Carnival of Homeschooling: Almost a Swan Song...

The Carnival of Homeschooling--More than Textbooks is up over at Janice Campbell's
Taking Time for Things that Matter.

Janice reminds us that education is more than textbooks. There are quite a few posts over at the COH this week, for those who are in "not back to school" mode.

My last regular post is also there, although I have been assured that as a homeschool advocate, I can still publish at the COH when I have something to say about what we learned from our homeschool experience. So this "last regular post" is not exactly a Swan Song.

Since I will be reading the COH on a regular basis, even if my posts there become more sporadic, I will still remind all of you about it every week!

Have a great week. We are!

Carnival of Homeschooling:Homeschool Memories Edition

The Carnival of Homeschooling --Homeschooling Memories is up over at Sprittibee's.

Somehow, that theme seems to be appropriate to me.
I am going through endings, changes and beginnings right now, and I am feeling vaguely "Septemberish" (in Chester the Cricket's words) even though it is not quite the middle of August. I have that post-intensity let-down that comes at the end of a completed term. I am glad--glad!--that the intensity is over, but I don't quite know what to do with myself yet.

I think a short reprieve from boxing up books and materials to ship back to IRD's Fulfillment center might be in order. A nice glass of lemonade and sit on the porch to read COH sounds like the perfect break!

Carnival of Homeschooling 135: Boy Scouts of America

Today is 101st anniversary of the Boy Scouts. In the United States, scouting started a little later, and will be celebrating it's 100th anniversary soon.

We are a scouting family and Boychick (a.k.a. N.) is our current scout, and he is ambitious: he wants Order of the Arrow and to be an Eagle Scout.

He has continued in his Boy Scout troop here since his bridging ceremony from Cub Scouts--where he earned the Arrow of Light award.

Over at Consent of the Governed, Judy Aron is celebrating Boy Scouts in her Carnival of Homeschooling post for this week.

There are many ways that homeschooling is similar to scouting. We all want to raise and educate our children to be prepared for the future, and we want them to develop the discipline to work hard in order to meet their goals in life. For some homeschoolers, scouting is part of the curriculum. It has been for us, and it has served us well. Other homeschoolers participate in 4-H, or Campfire programs. I am sure that there are many more such programs designed to meet the unique needs of homeschoolers. We are such a diverse group.

NOTE: Thanks to the blogger who nominated Ragamuffin Studies for Alesandra's Homeschool Blog Awards! I am truly honored.

Carnival of Homeschooling 133: Summertime...

"Summertime, an' the livin' is easy,
Fish are jumpin, and d'cotton is high..."
(Porgy and Bess)



Ah, summertime...when the grass is in flower in the meadow...

This week, spend some easy time over at Red Sea Home School, where the Red Sea Headmistress has put together the Summertime Edition of the Carnival of Homeschool.

I'm gonna pour a glass of lemonade, pull up my Andirondak rocker on the porch and indulge in some delightful, thoughtful and provoking reading while the sun shines this morning!

Carnival of Homeschooling 132: I Scream for Ice Cream!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Monday, Tuesday, is a fine day for sundae!

Fenton's Creamery Super Sundae

Oakland, CA. E. Levin, August 2007 (Picture Credit)

N. ate the whole thing!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Ice Cream Parlor Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling is now up over at the Daily Planet.

Because ice cream is such serious business at our house, the Engineering Geek is now making us strawberry shakes--with real strawberries--so that I can sip on one as I read.

So pull up one of those wire chairs to the little round table, ask for an extra spoon, and enjoy!

Carnival of Homeschooling 130: Homesick Campers Edition

It's the Homesick Campers edition for the COH over at Dewey's Treehouse!

I don't know about you, but I had a great time going to summer camp when I was a kid. We did girl scout camp at Hidden Hills and also at Lake Bloomington, and other camps but I don't remember all the names. We'd sit around the campfire smelling of DEET (this was long before PC) and smoke, singing songs into the evening. We'd huddle in tents during thunderstorms at 2 O'Clock in the morning. We'd put on our "creek sneakers" to wade in and get muddy catching crayfish and frogs. We'd be gone a week or two and come home having grown an inch, and tanned and dirty.

Ah, I am getting happy just thinking about it.

"Girl Scouts together, that is our song.

Winding the old trails, rocky and long.

