Beverly of About Homeschool will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling next week. You have the whole weekend to think of what you what to submit. Entries are due by 6:00 PM (PST) on Monday evenings. Go here for information on how to submit your entry.
Also, were' coming up on the end of the month, so you might also want to start thinking about a submission for the next Unschooling Voices, a carnival for unschoolers. Joanne, of A Day in Our Lives, has put out a request for your posts.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling, Unschooling Voices, unschooling
Friday, October 20, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Request for submissions for the next Carnival of Kid Comedy
My wife and I will have the pleasure of hosting the Carnival of Kid Comedy next week. Have your children said or done something funny recently? Have they made an amazing observation? Have other children recently amused you? Please think about writing it up and sendingit in. Entries are due Monday night at 11:59 PM CST.
You can submit a post here. Go here for more information
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Technorati tags: Kid Comedy, humor
You can submit a post here. Go here for more information
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Technorati tags: Kid Comedy, humor
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
How college influenced my career path- Part 3
More answers to the question. See part 1 and part 2.
Soon after starting my first non-temp job, my boss suggested I actually take a computer programming course from the local community college. He assured me that with my experience I would do fine, even if I hadn't taken the prerequisite class. This was the same friend who got me the job. He was also Henry’s friend and former roommate. I had taken an introduction to computers class in college that mentioned basic programming, but that was it.
So, I went to the first class and didn't understand a thing that was said for an hour and thirty minutes. Before starting the class, Henry had volunteered to tutor me. (We knew each other from church.) I had turned him down. I think I'm pretty smart, so I didn't anticipate needing help. After the first class, I called him in a panic. We started "studying" together almost every night after work.
We spent a lot of time talking, but not enough time studying. Pretty quickly we started discussing marriage. After doing poorly on the first few tests, I dropped out of the class, and we decided that since we were going to get married, we should date instead of "studying." We were married exactly one year from our first "study" session.
While we were engaged, I took a few classes at a nearby university with the intent of pursuing a masters degree in marriage and family counseling. I needed a few more courses before entering the masters program. I found the course work nauseatingly politically correct. The department head was a lesbian with an agenda. She was also an awful teacher. The other course I took from another professor was actually pretty good and had useful information. After the course work, I decided that I didn't have the temperament for politically correct psychobabble.
I stayed at the start up company until it went out of business when my first daughter was six months old. After she was born, I worked part time from home. They forwarded the tech calls to my house. I would sit on my couch, nurse my baby and talk to customers.
One day, I had a customer pick up on the fact that I was nursing while talking on the phone. He stops mid sentence and asked with surprise, "Is there a baby there??" He then continued on with some pride in his voice, "I'm a pediatric surgeon!"
Since that time, I've been a full-time mom. I later wrote the installation manual for a software program Henry created when he had a home business, but that’s been about it for technical writing.
At this point I began, my next career. I care for children (nanny), direct manual labor (manager/slave driver), keep the house clean (maid), plan meals and food storage (nutritionist), prepare the meals (cook), decorate and remodel (interior designer), manage the finances (accountant), manage our retirement portfolios (financial planner), file the taxes (tax consultant), instruct our children (teacher), drive them around (taxi driver), file the homeschooling paper work (principal), provide clothing for our family (fashion consultant) and plan our many trips (travel agent). I’m not really quite sure what to call it, but I love this job.
So, how did a college education influence my career progression? In the workforce, a college education made it easier to get in the door and it made it easier to get raises. Companies often have salary guidelines. A degree makes it easier to ask for more money.
However, most of my promotions were NOT related at all to skills I learned in college. I learned computer skills by temping. I got the temp jobs because I could type. I learned to type in junior high school.
Picking up software programs easily was just something I did naturally. My writing skills were the same. Writing and computer skills mixed well for a career in technical writing.
My abilities were my gifts from God. They were magnified by the type of home in which I was raised. I grew up in home where learning and books were celebrated. My mother's idea of a fun time was to visit an archeology dig or a museum. The sight of old books and sharpened pencils makes me happy. Working hard and taking initiative was something I learned from my dad. The people skills grew by working as a checker at Kmart between my 1st and second year of college. (I highly recommend spending at least a few months as a checker for every young person.) These personal interaction skills were later honed by serving as a missionary.
The only tangible thing I took away from college was a piece of paper that got me in the door at work. However, there were still many important intangible things I gained from a college education. The year I studied social psychology helped me make sense of myself and the world. The religion and philosophy courses helped me make sense of the universe. The courses I took in economics and business made me a better consumer. Living in an apartment with room mates taught me about human nature.
I wished I had learned more about cooking and sewing in college. I had to learn those skills the hard way, trial and error. Also, a college degree is a safety net in case I need to re-enter the work force if Henry dies or is disabled. I have no plans to re-enter the job market, otherwise. I like my current job too much.
College also had a down side. I came out of college exposing socialist propaganda and embracing the classic “chip on your shoulder” feminism. As soon as I hit the “real world,” I realized that much of the world view I had been taught in college was utterly false.
So, this is the advice I give my daughters about college:
Choose the college you attend carefully. Don't worry about a college major at the beginning. Take the courses you are interested in. Just keep moving along until you stumble across your gift. Focus on gaining the skills you need to be self sufficient. Prepare yourself to teach your children the truth.
It does makes life easier if you get that piece of paper, but don't make the piece of paper your ultimate goal. Make gaining knowledge and wisdom your ultimate goal.
------------------------------
Related Tags: college experience, college education, value of college education, career advancement, silicon valley, motherhood, feminism, socialism, marriage, family, education, religion
Soon after starting my first non-temp job, my boss suggested I actually take a computer programming course from the local community college. He assured me that with my experience I would do fine, even if I hadn't taken the prerequisite class. This was the same friend who got me the job. He was also Henry’s friend and former roommate. I had taken an introduction to computers class in college that mentioned basic programming, but that was it.
So, I went to the first class and didn't understand a thing that was said for an hour and thirty minutes. Before starting the class, Henry had volunteered to tutor me. (We knew each other from church.) I had turned him down. I think I'm pretty smart, so I didn't anticipate needing help. After the first class, I called him in a panic. We started "studying" together almost every night after work.
We spent a lot of time talking, but not enough time studying. Pretty quickly we started discussing marriage. After doing poorly on the first few tests, I dropped out of the class, and we decided that since we were going to get married, we should date instead of "studying." We were married exactly one year from our first "study" session.
While we were engaged, I took a few classes at a nearby university with the intent of pursuing a masters degree in marriage and family counseling. I needed a few more courses before entering the masters program. I found the course work nauseatingly politically correct. The department head was a lesbian with an agenda. She was also an awful teacher. The other course I took from another professor was actually pretty good and had useful information. After the course work, I decided that I didn't have the temperament for politically correct psychobabble.
I stayed at the start up company until it went out of business when my first daughter was six months old. After she was born, I worked part time from home. They forwarded the tech calls to my house. I would sit on my couch, nurse my baby and talk to customers.
One day, I had a customer pick up on the fact that I was nursing while talking on the phone. He stops mid sentence and asked with surprise, "Is there a baby there??" He then continued on with some pride in his voice, "I'm a pediatric surgeon!"
Since that time, I've been a full-time mom. I later wrote the installation manual for a software program Henry created when he had a home business, but that’s been about it for technical writing.
