is Not Homeschooling

Sometimes the best post come from the responses to links left in the comments. Cerulean Sanctum claims to be homeschooling, but then goes on to say this.

Today, my son formally starts Kindergarten with Ohio Virtual Academy, a homeschooling program chartered as a public school, so our taxpayer dollars go to our homeschooling!

This is NOT homeschooling, this is public school in the student's home. I have no problem with Virtual Schools or Charter Schools, but PLEASE be honest about what you are. You are Virtual Schoolers or Charter Schoolers, you are NOT homeschoolers. Your schools are supported by tax money just like traditional public schools and you have to answer to public school authorities. Which is why it is important to make the distinction between those who really homeschool their kids and those who simply attend a public school in their home. And it leads to people like Dee demanding that real homeschoolers be accountable to someone, after all the public school at home students are and they consider themselves homeschoolers, so why don't the rest of us jump on the government bandwagon.

If I understand the comments of the folks above, they are against being accountable to anyone but the Lord for their homeschooling practices. Being accountable to the Lord is of utmost importance, but I have known parents who homeschool who need to be held accountable to more than just the Lord, because their children are not being taught well. In fact, sometimes their children cannot read at their grade level despite being of above average intelligence. I am concerned about those who just decide that their children don't need to study a certain subject such as math. Legislation might be avoided if homeschoolers would voluntarily be accountable to organized homeschool groups. Being involved with an organized group should beconsidered because of its great benefits rather than its limitations. I applaud you for choosing such a program.

Exactly what organized homeschool group would she force me to be accountable to? HSLDA whom I don't agree with on many issues or some state run homeschool group? No, thanks! Dee is also assuming that all homeschoolers, homeschool for religious reason, which in my case isn't true. I certainly don't want to be accountable to some religious group (which the majority of homeschool groups are) for my children's education. I prefer being accountable to no one. After all I have my children's best interest at heart. And considering my oldest started college at 16 I think I have done a much better job then the public schools would have done. Dee has to be nuts if she thinks every public school student reads at grade level!!!!!! Most public school students read way below grade level as evidenced by the dumbing down of public school textbooks and classrooms.

At least Elena gets the difference, unlike Dan who seems to be emotionally invested in claiming he homeschools even though they do public school at home.

Dan, I live in Ohio too. My oldest goes to Akron Digital Academy, a cyber school formed by the Akron Public School Board. My other four students are home schooled in that I filled out the notification form and sent an assessment by a certified teacher that they were working at their own level as required by Ohio law. So stating all that, I have to say that I love Bill Bennett's program. If I ever decided to use a public cyber school for my next oldest child, that's the one I would go with! However, it's not homeschooling. The legal requirements for enrolling my child in ADA was a lot different than what was required to homeschool. He has to take the Ohio proficiency tests, just as your son will. They are different.

Dan turned off the comments so I can't respond on his blog, but what he and JettyBetty do not get is their insistence on calling public school at home, homeschooling, may someday limit the choices of real homeschoolers. That is why we do not want them calling themselves homeschoolers, not because we are elitist or because we think our method is superior, but because we do not want our choices limited.

Related Tags: public school at home, homeschooling, Cerulean Sanctum, virtual Schools, charter Schools

My Response to Dan Edelen - A Public School At Home Dad

Dan Edelen claims he homeschools even though he is doing public school at home.
He says
* I am the teacher.
According to the OHVA website he is teamed up with a certified teacher. At best he is an assistant teacher. The certified teacher is calling the shots.

* My son does not attend physical classes as a group with any other children.
So you are doing public school at home. In his own post he admits this is a public charter school paid for with tax $

*My son attends class as a lone student within our home.
Again you are doing public school at home. OHVA has more then one student.

* I select the curricula.
Really!!! Nowhere on the OHVA website, did I see a place for parents to choose textbooks.

* I select which parts of the curricula we do in a day and how it is taught.
OK, you get some flexibility unlike traditional public school students, but your child is still enrolled in a public school.

* I can include family activities or other resources as schoolwork.
OK, you get some flexibility unlike traditional public school students, but your child is still enrolled in a public school.

* I can skip over whatever curricula I feel my son has already mastered.
OK, you get some flexibility unlike traditional public school students, but your child is still enrolled in a public school.

* Our schooling is subject to all the positives and negatives of being schooled at home.
This statement shows how much Dan Edelen doesn’t understand real homeschooling. He is not receiving all the positives real homeschoolers do. But since he has never been a real homeschooler he doesn’t know what he is missing. I have the freedom to choose every textbook we use, I have the freedom to select every subject I teach. As a real homeschooler I am not subject to government oversight. And I resent public school at home parents co-opting the homeschooling label which could lead the government to take away my options.

