Love it love it love it!!!!

Dread Pirate Flint!

I guess we are not following one another. I never said this was a cyberschool failure. As I mentioned, I am in favor of technology in education. I said this is a failure on the part of the school district who knows EXACTLY what this will lead to and doesn't care. One thing this article doesn't mention (of course) is that the REASON they are doing this is because the schools there are so bad that they are losing students to other districts (this is a big school of choice area). If they offer this then the kids will NOT go to other districts (taking their dollars with them) but they will also not go to school (but they won't be truly homeschooled either). As far as them wreaking havoc...like I said you would have to work there to understand...you would have to break up gang fights and watch your students go to jail or get pregnant at age 12 or be threatened by gang members to see that these kids NEED supervision.

A couple of things: 1. You still have the mindset (I assume) of a homeschooling parent and I would think that even if your children are left unsupervised for periods of time, you are still checking to see how they are progressing, looking for ways to help them if they need it, etc. You are INVESTED BY CHOICE in this cyber option. This new "cyberschool" that the district is offering will be used by a bunch of parents who are NOT invested in PERSONALLY overseeing their child's education. They are used to the schools doing that and the only difference now will be that the kid will be home all day alone. These parents do NOT have the mindset of a homeschooling parent that has personally chosen to oversee their child's education 2. This isn't about cyberschools. I am a huge fan of technology and use it in my sons' education daily and I also don't think that going digital for textbooks is the worse thing that could ever happen. This is about a school district using technology in an irresponsible way for no other reason than to get more money. They are offering this not only to students in their district but to students all over the county (this is the same county that houses Detroit Public Schools). They will have thousands of students sign up for this JUST TO GET FREE INTERNET AND A LAPTOP. They know this but all they see are dollar signs. These kids know how to work the system. The first thing they do is figure out how to cheat. With no one (including parents) personally invested this the kids will actually learn very little...they might "pass" as in cheat their way through it and they will "graduate" but then we are sending out thousands of uneducated kids into society. Yes, many schools already do that but now these kids will be out on the streets all day wreaking goodness-only-knows-how-much havoc. I guess you would have to work in these schools to believe it.

:iagree:

My 11yo is currently plowing through "Left Behind: The Kids". There are 40 books in that series.

I put "graduate" in quotes because these are NOT kids being "homeschooled". These are public school kids taking classes online with no parental supervision. Parents who homeschool make a commitment to be involved. These parents do not have to do any such thing. These kids are basically set loose with a laptop. I taught these kids and I guarantee these laptops will be pawned or broken or stolen. The parents will let their kids sign up for this just so they can get a free laptop and free internet. There is a difference between a choice you, as a parent, make to homeschool your child and a school district saying "hey, want a free laptop? want free internet? want to stay home all day? then come to our district! We'll take your $8000 and you are on your own. See ya at graduation!" I think it is dishonest for the district to take $8000 per kid, per year and say they are using it to educate the kids when they are NOT.

I'm in Michigan now. I just can't figure out how to change my screen name. :D This is a poor, inner city district and I use to teach at the high school that is now offering this Trust me, these kids ARE unsupervised all day, every day if they are not at school.

This is just the beginning. The school district next to us has offered a new cyberschool option to attract more students (I mean money) to their district. It goes like this: They get a free laptop They get free internet access They do classes online They graduate The district gets to count them as students and gets the per pupil amount (about $8000 each). They can pay for a laptop for the kid and internet access and whatever software they need, etc. and STILL come out WAY ahead. They don't need buildings or secretaries or janitors and only a fraction of the teachers or principals. Overhead is minimal. No discipline issues or dresscode violations. It is quite brilliant actually. If you are into things that are all about money. :glare: I anticipate a huge increase in the number of kids who "graduate" now...oh yeah, and a huge increase in teen pregnancies, STDs, and crime. Idle hands are the devil's handiwork. Especially when those teenage hands are home unsupervised all day, every day. But I'm cynic. YMMV.

