MorningStar’s Home Education News

By: Mimi Rothschild

The California Ruling that effectively renders it illegal to homeschool without teaching credentials has multiple ways in which it violates parental rights, limits education choices and marginalizes the religious convictions of American citizens. All of which makes the ruling dangerous for every American.

Firstly, the three judges in the California case, Justices Croskey, Klein and Kitching, unanimously determined that it is unconstitutional for Californians to homeschool, which significantly sets back the clock on parental rights. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that all parents are guaranteed the freedom of choice regarding education, the freedom of religion and the freedom to raise their child; not the government’s role to decide how, what and where a parent’s child is educated. My children belong to me, not to the state. The government is meant to serve me, not the other way around. Limiting any of these fundamental freedoms to dictate the course of my child’s upbringing is not only an egregious injustice, but a serious violation of our alienable rights as Americans that millions have given their lives to preserve.

Secondly, the judges’ ruling attempts to limit our educational choices to the one government option. While there is a provision for children to attend private schools as the education code stands now, private tuitions are usually financially prohibitive for most families. How great it is for one arm of the government to issue a ruling that supports the monopoly that another arm of the government has over education? One of the reasons that the educational system is considered broken by many, many people is because it is functioning as a monopoly in which people have no other choices. Many schools lack accountability, or the desire to improve their services, because they are the only game in town. With educational choices, comes more competition to do a better job, at a cheaper cost. This fundamental economic principal known as capitalism is being disregarded by the Judges who insist that all children attend government schools or have government credentialed teachers. Choice in education causes everyone in the education field to do it better, and more cost effectively.

Last, but certainly not least, this ruling marginalizes the religious convictions of every American citizen. The judges stated that “sincerely held religious beliefs” are “not the quality of evidence that permits us to say that application of California’s compulsory public school education law to them violates their First Amendment rights. Such sparse representations are too easily asserted by any parent who wishes to homeschool his or her child.” The judges have insulted every American who’s deeply held religious beliefs dictate their choices. They have singlehandedly questioned the integrity of all people of faith.

The California homeschool ruling states that parents can only homeschool if one of the parents has a teaching credential. The vast majority of those who homeschool do not have a teaching credentials, yet this vast majority are dedicated and committed parents who earnestly want what’s best for their children, oftentimes sacrificing a second income to better provide for their children. To label these folks as criminals because they don’t possess teaching credentials and want the best for their children is sheer lunacy and it must be reversed.

We have set up http://www.reversetheruling.com/ to provide Americans with the forum to stand up and be counted on this issue. Please check it out today. I look forward to your comments.

 By: Mimi Rothschild

As a parent, I oftentimes find myself struggling with the exact words to express my children’s experiences. It’s as if there should be more than merely 26 letters in the alphabet to combine and capture the feelings and emotions that we share.

Today I was forwarded the poem below. Without knowing the specific child in Arizona who wrote it, I was told that it was inspired from the banishment of the Pledge of Allegiance within public schools due to the use of “God” in its verse.

Amazing is defined as “to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly.” How our children can combine letters to form pure expression is, in one word, amazing…

WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. OLD STUDENT IN ARIZONA:
New Pledge of Allegiance

NEW School prayer :
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God’s name is prohibited by the state.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks..
They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.
It’s ‘inappropriate’ to teach right from wrong,
We’re taught that such ‘judgments’ do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It’s scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

 Karlie Margaret Houser

Homeschooling is sharing - with our children, the Christian community and fellow homeschoolers. We share what works for us, knowing that not everything will work for everyone. My words are only from one person’s perspective; so I’ve taken some time to gather a few others’ thoughts and share with you their blogs…enjoy!

*          *          *

•1.      What’s a homeschool blog for? ~ by Yellow House Homeschool

Penny shares about the unexpected disappearance of her blog that led her to reflect on her purpose in having a homeschooling blog in the first place.

