Home schooled...be nice

[dun]

I'm sure every school is different. We do home school after they get home from public school. We go over their homework with them. Teach them when we can but often times have to teach ourselves to keep up. I think its my job as a parent to be sure they are learning and doing their work. I want to know what they are doing and what they are being taught. Without this interest, I would have never learned that one of my children's teachers told the class that we never went to the moon. It was just a white man's political game to show up the Russians and the whole thing was filmed in Hollywood. :shock:

I was under the impression that parents had the obligation to that

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm sure every school is different. We do home school after they get home from public school. We go over their homework with them. Teach them when we can but often times have to teach ourselves to keep up. I think its my job as a parent to be sure they are learning and doing their work. I want to know what they are doing and what they are being taught. Without this interest, I would have never learned that one of my children's teachers told the class that we never went to the moon. It was just a white man's political game to show up the Russians and the whole thing was filmed in Hollywood. :shock:

I was under the impression that parents had the obligation to that

This is my point exactly. It is our obligation and responsibility to do this. I love and care about my children too much to leave their education solely in the hands of strangers. They grow up so fast. I think maybe a lot of the good that we see in home schooling is simply the fact of the parent spending more time with the child. But I doubt home schooling could stand a chance if the children were given the best of both worlds.

 

[jedstivers]

Its common knowledge here that man didn't go to the moon. I thought everybody knew that.

 

[Alan]

If the numbers above reflected the norm then that means that unemployment is at 30% and the poverty level (hunger) is at 15%? Since we know that right now the unemployment level is at about 8% that number should be around 3. The point is well taken though and these numbers may be true in a high poverty area or the inner city but let's not get hung up on these being average statistics.

The numbers are absolutely close enough to be valid, but it not about stats

I agree most of the numbers are close enough, maybe not a couple, which already explained... but I also agree it's not about the stats....It's about the kids and the caring, responsible, parents that expect a decent job from the tax grabing public school system.

~ its about the baggage small children bring to school with them, how it significantly and negativly affects their ability to learn and how 1 teacher is trying to deal with it with a kick in the ass from Joe Public thinking s/he has all the answers ~ arm chair quarterbacks.

If Joe Public does'nt kick a$$ who will? The administration, the teachers? no, I think the responibility lies with the parents and as "Joe Public" it's their job to make sure the job is done right. If the kitchen is too hot, get... well you know. I'm all for paying teachers more $$ (much more) and holding them to a VERY high level of educating our kids.

And yes, it is your problem Alan ~ Everybody does well, when everybody does well.

Yes I know the problem is mine as for the reason for this post, I had my kids held back by "slackers" and held back mostly by slacker teachers. It's a problem. (Not that CT is going to fix our educational system )

I agree there is a huge problem in administration. I agree some teachers should not be teaching, but there are WAY too many fantastic ones out there for me to sit quietly on this one.

I agree many, many great, caring teachers out there, but I think more bad teachers more interested in football practice than their job... football is just one example of many. Where is our other programs, band, choir, debate, secondary sports, etc. gone to the pocket of the adminastration.

Okay I might get off my soap box soon...? maybe not :?

Alan

 

[Jogeephus]

Its common knowledge here that man didn't go to the moon. I thought everybody knew that.

Ah come on. I was just making a point. The teacher actually DID say this and she even admitted as much to me when we had our little sit down. But getting off this, how many of you have ever been in a class where the teacher had certain other agendas that you may not believe in. Or made a mistake and was too proud to admit it. What I'm trying to say is that while there are some terrific teachers out there, just because they have a teachers certificate doesn't mean they know everything and our children's minds are like sponges. On the other hand, I don't think all parents should be able to home school. Matter of fact, I think it should be illegal for some to do so.

 

[Alan]

Not trying to get it locked down just trying to make a point. I think we as parents should know what our children are learning and what is being taught. Had we not been interested in this then we would not have learned this fact. It turned out to be good in the long run cause we were able to teach our son that racism goes both ways. But getting off the R word, how many parents do you think take time to spend with their children? If this was done, would it not make it easier on the teachers? I view educator's as people who are hired to help us teach our children. But at the same time, just because a teacher has a captive audience and a position of respect doesn't mean this person is without question.

Good post, yes we as parents should spend too much time knowing what our kids are doing. We should as parents, know exactly what someone is putting into our childs head. I get the "white man's" issue also.