AWESOME blog article today by Kevin DeYoung: "The greatness of God is most clearly displayed in his Son. And the glory of the gospel is only made evident in his Son. That’s why Jesus’ question to his disciples is so important: “Who do you say that I am?†The question is doubly crucial in our day because not every Jesus is the real Jesus. Almost no one is as popular in this country as Jesus. Hardly anyone would dare to say a bad word about him. Just look at what a super-fly friendly dude he is over there. But how many people know the real Jesus? There’s the Republican Jesus who is against tax increases and activists judges, for family values and owning firearms. There’s Democrat Jesus who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money. There’s Therapist Jesus who helps us cope with life’s problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves. There’s Starbucks Jesus who drinks fair trade coffee, loves spiritual conversations, drives a hybrid and goes to film festivals. There’s Open-minded Jesus who loves everyone all the time no matter what, except for people who are not as open-minded as you. There’s Touchdown Jesus who helps athletes run faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls. There’s Martyr Jesus, a good man who died a cruel death so we can feel sorry for him There’s Gentle Jesus who was meek and mild, with high cheek bones, flowing hair, and walks around barefoot, wearing a sash and looks very German. There’s Hippie Jesus who teaches everyone to give peace a chance, imagine a world without religion, and helps us remember all you need is love. There’s Yuppie Jesus who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars, and buy a boat. There’s Spirituality Jesus who hates religion, churches, pastors, priests, and doctrine; and would rather have people out in nature, finding the god within and listening to ambiguously spiritual musical. There’s Platitude Jesus, good for Christmas specials, greeting cards, and bad sermons; he inspires people to believe in themselves, and lifts us up so we can walk on mountains. There’s Revolutionary Jesus who teaches us to rebel against the status quo, stick it to the man, and blame things on the “system.†There’s Guru Jesus, a wise, inspirational teacher who believes in you and helps you find your center. There’s Boyfriend Jesus who wraps his arms around us as we sing about his intoxicating love in our secret place. There’s Good Example Jesus who shows you how to help people, change the planet, and become a better you. And then there’s Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Not just another prophet. Not just another Rabbi. Not just another wonder-worker. He was the one they had been waiting for: the Son of David and Abraham’s chosen seed, the one to deliver us from captivity, the goal of the Mosaic law, Yahweh in the flesh, the one to establish God’s reign and rule, the one to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoners and proclaim good news to the poor, the lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world. This Jesus was the Creator come to earth and the beginning of a new creation. He embodied the covenant, fulfilled the commandments, and reversed the curse. This Jesus is the Christ that God spoke of to the serpent, the Christ prefigured to Noah in the flood, the Christ promised to Abraham, the Christ prophesied through Balaam before the Moabites, the Christ guaranteed to Moses before he died, the Christ promised to David when he was king, the Christ revealed to Isaiah as a suffering servant, the Christ predicted through the prophets and prepared for through John the Baptist. This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord and God. He is the Father’s Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins–more loving, more holy, and more wonderfully terrifying than we ever thought possible." Posted by Kevin DeYoung

GO! GO! GO! GO! What an awesome idea! I love it!!!!!!!!!

Johnny Depp is my next husband...he just doesn't know it yet. :D

I was just discussing this with my BFF yesterday. We both taught high school for many years and yes, kids are worse now...at least the kids I taught. The things they do and say and wear and the way they act towards authority figures....it boggles my mind. They are the generation of "entitlement"...they should not have to work for anything, it should just be handed to them. They don't owe anyone any respect especially not their elders. They don't know the meaning of hard work. And a moral compass? Forget about it. They are the "truth is relative" generation and as far as they are concerned...anything goes.

:iagree: and AMEN.

I agree that it adds more dimensions to the case but ANY unsupervised 5yo could potentially be abducted whether their mother is a drug-addict or not. It certainly added to the odds for this child but there are many families whose children were abducted that do not do drugs or hang out with criminals. Again, my whole point was one of supervision and prevention.

This was fascinating. We were outside yesterday testing his solar fan. A neighborhood boy came by and wanted to see what we were doing. My son began to discuss solar energy with him and depletion of fossil fuels, etc. He said "We will run out of fossil fuels some day and it is bad for our environment. But the sun is FREE! And there is lots of it! But the government probably won't switch over because coal and oil are big business. It's a bummer." I thought, "Could it be that simple?" Our wastefulness/demands coupled with big profits for the "powers that be" from coal/oil equals very little possibility for solar energy on a larger scale?

I spent a summer in Mexico years ago and learned the hard way that they can fly. :glare: I feel for ya sister.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: A combination of Paxil and denial is the only thing that helps me. :glare: Praying for you....

I think it is really cool that more dads are coming on here. And I remember when Spycar became a "Queen Bee' and we all got a little giggle out of it. Welcome aboard!

We miss you Aubrey!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

But does that make it OK? Are you saying the mother bears ZERO responsibility in this?

I am terribly sorry for what you went through. But this "poor mother" is a drug abuser whose "male friend" is a registered sex offender and she left her 5yo outside unattended. It is not even close to the same thing. What happened to you is an unspeakable tragedy. What happened to this little girl is an unspeakable tragedy. But this little girl should have had someone watching out for her who wasn't.

I'm sorry I shocked you. But I stand by it. This PARTICULAR incident could have been prevented. Not everything can be. But this one? Yes. Absolutely.

I think the parenting prejudice leans the opposite way. Those "free-range" parents are the "voice of reason" while us protective parents are stunting our children's emotional growth and will wind up with adult children who won't leave home? And I am the one positing my parenting paradigm? The whole meaning of my original post was one of PREVENTION. This particular incident could have been prevented. Maybe other incidents cannot be but this one could have been. And it wasn't. And she's dead. And I think it is a tragedy on many, many levels.