Biblical Parenting

Children need Fresh Air

2011-05-17T11:31:00.001-05:00

Well, I've not posted in a while. But a few people have actually suggested/asked for more posts. Here's something that I just got an email about. The Fresh Air Fund for getting kids out of the city into some clean air and nature. I think that's a fantastic idea! A little nature has a soothing effect on a soul and is a chance to get kids out of the maddening crowds. The Fresh Air Fund been around a long time and reviews seem to be very positive. Check them out and support them any way you can.

Kids Say the Darndest Things, even if they aren't yours

2010-09-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

A boy that my wife watches is four years old. The other day he said he didn't like the rain. "But the trees and plants love the rain. It helps them grow," my wife told him. "Oh, then I like the rain too."

Are We Losing Our Bearings?

2010-07-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

Over at Big Hollywood, Joseph C. Phillips has a post talking about how he went to a parents night at his kid's school and the classroom has pictures of Karl Marx that were drawn by the students. Now, most of us know what Karl Marx looks like. Also, Lenin and Stalin. How many of us know what John Locke looks like? Locke is the writer that was a MAJOR influence on the Fathers the United States of America. Are students learning about Locke? Will they draw pictures of John Locke? I doubt it. And that's a shame.

Tags: Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

When Do You Need To Discipline And When Do You Need To Let It Go?

2010-06-16T20:18:00.001-05:00

When it comes to disciplining your child, sometimes (many times?) we aren't sure if he just needs a talking-to, some time out, or if sterner discipline is required. One of the things to look at is whether the child is just being childish, or if he is being disobedient.

Childishness includes things like: forgetfulness; playing when he should be working; not following a task to completion; not doing something because of not understanding what is required (we adults forget that children don't always comprehend what we are saying), not getting ready fast enough when the adult is the one who is late getting everyone around.

Disobedience includes things like: saying "No"; stomping off; attempting to see just how close he can get to the line (yes this is disobedience and needs to be dealt with); deliberately doing what he was told not to do.

Understanding the difference in motivation may help you decide what action to take, or not take.

Kids Say the Darndest Things Again

2010-05-27T11:50:00.000-05:00

My wife watches a four-year-old and he drew a picture with two circles (one inside the other) and said it was a button. He was going to give it to his mom to make the refrigerator work. He put it on the fridge with a magnet, pushed the "button," opened the fridge door, and said "See, it works." Where do they come up with this stuff? Amazing.

My Wife's Newer Blog

2010-05-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

My wife now has a cool blog called Exquisite Crochet Dainties at http://exquisitecrochetdainties.blogspot.com/. So, if you are into crochet or doilies, this is the blog to check out.

Are You Middle Class

2010-03-25T13:36:00.000-05:00

I ask the question at my other blog.

My Wife's New Blog

2009-11-05T16:15:00.001-06:00

My wife has started a blog. She keeps up with hers much more than I do with mine. Check it out at http://gracecoloredglasses.blogspot.com/

It's been awhile

2009-06-16T15:05:00.003-05:00

Well, I've probably lost any readers I had after not posting since February, and pretty sporadically before that for a while. Basically, 2008 was the worst year of my life and I'm really just now recovering. I wrote a little about the year here. I've had several ideas of things to write about but very little time, and even less motivation. However, I am feeling more "with it" now and hope to begin again.

A friend called my wife yesterday and said she is going to start homeschooling. Tammy told my wife that she never felt like she was looked down on for not homeschooling with my wife, unlike some of her other homeschooling friends. Others have said that also, and I just want to take this time to praise my wife for her generous attitude. People appreciate it a lot.

They will doing some accredited workbook curriculum, something that would never fly with most my boys. Workbooks are an anathema to them. I'm not sure why, but that kind of teaching is useless in our house. That's probably why son #1 couldn't/wouldn't do very well in public school.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting,Home School, Homeschooling,

Cheese Sandwiches Are Cruel: or, There is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

2009-02-25T15:45:00.006-06:00

A school district in New Mexico is doling out cruel punishment. Some kids have to eat a cold cheese sandwich!

A cold cheese sandwich, fruit and a milk carton might not seem like much of a meal...

Not much of a meal? This is what one of my kids wants to eat every day. And by "every day" I mean 4 or 5 days a week. In fact, we're lucky if we can get him to eat the fruit. The whole family eats sandwiches most days for lunch.

Critics argue the cold meals are a form of punishment...

What kind of people are these critics? I took a sandwich to school for lunch for most of my life. My kids eat sandwiches most everyday of their lives. Because that's what they want.

Second-grader ... said she will never eat sliced cheese again.

Well I don't want to either, really. Can't blame her. Besides, she will be healthier for it.

...and more children in the lunch program means more federal dollars for the district.

Do I need to say anything here?

"Some parents don't have even $1 sometimes," the 27-year-old single mother said. "If they do, it's for something else, like milk at home."

I know this is true, and it's sad, and it's why I had to take sandwiches when I was in middle school, but is it the public school's responsibility to feed the kids a hot meal? If you can't pay, you don't complain about the free stuff you get, you take it with gratitude. Of course I don't like kids being singled out and having their little psyches damaged. But there is nothing wrong with a sandwich for lunch! Good grief!

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Home School, Homeschooling,

The Civic Literacy Test

2008-12-22T11:22:00.006-06:00

Time once again to take the Civic Literacy Test from ISI. Here's my score.

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

Average score for this quiz during December: 74.7%
Average score: 74.7%

I missed the very last question! Anyway, some background: ISI does a survey of students in 50 colleges to see if college helps improve basic understanding of how America works. The Government anyway. It turns out that going to some elite universities makes you dumber. A Summary:

Seventy-one percent of Americans fail the test, with an overall average score of 49%.

Only 24% of college graduates know the First Amendment prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States.

Talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies, and monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminish a respondent’s civic literacy. (RML This includes Fox News and CNN, not just Oprah and Days of Our Lives.)

Only 54% can correctly identify a basic description of the free enterprise system, in which all Americans participate.

Check out more info at American Civic Literacy.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

Parenting Goals

2008-12-08T14:05:00.002-06:00

So, what are your goals as a parent? My wife has always thought we needed some goals, but I'm just not that kind of person that goes around making "goal" and "objectives" (much to my detriment in other areas). I want my kids to be:

Solid Christians.

Contributing members of society.

Good family men.

Workers with integrity.

Know what the heck they are talking about (i.e. educated).

Able to fix simple things

Kind but tough

and, all-around good guys.

Apparently though, I need some kind of objective measurable goals. (This was the part I hated about getting my teaching degree during the "outcome-based education" fad.) So, what kinds of goals do you have? Do you have some goals for this next year? For a longer time span?

Daily prayer?

Daily devotions?

X-number of scriptures memorized?

Understand Latin?

Know how to read music?

Please leave comments, I really am interested.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting,

Do Computers in the Home Help with Test Scores?

2008-12-04T12:28:00.004-06:00

A new study by Charles T. Clotfelter, Helen F. Ladd and Jacob L. Vigdor of Duke University shows that just having a computer in every home is not going to help students learn. In fact, it may be detrimental. Especially in Math and Reading. These are some very surprising results. Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology and Student Achievement is a 56 page PDF, just so you know. Some interesting quotes:

Among students in nursery school through 12th grade, rates of home computer use were 78% for whites and 46% for blacks; 88% for those with a postgraduate-educated parent and 35% for those with high school dropout parents.

Students who own a computer but never use it for schoolwork have math test scores nearly indistinguishable from those without a home computer, while scoring slightly better than reading. Students reporting almost daily use of their home computer for schoolwork score significantly worse than students with no computer at home.

Italics mine.

Could it be that students waste time surfing? Facebooking? Gaming? Does depending on a computer for schoolwork cause the brain to fail at learning how to figure things out? Or does working on a computer keep things in short-term memory? Does it create impatience?

Rather than spending so much time facebooking, or even doing schoolwork on the computer, what they need to be doing is learning how to do things with the computer. Create games and web pages, do programming, and yes, learn math and reading. These are the things that will help them make a good living. Sitting around entertaining themselves will only leave them and their children "underprivileged."

Discovered at Libraian.net

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers,

New Carnival of Homeschooling is Up

2008-10-01T08:40:00.002-05:00

Be sure you check out this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Dana's place. For those who may not know, a carnival is simply links to a bunch of blog posts on one subject brought together in one place.

Konos Timeline Idea

2008-09-25T15:03:00.006-05:00

We used to have a timeline across the wall down the hallway. That was a little hard on the paint and kind of a pain to keep the paper characters from falling off the wall when the kids kept dragging hands or shoulders along the wall. So my brilliant wife came up with the idea of using poster board putting the Konos timeline into a giant book. Take a look. She likes the handmade people better than the pre-made ones. She bought a book of pre-made ones, and she will still use some, but the kid-made ones are just so much more "cheery" looking.

To use the timeline, you just add things as you study history and the timeline provides a visual of how one historic event relates to other historic events, even if they are on different continents.

Tags:
Home School, Homeschooling,

Jury Duty Today

2008-09-04T15:24:00.004-05:00

Today, I went in to report for Jury Duty. A lot of people complain about jury duty and try to get out of it, but I think that jury duty is great. It’s great that our country trusts the common person to decide something of this importance. It’s great for the accused to not have to face a stacked-deck jury, or worse, no jury at all. As I looked around the room I was pretty impressed with the average American faces. The variety, the interestingness, the civic mindedness. I would love to have had a camera. I don’t think that’s allowed. Speaking of which, they confiscated my pocket knife as I entered the building. I got it back when I left.

The judge was very good. He gave instructions and then they called up 24 people (I was not among them). They got asked questions and we were supposed to be paying attention. First the prosecuting attorney asked several straightforward questions with some lessons about law thrown in. A few people were excused for one reason or another, and someone from the galley (where I was) was called to take their place. Then the defense attorney asked questions, but he was much more rambling and funny and generic in his questions. He mainly primed the jury about “presumed innocence” and “burden of proof,” which is always on the prosecution. The prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed and that this person committed the crime. Like in a football game, he may take the ball 99 yards, but if he doesn’t cross the goal line, there is no score, no finding the defendant guilty. I also learned that “reasonable doubt” is not the same as “beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

When I got home I told the family all about it and how "innocent until proven guilty" holds until all evidence has been heard. The accused is to be considered innocent by everyone in the jury until the jury goes into the room and deliberation begins.