The OHVA website claims
Top 10 Reasons Parents Choose OHVA:
1. Public School Accountability
I don’t want to be accountable to a public school. If you do that is fine, but don’t call yourself a homeschooler.

2. Superior K12 Curriculum
Really, says who. Is it as good as the curriculum I picked out on my own that allowed my son to start college at 16 and major in computer science?

3. Extensive Support System
I don’t want government support. If you do that’s fine, but don’t call yourself a homeschooler.

4. Flexible Scheduling
As a homeschooler I already have this.

5. Expert Lesson Plans
Homeschoolers can find expert lesson plans on the Internet, or they can make their own.

6. One-on-one Approach
As a homeschooler I already have this.

7. Socialization Opportunities
Homeschoolers are free to join recreational sports leagues, participate in church youth groups and form homeschool support groups, we don’t need a public school at home program to provide socialization.

8. Focused, Ethical Environment
Yeah, we all know how ethical public schools are, Bennett’s K12, especially.

In Arkansas -The U.S. Department of Education employees who oversee the public school choice program initially suggested funding for 10 programs, basing their on recommendations from peer reviewers. Bennett's K12 Arkansas project was not among them. Education Week reported that K12's proposal did not score high enough among the peer reviewers to win a funding recommendation.

9. Gifted & Talented Support
If having a gifted or talented program is important to you as a homeschooler you can either find one or start your own, you don’t need a public school at home program to do so.

10. Safety, Peace of Mind
Homeschoolers already have this; they don’t need a public school at home program.

Dan maintains he is a homeschooler because he son doesn’t attend a traditional public school, but Annette points out why he is doing public school at home, by providing us with what the government legally determines a public school to be.

1.) Is supported with public funds.
He brags about getting tax money in his own blog “so our taxpayer dollars go to our homeschooling!”.

2.) Is authorized by action of and operated under the oversight of a publicly constituted local or state educational agency.
Again in his own blog he admits it is a public charter school.

3.) Provides educational services to all students who are enrolled.
Yes, OHVA provides educational services to all students who are enrolled.

4.) Has an appropriately credentialed teacher (or teachers) who provides instruction.
Says they do on the OHVA website.

5.) Has at least one appropriately credentialed administrator, usually a principal, who is responsible for all aspects of school administration including supervision and evaluation of staff, fiscal responsibility, student discipline and safety, supervision and evaluation of curriculum, and assessment of academic achievement and school accountability.
Claims to on the OHVA website.

6.) Has an administrator, usually a principal, with access to and responsibility for maintaining official student records for all enrolled students.
Claims to on the OHVA website.

Looks like Dan’s public school at home meets all the requirements for a public school to me. So why is he adamant that he is homeschooling? When it’s obvious that he isn’t.

Christy commented

Confusion like this– asserting that a child enrolled in a public, private, or online school– will lead to messier legislation that will adversely affect homeschoolers everywhere.

She is right and that is why real homeschoolers do not want public school at home parents claiming to be homeschoolers. It is not because we are elitist, it is not because we feel superior to you, it is because we do not want our freedom to homeschool curtailed. We do not want the government or someone like Dee to decide the only legitimate way to homeschool is by doing public school at home.

Book Reviews

Maximum Ride: School's Out~ Forever

By James Patterson

I can't wait until the next book. This one had some stunning developments. The flock actually goes to public school. Needless to say the experience wasn't a happy one for them. Iggy finds his parents, and Total the talking dog is a riot. Not to mention the flying Erasers.

The Glass~Blowers

by Daphne Du Maurier

Set in France, June of 1844, eighty year old Madame Sophie Duval nee Busson tells the story of her life.

Algebra Help?

The Frugal Homeschool offers help with Algebra. I am so glad I discovered her blog. I intend to visit often.

Why Homeschool: Carnival of Homeschooling Week 36: Labor Day

The Cates did a wonderful job, as always. I can't wait to read the post so I'll be back later.

This is NOT Homeschooling

According to the Salt Lake Tribune Online Schools Combine Public and Home Education. But exactly how do you homeschool and do public school at the same time? You don't! This is merely public education at home. It's still public school, the only difference is the location of the students.

The Tribune says

Once, choosing home schooling meant rejecting public school. Now, computer technology enables amicable separations.

Real homeschoolers still reject public education. And considering the failure of public schools in traditional school house settings, what makes anyone think they could do an adequate job of educating children in a non-traditional setting?

Facts On Home Education

Visit My Fun Home School to read this informative post about homeschooling in Malaysia.