Thanks for clearing that up.
Alan

 

[Jogeephus]

Alan, I'm with you on the sports thing. Its a money maker plain and simple and when the administration cares more about making money than they do about educating our children then we have some serious problems. Its bad when a coach tells a student that football is more important than their books. Again, I went to the mat on this one too. Parents have to be involved otherwise other agendas will take precedence over the true needs of our children.

 

[Alan]

Its common knowledge here that man didn't go to the moon. I thought everybody knew that.

Ah come on. I was just making a point. The teacher actually DID say this and she even admitted as much to me when we had our little sit down. But getting off this, how many of you have ever been in a class where the teacher had certain other agendas that you may not believe in. Or made a mistake and was too proud to admit it. What I'm trying to say is that while there are some terrific teachers out there, just because they have a teachers certificate doesn't mean they know everything and our children's minds are like sponges. On the other hand, I don't think all parents should be able to home school. Matter of fact, I think it should be illegal for some to do so.

It sounds like we could make another thread on comparing night mare stories bad teachers have created. Don't jump on me, I know that we have lots of great, dedicated teachers out there, and I let them know it.... but one bad apple.

Alan

 

[Jogeephus]

We have some wonderful teachers. I respect most of them and they know they can call on us to help them out any time. I even go in at times as a guest speaker and help with field days and such. There are a few things I would change. One bad apple does hurt the bunch. What I don't get is why keep the bad apples when there are so many good ones that could take their place.

Overall, I am well pleased with our school system. My children have learned a lot more than I ever did at their age.

 

[MO_cows]

Hope no one's idea of being involved in their kid's education is going to the parent/teacher conferences a couple times a year and telling the teacher everything that's wrong with them, the school, etc.

Rather, stay plugged in by spending time with the kid on homework like has been mentioned, getting involved in the PTA, paying attention to the school board elections, etc.

I am SO glad our days of kids in school are over. It was difficult. We had some really good teachers, but mostly average teachers and one that was really bad. I thought living in a small town would provide a better education because the classes would be smaller, less social problems, the teachers would be likely to personally know the kids, etc. But in reality, we found that a small town home-town teacher who is doing a mediocre or cr@ppy job still has a job for life.

 

[FarmGirl10]

In some cases home schooling is good, but not always. I go to a very small school, the last student (K-12) count that I heard was 502, since the school is so small grades k-12 are all in the same building. Because of this high school students often tutor the slower learning elementary students during their study halls. I know from experience that this works really well, because in my freshman and sophmore years I tutored third grade math. This is good for everyone involved in the program because the student gets free, personalized learning in a nonthreatening enviroment and it doesn't slow down the rest of the class. Also, while in elementary school they will allow kids to jump grades if they are not being challanged enough. Then from junior high on, any student that still learns at a slower rate has a study hall with a teacher that is there specifically to help them. And then as juniors and seniors we have the option of PSEOP (or in other states its concurrent, Dual Credit/Enrollment) for the more advanced students or the option of a vocational school (which the slower learning students typically will go to). So not all schools are horror stories, some actually want all of their students to succeed.

 

[Angus Cowman]

how many of you have ever been in a class where the teacher had certain other agendas that you may not believe in Matter of fact, I think it should be illegal for some to do so.

I had a little set to with a teacher last yr they got to talking about the presidential election and this teacher was harping on how good OBAMA was and my daughter who was in the 6th grade told her that I didn't agree with his politics ,The teacher told her that was because I was a redneck racist and said that anyone who didn't vote for him was a racist

I had never met this woman and so I went to the school the next day and talked to the principal who I have known for yrs and he said Oh I can't see her saying this so we called her into the office and she said that wasn't what she said although she wouldn't tell us what she did say

I didn't believe her so I talked to the principal and the superintendent and they called all 26 kids in seperately and asked them all 26 said the exact same thing as my daughter, they called the teacher back in and told her what the kids said and she said well all them little B-stards are lying
well needless to say she no longer works for that school district and the superintendant was really paranoid about me filing a law suit against them which I wouldn't have done

 

[Angus Cowman]

As mentioned earlier on here I like others have a very high respect for teachers that deserve it in my family between sisters,aunts,uncles and cousins I beleive there is 15 or 16 that are or were teachers
My sister has my greatest respect she is a learning disabilities teacher in Texas and That takes a very special person to do that job

 

[Lammie]

Eighty percent of the kids in Venus Primary are on free or reduced lunches. We are an impoverished district. It has to effect learning.