I was never called to be one of the 24, so I was eventually released. Twelve of the ones that had to stay will be released, and the rest will spend one or two days in court. Hey, for $10 a day, who wouldn’t want to serve?

Radio Interview on Homeschooling

2008-08-12T11:13:00.003-05:00

I did a short interview with our local public radio station. The interview is 4:43 long. I begin at about 2:30. Look for Homeschooling date aired July 25, 2008, or the direct link to the interview. My voice isn't as bad as I expected, but I get a little quiet a couple of times.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

Prepare for the Beginning of School with a Party!

2008-08-01T15:11:00.003-05:00

Today the kids are having a party. We begin school on Monday. The kids and my wife hung up streamers, blew up ballons (and yes, blew-up in both senses of the word) and are having great food all day. The dear wife said that they had a lot of fun just decorating for the party.

We used to take them out for donuts on the first day of school, but my kids don't get enough sugar to be immune, so they were all hyped-up and a problem all day.

We had a "Fiesta" lunch. For those who don't know about that, here's the recipe:
All these go on as layers on your plate. They don't all sound like they would go together, but you have to try it

corn chips
beans
rice
taco meat
cheese
coconut
raisins
sour cream
black olives
salsa

The kids love it, however all but one has something they want to leave off. Not a big deal as long as it isn't the meat or rice or beans.

They are going to swim. Someone gave us a swimming pool. It was much easier to put up than I expected. It's 15 feet across and 40 inches high. Man they love it.

Tonight we are going out for pizza. The kids haven't been out to a restaurant since my Dad was here in February I think. Wait, that's not true, someone took them to McDonald's for fries last month. Anyway, have a party to start off your school year. It might take some of the sting out.

Thanks to WP Clip Art for the pic.

Tags:
Education, Parents, Parenting, Home School, Homeschooling,

John Wayne Talks about Being a Parent with Dean Martin

2008-07-25T10:05:00.005-05:00

The movie with Kirk Douglas is The War Wagon. Martin and Wayne were in Rio Bravo and The Sons of Katie Elder together.

edit: I forgot the HT: Dirty Harry's Place.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting,

Big Tent Homeschooling

2008-07-21T11:45:00.003-05:00

I was thinking of doing a post on Phariseeism, but Spunky beat me to it (Dana beat her). Here's what I posted in the comments:

We've been to one homeschool convention after our first year of homeschooling. (Five years ago already?) I wasn't particularly disgusted or inspired. I don't really see a need to "start my own" convention, a lot of us don't get too excited about any kind of convention.

"...the homeschool movement must decide whether it will work to advance a specifically Biblical vision, or take a "big tent" approach..." A movement cannot make a decision. Individuals make decisions. Sorry to disappoint all the idealists out there.

I'm not a Pharisee that wants to add rules to being a Christian. "You aren't a good Christian unless you homeschool." "You aren't a good Christian unless you homeschool the same way we do." "You aren't a good Christian unless you have a ton of kids." Or worse, generalize to everyone, "You aren't a good parent unless you homeschool."

I'm not exclusionary either. "Only Christians of my particular doctrine can homeschool." One of the nice things about homeschooling in a small town is that all the homeschoolers work together without adding additional requirements as to dress code or beliefs.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting, Home School, Homeschooling,

Hugs are Great, Even from Boys

2008-07-17T14:10:00.003-05:00

Last night we set up the tent in the back yard for the kids to sleep in. I gave my 8 year old my high-power flashlight. He smiled, took it and started to walk away, but then turned around and gave me a hug around my legs. Then he turned and left. I just said, "You're welcome." Being number three out of four boys, I think he suffers from "middle child syndrome" if any of them do. He really likes the special attention.

This morning my 12 year old son walked in, gave me a hug and walked out, never saying anything. That was nice too.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting

What Kind Of Faith Matters?

2008-07-08T13:34:00.005-05:00

I'm going to a funeral tomorrow. My friend Leon was 55. He was diagnosed with cancer last October; less than 10 months ago. He wasn't expected to die this soon. After several months on enferon, he was going to start chemo this week. Leon got sick Wednesday morning and went downhill all day, died that evening. His wife says there are things they didn't clear up or talk about because they were believing God that Leon would be healed. And if you talk about those things, doesn't that mean you are doubting God?

What I have to say about that (now) is that just because YOU have faith that God is going to do something does not mean God is going to do that something. It's a lousy world, a fallen world, and we are not soothsayers or fortune tellers, we do not know what God's will is in any situation, as much as the more hard-line among us think they do. So make those wills, talk about what happens if you die.

We have some well-meaning friends who are just sure if we have enough faith God will heal our every disease and discomfort. Hogwash. We had faith God would heal my wife when her pain started and it went on and on and on. How much faith is required? If you simply believe, isn't that faith? Leon's family is a family of massive faith. He suffered and then he died. That enferon is nasty stuff. My wife was in a much worse place mentally and emotionally when she was trying to drum up enough "faith" to be healed. She was much better after she reread Calm My Anxious Heart: A Women's Guide to Finding Contentment by Linda Dillow.

The lie with faith-healing is that it puts the focus back on me. Almost like "If I have enough faith, I can heal myself." "God is powerless unless I do something about it." That kind of mentality.

Paul "left Trophimus sick in Miletus." (2 Timothy 4:20) Does that mean Paul or a companion of Paul did not have enough faith? Timothy had a bad stomach "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses." (1 Timothy 5:23) Does that mean Timothy had a lack of faith?

Job was a man of faith and look what happened to him.

I read Job recently. My wife went through some really horrible months of pain that no one could figure out (this started right after Leon found out about his cancer - our families frequently commiserated). Job didn't answer any questions, except that there is no point to suffering; it just happens and we have to deal with it the best we can, holding on to God's goodness. I didn't do so well. Don't give me any nonsense about how Job was given everything back. His children died. Were they raised from the dead? No. Having more children does not make up for losing children.

Ecclesiastes was more comforting, if you can believe that. Ecclesiastes talks about what a meaningless life this is and you should just enjoy the good days when you have them. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

My faith has been tested by fire, and I'm not sure what it'll look like when I'm done. Perhaps there was more dross than I knew.

Tags:
Job (Bible), Suffering,

Lack of Solid Roll Models for our Young Poor

2008-06-05T09:18:00.005-05:00

Andrew Klavan has written a good piece on the lack of husbands and fathers with America's poor.

I visited a fourth-grade class in a slum school recently. Since I’m a storyteller by trade, the teacher asked me if I’d tell the kids a story. Now I’m a good storyteller and an all-around charming guy, no doubt, but I wasn’t prepared for the degree of fascination I inspired. Rambunctious mischief ceased on the instant and resolved itself into riveted attention and awestruck stares. I was awfully pleased with myself by the time I was done.

“Don’t take it personally,” the teacher told me brusquely. “It’s just that they’ve never seen anyone like you before. A man—obviously tough—who’s not a gangster.”

...Her point was that you have to take just one look at me to see what, in fact, I am: an unapologetic, because-I-said-so, head-of-household male. They used to call us “husbands” and “fathers” back in the day. That’s what these kids had never seen.

This is not only a problem in the cities, but many rural areas are facing the same problems. From southeast Kansas to the Great Smokey Mountains, if the area was built on something other than farming, such as mining, or small factories, or as a transportation hub, then poverty is a big problem. Most of those types of jobs are now gone and so is hope for a better future. Then, any motivated young people leave the area taking with them the chance of better jobs in the future. Families break down and meth moves in. At least that's what happened around here.

The most important part of Klavan's article is where he talks about conservatives rebuilding culture. If I was more creative, I'd love to take part in that.

Technorati Tags:
Roll Models, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Fathers

Evan Almighty DVD Movie Review

2008-05-16T15:24:00.008-05:00

Rated PG, Directed by Tom Shadyac, Starring Steve Carrel, Lauren Graham, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman. 2007.

“The LORD works in mysterious ways.” Evan Almighty supports this non-Biblical saying in a very funny fashion. Just so you know where I cam coming from, I am theologically conservative and am always concerned about how Believers are portrayed in movies. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Hollywood film, but I am pleasantly surprised to find it enjoyable on a just-a-movie level, and to see positive examples of outrageous acts of faith.

You may remember Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) from Bruce Almighty as Bruce Nolan’s (Jim Carrey) job rival. Baxter is a newscaster from Buffalo, New York, who wins a seat in the US Senate. He moves his wife Joan and three sons, ~~Ham, Shem, and Japeth~~ Dylan, Jordan, and Ryan, to suburban Virginia, outside D.C. The family is so excited they even pray. The wife (Lauren Graham), nervous about how much time Evan will spend on his new job, prays for the family to grow closer. Evan prays for God to help him fulfill his campaign slogan: “Change the World.” Evan, like most of us, just expects a little unseen nudge from above to make things go smoothly. His prayer does not get answered the way he expected. Neither does Joan’s.

From his first day in the Senate, Baxter is favored by bigwig Senator Long (John Goodman) and his career looks great. Plans go awry when God (Morgan Freeman) reveals to Evan that he needs to build a boat. Not just any boat, a 450 foot long Ark. Baxter is your standard reluctant hero. But, animals start following him. His beard grows rapidly. Soon it’s a not really a choice between God or a comfortable life. Don’t worry, God does not break his promise and flood the world again. But there is a reason for the Ark.

Don’t think of this as a sequel to Bruce Almighty,think of it as a companion movie. Carell’s humor is not as broad as Carrey’s. The movie is appropriate for families and non-offensive to Christians or Jews.

The biggest problem in the movie happens right off the bat. Carell does not seem like the kind of guy who could win a Senate seat in New York. His character is a driven perfectionist, and a newscaster may be popular enough to win. So, for the sake of the rest of the movie, just let that pass.

Morgan Freeman is an inspired choice for God (pun intended). One has to have a certain gravitas to play God. A generation earlier James Earl Jones would have played the part. Much biblical wisdom about obedience is dispensed. It’s good to remember Psalm 110:10 and Proverbs 9:10 going in: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

The movie is funnier than expected (unless you are expecting Jim Carrey funny). Of course, I don’t have high expectations for most current comedy. Not that I’m nostalgic for some “good-old-days.” Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions. Ecclesiastes 7:10 (New International Version) Most new comedies are coarse and lack wit. Many seem like a series of sketches put together, rather than a story with humorous situations arising out of the storyline that builds to a climax. The climax here is ridiculous, but keeps with the spirit of the tale.

