The Grace Academy
Posted on 05/25/2005 10:35:32 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON -- Nathan Cornelius, a home schooled seventh grader from Cottonwood, Minn., won the 17th annual National Geographic Bee competition today, with a dazzling display of knowledge about places, cultures, cities, countries and rivers around the globe.
For winning the competition, which started with 5 million students nationwide, Nathan was awarded a $25,000 scholarship.
He bested nine other finalists during the taping of the event moderated by TV’s ''Jeopardy!'' host Alex Trebek.
He was one of two contestants to survive a double elimination first round that took 105 questions.
Then he outlasted Karan Takhar, 14, of Rhode Island,in an 11-question championship round.
The deciding question called on the contestants to identify the dammed river that forms artificial Lake Gatun in the Panama Canal system.
Nathan hardly hesitated before writing down his answer: the Chagres River. He couldn’t contain a big smile when Trebek noted that the two finalists had different answers.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Parents should google home schooling and their state name. They'll be astonished how much help there is for homeschooling - it's organized, enthusiastic and extensive.
Congrats to his parents for all their hard work and commitment to their family.
There are vast resources for help and guidance.
I think my point is that there are four situations when it comes to homeschooling:
1) Viable and necessary (parents with the ability to homeschool stuck in a bad school district without the ability to pay for good private schools);
2) Viable but unnecessary (Good public schools or the parents can afford private schools);
3) Non-viable but unnecessary (Sort of like 2))
4) Non-viable and necessary (the single mother living in Anacostia).
The kids who fall into categories 1-3 are okay. The ones in 4 are probably going to get screwed, unless vouchers are an option.
BTW I just finsihed reading "Aquainas in 90 Minutes" do you know any good books on Aquinas.
Yes. Not everyone can do it.
But life isn't fair. People make choices that enhance or hurt their children.
If someone can move to an area where they can have more family support or where their dollars will go farther they should. Too often people will refuse to move to help their own situation.
Home schooling can no longer be dismissed as out of the mainstream.
I recommend Peter Kreeft's condensed Summa, the "Summa of the Summa." It's used in some seminaries, I hear. Kreeft has also compressed this condensation into "A Shorter Summa." If you're really ambitious, the Summa is available on-line. I read a section every day. It's tough, but worthwhile.
A lot of people seem to like Chesterton's, "The Dumb Ox," but I wasn't overly impressed. I'm a fan of Chesterton generally though.
I know what you mean.
LOL
Be careful what you wish for! With government $$ comes government oversite!
If you're talking about the schools that would take the money, that's a business decision for them to make if they're private schools. If it's a public school, such as in my example of VA schools taking DC vouchers, government oversight is already in place.
Heck, just the threat of vouchers and homeschooling have forced the public system to change and improve, to some degree. Competition is good for the public schools.
Just as an example of change here in DC, my law firm is doing pro bono work for an educational foundation that is planning to come into DC and take over some of the worst schools in the system in an attempt to improve them.
Thanks, I listened to Kreeft's tape series on "Ethics : a history of moral though" from the Modern Scholar Series. Very Good. It may be available at your library or it is also sold at Barnes and Nobel.
probably not been sleeping with his teacher either
Yes it is but kids are there now and public schools aren't going to turn on a dime.
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