My mother shared a link to - Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid
It is worth reading.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Some of our best posts from October 2008
Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for almost eight years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from October 2008:
We wrote about Some of the joys of homeschooling.
We shared The secret to success - learn to work, when you are young.
Janine answered How do you avoid homeschool burnout?
We wrote about Some of the joys of homeschooling.
We shared The secret to success - learn to work, when you are young.
Janine answered How do you avoid homeschool burnout?
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Pretty cool: Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum
I found this fascinating - Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum:
I was surprised the ant colony went so deep.
Hat tip: Ann Kerchner
I was surprised the ant colony went so deep.
Hat tip: Ann Kerchner
Common Core Implementation Will Be Worse Than Obamacare
AFT’s Weingarten: Common Core Implementation Will Be Worse Than Obamacare starts with:
----------
“You think the Obamacare implementation is bad? The implementation of the Common Core is far worse,” said American Federation for Teachers president Randi Weingarten at the National Education Writers Association last month.
Though she is ostensibly supportive of national standards, Weingarten joins a chorus of concern about the push for Common Core standards and tests and their hasty implementation.
In May, Weingarten called for a moratorium on the stakes associated with the Common Core assessments—effectively requesting that no penalties be levied on teachers whose students fare poorly on the new tests—stating that when it comes to educational decision making, “they simply don’t get it in Washington.” She proposed at least one year of field testing the standards.
----------
The first comment says: "Another reason to home school." Right now the comment has 20 up votes. The other three comments have 2 votes down, 2 up and 1 up.
----------
“You think the Obamacare implementation is bad? The implementation of the Common Core is far worse,” said American Federation for Teachers president Randi Weingarten at the National Education Writers Association last month.
Though she is ostensibly supportive of national standards, Weingarten joins a chorus of concern about the push for Common Core standards and tests and their hasty implementation.
In May, Weingarten called for a moratorium on the stakes associated with the Common Core assessments—effectively requesting that no penalties be levied on teachers whose students fare poorly on the new tests—stating that when it comes to educational decision making, “they simply don’t get it in Washington.” She proposed at least one year of field testing the standards.
----------
The first comment says: "Another reason to home school." Right now the comment has 20 up votes. The other three comments have 2 votes down, 2 up and 1 up.
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Living with Books Edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Dewey's Treehouse.
The Living with Books Edition starts with:
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Welcome to the 415th Carnival of Homeschooling! Our theme this week is books: homeschool books, holiday books, and more. One of the families who originally inspired us to homeschool (and they don't even know that) said that they spent every afternoon together on the couch, eating popcorn and reading library books. "Works for me," I thought, and off we went.
So when you're done reading the carnival and the posts...go grab a kid (and a bowl of popcorn) and a book. Or two or three.
----------
The Living with Books Edition starts with:
----------
Welcome to the 415th Carnival of Homeschooling! Our theme this week is books: homeschool books, holiday books, and more. One of the families who originally inspired us to homeschool (and they don't even know that) said that they spent every afternoon together on the couch, eating popcorn and reading library books. "Works for me," I thought, and off we went.
So when you're done reading the carnival and the posts...go grab a kid (and a bowl of popcorn) and a book. Or two or three.
----------
The importance of character
Good point:
Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success.
John Hays Hammond
Hat tip: From my Franklin Covey Planner
Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success.
John Hays Hammond
Hat tip: From my Franklin Covey Planner
Life Humor 2.B
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
----------
ACTUAL ANNOUNCEMENTS TAKEN FROM CHURCH BULLETINS
1. This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
2. Tuesday at 4:00 P.M. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk, please come early.
3. Wednesday, the ladies Liturgy Society will meet. Mrs. Johnson will sing, "Put me in My Little Bed" accompanied by the pastor.
4. Thursday at 5:00 P.M. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All wishing to become little mothers, please see the minister in his study.
5. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Smith to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
6. The service will close with "Little Drops of Water." One of the ladies will start quietly and the rest of the congregation will join in.
7. On Sunday, a special collection will be taken to defray the expenses of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the new carpet, please come forward and get a piece of paper at the end of the service.
8. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.
----------
A trainee was assigned to guard the entrance to a bivouac site, and told to use the challenge "Victor" and listen for the password, "Romeo" to allow entry.
The trainee had been on watch only a short time when an officer from another company approached. "Halt" commanded the guard. "Victor."
The officer didn't know the response, but he did know trainees. "No private," he said. "That's my part, I say that."
The trainee, having been corrected a million times, assumed he had made another mistake. The officer then said, "Victor." The trainee responded, "Romeo," and, having heard both words, permitted the officer to pass.
----------
A man who was involved in a serious motorcycle accident was unable to speak when he first regained consciousness. Wishing to know how long he had been unconscious, he took a piece of paper and a pencil from the bedstand and, after writing "Date?" on it, gave it to his nurse. She handed it back to him - after she had written the word "Married" on it.
