Saturday, September 27, 2008
Is the S word needed?
My Supernatural World: The S Word... ask if children really do need to socialize with other children.
Banned Book Week Starts Today
The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2007” reflect a range of themes, and consist of the following titles:
1) “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
2) The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
3) “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin HenkesReasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language
4) “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman Reasons: Religious Viewpoint (I have read and enjoyed this book)
5) “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain Reasons: Racism (I have read and enjoyed this book)
6) “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language
7) "TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
8) "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou Reasons: Sexually Explicit (I have read this book)
9) “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit
10) "The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
Off the list this year, are two books by author Toni Morrison. "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved," both challenged for sexual content and offensive language.
The most frequently challenged authors of 2007
1) Robert Cormier
2) Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3) Mark Twain (favourite author)
4) Toni Morrison
5) Philip Pullman (enjoy this author)
6) Kevin Henkes
7) Lois Lowry
8) Chris Crutcher
9) Lauren Myracle
10) Joann Sfar
I challenge you to read one of the books on the list.
1) “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
2) The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
3) “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin HenkesReasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language
4) “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman Reasons: Religious Viewpoint (I have read and enjoyed this book)
5) “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain Reasons: Racism (I have read and enjoyed this book)
6) “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language
7) "TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
8) "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou Reasons: Sexually Explicit (I have read this book)
9) “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit
10) "The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
Off the list this year, are two books by author Toni Morrison. "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved," both challenged for sexual content and offensive language.
The most frequently challenged authors of 2007
1) Robert Cormier
2) Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3) Mark Twain (favourite author)
4) Toni Morrison
5) Philip Pullman (enjoy this author)
6) Kevin Henkes
7) Lois Lowry
8) Chris Crutcher
9) Lauren Myracle
10) Joann Sfar
I challenge you to read one of the books on the list.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Book Review ~ Roanoke by Lee Miller
This was an interesting book Miller hypothesizes that Walsingham sabotaged the colonist in order to destroy Raleigh. He believes when the colonist realized that supplies would not be coming they moved inland to live with a friendly Indian tribe. Because the Indians were not immune to the diseases the colonist carried the tribe was decimated by small pox allowing their enemies (The Mandoag) to overcome them and carry the colonist along with their Indian allies off as slaves.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Tune in
Natalie Criss of Rambling, Rants & Remedies and The Homeschool Cafe will be on Mississippi Public Broadcasting Radio's Relatively Speaking Monday, Sept 29 at 9 am CST to discuss homeschooling.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
What a load of BS
Experience over theory
I bounced around schools as a kid a lot. I came across students in public schools, private schools, and home schooling. Kids homeschooled their whole lives were far less extroverted. It is common for parents to think they foster social skills. However this can only be done by exposure to as wide a variety as possible of people, personalities, dispositions, attitudes, etc etc. Public schools are the best. Hands down. However, not all districts have quality public schools, which is one of our nation's biggest problems. Not all children will thrive under the same formula obviously, but public schools provide the easiest chance for a large exposure to different types of people. Even if homeschooled children socialize with other homeschooled children, that does not compare. The fact is, 99%+ of students are in public schools. Think about it; when you finally release your homeschooled child into the wild, their lack of exposure relative to the vast majority of their peers will make them stand out, feel isolated, turn to drugs, or otherwise develop psychological disorders.Private schools have the same effect. They are indeed social networks, but mostly isolated from the public background. There are psycho-social borders to be crossed when leaving a private school, and the transition is very stressful. There are no studies done for this, but from my experience, home-schooled and private-schooled children have a greater tendency to develop psychological disorders. What good is an education if you can't use it properly?
sonofwill September 17, 2008 4:09PM
Sonofwill must suffer from an inferiority complex from being bounced around public schools as a kid. I can see how his public school education taught him "tolerance" and "critical thinking skills" right off the bat.
I bounced around schools as a kid a lot. I came across students in public schools, private schools, and home schooling. Kids homeschooled their whole lives were far less extroverted. It is common for parents to think they foster social skills. However this can only be done by exposure to as wide a variety as possible of people, personalities, dispositions, attitudes, etc etc. Public schools are the best. Hands down. However, not all districts have quality public schools, which is one of our nation's biggest problems. Not all children will thrive under the same formula obviously, but public schools provide the easiest chance for a large exposure to different types of people. Even if homeschooled children socialize with other homeschooled children, that does not compare. The fact is, 99%+ of students are in public schools. Think about it; when you finally release your homeschooled child into the wild, their lack of exposure relative to the vast majority of their peers will make them stand out, feel isolated, turn to drugs, or otherwise develop psychological disorders.Private schools have the same effect. They are indeed social networks, but mostly isolated from the public background. There are psycho-social borders to be crossed when leaving a private school, and the transition is very stressful. There are no studies done for this, but from my experience, home-schooled and private-schooled children have a greater tendency to develop psychological disorders. What good is an education if you can't use it properly?
sonofwill September 17, 2008 4:09PM
Sonofwill must suffer from an inferiority complex from being bounced around public schools as a kid. I can see how his public school education taught him "tolerance" and "critical thinking skills" right off the bat.
