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Table of contents:
Low cost birthday party/multigen games
from "V. Turner" <wiz...@cts.com>
separation of school and state FAQ
from doom...@worldweb.net (Tina M. Edwards)
Terminal bossy-ness?
from <BIL...@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU>
Re: Used Miquon Materials
from "Krug, Anna" <kru...@po.bethany.wvnet.edu>
Re: Terrible speller
from "Krug, Anna" <kru...@po.bethany.wvnet.edu>
Interesting thought
from Marcy Michelle Morgan <mmmo...@tenet.edu>
CDROM
from Bryan Turner <Bryan....@m.cc.utah.edu>
Re: Terrible speller
from tac...@cats.ucsc.edu (Tane' Tachyon)
e-mail contact in Italy
from Alano Nelson <00020...@mcimail.com>
Re: CDROM
from tac...@cats.ucsc.edu (Tane' Tachyon)
Re: A little self-defense info, please?
from david mankins <d...@k12-nis-2.bbn.com>
Please Help Me Write My Homeschooling Article!
from HCEIS...@alex.stkate.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------
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From: "V. Turner" <wiz...@cts.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 21:15:27 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Low cost birthday party/multigen games
On Thu, 7 Sep 1995, Tina M. Edwardsrote: > I'm reading with interest all
the answers to the query for birthday party > ideas. My son's birthday is
in 3 weeks, and the problem I've struggled with > is finding games that a
wider age range can play.
************************
At our parties we try to have at least one game
where-in something useful is constructed by teamwork of children/adults of
multiple ages. A very popular event (and back again by popular request)
is the body drawing. I bought a huge roll of butcher paper. (Although
taping the back sides of opened newspapers works well, too and there is no
cost to this) Each individual stands up against it and the persons outline
is drawn. Then, either the individual or the friend(s) help to color it
in. (you'll need lots of markers/crayons/tempura for this) Hint: Run the
butcher paper long wise, not horizontally, to get the full size: Also, you
will need a solid surface to draw upon. Textured surfaces, such as
cement/tile/brick/ etc are interesting and creative, but someone always
whines. A refrigerator box can be handy for this, and leads to another
multi-generational game:
Decorate the refrigerator-box house. Older kids get the box-knife to
make door/windows/chimneys/ etc. and youngers can help draw flowers,
various animals, etc. Can also be a barn/schoolhouse/castle/whatever
your theme is. You can also make cardboard cut-outs of animals, cars,
furniture, etc to enhance your house.
Furniture-making is also great fun: Pickup old chairs at garage sales, as
well as lots of large scraps of material/sheets/blankets/etc and foam
cushions. Use shooting staple gun to "pad" the furniture. Younger kids
can choose the fabrics, older folks be in charge of staple-gun. We always
start with an educational lecture on the value of tools & why tools are
not toys, and why one individual is responsible for each staple fun all
day and must remove staples each time it is put down. Haven't had any
accidents yet. (Lots of kid-to-adult lectures on "Don't put that
there! Some kid might pick it up!") And, kid learned how certain types of
furniture was constructed.
Club-house painting: One year we put a large wooden shipper-box (had
previously housed some industrial equipment) in the
backyard, made it into the club house and the kids got to use old cans of
scrap paint (they each brought some) to decorate it. Fabulous!
Pinata construction: Much more fun to create pinatas than to break them,
and its within everyones ability to add strips of newspaper/glue to a form.
We used lots of glitter to decorate at the end. Send home in plastic
garbage bags so the parents don't complain about glitter in the cars for
months to come!
Ice-Cream Sundae (Making the ICe Cream and Constructing the Sundaes) is a
terrific and educational game. We start the party with everyone from each
of three teams adding ingredients and hand-cranking three or ice cream
makers, to the sounds of popular beat music (OK, it was Barney music, give
me a break) And each person on the team MUST take a turn cranking or
they don't get any ice cream. However, the freezer IS well-stocked with
back-up ice cream in the event of a recipe failure with the home-made
stuff. *Important Note* when placing any ice cream on the Sundae-making
table, place it in large containers filled with ice (a la caviar) or the
last people will be having more cream than ice. Also, a hot plate with
hot water is a good place to keep the several serving spoons warmed for when
*somebody's spouse* brings Rock Hard Ice Cream to the party (and you
know who you are).
CUPcake Decorating is another Fine Multi-Generational Event. It speaks
for itself. Just be sure to provide shoe boxes (see below) to take the
extras home.
