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The explanation of evil: religion, resentment or sin?
2007-08-17 05:30:00
I must confess I have a bizarre fascination with Richard Dawkins. If it weren't for that, I might not have been interested in the fact that 25% of the British have some sort of belief in astrology. Or even in the fact that this constitutes more believers than any other single established religion. I could guess what Dawkins would have to say on the matter, but this entry by Wired Science took me completely off guard. After summarizing Dawkins' stance on the issue and giving us a lesson on the history of philosophy comes this gem:But in both cases [Girard and Nietzsche], a nuanced analysis of religion led to examination of that fundamental human characteristic, resentment--a characteristic that swelled to monstrous proportions during the 20th century genocides of Hitler and Lenin and Mao and Pol Pot, all of which were decidedly secular, and more recently during wars in Eastern Europe and Central America and assorted parts of Africa.Studying religion in a sophisticated way could...
More About: Religion , Education , Travel , Evil , Resent

Homeschooling hits the road, an online travel diary
2007-08-16 07:17:00
Caroline Haroldson is getting ready to embark on a fascinating endeavor, one which I have actually contemplated: a six week tour of the United States. From Homeschool Across America's website:Like millions of other children around the country, 9 year old Caroline Haroldson of Lake Oswego, Oregon will start school the day after Labor Day. But unlike most fourth graders, she won't enter any school doors.Instead, Caroline will begin a six week trek homeschooling (or "travelschooling") across the contiguous United States with her mother in a quest to learn about our nation's history, geography, and government. She's on a mission to find the best learning adventures in the country for families looking for enriching travel destinations.You can share her travels with her through her website and podcasts, once her journey commences.It reminds me of something Noah Webster once wrote which prompted me to begin thinking of incorporating more travel into our homeschool schedule. He was...
More About: Education , Diary , Travel , Homeschooling , Online

Homeschool standards
2007-08-15 06:47:00
Between the excitement of "Back to School" and the pressure of No Child Left Behind, the topic of standards seems to be a popular one at the moment. Stand ards are important. Without them, we really do not know what we are trying to do or why. But in this era of standardization, I think standards are beginning to get a bad reputation.What is a standard? The word most likely comes from an Old Frankish word *standhard, which means essentially what it seems to say: "to stand fast or firm." Its first recorded usage was in 1138, in reference to a flag. According to Webster's 1828, a standard is:An ensign of war; a staff with a flag or colors. The troops repair to their standard. the royal standard of Great Britain is a flag, in which the imperial ensigns of England, Scotland and Ireland are quartered with the armorial bearings of Hanover.His armies, in the following day, on those fair plains their standards proud display. FairfaxThe image I have is the standard-bearer holding h...
More About: Homeschooling

A carnival and a giveaway!
2007-08-14 15:41:00
This week's carnival of homeschooling is helping you through the back to school madness as you take advantage of some last minute sales on school supplies. And who doesn't like school supplies?And free laminating? What can I laminate? Well, you know where I'll be on Thursdays until September 13!Now for the giveaway! My Two Boys is offering a total of five Signing Time products over the next five weeks! We all know what a benefit learning sign language is, right? Check out her post and see what you need to do. I fulfilled the requirements right here in this very post, so it is not so hard. If you do not have a blog, you get to play pretend and tell her what you want with a fictional unlimited budget. Not so hard, right? If you are like me, you spend a fictional unlimited budget every year this time as you drool over catalogs. Hopefully, you don't order all that stuff, though. I just throw all the pretty brochures away after I'm done.Has anyone made any great changes ...
More About: Carnival

A positive look at homeschooling
2007-08-13 15:56:00
Last week, I looked at entry about homeschooling over on Wikibooks. It was not anything terribly new, with the same stereotypes propogated without anything to really back them up. I was thinking about posting on it, but Alasandra already did a very nice job of that.Ironically, so did Kelley McBride of the Green Bay Press Gazette in her article, Students fight myths about homeschooling. It is even about us right wing fundamentalists who dared pull our kids at least in part for religious reasons and the opportunity to teach our children our "narrow" views. But somehow, we don't come across that way at all. Nice job, Kelley. And nice conclusion:"Education really is being able to handle the situations in the world and knowing how to properly respond, and just being able to live a good life," Lawyer said. "Homeschooling focuses on education as...teaching them how to live life."A positive article on homeschooling is always appreciated now and again, especially when it is not trying...
More About: Positive , Posi

