AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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We almost never eat all together at a "dinner table", unless we have company. At lunch, we each eat when we are hungry, warming up leftovers and eating while at our laptops (me in the dining room, kids in their bedrooms or living room). As for dinner, dh and ds mostly eat in the living room in front of the TV, holding their plate/bowl on their laps and using side tables for drinks, etc. Dd might join them, but she often eats in her room watching a movie (since she doesn't want to watch CSI-type shows with the guys). I usually put the baby to bed while everyone else is eating, so once she's asleep, I make my plate and take it up to my room where I can continue the show I was watching. When I write this out it sounds so anti-social and technology-dependent, but it works for us. Since we spend ALL day together, EVERY day, meal time is our break time/alone time to do/watch/read what we each enjoy.
No, I was not raised this way. We ate at the dinner table, which I had to set and clear. I always thought it was ridiculous for one person to set out all the china and utensils, haul the food to the table, then haul the leftovers back to the kitchen and have one person, again, clear the table. So, in my house, even if we do eat at the "dinner table", everyone serves themselves buffet-style, and each one takes his/her plate to the kitchen (and, in theory, rinses it and puts it in the dishwasher). The last one to eat puts the leftovers away (or, if they are still too warm, the last one to bed takes care of them, usually dh).
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Well... 12/21/12 will be our 21st wedding anniversary, and that makes too many "1s" and "2s" for nothing extraordinary to happen, right? :D
On a serious note, doesn't every major religious text state that no one but God knows the exact date/time the world will end? So...why the speculating? :confused:
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All good suggestions. If you know which state they moved to, you could look them up on whitepages.com. I did this for a lot of people when I sent out baby announcements. It works fairly often.
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Great ideas! My first thought would be to fill them with homemade mixes, tie the recipe on with ribbon, and give as gifts.
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Some distance ed. schools offer Psychology as an elective. I would look into Keystone, Oak Meadow, American School and Laurel Springs. There may be others.
Good luck!
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Sorry, no help here. I haven't had time for "fun" in years. Of course, I'm not a very "fun" person anyway. If it's not educational or productive, I'm not interested. I did used to do some fun educational stuff when my kids were little, though.
By the time my youngest is in 1st grade, she'll be my only student, so I'm holding out some hope for "fun" with her :tongue_smilie:.
:grouphug:
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Aside from the French issue….
Cons:
-one of the most big Brothery places I have lived.
-anglophones often feel like second class citizens. This may differ for those not born there...you may not be able to send your kids to English public school (I can because I have papers - papers! Like a friggin pedigree…..).
-I do not consider Montreal to be overly kid or family friendly
I agree with all of the pp's pros, but especially wanted to highlight these cons. I absolutely adored the city as a teen/young adult. Dreamed of living here, and it can be a great place to live, if you don't have kids, or if you don't mind handing them over to "the system".
I certainly don't feel like a 2nd class citizen for being anglophone; on the contrary, unilingual francophones are often seen as backward and uneducated, since English is necessary for commerce, with bilinguals at the top of the heap. Gov't service workers may (rarely) make you feel "less than" if you don't speak French, though. And yes, if you are an "immigrant" (including we Americans), you are required to send your kids to French ps. Only anglophone Canadians can send their kids to English school (the papers the pp was referring to).
There are a reasonable number of activities for hsers considering that most of us are under the radar. You must take very careful steps to ensure this remains the case, however. Once the school board knows about you, you're in for it. There is no set score students must achieve on standardized tests in order to continue hsing. If you sign a contract with a school board, they basically make it such that your child has no hope of passing whichever test they choose to administer in order to ensure they return to school. Which leads back to "Big Brother"...
Quebec, understandably, is fighting long and hard to maintain their language and culture in the sea of anglophone Canada and US. Therefore, they have systems in place to ensure immigrants assimilate and conform as much as possible. The greatest agent of this assimilation is the public school system.
Back to the job situation, most of the time, one's education must be evaluated for "equivalency" to that of Quebec's higher education system. This equivalency is not always granted. Also, for certain careers, it is necessary to be a member of the official Quebec professional association for that field in order to be hired, and a requirement for membership is meeting Quebec's higher education standards, so it's a vicious cycle.
Now, don't get me wrong. It can still be a wonderful place to try out for a couple of years, and the environment may be less stifling for temporary residents. In general, though, the atmosphere is quite hostile to those who have traditional/religious family values and/or who refuse to hand over the raising of their children to the state. Seriously.
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I never realized schools could monitor students' private info., emails and such simply because they were logged into the school's server, until...
I recently listened to this interview on "The Story" http://thestory.org/archive/The_Story_112911.mp3/view
It follows the journey of a homeschooled boy who entered ps high school and eventually hacked the school's computer system because he was appalled by the unjust policies and practices. Very interesting and eye-opening on so many levels.
From his experience, it seemed that passwords entered on any device while using the school's network were stored, so that students' emails and other private accounts could be accessed by the admin. at any time.
For this reason, students shouldn't be logging into any of their private accounts while at school, no matter which device they use :tongue_smilie:.
