I was recently reading a review of a history curriculum and it stated that the books support a "young earth viewpoint." What does this mean, exactly?

The cover says this is a program using library books and the bible. No library here - so does that make it impossible to use the curriculum? Or can the curriculum stand alone?

I wasn't going to post until I saw that she was planning on going to law school. This is a very good reason for her to find ways to deal with grades now and not later! Once you get to law school she will be in classes mostly with other kids who also have always had fantastic grades. They entire school will be filled with very highly driven and smart people. Now, in order to actually give grades the schools will grade on a curve. This means that many of those very bright students will receive their very first "Bs," "Cs" and "Ds" in that first law school semester. It is DEVASTATING! Even those of us who didn't think we were "perfectionists" thought about dropping out at that point - and many did. As she goes on in life and progresses through the educational system, she will be in groups with smart hardworking people just like herself. She has to focus on doing what is humanly possible, doing her best, and letting the rest go. I now have a little perfectionist at home and it is a struggle to keep her focused on doing what she can and doing what she loves (even if she is not the best at it!)

Other than this forum :001_smile: what are your top five sites? I always love checking out what other people are checking out! For me: 1. Facebook 2. Slate 3. NDTV (for Indian news) 4. The New York Times 5. Yahoo (to check on all my groups!)

That comes from How to talk so your Kids Will Listen. We use "bed" to get her to make her bed, "closet" to get the doors closed and many more. The book also recommends humor. So when my daughter sheds a layer of clothes and leaves them on the floor I shout - OMG there is a snake in the bathroom! This gets her laughing and gets the point across! These days I only have to say "Snake" and she knowns what I want! Using the one world also helps to avoid saying all the negative things that might drop out of your mouth like - "Why can't you ever make your bed, are you so lazy, your brother always makes his bed, you are so frustrating...." It is a good book with lots of easy ideas to tone down the dialogue!

I have been thinking about this article for a few hours now - and I am still confused. What I don't understand is his vision of a family and how it functions. If you are not independently wealthy how can you follow his mandate that: mother's should not work outside the home; father's should be in charge of schooling the kids and be running the show in terms of schooling. How can anyone afford to live that way (even if they wanted to!)

I was just logging on to post the same question!

If ever I was on the fence regarding going to full time homeschooling - this thread just might have pushed me right over! Thanks for taking the time to post all your answers! Great for those of us new to the idea to read!

I am only afterschooling at the moment but I am feeling the pull towards full time homeschooling. The questions I have is if you are living abroad did you look towards your state of last residence for requirements regarding homeschooling? If you don't know what state you will return to - then what? I am not exactly sure how to proceed on this point...any helpful tips would be appreciated!

Thanks - I just checked out the Classical Writing program based on your comment - very interesting! Boy, I am starting to wish I had this kind of education!

I just had to thank you for the first laugh of the day - I loved the quote in your signature line about the devil! Too funny!:rofl:

IMHO, it is not a question of one being more important than another. I would agree that food, shelter and health care are ALL fundamental human rights. The government has put much attention into homelessness issues (remember in the 1980's that was a big focus) and it is very rare that you ever hear of people starving to death in the US. To the contrary, those families living in poverty tend to have higher levels of obesity because of the types of food promoted by government programs - so lack of food is not as critical an issue in the US. Healthcare has been left out in the cold as far as issues are concerned because of the oppostion to meddling with the current system from those groups that most benefit from the current system. It is a shame that other Western developed countries have managed to figure out systems that work very well and that don't have the problems of our system. It is time for this issue to get the time and attention is deserves. Again, this should not be in isolation from other issues - of course the government has to focus on many issues all at the same time in order to function.

