Principled Discovery Principled Discovery Homeschooling mother of four takes a break from third grade to reflect on issues of faith, family and education. 
Articles
Homeschools and the gender gap
2008-03-05 06:48:00 Last year, girls performed notably better on California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR). The gender gap has been long standing, and apparently has actually been closing in recent years. But why does it exist at all? Choice A, generally accepted by the scientific community: Clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Peters, who practices in Napa and San Ramon, said ... More About: Gender
Homeschooled girl tied to bed, dies in fire
2008-03-04 06:32:00 First California and now Michigan…I think I’m ready to stick my head in the sand and return to Nebraska politics which are notably not colored by the horrendous act of child abuse. Calista Springer, of Centreville, never had a chance to flee the bedroom where she died in a fire on Wednesday. The teen had been confined ... More About: Girl , Fire , Dies
CA and the state?s interest in secular education
2008-03-03 19:21:00 Update: LocalHS.com has the best round-up of available information I could find. I particularly found this entry interesting (scroll past all the white space). As well as Tammy’s from Just Enough and Nothing More. It appears the family did not have good defense in their court appointed attorneys who did not know much about homeschooling ... More About: Education , State , Interest , Secular , The State
The death of local control in Nebraska
2008-03-02 23:02:00 According to US Census Data (excel sheet, Table 11), Nebraska ranks 48th in the nation in per pupil spending for education, spending just $3,080 per student, well below the national average. Total spending, however, places us at 24th with $8282 spent per pupil. The difference is made up predominantly by local sources demonstrating ... More About: Local , Death , Control
This week?s web reading (quick links)
2008-03-01 07:06:00 I was going to do a Saturday School, but we are out of glue so we were unable to actually do the project I had planned. If you have glue, you can do what we were going to do. Make toys. I suggest printing these off on card stock. It really is quite ... More About: Reading , Links , Quick , Week
BNN homeschool community is live
2008-02-29 05:35:00 The wonderful administrator over at BlogNetNews.com put together our homeschool community page and it is now live! Unfortunately, at present I know about as much about what you can do with it as you do. Unless you are Judy from Consent of the Governed who edits the Connecticut blogs. She knows way more than ... More About: Community , Live
Proposed: A bill to eliminate abuse by teachers
2008-02-28 17:04:00 Because there is anecdotal evidence that not all teachers are providing adequate instruction in our common schools, I hereby introduce the following bill. As I did the research for this bill I was shocked not only by the fact that situations like this can and actually do occur in public schools, but that there ... More About: Abuse , Bill , Teachers
Legislators speak about homeschooling
2008-02-27 16:53:00 Speaking before the education committee during in defense of LB 1141 which would place heavy restrictions on homeschooling in Nebraska, Senator Schimek said a number of things we have heard before. Nothing new to those of us who have been homeschooling and have had the opportunity to discuss it with those who disagree, but ... More About: Homeschooling , Speak , Legislators
The bill is effectively dead, but not over
2008-02-27 01:27:00 I have several pages of notes, and to the many people coming here right now searching for information about LB 1141’s hearing in the education committee, feel free to ask any questions about what happened and I will try my best to answer. I may post a summary of quotes later (tomorrow?), because there ... More About: Dead , Bill
My written testimony before the NE legislature
2008-02-26 19:00:00 Here is my testimony as it is currently written. Many interesting thoughts for future posts, I think. I had some difficulty with this, as I was writing this more with my “teacher hat,” relying on my preparation by the public system to work in the public system, noting problems which even those who ... More About: Testimony , Legislature , Written
Please help me prepare my testimony
2008-02-26 02:20:00 I know there is a great deal of research out there supporting the “better late than early” philosophy, but I am coming up with almost nothing on searches. This is, of course, inevitable since I am away from home on a different computer and trying to prepare a written testimony for tomorrow’s hearing. I have found a ... More About: Testimony
Compromise proposed for Nebraska homeschool bill
2008-02-25 08:16:00 Tuesday, February 26, the Nebraska legislature’s education committee will be considering four bills, among them LB 1141, the anti-homeschool legislation we are working against. Senator Schimek has already begun talking about compromise, and I am not sure exactly what to think of that: 1) Does she recognize the bill was a misstep? Is she trying ... More About: Bill
What does blogging mean to you?
