From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy people?
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Monday, March 05, 2012
The value of having a positive attitude
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
-Herm Albright
A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
-Herm Albright
Reinventing the wheel
Next year will be our 14th year of homeschooling. By this time, I feel like I know what I'm doing. My oldest daughter will soon "graduate" and continue her studies at our local community college. Her sisters will in rapid succession follow.
Next year, I will be starting all over again with a kindergartener. Not only that, he's a boy. Most (if not all) my homeschool friends have daughters. If they do have boys, they are older.
Our son has some challenges that manifest is some very unusually ways. For example, we have to substantially limit screen time because it aggravates his tic. If he gets too much screen time his head will involuntarily jerk to one side.
In the past, we've used quite a lot of online resources as part of our homeschooling, like ALEKS and STARFALL.COM, not to mention PBS or NOVA. We also have used online classes. None of these things are going to work for him.
Honestly, I briefly considered sending him to the local parent participation school. However, I don't believe that he would do well in a school environment (no matter how good) because of the state emphasis on testing. He's on his own track and can't be pushed along to meet arbitrary benchmarks. I believe he will do well over time, but he's going to get there at his own pace.
So, I need to reinvent the wheel. In many ways, next year will be like homeschooling for the first time. I will need to make new friends (who have little boys), use new methods, and different materials.
Wish me luck.
Next year, I will be starting all over again with a kindergartener. Not only that, he's a boy. Most (if not all) my homeschool friends have daughters. If they do have boys, they are older.
Our son has some challenges that manifest is some very unusually ways. For example, we have to substantially limit screen time because it aggravates his tic. If he gets too much screen time his head will involuntarily jerk to one side.
In the past, we've used quite a lot of online resources as part of our homeschooling, like ALEKS and STARFALL.COM, not to mention PBS or NOVA. We also have used online classes. None of these things are going to work for him.
Honestly, I briefly considered sending him to the local parent participation school. However, I don't believe that he would do well in a school environment (no matter how good) because of the state emphasis on testing. He's on his own track and can't be pushed along to meet arbitrary benchmarks. I believe he will do well over time, but he's going to get there at his own pace.
So, I need to reinvent the wheel. In many ways, next year will be like homeschooling for the first time. I will need to make new friends (who have little boys), use new methods, and different materials.
Wish me luck.
Space Access 2012 will be held April 12 to 14
Our long time readers may remember I enjoy attending Space Access.
I like my brother's explanation of Space Access as “There are lots of people thinking about getting into space. There are lots of people who talk about getting into space. Space Access is run by people who are doing the work.” It is attended by entrepreneurs and people looking for practical steps to moving into space.
It has the feel of Silicon Valley in the late 1970s. Much of the big technology companies were scattered across the United States, and across the world. Yet dozens of people like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were working in their garages to rapidly push technology into new areas like the personal computer. They changed the world.
Space Access has the same types of people. Many of they are also working out of their garages and are rapidly pushing technology. And I think they will also change the world.
If you enjoy learning about the latest breaking news on privates efforts to get into space look into attending Space Access this year. It will take place next month, April 12-14, at the Grace Inn in Phoenix Arizona.
I'll be attending with my father, a brother and one of my daughters.
I like my brother's explanation of Space Access as “There are lots of people thinking about getting into space. There are lots of people who talk about getting into space. Space Access is run by people who are doing the work.” It is attended by entrepreneurs and people looking for practical steps to moving into space.
It has the feel of Silicon Valley in the late 1970s. Much of the big technology companies were scattered across the United States, and across the world. Yet dozens of people like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were working in their garages to rapidly push technology into new areas like the personal computer. They changed the world.
Space Access has the same types of people. Many of they are also working out of their garages and are rapidly pushing technology. And I think they will also change the world.
If you enjoy learning about the latest breaking news on privates efforts to get into space look into attending Space Access this year. It will take place next month, April 12-14, at the Grace Inn in Phoenix Arizona.