Learning our motto, living our creed,

Girl Scouts together in every good deed."

See what can get dredged out of memory of nearly 40 years ago with a little whiff if the scent of DEET?

Carnival of Homeschooling 129: Let's Go to the Movies

Actually, we went last week. It was our first theater experience in a long while.
We saw Ironman, and we really enjoyed it.
Even if the Engineering Geek has a certain propensity to talk in sci-fi/fantasy.
He says things like: "That can't happen!" and "Holly-weird!"
We respond (sotto-voce) with: "Shhhh!" and "Remember: Willing suspension of disbelief!"




This week, the COH, up over at Apollos Academy, is going to the movies!

So, take a virtual trip to your local homeschooling theater.

See what Homeschoolers are saying about...well, nearly everything.

Silence your cell phones.

Shhhh! Remember not to talk!

Oh, and pass the popcorn please.

Carnival of Homeschooling: Playing Catch-Up

The Carnival of Homeschooling for the first week of June is up at Tami's Blog.

Due to Memorial Day and travel, I missed last week's carnival, but I looked it over recently, and it was small but good. It is still available at Walking Therein.

Note: The COH is at a Homeschool Blogger site this week for those to whom it makes a difference. Last week's at is at Jacque's site, where she has moved from Ancient Paths.

Carnival of HOmeschooling 125: In My Opinion...

The Carnival of Homeschooling is up over at Po Moyemu--which means
"In My Opinion" in Russian. Silvia has posted a great carnival,
with blog entries about education, family life, and other topics of interest to homeschoolers.

You might want to mosey on over there to check it out.
And while you're at it, check out Silvia's blog in general. She is a homeschooling/unschooling chicken farmer, gardener and nature libertarian! So she's always got something interesting to read!

Carnival of Homeschooling 124: Didn't Make the Deadline, but...

...I might still have time to read a few entries.

It's up over at Mom Is Teaching (wearing our pajamas to class).

There is no theme, but whenever I think of Mom Teaching, I always imagine the little guys poring over American History and Algebra in robes and slippers.

It gives me a warm, fuzzy sort of feeling.

And that's something I need right now.

I like the very idea of pajamas.

I'm counting down. Two more days...about 50 hours...

There are two more days of "Distance Training" for the IRD job.

It's been intense but interesting. More on that later...

And my multiple choice final (Oy!) for Child Psychopathology is Thursday evening at 7:45.

I imagine that I will be done with that by 8:30, thus the 50 hours estimate.

Of course, I'm not really done.

Sunday I start IRD "In Person Training." In Chicago.

There'll be five days of that, and then I am catching the train down to McClean County to visit relatives over Memorial Day Weekend.

The Engineering Geek, N., and the CGP have some fun planned while I am gone.

"While the cat's away..." they say, grinning wickedly when I ask what their plans are.

Too bad the cat has to work!

Carnival of Homeschooling 123: The Mother's Day Edition

The Mother's Day Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling is up over at Melissa's Idea Garden.

There you will get some interesting facts and history of Mother's Day,
and some great reading for your--all too rare--spare time!

I intend to indulge in the evenings this week, when my Institute of Reading Development training has been completed for the day.

Happy Mother's Day!

So go! Read, already! Enjoy!

Carnival of Homeschooling: Visions of the Future

Remember the Jetsons?

Remember when we thought we'd certainly be wearing disposible paper suits and eating pills instead of food?

Remember the cool cars that flew?

Well, maybe that future did not happen exactly that way.

But I am communicating with you almost instantaneously on a wireless laptop!

And my calculator has more memory than the entire computer system at the IAA building in 1975! It actually had tapes on big reels behind a glass wall and took up an entire floor.

So some of those cool futuristic things really did happen.

Over at Homeschool Buzz, the current COH: Visions of the Future is up. Take a look at how some of our fellow homeschoolers envision our futures! Just imagine if Elroy had been homeschooled?

You know, I could really use that robot the Jetson's had...you know, the one that cooks, washes up and vacuums? I want that one.

It would never roll its eyes at me if I told it to put the dirty cup in the dishwasher--not just by the dishwasher.

Sigh. A mother can dream, now, can't she?

Carnival of Homeschooling: The Bag Lady?

No, not the one wandering the streets of Brooklyn with a shopping cart.

