My mother sent my family a link to Dylan Winter and the Starling Murmurations:
It is beautiful and fascinating.
Friday, March 07, 2014
Diane Ravitch on Common Core
Spunky Homeschool recently posted a link to Everything you need to know about Common Core — Ravitch. The post is based on a speech Diane Ravitch gave back in January. I found it fascinating.
Here are some parts of the speech which I thought were key:
----------
Early childhood educators are nearly unanimous in saying that no one who wrote the standards had any expertise in the education of very young children.
----------
----------
Furthermore, what happens to the children who fail? Will they be held back a grade? Will they be held back again and again? If most children fail, as they did in New York, what will happen to them? How will they catch up? The advocates of the standards insist that low-scoring students will become high-scoring students if the tests are rigorous, but what if they are wrong? What if the failure rate remains staggeringly high as it is now? What if it improves marginally as students become accustomed to the material, and the failure rate drops from 70% to 50%? What will we do with the 50% who can’t jump over the bar? Teachers across the country will be fired if the scores of their pupils do not go up. This is nuts. We have a national policy that is a theory based on an assumption grounded in hope. And it might be wrong, with disastrous consequences for real children and real teachers.
If you would like to know more about Common Core I think the article is worth reading.
Here are some parts of the speech which I thought were key:
----------
Early childhood educators are nearly unanimous in saying that no one who wrote the standards had any expertise in the education of very young children.
----------
Think about that. Common Core requires various things in regards to young children, but the people crafting the requirements had no experience with young children.
It is kind of like a fireman walking into your kitchen and telling you how to prepare a meal. Yes they deal with fire, but they may have no expertise in cooking.
----------
Furthermore, what happens to the children who fail? Will they be held back a grade? Will they be held back again and again? If most children fail, as they did in New York, what will happen to them? How will they catch up? The advocates of the standards insist that low-scoring students will become high-scoring students if the tests are rigorous, but what if they are wrong? What if the failure rate remains staggeringly high as it is now? What if it improves marginally as students become accustomed to the material, and the failure rate drops from 70% to 50%? What will we do with the 50% who can’t jump over the bar? Teachers across the country will be fired if the scores of their pupils do not go up. This is nuts. We have a national policy that is a theory based on an assumption grounded in hope. And it might be wrong, with disastrous consequences for real children and real teachers.
----------
Life Humor 2.L
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
Life Humor 2.L was originally posted 19 Nov 1987
----------
So Gorbachev (sp?) decided that now that he was on top, it was time to impress his ancient mother. He sent his private helicopter out to the small town where she lived to pick her up. He met her with a fleet of limos in Red Square.
So, mama. It's good to see you here in Moscow! Come, we eat! She said nothing about the flight, and followed quietly into his limo. He took her to the best restaurant in town, where they were served by an army of waiters. The food was superb, the wine the best money could buy. She said nothing.
You like the dinner? Come. We fly to my Dacha for drinks. The chopper picked them up & delivered them to the steps of a magnificent building, secluded in the outskirts of the city. Waiters in white coats were waiting, and proceeded to serve them with the best Cognac and liquor available.
They sat sipping on the porch, looking out over the view. So, mama. You don't say anything. Aren't you proud of your little Miki? Haven't I done well? She turned to him and replied in a quiet voice. Miki, baby. Is wonderful time I have here. Helicopters are so grand to fly in, Food is best I have ever tasted.
And this, A dacha? This is more glorious than anything I could imagine. Yes, Miki. Is wonderful. I am happy for you. But Miki, Baby. What if the communists return!
----------
Syadov walks into the Moscow health clinic and asks to see an ear-and-eye doctor. The nurse explains to him that there isn't a specialist in those two areas at the clinic, but tells him that they have an eye-doctor AND an ear, nose, and throat man. She further goes on to suggest, after seeing his rather vacant stare, that he see the ENT specialist, and, if that doesn't work, why then he can go to the ophthalmologist. So a month later (Remember, the clinic is run by the Soviet bureaucracy) he is shown to the doc's office. The following dialogue ensues. Doctor: So, tell me, Comrade Syadov. What seems to be the trouble? Syadov: DOC! DOC! Ya GOTTA help me! I'm going crazy! Doctor: Just calm down, and tell me your symptoms. Syadov: Well, I..OK. I...I'll try. It's like my ears and my eyeballs aren't connected to the same man. I can't see what I hear, and I can't hear what I see! At this, the doctor sighs, shakes his head, closes his notebook, and prepares for his next patient. When Syadov asks what he's doing, he explains:
"Really, I'm very sorry, Comrade. But there's no known cure for Communism."
----------
A man in Russia gets a ticket allowing him to buy a car. He sits down with the car dealer and picks out the basic car and then a few options. The car dealer says the car will be ready in ten years. The man wants to know if it will be ready in the morning or the afternoon. The car dealer is a bit surprised, "Why do you care? It's ten years away." "Well the plumber is coming in the morning."
