Parentalrights.org

Parents and their children not only have a strong bond, but they belong together.

They are family.  This is why parents sign consent forms at school. 

Contrary to what you might hear from others, your children do not belong 

to the state or to the community.  Your children are your children... 

your posterity and when you have children, their future and your own posterity

is in your hands...

From parentalrights.org:

December 16, 2014

Removing Parents from Public Schools

It is no accident, no coincidence. And it’s not just your imagination. 

There really is a steady trend by the government and the courts to remove 

the influence of parents from the public schools.

I’m not saying your child’s teacher or principal, 

or even your local school board, is out to get you. 

Nor am I suggesting some giant system-wide conspiracy, 

where some shadow organization is secretly working through 

all different channels to rob you of your rights.

It is something bigger and more dangerous than that.

What we are witnessing is the rise of an ideology,

 a statist mindset that actually believes that “expert” 

agents of the state can make better decisions for your child than you can.

In 1979 the Supreme Court held, “The statist notion that 

governmental power should supersede parental authority in all

cases because some parents abuse and neglect children is repugnant 

to American tradition.” Parham v. J.R., 442 U.S. 584 (1979), at 603. 

Unfortunately, a growing, powerful minority no longer find that idea 

repugnant today. 

Visit parentalrights.org.

Terminal Illness

"Won’t it be wonderful when the child in the smallest county in the most distant area or in the most confused urban setting can have the equivalent of the finest school in the world on that terminal and no one can get between that child and the curriculum? We have great moments coming in the history of education."

Schooling and Technology, Vol. 3, Planning for the Future: A Collaborative Model, An Interpretive Report on Creative Partnerships in Technology—An Open Forum byDustin H. Heuston, World Institute for Computer-Assisted Teaching (WICAT) 1984

(As quoted by Charolette Iserbyte, November 14,2014 )

Note how the "great moments" concept is lauded by some people.  It is here being described as being "wonderful"  when no parent, no teacher, spends a day with the child; or "gets between the child and the curriculum."

Who is writing the curriculum?  What does it teach?  Where is the family , the parent... the teacher, the human element of a smile and hug in the life of a learning and growing child?

This is not a "great moment."  This is a travesty. 

Read Charolette Iserbyte's article, 

COMMON CORE'S GLOBAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

 

Compulsory Preschool?

Different states have different requirements regarding the age for compulsory education to begin,  Here in Washington state, that age is 8.  Kids can begin school earlier of course, but by law, they are not "required" to.  IT is however, compulsory that your child be in school, or some form of formal learning when they are eight.  The question here is...what if it were required by law for parents to send children to school at the tender age of four?  How about by the age of three? 

"Preposterous!" (You think to yourself....as you wonder how preschools will be run and who will be paying to operate them.) 

You might think it's a bad idea, expensive for taxpaying citizens... but not everyone thinks so.  President Obama, for one, has compulsory preschool on his agenda.

"By the end of this decade, let’s enroll 6 million children 

in high-quality preschool, and let’s make sure that we are 

making America stronger.  That is good for families; it’s 

also good for the children, because we know investing in

high-quality early childhood education makes all the 

difference in the world, and those kids will do better."

~ President Barack Hussein Obama, Rhode Island College, October 31, 2014

It's not a new idea... Obama has talked about it for years, with hopes of getting people on board with legislation to make it happen in the next ten years. He will also take every media opportunity count for political maneuvering to that end.

The date was  May 21st, 2013, and  President Obama was on national television.  He was  informing the country about the death toll after a terrible tornado tore through a sleepy city in Oklahoma the previous night.  He began by saying:

"Good morning, everybody. As we all know by now, a series of storms swept across the Plains yesterday, and one of the most destructive tornadoes in history sliced through the towns of Newcastle and Moore, Oklahoma. In an instant, neighborhoods were destroyed. Dozens of people lost their lives. Many more were injured, and among the victims were young children, trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew -- their school."                                                                                                            -President Obama

Remarks by the President  May 21, 2013,  
Tornadoes and Severe Weather in Oklahoma, 
State Dining Room, whitehouse.gov

Did you catch that?  The young children were killed while trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew... "their school."  Apparently school is not one of the safest places.... it's the "safest." Apparently those young children thought school was safer than even their home.

Well, we have heard about how in Washington State, schools are getting "safer."  In fact, the schools are, (no kidding,) ridding their playgrounds of a terrible danger..... swings!  Sadly, it's not a concern for the children's safety and well-being that drives the removal of swings; it's insurance liability.  With no swings to fall off of (or get hit with during playground recess, school will be much safer.. until you walk home.

Walking to, and from, school and home,  can be a dangerous journey, and it is dangerous, not just for the little ones, but also for older kids as well. There are known incidents of bullying, from time to time, both during school and after school, and there is as always, the risk of a child  being lured by sexual predators, both outside and inside the school grounds if they are left unsupervised by a caring adult and unprotected.  In many schools, the kids there are so "safe" that they not only need to hire security policemen to help keep the peace and use video cameras to monitor the children in the school.  While school and home should both be considered to be safe places for children, this is obviously, not always the case. 