Evan Almighty has some cleverness. Pay attention to the names of the wood company and the real estate lady, though her name has no significance the way the wood companies does.

You’ll find Evan Almightysomewhat predictable (especially if you know the Noah story), but an enjoyable ride.

Tags:
Evan Almighty, Steve Carell, Movie Reviews, DVD Reviews

Should I Homeschool my Children?

2008-01-10T09:45:00.000-06:00

I wrote this in 2003. We now homeschool all our children and they all like it more than public school.

To Home School or Not to Home School

Should you consider home schooling for your children? For one of them? For all of them? Is there one that may need direct attention more than others? Our first grader is very bright and has a vocabulary that is way beyond first grade, however he isn’t getting his seat work done in school. His Kindergarten brother loves school and does very well with his paper work (this has changed somewhat). The first grader is very flighty and doesn’t appear to be listening, but when he asked a direct question he almost always knows the answer. But ask him to put the answer on paper and you may have to wait for over an hour to get two sentences. It's possible he is gifted, or he could be right-brained, he is most certainly strong willed, spirited, and internally motivated. These can be good or bad traits, depending on what he does with them.

So what is the best way to get him turned the right direction? Would leaving him in public school with a teacher that must divider her time between 23 other children be best or would taking him out for a few years and investing in him be the wiser path? Home schooling seems to have the most advantages according to everything we have read, except for the amount of work required for the parents (even though the mother usually does the majority of the teaching, both parents should be involved for home schooling to work).

One concern many people express about home schooling is "Won't the child be deprived of important socialization?" The smart-alack answer is "I'm homeschooling the child, not hiding him." There are plenty of opportunities for socialization. Is the only way for a child to gain social skills to be stuck in a room with 25 other immature kids his age? There are opportunities during worship times, the park, the store, the YMCA, and of course with the family.

Home schooling may not be for every child or every parent, but it is a viable option for those who are willing to put in the extra effort for those kids that may not fit the regular school system. Our decision has been to home school one, while leaving the other in school. One wants to be home schooled, while the other wants to stay in public school.

Technorati Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

One Tough Mom and One Dumb Kid

2008-01-09T11:38:00.001-06:00

A mom puts an ad in the paper to sell the kid's car after she finds alcohol in it. Good for her.

Technorati Tags:
Parenting

The Simple Life and Celebration of Discipline

2007-12-20T10:57:00.001-06:00

This last couple of months on Sunday evenings, we had a small group reading Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. Foster has a chapter on “Simplicity.” It should be obvious that it is a discipline to live simply. Many things in our culture conspire against a simple life. Many things in human nature conspire against living simply. I myself frequently cannot decide if I want my beat up old Ford Ranger to drive around, or if I want a ‘34 Ford Sedan hot rod with flames and lots of chrome. Do I want to live in an uber-practical home built into the earth, or do I want to live in a fancy Victorian? Both are equally appealing to me. A librarian’s salary keeps me pretty practical for now.

One of my comments was about those who use their simple life as a source of pride. Many of the “crunchy-granola” types are just as much into consumerism as any Lexus driver, they have just chosen a different type of consumerism. My wife was looking at Mother Earth News and decided she isn’t green enough, at least green with cash, to do or buy a lot of what is considered “the simple life” by them.

Americans forget what anti-consumerism really looks like. For example, the movie American Beauty is called an anti-consumerism movie. Kevin Spacey’s character rejects suburban values, but he spends $2000 per ounce for marijuana and buys the 1972 Pontiac Firebird of his dreams. Yes, in many ways he simplifies; works minimum wage, doesn’t care about the $4000 sofa, etc, but what he does buy is solely for recreation.

At our house we do many of the things that Crunchy Cons do; recycle, compost, garden, homeschool, conservation, want solar panels, avoid buying stuff, are pro-small community, anti-big business (to a degree). However, we don’t get all worked up about any of these items and don’t get onto others for not doing them.

We had a family living across from us that had two children. We have four. Every week when the trash went out to the curb they had an overflowing trash can, ours is usually only half full. I wondered how that could be. I think we just buy less stuff in addition to the recycling. I can very easily get proud about our simple lifestyle, but I do what I do because it’s the right thing to do, or it’s what I want to do, not because of anyone else around me. Indeed, one of my shortcomings is probably that I don’t give a hang what anyone other than my wife thinks. This too can be overdone.

My wife is on a healthy eating kick. “As long as it tastes good,” I say to her. She claims she doesn’t feel well and this will help. Between all the conflicting ideas; “Canola oil is good for you” “Never use canola oil,” “Lard is bad for you,” “Lard is natural so your body can process it,” and the price of eating healthy, I’m not sure how much we can do, but every little bit helps. And as our homesteading homeschooling all-natural friends assure us, just start with a few things, then you can add more later. Don’t try to do it all at once.
Tags:
Living Simply, Frugal Living, Mother Earth News, Celebration of Discipline,

Solomon, the First Existentialist

2007-12-19T08:45:00.000-06:00

Solomon, the first Existentialist. Ecclesiastes is a book for the weary, the hopeless, those with a bleak outlook on life. James W. Sire in his book The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog claims that Existentialism builds from Naturalism which, with its denial of any higher purpose than ourselves, leads either to Hedonism (the worship of pleasure), or to Nihilism (the denial of purpose) which if one has the guts to go on, leads to Existentialism. Existentialism seeks meaning in “Authenticity” of the self and the choices one makes. Existentialism's focus is Doing and Subjective understanding of truth. Hence, many aspects/elements of Postmodernism are just Existentialism writ large.

Solomon was despondent. He looked for meaning in "this miserable life" and found none in the several things that he searched for, all idols, workaholism, hedonism (my personal favorite), power, wealth, and its relative, materialism. All things that we also turn to instead of God for our comfort, our meaning, and all are just as empty today. Without God, what sort of purpose would make sense? The reason I say Solomon was an Existentialist, is that even when he gave it all up to God, there is still a pervading sense of melancholy and fatalism about it.

Do you know why he was so down? 300 wives. Add to that, 700 concubines. 1000 women. I can't even imagine. Sure, his flesh was happy but his soul was empty. Something happened between Song of Solomon, his passionate, explicit letter to his first love, and the end of his life with 1000 women. I can't help but think that if he had stuck with that one, life would have been fulfilling for him. One special person to share his burdens, to know him intimately, to meet his needs, to grow with him. I cannot express how wonderful marriage can be. To share a life with one other person and to grow together.

Tags:
Ecclesiastes, Existentialism, Meaning of Life

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2007-12-14T12:50:00.000-06:00

My seven-year-old was in the room while my lovely wife and I were talking, and the lovely wife said the word "enthusiastically." The seven-year-old perked up and said, "That's a book of the Bible!"

He was thinking of Ecclesiastes.

Homeschool Stereotypes

2007-10-09T08:57:00.000-05:00

I get an email from Books and Culture. Editor John Wilson writes some personal notes to begin each week and this week he wrote this:

On Saturday, before Joel left for the airport, I asked him if he had something good to read on the flight home. He told me he'd been reading in the Founding era, and he was struck by the frequent references to Locke, so he was reading Locke's treatises on civil government. Joel is homeschooled, which means among other things that he's currently (in what would be his senior year of high school) taking classes at a junior college in the Houston area (and tutoring students there and in high school in math and physics). Spending time with him made me think again about the absurd caricatures of homeschooling and homeschooled kids that many people accept at face value.

I thought that was quite nice.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

The Disappearance of Shop Class

2007-10-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

Here are two interesting articles on "The Disappearance of Shop Class" and how we are made to handle things, fix things and create things. In our disposable culture we are missing this very important "agency" of who we are. Boy, don't I know it. I get really frustrated with guys who sit impotent claiming they can't fix things or work on the car, or the house, or whatever. I take everything apart to see if I can fix it before I decide to buy something new. I don't always do a perfect job, many times (every time?) a professional would do a much better job, but I believe it is worthwhile to my self-image for me to try. Plus it saves money. Although, I will admit, I've pretty much given up on plumbing. I say that, but just this week I replaced the dishwasher (after taking the old one apart) and the kitchen faucet (after taking the old one apart) and neither one leaked! On the dishwasher, the circuit board was bad after 5 years of 2 or 3 loads a day, and the thing never worked well anyway. You get what you pay for. The faucet leaked from the factory seal where the pipe goes into the unit and the new one was given to me by someone who got a fancier one given to him.

The original article is "Shop Class as Soulcraft" by Matthew B. Crawford. Here is an interview with Matthew Crawford in PDF. Starts on page 8. Both are very good. If you want a short intro to the idea, read the interview. The New Atlantis essay is long. I would say this should be required reading for all young men and those training boys to be men.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Manual Labor, Home School, Homeschooling,

Vacation Part II

2007-08-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

Jamestown
Jamestown is a great place to visit. If you are a homeschooler, your family can get in part of it free. There are two parts of Jamestown, the National Parks Service side, which is the original location, and a part run by the Jamestowne/Yorktown group. The NPS side is free to school groups and homeschools. Check the guidelines on the website. Basically you have to write a letter stating who you are, and how many you have. As a side note, when we went, the guy who takes the money or letters didn’t seem to want to give us the map or pamphlet that he had just given the cash paying man in front of me. I guess you can come with your own information, but we didn’t haul our books and website printouts with us from Kansas to Virginia. Besides, we wanted some keepsakes in addition to the information.

The NPS park has a live archeological dig going on, and a museum with a lot the stuff they discovered, including some skeletons. Other than that, they have a few cannon, some statues, and the church, but mostly it’s just “this is where they really were.”

The other side of Jamestown is right next to the NPS site. It has recreations of the Jamestown fort, a Powhattan village, and the three ships that brought over the original settlers; The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. You will not believe how small the ships are. Though, as one of the “actors” said when my kids said something about the diminutive ships, “The Titanic sunk.” The Indian village was pretty cool. Out here all we ever see are teepees, so to see more permanent structures of wood and skin was pretty cool.