Sexual education or sexualization?
2007-08-12 08:24:00
Since I was able to find the brochure Kö rper, Liebe, Doktorspiele (Body, Love, Playing Doctor) (pdf, in German, free download), I wanted to revisit the topic and provide some more information. Some general observations:This brochure is a forty page document with the goal of describing the psycho-sexual development of children and assisting the parent in taking an active role in the sexual development of their children. Much of it is simply a rather conversational handling of the normal stages children go through and is not much different from what you will find in most books about infant development. It offers some vague references to research which has nothing to do with sexual development but to the importance of touch to healthy development. The research is not cited, however. Nothing in it is particularly shocking. Or at least it shouldn't be.How troubling you will find the document as a whole depends on how you respond to the analogy presented in the introduction (my tran...
More About: Education , Sexual , Duca

On a more personal note...
2007-08-11 20:32:00
It is official. My husband was forced to Denver and we just saw him off. He should be seeing his first glimpse of the Rockies in a few hours. It has been looming over us for a couple of weeks, now. Denver is so very far from Lincoln. Eight hours. And his train does not come this far East, so we are on our own.On our own.I know scripture says I should not worry.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:34Yet I worry. The fretting over the last two weeks or so has done nothing to change the situation. Strangely enough, the phone call actually gave me a sense of relief. I no longer have to worry. Now, I can begin planning. I suppose the worry was my own way of attempting to keep control, anyway.I still have plenty I could worry about. How long will this be? He only has the hotel room for 60 days. Will be able to find (and afford) an apartment in Denver? At...
More About: Personal , Note , Sona

Building a Reflective Homeschool, The Grace of a Hippo
2007-08-11 06:59:00
During our yearly trip to the Omaha Zoo, I stood captivated at the rain forest floor exhibit. The typically sedentary pygmy hippo was walking along the river bed and as we watched, an adjective came to mind I do not normally associate with the hippopotamus: graceful. It literally danced along the rocks at the bottom of his tank, as light footed as a ballerina. Smooth, fluid and beautiful, it was in its element, doing what it was created to do.The characteristics which make the hippo perfectly adapted to its underwater home have made it awkward and slow on land. Prior to my first encounter with the pygmy hippo at the zoo, however, I had only seen hippos lazily floating at the surface or lumbering on shore. Since only their weaknesses were visible to me, I have always characterized them by these same weaknesses.Since I tend to view my children's weaknesses as that which will hold them back in life, I tend to focus on them. I look at my daughter's school work and know she is w...
More About: Building , Grace , The G

Back to Homeschool Week, Curriculum
2007-08-10 04:58:00
After deciding that I would indeed continue homeschooling past kindergarten, I began searching for curriculum. My husband wanted something classical. I was leaning toward Charlotte Mason. We both wanted something that was biblical. That is how I first came across the Biblical Principle Approach (BPA). It is not really a curriculum, per se. There are no text books, no workbooks and until recently no lesson plans. It is a more a method for "renewing the mind" in education and for giving you the confidence to teach your children accordingly.Because I have never really found a satisfactory way of describing what BPA is in any sort of brevity, I will borrow my PrincipledMom's (my blog mom!) description:BPA is short for Biblical Principle Approach, a method of Biblical reasoning that places the Word of God at the center of every subject. It is a governmental way of thinking, that is: who or what is controlling, directing, regulating or restraining?It is a lifestyle of scholarshi...
More About: Education , Homeschooling , Curriculum , Back , Week

Back to Homeschool Week, If I had only known...
2007-08-09 05:07:00
If only I had known...that my qualifications to teach my children rested in my parenthood, not in my education degree.When I started, we had a very rigid schedule and I made meticulous lesson plans. My daughter sat at a desk and I used an old car antennae as a pointer. We had a word wall that took over the entire ceiling of the room we were using as a school room and every bit of wall space was taken over by posters. My daughter was expected to raise her hand to ask questions, to answer them and to use the restroom.When I first got my materials for the Principle Approach, I turned the seven principles into objectives. To see what I was trying to do, take a look at this. Go ahead, I'll be here when you get back.I worked as an elementary school teacher in Texas before moving here to Nebraska and I knew my TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). Every lesson plan required them to be written out, with TAAS objectives highlighted to ensure that we were covering the key tested...
More About: Education , Homeschooling , Back , Week

Carnival of Homeschooling
2007-08-09 05:04:00
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up over at Nerd Mom, contemplating reasons to homeschool.I can count mine on one hand. We even named each of them: their internet sanitized versions are Mouse, Bear, Bug and Peanut.