----------
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt were riding in a limo, when they happened to look back and notice a huge ugly monster was chasing them. Hoping to persuade it to go away, Churchill rolled down his window and tossed out all the money he had, about 10,000 pounds. The monster picked it up, sniffed it, then tossed it aside and continued to pursue the limo. So Roosevelt opened his window, and tossed out $100,000, with a gold money clip he'd gotten from Rockefeller, and his $1500 gold watch. The monster picked up the bundle, sniffed it, sneered and continued to pursue the limo. So comrade Stalin pulled out a pen and paper, scribbled a short note, and tossed it out the window. The monster read the note and came to a screaming halt (a la buggs bunny, smoke from the heels), turned around, and ran the other way. Well of course, the other world leaders wanted to know what Comrade Stalin had written in the note. "Simple", he said. "I wrote,
'This is the road to Communism'."
----------
"you have known the defendant for how long ?"
"Fourteen years."
"Tell the court whether or not you think he is the type of man who would steal this money."
"How much was it ?"
----------
Life Humor 2.L was originally posted 19 Nov 1987
----------
So Gorbachev (sp?) decided that now that he was on top, it was time to impress his ancient mother. He sent his private helicopter out to the small town where she lived to pick her up. He met her with a fleet of limos in Red Square.
So, mama. It's good to see you here in Moscow! Come, we eat! She said nothing about the flight, and followed quietly into his limo. He took her to the best restaurant in town, where they were served by an army of waiters. The food was superb, the wine the best money could buy. She said nothing.
You like the dinner? Come. We fly to my Dacha for drinks. The chopper picked them up & delivered them to the steps of a magnificent building, secluded in the outskirts of the city. Waiters in white coats were waiting, and proceeded to serve them with the best Cognac and liquor available.
They sat sipping on the porch, looking out over the view. So, mama. You don't say anything. Aren't you proud of your little Miki? Haven't I done well? She turned to him and replied in a quiet voice. Miki, baby. Is wonderful time I have here. Helicopters are so grand to fly in, Food is best I have ever tasted.
And this, A dacha? This is more glorious than anything I could imagine. Yes, Miki. Is wonderful. I am happy for you. But Miki, Baby. What if the communists return!
----------
Syadov walks into the Moscow health clinic and asks to see an ear-and-eye doctor. The nurse explains to him that there isn't a specialist in those two areas at the clinic, but tells him that they have an eye-doctor AND an ear, nose, and throat man. She further goes on to suggest, after seeing his rather vacant stare, that he see the ENT specialist, and, if that doesn't work, why then he can go to the ophthalmologist. So a month later (Remember, the clinic is run by the Soviet bureaucracy) he is shown to the doc's office. The following dialogue ensues. Doctor: So, tell me, Comrade Syadov. What seems to be the trouble? Syadov: DOC! DOC! Ya GOTTA help me! I'm going crazy! Doctor: Just calm down, and tell me your symptoms. Syadov: Well, I..OK. I...I'll try. It's like my ears and my eyeballs aren't connected to the same man. I can't see what I hear, and I can't hear what I see! At this, the doctor sighs, shakes his head, closes his notebook, and prepares for his next patient. When Syadov asks what he's doing, he explains:
"Really, I'm very sorry, Comrade. But there's no known cure for Communism."
----------
A man in Russia gets a ticket allowing him to buy a car. He sits down with the car dealer and picks out the basic car and then a few options. The car dealer says the car will be ready in ten years. The man wants to know if it will be ready in the morning or the afternoon. The car dealer is a bit surprised, "Why do you care? It's ten years away." "Well the plumber is coming in the morning."
----------
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt were riding in a limo, when they happened to look back and notice a huge ugly monster was chasing them. Hoping to persuade it to go away, Churchill rolled down his window and tossed out all the money he had, about 10,000 pounds. The monster picked it up, sniffed it, then tossed it aside and continued to pursue the limo. So Roosevelt opened his window, and tossed out $100,000, with a gold money clip he'd gotten from Rockefeller, and his $1500 gold watch. The monster picked up the bundle, sniffed it, sneered and continued to pursue the limo. So comrade Stalin pulled out a pen and paper, scribbled a short note, and tossed it out the window. The monster read the note and came to a screaming halt (a la buggs bunny, smoke from the heels), turned around, and ran the other way. Well of course, the other world leaders wanted to know what Comrade Stalin had written in the note. "Simple", he said. "I wrote,
'This is the road to Communism'."
----------
"you have known the defendant for how long ?"
"Fourteen years."
"Tell the court whether or not you think he is the type of man who would steal this money."
"How much was it ?"
----------
Thursday, March 06, 2014
One of the most succinct expressions of this thought
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
Never confuse motion with action.
-Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (1706-1790)
A.Word.A.Day 2Jan14
In our crazy lives it is often easy to get so busy doing things that we don't step back and make sure we are doing the important things.
Never confuse motion with action.
-Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (1706-1790)
A.Word.A.Day 2Jan14
In our crazy lives it is often easy to get so busy doing things that we don't step back and make sure we are doing the important things.
Will daydreams save the world?
I enjoyed Tim Brown's LinkedIn post on Why Daydreamers Will Save the World.
He start his post with:
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Daydreaming has a bad reputation. Just think of any classroom scene on TV where a teacher is chiding a child for staring out the window during class. Traditionally, those kids have been thought of as slackers, but, according to a recent report on education and entrepreneurship for the UK parliament co-authored by my friend, Professor Andy Penaluna, they’re exhibiting the behavior of innovators. They’re engaging in “relaxed attention.”
