Jason is hosting this week's Carnival of Space at Lights in the Dark.
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Technorati tags: carnival, space
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Double the pain - make the victum move out of school
Rubinc in nyc reports of sad situation. Three girls beat up a fourth girl. It is so savage the police are called in. What does the school do?
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It’s frustrating, because the girl who got jumped has been in our school since Kindergarten and has never been a problem. The three bullies have all transferred to our school in the past couple years, and have all been suspended multiple times for bullying and fighting. But the DOE’s policy about bullying is transfer the victim, not the aggressors - how ridiculous is that?? This girl has grown up in our school and hasn’t done anything wrong, and it’s like the want to punish her for being victimized. And these new girls, who the school has done everything they can with, get to stay and continue terrorizing weaker kids.
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It is yet another reason to homeschool.
(Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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It’s frustrating, because the girl who got jumped has been in our school since Kindergarten and has never been a problem. The three bullies have all transferred to our school in the past couple years, and have all been suspended multiple times for bullying and fighting. But the DOE’s policy about bullying is transfer the victim, not the aggressors - how ridiculous is that?? This girl has grown up in our school and hasn’t done anything wrong, and it’s like the want to punish her for being victimized. And these new girls, who the school has done everything they can with, get to stay and continue terrorizing weaker kids.
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It is yet another reason to homeschool.
(Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs)
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Loving vs. hating someone
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
If you don't like someone, the way he holds his spoon makes you furious; if you like him, he can turn his plate over into your lap and you won't mind.
-Irving Becker
This thought explains a lot of history: People will fight for "their side" even if their side is in the wrong. This thought explains a lot of politics: Too many excuse their allies over a beam while attacking their enemy over a mote.
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Technorati tags: friendship
If you don't like someone, the way he holds his spoon makes you furious; if you like him, he can turn his plate over into your lap and you won't mind.
-Irving Becker
This thought explains a lot of history: People will fight for "their side" even if their side is in the wrong. This thought explains a lot of politics: Too many excuse their allies over a beam while attacking their enemy over a mote.
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Technorati tags: friendship
Monday, February 08, 2010
When factoring in inflation Avator is really the 21st highest grossing movie of all time
The Top Grossing Box-Office Films of All Time factors in inflation and builds a list of the top 25 films. Here are the top five:
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1. Gone With the Wind: $1,537,559,600
2. Star Wars: $1,355,490,100
3. The Sound of Music: $1,083,781,000
4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: $1,079,511,500
5. The Ten Commandments: $996,910,000
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(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: movies
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1. Gone With the Wind: $1,537,559,600
2. Star Wars: $1,355,490,100
3. The Sound of Music: $1,083,781,000
4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: $1,079,511,500
5. The Ten Commandments: $996,910,000
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(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: movies
Susan Wise Bauer will be at the Smithsonian on May 1st
If you will be in Washington DC on the 1st of May, you might want to check out Susan Wise Bauer's Lecture At The Smithsonian.
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Technorati tags: Susan, Wise, Bauer
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Technorati tags: Susan, Wise, Bauer
Using the National Gallery of Art
Do you have a budding artist? Do you want to teach your children more about art? The Informed Parent reports:
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Did you know that you can borrow resources from the National Gallery of Art? It is an awesome resource that I like to share a couple times of year so no one misses out.
Use their online NGALoans Material Finder or request a free catalog.
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Technorati tags: Art
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Did you know that you can borrow resources from the National Gallery of Art? It is an awesome resource that I like to share a couple times of year so no one misses out.
Use their online NGALoans Material Finder or request a free catalog.
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Technorati tags: Art
Multiplication Tips and Tricks
Homeschool Bytes has a series of trips and tricks with multiplication. A recent post is on 5's and 10's.
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Technorati tags: multiplication
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Technorati tags: multiplication
Funny: "Fear the Boom and Bust" a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap
This is pretty funny:
Who have thought economists would be presenting ideas via a music video?
For information about the creationg of the video read The Story Behind the Hayek-Keynes Rap Video.
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Technorati tags: Hayek, Keynes
Who have thought economists would be presenting ideas via a music video?