I found this cute MEME at Phat Mommy's

1) ONE FIELD TRIP YOUR CHILD LEARNED A LOT FROM
Our trip to Hawaii, we learned about time zones, how to navigate airports, we learned more about body searches then we actually wanted to know. Had a chance to try out our Japanese on the Japanese tourist in Hawaii. And we saw some really beautiful places. We also learned not to dive too deep when you are snorkeling or you tube fills up with water and you get a mouthful of water instead of air (well the kids learned that, I never managed too).

2) THE GAME/TOY THAT HAS GIVEN YOU THE MOST EDUCATION MILEAGE
Rock Tumbler, we have polished some really pretty rocks and had tons of fun identifying them.

3) ORDINARY HOUSEHOLD ITEM THAT HAS GIVEN YOU THE MOST EDUCATION MILEAGE
Measuring cups.

4) NAME THREE MAGAZINES/BOOKS ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE
National Geographic (magazine), Lord of the Rings (book), Wildflowers of Mississippi (book).

5) ONE SKILL YOUR CHILD LEARNED FROM GROCERY SHOPPING
How to compare prices.

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING, BUT THEN REALIZED YOUR CHILD COULD LEARN THAT INFORMATION JUST BY LIVING LIFE
I can't think of anything.

7) AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU HAVE SAVED BY NOT PURCHASING CURRICULUM
Ok, we use curriculum so this question doesn't really apply to us. I did try to be a better shopper this year.

Like Phat Mommy I am not going to tag anyone, but feel free to play.

When Public School Teachers Can't Pass the Test

Andrew Wolf in the New York Sun brings up a problem with school reform. A significant percentage of minority teachers can not pass the teacher's exam required to receive certification in the state of New York. So what do the teachers do. Do they study to pass the test next time? No! they scream discrimination and demand the already easy test be made easier.

Mr Wolf says.

The test appears to me to be more appropriate as an exit exam required for high school graduation than as an entrance exam for new teachers. The claims of the plaintiffs that the test is "culturally and generationally bound" is absurd. This is a simple test of general knowledge and skills that represents the least that we should expect of someone to whom we entrust with the education of our children.

Inadequate teachers aren't the only was who want protection from their lack of knowledge.

Those who believe in the ideology behind this suit also have their sights set on another area of the city's educational scene, the specialized high schools.

A report issued by the Department of Education last week disclosed that the proportion of blacks and Hispanics attending the city's three most prestigious high schools, Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech, has been declining for a decade. Even the proportion of white students is slipping as Asians, representing just 15.3% of the total public school population, now represent a majority at all three schools.

Their solution rig the test so more African-American's can pass it. At the expense of the Asian and white students who have the knowledge to pass the test as is.


Related Tags: teacher certification, testing

Naguib Mahfouz, 94, Nobel Laureate in Literature, Dies

Like many Egyptian intellectuals, some of whose works have been denounced as disrespectful to Islam, Mr. Mahfouz in recent years had been put on a “death list” by Islamic fundamentalists who were said to be responsible for hundreds of terrorist killings in Egypt and abroad.

Death threats are of course the ultimate in censorship. Not only did Mr. Mahfouz not let the death threats stop him from writing books that Islamic fundamentalists considered blasphemous he supported Egypt's peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

Critics compared his richly detailed Cairo with the London of Dickens, the Paris of Zola and the St. Petersburg of Dostoyevsky.

Lesson plan
Do the Write Thing Preparing Newspaper Articles That Honor Classic Authors

Related Tags: Nobel Laureate in Literature, censorship, death threats, Islamic fundamentalists

Editorials from Hell's leading daily newspaper, The Dis Brimstone-Daily Pitchfork

after reading Edu-Cons 17, you should be afraid, very afraid...................................

SAT Reading & Math Scores Show Decline

The data does suggest that as a nation, critical reading and writing are lagging behind the progress we are making in math, Mr. Camara said.

Possible reasons for the low scores.

• The length of the test. The test takes 3 hours and 45 minutes, when you factor in things like breaks the total time is 5 hours.
• More people took the ACT instead of the SAT due to the disclosure that the SAT had mis-scored over 5,000 exams.
• Fewer people took the SAT more then once.

The New York Times has lesson plans for this article.

Related Tags: lesson plans, New York Times, ACT, SAT

The Problem With Multiculturalism

One of my problems finding a satisfactory American History & American Literature Textbook stems from the public schools current flirtation with multiculturalism.

No one would argue that learning about other cultures is worthwhile. BUT they aren't just interested in teaching students about other cultures, they want to build these cultures up by tearing our culture down. In some instances they rewrite history to such an extent that students have no idea what actually happened or why it happened.