2008-02-23 19:05:00 Via Here in the Bonny Glenn, an interesting post on blogging, motherhood and living in surburbia. This strikes rather close to home for me, especially as I contemplate how to more efficiently manage my time to take on a project seriously that I have been playing at for years. Add to that a husband who ... More About: Blogging
Homeschooled adult speaks out
2008-02-22 07:37:00 Via Mom is Teaching, I found an interesting blog: Homeschooled, but all grown up. (When you click on the link, you will get a Content Warning from Blogger. There is no need to be concerned and you won’t be confronted by offensive pictures or language. I read every entry and there is no cause for ... More About: Adult
Of roots and wings and education
2008-02-21 05:52:00 About seven months ago, USA Today founder Al Neuharth wrote a brief entry about his concerns regarding home education. I fear that the Ms. Kriss’ “researched” article which inspired my eulogy to homeschooling might just contain more of an actual argument against homeschooling, but at least Neuharth can write. And his introductory quote has something ... More About: Education , Roots , Wings
Roots of Christian education
2008-02-20 17:16:00 Pulpit Magazine brought up the issue of how Christian s should educate their children again last week, in response to the response they got to their previous entry that even got discussed here in The Measure of a Christian Education . If you have not read it, this entry is a much improved effort to make the point ... More About: Roots
The choking game
2008-02-19 06:26:00 Some things are just a little difficult to talk about with children. But some of these things can be deadly if not taken seriously. This post and the links associated contain very adult themes, but unfortunately discuss behaviors of children. At least 82 youths have died from the so-called “choking game,” according to the ... More About: Choking Game , Game
The life and death of homeschooling, a eulogy
2008-02-18 08:12:00 Homeschool advocates are going to find it increasingly difficult to respond to public criticism should many more articles of this caliber be published. Since the reasoning is impeccable, I am left with no alternative but to present the eulogy for homeschooling. Goodbye, my love, goodbye. Educators, parents, students, lend me your ears; I come ... More About: Life , Homeschooling , Death , Life and Death
Respecting your time: Ten not so respectful answers
2008-02-17 06:10:00 I’ve heard of this problem before. You are home, not doing anything anyway, and therefore fair game to be volunteered for every activity under the sun. I used to do it to my mom all the time. But now it is Life on the Planet who needs some answers. Why is it ... More About: Time , Answers
Saturday School: Make a snow globe
2008-02-16 06:11:00 Welcome back to Saturday School ! I hope you didn’t enjoy the lack of referrals too much, because I sort of enjoy sharing what we are working on now and again. As always, feel free to share links to your practical side in the comment box! This week, in honor of the falling ... More About: Globe , Snow , Make
Lower education
2008-02-15 06:47:00 Raising Small Hands poses an interesting question: How do you prevent American values (i.e. that beauty, wealth, and power are the keys to happiness and success) from taking hold in your children?s mind? I actually reject the question, somewhat. Beauty , wealth and power are not American values. Hard work, self reliance and perseverance are ... More About: Education , Lower
Those ?socially inept? homeschoolers
2008-02-14 09:21:00 On the other side of the homeschooling issue, and on the other side of my home state (he likely would recognize the landscape in my header!), Serial Youth Pastor has an entry prompted by a discussion of LB 1141, the anti-homeschool bill proposed in our legislature. Before listing his reasons against homeschooling, however, Serial ... More About: Homeschoolers
How, then, are we to teach our children?
2008-02-13 06:53:00 It is rare that a post leaves me with absolutely noting to say but, “Wow!” But this entry from Internetmonk.com has. And timely if you have been following any of the conversation we have been having about Christian education (with a follow up here). Anyway, Internetmonk has managed to intercept a letter, ... More About: Children
A vision for the church
2008-02-12 06:11:00 Two years ago, a two year old boy in our church was taken to the hospital for a stomach virus. His family was expecting the staff to hydrate him, watch him for a day or two and send him home. They did not expect the tumultuous nightmare that would become their normal over ... More About: Church , The Church , Vision
Carnival of Principled Government posted
2008-02-12 05:01:00 Take some time to check out the Carnival of Principled Government at Super Angel’s blog. I was excited to have a teenager interested in hosting. Find out some of the great men who share my birth month. If anyone else is interested in hosting a future edition, please let me know! Share This
Testing homeschool students has merit
2008-02-11 06:49:00 Or so claims the Lincoln Journal Star, anyway. I was going to step through the argument one point at a time to see if I could address them, but I never really found an argument to address. In fact, of all the statements made, I found more against testing than I did for ... More About: Students , Testing
Wisdom for Sunday
2008-02-11 01:25:00 Wisdom for Sunday : If you never ask yourself any questions about the meaning of a passage, you cannot expect the book to give you any insight you do not already possess. How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler (p. 123) Brought to you courtesy of Lifestyle Education through Discipleship and the “book tag.” ... More About: Wisdom
Christian education and unschooling
2008-02-09 09:24:00 On my entry regarding Christian education, JJRoss of Cocking a Snook asks an interesting question. As a radical unschooling mom but not a Christian educator, this thread got me wondering whether an ?unschooled? Christian education would be desirable or even imaginable, in which children were lovingly, respectfully parented but not diligently disciplined, schooled and indoctrinated in ... More About: Education , Unschooling
Politics where it matters most to home education
2008-02-08 08:16:00 Perusing blogs today, I could not help but note a touch of despair. Shanan Trail is switching parties. Consent of the Governed depicts a suicidal Republican Party. The QuipSpot wants to sue the Republican Party for false advertising. And Paul’s Ponderings seems to be where I have been for awhile as ... More About: Politics , Education , Home , Matters
Good news for Nebraska homeschoolers
More articles from this author:2008-02-07 21:52:00 Governor Heinemann had positive words to say to Nebraska homeschoolers at NCHEA’s annual legislative day: If this bill crosses my desk, I will veto it. But he doesn’t think it will make it that far. I may write more later, but for now, you can read Lisa’s thoughts over at Me And My House. For those ... More About: News , Homeschoolers , Good News , Good 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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