A shout out to our soon to be high schooler

High school bound!

And a happy and blessed birthday to him.  He is the last of our boys to go into high school.  Unlike his brothers, he has been homeschooled his entire life.  Sometimes we wish he had their experience. 

I've written before that we didn't start homeschooling because of any social issues or classroom content or such.  It was a bureaucratic breakdown that did noticeable harm to our second oldest.  During the breakdown, one of the administrators at the school actually told him, compared to the importance of the standardized tests, that his grades and classwork 'didn't really matter that much.'   The worst part?  She said this to cover the obvious mess their system had created, rather than just admit it and work with my son. 

At that point he was crushed, having been proud of maintaining not only perfect attendance, but straight As.  Now if you know our second oldest, you know his sometimes acerbic wit and fast thinking mind.  He is also our more sensitive son.  His grades began tanking that following year.  Soon, a kid who went ballistic when he got an A- was getting Bs and Cs and not caring.  One night I sat down when he was going to bed and expressed my concerns.  His response was classic him: 'I'm sorry, did you say my grades matter?  I have it on the best authority that they aren't important at all.'   Point and match.

That's when we decided to homeschool.  Being us, we didn't want to do it for some and not the others, even though our oldest was well into high school.  But he, too, concluded homeschooling would be preferable.  At that point, the schools weren't bat crazy insane, but the signs were developing.  

We announced we would homeschool after their Christmas break.  We would begin starting with the 2nd semester.  Between our announcement and the 2nd semester, their high school held an assembly.  Ostensibly it was against bullying, but the focus was on the LGBTQ community.  The message was clear.  The Pride Coalition could flaunt its views from the rooftops.  Any opposing views, however, could be seen as bullying.  And in our zero tolerance for bullying environment, the consequence could be punishments including, but not limited to, expulsion. 

So we weren't sad about our decision.  That's also why we decided not to start our youngest in public school.  Plus we always tended to keep the boys together.  Still there were times when we wondered about that.  

Because he was so close to graduating, when our oldest finished his schooling, we got together with a nearby homeschool group that was putting on its own graduation ceremony.  Even though we weren't part of it, they agreed to let him take part so he didn't miss out on what he was so close to experiencing in public school. 

I must admit, you could tell a difference between him and our sons and the other kids who were part of that group.  All of them had been homeschooled their entire lives.  When they put together a photo montage of all the students for the ceremony, our oldest was the only one with pictures of him in school settings, sports, band and the like.  Not only that, but there was a clear difference in experience and their life 'in the trenches' versus the kids who had always been homeschooled.

I wouldn't say that is a good or bad thing, but it was a different thing. And sometimes we wonder about our youngest not having 'been in the trenches.'   Nonetheless, it's fair to say most of his life has been a life apart from that which his older three brothers experienced.  Therefore we take the win and realize the overall benefits far outpace any potential void of experience that comes with not being in modern public schools.

So here's hoping it works.  I won't deny he has his quirks, some of which come from being outside the social mainstreams where schooling is concerned.  On the other hand, a thirteen year old who can set about fixing old retro-tech that the store owners can't, and who can reference Plato or Paul or Pavlov while being up on the latest Mario release isn't bad either.  Whatever he may have lost, times being what they are, I think we'll keep what he's received here at the homestead.  

The joys of homeschooling

At least he looks good with his shades

Homeschooling can be tough.  One of the toughest parts is self-doubt.  You can't help but second guess yourself and wonder if your kids are better off or, heaven forbid, worse off.  You concern yourself that they're not learning, they're not learning enough, and somehow they won't be up to snuff next to their peers when they step out  into the world.

All of this happens, by the way, outside of the Covid era.  By shutting down access to other kids, other outings, other locations you can take the kiddos to, it has only been tolerable since we know the public schools have had their own similar problems. But the ongoing concern that you're failing them somehow always looms large, at least in our minds.  

So the other day we got a momentary dose of reassurance.  Our youngest, and last school age child, is moving into Shakespeare in his literature class with none other than The Merchant of Venice. It's a play more infamous in today's sensitivities than famous. 

So that's tough.  Heck, it's not exactly the easiest read for me.  The last time I read it, in fact, was in a Shakespeare class in college in the 1980s.  I chose it, however, because of the other suggested Shakespeare plays for his literature class.  When we looked at the list, it was the only Shakespeare mentioned that he wasn't aware of.  The list included Hamlet, Henry V and Macbeth, all of which he knows very well.  Too well to know if he's really getting anything out of the reading assignments as opposed to just drawing of his knowledge of the plays.

I didn't think about it until one of our older sons pointed out that's not bad.  After all, how many twelve year olds would force you to pick a less known Shakespeare play because he already knows most of the ones listed? 