----------
The following appeared in the Wednesday (24-Jun) New York Times, in the Metropolitan Diary, a weekly column of "human interest" stories sent in by readers:
A small sign was taped to a building on West 120th Street near Amsterdam Avenue, and Ellen Shaw of Scotch Plains, N.J., noticed it as she passed by. It was a discreet advertisement for a nearby stand run by three young entrepreneurs - two boys and a girl - who were selling iced tea, cola and cookies.
Ms. Shaw ordered tea and offered the youngsters a suggestion: "You may want to make a bigger sign," she said. "That one is really not to noticeable."
"I know," said one of the boys, gesturing toward one of his partners, "but that's as big as his computer makes them."
He paused, thought for a moment, and slapped his forehead. "Hey, I've got it!" he exclaimed. "Maybe we could DRAW a bigger sign!"
The tea, incidentally, was herbal.
----------
Several recently deceased people were standing in front of the pearly gates awaiting admission to heaven. St. Peter announced that a final short quiz was necessary prior to entering to be sure that the people learned at least a little about religion before they died.
St. Peter asked a man what Easter meant to him.
"Easter," replied the man, "is a very important holiday. You bake a turkey, have the family over for dinner and give thanks for the good things that you have in life."
"No, no, no," said St. Peter and he sent the man to purgatory. He then asked another man what Easter was.
"Easter," answered the second man, "is a wonderful time of the year when you decorate a tree, sing carols and exchange gifts!"
"No, no, no" exclaimed St. Peter in desperation. "Doesn't anyone here know what Easter is?"
"You," said St. Peter, pointing to a third man, "can you tell me what Easter is?"
"Certainly I can" the third man answered pointedly. "Easter is when the Lord Jesus Christ is buried in a cave and after three days he arises up out of the cave."
"Finally," exclaimed St. Peter, "Here is a man who truly understands what Easter is."
"Yes," said the third man, "and if Jesus sees his shadow and jumps back into the cave we have 6 more weeks of winter...
----------
The boss returned from lunch in a good mood and called the whole staff in to listen to a couple of jokes he had picked up. Everybody but one girl laughed uproariously. "What's the matter?" grumbled the boss. "Haven't you got a sense of humor?"
"I don't have to laugh," she said. "I'm leaving Friday."
----------
A woman's three sons went to Texas to raise beef cattle, sheep, and hogs. They had no idea what to name their ranch so they wrote home to mother for suggestions. Name it Focus, she replied. Puzzled, they called for an explanation. Mom said Focus - where the sons raise meet.
----------
"Millions long for immortality who
do not know what to do with themselves
on a rainy Sunday afternoon."
---Susan Ertz---
----------
A Dutch guy is standing by an outside wall of his house and is diligently scraping off the paint. His neighbor spots him and with natural Dutch curiosity asks "Hey, you're moving?"
----------
The governor of Texas was showing the president of Mexico around his huge cattle ranch one day.
Not to be outdone, the president said, "I have a dirt road that goes around my ranch. I drove it one time, and it took me 4 days to go around it".
The Texas governor thought a minute (as he chewed on a piece of hay), and replied, "I had a car like that once."
----------
A WASP was driving his car at Sonoma County, where is a large mental hospital, he realizes that one of the tires of his car is flat. He stops his car, looks outside. There is nobody around. Also he realizes that the road he was riding was near the mental hospital. In short he realizes that there is no available cheap labor to change the flat tire.
The WASP takes the spare tire out, jacks up the car, removes the tire, puts the nuts in the hub cap and while trying to get the spare tire, trips over the hub cap and all the nuts go down a nearby storm sewer. There he is, a WASP near a mental hospital, away from any cheap labor, helpless. Suddenly he hears someone yelling "Hey you! ", looks and finds that there is someone inside the mental hospitals' yard (behind the bars). The patient behind the bars says " I have been watching you for a while and saw the terrible thing happened to you, I think I can help", "How ?" asks the WASP, "Easy " says the loonie, "take one nut from each of the other three wheels and put it on the fourth wheel, then if you are careful you will make it to the nearest gas station"
"You are very smart" says the WASP to the loonie and continues, "why did they locked you in ? "
"They put me in because I am a loonie" the guy tells the WASP and continues "not because I am stupid".
----------
At some point in time, a bad spell of wet weather came over a Southern state, flooding most of many counties. Since the water was about six feet deep outside (and inside) their house, one family spent its time sitting on the porch roof, watching the wreckage float by. The son happened to notice a nice straw hat as it went downstream. "My," he thought, "I'll bet the person who lost that hat is sorry now!"
After the hat had floated out of sight around the corner of the house, the boy kept watching the river. Suddenly, much to his surprise, here comes the hat, floating upstream, against the current! This was obviously very strange, so the lad kept his eye on it. It floated upstream and around the other corner of the house... and came floating back down again. After a while, it came back upstream yet again, rounding the corner of the house.
Finally, the boy could stand it no longer and pointed out the hat to his mother, asking her whatever could cause such a sight. His mother replied,
"Oh, that's just your grandfather. He said come Hell or high water, he was going to mow the lawn today."