At this point I began, my next career. I care for children (nanny), direct manual labor (manager/slave driver), keep the house clean (maid), plan meals and food storage (nutritionist), prepare the meals (cook), decorate and remodel (interior designer), manage the finances (accountant), manage our retirement portfolios (financial planner), file the taxes (tax consultant), instruct our children (teacher), drive them around (taxi driver), file the homeschooling paper work (principal), provide clothing for our family (fashion consultant) and plan our many trips (travel agent). I’m not really quite sure what to call it, but I love this job.
So, how did a college education influence my career progression? In the workforce, a college education made it easier to get in the door and it made it easier to get raises. Companies often have salary guidelines. A degree makes it easier to ask for more money.
However, most of my promotions were NOT related at all to skills I learned in college. I learned computer skills by temping. I got the temp jobs because I could type. I learned to type in junior high school.
Picking up software programs easily was just something I did naturally. My writing skills were the same. Writing and computer skills mixed well for a career in technical writing.
My abilities were my gifts from God. They were magnified by the type of home in which I was raised. I grew up in home where learning and books were celebrated. My mother's idea of a fun time was to visit an archeology dig or a museum. The sight of old books and sharpened pencils makes me happy. Working hard and taking initiative was something I learned from my dad. The people skills grew by working as a checker at Kmart between my 1st and second year of college. (I highly recommend spending at least a few months as a checker for every young person.) These personal interaction skills were later honed by serving as a missionary.
The only tangible thing I took away from college was a piece of paper that got me in the door at work. However, there were still many important intangible things I gained from a college education. The year I studied social psychology helped me make sense of myself and the world. The religion and philosophy courses helped me make sense of the universe. The courses I took in economics and business made me a better consumer. Living in an apartment with room mates taught me about human nature.
I wished I had learned more about cooking and sewing in college. I had to learn those skills the hard way, trial and error. Also, a college degree is a safety net in case I need to re-enter the work force if Henry dies or is disabled. I have no plans to re-enter the job market, otherwise. I like my current job too much.
College also had a down side. I came out of college exposing socialist propaganda and embracing the classic “chip on your shoulder” feminism. As soon as I hit the “real world,” I realized that much of the world view I had been taught in college was utterly false.
So, this is the advice I give my daughters about college:
Choose the college you attend carefully. Don't worry about a college major at the beginning. Take the courses you are interested in. Just keep moving along until you stumble across your gift. Focus on gaining the skills you need to be self sufficient. Prepare yourself to teach your children the truth.
It does makes life easier if you get that piece of paper, but don't make the piece of paper your ultimate goal. Make gaining knowledge and wisdom your ultimate goal.
------------------------------
Related Tags: college experience, college education, value of college education, career advancement, silicon valley, motherhood, feminism, socialism, marriage, family, education, religion
How college influenced my career path- Part 2
More answers to the question: How did college help my career? See Part 1.
The summer before my last year of college, I visited my sister in San Jose, California. I was supposed to stay two weeks and then return home to a summer job that I already had lined up in Wyoming. She suggested I try to get a job with a temp agency here in California. I easily got a job. So I stayed for the whole summer.
In Silicon Valley in the late 80s and early 90s, temp jobs were very easy to find and paid well. I worked for two different temp agencies who would send me to work at various tech companies for a few days or weeks at a time. Usually, it was to fill in for an administrative assistant/receptionist who was sick or on vacation. On my second or third job I ended up staying with the same company for the rest of the summer.
This job was for a new R&D department. They were hiring a permanent admin but she couldn't start for a few weeks. The phone rang maybe twice a day and I typed one memo. Since I had nothing to do all day, I played with the computer at my desk. I taught myself how to use Dbase and WordPerfect. I also made friends with the admin to the president/owner of the company. She pointed me to other openings in the company.
When my two week temp job was over, I moved over to fill the position of administrative assistant for the company’s new lawyer. He wanted everything done on computer and the old secretary with technologically phobic, so she left. This job was supposed to last only a few weeks until they hired a full time replacement. This lawyer was very picky. It took him the whole summer to find someone he liked. In the end, they hired the old admin to come back now that all the computer upgrades were done.
While implementing all the new computer upgrades, I worked very closely with the technical support department. I could have gotten a job in the tech department but I made more money as a temp admin to a lawyer.
At the end of the summer, I went back to school and graduated. After graduation, I returned to California and temped some more before taking time off to serve as a missionary. So, I still had not really begun a career.
Two years later when I got back into the job market, I returned to temping. A college degree probably had some benefit on my resume, especially with a two year gap in my employment history. However, I think it was typing speed that got me hired.
I bounced around week after week to different companies learning more and more software. Eventually, I ended up spending a year and a half at Intel as a temp. My last few months, I worked in the international marketing department. The Spanish I learned as a missionary got me that job. I had also taken two years of French in highschool and two years of French in college. I couldn't speak any french, but I could read it. I had to move on because they have laws about how long you can work as a temporary employee before the company has to pay a tax penalty.
My next temp job was at Novell where I worked as an admin in the Education department. There, I ended up writing the manual and then teaching the class for new employees on how to use the company email. The experience I gained from teaching the gospel as a missionary helped me teach email classes. I admit that it felt funny teaching a class without first having an opening prayer.
A few months later, a friend from church got me a job at a startup company that he worked at. With the skills I gained temping, I got my first (and only full time job) with benefits. I started by answering tech support calls for a printer accessory. There I moved in to testing of new products and writing installation manuals, in addition to answering calls. By that time, I was 24 years old and was making good money. I had no debt and was entirely self sufficient.
College gave me some advantage on paper, but that was about it.
For the rest of the story......see part 3.
------------------------
Related Tags: college experience, college education, value of college education, career advancement, silicon valley
The summer before my last year of college, I visited my sister in San Jose, California. I was supposed to stay two weeks and then return home to a summer job that I already had lined up in Wyoming. She suggested I try to get a job with a temp agency here in California. I easily got a job. So I stayed for the whole summer.
In Silicon Valley in the late 80s and early 90s, temp jobs were very easy to find and paid well. I worked for two different temp agencies who would send me to work at various tech companies for a few days or weeks at a time. Usually, it was to fill in for an administrative assistant/receptionist who was sick or on vacation. On my second or third job I ended up staying with the same company for the rest of the summer.
This job was for a new R&D department. They were hiring a permanent admin but she couldn't start for a few weeks. The phone rang maybe twice a day and I typed one memo. Since I had nothing to do all day, I played with the computer at my desk. I taught myself how to use Dbase and WordPerfect. I also made friends with the admin to the president/owner of the company. She pointed me to other openings in the company.
When my two week temp job was over, I moved over to fill the position of administrative assistant for the company’s new lawyer. He wanted everything done on computer and the old secretary with technologically phobic, so she left. This job was supposed to last only a few weeks until they hired a full time replacement. This lawyer was very picky. It took him the whole summer to find someone he liked. In the end, they hired the old admin to come back now that all the computer upgrades were done.
While implementing all the new computer upgrades, I worked very closely with the technical support department. I could have gotten a job in the tech department but I made more money as a temp admin to a lawyer.
At the end of the summer, I went back to school and graduated. After graduation, I returned to California and temped some more before taking time off to serve as a missionary. So, I still had not really begun a career.
Two years later when I got back into the job market, I returned to temping. A college degree probably had some benefit on my resume, especially with a two year gap in my employment history. However, I think it was typing speed that got me hired.