During relaxed attention, a problem or challenge is taking up space in your brain, but it isn’t on the front burner. Relaxed attention lies somewhere between meditation, where you completely clear your mind, and the laser-like focus you apply when tackling a tough math problem. Our brains can make cognitive leaps when we’re not completely obsessed with a challenge, which is why good ideas sometimes come to us when we’re in the shower or talking a walk or on a long drive.
----------
The rest of the post is worth reading.
Tim points that out that public education today is structured to clamp down on daydreamers. I agree. Homeschooling allows parents and children to both have some time for daydreaming. Janine tells me our children do plenty of daydreaming.
He start his post with:
----------
Daydreaming has a bad reputation. Just think of any classroom scene on TV where a teacher is chiding a child for staring out the window during class. Traditionally, those kids have been thought of as slackers, but, according to a recent report on education and entrepreneurship for the UK parliament co-authored by my friend, Professor Andy Penaluna, they’re exhibiting the behavior of innovators. They’re engaging in “relaxed attention.”
During relaxed attention, a problem or challenge is taking up space in your brain, but it isn’t on the front burner. Relaxed attention lies somewhere between meditation, where you completely clear your mind, and the laser-like focus you apply when tackling a tough math problem. Our brains can make cognitive leaps when we’re not completely obsessed with a challenge, which is why good ideas sometimes come to us when we’re in the shower or talking a walk or on a long drive.
----------
The rest of the post is worth reading.
Tim points that out that public education today is structured to clamp down on daydreamers. I agree. Homeschooling allows parents and children to both have some time for daydreaming. Janine tells me our children do plenty of daydreaming.
Cute: A trope periodic table
One of my daughters shared a fun link: The Periodic Table of Storytelling.
All three daughters like to talk about writing their own stories. Sometimes I'll tease them about throwing together a bunch of unrelated tropes together like Time travelling werewolves vampire hunters from alternate dimensions having a western style shoot out with clones of wizards of a space going empire from a near by galaxy. They just roll their eyes and ignore me.
If you have a writer they might enjoy reviewing the periodic trope page for ideas.
All three daughters like to talk about writing their own stories. Sometimes I'll tease them about throwing together a bunch of unrelated tropes together like Time travelling werewolves vampire hunters from alternate dimensions having a western style shoot out with clones of wizards of a space going empire from a near by galaxy. They just roll their eyes and ignore me.
If you have a writer they might enjoy reviewing the periodic trope page for ideas.
Some of our best posts from February 2009
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 February 2009:
Janine explains the difference between Homeschool Fantasy and Reality.
I have a post on Why it is so hard to make progress with public education.
Janine explains the difference between Homeschool Fantasy and Reality.
I have a post on Why it is so hard to make progress with public education.
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
If parents did this they would be arrested
This is pretty outrageous: School forces half-naked, sopping wet student to stand outside, frostbite results.
The article starts with:
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A Minnesota public high school was so committed to obeying its fire drill policy to the exact letter of the law that it forced a female student–dressed only in a swimsuit, and sopping wet–to stand outside in the freezing cold for ten minutes. As a result, she suffered frostbite.
----------
The school responds with the classic "This is our policy and we did nothing wrong."
The mother made a great point:
"Tietz also noted that she would have been arrested for doing such a thing to her child."
This just boggles my mind. As Glenn Reynolds says it is getting to the point that sending your children to government schools is almost child abuse.
Hat tip: Instapundit
The article starts with:
----------
A Minnesota public high school was so committed to obeying its fire drill policy to the exact letter of the law that it forced a female student–dressed only in a swimsuit, and sopping wet–to stand outside in the freezing cold for ten minutes. As a result, she suffered frostbite.
----------
The school responds with the classic "This is our policy and we did nothing wrong."
"Tietz also noted that she would have been arrested for doing such a thing to her child."
This just boggles my mind. As Glenn Reynolds says it is getting to the point that sending your children to government schools is almost child abuse.
Hat tip: Instapundit
What "Shared Sacrifice" means
I greatly enjoyed this thought from Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
Shared Sacrifice - "Usually used by a politician who wants other people to share in the sacrifice so he or she doesn't have to."
Lake Superior State University 2012 List of Banished Words
Printed in Reader's Digest
Submitted by Herr Kemper
Shared Sacrifice - "Usually used by a politician who wants other people to share in the sacrifice so he or she doesn't have to."
Lake Superior State University 2012 List of Banished Words
Printed in Reader's Digest
Submitted by Herr Kemper
Life Humor 2.K
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
Life Humor 2.K was originally posted 7 Dec 1987
----------
Brezhnev was thought not to be too bright. He comes to address a big Communist party meeting, and starts:
"Dear Comrade Imperialists," The whole hall perked up - "what did he say??" Brezhnev tried again...
"Dear Comrade Imperialists,"
Well, by now the hall was in pandemonium - was he trying to call them Imperialists? Then, an advisor walked over to the podium and pointed to the speech for Brezhnev. "Oh..." he muttered, and started again:
"Dear Comrades, Imperialists are everywhere."
----------
A friend of mine once told me an anecdote, which I then told Gorfinkle over there, and Gorfinkle didn't think it was funny. The punch line of the anecdote - which had to do with life in the army - was that the Soviet privates were sent out to paint all the grass on the base green. I thought it was very funny. He didn't. I said, "Why don't you think it was funny," to which he replied, "because when I was in the army, we always painted the grass green."