 We have to face the truth...in school or home, there are dangers.  People are not perfect and life is full of risks and challenges.  So is is just a casual remark of the president as he spoke his own words or are his words calculated, written by a team of speech writers, and then delivered to send a certain message or create a specific effect upon the hearers?  Truth is that this kind of comment spoken when emotions are high, servesd to promote a particular ideology... one that exchanges the role of a parent in the life of a child with teachers and replaces what a child thinks about the home, with "school."

Have you ever heard, for example, that it takes a village to raise a child?  This is a concept that is not only politically motivated but also directly taught to children in the schools.   The impetus for this ideas became popular with the help of the former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, (and her ghost writers)  in her book by the same title:  It Takes A Village To Raise A Child.

It's a "collectivist" mentality, one that usurps the authority of parents in the life of their own children and it's running rampant.  In more recent days, MSNBC helped to proliferate the idea that children do not belong to their parents but rather, to "the collective." (No Joke!) This was done most notably through Melissa Harris-Perry, (Click on ther name to see the MSNBC video)  Melissa Perry is a well-known author, school professor, abortion rights activist and television host that a lot of people admire, but thankfully, not everyone agrees and her comments raised a lot of controversy.  

There are still people who do understand that their children are not the possession of the state, but there certainly are plenty of people,  who  embrace this idea that your children belong to the collective... to the village...to the state.. and, ultimately, to the world.   

Take Paul Reville, for example.  He is the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a proud supporter of the Common Core Curriculum being perpetrated en mass upon our kids in school.   Reville says, along with many others that your children are not your children, as he declares, your children belong to "all of us."


These people think they know better and feel that they must be in control.... even when it come to deciding what your child can and will (or will not) read or learn in school, and what will and will not count for school credit to graduate... regardless of what you , as a parent may object to.   The anointed ones have a vision... and they believe that they have your child's best interest at heart and  know what is best for your kids, and you... (if you are not sub-servant to them in their role of authority over your kids,) are to have no say in the matter.

It's a battle.  But thanks be to God, there is still freedom in our country to send kids to private school and the freedom to homeschool them too.  Parents do have a special authority and a responsible role to fulfill in the lives of their kids.  The state has no right to take that away... but those of this mindset work hard to get people to think differently... and then perhaps just give it away without contest.

And so, we heard the president, speaking for the "collective" again, when he recently told a gathering at Rhode Island College that there are choices "we" (the collective) want parents to make and choices "we" do not want parents to make.   

He said,

"And sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her learning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result, and that's not a choice we want Americans to make."

Apparently, Americans are not to decide things for themselves,  like weather to say home with kids or work.  After all, one choice that "we do not want Americans to make" is the choice to leave the workplace and stay home with kids. 

 Needless to say, his saying this riled up a lot of stay-at-home mothers and in doing so, the president has been duly reminded that Americans have the freedom, yes... freedom, to make their own choice in what they do with their lives and that some women (and men) actually like their babies and young  children and like being home with their kids and believe it is good for the children too.

Obama's example is about a woman who leaves a well paying job at her workplace to stay home with her kids.  Is this a single mom? We do not know.. And we can also note that he neglects to say "baby." ( Why didn't he say, "baby?") Noteable too is that a woman usually does not get paid for being a stay-at-home mother, so how did she earn a lower wage by staying home with her kids?  Is he talking about welfare?

Secondly,  in his make-believe scenario, we see how we are supposed to view children as being a burden. After all, her leaving work to be a mother affects her negatively... for a long time.... in fact, for " the rest of her life." It's a mindset.  It's an ideology... and it's wrong.  It's also being promulgated on unsuspecting people who, by a continuous outpouring of subtle suggestions think as they are told to think. by those they admire.

Mr. Obama did not talk about how, as president, he would like to see your taxes pay for  daycare and preschool that would be offered for "free" to all those working moms and dads.  (Well, "free" much the way that "free" public elementary and high school are currently offered to... or rather, "forced," upon people... which means you and I will be taxed.)  And by the way, for the last fifty years we have had "free" day cares and preschools, called Head Start.. However, it's been reported, that  "the 48-year experiment with federal preschool has failed to deliver long-lasting, positive developments for its participants."  (source, Fox News 1-13-14.)    

Now, as our president, Obama says that he wants to implement some kind of  compulsory preschool.  He wants to see " 6 million children be enrolled in these "preschools" within the next decade.
 

"By the end of this decade, let’s enroll 6 million children 

in high-quality preschool, and let’s make sure that we are 

making America stronger.  That is good for families; it’s 

also good for the children, because we know investing in

high-quality early childhood education makes all the 

difference in the world, and those kids will do better."