I bounced around week after week to different companies learning more and more software. Eventually, I ended up spending a year and a half at Intel as a temp. My last few months, I worked in the international marketing department. The Spanish I learned as a missionary got me that job. I had also taken two years of French in highschool and two years of French in college. I couldn't speak any french, but I could read it. I had to move on because they have laws about how long you can work as a temporary employee before the company has to pay a tax penalty.
My next temp job was at Novell where I worked as an admin in the Education department. There, I ended up writing the manual and then teaching the class for new employees on how to use the company email. The experience I gained from teaching the gospel as a missionary helped me teach email classes. I admit that it felt funny teaching a class without first having an opening prayer.
A few months later, a friend from church got me a job at a startup company that he worked at. With the skills I gained temping, I got my first (and only full time job) with benefits. I started by answering tech support calls for a printer accessory. There I moved in to testing of new products and writing installation manuals, in addition to answering calls. By that time, I was 24 years old and was making good money. I had no debt and was entirely self sufficient.
College gave me some advantage on paper, but that was about it.
For the rest of the story......see part 3.
------------------------
Related Tags: college experience, college education, value of college education, career advancement, silicon valley
How college influenced my career path- Part 1.
In response to my post about college, christinemm asked "I am curious what your post-college work experience was with relation to your college degree. Did you feel that it helped you to have that degree?"
I graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. I spent my career in technical support and technical writing. I'm sure the logical connection just jumps right out at you. (That's sarcasm if you can't tell without the right voice inflection.)
I will admit it. I went to college to get away from home and to get as far away from the kids I knew in high school as I could get. Going to college was all about escaping from my own life.
At college, I expected things to be better than the harassment I endured in high school. And, it was wonderful. If fact, since high school, I’ve never really been harassed, had my thing vandalized, or received a prank phone call. In many ways, college was the beginning of my adult life. As part of this new beginning, I expected to find a husband and become a full time mom. I had envisioned myself maybe working for a short time before starting a family, but not more than that.
My original major was medical technology. The first course I took towards that end was taught by an awful teacher. I hated it. I also never saw any of that stuff under the microscope that was supposed to be there.
At the same time, my first psychology course was wonderful. I loved the class and the homework seemed so easy. So, I just took the courses I liked and didn't even think about my major. At the end of three years, I met with a guidance counselor to see what kind of credits I still needed to graduate in anything. I found out that I was 1 credit short from a degree in psychology. Since I had a scholarship, I did half of the next year and graduated early.
Of course, that caused another problem. I had planned to meet my husband in college and get married by the time I graduated. When it became evident to me that was not going to happen, that's when I started thinking about a career.
For more see part 2 and part 3.
--------------------------
Related Tags: college experience, college education, value of college education, career advancement
I graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. I spent my career in technical support and technical writing. I'm sure the logical connection just jumps right out at you. (That's sarcasm if you can't tell without the right voice inflection.)
I will admit it. I went to college to get away from home and to get as far away from the kids I knew in high school as I could get. Going to college was all about escaping from my own life.
At college, I expected things to be better than the harassment I endured in high school. And, it was wonderful. If fact, since high school, I’ve never really been harassed, had my thing vandalized, or received a prank phone call. In many ways, college was the beginning of my adult life. As part of this new beginning, I expected to find a husband and become a full time mom. I had envisioned myself maybe working for a short time before starting a family, but not more than that.
My original major was medical technology. The first course I took towards that end was taught by an awful teacher. I hated it. I also never saw any of that stuff under the microscope that was supposed to be there.
At the same time, my first psychology course was wonderful. I loved the class and the homework seemed so easy. So, I just took the courses I liked and didn't even think about my major. At the end of three years, I met with a guidance counselor to see what kind of credits I still needed to graduate in anything. I found out that I was 1 credit short from a degree in psychology. Since I had a scholarship, I did half of the next year and graduated early.
Of course, that caused another problem. I had planned to meet my husband in college and get married by the time I graduated. When it became evident to me that was not going to happen, that's when I started thinking about a career.
For more see part 2 and part 3.
--------------------------
Related Tags: college experience, college education, value of college education, career advancement
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Carnival of Homeschooling is up - week 42, the answer to everything
Shannon is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at HomeschoolHacks. As Douglas Adam reveals in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy the Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything is "forty-two." In this week's carnival Shannon answers many of the questions about homeschooling. Drop in and enjoy.
This week's Carnival of Kid Comedy is at Life in a shoe. (We'll be hosting Kid Comedy next week, so start noticing the funny things your children say and do.)
And we joined the sixth Travel Carnival hosted by Trip Hub. We entered our post about checking out Anchorage for only $32.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling, Kid Comedy, humor, family, Family Life
This week's Carnival of Kid Comedy is at Life in a shoe. (We'll be hosting Kid Comedy next week, so start noticing the funny things your children say and do.)
And we joined the sixth Travel Carnival hosted by Trip Hub. We entered our post about checking out Anchorage for only $32.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling, Kid Comedy, humor, family, Family Life
Is Geraldo more ethical than Dr. Phil?
It is a funny world. I'm surprised to find that on homeschooling I have more respect for Geraldo than Dr. Phil.
Earlier this month Geraldo At Large had a short piece on unschooling. I thought it was fair and balanced.
Spunky reports that the Dr. Phil episode on homeschooling is a hit piece. Niether fair nor balanced.
What a sad, funny world.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Earlier this month Geraldo At Large had a short piece on unschooling. I thought it was fair and balanced.
Spunky reports that the Dr. Phil episode on homeschooling is a hit piece. Niether fair nor balanced.
What a sad, funny world.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Monday, October 16, 2006
Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women
So this one caught my eye.
A new book, Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women, takes on the myth that men are intimidated by intelligent women.
You can read more about it here.
It is nice that some one has put this myth to rest. My husband has a funny story about something like this. Before I met Henry, he dated a lot ot women. (He estimates it was about 500.) Anyway, he once went out with a nice woman who came across like a dumb blond. While on a date with this woman, he had flash forward moment where he could picture them married to each other with children. In this flash moment, he imaged that she turned to him while driving home from church and said, "Honey, do we have 3 or is it 4 children?" He never asked her out again.
Henry mentioned that intelligence, and height were important to him. I never worried about intelligence scary away a potential husband. I did worry about height. I am almost 6 feet tall. When I was in school and I was taller than every boy, it effected how I looked at myself. All the popular girls were short. None of the women's clothing in stores was long enough in the legs or arms back then. So, we often shopped in the mens department. That negatively impacted self image as well.
This has influenced my decision to homeschool. My tall daughters like being tall. And, they don't care what is "in" or what the popular kids do. Staying away from school definately made that possible.
Now back to the article. I was struck by how self absorbed and emotionally needy some of these "swans" sounded. It reminded me of the recent uproar over the "don't marry a career woman" advice in Forbes magazine.
I agree that it is not success, but attitude that scares away a potential spouse. Both men and women are wise to avoid a spouse who puts career before family.
-----------------------
Related Tags: marriage, family, career women
A new book, Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women, takes on the myth that men are intimidated by intelligent women.
You can read more about it here.
By ages 35 to 39, a higher percentage of high-achieving women have walked down the aisle than their less accomplished sisters.
Women who are panicked about their marriage prospects are more likely to give off negative or desperate vibes to men, and SWANS who believe that men will be intimidated by their education or success may find that it's really ego and attitude - not their success - that are getting in the way. .
It is nice that some one has put this myth to rest. My husband has a funny story about something like this. Before I met Henry, he dated a lot ot women. (He estimates it was about 500.) Anyway, he once went out with a nice woman who came across like a dumb blond. While on a date with this woman, he had flash forward moment where he could picture them married to each other with children. In this flash moment, he imaged that she turned to him while driving home from church and said, "Honey, do we have 3 or is it 4 children?" He never asked her out again.
