I've got earthquakes on the brain the past several days. First, I've been reading the "Left Behind" series, in which one of the seals opened is a massive world-wide earthquake. Not even two weeks ago, we had a moderate earthquake here, which is rare. I've only felt one other one, back when I was a teenager. Then my brother tells me his area has been having literally hundreds of small quakes per day. Every so often they have a moderate one, but they all feel strong to him because he is two miles away from the epicenter. I've been worrying for him, and have been checking out the USGS website several times per day to make sure they haven't had "the big one", as seismologists are predicting. Last night I had a dream that my daughters and I were at Wal-Green's, and a huge earthquake occurred right here. That isn't likely, but it just goes to show that they've been on my mind too much lately.
The positive out of all this earthquake worrying is that my daughter and I have been learning a lot about them. We are learning about the layers of the earth, plate tectonics, fault lines, the different types of quakes, and volcanic activity. So lots of impromptu science lessons.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Why we Homeschool
Welcome to Homefree Academy, a private, Christian homeschool. I am the mother of 4 girls. Two are step, that live full time with us, and I've raised for the past eleven years. The younger two are mine by birth. The two oldest attend public high school. I have "after-schooled" my two youngest since they could understand verbal language. I recently removed my 9 year old from public school due to safety issues, and the district holding her back in her education. Our 5 year old currently spends two hours a day in a local pre-K program, but has completed about half her Kindergarten year at home. Once her pre-K year is finished in a month I hope to never have my daughters in public school again.
I am proud of my daughters' accomplishments during their public school years. The older one has consistently been on the Honor Roll, and usually the high Honor Roll, too. The little one is the only one in her pre-K class able to read, spell, tell time, count money, and add. I have no illusions, though, as to where they learned. The reason the little one can read is due to the time she and I spend, while in her class, the other children are busy learning colors and shapes (something most children are capable of learning at 18-24 months), and counting to ten. The reason my 9 year old knows states and capitols, and double digit multiplication, and division, while the rest of her old class was working on simple addition and subtraction, is because I let her interest lead me. She asks to learn; I take the time to show her. For two years her public school teachers told her to, "sit still, you can't move ahead of the rest of the class. Find something quiet to do while I teach the ones who didn't get these concepts in first grade."
Personal views of my husband and I also came into this decision, as we are tired of the government removing God from everything related to education. Our country was founded in Christianity. It is ridiculous to remove God from The Pledge, allow a moment of silence...yet not prayer, to not even mention Christmas for fear of offending those with differing beliefs. I'm not offended if someone else views the world other than how I see it. Let us be free to have our beliefs, too.
Our country is equated with freedom. But, little by little, the freedom is being removed. The government is trying to cleanse the minds of our children, and rule what and when and how they are taught. They think "socialization" consists of sitting at a desk for 6 hours with 20 others that just happen to be the same age, being spoon-fed only what basic facts they need to pass on state standardized tests. They are doing their best to turn our country into a communist state.
Our government thinks socialization is having kids that should be 2 grades ahead beating on their younger classmates, and calling little girls who get good grades B-words, and C-words, and WE are supposed to feel sorry for THEM because they have it so bad, and WE are racist if we try to obtain a teacher or principal's help. It's not our fault the ones that speak this way, and act this way are of a different race. Maybe someone should teach them that they would earn respect if they gave a little. Principal says,"That's just the way kids these days are. Deal with it."
I don't think so. I didn't have children to force them to deal with being cussed at, called names, and beaten on just because they are polite, quiet, and good students. If I worked at a job outside the home, and even once someone spoke to me in that way, or laid a hand on me, that person would be fired. It would be called assault. Grown-up don't have to deal with it. It is wrong to force children to. It is abuse!
We can see on an almost weekly basis what happens when we put children into this atmosphere, and than leave them to "deal with it". It doesn't even make headlines anymore when a child who has suffered abuse at the hands of classmates for years on end finally cracks, and begins killing those classmates. School shootings are so commonplace now that they only make national headlines if there are a great number of students killed. No one even thinks twice that schools have metal detectors, and full time police officers. In our particular district, the middle schools and the high school have failed to meet "AYP" for five years straight, now. We really do have two full time policemen at our high school, and one at each middle school. All the political correctness is really paying off, huh? And "No Child Left Behind"...that's working out well, too.
This is the tip of the iceburg, so to speak. These are the main reason we chose to remove our daughters from a dangerous situation, and bring them home, where they can be "Homefree". Free to learn. Free of abuse. Free of prejudice. And most of all, Free to just be little girls.
I am proud of my daughters' accomplishments during their public school years. The older one has consistently been on the Honor Roll, and usually the high Honor Roll, too. The little one is the only one in her pre-K class able to read, spell, tell time, count money, and add. I have no illusions, though, as to where they learned. The reason the little one can read is due to the time she and I spend, while in her class, the other children are busy learning colors and shapes (something most children are capable of learning at 18-24 months), and counting to ten. The reason my 9 year old knows states and capitols, and double digit multiplication, and division, while the rest of her old class was working on simple addition and subtraction, is because I let her interest lead me. She asks to learn; I take the time to show her. For two years her public school teachers told her to, "sit still, you can't move ahead of the rest of the class. Find something quiet to do while I teach the ones who didn't get these concepts in first grade."
Personal views of my husband and I also came into this decision, as we are tired of the government removing God from everything related to education. Our country was founded in Christianity. It is ridiculous to remove God from The Pledge, allow a moment of silence...yet not prayer, to not even mention Christmas for fear of offending those with differing beliefs. I'm not offended if someone else views the world other than how I see it. Let us be free to have our beliefs, too.
Our country is equated with freedom. But, little by little, the freedom is being removed. The government is trying to cleanse the minds of our children, and rule what and when and how they are taught. They think "socialization" consists of sitting at a desk for 6 hours with 20 others that just happen to be the same age, being spoon-fed only what basic facts they need to pass on state standardized tests. They are doing their best to turn our country into a communist state.
Our government thinks socialization is having kids that should be 2 grades ahead beating on their younger classmates, and calling little girls who get good grades B-words, and C-words, and WE are supposed to feel sorry for THEM because they have it so bad, and WE are racist if we try to obtain a teacher or principal's help. It's not our fault the ones that speak this way, and act this way are of a different race. Maybe someone should teach them that they would earn respect if they gave a little. Principal says,"That's just the way kids these days are. Deal with it."
I don't think so. I didn't have children to force them to deal with being cussed at, called names, and beaten on just because they are polite, quiet, and good students. If I worked at a job outside the home, and even once someone spoke to me in that way, or laid a hand on me, that person would be fired. It would be called assault. Grown-up don't have to deal with it. It is wrong to force children to. It is abuse!
We can see on an almost weekly basis what happens when we put children into this atmosphere, and than leave them to "deal with it". It doesn't even make headlines anymore when a child who has suffered abuse at the hands of classmates for years on end finally cracks, and begins killing those classmates. School shootings are so commonplace now that they only make national headlines if there are a great number of students killed. No one even thinks twice that schools have metal detectors, and full time police officers. In our particular district, the middle schools and the high school have failed to meet "AYP" for five years straight, now. We really do have two full time policemen at our high school, and one at each middle school. All the political correctness is really paying off, huh? And "No Child Left Behind"...that's working out well, too.
This is the tip of the iceburg, so to speak. These are the main reason we chose to remove our daughters from a dangerous situation, and bring them home, where they can be "Homefree". Free to learn. Free of abuse. Free of prejudice. And most of all, Free to just be little girls.
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