I'll be attending with my father, a brother and one of my daughters.
Sending more students to college don't necessarily improve the economy
In response to President Obama's call to double the number of students going to college Peter Wood explains in
Supersizing: Obama’s Higher Education Agenda why merely increasing the number of college graduates doesn't help the economy. He starts with:
------------
The most conspicuous part of President Obama’s agenda for higher education is his plan for gigantic increases in enrollment. Obama announced this goal very early in his term. In February 2009, in a speech to a joint session of Congress he declared, “by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” Translated into actual enrollments, that would mean more than doubling the number of domestic students attending the nation’s colleges and universities.
Last week in Obama’s Higher-Education Agenda I said I would in a series of posts examine the eight majors components of that agenda, and then try to put them together as a whole. His dream of gargantuan expansion comes first both as first-announced and as the foundation for everything else.
The idea of gargantuan expansion did not pop out of the blue. Rather it popped out of the College Board in a report released just before Obama’s inauguration, and it also popped out of a two-page ad that appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe in December 2008. The College Board report, Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future, called for granting college degrees to at least 55 percent of “young Americans” by 2025. The “young Americans” qualifier is important. This was a summons not for more more adult and continuing post-secondary education, but for a radical increase in college education for those under age 35. And it wasn’t just a call for increased enrollments, but for actual graduates.
The proposal was—there is no finer word for it—nuts.
As I pointed out at the time, in Cold Brine and The Battle of Bunker Hill, if you sat down and did the calculations on the basis of census data and actual enrollments, to grant 55 percent of young Americans college degrees by 2025 would mean awarding 129 million college degrees between 2009 and 2025—57 million more than would have been awarded at 2008 rates. Even if you think that is a good idea, American colleges and universities had then and still do not have anything like the capacity to accomplish it. To get there, colleges would need to more than double their enrollments and sustain them at that higher level. How many colleges and universities could have done that starting in 2009?
------------
later in his column he writes:
-----------
But does having the highest percent of college graduates among the nations have any particular connection to economic competitiveness? That’s really the question we need to answer. Clearly an advanced economy needs a critical mass of engineers, doctors, teachers, scientists, and experts in various fields that involve a high level of education. We even need a certain number of lawyers. But recognizing we need college graduates does not necessarily mean more is better; or that “most” is best.
To be the nation with “highest proportion of college graduates in the world” sounds grand, but is actually rather vague. What nation is now in that position? When President Obama said it in February 2009 the best available data from the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) said it was Russia, which as of 2003 claimed that 54 percent of its population aged 25-64 had college degrees, compared to the U.S. at 38 percent. The Russian Federation wasn’t then and isn’t now a towering economic power or a dynamo of intellectual and industrial creativity, but lots of its citizens have college degrees.
-----------
I am all for higher education, but Peter Woods is right merely sending more people to college is not a magic bullet for improving the economy.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Supersizing: Obama’s Higher Education Agenda why merely increasing the number of college graduates doesn't help the economy. He starts with:
------------
The most conspicuous part of President Obama’s agenda for higher education is his plan for gigantic increases in enrollment. Obama announced this goal very early in his term. In February 2009, in a speech to a joint session of Congress he declared, “by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” Translated into actual enrollments, that would mean more than doubling the number of domestic students attending the nation’s colleges and universities.
Last week in Obama’s Higher-Education Agenda I said I would in a series of posts examine the eight majors components of that agenda, and then try to put them together as a whole. His dream of gargantuan expansion comes first both as first-announced and as the foundation for everything else.
The idea of gargantuan expansion did not pop out of the blue. Rather it popped out of the College Board in a report released just before Obama’s inauguration, and it also popped out of a two-page ad that appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe in December 2008. The College Board report, Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future, called for granting college degrees to at least 55 percent of “young Americans” by 2025. The “young Americans” qualifier is important. This was a summons not for more more adult and continuing post-secondary education, but for a radical increase in college education for those under age 35. And it wasn’t just a call for increased enrollments, but for actual graduates.