----------
Toni was a communist and very unhappy in capitalist Austria. He wanted to go over the border to Russia, where everything was supposed to be better. His friend Josef was interested too. However, they'd also heard a few stories of repression and shortages, so they didn't know what to do.
"Look," said Toni, "I've got an idea. I'll go over first. If everything's great, I'll write back a letter with blue ink. If things really are awful, and everything's censored, I'll write back a letter with green ink."
Toni went over the border. After several months Josef got the following letter, written in blue ink:
"Dear Josef,
"Everything is just terrific. I'm doing very well. I've got a beautiful large apartment, and there's lots to eat and drink. Prices are really low and you can get whatever you want. The only thing I haven't been able to find is green ink.
----------
Just after the end of World War 2, it was decided that the borders between Poland and Russia should be redrawn. A surveyor was out one day looking over the proposed border when he noticed a little house right smack dab on the line. Well he was unsure as to which country the house belonged to, so he decided to let the occupants choose which country they wanted to be a part of. He knocked on the door and an old man answered.
"Well, old man. I'm here to tell you that you have a choice of country. Which is it, do you want to be part of Poland or Russia?"
The man thought for a moment and said decisively, "Poland!"
The surveyor was taken aback by the old man's vehemence and said, "Why did you choose Poland."
The old man countered with, "Well, if I have to go through just one more of these Russian winters...."
----------
----------
ACTUAL ANNOUNCEMENTS TAKEN FROM CHURCH BULLETINS
1. This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
2. Tuesday at 4:00 P.M. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk, please come early.
3. Wednesday, the ladies Liturgy Society will meet. Mrs. Johnson will sing, "Put me in My Little Bed" accompanied by the pastor.
4. Thursday at 5:00 P.M. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All wishing to become little mothers, please see the minister in his study.
5. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Smith to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
6. The service will close with "Little Drops of Water." One of the ladies will start quietly and the rest of the congregation will join in.
7. On Sunday, a special collection will be taken to defray the expenses of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the new carpet, please come forward and get a piece of paper at the end of the service.
8. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.
----------
A trainee was assigned to guard the entrance to a bivouac site, and told to use the challenge "Victor" and listen for the password, "Romeo" to allow entry.
The trainee had been on watch only a short time when an officer from another company approached. "Halt" commanded the guard. "Victor."
The officer didn't know the response, but he did know trainees. "No private," he said. "That's my part, I say that."
The trainee, having been corrected a million times, assumed he had made another mistake. The officer then said, "Victor." The trainee responded, "Romeo," and, having heard both words, permitted the officer to pass.
----------
A man who was involved in a serious motorcycle accident was unable to speak when he first regained consciousness. Wishing to know how long he had been unconscious, he took a piece of paper and a pencil from the bedstand and, after writing "Date?" on it, gave it to his nurse. She handed it back to him - after she had written the word "Married" on it.
----------
The following appeared in the Wednesday (24-Jun) New York Times, in the Metropolitan Diary, a weekly column of "human interest" stories sent in by readers:
A small sign was taped to a building on West 120th Street near Amsterdam Avenue, and Ellen Shaw of Scotch Plains, N.J., noticed it as she passed by. It was a discreet advertisement for a nearby stand run by three young entrepreneurs - two boys and a girl - who were selling iced tea, cola and cookies.
Ms. Shaw ordered tea and offered the youngsters a suggestion: "You may want to make a bigger sign," she said. "That one is really not to noticeable."
"I know," said one of the boys, gesturing toward one of his partners, "but that's as big as his computer makes them."
He paused, thought for a moment, and slapped his forehead. "Hey, I've got it!" he exclaimed. "Maybe we could DRAW a bigger sign!"
The tea, incidentally, was herbal.
----------
Several recently deceased people were standing in front of the pearly gates awaiting admission to heaven. St. Peter announced that a final short quiz was necessary prior to entering to be sure that the people learned at least a little about religion before they died.
St. Peter asked a man what Easter meant to him.
"Easter," replied the man, "is a very important holiday. You bake a turkey, have the family over for dinner and give thanks for the good things that you have in life."
"No, no, no," said St. Peter and he sent the man to purgatory. He then asked another man what Easter was.
"Easter," answered the second man, "is a wonderful time of the year when you decorate a tree, sing carols and exchange gifts!"
"No, no, no" exclaimed St. Peter in desperation. "Doesn't anyone here know what Easter is?"
"You," said St. Peter, pointing to a third man, "can you tell me what Easter is?"
"Certainly I can" the third man answered pointedly. "Easter is when the Lord Jesus Christ is buried in a cave and after three days he arises up out of the cave."
"Finally," exclaimed St. Peter, "Here is a man who truly understands what Easter is."
"Yes," said the third man, "and if Jesus sees his shadow and jumps back into the cave we have 6 more weeks of winter...
