Smrt Lernins

So, I’ve been doing this whole blogging thing for about 13 months now, and am now (including this post) two posts shy of my 300th post! I think that calls for some manner of celebration. Perhaps I’ll bake a pan of these (because while I’m not all that gaga for The Pioneer Woman, I am pretty darn gaga for cinnamon rolls).

I’m also at close to 2000 non-spam comments! You like me! You really like me! Or you hate me, which, in the blogosphere, plays out in about the same way — lots of comments, some relinking, a little smack-talking (or a little butt-smacking, whatever floats your barges) and a great conversation.

I’ve covered a few controversial topics that generated some great discussion (seriously, who know that libraries were such a source of passionate debate?). I’ve written a lot more humdrum posts that generated one or two half-hearted “sounds like a great day” comments. I’ve made one post that resulted in a flood of spam from angry WAHMs who could benefit from a copyeditor (though, who couldn’t?) and some Xanax. I’ve discovered that some homeschoolers feel very strongly about their commas, their choice of dictionaries, and the word “teach”.

Now what?

I’d like to get back to regular “Ask a [Smrt] Homeschooler” and Secular Thursday posts. I want to finish the Secular Homeschool Archetypes series. I want to get back into a habit of reading and commenting on everyone else’s blog (in fact, comment with your favorite post you’ve ever written on YOUR blog so I can read it!) and have some more guest posts.

What else? Where do I go from here? What makes a blog interesting these days?

Sometimes, the Well-Trained Mind forums just throw me for a loop, especially in the non-homeschool area. I mean, I get that our political and social leanings are typically vastly different, but somtimes, man oh man, I am just absolutely boggled by what I read. This morning, I learned that human societies are oppressive and horrible fascists who want to control every facet of our lives because…they won’t give a dog to someone with unaltered pets, who wants to breed them for “the experience of owning a kitten” (not to better the breed or for show, these are not full-blooded animals), and who plans to keep the dog as a primarily/entirely out-door animals.

How dare an animal rescue group set standards for pet ownership that will significantly cut down on the number of unwanted animals out there or minimize the likelihood that the people bringing the animal home will ultimately abandon it again! This is practically the work of Stalin here!

With SO many unwanted, uncared for, and unplanned (from unaltered pets) pets out there, I’m so grateful there are both private individuals and larger groups that are willing to take these animals in and go the extra mile to make sure they find a home that is safe, with responsible owners who will give them a forever home, not just a temporary stop-gap. I’m grateful that they are willing to put a lot of money into returning these animals to health and maintaining that health, something which costs a great deal more than the small adoption fee/donation these groups ask. Our new beagle, Badge, was adopted for a donation of $100. He had been fully vetted, had tested heartworm positive and been treated, was neutered, and had treated with pest-preventive medications prior to adopting him. That’s a lot more than $100 in care.

Yes, I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get our beagle. I had to fill out an extensive questionnaire (several different ones from several groups, as I was looking through multiple rescues to find the right dog), agree to certain standards of care (indoor-only/primarily), and have certain aspects of my pet-owning background checked (did I keep my previous pets’ shots up-to-date? were the animals actually altered as I claimed?). The animal rescue is completely within their rights to ask this of me — THEY are the ones who have invested the time and money in helping these animals and THEY are the ones who want to ensure the dog doesn’t end up on the street or back in a shelter.

Considering the number of dogs surrendered for nipping at a child, for getting pregnant (especially from a stray mutt!), for spraying urine to mark territory (when they haven’t been altered), for not being as cute and playful as they were as puppies (because people buy puppies forgetting they turn into dogs), who weren’t adequately trained because the owners couldn’t invest enough time, I don’t see how someone can get their panties in a twist because an organization wants certain standards met before they let you bring home on of their rescue animals! The rescues aren’t being unreasonable, they just know too well WHY dogs get dumped by their owners.

I’m sure there are plenty of puppy mills and backyard breeders who will sell you a dog at full price, with no questions asked. You can probably find a dog in the newspaper or on Craigslist that will fit the bill. If you’re going through a rescue, however, keep in mind that their primary goal is that the animal only needs to be rescued once, and they will do what needs to be done to make sure that happens. You are not entitled to any given dog. No one owes you a dog simply because you want one. It’s not about what you want; it’s about what’s best for both prospective owner and prospective pet. The rescue has a right to set the standards that protect the animals.

You don’t like it? Get your dog somewhere else, but don’t complain about how you’re being oppressed. You just sound ridiculous.

No one really knows, as reports are sketchy. I have attempted a diagram to explain their answers.

Yesterday, we brought home this very handsome, if hairy, three-year-old boy:

Right now, he’s going by the name Apache, because that’s the rescuers called him, but Tank and Daddyman both like “Badge” as an alternative. Any other suggestions for the happy-go-lucky McLernins beagle boy?