In the fort, by boys were mostly impressed with the armory, where all the weapons were kept; pikes, swords, shields, and of course, matchlock guns (don’t call them rifles). There was armor just inside the gate that kids could put on, and every child did.

Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. was really something. We only had one day there (I know, bad planning, we thought we would have two, still not enough), and tried to see the monuments. When I talked to people before we went, they kept saying “You have to see suchandsuch, it’s right off the Mall.” I couldn’t see how everything could be “right off the Mall.” Now that I’ve been there, I know how. The Mall is HUGE. Don’t think you are going to walk it with small kids. And the Jefferson Memorial is way off to the side. About one hour walking with kids. That’s just for the Jefferson and the FDR memorials. It was beautiful however. The whole mall area is. I couldn’t even feel the corruption in the air. There were lots of people jogging. I mean lots. They were everywhere, all day long. It was amazing.

Jamestown part 2

2007-06-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

How do some people post every day? I had this great plan for a three-part series on our trip to Virginia and Washington D.C., but here it is, one month later, and I haven't even got part two written yet. Here are some pictures. Hope this works.

Slideshow: Click on the picture to be taken to photo album.

Monticello, Virginia

A photo album:

by poncho58

Another slide show: Which way do you prefer?

Wahington D.C.

Tags:
Virginia, Monticello, Jamestown, Washington, D.C.

Families going on Vacation

2007-05-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

We took our tax return this year and spent it on our first real family vacation. A good friend from high school and college lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a cousin lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. We went to Monticello, Jamestown, and Washington, D.C. I’m going to post several tips for families planning a trip.

We rented a minivan. Our 10 year old van has a few problems for such a long trip (Kansas to the East Coast – about 20 hours each way). We couldn’t get an affordable price locally, so we had to pick one up at the Kansas City International Airport. This was a few hours out of our way, but near the In-laws, so we could drop-off our van and not pay the airport fees, and they fed us lunch. TIP The best price we could get was through http://www.hotwire.com/. They sent us to Hertz. I’m not sure why Hertz didn’t give us the same or better deal themselves without the middleman, but there you have it. We will NEVER rent from Enterprise. They ripped off a friend of ours so badly, even the cynic I am, I was amazed. I don’t know if it was just the Joplin, MO store, or if it’s company wide, but they will NEVER get my business. I should blog about it sometime. If there was a chance Hotwire would send us to Enterprise, we wouldn’t use them either. One note about Hotwire, they only have locations in very large cities. More on the minivan later. It was great.

We planned on spending the night in Frankfort, Kentucky. That seemed about halfway. Daniel Boone’s grave is there. We booked for two adults and 4 children. When we got to the hotel (really a motel) there were only two beds in the room. So I had to go ask for a cot and get all that straightened out. The gal was very friendly and helpful, but she told me it was best to call the hotel directly to make reservations. This is good for two reasons. One, things are more likely to be done right, and two, the full amount goes to the local hotel and part of it is not siphoned off to some conglomerate somewhere else. TIP So search the internet to find the best price, then find the phone number of the local hotel that you want and talk to them directly.

Also, because I stay in hotels once a year or so for conferences, I am member of something called Trip Rewards. This is because, at one hotel, the person said “If you join today you can save 10% on your room.” So I said “OK,” figuring I would never use it again. It works at Days Inn, Ramada, Super 8, and several other hotels as well as airlines and travel things. I forgot about it for a while and probably could have used it when I flew for the first time in 20 years last year. As you use your membership, you add up points that you can eventually redeem for a free (romantic?) night stay in a hotel, free CDs, charitable donations, etc. It’s going to take us forever before we have enough points to amount to anything, but so what? It doesn’t cost anything to join, all I have to do is give my Trip Rewards number when making a reservation. I don’t think you can use Trip Rewards if you use Hotwire, so we couldn’t use it for the van rental.

Tags:
Vacation, Travel,

Carnival of Family Life

2007-04-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

We are in the new Carnival Of Family Life.

Tags:
Carnival of Family Life, Parents, Parenting,

Lost Sheep and Answered Prayer

2007-04-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

This is something my wife wrote and sent out in an email.

Hello!

Over a month ago we lost Mr. Ellie, Seth's favorite, beloved stuffed elephant who is 'well-loved,' and VERY 'real.' (If you've ever read the Velveteen Rabbit, you'll know what I mean by 'real,' loved so much and so heartily you are not so good looking any more.) Seth has been very sad about this and has refused to sleep with a replacement animal.

Yesterday we were reading the Bible story about Jesus going after the one lost sheep and that brought to mind Mr. Ellie. We talked about how sad we were that he was lost and how we had looked everywhere we could think of but still hadn't been able to find him. Tears welled up in Seth and Isaac's eyes. Then it occurred to me to ask him if he had prayed to find the elephant. (I wonder where that thought came from? Ha!)

He said he had not and I told him, "Why don't we pray now that the God who loves to find the lost would help us." So we did. They could not pray because they were choked up so I prayed for us all.

A little while later, it occurred to me to look in our bin that holds coats, hats, etc. that we were getting ready to put away, wondering if he might have been thrown in there by mistake. (I wonder where that thought came from? Ha!) I had no natural reason to look there.

Well I forgot to look right away...

So later, when I was talking to Robert, the thought came to me again to look in the bin. (I wonder where that thought came from? Ha!) So I started emptying it out and lo and behold, THERE WAS MR. ELLIE!!! You should have seen me. I was ecstatic! Such a tender and obvious answer to our prayer.

When Seth saw that elephant, JOY was written all over his face. He hugged that elephant like he would NEVER let it go again. Tears were in his eyes (and would be off and on for quite awhile). We talked about, with much praise and rejoicing, how Jesus had helped us to find our 'lost sheep,' just like the Bible story that morning. I know this memory will imprint that story and the Lord's love for us and the lost indelibly on my mind. (And I pray that it will also be stored in the hearts of my 2 small children who witnessed this answer to prayer.) That He cares enough to help us find a lost stuffed elephant speaks volumes since, in the eternal scheme of things, stuffed animals are low in priority I would imagine!

So I send out this story as an offering of praise to a wonderful Holy God who cares about the minute details of my life and my family's lives. To the God Who cared enough to send His only Son, Jesus, to die for sins of all (including mine) so the lost could be saved if they would believe in Him! Thank Father and Jesus for the sacrifice You made on our behalf.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved!" John 3:16-17

May God treat you as tenderly today as He treats me!
Love,
L

Tags:
Prayer, Parenting

Chip Ingram on Parenting

2007-02-08T11:50:00.000-06:00

As I’ve said before, there isn’t just one person or philosophy that we follow. So what follows is not an uncritical endorsement, it’s just info. No, I'm not making any money if you buy from clicking on these links, they are just there for your convenience.

Lately in our Sunday School class we have been listening to this guy Chip Ingram from Walk Through The Bible. My wife says he looks a lot like me. That may be true except his teeth look like they are filed off smooth while mine look like they were placed by a drunk (my wife didn’t say that). First we listened to a CD set House or Home on parenting and marriage and now we are watched a DVD set called Effective Parenting in a Defective World. I like a lot of what he says, but you can tell he is preaching to yuppies, and sometimes I think he softsells to them. Though actually he hits quite hard on several things that many of us as Americans, Westerners, whateverers, Parents, struggle with.

Anyway, the best thing he says that too many people parent out of fear. I know I see this a lot, and I think these are the kids that get out and have trouble, rebel, whatever. It’s best when parents have a focus, a target, a positive that they are shooting for, not a negative that they are cowering from. The kids from the positive focus grow strong and confident and go out in the world strong and confident for God. The kids from the fear families are unsure and as a result waver.

BTW that “focus” or “target” is holiness and godliness, not excellence in sports, or academics, or perfection in church attendance, etc. Ingram does caution against holiness without fun. There is a balance. He talked about how they would once a week, as a family, share prayer requests, pray, and then go out for ice cream. Make it a celebration! YEAH! GOD IS FUN!

Tags: Parents, Parenting,

Put Parents In Control Of School

2007-01-11T14:01:00.001-06:00

This Christianity Today article is what I've been saying for a long time. The ACLU has no business telling a local school what to do. Give back local control, within reason. Or take your kids out and homeschool. It's not easy, but it's not as hard as so many people seem to think. Plus, it's what's BEST for the kids. Have we forgotten that we are to do what is best for the kids and not what's convenient for us?

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

How to talk to your kids about sex

2007-01-08T16:26:00.001-06:00

Well, I had "the talk" or "the sex talk" with my oldest boy. He’s 11. His 18 year-old unmarried cousin just had a baby. "How can that happen?" he asks. Other things have been happening and I knew it was time. We went out for coffee (decaf for him) and pie and a talk. It was a good talk, he didn’t quite understand it all, but we were both comfortable and it opened communication on the topic and I think that is the most important thing at this point. I say "the talk," but I believe it is the beginning of an education that will continue.

Here is an outline of what we covered:

The physical act: This blew his mind and I kinda backed off. "Just don’t get naked with a girl until you are married."

If you father a child, you are responsible for that child. That's why you are supposed to be married to have sex. That means marrying the girl if you aren't. Don’t have sex if you don’t want to marry her.

Sex is more than physical, there are a lot of emotions that go on, and it gets complicated, that's why we have divorces, broken hearts, etc.

Temptations: If you go to a friends house and a magazine or movie shows naked women, don’t look at it. If you give in to a temptation at a young age, it’s like you bend your own armor. What happens to metal when you bend it? It’s never the same and it’s weak. Satan will know this weak spot and use it against you your entire life. Not just this temptation, but any sin (anger, lying, etc).

We talked about more, but this is a good outline.

Tags:
Sex Education, Parents, Parenting, Preteens, Homeschooling,

What is Going ON???!!!

2006-10-10T09:25:00.001-05:00

Joplin, MO, about 40 minutes from me had a school shooting! A 13 year old took an [edit it's an AK-47-like wepon with an altered 30 round clip that may have caused it to missfire saving the principal's life] into school and fired one shot in the ceiling. In a Middle School! A 13 year old! Thank God no one was injured. Thank God the school had a competent and brave principal.

