Where I am, a lot of people home school because mainstream schools are not set up to deal with disability, incl autism, and yet their kids are failed by special schools as well, which don't provide integration or appropriate academic challenge. So they turn to homeschooling. Another cohort enter homeschooling in desperation after their child has been bullied over a long period of time and the school cannot deal with it effectively.

My daughter could not math. She was mixed homeschool/school. She couldn't math at home. She couldn't math at school. She had no learning disability diagnosed. She went to university. She had to learn stats. She learned stats. She got her honours degree. She got a graduate job. She is rocketing up the ladder in her professional, graduate job. Judging her from her ability with Year 5 maths (or the education I gave her) really would not have been a good thing to do, nor would it have indicated anything about her academic or professional future, and if an outside teacher had pulled me aside to tell me that, I would not have taken it well either. I didn't homeschool to standardize my kids. I homeschooled to give them an education that met their highly asynchronous needs. I registered dutifully, had people come to my home to assess it, produced my detailed lesson and progress plans, was used as a 'model' in training other assessors. No educational neglect. No neglect does not equate to all children jumping the same hoops at the same time.

Just tell him to knock it off, and that a joke might be funny once, but very few 'jokes' bear daily repetition. And if he's not sure, to err on the side of respect for the women and girls in his life over getting cheap laughs from his mates.

Yes, it's frustrating to see the two conflated. Of course, educational neglect is part of abuse, but there are standards for educational abuse too, it's not just 'homeschooled child failed to meet or exceed whatever bar I have in my head about the norm'.

Different groups in different years happens in schools too. I don't know what people think happens in schools. That it standardizes the children? So that they all come out average or above average? This is not how schools work, even 'good' schools.

No idea - does it matter? I really wish ppl would stop insisting these reports in my city are lies/propaganda - I don't post lies - all these ugly things come out of the woodwork and emboldened since last week are reported in responsible AU press including the national broadcaster and by NSW Police. I mean, who gives a toss what ethnicity their local Nazi is or what motivation they have? I don't really care if a Nazi is threatening Jews to forment white resentment about Zionists, or if they are shouting out 'g the Jews' to forment brown resentment of Zionists, just don't be Nazi-ing it up on my streets. As in, my actual streets. Where I live. Anyway, about to go hand out YES how to vote cards for a referendum on Aboriginal representation that's about to fail because I live in a racist hell hole of a country. Jokers to the left, right and center, and none of it 'lies' or 'propaganda'. I

It's horrific, the whole thing.

And more men arrested, this time in front of the Sydney Jewish Museum, giving Nazi salutes. I'm getting pretty uncomfortable with the literal Nazis on the street. I think the search powers above are in response to use of flares, fireworks etc which are illegal and were used last week.

Not everyone was in the same boat. I did great in lockdown, not sure why. WFH probably. And no kid school responsibility. My sis, in a tiny flat with an anxious child having to work full time and school child and under a series of fairly intense lockdowns, not so much. It's not all down to attitude.

I'd just like to point out: 1. Title of thread 2. Nobody yelling. In fact, was at pains to agree that if one has the luck to be able to prep for short term disaster of the type that is not WW3, that is both wise and great for you. 3. WW3/climate won't be apocalyptic? Really? OK.

Domestic spy agency here warns that there is a risk of opportunistic violence related to upcoming protests and rallies.

The warning I read from a UK school was more specific - it was that given some of our families know or are related to the families of hostages, do everything to avoid them coming across videos of those hostages being murdered on camera.

Where I am, we have to register every two years. That involves an interview in the home. An official comes to check the home is suitable, that the parents understand the curriculum, that they have a plan to meet minimum standards, to assess progress etc. At least half of the homeschoolers I knew just didn't register because they weren't prepared to jump through those hoops. I'd LOVE schools to be more accountable. I see straight up educational neglect every day, no joke.

I know kids are consuming content related to this they shouldn't, because I heard older boys yesterday in the playground making jokes about some of the videos that have come out of the last week, and had to speak to them about it. Totally desensitized 12 year olds. It's sad.

I'm in a major city and I live 2 min drive away from a suburb where men were out on the streets with fireworks, celebrating Hamas' massacre of Jewish people. Friday for me as someone who isn't Jewish or working at any major landmark is a usual day for me. I will go to work etc. I am not worried about this for myself or for family. Yes, something could happen (the risk is very low) but something could happen any day. For Jewish targets, well, I hope the NSW Police have got their **** together by now and are providing the protection needed. ~ Separately, yes, calling for violent terrorist action can have real world impacts. Look at what happened to Rushdie. At Charlie Hebdo. At a global level, it's not ideal.

I'm sorry. I know schools here and elsewhere are doing things like allowing students to alter uniform etc to be less identifiable, in terms of precaution, but that's been all week and not in relation to Friday.

Lies? The Opera House debacle was reported by the ABC, The Guardian and the NSW Police. No conspiracy (and suggesting there is a Western conspiracy to lie and produce propaganda in service of the Jewish people - that's pretty much classic antisemitism). Anyway. @TravelingChris, I wouldn't fret about Friday. You might also want to ask for the thread to be locked - on several threads now, mods have explained we can discuss this in Politics only.

No, but shouting 'f the Jews' is.

I'm concerned about more anti semitism. We had edgy protestors shouting 'f the Jews' in front of the Opera House the other night, and a guy got arrested for harassing and stalking some Jewish school kids yesterday. I believe there is another protest here tomorrow - I hope the flares and slurs are left at home. That's mainly what I'm worried about. It wouldn't surprise me if something else in the world took place, because there are a lot of extremists out there, and some of them are unhinged, but I'm not anticipating it either.

I honestly don't know. I think if ppl are actually preparing for calamity ( and not the usual), there's a good chance that the significant energy and cash expended would be better spent on action to help avoid the calamity.

I think there's immense financial privilege in being able to do large scale prep. Good on you if you can, but it's a method of preparing for WW3 not available to most.

Lol, ciggies and booze are just a strategy in dystopian fiction, I don't suggest anyone takes it seriously!

And cigarettes and alcohol to trade!

Actually, coming back to ask a question of more knowledgeable people - I wanted to ask it in the thread that was locked yesterday. Why is Egypt's border closed to Gaza? That's something I don't understand.

This!