Just look at that sweetness:

We rescued Apache through Dogs on Death Row. If you’re looking for a new pet, please, please consider adopting a rescue animal. Apache had been fully vetted and he’s great with kids. As an adult dog, he isn’t giving us any of that high-need puppy trouble, but because he’s spent time with people, he’s eager to love and please. Walking him is a little like walking a small, furry steam engine, but he has deposited all poops and pees in the appropriate outdoor venue and he is tolerant of Babypie’s alternated aggressive love and attempts at force-feeding blueberries. He’s currently protecting our stairs with his sleeping body. Good boy.

This has been a great week for working on projects and getting things done.

Our Life of Fred: Beginning Algebra and Home Companion books finally arrived. Captain Science completed lessons 1-3 in Home Companion. He also had his first Math Olympiad team meeting last night. I’m not exactly sure what he worked on or how well he did, but he enjoyed it, and enjoying math is a goal that all parents should want their parents to achieve! We’ll go weekly on Thursday, 6:30-7:30, which makes Thursdays a busy day for us!

Captain Science is still working on his Pantheon Project, writing the blurbs for the cards. We’re waiting on our next MCT curriculum to get here, so this is a good opportunity for him to focus on a little writing. He’s completed the work on the Greek pantheon cards and will go ahead and do the Roman pantheon next. Speaking of Rome, he also finished all the flash cards for Cesar’s English I, which we should have been doing this whole time, I realize now. It really cements the words in his memory. We’ll continue with the flash cards for the remainder of the book and with Cesar’s English II.

Computer programming began this week, too. It was mainly vocabulary and history of computers, but a nice foundation on which to build. We’ll be setting aside a two hour block every Thursday for Captain S to work on it. The final project of this semester is to program a game of Pong!

We’re finished the first unit in our PLATO Earth Science course. Captain Science passed the skill mastery test with 96%. He started the second unit today. We’re working on science four days a week, M/T/W/F.

Captain Science has almost finished reading The Secret Garden. It’s a nice change of pace from Where the Red Fern Grows, what with no dogs dying. He was excited to recognize one of the sentences from the first chapter, which has been used in Cesar’s English I as an example sentence! So far, not a peep of argument about the assigned reading, though. I think we’ll start The Black Stallion next week.

Tank got two new giant workbooks from Nana, who picked them up at Costco. He happily worked on them Monday through Wednesday, then declared yesterday that he was too tired to work on anything but drawing (which he did, quietly, in his room) and flat out refused to do anything but watch Go, Diego, Go with our brand new DOG!!!!! this morning. Last week, Tank and I discussed that if he were going to school at his old preschool, he’d only be going four days a week anyway, so anything he does on Fridays schoolwork-wise is lagniappe, anyway. On Monday, I think we’re going to do some more time-telling work, since he’s enjoying that and has grasped the concept of the small hand telling the hour.

Have you ever visited Poisson Rouge (Red Fish)? If you have a younger child who wants a chance to explore online, but you’re concerned about ads and content, point your family to this site and let ‘em loose!

The only ad on this site is on the intro page, where they are asking for donations to keep this FREE website up and running. Donating isn’t required to enter the site — just click any of the links (“I’ve already donated” or “I’m unfamiliar with the site”) to go to the main page. There are no third-party ads, no content inappropriate for any member of the family, and page after page of everything from games to songs to language lessons. Tank especially enjoys the songs sung in French and the activity were you make the Spanish guitar play different chord progressions.

When I need quiet time, I turn on Poisson Rouge for Tank to play for 20 or 30 minutes. The noise is unobtrusive — the singing is in a pleasant voice, the sound effects aren’t shrill or irritating, the music is often downright soothing. The images are bright and simple. It’s really the ideal website for kids. Even Captain Science will sit and help Tank play around…not that the site requires a lot of hand-holding to navigate; Captain S just enjoys it!

Go check out Poisson Rouge (and maybe donate a little?) and see if you enjoy it as much as we do!

Do public schools kill creativity?

Yes, I think they do. I watched Captain Science’s ability to think outside the box be slowly crushed during the course of his 3rd grade year, until he was afraid to think creatively (at least within the context of education) out of concern of chastisement by a disapproving authority figure. I saw the traits that made him unique treated as character flaws or manifestations of a disorder. I even went along with it at first, worried that I had simply been misinterpreting aberrant behavior as creativity.

Our story isn’t that unusual. It should be unusual. It should be completely off the wall, but it isn’t.

A friend recently shared some examples of class rules sent home by her daughter’s third grade teacher. The packet contained fifty rules that the children must follow. Not simple, two or three word rules, either, but fifty rules that meticulously spell out the exact behavior students were to exhibit under nearly every imaginable circumstance. Some examples:

Rule #3 of 50 — If someone in the class wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person. Claps should be at least three seconds in length with the full part of both hands meeting in a manner that will give the appropriate clap volume.

Rule #17 of 50 — We should be consistently be able to turn from one book to another, complete with all homework and necessary materials, as quickly as possible. The opportune amount of time to spend in transition should be less than ten seconds, and we will work toward a goal of seven seconds.