----------
There was a famous anecdote that the reason Brezhnev's speeches ran 6 hours is because he read not only the original, but the carbon copy. In fact, there was a report near the end of Brezhnev's life that he went down to south Russia to deliver a speech on science, and accidentally gave the wrong speech - on culture - and didn't even know it until it was over.
----------
It was decided to build in a Siberian town a statue of Lenin. The party boss told the monument factory to build a well-known, famous sculpture of Lenin. So the work commences - a statue of Lenin addressing the crowds will be made.
Later, the party boss returns as the work is being done, and he notices that Lenin lacked a hat.
"We can't have Comrade Lenin standing in the Siberian cold without a hat on him. Put one on his head."
"But, Comrade- " the sculptor started.
"No buts. Put a hat on him."
So came the day of unveiling - and there was Lenin, a hat on his head... and another one in his hand.
----------
"Comrades, we have established beyond a doubt that it is possible to build socialism in one large country - like the Soviet Union. But is it possible to built it in a very small country, say, Switzerland."
"Of course it is - but what have you got against the Swiss?"
----------
A man was arrested one night for running across Red Square yelling"Khrushchev is a fool! Khrushchev is a fool!"
He was arrested and given 10 years - 5 for slandering the leader, and 5 for revealing a state secret.
----------
Brezhnev was widely regarded as a man who couldn't walk and talk at the same time, so many anecdotes were generated about him.
Often, they were about his great fondness, for some reason, of riddles - which he could never solve.
One day, he was bumbling down the corridors of the Kremlin, and he bumped into Andropov. Andropov was trying to get into a position to succeed Brezhnev so he thought he would butter him up.
"Who is the son of my father but not I?" asked Andropov.
"Hmmm... a tough one," replied Brezhnev, "I give up."
"My brother."
Brezhnev was impressed. "Brilliant!" he cried, and continued down the hall.
He bumps into Gorbachev.
"Miky... hear this riddle: who is the son of my father but not me?"
Gorbachev plays along with the old man and asks, "Who?"
Brezhnev, delighted about being able to tell his riddle blurts out, "Andropov's brother!"
----------
At the Olympics in the Soviet Union, Brezhnev started a speech at the opening ceremonies. He began as follows:
"Oh...." "Ooooo...." "Oh...." "Ooo...." "Ooohh."
until one of his advisors quietly pointed out that the Olympic symbol was not a part of the speech to read.
----------
Brezhnev was being shown the Soviet pentagon. At the end of his tour, he noticed a red door. "What's in there?" he asked Nixon.
"Oh, that's a secret," Nixon replied.
"But you promised to show me everything, Dick!" whined Brezhnev.
"Okay," agrees Nixon, and takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door. Inside is a red telephone.
"What's that?"
"It's a hot-line to Hell," replies Nixon.
"No way," says Brezhnev, "I don't believe you!"
"Try it," replied Nixon.
Brezhnev picks up the phone, and a voice answers:
"Hi! It's the Devil! This is Hell!"
Brezhnev is shocked and hangs up the phone, but as he's leaving, Nixon says,
"That'll be $55 for the phone call."
"$55!" exclaims Brezhnev, "why so expensive - but what the hell, here."
Brezhnev goes back to the Soviet Union and yells at his generals. "You idiots! You know what the Americans have? A hot-line to hell! Why don't we?"
"We do," they reply, and show him a similar door with a phone. He picks it up and sure enough - "Hi! It's the Devil! This is Hell!"
As he hangs up, the general says, "That will be 2 Kopeks, Comrade."
"Why so cheap? In America it was $55!"
"That's because here it's a local call."
----------
Life Humor 2.K was originally posted 7 Dec 1987
----------
Brezhnev was thought not to be too bright. He comes to address a big Communist party meeting, and starts:
"Dear Comrade Imperialists," The whole hall perked up - "what did he say??" Brezhnev tried again...
"Dear Comrade Imperialists,"
Well, by now the hall was in pandemonium - was he trying to call them Imperialists? Then, an advisor walked over to the podium and pointed to the speech for Brezhnev. "Oh..." he muttered, and started again:
"Dear Comrades, Imperialists are everywhere."
----------
A friend of mine once told me an anecdote, which I then told Gorfinkle over there, and Gorfinkle didn't think it was funny. The punch line of the anecdote - which had to do with life in the army - was that the Soviet privates were sent out to paint all the grass on the base green. I thought it was very funny. He didn't. I said, "Why don't you think it was funny," to which he replied, "because when I was in the army, we always painted the grass green."
----------
There was a famous anecdote that the reason Brezhnev's speeches ran 6 hours is because he read not only the original, but the carbon copy. In fact, there was a report near the end of Brezhnev's life that he went down to south Russia to deliver a speech on science, and accidentally gave the wrong speech - on culture - and didn't even know it until it was over.
----------
It was decided to build in a Siberian town a statue of Lenin. The party boss told the monument factory to build a well-known, famous sculpture of Lenin. So the work commences - a statue of Lenin addressing the crowds will be made.
Later, the party boss returns as the work is being done, and he notices that Lenin lacked a hat.
"We can't have Comrade Lenin standing in the Siberian cold without a hat on him. Put one on his head."
"But, Comrade- " the sculptor started.
"No buts. Put a hat on him."
So came the day of unveiling - and there was Lenin, a hat on his head... and another one in his hand.
