HS Comments on the Fly

In all fairness, we have never been pure unschoolers. And it’s probably about time that unschooling get a new definition because too few want to research out its meaning. They just think, “Un means not,” and head off from there.

You know, some might say that they’d never want an unschooler to work beside them on a project at their place of employment because unschoolers have been taught to think that life is all about doing whatever you want whenever you want.

But work and learning are different.

Work is one thing. Learning is another.

My children have been given a number of educational choices. They don’t ever have to learn about the Battle of the Boyne as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think we ever touched upon Edith Wharton, Sappho, Eugene O’Neill, Nasser, or Huey Long. I don’t think either of them will take a high school biology class. C’mon, how often do you use info from your high school biology class? You need to know physics and chemistry much more to get along in the world, imo. And no I don’t feel like debating that. I took Honors Biology in high school, and it was a complete and utter waste of my time, just like it’s a waste of most other kids’ lives. My students made many of their own educational choices.

But when it came to certain types of things that needed to be done, we all pitched in. I’m talking about things usually considered work — namely washing dishes, mowing the lawn, care and feeding the animals, vacuuming, taking out the trash, washing down the cupboards, etc., changing the oil in the car/truck, dusting, laundry, chopping wood, etc. That’s work. It must be done.

Why would anyone try to equate work with learning? One is fun and one is … well, work … sometimes fun … but still work.

Additionally, being employed and being paid for work is different from learning (unschooling). An employer is paying you to do your job; you’re earning money which is a benefit. If you’re learning in a classroom environment in grades 1-12, you are “earning” your grades (A, B, C, D, F). Not quite the same inducement to get your school work done, but that’s your reward at a school. Tough luck.

If you are unschooled, you are rewarded with learning. You get to find out something. You enjoy your time spent learning, usually. You experience the joy in learning because it’s not being forced on you. Unschooling isn’t about teaching your children to be little immature brats for the rest of their lives, never knowing what responsibility is all about. To call it that shows a distinct lack of understanding. Sure parents can raise selfish little brats who only want to do “their own thing,” but that’s a whole other issue.

Gail Kerr says:

It seems to me, on these cold winter mornings when the wind blows sharp and Jack Frost bites that the logical next step of the “unschooling” trend should be “unworking.”

Logical? I don’t think logic has anything to do with it — whether it be formal, informal, or symbolic. Let’s just hope Gail’s just a big kidder because her complete article has a bit of a sting to it.

On January 24, 2007, FatcatPaulanne over at Home*School*Home wrote:

I’m thinking of adding a reason I am glad we’re homeschooling to the bottom of each post or maybe once a week.

And she’s been doing just that over the past few days. Go on over and read some of her reasons.

Cute idea, huh? Well, I’m going to add a “Category” like that which I will sometimes use.

As of right now, these are some of the homeschool headlines. The text underneath each headline is an excerpt from the article highlighting the homeschooling content.

• Public Education: Reform — or Revolution?

Private schools and home-schooling exist because the public schools are failing in their delivery of educational services. There is neither equality nor excellence.

• 60s Leader Seeks Change

Numerous Cornell students, both undergraduates and graduates, took to the microphones to voice their concerns about the state of education in America. For instance, Kendra Chatburn ’10 discussed her experience being homeschooled and encouraged those in the audience to “have the confidence to take our education into our own hands.”

• Give me a child until …

In Public Schools: Enforced Social Conversion & Parental Denial, tireless education and home schooling advocate, Nancy Levant, states, “Children all over the world are being converted to social compliancy and servitude. ….. No parent in the United States has any excuse, whatsoever, for ignoring the political-corporate take-over and manipulation of knowledge and learning.”

• Rise and rise of autism is a riddle the experts can’t crack

Our son, has Asperger’s Syndrome…. Nothing can possibly be better at developing a child’s understanding of the real world than living in it, which is what home education offers. All the evidence from research also shows that home educating, which is not about school at home in any way but child-driven learning, beats school on every measure, whether academic, social or building a confident and free-thinking adult.

• Mother pulls son from Leaf Rapids school over lack of resources

Rosemarie Grusska is now home-schooling her son, who was in the Grade 7. He could not learn in class at the Leaf Rapids Education Centre while teachers were busy dealing with too many problem students, she said Monday.