----------
The boss returned from lunch in a good mood and called the whole staff in to listen to a couple of jokes he had picked up. Everybody but one girl laughed uproariously. "What's the matter?" grumbled the boss. "Haven't you got a sense of humor?"
"I don't have to laugh," she said. "I'm leaving Friday."
----------
A woman's three sons went to Texas to raise beef cattle, sheep, and hogs. They had no idea what to name their ranch so they wrote home to mother for suggestions. Name it Focus, she replied. Puzzled, they called for an explanation. Mom said Focus - where the sons raise meet.
----------
"Millions long for immortality who
do not know what to do with themselves
on a rainy Sunday afternoon."
---Susan Ertz---
----------
A Dutch guy is standing by an outside wall of his house and is diligently scraping off the paint. His neighbor spots him and with natural Dutch curiosity asks "Hey, you're moving?"
----------
The governor of Texas was showing the president of Mexico around his huge cattle ranch one day.
Not to be outdone, the president said, "I have a dirt road that goes around my ranch. I drove it one time, and it took me 4 days to go around it".
The Texas governor thought a minute (as he chewed on a piece of hay), and replied, "I had a car like that once."
----------
A WASP was driving his car at Sonoma County, where is a large mental hospital, he realizes that one of the tires of his car is flat. He stops his car, looks outside. There is nobody around. Also he realizes that the road he was riding was near the mental hospital. In short he realizes that there is no available cheap labor to change the flat tire.
The WASP takes the spare tire out, jacks up the car, removes the tire, puts the nuts in the hub cap and while trying to get the spare tire, trips over the hub cap and all the nuts go down a nearby storm sewer. There he is, a WASP near a mental hospital, away from any cheap labor, helpless. Suddenly he hears someone yelling "Hey you! ", looks and finds that there is someone inside the mental hospitals' yard (behind the bars). The patient behind the bars says " I have been watching you for a while and saw the terrible thing happened to you, I think I can help", "How ?" asks the WASP, "Easy " says the loonie, "take one nut from each of the other three wheels and put it on the fourth wheel, then if you are careful you will make it to the nearest gas station"
"You are very smart" says the WASP to the loonie and continues, "why did they locked you in ? "
"They put me in because I am a loonie" the guy tells the WASP and continues "not because I am stupid".
----------
At some point in time, a bad spell of wet weather came over a Southern state, flooding most of many counties. Since the water was about six feet deep outside (and inside) their house, one family spent its time sitting on the porch roof, watching the wreckage float by. The son happened to notice a nice straw hat as it went downstream. "My," he thought, "I'll bet the person who lost that hat is sorry now!"
After the hat had floated out of sight around the corner of the house, the boy kept watching the river. Suddenly, much to his surprise, here comes the hat, floating upstream, against the current! This was obviously very strange, so the lad kept his eye on it. It floated upstream and around the other corner of the house... and came floating back down again. After a while, it came back upstream yet again, rounding the corner of the house.
Finally, the boy could stand it no longer and pointed out the hat to his mother, asking her whatever could cause such a sight. His mother replied,
"Oh, that's just your grandfather. He said come Hell or high water, he was going to mow the lawn today."
----------
Toni was a communist and very unhappy in capitalist Austria. He wanted to go over the border to Russia, where everything was supposed to be better. His friend Josef was interested too. However, they'd also heard a few stories of repression and shortages, so they didn't know what to do.
"Look," said Toni, "I've got an idea. I'll go over first. If everything's great, I'll write back a letter with blue ink. If things really are awful, and everything's censored, I'll write back a letter with green ink."
Toni went over the border. After several months Josef got the following letter, written in blue ink:
"Dear Josef,
"Everything is just terrific. I'm doing very well. I've got a beautiful large apartment, and there's lots to eat and drink. Prices are really low and you can get whatever you want. The only thing I haven't been able to find is green ink.
----------
Just after the end of World War 2, it was decided that the borders between Poland and Russia should be redrawn. A surveyor was out one day looking over the proposed border when he noticed a little house right smack dab on the line. Well he was unsure as to which country the house belonged to, so he decided to let the occupants choose which country they wanted to be a part of. He knocked on the door and an old man answered.
"Well, old man. I'm here to tell you that you have a choice of country. Which is it, do you want to be part of Poland or Russia?"
The man thought for a moment and said decisively, "Poland!"
The surveyor was taken aback by the old man's vehemence and said, "Why did you choose Poland."
The old man countered with, "Well, if I have to go through just one more of these Russian winters...."
----------
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
This explains it
I enjoyed today's Baby Blues.
Both of the foster care boys we have right now have a hard time really listening to us.
Both of the foster care boys we have right now have a hard time really listening to us.
Book reivew: The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Somewhere in my early twenties I was exposed to Anne of Green Gables. I quickly read all the books in the series and plowed through dozens of other stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery. One of my favorites is The Blue Castle.
At the start of the story our heroine Valancy is twenty-nine years old. She has lived her whole life trying to be an obedient daughter to a controlling mother. Valancy’s soul is slowly dying. She is worried about her heart and goes to see a doctor. Dr. Trent mistakenly tells her she is going to die. She decided to start living her life as she wants and not how everyone else tells her to live. Then her adventure really starts.