Henry mentioned that intelligence, and height were important to him. I never worried about intelligence scary away a potential husband. I did worry about height. I am almost 6 feet tall. When I was in school and I was taller than every boy, it effected how I looked at myself. All the popular girls were short. None of the women's clothing in stores was long enough in the legs or arms back then. So, we often shopped in the mens department. That negatively impacted self image as well.
This has influenced my decision to homeschool. My tall daughters like being tall. And, they don't care what is "in" or what the popular kids do. Staying away from school definately made that possible.
Now back to the article. I was struck by how self absorbed and emotionally needy some of these "swans" sounded. It reminded me of the recent uproar over the "don't marry a career woman" advice in Forbes magazine.
I agree that it is not success, but attitude that scares away a potential spouse. Both men and women are wise to avoid a spouse who puts career before family.
-----------------------
Related Tags: marriage, family, career women
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Forty eight hours and counting
The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be hosted by Shannon. Shannon has long blogged at PHAT Mommy. She has recently started up HomeschooHacks, and will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling at Homeschoolhacks.
Entries are due in forty eight hours, Monday evening at 6:00 PM PST. As always the host would appreciate entries coming in early. Details on what and how to submit are here.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Entries are due in forty eight hours, Monday evening at 6:00 PM PST. As always the host would appreciate entries coming in early. Details on what and how to submit are here.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Students rack up 10-15 hours of sleep debt a week
This news article, Women Voters Appeal for Later School Start, caught my eye.
Here's a few excerpts:
Now this is the part of the article I thought was very interesting:
It will be interesting to see what the school board decides. Will the 34% of New Canaan High School staff against the time change be counted more important than scientific data and the 84% of New Canann High School parents who support the change?
This topic resonates with me. In highschool, I had many sleep related problems. My high school started at 7:30 am. Early morning swim practice started at 6 am and marching band practice at 7 am. I would get up at 4:45 am, to leave my house by 5:30 am to make the 20 minute walk to the swimming pool.
I made myself a little nuts. I would sometimes forge notes from home so that I could sluff school and come home to sleep in the afternoon. Even after I was no longer on the swim team, I would still periodically skip school to come home and sleep. I would also sleep through classes. Luckily, I had some good teachers who would only wake me up if we were covering material I didn't all ready know.
Most of my sleep problems ended when I was no longer in highschool. However, I have some residual side effects. I get very anxious and can't sleep the night before I need to get up early in the morning. I also got in the habit of sleeping anytime I stopped moving.
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Related Tags: school, school start time, sleep disorders, adolescent sleep patterns, sleep deprivation, sleep patterns, school boards
Here's a few excerpts:
Students rack up 10 to 15 hours of sleep debt a week by getting six to seven hours a sleep a night, which is the equivalent of pulling one all-nighter. Anecdotal evidence from middle- and high-school parents also showed older students are not getting enough sleep. Stone said this raises concerns for their health, well-being and ability to reach their learning.
Sleep patterns change at adolescence, which does not mix well with early school start times. Students cannot necessarily go to bed earlier because their bodies release the drowsiness-inducing hormone melatonin later in the day, Himmel said. A Connecticut Board of Education study done in 2003 revealed that adolescents are more alert later in the day while younger children are more alert earlier.
Sleep deprivation can bring several health problems, according to the league's research. Students who don't get enough sleep can suffer from irritability, moodiness, emotional instability, aggressiveness and stress, said committee co-chair Peggy Dannemann. Sleep deprivation also can take a toll on cognitive function. She said students can have a harder time paying attention and a slower reaction time, or succumb to involuntary naps to catch up on their missed sleep.
Sleep-deprived students also tend to rely more on stimulants such as caffeine and have a higher rate of drug use...
"A tired child is an accident waiting to happen," Dannemann said, adding that 55 percent of the 100,000 car accidents caused by drowsy drivers each year are by 16- to 25-year-old drivers.
...44 percent of high school parents drive their children to school specifically to give them more time sleeping and 32 percent of high school students drive themselves to school for that reason.
Now this is the part of the article I thought was very interesting:
Opinion from the schools' professional staff, however, was mixed. Saxe Middle School had 71 percent of its staff wanting later start times, but only 34 percent of New Canaan High School staff agreed.
It will be interesting to see what the school board decides. Will the 34% of New Canaan High School staff against the time change be counted more important than scientific data and the 84% of New Canann High School parents who support the change?
This topic resonates with me. In highschool, I had many sleep related problems. My high school started at 7:30 am. Early morning swim practice started at 6 am and marching band practice at 7 am. I would get up at 4:45 am, to leave my house by 5:30 am to make the 20 minute walk to the swimming pool.
I made myself a little nuts. I would sometimes forge notes from home so that I could sluff school and come home to sleep in the afternoon. Even after I was no longer on the swim team, I would still periodically skip school to come home and sleep. I would also sleep through classes. Luckily, I had some good teachers who would only wake me up if we were covering material I didn't all ready know.
Most of my sleep problems ended when I was no longer in highschool. However, I have some residual side effects. I get very anxious and can't sleep the night before I need to get up early in the morning. I also got in the habit of sleeping anytime I stopped moving.
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Related Tags: school, school start time, sleep disorders, adolescent sleep patterns, sleep deprivation, sleep patterns, school boards
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Making Sense Out of Craziness
There is so much pointless violence in the news recently, that it is hard to make sense of it. Rational thought has been replaced by unrestrained emotion. I still find my self asking "why."
We recently had our own little brush with craziness. On Sunday we drove from our home to my in-laws home for dinner. The majority of the trip is spent on freeways and expressways. We have tradition that Henry reads to the kids from one of the Black Stallion books while I drive. (I get car sick, so I can't be the reader.)
Because it was Sunday afternoon, the traffic was light for a California freeway. A car came up behind ours, tailgated for a few moments and then flashed on its lights to get my attention. Since I was keeping pace with the traffic, I thought that was odd. I guessed that the drive must be eager to exit, since the lane I was in could both exit or continue on the freeway. I was puzzled when the driver pulled out of my lane and into the faster lane just has we approached the exit. The driver made an obscene gesture as he spend past our car. The car then continued on in the faster lane.
I puzzled over this little exchange. I was driving about 63 mph in a 65 mph zone, in the right lane which is traditionally the "slow" lane. If the driver wanted to driver faster, why was in in the slow lane? I discussed it at dinner with Henry and his parents. Some one suggested that maybe I had cut the other driver off, but I can't figure out how that could have occurred. Twice during the trip I merged on to another freeway. I remember thinking to myself, that with this light traffic, it was so much easier to merge. Once on the multilane freeway, I stayed in the traditional "slower" lane and kept pace with the surrounding traffic.
Someone else suggested that maybe he didn't like my bumper sticker. I have a faded bumper sticker with the name of a candidate from an election a few years ago. This type of boorish behavior did fit the stereotype I have of a particular political organization, but it still seems a bit of a reach. How likely would it be that driving down the freeway, someone noticed a small, faded bumper sticker and decided to harass a woman driving car full of children on a Sunday afternoon?
The last theory was maybe it was a case of mistaken identity. We do drive a rather nondescript Toyota Camry. There are a lot of them on the road.