~ President Barak Hussein Obama, Rhode Island College, October 31, 2014

 Remarks by the President on Women and the Economy,

This is the full speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sSO91Zv4uU#t=38 

Do not be deceived.  They won't all do "better."  Big government and capitalism objectors will however do better.... because mothers and fathers will be both working, paying taxes to support government projects and leaving their children in the care of those who maake a living working for the government.  On the other hand, it is a proven fact that children playing and learning learning with mom and dad...loving, being loved, and being a part of family is actually one of the most important thing in a child's life....especially at an early age.  

This is why homeschooling, homeschooling without governmental meddling or governmental monetary incentives, makes sense, particularly in the early years.  Not only that, homeschooling works!

...........................................

Broaden your horizon... Here are some related sites to explore what people are saying on the topic of compulsory preschool:

http://www.universalpreschool.com/faq/ 

http://www.schoolimprovement.com/should-your-state-make-preschool-mandatory/

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/200204110.asp

http://www.ed.gov/early-learning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_Program  

John Taylor Gatto The Public School Model from Prussia, and How it Works for You

Here is John Taylor Gatto.  He's a pertty old guy who says that schools are in the buisness of molding and shaping schildren, not teaching them.

In csse you do not know who John Taylor Gatto is....
Wikipedia describes him as :

".... an American author and former school teacher with nearly 30 years of experience in the classroom. He devoted much of his energy to his teaching career, then, following his resignation, authored several books on modern education, criticizing its ideology, history, and consequences. He is best known for the underground classic "Dumbing Us Down: the Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling", and his magnum opus "The Underground History of American Education: A Schoolteacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling."  John Taylor Gatto was named New York City Teacher of the Year in 1989, 1990, and 1991, before his retiring and additionally, he was named New York State Teacher of the Year in 1991

You can read his biography here.
You can read, The Six Lesson School Teacher, here.

The Extending of Childhood, video bvelow, by John Taylor Gatto. ( read it: here)
(Lengthening of the Period of Dependence.)

In An Emergency...

Does your child know what do do at home in a home emergency should one arise?
Have you instructed your child on answering the door and phone while you are preoccupied or not at home?

Here are some helpful articles, tips and reminders to help you have an important lesson on safety with your kids about safty issues while homeschooling.


9-1-1 Calls... How to teach kids to call 9-1-1.. from Cell Phone Sally down in Texas

Article on Safety by Homeschool Views

Accident Prevention Household Safety Checklists

Fire Safety for Homeschooling Families  
We often hear about fire drills taking place in our public schools. Do we hold fire drills in our homeschools, and if not, well then, why aren’t we? 

Fire Safety teaching Ideas for Early Education with  Printables to use (FREE)

Kidpower Article...What Parents Need to Know About Personal Safety For Children and various helpful articles for talking to children about personal safety issues.

Red Cross'  Disater and Safety Library

Weather Related Emergency Information... Borchures for Families from NOAA.

The Book-Book

See the amazing features of the "Book-Book" explained for the new generation.

"Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. "

–James Madison, U.S. President,

Speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention on Control of the Military, June 16, 1788

 in: History of the Virginia Federal Convention of 1788, vol. 1, p. 130 (H.B. Grigsby ed. 1890).

Word of the Day... Drapotomania

What IS drapotomania?

It's a terrible "disease."  A "metal illness." (According to some psychiatrists.) Do you have it?

Definition from Urban Dictionary.

Definition from Wikipedia

Definition from Word Info

The expert who came up with that disease even had a cure.

Listen to Thomas Szasz, a psychiatrist, award winner for "Humanist of the Year, (in 1973,) and professor emeritus of psychiatry at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, (1990)  as he talks about drapotomania and other "mental illnesses" like ADHD.

Thomas Szasz  on ADHD, drugs, psychiatry, drapetomania, hysteria, stigmatization

About ADHD.... Let's.Pay Attention

ADHD

"Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is said to be characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development," reports the Shire US website which sells drugs to combat the disease.  They also report, based on the 2011-12 National Survey of Children’s Health, (in which parents were asked if a health care practitioner had ever told them their child had ADD or ADHD,) that ,"an estimated 11% (that equates to 6.4 million,) of US school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD in their lifetime."  We have to ask, "Why?"

(Shire US....by they way, is a biopharmacutical company, interested in selling their product.... drugs.)

Shire has a website dedicated to informing people about ADHD. They tell us that in diagnosing ADHA, there is no simple test.  There is however a "standardized way that ADHD is diagnosed."

They say that, to be diagnosed with ADHD, a person must have all of the following:

-Have at least 6 inattentive and/or 6 hyperactive/impulsive symptoms for at least 6 months to a degree that is inconsistent with developmental level and that negatively impacts directly on social and academic/occupational activities (for people ages 17 and older, only 5 symptoms must be present)

-Have had several symptoms before age 12

-Have several symptoms in at least 2 settings (such as home, school, or work)

-Have symptoms that clearly interfere with or reduce the quality of social, academic, or occupational functioning

-Have symptoms that are not be better explained by another cause

What are the "symptoms"?