Why does it have to effect learning?[/b]

We have similar numbers in Oregon, but much of the reason for the high numbers is Federal funding, Schools get big $$ if they can get a kid on the school lunch program, so we have parents coming forward on many occassion stating they don't need the hand out but the school assigns them one anyway.

I'm always curious to how many of the "truly" needed kids have parents or a parent who smokes or drinks or does drugs.... I'm sure there is a good percent that has money for that cr@p, no I DON'T have a problem with smokers or drinkers, but don't cut your kid short so you can go out and buy a $6 pack of smokes. These type of folks know my tax $$ will take care of their responsibilites.

Before I get jumped on I know there are some folks that are truley in need of some help, just not 80%.

Alan

If you come to school hungry, that will affect learning. It's harder to get on free and reduced lunches than you might think I actually applied when I was in a financial crunch back in 2003 and didn't qualify, on 26k a year with two kids. And we had no internet, to cable, no extras at all. I had my own house and one car payment. I didn't qualify. Even for reduced lunches. I know that's still above the poverty line but the poverty line is a joke. I didn't smoke or drink and I never had asked for help from anyone in my life. I just needed a little help sometimes. No such luck. I took an extra job on the weekends when the boys were gone. I should have solved my own problem to start with. I felt ashamed about applying anyway.

 

[Angus Cowman]

My ex did the thing with reduced lunches and I threw a fit she was remarried and filed her tax return separately from her husband who made about 45K a yr and she was aroun 22K and I was paying her $900 a month in child support
she qualified and was getting them until the school called me asking about a financial statement they then discover she was married and that she wasn't claiming the new husbands income on her statement she filled out


also Child support doesn't count as income

 

[Lammie]

My ex did the thing with reduced lunches and I threw a fit she was remarried and filed her tax return separately from her husband who made about 45K a yr and she was aroun 22K and I was paying her $900 a month in child support
she qualified and was getting them until the school called me asking about a financial statement they then discover she was married and that she wasn't claiming the new husbands income on her statement she filled out


also Child support doesn't count as income

I was getting 425.00 big ones for support for two kids. That barely covered the cost of the things Steven needed for band and William's soccer. I had to shuck out over seven hundred dollars for the band spring trip. It was worth it, though because he got to do things I could never have done otherwise. He went to Florida one year and on a cruise to Cancun when he was a junior. That's a lot of chocolate bars to sell. He went to State in debate that year and also placed state wide in Quiz Bowl. It's good to keep busy.

I firnly believe that getting kids involved in extra-curricular activities is a good way to keep them out of trouble. Kids get too much time on their hands. Idle minds and all that. My younger son is in band and plays tennis. I want him to get into FFA next year. Alvarado has fantastic ag facilities.

 

[Ryder]

My ex did the thing with reduced lunches and I threw a fit she was remarried and filed her tax return separately from her husband who made about 45K a yr and she was aroun 22K and I was paying her $900 a month in child support
she qualified and was getting them until the school called me asking about a financial statement they then discover she was married and that she wasn't claiming the new husbands income on her statement she filled out


also Child support doesn't count as income

I was getting 425.00 big ones for support for two kids. That barely covered the cost of the things Steven needed for band and William's soccer. I had to shuck out over seven hundred dollars for the band spring trip. It was worth it, though because he got to do things I could never have done otherwise. He went to Florida one year and on a cruise to Cancun when he was a junior. That's a lot of chocolate bars to sell. He went to State in debate that year and also placed state wide in Quiz Bowl. It's good to keep busy.

I firnly believe that getting kids involved in extra-curricular activities is a good way to keep them out of trouble. Kids get too much time on their hands. Idle minds and all that. My younger son is in band and plays tennis. I want him to get into FFA next year. Alvarado has fantastic ag facilities.

I hope your son gets in FFA and gets as much out of it as I did when I was a kid. It's value in leadsership training was tremendously valuable. Like most everything, how much you get out of it depends on how much you put into it. Sometimes the payback is not immediate. But it will come.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I was getting 425.00 big ones for support for two kids. That barely covered the cost of the things Steven needed for band and William's soccer. I had to shuck out over seven hundred dollars for the band spring trip. It was worth it, though because he got to do things I could never have done otherwise. He went to Florida one year and on a cruise to Cancun when he was a junior. That's a lot of chocolate bars to sell. He went to State in debate that year and also placed state wide in Quiz Bowl. It's good to keep busy.