Maybe it is pointless to try and make sense out of nonsense, but it's the psychologist in me. Why was he so angry? Why did he think that being angry made it ok to harass another driver? Why was it so important to him that I observe his little tantrum? How did he feel as he drove away?
This minor incident reminds me of so many tragedies caused by people who have become a slave to their anger. What in our society drives this kind of thing?
The theme from the Shadow comic hero popped into my head: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Maybe it's not that complicated after all.
----------------------------
Related Tags: road rage, violence
We recently had our own little brush with craziness. On Sunday we drove from our home to my in-laws home for dinner. The majority of the trip is spent on freeways and expressways. We have tradition that Henry reads to the kids from one of the Black Stallion books while I drive. (I get car sick, so I can't be the reader.)
Because it was Sunday afternoon, the traffic was light for a California freeway. A car came up behind ours, tailgated for a few moments and then flashed on its lights to get my attention. Since I was keeping pace with the traffic, I thought that was odd. I guessed that the drive must be eager to exit, since the lane I was in could both exit or continue on the freeway. I was puzzled when the driver pulled out of my lane and into the faster lane just has we approached the exit. The driver made an obscene gesture as he spend past our car. The car then continued on in the faster lane.
I puzzled over this little exchange. I was driving about 63 mph in a 65 mph zone, in the right lane which is traditionally the "slow" lane. If the driver wanted to driver faster, why was in in the slow lane? I discussed it at dinner with Henry and his parents. Some one suggested that maybe I had cut the other driver off, but I can't figure out how that could have occurred. Twice during the trip I merged on to another freeway. I remember thinking to myself, that with this light traffic, it was so much easier to merge. Once on the multilane freeway, I stayed in the traditional "slower" lane and kept pace with the surrounding traffic.
Someone else suggested that maybe he didn't like my bumper sticker. I have a faded bumper sticker with the name of a candidate from an election a few years ago. This type of boorish behavior did fit the stereotype I have of a particular political organization, but it still seems a bit of a reach. How likely would it be that driving down the freeway, someone noticed a small, faded bumper sticker and decided to harass a woman driving car full of children on a Sunday afternoon?
The last theory was maybe it was a case of mistaken identity. We do drive a rather nondescript Toyota Camry. There are a lot of them on the road.
Maybe it is pointless to try and make sense out of nonsense, but it's the psychologist in me. Why was he so angry? Why did he think that being angry made it ok to harass another driver? Why was it so important to him that I observe his little tantrum? How did he feel as he drove away?
This minor incident reminds me of so many tragedies caused by people who have become a slave to their anger. What in our society drives this kind of thing?
The theme from the Shadow comic hero popped into my head: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Maybe it's not that complicated after all.
----------------------------
Related Tags: road rage, violence
The Carnival of Homeschooling, week 41
The Carnival of Homeschooling this week is being hosted by the Nerd Family.
The Carnival of Kid Comedy is hosted at Life in a Shoe.
And the Carnival of Family Life is at Of Noble Character.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling, Kid Comedy, humor, family, Family Life
The Carnival of Kid Comedy is hosted at Life in a Shoe.
And the Carnival of Family Life is at Of Noble Character.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling, Kid Comedy, humor, family, Family Life
Friday, October 06, 2006
The first Catholic Homeschooling Blog Carnival
The first Catholic Homeschooling Blog Carnival is being hosted by Love2learn Blog. In the opening paragraph it says: "Catholics who homeschool have a unique set of challenges and we hope this blog carnival will be a way of supporting and encouraging each other in the love of Christ and His Blessed Mother!" If this interests you, check it out. I was amazed at how many entries there were.
This carnival will be monthly. Entries for the next carnival are due before the 25th. Go here for information on submitting.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Catholic
This carnival will be monthly. Entries for the next carnival are due before the 25th. Go here for information on submitting.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Catholic
Contributing to the next Carnival of Homeschooling
The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be hosted by the Nerd Family.
Think about what you have blogged about homeschooling. Consider submitting it.
Entries are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM PST. As always the host would appreciate entries coming in early. Details on what and how to submit are here.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Think about what you have blogged about homeschooling. Consider submitting it.
Entries are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM PST. As always the host would appreciate entries coming in early. Details on what and how to submit are here.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Geraldo on unschooling
My wife and I turned to Fox TV tonight to watch Pat Farenga. As we mentioned earlier today we had heard that Pat would be on Geraldo At Large. Geraldo opened by reporting on the recent tragedy in the Amish community. There was some back ground about the Amish. The focus was on how the Amish would react to the killings.
We haven't watched Geraldo before. He seems to do quick coverage of popular news. The next section was on two men fighting over who was the father of Anna Nichole Smith's baby. Then there was a brief report about how some students prompted the reexamination of the death of Janet Chandler.
Finally Geraldo got to the good stuff: unschooling! The show had a brief title of "unschooling = unbelievable" which worried us a bit. But I think they did an OK job of talking about the basic premise of unschooling. Pat Farenga came on a couple times to talk about how unschooling works. Most of the focus was on a mother who was unschooling her six year old daughter. Pat was the expert. When asked how parents teach subjects that the parents don't know, Pat explained that the parents become a general contractor, and hire experts to teach particular subjects.
Geraldo did give some bad advice at the end. The question was what should parents do who are interested in homeschooling, and the answer was to check with the parent's State Department of Education. Any Department of Education is the last place I’d go for advice and information. One of Geraldo’s reporters said that you always have to register. This is not true. Different states have different laws.
All in all I thought it was decent. Other than the title the show was pretty neutral, maybe a bit positive about unschooling. It was about six to seven minutes long. Pat Farenga was on maybe a total of a minute. The show did make the point that time is better spent learning in unschooling, versus public schools, because the children are more engaged.
I’ve left a message thanking Geraldo.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, education, Pat Farenga, Patrick Farenga, Geraldo, unschooling
We haven't watched Geraldo before. He seems to do quick coverage of popular news. The next section was on two men fighting over who was the father of Anna Nichole Smith's baby. Then there was a brief report about how some students prompted the reexamination of the death of Janet Chandler.
Finally Geraldo got to the good stuff: unschooling! The show had a brief title of "unschooling = unbelievable" which worried us a bit. But I think they did an OK job of talking about the basic premise of unschooling. Pat Farenga came on a couple times to talk about how unschooling works. Most of the focus was on a mother who was unschooling her six year old daughter. Pat was the expert. When asked how parents teach subjects that the parents don't know, Pat explained that the parents become a general contractor, and hire experts to teach particular subjects.
Geraldo did give some bad advice at the end. The question was what should parents do who are interested in homeschooling, and the answer was to check with the parent's State Department of Education. Any Department of Education is the last place I’d go for advice and information. One of Geraldo’s reporters said that you always have to register. This is not true. Different states have different laws.
All in all I thought it was decent. Other than the title the show was pretty neutral, maybe a bit positive about unschooling. It was about six to seven minutes long. Pat Farenga was on maybe a total of a minute. The show did make the point that time is better spent learning in unschooling, versus public schools, because the children are more engaged.
I’ve left a message thanking Geraldo.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, education, Pat Farenga, Patrick Farenga, Geraldo, unschooling
Good quotations about knowledge
Recently I came across a set of quotations about knowledge by Brian McDermott. The ones below are a few of my favorites. The whole collection is work checking out.
There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything, or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking.
- Alfred Korzybski
Some of these contradict each other, for example:
Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
-Samuel
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
-Chinese proverb
A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.
- Bob Edwards
Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.
- Leonardo Da Vinci
Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
- W.B. Yeats
There is no great concurrence between learning and wisdom.
