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Showing posts with label Home School Legal Defense Association. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home School Legal Defense Association. Show all posts
Friday, June 30, 2017
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Common Core Chaos
Or is it "Commie Core" as my colleague Gary calls it?
Common Core has been imposed on the nation with almost no debate. Remember the Look-Say method of reading that eliminated phonics and ensured a generation of semi-literate readers? This looks like more of the same only worse because many elements involve brainwashing the kids to accept government tyranny.
Check out this trailer for a documentary on Common Core.
And then watch the whole documentary and parent interviews here. Common Core is another "follow the money" initiative.
Common Core has been imposed on the nation with almost no debate. Remember the Look-Say method of reading that eliminated phonics and ensured a generation of semi-literate readers? This looks like more of the same only worse because many elements involve brainwashing the kids to accept government tyranny.
Check out this trailer for a documentary on Common Core.
And then watch the whole documentary and parent interviews here. Common Core is another "follow the money" initiative.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Living in a Police State
War on U.S. Homeschoolers Escalates
Consider the scenario. Social workers get an anonymous tip saying a family's children are in danger. They do nothing for two months, then arrive on the doorstep demanding immediate admittance to the home with no warrant. When the family refuses social workers call in the reinforcements, i.e., the cops. When the family still resists the warrantless search, the government thugs threaten immediate removal of the children. Wow!
For that family the police state is a reality. The parents relented under duress and the social workers found that the children were all fine when they entered the home.
Several of my children homeschool. This scenario could happen to them if they had a nasty neighbor. Consider the power of the anonymous accuser. You have a squabble with a neighbor, what an easy way to get back at them. The state generally offers immunity to anonymous accusers so anybody with children is at risk. Interesting, isn't it, that a country that allows the ultimate abuse of murdering children before birth, suddenly cares (two months after the anonymous call) about the condition of the children?
If this happened to your family, what would you do?
Consider the scenario. Social workers get an anonymous tip saying a family's children are in danger. They do nothing for two months, then arrive on the doorstep demanding immediate admittance to the home with no warrant. When the family refuses social workers call in the reinforcements, i.e., the cops. When the family still resists the warrantless search, the government thugs threaten immediate removal of the children. Wow!
For that family the police state is a reality. The parents relented under duress and the social workers found that the children were all fine when they entered the home.
Several of my children homeschool. This scenario could happen to them if they had a nasty neighbor. Consider the power of the anonymous accuser. You have a squabble with a neighbor, what an easy way to get back at them. The state generally offers immunity to anonymous accusers so anybody with children is at risk. Interesting, isn't it, that a country that allows the ultimate abuse of murdering children before birth, suddenly cares (two months after the anonymous call) about the condition of the children?
If this happened to your family, what would you do?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Two Thumbs Up for Home Schoolers!
Thirty years ago the U.S. boasted only 20,000 home schooled students. Today, the number is two million and growing. Not only that but studies show that home schooled students are more successful than many of their traditionally schooled peers. Read about it here. And if you home school give yourselves a big high five. If you know home schoolers congratulate them. And if you are fortunate to know someone who homeschooled in the early days, thank them for blazing the trail. It's a lot easier for home schoolers today because they cleared the path for those who came later. And a great big thank you to HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). They have filled the gap for many home schoolers challenged by hostile school systems.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Recess is Over; Back to School
If your children aren't back in school this week, they will be after Labor Day -- except for home schoolers who learn year round no matter where they are and what they are doing. When you live, eat, and vacation with the teacher, learning is a full time affair, which may be one of the reasons that home schoolers excell on standardized tests and outperform their public school counterparts by every measure.A recent report discussed in the Washington Times showed home schoolers, 1.5 million estimated by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), excelling in all areas:
The study included almost 12,000 homeschool students from all 50 states who took three well-known standardized achievements tests—the California Achievement Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Stanford Achievement Test—for the 2007–08 academic year. The students were drawn from 15 independent testing services, making it the most comprehensive homeschool academic study to date.
The results reinforced previous homeschool studies conducted over a period of 25 years.
Five areas of academic pursuit were measured. In reading, the average homeschooler scored at the 89th percentile; language, 84th percentile; math, 84th percentile; science, 86th percentile; and social studies, 84th percentile. In the core studies (reading, language and math), the average homeschooler scored at the 88th percentile.
The average public school student taking these standardized tests scored at the 50th percentile in each subject area.
Home schooling is growing by 7% a year according to DOE and it's no surprise to me. As a former home schooling mom I can testify to its effectiveness. When you know exactly what your children are studying, you can relate everything to it. "Remember when we talked about camouflage in nature? See how this bug looks like a stick. He blends in with his environment."