Inattention

Hyperactivity

Impulsivity

Have you ever known a child under the age of 12 to display such symptoms?

 (Just wondering....)

And, Parent's magazine reports (June 19, 2014,) that  your "toddler" might have ADHD if they:

1.  ...interrupt and talk loudly.... if other toddlers don't like your kid
2. ...struggle to get to the place he or she is excited to go to
3. ...doesn't watch T.V.
4. ...has the ability to pay close attention to the things he enjoys
5. ...tantrums excessively
6. ...puts small parts in mouth and chokes frequently while eating
7.  ...loves to swing on the swings

No test for this to show any physical deficit.... but these are the symptoms parents are being advised to worry about in relation to their toddler.... so that if ythey suspect ADHD... toddlers can be taken to the psychiatrist for help.  Note too that ADHD is considered treatable but unfortunately, uncurable... (according to the Center for Disease Control.)

Click this next link for a "guide", published by an ADHD "support group," supposed to help you determine what is and what is not ADHD...(keep in mind that there is no "test" to identify this "disease" or "mental illness."   And, before your child takes the medication, you need to be informed that there could be side effects ....common ones listed at the Internet Drug Index  are "nervousness, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headache, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and psychosis."

Psychosis?  This is a "common" side effect?

If you are thinking any of those sound scary, you are not alone.  There's also  "less common side effects" listed there on the site, but you can read those on your own.

And if you read from the "experts" about how to manage these "common" side effects, (here..) you can expect the child to skip, or miss-out on eating lunch.... due to lack of appetite.  Then being medicated again in the afternoon, they will need to have structured activity but likely be unable to do homework.....and then they will be hungry about eight.  You can boost their nutrition in their growing bodies .....while they are appetite suppressed becauseof the drugs, by giving them Pediasure or Ensure.
(How much does this cost?)  If they suffer from insomnia, (can you imagine?) the suggested "cure" is to give the child "an extra dose" nightly... to help them sleep.  And never fear.. if one drug isn't working the way you like it, just try another..... till you get it right.

This is weird and scary... and hardly scientific.

Let's remember, there is no "test" to determine ADHD.  You merely have "ADHD" if  people think you do.

Of course, you must meet "diagnostic criteria" outlined in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-5) - a manual now used around the world to classify "mental illnesses," (that, by the way, is changed periodically based on how people "vote" "mental diseases into existence.)

Voted.  (There is no "science!")

So.....
Mom and Dad, before jumping on the ADHD bandwagon, before runnning off to the local psychiatrist and medicating your children, do some research.   Don't be afraid to ask questions and find honest answers.  Take your time in determining if your child is just behaving like a kid and needs to be a kid or needs some loving discipline, or has a "psychiatric disorder."   requiring them to be medicated.  Do some homework on the issue and pray.  Spent some time playing with your child and take in a little Vitamin "N."

Here are some websites to get you started thinking about ADHD:

Magazines
TIME 2001   The Age Of Ritalin By Nancy Gibbs
TIME 2006 Getting Hyper About Ritalin By Claudia Wallis Friday, 

TIME 2010 ADHD: A Global Epidemic or Just a Bunch of Fidgety Kids? by John Cloud

Esquire Magazine 2014 The Drugging of the American Boy

Blog Articles

 Are There Really More ADHD Kids or Just More Intolerant Education Systems?

The Ritilin Conspiracy

Snopes .... Did Dr. Leon Eisenberg a prominent figure in the field of child psychiatry who during the 1950s and 60s conducted medical studies of children with developmental problems, including some of the first rigorous studies of autism and attention deficit disorder really say that "ADHD is a prime example of a fictitious disease"?

News Media
New York Times 2013, How Drig Companies Sell ADHD
National Public Radio Medicating Kids
Today Show (2012)

Videos
National Public Radio Video Medicaing Kids
Video by Naphtali 1981 (not just about ADHD, but where to put your trust in diffidult times.)
"The Evils Of Psychiatry: Truth About Bipolar,Depression, Abuse, DSM, and My Testimony"
Rover Radio... Interview with Richard Saul, nuerologist.
ADHD Advertising  NY Times

On the Education of Young...Nature Studies

I recently read a chapter from an old book, School of the Woods by naturalist, William J. Long.  The book, written in 1902, was at one time used in public schools under the title of the Wood Folk Series.
Intrigued by what I read, I post you this small portion for your educational reading:

'That interesting little comedy by the quiet river, one of the thousands that pass every day unnoticed in the summer woods, first opened my eyes to the fact that all wild creatures must learn most of what they know as we do; and to learn they must be taught. I have had that fact in mind in gathering together from my old notebooks and summer journals these sketches of animal life, which group themselves naturally about one central idea, namely, the large place which early education holds in the life of every creature.