Riverton, KS, High school, about 15 minutes from me, had 5 boys arrested for planning a "Columbine-type" shooting. On the news last night some mother of a Joplin Middle Schooler was crying and she said, "That's it. I'm homeschooling."

Is an inner-city school now safer than a small-town school? When I was 14 (about 1979) a friend brought a switchblade to school. But he kept it hidden from teachers and most other students. It was to show off to friends, not to threaten anyone. Most of us carried pocket-knives to school, but we never thought about hurting someone with them.

I even had friends that had guns in their car at high school, but no one thought about using one unless one's life was endangered. No one wanted to lose the gun to the authorities I suppose.

What has happened that so many students feel so disconnected that they are willing to go to such extremes to get attention or revenge? How are these kids not getting the message that there is an entire life to be lived? And that taking that life from someone else is serious business? I know that the teen years are self-focused, but, empathy can still be there.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, School Shootings, Joplin, MO, Riverton, KS

Goals for Parents

2006-09-13T14:21:00.001-05:00

Here is something my wife wrote:

Good, Better, Best
Most people seem to think if a parent clothes and feeds his/her children well, gets them to school on time, and makes them do their homework then the job is over. My parenting philosophy has evolved a lot from that over the past few years, both from things the Lord has been teaching me and from things I have been learning from other godly parents I’ve met who are striving to protect, teach, and enjoy their children.
I believe that a parent seeking the BEST level:
—protects children from harm and evil influences at all times as far as humanly possible, no matter the criticism from others and prays for God’s protection to cover what the parent cannot.
—trains children in all life skills necessary to function in a capable and excellent manner in their adult lives.
—teaches children to love God wholeheartedly and to serve Him first and fully.
—ensures children learn everything academically necessary to succeed and excel in the purpose God has for each one. Another person might do the actual teaching of the skills, but the parent is responsible to see the children are educated.
—loves children in all the above mentioned ways, as well as being deeply affectionate and spending great quantities of time lavishing attention on the children in the forms of working, playing, reading, learning, and laughing together.

Any thoughts?

Tags:
Parents, Parenting, Home School, Homeschooling,

Kids say

2006-09-12T14:12:00.002-05:00

The other day we made pizza. There were two pieces still on the table when we were finishing up. Erik (9 years old) called the plain cheese piece for lunch the next day. Joshua (10 years old) started to call the sasuage and pepper slice, but I said I might still eat it tonight. Joshua looked at me and said, "You wouldn't deprive me of my lunch, would you?" What could I do? He got it.

Carnival Of Homeschooling is Ready

2006-08-22T11:12:00.000-05:00

Patricia at Pollywog Creek Porch has the new Carnival of Homeschooling using the Everglades as the theme. Check it, it's informative as always.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

Alternative School Year Plan

2006-08-18T16:47:00.001-05:00

Many people have asked us, "Have you started school yet?" or "When do you start back up?" We do things a bit different here. We work on a schedule of 3 weeks on, 1 week off, with 3 weeks off for summer and 2 weeks off at Christmas. So we pretty much school most of the time, but with lots of "breaks" to allow my wife (who does most of the teaching) a chance to recover and plan for another short burst. This is what works for us. You may have to do something different. If you are an unschooler, this is probably irrelevant to you.

Tags:
Home School, Homeschooling,

Big Famililies are OK and More

2006-08-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

Here are a few links I would like to let everyone know about. The first two are from Christianity Today.

The Case for Kids and A Counter Trend—Sort Of.

In other news on college: Walter Williams and Don't Think Outside the College Box By Debra J. Saunders

And Chuck Colson on Kansas and Evolution, Michael Medved on gay marrigage
Tags:
Large Families, Parents, Parenting, College liberals

Here's a Book for You...

2006-06-14T11:33:00.001-05:00

Contemporary Critics of Education. edited by Howard Ozman. Danville, Ill., Interstate Printers & Publishers [1970] Contents:
How to read a book, by M. J. Adler.--The house of intellect, by J. Barzun.--Educational wastelands, by A. E. Bestor.--The process of education, by J. S. Bruner.--I and thou, by M. Buber.--The citadel of learning, by J. B. Conant.--Compulsory mis-education, by P. Goodman.--The conflict in education, by R. M. Hutchins.--Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, by A. Huxley.--The miseducation of American teachers, by J. D. Koerner.--Education at the crossroads, by J. Maritain.--Education and human relations, by A. Montagu.--The secret of childhood, by M. Montessori.--Summerhill, by A. S. Neill.--What are they doing to your children? By M. Rafferty.--Education and freedom, by H. G. Rickover.--Education and the good life, by B. Russell.--The science of learning and the art of teaching, by B. F. Skinner.--The aims of education, by A. N. Whitehead.

Kinda old, but the criticisms stand. Not all the critics agree with each other either. It's amazing to me just how many of our current problems were being written about 50 years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same. See if you can find the book, perhaps through Inter-Library Loan. At least 329 libraries own it.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Books, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

A nine year old on abortion

2006-06-12T13:15:00.001-05:00

Nat Hentoff tells about a 9-year old boy who sees clearly.

A longtime friend of mine is married to a doctor who also performs abortions. At the dinner table one recent evening, their 9-year-old son — having heard a word whose meaning he didn't know — asked, "What is an abortion?" His mother, choosing her words carefully, described the procedure in simple terms.

"But," said her son, "that means killing the baby." The mother then explained that there are certain months during which an abortion cannot be performed, with very few exceptions. The 9-year-old shook his head. "But," he said, "it doesn't matter what month. It still means killing the babies."

Tags:
Abortion, Pro-Life

2006-06-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Hagelin warns us about what we let the kids read. I prefer the classics myself.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

On Prop 82 and Universal State-Funded PreSchool

2006-06-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Roback Morse on Prop 82.

These same kinds of studies are used to browbeat stay at home mothers into placing their kids in preschools or daycare centers. "Am I harming my child by depriving him of the enriching preschool experience?" mothers ask me all the time. No, I always reply.

After all, we wouldn’t want to give credit to parents. Everyone knows parents are the problem. The sooner we get kids away from their parents and into government run schools, the better off everyone will be.

Proposition 82 requires preschool teachers to have approximately five years of college. Proposition 82 funds would pay a half billion dollars to colleges and universities to develop new courses. There is no proven benefit to this increased credentialism.

Also Nathanael Blake is one of the best young writers out there, even if I don't always agree with him.

Conservatives generally hold to the traditional perspective of homosexuality being something one does (i.e. sexual acts with others of the same sex), for liberals, homosexuality is something one is. The whole point of morality is the suppressing of wrong or inappropriate urges, and the encouragement of good ones.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

Texas Vacation Highlights

2006-05-31T13:48:00.001-05:00

We went to Texas last week to see my dad. He has an antique store in Taylor called Wooden Heart Antiques, and he and his wife were on HGTV a while back.

Anyway, while we were there we went to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and the Dr. Pepper Museum, both in Waco. As a former Soda Pop Bottle collector (I have about 400 bottles), I really liked the Dr. Pepper Museum, but they didn't give free samples. Two years ago we went to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. They gave free samples. The Texas Ranger museum had lots and lots of guns. Pretty neat, especially for 4 boys.

In Austin, there is a cool Austin Science & Nature Center that is free. In addition to fossils, lots of trails and some wild animals, they also have a sand pit where kids can dig for cement fossils. We then went to the overpriced Austin Children's Museum. It's not so much a museum as it is a big play house with some science thrown in. It was $33.50 for two adults and 4 kids. I don't think we will go back to the Children's Museum. The kids seemed to have as much fun at the park, but, the park isn't air conditioned.

Of course, all the museums count toward homeschool hours.

We also ate some really good food. Mexican, barbecue, and real hamburgers that will spoil you from the fast-food junk forever. The city of Taylor has a very nice park that is very shaded. A good thing to have in Texas. The temps were in the mid-to-high 90s all week.

Tags:
Texas, Dr. Pepper, Museums, Austin, Texas, Waco, Texas, Antiques, Homeschooling,

The Supreme Court of the United States has Already Said Marriage is Between One Woman and One Man

2006-05-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

U.S. Supreme Court MURPHY v. RAMSEY, 114 U.S. 15 (1885) This case deals with a law in Utah not allowing bigamists or polyamists to vote. This is toward the end of the decision, 4th paragraph from the bottom. And we know that once the Court decides, by golly, that is binding LAW.

For, certainly, no legislation can be supposed more wholesome and necessary in the founding of a free, self-governing commonwealth, fit to take rank as one of the co-ordinate states of the Union, than that which seeks to establish it on the basis of the idea of the family, as consisting in and springing from the union for life of one man and one woman in the holy estate of matrimony; the sure foundation of all that is stable and noble in our civilization; the best guaranty of that reverent morality which is the source of all beneficent progress in social and political improvement. And to this end no means are more directly and immediately suitable than those provided by this act, which endeavors to withdraw all political influence from those who are practically hostile to its attainment.

Tags:
Marriage Amendment, Marriage, Murphy v Ramsey

Links on Education

2006-05-15T13:25:00.002-05:00

Don't give us government childcare for Mother's Day by Carrie Lukas. It's amazing to me how many people find ways to get what they want without the government's involvement. People who make due with less, or women who find ways to earn money at home. Why should my taxes be used to pay for your kid to be picked on and ignored? If that's what you want then pay for it yourself.

"[F]eminist author Kate Millet argues, children are better served by “professional” caregivers: “The care of the young is infinitely better left to trained professionals rather than to harried amateurs with little time nor taste for the education of young minds.” American parents disagree. Harried amateurs that we are, we tend to think that young kids are better off at home—and even many career mothers wish for more time with their children. "

Star Parker writes about the NAACP's fight against private school vouchers. In Florida,

"During the past school year, 740 students participated in the Opportunity Scholarship Program, of which 64 percent were black and 30 percent Hispanic. The students are practically all from low-income families."

Let's see, 64+30=94. So 94% of kids using vouchers were minorities and low income. The NAACP can't let that happen. Such a thing might weaken the bonds between them and the NEA. Why there is a bond there I don't know. Any union or group that kept my race from advancing for the last 50 years wouldn't have my support.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling, Vouchers, Universal Daycare,

Debra J. Saunders on Raising Education Standards

2006-05-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

Debra J. Saunders talks about the crazy world of California. Specifically, the education and judicial systems. Seems a judge has put a halt to the test all people must pass to graduate.