Okay, so I’m out reading homeschool news. I find Thoughts from Kansas. Today’s entry has something to do with teaching science vs. creationism.

So I start to read it and get to the first sentence:

Cato defends childrens’ liberty to be wrong.

I start in on the second sentence, which is a little beyond me because … well, I’m not so bright. And my eyes are drawn inexorably back to the first sentence. And I realize that there is an error or typo … you pick.

Then I remember John Walker’s most noble essay which gives me permission to quit reading at the first error. So I do — even though I know that somewhere in the article homeschooling is mentioned. To be totally truthful, though, the article doesn’t seem too awfully scintillating, so I’m not really feeling terrible about skipping the article.

Yes, please do use Walker’s Strike Out system on my writing also. That’s fair enough. And I know I make plenty of errors and typos … both! When you read the essay, please be aware that Europeans (Walker is likely in Switzerland.) place the periods outside of the parentheses … meaning don’t stop reading when you see that because it’s not an error.

It was such a hassle. I searched for it for a long time.

My problem usually with searching for book is all an issue of color. I thought the book was blue with the words “Robert Dudley” on the spine. Come to find out, the book is red with the words “Elizabeth and Leicester” on the spine. Leicester = Dudley. Those ancient and royal Brits had too many names to keep track of, didn’t they? Confusing folks like me who don’t really understand the whole royalty and peerage business. To top it off, Leicester is pronounced just like Lester. I wonder if Leicester Square is named after him or if it was some other Leicester who was being honored.

Philippa Gregory, novelist, claims to have used Elizabeth and Leicester when she wrote The Virgin’s Lover. That’s a bonus for me. Reading Gregory’s book actually is what made me want to find my book on Dudley. Remember … Dudley = Leicester. Sometimes I wondered which parts of The Virgin’s Lover were real and which were supposition. It is a novel, after all.

I wish I could find a good and interesting book about Elizabeth for a 10 year old, not that I have a 10 year old, but understanding the importance of Elizabeth’s reign is good for a 10 year old, imo, esp. if the 10 year old is interested. Gergory’s novel is not appropriate for a 10 year old. I can, however, recommend the Landmark (review of all Landmark Books), Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada. I definitely don’t recommend the Royal Diaries version of the story of Elizabeth by Lansky. It only covers about three years of her childhood which isn’t too helpful.

Anyway, I’ve read a couple of pages of Elizabeth and Leicester and found out that Elizabeth I decided when she was only eight that she would never marry. Based on her examples of great marriages up to that point, I can see why.

We watched the Anne-Marie Duff version of Elizabeth I the other day thanks to Netflix. My daughter’s not so interested in Elizabeth’s reign and its consequences, but the movie doesn’t bother her too much. I’m not sure it’s as good as Mirren’s version, but the younger actors are a little more realistic, imo. And the costumes are great.

See anything tempting?

• Unschool Parents: Kids can be own best teachers
• Unschooling: The Next Horizon in Education?
• Kids Take School Into Their Own Hands

A dime is worth two pennies.

Is this a statement that we’ll soon be teaching our home educated youngsters?

Well, it could be if you believe the recent news. I have posted on this subject before, but now it’s taken a dark twist. They may decide to change all our pennies into 5-cent pieces. They’re worried that people will stop spending their pennies because they are worth more than 1 cent which will cause a penny shortage.

If it weren’t for pennies, though, I couldn’t have taught my children what centum meant with such ease. How will we so easily teach that our money is based on the decimal system? And decimals are easy to learn because of the penny, too.

Think of all the sayings that will have their meanings twisted:

• Pennies from heaven
• A penny saved is a penny earned.
• Penny wise, pound foolish
• A penny for your thoughts
• Penny pinching
• That’ll cost a pretty penny.
• A bad penny always turns up.
• In for a penny, in for a pound
• Um …

But it’s not like the U.S. is the only country with copper-ish coins. Canada has pennies and so does the U.K. In fact, the U.K. has these whopping two-pence pieces. What will they do with those? Nothing? Do they already have laws in place stating that you can’t melt down coins? Our law just changed last month as the post link to above noted.

What would pennies be called if they’re worth 5 cents? Fippence? Brown nickel? Copper half-dime?

The Fox article states:

“History shows that when coins are worth melting, they disappear,” Velde wrote.

So are you hoarding your pennies? That would be a good return on your money if you are. 1 penny = 5 cents.
I thought this part was rather interesting:

Raw material prices in general have skyrocketed in the last five years, sending copper prices to record highs of $4.16 a pound in May. Copper pennies number 154 to a pound. Prices have since come down from that peak but could still trek higher, Velde said.

So, we could do some “real math” problems with that info. All we need is today’s copper prices … wait. Pennies aren’t full copper, so that won’t work.

It seems that modern (post ‘82) pennies are mostly zinc. I guess that info above about 154/pound would only work with pre-’82 pennies.

And what about nickels? They’re still worth more than 5 cents. Would turning pennies into 5-cent pieces solve that problem? I don’t see how. Maybe their value will be changed, too.

Che was homeschooled.

I’m not kidding. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna was homeschooled. Beginning in 1934, he attended homeschool. His homeschooling continued until he started attending primary school in 1937. It was probably during the ages 6-9 since he was born on June 14, 1928.

I’m guessing his parents decided to homeschool him (possibly) because of his asthma. But what do I know?

So, someone should design a Cafe Press shirt with an image of Che Guevara on it and the label “Homeschooled” above it. I bet it would sell.

Source: Wikipedia

I know you’re wondering why I was reading Che’s Wikipedia article. It was because we were discussing the Bay of Pigs today.

According to the article, Che shot himself in the face during that invasion and lived to tell the tale.

The trivia just never ends, does it?

Brett Dennen is on tour. If you’re in the Richmond, Virginia, area, he’s playing tonight. He’s 26 now, but here’s what he says about homeschooling:

I didn’t grow up in a musical environment. I grew up in a very small agricultural town and I was home-schooled. There wasn’t any music in my house, except for records and a record player.

After reading about him at the link above, you can listen to him on YouTube.com. His stuff is on iTunes, too, where he was #1 in sales last month in the Folk category.

One of Brett Dennen’s songs was on Grey’s Anatomy (tv hospital drama) late last year. It’s rather peaceful sounding.

Shirley Upton’s column online at The Times and Democrat states:

Most people love babies and children, but lately it appears that we have created a child-obsessed and child worshipping society.

But help me out. Is this woman contradicting herself?

For my part, if I never again hear about Brad and Angelina, Britney Spears, Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and their babies, it would please me no end. These “idols” are poor excuses for parents, and employ loads of hired help to do diaper changes and clean up spit-ups. Where are the little darlings when their parents are out in evening clothes posing for the camera? At home with their nannies, naturally.

When most of us were coming up, child rearing was quite simple for our parents…. Every child went to his or her neighborhood public school, period. No one I know was home schooled because parents couldn’t wait to be child-free, at least for a few hours a day, and they freely admitted it. When the last of my three children entered school, a group of mothers went out to breakfast to celebrate our freedom. It was so adult to sit and eat without the little ones….

On one hand, parents are “poor excuses for parents” because they use hired help so they can go out sans kids. But on the other, wanting to be child-free for a few hours every day is A-OK. What? This is contradictory, right? Or at least close to it, right?

Read the complete article for yourself. She doesn’t make her point very clearly — at least not for folks like me — but I think she’s actually saying that homeschooling parents are obsessive child worshipers because many of us actually enjoy the company of our children and are delighted to spend time with them watching them learn.

Oh, the humanity! (Seinfeld reference)

Everyone already saw the frilled shark, right?

Those teeth were the weirdest part, I think.

In case you missed it, I searched YouTube.com for what I thought seemed to be the best video footage as of today. It gives footage of the shark swimming and the teeth up close.

Two generous and thoughtful Penn State alumnists have pledged $100,000 to a scholarship that will be awarded to eligible students, with homeschooled students receiving first shot at it.

The George R. and Ann E. Kemp Scholarship in the College of Agricultural Sciences will support academically promising undergraduates, with first preference given to students College-wide who were home-schooled. If none are eligible, preference will be given to students in the School of Forest Resources….

“Families who home-school are often at a financial disadvantage,” George Kemp said, “for they sacrifice one parent’s income in order to accomplish their desired educational goals for their children.”

Robert D. Steele, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said, “We are excited about the Kemps foresight in creating this scholarship. This is the first scholarship at Penn State focused on this particular group, and we are hopeful that it will help us increase the enrollment of home-schooled students in our College.”

Isn’t this great news?! You can read more about George and Ann Kemp, their backgrounds, and the scholarship online at the Penn State Live site.

In case you know a homeschooled student who may be interested, here’s the link to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.

Audrey Goodall will be a homeschool graduate this coming May. However, she’s already a published author, and you can buy her book, Three Years Seven Furlongs, through Amazon.com.

Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

Ann and Lea have dreams, just like any other girls their age, but theirs seems like they’ll never come true. Never, that is, until an old gruff trainer at their hometown racetrack hires them as exercise riders. Becoming jockeys seems within reach as the girls settle into life on the backstretch and become friends with several who cheer them on. As time passes, though, obstacles come up, accidents happen, and they begin to face surprisingly fierce opposition. The girls aren’t so sure of their dream anymore. Should they just give up and quit like all the others who attempted before them? Anne and Lea are up for a challenge. Through it all, they begin to realize that it isn’t just about the dream, it has a lot to do with the One getting you there.

You can read Audrey’s story online at Ozarks Newsstand.

You’re startin’ to damage my calm.

~ Jayne in Serenity (HDTV version)

For use when you need a bit of quiet or when someone barges into the room and starts making noise while you’re working on quadratic equations.

The true quote is “She is startin’ to damage my calm” as I heard it. Jayne says it about River. You have to watch the movie to get the right tone on it when you say it or it’s just not shiny.

Unsolicited advice for those who’ve not enjoyed the pleasures of the good ship Firefly: The movie is good, but you’ve got to watch the series first, which was unceremiously cancelled by Fox during its first season. The series is Firefly. The movie is Serenity. Sci-fi, wild west flavor, truly unique.

Should I take a road trip using this map?

Well, I don’t think I will because it’s a little impractical since this is the new shower curtain in the guest room bathroom. Oh, I know you’re wonder why I buy such junk for the guest room … well, it’s because I ran out of money after buying the new sheets, blankets, and fluffy gi-normous towels. So while the shower curtain is cheap, at least it’s soap scum free.

But that map. How funny. Yeah, I’m always thinking, “Here I am in Sacramento, California. I’m thinking I’ll take a trip down to New York, New York.” That’s lucid.

I think the only thing correct on that map is that I-80 actually does connect Sacramento with New York. Chicago being located northwest of Des Moines (uncapitalized, btw)??? Yeah, something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.

So, geography. How to learn it? They say that most people are geographically illiterate. I’m not sure we’re properly filled with geographical genius, but I’ll share some of what we’ve done over the years in our homeschool - the stuff I can remember.

1. We’ve had maps, historical and current, on placemats and/or covered with contact paper and affixed to the tabletop.

2. Maps on the wall. Even in the living room.

3. A large framed map that can lean against the armoire during school hours. Two-sided, with the world on one side and the U.S. on the other.

4. A globe on a stand in the living room - great for spinning around and seeing where your finger lands. We’ve also had two different inflatable globes which means we can throw it around and not risk hurting each other or the furniture … too much.

5. When reading aloud, which we have done just about every day, we used one of the laser pointers to point out the places mentioned in the book. Examples: Around the World in 80 Days - we had a piece of posterboard tacked to the wall that listed all the locations visited and then we would use our laser pointer to point to each location as the other read the list and checked to make sure that the pointer was correctly placed. We also did this with Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (who went from the East Coast of the U.S. to Europe, around Africa and over to the Orient somewhere - I can’t remember where because it was probably 8 - 10 years ago) and also He Went With Vasco Da Gama. This method would work with any book with traveling characters, whether it be about Lewis & Clark, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Henry Morgan, Mozart, Cyrus the Great, Hannibal, Richard the Lionhearted.

6. Make a salt dough map. Each of the kids did Mexico when we were reading one of Henty’s books. It was the one about Moctezuma. I do not recommend it for history class, though Hentys are fine for pleasure reading.

7. We draw on maps. Once when reading about the transcontinental railroad, the kids drew a train, tracks, and a golden spike. They placed the tracks on the map as we read through the book and the tracks met in northern Utah. Then they put the stake on the map. We kept the map up on the wall for a few more months.

8. Map puzzles. I bought 2 U.S. puzzles to facilitate races. We also have at least one world map.

9. Once before a road trip, I bought each child a AAA road atlas and a few highlighters so that they could trace our trip in the atlas. The road atlases were saved for following trips. They did lose interest in a year or two, but it was great fun while they enjoyed it.

10. We have traced the routes of the Amazing Race. I still enjoy looking up all the places in an atlas. It’s easier to do if you tape it and then do the map work the second time you watch it.

11. We use historical atlases. We have probably 6 or 7 of these. You can buy historical atlases for different areas of the world. It’s sometimes shocking to see how areas change over the decades or centuries. The names of countries and seas change, too, which baffles my mind at times. Like the Caspian Sea being previously called the Sea of Hyrcania, which we had to figure out on our own because the book we were reading didn’t give much of a clue where that sea was. It was a mystery. BookCloseOuts.com used to have some great deals on historical atlases.

12. We have used computer programs. We had a program from Torpedo Software that we used to use a lot. We bought it back before there was a Windows version of it - that old! We also used World Discovery Deluxe from Great Wave Software. I don’t think either are available anymore. We still use our GeoSafari LapTop now and then. It’s a bit fun. And it does help to learn all the capitals in Africa, etc. Some may wonder why that’s important - well, maybe it’s not important. I just want to be able to discuss stuff with my children. If I say, “Khartoum,” I want them to know that I’m talking about the Sudan or at least have a nebulous idea that it’s in the Sahara. I know at least one of my students is familiar with the Sahel. Maybe no so important to the average U.S. citizen, but still information that may come in handy someday.

Other ideas that could possibly be fun:

1. Take a world map to the zoo and mark where the flamingos, rhinos, camels, etc., are from. Usually the zoo has that info on the little sign next to each exhibit. I think this would only be fun if you go to the zoo once a month and you only dig out the map once in a while. But it depends on your students.

2. Stamp collection. I had one of these as a child and often looked up the places. You get stamps from around the world by buying them in cheap, large lots. You don’t have to have a pen pal to get stamps from all over the world.

3. Travel. Read a book about an event, say, the London Fire of 1666 and then visit Pudding Lane and climb all 311 steps of the Monument which commemorates the rebuilding of the City after the fire. Actual travel is probably the absolute best way to learn geography, although it’s probably not practical to expect to be able to visit more than a couple of hands full (how in the world do you write that?) of countries during your students’ school years.

Regrets: I was a little too “don’t mess that up” with our two big world atlases. They both sat in the living room, but I didn’t allow free access. I should have. Who cares if it gets ruined as long as it is used? We can buy/find another. That should have been my attitude from the beginning. Now, it’s too late; my students are no longer six years old and forming their habits. We had lots of little atlases, though, that they had access to through their early years. But if I had it to do over again, I’d probably get us all our own atlas and encourage treating them like atlases instead of crystal.

JoJo, homeschooler, actor, and singer, was interviewed. Here’s the homeschooling bit:

Ever dissected a frog?

“I was supposed to last year! But since I’m home schooled, it’s hard. But last year, I had to do Lab Biology so they sent me labs to do — including a dead frog inside a jar! I had to beg off from the project, though, because I was on tour. I told them that much as I’d love to do it, I couldn’t possibly open the jar inside the tour bus because it would stink th [sic] place up! It would smell like somebody died or something.”

Leeann Moore, staff writer, states in her article entitled, “Group Activities Help Homeschoolers Learn to Socialize.” The article appears in the Coshocton Tribune.

Most commonly, when parents who homeschool are asked what the biggest disadvantage to homeschooling is, they’ll respond with “socialization.”

I promised I wouldn’t say anything else about socialization in this journal. I’m keeping my word. But I’m making the biggest eyeroll in history.

Well, the last of the three-part series by Charles Murray came out yesterday. I’ve only just read it. I grudgingly link to it. I guess I think he’s got a limited view of things. Yeah, who am I to give such an opinion, me with the IQ lower than his, clearly.

“Gifted” — just how is he defining it? It seems, according to Murray, that anyone with an IQ higher than 120 is “intellectually gifted.”

But IQ alone seems like such a pathetic way to gauge “giftedness.” What about common sense? I wish there was a test that would give us a common sense rating. Now, that would be helpful. And please remember that I make no claims of high IQ or CSQ (common sense quotient).

Murray writes:

We live in an age when it is unfashionable to talk about the special responsibility of being gifted, because to do so acknowledges inequality of ability, which is elitist, and inequality of responsibilities, which is also elitist. And so children who know they are smarter than the other kids tend, in a most human reaction, to think of themselves as superior to them. Because giftedness is not to be talked about, no one tells high-IQ children explicitly, forcefully and repeatedly that their intellectual talent is a gift. That they are not superior human beings, but lucky ones. That the gift brings with it obligations to be worthy of it. That among those obligations, the most important and most difficult is to aim not just at academic accomplishment, but at wisdom…. It is not enough that gifted children learn to be nice. They must know what it means to be good.

What’s nice about homeschooling is that we can (if we want to) teach all of our kids, “gifted” or not, that they should be wise and good. Why does Murray believe that the “gifted” need that information more than anyone else?

I don’t know … I guess that I just think that those with what IQ tests claim is “average intelligence” shouldn’t be ignored. I think we should be allowed to join the discussion of wisdom and goodness if it appeals to us.

Look. Doesn’t this apply to all of us?

The gifted must assimilate the details of grammar and syntax and the details of logical fallacies not because they will need them to communicate in daily life, but because these are indispensable for precise thinking at an advanced level.

Why doesn’t Murray include the “average” folk? You’d think that the “average” would need this information more than the “gifted” since we’d be more prone to being duped by the arguments of the “gifted.” Right?

Okay, so I suspect I’m missing the point. That’s usually the case with me. I don’t get the point until it jumps up and bites me on the nose, but I’ll keep blathering on anyway.

Murray states:

I am calling for a revival of the classical definition of a liberal education, serving its classic purpose: to prepare an elite to do its duty.

To go along with this, I will recommend the reading of Norms and Nobility (my review) by Hicks. But I don’t think “duty” is just for the elite. And I’m struggling to figure out why Murray doesn’t think the average should have their share in a liberal education. Does Murray think that only the elite have a duty and that the average don’t need a duty because they will be serving the elite? That’s a scary thought, but probably way off base.

Murray ends with a few directives, which I will take personally. I’ve inserted the enumeration.

1. “The aim here is not to complete an argument but to begin a discussion….” Check, already been discussing this for years here in this homeschool.

2. “Accept that some children will be left behind other children because of intellectual limitations,” No, not “left behind.” They will take other enjoyable and challenging paths.

3. “and think about what kind of education will give them the greatest chance for a fulfilling life nonetheless.” Check.

4. “Stop telling children that they need to go to college to be successful,” Check, started this years ago and continue to this day, though will not rule out university if students request it.

5. “and take advantage of the other, often better ways in which people can develop their talents.” Check.

6. “Acknowledge the existence and importance of high intellectual ability, and think about how best to nurture the children who possess it.” Nope, we’re all average here and don’t plan on taking any tests to prove otherwise.

Thank you, Charles Murray, for your series.

Maybe you’ve already heard the news from Sonlight/Inquisicorp. If not, here’s part of the email I received earlier:

I just wanted to take a moment to bring to your attention our newest endeavor.

www.ascendokids.com

We have stayed with our main focus of learning but shifted a bit by starting with, no batteries needed, toys for the youngest of learners.

We need your help getting the word out.

So now they’ve got these “treasure chests” available, all “age appropriate.”

They may be the best thing since sliced bread, but I’m thinking that they seem a little contrived. Or something. I can’t put my finger on what feels funny. It’s rather late and the noggin’ needs to be put on a pillow.

Some of the items look kinda cute, but I’m not getting on the bandwagon … at least not yet.

UPDATE (at 7:43 a.m.): Well, maybe the “funny feeling” is from the botched-up punctuation. Their sentence would be like totally correcter if it was written like this:

We have stayed with our main focus of learning but shifted a bit by starting with no-batteries-needed toys for the youngest learners.

Those quasi-parenthetical commas in the original sentence above are disturbing.

Since Homeschooler Amy Inside the Foil Hat admitted that she watched American Idol* the other night, I will, too. If we watch it, we watch a few of the early episodes that are held in the outlying cities. Once the contestants go to “Hollywood, Baby,” we lose interest. If there weren’t so many reruns on TV, we’d never watch American Idol.