In my constant effort to be a better mom, I recently read Siblings Without Rivalry. I took away a few good tips, I think. One was not to label children. For example, if we label children in the family as "the smart one" or "the difficult one" it leaves no space for those children to grown and develop. It also leaves no space for their siblings to try and branch out. Imagine how de-motivating it would be to a child who has a sibling who is "the smart one." Why would the other child try hard when the title has already been awarded? We can recognize each child's achievements without granting them exclusive rights to certain behaviors. The other tip was not to feed into their self defined roles - ie "the victim" or "the overworked." When we see this developing we need to make sure that the child sees their status in the family as more than this self-imposed identity. One thing I like about this forum is that it seems full of parents who are willing to work at parenting - unlke many other parents. I think maybe because these parents have already taking on the role of educator they intimately understand that parenting requires effort.

That is very sweet of you! I should be good for the next few months - but thanks for the offer! If he ever needs help in Bangalore - let me know!

Let me know if you need to do an in-law vent during that time!!

That was a very big help, it gives me a concrete place to start looking at the gaps that exist and figuring out how best to address them!

Just thinking aloud here...most Indians are not Vegan except maybe Jains - but then they also don't use onions and garlic, I believe. You might still want to check out a Jain cookbook (one must exist somewhere!) You are right,our diet is very dairy based and very high in oil. I did find this book and people seem to like it: A Vegan Taste of India (Vegan Cookbooks) (Paperback) by Linda Majzlik (Author) If you are ever in Bangalore stop by and we will get you a good meal!

Teonei - I am starting to believe that many Indians became successful and intelligent in spite of the schooling here and not because of it! There are many different types of schools. The most popular ones for Indian families are the ones that are very rigorous academically but from a very traditional, memorization type of method. No creative learning and very little extracurricular work. My husband has no background in world history, writing, world classic literature, etc. But he went to grad school in the US and developed into a top engineer! We have tried schools that are trying to follow a different path. These schools mostly appeal to familes that have returned from living abroad. However, they seem to be lost in terms of what to actually teach! I know many families here that have turned to homeschooling out of a feeling that we just cannot find what our kids need in any school (and Bangalore has many, many schools!) In terms of Telugu - no we don't have a curriculum per se, there are lots of basic Telugu aids that you can pick up in any shop (like Telugu ABCs) but we rely on the services of a Telugu tutor in the neighborhood. My husband also was terrible in teaching Telugu when we were in the US. Language learning was one of the motivating factors in our move. One of the great things about living here is being able to get such people to come home and teach - and for relatively little money. My daughter's Hindi tutor comes home twice a week for an hour at a time for about $10 per month! People here in Bangalore generally speak about 4-5 languages (Hindi, English, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil.) This is true even for uneducated people like maids and drivers - it is simply a necessity of life! If you are ever planning a trip to India - let me know! Us Telugu wives need to stick together!:seeya:

I am having trouble finding a book store here in India that carries it! Will be having someone bring it from US for me in November!

My dad started taking me on college tours when I was still in Junior High. We have started taking dd at the age of 6! This is not with the intent of picking her school right now. More to get them excited about the idea and the possibility of what is ahead in their lives. I hope it is motivating for her and helps her keep her eye on the prize!

The Pencil test - I haven't thought of that since I stopped reading Judy Blume! Thanks for the laugh!

I was always in gifted classes and I was always (and still am) a terrible speller! Thank god for spell check. I think there are just some brains that don't retain the information! I am a HUGE reader but I will misspell words I have seen thousands of times. I can't explain it but I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with how smart or gifted you are!

Folks, I am trying to assess our school here in India and determine the gaps in order to figure out whether afterschooling will solve the problem or do we really need to consider full time homeschooling. My 8 year old is in 4th grade. She is already a year ahead in school. She is learning the following: English (capitalization, parts of speech), Science (classification of living things, human body), Math (multiplications, two-digit addition/subtraction), Social Studies (geography of India, culture of India, Indian states and capitals), Hindi, Computer (drawing with MS Draw). There is no writing currently being done and the rest of it strikes me as woefully inadequate. They will have no world history and of course she is not learning any US history/geography/culture. I am currently addressing the world and US history part of the program as well as adding in a writing class and another Indian language. Does her program strike you as inadequate as well? She is happy, likes school but certainly is not challenged by the current program. Thanks! - Cammie