Elan Journo has this to say in Multiculturalism's War on Education

What these textbooks reveal is a concerted effort to portray the most backward, impoverished and murderous cultures as advanced, prosperous and life-enhancing. Multiculturalism's goal is not to teach about other cultures, but to promote--by means of distortions and half-truths--the notion that non-Western cultures are as good as, if not better than, Western culture. Far from "broadening" the curriculum, what multiculturalism seeks is to diminish the value of Western culture in the minds of students. But, given all the facts, the objective superiority of Western culture is apparent, so multiculturalists artificially elevate other cultures and depreciate the West.

Multiculturalism has lead to politically correct policies in today's public schools and universities that is stifling new ideas. Students are taught to conform to the "policy" without question, without thought. Students who don't conform are labeled intolerant.

Multiculturalism:The New Racism

Racism, not any meaningful sense of diversity, guides today's intellectuals. The educationally significant diversity that exists in "the real world" is intellectual diversity, i.e., the diversity of ideas. But such diversity--far from being sought after--is virtually forbidden on campus. The existence of "political correctness" blasts the academics' pretense at valuing real diversity. What they want is abject conformity.

Multiculturalism does a disservice to all. Thankfully homeschoolers are free to buy textbooks that tell the truth and nothing but the truth, they are free to have a multicultural free zone, and to forget the political correct agendas being promoted in public schools.

How Public Schools Shortchange Boys

Read Gerry Garibaldi's account of how today's feminized classrooms shortchange boys.

eBay Discriminates Against Homeschoolers

eBay prohibits textbooks for homeschool teachers. It lumps them with illegal drugs and bootleg recordings,prompting an avalanche of complaints from homeschool customers. Read the entire article here.

Book Review

If you are looking for something for your teens try Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Sean rated it a B+ and considering he is comparing it to Lord of the Rings that's pretty good.

Why Don't They Just Change The Channel?

According to the American Family Association

Not content with all the profanity already on TV, CBS has decided to air the profanity-laden unedited version of "9/11" on Sept. 10. It is time to tell CBS and the other networks that enough is enough! Send an email, asking the FCC to enforce the law. Your email will go not only to the FCC, but also to CBS. Contact your local CBS affiliate and ask them not to air "9/11." Click Here to find their contact information or use your local phone directory.

Sorry, but sometimes real life is messy. These people were trapped inside a burning building, they were dying and the AFA wants us to complain because profanity was used. Get Real!

I understand that some people don't want to hear profanity, I respect their decision, but they can simply turn the TV off or switch it to another channel. No one is holding a gun to their head making them watch. WHY can't they respect my decision to watch the show, and CBS's decision to air it.

And before someone gets the wrong idea. I prefer books and TV shows without profanity in them; but sometimes real life is messy, sometime strong language is called for...................censorship never is.

Related Tags: 9/11, CBS, American Family Association, censorship

The Slippery Slope of Censoring Books

All the books in the relationships section of Waldenbooks at the Singing River Mall in Gautier have been pulled from the shelves and are in storage.

This is due to the efforts of Lori Taylor , a homeschool Mom, who is determined to protect her teenage son from books on relationships. I wonder what other books she will decide to "protect" children from if she gets away with it? Will the art books mysteriously disappear from the shelves? what about the romance novels? Where will the censorship end?

Now her friend and fellow homeschooler Jan Frier has decided to get in on the act.

Jan Frier is an avid supporter of Vaughn's client, Lori Taylor, and hopes that Waldenbooks of Gautier will keep the books on Relationships off the shelves. "It's just porn," Frier said. "No question. Nothing but. And if that's what you want to read then fine, but it's doesn't need to be where children can see it. These books need to be placed higher, with something on them that keeps children from seeing the covers and opening them."

What gives these two women the right to label something "porn", when obviously the store manager, the mall manager, and the police didn't find it pornographic? Excuse me but Waldenbooks is in the business of selling books, part of selling anything is displaying the merchandise in order to attract a customers attention. As for putting something over the books to keep "people" from opening them and looking inside, I don't know many people who buy a book without flipping through it first to see if it's what they want. You can bet these two Mom's want the right to flip through any textbook they buy to use in schooling their kids. Parents should be the ones responsible for insuring that children don't view material they deem unsuitable.

The ironic thing is if the LAW tried to force Lori Taylor and Jan Friar to teach evolution to their kids they would scream bloody murder. But they see nothing wrong with using the LAW to prevent a bookstore from displaying a book they don't like.

Since there are all ready tons of misconceptions about homeschoolers, I wanted to assure the general public that we are not all Lori Taylor's & Jan Frier's.

Most homeschoolers are really busy people that don't have the time to make a nuisance of themselves at a local bookstore for 5 months, harass the manager and demand the city of Gautier investigate books.

