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KnitWit

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  1. Knit Wit, would you be open to having your story shared elsewhere? Either what you typed, or a version of it? People need to hear this. 

     

    Sure.  Most of the facts I shared are readily available online.  Amira shared excellent links.  

    • Like 2
  2. On a side note, if anyone knows of options to work with helping refugees settle, please post links because it's one thing I've been toying with as I've been contemplating what I want to be when I grow up - esp now that I'm not working at school.

     

     

    Hi Creekland, 

     

    I work with the refugee community near where I live.  About this time last year, I got fed up with the hateful and extreme things I was hearing from "friends" and decided to get some firsthand information for myself.  I called a friend who grew up in Sierra Leone, married a man from SL, and lives in the states and runs a non-profit ministry to women in SL who have disabilities either from birth or war.  I asked her how I could find out the TRUTH about refugees and she invited me to a meeting where I met several refugee women as well as Americans who run non-profits which serve their community.  I did not even KNOW that refugees were resettled local to me!  I began helping in an after-school tutoring program for refugee children last spring, taught English to adults all summer and I am now the ESOL Coordinator for a local non-profit and continue my involvement with adult English classes and after-school tutoring.  

     

    Check to see if your city is a resettlement city.  You can check World Relief's website.  If your city is not listed there, another city in your state might be.  If that is the case, there is still the possibility that there could be a community near you because once people get on their feet, they can move to other locations.  You can also check the UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees site or Facebook page.  You might find information there.  Catholic Charities has been involved in resettlement in different areas of the country.  Another option, which requires more commitment, is to consider sponsoring a family. 

     

    I had a hard time reading through this thread.  I am a Christian.  Our students are Christian, Muslim, Buddhist...and I do not think of ANYONE according to that.  They are ALL precious people and I pray for EACH person's safety due to the climate of fear and hatred in this country.  I would give my life for ANY of my students or their children.  Some of the comments made here are just shameful!  There are Syrian families arriving presently.  I have not had any enroll in our program yet but we do have students from Yemen, Bhutan, Iraq, Eritrea, Dhbouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic, Burundi, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Somalia and we have a handful of students from Mexico who fled to the US from a local government corrupted by drug warlords.  We serve them all equally.  

     

    Things I have learned:

    -The vetting process is tight.  Of course, there is always room for improvement, but quite honestly MANY of our students sat in refugee camps for 15-18 years.  FIFTEEN TO EIGHTEEN YEARS!!  We have children who have never known anything else.  I will tell you that we need to fear kids wasting away in camps more than bringing their families here.  The parents all voice that is their greatest fear because the extremists seek out young children and young adults who have come to the point of having no hope for anyone to CARE. The minimum is two years.  I can't even think of ONE student who had such a luxury.  I think the least amount of time is five.

    -Upon arrival, they are given three outfits of clothing for the season in which they arrive. They are taken to an apartment furnished with donations.  Their children are put into school at AGE level, NOT skill level.  Remember, some of these kids have never been to school, ever.  Some have. There are lots of variables.  They have three months to get settled, find a job, and begin learning English.  In the fourth month, they must begin to repay the US for the expense to bring them here.  Yes, that's right.  Contrary to all the things that are spewed, they do not get a free ride. They have a certain amount of time with financial assistance before they transition to having to pay ALL their own bills and expenses.

    -All refugees are immigrants.  All immigrants are NOT refugees.  People here on VISAs are NOT refugees.  This is important.  People who wish to do harm have MUCH easier paths into this country AND they have the money to take them.  Refugees have nothing.  EVERYTHING is lost.  EVERYTHING is left behind.  They have no home to return to.  ALL of them have fled for safety.  They did not WANT to leave their home.  They had no choice.  

    -All refugees have PTSD.  All refugees are stronger and more resilient than any American ever could be.  Their personal stories are worse than any nightmare I could EVER have.  One lady fled from border to border with her husband and children.  They reached one border and guerrilla soldiers pulled all the men and older boys out, tied them to trees and lit the grass on fire around them.  The women and children fled on foot as their men were burned alive.  THEY STILL HAD TO FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES!  The women tell of being raped in the camps.  I could go on.  