"It's sad but true: All California schools are not equal. The question is: What do you do about the inequity? Do you sanction the inequity by allowing students to graduate ignorant? Is that fair? Or do you require that all graduates be able to read a news story and know what it means when a sale sign says "25 percent off"?"

I hope to actually write some soon, but in addition to my full time job, I've been hired to do some writing for one person and web site designing for another, so I have other priorities at this time.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Teachers

Links for Families and Luddites

2006-05-09T13:30:00.001-05:00

To begin, Jerry Large wants to push "pause" on all the new stuff. Specifically all the new stuff that has too much stuff. Meaning, a dishwasher with more than 3 buttons. Call me a Luddite, but it's overkill. Why is it that you can't buy a high-quality, well-built item that doesn't also do 20 things you don't need it to do? I want a well-built, comfortable car, but I don't need each seat to have it's own thermostat. I want a VCR with a fantastic picture and sound, but I don't need 800 programming options. Can I get the one with out the other?

Second link, An Education that May Pay for College. Straight forward investing, without all the bureaucracy.

Third link, and a good one, Rebecca Hagelin reviews Christian Ethics in Plain Language.

It may seem like the height of sophistication to think that we can (or should) load our children with facts and figures and then leave it up to them to decide what's right and wrong. In fact, it's a moral abdication of our duties as parents.

And of course the Homeschool Carnival, week 19. Some good thoughts on raising boys this time around.

And lastly, but never leastly, The Carnival of Kid Comedy.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

Links that make you say "Oh My!"

2006-04-28T15:52:00.001-05:00

Good grief! Jeff Jacoby talks about "public schools vs. parents' values." Man, can you believe the arrogance of the school teachers?

"We couldn't run a public school system if every parent who feels some topic is objectionable to them for moral or religious reasons decides their child should be removed," LexingtonÂs superintendent of schools, Paul Ash, told the Globe. "Lexington is committed to teaching children about the world they live in, and in Massachusetts same-sex marriage is legal."

I like the first line. They can't run the schools now! Jacoby responds with

"But homosexuality and gay marriage are not like arithmetic or geography; they cannot be separated from questions of morality, justice, and decency."

Much as I love Car Talk and This Old House, I would never live in Massachusetts.

And there's the war between Creationists and ID proponents. See here and here.

And the Carnival of Homeschooling. Some really, really good posts, and I'm only 1/3 of the way through it.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling, Creationism Intelligent Design

"Sexy Poker" to Tweens?

2006-04-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

I see over at The Travelin Librarian that something wrong has happened. A game called Sexy Poker is marketed to tweens (kids from 8-12) via cell phone. There is something very, very wrong here.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting, Tweens, Cell Phones

Links for 4-25-06

2006-04-25T15:05:00.000-05:00

I've been very busy lately and will try to get some posts up this next week. I am planning a series on parenting styles. Until then, try these links.

Rebecca Hagelin on some Bible story books.

Suzanne Fields on manners.

Jennifer Roback Morse on the differences between men and women.

Links for 4-19-06

2006-04-19T15:47:00.000-05:00

I thought I had four links, but can't find two of them.

First, Rebecca Hagelin talks about the librarian being investigated for sexual harassment for recommending a few conservative books. As a conservative academic librarian this story is intrinsically interesting to me. More on this story here.

Second, Maggie Gallagher brings up the question, "Who is Caitlin Flanagan and what planet is she from?" Ms. Flanagan writes about stay-at-home-moms, but the ones that "she knows and writes about are educated, liberal, at-home mothers who too often proudly announce: "I'm home taking care of my kids, but I'm sure as hell not home to care for my husband."" And for Spunky who often writes concerning educating for the corporate world,

"For Caitlin, the point of having a mother at home is not so that your children will get into Harvard, or score that big executive job. A home is not a factory for producing children for corporations. The home is not a mere means; it is one of the great things in life you can have, create or give to someone you love. The real point of having a mother at home with children is that children get to be home with a mother who loves them."

And my favorite quote,

"You need to understand something about men," Caitlin tells me. "Men really want to help women. Yes, there are bad men in the world. Avoid them. Most of them show their stripes very early." (And if women weren't busily being sexual with men they hardly know, adds Flanagan, they might find it easier to spot the cads before they moved in with them. But that's another story.)

I read Flanagan's article in The Atlantic and thought it was quite insightful.

Tags:
Librarians, Academic Freedom, Parents, Parenting, Stay at Home Moms

The Teacher's Union Won't Let John Stossel Teach

2006-04-05T16:31:00.000-05:00

Well, John Stossel took up the teacher's union's challenge to teach, but they pulled the carpet from under him. The network should sue for lost time. There was a lot of beauracracy to wade through, then, they cancelled. I bet Mr. Stossel would be a great teacher.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools,

Evolution Creationism

2006-04-03T17:37:00.000-05:00

The LA Times is covering the evolution/creationism controversy in Kansas and Missouri. They still don't understand the Kansas Board of Education standards on evolution. Here is the story.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Evolution, Creationism, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

4th Carnival of Kid Comedy

2006-04-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

The 4th Carnvial of Kid Comedy is up at Life in A Shoe. A very good one this week!

A Funny Story

2006-03-31T08:20:00.001-06:00

Talking to the kids at lunch the other day, I asked what all they had covered in school. They were telling me things and asking me if I knew this-or-that; things they knew the answer to. The 4 year-old piped up with "What's a lower case three look like?" "I don't know, what's it look like?" I asked, over the other kids hollering "There is no lower case three!" Four year-old says "A straight line on the top and a silly line on bottom." "Oh," says I. He must have got that idea from the refrigerator magnets, which have 3s with the flat line on the top.

Tags:
Kids say, Home School, Homeschooling,

Pensacola Christian College and A Beka in the Chronicle of Higher Education

2006-03-29T15:37:00.000-06:00

In the same March 24, 2006 Chronicle of Higher Education, there is an article on Pensacola Christian College that makes them sound rather draconian and Big Brotherish. I am aware of some possible bias, but it seems to me that PCC is beyond the pale. Encouraging snitching on fellow students for minor infractions and changing rules as you go don't sound to me like the way a Christian college should be run. I worked at a fairly conservative Christian college so I know what rules are for and like. But when you call Bob Jones University liberal, and won't let your students leave without signing out, it sounds to me like you are heading toward cult status. They claim Baptist beliefs, but are not part of any Baptist denomination. They developed A Beka curriculum, and that supports the college. I don't think I will allow A Beka in our house now. I'd love to hear some opinions.

Tags:
Pensacola Christian College, A Beka, Cults, Parenting, Christian Education,

Chronicle of Higher Education on SAT Scores

2006-03-29T10:30:00.000-06:00

The March 24, 2006 Chronicle of Higher Education has a front page story on the College Board and the SAT errors. College Board Finds Hundreds More SAT Scoring Mistakes. My favorite quote is from Robert A Schaeffer, of Fair Test, "It should cause all Americans to rethink the heavy dependency on standardized testing in education." No doubt. I never took an SAT or ACT. I took some classes while in the Army, then went to college as a transfer student. However, when I graduated, I had to take about 3 tests, each costing a bunch of money, and all this after passing all my classes that I had paid money for. Then there are more tests to get into graduate school. It seems someone has duped the schools, and is making a ton of money off this. And it isn't fair.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Standardized Testing, College, College Board

13th Carnival Of Homeschooling

2006-03-28T09:05:00.000-06:00

Growing up a contrarian, I always liked the number 13. I embraced it as my own lucky number. Therefore, I am happy to announce the 13th Carnival of Homeschooling. Look for my post.

Tags:
Home School, Homeschooling,

Sabbath Book Review The Rest Of God by Mark Buchanan

2006-03-27T13:22:00.002-06:00

Is the Sabbath a day devoted to God? Or, a day devoted to Rest and Re-creation? Or, a day like any other? A few years ago I started seriously looking at how I keep the Sabbath. I decided that we would no longer spend money on the Sabbath. If we are out of milk, we are just out of milk. Planning ahead is key. No going out to eat after church either. We usually have leftovers or sandwiches. Only necessary chores are done on Sunday.

This is more of a rule than a law. If we are on the road, we stop at fast food joints and gas stations. If we have company in town, we sometimes go out to eat. A few times each semester I have to work a three-hour shift at the reference desk at work. But these are the exceptions, not the ‘rule,’ and they keep me from being legalistic.

I’m not sure what to do with football yet. I really enjoy watching pro football, but does it help me focus on God? I have backed off my mental and emotional commitment to football so it is just, simply, enjoyable, not something to get uptight about.

For these reasons I was excited to receive an offer to review Mark Buchanan’s The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring the Sabbath. (Purchase here or here.) The Rest of God is not a Bible study on the Sabbath, parsing every verse that mentions the day. It’s more like a personal journal, written to convince others of the need of Sabbath rest. Mr. Buchanan’s writing style is occasionally lyrical, and very personable. (“...your principal memory of [the Sabbath] is of stiff collars chafing at the neck and a vast, stern silence that settled on the house like a grief.”)

Each chapter ends with what the author calls a Sabbath Liturgy. Others would call the liturgy the practical application. Each liturgy is designed to get us God-focused. As he says, “Liturgy is by me...but it’s not about me.” “The first orientation for good Sabbath-keeping, ... is to practice, mostly through thankfulness, the presence of God until you are utterly convinced of his goodness and sovereignty, until he’s bigger, and you find your rest in him alone.”

The Bible has a lack of specifics on Sabbath-keeping. Buchanan finds this interesting. He decides “Sabbath-keeping is more art than science. It is more poetry than arithmetic.” This isn’t a lot of help for those who prefer lists of what is OK and what is verboten. After a discussion of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, and that healing making the Pharisees mad enough to plot his death; he says, “For the longest while I felt a smug pleasure in sitting in judgement of these legalists. And then I realized I was one of them... I developed some rules... prided myself in keeping them... then I started to find fault with those other people... when they dared to feel tired or stressed. Well, if you had kept the Sabbath holy – as I do – you wouldn’t feel that way, now, would you? It’s not too far from here to plotting murder.”