We are normal people, our teenagers play video games, go to movies, and read popular literature, if we are offended by a book we don't buy it, if we are offended by a movie we don't go to see it, and IF we don't want our children to view something we tell them NO, we do not hire a lawyer and harass a bookstore into removing books from their shelves.

The Majority of us cherish the Right to Free Speech and would not dream of censoring what a store can sell and other people can buy.

Free speech - means the right to say what one believes, to any audience that is willing to hear it. It is not the right to say only that which is popular with the government,with any particular interest group, or with the majority of the public.

Lori Taylor has no right to impose her views on what is or isn't appropriate for a bookstore to sell on the store owner. She has no right to impose her views on patrons of the store, who should be free to choose whatever book they wish, without fear of being harassed by Ms. Taylor. She is free not to shop at the store, she is free not to buy the book (which apparently she did buy in order to send it to her lawyer) and she is free not to look at it. She is also free to tell any minor children living in her household that they are not allowed to patronize the store. She isn't free to police what other people and their kids can or can not do.

America by Jon Stewart was pulled from the Jackson-George Regional Library shelves because a patron complained about it, even though there was a huge demand from the tax paying public to read the book. One person was able to keep many library patrons from reading the book for free. I in fact was reduced to buying the book because this one person kept me from checking it out at the library. I am happy to report it was eventually returned to library shelves. Now one person is trying to brow beat a bookstore into only carrying books she approves of, where will it end?

As Jean~Luc Picard said

“With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."–Jean-Luc Picard – Star Trek: The Next Generation “The Drumhead”

I am sure both Lori Taylor and Jan Frier are well intentioned, but you know what they say " the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Apparently they don't realize the dangers inherent in censorship.

Cross posted at the Homeschool Cafe

Related Tags: censorship, Waldenbooks, freedom of speech

Science is Dead?

According to Jon Swift science is dead? Read his tongue in cheek blog praising the death of science and history and advocating that only religion and gym be taught in our schools.

These People are Really Scary Follow Up

This is a follow up to These People are Really Scary. According to Katherine Harris

the separation of church and state is a "lie we have been told" to keep religious people out of politics. In reality, she said, "we have to have the faithful in government" because that is God's will. Separating religion and politics is "so wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers."

Sorry Ms. Harris, but the separation of church and state isn't a lie, it was well thought out by the Founding Fathers to keep one religious group from forcing their beliefs on the rest of us.

American History Resource -

Leading Facts of American History

Scott Powell, the creator of The Remote History Program for Children ,has passed on this helpful link to D.H. Montgomery's "Leading Facts of American History". Which is on the web as an e-book, including pictures! This is a valuable tool for homeschoolers teaching American History. Thank you, Scott.

Related Tags: Scott Powell, The Remote History Program for Children, Leading Facts of American History, e-books, American History, D.H. Montgomery

Also posted at The Homeschool Cafe

A Homeschool Meme

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED?
Ok, I have a confession to make here, I have never actually read a homeschooling book. We started off doing school at home and then I eventually found my way to home based education after talking with some long term homeschool Mom's. I don't think any ONE method will work with all kids. I homeschooled my two sons in totally different ways, as their learning styles and interest are different.


2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT?
The library. Who can afford to buy all the books? And the St. Martin Public Library is very homeschool friendly.

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT?
So far I haven't bought anything I regretted, but I usually do tons of research before making a purchase.

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR?
EMC's Literature and the Language Arts the British Tradition.
Note I will not be using their American Tradition it's totally biased against the South. Their Unit on the Civil War doesn't have ONE white Southern writer in the entire unit, and leads one to believe the only cause of the Civil War was slavery (They did stick a small portion of a speech by Robert E. Lee in their extra reading section). Over all most of the writers I studied in school are missing from the book, and are replaced with people I have never heard of and have no interest in reading after reading the excerpts from the book. No wonder kids today don't like to read, if this is the literature that is forced on them. I am so thankful I had the chance to review the book before buying it. Next year I will be buying books, instead of any one American Literature Book. We are doing World Literature this year which I am enjoying.

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR?
Power Glide Spanish Ultimate Year II we are doing Year I this year

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY?
That's really hard, there are so many I want. I have a whole wish list of books I want to use next year at Amazon.com. I'll be buying History of a Free Nation for sure though. While it's not perfect, it has tons of resource material and it at least attempts to explain the complex reasons behind events.

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED?
A clone (why stop at one, clones?) of ME, so I could do housework, teach and blog at the same time.

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING?
Another deep dark secret, I don't use homeschooling catalogue's. I usually use the internet to find the materials I want.


9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE ?
National Geographic Homework Help and we use the magazine in class.