Back to Homeschool Week, Getting Out There
2007-08-08 04:38:00
While I was living in Germany, one thing really stood out to me that I have never really experienced in the United States: the sense of community. There, when someone says "drop by anytime," they mean it and will be insulted if you never show up. Here, we make superficial invitations, accept them casually, but never would dream of actually following through. In the area where I lived, tea was served at 10, 4 and 8 and dropping in at these times was never an imposition.I've been reflecting on this a lot recently, because I have been feeling painfully isolated. My husband works for the railroad, so is gone a lot. We live several hours from my family. And we really have never made any real friends since moving here. Acquaintances, yes, but no one I feel comfortable just calling out of the blue to chat with.I've tried, but it really seems like I'm just in a different place than those with whom I should naturally connect. The homeschoolers in our church meet now and again, bu...
More About: Community , Homeschooling , Back , Week

State sanctioned child molestation
2007-08-07 16:15:00
Governments all over the world put out tons of these kinds of brochures. I used to peruse the offerings from our very own Department of Education and found some pretty interesting things. (I mean that in a good way.) Never anything like this, from the German Ministry of Family Affairs:"Fathers do not devote enough attention to the clitoris and vagina of their daughters. Their caresses too seldom pertain to these regions, while this is the only way the girls can develop a sense of pride in their sex," reads the booklet regarding 1-3 year olds. The authors rationalize, "The child touches all parts of their father's body, sometimes arousing him. The father should do the same." Lifesite NewsWhen I was pregnant in Germany , I became interested in the topic of infant massage. So I went to the library to find out more. The first book I came across paid particular attention to the massaging of the genitalia in order to stimulate proper sexual development. So I lost interest in infan...
More About: Molestation , State , Child , Mole

How do I homeschool?
2007-08-07 04:51:00
Essentially, how I desire to educate my children centers on a single verb: inspire. It comes from Latin in, meaning "in" and spirare, meaning "to breathe." Inspire literally means "to breathe into." I cannot help but think of Genesis 2:7 as God breathes the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul. That is what I desire for my children in their education and I seek daily to inspire them, to breathe life into them.In the ideal, I believe that education should flow naturally from the home. "School" should be an integral part of family life and something the entire family is involved with. As such, we do not divide up subject matter by age group. My children are 8, 4, 2 and 3 months but the older three are all directly involved in our studies. I seek to teach as Christ did, a sort of tutorial method in which I provide the model and challenge the hearts and minds of our children through our lessons. As Carole G. Adams so aptly describes in The Christian Idea of th...

Carnival of Principled Government is up!
2007-08-06 15:14:00
April did a wonderful job hosting the Carnival of Principled Government this week. Stop by and check out the entries!By the way, it appears BloggBuzz has been invaded and taken over by the Germans! If they can do it with seven active bloggers, we homeschoolers could do it, too. Not that I would advocate a hostile takeover, or anything. I'm just sayin'...And here they take pride in their pirating activities. Those pesky Germans. They are even plotting more actions against other social bookmarking sites. The internet will never be safe again and we will all be speaking German.Vielleicht soll ich ein bisschen ueben...Updated to add: 451 Press, the blogging group I write Backyard Birding for, is having a contest. Up to $300 just for leaving a comment. You can comment on any of their blogs to qualify, but why would you want to when you can comment on mine? And tell me all about the birds in your yard? So come visit me and talk to me!

Back to Homeschool Week: Why We Do What We Do
2007-08-06 04:47:00
Why did we choose to homeschool? My husband says it was "impressed upon him that homeschooling was God's model for the family."I said,Homeschooling ? You are nuts. Homeschooling is for over-controlling parents attempting to live their lives through their children. It is for people who place greater importance on spelling bees and academic success than the needs of their children as they force-feed them knowledge at the expense of childhood.So you might say we both had strong opinions on the matter. With me being the way I am, it is actually rather surprising that the discussion did not end there.I am not quite sure exactly what brought me from my initial reaction to my dubious agreement to "try it out" for a year. For kindergarten. Because it isn't required in Nebraska, anyway. But I can say that it was the most frightening decision of my life. Much more went into it than simply figuring out what curriculum to purchase and setting a schedule. I taught pre-K and first grad...
More About: Parenting , Back , Week

School is starting back soon, are you as prepared as D.C.?
2007-08-05 06:41:00
Reason to homeschool number 45: Even I couldn't mess things up this badly:After saying this week that 50 percent of D.C. schools might not have all of their required textbooks when classes start August 27, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee acknowledged yesterday that they could not pinpoint the extent of the problem.Only half the schools will have their required materials? What was that the National Association of Elementary School Principals said against homeschooling? Ah, here it is, at number three, homeschooling might:3. Deny students the full range of curriculum experiences and materials.Our books are sitting neatly on the shelf. We even tracked them along their routes from wherever to here. Materials are rarely a serious issue for the homeschooler. Material overload, maybe. Do you know how many blogs I've read this week where the author was literally drooling over the expected arrivals?And the district does not even know why? The prob...
More About: Back , Pare , Prep

Back to Homeschool Week
2007-08-05 02:45:00
Randi over at I have to say... is hosting Back to Homeschool Week over at her blog. She has some great prompts lined up for the week and will have an auto-link in her entry so you can share your story and read some more.Looking forward to what you all have to say!