Buchanan wants us to get the big picture, “God gave us the gift of the Sabbath – not just as a day, but as an orientation, a way of seeing and knowing.” The author uses both meanings (day & orientation) in his exploration. Mostly, though, the book covers the orientation. “God is more interested in changing your thinking than in changing your circumstances.” Buchanan does not get involved in what day of the week Sabbath should be. That is not his point here.

“One of the largest obstacles to true Sabbath-keeping is leisure... Leisure is Sabbath bereft of the sacred.” Here he brings out the point about how many times we return from our vacations or other leisure activities more exhausted and drained than before. This is a good place to discuss football. Does it make me a better man to watch three to six hours of something complete with loud, annoying, materialistic commercials, or would that time be better spent in silence reading, talking with the wife, or playing with the kids? I think I’ll end this now. Ouch.

Recreation, or re-creation is another matter. Something that energizes you, even if it takes physical exertion, can be good. Buchanan works at a desk all week, so he enjoys mowing the lawn on his Sabbath. I can’t stand mowing the lawn, so that is not a re-creational activity for me. Not that I would be legalistic about it.

Tags:
Sabbath, Rest of God, Mark Buchanan, Book Reviews

Jobs to EncourageYour Kids to Look Into

2006-03-27T11:32:00.000-06:00

For those wondering what kind of field to send your kids into, ones that will have a long-term opportunities, check out this column by Marty Nemko. It's good to look ahead, but of couse, you never know what the future holds. Nothing beats a hard-worker, except nepotism.

"Well-above-average employees in nearly all fields. Even in offshore-prone fields, some jobs will remain in the U.S. but will go primarily to those who are exceptionally capable, hardworking, or extraordinary networkers."

My Grandfather made a good living as a heating/air conditioning person, and I have a brother-in-law and a cousing that have gone that route also. People will pay for comfort.

Tags:
Employment, Jobs, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Economy, Offshoring,

Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids

2006-03-24T11:49:00.000-06:00

I am going to write a magazine article on this, but thought I’d throw this out now.
Ben’s Guide, http://bensguide.gpo.gov/ is a kids web site sponsored by the Government Printing Office (GPO). An excellent educational tool, Ben’s guide has sections for every level of student. There is a lot one can discover just looking around: for example, Why Yankee Doodle “Stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni” has always puzzled me. What did the Colonists know of macaroni? But at Ben’s you can discover that macaroni was a style of fancy dress. So, really, the song is calling Yankee Doodle a country rube. Read about it by going here. One can listen to the song or view the words. Viewing the words allows you to see definitions of some words in the song. Your student can also view primary sources such as the U.S. Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and the Federalist Papers. There are also links to other Government web sites for kids. Many of them are really nice, including the National Park Service. The CIA also has a section for kids!

Tags:
United States Government, Parents, Parenting, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling, Children, Education,

NEW FLASH! Divorce is Bad for Kids!

2006-03-23T13:04:00.001-06:00

As if this was something people didn't know, divorce damages kids. Even when they deny it. CT has a good interview with author Elizabeth Marquardt here. Marquardt is the author of Between Two Worlds : The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce

"How do the children of "good" divorces fare worse than those from unhappy, low-conflict marriages?
"They're far more likely to get divorced themselves one day compared to those who grow up in unhappy, low-conflict marriages. They are far more likely to say they were alone a lot as children, to say they missed their fathers, to say they had to protect their mothers. They had more responsibility to care for younger siblings than those from intact families.

Some people might be surprised to hear that, because a prevailing attitude among some in recent years is, as one academic put it, "A good divorce or a good marriage-it matters not." Many experts have said, wrongly, that both situations are fine for kids."

My folks divorced when I was 21, and it affected me seriously. I don't see how anyone can deny what happens to the children when parents divorce. Human blindness is amazing to me.

Tags:
Divorce, Parents, Parenting

I'm No Fan of the United Nations, but...

2006-03-23T11:52:00.001-06:00

In this Times (UK) story, this paragraph appears

"If as a parent I think faith is fundamental, why should I not be free to shape my child’s education according to a religious ethos rather than a secular ideology to which I don’t subscribe? This is precisely why Article 26 in the UN Charter of Human Rights guarantees parents the right to choose the kind of education their children receive."

Aren't liberals the ones who support the United Nations? Aren't liberals the ones who support forced public schools? There appears to be a conflict of interests here.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Parents, United Nations, Teachers, Home School, Homeschooling,

SAT Test Scores Wrong

2006-03-22T10:26:00.001-06:00

The SAT got several thousand test scores wrong. This was discovered when two (that's 2) students challenged the scores. It turns out that 27,000 scores were wrong on one test. How often has this happened and not been caught?

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, Teachers, Testing, Standardized Tests,

More John Stossel on Education

2006-03-22T09:59:00.001-06:00

John Stossel isn't done with the teacher's unions yet. But, of course, they aren't done with him either. Anytime someone makes such a high-profile show about education that doesn't tow the give-us-more-money-and-leave-us-alone line they are sure to get heat from the NEA and the AFT. I like the vouchers idea, but I'm not sure I would use the money for homeschooling. Anytime you take money from the government, there are strings attached. I'm not fond of strings.

Tags:
Public Education, Public Schools, John Stossel, Stupid in America, Teachers, Vouchers, Homeschooling

Fathers are Important

2006-03-22T09:50:00.001-06:00

Kathleen Parker has noted a trend in the New York Times, and it is a sad one. It appears as if modern culture thinks that Fathers are optional. There are many reasons for this, but how long can society go with dads not being around for the kids? A dad helps complete the parenting, keeps strong-willed children in line, and teaches boys how to be men. There are so many unfortunate families where dad is taken out of the picture by death or illness, but why force him out? Or as some women are choosing, not even have him around to begin with?

"These are sad stories that reveal symptoms of a diseased culture in which human relationships have no moral content and children are treated as accessories to adult lives. Yet, these trends are portrayed as the latest gosh-gee fashions.

A society in which women are alone, men are lonely, and children don't have fathers is nothing to celebrate."

Tags:
Fathers, Parents, Parenting

What is Education and Liberal Learning in the Renaissance

2006-03-20T15:58:00.001-06:00

Suzanne Fieldswrites today in TownHall about Rediscovering the Renaissance.

"What's astonishing in these revived texts is how they testify to the changes in attitudes toward what we should learn. The humanist writers saw the study of art and literature as necessary for teaching virtue and building character...Petrarch might have been writing about politically correct professors when he observed that the more educated men become, the more aggressively perverse they become. It was more important to Petrarch to be a man of character than a learned man."

Harvard UP is actually reprinting sellections from the Italian Renaissance that discuss the purpose of Education. And it isn't jobs, which is what Spunky is fond of saying.

There is also some controversy over Gideons giving kids Bibles -- of course. Read about it at CT Weblog

Tags:
Public Education, Harvard University, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Gideons,

Joyeux Noël

2006-03-20T13:24:00.001-06:00

Another movie reviewed by Christianity Today that I want to see. Joyeux Noël

Tags:
Joyeux Noël, Movies

Carnival of Kid Comedy #2

2006-03-20T11:53:00.000-06:00

The second Carnival of Kid Comedy is up over at Life in a Shoe. I've even got one of mine there.

Tags:
Parents, Parenting,

Interesting Links for St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-17T09:27:00.001-06:00

First, Laura Hirschfeld Hollis, Maybe it isn't the teachers; maybe it's you. Ms. Hollis writes that part of the problem with public schools is the parents. There are a good number of lousy parents and they raise lousy kids.

"When I say that "parents aren't being parents," I mean that in the most basic sense: children come to school not properly fed; their clothes aren't clean; no one makes them do their homework or go to bed at a decent hour each night; there is no discipline or organization (and children desperately need both)."

I have several friends who are school teachers. One who teaches kindergarten had a student throw a desk at her. In kindergarten.

And from Why HomeSchool, a link over to Friends of Dave and his argument that Testing does help students retain info.

And now for something completely different, Gene Weingarten writes about a guy who will send messages to the afterlife for you.

Tags: Afterlife Public Education Public Schools Parents Teachers Testing

A Couple of Columnists on Education

2006-03-15T10:28:00.001-06:00

First, John Stossell responds to the Teacher's Union.

"[T]hey wanted me to go into a school and teach for a week. "Teach, John, teach!" they chanted. I wasn't expecting that ."

And Walter Williams has an update on indoctrination.

"Preaching instead of teaching might go a long way toward explaining why in civics, math, reading, writing and geography, nearly a quarter of all students leave high school with academic skills that are "Below Basic," the category the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) uses for students unable to display even partial mastery of knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at their grade level. In science, 47 percent leave high school with skills Below Basic, and in American history, it's 57 percent. I'd like for Jay Bennish's supporters to explain how his indoctrination will help that."

And Thomas Sowell discusses the differences between brainwashing and teaching.

"Some say teachers should give "both sides" -- but they should give neither side if it is off the subject. Academic freedom is the freedom to do academic things -- teach chemistry or accounting the way you think chemistry or accounting should be taught. It is also freedom to engage in the political activities of other citizens -- on their own time, outside the classroom -- without being fired."

What an abomination considering that the front page of the Chronicle of Higher Education, School & College Section B for March 10, 2006 says, "The facts are stunning. More than 40 percent of students arrive on college campuses needing remedial work." Read here for more.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

2006-03-13T13:58:00.001-06:00

Christianity Today has reviewed Sophie Scholl. This looks like a movie I want to see. A strong Christian woman stands up to the Nazis. A true story, there are over 100 schools in Germany named after Sophie.

10th Homeschool Carnival

2006-03-08T14:24:00.000-06:00

Wow, 10 weeks gone! The 10th Carnival of Homeschooling is on at Palm Tree Pundit!

Kansas Law Allows Mothers to be Mothers and Nurse their Children

2006-03-06T16:25:00.001-06:00

Do we really need a law to allow breast feeding? Amazing, but at least Kansas is taking care of it now, and not waiting until something stupid happens and it becomes a big brou-ha-ha.

Christianity and Culture

2006-03-06T13:31:00.000-06:00

Frederica Mathewes-Green writes a really insightful article about how Christians should interact with Culture at Christianity Today called Loving the Storm-Drenched. Comparing Culture to the weather Green writes,

"As Mark Twain famously remarked, everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. I think much of our frustration is due to trying to steer the weather, rather than trying to reach individuals caught up in the storm."