I recently reread this story. It was still great fun. I’m not sure all the reasons why I enjoy it so. It is a well told story. Even though you know some of where the story will end up, since this is a Lucy Maud Montgomery story, it is fun to go along for the ride. I love the message that we can’t live our lives just for others, that we all need our own piles of dust and our own Blue Castle.
If you have enjoyed other Lucy Maud Montgomery stories, then I encourage you to give The Blue Castle a try. I think you will enjoy it.
At the start of the story our heroine Valancy is twenty-nine years old. She has lived her whole life trying to be an obedient daughter to a controlling mother. Valancy’s soul is slowly dying. She is worried about her heart and goes to see a doctor. Dr. Trent mistakenly tells her she is going to die. She decided to start living her life as she wants and not how everyone else tells her to live. Then her adventure really starts.
I recently reread this story. It was still great fun. I’m not sure all the reasons why I enjoy it so. It is a well told story. Even though you know some of where the story will end up, since this is a Lucy Maud Montgomery story, it is fun to go along for the ride. I love the message that we can’t live our lives just for others, that we all need our own piles of dust and our own Blue Castle.
If you have enjoyed other Lucy Maud Montgomery stories, then I encourage you to give The Blue Castle a try. I think you will enjoy it.
Good intentions are of little value
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
The smallest good deed is greater than the grandest intention. -Anon
The smallest good deed is greater than the grandest intention. -Anon
Some of our best posts from September 2008
Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for almost eight years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from September 2008:
One of the lessons we are trying to teach our daughters - to look for worthwhile things to read.
We had a few Suggestions for helping children to learn self-motivation.
We wrote about Why it is so important to teach, correctly, the first time.
And I had a few thoughts about Homeschooling and World War II.
One of the lessons we are trying to teach our daughters - to look for worthwhile things to read.
We had a few Suggestions for helping children to learn self-motivation.
We wrote about Why it is so important to teach, correctly, the first time.
And I had a few thoughts about Homeschooling and World War II.
TED Talk - Pamela Meyer: How to spot a liar
I enjoyed Pamela Meyer's talk on How to spot a liar:
I have added her book Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception to my list of books to buy.
I have added her book Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception to my list of books to buy.
Monday, December 09, 2013
Retiring outside of the United States
Why US baby boomers are retiring in Latin America covers an interesting trend where many Americans are moving to cheaper locations to spend their sunset years. It is an interesting article. It talks about both some of the benefits of living in Latin America and some of the problems.
On a somewhat related note, my bother has put up a real estate web site for buying land in Anguila, where he lives.
On a somewhat related note, my bother has put up a real estate web site for buying land in Anguila, where he lives.
Good article about 3D printing
I like this article: How the Innovation Economy is Turning Makers Into Manufacturers.
I would like to buy a 3D printer some day. My father did buy one six months ago and has had some success playing with it.
We live in an amazing world.
I would like to buy a 3D printer some day. My father did buy one six months ago and has had some success playing with it.
We live in an amazing world.
What is the purpose of a report card?
Our
foster boy who is in Kindergarten got his report card in the new
Common Core format. What a ridiculous document! And what a terrible
burden it puts on the teacher to track these idiotic "standards."
In most of these bizarre categories, the child is evaluated on "group participation."
For example,
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Participates in group reading activities with purpose and understanding by using prior knowledge and making predictions"
Here's another one:
"Participate in a variety of collaborative discussions, recounts key events, and ask and answer questions."
Kind of creepy. "Group Think" is the new standard of excellence in Kindergarten. Why would I care how well a child reads in a "group activity?" Isn't reading kind of a individual sort of activity? Collaborative discussion is not my top priority for a Kindergartener.
What is worse, the report card was mostly inaccurate about the boy's academic abilities.
For example,
Reading Standards: Foundation Skills
Phonological Awareness: Demonstrates understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds.
In this category, he got a 2 which stands for Basic - Making adequate progress toward end of year grade level standards.
First of all, what in the heck does that really mean? He is basic doing what exactly?
Second, the kid reads fluently, easily on a 3rd grade level. Does the teacher really not notice that this kid can read and that he can sound out almost every thing he reads? I'm guessing that they gave all the students - Basic on the report card except maybe the obviously struggling students.
This same kid got a 2 (Basic - Making adequate progress toward end of year grade level standards) in Math for Count to tell the number of objects to 20. He can count to 100 plus easily.
So, if the report card doesn't really report accurately what the child is doing academically, then what is the purpose of a report card? Whom does it benefit?
A friend explained to me (that her child's teacher explained to her) that the students would be given 2's so that the report card could show improvement by the end of the year. I do see the teacher's dilemma. If the child is proficient on the end of year academic goal at the beginning of the year, then it is tough to explain why the child should bother to attend the class at all.