Shoe-box decorating: Tell everyone to bring a shoe box (or cage a bunch
from your shoe-shop of choice) and something crafty to glue on (or
provide crafty things with your party theme). We usually start by
wraping the lids with wrapping paper of the party-theme (eg:Belle
wrapping paper, or this year it would be Pocahontas). Then, the kids get
to take these finished art-pieces home and store great stuff in them.
Suggest you be sure to admonish them that these are not live Frog Houses.
You don't Even want to hear that story.
As you can see, we're real big on teamwork, cooperation and substantive
achievement at our house. Write me if you need more. But with these,
even the youngest (including your 3yo's)will have a great deal of pride in
a finished product and in cooperating with the biggest
(kid/parent/grandparent) to make that product. Parties are Fun!
-V
wiz...@cts.com
"Pithy, Wise & Humorous Signature Under Construction In This Cyber Space"
----------------------------------------------------------
From: doom...@worldweb.net (Tina M. Edwards)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 1995 00:54:01 -0400
Subject: separation of school and state FAQ
Has anybody seen this FAQ? I would like to hear (well, READ then) other
opinions on this and how it might affect home schooling.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Separation of School & State Alliance
-------------------------------------------------------
* Why should school and state be separated?
* What's the Separation Alliance's goal?
* What's wrong with the common school concept?
* What about irresponsible parents?
* What's wrong with the Prussian approach?
* What steps are necessary for separation?
* How much progress has the Alliance made in its first 18 months?
* Have any professional surveys been done on Separation?
* What's being said about Fritz and The Separation Alliance?
* How long has the battle over whether schools should educate children been
going on?
* What projects are planned?
* What is the Alliance's history & tax status?
----------------------------------------------------------
Why should school and state be separated?
-------------------------------------------------------
We should remove schools from government operation and influence for three
reasons:
1) One-size-fits-all doesn't work in a pluralistic society, especially for
character values.
2) Government take-over of parents' duties is often met with parental
abdication of their responsibilities. Reduced parental responsibility hurts
children.
3) Politically-run schooling can't escape the age-graded time-based model
imported from Prussia in the 1840s. Those offering glimpses of better
paradigms (e.g., John Holt, Maria Montessori) are all but scorned.
What's the Separation Alliance's goal?
-------------------------------------------------------
Our goal is the end of federal, state, and local involvement with schooling.
We believe government has no role in financing, operating, or defining
schooling, or even compelling attendance.
What's wrong with the common school concept?
-------------------------------------------------------
We don't have a common pizza, a common magazine or a common church. They
make no common sense. The way out of the "School Wars" is to drop the 1840s'
notion of a "common school." Government has no business forcing kids from
different backgrounds into a one-size-fits-all tablet of values. The Common
School wasn't so bad for 100 years; they imparted the Protestant majority's
values to mostly Protestant kids. Some groups escaped (e.g., Christian
Reformed, Seventh Day Adventist, and Catholics); others were small and took
their lumps (e.g., Jews, atheists, and Jehovah's Witnesses).
The flaw of the common school only became clear to traditionalists when the
tables were turned on them. Over the last 50 years, the modernists have won
control and now they use schools to impart their idea of "The Good." But the
traditionalists are not a tiny minority that can be abused with impunity.
They're escalating the school wars to try to "take back their schools."
Parent support for teachers is plummeting. Compromise is not possible: Some
want prayer in school, some want condoms. Printing prayers on condoms
satisfies nobody. Communities are split. Some even have to use police to
maintain order at school board meetings.
The way to get parents to support schools is for schools to support parents,
especially their tablet of virtues and values. Cultural and religious
pluralism in parents means we need the same pluralism in schools. Kids are
now being injured in the psychological equivalent of a vicious custody battle
What about irresponsible parents?
-------------------------------------------------------
The 1840s' municipal takeover of schools told parents they weren't
responsible for their children's education. It's the government's job. The
1890s' compulsory attendance legislation relieved parents of the awesome
burden of convincing children to attend school. It's the government's job.
The 1930s' Social Security told children they weren't responsible for their
elderly parents. It's the government's job.
The last three decades brought us government breakfast, lunch, health care
and after-school care. When governments usurp, many parents abdicate their
responsibility. Family life is weakened and children are harmed. This
usurpation/abdication two-step has been ratcheting downward for 150 years
and has been accelerating in the last 40 years. Government attempts to
rescue children from poor parenting are the great enabler of irresponsible
parenting.
