My attempt at story writing...

An Education Tale

There once was a family that sent their children off to school. Mom worried that they run into bullies. Dad worried that the school wouldn't teach them all they needed to know. But the state said they were fine and picked them up in a big yellow bus. Time went by and every day there was more homework, every week there was another fundraiser and every year the children grew more and more detached from their family and more and more just like the other kids at school; bored, restless, and angry. No learning was happening here.

One day the Mom saw another Mom at the grocery store with three school age children in tow. “Day off from school?” she asked. Why no! In fact, they were “at school”. These children were homeschooled and Mom was teaching the basics of math, nutrition, and thrift while doing her weekly shopping. “Homeschool? I never thought of that.” she thought as she talked with the children and questioned this Mom.

Mom and Dad talked it over. Both researched that night. Was it legal? Will they be smart? What about socialization? With questions still swirling they called a homeschool organization and got all the details. “Pull your children out now!” they said. “No need to wait. Start your own private school and take some time off. Find out what you like and how your children tick, then choose your style to make it stick.” So the next day they did. Alarms didn't go off. They all stayed in bed and took the day off. The kids were excited, “No school!” they exclaimed. They took more time off. Mom continued her chores, the children played games, Dad went to work. But the children grew bored and restless. They missed their school friends. Dad worried they weren't getting any education at all. Mom grew frustrated with the lack of help around the house.

To change the scenery one day they went to the park. They stumbled upon a small group of children playing with their parents nearby. “Day off from school?” asked the Mom. “No! We homeschool and this is our recess!” Mom talked to them all afternoon and gathered advice about wht they do to ease boredom and keep the kids in line. “Go online and buy curriculum. Your kids need structure and lessons to keep them busy.” said one Mom. “Take karate and dance!” said another. “Join our co-op to learn Shakespeare.” said another. And Mom followed ALL their advice.

Soon their days were so full there was no time for boredom, no time for games, or even family dinner. Brokeand exhausted from all the running, the family finally made time to return to the park for some fun. Mom told the homeschoolers about her troubles and they felt her pain. Several new families were attending now and spread the news of the relief they had found. “Join a public charter school.” they said. “All the fun of homeschooling but free resources and classes.” Mom joined up right away. What could go wrong? In exchange for the money she was told her children must complete a set number of hours at the computer, take annual tests, and meet with a “teacher”once a week. “Ok.” she thought, “That seems fair.”

But weeks later she realized how much had changed. The children were chained to their computers and text books. The famiy was no longer in control of the lessons or their timing. No breaks were allowed. The children must pass the tests. The kids were grumbling, “This is worse than school. All of the work with out the friends and recess!” Mom couldn't watch. Her kids were miserable and Dad was annoyed because nothing had changed.

Back to school they went, books in hand. Mom was sad. She felt she had failed. “They were right. It does take a teacher and school to handle the children.”, she thought. Dad was sad too. He worried if he were doing the right thing. The fledglings must leave the nest, but so young? “Toughen them up for the real world” he'd heard. “But school sure doesn't look like the real world to me.”

The moral of the story is that homeschooling can be great, but it takes time and patience, a lot of research, trust, and love. So many of us switch from one philosophy or system to another without giving one enough time to show results. Rome wasn't build in a day and education doesn't get “done” ever!

Book Review - Alas, Babylon

I finished "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank last night. It was assigned for my Classic Moms class. I ordered the book along with others at the beginning of the class so it was around the house a while before I got to it. When I saw the words "The classic apocalyptic novel that stunned the world." on the cover, I knew Dan would want to read it and he did. Then he read it to the boys and then I got to it.

Tom and I agree we didn't really like the end. It was a little anti-climatic. Just the words "Not that it matters." stuck out for me. We won the war, but does it matter? When the whole world is destroyed, sent back to the dark ages? The novel is about nuclear war in the 50's. The threat that loomed over everyone for several decades. Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I missed this part of our history and the book does bring that forward into reality for me. I've decided that nuclear war is just something that is not allowed. :))

There were several little pieces that I thought were funny in an odd way. The main character's nephew is happy that he doesn't have to go to school but the uncle assures him that he will as soon as possible. But they don't set up a school. They decided that educating children will have to fall to the parents responsibility for the time being, as if it's a huge burden. Seriously, because the world has been blown to kingdom come and parents will have to keep up to the state standards until...well, until there is a state to make standards again. I know, people try to continue down the path of normalcy especially during a crisis but this is just silly. There were others too, like breastfeeding being so old fashioned but they will just have to do it.

There were interesting things to think about like how would you cook anything and where would you get things like salt! I'm rethinking some of my emergency supplies now. And communication! Wow! No radio, telephone, or even mail. Word of mouth only and that would be severely limited since people were not traveling between areas at all, no cars, just horses and after a nuclear attack? You just don't know when you would be getting radiation. The book gave me anxiety attacks at times, hence the decision against nuclear war. I just can't wrap my mind around preparing or surviving that.

This book brought up "bread and circuses" which I keep reading and seeing and being reminded of, which gives me the creeps!

Anyway, the book is good and I enjoyed reading about the relationships that continue, the segregation that had to be overcome, the restoring of order. I highly recommend it!