----------
"Comrades, we have established beyond a doubt that it is possible to build socialism in one large country - like the Soviet Union. But is it possible to built it in a very small country, say, Switzerland."
"Of course it is - but what have you got against the Swiss?"
----------
A man was arrested one night for running across Red Square yelling"Khrushchev is a fool! Khrushchev is a fool!"
He was arrested and given 10 years - 5 for slandering the leader, and 5 for revealing a state secret.
----------
Brezhnev was widely regarded as a man who couldn't walk and talk at the same time, so many anecdotes were generated about him.
Often, they were about his great fondness, for some reason, of riddles - which he could never solve.
One day, he was bumbling down the corridors of the Kremlin, and he bumped into Andropov. Andropov was trying to get into a position to succeed Brezhnev so he thought he would butter him up.
"Who is the son of my father but not I?" asked Andropov.
"Hmmm... a tough one," replied Brezhnev, "I give up."
"My brother."
Brezhnev was impressed. "Brilliant!" he cried, and continued down the hall.
He bumps into Gorbachev.
"Miky... hear this riddle: who is the son of my father but not me?"
Gorbachev plays along with the old man and asks, "Who?"
Brezhnev, delighted about being able to tell his riddle blurts out, "Andropov's brother!"
----------
At the Olympics in the Soviet Union, Brezhnev started a speech at the opening ceremonies. He began as follows:
"Oh...." "Ooooo...." "Oh...." "Ooo...." "Ooohh."
until one of his advisors quietly pointed out that the Olympic symbol was not a part of the speech to read.
----------
Brezhnev was being shown the Soviet pentagon. At the end of his tour, he noticed a red door. "What's in there?" he asked Nixon.
"Oh, that's a secret," Nixon replied.
"But you promised to show me everything, Dick!" whined Brezhnev.
"Okay," agrees Nixon, and takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door. Inside is a red telephone.
"What's that?"
"It's a hot-line to Hell," replies Nixon.
"No way," says Brezhnev, "I don't believe you!"
"Try it," replied Nixon.
Brezhnev picks up the phone, and a voice answers:
"Hi! It's the Devil! This is Hell!"
Brezhnev is shocked and hangs up the phone, but as he's leaving, Nixon says,
"That'll be $55 for the phone call."
"$55!" exclaims Brezhnev, "why so expensive - but what the hell, here."
Brezhnev goes back to the Soviet Union and yells at his generals. "You idiots! You know what the Americans have? A hot-line to hell! Why don't we?"
"We do," they reply, and show him a similar door with a phone. He picks it up and sure enough - "Hi! It's the Devil! This is Hell!"
As he hangs up, the general says, "That will be 2 Kopeks, Comrade."
"Why so cheap? In America it was $55!"
"That's because here it's a local call."
----------
27 ways pets can improve your health
My mother sent the family a link to a slideshow on 27 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health.
Some of them are pretty interesting.
Some of them are pretty interesting.
Too often schools are trying to push political agendas
Government schools as they exist now got started in the late 1800s. For most of the first hundred years of their existence public schools were focused on teaching basic academic subjects. The goals were making sure the students could read, write and do basic math. Over time various groups saw a chance to influence society by pushing their agendas into the classroom.
This is one of the reasons Janine and I homeschool. We don't want others pushing their philosophies into the minds of our children.
Awhile back I came across a column on The First Amendment Right to Nonpolitical Homework. The New York Times ethicist Chuck Klosterman responds to a question. A mother wants to know if the school can demand as part of homework that a student take some political action supporting a particular cause.
The answer is no. Which I agree with.
My problem is I don't want to waste any time fighting with a local school district over overt actions like this, and to be constantly on guard for all the subtle ways the schools are trying to influence how children think about various causes.
I think it is easier to homeschool than to fight with the government schools.
This is one of the reasons Janine and I homeschool. We don't want others pushing their philosophies into the minds of our children.
Awhile back I came across a column on The First Amendment Right to Nonpolitical Homework. The New York Times ethicist Chuck Klosterman responds to a question. A mother wants to know if the school can demand as part of homework that a student take some political action supporting a particular cause.
The answer is no. Which I agree with.
My problem is I don't want to waste any time fighting with a local school district over overt actions like this, and to be constantly on guard for all the subtle ways the schools are trying to influence how children think about various causes.
I think it is easier to homeschool than to fight with the government schools.
"Astounding Stories" is now on Gutenberg
I discovered Science Fiction as a young teenager. My father had been collecting books and magazines for decades. Some of my favorite stories came from the magazine then known as Analog Science Fiction and Fact. This magazine was first called Astounding Stories.
I recently found out that the first three years of Astounding Stories are now on Gutenberg. If you have an interest in reading early Science Fiction you might enjoy checking some of the stories out.
I've read a couple. They are quaint.
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Some of our best posts from January 2009
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 January 2009:
Janine and I attended a seminar on brain development. What to do about brain damaged children summarizes some of what I learned. Parents with Purpose is Janine's summary. And here is Donna's web site: Parents with Purpose.
I contrasted some of the similarities between The Pied Piper and government schools.
We also posted this video by Dr. Laura on Having a Hard Time Letting Go?
Janine and I attended a seminar on brain development. What to do about brain damaged children summarizes some of what I learned. Parents with Purpose is Janine's summary. And here is Donna's web site: Parents with Purpose.
I contrasted some of the similarities between The Pied Piper and government schools.