Evaluating arguments against homeschooling
2007-08-04 18:15:00
As true now as it was then:Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom. But the tumult soon subsides."Thomas Paine Common Sense, January 1776Why are so many so heatedly opposed to homeschooling? I truly believe it boils down to two factors: a reaction to the unknown (custom) and a reaction to stereotypes (the process of classifying the unfamiliar in relation to the familiar). Public school is our common experience and thus has the "superficial appearance of being right."I am not sure why this organizisation finds it "surprising" that there is so little evidence indicating that homeschooling is "detrimental" to children, but at least they point out that the arguments are philosophical rather than actual. And they quote one of the more interesting argum...
More About: Homeschooling

Thoughts on aging
2007-08-03 05:20:00
Yesterday, I got my hair cut and, not being well-versed in idle chit chat with complete strangers, I was relieved that my hairdresser did not have much to say. A neighboring patron, however, more than made up for our silence. As she pried into the social lives of everyone in the room, I wondered why it was that we were the ones made uncomfortable by her breaking the unwritten code of hair salon conduct.Are your parents still married?Um, no.Why not.(no answer)Why not? (louder)Um, my dad is an alcoholic. Mom got tired of it.Said customer then launched into a lengthy rant about alcoholics and how she did not blame the stylist's mother one bit. Even as the stylist became quieter and more noticeably agitated. I thought she was about to burst into tears, but another customer spared her with a question and a topic change.Amidst offending my stylist to the point she had to leave the room for a moment and ruffling the feathers of even the elderly lady next to her who seemed the only ...
More About: Thoughts , Aging

Playing with some homeschool stereotypes
2007-08-02 16:10:00
It's that time of year again. I just dropped off my paperwork for the state, and needed a name for our homeschool. Two years in a row, we have struggled with a name. For first grade, we were simply "Hanley Homeschool." Last year, you helped me in an online poll to discover a name. There was a nice selection of suggestions, but ultimately, you chose for us The George Bush Institute for the Standardization of Intellectual Output. I even came up with a mission statement. Obviously, that was all in fun (even if I did accidentally turn the paperwork in with an envelope on which I had jotted down all the names. Oops!)This year we have settled on an actual name for our homeschool. We are the Principled Discovery Academy. My husband's idea, and I liked it. But we still need a tagline, so I thought (just to be fair) I'd play with some of my favorite homeschool stereotypes:Please vote for your favorite, or feel free to add your own!
More About: Stereotypes , Some , Stere

Carnival of Principled Government seeking submissions and a few more beside
2007-08-01 22:43:00
Edited to add the Doing it Differently Carnival . Is that not a theme custom made for homeschoolers?First off, April over at Question the Culture is hosting next week's Carnival of Principled Government . I know you have a submission lurking on your blog or in the recesses of your mind. Dust it off and send it in! Vision is here, submit form here.A couple of carnivals for those short on reading and long on time:Carnival of Natural Family Living...this is its first edition, but it looks to be interesting. I doubt I'll ever claim that for my title, but it is a worthy goal.The Christian Carnival is up. Always interesting reading with a diversity of opinion on a variety of topics.
More About: Seeking , Seek , Missi

Opportunity for Christian homeschooled youth
2007-08-01 05:21:00
I received this email from Family Mission International regarding Homeschool Friend, an English language learning program for Korean students. For those of you unfamiliar with this ministry, it is a Christian missionary organization focusing on family discipleship. Homeschooling is a large part of what they do. Right now, they are looking for junior tutors, to begin August 6th. It will be last minute, obviously, so hurry if you are interested. There may be more opportunities opening next semester, as well. Experience Becoming An English Language Tutor With Homeschool Friend Who We Are Homeschool Friend is an online real-time English language learning program seeking to make a difference. Our program uses a character-based homeschool curriculum, and encourages friendships to develop between homeschooled Christians living in North America and those living in South Korea. Through our program, we hope to disciple a new generation of Korean homeschool students. Ultimately, our ...
More About: Youth , Opportunity , Unit

Carnival of Homeschooling is up
2007-07-31 16:14:00
Don't forget your back-to-school physical! The clinic is up over at this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Mom is Teaching.