What's wrong with the Prussian approach?
-------------------------------------------------------
The factory-model school was designed when children were more obedient and
the restless ones were allowed to learn by apprenticeship. Today's system is
a dysfunctional pressure cooker. Educators know better ways but politics
forces them to keep re-formulating the age-segregated, competition-driven,
time-based system designed by Prussians after their defeat by Napoleon.
Getting government out of schooling will allow the market to test
potentially good ideas invented by creative educators.
What steps are necessary for separation?
-------------------------------------------------------
EDUCATION We start by sounding the alarm and educating Americans why all
school reforms have failed and will continue to fail. While most parents
perceive a general decline in public schools, many cling to the belief that
their local school district has escaped. The Separation Alliance will
search out current and former educators in each of the 15,321 school
districts to speak out ala Sakharov and John Taylor Gatto. (Same for each
college education department.) We'll launch "Education Glasnost" (openness)
to help these brave souls break the "Code of Silence" and share stories of
the harm they have seen done to local children. As a result of this
education process, millions of Americans will remove the children from
harmful government-run schooling is. We're working with religious, ethnic
and educational leaders to get them to recommend independent, parochial and
home education. Those who can't remove their children need direction to
sources that can help them protect their children. During this phase,
progress will be measured by the growing number of people who have signed
the Proclamation for the Separation of School and State. (The Alliance is
non-political and will play a negligible role in the next two phases.)
POLITICS As the number of Proclaimers breaks into the millions, politically
oriented people will adopt Separation as a winning platform. During this
phase, initiatives, lobbying, and grass roots political activity will
repeal the education codes, and even amend state constitutions to end state
involvement in education.
IMPLEMENTATION Attorneys, accountants and educators will transact the
actual convey ownership of schools to new operators, often consortiums of
teachers and parents, sometimes businesses and religious groups, and even
colleges and universities.
How much progress has the Alliance made in its first 18 months?
-------------------------------------------------------
John Stuart Mill said a new idea that's any good goes through three stages:
Absurd, Bold, and Obvious. When we started the Separation of School and
State Alliance in January, 1994, we were firmly in phase one. But we are
amazed how fast we're approaching phase two. Some firsts:
First endorsement by state Teacher of the Year, March, 1994, John Taylor
Gatto, New York
First draft of Proclamation, April, 1994, Philip Mitchell & Marshall Fritz
First endorsement by think tank president, May, 1994, Robert Poole, Jr.,
Reason Foundation
First endorsement by home education leader, June, 1994, Cathy Duffy, Home
Run Enterprises, Calif
First endorsement by former U.S. Congressman, June, 1994, Dr. Ron Paul, Texas
First endorsement by college vice president, July, 1994, Ron Trowbridge,
Hillsdale College
First endorsement by Prof. of Economics, August, 1994, Dr. Dwight Lee, Univ.
of Georgia
First national poll, September, 1994, Wirthlin Group (26% favored Separation)
First endorsement by Prof. of Education, October, 1994, Dr. Kevin Ryan,
Boston Univ
First newspaper editorial endorsement, October 17, 1994, Orange County Register
First attack by nationally syndicated columnist, October 24, 1994, Richard
Reeves
First appearance at national education conference, November, 1994, Goals
2000: An Alternate View, New York
First endorsement by Catholic priest, November, 1994, Fr. Joseph Ganssle,
O.F.M., Denver
First coverage by nationally syndicated columnist, January 13, 1995, Linda
Seebach First endorsement by a great grandmother, January, 1995, Philomine
DiGiacomo, Staten Island
First endorsement by editor of Protestant newsletter, February, 1995, R.C.
Sproul, Jr., Tabletalk, Orlando
First endorsement by Prof. of Law , February, 1995, Dr. Charles Rice, Notre
Dame Law School
First endorsement by orthodox Rabbi, February, 1995, Rabbi Daniel Lapin,
Seattle
First endorsement from Christian magazine, March 4, 1995, WORLD
First endorsement from international press, March 13, 1995, Michael Prowse,
Financial Times (London)
First endorsement from Islamic scholar, March, 1995, Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad,
Maryland
Have any professional surveys been done on Separation?
