Please don't twist words and please use facts. I am giving an accurate snapshot of a place in the deep south at a certain period of time. I have no data on whether jobs were available and refused. I do have data that conditions were much better for some of those on the dole than those not. I suggest you visit Appalachia now..what Diane Sawyer is showing on TV is much better than most folks had it post-Reconstruction and post-Depression, even well into the time that electricity came into the rual areas. Compare Appalachia to gov't housing in your area - factually. It is not helpful to assume that the only folks affected economically are those of a certain color or a certain origin. Everyone needs an education, and everyone needs opportunity. We need to put our efforts into expanding the pie, not rationing it to the favored subgroup of the day.

Medcalf, thank you. I appreciate your post and the time it took to write it out. Could you recommend a good source for a teen to read that would expand upon your summary?

Do you have some statistics and a source on how much wealth survived reconstruction and what portion of white Americans controlled this wealth?I'm not seeing from my family's history that the majority of whites in the deep south had it much better than the blacks. Matter of fact, most of those in gov't housing in the area in the early 70s had it better than those deemed not 'disadvantaged'..they stayed in their pine shacks far longer with no running water and maybe electric while the 'disadvantaged' had nice taxpayer supplied apts with electric and running water as well as a check in the mail.

Have you two sat down and put the plusses and minuses of all the options on a sheet of paper? There are many questions to be answered. For ex: What is his plan for the last semester of Grade 8? How will going with his plan be an improvement over the current situation? Does he meet the admissions standards for the Christian H.S.? Is he willing and able to do the work to stay off probation? Is the student willing to work and fund some of his high school education with his earnings? Frankly, if he's fighting acadaemics now, he's not likely to change without an epiphany. Working minimum wage can sometimes help change a lad's perspective.

Yes. Many laws in many countries and states do unnecessarily impinge on personal freedom. According to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, it seems that there were, at some points in global history, societies where people were able to be free. Once the population increased though, bullying and seizure began.

Freedom One should be free to live life, making one's own decisions without being controlled by others. The ability to live freely should not be taken by others, whether that is by actions such as seizing and monopolizing water, stealing my time without my agreement, or violating my personal space.

Yes, had that happen. Was charged $50 for 2 adults & 2 children who were too young to eat the food - takeout Chinese that was supposedly the New Year's Eve tradition. I suspect there was alcohol included and some families didn't contribute. That was the end of that tradition and those who contributed made known that the end of the tradition was b/c of those who didn't contribute and wanted to stick their little sib with the bill b/c he agreed to pick up the order. Also have had one in-law make out that she was going to great $$ to supply the 'meat' at an extended family gathering. Well, the turkey is given out free by the grocery store if you have a certain dollar amount of purchases...didn't cost her a dime where the rest of us, with preschoolers or no children instead of teens who invited friends, were given dishes or frozen items in the $10 range for one potluck meal. That tradition too has died. We all now refuse the expense and offer something a little more budget friendly and a lot more healthier.

I had one as a preteen that figured he would just outwait me and leave it all for another day. Taking advice from another mean mom, I removed all distractions from his room and told him he was not allowed to go to bed until he was done with the day's work. Had to remove the mattress once before he took me seriously and still had the occasional night where I read and he finished. He now has a better appreciation for the phrase 'work hard, play hard' and values his time. Do make sure the independent work load is reasonable; 9s are pretty sociable.