Federalist 62

"A good government implies two things: first, fidelity to the object of government, which is the happiness of the people; secondly, a knowledge of the means by which that object can be best attained. Some governments are deficient in both these qualities; most governments are deficient in the first. I scruple not to assert, that in American governments too little attention has been paid to the last. The federal Constitution avoids this error; and what merits particular notice, it provides for the last in a mode which increases the security for the first."

I'm thinking maybe it didn't work because I don't think the federal government has either.

"The mutability in the public councils arising from a rapid succession of new members, however qualified they may be, points out, in the strongest manner, the necessity of some stable institution in the government. Every new election in the States is found to change one half of the representatives. From this change of men must proceed a change of opinions; and from a change of opinions, a change of measures. But a continual change even of good measures is inconsistent with every rule of prudence and every prospect of success. The remark is verified in private life, and becomes more just, as well as more important, in national transactions.
To trace the mischievous effects of a mutable government would fill a volume. I will hint a few only, each of which will be perceived to be a source of innumerable others.
In the first place, it forfeits the respect and confidence of other nations, and all the advantages connected with national character. An individual who is observed to be inconstant to his plans, or perhaps to carry on his affairs without any plan at all, is marked at once, by all prudent people, as a speedy victim to his own unsteadiness and folly. His more friendly neighbors may pity him, but all will decline to connect their fortunes with his; and not a few will seize the opportunity of making their fortunes out of his. One nation is to another what one individual is to another; with this melancholy distinction perhaps, that the former, with fewer of the benevolent emotions than the latter, are under fewer restraints also from taking undue advantage from the indiscretions of each other. Every nation, consequently, whose affairs betray a want of wisdom and stability, may calculate on every loss which can be sustained from the more systematic policy of their wiser neighbors. But the best instruction on this subject is unhappily conveyed to America by the example of her own situation. She finds that she is held in no respect by her friends; that she is the derision of her enemies; and that she is a prey to every nation which has an interest in speculating on her fluctuating councils and embarrassed affairs."

There's your problem! Ill made laws and the changes to fix them, only show other countries that we don't really know what we are doing. And not only that, Madison goes on to say why it is not good for our own people that we do this. Business people cannot make plans to spend and invest their money. Farmers cannot plant crops. And inventors cannot create. No one knows what will be legal next year, or how much it cost them in taxes. No one can make any intelligent decisions about their future when anything and everything can change in the next congressional session. Sound familiar? Yep! What's going on in our country is not new. The only thing new, in my opinion, is that there is increased ignorance on the people's part about history, government, and economics. And that only leads to the increased influence of tyrants.

Happy Easter!

A little posing of the birds!

Peeps!

And obviously Spring is here because the Cactus Wrens are hard at work!

What A Play!

I'm starting to love baseball more and more. :)) Tom made an amazing play last night. High fly ball to right field and Tom was there because the other player had to make a pit stop. He's under it, he catches it, he looks around, guy on third when he should be on second (he thought Tom would drop it), he throws it to second, that guy catches it, tags him out...double play! Sweet! The best part was watching Tom do his excited dance out there. He was pretty stinkin' proud of that and it REALLY showed. Now...he did bobble the ball and let it get by him twice when he played second base, but after the show in right field nothing to bring him down.

Tom loves playing baseball. He looks so serious out there. He takes practice very seriously and gets a little irritated with the kids that aren't paying attention. He watches the whole game. When he is out there, he's going through what might happen next and he's ready for it. His catching and batting skills need work, but he's always thinking and knows the game. Those other skills will catch up.

Another funny note. At the end of the game, one of the coaches told them that there would be no official practice on Friday because the school had "parent-teacher" conferences. Tom asked what that was and the coach asked if he was homeschooled. Tom answered affirmative and the coach said he knew it because he was so smart. THAT makes me happy. He does stand out from the crowd. Both my boys are odd. They are weird and in the very best ways. The coach said he would be at the field with his son practicing and any of them were welcome but it wasn't required. You know who will be there for sure, right?

Palm Springs Windmill Tour

Palm Spring Visitors Center

Thanks to my awesome parental units, we got to go on the Windmill...oops..."Wind Turbine" tour in Palm Springs. It was so awesome and I'm thrilled we all got to go. It was two hours on a small bus and our tour guide made it seem like 20 minutes.

This where the tour started.

He showed us so much. There are huge wind turbines they are working on putting out in the open ocean! The hay that is grown around the Salton Sea is trucked to the ports and shipped to Korea and the middle east! Those windmills are noisy. There is a big natural gas power plant going in next to Desert Hot Springs. The tallest windmills here are 299 feet because there is a law in Palm Springs that they can't be more than 300. The lights (for airplanes) blink on and off because the birds get mesmerized by them at night if they are steadily on.

San Jacinto

Nice Air Conditioned Bus

Taking A Look Around

Just finished...

The Hunger Games books! Wow! If you haven't read these...do it! All three! I was reading yesterday and Jake came up to me and asked me if I had gotten to certain part, something about "bread and circuses". "Have you noticed the Greek/Roman gods names? And that the Capitol is like Rome?" Holy cow, that kid is smart! I had a vague feeling that I recognized some of them, like Plutarch and Pollux, but I hadn't looked into it. And then he sat there and told me about how the gods personalities were like the characters in the book. And that Panem was Rome. And we sat and talked about it for a long time.