- Francis Bacon
Without education we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously.
- GK Chesterton
The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together.
- Eric Hoffer
Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education.
- Bertrand Russell
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.
- George Santayana
A stupid man never learns from his mistakes. A smart man always learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from other peoples mistakes.
- hayes@ug.cs.dal.ca
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
-William A. Ward
If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others.
-Tryon Edwards
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Technorati tags: wisdom, knowledge, education, school, learning
There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything, or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking.
- Alfred Korzybski
Some of these contradict each other, for example:
Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
-Samuel
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
-Chinese proverb
A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.
- Bob Edwards
Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.
- Leonardo Da Vinci
Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
- W.B. Yeats
There is no great concurrence between learning and wisdom.
- Francis Bacon
Without education we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously.
- GK Chesterton
The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together.
- Eric Hoffer
Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education.
- Bertrand Russell
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.
- George Santayana
A stupid man never learns from his mistakes. A smart man always learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from other peoples mistakes.
- hayes@ug.cs.dal.ca
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
-William A. Ward
If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others.
-Tryon Edwards
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Technorati tags: wisdom, knowledge, education, school, learning
Information from NHELD on the United Nation's Convention of the Rights of the Child
The National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD) has created three bulletins on the United Nation's Convention of the Rights of the Child. Judy Aron brought these to my attention several weeks back, but I'm just now mentioning them. Judy works at the Director of Research at the NHELD. (Oh, and there is still time to contribute money to Judy's campaign.)
The first bulletin (#54) defines terms, for example what is the difference between a treaty, an agreement and a convention.
The next bulletin (#55) provides some background on the historical precent for when there is a conflict between a treaty and United States law, both at the federal and state levels.
And the final bulletin (#56) raises a whole bunch of issues with the Convention of the Rights of the Child. One of the things that struck me is just how vague is the Convention. The NHELD lists many, many problems with the Convention; there are too many to summarize. As they say, read the whole list.
The NHELD concludes with:
"NHELD opposes this treaty as it is written. It leaves too many questions unanswered, it invites more federal regulation, and that federal regulation may supersede parental rights under state law."
and encourages citizens to contact their Senators and encourage them to oppose this Convention.
There is a lot of information in these three bulletins, and they are well worth reading. After reading them, contact your senators and encourage them to oppose the Convention.
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Technorati tags: NHELD, Judy Aron, Convention of the Rights of the Child, United Nations
The first bulletin (#54) defines terms, for example what is the difference between a treaty, an agreement and a convention.
The next bulletin (#55) provides some background on the historical precent for when there is a conflict between a treaty and United States law, both at the federal and state levels.
And the final bulletin (#56) raises a whole bunch of issues with the Convention of the Rights of the Child. One of the things that struck me is just how vague is the Convention. The NHELD lists many, many problems with the Convention; there are too many to summarize. As they say, read the whole list.
The NHELD concludes with:
"NHELD opposes this treaty as it is written. It leaves too many questions unanswered, it invites more federal regulation, and that federal regulation may supersede parental rights under state law."
and encourages citizens to contact their Senators and encourage them to oppose this Convention.
There is a lot of information in these three bulletins, and they are well worth reading. After reading them, contact your senators and encourage them to oppose the Convention.
----------
Technorati tags: NHELD, Judy Aron, Convention of the Rights of the Child, United Nations
Pat Farenga on Geraldo/FoxNews TODAY
The StillwaterHomeschoolAlliance mailing list had an announcement that Pat Farenga will be on Geraldo today.
You can find when Geraldo will air in your area via his web site at where to watch.
If you missed it, you might enjoy my interview with Pat Farenga.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, education, Pat Farenga, Patrick Farenga
You can find when Geraldo will air in your area via his web site at where to watch.
If you missed it, you might enjoy my interview with Pat Farenga.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, education, Pat Farenga, Patrick Farenga
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Visiting Anchorage, Alaska for $32
We’ve recently subscribed to the Anchorage Daily News. For about $32 they are sending us a months worth of the newspaper, via second class mail. Much of the news is the same national and international news we’ve read in our own paper. But the news on Anchorage and all of Alaska make the $32 a great bargain. We have enjoyed many little insights into life in another part of the world. Here are a few things we’ve enjoyed:
Beautiful pictures: Every edition has several colorful pictures of amazing scenery. We’ve seen pictures of the mountains, caribou, whales, more whales, and so on.
The trials of moving: R. Brett Stirling wrote a column about moving. Most of this column is on flying into an island with his pack of huskies in a tiny plane. After reading this to my daughters we talked about how Alaska was so big that it was often easier to fly than drive or take a boat.
Crime: A 2003 Caterpiller Model 246 Turbo Skid Steer Loader was stolen. The thing that struck me was the line that this was the only one of its kind in all of Alaska.
The wildlife: Ajowan, a sea lion, had been sick and undernourished, and in danger of dying. It was taken to the Alaska SeaLife Center, and after three months it went from 100 pounds to 175 pounds and was released in the wild. They attached a radio transmitter to track the movements of the seal lion. It was interesting to read that sometimes the antennas get chewed up by other sea lions.
Gasoline: It seems like every edition has something about the price of gas, or the supply of gas, or the plans for more oil exploration. About every third edition has oil related news on the front page. There are many cities in the US that have specific focuses: Washington DC is on politics, Silicon Valley is on technology, and Los Angeles is largely on TV & movies. Well Alaska is focused on oil. When the price climbs, they’re happy because the state will get more money. The state collects a pretty hefty tax, so much that the headline on the 21st was that every man, woman, and child in Alaska was will get over a thousand dollar dividend.
Ghost ships: The September 23rd edition reported that a ship had been found floating out at sea. It appeared to be a Russian barge, but so far there’s been no additional information. It had first been sighted back in May, out by the Aleutian chain. As it drifted closer to the main shipping lines the Coast Guard finally boarded and towed it. No one has claimed it yet. I wonder, how does a ship that big get misplaced?
Different ads: Most of the advertising is pretty typical American. There’s cars for sale, cell phones, houses, and so on. But every so often I’ll do a double take, for example the paper is running a full page ad selling a 2007 Moose Calendar for only $3.95.
There is a nice small town feel to the paper. Alaska has just over 600,000 people, and about half live in or around Anchorage. There was a touching story of a woman who has been a foster mother for 30 years and helped many troubled teenagers turn into decent adults.
As part of the small town feel, the paper often mentions locals who are doing well else where in the world. There was almost a full page article on Vicica Genaux who is performing in New York as a mezzo-soprano.
This has been a fun way to educate myself and the family about Alaska. Our daughters have enjoyed the news articles I’ve read to them. (Of course, the older two turn to the comics first.) It helps them have a better understanding of what life in Alaska is like.
One of the few down sides is the paper arrive very erratically. Normally it arrives a week to ten days late. The first paper was a Sunday paper, the 17th of September. We got nothing the next day. Then we got three papers, the 16th, the 19th and the 21st. Then nothing for a couple days, and then four papers.
Reading the Anchorage Daily News isn’t as good as being there; however, for $32 it is a great value. If you are interested, you can call (907) 257 4400.
We’ve enjoyed the couple weeks so far. Maybe next we’ll try a paper in Maine or Florida.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, children, education, Alaska, Anchorage, Anchorage Daily News, travel
Beautiful pictures: Every edition has several colorful pictures of amazing scenery. We’ve seen pictures of the mountains, caribou, whales, more whales, and so on.