Anyway, my point: American Idol Proves a College Degree Is Worthless.

There was a lady who sang poorly according to … that guy … I forget his name .. Simon … I don’t know how to spell his last name, but it’s something like Cowell. Simon Cowell. So he tells her she’s out of the competition because she sings poorly, and she quizzes him on how she can do better, etc. She says something like, “But I went to college and I’ve got a degree in ‘Vocal Performance.’”

Well, all I can say is that university can be a big rip off. They’re going to take your money, give you voice lessons, tell you that you’re good, so that you keep paying. Then they’ll graduate you even if you’re only marginally talented. University is too often all about taking the money and handing out a meaningless piece of paper. This lady was proof. A sad tale of woe.

I’m not sure I trust our country’s educational system any more. It’s not totally useless, not even close. But why has a “year of college” come to be more like “six months of instruction.” Do the numbers. I did. It really is only six months.

Harvard University Academic Calendar (chosen at random)

Jan 31, First day of classes for spring semester

1 week off in March for spring break

May 4, Last day of the semester

May 5 - 16, Reading Period (time to catch up on studies, papers, and reading)

May 17, Finals

So, that looks like February, March (most of it), and April for classes/instruction. That’s three months. It’s the same for fall semester. Three months each … that equals six months. That’s what we call a “year of college” these days. And it’s not just Harvard that’s like that. There are other colleges that believe that six months equals one year.

I don’t really know what to think of that. Sure, some jobs require a college degree, but some don’t … and some shouldn’t. Are we getting our money’s worth when we attend university? Did that American Idol contestant get her money’s worth? No, regardless of how long her “college year” was. The only person willing to tell her the truth, it seems, was Simon Cowell.

So, now I’ll take a deep cleansing breath and change the subject a little.

Jordin Sparks, who advanced to the next level (or whatever it’s called) in American Idol, is homeschooling. (her site w/video link and an article)

Additionally, Izzy links to an article on college and who should be attending it by Charles Murray. I don’t know what to think about it either. I don’t agree with all the IQ stuff. I think that the IQ stuff is bogus. (Don’t I sound edumicated when I use stuff and bogus in the same sentence?) The commentary raises a lot of questions, questions that quite a few homeschoolers (parents and students) have been asking themselves for a long time. I don’t think that Murray has all the answers, but his comments are worth bringing into the discussion, that is, for those homeschoolers who are thinking about college.

To add a little confusion or spice to the issue, we could always throw in Dorothy Sayers and her view that “… I am not at all sure that a pupil thoroughly proficient in the Trivium would not be fit to proceed immediately to the university at the age of 16….”

*I know most folks know, but I was in the dark for quite a while, so I shouldn’t assume that everyone knows what American Idol is. American Idol is (don’t quote me — it’s something like this) a television show where Simon Cowell, a record producer or something like that, is searching for the next person to sign up with his record label. He does an open call in various cities around the U.S. for singers to come try out. He brings them in and films them singing. Then he and a couple of other judges decide whether or not the singer is talented enough to progress to the next level. When they get down to around 10 contestants, viewers can vote on who progresses to the next level. The television show helps the singer who eventually wins build up a fan base so that when their album is eventually produced, there is already a market for their music. Good plan, eh? See Simon Cowell is a brilliant genius, isn’t he? American Idol originated in the UK, I believe; but it had a different name for obvious reasons.

Trying to figure out why some homeschoolers aren’t availing themselves of the public schools, Lake Oswego’s Superintendent sought answers.

Here’s an excerpt from Amy Haroldson’s reply:

… there is not a carrot that you could dangle in front of me that would entice me to enroll my child in Lake Oswego schools, as long as I believe she is best educated at home.

However, Amy’s son does attend a local junior high school.

Amy Haroldson’s complete (and well-reasoned, I should add) response can be read online at the Lake Oswego (Oregon) Review web site.

Students would be required to attend school until they are 18, under a bill discussed Wednesday by [Iowa] state representatives.

The bill, House File 6, would raise the age from 16. Sponsor Lisa Heddens, an Ames Democrat, said the measure would send a message about school’s importance.

No, I think it’s about control.

Secret message to Lisa Heddens: Lisa, you can send messages about the importance of education without making a law.

Source.