In this area, there are so many students that qualify for tutoring that the district cannot hire that many tutors, even if every certified teacher agreed to take the job. (Finding bus drivers to get the students home is another problem) Instead, elementary NCLB mandated tutoring has been done by pullout and pushin with math and LA specialists during the regular school day. In the middle school, the failing students must take an additional LA and/or math period. They can come to afterschool tutoring also and stay up to 3 hours after, with free transport home. The high school does the same as the middle school, only they add in a certified math teacher on duty every period to help all students - not just at-risk, sped, or LD students. They also have every teacher's schedule arranged to have a free period for 'office hours' daily plus one afternoon a week so that students can get help if they wish to do so. NHS also provides peer tutoring. IMHE, the problem isn't so much curriculum, as inability to persuade the students to engage in the lesson. That failure swells to inability to plug all the resulting gaps. My district is trying though - they've tested every K-8 child for math and reading skills and arranged to teach the missing skills. Still doesn't solve the problem of the many children who won't attend to lessons without their hands held. Oppositional defiance is huge. "I don' wanna' and "I don' hafta" is a common phrase by the ones who haven't learned to position their body and go off to la la land. Maybe it's different in Detroit than it is in the NY metro area. Shrug. Maybe we're better off making trade school free for all who drop out, no matter what age they are when they decide they are ready for an education.

Now is fine as long as you've trained the elder in how to be in charge and the younger in being respectful and following directions & they've practiced the emergency plans. It is helpful if the elder knows basic first aid. As always with a young sitter, leave written directions for the meal and snack plan and the contact numbers of yourself, the neighbor that would help, and the fire & police agencies. My kids know from past experience with the sitter that risky behavior is not done when no adult is on the premises. No jumping down stairwells, playing outside, throwing balls inside, boxing, karate moves, wrestling, using the stove, chemistry or mythbuster experiments, etc.

Interesting appeal from a district that undoubtedly has enough Title I money to have reading specialists, Orton-Gillingham, etc. My guess is that the tutor will become an unpaid 1:1 paraprofessional. The duties will include bringing breakfast trays down to the classroom, escorting students to the bathroom, persuading the child to engage with his work rather than wander mentally and physically, as well as reteaching the lesson during the classwork period. Hopefully some will value education and be the smiling grandparents that can get that message across.

To find the discount cards: ask the fundraising chairperson of another youth group such as PTA/PTO or High School Music Dept Chair. You might be able to find a contact number on the back of a card. The ones around here expire in April, so you'll be getting in at a good time. They pretty much sell themselves - you just have to find people that don't already have one which can be a little difficult if an entire school grade sold them.

Low expectations and uninterested in education populations seem to be everywhere..I had to start afterschooling b/c one my sons was put in a fully included 3rd grade class. He had started multiplication with 1,2,5,10s in 2nd grade, but this class saved multiplication for the last three weeks of school, teaching it with finger tricks only. Still scratchin' my head as to how memorizing finger tricks are easier than the real thing, especially for children who are MR. The head classroom teacher was an expert math teacher - but she was not in charge of the class - the admin was and she was told what to do and how and when to do it, as well as with what mat'ls and techniques. She was not allowed to ability group. Her union cannot protect her from nonrenewal if she is judged to be insubordinate, so she had to do what she was told. Thankfully NCLB came in and administrative heads rolled...the district now has to actually teach the grade level material in every single classrom designated to be that grade, with the exception of Sped multigrade. They still don't teach the full grade level course, but at least they aren't years behind as they were in the fully included classrooms. Teachers here charge $40 an hour for tutoring...people who don't have the time take them up on it so that the child gets the full grade level course..which was offered in the nonincluded classes just 5 years ago. Without that background, the child will not make the honors cut in 7th. Honors 7th here is regular pre-algebra...Dolciani is a step up.

My 12 yr old found NEM1 and Dolciani Pre_Algebra: An Accelerated Course to be very easy after finishing Singapore Primary Math. In hindsight, it would not have been a great leap to skip pre-algebra and just go to Dolciani Algebra I. He enjoys selected Math Counts problems. I have Dolciani and Foerster Alg. I; like Dol. better for him b/c it is more graphical IMHO and he has the mind to discern and absorb all the info on the page as well as make the connections necessary to do the B and C problems with no sweat. Foerster I use for my child who needs more practice in using words to describe the symbols he uses, needs some of the connections pointed out in the text, some of the pre-alg review, and finds the word problems appealing. Math brain boy finds the Foerster word problems boring as he can see how to do them instantly. I'm not through Gelfand & Shen yet,but so far not a huge difference from Dolciani in terms of insight that will be generated. I had Dolciani from 7th grade through Math Analysis myself, and found it excellent preparation for the SAT and college math courses. Geo was the only class I took from a teacher; everything else was independent with teacher consultation as needed. How is your state set up for high school credit? Here it seems they can't credit anything to the high school transcript until 8th grade begins, but the district is fine with Calc I being the first course on the high school transcript.

If you need some time, ask the school psych for help. It could be that your dd is in a class with a clique and she could be moved to a class with other children that are more open to diverse friendships.

If he can teach the concept and he's fluent in his calculations, he's acheived mastery and needs to move along. If he enjoys problem solving, perhaps some problems from the elementary math competitions?

Singapore Primary Math wkbk & selected IP problems PC Games: Pit Droids, Zoombinis, Pajama Sam, Zoo Tycoon NEM or Dolciani for PreAlgebra MathCounts problems (available at Art of Problem Solving)

How are his emotional coping skills? Can he normally cope with not getting what he wants immediately? Does he have sensory needs? A library movie was over the top for my kid at that age - way too much noise and visual stimulation from the rest of the crowd combined with lack of snack at appropriate time.

The one other thing you can do to help your child should you wish for him to stay in the school is ask in writing for a comprehensive evaluation. That will get you IQ and achievement testing and some insight that will help the principal make decisions on how to meet his needs. It's quite possible that there are other fluent readers and they could all be placed in the same class next year, so they don't have to travel for reading. He could also work independently or work with a resource teacher in mathematics. The other thing you need to do is get a read on this school's internal philosophy. Are all classes fully included ? Do they put their resources in special ed and the bottom 1/4, and ignore the top quarter? Do they walk around saying that they are 'there for the kids who REALLY need help'? Are the teachers prohibited from teaching anything but what the administration has directed (i.e. if the class has covered the basics, will they be going on or will math be over for the year?). If so, run away as your child is going to get nothing but the very basics and you're going to have to afterschool heavily no matter if you accept a grade skip or subject accelerate. Some fun math games for home PC: Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, Clue Finders, Pajama Sam, Zoo Tycoon, Math Blaster 6-9, and Pit Droids. They'll all help with problem solving and spatial thinking as well as specific skills, and he'll have as much fun with them as he will with the right curriculum.

:iagree: These are the books that inspired me the most. My neck of the woods has had a huge influx of the inner city poor who don't value education and don't encourage children to actually do their classwork - his book helps me as I teach my children not to let that mindset creep into our home and to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.

by Z-Man Games

I'm not using my degrees - B.S., M.S. in engineering - for paid employment currently , but I certainly use it for life. I agree that it's a ripoff to have paid in to SS for the decade I worked and not be eligible for disability b/c I took time off to raise my children. I had always planned to go get my teaching credentials and teach high school math and physics or chemistry- both high need in my area and state. Guess what? When I talked to the ed. dept. math chair at the state U, I was informed that my degree was only good for 5 years since graduation, but sadly it had been six years since I'd earned my M.S. and I would therefore have to start at the beginning and re-take all the math courses I had taken since obviously the knowledge would have expired. Obvious money grab there. I would have to take 2 years of courses to go into teaching at this point. For the same two years I could get a research ass't job and earn a degree in Environmental Engineering or put in a few more years and earn my PhD. Or if I was lucky politically I could get an adjunct job at a CC, teach for a few years with no bennies, then get lucky and land a teaching job in public school should some tier one teacher die or retire.