Abstinence as abuse, or society keeps getting stranger
2007-07-30 06:18:00
Now it is abuse to not kiss a guy before marriage?Michelle looks happy enough, but it can't possibly be real. Not when:her parents so brainwashed her from the time she was not capable of making an informed decision, and then insulated her from society to maintain that indoctrination so severely, that this girl has reached college age having never been kissed by a boy (or a girl, presumably) and is happy about that. (emphasis in original).And how dare she be happy about it. Unfathomable. This is why we need public education and sex education starting in kindergarten. Not so that children can be protected from venereal diseases and unplanned pregnancies, but to make sure they don't live a life of regret.These, dear Michelle are the things we regret in life. We regret the things we didn?t do. We regret not kissing our English teachers. I hope you come to that realization sooner rather than later, before the regrets pile up so high they eat you alive when you finally notice them...
More About: Society , Christianity , Abuse , Homeschooling , Sexuality

Some thoughts on teen rebellion
2007-07-29 22:45:00
Feeling a bit "homesick" I spent entirely too much time watching old German rock songs on YouTube last night. I came across an old one by Die Ärzte that I hadn't heard before, Rebell (Rebel). It is an interesting cry of a generation, with the first line perfectly expressing the rebellion we see in many youth today. German punk is interesting, much different than the English punk I used to listen to. (Am I revealing too much about my taste in music?) See what you think, but it has always come across as rather tame to me.My translation, while you are listening:I am against it, because you are for it.I am against it, I am not like you.I am against it, it doesn't matter what it's about.I am against it, because you understand nothing of it.I am against it, I'll say it once again.I am against it, why doesn't even matter.I am against it, even if it doesn't suit your tastes.I call it freedom; you call it lack of respect.Please understand my behavior as a sign of the rejection wi...
More About: Parenting , Homeschooling , Thoughts , Rebellion , Some

Does Christianity ceep people dum?
2007-07-28 22:09:00
I really do appreciate all of my commenters, even those who disagree with me. And I know I can sometimes come across a little more aggressive than I mean to. Believe it or not, I have toned it down a lot since becoming a Christian and even more since blogging. But I am having a really hard time taking some recent comments seriously. How do you respond to something like this:The problem with teaching creationism as science or as the truth is that you are ceeping people dum.I'm guessing Constantjn is a non-native speaker, in which case I understand. If not, well, our school system is worse than I thought. The whole comment thread has been interesting, and I really do appreciate that most of my visitors leave their own thoughts. It is very engaging to me to be able to actually carry on a conversation in my comment box now and again!
More About: Christianity , People

BlogHer
2007-07-28 07:57:00
For female bloggers interested in the possibility of accepting advertising on their site, BlogHer is accepting blogs into their network.They also have an interesting feature which allows you to blog on their site. You post your introduction and a link back to your blog for readers to view the rest of the entry. Pretty cool, and I've enjoyed surfing through to see what people other than the blogher editors have to say.Then there are those conferences everyone keeps blogging about. Maybe someday I'll make it to one...

Brand loyalty in the absence of television
2007-07-27 07:46:00
The fact that brand loyalty begins by the age of two, with children recognizing brand logos by the age of three is old news. In fact, the research was published in the early 90's. It is a fact commonly exploited by early reading programs. I used it in my preschool classroom under the innocuous name of "environmental print." We spent reading time cutting out logos and gluing them in little books so my young charges could learn the letter "M" from a McDonald's sign, "W" from WalMart and "C" from Coca Cola.I never really viewed these activities as preparing the children to become consumers in the market. In fact, I viewed it more as exploiting the fact that they already were consumers to a higher end.My children do not watch very much television and virtually no advertisements. That does not make them less aware of the brands around them, and even my two year old recognizes her favorite haunts by the logos out front. But they do not seem to have the fierce loyalty I remember a...
More About: Television , Media , Family , Culture , Brand

Is our goal really to "bankrupt the American educational establishment?"
2007-07-26 18:14:00
Over at the Catoosa County News, homeschooler Jeannie Babb Taylor has a bone to pick with the "exit strategy" put forth by some Southern Baptists. It is actually an interesting article, with a few characterizations of conservative Christians which I personally would contest. I'm not "running from evolution, homosexuality or even drugs," but she provides enough quotes for her stance that she does not appear to be working solely from stereotypes. This, however, I found quite interesting, since it so closely adheres to my personal beliefs about the Church in America today:If the souls of children were number one on the Baptist agenda, the churches would be focused on adding more educational options, not sabotaging the options we have now. Just imagine if church activists took the millions spent opposing abortion, homosexuality and public school, and simply funneled it into free Christian schools. Imagine if any child who wanted a Christian education could walk into the church and ...
More About: Christianity , Educational , American , Goal , Ducati