• 2. Our Day (homeschool and all) ~ Laura Williams’ Musings

Laura shares about a day in her homeschool and some links to her basic menu plans.

• 3. Handling the Student with Difficult Behaviors ~ Colleen Palat

Colleen Palat shares methods on handling students with difficult behaviors.

• 4. Unit Study for Medieval History (The Middle Ages) ~ My Home Sweet Home

Dawn gives us an overview of her 9-week unit study on medieval history.

• 5. 10 Things That Were Better “Way Back When” ~ The Weekly Muse from Love 2B Homeschoolers

Love2B Homeschoolers says, “It’s amazing how I am so ensconced in my role as mother, that even a simple list that might start out elsewhere leads to my children and why I homeschool…”

*          *          *

Feel free to share your thoughts, other blogs or what has worked for you and your homeschooling students…we can all learn from each other!

By: Mimi Rothschild

John Christensen’s changed lives through his inspiring words spawned from Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market during three days in 1988, while he watched, talked and listened to the owners and co-workers enjoy their time on land and sea. These employees inspired Christensen with a zest of life and a vision of individualism - awakened from their slumber only to question their own daily activities; regardless of the Public School of Thought around them.

Be There - on time, ready, willing to be the active person that contributes to the solution; not the problem

Make Their Day - have an open heart and mind for the world around you, and share that mentality with a kind, thoughtful gesture; for no other reason than to make someone else smile

Choose Your Attitude - not your emotional balance, but rather who you want to be right now; pleasant, helpful, a joy to be around

Play - have fun; enjoy breathing, congratulate yourself for not locking the keys in the car, reward yourself for being the best you that God intended you to be

Sounds familiar, right?

Truth is Christensen was about 1,988 years or so late to the party, right?

Before Christensen, there was Christ - There, Making Our Day, He Chose to die for us. And in Him, we Pray.

By: Mimi Rothschild

Homeschooling is an important, life changing step for you and your child or children. It is a calculated decision not made on impulse, rather a daily choice to instill Christian values and be a positive role model in his/her life.

Here are three easy tips to sustaining your decision and maximizing the overall experience:

•1.)    Start on time

Sure, things happen and reasons turn into excuses quicker than flapjacks can turn into Frisbees. And it is as much on you as it is the student/s. Pick a time, agree to it with your child or children, and stick to it. If your child is ten or fifteen minutes late to class, keep him or her during recess or after school for that same amount of time. Think of it this way: were you or your spouse allowed to arrive and depart work whenever you pleased? School is a student’s job. Teaching is your calling. You can do it with diligence and integrity!

•2.)    Bathroom pass

Yes, this does sound silly. We can agree on it, but try it. It works for some families. Have a lesson plan or morning activity to create a lovable and livable set of rules and a bathroom pass. My kids, during one of our art classes, cut theirs into the shape of a skeleton key and wrapped it with layers and layers of clear contact paper making it stiff as a board - they said it felt more real that way. Hanging it under their progress chart reminded them that every action has an equally powerful reaction. Miss class because you are playing with the dog instead of using the bathroom, no gold star for the morning, afternoon or perhaps even the day!

•3.)    Divide and Conquer, with books

If you find your child losing his/her attention quickly and distracting your other students/children, consider building a bookcase or divider to keep the focus. Bookcases were particularly helpful in our home, because it enabled me to see the learning in my children’s eyes. No distractions. Plus, reference material was right at their fingertips. Our computer was located behind them, so I could see the monitor while one of them was completing their course work online.

_____________________

I know structure and discipline aren’t easy exercises to instill, but I also know that time and effort will equate to success. Utilize these three easy steps and you’ll find yourself and your students maximizing your time together. If you need it, you can create daily structure, discipline and an enriching experience for you and your children. I bet you’ll be pleased with the results!

Feel free to e-mail me at Mimi@LearningbyGrace.org with questions or techniques you find helpful. God Bless!