I firnly believe that getting kids involved in extra-curricular activities is a good way to keep them out of trouble. Kids get too much time on their hands. Idle minds and all that. My younger son is in band and plays tennis. I want him to get into FFA next year. Alvarado has fantastic ag facilities.

Lammie

I wasn't meaning that you shouldn't have tried I beleive anyone who needs it should truly get it but in her situation she was lying to get it
She was spending her money frivolously and trying to get hand outs anywhere she could she was driving a new Jeep grand cherokee that I had bought the saturday before she filed for divorce on the following thursday and it was pd for, her house was pd for and she was needing to put the kids on free lunches I don't think so
She also got behind on daycare and had told the daycare that I wasn't paying CS so when I would was picking the youngest up one day the daycare office told me that my daughter couldn't come back because until the bill was pd I asked why it hadn't been pd and the lady said she tells us she can't pay it because she hasn't reeived her CS so I blew up about that and paid the day care from then on when I paid her CS I made her write me a check for daycare and I went and paid it from then on

I just don't like it when people abuse the system
if someone truly needs it I am all for it

 

[hurleyjd]

I'm sure every school is different. We do home school after they get home from public school. We go over their homework with them. Teach them when we can but often times have to teach ourselves to keep up. I think its my job as a parent to be sure they are learning and doing their work. I want to know what they are doing and what they are being taught. Without this interest, I would have never learned that one of my children's teachers told the class that we never went to the moon. It was just a white man's political game to show up the Russians and the whole thing was filmed in Hollywood. :shock:

The schools have not changed that much since my kids were in school that was some 20 years ago. I will pass on a story about a test my son had to take in junior high sicence. The teacher had a question that went like this which of the three engines requires no oxygen to run. 1. Gas 2. diesel 3. rocket.
My son understood that the gas and diesel engines require air cleaners so he answered rocket. the majority of the class answered diesel. The teacher marked my sons test question as incorrect. Needless to say he came home hopping mad. I told him to go to school and ask the teacher if it was a diesel then why did they have air cleaners on the engine. The teacher gave him credit but did not adjust the grades of the rest of the class. My son also figured that the rocket also had to have some oxygen somewhere to be able to operate. The smart kids will always be smarter and the not so smart will always be not so smart. The problem with the schools is that they try to take a not so smart kid and make a smart one out of him.

 

[Alan]

It must be science teachers that aren't so bright, when my second oldest was a freshmen in high school, his science teacher would put in a movie about twice a week and then leave the class room to go watch football films. He was the asst. football coach. Well after the second week of "Farris Blewers (sp) day off) I hit the roof and went to the teacher. I got a smart a$$ remark from the teacher for my effort, so the principles office was next, I explained it wasn't a much the movies as the type of movies, at least show something that has eduactioal benefits. The principle assured me he would take care of it. The very next class the teacher announced they would be watching Star Trek; search for Spock and for the students to be sure to watch the battles for "future laser technology". Yea I hit the roof and the principle, teacher and I had a sit down. I wish I could say that was the end of the problems I had with that teacher, unfortunately the teacher just got a chip on his shoulder, so we battled again.... he lost again. I didn't allow my other two sons to have that knuckle head, don't mess with my kids chance at an education.

One more, same teacher and same son, same year. My son had a paper to write had to between 15 and 20 pages long, including table of contents and bibliography. My wife, his step mom, has a PHD in a science area, and she was excited to help our son on his first major paper. She let my son do the research and do the rough draft then stepped in with hints to help dress up the paper. She also gave have some of her post graduate books to use and copy diagrams from. I was so proud of the paper and went out a got him a clear cover folder for him to turn it in with. The next week the paper come back with a C- and not a word of explaination on it, just he grade. Hello again Mr. Principle, I simply asked the princple to do a quick revue of the paper, thumb through the pages, remembering this is a freshmen students assignment. He got through about half the paper and I still remember his words "what the heII" he excused himself and returned in about 5 minutes with the science teacher in tow (he knew the teacher and I had history but, to his credit he stayed professional and mid ground). Told him to evalute the paper and put the reasons for the grade in the margins. Two weeks later the principle spotted me at the schools BB game and asked if I had got the paper back, I hadn't. The teacher was 8 or 10 row above me, the princple went straight to him, I don't know what was said be the teacher got up left and I had the paper back the next day with a A on it. I know I was bought but I let it drop there... Teachers need to be held responsible for the childs education, and yes the parent is just as responible if not more. My hats off to the principle for taken action.

Now off my soap box and back to cattle.
Alan