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I have a cabinet in the corner of my dining room with all the "school books" we are currently using, a few of my reference books, and some manipulatives. It is a "fake wood" laminate cabinet with doors, which my grandmother previously used as a pantry in her kitchen, so it does not look out of place. Each child and his/her own shelf where all their school books and notebooks reside.
More reference-type books that are only used occasionally (history and science spines, writing guides, etc.) and some readers and read-alouds are on book shelves in the living room and upstairs hallway.
Books that we have recently completed, or that we will be using at some point later this year, are kept on shelves or boxes in the basement. That way our diningroom cupboard isn't cluttered with items we are not currently using.
HTH,
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I'm willing to share our famous Family Fish Soup recipe. I typically use a mixture of fish and seafood (salmon, shrimp and scallops) but you could certainly use clams. Hope this helps!
Fish Soup
2-4 T. butter
3-4 onions, diced
4-5 potatoes, diced (one potato can be replaced with a yam)
1 qt. water/stock/broth
1 1/2 lbs. fish or seafood
1 can or 1/2 bag frozen corn
1 red pepper, diced (if desired)
1 cup half-and-half cream
salt, pepper and dill weed to taste
Melt butter in soup pot, add onions, cook until soft but not browned. Add stock, potatoes and seasonings. Cook for 10 minutes. Add fish, corn and red pepper. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cream. Adjust seasoning. Serve.
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I beg to differ. There are numerous (I mean, more than my dc could ever complete) worksheets teaching a wide variety of writing, as well as lit. analysis concepts. The formal writing assignments include 3-4 options, in increasing levels of length and difficulty.
Since LL begins in Grade 7, most dc would have already had the more basic levels of writing instruction. However, if your particular child has not, and needs more step-by-step structured writing instruction, you might want to supplement a bit. I would not add another "complete" writing program, though.
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I agree that, while the books are used to teach and lead into the literary and composition components taught, it is not necessary to read them in conjunction with the writing assignments.
If your dc has already read some of the books, he can simply go straight to the assignments. There are some comprehension questions, but for the most part, the literature is mainly an example and a jumping-off point for the concepts being taught. He'll be ahead on the reading, but still have plenty to learn from the writing lessons.
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I would say the poster lives in Quebec. The Homeschooling laws in Quebec are the worst I know of in the USA and Canada. It's not illegal, but has numerous - sometimes impossible hoops to jump through.
You guessed correctly. Great summary of our hsing climate as well. Not illegal, but extremely hostile.
Interestingly, as I forgot to mention, ps kids have an hour lunch break and, if a parent is home, walk home for lunch. Teens typically roam the streets in bands during their lunch break, buying food at the local shops, etc. So, in this regard, the ps system is fairly free-range, as long as it's on their timetable.
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Where I live, children aged 14 and up are allowed to seek medical attention on their own, without their parents.
There are health clinics in most high schools, and they perform vaccines. These children can receive any medical care offered by the school clinic (or any other) without their parents knowing anything about it.
So, yeah, I'm sure this type of thing happens all the time here. Another reason to homeschool...
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Ds was stopped one day, not because he was out during school hours (it was the weekend), but because of how he was riding his bike. Apparently, he rode his bike through an intersection, when he should have walked it across. It seems if you are riding, you act like a car and go with the flow of traffic. If you want to act as a pedestrian, you walk your bike across.
OT, but how was he supposed to know this? Kids don't get a license to ride their bike. You just teach them to ride and off they go. I had no idea, but I don't ride so, anyway...
It appears the officers thought he was older (he was 14 at the time, but 6ft.), so they just gave him a warning. I was scared to death they would ask for his address, then ask what school he goes to. Where we live, that would open a whole can of worms...definitely don't want to go there.
So now, in addition to not letting my kids outside alone during school hours, I have to be vigilant about their actions outside of school hours as well, so as not to have them put in the situation where they have to tell a person of authority that they homeschool.
BTW, if a random member of the public asks why they aren't in school (and could conceivably find out who we are/where we live, etc.), I just say, "Oh we're on our way back to school now." Which we are :)
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Well, I'm there with you as the most unreasonable mom ever. My children are 15 and 13 and no way am I allowing them FaceBook accounts. And DH, a computer security expert, would go ballistic if I even considered it. He doesn't even like *me* having one where I post no personal information except my name and have all of the security measures locked down.
Same here. No one in our house has FB. Not me, not dh, not the dc, no one.
Our policy is: If it's a new technology, the full repercussions of which are yet unknown, the benefit of which is marginal, and yet the broader culture blindly latches onto it, we keep our distance until the cost/benefit analysis proves it has merit.
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You might want to take a look at Hewitt Homeschool (the publishers of Lightning Lit.).
They have a pre-planned curriculum for each level, including a general and college-prep. track for HS, and even remedial options. You can use only their materials, or enroll in their grading service. You submit a portfolio of work once per quarter, following their syllabus guideines, and receive a few paragraphs of feedback for each subject, including a grade. The cost is about the same as Kolbe with the grading service.
