"...schools are supposed to prepare children..."

Thomas Sowell has an interesting comment on the recent problems we've seen in the schools. This link leads to Townhall.com, a fine political web site, but be warned that sometimes the readers comments can be rude and crude.

I normally don't quote articles at any length, but this section is well worth it:

The mindset that sees children in school as an opportunity for teachers to impose their own notions, instead of developing the child's ability to think for himself or herself, is a dangerous distortion of education.

Parents send their children to school to acquire the knowledge that has come down to us as a legacy of our culture-- whether it is mathematics, science, or whatever-- so that those children can grow up and go out into the world equipped to face life's challenges.

Too many "educators" see teaching not as a responsibility to the students but as an opportunity for themselves-- whether to indoctrinate a captive audience with the teacher's ideology, manipulate them in social experiments or just do fun things that make teaching easier, whether or not it really educates the child.

The commentary is well worth reading. Whether we home school, or choose private schools, we, as parents, will have greater influence over the education of our children. We cannot leave their education to the discretion of others, "experts"or not.

1911 Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica

OK, this is a real treat. It is not as good as the print version, which of course has many fine images and maps, but this web site has the entire 1911 Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on line, searchable by subject or alphabetically.

The 11th Edition is considered by many to be the finest encyclopedia (to use the American spelling) ever published. Having it available in this format is a boon to students of all ages.

Field Trip

Took my oldest on a field trip today - Denver City and County Courts. We were able to watch about an hour of traffic court. I was surprised, but no major cases running on Friday afternoon. I guess that makes sense.

It was interesting, and peaked her interest in knowing more about the courts, and government in general.

Can Economics be Fun?

A very important subject, one which I think gets short shrift in modern curricula, and one which is increasingly important, is basic economics. Many people roll their glazed eyes at the thought of subjecting themselves (or their kids) to some boring economics lecture or book.

If you are younger than I (and many are) you may not know of Free to Choose, a wonderful book by Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman. Dr. Friedman helps explain in clear language what markets are and how interactions between the players in markets affects all that we do.



Even better than the book is the PBS series that the book spawned. Better in that Dr. Friedman relays in a short video the basic principles of a chapter of his book, not by lecturing, but by traveling the world and demonstrating examples of those principles. Then the action shifts to a university setting, where an audience watches Dr. Friedman debate the merits of his arguments with a variety of opposing views. My wife and I used to watch this as often as possible when it first appeared in 1980.

I was thrilled to learn that The Idea Channel has the DVD set available for purchase, and also has streaming video of each segment on line at no charge! Please, take the time to view one or two if you haven't already seen this tremendous series. It is well worth the time, and is an easy way to impart basic economic principles to your students.

The Homeschool Blues

Bah-da-da-dum
Baby ain't got no motivation,
Bah-da-da-dum
She ain't got no drive at all,
Bah-da-da-dum
She's avoiding her schoolwork,
ya know,
She's gonna drive me up a wall, ohhh...

Don't you know I got it, Honey,
Yeah, I got the homeschool blues... ohh, yeah,
When the kids are goofin' off, y'all,
and I'm feeling lower than my shoes.
-Homeschool Blues, by "Big Daddy" Bell

Been fighting with the girls lately - no fisticuffs, of course (they'd take me in a New York minute), but just one, long argument trying to get them motivated to do their work. We are resorting to a stricter schedule of courses, which has worked so far (one day into the plan). My philosophy had been to allow them freedom in structuring their day and their interests, as long as the core subjects have been covered. It seems that they need more structure than that provided, so I am working to find a balance. We'll see how it goes.

Homeschool begins again...

We are gearing up for the new school year. First and Fifth grades. This year we are going to use St. Thomas Aquinas Academy again. We used them in First and Second grades, and I think their curriculum recommendations are spot on.

Homeschooling is more challenging, as my oldest wants to only work on those items of interest to her. It is like pulling teeth to get her to work on a variety of subjects.

Well, that is why it is helpful to get outside advice from time to time.