-------------------------------------------------------
Yes, our first national survey revealed that 26% of Americans want local,
state and federal government to get out of the schooling business. During
the week of September 19, 1994, the Wirthlin Group polled a representative
sample of 1006 voting age Americans about their opinions about government
financing of schools and compelling attendance. The text of the news
release at the time follows:
Marshall Fritz said, "Three weeks ago I said we didn't know if two or
twenty-two percent of the population is already in favor of separation of
school and state. Now we know that even without a national discussion, even
without endorsement by leaders in education, politics and religion, even
without the research required to answer many questions, fully a fourth of
the American population is so fed up with government-based schooling that
they are willing to return to the original American idea, public education
that is open to the public but privately owned and operated." On the
teleconference Fritz called to announce the results, Separation supporter
Terry Hahm, New Berlin, Wisc., said, "Clearly we need a more in-depth poll
to find out what concerns are held by the 71% who are not yet ready to give
all schools independence." This struck such a positive response among the
participants that Fritz committed to commission an "open-ended" poll in
which 1000 Americans would be given a short description of Separation and
then asked to share their ideas about how this would help or hinder
American society.
Separation supporter Virgil Swearingen, Fresno, Calif., said the number of
people who already favor Separation greatly exceeded his prediction. He says
Separation will be good for America because, "The main job of a school is to
transmit moral values, that is, virtues. During the last four decades, many
of our schools have stripped out traditional moral values because they were
seen as an establishment of religion. While I am all for protecting every
child from being forced to endure moral lessons not of his parents
choosing, the attempt to create a `values neutral school' has the terrible
effect of communicating to the kids that values are not very important. In
our pluralistic society, it doesn't make sense to try to please everybody
with a least common denominator of virtues. The only prudent way out of the
mess is to separate schools from the state and let parents pick a school
that matches their approach to childrearing. We know the separation of
church and state works well. With some study and discussion, I think we can
see how separation of school and state will improve education for
everybody, including the poor." Fritz says he was surprised by the two
groups who gave Separation the high rating of 34%: Low income people and
males over 55. (The news release concluded with an offer of an information
kit.)
What's being said about Fritz and The Separation Alliance?
-------------------------------------------------------
Marshall Fritz has become the leading spokesman for an idea whose time is
fast approaching---the separation of school and state. Steve Buckstein,
Cascade Policy Institute Marshall: Congratulations on starting The
Separation Alliance. You certainly have my support and endorsement, and you
are in my prayers. John Taylor Gatto, 1991 New York State Teacher of the
Year
The Separation Alliance, with Marshall at the helm, will provide the
leadership for the only real solution to America's educational crisis.
Jacob G. Hornberger, Future of Freedom Foundation
Marshall has an uncanny ability to bring together leading representatives
of the disparate factions in the `School Wars' and get them thinking in new
ways about restoring harmony to the parent-educator relationship. He
creates dialogue, common understanding and trust. Where Horace Mann
succeeded in harnessing the state to institutionalize `common schooling,'
Marshall seeks to harness private initiative to return common schooling to
its roots in communities of voluntary association. Robert J. Wittmann,
Education Policy Analyst, Mich
How long has the battle over whether schools should educate children been
going on?
-------------------------------------------------------
The battle between parents and the state is over 25 centuries old. Here are
some interesting, sometimes quite candid, comments by leaders of yesteryear.
Let's start with people who are enthused about political control of schooling:
Aristotle d322 BC Neither must we suppose that any one of the citizens
belongs to himself, for they all belong to the state
Baron Gottfried von Leibnitz d1716 Make me the master of education, and I
will undertake to change the world
Benjamin Rush 1786 Let our pupil be taught that he does not belong to
himself, but that he is public property... He must be taught to amass
wealth, but it must be only to increase his power of contributing to the
wants and demands of the state... [Education] can be done effectually only
by the interference and aid of the Legislature
Robespierre d1794 The nation alone has the right to educate children
Karl Marx 1848 The education of all children, from the moment that they can
get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state
expense
Lester Frank Ward 1897 The secret of the superiority of state over private
education lies in the fact that in the former the teacher is responsible to
society... [T]he result desired by the state is a wholly different one from
that desired by parents, guardians, and pupils
John Ruskin d1900 The first duty of a State is to see that every child born
therein shall be well housed, clothed, fed, and educated, till it attain
years of discretion. But in order to the effecting this the Government must
have an authority over the people of which we now do not so much as dream
Edward Ross c1900 [The role of the schoolmaster is to] collect little
plastic lumps of human dough from private households and shape them on the