We thought about that, and about how much we know he knows:  Subjects such as history and theology, and even philosophy.  Working on Algebra at twelve and he has studied art history, chemistry, Greek and Latin and even some intro into Mandarin Chinese - all before entering middle school proper. 

His real love is electronics and computers.  He's our fix-it man when something with our DVD or television or similar electronic devices goes wonky.  He can hook up new tech purchases faster than anyone else.  He's also quite industrious, figuring out how to make electronics work with sometimes no more than aluminum foil and battery chargers.  We mention he could have a career working with electronics, but he's somewhat coy about it, and dismisses it as a life's ambition.

So, in hindsight, I'd say that's not bad. We can't say he's better off, but we're pretty sure he's no worse off education-wise than if he was in the public school system. 

Our dog reading The Merchant of Venice after our son asked him for help

Why we homeschool in one easy image

 

Yep.  From Broward County public schools.  Taking kids to a field trip at a local gay bar, for gay bar is what it is.  

Life would be infinitely better for us if we didn't homeschool.  Since becoming Catholic, we've been jumping from one frying pan to the next, with occasional dips into the fire.  In most worlds, we wouldn't homeschool because, if for no other reason, we are hardly set up to do so financially.

Nonetheless, the above is not the exception, but simply an extreme example of the rule today.  And this doesn't count the 'hate yourself white people' race hate, the anti-Americanism, the pro-Marxism (my sons' World History textbook gave kudos to such luminaries as Marx, Lenin and Mao, as opposed to our own racist and imperialist presidents), the secular template for religion, and the various leftwing indoctrination tactics that have kept us homeschooling.

I've said before that class content wasn't why we chose to homeschool.  Even a decade ago, things weren't this bad.  But when the bureaucracy steamrolled one of our sons, in the absence of a local Catholic school or even private school, we went radical.

Back then, one of Mark Shea's most celebrated post subjects was his 'why we homeschool' threads. When I emailed him for advice on a homeschool curriculum, he posted that and the readers posted multiple suggestions in the comments section.  We settled on the Kolbe Academy, based in California, accredited, and able to bestow an actual high school diploma on the students.  It's also a classical based education curriculum. 

For that post and advice at CAEI, I'm forever grateful.  It helps keep the boys grounded and able to see past the bilge, lies and ruinous values promoted by our schools - and society - today.  But such is life in a country whose faith is a godless paganism.  So whatever the cost, in the foreseeable future, it will be homeschool all the way.   It beats my son being taught to hate his skin color while being shuttled over to the nearest gay bar.  

Did I mention those New Prolife Catholics who hate homeschool?

So apparently this happened:

And this: 

And this: 

And this:

I don't get it.  What exactly did Melanie say that was so awful?  Baking is a Catholic mom thing?  Granted, we could debate the accuracy of saying such things are the most Catholic things you could do.  And ol'Rachel is correct.  As a former non-Catholic and non-Christian, I can assure you the popular stereotype of Catholic girls isn't staying home baking and homeschooling the kids. 

But I get the feeling that whether or not it's correct to label such preferences as uniquely Catholic versus other Catholic distinctives isn't the bone of contention.  I get the impression that the main beef is this part of her tweet:

A stay at home mom, as I am well versed in baking, cooking, crafting, decorating, budgeting and at-home sickness remedies.  On top of this, I'm getting married at 22 and my fiancé & I plan to homeschool.

Something tells me that is the rage-inducing part of what was said.  Not so much the Catholic part, but the setting myself apart in a particular role for the good of my family and children, rather than focusing on my own dreams and aspirations to the exclusion of anyone else in the world who comes in a distant second in my considerations.  After all, some of the reactions almost seem to suggest such a set f priorities would be antithetical to good Catholic living, at least c. 2021.  

It's worth noting that in post-modern reality, there is nothing more appalling than a life spent in sacrifice to anything but ourselves and our ambitions. In 1988, I had a philosophy professor who said flat out that a woman who spent her whole life taking care of her family above her own dreams could never be a full person.  The growing number of Catholics who appear to agree is, to me, quite telling.  

It's also worth noting that such views are very different from the general Catholic blogosphere attitudes of the early 00s. After all, one of the reasons we chose homeschooling back in 2012 when we saw the rot infecting our local public school system was the witness of Catholic  homeschoolers across St. Blogs.  None other than Mark Shea posted a request for his readers to point me to a good, solid Catholic homeschool curriculum.  There were many who commented and give their own recommendations and support. 

I don't know how prevalent pro-homeschooling posts are across his social media sites now, or the Catholic blogosphere in general.  I do know that if I want contempt for homeschoolers, or those trying in some way to reclaim a more pre-post-modern understanding of family, parents, individuals and even the Gospel, I don't need to go much farther on social media than a growing number of New Prolife Catholics social media sites.  

Why we homeschool

In one easy lesson, courtesy of Donald McClarey at The American Catholic.

Wow.  It's as if the Left is literally saying 'how egregiously awful, evil and stupid can we be?'.  Of course if all good, white liberals screaming 'white privilege' quit their jobs and gave them to minorities, we'd be 2/3 toward fixing the problem.  Yet I get the impression that's not what they want.  

Instead, it's a weird 'White Liberals' Burden redux'.  That is, good white liberals are here to save the day by lowering the standards of minorities everywhere while attacking those other whites who simply aren't as righteous and holy as good, white liberals.  It's like everything evil over the last hundred years joined together and repackaged as one.  I wonder if minorities really buy it, or if they're just biding their time. 

UPDATE: 

From another sector of the Left's ethnic cleansing crusade:

Again, it was quite brilliant. Racism, they say, is about power. Probably true.  Yet after WWII, after Civil Rights, after pounding racism as the all defining sin that even Jesus can't forgive, how do you use racism to obtain power?  Easy.  You bring back racism and race hate against ... wait for it ... your own race!   

In the immortal words of that great philosopher Wile E. Coyote: Genius.  Pure genius.  And the genius if shown in how fast so many have embraced the racism, even within the hallowed halls of Christianity.  But then, after the last 2000 years, should we be surprised?   

School Days

Things are a little less crazy with the older boys going their way - even if they live at home for the time being in doing so.  Being beneficiaries of white privilege, they work full time jobs and take classes around their schedules accordingly.  But being home for that is still not the same as being home as a high school or younger student.  There they were still 'kids' in our charge.  Today they're adults going their own way, doing their own thing, and navigating through the crazy that is 21st Century America.

That leaves our youngest home now, more or less on his own. The only other person, beyond my wife and I, who is at home is my Mom who we are blessed to care for in this September of her years.  Since things are still shut down, and outside of public schools there isn't much available, it's going to be rough.  As a homeschooler, he typically got his socializing through various extracurricular activities, church school and the like.  Those are all either canceled or online.  With his brothers going their ways, he's going to be one solitary kid, at least until things get back to some semblance of normal. 

So we'll try to find ways to make it more interesting in the meantime.  Not that school can't be interesting.  We're doing our own kitbashed curriculum, gleaned from a couple published programs while preparing for him moving to Kolbe Academy once he hits 7th Grade.  We follow a quasi-classical approach, and he will be diving into the classics of antiquity this year more than he has in the past.  He's currently learning Chinese, but we'll add Latin toward the second half of the year.  We've also added a tech/coding (in the works) subject line since he is very, very and I mean very interested in tech and programing.  Being somewhat deficient in those areas ourselves, it will be learn as we go. 

So that's it.  As I said, this week will be a bit sparse, which is fair since I was supposed to have ended most blogging several times already!  Given that he already missed 

Why we homeschool in one simple image:

Yep.  This is where we are.  There is no science behind this.  The science, in fact, screams against it.  But once again, we see 'scientists, experts and researchers' eager to prove that the science says what those at the best parties with all the money want it to say.  Heck, even secular news outlets like the New York Times have run stories featuring those youngsters harmed by the mad rush to Frankenstein monster our children.

Nonetheless, onward we push. Our schools, like our universities, entertainment industry and news media are merely propaganda organs for the secular paganism of the emergent Left.  Christians will either abandon their faith once and for all, hoping that before it gets too bad they will die and go to whatever energy field - if any - awaits us.  Or they will have to face the fact that it's going to get ugly, violent and barbaric.

For now, my family and I eke out a living, scraping by to keep our youngest home and away from the indoctrination and brainwashing while also exposing him to it on our terms and preparing him for what will be once he steps out of the house.  What will happen in the long run remains to be seen.  There are glimmers of hope that youth are becoming worried about where things are going.

I fear too many Christian adults, however, are too cowardly or quite frankly no longer believe much in the historical faith and values we inherited to put up a fight. We'll see.  But right now, we're doing our part by keeping our youngest away from the madness and demonic that has become the indoctrination camps known as our public school system.

Why we homeschool

Because we want our sons to understand that two plus two equals four.  Not that two plus two equals four is a vile oppressive construct imposed on the oppressed by evil white skinned Westerners who were nothing but evil:

Rod Dreher has the details.

I've often said that modern education is about equipping young people with the tools needed to rationally dismiss common sense.  I'd say this story goes a long way toward showing that I'm right.

In ages to come, once the terrors being built upon today finally come to fruition, and then mercifully pass, people will look back on this time as the era of educated idiots.  An entire narcissistic generation whose purpose seemed to be to disprove the idea that education is all you need.

A joke courtesy of our youngest

Q: "What split Rome in half?"

A: "A pair of Caesars." 


Not bad. Shows some basic subject knowledge and the ability to play on words (he's actually quite good at the old word play).  Won't say it's because of homeschooling, but it looks like homeschooling hasn't hurt.

Why we homeschool

The motto of modern education systems

As those who've followed me over the years know, we homeschool for very practical purposes. Namely that the schools had become bureaucratic messes more concerned about checking the latest requirements for goverment funding than actual education.  The content of what they were teaching or the idea of school violence were not really high on our list of considerations.

In terms of violence, the problem is clearly one of heart and soul.  Our nation rejected the Truth of Christ, and whether our religious leaders will admit it or not, that has to mean something.  Purposefully severing yourself from the light of the Gospel must have consequences.  If a nation trying to live based on at least some tenets of the Gospel could do so many things wrong, perhaps the solution wasn't rejecting the Gospel as a whole.  Hiding the boys from the results of this would only be a temporary thing.  The boys have to face a society at war with Christ eventually.

As for the content of the teaching, since our schools could have a wide variety of teachers, the content was pretty diverse.  While there weren't many down home fundamentalist types, there was enough variety to make us happy.  I never shrank from exposing my kids to other opinions or ideals, and if the teachers did the same, I was happy.

As can be guessed, the one area where the schools were becoming more intolerant and demanding conformity under threat of retribution was the issue of sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender.  If and when America dies, it will be on the battleground below the waistline.  And it will be the gay rights movement that marked the beginning of the unraveling.  In our district's case, the schools were beginning to move toward a 'thou shalt praise the homosexual or watch yourself' mentality.  But since we were already moving to homeschool due to the stated reasons, we didn't sweat that too much.

But as I watch where education has gone, and  the off the rails train wreck that it has become, I'm thrilled we made the decision when we did. I only wish we had done it sooner.  Rod Dreher walks us through but one example of the wasteland that is Western education.  True, it's dealing with Canada and England, countries with no particular loyalty to freedom that could (and some would argue, are) turn themselves into their own versions of an Orwellian paradise.

As my nine year old plods through his Mandarin Chinese lessons, it makes me glad that he knows who Pierre is relative to War and Peace, he understands the connection between Alexander the Great and Socrates, that he understands the contributions of Medieval Scholasticism, and that he has an appreciation for old literature, the classics, and even if he's not read them yet, will do so from the point of view of a non Social Justice Warrior.  His exposure to older films has also supplemented this, and much of his exposure to the classics began with us showing him older films that helped pave the way.

Though this sort of madness Rod Dreher points out was taking off by the time my older boys were in public school, it hadn't reached this level before we pulled them out.  Therefore, as they report from college, they are ones who know who Robert Frost, Charles Dickens and even Napoleon Bonaparte* were, as opposed to a staggering number of their classmates.  When my son reported that he alone had heard of Robert Frost in his creative writing class, I thought it a fluke.  Since both have been in college, however, I've found out it's all too common.  Not that all students are like that.  Some are quite informed and broad in their knowledge of a world beyond the narrow confines of Social Media.  But considering they are all high school graduates, far too many don't know what someone my age learned merely from watching Bugs Bunny, much less from graduating high school.

Such is the result of our education systems, and given the zealots and fanatics coming out of our schools, I can't help but guess isn't not a failing of our school system, but the intended mission for things to turn out as they are.

*Really.  When told to choose various historical figures for a report, one student in my oldest's history class passed on Napoleon due to never having heard of him.  The same with Dickens and, as I said, Frost.  These are just a couple examples.  I could go on, but no sense being mean.

Me Generation Socialism

So my oldest boys had a sit down dinner with us recently.  With their college and work schedules, that doesn't happen much.  Our third is also getting busier, being active in the Police Explorers program and working, while also searching for a job more akin to a career in law enforcement.

Nonetheless, we're still homeschooling our youngest and use such times to educate through conversation.  Being in fourth grade, we felt it was time for him to learn some things about the different macro-issues and terminology he might hear about on the news, such as what people mean when they say things like Free Market, or Socialism, or Communism, Fascism, Capitalism, Totalitarianism and so forth.

While doing that dinner time lesson, one of my boys brought up an interesting observation.  It's likely not original, but it made me think.  When talking about Socialism, it was mentioned that proponents of a new, Democratic Socialism often object to being linked to old forms of Socialism that led to things like Communism, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.  That was National Socialism, they insist, not to be confused with the brand being peddled today.

My son pointed out that it's really not accurate to call it Democratic either.  It sounds more like 'Individualist Socialism' (not to be confused with Libertarian Socialism) than anything Democratic.  He meant that in a way similar to how Socialism of the 19th and 20th centuries hitched up with the wave of Nationalist fervor of those times, so this Socialism seems to have glommed onto the radical Me Generation/Millennial individualism of today.

Whereas the old socialists linked to nationalism, patriotism, love of country, devotion to the Fatherland, all for Mother Russia, and similar sentiments, today it seems to be about promising the world to Me.  I get everything free.  I get sex, money, smartphones, legal drugs; I get free college, housing, healthcare; I get to have more opportunities to eliminate people who are inconvenient through such things as euthanasia, assisted suicide and abortion/infanticide; and if I want to be Napoleon, no more trips to the funny farm, they'll just see to it that the definition of Napoleon is changed.

Is this done for a greater social or national ideal?  Is it for the Fatherland?  Is it for our good old Uncle Sam?  No, it's for me.  Me alone.  And if others fall through the cracks or have to be hurt because they're challenging my right to have whatever I want, whenever I want, with whomever I want, free of charge?  Well, that's were getting rid of pesky things like due process is concerned.  And those who are hurt or fall through the cracks?  Screw'em.

I've said how, when I first went to Patheos, I blogged that many Americans were still being left behind Obama's great economic recovery.  I said there were plenty out there hurting, and being lost in the dust.  The overwhelming response from the majority progressive/millennial readers?  Screw'em, I'm fine.  I'm making money.  I'm doing just swell.  What do I care?  And when I tried to point out that my parents' generation in the 70s, even if they personally were doing well, still had a link to other Americans and didn't like the fact that others, and the country, were still struggling?  The Patheos reader response:  Screw the past.  Who cares?

That's the modern attitude, and it's not confined to economics or Patheos.  Terrorism, falling behind in the rush to globalization, eradicating due process and presumption of innocence, suppressing free speech, AIDS and overdosing through sex and drugs - are all of it is based on the idea that as long as it happens to others, it's the sacrifice I'm willing to make.  Because Me.  Martyrdom by proxy and all. It's why Europeans just shrug their shoulders when the prospect of their civilization's inevitable death is brought up, but the first mention of austerity measures causes them to go batshit and riot and destroy and attack and burn.

And that's the mentality, the generational distinctive, that this new incarnation of Socialism is trying to appeal to.  Don't worry about your neighbor (heck, fear and despise your neighbor, depending on his gender, religion, national origin, skin color or politics).  Whatever happens, happens.  Omelets and broken eggs after all.  But you'll be fine, awesome and always have enough for the next smartphone.  After all, we gave you trophies when you lost and let you take tests over and over until you passed.

Socialist Individualism maybe?  Me Socialism? Selfish Socialism?  Whatever we call it, no more National, and certainly not sounding overly Democratic.  A new Socialism to appeal to the radical self-serving individualism sweeping our country, and the West, today.

Hmmmm.  I'll think on that.  As I've said many times, I'm no economist or economic theorist, but I believe he might be onto something.  He is coming from the vantage point of his own Facebook and post-Millennial generations after all.  Again, I'm sure he didn't come up with that out of the blue.  But it seems credible to me, especially given what we've seen here and across the ocean in Europe.  It also seems, just based on what we're witnessing, every bit as deadly as the National brand of Socialism from all those years ago.

Why we must homeschool

Two examples.  First, in Philadelphia, principles and administrators are taught that parents are the enemy where a child's gender identity is concerned.  If a student follows the current "Science" and decides gender is a state of mind, then its incumbent upon the staff to shield them from any threats to their reality, including their parents.

The other example comes from sunny California.  In San Diego, public schools are launching a special anti-Islamic bullying initiative.  I'm sure kids are bullied for being Muslim, just as they are for any one of a thousand reasons, but that was enough for CAIR to jump in and work with the schools to ensure followers of the Prophet and Allah are rightfully treated.   Of course CAIR, as we remember, has made it clear that its America is one where believers in salvation through Christ will not have access to high office.  And it's worth noting that in our neck of the woods, where there has been no more anti-Muslim crimes than anti-anyone else crimes, Muslims still insist they live in a world two steps away from the Holocaust, even when the most violent hate crimes involve Muslims attacking others.  So there you go.

Modern schools, as we know, are the main platform for indoctrinating our children into the ways of the Left.  While that's not why we initially homeschooled, I can't help but be glad we homeschool now.  It isn't easy.  We were already floundering financially due to becoming Catholic on the eve of the economic collapse of '08.  It would be easier to put our boy in school, though now my Mom also needs looking after, so that would still be an issue.

Either way, it's a day to day for us.  Just recently we finally got some new furniture in our living room after being almost a year without. Well, not new.  It was used.  The fellow who sold it is a franchise owner for Chick fil A.  Obviously franchise owners for Chick fil A do well.  He was moving to another state, and explained that his new house only had room for three living rooms, not four.  I told him to be brave.

But he was a good guy, we chatted and he asked if we needed any bedroom suites or such.  I laughed and told him when he saw our house, he'd get the joke.  His garages (he had two) were literally larger than our home.  But no hard feelings.   This is the life we've chosen.  It's what it is, and it isn't the responsibility of others to hand us things on a silver platter.

After all, charity exists when things beyond our control hit us.  That's when various outlets, including the government, can be a safety net to help us through the hard times.  But we are where we are because we choose to be.  If it means my boys never get to Disneyland, or we seldom have steak and caviar, so be it.  It's not everyone else's job to give us the results of a life we've not chosen to earn.  It's only incumbent upon them, and our government, to do the best they can to provide us for our basic needs if forces beyond our control have put us there.

Anyhoo, these stories are why we endure it all.  We know that the kids will be out in the world some day.  Our oldest boys went through public school for many years, and saw first hand what is there.  We've wondered about our youngest, and about putting him in public school just to expose him to what is out there.  But this is also 2018.  Without trying, he is exposed to things that our oldest would never have known without being thrown into the mix.  So rather than have schools shield him from us while explaining the beauty of Islam and gender preferences, we'll buck up, pull the belts tight, and do what we can to keep our youngest from becoming another lemming in the herd of Leftist indoctrination camp attendees.

Why we must homeschool

Because we don't want our third grader being a year older than kids being taught what sex and lesbians and transgenders and all that jazz are all about.

And if that isn't enough, it also helps them avoid being told that, because of their skin color, they don't deserve what they accomplish.  Apparently, however, if they have problems it's more than they deserve - due to their skin color.

There are several things on here, BTW, that no longer apply.  Watching the morning news shows, I can't help but notice there are only two white men among multiple women and men of various ethnic backgrounds. The same goes for books, toys and other items.  We won't mention the talk we have with our boys about why most professional athletes in the sports we like don't look like them.  Of course we have the phenomenon of not being told they are a credit to their race, but whatever my boys have is only because of their race.

But then, I've noticed facts and reality aren't high on the priority list in our modern culture, in or outside of our education system.

Yep.  The reeducation zoos are in full force, dumbing down our kids down, pushing narcissism, hedonism and the belief that the world exists to worship them as the gods they are.

Student was suspended over not taking part in gun control protests

It is true.  Despite the headline, he was in fact suspended because he refused to take part in the anti-gun protests that were staged Wednesday.

Here's how it happened.  The local school down the street essentially sanctioned the protests, as did many across the nation.  Because it was unseemly for a school to force kids to miss class in order to advocate a particular political view (which the protests did), it gave students the option to not take part.  Those who chose not to take part were instructed to gather together and stay in the study hall.  Just like we were told schools couldn't have kids do if the school was mandating something like the Pledge of Allegiance.

Well, young Mr. Shoemaker said no.  He said to go to the study hall was its own protest against the protests, with several of the students who chose that option making it clear they were against the anti-gun protests.  Mr. Shoemaker said there was no reason politics should be in schools like this, as it clearly was.  So he stayed in a classroom and choose to do school work.

For that, he was suspended.  After all, schoolwork in a school?  The school district and media outlets have tried to spin it like the linked to headline.  But of course he was suspended for not taking part in the protests, either the way the school wanted, or the optional way the school mandated.

This is what happens when schools cease being places of learning and become places, like everywhere else in our nation, to advance a singular political agenda.

Let's be honest.  The 'walk out' was coordinated and aided by decidedly partisan forces in favor of varying levels of gun control.  Schools, which overwhelmingly swing Left, have become ever more brazen about using their facilities in order to advance the progressive views already taught and supported by various lessons, unions and departments.  This student called it for what it was, and was punished.  Yes, he was punished because he didn't take the option offered him by the school.  But that option was only presented because the school had chosen to endorse one particular view, and insist those who didn't follow along go to a predetermined location as if to set them apart.

Oh, and because this here at home happened as the student said, despite the headline's best efforts to suggest otherwise, it becomes easier to believe stories like this.  Have I mentioned we happily homeschool?

A day with Jungle Jack

One of the great parts of homeschool is that you get to take things you normally do for enjoyment, and log them as educational time (as long as they, you know, are educational).  So I took the boys to the Columbus Zoo Monday.  That's one of the reasons I've been scarce this week.  Monday's are my 'administrative' time.  During that time of grading, planning, and fitting in household needs and upkeep, I usually squeeze in many of the posts for the week.  I'll save them, and then on each day I'll pull up a couple, do a quick read-through and check for any updates on the topic, and submit.  

Sometimes a major story will pull me over to comment in the middle of the week.  But usually, that's my approach.  With the weather breaking, and the chance for more field trips, we'll probably be spending our Mondays out and about.  The three older boys all work, but have Monday off.  So if things are a bit sparse in the coming weeks, that's why.

Nonetheless, a fun time.  We're blessed with the energies and industry of Jack Hanna.  As I've said before, when I was a kid the Columbus Zoo was a few steps up on those traveling zoos that used to set up in mall parking lots.  After years of hard work, public relations, enduring the abuses of David Letterman, and being an ambassador for animals and the environment without necessarily trashing humans in the process, he has built the Columbus Zoo into one of the premier research institutions on the planet.

Recent years have seen the Zoo picking up with the entertainment side of things, with new attractions being added on an almost yearly basis.  Most recently was the African Safari section.  It's not up yet only because it's early in the season.  Several things were still closed.  But we get yearly passes (knowing we'll at least go to the Christmas Zoo Lights).  So it doesn't bother me to go, see a few sites, do a couple other things, and call it a day.  

The boys

The Flamingos.  Watch out, they bite. 

An awesome fish in an awesome aquarium

Watching the Manatees

Gorilla eats lettuce in sunlight

Gorilla is about ready to run and smack the glass

Making a new friend

On a warm day, it's amazing how interesting a goose is

Interesting enough to get my youngest to imitate him

Part of the Safari, but again, still not fully open for the season

Boys in the model of a termite mound

The other two join the fun

Polar bears are best in their icy environs when it's a blistering summer day

Our sixteen year old is wonderful at playing down at our youngest's level

At the end of the day - actually tired out

The joy of homeschool

Is best demonstrated by taking a detour from studying at the public library in order to cause some wanton destruction with the play area toys. 

A walk in the park

So today I took the boys out, just to stretch and get out of the house.  Homeschool is the best and worst of times.  We signed them up for some online classes, and those have been nothing short of a nightmare.  Mostly owing to connection and compatibility issues, they've fallen behind and are struggling just to survive.  For boys who have spent their lives in public, private and homeschool earning As and an occasional B, barely surviving goes down hard.  Especially when it hasn't been their fault.  Most of it.  I admit, they've become discouraged and keeping them focused hasn't been easy.  We're praying that the school continues to work with us and give us a third or fourth chance, though as one teacher has said, they don't have to.  So we'll see. 

Sadly, that has come to dominate this school year, with their other courses almost being swallowed up in the chaos.  With the frantic nature of online courses and the pace that accompanies them anyway, add to that the myriad problems we've encountered (and not all of it has been on our side, a couple of the issues early on were on the school's side), and their other courses have almost been 'do what you have to so we can get back to troubleshooting the online courses'.  I especially hate it because this is my Junior's year to focus on Medieval studies and Medieval literature: my favorites; dare I say, my specialty.

Anyhoo, with all the chaos, stress and mad dashes for survival, I felt a little chance to get out and breath some air (and get some movies and books with gift cards from Christmas) might be in order.  The movies will keep us busy: The Lion in Winter, Blade Runner, Red Dawn (the original), The Heiress, The Martian, The Killing Fields and a season of Dr. Who (for the middle boys).  I proudly say I picked out Red Dawn and The Killing Fields, but the rest were their ideas. Then it was off to Highbanks Park to take in God's side of the art world.  There is something about looking out on wooded hills in the snow that always evokes; I get all Robert Frost and a bit melancholy, thinking of those days of old, trudging through landscapes like that, rabbit hunting with Dad.

Whose woods these are I think I know...

I could listen to water trickling through broken ice all day long

Sunset and snow, a great combination

Frozen waterfalls are never not awesome

 

The boys.  The snowing afternoon.  2016.

DCS shows why we home school

Ten years ago we kicked around the idea of homeschooling.  But to be honest, back then it didn't have the best reputation.  Reading Mark Shea got me to kick it around more, since Mark seemed to have an almost idyllic setting with his homeschooled kids, stay at home wife, and his own domestic vocation.  As times evolved, and the public schools unraveled, I became concerned that my boys weren't being educated.  And there were many reasons we could pinpoint.  Problem was, I have a degree in Secondary Education, and have taught adults.  But I was not ready to teach elementary level, and at that time, I was the stay at home and my wife worked.

Even so, before her position was cut, we began seriously to consider homeschooling.  And the main catalyst, the primary issue, was the treatment our second son got by the schools, and the resulting conversations that took place.  Our boys always did well in school growing up, but he was designated as "gifted".  I never particularly liked that, because we felt all the boys, if not all kids, are gifted in some ways.  But we went with it.  From early on, he was set aside with a group of students of like capabilities. They went through several years together, being pulled out of class and given special instruction.

When they went to our intermediate school (itself with myriad problems), he was in a scheduled team along with the other gifted students.  He continued to impress, scoring high on his standardized tests and getting As straight across the board.  He particularly loved science, and talked of being a geologist.  We actually got him things revolving around geology and astronomy for his birthdays.  In 4th grade, he took a standardized test administered to high school freshmen, and outscored over 70% of 9th graders that took the same test.  He was good.  He was very good.

And then my Dad died.  During that time, they had another round of tests, called the Terra Nova tests.  Because of the stress and strain, he didn't do as well as he normally did.  He didn't do badly, just not as well as normal.  He stilled aced the science part, scoring 98%, and getting one of the highest scores in his grade.  But he still didn't do as well overall.  

Nonetheless, his scores were good enough to place him in the honors Math program when he advanced to 7th grade.  But he was booted from the Honors Science class, known as the Advanced Science Program for gifted students.  How could that be?  He did worse in his math and had one of the highest scores in his grade in science.   He had a better science grade than some of his friends who were in the class. My oldest had also gotten As in science and almost all As through school, but hadn't been able to be in the program because of his science score on the tests.  What was going on?

Well, we were told, it was because of metrics. You see, the Science program was part of a different state funded category, and required different standards than the Math, which was simply based on test scores and grades.  To get the state funding, the schools had to develop 'a plan', and that had to include a metric for evaluation.  The state didn't develop it, each school district did. But the district had to have one.  And Delaware's was that a particular score was required in both science and math.  He made the science, but missed the math, even if it was good enough for the Honors Math class.  And because no attention was given to grades, that was it.

The problem was, not only did he miss out on that class, but his schedule had to be recalculated, with him being pulled from those friends he had spent years with.  As they went on science field trips and special retreats, he was left behind.

I took it to the person in charge of the gifted program.  I took it to the principal of the school. I went to the members of the school board and superintendent.  But no dice.  I was told that's how the ball bounces, sometimes life depends on a single moment.  They offered him the chance to retake the tests, but he dug in his heels.  What about my grades?, he asked.  How about straight As my whole life?  Didn't matter they said.  When I objected that this suggests his grades in school didn't matter, the head of the gifted program told me they didn't.  That crushed my son.  I objected and told the superintendent what I'd been told.  And he more or less confirmed that they didn't.  According to him, if it wasn't for military academies, we'd do away with grades.  After all, he said, we don't think all those kids who are getting As are really getting As do we?  Because I was focused on the issue at hand, I didn't pursue what he meant by that. But I have a feeling I know.

So my boy was tossed out of the pack, left to stand on the sidelines and watch all his friends continue on together.  His grades unraveled.  So did the grades of my boys.  When I met with his teachers in the fall, they said they felt he was capable of more.  I told them the story.  Most of them hung their heads.  I said it was difficult to tell him to improve his grades since he would gleefully look back and me and say, "I'm sorry Dad, did someone say grades matter?"

The other boys lost their gumption as well. My oldest had already struggled in high school for other reasons.  But this just confirmed to them that it didn't matter.  Plus, our observation was that despite their getting As, they didn't seem to be as 'educated' as you would expect for all-A students.

So it was that, despite the complete upheaval in our lives, despite surviving on a thread, we decided to go all out and go for broke and give our sons an education better than they were getting, and one in which, hopefully, they will feel the reward for a job well done.   With that, I have to say, it comes with a little gloating to see on the local and Columbus news that, in light of an evaluation of the Delaware City School district, in addition to getting an overall grade that was lower than expected, the Gifted Program at DCS received a whopping - hold on for it - F!  Yep.  And F grade.  Now we know.  I just wish this would have happened years ago.  Part of me so wants to write to the schools and say 'told you so!'  It's too bad my boys  had to be thrown under the bus before they figured it out.

As we invoke our inner Metternich

Today I have an extra day off.  Did it so I could get the benefits of a full Memorial Day weekend.  Since I work most weekends, just having Memorial Day off was barely a boon, so took today.  Will be spending it in the garden weather permitting, and then later tonight eating leftovers from yesterday's bounteous feast.  When the sun has set and the lights are low, we'll then continue plotting and backstabbing as we recreate the world's perilous position in the years leading up to the War to End  All Wars.  I don't have the original Diplomacy game, but the modern remake of the classic does quite well.  And the best thing?  Since it falls right around the right period for their studies, and since they're home schooled, we can count it as a Social Studies project by comparing our take-down to what really happened!  Fun stuff.

I'm Turkey this time around and have already obtained some footholds in the Balkans.  But my wife has hit our soon to be 8th grade Cossack out of the blue.  Meanwhile our 9th grade Frenchman and my soon to be Senior Austrian are staking their claims.  We'll see.  My money is on anyone but me at this point.  But that will certainly occupy our day.  See you all soon.

Our Homeschool bread

So part of our basic studies has been to get the boys to actually do things.  As a general rule, they can cook well enough for their age, and our oldest is no slouch as a baker.  Though our 14 year old tried pita bread for the first time a while back and blew us away with how good it was.  But they hadn't tried actual homemade from scratch bread yet, so that was the assignment:

It was delicious.