The proposal was—there is no finer word for it—nuts.
As I pointed out at the time, in Cold Brine and The Battle of Bunker Hill, if you sat down and did the calculations on the basis of census data and actual enrollments, to grant 55 percent of young Americans college degrees by 2025 would mean awarding 129 million college degrees between 2009 and 2025—57 million more than would have been awarded at 2008 rates. Even if you think that is a good idea, American colleges and universities had then and still do not have anything like the capacity to accomplish it. To get there, colleges would need to more than double their enrollments and sustain them at that higher level. How many colleges and universities could have done that starting in 2009?
------------
later in his column he writes:
-----------
But does having the highest percent of college graduates among the nations have any particular connection to economic competitiveness? That’s really the question we need to answer. Clearly an advanced economy needs a critical mass of engineers, doctors, teachers, scientists, and experts in various fields that involve a high level of education. We even need a certain number of lawyers. But recognizing we need college graduates does not necessarily mean more is better; or that “most” is best.
To be the nation with “highest proportion of college graduates in the world” sounds grand, but is actually rather vague. What nation is now in that position? When President Obama said it in February 2009 the best available data from the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) said it was Russia, which as of 2003 claimed that 54 percent of its population aged 25-64 had college degrees, compared to the U.S. at 38 percent. The Russian Federation wasn’t then and isn’t now a towering economic power or a dynamo of intellectual and industrial creativity, but lots of its citizens have college degrees.
-----------
I am all for higher education, but Peter Woods is right merely sending more people to college is not a magic bullet for improving the economy.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Incredible India
Some of my friends at work are from India. They recently shared with me this enticing video:
It would be fun to go visit India some day.
It would be fun to go visit India some day.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please send in your submission for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Blog Carnvial is partially broken. It is accepting submissions, but not forwarding them. It would be easier if you just submitted your post directly via email. Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
The next Carnival will be held at The Common Room.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Blog Carnvial is partially broken. It is accepting submissions, but not forwarding them. It would be easier if you just submitted your post directly via email. Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
The next Carnival will be held at The Common Room.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Newspapers are really suffering
Mark J. Perry has a fascinating chart showing the dramatic drop of newspaper revenue over the last five years. From 1950 to 2000 revenue from advertising grew steadily from $20 billion to $60 billion. This growth all evaporated in the last five years as revenue dropped back down to $20 billion.
I can remember delivering the local paper in the 1970s. Today's Sunday edition is often smaller than the dailys I used to drop at people's door steps.
Hat tip: Instapundit.
I can remember delivering the local paper in the 1970s. Today's Sunday edition is often smaller than the dailys I used to drop at people's door steps.
Hat tip: Instapundit.
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - If I had a million dollars
Jen is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Forever, For Always, No Matter What.
She starts the carnival with:
------------
I'm excited to be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling this week. As always a great selection of homeschool encouragement, new ideas, and tips to make your days more productive and enjoyable.
There's nothing like a few days away from the normal hustle and bustle of family life to get some perspective. While we were away last week enjoying the sun and some quiet time by the pool, we had time for many good conversations. Normally when we are talking "career", we are talking about my husband's career, not my career of stay-at-home, homeschooling mom.
During one of our many conversations, I mentioned that a few friends had recently re-entered the work force after being home and caring for young children for several years. I made the comment that it just didn't seem appealing to me, going back to work, and that even if I didn't homeschool I wouldn't be putting together my resume any time soon. My husband responded that's because I was born to do exactly what I was doing, and that if I won a million dollars I wouldn't stop doing what we were doing. He is absolutely correct.
