According to Bulletin Briefs, Sept., 2007, the Maryland State Board of Education ruled that the right of the state supersedes the rights of parents in teaching children about homosexuality. It said that the "right (of parents) is not absolute. It must bend to the State’s duty to educate its citizens." This ruling means that only a positive view of homosexuality can be taught in classrooms and that the teaching of homosexuality as an accepted and approved lifestyle in Maryland Public Schools can move foreward. This is very important because some professionals believe that the Maryland curriculum could become the model for promoting the homosexual lifestyle in public schools across the nation. This new policy prohibits any unfavorable view of homosexuality from being presented. The Board has been trying to incorporate the promotion of homosexuality into their sex-education classes for some time, but a federal judge overturned a previous attempt because of the curriculum’s expressed hostility toward Christianity. However, in approving the new curriculum, the Board refused to hear arguments from those who oppose the promotion of homosexuality in the classroom. Yes, I know that this happened in Maryland, but it could be coming to a State Board of Education near you!
Monthly Archives: September 2007
book reviews
For a number of years now, I have been reviewing books, mostly children’s literature. This began when we had a few bad experiences with our children’s reading books that had been recommended by others but which we later found were inappropriate by our standards. Therefore, I determined to preview what they read. I have also reviewed other books related to homeschooling, parenting, apologetics, and similar topics. Most of these have been posted to various e-mail lists. A few have even been published in some homeschooling magazines. However, all of them are published each month in my monthly homeschooling newsletter, Biblical Homeschooling. Anyone who is interested may receive it by sending a blank e-mail to biblicalhomeschooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and following the instructions that will be sent in response or by subscribing on the web at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblicalhomeschooling/ .
Here are some of the reviews from the Sept., 2007, issue.
Davis, Bryan. The "Dragons in Our Midst" series (published by Living Ink Books, an imprint of AMG Publishers, 6815 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421)–Raising Dragons (2004), The Candlestone (2004), Circles of Seven (2005), and Tears of a Dragon (2005). In Raising Dragons, Billy Bannister is a typical teenage boy–until he starts having extremely hot breath and learns that his father was a dragon who became human and passed on his firebreathing trait to his son. Billy then finds out that his friend from school Bonnie Silver is also the child of a dragon (she has wings) whose mother had been slain, but they learn that their new principal, Dr. Whittier, is actually a dragon slayer named Devin who is after them. With the help of Mrs. Bannister, Billy’s friend Walter, Walter’s family, and their teacher Charles Hamilton (who is actually a descendant of Merlin and agrees to homeschool the three young people), they escape the clutches of Whittier/Devin, who is imprisoned in a mysterious stone called the candlestone, although Billy’s father is shot by Devin and returns to his dragon state. In Candlestone, Bonnie and Billy are persuaded by Bonnie’s father and his assistant Ashley to enter into the candlestone, ostensibly to rescue her mother but actually to allow Devin to escape. In Circles of Seven, Billy and Bonnie must descend into a multi-dimensional domain of evil, navigate seven perilous worlds, and free a group of prisoners held by an evil sorceress (Morgan le Fay). In Tears of a Dragon, Billy and Bonny lead the dragons and remnant of wise humans known as friends of the dragons into war with the Watchers, demonic beings led by Morgan that were accidentally unleashed by Billy from the underworld. In the end, Billy and Bonnie must make a decision whether to keep their dragon traits or turn to normal human life. Although contemporary fantasy, the books draw on the old Arthurian legends and are based on a solid Biblical worldview that expresses complete trust in God’s control over the universe. Some may not agree with all the theological assumptions underlying Davis’s picture of what happens after death, the spirit realm, etc., The first book is good fantasy, and the second book is more science fiction adventure but the third and fourth books may sometimes appear kind of "weird." However, if one understands that this is pure fantasy, I do not see any real problem. A lot of fighting and killing take place, so the books may not be appropriate for young children, but I found them easy yet exciting reading that was hard to put down and I appreciated the strong good versus evil theme. There is some sadness in the end, yet the conclusion was very satisfying to me. Davis now has come out with a series that begins where the "Dragons in Our Midst" books leave off but apparently goes back to explain things that went on before them. Language level: nothing objectionable. Ages: 12 and up (in Tears of a Dragon, the author says, "This book is for every boy, even those who are now wrinkled and gray, who feels his heart race and his spine tingle every time a sword is drawn to conquer an enemy….This book is for every girl, even those who have given birth to boys and girls of their own, who feels her heart swell when she mends up her wounded man and sends him back out, fully charged and ready to battle for the sake of righteousness"). EXCELLENT.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Free (published in 2006 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, NY 10020). This is "the long-awaited conclusion to the ‘Shadow Children’ series." In the first one, Among the Hidden, we are introduced to Luke Garner, a twelve-year old third-born child in a restrictive society that allows only two children per family. In the ensuing volumes, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, and Among the Enemy, Luke risks his life to come out of hiding and with his friends and other third-borns fights against the Population Police laws. In this final book, Luke, who with other third-borns, has infiltrated the Population Police headquarters, accidentally sets off a rebellion that sweeps the country, overthrows the government, and ousts the Population Police from power. The people are now free. However, will their new freedom be everything that they had hoped for? And who is in charge? Luke is in the unique position to know that the new regime is just as corrupt as the old one and he may be the only key to true freedom. Is there anything that he can do? If so, what is it? And will he have the courage to do it? Some people do not like all the deception that is portrayed in these books, and while I do not countenance any outright dishonesty and lying, even in literature, I do believe that there are times when desparate situations call for desparate measures. There are two things that I do like about all these books. First, they show the dangers of propaganda and demagoguery in a way that is more appropriate for middle school age readers than say Brave New World or even 1984. Second, all one has to do is substitute "unborn babies" for Haddix’s "third-borns" and you have a perfect parallel to a similar situation in our society. This book is definitely an exciting page turner! Besides, there are no objectional features such as bad language or sexuality. I really enjoyed reading it. Language level: nothing objectionable. Ages: 8-12 . EXCELLENT.
Hill, Grace Livingston. Beauty for Ashes (published in 1935 by Grosset and Dunlap Publishers, New York City, NY). Grace Livingston Hill is one of my wife’s favorite authors. She wrote what would be called "Christian romance" but it is certainly nothing like the trashy, tawdry, almost pornographic books euphemistically called "romance" today. Gloria Sutherland had been raised in a very wealthy household and was engaged to her neighbor, Stan Asher, but just a week before the wedding he and a one-night-fling were shot to death by the girl’s jealous boyfriend. Gloria’s father takes her to his hometown to recover from the shock. After her sister Evangeline (Vanna) joins her, being sent by her mother in an attempt to get Gloria to return home, they fall in love with a couple of neighborhood young men who are also very religious and lead the two girls to the Lord. Most of us guys don’t "do romance," but this book is more than just a "love story." There are some excitement and adventure as Vanna is pursued by her "ladies’ man" boyfriend, who in essence kidnaps her and thereby helps her to see the vanity of her former lifestyle, and from whom she must escape. I enjoyed the book. The plot is well organized, and the style of writing makes it hard to put down. Dave Pratte in Family Reading Booklist gave this a three-star (very good) rating and said, "A young woman learns to face the tragedy of the death of her fiance shortly before their wedding. Shows the advantages of an honorable life rather than high society. Rebukes drinking and smoking. Encourages faith in God. Karen did say that in some of Hill’s later books there is a little bad language. Language level: nothing objectionable. Ages: upper teens and adults. GOOD.
Osborne, Mary Pope. Night of the New Magicians, Blizzard of the New Moon, and Dragon of the Red Dawn (published 2006-2007 by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House Inc., New York City, NY). These are Nos. 35, 36, and 37 of the "Magic Tree House" series. The first 28 of these books were primarily historical in nature, where Jack and Annie are sent back in time to experience various events and meet famous people by using a magic tree house belonging to Camelot librarian Morgan Le Fay (most other Arthur-related books that I have read picture Morgan as an evil sorceress). My biggest complaint is that the author seems to accept "multiculturalism" with its assumption that all cultures, including pagan ones, are just as valid as Western Culture that is based on a Judaeo-Christian worldview. Some people may not like the references to "magic" but if that part can be understood as purely fictional, the history is interesting. However, volumes 29-37, called the "Merlin Mission" books, tend to blend in a lot more mythology with the history and to me are not as good. In Night of the New Magicians, the children travel to the Paris World’s Fair of 1889 to see Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Louis Pasteur, and Gustave Eiffel (this one has the least magic and mythology in it). In Blizzard of the Blue Moon, they go to New York City in 1938 to rescue a unicorn who has been trapped in a painting. And in Dragon of the Red Dawn, they go to 17th century Japan where they meet the famous poet Basho and help a cloud dragon put out a fire. Language level: 1. Ages: 8-12. FAIR to GOOD.
Ottolenghi, Carol. Rip Van Winkle Retold (published in 2004 by Brighter Child, an imprint of McGraw Hill Children’s Publishing Company, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, 8787 Orion Place, Columbus, OH 43240). We have a paperback copy of Washington Irving’s story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow taken directly from his Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. I wanted to read Rip Van Winkle to the boys too, so I went to Barnes and Noble’s website to see if they offered just a copy of it. They did, and thinking that maybe it was like the one of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow that we had, I ordered it. Well, it was listed on the website as Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving with Carol Ottolenghi illustrator. However, it was not the original story but was "retold" by Carol Ottolenghi (with another illustrator)–in fact, Irving’s name is not found anywhere in the book! I was disappointed. This version is all right and perhaps useful for small children, but I prefer to read originals rather than retellings. Other titles in this "Brighter Child" series include Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Paul Bunyan, Little Red Riding Hood, Johnny Appleseed, The Gingerbread Man, The Three Little Pigs, David and Goliath, Noah’s Ark, Rapunzel, John Henry, The Little Red Hen, Jonah and the Whale, and The First Christmas, all retold by various individuals. Language level: nothing objectionable. Ages: 4-8. GOOD.
Paul, Donita K. Dragon Fire (published in 2007 by Waterbrook Press, 12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921, a division of Random House). This is volume 4 of the "Dragon Keeper" series beginning with Dragon Spell about Kale, Bardon, their friends, and the dragons who live in the fantasy land of Amara. After Kale and Bardon free Paladin’s knights, the two were married and spent three years in the Bogs where Kale develops her wizard abilities. However, during that time, two evil wizards, Crim Cropper and Burner Stox, along with the evil Pretender, Lord Ire, have been using dragons to wreak havoc on Amara. Kale’s responsibility is to find, hatch, and train an army of dragons with her dragon-keeper father whom she has never known, and then participate in the fight against evil. The ending certainly leaves room for another volume, but I really like these books, especially with the Biblical worldview intertwined in the plot and the definite good versus evil theme. Each one is exciting. Language level: nothing objectionable. Ages: grades 4-8 (but the books say, "A fantastic journey of discovery for all ages). EXCELLENT.
Steer, Dugald A. The Dragon’s Eye (published in 2006 by Candlewick Press, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140). Oh no! Another book on dragons. In addition to Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini, the "Dragon Keeper" series by Donita Paul, the "Dragons in Our Midst" series by Bryan Davis, and the "Dragonslayer" trilogy by the late Dave Marks, now we have this Volume I of the "Dragonology Chronicles." Dragons are obviously a popular subject for youth fiction! In 2003, Dugald A. Steer (is this a real name, or is it something like "Lemony Snickett"?–the back cover says, "Dugald A. Steer lives and writes in London, under a variety of assumed names") published a book entitled Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons, followed by two companion volumes, Dragonology: Teaching and Taming Dragons, Vol. 1, European Dragons, and The Dragonology Handbook: A Practical Course in Dragons, all purportedly written by the fictional Dr. Ernest Drake, a supposed nineteenth century English dragonologist. The Dragon’s Eye, which I think Karen bought through a book club, is "a full length fire breathing dragon adventure from the creators of the runaway New York Times bestsellers Dragonolgy and The Dragonology Handbook." Set in England in 1882, it tells the story of how twelve-year-old Daniel Cook and his sister Beatrice become Dr. Drake’s helpers to keep evil dragonologist Ignatius Crook from stealing the Dragon’s Eye jewel in his attempt to become Dragon Master. The story is well written and interestingly told. I had trouble putting it down. My only objection is that there is a lot of emphasis put on studying the writings of Charles Darwin to learn the principles by which dragons are said to have evolved over millions of years (as though evolution were an established fact), when even atheistic scientists are now abandoning Darwin in droves. If you can overlook that, this is an easy but exciting read for middle school aged children. Language level: nothing objectionable. Ages: 10-13. GOOD.
Miscellaneous items
A reason to homeschool: On Sept. 11, 2007, Diana Dow wrote, "Six years ago, today, We were beginning our school day. Well, we were actually running a little late (not unlike today). We had the TVs on so we could catch a little of the news while we rushed around. It became apparent very quickly that this would be a day to suspend our regular school schedule. We sat in the living room, the whole family, and watched what happened that day. We talked about it as a family. We experienced it as a family. That day, I was very glad that we home schooled. In the years to come, when my children are asked where they were they on 9/11, they will able to say that were at home with their family. (— The Dow’s Schoolroom; http://www.thedowsschoolroom.com ; Blogs: www.thedowsschoolroom.blogspot.com , www.homeschoolblogger.com/dianadow ).
One reason to stay away from the "pop culture" world of entertainment: On Sept. 11, WorldNetDaily.com reported that Kathy Griffin, the star of the Bravo show "My Life on the D-List," used her appearance on the Emmy awards program to tell Jesus to "suck it" and to claim full credit for the honor for herself. Griffin, at the 59th annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards held recently, was honored for having the Outstanding Reality Program, overtaking ABC’s "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" after several attempts. Officials confirmed the remarks will be censored when the program airs Saturday on E! However, members of the mainstream media, including the Associated Press, were not reporting on the extreme portions of Griffin’s statement, calling it instead an "off-color" remark. However, critics remarked that it is a sure bet that if Griffin had said, "Suck it, Muhammad," there would have been a very different reaction
One reason to stay away from public schools: Also on Sept. 11, WorldNetDaily.com reported that a new plan approved by the California Legislature could be used to ban the words "dad" or "mom" in all public schools as being discriminatory against "partner 1"’ and "partner 2" in same-sex relationships, according to critics. The legislation, in fact, seeks to impose a "radical homosexual indoctrination" on the young children in the state, according to Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Family Impact, a new affiliate of Capitol Resource Institute. "It is simply outrageous that the California legislature continues to ignore the values and beliefs of citizens by forcing this radical homosexual indoctrination on our young children," England said. The plan, SB777, has passed the state Assembly on a 43-23 vote and it now moves forward to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who previously vetoed another similar plan, SB1437 from 2006. At that time, Schwarzenegger said adequate legal protections against discrimination already existed. "SB 777 also will do away with such ‘arcane’ terms as ‘mom and dad’ and ‘husband and wife,’" stated England. "’Promoting a discriminatory bias’ is so vague that it could be interpreted to mean that any reference to traditional families is discriminatory and requires equal time for radical sexual behavior."
September 11: (From the American Minute with Bill Federer). In 1683, over 138,000 Muslim Ottoman Turks surrounded Vienna, Austria. For two months they starved the 11,000 Hapsburg-Austrian defenders. Sultan Mehmed IV sent a message to the Austrian King, Leopold I: "Await us in your residence…so we can decapitate you." Secretly, the Polish King, Jan Sobieski, gathered 80,000 Polish, Austrian and German troops and on SEPTEMBER 11, 1683, led a surprise attack causing the Turks to flee in confusion. Upon entering the abandonded Turkish tents, there were found bags of beans – coffee beans – revealing how the Turks could fight day and night. Shortly after was opened the first Vienna coffeehouse and coffee subsequently spread across Europe. Whereas Jan Sobieski was looked upon as the "Savior of Western Civilization" from Muslim Turks, the humiliated Muslim army beheaded their general, Mustafa Pasha, and sent his head back to Sultan Mehmed IV in a velvet bag. President Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his 1916 book, Fear God and Take Your Own Part: "From the hammer of Charles Martel to the sword of Jan Sobieski, Christianity owed its safety in Europe to the fact it…could and would fight as well as the Mohammedan aggressor." (If you would like more information, contact Bill Federer at P.O. Box 21063, St. Louis, MO 63123; wjfederer@aol.com ; 314-487-4395; or www.AmericanMinute.com .)
One reason we homeschool: (Kathy Matthews submitted the following, saying, "From one of my other loops!") ‘What is She Talking About?’ Miss Teen South Carolina. Question: Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the United States on a world map. Why do you think this is? Miss Teen South Carolina: "I personally believe the U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh…people out there in our nation don’t have maps, and, uh, I believe that our education like such as South Africa and, uh, the Iraq everywhere like, such as and…I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., err, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our…." Editor’s note: It was painful typing this dialogue. (from Maniac World, http://www.maniacworld.com/what-is-she-talking-about.html .)
Hardees / Carl’s Jr. hit new lows with ads: I watch hardly any television at all. First, I just do not have time. Second, there is almost nothing worth watching on network television; it has become an even worse "vast wasteland" than when Marshall McLuhan first called it that. Third, I simply do not want to pay the money for cable or dish to get channels with something worth watching (which usually involves having even more undesirable channels with even more junk). Therefore, I have not seen what Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman of the American Family Association, reported on Sept. 13. "CKE Restaurants, Inc. (Hardees/Carl’s Jr.) is hitting new lows in their latest round of television commercials. After offending families with Paris Hilton and Hugh Hefner-driven ads over the past few years, the hamburger chain is taking its history of sleaze marketing to a new level. One of the latest ads, now on national television, depicts a sexualized female teacher in a high school classroom doing a stripper-style dance on top of her desk, while male students do a rap song about her ‘flat buns….’ In another ad, a scantly-clad woman gyrates to a countdown of things she wants a man to do to her. All the time, she is eating a ‘patty melt’ sandwich….Ask your local TV station(s) to stop or refuse the ads. These ads are airing on local television stations across the nation. These stations are licensed by the FCC to ‘serve the public interest.’" A later note from Wildmon, on Tue., Sept. 18, stated, "Last week, we asked you to take action encouraging your local television stations to reject two sexually-charged ads by Hardees and Carl’s Jr. (CKE Restaurants, Inc.). We’re glad to report that your efforts made a difference! Late last week, CKE cancelled both commercials as dozens of TV stations promised to reject the tasteless ads. That’s not all! In a highly unusual move for the company, it also removed the ads from its websites. Remember, this is the same company who hired Hugh Hefner and Paris Hilton as their company spokespersons in the past. Your message is being heard!" GOOD!
The National Scholastic Research Service
(I received the following e-mail on Sept. 4 from Howard Snow, hsnow@sonicfoundry.com ). Please pass this along to others in need. The site is www.nsrs.org and the point of contact is the Editor at nsrseditor@yahoo.com . They deliver daily lesson for the home bound student for pennies a day. Please read on. The National Scholastic Research Service is dedicated to assisting the home school student and parent, as teacher, in facilitating the foundations of knowledge. The National Scholastic Research Service provides lesson plans that cover a broad range of required knowledge in many subject areas. The Lesson Plan Data Base that NSRS provides is built upon the teaching experience and educational knowledge of a dedicated staff of instructors. NSRS is dedicated to providing high-quality resources and services to the home school community. The staff will always be formed of parents/educators with the background and perspective necessary for a thorough understand of the home school landscape. The staff offers daily lesson plans for the student that are insightful, in-depth, and unbiased in order to provide the knowledge skills required in today’s challenging world. The National Scholastic Research Service offers lesson plan assistance through a transformational communication medium that delivers information and shares knowledge for the home school student daily. All the student needs is a computer with Windows Medias Player and access to the internet. The student can then receive reliable lesson plans delivered on-line by an innovative communication tool that provides a human touch to daily instruction anytime and anywhere. The instructor streams into your computer on one side while lesson plan material is coordinate to instructor action on the other side of the screen. Building the needed skills for the future requires an active understanding of a wide range of topics. The National Scholastic Research Service is dedicated to assisting the home school student and parent to develop the ability far beyond the simple calling out of words from a page or the possession of basic vocabulary, syntax, grammar, and inference techniques. The easiest way to learn something new is to associate it with something we already know. Much of the art of teaching is the art of associating what the student needs to learn with what they already know. The student learns most easily when we attach the new to the old. This means the development of a dependence on the diversity of prior knowledge. One can easily learn a broad range of new knowledge if one already knows a lot. The National Scholastic Research Service helps to meet this end. By joining today for only a $10.00 a month fee you can add a human touch to your daily instructor and have much needed assistance daily for difficult topics. Daily class schedule for assist lesson plans is as follows – Monday – History, Tuesday – Science, Wednesday – English, Thursday – Math, Friday – lesson round-up, current events analysis, memory techniques and/or civics.
Schools are too costly
In the Wed., Aug. 29, 2007, edition of The South County Journal, a free weekly local newspaper here in St. Louis County, MO, the "Town Talk" section had the following comment. "I’d like to make a comment about the cost of the school districts. Why does it cost so much money to keep kids in school? Our property taxes, casino, state and federal subsidies. Even when you go into the stores now they want to know do you want to donate money to the schools? How much does it cost to keep these kids in school? If you do buy anything for your kids to use they want you to buy extra so they can share with the other kids. Now find what the cost would be where we would send these kids to private scho ol and pay the private tuition and that includes the books. Where is all this money going? Who in the world got pockets fat enough for this money?" Interesting questions (which homeschoolers who pay for their own children’s education have been asking for years)!
47 Homeschoolers Inducted into National Honors Society
Homeschool.com’s bi-weekly E-zine for August 30, 2007, reported that Laurel Springs, an accredited private distance learning school with programs for homeschooled students from kindergarten through high school which give students much more than a Web-based learning environment, recently inducted its first members into the National Honor Society. This newly established Laurel Springs chapter of the NHS requires more than high grades and good character. Students must complete 56 hours of community service and leadership. Students who join the chapter make a commitment to study an environmental issue in depth and to complete all the required service hours within their first year of membership. Student service portfolios include projects such as working in a hospital, planning charity events, or making educational videos about global warming (let’s hope they tell the truth rather than just propaganda). Each student is personally honored and receives a certificate and pin, along with the traditional candle lighting ceremony. Of course, one must enroll in Laurel Springs to be inducted into their chapter of NHS, but an honor society for homeschooled high school students has been formed and an increasing number of local and state homeschool groups are participating.
State Representative’s forums to focus on homeschooling
As reported in HomeSchoolBuzz.com’s weekly email newsletter on Sat., Sept. 1, The Greater Danbury, CN, News Times of Aug. 31, 2007, had a story about a state representative from the area who was hosting a series of forums to raise awareness of the barriers parents can face to home-schooling their children. State Rep. Arthur O’Neill, R-Southbury, who says that he has been a proponent of homeschooling for more than 15 years, wants to bring more attention to the problems and the legislation he’s proposed to address it. He said that schools often require parents to submit a Notice of Intent when homeschooling their children. That notice includes requirements such as a portfolio of work completed, and it relinquishes the school district from any liability in the child’s education., but O’Neill said the form is not required by state law. Some school districts have even gone so far as to call the state Department of Children and Families to file a petition for educational neglect if parents don’t sign the voluntary form. O’Neill has been pushing for legislation in recent years that would "nip the issue in the bud" by requiring parents to submit a simple letter to school officials about their desire to homeschool their children. John Kinsky of Granby, vice president of the Education Association of Christian Home Educators, applauds the lawmaker’s efforts to bring more attention to the issue. "If a parent wants to withdraw their child from public schools we support their right to do so," he said. "A school district should not try and intimidate parents from doing that. It’s reprehensible that a school district would call DCF and cause the family to go through trauma simply because they want some paperwork filed." My only question is, if no Notice of Intent is now required by state law, what will be gained by passing a lw which will require parents to submit a simple letter to school officials about their desire to homeschool. Will it simply be a one-time letter of withdrawal, which is reasonable and is suggested here in Missouri, or will it turn into an annual notification as is the case in Ohio?
History curriculum
David Barton reports, "Two years ago, I was contacted by National Day of Prayer to help create a values-based curriculum featuring eight famous Founding Americans. Exciting lessons of character, history, and Christian worldview are presented through action-packed, adventure-filled videos and engaging activities, textbooks and study guides. Although originally designed for students, this curriculum has proven popular with all ages and is perfect for homeschooling, Sunday Schools (student and adult) or other groups, or family home enjoyment. This is your opportunity to get an Individual Kit of this brand-new curriculum for $39.95 (20% off regular retail price) or a Group Kit for $139.95." To purchase, contact Wall Builders, P. O. Box 397 Aledo, TX 76008 United States; http://wallbuilders.com/store/page20.html .
Helping your children to be good readers
In The Homeschool Minute, Aug. 29, 2007, e-mail newsletter from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine ( www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com ), Todd Wilson of Familyman Ministries wrote, "I’m sure there have been volumes written about how to instill a love of reading in your children. I’m sure they have some good things to say and plenty of solid advice, but in this age of ‘we want a formula for everything,’ I’m going to share a fool-proof formula for instilling the love of reading in your children. Brace yourself for this. Here it is: Don’t let your children watch TV or play video games. There you go. I have spoken. OK, I can tell you need a little more explanation. Here’s the deal. If you put TV and video games (VG) head to head with reading, TV/VG will win. You can entice them with exciting books but the TV/VG will win out. Always. That’s the reason I’m not much of a reader. I didn’t need to read; I had TV. My children are readers. They read when they get up, during free time, and in their beds. Why? Because they have nothing to watch. Now, if I give my book-loving children a choice between reading a good book and watching a mediocre video, guess which one they’ll choose? Right, the video. That’s the power of TV/VG. So, if you want your children to be readers, unplug the TV/VG and they will become readers. Guaranteed. It’s that simple . . . and it’s that hard. Be Real, Todd. PS -For all the dads who are reading this, let me encourage you to flex your muscles and take the lead in "unplugging" the reading-stealing-culprits in your home." Todd is one of the scheduled keynote speakers (along with Diana Waring, Steve Demme, and Brad Haines) at the 2008 Greater St. Louis Area Home Educators Expo ( http://www.stlhomeschoolexpo.com ). Why not check out his website at http://www.familymanweb.com .
Parents play a part in academic success
An article in Parenting in Fort Wayne (July, 2007; Vol. 1, No. 1; p. 17) says, "According to research posted by the National Education Association (NEA), a student’s overall success in school isn’t necessarily attributed to the family’s social status or income, but the ability of the parents to be actively involved and provide a supportive, encouraging, learning environment." If this is true, and I have every reason to believe that it is, then why does the same NEA so rabidly and viciously oppose homeschooling, which is, after all, the ultimate example in which parents are "actively involved and provide a supportive, encouraging learning environment"? Do you really want (or need) me to answer that question? The answer is actually two-fold. First, for every student that is homeschooled, the public schools receive that much less money to find its ultimate way into the NEA’s coffers for support of its liberal agenda. And, even worse (or better, depending on your point of view), every child that is homeschooled is one less captive audience to which NEA-indoctrinated teachers can promote that same liberal agenda. It is not about education–it is about money and power! Parents can keep their own money (or at least more of it, except for the taxes pay to support schools that they may not want or use) and exercize their power for good to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord by educating them at home.
walkerhomeschoolblog 