The one who carries multiple bags that represent the many different roles that a homeschooling mom fulfills in the course of the day.

Last week, in the Pesach rush, I missed the COH, but I certainly remembered that I represent multiple roles!

This week, a Coffee Shop bag in hand (I have to brew it at home from scratch), I intent to head on over to Principled Discovery where Dana has posted a very large COH In Honor of the Bag Lady!

Join me, and you might be surprised to see how many different bags are lined up in your front hallway!

Carnival of Homeschooling: Work-Out Edition

Spring is here and it's time to get physical!

Even if it snows here tomorrow, as predicted, we can still get moving.

Note: I object to the characterization of dog-walking as "light." Evidently the author of this propaganda poster has not ever walked two hound dogs up and down rocky canyons and through thick woods. I work up a good sweat when it is 20 degrees outside!

A Pondering Heart has put together this week's Carnival of Homeschooling: The Work Out Edition. So...after you you work up a sweat, head on over and see how your fellow homeschoolers are exercising minds and bodies.

There's more on our very popular Road Construction series over there, too! The popularity just goes to show how very much homeschool kids work out their curiosity!

The Anointed and The Benighted

I have been following several interesting discussion about the right of parents to educate their children within their own world-views, and the obligation of the state not to interfere in the parent-child relationship. One of the discussions is here, at the Illinois Review. Another discussion was precipitated by Dana's musings about how the view of abuse has become less than strictly defined, over at Principled Discovery. In that blog entry, Dana also features an excerpt of a piece from Black Sun Journal, which equates the religious education of children by their parents with child abuse.

At the same time, I have been preparing a presentation for my Trends and Issues in Special Education course that discusses what happens when an ideological divide takes the place of reasoned arguments in a field. In this case, the issue that precipitated the divide is the Regular Education Initiative, which has been advocated with nearly religious fervor by a certain small group of Post-Modernist thinkers. In preparation for that presentation I have been reading, among others, Thomas Sowell's 1995 book, The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as the Basis for Social Policy, which is part of his Conflict of Visions series.

In this book, Sowell characterizes what happens when a field or an issue moves from rational, evidence-based discussion to the brink of an ideological divide. Essentially, he says that the this movement creates an "us" and "them" mentality, in which one side claims 'the Vision of the Anointed.' This vision is comprised of "the perceptions, beliefs and assumptions of an elite intelligentsia, whose revelations prevail over others in the determination of policy." The other side, which often persists in an attempt at rational discussion long past useful resolution, gets cast with having the "Vision of the Benighted." The perceptions, beliefs and assumptions of the hapless Benighted group are cast as being "at best, perceptions, more often, stereotypes, and more bluntly, false consciousness."

Sowell goes on to say that those who hold the Vision of the Anointed, take it upon themselves to characterize those they deem "them" to be not only factually wrong, but morally inferior. Because the Anointed ascribe to themselves only the best of motives, they do not feel the need to define their terms or to present logical arguments or empirical evidence for their rightness. They are right because they are the caring and compassionate few, the Ones Who Know What is Best for Us All, and if only we would let them get on with the business deciding momentous questions on the basis of their Vision, we'd all be led to the Promised Land. Sowell says it better than I:

"(The Vision of the Anointed confers) a special state of grace for those who believe it. Those who accept this vision are deemed to be not merely factually correct, but morally on a higher plane. Put differently, those who disagree with the prevailing vision are seen as being not merely in error, but in sin. For those who hold this vision of the world, the anointed and the benighted do not argue on the same moral plane or play by the same cold rules of logic and evidence. The benighted are to made "aware," to have their "consciousness rasied," and the wistful hope is held out that they will "grow." Should the benighted prove recalcitrant, however, then their "mean-spiritedness" must be fought and the "real reasons" behind their arguments and actions exposed."

Sowell calls the vision of the anointed a "vision of differential rectitude." (Emphasis in the original). I call it a quasi-religious world view of the elect and the damned, in which the elect do not recognize any obligation to be tolerant towards those who disagree with them, but rather feel compelled to use the coercive power of the state to bring the Benighted damned to salvation.

Compared those who hold the Vision of the Anointed, the Jehovah's Witness at the door is just a walk in park. The Witness after all can only try to persuade you, and you can tell him to leave and he will do it. At worst, you will have to recycle the Watchtower pamplet.