10) TAG 5 PEOPLE
Natalie, Lioness, Nancy, Sheila, & Robin

These People Are Really Scary

Read about the Dominionist who wish to force Biblical law upon the U.S.

They support a Constitutional interpretation that extends the rights of the government to interfere where it has no business.

If they get their way the U.S. will be a Christian version of Iran. As always PolitiCalypso's blog entry The Purpose of the Constitution is informative.

Economics

Economist Milton Friedman is known for his work on macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history, statistics, and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. In 1976 he won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. His TV show Free To Choose is available on Google Video for free.

If you are studying economics as we are, I strongly encourage you to check it out.

The Forecast Looks Grim

Michael Skube in Writing Off Reading claims that many public school graduates lack the vocabulary and grammar skills that make successful college students.

Jay Mathews points out that "According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a national achievement test, reading and math scores for 17-year-olds have been stagnant the last 30 years" in his post Too Few Overachievers.

Which brings me to a post by Andew Young and Walter Block, Enterprising Education: Doing Away with the Public School System found at Ludwig von Mises Institute.

All the arguments in favor of a public provision of primary education prove to be unfounded and/or incorrect. The failure of the state to provide a high quality service to all (its explicit goal) has rendered public primary education illegitimate; and the immeasurable waste of resources and rejection of consumer desires has left public education borderline immoral. As well, if an educated citizenry is to be considered necessary for the operation of the republican government, then it is an inexcusable conflict of interest when elected officials are the ones in charge of providing that education. Furthermore, the argument of externalities and nonexcludability fails to buttress the case for socialist education. The only ethical, reasonable system for the provision of primary education is the free market.

Considering that public schools aren't doing a very good job of educating students one has to ask, why are they still around? Do you know any private business that could fail to deliver "the goods" for 30 years and not go bankrupt? The forecast for public schools as well as their students looks grim.

According to Ayn Rand

Of all the government undertakings, none has failed so disastrously as public education. The scope, the depth, and the evidence of this failure are observable all around us. To name three of its obvious symptoms: drug addiction among the young (which is an attempt to escape the unbearable state of a mind unable to cope with existence)--functional illiteracy (the inability of the average high-school or college graduate to speak English, i.e., to speak or write coherently)--student violence (which means that students have not learned what savages know to some minimal extent: the impracticality and immorality of resorting to physical force).In the face of such evidence, one would expect the government's performance in the field of education to be questioned, at the least, [but] the growing failures of the educational establishment are followed by the appropriation of larger and larger sums. There is, however, a practical alternative: tax credits for education.

To read more about her idea click Tax Credits for Education.

Of course as most of my readers know there is one solution to the educational woes in America, home~schooling. For homeschoolers the forecast is sunny!

Related Tags: public education, Ayn Rand, Tax Credits for Education, home schooling, home based education

Foreign Languages

For those of you studying foreign languages this year, this site offers translation help.

Research

Researchers learn to extract crude oil from pig manure, read more about it in the Sun Herald.

The Twisted Mind Emporium

The Twisted Mind Emporium brings us Weird Science Fast Animals. Number six is my all time favorite the American Quarter Horse.

The quarter horse can hit almost 48 miles per hour. And to think I use to ride them..........................

Why Homeschool: Reasons to Avoid Government Schools - Part 3

Janine takes a look at public school teachers, in part 3 Reasons to Avoid Public Schools. Be sure to read parts 1 and 2.

The Homeschool Diner
is open for business. Best of all it's calorie free, fat free and full of homeschooling tips.

The Common Room: It's the Carnival of Homeschooling!!

This weeks carnival is up, so drop in for a visit.

Some People Just Don't Understand Homeschooling or Science

It seems strange that Public School Teachers and Administrators are so busy worrying about homeschoolers. One would think they would have their hands full with the public school students they are failing to educate.

Spunky points out that some people just don't get it in her blog.

And apparently the debate over rather Science (Theory of Evolution) or Religion (Intelligent Design/ my all time favorite The Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster) should be taught in Science Classes, is alive and well.

One public school teacher had to actually fight to teach SCIENCE in her Science Classroom.

One parent asked how money could be wasted on a subject like evolution: "As budget cuts continuously chip away at our children's future of a good, quality college-ready education," she wrote, "I would think there would be more educational, more worthwhile and certainly more factual learning that could be taught." She requested that her son be permitted to "bide his time elsewhere" when evolution was taught.

Ms. New explained that evolution is so central to biology, the boy would be biding elsewhere all year long. Practically every chapter in her Prentice Hall textbooks "Bacteria to Plants," "Cells and Heredity," "Animals" used evolution to trace the development of life starting with bacteria, green algae and gymnosperms.

