usetoschool
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Posts posted by usetoschool
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There is no such thing as "the government". They are not special or magical. They are just your neighbors that you hired to perform a job you couldn't or didn't want to do. More regulation isn't going to change people. Friendship, persuasion, peer pressure, community standards - those are all the things that are going to change peoples hearts and make them WANT to do a good job. Personally I think there is already too much buck passing to some anonymous government entity that is going to solve the problem.
If you are your brother's keeper then get involved, if the problem is the mom is depressed or overwhelmed or some other reason for her lack of excellence, but if it is just a choice she is making...I am all for personal responsibility and the idea that people are free to raise their families according to their own standards. There are a million things on this board that I don't agree with but I firmly believe that parents know and love their children best and are in the best position to decide how to raise them. Who are we to decide what method or religion or political party or any number of other lifestyle choices someone should choose?
Down from the soap box... :leaving:
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wow
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Found this on my Twitter timeline - a website that went through all the homeschool curriculum providers and divided them up into planning to change to meet CC, coincidentally aligned with CC, or not aligned/don't care.
http://www.theeducationalfreedomcoalition.org/
The list is helpful, the politics may make some people want to spit, others may love it - not endorsing, just information.
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Edited my pp to add url of common core website, a quote from them about how this is NOT federal central planning (I am still unsure about the end of that road) and a non-link suggestion about a good overview in the Wikipedia (I know...) article.
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I think the problem is there really aren't any facts to discuss. No one really knows what the fallout of all this will be. I am uncomfortable with education becoming more centralized. I prefer education decisions to be made at the school, or at the very least school board level. I also don't like that the federal government has so much power over what the states choose to implement - choose common core or not, but if you don't we don't send any federal funding. Why the government controls education funding at all is a mystery and a problem.
From what I have read testing (ACT/SAT and grade level testing for the states that require it for home schooling) will also be geared toward common core. Maybe a problem, maybe not. I read somewhere that common core math is based much more on process than answer so if your child cannot explain how they get the answer, maybe test results won't be as high. Also big emphasis on non-fiction reading - but that doesn't seem like a problem. It really doesn't seem like it would be that hard to bone up on the CC requirements to make sure you can pass the test.
Also read some info about databases and wanting to include non-traditional kids in the information. Don't like that but also don't know if it true. I am anxious to read everyone's replies.
ETA: yah, Wikipedia, I know, but they have a pretty good synopsis of the plan including the Race to the Top carrot dangling to encourage states to adopt - Common Core State Standards Initiative (sorry, I am on my daughters Mac and don't know how to copy urls). And the website of the CC people is corestandards.org.
"The federal government will not govern the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The Initiative was and will remain a state-led effort. NGA and CCSSO are committed to developing a long-term governance structure with leadership from governors, chief state school officers, and other state policymakers."
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Love this thread - makes me want to take a look at my life so I can be this way. I will add my grandpa and my next door neighbor. My grandpa lived to 98. Had open heart surgery in his late 80's and then went on a senior citizens tour of China when he was 90. He lived in his own house until the day he died, cooked, went to the senior center dances and flirted with the women every Sunday night. He went the way I would like. My mom took him to the hospital because he was probably dehydrated and was kind of seeing people, but nothing really physically wrong, not sick or anything. They did some tests, the doctor came in to see him, said he would be right back with the results and when he came back grandpa was gone. Moved on with family members that had been visiting him :)
My next door neighbor just lost his wife last year and is nearly 90. He lives in a large home with a beautiful yard that is well cared for, is active in his church, travels and is learning to play the piano. He is a wonderful friendly man and we are so grateful to have him as a neighbor.
I attend church with several widows who are very social and active and happy. I think part of the success is their happy social and family life.
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Happy Birthday!!
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I had the teacher's guide and only used it once to look up an answer I thought I knew but wanted to double check. There are some additional activities but we never used them. You might want to though. I don't know if sample pages are available but the extra activities are more modern extras. Almost seemed to us like tacking stuff on just because though. I sound kind of wishy washy :laugh: but I don't want to talk you into or out of anything. Bottom line - I never used the teacher's guide and I used the entire PLL program.
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The winner (Roni Paulina Cordova) posted all kinds of answers, including some obviously frustrated ones - one of her answers was right. I guess you could look at what she posted that nobody else guessed? I am pretty sure I don't need whatever it is, lol, but it sure was an annoying contest. Sorry if you didn't win anything.
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Here is a page that includes ELL and LD information in the statistics. Subtracting those out still leaves millions illiterate, and not just "functionally" illiterate.
http://www.ncsu.edu/csleps/service/Resource_Sheets_Service/Facts%20on%20Literacy.pdf
And just for fun, the BBC has a story today about the latest comparisons of countries and education results. The US is 17th...
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I know several families that are lax about schooling their kids but none to the point of illiteracy. More regulation would not have helped any of them, they would have just gone underground.
I don't think more rules are going to help this problem. I think it is cultural and until there is societal pressure and a culture of excellence in education and a desire and need to be well educated, not just given job and good citizen training, nothing much will change. I also think it is easy to get on the "any homeschool is better than public school" bandwagon when the public schools are generally failing the U.S.
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Personally I am a sockist - I dislike all socks, all the time. I take the dog out in the snow with bare feet. :leaving:
Sorry to politicize your thread - just needed something random to post to see how this all works.
