Posted on 11/20/2002 8:50:54 PM PST by Sir Gawain
But at least you're honest enough to admit it. The NEA and other educrats believe that parents aren't qualified to teach their own children, and that's what most homeschoolers get their defenses up about. I feel that, unless proven otherwise, every parent is doing what they think is right for their children. If everyone felt the way you did, there would be no need for threads such as these. Thanks.
Think about it. The Phoenicians were world traders. Why them instead of the Greeks (who were better situated)? Cedar, and no other reason. Toredo worms and rot fungi don't like cedar so the ships stay intact. Take care of that forest or else lose the edge. Once you've got that edge propagate it through port facilities to North Africa (Carthage), Sicily, Gibralter, and onward. Then there was the eastward route through the Indian Ocean to the coast of South America. With them they took the Hebrews. There are found pyramids and glyphs EXACTLY reminiscent of those of the Middle East. There it is: economics, resource biology, and the diffusion of cultures worldwide.
The Babylonians made money on agriculture. Why? The rivers. When they built a city what did they need? Wood for roofs and metals for tools. They had river transportation but needed conquest to acquire the goods. When their supply lines got strung out, when they got lazy from the easy life, and they had something worth stealing, in came the Hittites on charriots followed by the Assyrians. Why were the latter successful? Iron weapons.
Economy, resources technology. It's the real story of history that all those "historians" seem to forget with their obsessions about culture and religion. Just because it's boring to historians and archaeologists doesn't mean that it isn't the engine of history.
That doesn't change the pivotal role catastrophes have had in shaping history such as cometary or meteoritic impacts, and volcanism. The resulting weather changes destroy crops and cause those annoying famines you read about in the Bible.
We don't have a good grip on the quantitative consequences of these events as relates to the political fallout. This is, in part, because of the many different types of archaeologists involved, each with their own politics, much less considering the astrophysicists. We have a FReeper (blam) who is doing a quite a job of chronicling papers as they become available. They are indexed and I will try to get you the list name.
You're welcome. Ernest_at_the_Beach set that up. Unfortunately, I never could understand the instructions on how to place articles in there and Ernest got tired of 'carrying-my-water', so, things aren't placed in there much any more. I keep some things bookmarked on my profile page.
We have homeschooled - just not high school. Even with all the children in school, I would still be out there lobbying for the right to homeschool (the NEA can go stuff a sock where the sun don't shine.) I want a trap door personally, as well as believing that parents are the ones to decide. It would be nice if we lived in an area with a wider variety of older homeschoolers, but that's life - nichevo as the Russians say. : )
And keep up the good work.
I do not intend on insulting you, however, as a homeschooler it is important that the public understand Homeschooling is a movement , not just about WHERE we choose to educate our children.
Homeschool is a lifestyle. We choose not to take no for an answer. We choose to overcome obstacles. We choose not to take the easy way of raising our children. We choose to allow our children to direct their own lives and not have to answer to government institutions.
There is so much more to our children's lives than having friendships with other people exactly like themselves , " friends"that will be only around for a few years.
Homeschooling is not for everyone, and it is very time consuming and taxing at times. Homeschooling is a choice, and some people ( few) do not have the luxuary of choices. However, I can't take the socialization excuse anymore. If you really thought homeschooling was right for your kids you would find a way to do it. That is the type of Gusto that is needed for homeschooling in the first place. Our Homeschool moto is ... " if we can get a man to the moon, then anything is possible. You may have to work at it ... so get busy."
We aren't doing either. Our dd is in 9th grade and our ds is in 7th. They attended school up until two years ago, when we began h/sing. We get our ds together with a friend from his old school sometimes, but most of his 'socialization' comes from Boy Scouts and a get together we have once a week or so with two or three other h/sing families. It isn't a formal homeschool group, we just get together for FUN! The kids play games or run around outside if its nice, and the moms and dad just chat. It is very relaxing, and no one has any particular responsibilities. Our dd had made friends with one of these girls from Girl Scouts before we ever knew she was homeschooled! Neither of our kids play sports, so they don't have a whole lot of friends, other than the homeschooled ones, but they are content. Our dd had such BAD socialization experiences in school, she's just as happy to be left alone!
All that having been said, sometimes h/sing won't work out; not every family can or wants to do it. We h/sers have to be less judgemental of others who are not h/sing. Being pushy or ugly about it certainly won't win folks over!
=)
Not socializing into todays society isn't necessarily bad; but even given that statement, there are other possibilities: Boy Scouts, Church Groups, Community Theatres, Community Classes (swimming, etc). Also, I believe that because you pay taxes your child is entitled to participate in whatever classes you want him/her to in the local school. The fact is, you do not have to dump your child at the town education refuse area to get interaction. Even if there was no opportunity to socialize, no socialization is better than bad socilalization.
God Bless from a fairly new Home Schooler (just started in September).
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