Honestly where do these uneducated parents come from (oh, they probably attended PUBLIC SCHOOLS). If Mom wants her son to bide his time elsewhere when Evolution is taught then she she should plan on him bidding his time somewhere other then college. I can assure her Evolution is a key concept of college Biology Classes. And for all you Flying Spaghetti Monster Fans, HIS followers have created the Flying Spaghetti Monster Game.

Related Tags: Homeschooling, Science, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Evolution

Just Had to Share

First off the COH hosted by Sprittibee with it's western theme is up. Gallop on by to read some interesting articles.

I don't usually do Book Reviews until I have finished the book, but I like this one so much I just had to go ahead and share it with you. I am currently reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's a powerful book and very well written.

Check out Homeschool 101 by Natalie Criss

The Common Room: History Books

I was out of town and missed last weeks COH, hosted at Phat Mommy when it came out. But better late then never right. I loved the galactic theme, and with my current quest for the perfect American History book I found the blog on History Books at the Common Room timely. I have some good news, while visiting my parents I found two promising history books on my parents bookshelves. I'll blog more about them later.

Book Reviews

Mary Mary by James Patterson

Alex Cross is back. This time he is hunting a merciless killer of Hollywood Stars, who emails the details of the murders to a newspaper reporter at the LA Times. I found the book to be very enjoyable.

Morgan's Run by Colleen McCullough

Wonderful historical novel. Tells the story of the English convicts transported to Botany Bay and how one convict not only survived but thrived on Norfolk Island. I encourage you to read Richard Morgan's story. I am looking forward to a sequel.

Killer Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh

Enjoyable murder mystery. You really get to know the cast of characters. Oddly enough the murder doesn't take place until the final few chapters.

Complete and Utter Nonsense

Usually the idea of banning or burning books would have me shuddering in horror. But I would actually be happy to throw this one on a bonfire myself. The Basis of Civilization by James A Vincent is pure claptrap. Here are some of his key points:

He declares that only "Christian Religions" are protected under the U.S. Constitution and maintains that other religions should not be allowed in the United States (especially Islam).

He uses illogical arguments against the Theory of Evolution; anyone with a scientific background would die of laughter after reading this nonsense.

He insists that all allergies are caused by women that don’t breastfeed.

He promotes the teaching of selective mating (whatever that may be) in public schools.

He wants to neuter men and women who have children outside of wedlock.

He calls sexual harassment and affirmative action laws ridiculous.

He maintains that people on Welfare should not be allowed to vote.

He wants the death penalty for drug users, regardless of age.

He insists that God put a curse on Blacks and American Indians, and as a result of the curse their intellectual capacity isn’t as high as other races.

And just when I thought the guy couldn’t make a STUPIDER comment – He insist that the Inca Indians practiced the Christian religion, built temples with baptismal fonts and spoke and wrote ancient Hebrew.

Carnival Of Homeschooling Week 30

Week 30 of the Carnival of Homeschooling is being hosted by The Lilting House, click here to visit.

Homeschooling is a GREAT Idea!

I have become a COH junkie; every Tuesday you'll find me visiting the latest and greatest carnival to find out what has been going on in the homeschooling community. It also provides fodder for my blog, especially the comments. Now I really meant to link to the comments in the blog that prompted this post. But I couldn't find them again......................So much for my incredible memory. But there was a single guy with no kids asking questions about homeschooling. His two biggest worries about homeschooling were 1.) Who would report child abuse if kids are homeschooled (like the public schools do such a wonderful job?) and 2.) Kids would be brainwashed by their parents if they weren't exposed to Public Schools (who do their own brainwashing). I find it troubling that anyone would think it is the GOVERNMENT'S duty/responsibility to watch over children from cradle to grave and that without government interference parents are incapable of doing a decent job. The majority of parents, homeschooling parents included, have their children's best interest at heart and would never dream of abusing them. And what about all the public school teacher's that abuse students? The guy stated that thanks to his public school education he has beliefs and values radically different from those his parents have. Sounds like the public schools do their own form of brainwashing, but that's another post. Homeschoolers do not live in a vacuum. Homeschool students watch TV, go to movies, listen to the radio, and play with neighborhood friends just like public school students do. So they have ample opportunity to be exposed to ideas differing from their parents. And why does single guy assume that his beliefs and values garnered from his life in public school are somehow superior to his parents? It seems to me that public schools are nothing more then breeding grounds for the latest politically correct ideas or feel good policies these days. Some how their goal to educate the masses has been tossed aside.