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So sorry that other peoples choices are causing you trouble :grouphug:
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I think a few basic skills in cooking, cleaning, laundry, frugal shopping, and sharing space with other human beings in a pleasant manner is also part of mission prep. ;)
Without a doubt :) These others are just things that don't get taught much and have been causing complications. They also had a class on basic personal grooming because some of the girls were not looking pleasant and professional and presenting themselves well to the public. The more I see what they need to be able to do to be successful, the more I am amazed so many do it at all. They seem like such young punk kids, and yet lives are changing because of them.
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So excited about the change. I started crying while they were announcing it - good tears. I am excited about the choices this will make available for kids who are at a crossroads; trying to weigh school or career or mission options. It would have been better for my returned missionary because he was just sort of marking time while waiting to turn 19 and then was in the midst of some schooling so ending up not leaving until almost 20. My younger son's birthday falls at the same weird time of year, so he is excited that he can just graduate and go. For us it is a good opportunity.
As far as preparation, let me share a few things my daughter, who is on a mission right now, sent in her letter last week. Teach them:
1) how to navigate an airport
2) how to read a map
3) how to pick up a prescription
4) how to find things in a grocery store
5) how to initiate a conversation with a stranger
6) how addresses work (odd and even on sides of the street, and they go in order by 5's or 2's or 10's)
She also tells me at least once a month to have my youngest reading Preach My Gospel, cover to cover as many times as he can before he leaves. It is good to have missionaries come into the field prepared and not waste time teaching them the gospel in the MTC, but be able to teach them how to teach and have them get to work first day in the field.
Conference in general has been lovely. There has been so much emphasis on the Savior, on being valiant, and on how much He loves us.
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I think all of my kids did, but we just sort of push ahead anyway and the more you do that the more you discover it is worse in your head than in reality. It has been a cause of procrastination over the years at our house.
This book helped one of my daughters: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
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but delicious and foolproof
16 oz. chips - any flavor
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
4 T. butter
heat it over a double boiler until chips are melted, stir, and pour into a greased, parchment lined 8" square pan.
You can add ANY flavoring, use any flavor chips, swirl different flavors of chips (peanut butter and chocolate, yum), add nuts or any other mix in. We generally make ours with orange peel and a little orange extract and dark chocolate chips.
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Me! I'm doing world history, mythology, and logic.
I am doing world history right now and have mythology, how things work, how to reason, and modern history on the list coming up.
I quoted you because I was wondering what logic course you are taking. I started the Introduction to Logic course and I, and many others from what I saw and read, hated it. It was poorly presented, had no textbook, and was a very specific kind of logic - propositional - and quite formulaic. The expectations were unclear and the teaching just sort of jumped from place to place and the quizzes didn't seem to have anything to do with the lectures. Your mileage may vary or you may be familiar with this subject already. And maybe they have improved the course since it was one of the very first they offered. Just so everyone knows what they are getting into. (or I am just too dense to understand the material - that is always a possibility :001_smile:)
The world history course is wonderful.
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I heard, somewhere recently, that the do not call lists only work if the caller agrees to abide by them. So the slimiest calls still get through. We have an answering machine and I tell my family over and over that if it is important or someone we know, they will leave a message. For the most part we don't answer the phone and let the answering machine screen our calls. All of my friends and family have my cell phone number and call me that way.
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I will NEVER buy either from a pet store again.
My first choice would be a breeder. If you can't find that, then look for a guinea pig that is kept in a cage with just boys/girls (but you are still dealing with mass production...). Make sure the cage is clean, that birds and the like aren't above with their waste going into the cage, and so on. I'm not sure it would be much better to get private, unless they are reputable. Private parties probably just get a male and a female, so not much better than pet store.
Last but not least, if it gets sick, say goodbye, put it down and get another one. You will be tempted to run up a vet bill because you are attached, but they don't treat or recover well (or at all).
:iagree:
We have had 1/2 a dozen guinea pigs over the years. The best were always hand raised from a breeder or an accidental breeder in the case of a gal who brought home a guinea pig that was expecting and gave us one of the babies.
And guinea pigs are VERY good at looking and pretending to be normal when they are sick. By the time you know there is something wrong they are almost gone.
Our guinea pigs were some of our best and favorite pets. I miss our little piggies (but not enough to get more since it would be me taking care of them :tongue_smilie:).
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Fired.
Sickening! and so so sorry for you and him. Is there any appeal?
A family member was fired in the same way, by a false sexual harassment charge by a disgruntled former woman employee. I hope something better comes of this for your family.
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nm
I am glad I read it before you deleted it :) It was good.
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Species - Wikipedia article
live in and around coral reefs
if humanity went extinct what species would replace us
Yoda
platypus
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I think I would just leave the baptism one alone. It really isn't an a open discussion about what people believe like many of the other threads regarding religion seem to be. Gardenmom already put in a pitch for priesthood authority and I think that is the best that can be done. Off the forum there was some annoyance shared about the thread and people posting their opinion as fact or truth. I understand your frustration though. The gospel is so simple and clear and it would answer so many of these confusing questions and threads.
My not at all fun news
in The Chat Board
Posted
Those are words that no mom should ever have to say...I am so sorry his life ended so soon and for the hole in your heart and life. :grouphug: