Monthly Meditation

      (Taken from the upcoming Oct., 2009, issue of Biblical Homeschooling, biblicalhomeschooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblicalhomeschooling )

3. DO YOU HAVE ZEAL FOR THE LORD?

by Wayne S. Walker

     "Because zeal for You house has eaten me up.  And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me" (Psalm 69:9).  The heading identifies Psalm 69 as "A Psalm of David."  The summary given by the editors of the New King James Version is "An Urgent Plea for Help in Time of Trouble."   I do not know the specific time in David’s life to which the Psalm refers, but it was in circumstances which caused him to cry out, "Save me, O God!  For the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in deep mire…" (vs. 1-2a).  Evidently, he was suffering as the result of actions by his enemies.  "Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me…" (v. 4a).  Although David recognized that sometimes his hardships were the result of his own foolishness and sin, in this situation his prayer is, "Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me" (vs. 5-6). 

     No, on this occasion, David believes that even his brothers have become strangers "because zeal for Your house has eaten me up."  It is true that the general tenor of David’s live included a zeal for God’s house, which was always demonstrated in an obedient desire to do the will of the Lord.  The Jews understood this Psalm to be Messianic in nature, so that in the events which took place in David’s life they could see a foreshadowing of what would be true of His most illustrious descendant who was to come.  Therefore, when Jesus Christ cleansed the temple the first time during the early days of His earthly ministry, the scriptures record, "Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up’" (John 2:17).  Just as David was characterized by a zeal for the Lord in His day, so the Messiah might be identified by a similar zeal for God’s house.

     No Christian is the Messiah, but all Christians are to be followers of the Messiah.  He left us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).  Are you zealous for God’s worship?  One of the reasons why God commands the church to assemble is for worship by which we encourage each other, so those who claim to be children of God should be "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).  Are you zealous for God’s work?  The Lord wants His message of salvation taught to every creature under heaven, so as members of the body of Christ all of us should be diligently looking for opportunities to "teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).  Would the people that come in contact with us day to day and those who know us best conclude from our actions that zeal for God’s house has eaten us up?  And let us teach our children to be zealous for the Lord.

Talk about politically correct curriculum in public schools

     According to a Sept. 22, 2009, report by Chelsea Schilling for WorldNetDaily, a fifth grader in Ector County Independent School District in Odessa, Texas, was told to memorize the Declaration of Independence as printed in History Alive! America’s Past, published by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, or TCI.  But there was one hitch – an essential word had been altered.  The true text of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, as written by principal author Thomas Jefferson, states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” [Emphasis added].  However, a fifth-grade student reading one of the cover pages of History Alive! America’s Past, will see the following: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal…” [Emphasis added].  The text contained no visible disclaimer or brackets indicating that the wording had been changed.  According to the Lone Star Report, State Board of Education member Terri Leo blasted the publisher for altering the Declaration of Independence at a Sept. 17 committee meeting.  "Instead of saying ‘all men are created equal,’ it says ‘all people are created equal,’" Leo noted. "Are we going to tell kids what the actual document says or are we going to change words in those documents to be politically correct … How can you change a historical document and not present it to students as written?" TCI representative Natasha Martin told the Lone Star Report that the authentic version of paragraph two in the Declaration of Independence – containing the word "men" rather than "people" – appears in the appendix.  Martin also said that a new version does not use the page with the altered text anymore. This textbook publisher is also known for painting a sunny, non-violent picture of Islamic jihad in its history books.  Its History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond, totally omitted any mention of the violence in a lesson on Islamic jihad.  "Jihad is defined as a struggle within each individual to overcome difficulties and strive to please god. Sometimes it may be a physical struggle for protection against enemies," the book states. It notes that Islam requires "that Muslims should fulfill jihad with the heart, tongue and hand. Muslims use the heart in their struggle to resist evil."  [Editor’s note:  Oh, is that what the Muslim terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, were doing?  WSW.]

some items of current interest

     And here’s this item for your information:  I do not necessarily promote boycotts, but those who really want to put their money where their mouth is (literally) might be interested in this item, headlined "Ben & Jerry’s ice cream honors same-sex ‘marriage’" by Charlie Butts of OneNewsNow on 9/1/2009.  Since same-gender marriage is now legal in The Green Mountain State, Ben & Jerry’s has announced that it will temporarily change its "Chubby Hubby" ice cream to "Hubby Hubby" in honor of homosexual marriage. Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality said that companies like Ben & Jerry’s neglect to talk about the dangers of the lifestyle.  "Besides the health aspects, there’s also the fact that homosexual behavior is opposed by God, and that’s something that we should take seriously," he contends. "All homosexual behavior is sinful, and regardless of what liberals say or what Ben & Jerry’s puts on a tub of ice cream, that remains the case."  The public can react by not buying the ice cream products, LaBarbera suggests — but adds that Ben & Jerry’s is probably impervious to conservative criticism at this point.  "The left is really making a fool of itself when it comes to homosexuality. They talk about transparency, but they don’t want to tell anybody about the health risks of homosexual behavior," he points out. "They claim to follow God and to be Christian, and yet they celebrate all the things that God opposes…abortion, homosexuality. This is just par for the course."

     The Reader’s Digest and evolution:  The Reader’s Digest used to be a good magazine.  It had serious, thought-provoking articles that generally seemed to come from a fairly conservative perspective.  However, the current management has taken the magazine in a definite left-leaning direction, and it is basically nothing more than a promoter of pop-culture along the lines of People or Us.  In the Oct., 2009, issue, "The Monthly Reader" section which recommends new books to read, has an excerpt from The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins, who is one of the more radical (or rabid) "evangelical" evolutionists.  Here is what he wrote.  "Today we are pretty certain that all living creatures on this planet are descended from a single ancestor.  The evidence…is that the genetic code is universal, all but identical across animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, archaea, and viruses.  The 64-word dictionary, by which three-letter DNA words are translated into twenty amino acids and one punctuation mark, which means ‘start reading here’ or ‘stop reading here,’ is the same 64-word dictionaary wherever you look in the living kingdoms."  Is that the best evidence that he can present?  It seems just as reasonable, if not more so, to conclude that since God created all earthly life forms to exist on the same earth with the same elements, He would have given them a genetic code that "is universal, all but identical."  If not, why not?

     Good Reading:  The Sept./Oct., 2009, issue of No Greater Joy ( www.nogreaterjoy.org ) has articles by the Pearl family and their friends; There is always interesting information, and this issue has material on eating natural (wild) foods.  The Sept./Oct. issue of Home School Enrichment magazine ( www.HomeSchoolEnrichment.com )has numerous homeschool-related articles such as “Why We Homeschool” by homeschool graduate Jonathan Lewis, “Raising a Creative Child Part 1” by Marvin G. Baker, “A Talent for Math” by Leslie D’Onofrio, “When Reading Is Hard: Homeschooling the Dyslexic Child” by Molly Black, “Homeschooling Through Difficult Times” by Marcia Washburn, “A Taste for Godly Things: Raising Our Children with an Appetite for the Things of God” by Anita Melliot, “I’m a Homeschool Dad” by Timothy Palla, “Essential Tips for Busy Dads” by Wes Pinkley, “9 Things Homeschool Moms Wish Their Husbands Know about Homeschooling that Could Change Your Home!” by Melissa Pinkley, “Mangled Schedules and Grateful Hearts: How to Accept Homeschool Help from Dad…Even When It’s Not What You Might Have Imagined!” by Janice Campbell, “Seek Ye First: Three Insights from Scripture for Every Homeschool Dad” by Doug Leier, and other interesting information.

some things to see

     Lewis and Clark:  From 2004 to 2006 there was a great frenzy on the 200^th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  That frenzy has died down somewhat now, but it is still interesting to visit sites related to Lewis and Clark.  The state of Illinois has a Lewis and Clark State Historic Site located at 1 Lewis and Clark Dr., Hartford, IL, just off of Il. Hwy. 3 south of Hartford, IL, near the site of Camp River Dubois where the Expedition wintered before beginning its journey.  There is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center with a film entitled At the Journey’s Edge and two galleries.  The Visions Exhibit Gallery compares President Jefferson’s visions of the west with those of the British, Spanish, and French and contains period farming tools and images of Native Americans.  The Bound for the Westward Gallery has a full-sized keel boat replica and several interactive exhibits.  A reconstruction of Camp River Dubois has been constructed outside the Center.  Also, just north of the State Historic Site, the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower is being constructed.  It was built to commemorate the anniversary of the conclusion of the Lewis and Clark journey in 2006.  I do not think that it is completed yet, but it is quite visible from Hwy. 3.

     Stonewall Jackson House:  We recently made a trip to Virginia.  It was not a vacation so we did not have a lot of time, but I said that we could stop and see one thing on the way home, so we chose the Stonewall Jackson House at 8 E. Washington St., Lexington, VA 24450;  (540) 463-2552 ( http://www.stonewalljackson.org ).  Before he became famous as a Confederate General during the Civil War, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson lived in Lexington from 1851-1861and was a professor at the Virginia Military Institute. There, he taught Natural and Experimental Philosophy to cadets, and was an instructor of artillery tactics . Many of the topics that Jackson taught his students would be part of a physics class today.  During that decade Jackson joined the Lexington Presbyterian church, married, bought the only home he ever owned, and lived quietly as a private citizen.  The Stonewall Jackson House is the only home that the famous Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson ever owned. Jackson and his second wife, Mary Anna Morrison, lived in the house while he taught at the Virginia Military Institute before the Civil War.   In April, 1861, Jackson rode off to war. He never returned to Lexington alive. Following the first battle of Manassas, T.J. Jackson became widely known by the nickname "Stonewall".  Jackson earned lasting fame for his leadership of Confederate forces, especially during the Valley campaign of 1862. "Stonewall" Jackson died in May, 1863, as a result of wounds received at Chancellorsville. His body was brought back for burial in the cemetery on the south edge of town. Since 1954, Jackson’s Lexington home, located a block east of Main Street, has been a museum and historic site. In 1979 the house was carefully restored to its appearance at the time of the Jacksons’ occupancy. The house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, is furnished with period pieces, including many of Jackson’s personal possessions, and is open to the public daily for guided tours of the period rooms. The Stonewall Jackson House is now owned and operated by the Stonewall Jackson Foundation, a private, non-profit organization incorporated in 1994. Support for the house comes from admission fees, sale of books and other items in the museum shop, contributions, and occasional grants from foundations or agencies. The museum currently receives no support from local or state government.   Guided tours of the Stonewall Jackson House begin on the hour and half hour. The house is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.   It is recommend that people plan to spend at least one hour at the Jackson House. The admission fee includes a guided tour through the house and the opportunity to view the permanent and changing exhibits on the ground floor. The kitchen garden, which includes a variety of perennial and annual flowers, vegetables and herbs, is self-guided. Both the garden and the museum shop may be visited without admission fees.

     Ingram’s Log Cabin Village:  We love historical villages.  I first heard of this place after we moved to St. Louis, MO.  I both e-mailed and called for information but received no response.  Then we moved to Salem, IL, which is not far from the village and read about it in the local newspaper.  Recently, we had the opportunity of visiting the site.  It is located at 6100 Gesell Rd (P. O. Box 135), Kinmundy, IL  62854; Phone:  618-547-3291 or 7123 ( http://www.iplcv.com ).  There are 16 log cabins –  13 cabins furnished to period – in a wooded area much as it would have been 180 years back.  All cabins are authentic pre-Civil War.  Erma Ingram, a former school teacher of the Salem school district, at her own expense had the cabins disassembled, moved and reassembled by her family and local students from Kinmundy/Alma High School to their present site. The collection of log cabins is from 1818-1860.  The village was opened to the public July 1st of 1977.  There are craft days the last two full weekends of Sept. and the second weekend of Oct. annually.  I understand that it is still owned by the Ingram family but is now being operated by the Kinmundy Historical Society and is open daily Apr. 15-Nov. 15 with an admission of $3.00 per adult and $1.00 per child.

Swedish Police ‘nab’ 7-year-old homeschooler

     Officials took child from plane as it was about to take off:  A previous blog included an item that Sweden is all set to ban homeschooling.  Well, on September 9, 2009 Bob Unruh of WorldNetDaily that Annie and Dominic Johannson. a Swedish mother and father, are going public with details about how Swedish social-services officials had police halt a plane en route to takeoff in order to take custody of their 7-year-old son after they had argued with local school officials about his homeschooling.  "I’m no better than other people. I’m just a normal human being, trying my best to do what I feel is important both in my life and in this world. My family is maybe a little different from the norm, but, when did that become a crime," the father, Christer Johannson, has written on the Swedish website Vaken.   "Why this article? There are courts to decide what’s right in cases like this! Yes … but when the social services and [their] lawyers started to lie and mix facts I decided to go public! The last thing I heard from the social services was – Dominic is traumatized now, so he needs to be in a calm and peaceful environment. We agree, let him come home then! That is not a suggestion, that is our demand!" he wrote. The story also has been highlighted by writer Don Hank at LaiglesForum.  "Help reunite this family," he urged. His description of the situation covers the essential details.  Christer and Annie Johannson are a Swedish couple from Gotland that attempted last year to home school their son Dominic, a bright and happy 7-year-old, just prior to their leaving the country to take up residence in India. They made all the right moves, informing the school of their plans.  Home schooling was – and still is – legal in Sweden (there is discussion about banning it) and when Christer asked the principal of the local elementary school if he could supply some teaching materials, he agreed to do so.  But in the meantime, some locals decided that these parents should not be allowed to do this. The reasons for this are no more clear than they are legal … When Christer went back to the principal to get the materials, he was told that he would not supply any materials and that Dominic must go to school.  The Johannsons insisted that the principal keep his promise. The drama quickly escalated and soon the local social services imposed a fine of 250 kronor per day that Dominic was not in school. This did not intimidate the Johannsons, because they knew they were within their rights under Swedish law.  But the Gotland authorities unanimously stood against them and eventually the court got involved and decided that while the school board had violated some of the parents’ rights, they still would have to send Dominic to school.  The Johannsons were on the plane, which was due to leave the gate in one minute when the Swedish police descended on it. Like commandos, they stormed the plane and took Dominic into custody, without stating any reason for doing so. Dominic was so traumatized he later threw up. Annie later fell unconscious to the floor of the police station. The police did nothing to help.  Hank’s new report said he talked with Christer Johannson, who "had not seen Dominic [who is being held by social services] in a while."   "I promised that because I know my readers and know that you will help. … I wrote an e-mail to the Swedish authorities, and would like you to do the same. Please, if you have limited time, just write in the subject line ‘Please return Dominic Johannson to his parents. Thanks,’" Hank wrote.   Hank listed several e-mail contacts on his website, including information for sending messages to local Swedish officials as well as the ministry of education.   Christer Johannson explained on the website that his family was heading to India because his wife is Indian and the family was inspired by the challenges there.   "We created Mep Programs. … The idea was and is to help children by giving them the social and practical skills and support to take them out of the situations the find themselves in today," he said.   Jonas Himmelstrand, a key participant in the Swedish Association for Home Education founded just last year, told WND there’s little information about the case available yet.   "A spokeswoman for the local municipality board which made the decision [to take the child from the airplane], said that the reason was homeschooling. The board is, however, not authorized to say anything about the reasons for taking a child into custody," he reported.   "The Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsmen have been asked to look at the case," he said.   He also said lawmakers are considering further crackdowns on homeschooling families through a proposed law that would put Sweden "on par with Germany as the most restrictive country on home education in the world."

some items about things going on in public schools

     A previous blog talked about all the furor surrounding the speech that Mr. Obama gave over television to public school children and suggested that the use of public schools by government officials to promote a specific agenda was a good reason to homeschool. 

     And if that’s not reason enough to keep your kids out of government schools, here’s this:  In an item headlined "Normalizing transgenderism in schools," Pete Chagnon of OneNewsNow reported on 9/2/2009 that the homosexual movement in Vermont is using a transgender-rights law to force middle schools and high schools to provide unisex bathrooms. Brian Camenker of MassResistance notes that a 16-year-old transgendered teen has asked the Vermont Human Rights Commission to lend its support to the effort.  According to an Associated Press report, the student claims that she and others like her need the unisex bathrooms in order to avoid bullying and ridicule. A homosexual activist with Outright Vermont is quoted in the story as saying their "hope is that this is the first statewide gender-neutral bathroom campaign in the country."  Camenker is concerned that a similar effort could take place in Massachusetts should that state’s transgender rights and hate crimes bill [H1728] pass.  "Well, it’s a huge problem," he explains. "Number one…it legitimizes the concept of transgenderism among middle-school kids, which is completely absurd and offensive and medically dangerous. The medical community recognizes gender-identity disorder as something that needs psychological help, you know — not this politically correct pandering that actually causes more self-destruction."  Camenker also argues that activists will use the unisex bathroom argument to get their foot in the door and then that will lead to more transgender indoctrination and diversity training within America’s middle and high schools.

     Another reason to keep your children out of public schools:  At least in California, but it may be coming to a local school near you too someday.  In an item headlined, “Lawmakers: Schoolkids must study ‘sexual predator’–Biography of ‘gay’ activist Harvey Milk outlines relationships with underage boys” on September 4, 2009, Bob Unruh ofWorldNetDaily reported that lawmakers in California have voted to pressure all schoolchildren in the state to study and "honor" the life and values of homosexual activist Harvey Milk, whose biography tells of sexual escapades, including relationships with young boys.   The California State Assembly now has passed a bill calling on all California public schools to hold an annual "day of significance" honoring the life and values of Milk. SB572 was approved on a 45 (all Democrats) to 27 (all Republicans) vote yesterday.   "The Democrat politicians are telling schoolchildren to honor a sexual predator of teens, a homosexual sex addict who advocated polygamous relationships, and a public liar who justified his deceit," said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, a leading pro-family, pro-child organization.   "By passing ‘Harvey Milk Gay Day,’ these Democrat politicians have declared war on children’s innocence in exchange for political favors from homosexual groups," Thomasson said.  The bill now returns to the Democrat-controlled state Senate, which approved the plan in May, and ultimately will be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who did veto the measure a year ago.   "’Harvey Milk Gay Day’ would teach schoolkids all about the life and very controversial values of Harvey Milk," said Thomasson. "Based on the historical record of Milk’s sordid life, this could include teaching elementary and secondary schoolchildren that adult-child homosexual ‘sex’ is OK, having multiple sexual relationships at the same time is OK, and telling a very public lie is good if it ‘gets you ahead.’ This instruction, whether taught directly or indirectly, is not what parents want or children need."  Thomasson cited the biography of Milk by Randy Shilts, a homosexual San Francisco Chronicle reporter, "The Mayor of Castro Street." He said the 1982 book detailed Milk’s sexual relationships with a 16-year-old, a 19-year-old and other young men.   Among the references from the book: "… 16-year-old McKinley was looking for some kind of father figure … At 33, Milk was launching a new life, though he could hardly have imagined the unlikely direction toward which his new lover would pull him." (pages 30-31)   The book also explains, "It would be to boyish-looking men in their late teens and early 20s that Milk would be attracted for the rest of his life." Shilts documented how Milk said multiple relationships were just fine:   "As homosexuals, we can’t depend on the heterosexual model…We grow up with the heterosexual model, but we don’t have to follow it. We should be developing our own life-style. There’s no reason why you can’t love more than one person at a time. You don’t have to love them all the same…"  The text of SB572 states that, "On Harvey Milk Day, exercises remembering the life of Harvey Milk, recognizing his accomplishments, and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this state" shall be conducted; specifically, "all public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe…and…conduct suitable commemorative exercises."  "This bill is not about ‘gay rights’ or ‘stopping harassment,’" said Thomasson. "Instead, SB572 is outright promotion of everything Harvey Milk believed in – the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual agenda pushed upon schoolchildren as young as kindergarten, without parental permission."

     Fake nurse examines students at Mid-South high school:  Barb Frank listed this item under the “What our kids are missing out on” department.  On Sept. 4, 2009 WMC-TV of Marion, AK, reported that Marion High School was trying to determine how a fake nurse was allowed to examine more than 90 students.  One student said.,"We were told that the physicals were performed at our school were fake, and the lady that did the physicals she wasn’t exactly a nurse, and that we had to retake physicals."  At the time, news media outlets were not identifying the woman because she hadn’t been charged.  But law enforcement investigators confirm that a woman posing as a qualified nurse was allowed into the school and proceeded to exam dozens of students.  A Crittenden County Sheriff’s office spokesperson said the case was turned over to state police because the woman in question used to work at the sheriff’s office as a part time bookkeeper.  Students wanted to know no one bothered to check her credentials.   "I think they’re kind of slacking on their job because they let her in there," one student said.  School administrators said that they couldn’t give an explanation because it’s a pending legal matter.  Superintendent Don Johnston could only say the district is taking the appropriate actions.   Meanwhile, students said they rely on the grown-ups at school to protect them and to know the difference between a fake and the real thing.   "It’s just very freaky," one student said.  [Editor’s note:  I should think so!  WSW.]

     Homeschoolers–beware of public "charter school" options, because this might happen:  On September 2, 2009, World Net Daily reported that a lawsuit is challenging Idaho officials who contend the state constitution forbids use of the Bible in a charter school opening this fall.   The Idaho Public Charter School Commission told Nampa Classical Academy, which is opening its public charter school with more than 500 students this year, that its charter will be revoked if it includes the Bible as any part of its curriculum.   The Alliance Defense Fund has filed an action against the Idaho Public Charter School Commission on behalf of Nampa Classical Academy, which, the ADF reports, was threatened with the revocation of its charter if it uses the Bible or any other religious documents or text as part of its curriculum resources.   "The Bible shouldn’t be singled out for censorship in public schools, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that it is entirely constitutional for it to be studied objectively as an educational resource," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. "The commission is basing its determination to revoke the charter on its mistaken interpretation of the state constitution’s establishment clause. The authors of the Idaho Constitution clearly understood that history cannot be adequately taught without reference to significant religious texts. The commission’s interpretation is quite obviously not what constitution’s authors intended."   According to deputy Attorney General Jennifer Swartz, the state constitution "limits use of religious texts expressly."   She quoted from the document statements that "religious test and teaching in schools prohibited. No religious test or qualification shall ever be required of any person as a condition of admission into any public education institution of the state, either as teacher or student, and no teacher or student of any such institution shall ever be required to attend or participate in any religious services whatever. No sectarian or religious tenets or doctrines shall ever be taught in the public schools, nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color. No books, papers, tracts or documents of a political, sectarian or denominational character shall be used or introduced in any schools established under the provisions of this article, nor shall any teacher or any district receive any of the public school moneys in which the schools have not been taught in accordance with the provision of the article."   However, the state Department of Education’s own website promotes a teaching resource under "Readings for Writers" that includes this description of its content: "a passionate defense of Islam by a Muslim faithful."   The lawsuit notes the Idaho Board of Education already has approved the use of the Bible "as literature in public education curricula."   "The Idaho Constitution, article IX, section 6, upon which the denial was based, does not prohibit ‘religious documents or text.’ Rather it prohibits ‘books, papers, tracts or documents of a political, sectarian or denominational character’ and prohibits ‘sectarian or religious tenets or doctrines,’" the lawsuit said. Events like this emphasize the need for homeschoolers who want to include the Bible in their curriculum to remain independent.

     State Forces School to Let Boy Use Girls’ Room:  David E. Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute suggested another reason why you might want to consider keeping your children out of public schools.  And if it happens in Maine, when will it happen elsewhere?  “When a sexual orientation law in Maine was passed in 2005, it was the most radical of its kind ever. The law not only protected homosexuals from discrimination, it also prohibited discrimination on the basis of ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression.’ ‘Gender identity’ is the belief that one is either male or female, regardless of one’s biological sex. ‘Gender expression’ is the dress, hairstyle, and the like which expresses one’s perceived gender.   One result of this law is what happened at the Asa C. Adams Elementary School when a twelve year old boy, a fifth grader, wanted to use the girls’ room. The school offered a compromise — the use of a unisex faculty bathroom. The boy’s parents then claimed the school was discriminating against their child, who thinks he is a girl. When denied entry into the girls’ bathroom, a case was filed and The Human Rights Commission concluded unanimously that the school discriminated against the boy.”  You can read more about this at the following website.

http://mainefamilypolicycouncil.com/artman/publish/Maine_3/State_Requires_use_of_Girls_Room_by_Boy.shtml .

Hamilton Primary School, Otterville, IL

    The Hamilton Primary School, 107 E. Main St., Otterville, IL, was the nation’s first integrated school and the state of Illinois’s first free school.  In 1830, Dr. Silas Hamilton, a Vermont physician, moved his practice to Otterville, IL, and settled there with his slave George.  At Dr. Hamilton’s death in 1834, he left $4,000 to establish a primary school in Otterville that would be free to all residents along with his freed slave.  The school opened in 1835, with George attending.  He later became a successful farmer and an active member of the Otterville Baptist Church.  George died in 1864 and left an estate to erect a monument west of the schoolhouse to his former master and begin a scholarship for the education of African Americans.  On this site, Dr. Hamilton and George are both buried.  This is the only known instance where a slave erected a monument for his master and where the two are buried side by side.  The original school building was torn down in 1870 and a new school rebuilt at the site.  It was used through 1971, and since 1983 has been a historic site that is open for tours during the annual Hamilton Primary School Festival in Sept. and by appointment throughout the year.  For more information, go to http://www.HamiltonPrimarySchool.com .

Obama’s speech to the schools

      Barack Obama has already made his highly touted televised speech to school students.  However, I followed the controversy leading up to it, and here is some of what I gathered together.

     I recently read an article by Michelle Malkin about how Barack Obama was planning to speak directly to children through the classrooms of the nation’s public schools, suggesting that this might perhaps be a prelude to his using the public schools to further his agenda.  In an item headlined, "Parents rebel against Obama TV speech to schools: ‘President doesn’t get to speak to my children unchallenged’" on September 1, 2009, Bob Unruh of WorldNetDaily pointed out that while the government was publicizing a list of suggestions for students and teachers to do in preparation for the speech, including studying Barack Obama’s writings and presidency, parents across the country were rebelling against plans by President Barack Obama to speak directly to their children through the classrooms of the nation’s public schools without their presence, participation and approval.  These plans announced have also been cited as raising the specter of the Civilian National Security Force, to which he’s referred several times since his election campaign began, but never fully explained.   "He’s recruiting his civilian army. His ‘Hitler’ youth brigade," wrote one participant in a forum at Free Republic.   "I am not going to compare President Obama to Hitler. We’ll leave that to others and you can form your own opinions about them and their analogies. … However, we can learn a lot from the spread of propaganda in Europe that led to Hitler’s power. A key ingredient in that spread of propaganda was through the youth," wrote a blogger at the AmericanElephant.com blog, where the subject of the day was a national "Keep-Your-Child-at-Home-Day."  (Thankfully, we homeschoolers can do that EVERYDAY!)  "Totalitarian regimes around the world have sought to spread their propaganda and entrench their power by brainwashing the children. I guess it’s easier to indoctrinate a six-year-old instead of fighting a 26-year-old or being challenged by a 46-year-old in the voting booth," the blogger wrote.  At the Docstoc website where the announcement about the speech was drawing negative reaction, one forum participant confirmed that his grandchildren would not be in school that day.  "What’s he going to do, tell the kids to report their parents to the Thought Police if they don’t support Obamacare?" added another.  "I don’t care what he’s going to talk about, unless he holds a teaching degree for every state, and he plans on actually TEACHING a lesson, this SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED!!!" added another.  On columnist Michelle Malkin’s forum page, one person wrote simply, "The Obama Youth Corps has to start somewhere."  On the DailyPaul website publicizing U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, another parent wrote, "Perhaps its harmless, but Obama’s past behavior and his push for ‘service’ and community over individuals make me very uncomfortable…My kids will be forced to listen to the views of a president that is perhaps the most anti-American in history, not to mention one who believes we need a ‘civilian national security force just as strong, powerful and well-funded as our military.’"   WND has reported on Obama’s civilian force plans several times, including when he signed into law the "Give Act," H.R. 1388, which massively expanded the National Service Corporation and allocated to it billions of dollars.  Obama had told a campaign stop in Colorado Springs last year he wants a "Civilian National Security Force" as big and as well-funded as the U.S. military.  Duane Lester, writing at All American Blogger, has verbalized opponents’ worst fears.   "Hitler knew that if you control the youth, you control the future. I wrote about him in ‘The Threats to Homeschooling: From Hitler to the NEA.’ As I noted in that article, Hitler said: ‘The Youth of today is ever the people of tomorrow. For this reason we have set before ourselves the task of innoculating our youth with the spirit of this community of the people at a very early age, at an age when human beings are still unperverted and therefore unspoiled,’" he wrote.

     Obama’s school speech – social indoctrination?:  Here is more information about the reaction to Obama’s televised school speech.  Pete Chagnon of OneNewsNow asked on 9/3/2009 asked, "Is the president using his bully pulpit to push social change in America’s schools?"  Neal McClusky with the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom believes the Obama administration is engaging in outright indoctrination of school children. He says that on September 8, Obama will address schools nationwide — and in conjunction with that speech, school teachers have been sent study packets and a letter from the Department of Education, complete with assignments and questions to ask their students.  "The letter says that ‘no other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress than what these schools do.’ Now that alone is a little disturbing because it suggests that the schools are supposed to be pushing social change," McClusky notes.  Some of the suggested discussion questions teachers are to ask students include: "Does the speech make you want to do anything?" and "Are we able to do what the president is asking of us?" Calls to the Department of Education in order ascertain the topic of the speech have not been returned. (See editor’s note below  Apart from the discussion questions, the Department of Education has sent out a "menu of classroom activities."  McClusky says those activities include reading books on President Obama and participating in the Department of Education’s "I Am What I Learn" video contest, and discussing "why it is important that we listen to the president and other elected officials."  "And so this appears to be very much something intended to make kids talk about how important the presidency is and apparently how inspirational this president is," McClusky points out. "And it could also be about using the schools as tools of social change."  McClusky adds that the Constitution lays out explicit powers for the federal government and education is not among them. "So the federal government has been really unconstitutionally involved in education for the last 40-some years," McClusky says.  McClusky concludes that it is antithetical to a free society to have schools run by a centralized government.

     Parents dub Sept. 8 ‘Keep Your Kids at Home Day’:   And here is even more.  On September 3, 2009, Chelsea Schilling of WorldNetDaily reported that following widespread concern about President Obama’s nationally televised address to schoolchildren, many parents and schools are opting to forgo the Sept. 8 speech.   School officials have been asked to take a break from normal educational activities to allow students to view the speech from the president and participate in recommended brainstorming exercises following the broadcast. Obama will give the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. The speech is scheduled to broadcast live at 12 noon EST on C-SPAN and at whitehouse.gov.   But parents across the nation are complaining about the speech taking up valuable classroom instruction time and possibly "indoctrinating" young children.   According to a letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, "The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. … He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens."  Some schools allow parents to opt-out  Donald Phillips, superintendent of California’s Poway Unified School District, sent a letter to parents Wednesday announcing that the district "will not be encouraging" teachers to include the viewing of the president’s speech as a part of a supplemental classroom learning activity. If teachers choose to do so, they must inform parents by Friday and give them an opportunity to opt-out of the Tuesday broadcast.   Students who opt-out will be assigned alternate learning activities outside of the classroom during the speech and any follow-up discussions.  Officials with Texas’ Keller Independent School District said they will allow students to view the presidential address. However, a district notice states, "If parents do not want their student(s) to watch the broadcast, parents may dismiss their student(s) during that time and not be penalized." Additionally, the children will not be required to use the United States Education Department materials for suggested brainstorming assignments after the speech. Many Texas school districts are asking parents to contact principals if they do not wish for their children to view the speech while several schools have opted not to show the broadcast.  Stephanie Klick, Tarrant County Republican Party chairwoman, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that many Texas families are speaking out against plans to air the broadcast in schools.   "We’re hearing from parents and grandparents that are not very happy. They really feel like it is political indoctrination," Klick said. "People don’t like this. I have heard from some families that are planning to keep their kids home."   The Houston Independent School District has directed principals to give parents advance notice if they are planning lessons around Obama’s speech. Parents may opt-out their children. According to a Houston Chronicle report, "Children pulled out of school for the day will cost districts about $35 per child, as state funding for schools is based on daily attendance."   In Utah, school districts are taking precautions ahead of the speech, according to KSL 5 News. Salt Lake City School District is advising schools to have teachers notify parents if they plan on airing the address in class, and then allowing an opt-out. Some principals will be sending home notices if their schools plan to show the speech.   One Utah father told the Deseret News he will pull his four children out of school rather than allow them to watch the Obama broadcast.   "We will go on a picnic and read the Constitution – learn something useful," he said.   Wisconsin school districts have been hearing from concerned parents, according to the Associated Press. Palm Beach County, Fla., public schools may not run the broadcast. In Columbia, Mo., a district spokeswoman said kids won’t be seeing the speech at all.  Meanwhile, Atlas Shrugs’ Pamela Gellar blasted the White House and the Department of Education for spelling errors in its "Indoctrination Day" announcement, noting that she will keep her children home from school on Sept. 8.

     Even the secular press is beginning to report the backlash:  In an item headlined "Obama goes back to school," on Thu., Sept. 3, Lili Ladaga of Yahoo! News bloggers reported that while on September 8, in what the Department of Education is touting as a "historic" speech, President Obama will be talking directly to students across the U.S., live on the White House website, some parents and conservatives are blasting the president, calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children.  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to the nation’s principals, inviting schools to watch the speech and included suggested classroom activities.   NBC spoke with Katie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Florida Republican Party, who said the party’s "beef" is with the accompanying lesson plans. The guide for pre-K through grade 6 suggests questions students think about during the speech, such as "What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do?"  The plan for grades 7-12 includes a "guided discussion," with suggested topics: "What resonated with you from President Obama’s speech? What is President Obama inspiring you to do?"  Across the blogosphere, comments covered the spectrum, from critical to supportive, and from one student, a little anger:  "I sent my children to school to be educated NOT indoctrinated." — justamom.   "As an [sic] 9th grade student, I’d like to say that 1. I’m not sure why everyone is so scared that we’ll all be brainwashed by the President … 2. My school is one that is not allowing us to watch the speech, and quite frankly, I’m pi**ed." — Willbw (now that’s a good advertisement for the public school system, isn’t it!)

     Those who support the President’s planned speech:  Associated Press Writer Ben Feller in an item headlines "Gibbs: Furor over school speech is ‘silly season,’" reported that the White House dismissed as pointless the furor over President Barack Obama’s plan to deliver a televised back-to-school speech to the nation’s students.  "I think we’ve reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can’t tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school," presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters. "I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success."  Obama’s planned address to students has prompted a surprising push-back from some quarters over what the White House sees as an important but innocuous topic.  Some conservative critics say Obama is trying to promote a political agenda and overstepping his bounds, taking the federal government too far into public school business.  Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a potential presidential contender in 2012, said Obama’s speech is "uninvited" and that the president’s move raises questions of content and motive.  Many school districts have decided not to show Obama’s speech, to be delivered at 12 noon EDT Tuesday, partly in response to concerns from parents.  Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, on Friday defended Obama’s plan to address students.  "The bottom line is we need the president of the United States of America to use his bully pulpit to talk to kids about the importance of education and to help inspire kids," she said on "The John Gambling Show" on radio station 710-AM in New York.  Gibbs said former Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush delivered similar speeches to students. He said Obama’s speech will not be partisan but rather a chance for children to get "a little encouragement as they start the school year."  The White House plans to release the speech online Monday so parents can read it. Obama will deliver the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.

     And the answer to that dubious claim: Neal McCluskey, associate director of the Center for Educational Freedom, objected to the Obama administration message to schoolchildren in a Cato Institute article titled, "Hey Obama, leave those kids alone."   "It’s one thing for a president to encourage all kids to work hard and stay in school – that’s a reasonable use of the bully pulpit," McCluskey wrote. "It’s another thing entirely, however, to have the U.S. Department of Education send detailed instructions to public schools nationwide on how to glorify the president and the presidency, and push them to drive social change. Frighteningly, this is what President Obama has done."  McCluskey objected to Department of Education-suggested classroom activities for pre-K-6 students encouraging children to make posters setting out "community and country" goals.   "Perhaps even more frightening is the lesson schools are pushed to teach that it is important to listen to ‘the president and other elected officials,’" he wrote. "Possibly most distressing of all, though, is guidance that appears explicitly designed to glorify both the presidency and President Obama himself …"  He said the White House is trying to use its power over education to "indoctrinate children, something completely antithetical to a free society."   Also, Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, said in a statement that he believes Obama’s speech may be a platform "to spread" his "socialist ideology."   "As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power."   He continued, "While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American President and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda. The address scheduled for September 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the President’s agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our President’s initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates."

     And another school film propagandizing Obama:  On September 2, 2009,  Chelsea Schilling of WorldNetDaily reported that parents were outraged after a Utah elementary school showed a video to schoolchildren about pledging to "to be of service to Barack Obama," "to never give anyone the finger when I’m driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem-cell research.   The video, titled "I Pledge" and produced by Demi Moore, features more than 50 Hollywood celebrities who offer their support for President Obama’s policies, along with such things as pledging not to flush the toilet too much and not to use plastic bags at the grocery store. The film was played for Obama during his inaugural celebration.   But school administrators at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington, UT, showed the video to young students at an Aug 28 school assembly, sparking outrage from parents and conservative groups who called the film "radical, leftist propaganda," the Salt Lake Tribune reports.   "I Pledge" opens with a popular depiction of Obama. The president states, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."   Jennifer Cieslewicz has a daughter who is in first-grade at Eagle Bay Elementary.   "Showing the video in a public school is completely inappropriate," Cieslewicz told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I don’t believe a video such as this that promotes certain values should be shown to elementary students, especially without parents being aware. "   Following negative reactions from parents, school principal Ofelia Wade has apologized for showing the video.   Chris Williams, Davis School District spokesman, told the Tribune that Wade and school PTA leaders chose to play the video during its assembly about the school theme this year – service. He said Wade hadn’t viewed the film before it was played for the children.   "It got to a point where she turned to her assistant and said, ‘Oops, I wish I would have seen this before. I don’t think I would have shown it,’ " Williams said. "She acknowledges she was wrong and apologizes for it and says she’s sorry."   According to the report, the principal plans to send letters to parents about the film on Wednesday.   Gayle Ruzicka, president of Utah Eagle Forum, told the newspaper the video was blatantly political.   "It’s very inappropriate to show a radical, leftist propaganda piece that political to children," Ruzicka said. "If parents want their children to learn about those things and do them in the home, wonderful, fine, but it’s not the place of the school to show a one-sided propaganda piece to children without parents knowing about it."  Ruzicka said she is concerned that the film’s pledges may confuse elementary-school children whose parents use plastic bags at grocery stores or who want their children to flush the toilet every time they use the restroom.   She said she also objects to the pledge "to be of service to Barack Obama" because he has been elected to serve Americans, not so they will serve him.

This one is for homeschooling moms

     Our friend Joan Elder shared the following item.   Tests and Opportunities –August 27.  “. . . We ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer” (2 Thessalonians 1:4,5).  SEEKERS OF GOD CAN HARDLY DO WITHOUT QUALITIES LIKE PATIENCE, ENDURANCE, AND FORTITUDE. That is why periods of persecution have tended to separate the true seekers from the merely curious. Faith either learns how to deal with difficulty or it dies a miserable death. The Christian has no greater practical need than to learn how to handle hardship successfully.  When there is something that we must endure, we are faced with a crisis: do we or do we not have the character to meet the difficulty? But the WAY in which we endure difficulty is every bit as important as the question of whether or not we’ll endure it. We are called upon not only to bear our burdens, but also to bear them with a Christ-like spirit. We must resist bitterness and resentment and maintain gratitude and reverence.  Deciding which spirit we’ll have as we tackle our problems is one of life’s key decisions.  Motivational speakers have often pointed out to us the link in the Chinese language between “crisis” and “opportunity.” Denis Waitley puts it this way: “The Chinese symbols for crisis are identical to those for the word opportunity. Literally translated it reads, ‘Crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind.’” Situations that we see as merely “dangerous” (in other words, “difficult”) should often be welcomed as occasions for growth and service. If we take all the risk out of life, we also take out the opportunity. The course of least resistance leads only one direction: downhill.  When we pillow our heads at night, we need to have things that give us peace. Many such things are available, but one of the best is the simple peace of knowing that WE’VE DONE THINGS THAT DAY THAT WERE NOT EASY FOR US TO DO. If we can see ourselves as people who are learning little by little to master the hard parts of life, we will live with a greater confidence and be able to serve those around us more helpfully. The ancient adage is true which tells us, “A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”  “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests” (Epicurus).   —Gary Henry – Diligently Seeking God.

SAT Preparation

     Most homeschooled students who want to go to college will probably need to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test, NOT the standardized Stanford Achievement Test).  Sarah Coughlin sent me the following e-mail on 8/30/09.  Onlinemathprep.org is designed to help your child prepare to succeed on the SAT exam.  There are specific sessions dedicated to each of the following SAT matematics subjects: "Number and Operations", "Algebra and Functions", "Geometry and Measurement", and "Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability".  Interactive: Live interactive online classroom enables students to ask questions, gain instant feedback from the instructor, and problem solve with other students.  Convenient:  All you need is an Internet Connection.  Classes are held on nights and weekends.  Don’t waste time and money traveling to and from a tutoring center – Learn from home.  Affordable: Onlinemathprep.org is a great alternative to expensive onsite tutoring.  Register Now – Space is Limited.  Small class size allows for individualized attention.  Please feel free to email support@onlinemathprep.org if you have any further questions.