The trials of moving: R. Brett Stirling wrote a column about moving. Most of this column is on flying into an island with his pack of huskies in a tiny plane. After reading this to my daughters we talked about how Alaska was so big that it was often easier to fly than drive or take a boat.
Crime: A 2003 Caterpiller Model 246 Turbo Skid Steer Loader was stolen. The thing that struck me was the line that this was the only one of its kind in all of Alaska.
The wildlife: Ajowan, a sea lion, had been sick and undernourished, and in danger of dying. It was taken to the Alaska SeaLife Center, and after three months it went from 100 pounds to 175 pounds and was released in the wild. They attached a radio transmitter to track the movements of the seal lion. It was interesting to read that sometimes the antennas get chewed up by other sea lions.
Gasoline: It seems like every edition has something about the price of gas, or the supply of gas, or the plans for more oil exploration. About every third edition has oil related news on the front page. There are many cities in the US that have specific focuses: Washington DC is on politics, Silicon Valley is on technology, and Los Angeles is largely on TV & movies. Well Alaska is focused on oil. When the price climbs, they’re happy because the state will get more money. The state collects a pretty hefty tax, so much that the headline on the 21st was that every man, woman, and child in Alaska was will get over a thousand dollar dividend.
Ghost ships: The September 23rd edition reported that a ship had been found floating out at sea. It appeared to be a Russian barge, but so far there’s been no additional information. It had first been sighted back in May, out by the Aleutian chain. As it drifted closer to the main shipping lines the Coast Guard finally boarded and towed it. No one has claimed it yet. I wonder, how does a ship that big get misplaced?
Different ads: Most of the advertising is pretty typical American. There’s cars for sale, cell phones, houses, and so on. But every so often I’ll do a double take, for example the paper is running a full page ad selling a 2007 Moose Calendar for only $3.95.
There is a nice small town feel to the paper. Alaska has just over 600,000 people, and about half live in or around Anchorage. There was a touching story of a woman who has been a foster mother for 30 years and helped many troubled teenagers turn into decent adults.
As part of the small town feel, the paper often mentions locals who are doing well else where in the world. There was almost a full page article on Vicica Genaux who is performing in New York as a mezzo-soprano.
This has been a fun way to educate myself and the family about Alaska. Our daughters have enjoyed the news articles I’ve read to them. (Of course, the older two turn to the comics first.) It helps them have a better understanding of what life in Alaska is like.
One of the few down sides is the paper arrive very erratically. Normally it arrives a week to ten days late. The first paper was a Sunday paper, the 17th of September. We got nothing the next day. Then we got three papers, the 16th, the 19th and the 21st. Then nothing for a couple days, and then four papers.
Reading the Anchorage Daily News isn’t as good as being there; however, for $32 it is a great value. If you are interested, you can call (907) 257 4400.
We’ve enjoyed the couple weeks so far. Maybe next we’ll try a paper in Maine or Florida.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, children, education, Alaska, Anchorage, Anchorage Daily News, travel
Carnival of Education - the 87th edition
This week's Carnival of Education is over at The Current Events in Education.
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Technorati tags: education, children, students, learning, school
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Technorati tags: education, children, students, learning, school
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Judy Aron finds more interesting news on the internet
I don't know how she does it. Judy Aron is running for office, and still finds time to dig up interesting news about homeschooling and education. (If you haven't checked out her campaign site, drop in.) The following are items from Judy. I hadn't realized how far behind I had gotten. I think some of these are over a month old.
Pam Puniello gave a powerful speech: The Reluctant Patriots Home Educators Network in the Rhode Island. Pam challenges us as parents to stand up to the government when various officials try to take away our rights, responsibilities, and freedoms. It is a great call to action.
Margaret Zen interviewed LauraMaery Gold in Why It's Important to Document Abuses In Public Education back in 2001. This interview covers why it is important for all parents to pay attention to the abuses in public schools. LauraMaery makes it clear that she believes most educators are good and decent people, but that public schools provide access for certain types of people who take advantage of children.
When parents home-school kids while holding jobs is an article about how many full time working parents are making time to also homeschool their children. It is a nice article. It is hard to imagine trying to hold down a full time job and homeschool my daughters. It was a challenge just taking care of my oldest the week Janine was gone.
From the Washingtonpost is a good article about how public schools are not demanding and challenging: In Many Classrooms, 'Honors' in Name Only. The second paragraph quotes Robyn Jackson: "We have a lot of work to do to help teachers understand what true rigor is." The article covers some of the many problems with classes being labeled "Honors" but still being weak classes. I read articles like thinks and wonder why is it that some people are so critical of homeschoolers when the public school is doing so poorly.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, children, education, Judy Aron, Pam Puniello, Margaret Zen, LauraMaery Gold
Pam Puniello gave a powerful speech: The Reluctant Patriots Home Educators Network in the Rhode Island. Pam challenges us as parents to stand up to the government when various officials try to take away our rights, responsibilities, and freedoms. It is a great call to action.
Margaret Zen interviewed LauraMaery Gold in Why It's Important to Document Abuses In Public Education back in 2001. This interview covers why it is important for all parents to pay attention to the abuses in public schools. LauraMaery makes it clear that she believes most educators are good and decent people, but that public schools provide access for certain types of people who take advantage of children.
When parents home-school kids while holding jobs is an article about how many full time working parents are making time to also homeschool their children. It is a nice article. It is hard to imagine trying to hold down a full time job and homeschool my daughters. It was a challenge just taking care of my oldest the week Janine was gone.
From the Washingtonpost is a good article about how public schools are not demanding and challenging: In Many Classrooms, 'Honors' in Name Only. The second paragraph quotes Robyn Jackson: "We have a lot of work to do to help teachers understand what true rigor is." The article covers some of the many problems with classes being labeled "Honors" but still being weak classes. I read articles like thinks and wonder why is it that some people are so critical of homeschoolers when the public school is doing so poorly.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, children, education, Judy Aron, Pam Puniello, Margaret Zen, LauraMaery Gold
A few other carnivals - family and homeschooling related
Joanne, of A Day in Our Lives, is hosting this month's Unschooling Voices, a carnival on unschooling. This month's topic was math and many of the posts are about unschooling and math.
Kim, of Life in a shoe, presents this week's Carnival of Kid Comedy. Do you think your children do funny stuff some times? Check out some of these posts.
Play Library is hosting this week's Carnival of Family Life.
And finally JoJo Tabares, of Communication FUNdamentals, is hosting a Carnival of FUNschooling.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, unschooling, comedy, children, family life, family, fun, FUNschooling
Kim, of Life in a shoe, presents this week's Carnival of Kid Comedy. Do you think your children do funny stuff some times? Check out some of these posts.
Play Library is hosting this week's Carnival of Family Life.
And finally JoJo Tabares, of Communication FUNdamentals, is hosting a Carnival of FUNschooling.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, unschooling, comedy, children, family life, family, fun, FUNschooling
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling - from the 1940s
Gary Davis, who does a great job with HomeSchoolBuzz.com, is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling. Since this is the 40th carnival, Gary uses the 1940s as the theme for linking together the great variety of posts.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Monday, October 02, 2006
Homeschooling Does Not Equal Isolation - Part 1
Maybe this goes back to the socialization thing, but I'm still surprised by the number of comments left on various homeschool related blogs which are based on the assumption that homeschoolers are isolationists. While that may be true for some, it doesn't apply to most of the homeschoolers I know.