That animal education is like our own, and so depends chiefly upon teaching, may possibly be a new suggestion in the field of natural history. Most people think that the life of a wild animal is governed wholly by instinct. They are of the same class who hold that the character of a child is largely predetermined by heredity.

Personally, after many years of watching animals in their native haunts, I am convinced that instinct plays a much smaller [6] part than we have supposed; that an animal's success or failure in the ceaseless struggle for life depends, not upon instinct, but upon the kind of training which the animal receives from its mother. And the more I see of children, the more sure am I that heredity (only another name for accumulated and developed instincts) plays but a small part in the child's history and destiny; that, instead, training—early training—is the chief factor; that Loyola, with a profound wisdom in matters childlike, such as the world has rarely seen, was right when he said, in substance: "Give me a child till he is seven years old, and it matters not much who has him afterwards. He is mine for time and eternity." Substitute seven weeks for seven years, and you have an inkling of the unconscious thought which governs every little mother in the wilderness.school."

School of the Woods by William Long 1902

You can read in it's entirety, here, (thanks to the Gutenberg Project.)

I think Long made some excellent points and observations.  As I reflected upon the importance of education given to an animal's young by it's mother (and father) I would think of my own observations of both kittens and a hawk that lives nearby.  If it is like this for animals, what is it like in the human experience?  Without a doubt, the teaching and training of children in the early years of their life is phenomenally important, and they absorb so much, making them truly incredible and intelligent beings at even an early age.  This is why, as parents, and especially as mother's, we should be attentive to our children.  It is us parents who first love them, and teach them many other valuable life lessons, including and example of how to live and work and communicate.

The book piqued my curiously.  I found out that in it's day, it was being used in many schools to teach children about animal behavior.... "scientifically," (observational) until the author drew controversy.  I learned too, that some people, even the President at the time, didn't like Long's sentiments of fondness for the animal life he observed and studied and wrote about.  They called him a "nature faker."

The main reason for the dislike, I believe, is that the evolutionary theory of Darwin was pervasive and persuasive at the time. People wanted to think ("wisely" according to the wisdom of the age) that animals were solely dependant on their inborn instinct to do what they do, not any form of particular reason or intelligence.  Many therefore simply concluded that Mr. Long was a "nut." They didn't like the suggestion that animals actually used "reason" and even had to "learn" things from their parents in order to survive.

 (If you skipped the links above, you can read a little about the very popular

 and public controversy regarding these books on your own.  

Start with wikipedia if you like and then perhaps read one 

Long's other book's description here.)

Was Long a "nut?"

Well, that controversy was way back in 1902.   It's 2014... over a hundred years later, and do you know what?  People, like Long, observe animals like tigers... or penguins or otters up close and personal to report their findings that these animal babies must learn certain things from their own moms and dads.  Some creature even learn their names from their parents... like parrots.

 I am not surprised... are you?

Here is an article touting some of the BEST animal mom's.

Back to School Days Are Here!

Yes, "school is in the air," or rather, "back to school" is in the air.  The sad part is is that it is not even September and the weather is still lovely outside.  Kinda sad to thinkof all those kids going back to classrooms in the school buildings and spending their days indoors.  I am more inclined to celebrate NOT going back to school... or rather, homeschooling. With flexiible schedules you will likely see those homeshooled kids still enjoying the beautiful days in the sunshine and doing various outdoor learning opportunities while the weather lasts.  Soon enough will come the says for being indoors, all in their proper time.  Just the same, in a formal school or not, tis the season to get back to the task of learning.

Roaming the internet, I found some ideas for celebrating the new "school year."

There was a great littl eidea for a "Back to Home School" Board Game.  You can read about it and print and play this one, or even make up your own.  It might be fun to personalize something like this for your family and kids.

Maybe you prefer to have your own Back to Homeschool celebration... or you could celebrate  "Not Back to School" with  little party.  Either way, it is fun to make the event of getting back to the books festive and memorable by celebrating what you are doing.  You can do it simply as a family or with friends.  You can also make new aquaintances too by getting together with other homeschooling families in your area by hosting a "back to homeschool" event.

And if you are feeling a little uneasy about the task ahead, take minute or two to remember all the "greats" who have been sucessfully educated from home, directed by their own parents' leading and teaching.  George Washington, Booker T. Washington, and Leonardo Da Vinci, to nam a few.

Another list avaliable here.

School pictures are in order too.  You and your kids might like to do a photo shoot to kick start your new year.  There are some really creative ideas out there.  You can use free prinables that are ready made to help you or be creative on your own..... showing off your interests and things like that.

And while you are thinking about your new schooling year, you can Strew Up some ideas to surprise your family... if not now, then sometime in the future.

What IS the difference between a peach and a nectarine?