Certainly everyday is not perfect, we have our share of rotten days when nothing goes right, everyone is mis-behaving {even the teacher!}, but if I was suddenly gifted a great sum of money life really wouldn't be all that different. Oh, I would definitely hire a cleaning service and maybe a math tutor, and our field trips would most definitely become a bit more extravagant - shall we follow the route of Lewis and Clark for a few weeks? - but all in all we would keep on keeping on with this wonderful gift of home education.
----------
She starts the carnival with:
------------
I'm excited to be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling this week. As always a great selection of homeschool encouragement, new ideas, and tips to make your days more productive and enjoyable.
There's nothing like a few days away from the normal hustle and bustle of family life to get some perspective. While we were away last week enjoying the sun and some quiet time by the pool, we had time for many good conversations. Normally when we are talking "career", we are talking about my husband's career, not my career of stay-at-home, homeschooling mom.
During one of our many conversations, I mentioned that a few friends had recently re-entered the work force after being home and caring for young children for several years. I made the comment that it just didn't seem appealing to me, going back to work, and that even if I didn't homeschool I wouldn't be putting together my resume any time soon. My husband responded that's because I was born to do exactly what I was doing, and that if I won a million dollars I wouldn't stop doing what we were doing. He is absolutely correct.
Certainly everyday is not perfect, we have our share of rotten days when nothing goes right, everyone is mis-behaving {even the teacher!}, but if I was suddenly gifted a great sum of money life really wouldn't be all that different. Oh, I would definitely hire a cleaning service and maybe a math tutor, and our field trips would most definitely become a bit more extravagant - shall we follow the route of Lewis and Clark for a few weeks? - but all in all we would keep on keeping on with this wonderful gift of home education.
----------
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
One of the reasons why the cost of higher education keeps exploding
For several decades the cost of higher education has climbed two and three times as fast as inflation. It used to be that a student could work himself through school and graduate with a BA or BS without being in debt. Now millions of graduates are suffering from billions of dollars of debt.
U execs are paid handsomely on their way out reports:
-----------
Since retiring 18 months ago as chancellor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn Martin has collected more money from the U than she did in her last two years on the job.
One of nearly a dozen university executives to step down in the past two years, Martin was granted a two-month sabbatical, a 15-month "administrative transitional leave," a final deposit to her retirement fund, and a severance check. Total: $535,700.
-----------
Hat tip: Instapundit
U execs are paid handsomely on their way out reports:
-----------
Since retiring 18 months ago as chancellor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn Martin has collected more money from the U than she did in her last two years on the job.
One of nearly a dozen university executives to step down in the past two years, Martin was granted a two-month sabbatical, a 15-month "administrative transitional leave," a final deposit to her retirement fund, and a severance check. Total: $535,700.
-----------
Hat tip: Instapundit
Monday, February 27, 2012
The nose into the tent
The story is told of a man out in the dessert with his camel. It was cold and windy. The man was safe and warm in his tent. The camel ask the man if he could put his nose into the tent, out from the wind and sand. The man said sure. A few minutes went by and then the camel asked if he could put his head into the tent. The man said yes. Then a little while later the camel asked if he could put his neck into the tent, soon the whole camel was in the tent, and the man was pushed into the wind and cold.
Many parents homeschool because it gives them greater freedom in what, how and when they teach their children. One of the very attractive features of homeschooling is the ability to make decisions about what we think is best for our children without other people trying to run our lives.
A recent article Gov't intrusion in homeschooling: Alberta bill to outlaw Bible teaching on gays worries me about a government's attitude that it thinks it should be able to control what parents teach their own children, in their own home.
The article starts:
----------
The Alberta Province of Canada is moving forward with an education bill that will redefine acceptable instruction regarding homosexuality. The Alberta Education Act passed through the Second Hearing on February 22, and mandates that the diverse nature of the province be reflected in all curriculum, including that of homeschoolers. Each school entity is called to "honor and respect" the Alberta Human Rights Act that protects gays from discrimination.
"Whatever the nature of schooling - homeschool, private school, Catholic school - we do not tolerate disrespect for differences," stated Donna McColl, assistant director of communications for the Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.