The five years I homeschooled offered dozens of opportunities for fun learning from directing our homeschool drama club in The Tempest at the Folger Shakespeare Library's middle school festival, to walking the Gettysburg battlefield listening to a costumed docent describe her experiences as a nurse, to leading a pre-school "nature detectives" program with my daughter dressed as a snow goose or an indian or a farmer at harvest time telling the little ones about her experiences. There was plenty of work involved, but also a lot of fun. Jamie went from being a so-so reader in second grade to an excellent reader with study skills that made her sought out by her chums when she returned to the classroom later.
Consider home schooling especially for your little ones. Protect their innocence, help them develop critical thinking skills that will serve them for a lifetime, and keep your family together. My only regret is I didn't homeschool all my children at least for a time. Homeschooling fosters a close-knit family especially when the experience is grounded in prayer.
May all our children, no matter where they are, have a blessed and productive school year.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thinking about Homeschooling?
We're about six weeks away from the start of school and now is a perfect time to reflect on whether you want to put your children back into a system where they will be indoctrinated with demonic values. (I was going to write "pagan values" but decided that would insult the many ethical pre-Christians who believed in honesty, integrity, and respect for others. Think of Hippocrates, Socrates, and Aristotle for starters.) Most school systems are neck deep in sex ed that approves of homosexuality, fornication, "outercourse" to prevent pregnancy, and every other sort of depraved activity. Does your local kindergarten send home a "diversity bookbag" with children's books normalizing same sex relationships? Mainstreaming immorality throughout the curriculum makes it almost impossible today to protect your kids from perverted ideas. The indoctrination begins in pre-school touching programs that desensitize your children to sexual terms and often use pictures of adults molesting children to describe "bad touches." Teachers seem oblivious to the fact that such actions are, in themselves, abusive."
A friend of mine described a situation that occurred in her young son's pre-school class. "Tommy" came home and told his mom that "Sally" wanted to marry "Janie" when she grew up. My friend laughed and said, "Girls can't marry girls." Her son responded, "Yes she can. My teacher said girls can marry girls." Think about it. My friend only found out because her son brought up the conversation. But what does this do the formation of a little one's values to hear this from a respected, and perhaps loved, authority figure?
The earlier these these ideas are imposed on your children the more damage they do to their innocence. It consitutes mental and spiritual abuse and interferes with the latency period.
Even if you don't think you'll homeschool check out the laws in your state and how to get started. You never know when the information will come in handy.
A friend of mine described a situation that occurred in her young son's pre-school class. "Tommy" came home and told his mom that "Sally" wanted to marry "Janie" when she grew up. My friend laughed and said, "Girls can't marry girls." Her son responded, "Yes she can. My teacher said girls can marry girls." Think about it. My friend only found out because her son brought up the conversation. But what does this do the formation of a little one's values to hear this from a respected, and perhaps loved, authority figure?
The earlier these these ideas are imposed on your children the more damage they do to their innocence. It consitutes mental and spiritual abuse and interferes with the latency period.
Even if you don't think you'll homeschool check out the laws in your state and how to get started. You never know when the information will come in handy.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Bishops Plan to Fight FOCA
The bishops made it clear at their annual fall meeting that they will fight FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act). And now a postcard campaign is in the works. I remember the bishops' 1994 postcard campaign urging Congress to keep abortion and contraception out of any universal health care plan. It was launched at a July press conference on Capitol Hill. Several hundred people attended including myself with my mom, my adult daughter, and my two-year-old granddaughter. A friend took a photo of our four generations of pro-life women to commemorate the event. At the time I was chairman of my parish's pro-life committee and coordinated the drive. It was an impressive effort with millions of cards delivered to the Hill. By all means let's do it again.
But I'd like to suggest something else to go with it that will impress Congress much more than a stack of postcards with a pre-printed message collecting dust in the corner of a congressional office, something that occurred about six months before the bishops' press conference and organized by a different group -- home schoolers. In February 1994 Congressman George Miller attached an amendment to HR 6, a reappropriatons bill for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It required teachers in full-time schools to be certified in the subject they were teaching. The amendment read:
"Each State applying for funds under this title shall provide the Secretary with the assurance that after July 1, 1998, it will require each local educational agency within the State to certify that each full time teacher in schools under the jurisdiction of the agency is certified to teach in the subject area to which he or she is assigned."
While the amendment said nothing about home schooling, it raised a red flag for lawyers at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Many local school administrators across the country consider private and home schools "under [their] jurisdiction" and the bill could be used to threaten home schoolers who obviously could not be certified in every subject, particularly at the high school level. HSLDA attempted to negotiate with Miller, but he wouldn't budge. Congressman Dick Armey introduced an amendment to specifically exclude home schools from the bill, but it was rejected by Democrats on a straight party line vote. Since Miller was a staunch advocate of the NEA (National Education Association) which strongly opposed home schooling, HR 6 looked like a backhanded way to regulate and limit home schoolers.