Simply find some interesting things to peak and perk their interest in something new. It's a great way to assist them in making their own discoveries.

"Back to school" season is a good time to go shopping for school supplies

....and even organize your supplies together with kids.












And this is also a good time to read or reread, some of those old homeschooling books and manuals or if you dare, get into a home school bootcamp to prepare for those wintery months ahead or  difficult situations along the homeschooling road that might arise.  You now, and brush up on strategies for handling things like rebellion from kids or parental "burn out."  There's a lot to be learned from homeschoolers who have gone the road before you.

And if you don't do the boot camp offered above,  at least check out the freebies Tina offers on Day 29.


Most of all, remember, you bring your own wisdom and strength to your family, to your own children. It is not your job to out-do others nor compare what you do to what others seem to do.  Prayer, perseverence and patience, as well as an occasional tidbot of wisdom from a seasoned homeschooler and maybe some new ideas or advice from another homeschooling mom will often be of great encouragement to you in what you are currently endeavoring  or encountering in your own homeschool.

Best wishes for your new homeschool year!

Memo Release Party

State laws differ.  In Connecticut, you do not have to file an Intent Form in order to be legal homeschoolers, as we do here in Washington State.  This did not stop school officials from creating one for people to file with the schools.  Apparently, after not being able to create legislation to require one, they found a simple solution: Send out a  memo.

The problem, says the article on homeschooling, is that filing an " intent form" is not required by the law in Connecticut. The schools simply made up the idea for a form and "suggested," to workers and parents that a form be on filre.  It's not a law.  However, people have been being asked to file this way, and not knowing any different, they comply.

 Workers at the school then continue to perpeturate the practice.  Parents, who eventually are asked to fill out the forms, simply  do what is asked of them by school officials to do, and tell others that this is what they did and what one must do.  Meanwhile the form serves to gather information about those who choose to homeschool; information that is not only private, but not required by any law. One homeschooling parent was quoted in the New York Post article saying that the Education Department started distributing the memo to do this in the early 1990s, after a failed attempt in the state's legislature to require one of parents who chose home school. Connecticut attorney and homeschool law expert Deborah Stevenson is also quoted as saying, “They do this intentionally. It’s not a mistake.”

There is such a things as the due process of law.  One would expect officials, school officials,  to honor that.

It's likely some local school district "memos"  have gone out regarding homeschoolers in Spokane too, but one who is not in-the-loop of receiving the possible memos can only speculate. However, there is some pretty good evidence for it.

Take, for example, the  Declaration of Intent to Provide Home Based Instruction  forms.  (DOI)You may or may know this, but our local school district personnel have been notorious about asking more information than is truly necessary on these forms. It has been deduced, that this is for their data collection about these home-schooled children, and it is easily gathered from the parents when they file their forms.  Because the schools routinely have done this, and in an effort to protect the privacy of homeschoolers and uphold the intent and integrity of the Home Based Instruction law, Washington's homeschool support organizations like CHNOW and WHO have been forced to provide forms that do present an actual representation of what is required by law.

 If you plan to homeschool, you might compare these organization's forms with the one your school district offers you.  You will see if they ask more information than they are required by law to know.

School districts in Washington have also been known to redirect parents interested in homeschooling to register somewhere else besides the superintendent's office, (as specified in the Home Based Education Law.) Usually they redirect them to the school's local parent partnership program office.

http://www.spokaneschools.org/domain/3121
TEC/Bryant School, website lists as a first form the DOT form for parents to file in order to "homeschool"  This school is a parent partnership.  Here is their list of forms offered:
"Declaration of Intent to Homeschool    Field Trip Permission Slip    New Student Intake Form 

Request for Part Time Attendance      Inter-District Transfer Request Form      Statement of Understanding  

TEC order form 11-13-13        CBC Application  CBC Proposal"

Additionally, when a parent is at the schools program location and interested in the program offered by the school, the parent is given the form for home based instruction.  (DOI)  If the parents falsely assumes this program location is "homeschooling," and eventually enrolls their child "full time" in the "homeschool" program, the parent is then informed that they are no longer under " home based instruction" law, and the form they once filed is miraculouly made null and void.  Sad to say, when this happens it is nothing short of a bait and switch tactic.  The reason for offering the intent form at the school is feigned.  It is not so that you can "homeschool," but so that you who have been officially registered home based educator, will join the program. 

There must have been some memo that went out, otherwise the schools would have left homeschoolers alone and let them file at the superintendents offiuce as required by law.  Instead they made up new procedures for their own benefit.

In days passed, not just any student could join the alt ed program.... the program was first specifically for "at risk" students.  In  the 2010-11 school year, approximately 40 percent of ALE student's  were enrolled in programs offering "parent partnerships."  (See this link for reference on that figure.)  Derr Park's HomeLink boasts 500 students.