McColl went on to clarify that homeschoolers could use the Bible's teaching in personal, family time, but not as part of the curriculum. The difficulty is that many homeschoolers are in teaching mode all day long, informally and formally, and teaching foundational beliefs is part of their lifestyle.
----------
There are two issues here. One is how people feel about gays. The second issue is just how much should the government be able to control our lives?
There are too many areas in society in which governments dictate what we should do. I hope this is not the start of a trend where the government tries to control what we teach our children.
Many parents homeschool because it gives them greater freedom in what, how and when they teach their children. One of the very attractive features of homeschooling is the ability to make decisions about what we think is best for our children without other people trying to run our lives.
A recent article Gov't intrusion in homeschooling: Alberta bill to outlaw Bible teaching on gays worries me about a government's attitude that it thinks it should be able to control what parents teach their own children, in their own home.
The article starts:
----------
The Alberta Province of Canada is moving forward with an education bill that will redefine acceptable instruction regarding homosexuality. The Alberta Education Act passed through the Second Hearing on February 22, and mandates that the diverse nature of the province be reflected in all curriculum, including that of homeschoolers. Each school entity is called to "honor and respect" the Alberta Human Rights Act that protects gays from discrimination.
"Whatever the nature of schooling - homeschool, private school, Catholic school - we do not tolerate disrespect for differences," stated Donna McColl, assistant director of communications for the Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.
McColl went on to clarify that homeschoolers could use the Bible's teaching in personal, family time, but not as part of the curriculum. The difficulty is that many homeschoolers are in teaching mode all day long, informally and formally, and teaching foundational beliefs is part of their lifestyle.
----------
There are two issues here. One is how people feel about gays. The second issue is just how much should the government be able to control our lives?
There are too many areas in society in which governments dictate what we should do. I hope this is not the start of a trend where the government tries to control what we teach our children.
Family reunions - leveraging the wisdom of crowds
We are starting to think about a family reunion for all the decendents of my parents. It will be in 2014. We'll have about 35 people. We normally spend about a week together. There are six couples. The grandchildren range from born in 2011 to born in 1990.
I'm looking for suggestions. What types of venues have worked well for you?
Thanks.
I'm looking for suggestions. What types of venues have worked well for you?
Thanks.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please send in your submission for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Blog Carnvial is partially broken. It is accepting submissions, but not forwarding them. It would be easier if you just submitted your post directly via email. Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
The next Carnival will be held at Forever, For Always, No Matter What.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Blog Carnvial is partially broken. It is accepting submissions, but not forwarding them. It would be easier if you just submitted your post directly via email. Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
The next Carnival will be held at Forever, For Always, No Matter What.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Harry Potter Homeschooling Pensieve edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is being held at A Life Supreme.
Laura starts the carnival with:
----------
When I first read the Harry Potter books a few years ago, I fell in love with all 4195 pages of the saga. J.K. Rowling's ability to carry the plot over seven action-packed books, planting little elements along the way that seem unimportant when first mentioned but are ultimately of great significance to the greater story, fills me with the greatest admiration of her storytelling ability.
In addition to her great characters, Ms. Rowling creates a world that is just plain old fun to get lost in. And there are quite a few objects that inhabit that world that I wish were available in this one, like: The Weasley Family's Clock.
Yes, a cell phone with GPS can tell you where your family members are at any given moment, but this clock is just so much prettier hanging on the wall or sitting on the mantle.
----------
Later she continues with:
----------
But, hands down, my absolute favorite creation in the Harry Potter world is: The Pensieve.
This handy contraption allows you to take thoughts that you have conveniently removed from your mind (and stored in handy phials up on the shelf) and view them from another perspective at a later time. Being able to save the details of a memory so that you can revisit them later with greater perspective could be a very useful tool. And not only can you revisit your own memories, you can also share your memories with others to get their perspective.
So...