Certified Teachers and Sex Crimes
A Biloxi teacher who resigned under the shadow of a sex-crime investigation involving a 15-year-old student has been indicted on multiple counts.
A Harrison County grand jury has indicted Rebecca Dawn Bogard on charges of exploitation of a child, touching of a child for lustful purposes and statutory rape. She faces up to 65 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.
Public school failures prompt homeschooling
With people fleeing the public schools, the real issue for public schools is money to continue the status quo. When educators become more sensitive to what really works and do those things regardless of the fallout, there will be less need for home schooling.
David Clerebout
Livonia
Read the full editorial here.
David Clerebout
Livonia
Read the full editorial here.
Carnival of Homeschooling Hosted by Nerd Family
Grab a cup of coffee and join me in reading the Carnival of Homeschooling hosted at Nerd Family.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Scholastic Blames Homeschoolers for Measles Outbreak
Illinois saw 32 cases of measles this summer – more than any year since 1994, and the most of any state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded most were unvaccinated – and specifically, unvaccinated kids who are homeschooled.
Here we go again, blaming homeschoolers for something that isn't necessarily their fault. Many homeschoolers do in fact vaccinate their kids. My kids have received all their vaccines although we didn't have to vaccinate as we homeschooled.
From the Chicgago Tribune.
In Illinois the number of (public) schoolchildren not getting shots for religious reasons is small but rising. During the 2007-08 academic year, almost 7,000 (public school) students got religious exemptions to avoid the measles shot, compared with about 3,000 in 1998-99. Those figures do not include home-schooled children, who sometimes go unvaccinated.
So they know 7,000 public school students didn't get vaccinated for "religious reasons" BUT Scholastic has an article entitled Homeschool Parents Spread Measles on their website. Why are homeschoolers being blamed instead of the 7,000 public school students who are unvaccinated due to religious reasons?
They also ignore the fact that most parents make the decision to vaccinate before the child reaches school age (see vaccination schedule). The decision to homeschool may be driven by the parents desire not to expose their children to what they see as risky vaccines. But homeschooling isn't to blame for children being unvaccinated.
Here we go again, blaming homeschoolers for something that isn't necessarily their fault. Many homeschoolers do in fact vaccinate their kids. My kids have received all their vaccines although we didn't have to vaccinate as we homeschooled.
From the Chicgago Tribune.
In Illinois the number of (public) schoolchildren not getting shots for religious reasons is small but rising. During the 2007-08 academic year, almost 7,000 (public school) students got religious exemptions to avoid the measles shot, compared with about 3,000 in 1998-99. Those figures do not include home-schooled children, who sometimes go unvaccinated.
So they know 7,000 public school students didn't get vaccinated for "religious reasons" BUT Scholastic has an article entitled Homeschool Parents Spread Measles on their website. Why are homeschoolers being blamed instead of the 7,000 public school students who are unvaccinated due to religious reasons?
They also ignore the fact that most parents make the decision to vaccinate before the child reaches school age (see vaccination schedule). The decision to homeschool may be driven by the parents desire not to expose their children to what they see as risky vaccines. But homeschooling isn't to blame for children being unvaccinated.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Mississippi should make college cheaper to ease the squeeze on the middle class
I completely agree with this editorial Mississippi should make college cheaper to ease the squeeze on the middle class.
The hard working middle class deserve better then to see their children denied a college education or forced into debt in order to obtain one. Only in America are you 'punished' for sucess "the poorest citizens are eligible for grants and scholarships. The rich, of course, can afford to pay more".
The hard working middle class deserve better then to see their children denied a college education or forced into debt in order to obtain one. Only in America are you 'punished' for sucess "the poorest citizens are eligible for grants and scholarships. The rich, of course, can afford to pay more".
Friday, September 05, 2008
Homeschoolers and SAT scores
Ray and Eagleson found that there was no stastically significant difference in SAT performance between homeschoolers in states with low, moderate, or high levels of regulation. In fact, in every case, states with the highest levels of regulation actually had the lowest test scores (though not enough to make it statistically significant). This was true for states that hadn’t changed their laws in ten years and also for states who had not changed their laws for five years. Ray and Eagleson provide statistically-literate readers with all of the charts and explanation needed to give them confidence that the data is legitimate.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Post needed
The Cate's at Why Homeschool will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling this week. To find out how to submit a post click here.
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