DOI forms being made available at a place that is home to the local Parent Partnership Program or an Alternative Learning hub deceptively serves to validate the program offered.  The place and person that homeschoolers want to register with is the superintendent of schools office for their district.  It's simple.  Read through the Pink Book, download a DOI form from a homeschool support organization, fill it in drop it off and get a dated copy for your records, or send it registered for proof that you complied with law.  Then homeschool your child.

Filing a Declaration of Intent to Provided Home Based Instruction form, (DOI) means you want to homeschool and intend to do so. It does not mean that you intend to join the program offered at the school.  However, if you have filed an intent form to join the local parent partnership program you need to know that you have essentially documented for the school that:

 1) homeschooling independently did not work for you, (you obviously thought you could homeschool but determined that you need the help and support of the program you joined) and
2) Your now "at risk" child,  (who cannot succeed in a regular program because they have a parent who wants to be directly involved instead of leaving the student's education to the state approved teacher in class,) needs this program in order to succeed in school. Your child needs the supervision of paid personnel at school.

Homeschoolers also please note...  You are not "asking for permission" to homeschool from the school personnel, but are making known your intent to the superintendent of schools so that your student will not be considered truant if someone reports you for not sending your child to school.

Additionally, our school districts have often taken the liberty to use the collected databased gathered from these intent forms to "direct market" their programs at the school specifically to homechooling parents.  Howsociation ever, some people know the home school laws, and recognize this illegal action and they have brought it to the attention of both homeschool support organizations and local schools.  Schools have formally apologized to homechoolers for this too.

Most egregiously, school districts claim to be interested in "homeschooling" and offer their support in a parent's decision to "homeschool."  It's egregious because schools have no buisness supporting home school any more than they "support" private or parochial schools or those parent's in theier decision to use a different method of school.  What they actually attempt to do with the "support" they offer is to co-opt the homeschool movement and engage in redefining for you and for me, (for the general public, and for educators as well,) the definition of "homeschool."

 It's quite deceptive.   They even present themselves as "Home School Resource Centers." or "Enrichment Options for Homeschoolers."   Meanwhile, the WSSDA, (Washington State School Directors Association) states that the Parent Partnership Programs are an integral, cost-effective part of the overall public school comprehensive educational program.  Yes, they are.  Make no mistake, the PPP is created to stop you from being the person in charge of your child's education.

There must have been another memo.

"What is Spokane Valley Learning Academy?  We are a program designed to support homeschool families with enrichment classes, help with curriculum, and offer moral support from the Central Valley School District. We at SVLA believe in homeschooling and support your decision to do so."

"Home Link is Deer Park's Parent Partnership Program, where parents of home schooled children work with Deer Park teachers to provide varying degrees of traditional "on-site" instruction as well as plans for meeting educational goals at home."

Maybe there were several?

"Five Mile Prairie School is home to the Mead Education Partnership Program (MEPP) a Home School Resource Center that operates as an alternative school."(quotes added for emphasis) 

Meanwhile, these "homeschool" programs use tax dollars to fund the "homeschool" they offer.  What is so terrible about this is that the home based instruction law....(remember that DOI form?)...specifically stipulates that "under no circumstances may a student who is receiving home-based instruction be reported as a full-time equivalent student.... for purposes of receiving state funds."   (See number 10 ans 11 on page 17..) Yet, they do.... "receive state funds" per student, while making the student and their family think that they are homeschooling.    Then, while receiving funding, calling the participants "homeschooler's"... they "share the wealth" of one more child enrolled in the district with parents who will happily discard the DOI's intent.  It's done in exchange for being in the "enrichment program" offered at the... as they call it,  "Home School Resource Center."

And there are no doubt financial rescourcse available .The program is full of resources....  (a.k.a. money.)

Program directors and teachers, get paid salary as they promote the partnership programs as "homeschool."  They even do this in premiere venues to homeschoolers, like  "homeschool workshops." (Note the 11:30, 12:30, and 1:30 offerings ) Schools win awards for "distinction" and they are promoted this way to the public while working to make the program as appealing as they can to specifically attract homeschoolers to sign up. Parents who think the program suits their needs and join are allowed to spend allotments of money on books and classes specifically chosen by them to be used by their kids.

Besides being lauded as "homeschoolers" they get accolades as they work alongside district teachers, teach classes in the school, (sometimes teaching for pay) and this while helping their own kids earn the required credit hours that apply to grades and WAC requirements.