As a homeschooler, I don't have much experience with report cards. I did create a transcript with grades for my older girls so that they could apply to community college. I called the transcript my little "creative writing project." I assigned grades based on how well I thought the child had mastered the material with no actual hard data. I gave A's, A-, B+, B, B- based on "feelings."
The grades of C and below don't exist for us because no kid of mine is done working on a subject until she has mastered it, no matter how long it takes, which is why a daughter was still finishing up the Algebra 1 book at the beginning of the 11th grade. [Interestingly, this same child scored well enough in math on the ACT test to meet the admissions requirements of the universities of her choice.]
Even though we didn't have grades in our homeschool work, my daughters have gotten very, very good grades in their college classes, so the absence of grades in their early years didn't hurt them any.
In most of these bizarre categories, the child is evaluated on "group participation."
For example,
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Participates in group reading activities with purpose and understanding by using prior knowledge and making predictions"
Here's another one:
"Participate in a variety of collaborative discussions, recounts key events, and ask and answer questions."
Kind of creepy. "Group Think" is the new standard of excellence in Kindergarten. Why would I care how well a child reads in a "group activity?" Isn't reading kind of a individual sort of activity? Collaborative discussion is not my top priority for a Kindergartener.
What is worse, the report card was mostly inaccurate about the boy's academic abilities.
For example,
Reading Standards: Foundation Skills
Phonological Awareness: Demonstrates understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds.
In this category, he got a 2 which stands for Basic - Making adequate progress toward end of year grade level standards.
First of all, what in the heck does that really mean? He is basic doing what exactly?
Second, the kid reads fluently, easily on a 3rd grade level. Does the teacher really not notice that this kid can read and that he can sound out almost every thing he reads? I'm guessing that they gave all the students - Basic on the report card except maybe the obviously struggling students.
This same kid got a 2 (Basic - Making adequate progress toward end of year grade level standards) in Math for Count to tell the number of objects to 20. He can count to 100 plus easily.
So, if the report card doesn't really report accurately what the child is doing academically, then what is the purpose of a report card? Whom does it benefit?
A friend explained to me (that her child's teacher explained to her) that the students would be given 2's so that the report card could show improvement by the end of the year. I do see the teacher's dilemma. If the child is proficient on the end of year academic goal at the beginning of the year, then it is tough to explain why the child should bother to attend the class at all.
As a homeschooler, I don't have much experience with report cards. I did create a transcript with grades for my older girls so that they could apply to community college. I called the transcript my little "creative writing project." I assigned grades based on how well I thought the child had mastered the material with no actual hard data. I gave A's, A-, B+, B, B- based on "feelings."
The grades of C and below don't exist for us because no kid of mine is done working on a subject until she has mastered it, no matter how long it takes, which is why a daughter was still finishing up the Algebra 1 book at the beginning of the 11th grade. [Interestingly, this same child scored well enough in math on the ACT test to meet the admissions requirements of the universities of her choice.]
Even though we didn't have grades in our homeschool work, my daughters have gotten very, very good grades in their college classes, so the absence of grades in their early years didn't hurt them any.
Interesting test for Alzheimer's disease
My mother forwarded a link to a moving puzzle.
She had this explanation:
----------
If you can put this puzzle together, You can say goodbye to Alzheimer's! This is really clever and a bit challenging. As we older people are concerned with Alzheimer's disease, this puzzle may help dispel some fear. It's easy to put together if you are not affected by Alzheimer's disease, but impossible to do for someone with the disease. Give it a try. If this puzzle is particularly difficult for you, then your physician can offer you additional testing to check you for Alzheimer's. Just remember, if you can put this puzzle together, you do not have to fear Alzheimer's! A really neat puzzle!!
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I am happy to have put the puzzle together without any problem.
She had this explanation:
----------
If you can put this puzzle together, You can say goodbye to Alzheimer's! This is really clever and a bit challenging. As we older people are concerned with Alzheimer's disease, this puzzle may help dispel some fear. It's easy to put together if you are not affected by Alzheimer's disease, but impossible to do for someone with the disease. Give it a try. If this puzzle is particularly difficult for you, then your physician can offer you additional testing to check you for Alzheimer's. Just remember, if you can put this puzzle together, you do not have to fear Alzheimer's! A really neat puzzle!!
----------
I am happy to have put the puzzle together without any problem.
Success
This is an important lesson to teach your children:
A man's success or failure in life is determined as much by how he acts during his leisure as by how he acts during his work hours. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how he is likely to spend the latter part of his life.
B. C. Forbes
Hat tip: From my Franklin Covey Planner
A man's success or failure in life is determined as much by how he acts during his leisure as by how he acts during his work hours. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how he is likely to spend the latter part of his life.
B. C. Forbes
Hat tip: From my Franklin Covey Planner
Life Humor 2.A
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
----------
Bumper Sticker:
If all else fails read the instructions (The Bible)
Prepare for your FINALS Read the Bible
----------
Quotable Quotes from Reader's Digest, April 1987:
Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
One thought driven home is better than three left on base.