In this area panhandling is actually not allowed, so the only beggars I ever see are the youth sports groups outside of stores and the volunteer fire dept. at intersections. As homeowners in NY, we pay substantial local taxes towards the FD and support their fundraisers. We also support our community organizations such as the local and regional food banks. We decline to support the sports teams begging, but we do participate in car washes and such. The schools here have social service people in the building, so the families are generally hooked up with services very quickly. The nurses are tasked with contacting everyone potentially eligible and encouraging them to fill out their paperwork before they slide too far. So..to answer your question, I say 'no thanks' to the sports group and ask if they are having a car wash nearby. I say 'no thanks' to the FD and explain that I'm not from their town - this sounds callous but they all seem to coordinate their begging days, so if you commute you are solicited many times in the course of the commute - I'd end up with no lunch or toll money. And I'd really rather my FD dollars go to my community.

>>SO I guess she is using her own taxes that she paid for the last 27 years of her working productive life to try to get a degree and feed her children so that she will be less of a burden to her 70+ year old parents who babysit her kids while she goes to school from 8 to 3 and then works at Price Choppers in the deli department til 9pm, tucks her now 9 year old in bed and does homework til 11pm. Well, those taxes were paid to the state of Georgia and the U.S., not to NY. NY is a considerably higher cost of living area and the taxes are too. There are millions here who would be really happy if the state funded the startup of their new life so they didn't have to actually work or pay college tuition. As to daycare: there are several grandparents in my community who are providing before and afterschool care for their grandchildren..it's the cultural thing to do when both parents work or one of the children has become divorced, especially since before/after care through the school district's provider has no transport home and isn't available after 6 pm. There are also families that have gotten together and swapped babysitting..I'll watch yours on the weekend if you watch mine during the week kind of thing. This need is going to continue when she is working as a LPN, due to the hours. Fortunately after 6th grade, there are all sorts of school activities that her child can join that will provide care and a free ride anywhere in the district at 5 pm. School taxes are high here for single family residences just because we are providing all this 'free' stuff. Here's the page for working families benefits: http://www.otda.state.ny.us/main/workingfamilies/ I assume she already has ChildHealthPlus and free school breakfast & lunch and supplies if she's getting food stamps. Here's some info on Section 8:http://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/section-8-housing2.htm Section 8 housing is very limited - in this area it is motels and it is substandard. She would be better off staying with her parents or renting from someone who has an illegal multi-family house. There is just not enough housing or jobs for all the people that want to leave NYC and live upstate on minimum wage. Her parents should have filed for tax relief if they own the property..STAR plus senior citizens exemption. STAR may not happen this year, but they'll get their substantial s.c. exemption. Also if they are homeowners, they should ask around..there are people who are making side money by representing homeowners in town court in order to get their property assessments lowered and a refund from the school tax or property tax. They generally keep half the refund as their fee. She has other options too. She can pick up other work, especially when her school is out of session or permanently & reduce her class load. (Is she in class 8-3 M-F or is she on campus with time between classes? She can find work on campus.) She can declare bankruptcy.Her employer will give her some tuition benefits thru Excelsior. However, from what you've mentioned, she needs to decide on her priorities...is it finishing the degree and starting a high paying job and moving into her own home as rapidly as possible, or is it to minimize working and start homeschooling?\ As far as not seeing her child enough during the week...many service members work a worse schedule as do many who commute in to NYC. It's tough, but she has weekends and she will be out of school soon enough.

We had to wait until the children could think logically and suppress the flight instinct. They made a lot of progress with their friend's calm unagressive dogs. Forget all dogs who are supposedly friendly, weigh more, are taller, and knock children over while barking or growling. Don't override mother nature...if the dog is aggressive, it's aggressive. Teach the child what to do. I walk a lot and have found that there are more untrained dogs than trained dogs and many many people ignoring the leash laws. I was bitten by a small dog this year..it and it's littermate supposedly had never bitten anyone and both were claimed to be gentle and in a household with children. The dogs were let out of their house, noticed me an entire block away (several properties down) and ran across the street, right up to me growling all the way, with one biting me as they ignored my commands to git. I was lucky the owner decided to not hide in the house and was able to call them off. Otherwise the officer would have found me waiting them out on top of someone's vehicle.