Despite the hyphenated last name, I really like her writing.

The Glory of Public Schools - and Why Only Trained Educators Should Teach

2006-03-04T14:06:00.001-06:00

From Why Homeschool, we have a link to a report summerizing just the last six months of the public school record from news reports. Is We Educating Our Children Good? has 11 bulletin points. I'm sure there are many more that for one reason or another didn't make the news in the last six months. Just imagine what 12 years of this would do (has done, is doing, will do) to people.

I know the common thing is to think that your local school district isn't so bad as "those" schools. That's what I thought. Then, in the Army, my best friend Tim was from Southern California, just north of LA, Ventura County. What he calls middle class, we in Kansas call upper class, but perhaps not wealthy. Tim was also a public school graduate. However, the books he had read, and the vocabulary he had, and the general knowledge he had, made me look dumb. I was mad that I hadn't been exposed to things he had. His parents weren't intellectual types, his dad was a sanguine salesman, not given to much reading. Tim wasn't an above average student, but his schools were a lot better than mine. How was I to know my education was sub-standard? It was all I knew. By the time I got out of the Army and into college I had pretty much educated myself, and that continues today. Why shouldn't I educate my children? Why make them wait until they are 19 and feel like idiots before they get themselves the education they should have?

Tags: Homeschool Public Education

Rebuilding New Orleans

2006-03-03T10:29:00.001-06:00

Here is a little write up on my trip to New Orleans that I promised a few weeks back. I sent it to our Kansas Nebraska Southern Baptist Convention Baptist Digest, but it keeps getting bounced back. So, I guess I won't be published there. Anyway, here it is.

New Orleans is a mess. That is the simplest way of saying it. The volume and magnitude of destruction is mind boggling. Have you ever seen The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston? This 1971 movie shows a world where most of humanity is gone and the buildings are vacant. Driving around New Orleans, I felt like I was in The Omega Man. Only with traffic. Like there are only automobiles, and vacant buildings.

As we drove into town, the first things we noticed were blue roofs. Most roofs have a blue tarp on them. At first I thought, "Why haven't they fixed the roof yet? It's been six months." Eventually I realized that many of them may not have the money to fix it yet. Some insurance companies are slow to pay and are paying only part of the actual cost. Many buildings may have also flooded, and therefore, the owners are waiting to see what FEMA, or the insurance company, is going to do. Many owners may not be able to get people and/or materials together yet, as there is a waiting list for everything construction related. The scale of the problem is so large, that the wait for someone to do any kind of work to your property is months long.

When I first heard reporters claim "10 years to rebuild," I thought that was exaggeration. But now that I have seen the scale of destruction, I believe them. Imagine if Wichita, KS or Omaha, NE had three-quarters of the town made unlivable in one day. Not just homes, but businesses as well. How long would that take to rebuild? Where would the people go? How would they earn a living? Where would they get supplies? All those small owner-run shops that were just staying afloat, that were the sole income for many families, are now gone. What will they do?

Wherever one goes in New Orleans, there are piles of trash along the streets. Everything in a flooded house (meaning 3/4 of the city) is hauled out to the curb in a pile waiting for the city to pick it up. Looking at these piles you see every material possession that these families owned. Every single material possession. Except the literal clothes on their backs. Everything they have worked for, saved, collected, treasured, or inherited is gone. What an opportunity to see what is truly valuable.

I am proud to be a (very small) part of the rebuilding effort and proud to be working with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team.

Tags: New Orleans Southern Baptists Hurricane Katrina

Regenerate Our Culture Is On The Way!

2006-03-02T13:10:00.000-06:00

Regenerate Our Culture is new blog/web site/magazine from Agent Tim Online, Spunky Jr., Alex King, and Jake Smith. All four are around 17-18 years old and burning to change the world. Best of luck to them, and perhaps they can mentor my kids in a few years.

Drip, Drip, Drip of Popular Culture

2006-03-02T09:25:00.001-06:00

Suzanne Fields writes about the corrosive effects of our electronic popular culture. Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter, by Steven Johnson, says that electronics make us smarter, but the book ignores the content of the electronic messages. "Content is King," as the saying in writing circles goes. Yet, Mr. Johnson ignores this very basic concept in his effort to glorify technology.

As a side note, when people say that Jesus faced every temptation we do, I have my questions. It seems that the sins are the same, but many are easier to get away with now. Jesus didn't have the internet. I'd love to hear some thoughts on this.

EDIT: There is also an Unplugged Carnival that everyone should at least look at.

Star Parker on School Choice

2006-02-27T16:48:00.001-06:00

Star Parker discusses the need for school choice for Blacks and low-income families.

More Teachers Behaving Badly

2006-02-22T10:59:00.001-06:00

Walter Williams lists some more crazy indocrination from the schools here.

School Choice and NCLB

2006-02-21T08:49:00.000-06:00

Rebecca hagelin discusses School Choice here. It's a column about renewing No Child Left Behind.

"Choosing how your children are educated should be as routine in America as the ability to choose your neighborhood, your church, and your place of employment."

She does mention homeschooling as well as private schools. She provides lots of links to reports and studies as well.

Speaking of No Child Left Behind, sounds like a popular book series. No wait, that was my co-workers book Kiss My Left Behind

New Orleans is a Mess!

2006-02-13T13:23:00.001-06:00

I was overwhelmed with the destruction of New Orleans. After a 17 hour drive down there with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief crew from my home church, we spent a week working on houses and a ministry building that will help with housing more volunteers. There will be a need for volunteers for many years. I didn't really believe that when I first heard it, but now that I have seen the extent of the damage, I do believe it. Unless you've ever seen something like this you have no idea how devastated the city is. I will be writing on New Orleans and my time there in the coming weeks. I hope all of you stick with me and read these.

I'll Be Gone For a Week

2006-02-03T12:21:00.001-06:00

I'm leaving Sat morning at 4:00 am to go to New Orleans and help with the rebuild. This is the 5th team my small church is sending (three chainsaw teams and two cooking teams). My first time to go. We were supposed to go to Japser, TX, but that got changed a couple of days ago. Pray for me and the others.

What would Jesus Buy?

2006-02-01T13:36:00.001-06:00

What would Jesus buy? That HDTV? Those no-nutrition snacks? And where would He buy whatever it was He bought? TASTE AND SEE What Would Jesus Buy? Saving the world one cashmere sweater at a time. by Agnieszka Tennant attempts a way-too-short answer for this.

I'm not a Wal-Mart basher (OK, I am) but there are consequences regarding where we buy things. I have written about Wal-Mart before, here, here, here, and here.

Good News! God is a Republican!

2006-02-01T08:13:00.001-06:00

This story tells about a man that signed his voter registration "God," and now has to explain himself to the County. Sounds to me like this man is in very grave danger. via Relevant Magazine.

The New Homeschool Carnival

2006-01-31T16:32:00.000-06:00

The 5th Carnival of Homeschooling is up. Some good ideas for homeschoolers in this one.

Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Part 2, the Review

2006-01-28T12:43:00.001-06:00

Well the Lovely Wife (LW) took the two older boys to see Chronicles of Narnia Friday night. LW said that Aslan should have been bigger, had a more majestic main, and been more "golden." There were a few parts where the kids said, "This wasn't in the book." But overall, they loved it. A few of the changes were needed to get the story moving quickly enough for a movie, but a few were unneeded, so claims the LW.

We don't take our kids to the movies very often, that was clear. They didn't quite know what to do with the tickets, they thought they got two tickets and could come back, they spent way too much (of their own money) on popcorn and soda, but it was a big night for them.

I didn't go. I will probably see it on video, but I'm not over anxious. I thought the books were ok, but I'm not really into that kind of stuff. I'd rather watch Casablanca again.

Kansas Trivia

2006-01-27T08:40:00.000-06:00

In my box today, a photocopy of something from Kansas State Secretary, Ron Thornburgh. I have adapted it here.

What is the state song?
What does the state motto "ad astra per aspera" mean? Come on you Classical Homeschoolers!
What Kansas Woman was first to to fly her plane across the Atlantic Ocean?
How many Kansas have been the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States? How many have won?
Which Emporia journalist won the Pulitzer Prize?

Answers:

Home on the Range, of course.
To the stars through difficulty
Amelia Earhart
Three ran; Alf Landon 1936, Dwight D. Eisenhower 1952 & 1956, and Bob Dole 1996. Only Eisenhower won. Too bad, Dole would have been a good one.
William Allen White

Let's see some quizzes on other states.

End of the Spear Reviews

2006-01-27T08:24:00.001-06:00

Christianity Today Movies rounds up reviews of the movie End of the Spear. Read them here. They include links to most Christian reviewers and some secular reviews.

Comments

2006-01-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

Hello,

I was worried that I wasn't getting any comments, but somehow I just stumbled across several today that I had to "approve." If you have commented, I'll be sure to read them. And figure out why they need approving when I turned on the random letters thing.

Outsourcing Parenthood

2006-01-25T11:04:00.001-06:00

Spunky has written about this, but here it is again. Jacob Sullum writes about parents suing Dora the Explorer. Actually they are suing Viacom, Nickelodian and Kellogg. (I really need to think of some corporation to sue. Just one nice settlement and I would be comfortable, but not happy with myself.) These people want the courts to take over for the parents who obviously can't say "No" to the kids.

"While I have no doubt that advertising encourages children to request certain products, what happens after that is up to their parents. Neither Viacom nor Kellogg has the power to dictate whether SpongeBob SquarePants Wild Bubble Berry Pop-Tarts are purchased, how often and in what quantities they're eaten, what else children eat or how much exercise they get."

Now we have bought our kids Scooby-Doo fruit snacks (they aren't true fruit, I know), but we don't give them a steady diet of that kind of junk. Even if we did, is that the fault of some corporation, or worse, the courts? Of course if we all just got rid of the TV our kids wouldn't know who Dora, or SpoungeBob, or Scooby-Doo is. Then they would just want any sugar source, not a particular sugar source. That would be better. Right.

Carival of Homeschool #4

2006-01-24T09:05:00.000-06:00

The 4th Carnival of homeschooling is up at the Common Room. What amazes me about this one is how many new blogs there are, like there is a whole other wing of publishers that I didn't know about. x-posted at Robert's Rants.