We also posted this video by Dr. Laura on Having a Hard Time Letting Go?
John Holt on The Phil Donahue Show
John Holt was an early proponent of homeschooling. Here is a video of John Holt on The Phil Donahue Show:
Hat tip: Patrick Farenga
Hat tip: Patrick Farenga
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Just Keep Blogging edition
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Notes From A Homeschooling Mom.
The carnival starts with:
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It is now March 2014, I officially became a veteran homeschooler back in May 2013, when I graduated my second, and last child, from homeschooling. I am still processing all of my thoughts and feelings about the last 10 years, because homeschooling is serious business, and just as you need to be mentally prepared to start and to make it through homeschooling, you need to put the same effort (at least in my case) into coming out the other side, and finding a new you, when you have been released from your homeschooling duties.
Just as I found blogging to be a great way to prepare myself and to keep motivated during the homeschool process, I am finding blogging to be a great way to process myself into my next phase in life-post homeschooling. As much as inward blogging has helped me, I still need to spend just as much time reading the blogs of others, for sanity reasons, to let me know that I am OK... as in Not Crazy, as in other people are having the same feelings and experiences that I have either had, or am having right now. For this I am thankful, so with that I say, Just keep blogging through and even after homeschooling. I will keep you sane, and it will also help those who come after you.
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Enjoy!
The carnival starts with:
-----------
It is now March 2014, I officially became a veteran homeschooler back in May 2013, when I graduated my second, and last child, from homeschooling. I am still processing all of my thoughts and feelings about the last 10 years, because homeschooling is serious business, and just as you need to be mentally prepared to start and to make it through homeschooling, you need to put the same effort (at least in my case) into coming out the other side, and finding a new you, when you have been released from your homeschooling duties.
Just as I found blogging to be a great way to prepare myself and to keep motivated during the homeschool process, I am finding blogging to be a great way to process myself into my next phase in life-post homeschooling. As much as inward blogging has helped me, I still need to spend just as much time reading the blogs of others, for sanity reasons, to let me know that I am OK... as in Not Crazy, as in other people are having the same feelings and experiences that I have either had, or am having right now. For this I am thankful, so with that I say, Just keep blogging through and even after homeschooling. I will keep you sane, and it will also help those who come after you.
-----------
Enjoy!
Some good thoughts on things to teach your children about money
I enjoyed Penelope Trunk's post on What do rich parents do that poor parents don't?
She makes the point that parents from different classes have different approaches to what and how to teach their children. One of the best things we can do for our children is to be as conscious as possible about the lessons we teach them. If we can make sure to teach them the good lessons we have learned and to avoid teaching them the bad lessons we have learned, then our children will be off to a great start.
Penelope start's her post with:
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Yefet went on a trip with Melissa. It was so exciting to watch them leave because they always do amazing things while they're together. But I couldn't help thinking, while I was dropping them off at the airport, that my kids are growing up like rich kids. It's the last thing I expected after moving to rural Wisconsin.
One of my favorite paragraphs is:
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What I'm trying to tell you is that it's a poverty mentality to send your kids to school. The values of school are for people who start at a disadvantage. The US school system is about making things equal for everyone. If you start out on the better side of equal, why would you put your kids in a system designed to reduce their advantage?
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Hat tip: Homeschoolbuzz.com
She makes the point that parents from different classes have different approaches to what and how to teach their children. One of the best things we can do for our children is to be as conscious as possible about the lessons we teach them. If we can make sure to teach them the good lessons we have learned and to avoid teaching them the bad lessons we have learned, then our children will be off to a great start.
Penelope start's her post with:
----------
Yefet went on a trip with Melissa. It was so exciting to watch them leave because they always do amazing things while they're together. But I couldn't help thinking, while I was dropping them off at the airport, that my kids are growing up like rich kids. It's the last thing I expected after moving to rural Wisconsin.
The reason they are growing up like rich kids is not so much the money (he could have gone on a driving trip with Melissa and had the same advantages,) but because of my mentality that I trust him to be smart and interesting and to make a life from that. And I don't trust school.
I think a lot about the difference between how rich people think about education and how everyone else thinks about education. So I was interested to read that rich people worry less about their kids getting into dangerous situations online than poor parents do.
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One of my favorite paragraphs is:
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What I'm trying to tell you is that it's a poverty mentality to send your kids to school. The values of school are for people who start at a disadvantage. The US school system is about making things equal for everyone. If you start out on the better side of equal, why would you put your kids in a system designed to reduce their advantage?
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Hat tip: Homeschoolbuzz.com
The Feynman Lectures on Physics are online
Richard Feynman is famous for his lectures on physics. They are now online.
Monday, March 03, 2014
A problem with homeschooling
Currently our second and third daughters are doing a lot of their education via online classes. Today we had a problem. Our DSL line stopped working!
For over three hours I was on the phone, multiple times, with our Internet Service Provider trying to get the problem resolved. At first they thought the problem was due to a flaky DSL modem, so I went down to Frys to buy a new one. The clerk asked who my ISP was and I told her. Then the guy standing next to me said he had the same ISP and was suffering a similar problem. I selected a DSL modem and headed home.
But before unwrapping the modem I called my ISP and asked if there were any other types of problems which would appear to be similar to a broken modem. They said it was possible and they would check. A few minutes later my neighbor called to say her DSL line was also down, so it appears there is a much wider problem than my DSL modem.
