MorningStar’s Home Education News

By Mimi Rothschild

John McCain, Republican nominee for President in 2008, recently expressed his beliefs about the need for expanded opportunities in virtual learning. He said in a speech given at the 99th Annual Convention of the NAACP, “We can also help more children and young adults to study outside of school by expanding support for virtual learning. So I propose to direct 500 million dollars in current federal funds to build new virtual schools, and to support the development of online courses for students. Through competitive grants, we will allocate another 250 million dollars to support state programs expanding online education opportunities, including the creation of new public virtual charter schools. States can use these funds to build virtual math and science academies to help expand the availability of Advanced Placement math, science, and computer science courses, online tutoring, and foreign language courses.”

by Mimi Rothschild

ENGLISH
Senior
Literature
Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton ISBN: 0743262174

Language 12 AP -
Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson

Junior
American Literature Honors -
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald ISBN: 0743273567

Sophomore
Literature- Western Civilization Honors -
Dante’s Inferno, by Dante Alighieri

Literature- Western Civilization Regular -
Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan

Freshman
Expository Writing Honors -
Any novel by Charles Dickens

Expository Writing Regular -
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton ISBN: 014038572X

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.

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

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.

A person who did not agree enough with his/her own post to put his/her name, wrote on a Yahoo message board:

“Homeschooling is a BAD idea!     20-Aug-99 08:48 pm   

The basic necessities of a child’s education
include BOTH academics (i.e. reading, writing and
arithmetic) AND social development. Adequate social
development can occur ONLY if a child is allowed to interact
on an everyday basis with people outside of home,
including children of his/her age
group.<br><br>Homeschooling may provide the academics of education (i.e.
reading, writing and arithmetic), but it fails to address
the child’s social development. In other words,
homeschooling DEPRIVES the child of a very NECESSARY part of
his/her education. Parents who homeschool their children
are doing them a SERIOUS DISSERVICE!  

Many people believe that the type of “social development” that occurs in most schools is social abuse. In informal discussions with homeschoolers, it appears as though that the social environment in public school is one of the primary reasons they chose to homeschool. In those anecdotes, there is a consistent pattern of bullying, peer pressure towards drugs and “experimentation”, skewed value systems, foul language, and ofcourse violence.