For information about the creationg of the video read The Story Behind the Hayek-Keynes Rap Video.
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Technorati tags: Hayek, Keynes
I will use my cell phone less
Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health is a powerful article against the frequent use of cell phones. The article is a bit long, but worth reading. Here are a highlights:
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Interphone researchers reported in 2008 that after a decade of cell-phone use, the chance of getting a brain tumor—specifically on the side of the head where you use the phone—goes up as much as 40 percent for adults.
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This alone will slow down my use of cell phones:
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The only honest way to think of our cell phones is that they are tiny, low-power microwave ovens, without walls, that we hold against the sides of our heads
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Interesting data about cell phone studies:
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Industry-funded studies seem to reflect the result of corporate strong-arming. Lai reviewed 350 studies and found that about half showed bioeffects from EM radiation emitted by cell phones. But when he took into consideration the funding sources for those 350 studies, the results changed dramatically. Only 25 percent of the studies paid for by the industry showed effects, compared with 75 percent of those studies that were independently funded.
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I'm going to use my land line phone more. Janine has a little blue-tooth headset for her cell phone, I probably should get one of those.
(Hat tip: Risks digest)
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Technorati tags: cell, phones
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Interphone researchers reported in 2008 that after a decade of cell-phone use, the chance of getting a brain tumor—specifically on the side of the head where you use the phone—goes up as much as 40 percent for adults.
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This alone will slow down my use of cell phones:
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The only honest way to think of our cell phones is that they are tiny, low-power microwave ovens, without walls, that we hold against the sides of our heads
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Interesting data about cell phone studies:
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Industry-funded studies seem to reflect the result of corporate strong-arming. Lai reviewed 350 studies and found that about half showed bioeffects from EM radiation emitted by cell phones. But when he took into consideration the funding sources for those 350 studies, the results changed dramatically. Only 25 percent of the studies paid for by the industry showed effects, compared with 75 percent of those studies that were independently funded.
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I'm going to use my land line phone more. Janine has a little blue-tooth headset for her cell phone, I probably should get one of those.
(Hat tip: Risks digest)
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Technorati tags: cell, phones
Looking for idea for a "socialization" video
Last night we got a comment about the value of public school socialization.
A flash of inspiration hit me. We need a YouTube video showing a typical person on the job surving the afflictions of "normal" every day life. For example:
1) Two big guys stroll into a man's office and demand his lunch money.
2) A couple co-workers make fun of another worker because he won't do drugs.
3) A gang of co-workers stroll through the office breaking things and making a mess. The boss just throws up his hands and says there is nothing he can do.
The video ends with one worker telling another something like "Socialization at work is so hard. I'm glad I was trained in a public school."
Do you have any suggestions for other vinettes?
I have a couple dozen projects and may never get around to making this video. If someone else runs with it, please let me know. I'd love to see such a video.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
A flash of inspiration hit me. We need a YouTube video showing a typical person on the job surving the afflictions of "normal" every day life. For example:
1) Two big guys stroll into a man's office and demand his lunch money.
2) A couple co-workers make fun of another worker because he won't do drugs.
3) A gang of co-workers stroll through the office breaking things and making a mess. The boss just throws up his hands and says there is nothing he can do.
The video ends with one worker telling another something like "Socialization at work is so hard. I'm glad I was trained in a public school."
Do you have any suggestions for other vinettes?
I have a couple dozen projects and may never get around to making this video. If someone else runs with it, please let me know. I'd love to see such a video.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Commentary on Ivan Illich's Deschooling Society
Janine and I started homeschooling in the late 1990s. (1998 maybe?) The Well Trained Mind co-written by Susan Wise Bauer and her mother was one of the first books we read. (You might enjoy Susan's typical days: 1998 day, 1999 day, 2000 day and 2004 day.)
Back then I had a sister and a cousin homeschooling, but I thought it was a relatively recent phenomenon. The more we read the more I realized how long people had been homeschooling, and that historically parents had been in charge of the education of their children. It wasn't until the mid and late 1800s that state governments started taking over education, and even then the parents had a lot more control over what was taught and who got to teach.
Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich was published in 1971, long before almost all the currently popular homeschooling books. I read it a couple years back and enjoyed it.
The Ludwig von Mises Institute has a nice review of Ivan's book. If you are interested in the early history of modern homeschooling you might check it out.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Back then I had a sister and a cousin homeschooling, but I thought it was a relatively recent phenomenon. The more we read the more I realized how long people had been homeschooling, and that historically parents had been in charge of the education of their children. It wasn't until the mid and late 1800s that state governments started taking over education, and even then the parents had a lot more control over what was taught and who got to teach.
Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich was published in 1971, long before almost all the currently popular homeschooling books. I read it a couple years back and enjoyed it.
The Ludwig von Mises Institute has a nice review of Ivan's book. If you are interested in the early history of modern homeschooling you might check it out.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Be careful when picking your passwords
Email accounts at risk from not-so-secret questions reports:
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The "secret questions" used to secure online bank accounts and email services are worryingly easy to crack. So says Joesph Bonneau of the University of Cambridge, whose team has calculated the chances of an attacker correctly guessing secret answers.
Using data from sources such as national censuses and pet registries, the team calculated that if allowed three guesses, the norm for many websites, an attacker could correctly guess 1 in 80 answers.
That's too low to target a specific individual. But it is more than enough to allow a hacker to build software to compromise online accounts, such as webmail services, by attempting to guess questions in large volumes, says Bonneau.
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For a "secret question" you might consider adding a secret phrase before or after the "right" answer. For example if the quesiton is what was the name of your first pet and the answer was "Trigger" you might always include something like 1492 so the computer would only accept Trigger1492. That way even if someone is able to mine your data they'll have a much harder time cracking your password.
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: secret, passwords
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The "secret questions" used to secure online bank accounts and email services are worryingly easy to crack. So says Joesph Bonneau of the University of Cambridge, whose team has calculated the chances of an attacker correctly guessing secret answers.
Using data from sources such as national censuses and pet registries, the team calculated that if allowed three guesses, the norm for many websites, an attacker could correctly guess 1 in 80 answers.
That's too low to target a specific individual. But it is more than enough to allow a hacker to build software to compromise online accounts, such as webmail services, by attempting to guess questions in large volumes, says Bonneau.
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For a "secret question" you might consider adding a secret phrase before or after the "right" answer. For example if the quesiton is what was the name of your first pet and the answer was "Trigger" you might always include something like 1492 so the computer would only accept Trigger1492. That way even if someone is able to mine your data they'll have a much harder time cracking your password.
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: secret, passwords
Where are the clouds?
I am fascinated by Cloud Computing. I think there is great potential with cheap, near infinite, scalable computing. It was fun to see where all the clouds are located.
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Technorati tags: Cloud, Computing
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Technorati tags: Cloud, Computing
What makes us happy?
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.
-Anon
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Technorati tags: happiness
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.
-Anon
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Technorati tags: happiness
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Health care Canadian style
It looks like the current push in the U.S. for the government control of Health Care is dead, or at least mostly dead. I'm glad.
I found this interesting - Danny Williams going to U.S. for heart surgeryRead more:
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Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is set to undergo heart surgery this week in the United States.
CBC News confirmed Monday that Williams, 60, left the province earlier in the day and will have surgery later in the week.
The premier's office provided few details, beyond confirming that he would have heart surgery and saying that it was not necessarily a routine procedure.
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Some claim that Canadian health care is much better than health care in the U.S. But there are many problems with health care when the government controls the money and tells doctors what to do. One of big problems is the government might deny health care for some conditions. Another problem is even if the government allows certain procedures, it might take months or longer before being allowed to have a procedure.
I don't know why Danny Williams is coming to America for open heart surgery, but the mere fact that a top Canadian political leader is coming to the United States should cause one to pause.
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: Health, care
I found this interesting - Danny Williams going to U.S. for heart surgeryRead more:
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Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is set to undergo heart surgery this week in the United States.
CBC News confirmed Monday that Williams, 60, left the province earlier in the day and will have surgery later in the week.
The premier's office provided few details, beyond confirming that he would have heart surgery and saying that it was not necessarily a routine procedure.
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Some claim that Canadian health care is much better than health care in the U.S. But there are many problems with health care when the government controls the money and tells doctors what to do. One of big problems is the government might deny health care for some conditions. Another problem is even if the government allows certain procedures, it might take months or longer before being allowed to have a procedure.
I don't know why Danny Williams is coming to America for open heart surgery, but the mere fact that a top Canadian political leader is coming to the United States should cause one to pause.
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: Health, care
Interesting - lose weight at higher altitudes
Currently we are fairly close to sea level. Maybe we should move up into the mountains: Why Weight Loss Is Easier at High Altitude.
I wonder if the average weight in Denver is lower than cities on the coasts?
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Technorati tags: weight, lost, Altitude
I wonder if the average weight in Denver is lower than cities on the coasts?
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Technorati tags: weight, lost, Altitude
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Melanie will host the next Carnival of Homeschooling at Raising Real Men.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Friday, February 05, 2010
Oh no, not again
The two little foster girls who we brought home last night are very sweet kids, but it is a bit stressful because the children are so traumatized by the sudden separation from family.
It is also very traumatic for me since our last foster child gave us all lice the previous year. This is the first foster placement we have had since "the incident which shall not be mentioned."
First thing in the morning I brushed the girls' hair very carefully looking for nits. The Children's Shelter has a reputation for not checking carefully enough for lice. Sure enough, I found nits on both girls. Let's just say that it made a stressful situation a bit more stressful. I am very proud of myself for neither screaming nor fainting, though I did feel a bit nauseous and lightheaded after I found the second nit.
Because of what happened last time, from the very start we were careful and bagged their clothing and stored each family members combs and brushes in a separate zip lock bag.
Hopefully we are ahead of the curve this time.
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Technorati tags: family, news
It is also very traumatic for me since our last foster child gave us all lice the previous year. This is the first foster placement we have had since "the incident which shall not be mentioned."
First thing in the morning I brushed the girls' hair very carefully looking for nits. The Children's Shelter has a reputation for not checking carefully enough for lice. Sure enough, I found nits on both girls. Let's just say that it made a stressful situation a bit more stressful. I am very proud of myself for neither screaming nor fainting, though I did feel a bit nauseous and lightheaded after I found the second nit.
Because of what happened last time, from the very start we were careful and bagged their clothing and stored each family members combs and brushes in a separate zip lock bag.
Hopefully we are ahead of the curve this time.
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Technorati tags: family, news
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Our world just changed
Folster care parents are required to take classes. Janine and I are suppose to take 21 hours a year of classes. We often attend a monthly class called "Therapeutic Interventions." Today about 7:50 PM during class Janine got a phone call asking if we could take two sisters, ages 2 and 4.
Now we have five girls and Baby Bop.
We won't know for awhile just how long the girls will stay with us. If the social workers can find extended family then the girls could be out of here by Saturday. Otherwise they might stay longer.
Baby Bop is pretty excited to have other little children here.
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Technorati tags: family, news
Now we have five girls and Baby Bop.
We won't know for awhile just how long the girls will stay with us. If the social workers can find extended family then the girls could be out of here by Saturday. Otherwise they might stay longer.
Baby Bop is pretty excited to have other little children here.
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Technorati tags: family, news
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Online resources
Since my recent post on the effect of online eduction on public schools, I thought I would share a few of our online education sources.
1) ALEKS.COM
This is a math program. You can use it as a stand alone program or as a supplement to a program you are already using.
With the family discount, it costs our family $239.88 for a six month membership. I will probably get the year membership next time. They have a free trial option.
2) Brainpop.com
This is a fun kids learning resource. With a extensive list of topics on science, social studies, English, math, arts and music, health and technology.
The family membership costs $99 per year. They have a free trial option.
They also offer Brain Pop Jr. and Brain Pop Espanol. The homeschool membership is more expensive, but it allows up to three students to log in a one time.
3) Starfall.com
This is a preschool to kindergarten phonics and reading website. Our youngest daughter taught herself to read by playing on this program.
It is free.
There are quite a few online options out there and I'm not sure how you choose except by trial and error.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
1) ALEKS.COM
This is a math program. You can use it as a stand alone program or as a supplement to a program you are already using.
With the family discount, it costs our family $239.88 for a six month membership. I will probably get the year membership next time. They have a free trial option.
2) Brainpop.com
This is a fun kids learning resource. With a extensive list of topics on science, social studies, English, math, arts and music, health and technology.
The family membership costs $99 per year. They have a free trial option.
They also offer Brain Pop Jr. and Brain Pop Espanol. The homeschool membership is more expensive, but it allows up to three students to log in a one time.
3) Starfall.com
This is a preschool to kindergarten phonics and reading website. Our youngest daughter taught herself to read by playing on this program.
It is free.
There are quite a few online options out there and I'm not sure how you choose except by trial and error.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - What matters most
Tiffany is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at As For My House.
The theme for the carnival is "What Matters Most." Think about what matters most to you as you read the carnival.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
The theme for the carnival is "What Matters Most." Think about what matters most to you as you read the carnival.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Monday, February 01, 2010
Competition in Education
Online schools siphon area districts’ funding
Which translates into "Let's make it more difficult to transfer out."
I realize that times are tough out there, but it makes sense for the funding to follow the student. We use a quite a few online options at our house, though we are independent of the public school. Online education costs our family about $3000 per year for our 3 school age children.
(By the way, Wenatchee schools spend between $5249-$5843 per student.)
Here's another twist to the story:
Most online schools running in the red, state report says
OLYMPIA— Most online programs are losing money.
Could it be that online programs are losing money because they are run by the school district?
Call me cynical, but I'm not surprised they are losing money if the teachers union is involved.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
WENATCHEE — Competition from online schools cost North Central Washington districts nearly $830,000 last year.Wenatchee Superintendent Brian Flones said all the right things about student choice and giving parents what they want. However, here's one of the proposals:
For every student who transfers out to join an online school full time, about $5,000 in state education money transfers out with them.
Here’s how it works: An online teaching firm, such as Insight or Washington Virtual Academy, contracts with a school district to provide its curriculum, support and sometimes its teachers. When a student enrolls in the program, they transfer school districts.
....................................
The school district offered its homeschool students local support and oversight from teachers, plus a $300 stipend for curriculum materials. An online provider out-bid the district with a $2,200 a year stipend. About half of Methow Valley’s homeschool population transferred out. Since then, about five or six families came back to the district because they missed the local support, Wenzel said.
....................................
“My job as a superintendent is to make sure that we’re listening to the voice of parents and students and do what we can within the school district to meet those needs,” said Wenatchee Superintendent Brian Flones. “If we can’t do it, I have no problem with people looking at other alternatives.”
• Create a policy that creates an approval process for students who want to transfer out to take online courses. By law, districts are required to set up some sort of policy regarding online learning by August. A state model policy was published online earlier this month at digitallearning.k12.wa.us.
Which translates into "Let's make it more difficult to transfer out."
I realize that times are tough out there, but it makes sense for the funding to follow the student. We use a quite a few online options at our house, though we are independent of the public school. Online education costs our family about $3000 per year for our 3 school age children.
(By the way, Wenatchee schools spend between $5249-$5843 per student.)
Here's another twist to the story:
Most online schools running in the red, state report says
OLYMPIA— Most online programs are losing money.
Six of the 10 top online schools ran in the red last year, according to a state report released last month. The biggest debt was about $527,000 at Spokane Virtual Learning, followed by iQ Academy of Washington run by Evergreen School District, at $494,000.
Could it be that online programs are losing money because they are run by the school district?
“I think one of the misconceptions that is relayed to the public is that virtual programs cost less to operate,” said Susan Stewart, Head of Schools for the Washington Virtual Academy. At WAVA, the teachers are employed by the school district under the teachers union contract. The students receive several boxes of books, supplies and materials, including microscopes.
WAVA’s high school, run by Monroe School District, lost nearly $300,000 in 2008. WAVA’s Steilacoom-based elementary- and middle-school program netted $580,00, the second-most profitable online school in the state.
Call me cynical, but I'm not surprised they are losing money if the teachers union is involved.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
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