Let's just take a look at two quotations from Black Sun Journal with the above metaphor for the ideological divide in mind. In this case, it is homeschoolers, and particularly those who are teaching their children their own religious world view, who have been cast into the Vision of the Benighted. The Black Sun author clearly sees herself as The Anointed.

Quote I: Home schooling is a discretionary option for parents, the quality of which can vary widely. Because of this inconsistency, it may not be in the best interest of children, who often have no choice about their participation. Society at large has a duty to protect the minds as well as the bodies of vulnerable children from abuse by authority figures. In most cases, home schooling parents have a strong religious agenda, and therefore on First Amendment grounds such education does not meet the standards for a generalized public subsidy. A case can also be made that to the extent home schooling attempts to undermine the principles of consensus science, not only should it be denied government support, it should also be expressly prohibited. (Emphasis added).

Digression: By the way, as a working scientist, I am very troubled by the phrase "consensus science." In science, ideas are not developed by consensus, but by rigorous experimental design, which is regularly reviewed and criticized by colleagues. Argument and challenge are ideally the order of the day. "Consensus science" is an oxymoron.

Another Digression: I am also puzzled by the reference to the First Amendment. The First Amendment describes a limit on government interference into the religious lives of the people. It does not prescribe that the government coerce secularism in the private lives of individuals, which is what our Anointed One is calling for, in saying "...it should be expressly prohibited."

Quote II: It is for this reason that I consider religious education to be a serious form of child abuse. No matter what kind of beliefs they might hold about underage sexuality, we don’t allow parents to sexually abuse their children because we understand that they don’t own their children’s bodies. Likewise we should understand just as clearly that no matter what their religions might demand they teach, parents do not own their kids’ minds. Society has a profound interest in the truthful education and proper formation of its future citizens. Therefore it should be expressly against the law to teach children a curriculum that so blatantly and directly contradicts science–even and especially in private. Such curricula should be treated like child pornography. Because miseducation is at least as damaging to children as sexual abuse. We’re talking about the malformation of the brain a child will possess for life. It goes without saying that it does not matter whether it is conducted in the home or in a private group setting, it should absolutely, positively never receive any government subsidy or funding. (Emphasis Added).

Digression: Malformation of the brain? I am a neuroscientist, and I can tell you that teaching specific ideas does not create malformation of the brain. Brain problems are more likely to occur in children who are not brought up in loving families with strong attachment to parents. I would worry much more about the Brave New World quality of child rearing at the hands of the state that this author implies.

Another Digression: Also note the statement "especially in private." Privacy and private life are the result of liberty and capitalism. No such distinction as that between private life and public life exists under any form of Fascism.

Still Another Digression: This is the second time this Anointed One has mentioned government funding. Just for the record, although I have not conducted a scientific poll, my experience of homeschoolers is that we pay our taxes for public schools we do not use, and in general, we are opposed to government subsidies because they would inevitably lead to Pols (as we called them in Chicago: Royko used to say they were incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time) sticking their noses into our private lives.

I think the tone and the assertions of knowledge without evidence alone tells us that this is definitely a person with The Vision of the Anointed. I noticed in the discussion at Black Sun, and the discussion with another Anointed person over at the Illinios review, that homeschoolers, in general, try to stay with the argument from reason. Out of esteem for our fellows, we tend to think of them as operating on the same moral plane as ourselves, and do not realize that we have been cast into The Vision of the Benighted. I believe that we must start attacking their ideas on the highest level, as ideas.

For example, notice that our Black Sun Messiah asserts: "Society at large has a duty to protect..." (Quote I) and "Society has a profound interest..." (Quote II). We, taking the argument to the rational grounds of give and take of empirical evidence, generally think of society as a group of people who have a multitude of differing interests, and a few common interests. But here, Society, with a capital "S" actually stands for the Anointed, the differentially Righteous, who by the grace of their rectitude and possession of the moral high ground, should have the power to direct our lives. Even more so, Society here stands for the coercive power of the state.

These are not ideas that are compatible with a government that is limited to Constitutionally defined concerns. It is not an idea compatible with a government confined by the Rule of Law. These ideas promote the view of a government that respects some persons over others, and in which the Elect would get to work their will upon the rest of us, whether we like it or not. Such ideas must be challenged not only at the level of point-by-point discussion of the facts, for the Anointed do not need empirical data, they are in a particular state of grace. Rather, they ought to be challenged on the level of the ideas themselves.