Rule #23 of 50 — Quickly learn the names of other teachers in the school and greet them by saying things like, “Good morning, Mrs. Graham,” or “Good afternoon, Ms. Ortiz. That is a very pretty dress.” Note: If you are in line with the rest of the class, you are not allowed to speak to the teachers at that time because the no talking rule is in effect.

Imagine your eight-year-old children receiving a list of fifty such rules. Do you see a lot of room for expressions of individuality within those rules? Would your child come out of that classroom more creative or less? Is this classroom, and the others like it, helping mold a generation of independent and abstract thinkers?

Sir Ken Robinson thinks public schools are killing, rather than nurturing, creativity, and speaks eloquently about it:

We were able to successfully run the PLATO Earth Science program today, meaning Captain Science could finally start that course. It only took trying three different browsers (wouldn’t open in latest version of IE or in Google Chrome, would open in Firefox) and fiddling with pop-up blockers to make it happen. I printed out the worksheet that accompanies is, a 7-page monstrosity that assumes I have a color printer (I don’t) for him to work on tomorrow while we’re at the La Leche League meeting, because Officer Daddyman has a week on the firing range and won’t be home in the morning so Captain S can stay home.

He also got started with his KidCoder computer programming curriculum today. It was mostly vocabulary and background information on hardware, software, languages, systems, etc., but he was so excited to get going! We got it as a last-minute buy through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op and seems to have been worth the money. Officer Daddyman is helping him with this one.

Captain Science is also using some great computer program Daddyman downloaded to make the cards for his Pantheon Project, which didn’t really get worked on much over the summer, despite our best intentions. Captain S and Daddyman have developed a neat system for the game, a sort of rummy-style 2-4 player game. Anyone interested in playtesting it once it’s finished?

Our 2010-2011 school year (our second homeschool year, for those of you who are newly on board the Starship McLernins) started smashingly!

This week, Captain Science mostly reviewed things and freshened up his memory a bit. He had a wonderful positive attitude, once again affirming our decision to homeschool. Even in his good year at public school, he was never happy like this. It’s like have my son back again, the happy and curious child who wants to learn!

Captain Science completed the fourth and fifth tries of the final bridge of Life of Fred: Decimals and Percents. He also did a page of math problems Officer Daddyman wrote up for him, so he could practice a few key concepts he hadn’t remembered as well. He’s ready to start Life of Fred: Beginning Algebra if the darn thing ever shows up! Come on, Mister Postman!

We began ancient China in history. Captain Science read two two-page spreads and one one-page spread in History: The Definitive Visual Guide, covering the Bronze Age, unification of China, and the first empire. He also read part of Eyewitness: Ancient China on the same topics. I’m looking for a good documentary on this era of China, so if you have any recommendations, let me know!

For language arts, Captain Science did eight sentences in Practice Town to make sure he remembered his grammar and usage. He completed chapters 16, 17, and 18 in Caesar’s English I (we only got about halfway through it las year) and today, started making flash cards of the stems and vocabulary words for later review. It was his first flash card experience, and while the tedium of filling out the note cards was frustrating, he seemed to agree that it made sense that the cards would help with memory. I don’t know if they’re making note cards flimsier these days, if I’m remembering them incorrectly, of if we just bought cheap cards, but these note cards we’re using are so flimsy. I might have to go get some nicer ones. He also did the final lesson in Building Poems again as a means of reviewing concepts.

He also did some logic work and read Where the Red Fern Grows, which he completed in just two and a half days (and cried off and on for the second half of the third day). Next book is A Secret Garden as his request, since it has a happy ending and a mystery!

We weren’t about to start science or computer programming this week, as we didn’t get internet access back at the house until Wednesday night. We’re having some issues with the PLATO science program. It won’t load on my computer! Hopefully we’ll get that ironed out for Monday.

Tank’s first week of preschool went well in most respects. He’s an eager learner…too eager, in fact! He has surprised me by expressing a fierce love for workbooks, which Captain Science never had, and I am woefully understocked on workbooks. Luckily, Nana brought two giant books over today, so I’ll have something for him to work on. He’s also worked on multiple pages from this free worksheet site. Every day, we have “block and trampoline time,” where he goes down to the playroom to build something and jump on the minitramp for a while. This gets him out of the room so I can focus on Captain Science for a while and keeps him from getting restless and bored. All in all, I’m glad to have him home. I just hope I can keep up with his expensive workbook habit.

Babypie is…fierce. Fierce and fiercely busy. I thought Tank might make homeschooling Captain S a little harder this year, but no; it’s Babypie. She’s up the cabinets. She’s up the piano. She’s up the gate. She’s upon Daddyman’s desk, hopping her butt up and down on his keyboard shrieking, because Tank is trying to play a Pencil Pals preschool game and she doesn’t want him to. In between schooling, she’s a joy, but oh man oh man. She adds an extra element of excitement to education! She’s also parroting everything we say, from “click” to “peaches,” perfectly. Time to start her with a list of vocabulary, right? Say “vexation,” Babypie! Say “disambiguation!”

I can’t complain about this week at all. THIS is the way all weeks should go! Slap-happy and snappy.