Some of their courses have non-denominational Christian content, but it is not pervasive. They lean more toward a creative/experiential/lit.-based approach, a bit gentler than Kolbe's classical focus on ancient texts, etc.
It depends on what you want. I considered Kolbe, but there was just too much to leave out in the Lit. (saints' stories, other religious lit.) and I wasn't interested in my dc's entire lit. study and history focusing on ancient times for 3 years.
I have discovered that too much "tweaking" of a pre-planned curric. is often worse than just planning your own. I suggest you look for a program that you can use "as written" as much as possible.
Good luck!
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Mostly positive. Their courses are solid, straightforward, typical, no fluff. I have been impressed with their materials considering the low cost.
What you *aren't* paying for is quick feedback, online grading, or a teacher relationship. Everything is handled via snail mail.
Also, they don't offer a lot of higher-level courses, so your ds would need to take those elsewhere if interested.
AS is a great way to get a diploma efficiently, with no bells and whistles, or to get a lot of credits under his belt cheaply before moving on to CC or another HS program.
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Cook his favorite meal, and maybe arrange for the kids to have already eaten before he gets home, or even better, spend the evening at a friend's house, but give yourselves some time *alone* to enjoy each other's company and talk about what really matters.
Sometimes making a "big deal" out of the occasion just makes the celebration feel forced and awkward, but of course you want to "do something".
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I would never expect to pay for someone else's child just because we asked if they wanted to join us for an activity. Going to a museum, bowling, ice skating, etc. can be more fun with a friend along, but it is also a hassle and an expense.
If I invite one of dc's friends to come with us, it is making the experience more enjoyable for my dc, but it is also doing the friend's mom a huge favor, saving her the time, effort and gas money to take her own child to that activity.
I expect to spend of my time, provide transportation, and essentially "babysit" for that day. It is more than reasonable to expect that the friend should pay his/her own way at the activity. If I had to budget for friends as well as my dc, we would either not have the $$ to attend the event, or have to go solo.
BTW, this has always been my experience sending my dc with their friends as well. I greatly appreciate the kindness of the friend's family to take my dc for the day, give me a day off, and provide transportation. I am also fully aware that, if they felt they had to pay for my dc's admission, etc., they would not be able to afford to take them along, which is not fair to anyone.
ETA: This does not apply to birthday parties, of course ;).
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Sounds like someone needs a dose of the real world.
Yes, she must have been hsed to have lived such a sheltered, unsocialized life. Oh wait, but most hsers learn to bake and know where flour comes from, hmm...
Honestly, it is shocking on the one hand that a successful adult wouldn't know these things, but at the same time, I would not be at all surprised to find school kids, even teens who are ignorant of this "common knowledge". I guess if such teens make their way through college without studying children's lit. or baking, these are the adults we end up with :tongue_smilie:.
Fortunately, I seem to have a knack for quickly determining the root of a person's misunderstanding, and addressing it before the situation becomes embarrassing. I probably would have said, "Oh, you're thinking of whole wheat bread, but since white flour is still wheat flour just with the bran removed, I can't eat that either."
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Since he "never sends his regular payments anyways", I don't know if I'd be that worried about the exact cost for hsing materials to submit for his "non-payment".
Nice gesture on his part, though :tongue_smilie:.
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We loved MBTP, although we only used selected lit. units, not the complete program. We did not do all of the activities, only the ones that interested us or I thought would be of benefit to my child. I really loved all the graphic organizers, and the fact that many writing assignments had more than one difficulty level, so it could be tailored.
As for the level, I believe it is spot-on. For example, 7-9 is for an advanced 7yo., an average 8yo. or a delayed 9 yo. We used level 7-9 with my dyslexic dd when she was age 9-10, and it was perfect.
I also would suggest printing samples and trying them out to determine the best level for your child. I would also recommend doing only one cycle, or only one subject if you decide to use it, until you determine if you and your child would like to do more. Sometimes a full curriculum handled with a single approach can be too much.
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I also use it with my 6th grade dyslexic dd. However, I would not say it cannot be used with "average" students, just that they would start the program a little younger. I believe the recommended grade level is "Grades 4 and up". Starting with Book 1 in Grade 4 seems perfectly reasonable for most students.
We use it mainly for spelling, as well as phonics review. It is not intended as an introduction to phonics, but as a review and introduction to specific phonics and spelling rules not necessarily taught in earlier grades.
We are really enjoying the program. It has enough variety in the type of worksheet activities, and really drives the points home. It can also be used for reading practice, as there is a list of words that follow the rules taught in the lesson, as well as dictation sentences at the end of each lesson. Therefore, it is very versatile and you can use it in a variety of ways.
Just an FYI, you really must have the teacher's manual, since it has all of the dictation portions for the worksheets that include partial words to be completed through dictation.
Have you *ever* used "artificial" birth control? (please read first)
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I'm finding this poll quite interesting. I don't think I know anyone IRL who has *never* used birth control. I have heard of those who choose to use only natural methods, but I assumed those numbers had dwindled to a negligible percentage of the population, hence the uniqueness of the "Duggars".
I am always learning from this board!