social kneadingboard
Elwood Cubberley 1920 Our schools are, in a sense, factories, in which the
raw products (children) are to be shaped and fashioned into products to
meet the various demands of life. The specifications for manufacturing come
from the demands of twentieth-century civilization, and it is the business
of the school to build its pupils according to the specifications laid down
Benito Mussolini d1945 At every hour of every day, I can tell you on which
page of which book each schoolchild in Italy is studying
Now let's turn to some folks who seem quite a bit less enthused about
political control of schooling, or at least of its indoctrination or
conformity effects:
Thomas Jefferson 1777 To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for
the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and
tyrannical. 1800 I have sworn on the altar of God, eternal hostility against
every form of tyranny over the mind of man
John Stuart Mill 1859 State education is a mere contrivance for molding
people to be exactly alike one another; ... in proportion as it is
efficient and successful, it establishes a despotism over the mind, leading
by a natural tendency to one over the body
Benjamin Disraeli 1874 Whenever is found what is called a paternal
government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the
best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery
FW Nietzsche 1889 What is the task of higher education? To make a man into a
machine. What are the means employed? He is taught how to suffer being bored
Democratic National Platform 1892 We are opposed to state interference with
parental rights and rights of conscience in the education of children
Michael Katz 1968 [T]he result has been school systems that treat children
as units to be processed into particular shapes and dropped into slots
roughly congruent with the status of their parents
David Tyack 1974 The search for the one best system has ill-served the
pluralistic character of American society...[bureaucratization] has often
perpetuated positions and outworn practices rather than serving the clients,
the children to be taught Samuel Hayakawa 1978 [The schools reject] the idea
of education as the acquisition of knowledge and skills [and instead]
regard the fundamental task in education as therapy
Milton Friedman If the only motive was to help people who could not afford
education, advocates of government involvement would have simply proposed
tuition subsidies
Jonathan Kozol 1990 The first goal and primary function of the U.S. public
school is not to educate good people, but good citizens. It is the function
which we call in enemy nations "state indoctrination."
What projects are planned?
-------------------------------------------------------
Proclamation for Separation of School and State: Each signature adds to a
groundswell and shows size of the "Separation Movement." Goal is 25,000,000,
enough to attract the political movers School Sakharov Teleconferences get
educators together by low-cost audio conference to support each other going
public favoring Separation The Education Liberator is our monthly flagship
publication that has material that you will find in no other publication.
Began publishing September 1995 Videos, audio cassettes, pamphlets, books,
bibliographies and monographs to equip local chapters to be effective
envoys of change in their communities First Annual Conference to bring
together scholars and grass roots people Nov 10-12, 1995, in Washington DC
What is the Alliance's history & tax status?
-------------------------------------------------------
The Separation Alliance is a tax-exempt 501(3)(3) educational organization
founded in 1994 by Marshall Fritz. We are an operating project of the
Advocates for Self-Government, Inc. The Alliance is not political; we don't
lobby or support candidate
Tina M. Edwards
doom...@worldweb.net
SYSTEM ERROR: press F13 to continue...
"Good morning" is an opinion, not a greeting!
----------------------------------------------------------
From: <BIL...@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU>
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 1995 23:59:36 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Terminal bossy-ness?
(Or is that spelled bossiness? Well, anyway, I am referring to the
state of being bossy, as in bossy cow, bossy mother, teacher, child, etc.)
In thinking about all the coercion controversy and so on, and relating
it to my own parenting, I think I come down on the non-coercion side
of the argument and style pretty much. I don't believe in punishment,
try to reason things out with my kids or ignore small annoyances or
otherwise find solutions to problems together, etc. With all of this
I agree and try to live by.
But, in terms of my personality and how I deal with my kids (and
sometimes even other adults!), I recognize that I tend to be quite
bossy. Not that I am COERCING anyone usually, I just tend to be
forceful with my opinions as to what should happen NOW (as in, it's
ten oc'clock, I want you guys to get ready for bed NOW! I might say
to my kids on a school night).
Or, I might say on a Saturday morning, "I want everyone to help clean
up this house today". And usually, everyone will.
But, the reason I still feel like I am not really coercing anything or
anyone is that, if one of my children (or adults I deal with, in groups
or whatever) disagrees with what I want, or doesn't want to cooperate
with my plan for the moment, I don't feel that I have the right to FORCE
them to bend to my will. We just talk and work something out.
Actually, I am trying to change my bossy ways somewhat lately, and
forcing myself to solicit input from others on what the game plan for
the day or week should be, etc., etc. Because, I feel that I am sometimes
a little too overpowering. It is hard, because I have my children,
husband, and others around me pretty well trained by now, and I don't
actually encounter that much resistance usually.
