Homeschoolers Forum

TxBec | 07/23/2002 | TxBec

[TxBec]

I have been thinking lately it would be nice to have a thread (maybe even a forum later?) for the homeschooling families, because you know how many of us there are. This would not replace us pinging each other with all the great articles we find. It would be a place where we could discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to cool things we find on the internet, and vent some more. I'm sure we all have found other sites with forums that we use, but since FReepers are such a cool breed, where better to start up a forum? What do you think?

[cantfindagoodscreenname]

Do you belong to HSLDA? I've used that card for proof of homeschooling at Barnes and Noble.

Candi

[Carolina]

Here's a great site that has the reading list broken down by age group: 1000 Good Books List

Primary Reading Level: 1-3

Elementary Reading Level: 4-6

Junior Reading Level: &-9

Senior Reading Level: 10-12

The sub-headings include Anthologies, Holiday Books, and Advanced Literature. The Advanced Lit lists are part of the Great Books canon.

[ppaul]

What do you think?

Great idea!
Here's a favorite of mine:

[OldFriend]

Insanity as in......INSANITY IS HEREDITARY, YOU GET IT FROM YOUR KIDS!

[OldFriend]

Staples managers all seem to be cut from the same cloth.....nastiness......on just about every question or problem.

[TxBec]

Thanks! A lot of them are on the list I am working on.

[ppaul]

Another fantastic resource:

[TxBec]

Thanks for the link!

[RAT Patrol]

Thanks for including me. I am down to the last 3 years of HS with my only child. I considered sending him to school for the last 3 years, but I just read Stormer's "None Dare Call It Education" and have changed my mind. I am freshly energized to stay the course.

I feel good about his education. I want to focus more on composition skills than I have thus far. The ABeka curriculum is great and has taken him further than I ever went in the public schools. But, I'd like to get him to a college level writing ability before it's all said and done. (that will take some skill development for me as well--I break the "parallel structure" rule at times)

Also, my husband is going to teach him Spanish. We started with French and found some great resources but my husband tutored Spanish in college so I think it would be wiser to go with that language.

Math is easy with Saxon! I feel sure I can get him through Calculus and Physics knowing little to nothing about it myself. I love Saxon!

[TxBec]

came across this on the net earlier today

First Amendment 'Spy Kids' more than just a movie Government turning kids into spies
By David M. Bresnahan

Schools trying to control the thoughts and words of students can now turn to the federal government for funds to teach kids to spy on each other.

Using funds provided through the Department of Education, Safe and Drug Free Schools program, middle school students can now be taught how to spy on classmates and turn them in to the local police.

The program is designed to "prevent hate crimes" by reporting "homophobic" and racial slurs uttered by students.

The program will begin in West Virginia schools this fall by order of the state attorney general, Darrel V. McGraw. He calls it the "Civil Rights Team Project," but many are already voicing concern that it smacks of McCarthyism.

Under the program, students will be trained to observe, monitor, and report other students based on their words and actions.

The so-called civil rights teams will be specially selected and trained. Comprised of three students and two faculty advisors, the teams will report incidents of "racial, ethnic, sexual, religious, and homophobic slurs."

Instead of protecting civil liberties, the new "spy kids" program is a direct threat to First Amendment freedoms of religion and speech.

Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute, a religious-liberties legal group, said someone is going to have to be wrongly accused before the project legally can be challenged. When that happens his group is offering to provide free legal defense for any student harmed by the project, according to Focus on the Family.

Other states are in the process of putting the program into effect for the coming school year. Similar efforts around the country have included training entire school populations to make anonymous calls to a toll-free number to report students who act or speak in a certain way.

The West Virginia program is modeled after a similar program already in use in Maine.

[WIMom]

Thanks for the pings!

[Born in a Rage]

The program is designed to "prevent hate crimes" by reporting "homophobic" and racial slurs uttered by students.

OMG, that's so disturbing. Besides the obvious 1st Amendment violations, it's also leading kids to believe that someone having a non-conformist opinion about anybody or anything could lead to them committing a crime against another person or even the government. This is truly a scary situation that Americas children are being put into everyday just by attending a public school.

On a similiar note, while living in Arizona, shortly after the tragedy that happened on September 11th, the AG there created an 800 number so that people could call in to report any neighbors they heard saying any 'negative' or 'bad' things about Muslims. We called up to complain about it but I don't know what became of the program she set up.

As a very nice man said to me once, "The whole damn country is going to $h!t!"

[Born in a Rage]

If you could post the 'spy kids' article under Front Page news, I think it is something that ALL FReepers would be interested in reading about!!!!!!!!!

[TxBec]

done!

[Tired of Taxes]

He calls it the "Civil Rights Team Project," but many are already voicing concern that it smacks of McCarthyism.

It sounds like the book "1984" in which children turn their parents in to "Big Brother" if their parents say the wrong thing. Like the Thought Police.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Interesting. hanks for the ping.

[homeschool mama]

Last year I had no problem at all obtaining a 'teachers goodie bag'.

[homeschool mama]

** I considered sending him to school for the last 3 years, but I just read Stormer's "None Dare Call It Education" and have changed my mind. I am freshly energized to stay the course.**

I haven't read this book...I best look it up, huh? :o)

Did he include private schooling in his adverse opinion of traditional school? or public exclusively?

My daughter is entering 7th grade and we're now praying about home educating through the high school years.

[RAT Patrol]

He was talking primarily about public schooling. It would apply to SOME private schools. You should be fine with a conservative Christian school.

The book is a definite MUST READ! Don't be afraid of homeschooling in the upper grades. The primary years take a lot of work because both mom and teacher need to learn the discipline and routine of school. The middle grades (well, 4 - 8 or even 9) are a snap if you did your early work. I am expecting a little more work--of a different kind--through the upper grades. But I am sure we will do just fine.

[ppaul]

Who am I to tell Christians to stop supporting government education?