All of this meant my daughters were missing their classes. As a parent when we take ownership of the education of our children we sometimes have to deal with these kinds of problems. Luckily we the girls were able to keep busy doing useful things.
I was surprised by how used to having instance access to the internet we have become. I wanted to check my email. When the support person said I needed a DSL modem my first thought was to check out various reviews, but then I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t check Instapundit or Facebook.
Finally I went off to work, where I now have access to the internet (and can post to my blog). Hopefully the whole problem with be resolved by the time I get home.
For over three hours I was on the phone, multiple times, with our Internet Service Provider trying to get the problem resolved. At first they thought the problem was due to a flaky DSL modem, so I went down to Frys to buy a new one. The clerk asked who my ISP was and I told her. Then the guy standing next to me said he had the same ISP and was suffering a similar problem. I selected a DSL modem and headed home.
But before unwrapping the modem I called my ISP and asked if there were any other types of problems which would appear to be similar to a broken modem. They said it was possible and they would check. A few minutes later my neighbor called to say her DSL line was also down, so it appears there is a much wider problem than my DSL modem.
All of this meant my daughters were missing their classes. As a parent when we take ownership of the education of our children we sometimes have to deal with these kinds of problems. Luckily we the girls were able to keep busy doing useful things.
I was surprised by how used to having instance access to the internet we have become. I wanted to check my email. When the support person said I needed a DSL modem my first thought was to check out various reviews, but then I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t check Instapundit or Facebook.
Finally I went off to work, where I now have access to the internet (and can post to my blog). Hopefully the whole problem with be resolved by the time I get home.
Life Humor 2.J
From the Henry Cate Life Humor collection:
Life Humor 2.J was originally posted 4 December 1987
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Did you hear that there's a group of South American Indians that worships the number zero?
Is nothing sacred?
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LOS ANGELES TIMES:
It was, police figure, a 10 million-to-1 shot that saved the life of a federal agent in a shopping-mall shootout in Hialeah, Florida. A drug suspect had aimed at the chest of Carlos Montalvo, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and pulled the trigger. But the shot struck Montalvo's gun, lodging in the barrel.
After draining excess fuel from the flooded engine of his 1946 aircraft, Douglas Youngs reached into the cockpit and started the engine. But he had forgotten to close the throttle and the plane took off without him. The errant aircraft was eventually found 65 miles away, perched in an 85 foot tree near Clifton, New York. Youngs thinks he can repair the plane, just as soon as he figures out how to get it down from the tree.
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It was so cold last winter that I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
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Two hippies were waiting at the bus stop along with a nun with her leg in a cast. The first hippie asked "Sister, how did you break you leg?" "I slipped in the bathtub."
Later the second hippie asked the first "What's a bathtub?"
"How should I know, I'm not Catholic!"
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The five rules of Socialism:
1. Don't think
2. If you do think, don't speak
3. If you think and speak, don't write
4. If you think, speak and write, don't sign
5. If you think, speak, write and sign, don't be surprised
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Why do Soviet policemen always patrol in groups of three, as in fact they often do?
One of them knows how to read, one knows how to add, while the third is there to observe the two suspected intellectuals.
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How does the Soviet Constitution differ from the American?
Under the Soviet Constitution citizens are guaranteed freedom of speech, but under the United States constitution they are guaranteed freedom after speech.
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Life Humor 2.J was originally posted 4 December 1987
----------
Did you hear that there's a group of South American Indians that worships the number zero?
Is nothing sacred?
----------
LOS ANGELES TIMES:
It was, police figure, a 10 million-to-1 shot that saved the life of a federal agent in a shopping-mall shootout in Hialeah, Florida. A drug suspect had aimed at the chest of Carlos Montalvo, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and pulled the trigger. But the shot struck Montalvo's gun, lodging in the barrel.
After draining excess fuel from the flooded engine of his 1946 aircraft, Douglas Youngs reached into the cockpit and started the engine. But he had forgotten to close the throttle and the plane took off without him. The errant aircraft was eventually found 65 miles away, perched in an 85 foot tree near Clifton, New York. Youngs thinks he can repair the plane, just as soon as he figures out how to get it down from the tree.
----------
It was so cold last winter that I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
----------
Two hippies were waiting at the bus stop along with a nun with her leg in a cast. The first hippie asked "Sister, how did you break you leg?" "I slipped in the bathtub."
Later the second hippie asked the first "What's a bathtub?"
"How should I know, I'm not Catholic!"
----------
The five rules of Socialism:
1. Don't think
2. If you do think, don't speak
3. If you think and speak, don't write
4. If you think, speak and write, don't sign
5. If you think, speak, write and sign, don't be surprised
----------
Why do Soviet policemen always patrol in groups of three, as in fact they often do?
One of them knows how to read, one knows how to add, while the third is there to observe the two suspected intellectuals.
----------
How does the Soviet Constitution differ from the American?
Under the Soviet Constitution citizens are guaranteed freedom of speech, but under the United States constitution they are guaranteed freedom after speech.
----------
Please remember to send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please act now!
You only have four and a half hours left.
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held here at Notes From A Homeschooling Mom.
This will be the 427th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
Blog Carnival seems to be down, so you'll need to email your submission directly to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I was going to post this reminder earlier this morning, but our internet access went down about 5:00 AM.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
You only have four and a half hours left.
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling. The next Carnival of Homeschooling will be held here at Notes From A Homeschooling Mom.
This will be the 427th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
Blog Carnival seems to be down, so you'll need to email your submission directly to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
I was going to post this reminder earlier this morning, but our internet access went down about 5:00 AM.
I have a reminder mailing list. If you would like email reminders, please tell me.
The latest Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival
While you are waiting for the next Carnival of Homeschooling you can checkout the latest Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival hosted at journey-and-destination.
Saturday, March 01, 2014
A thought about learning from experience
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
We all learn by experience
but some of us have to go to summer school. -Peter de Vries (1910-1993)
We all learn by experience
but some of us have to go to summer school. -Peter de Vries (1910-1993)
The next stage in buying things?
For most of recorded history people have bought things in stores. Then companies like Sears started selling things via catalogs. Customers could select the items they wanted and have them shipped to their home. Lately this trend has been accelerated by the internet by companies like Amazon.
Maybe we'll have a third approach now, Popular Mechanics reports on Urbee 2, the 3D-Printed Car That Will Drive Across the Country. The article starts with:
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In early 1903, physician and car enthusiast Horatio Nelson Jackson accepted a $50 bet that he could not cross the United States by car. Just a few weeks later, on May 23, he and mechanic Sewall K. Crocker climbed into a 20-hp Winton in San Francisco and headed east. Accompanied by Bud, a pit bull they picked up along the way, the two men arrived in New York 63 days, 12 hours, and 800 gallons of fuel later, completing the nation's first cross-country drive.
About two years from now, Cody and Tyler Kor, now 20 and 22 years old, respectively, will drive coast-to-coast in the lozenge-shaped Urbee 2, a car made mostly by 3D printing. Like Jackson and Crocker, the young men will take a dog along for the ride—Cupid, their collie and blue heeler mix. Unlike Jackson and Crocker, they will spend just 10 gallons of fuel to complete the trip from New York to San Francisco. Then they will refuel, turn around, and follow the same west-to-east route taken by Jackson, Crocker, and Bud.
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Maybe we'll have a third approach now, Popular Mechanics reports on Urbee 2, the 3D-Printed Car That Will Drive Across the Country. The article starts with:
----------
In early 1903, physician and car enthusiast Horatio Nelson Jackson accepted a $50 bet that he could not cross the United States by car. Just a few weeks later, on May 23, he and mechanic Sewall K. Crocker climbed into a 20-hp Winton in San Francisco and headed east. Accompanied by Bud, a pit bull they picked up along the way, the two men arrived in New York 63 days, 12 hours, and 800 gallons of fuel later, completing the nation's first cross-country drive.
About two years from now, Cody and Tyler Kor, now 20 and 22 years old, respectively, will drive coast-to-coast in the lozenge-shaped Urbee 2, a car made mostly by 3D printing. Like Jackson and Crocker, the young men will take a dog along for the ride—Cupid, their collie and blue heeler mix. Unlike Jackson and Crocker, they will spend just 10 gallons of fuel to complete the trip from New York to San Francisco. Then they will refuel, turn around, and follow the same west-to-east route taken by Jackson, Crocker, and Bud.
----------
It would be really cool to be able to print things we need right in our own home!
Public schools support the bullies
Recently there has been a lot of news about bullies. This issue is getting lots of exposure.
Yet the truth is sometimes government schools help the bullies.
Federal Court Upholds School Ban on American Flag T-Shirts explains how bullies were supported by the school officials.
The article starts with:
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Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a California high school’s prohibition on American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. The case is Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, and while it might get the law right, it certainly highlights a worrying trend in American schools: the inability or unwillingness to protect students whose speech is unpopular.
On Cinco de Mayo, May 5, 2010, three students wore American flag t-shirts to Live Oak High School. Live Oak, according to the Ninth Circuit, had a history of gang and racial violence. The students who wore the American flag t-shirts were threatened with physical violence. Rather than discipline the students who made the threats, the school decided to tell the American flag t-shirt-wearing students that they could either turn their shirts inside-out, or go home. Two of the students went home, and the students collectively sued the school district in federal district court, claiming that the school violated their First Amendment rights.
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It is amazing to me that we have drifted so far. Fifty years ago the students threatening violence would have been dealt with. Now the officials at these government schools cave.
Just another reason to homeschool.
Yet the truth is sometimes government schools help the bullies.
Federal Court Upholds School Ban on American Flag T-Shirts explains how bullies were supported by the school officials.
The article starts with:
----------
Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a California high school’s prohibition on American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. The case is Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, and while it might get the law right, it certainly highlights a worrying trend in American schools: the inability or unwillingness to protect students whose speech is unpopular.
On Cinco de Mayo, May 5, 2010, three students wore American flag t-shirts to Live Oak High School. Live Oak, according to the Ninth Circuit, had a history of gang and racial violence. The students who wore the American flag t-shirts were threatened with physical violence. Rather than discipline the students who made the threats, the school decided to tell the American flag t-shirt-wearing students that they could either turn their shirts inside-out, or go home. Two of the students went home, and the students collectively sued the school district in federal district court, claiming that the school violated their First Amendment rights.
----------
It is amazing to me that we have drifted so far. Fifty years ago the students threatening violence would have been dealt with. Now the officials at these government schools cave.
Just another reason to homeschool.
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