To the editor,

Public schools have monopolized the education process for primary schools. The schools have forced people to pay into a system that educates students to “their” standard without asking the public how they want it done. The public schools of Minnesota have had a shrinking pupil rate, and yet they ask for more money and give fewer results. The schools, meaning the superintendent, his office, and the school board, need to be fiscally responsible with how they use the taxpayers money, and not just in Farmington, but in all school districts.

Throughout grammar school, I went to a private school that cost $2,100 a year. It cost $6,293.50 to send my brother, my sister, and I there per year. When I got into the public system, I was nearly a year and a half ahead of the most accelerated classes that Farmington’s middle school had to offer. In Minnesota, on average, school districts spend about $10,000 per pupil per school year, which is over four times as much, and yet they were behind the private school. Everyone who owns property pays the public school system, which is forcing many low income families to use their ineffective and inefficient system.

On Nov. 6 many Minnesota school districts had a referendum, and about 65 percent of the school districts came out victorious. The government is the only place where you can vote yourself a raise! Now how about that; if you work for the public schools you can give yourself a raise and not be expected to do a better job. In the public sector of society you would be scoffed at for requesting such a thing.

Friedman said, “Education in the United States should be guided by a clear conception of the meaning of democracy and choice - this ideal demands a high level of efficiency in our schools.” There is no democracy or choice in the American school system.

Public schools tell people that by giving them more money they can be more efficient. The definition of efficient is accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure; if the schools were truly being more efficient then they would be teaching more students with less teachers and technology, but the opposite is true, the public school wants smaller classes which is less efficient. An effective way to describe the public school system would be to call it a monopoly, which, once again, is only legal for the government. Now they can raise their own salaries and force people to get a lower education than what most parents would want for their children.

Basically the public school needs to show some fiscal responsibility

Tom Fischer,

Farmington

 Homeschooling High School Students Excel Using Online Academies

By Mimi Rothschild

If you’re a parent who has thought about homeschooling your high school student then you should consider enrolling them in an online academy.  There are different approaches to homeschooling and one of the best approaches to homeschooling high school students is to enroll them in an homeschooling online academy.

Some parents may be concerned about using a foreign curriculum, but there are online academies, like The MorningStar Academy, that are tailored specifically for Christian homeschooling families.  Homeschooling students in high school can take advantage of all the resources an online academy offers, like teacher help through instant messaging or message boards.  Homeschooling families involved with an online academy can still enjoy the traditional benefits of homeschooling too.

Homeschooling high school students enrolled in an online academy surge ahead of their public school counterparts because they can learn in a flexible environment that is free of distractions, but can still seek help from teachers and have access to hundreds of invaluable resources.  Homeschooling students have already proven to be better students than public school students, online academies only strengthen a high school homeschoolers education.

Online academies take some of the stress of being a full-time teacher off parents by providing curriculums, teacher help, books, worksheets, and access to hundreds of excellent resources.  Homeschooling parents can focus on guiding their high school homeschoolers and instilling good values into them.

When it comes to homeschooling high school students, online academies are one of the best options.  Homeschooling students can receive world-class educations and still receive the benefits of traditional homeschooling.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary in 2005. I found it on the Epilepsy Foundation website today.

Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her “How could God let something like this Happen?” (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.

She said, “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are,
but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get
out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the
gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect
God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us
alone?”

In light of recent events…terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you  better not read the Bible in school . The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbour as yourself. And we
said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our  children when they misbehave because their little personalities would  be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said OK.

Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many
on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what
they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than
what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it… no
one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don’t
sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards . honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

————————-
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and
compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your
youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

In a groundbreaking ruling, the Wisconsin courts have determined that the Wisconsin Virtual School, run by K12, Inc. is operating illegally. The Judge ordered funding to cease effective immediately. According to the Wisonsin judge,  it is illegal for school districts to pay for virtual schools for a number of reasons. One reason cited is that the parents act as the student’s primary teacher and the teachers at the K12, Inc. ’s Wisconson Virtual School are not licensed or certified by the state.

