The Grand Rounds carnival are ..ah, that’s is .. here at the Efficient MD.

The Infosciences Carnival of the Proffesoriate, neither of which is really a Carnival, I think, is here and here.

The Carnival of Homeschool (sic) which refused to accept my submission that was somewhat critical of homeschooling (”the Carnival of Homeschooling is designed to be a supportive environment for those who have decided to homeschool, or are considering homeschooling. Your post is designed to start an arguement, which is fine, but it just doesn’t belong in the carnival.” …. what, me start an argument? I merely raise questions….) is here.

A representative selection from the Carnival of Homeschooling Pages:

For history, I have 2 thoughts. The first is to use our Sunday night movie time- or another time- to watch a movie set in the time period we are studying. I’m sure they won’t all be factual. But, they would at least give him an idea of life- how people lived, what they ate, how they talked, etc- during that time period. We are starting with the civil war. I wonder if he would watch Gone With the Wind with me…

The second history idea is to find recipes from the time period and let him cook a meal or part of a meal. He really enjoys cooking so this might be fun for him. *

Enthusiasm for Forensic Science in our Homeschool!

I have always believed that John F. Kennedy was murdered as the result of a conspiracy against his life and I had always hoped to live long enough to find out “who done it!” I based my thinking on books and movies that I have read on the topic since high school. The “magic bullet theory” was one of the most compelling pieces of evidence that made me believe that Kennedy was ambushed from the front and the back. I simply did not believe that one bullet could make seven wounds and end up pristine on a stretcher at Parkland Hospital!

If you are unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, … You can also watch Keven Cstner explain the magic bullet theory in the movie JFK. … *

Helping failing Homeschoolers

So something is really troubling me as of late.

(I realize I may alienate some homeschoolers with this post, but it is hard to keep quiet)

I am painfully aware of some homeschooled kids who are miserable and failing.
These kids are generally older and high school level.
These kids are usually homeschooling against their own will.
Some of these kids are homeschooling as a result of doing bad in school… i.e. they are homeschooling as punishment.
Many of these kids are not even getting the academic support they need… They are given assignments and are left alone to complete them.

Now I know that sometimes a parent has to take drastic actions to get a child in line… and it is better done late then never… I even realize that there are kids who did not want to homeschool, only to realize later…*

What Do You Want To Be?

Have you noticed lately how it seems as if everyone is training their daughters for careers? Even the daughters who desire to be wives and mothers spend most of their time preparing for something else, just in case. The idea of a woman being on her own has become the norm, both for Christians and non-Christians, when really it should be seen as something which rarely occurs, and that under less than ideal circumstances. When asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, even little girls know better than to say, “I want to be a mommy…. *

My post was about how homeschooling advocates should not have knee-jerk reactions to everything they see that is negative about homeschooling because they may alienate potential allies in the education business. And it makes them look like Randy Weaver types. (Does anyone know if Randy was a homeschooler?) So I think it is true that my post was less like the other posts … which are about how to actually homeschool and not the politics and activism side. That must be some other carnival.