I think this is partly because I am mostly bossy about little things,
let a lot of things go, and am otherwise a truly wonderful person (smile).
But, we all have ways we can improve ourselves & so I, too, am working
on this one.
Any other bossy cows out there? Maybe we can start a support group.
Feeling sort of silly on a Friday night,
Susan Case
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Krug, Anna" <kru...@po.bethany.wvnet.edu>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 95 00:02:38 -0500
Subject: Re: Used Miquon Materials
>I am looking for used Miquon math materials. In particular
>I am interested in the lab sheet annotations and the
>cuisenaire rods. If anyone out there can help, please
>let me know. I will be happy to pay postage or whatever if
>the price for the materials is right. Thanks in advance!
>
> Robin Kennon
>
>
Robin,
I have a copy of the Lab Sheet Annotations. I have it listed in my local
support group newsletter for $7.00. I have a small set of rods; I'm still using
the larger set, but I would be willing to sell the small one. It has 23 white,
12 red,10 green, 6 purple, 4 yellow, 4 dark green, 4 black, 4 brown, 4 blue, and
4 orange rods in a fabric draw-string bag. Make me an offer.
Anna
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Krug, Anna" <kru...@po.bethany.wvnet.edu>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 95 00:34:21 -0500
Subject: Re: Terrible speller
>It's a little hard for me to relate to, as I think I am a pretty
>natural speller myself. I'm not overly worried about it, but I thought
>I'd ask if anyone has any words of wisdom or experience in this area.
>
Susan,
I can certainly relate to what you are feeling. Both of my older children are
good readers, reading far above grade level, but one is a "natural speller" and
the other isn't. Unfortunately, the younger (and the boy!!) is the better
speller. Fortunately, it doesn't bother our daughter very much. She happily
(and comfortably) askes her brother to spell things for her.
What we have been working on with her is a standardized list of spelling words.
We got a couple of books called _Spelling Book Words Most Needed Plus Phonics_
by Edward Fry. They are published by Laguna Beach Educational Books (phone #:
714 - 494-4225). I give her a "test" of 1 - 3 lessons (20 words per lesson).
Any word she misses goes directly onto at least 1 of our spelling "games". She
is then tested a few days later on the words she got correct. Any she misses
this time is added to a personal list on a game. A few days later she is tested
a third time on any she has gotten correct on the 2 previous tests. Any she
misses go on the program, and she has spelled correctly 3 times we figure she
really knows. She is required to use at least 1 of the spelling games daily.
It is her choice which game she plays. We have Spell It 3, Spell Bound, and my
husband and I use Digital Chisel to help the children with spelling (as well as
other subjects).
I like each of the programs for different reasons. We also add any words
misspelled in other writing, not just on the "spelling test".
Anna
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Marcy Michelle Morgan <mmmo...@tenet.edu>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 01:15:04 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Interesting thought
At our county homeschool meeting last week, one of the ladies said
something that I have been thinking about quite a bit. This lady has 8
children and is pregnanat with #9. They live on 160 acres here in East
Texas. Her husband is running for state senator, so they decided to
enroll the 4 youngest children in a private school this year. She told
us that her convictions on homeschooling have not changed, but they
thought this was best due to the campaign.
Here's the interesting part: Her 4 elementary/jr. high children talked
it over with the other homeschooled kids in their class and they decided
that going to private school is a lot less stressful! Now, keep in mind,
this school is using A Beka materials, they have to stay in their desks
all day long (practically), raise their hands to speak and then when
acknowledged - they stand and speak. The Mom discussed this with the
children and they came to the conclusion that having younger siblings
around is MUCH more stressful than going to a very strict school.
I have always felt bad about my son concentrating very hard on a subject
only to lose it all when one of the younger comes in, etc.
Now, these are the thoughts that come to mind:
Those people who say that homeschoolers kids can't handle the "real
world" of school are wrong. (Maybe these people mean public school?)
Other people will see this as new evidence against homeschooling.
I want to use this thought to my advantage by working to keep the
distractions to a minimum when my school-age children are trying to
concentrate.
Marcy
mmmo...@tenet.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Bryan Turner <Bryan....@m.cc.utah.edu>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 00:22:54 -0600 (MDT)
Subject: CDROM
Here's a little free advertising for CD-ROM today, courtesy of me! I
just picked up their September issue, and it's really good. The magazine
is $7.95, can get it at Computer City, Barnes&Noble... It comes with a CD
with some good demos on it, but more for PC than for Mac, unfortunately.