Cultivate the habit of early rising. It is unwise to keep the head long on a level with the feet.
He who hesitates is sometimes saved.
If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we
couldn't.
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.
----------
Anti-trust laws should be approached with exactly that attitude
----------
"One size fits all."
Just who is this "all" person anyway, and why is he wearing my clothes?
----------
"The law, in all its majestic equality, forbids both rich and poor to sleep in the streets, to beg for money, and to steal bread."
----------
PHONE COMPANY GIVES SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
Dear Ann,
I think I can top the person who wrote complaining about the idiocy of the phone company. Talk about garbage in, garbage out!
When AT&T split with Bell, we had three phones in our house. The equipment belonged to Ma Bell and the service belonged to AT&T. After we returned all the phone equipment to Ma Bell, we received a bill for $0.00. A few weeks later, we received a check for $5 and a note thanking us. Several months later, we received another computerized bill for $0.00. We called again, got nowhere, so we sent another check for $0.00. A few weeks later we received another $5 refund with the same thank you.
This went on every three months for two years. Now we are down to once a year and have given up trying to straighten this out. We just cash the $5 and forget about it.
-- Linda K. R. in California
----------
This is related by a recent emigre from the USSR, according to a recent issue of "World Press Review":
One cooollld winter, a rumor went around that a certain butcher shop would have meat for sale the next day. By very early the next morning, a long queue had formed outside of the butcher shop.
At 8 o'clock an official came out briefly and announced, "Well, comrades, I'm afraid there's not enough meat for everybody here. Would all of the Jews leave?"
They did, and the line was shortened somewhat.
At 11 o'clock the official came out again and announced, "Well, comrades, I'm afraid there's still not enough meat for all. Would all of the non-party members please leave?"
They did, and the line was shortened again.
At 2 o'clock, the official came out again. "There's still not enough meat for all of you! Would all those who did not defend our great country from the fascist German intruder leave?"
Once again, the line was considerably shortened.
At 5 o'clock, the official announcement was, "There's still not enough! Would all those who did not participate in the liberation of our people from the terrors of the Czar leave!"
This included just about everybody.
Finally, at 8 o'clock in the evening, the official came out again. The only people left in line were three half-frozen old men. He told them,
"There isn't any meat."
The old men moved slowly away, grumbling among themselves - "Those Jews get the best of everything!!"
----------
----------
Bumper Sticker:
If all else fails read the instructions (The Bible)
Prepare for your FINALS Read the Bible
----------
Quotable Quotes from Reader's Digest, April 1987:
Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
One thought driven home is better than three left on base.
Cultivate the habit of early rising. It is unwise to keep the head long on a level with the feet.
He who hesitates is sometimes saved.
If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we
couldn't.
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.
----------
Anti-trust laws should be approached with exactly that attitude
----------
"One size fits all."
Just who is this "all" person anyway, and why is he wearing my clothes?
----------
"The law, in all its majestic equality, forbids both rich and poor to sleep in the streets, to beg for money, and to steal bread."
----------
PHONE COMPANY GIVES SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
Dear Ann,
I think I can top the person who wrote complaining about the idiocy of the phone company. Talk about garbage in, garbage out!
When AT&T split with Bell, we had three phones in our house. The equipment belonged to Ma Bell and the service belonged to AT&T. After we returned all the phone equipment to Ma Bell, we received a bill for $0.00. A few weeks later, we received a check for $5 and a note thanking us. Several months later, we received another computerized bill for $0.00. We called again, got nowhere, so we sent another check for $0.00. A few weeks later we received another $5 refund with the same thank you.
This went on every three months for two years. Now we are down to once a year and have given up trying to straighten this out. We just cash the $5 and forget about it.
-- Linda K. R. in California
----------
This is related by a recent emigre from the USSR, according to a recent issue of "World Press Review":
One cooollld winter, a rumor went around that a certain butcher shop would have meat for sale the next day. By very early the next morning, a long queue had formed outside of the butcher shop.
At 8 o'clock an official came out briefly and announced, "Well, comrades, I'm afraid there's not enough meat for everybody here. Would all of the Jews leave?"
They did, and the line was shortened somewhat.
At 11 o'clock the official came out again and announced, "Well, comrades, I'm afraid there's still not enough meat for all. Would all of the non-party members please leave?"
They did, and the line was shortened again.
At 2 o'clock, the official came out again. "There's still not enough meat for all of you! Would all those who did not defend our great country from the fascist German intruder leave?"
Once again, the line was considerably shortened.
At 5 o'clock, the official announcement was, "There's still not enough! Would all those who did not participate in the liberation of our people from the terrors of the Czar leave!"
This included just about everybody.
Finally, at 8 o'clock in the evening, the official came out again. The only people left in line were three half-frozen old men. He told them,
"There isn't any meat."
The old men moved slowly away, grumbling among themselves - "Those Jews get the best of everything!!"
----------
Saturday, December 07, 2013
HSLDA movie on Common Core
This comes out in February, in two months:
I think Common Core the movie will be worth watching.