It is true that I do not what my children immersed in popular culture, like they would be at school. I'm reminded of the poem about vice.
Public education goes out of its way to normalize bad manners and shameful conduct. I recently had a conversation with a mother with three children in school. She was frustrated by the little vulgarities which had crept into her children's speech. Her children had become desensitized to these words, and so they felt comfortable using them even when speaking to adults. Even though the parents explained why these words were unsuitable, the children just couldn't understand their parents' reaction. All their friends at school talk like that.
There was a young man in our neighborhood who talked like an illiterate street thug. This young man grew up in a upper middle class neighborhood with highly educated parents, yet because of the time he spent at school he sounded like he grew up in a ghetto. Luckily for him, he would spend a few years in foreign country speaking another language. By the time he returned home, he no longer sounded like a gang banger.
That is one of the many reasons my children don't go to public school. It is human nature to imitate what you see and hear day after day, all day long.
Limiting and diluting negative influences does not have to be isolating. We don't shun public school children or people of another faith or lifestyle. I estimate that less than half of my friends are homeschoolers who attend the same church as my family. The majority of our friends and family consist of a wide variety of religious backgrounds, include atheist, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, agnostic, new age, and a broad spectrum of Christian denominations. We have many friends and neighbors who have children in public and private school.
These interacts have led to some pretty funny conversations. When my middle daughter was four years old, she spent a lot of time with the next door neighbor's 4 year old boy. Our next door neighbors are from India. They are Hindu by tradition and atheist by practice. When questions regarding religion came up, my neighbor was very careful in her responses by prefacing every comment with, "Some people believe one way and some people believe another."
My daughter and their son and the following conversation.
The part I found so funny is that they understood each other perfectly. We spent our Sundays at church and they spent their Sundays at Great America and Chucky Cheese.
As the above example illustrates, four year olds don't process information the way you might think. Children under the age of 8 swallow misinformation whole. They don't normally have the capacity to sift information for bias or inaccuracies. They also don't draw the conclusions adults might expect. Thus, young children are easily confused, manipulated and victimized. That is why, as parents, it is our responsibility to watch over our children when they can not safeguard themselves.
While my children have quite a lot of contact with a diverse group, we manage the interactions. These interactions are great teaching moments because we are consistently monitoring what is going on. That is the problem with sending your children to school. Parents are unaware of what takes place the majority of the child's waking hours. Often, parents aren't aware there is a problem until it is a big problem. It is dangerous to delegate parental responsibility to an institution.
Homeschool children are not at home hiding under the bed. They are happily out in the "real" world enjoying the benefits of parental supervision.
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Related Tags: homeschooling, public school, socialization, parental supervision, isolationists, parenting
It is true that I do not what my children immersed in popular culture, like they would be at school. I'm reminded of the poem about vice.
Vice is a monster of so frightful mein
as to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity,
then embrace.
(Alexander Pope)
Public education goes out of its way to normalize bad manners and shameful conduct. I recently had a conversation with a mother with three children in school. She was frustrated by the little vulgarities which had crept into her children's speech. Her children had become desensitized to these words, and so they felt comfortable using them even when speaking to adults. Even though the parents explained why these words were unsuitable, the children just couldn't understand their parents' reaction. All their friends at school talk like that.
There was a young man in our neighborhood who talked like an illiterate street thug. This young man grew up in a upper middle class neighborhood with highly educated parents, yet because of the time he spent at school he sounded like he grew up in a ghetto. Luckily for him, he would spend a few years in foreign country speaking another language. By the time he returned home, he no longer sounded like a gang banger.
That is one of the many reasons my children don't go to public school. It is human nature to imitate what you see and hear day after day, all day long.
Limiting and diluting negative influences does not have to be isolating. We don't shun public school children or people of another faith or lifestyle. I estimate that less than half of my friends are homeschoolers who attend the same church as my family. The majority of our friends and family consist of a wide variety of religious backgrounds, include atheist, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, agnostic, new age, and a broad spectrum of Christian denominations. We have many friends and neighbors who have children in public and private school.
These interacts have led to some pretty funny conversations. When my middle daughter was four years old, she spent a lot of time with the next door neighbor's 4 year old boy. Our next door neighbors are from India. They are Hindu by tradition and atheist by practice. When questions regarding religion came up, my neighbor was very careful in her responses by prefacing every comment with, "Some people believe one way and some people believe another."
My daughter and their son and the following conversation.
Their son:
Some people believe on way, some people believe another. My parents don't believe in God.
My grandmother believes in God. In fact, she believes in a whole bunch of Gods.
My daughter:
Some people believe one way, some people believe another. At my house, we believe in Jesus. At your house, you believe in Great America.
Their son:
(With great excitement) ....And Chucky Cheese!!!
The part I found so funny is that they understood each other perfectly. We spent our Sundays at church and they spent their Sundays at Great America and Chucky Cheese.
As the above example illustrates, four year olds don't process information the way you might think. Children under the age of 8 swallow misinformation whole. They don't normally have the capacity to sift information for bias or inaccuracies. They also don't draw the conclusions adults might expect. Thus, young children are easily confused, manipulated and victimized. That is why, as parents, it is our responsibility to watch over our children when they can not safeguard themselves.
While my children have quite a lot of contact with a diverse group, we manage the interactions. These interactions are great teaching moments because we are consistently monitoring what is going on. That is the problem with sending your children to school. Parents are unaware of what takes place the majority of the child's waking hours. Often, parents aren't aware there is a problem until it is a big problem. It is dangerous to delegate parental responsibility to an institution.
Homeschool children are not at home hiding under the bed. They are happily out in the "real" world enjoying the benefits of parental supervision.
-----------------------------------
Related Tags: homeschooling, public school, socialization, parental supervision, isolationists, parenting
Links to interesting postings - 2 October 2006
Joanne Jacobs found that "Berkeley is putting dozens of classes online for free viewing via Google Video." If you have children interested in college level learning you might check this out.
At MInTheGap is a report of a school in the UK that decided because they didn't have enough teachers that the ten and eleven year old boys and girl would change their clothes for gym in the same open room. The really sad thing is those in charge will probably get their hands slapped, but little more.
At the Mises Economics Blog is the following: "WorldNetDaily.com is reporting that the House has passed a bill that appears to allow strip searches of public school students in order to 'ensure that classrooms, school buildings, school property and students remain free from the threat of all weapons, dangerous materials, or illegal narcotics.'" Again, how are prisons different than public schools? (Hat tip: The Homeschooling Revolution.)
I haven't mentioned the Astronomy Picture of the Day for awhile. The picture of the Central IC1 1805 is breath taking. There is something overwhelming about galaxies. These two, NGC 5905 and 5908, are both spectacular.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, college
At MInTheGap is a report of a school in the UK that decided because they didn't have enough teachers that the ten and eleven year old boys and girl would change their clothes for gym in the same open room. The really sad thing is those in charge will probably get their hands slapped, but little more.
At the Mises Economics Blog is the following: "WorldNetDaily.com is reporting that the House has passed a bill that appears to allow strip searches of public school students in order to 'ensure that classrooms, school buildings, school property and students remain free from the threat of all weapons, dangerous materials, or illegal narcotics.'" Again, how are prisons different than public schools? (Hat tip: The Homeschooling Revolution.)
I haven't mentioned the Astronomy Picture of the Day for awhile. The picture of the Central IC1 1805 is breath taking. There is something overwhelming about galaxies. These two, NGC 5905 and 5908, are both spectacular.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, college
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