But at least single guy seemed honestly interested in finding out more about homeschooling. Not so the public school teacher from FL., Jeanne, who not only bashed homeschoolers on the Why Homeschool site, but felt compelled to link to this post By Robert Paul Reyes on her site. Mr. Reyes assumes parents are STUPID (apparently his are). Not only can I balance a checkbook, I can find Iraq just fine on a map - thank you. As for teaching Algebra and Geometry, it's not a problem for me, but if it was there are tutors and co-ops to supply help for parents that need it. Homeschool parents aren't limited to teaching everything themselves. As for parents being rank amateurs, perhaps Mr. Reyes is unaware that eleven U.S. Presidents were homeschooled by rank amateurs. See Home Schooling for Success to read about other famous, successful homeschoolers.

He then goes on to state that homeschoolers will be social misfits and turn into monsters like Jerry Dalhmer (I think he must have meant Jeffrey Dahmer, Jerry Dalhmer is a fictional character in a law school examination) and Paul Hill. There is only one big problem with his theory. Both Dalhmer and Hill were graduates of PUBLIC schools. Jeffrey Dahmer graduated from a public high school in Ohio and Paul Hill attended Coral Gables High School, a public school in Florida. Other infamous PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS are Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold who slaughtered fellow classmates at Columbine. Public schools seem to be doing an excellent job of creating social misfits, Mr. Reyes.

Then Mr. Reyes goes on to add that most homeschoolers are religious zealots and if homeschooling is allowed to continue homeschoolers will turn America into a theocracy. Geez it makes you wonder what Mr. Reyes has against religion and how a product of the public school system like Mr. Reyes could be so misinformed and narrow minded. First off the United States Constitution in the First Amendment guarantees us the right to freedom of religion. This means Americans are free to worship as they see fit. They are even free to teach their children about God. So Mr. Reyes, just because you don't approve of someone's religious beliefs doesn't mean you or the government has the right to stop him or her from teaching those beliefs to their children. Secondly most homeschoolers aren't religious zealots. More and more homeschoolers are homeschooling for reasons other then religion. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's report Homeschooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics by Kurt J. Bauman 50.8% of homeschoolers were primarily homeschooling because they believed they could give their children a better education at home then they would receive in the public school system. Only 33% were homeschooling primarily for religious reasons.

Mr. Reyes then goes on to say that while he knows the public schools are in a dismal state Homeschoolers should just join the PTA or become a Teacher's Assistant. Wow, the same parents that Mr. Reyes maintains can't balance checkbooks or find Iraq on a map have the power to FIX the public schools when all the educational professionals can't????? And why should I settle for a substandard education for my children while raising money through the PTA to support the substandard public education system?

Next Mr. Reyes states that homeschooling poses a serious threat to our educational system. Why? Because homeschooling works and public schools don’t?

Perhaps Mr. Reyes would like to explain how my 15-year-old son scored so high on the ACT, that he was able to get early admission to college if homeschooling is such an utter failure? And contrary to what Mr. Reyes would have you believe my son gets along well with his college classmate (even though they are older then him), as well as his co-workers at his summer job.

Mr. Reyes then claims that we have the best public school system in the world. But is that true? According to the U.S. Department of Education Study - Findings from the Condition of Education 2006: U.S. Student and Adult Performance on International Assessments of Educational Achievement: Students in Finland, Canada, and New Zealand did better then students in the United States on Reading Literacy. Students in Switzerland, Norway Bermuda and Canada out preformed the United States in Mathematics (Only Italy’s score was lower then the United States average). And in Science Literacy Finland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Hungary and Germany all out preformed the United States.

And then there is the fact that HOMESCHOOLERS out perform PUBLIC and PRIVATE school students on test. According to a study done for the Educational Policy Analysis Archives by Lawrence M. Rudner -

“Compared to students nationwide, the median fourth-grade home school student test performance is 1.1 grade equivalents above his public/private school peers. By 8th grade, the median performance of home school students on the ITBS/TAP is almost four grade equivalents above that of students nationwide. Similar trends hold for all subject areas.”

Based on this study, maybe we should require all parents to homeschool.

Mr. Reyes claims to be a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger, I suppose it's really hard to find qualified columnist. I agree whole heartedly with the blogger at 3Mew.com who labeled Mr. Reyes a Jackass, he certainly seems better qualified for that. And I loved Chris O’Donnell’s question, “Can we also pass a law making it illegal for anybody with a double digit IQ to be employed as a journalist?”
So Mr. Reyes, Homeschooling isn’t a GOOD idea, it’s a GREAT idea!

Really Good Book

Angels Fall
by Nora Roberts

It's a really good read if you like murder mysteries. You'll never guess who the killer is...............and Reece and Brody are a really hot, funny couple, plenty of romance to spice up the mystery.