 A public virtual charter school, like the ones built by K12, Inc., is funded by taxpayers and available free of charge to students who live in the state where it is located. Most virtual charter schools recieve similar amounts in funding to their brick and mortar counterparts. The big difference is that in virtual charter schools, the students are primarily taught by their parent.

What is wrong with this picture? The for profit company usually recieves an amount of money similar to the amount that the neighborhood school reieves; however the virtual school does not have to pay the parent who is the primary teacher and supervisor of the child’s education.

Fri, Dec 07, 2007
Ruling puts state’s virtual schools at risk
Appeals court says Wisconsin Virtual Academy violates state law
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
  Primary Topic Channel:  Virtual schooling / Distance Learning
 
Parents of virtual-school students in Wisconsin fear a court ruling puts online instruction in jeopardy.Online education programs for thousands of Wisconsin students could be in jeopardy after a court ordered the state on Dec. 5 to stop funding a virtual charter school, an advocacy group has warned.

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The ruling could result in other districts having to close their own online charter schools and distance learning programs as well, the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families said.

The warning came hours after the District 2 Court of Appeals ruled the Wisconsin Virtual Academy was violating state law by allowing parents to assume the duties of state-licensed teachers.

The court said the school also has been violating a law requiring charter schools to be located in the district that operates them. It ordered the state Department of Public Instruction to stop shifting payments to the school from the home districts of open-enrollment students, who make up the majority of its more than 600 students.

Attorney Mike Dean, who represents students and families at the school, said the ruling “effectively shuts down the school” and puts many others at risk.

“It’s a huge deal for thousands of parents and students across the state,” he said. “If, in fact, children enrolled from outside the district are enrolled illegally, that will affect most, if not all, of the virtual schools in Wisconsin.”

Dean said he was considering an appeal to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Supporters of virtual schools say they are more effective for some students and far less expensive than traditional public schools. Critics dispute that.

The Northern Ozaukee School District hired K12 Inc., a Virginia-based company that provides curriculum to schools, to create the Wisconsin Virtual Academy in 2003.

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade learn from their homes over the internet under the direction of their parents, who must devote at least four hours a day to their child’s education. Certified teachers who work for the district help monitor student progress.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state’s largest teacher’s union, filed suit in 2004 claiming the school violates the open-enrollment, charter school, and teacher licensing laws. The Department of Public Instruction, although named as a defendant, switched sides and agreed the school was violating its licensing requirements.

A judge threw out the lawsuit last year. Months later, the district announced plans to expand its online offerings by creating a new statewide virtual high school.

But the appeals court on Dec. 5 reversed the judge’s decision, siding with the teacher’s union on all three claims.

Writing for the court, Judge Richard Brown said the school may be a “godsend for children who would not succeed in more traditional public schools, as well as a welcome new option for parents who want their children to receive a home-based education.

“But it is also a public school operated with state funds, and its operation violates the statutes as they now stand,” he wrote.

Brown said parents are teaching without the state license required of all public school teachers. Even though they are not paid or employed by a school district, they are acting as teachers under state law, he wrote.

“The problem is not that the unlicensed WIVA parents teach their children, but that they ‘teach in a public school,’” Brown wrote.

He also said Northern Ozaukee is violating a law that prohibits school districts from operating charter schools outside of their boundaries. The school’s administrative office is in the district, but the majority of its teachers and students are not, he wrote.

Northern Ozaukee also illegally received open-enrollment money for students even though they are not attending school in the district as required, he wrote. The money pays for the operation of the school, and the district keeps an “oversight fee.”

Lee Allinger, superintendent of the Appleton Area School District, said he was studying the ruling’s impact on its virtual school, the Wisconsin Connections Academy. The 390-pupil school also takes open-enrollment students from around the state, he said.