I do have a question for the Anointed of the Black Sun: You presume to impose the tyranny of your wishes upon others, to forbid them from teaching their children religion. But you are not in the majority. You wish to remove the guaranties of the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, because you believe they allow the Benighted to pass on their Benightedness. And yet, you, as an atheist, are undoubtedly in the minority. Once the protections of the rights of individuals are removed, at your behest, what will stop the Christian majority from making it illegal for you to teach that atheism to your children?

What will you do when the shoe is on the other foot?

It's the "S" Word Again! Carnival of Homeschooling 117

PHAT Mommy has got me thinking about it again! She's organized this weeks Carnival of Homeschooling around it!

All of us are familiar with the "S" word. Since homeschoolers have demostrated academic competence, this word has become the new objection to how we choose to raise and educate our children.

But maybe we ought to take a look at a couple of definitions.

Here is the definiton that we tend to think of when the term is brought up:
Socialize (Verb): to make social; make fit for life in companionship with others.

But consider this one, from the American Heritage Dictionary (online):
Socialize (Verb): To place under government or group ownership or control.

Maybe this is the one that our critics have in mind?
After all, the overwhelming majority of homeschoolers do tend to take care of the first, and in fact, we could argue that we do it better than government schools do it. Our children, after all, are out in the community, interacting with a variety of people of all ages, both genders, and a multitude of diverse ways of living.

Head on over to the "S" Word Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling to see how many of us are dealing with the first definition.

As for the second, to quote Nancy Reagan, "Just say 'No!'"

COH: Oh, The Things That You'll Do!

The 115th Carnival of Homeschooling is up over at Janice Campbell's blog,
Taking Time for Things That Matter.


It's called Oh, The Things That You'll Do! as a tribute to Dr. Seuss's Oh, The Places You'll Go!

The art above is from Dr. Seuss's 50th anniversary of publishing, and seems to be ubiquitous on the web.

And, "No, I do not like Green Eggs and Ham!"

I'd rather read the COH while knitting a Thneed. "You need a Thneed!"

Enjoy!

And, ah...warn me if you run into Thing One and Thing Two.

Spring into the Carnival of Homeschooling!

Kris, at home over in Tennessee, is dreaming of spring!

And so am I! Ah, sunshine into open windows, butterflies and daffodils! It is coming, I just know it is, despite the two or three inches still on the hillsides up here from the last storm.

But if the spring-like weather has not made it to your corner of the world, at least you can visit over At Home With Kris, as she presents the "Spring into Spring!" edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling, up on Homesteadblogger today.

By the way, it looks promising here today! The sun rose into a clear sky, there was a heavy frost on the meadow, and the temperature has been steadily rising. It might get above fifty degrees here at 7500 feet. I've got my fingers crossed.

ADDENDUM: The Cateses, over at Why Homeschool are running the voting on the second phase of the COH Image Contest. Hop over and look at the images, and choose your favorite medium-sized image and your favorite whatever-sized image!

I dunno, Henry. There were so many appealing images that I had a hard time choosing!

There! I think I've got everything here, now.

Carnival of Homeschooling 114: It's March!

March is here!

Did March come in like a lion or a lamb at your house?

To find out all kinds of cool facts about the month of March,

and to discover what homeschoolers around the world are up to as this month begins,

head on over to Palm Tree Pundit, for the 114th Carnival of Homeschooling, brought to you from the lovely islands of Hawaii!

Carnival of Homeschooling 113: The Political Parties Edition

Americans sure are a contentious bunch!

Who was it who said that Democracy is one long argument?

And we can certainly see that from the numerous political parties we have had over our history.

Parties in the US

have a huge range of ideas and agendas.

Ask Ralph Nader if it has been easy bein' Green!

Over at The Daily Planet,

Superangel has provided us

with the Political Party Edition

of the Carnival of Homeschooling.

So whether you're Libertarian...

Or a Bull Moose Party adherent,

(though you'd be pretty old now)...

Or if you stand with the

Constitution Party,

You will definitely learn something new

about the history of political parties

and about the variety of ideas about

homeschooling!