Let's take some of the phials off the shelf labeled "Homeschooling," whether they be thoughts we've had before or those shared by others, and see what new insights they reveal to us once we access them through our virtual pensieve, shall we?
----------
So apparate over and check out this week's carnival.
Laura starts the carnival with:
----------
When I first read the Harry Potter books a few years ago, I fell in love with all 4195 pages of the saga. J.K. Rowling's ability to carry the plot over seven action-packed books, planting little elements along the way that seem unimportant when first mentioned but are ultimately of great significance to the greater story, fills me with the greatest admiration of her storytelling ability.
In addition to her great characters, Ms. Rowling creates a world that is just plain old fun to get lost in. And there are quite a few objects that inhabit that world that I wish were available in this one, like: The Weasley Family's Clock.
Yes, a cell phone with GPS can tell you where your family members are at any given moment, but this clock is just so much prettier hanging on the wall or sitting on the mantle.
----------
Later she continues with:
----------
But, hands down, my absolute favorite creation in the Harry Potter world is: The Pensieve.
This handy contraption allows you to take thoughts that you have conveniently removed from your mind (and stored in handy phials up on the shelf) and view them from another perspective at a later time. Being able to save the details of a memory so that you can revisit them later with greater perspective could be a very useful tool. And not only can you revisit your own memories, you can also share your memories with others to get their perspective.
So...
Let's take some of the phials off the shelf labeled "Homeschooling," whether they be thoughts we've had before or those shared by others, and see what new insights they reveal to us once we access them through our virtual pensieve, shall we?
----------
So apparate over and check out this week's carnival.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Have you heard Sissel sing "Bridge over troubled waters?"
Sissel is an international singing sensation from Norway:
Hat tip: my mom
Hat tip: my mom
Kathryn Schulz: On being wrong
Here is my oldest daughter's review of the TED Talk: Kathryn Schulz: On being wrong
----------
Kathryn Schulz wrote a book on being wrong.
Her fascination with this particular condition began on a car trip with a friend when she mistook the sign for picnic tables as a Chinese pictogram.
During her explanation on how being right all the time limits us Schulz made a interesting point. When a person disagrees with another they are likely to come to one of three conclusions. One, the other is ignorant, they don’t know what you know. Two, the other person is an idiot, they know what you know but are incapable of reaching the correct deduction. Or three, the other person is evil, they know the right answer but refuse to acknowledge it for their own nefarious purposes.
This lecture has led me to decide to be more open to the possibility that I am fallible. I’m not sure how successful I will be but I’m going to try
----------
I enjoyed the talk and recommend it:
----------
Kathryn Schulz wrote a book on being wrong.
Her fascination with this particular condition began on a car trip with a friend when she mistook the sign for picnic tables as a Chinese pictogram.
During her explanation on how being right all the time limits us Schulz made a interesting point. When a person disagrees with another they are likely to come to one of three conclusions. One, the other is ignorant, they don’t know what you know. Two, the other person is an idiot, they know what you know but are incapable of reaching the correct deduction. Or three, the other person is evil, they know the right answer but refuse to acknowledge it for their own nefarious purposes.
This lecture has led me to decide to be more open to the possibility that I am fallible. I’m not sure how successful I will be but I’m going to try
----------
I enjoyed the talk and recommend it:
Monday, February 20, 2012
Homeschoolers – vacation days and snow days
Is it time to party? Today is Presidents’ Day. My daughters’ friends in public schools have the whole week off as Winter Break. I went to work today and the parking was only lightly used. Lots of my friends were given the day off or took it off. Many people in our area are heading for the snow or other fun destinations.
Others might normally have gone to school, but were forced to stay home today. My brother and his family live in Virginia. Yesterday they had a snow storm and their schools were closed. The children were very excited. They had a great time today playing in the snow.
With ideas of Winter Break and Snow days my daughters asked this morning if they could have the week off. Janine and I said no. (They would have been happy to have today off, but that wasn’t an option either.) We usually save our down times when everyone else is in school.