Also the lead article reviews "edutainment" products. Other items
include reviews, "10 cool tools for college", "Top kids picks", and
"10 educational titles that work". Check it out.
Judith
----------------------------------------------------------
From: tac...@cats.ucsc.edu (Tane' Tachyon)
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 00:04:14 -0700
Subject: Re: Terrible speller
Hangman, hangman, hangman!!!!
Sam and I wrote (Sam did some of the graphics and chose all of the
words for it) a (Windows) hangman computer game together last year
right before Arthur was born. We did this for a fun project rather
than as some kind of drill, but when I was writing about it for a
homeschooling report I said:
"I would think this would help his spelling, because it
puts him in the position of looking at his partially-
solved words and either (if he recognizes the word)
deciding what letters are missing, or (if he doesn't
recognize the word) going through letters in his head
to decide which letters would make actual words in
combination with the letters that are already there."
Tane' Tachyon = tac...@cats.ucsc.edu = http://www.armory.com/~tachyon
p.s. ... For a little more information, here's what Sam wrote for his
part of the help file:
<>In Sam's Shangman game, you are choosing letter blocks like E and A,
<>to see if they're words like "bake" or "piano." You are racing to find
<>the word before the complete picture shows up, like Scraps or one of
<>Pippi's houses. As you can expect from its title, it rightfully
<>belongs to Sam.
<>
<>In Sam's Shangman game, if you are very smart you can get clues from
<>the letters you already have. It doesn't give you letters from the
<>beginning; you merely have to guess each letter. You may laugh at the
<>pictures' funny appearances, like Pippi riding on her horse with Mr.
<>Nilsson, but you must remember this was all made to amuse people and
<>to pass the time away if you are bored.
<>
<>Unlike other hangman games, the letters are in a pyramid shape. And
<>the picture isn't hanged, it merely appears bit by bit. Now then, in
<>the Shangman game (which this is the help file of, as you already
<>know) you must be careful because there are sets of rhyming words
<>which you may run into, and sometimes they are difficult to figure out
<>which letter is the first one. For example, you may think it is
<>(B)AKE, when it really is (M)AKE. For that reason, this is a very
<>serious matter to guess the words. So, unless you're very smart or
<>have a grown-up helping you, you may run into difficulty. Also, this
<>is a serious guessing game. I sometimes think it is a matter of blind
<>luck, but I usually think it's just you must be smart.
<>
<>The designer, if I have not said before, is Tane' Tachyon. She made the
<>letter blocks with great care in Paint. Most of the letters are
<>matching with another, like if for example T was black (which it
<>really is), and so is J, then they would be of matching color, which
<>you may find with a lot of letters.
<>
<>Because of all these reasons, Sam's Shangman game is no ordinary
<>hangman game. At the time this help file was written, Sam was a six-
<>year-old, but when the program was made, he was a five-year-old. So if
<>you're looking for a letter-guessing game which isn't a normal
<>hangman game, Sam's Shangman is just the thing. But I'll give you a
<>little warning: as I said before, Shangman isn't at all an easy game.
<>The trick to it is: guess, think, and be smart!! But there's one more
<>thing: unlike most hangman games, you can make your own words. Also,
<>your own pictures. You put your words in the Edit Word List.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Alano Nelson <00020...@mcimail.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 95 07:12 EST
Subject: e-mail contact in Italy
-- [ From: Alano W. Nelson * EMC.Ver #2.3 ] --
While reading the FAQ after subscribing I see that there are some who home
educate in Italy. I would like to make a direct post to one of these families
but don't know who to send it to. Can any of you out there help me.
Thanks for any time you spend researching to help me out.
A. Nelson in Minnesota
----------------------------------------------------------
From: tac...@cats.ucsc.edu (Tane' Tachyon)
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 08:02:38 -0700
Subject: Re: CDROM
>Here's a little free advertising for CD-ROM today, courtesy of me! I
>just picked up their September issue, and it's really good. The magazine
>is $7.95, can get it at Computer City, Barnes&Noble... It comes with a CD
>with some good demos on it, but more for PC than for Mac, unfortunately.
>Also the lead article reviews "edutainment" products. Other items
>include reviews, "10 cool tools for college", "Top kids picks", and
>"10 educational titles that work". Check it out.
