It wasn't Brother Jed, was it? He visited my school frequently.

If I asked my mother to define a word she'd make something up -- e.g. paranoid = two noids.

Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread -- that you were required to have them take a standardized test for informational purposes but you didn't have to score anything on it, just document that it was taken. I like the idea and quite honestly it could also help parents who are educating in a non-traditional manner and challenged about educational neglect -- scoring on grade level or thereabouts should result in charges being immediately found unsubstantiated.

Absolutely true, although I was more thinking of "other ways to neglect children". I'm pretty opposed to any sort of mandatory home visits in any case, but requiring a test be taken (like Arkansas) seems reasonable. At least then the parents can't stick their fingers in their ears and pretend Junior is just fine when he can't read.

Well, as far as that goes, with other ways to neglect children there are physical indications. For example, not feeding your kid can result in them being underweight, neglecting their dental care can result in a mouthful of rotten teeth, etc. So we don't make people take "are you feeding your kid" tests because we assume that if the kid is not clearly malnourished they are being fed. These indications are usually clear enough that you'd see them in casual observation.

I would love to live on My Name Road ... and there is definitely an ex where if the house were on His Name road I would refuse to live there. It just gives me a bad taste if I see it.

For books that you think that they ought to be "exposed" to but are really above their level, why not consider versions like the Great Illustrated Classics? I read many of those before I read the "real" version, and I found it helpful -- but even if they never are able to go for the "real" version, they'll know the story.

FWIW, I don't really consider not teaching higher math educational neglect. If they understand arithmetic, they can be through developmental math in one year at a CC and ready for calculus after a second. I do consider it very sub-optimal and I would never choose to go that way, but I don't consider it neglectful per se. A kid who can read and do arithmetic can fill in a lot of other holes. I think of that kind of like the way I do feeding your kid nothing but Swanson dinners. It's really sub-optimal and not very nutritious, but you are feeding your kid.

Kinda depends on what you're interested in. Museum of Science and Industry is interesting if you're into that, +1 for the Field Museum, and dining in the Hancock building is pretty cool.

I was brought up on "Say what is kind, but not untrue. Say what is true, but not unkind." I was also brought up not to make personal remarks about people. I would only comment on someone's clothing in a few cases. 1) If they asked me. Even then I would try and say it in a kind way, such as "I think the blue dress looked better" rather than "Omg do you see your (insert whatever) in that?" 2) If they were going to a professional interview or something and clearly inappropriately dressed -- this would apply more to younger people who really might not know. BTW, here it isn't about what fits your body or not, but that if you are going to a job interview a top that shows your cleavage to just short of your nipples probably isn't the best choice, unless you're interviewing at hooters. Again, here it can be said without unkindness, by emphasizing that you probably want your future boss thinking of your brain and efficiency and all the other reasons you're qualified for the job rather than thinking about your body.

I would eat them without a moment of hesitation.

Yes. And I think that's a good thing. We need to be concerned about finding the educational option that is best for our individual children and family, not the one that's most ideologically pure.

Yes. Quite honestly if her 10yo can read, intensive tutoring through the summer with something like MUS would probably get him caught up to where he would fit in at school, if he doesn't have major LDs. If he does have major LDs, he needs an IEP at school anyway. The 8yo who can't read clearly would need tutoring in that as well, but catching up an 8yo is a lot easier. MUS is ideal for catching them up in my opinion.

FWIW, when my TI-81 broke I was able to find another on ebay for $5 + $5 shipping. I have no desire to upgrade as I know where all the buttons are on this one.

AB and BC are actually derived from a common practice when more schools were on quarters of calling the quarters calculus A, B, and C. Using quarter credits, calculus ABC would cover the same as Calculus I and II on semesters. Daijobu: This course would follow calculus AB and prepare for the BC examination. Edit: There are apparently also a few universities on semesters that offer an alternative three-semester calculus track. While this would be of little use to engineering students who need their calculus as fast as possible, it could be amazing for pre-medical students or others who just need to finish calculus in time to take physics before the MCAT.

Maybe you don't care what people say about you. But calling people whores is incredibly crass. Even if you DO know that they have intercourse for money, it's still crass. And you don't know that. She's just skimpily dressed now.

The point people are trying to make is that there are people out there who react to bikini shots just as you've reacted to the thong shot, using similar words as you used about her and the thong shot. And looking at your pic (which is lovely, btw) and saying words like that would probably be pretty hurtful.

I seriously wonder if I'm reading the same thread as other people. I certainly wouldn't report the mother for educational neglect if she either started teaching the kids math or hired someone to do it. If strong words from a friend got her to get her act together, I'd be delighted. I'd certainly give it a month with encouragement to see if she can do it. But if she didn't, and continued to just drift along doing nothing but play on the internet and feed the kids, when they can scrape the mold off the plates, yes. Yes I would report that. Honestly I bet she's afraid to send the kids to school now because of how far behind they are. A kid deserves to be able to leave home with more than a first-grade math education and he is not on a track that will lead him to any more than that.

I'd be reluctant to chance it and more likely (if you want her to go to PS next year and really must leave this school) to try to enroll her at a PS now, even if it's not the same one.

Yes. If I heard that a school was letting the kids play video games or just do whatever they wanted while the teacher worked on her blog, you are damn straight that I'd be filing complaints and letting the media know about it if the complaints didn't work. Edit: Similarly, if the mother were trying stuff and it just wasn't working, I wouldn't consider that educational neglect.

83 and 84 are both very standard. If the book includes explicit calculator instruction I'd buy a cheap used 83+ off Ebay so the instructions will match the calculator and cross the bridge of requiring a different calculator when you come to it.

I like this even better than my suggestion.

I wouldn't tell him what he did wrong -- I would mark the test with right/wrong, then tell him (for example) 1, 6, and 9 are wrong. Re-do them on a separate sheet of paper. It should quickly become less work to check it in the first place than to have to do the same problems twice.

It's been 7 years, and it was an outdoor nail -- I wouldn't worry, but I would take him to an urgent care clinic or similar tomorrow for the shot. Tetanus is one of the ones where the treatment really sucks if they DO get it.

Yes. Seriously. I would be expecting a kid who just hadn't been taught yet to be zipping through MUS Alpha if receiving any sort of instruction.