    -They want to learn English.  For many, it's their third, fourth, sometimes fifth language.  PTSD affects your ability to learn and the rate at which you acquire language.  I have a few ladies that I do not think will ever move beyond pre-literacy. They have endured so much.  They are here as widows with children.  Yes, they are on welfare.  It barely makes ends meet.  I have other very educated and articulate students who were professionals in their country of origin but are working in factories or cleaning motel rooms because they do not have enough English to become certified and licensed here in the states.  

    -They can take English classes, but if Americans do not befriend them and spend time with them and help them practice their English, then language proficiency is slow to come.

    -These are people from honor/shame societies.  They are not interested in staying on welfare or mooching off anyone.  They were not raised like Americans, to look out for themselves and their own individual rights.  They were raised to look out for their whole family, to care for their extended family as well as their immediate families.  They WANT to get on their own feet and make a living so they can sponsor their loved ones who are left behind.

     

    I have to say that I am not the same woman I was this time last year.  I am a better person.  I have been changed forever by these dear, dear people.  I watch people who have NOTHING give more than people I know who have ridiculously too much.  I see people giving and helping people that they have nothing culturally in common with, but they share the badge of suffering and that is a bond beyond any other.  We kid ourselves if we say we cannot help these people AND our vets AND our homeless AND our poor.  We just have to think differently.  We have to quit wasting money.  We can give our time, our attention, our friendship.  I have seen grown men weep when I say "Come to class.  You are welcome here.  You belong here."  

     

    I hope this has helped. I have only posted to give a voice to those I care for who have no voice. 

    • Like 41
  3. Hi, KnitWit (I feel bady calling you that! lol)

     

    I looked into Chalkdust primarily because of how awesome Dana Mosely's teaching is supposed to be but when I looked at who the teacher was for Algebra I, it wasn't Mr. Mosely but another guy.  Do you have a set where Mr. Mosely is the teacher for Alg 1?

     

    Thanks,

     

    Cynthia

    Dana Mosely is the instructor on all of our courses.  I purchased mine directly from Chalkdust.  They are an excellent company.  

  4. And just to add...there seems to be a lot of negative response on the hats, but I have had several women close to me battle cancer and all of them have loved a nice warm hat made by someone who KNOWS and loves them.  Don't be discouraged.  YOU know YOUR friend.  I think she will love your idea.  

     

    My friends and family members have all had folks who didn't know them as well who gave some of the other things mentioned.  Perhaps your friend will also. :)  

     

     

  5. Hi Cat, 

     

    My neighbor spent the last year battling ovarian cancer.  I made her a hat and shawl out of Caron Simply Soft yarn (which is completely washable AND dryable) and she LOVES them.  My neighbor has a wig and lots of scarves, but she lost a lot of body fat through this process and she stays on the cool side body temp wise and she wears my hat more than anything.  I'm going to make her a new one for this winter.  

     

    This is the hat I made her.  It's a free Ravelry download pattern.  I chose it because the sides come down a bit over her ears and it sits on her head more like a "hat" than a toque.  She said the yarn is SUPER soft and does not itch at all. 

    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-amanda-hat

     

    This group on Ravelry has lots of great info about hat patterns and yarns suitable for chemo patients.  

     

    http://www.ravelry.com/groups/chemo-cap-pattern-library

     

    As others have said, there are plenty of places to buy ready made hats, but my neighbor, who is a good friend, was so touched by the time that I put into choosing a pattern, yarn, knitting...and knowing she was in my thoughts and prayers through the whole process.  She said all of that was as much a part of the gift as the hat.   :)

     

    I hope the above info is helpful to you!  You can do a "chemo" or "chemo hat" search on Ravelry and find more.  

     

     

  6. I'm on my way to the hospital.  There's no one who can drive me, and I have no aspirin.  I'll update later.  Thank you guys!

    Please call 911!  You don't need to exert your heart by walking 30-45 min if you believe you may be having a heart attack!

  7. Don't ever drive yourself if you think you are having a heart attack.  Call 911.  The paramedics are equipped to begin treating you IMMEDIATELY if you are having one and that is what enabled my father to survive the Widow Maker 3 years ago.  If my mother had driven him, we'd have buried him.  

  8. Okay, I looked at your links.  I'm still not understanding your argument.  What Mergath said is TRUE.  Tapestry of Grace is written from a Christian worldview.  Other religions are studied from the perspective of a Christian, if you study it as written.  (And dare I add that our Catholic and Orthodox friends would say a "reformed" Christian worldview? ;) )

     

    My point is that I don't understand why this is an argument.  This board has many, many who are not Christian and they just want to know if this is a curriculum that could be a good fit for their family.  I'm saying that while I know people who are trying their darndest to tweak it, it is decidedly Christian.  Therefore, if someone wants secular, they need to know that they are going to have to invest a considerable amount of time on top of their considerable financial investment, to have what they want.  This will not be an "open the notebook and read the teacher notes if you didn't get the book read" kind of thing for them...because the teacher's notes are not a neutral perspective.  

  9. But we'd have to go through a process of defining terms to be able to decide what content would be reformed beyond protestant content. Since I think this thread has gone way to far afield, I would ask you that you start a spin off thread. 

     

     

    No, I'm not interested in devoting time to this.  I said it is "written from a reformed protestant perspective" because the Somerville family is "protestant" and "reformed" and have been members of a Sovereign Grace church, which is "protestant" and "reformed", and even sold books by CJ Mahaney, who is also "protestant" and "reformed", on their website for encouraging teachers.   Catholic and Orthodox families will absolutely want to know it is from this perspective.  I am not defending anything.  I'm stating facts. 

     

    The bulk of my post was mainly to be informative and helpful to people seeking an honest answer so they can make the best decision for their own family regarding how much they are willing to have to tweak the curriculum for it to be a fit in relation to how much they are going to spend.  

  10. Candid,

     

    I am Presbyterian (reformed and calvinist...NOT recontructionist/dominionist).  I use TOG and have for several years (my eldest is a senior in college now).  I don't understand your argument.  TOG is most definitely a curriculum written from a reformed protestant perspective.  I think it's important for people to know that.  Can and do user tweak TOG?  Yes!  As good as a potential fit it is for my family, I do a fair amount of tweaking myself!  

     

    TOG is expensive and time consuming.  If I were not a protestant Christian, I truly doubt that I would be willing to pay the money for TOG and then have to spend additional time tweaking it.  I would recommend TWTM as a foundation.  (I already lean more toward TWTM, using TOG to "flesh that out" for my fogbrain.)  The value in the $$ spent on TOG, in my opinion, is in the teacher's notes that help me in the discussion time with my kids if I have not had the time to read the selections they read.  (Even then, I sometimes come up against something that I point out that we disagree with and go from there, but my gap is not as wide as many of you who are asking questions here)  Again, I do a bit of tweaking, which is additionally time consuming for me.  These notes come in for the dialectic and rhetoric level students.  There is value in buying TOG for younger students in that you, AND they, learn the ropes before the heavier assignments come into play if you are going to continue forward to the end,  otherwise, in my opinion, it's overkill for younger students.   

     

    It is NOT my desire to bash TOG.  It IS my desire to put myself in the shoes of people who are trying to make a big decision about a large amount of money to spend on a curriculum where updates are constantly being put out and books are constantly changing.  If you buy your books, you are insulated against all the updates.  But many people suggest TOG and how easy it is to use the library.  For many, it's not.  

     

    I'm just trying to be honest here for the sake of moms who may be where *we* are financially.  Hope this helps.

  11. Actually, I think anything goes.  I have a very good friend who lives in a little 2bdr/1 bath apartment a few blocks from a beach on the east coast.  She has a roommate renting the second bdr.  She has couch surfers through AirBNB all the time.  They do not have a private bath.  They do not have a guestroom.  They do not even have a BED.  They bunk down in her living room.  She has people from all over the world.

  12. I was curious about how it works.....I'm not holding on to some big resentment. It does sort of make me go hmm.....when I realize who all is in that group.

     

    My aim is to never say anything I wouldn't repeat to everyone. I am sure I don't always succeed.....but I really do try.

     

    I understood and I wasn't assuming anything about you or anyone else.  I was just making a general point.  :)  

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