I wonder if most homeschoolers end up taking more vacation or less vacation? Janine and I have a high need for achievement. We like to play, but we really want our children to do well in life. It is important to us that they have a solid education. As John Wayne said in “The Sands of Iwo Jima”
“Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.”
It is a balance. I would have to research back through our calendars but I think we take off about the same number of days each year as our friends but just at different times. Sometime in the next month or two when everyone else is in school we’ll have to take a “snow day” and do some fun family activity.
Others might normally have gone to school, but were forced to stay home today. My brother and his family live in Virginia. Yesterday they had a snow storm and their schools were closed. The children were very excited. They had a great time today playing in the snow.
With ideas of Winter Break and Snow days my daughters asked this morning if they could have the week off. Janine and I said no. (They would have been happy to have today off, but that wasn’t an option either.) We usually save our down times when everyone else is in school.
I wonder if most homeschoolers end up taking more vacation or less vacation? Janine and I have a high need for achievement. We like to play, but we really want our children to do well in life. It is important to us that they have a solid education. As John Wayne said in “The Sands of Iwo Jima”
“Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.”
It is a balance. I would have to research back through our calendars but I think we take off about the same number of days each year as our friends but just at different times. Sometime in the next month or two when everyone else is in school we’ll have to take a “snow day” and do some fun family activity.
I found a new hero
So much of history is about people who lead wars and conquored other countries, or politicians who grew the size of government by adding yet another program. A few of them are worthy of respect, for example Patrick Henry, George Washington and John Adams.
I've found a new hero: Norman Borlaug - The Father of the Green Revolution.
It is sad that so much of what he did was attacked. He saved millions of people from death by starvation.
Hat tip: My mom
I've found a new hero: Norman Borlaug - The Father of the Green Revolution.
It is sad that so much of what he did was attacked. He saved millions of people from death by starvation.
Hat tip: My mom
Cute ad
At some point the line may blur between entertainment and advertising.
De Lijn - Crabs
De Lijn - Pinguins
De Lijn - Crabs
De Lijn - Pinguins
Scary statistic: 10% may suffer sexual abuse in public schools
There seems to be a double standard in our society over sexual abuse. The Catholic church was hammered when adults stepped forward to report abuse, yet many more children may be suffering in government schools and little seems to fundamentally improve.
How Many Kids Are Sexually Abused by Their Teachers? starts:
-----------
Los Angeles police are investigating a teacher aide at Miramonte Elementary School who allegedly sent love letters to an 11-year-old student. The student’s mother discovered the letters in 2009, but she says police and school officials didn’t take the matter seriously until last week, when two other teachers at the same school were arrested for sexually abusing students in separate cases. Is sexual abuse in schools really as common as these reports make it seem?
Possibly. The best available study suggests that about 10 percent of students suffer some form of sexual abuse during their school careers. In the 2000 report, commissioned by the American Association of University Women, surveyors asked students between eighth and 11th grades whether they had ever experienced inappropriate sexual conduct at school. The list of such conduct included lewd comments, exposure to pornography, peeping in the locker room, and sexual touching or grabbing. Around one in 10 students said they had been the victim of one or more such things from a teacher or other school employee, and two-thirds of those reported the incident involved physical contact. If these numbers are representative of the student population nationwide, 4.5 million students currently in grades K-12 have suffered some form of sexual abuse by an educator, and more than 3 million have experienced sexual touching or assault. This number would include both inappropriate romantic relationships between teachers and upperclassmen, and outright pedophilia.
-----------
It is very disturbing that this one school has three cases which seem to be unrelated. This implies that there is something systemic happening. If it was just a random case we could pass it off as unusual, but for one school to have three cases in the same year says there is a serious problem.