Take for example Five Mile Prairie in Mead:

"Five Mile Prairie School, for the third year in a row, has been named a 2013 "School of Distinction" winner - this year at the middle and high school levels. Five Mile Prairie is a K-12 instructional partner with our home school families." Mead Schools 

These programs also advertise their homeschool "expertise" to prospective "homeschool "parents, knowing full well that the end result will be to get money when parents sign up.  Giving the false impression that the program is supportive of "homeschooling."  the point is for parents to join, thereby nullifying the DOI they previously filed.   It's tricky.  Some, like Northstar, clearly make themselves out to be homeschooling experts....  to earn your trust:

"Our certified teachers have experience in alternative learning, homeschooling and learning challenges."  Northstar School 

And they do this  while stealthily hiding themselves behind privately created "FREE" webpages  like weebly, instead of using regular district media.  This. intentional or not, looks more like home school than public

Then you also have the stealth appearance whereby a program lie TEC outwardly is presented as being a program for homeschoolers:

"The Enrichment Cooperative (TEC) is Spokane Public Schools’ parent partnership program for homeschoolers. Established in 2002, it provides both core and enrichment curriculum for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade." 

 "Who We Are"  statement for TEC @ Bryant School, August 14, 2014

 But then, on the inside,  (in the "who we are" statement is in the official Handbook for the school using just about the same verbage, they tell it like it really is:

"The Enrichment Cooperative (TEC) is Spokane Public Schools’ Parent Partnership Program. Established in 2002, it provides both core and enrichment curriculum for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.)

Nothing about being a program for homeschoolers mentioned there.

Why the difference?

 It's bait on the outside... but once you are in... it probably does not matter any longer because you have been informed and agreed that you are no longer under the Home Based Instruction Law.   That is the switch.  It's no big deal not to be under the home based instruction law if they still call you a "homeschooler"  Right?

Who cares about home based education?  Who cares about the home based education law?  Not the people in the program.  They want government funding for their public school program. and as far as they are concerned, the home school law can now be torn in two.

And then there is the local and social media who helps the cause of stopping home school.  They got a memo too.  For when the schools started putting money into building and designing these programs, the Spokesman Review told it's readership:

"Five Mile Prairie School works with students of all ages who are being homeschooled in the Mead School District. Homeschoolers can attend classes their parents don’t feel qualified to teach to make sure they meet graduation requirements."  

Visitors from Indonesia Are a Force for Learning by Pia Hellenberg, 10/11/12 Spokesman Review

By the way, homeschool law defines how parents who homeschool are "qualified" to teach.  State law has "requirements" for homeschooling.  Those parents may not have a degree in classroom management, but they are qualified.... legally qualified to direct and oversee and teach their own children here in WA,  Some even take a qualifying course in order to honmeschool.  In Home School, the requirements of the state are  even often exceeded by homeschooling families who do not have to meet the requirements the same way as the public schools.

And you can bet having these programs in every district is expensive.  They are truely and example of  "your tax dollars hard at work."  Meanwhile the schools send home those yearly school supply lists as if they have no money to spend on school supplies for your kids.  Parents shop and donate things like crayons and spiral notebooks... for "community use" and even classroom paper products to be used in their children's classroom in the school.  However, the school spends lots of money on "homeschoolers."

Spokesman Review reported:

 'The Five Mile Schoolhouse looks like a million bucks. Make that $1.7 million, the approximate amount of taxpayers' money spent to gut and gentrify the little brick schoolhouse at North Five Mile and Strong roads. About six years after talk of demolishing the boarded-up school swept across Five Mile Prairie like a grass fire in late summer, the building will open Sept. 5 as the new home of the Mead Education Partnership Program, which combines home schooling with classroom time."

SCHOOLHOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE: Restored and Modernized Historic Five Mile Prairie Building 

Will Be Site For Home-Schoolers, Byline: Hilary Kraus, Spokesman Review, August 24, 2006

By the way, Homeschooling is not "combined with classroom time" in the school if you are in the program as a full time student.  Your DOI is voided at the start.  What is taking place here is public school.... both at school and at home.   Homeschooling, also known as Home School,  actually is independent of the local public school, like private school  Home School requires no school campus "classroom time."

The Spokane Journal of Business reported on the cost of these Five Mile School and it's planned use too:

"Mead School District plans to renovate its historic Five Mile Prairie School at a cost of $2.8 million to house its supplemental home-school program.  

Spokane's Journal of Business, 11/23/2005

Supplemental home-school program?   Does that mean ancillary classes?

No.  It's not ancillary if you are a full time student.  To people who do not think home school is adequate, a "supplement" this sounds pretty good.  

Take a memo.... if you will. It might be a great program for some people,  but....

For more information on the Connecticut "suggestion" to file an intent form see:
http://www.teachct.org/ct-law/notice-of-intent/

http://cthomeschoolnetwork.org/home-schooling/link-legal/ct-state-guidelines/

http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/state-by-state/connecticut/

See also: http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/EDU/Documents/AlternateLearningExperience.pdf

Pg. 4

"State law makes a distinction between ALE programs and home-based instruction. Many students in PPPs may have been receiving home-based instruction prior to enrolling in the ALE program. However, ALE programs are subject to public school district oversight and rules,including those governing curriculum approval and testing. In contrast, home-based instruction is not subject to public school district rules; rather, it is the parents’ responsibility to oversee students’ education and progress. "