Here is the HSLDA web site on Common Core.
Hat tip: Spunky Homeschool
I think Common Core the movie will be worth watching.
Here is the HSLDA web site on Common Core.
Hat tip: Spunky Homeschool
Anyone seen The Christmas Candle?
The Christmas Candle looks good. I like the trailer:
It looks like something I could take the whole family to. Is the movie worth watching?
It looks like something I could take the whole family to. Is the movie worth watching?
How to be happy
There is a lot of truth in this:
There is only one way to happiness, and that is cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.
Epictetus
Hat tip: From my Franklin Covey Planner
There is only one way to happiness, and that is cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.
Epictetus
Hat tip: From my Franklin Covey Planner
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Reminder - Please submit your post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held at: Dewey's Treehouse.
This will be the 415th edition of the 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.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
This will be the 415th edition of the 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.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Vlog hop edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Notes From A Homeschooled Mom.
The carnival starts with:
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I am happy to be posting this week's carnival of homeschooling, but since this past week was thanksgiving weekend, alot of our regulars were off giving thanks and didn't submit posts. But never fear, there's still plenty to share. We've found a couple of new bloggers to add to our carnival, and I want to introduce you to some of my favorite homeschool vloggers, and encourage you to give that a try too.
----------
Enjoy!
The carnival starts with:
----------
I am happy to be posting this week's carnival of homeschooling, but since this past week was thanksgiving weekend, alot of our regulars were off giving thanks and didn't submit posts. But never fear, there's still plenty to share. We've found a couple of new bloggers to add to our carnival, and I want to introduce you to some of my favorite homeschool vloggers, and encourage you to give that a try too.
----------
Enjoy!
Monday, December 02, 2013
Homeschooling and family time
Family time is a benefit of homeschooling which is very important to us.
When our children were little, homeschooling was like a little oasis from the hustle and bustle around us. While our friends rushed back and forth to school, crammed homework in during the evenings and got up early to do it all over again, our lives where one of freedom and a relaxed pace.
We NEVER did homework in the evenings. Evenings were always family time.
We traveled and enjoyed the off season discounts and short lines at museums. We spent a month in another city, far from home, just because it seemed like an interesting thing to do. We ate almost every meal together and did most outside activities as a family.
However, as time went on, our homeschool pace got faster and faster. While we still get more family time than our friends with children in traditional school, we are rushing back and forth and getting up early each day to do it all over again.
It seems like we have more outside activities than we have at home activities. With two teenage drivers and a extra vehicle, we are also going in opposite directions. I'm coming to the realization that from now on, we will only have limited family time together as our young adults prepare to step into the adult world.
Some of this is just a natural progression of things. We no longer have little girls (9 years old, 7 years old and three years old) who I drive around to activities we do together. Now we have a 19 year old young adult who is working and preparing to leave home in the next month or so. We have a 17 year old who is attending community college, working as a nanny, sing in a choir group and preparing to leave for 4 year college. We have a 13 year old and 7 year old with their own separate activities in addition to our foster children who come and go.
I'm very grateful that we had all that time when our family was young to build our relationship and spend time together. I'm grateful that my children spend as much time home as they do. Thanks to homeschooling we had the gift of family time.
My 13 year old pointed out to me that because she is homeschooled, she only talked to members of her own family today. I think to myself, "Enjoy it while it lasts, it will end all too soon."
When our children were little, homeschooling was like a little oasis from the hustle and bustle around us. While our friends rushed back and forth to school, crammed homework in during the evenings and got up early to do it all over again, our lives where one of freedom and a relaxed pace.
We NEVER did homework in the evenings. Evenings were always family time.
We traveled and enjoyed the off season discounts and short lines at museums. We spent a month in another city, far from home, just because it seemed like an interesting thing to do. We ate almost every meal together and did most outside activities as a family.
However, as time went on, our homeschool pace got faster and faster. While we still get more family time than our friends with children in traditional school, we are rushing back and forth and getting up early each day to do it all over again.
It seems like we have more outside activities than we have at home activities. With two teenage drivers and a extra vehicle, we are also going in opposite directions. I'm coming to the realization that from now on, we will only have limited family time together as our young adults prepare to step into the adult world.
Some of this is just a natural progression of things. We no longer have little girls (9 years old, 7 years old and three years old) who I drive around to activities we do together. Now we have a 19 year old young adult who is working and preparing to leave home in the next month or so. We have a 17 year old who is attending community college, working as a nanny, sing in a choir group and preparing to leave for 4 year college. We have a 13 year old and 7 year old with their own separate activities in addition to our foster children who come and go.
I'm very grateful that we had all that time when our family was young to build our relationship and spend time together. I'm grateful that my children spend as much time home as they do. Thanks to homeschooling we had the gift of family time.
My 13 year old pointed out to me that because she is homeschooled, she only talked to members of her own family today. I think to myself, "Enjoy it while it lasts, it will end all too soon."
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