I think one of the differences between the Catholic church and public schools is the Catholic church as a private organization is subject to the full force of the law whereas government schools have a lot of protection by being part of the government. Additionally the teacher unions do a lot to protect teachers, no matter what the teacher may have done.
I would like to know the breakdown from the study. While a lewd comment is inappropriate it is not in the same category as a teacher having sexual intercourse with a student. If the vast majority of "sexual abuse" reported by students was lewd comments then we have a problem, but it would be near as bad as if even 20% of the sexual abuse incidents were physical in nature.
How Many Kids Are Sexually Abused by Their Teachers? starts:
-----------
Los Angeles police are investigating a teacher aide at Miramonte Elementary School who allegedly sent love letters to an 11-year-old student. The student’s mother discovered the letters in 2009, but she says police and school officials didn’t take the matter seriously until last week, when two other teachers at the same school were arrested for sexually abusing students in separate cases. Is sexual abuse in schools really as common as these reports make it seem?
Possibly. The best available study suggests that about 10 percent of students suffer some form of sexual abuse during their school careers. In the 2000 report, commissioned by the American Association of University Women, surveyors asked students between eighth and 11th grades whether they had ever experienced inappropriate sexual conduct at school. The list of such conduct included lewd comments, exposure to pornography, peeping in the locker room, and sexual touching or grabbing. Around one in 10 students said they had been the victim of one or more such things from a teacher or other school employee, and two-thirds of those reported the incident involved physical contact. If these numbers are representative of the student population nationwide, 4.5 million students currently in grades K-12 have suffered some form of sexual abuse by an educator, and more than 3 million have experienced sexual touching or assault. This number would include both inappropriate romantic relationships between teachers and upperclassmen, and outright pedophilia.
-----------
It is very disturbing that this one school has three cases which seem to be unrelated. This implies that there is something systemic happening. If it was just a random case we could pass it off as unusual, but for one school to have three cases in the same year says there is a serious problem.
I think one of the differences between the Catholic church and public schools is the Catholic church as a private organization is subject to the full force of the law whereas government schools have a lot of protection by being part of the government. Additionally the teacher unions do a lot to protect teachers, no matter what the teacher may have done.
I would like to know the breakdown from the study. While a lewd comment is inappropriate it is not in the same category as a teacher having sexual intercourse with a student. If the vast majority of "sexual abuse" reported by students was lewd comments then we have a problem, but it would be near as bad as if even 20% of the sexual abuse incidents were physical in nature.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The Unschooling Blog Carnival
Sue and Cydney are hosting a monthly Unschool Blog Carnival.
You can get information for submitting to next months carnival at here.
You can get information for submitting to next months carnival at here.
Why You Shouldn’t Have More Than 354 Facebook Friends
A study found Why You Shouldn’t Have More Than 354 Facebook Friends:
----------
Among the group who read updates, the study revealed that having 354 Facebook friends seemed to be the tipping point after which people were increasingly less happy with their lives.
----------
I currently only have 137 friends on Facebook!
----------
Among the group who read updates, the study revealed that having 354 Facebook friends seemed to be the tipping point after which people were increasingly less happy with their lives.
----------
I currently only have 137 friends on Facebook!
Another reason to homeschool: Controlling what your children eat
It appears an official at a public school in North Carolina has become the lunch bag police: 2nd N.C. Mother Says Daughter’s School Lunch Replaced for Not Being Healthy Enough.
It appears the school gets to decide whose lunch isn't "healthy" enough and then gets to bill the parents.
Hat tip: Instapundit
It appears the school gets to decide whose lunch isn't "healthy" enough and then gets to bill the parents.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please send in your submission for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Blog Carnvial is partially broken. It is accepting submissions, but not forwarding them. It would be easier if you just submitted your post directly via email. Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
The next Carnival will be held at A Life Supreme.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Blog Carnvial is partially broken. It is accepting submissions, but not forwarding them. It would be easier if you just submitted your post directly via email. Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
The next Carnival will be held at A Life Supreme.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)