>Judith
Yeah, I just had a year's subscription and liked it (that's how we got
to try "Klik & Play" before buying it, for one thing), but after a
while it got to be like "hmm, here's yet another CD of demos ... well,
we're still busy with the programs we already have!" And then when
they started sending me "time to renew" notices they wanted more than
$40, so I thought "nahh ... I don't need it ... if I want demos there
are certainly plenty on the net I can download any time I want."
Tane' Tachyon = tac...@cats.ucsc.edu = http://www.armory.com/~tachyon
----------------------------------------------------------
From: david mankins <d...@k12-nis-2.bbn.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 19:23:54 -0400
Subject: Re: A little self-defense info, please?
Cambridge, Massachusetts
From: "Braindance" <ha...@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 1995 19:52:08 -0800
David Mankins <d...@k12-nis-2.bbn.com> warned us:
> - it is easy to *forge* a message to make it appear that it is
> coming from someone else, but it's sometimes possible to
> retrace the path that a message took.
Could you possibly give us a short seminar on how to spot, trace, and
trounce such messages?
First, I apologize for letting that message spill over into the
digest.
If the forger is sufficiently clever, there isn't much way to spot
such messages, simply because the email protocols used were designed
in a much more trusting, collegial age (there are alternative
protocols, not widely spread nor particularly easy to use that go a
long way to preventing such forgeries).
However, one hint can be drawn from the trail of Received-by: lines
that mailers prefix to messages (and which many mail-systems hide from
you, unfortunately). Drawing such hints depends on a certain amount
of knowledge of the network's topology, however (what hosts are likely
to act as an intermediary in forwarding mail to you).
The best way is to send the message to the alleged author, saying,
``this doesn't sound like you, did you *really* send this?''. Even
that has its perils: if the author is away for an extended period of
time and someone has figured out their password, the impersonator
might be in a position to reply, ``Yes''.
----------------------------------------------------------
From: HCEIS...@alex.stkate.edu
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 18:54:10 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Please Help Me Write My Homeschooling Article!
Hello.
My name is Hans Eisenbeis and I'm interested in homeschooling. I'm
writing an article about it, and I'd like to have your valuable
input.
I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me by answering some
questions. I want to write a balanced and informative essay on
homeschooling and the wide variety of reasons people do it. This
is your opportunity to speak up and be heard. I'm interested in
YOU and the reasons YOU choose to educate your children at home.
I'm NOT interested in judging you or misrepresenting your views.
My article is going to be published in a Minneapolis newspaper. I
want your observations and insights to be part of the story. If
you'd prefer to remain anonymous, I'll completely respect your
wishes.
Just look through the following questions and see if any of them
provoke a response. All I ask is that you give me some idea of who
you are, where you live, and why you do it.
Questions about homeschooling
Why do you homeschool?
Which of the following best decribes your reasons for
homeschooling:
Religious, political, familial, educational reasons.
How do you respond to the "socialization" question (i.e. 'Don't you
worry about your kids getting properly socialized?')?
Do your children get lonely or feel like they're missing out on
something?
How do you respond to people who think you're paranoid about public
schools?
How do you respond to people who think you're over-protective of
your children?
Respond to the following statements:
Homeschools are good for the nation.
Public schools are bad for the nation.
How do you feel about being considered "outsiders" or "radicals" by
the mainstream media?
How do you feel about being associated with militias, survivalists,
separatists, and other "fringe" groups in the mainstream media?
Do you generally support federal government or reject it?
Do you consider homeschooling subversive or lawful?
Which of the following terms best describes you:
Liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, radical,
centrist, libertarian, survivalist, mainstream,
countercultural, self-sufficient, politically active,
religious, non-religious, spiritual, law-abiding, God-fearing
Respond to the following statements:
Public schools promote secular humanism, teaching material
that violates God's word.
Public schools are inherently Christian, since they have
vacation during Christian holidays.
Questions about you:
What is your name? Where do you live? How many children do you
have? Who homeschools your children, you or your spouse (or both)?
What do you and your spouse for a living? How much and what kind of
education did you and your spouse have?
Please feel free to respond by email or by telephone. I think email
is especially useful, because it gives you a chance to think about
your answers, compose them, and edit them for clarity and accuracy.
This also helps me get your quotes exactly right!
I look forward to hearing from you. Please respond as soon as you
can, but don't feel like you have to answer every question.
Best wishes,
Hans Eisenbeis
City Pages
Minneapolis
(612)729-1437
(hceis...@alex.stkate.edu)
----------------------------------------------------------
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