Telephone trees and home school associations across the country went into high gear. James Dobson, Rush Limbaugh, and other radio personalities helped expose the story. Over the next few days home schoolers generated over a million telephone calls to Capitol Hill, 20,000 to Representative Miller's office alone. They literally shut Congress down. There was certainly no business as usual and the lawmakers were shocked and overwhelmed at the reaction to what they presumed was an innocuous piece of legislation.
In the end, the objectionable amendment was defeated and Dick Armey's amendment carried in the House 374-53. [You can read more details about this exciting success story in Part VI section B of The Politics of Survival by Scott W. Somerville, Esq.]
If the bishops are really serious about stopping FOCA they need more than a postcard campaign. They must generate the same intense grassroots activity for the unborn that the home schoolers did for their own children. We know CINOs (Catholics in Name Only) are unlikely to support this effort. The unborn are invisible to them. But faithful Catholics, united with other pro-life Christian churches, orthodox Jews, pro-life Mormons, etc. can overwhelm the culture of death on Capitol Hill with a pro-life avalanche.
Let every bishop call a press conference to launch the "Call for Life" campaign. Let every parish priests preach on the value of each tiny baby, our littlest brothers and sisters, and urge their congregations to pick up the phones. Let ecumenical religious groups network together as "Christians and Jews united to stop FOCA."
Imagine if every voter at the March for Life on January 22nd pulled out his or her cell phone and called Congress saying "Stop FOCA."
Discouragement is not an option. Despite the election of a radically pro-abortion President and the most pro-abortion legislature in history we are a people of God with faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. By the grace of God through the intercession of Our Lady we can restore our country. Let it begin with the "Call for Life Campaign."
But I'd like to suggest something else to go with it that will impress Congress much more than a stack of postcards with a pre-printed message collecting dust in the corner of a congressional office, something that occurred about six months before the bishops' press conference and organized by a different group -- home schoolers. In February 1994 Congressman George Miller attached an amendment to HR 6, a reappropriatons bill for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It required teachers in full-time schools to be certified in the subject they were teaching. The amendment read:
"Each State applying for funds under this title shall provide the Secretary with the assurance that after July 1, 1998, it will require each local educational agency within the State to certify that each full time teacher in schools under the jurisdiction of the agency is certified to teach in the subject area to which he or she is assigned."
While the amendment said nothing about home schooling, it raised a red flag for lawyers at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Many local school administrators across the country consider private and home schools "under [their] jurisdiction" and the bill could be used to threaten home schoolers who obviously could not be certified in every subject, particularly at the high school level. HSLDA attempted to negotiate with Miller, but he wouldn't budge. Congressman Dick Armey introduced an amendment to specifically exclude home schools from the bill, but it was rejected by Democrats on a straight party line vote. Since Miller was a staunch advocate of the NEA (National Education Association) which strongly opposed home schooling, HR 6 looked like a backhanded way to regulate and limit home schoolers.
Telephone trees and home school associations across the country went into high gear. James Dobson, Rush Limbaugh, and other radio personalities helped expose the story. Over the next few days home schoolers generated over a million telephone calls to Capitol Hill, 20,000 to Representative Miller's office alone. They literally shut Congress down. There was certainly no business as usual and the lawmakers were shocked and overwhelmed at the reaction to what they presumed was an innocuous piece of legislation.
In the end, the objectionable amendment was defeated and Dick Armey's amendment carried in the House 374-53. [You can read more details about this exciting success story in Part VI section B of The Politics of Survival by Scott W. Somerville, Esq.]
If the bishops are really serious about stopping FOCA they need more than a postcard campaign. They must generate the same intense grassroots activity for the unborn that the home schoolers did for their own children. We know CINOs (Catholics in Name Only) are unlikely to support this effort. The unborn are invisible to them. But faithful Catholics, united with other pro-life Christian churches, orthodox Jews, pro-life Mormons, etc. can overwhelm the culture of death on Capitol Hill with a pro-life avalanche.
Let every bishop call a press conference to launch the "Call for Life" campaign. Let every parish priests preach on the value of each tiny baby, our littlest brothers and sisters, and urge their congregations to pick up the phones. Let ecumenical religious groups network together as "Christians and Jews united to stop FOCA."
Imagine if every voter at the March for Life on January 22nd pulled out his or her cell phone and called Congress saying "Stop FOCA."
Discouragement is not an option. Despite the election of a radically pro-abortion President and the most pro-abortion legislature in history we are a people of God with faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. By the grace of God through the intercession of Our Lady we can restore our country. Let it begin with the "Call for Life Campaign."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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