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Grizzly Mama

There's a Grizzly who has escaped the City of Brotherly Love..(and she's going back to homeschooling!!)

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Location: Out of Philly, Pennsylvania, United States

"All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth." Aristotle - Greek Philosopher.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Carnival of Homeschooling # 70

Go check it out. There are many wonderful entries there from all sorts of homeschoolers.

Thanks to Mama Squirrel for all of the hard work!

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Saturday, April 28, 2007

Public School Education

I went to public school. I have been struggling to separate the values that I learned in school vs. the values that I was taught at home. In most, those values were reinforced in both places but especially in K through about 8th grade.

I was raised Catholic, 7th out of 8 kids. My mother stayed home. There is no denying the influence of the Catholic Church in my life. By the time my parents got to the 5th kid, having all kids in Catholic school was just too much money I guess so the younger started out in public school. I split with the Catholic Church for many years but within the last decade or so I have called an uneasy truce with the Church. Troll and I wavered over putting the girls into Catholic school, but decided against it. We were married in the Church.

Anyhoo - we never missed Sunday Mass as kids, unless we were seriously ill. I vaguely recall that even in our yearly camping trip in the Rockies, Mum found a church for us to attend. My family is dysfunctional as most families are. I have had to undo a few things as an adult. It's a mixed bag - what I learned. Sacrifice, justice, compassion, patriotism, respect, forgiveness, fairness. Some were learned to a fault: sacrifice and forgiveness to name two. I also learned the 'proper' place for a lady. Those had to be re-worked as an adult.

I loved school when I was little, mostly. Most memories are are happy. One that isn't is a 1st grade memory: A classmate who sat 2 desks in front of me raised his hand to request permission to go to the bathroom and was denied. Twice more he raised his hand and was denied. The next thing I remember, a puddle of urine appeared under his desk. He got into trouble for that. I remember thinking how unjust that was. Some of what I learned at home was reinforced such as 'sit down and shut up'. I've completely done away with that one! LOL.

Looking back, I note a change. It's little things. It was, probably, 5th grade. I would have been 10 - so 1973. First, sex education, which we had to have permission to participate in. The girls and boys were separated, and the changes that an adolescent goes through were presented. It was clinical. That's it, and I have to say that I'm glad I got that information because I don't think my mother would have been able to give it to me. My older sisters were pretty befuddled over all of the changes they had gone through years before. There are 2 more things that I recall from that year: A 'Save the Whales' movie and assembly about environmentalism. A horrid movie showing bloody car crashes and pushing the use of seat belts. Later on, the Pledge of Allegiance became optional. It was always said over the loudspeaker - you just weren't required to stand for it anymore. There was an American flag in every classroom. The teachers didn't take any crap from anyone in the lower grades.
There was always an adult present - ALWAYS. Until High School.

High school was an open campus, and in 10th grade I would hang on the loading dock and smoke with the bad boys for most of my classes. Or sleep late and schlep into school whenever I wanted. They passed me right through 10th grade, even though I hadn't done a damn thing. Nobody really seemed to care. That was '77 or '78 I think.

I believe that my early years in school were good. I was literate, ended up loving Algebra but hating Geometry, liked Latin. (There were 2 choices of language in the school at the time: French or Latin. I was completely turned off by French - I didn't like the French at all. I wonder where I learned that??!) Although my education was adequate, I have realized that it could have been so much better. Teaching my daughters has been a HUGE eye-opener. The longer I do it the more disappointed I am in my own education.

Most of what I have learned about life and how to operate as a grown up happened after I was done with school. I have noticed that the young people, in high school or in their first years of college, who I have contact with are completely socially inept. There are a few exceptions - a very few. The same was true for me at that age. I was a fish out of water when I got out of school. I went straight into the Army from school - and I had a bit of sense by the time I got out. I was a democrat back then, but as I've gotten older I have returned to the values that I was raised with. It's been a long revolution right back to where I started. God, Family, Freedom, Strength, Human Rights, Humility, Honesty, Justice, Courage of Conviction.

I do believe that most of those values were shared by all in my younger grades. The teachers and the other students had those same values. High school was a complete wash, though. A total waste of time.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Easy Answer Interrupted

I have been thinking a great deal about the Easy Questions from my last entry. I have some observations about my own education and upbringing. It is not such an Easy Answer, really. I appreciate everyone's comments - thank you. You have helped me to focus a bit.

And then.....and then.....

The waterbed mattress sprung a leak. I discovered it at 2:00 a.m. - which is my usual bedtime. I mopped the mess up inside the liner at the one corner of the bed, hoping that someone spilled a glass of water into my bed. THAT would have been too easy, eh? My kids do crawl into bed with me in the morning with their little glasses of water. Perhaps Troll did the deed and just didn't want to admit it.

It became quite obvious that the easy way is not the way for the old Grizzly Mama. Oh no! We must deal with this situation while teaching school, getting caught up on the laundry (HA!), and coming up with three meals a day for the little ones - besides making sure they're clean and their things are clean, too.

Add to it that the local malls do not sport waterbed stores anymore. When did that happen? When did it become a mail-order thing? We had to travel to Delaware this afternoon (in the middle of doing everything else) to get a new mattress, liner AND heater. We discovered that we needed the heater after draining the mattress only to find the heater wire insulation crumbling off and the metal heating element thingamajiggy exposed. DANG! We coulda DIED!

Well, thank the Good Lord for tax-free shopping in the state to the immediate south of us. Thank the Good Lord that this was discovered before we died and 2 days after receiving our income tax refund. Thank the Good Lord that, despite how whiny the girls can be at times, they did an awesome job on their schoolwork today.

We have a lot to be thankful for. When I think about Sudan - well. My troubles are few and my blessings many.

My not-so-easy answer to Easy Question # 2 is on it's merry way, just a little delayed.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Easy Questions...


The Alliance for the Separation of School and State has notified me, via their email newsletter, that they are now hosting an education blog. There are a couple of new entries, 2 of which are Easy Questions.

Here is Easy Question #1:

Do you agree with this statement?

I don’t want my children fed or clothed by the state, but if I had to choose, I would prefer that to their being educated by the state. – Max Victor Belz

Feel free to comment as well as agree or disagree.


Here is Easy Question #2:

This one is a two-parter.

What was your school experience: public, private, home, or mix (give an idea of the mix)?

Do you feel that your school experience improved you morally, damaged you, or had no impact?

As always, feel free to comment beyond simple answers.

I thought that they were very good questions. The first really is an easy question for me to answer and that is: I do not want the government providing ANY of those things to my children - it is my job to do that.

The second question I thought was an easy question, but then I realized that I really needed to think about that one some more. I started thinking a little too deeply about how much my family upbringing shaped me vs. the government's education system. This will take some in-depth analysis. Possibly a Venn Diagram. Maybe a spider diagram thingy. Yikes - maybe not that last one! Grizzly Mama is just too tired for that spidery nonsense!

I was just curious to see how you might answer these questions.

If the spirit moves you - pop on over to the new blog to answer the questions. Or I would be pleased as punch if you would leave your answer in my comments.

Thank you!

Link

We've Got Us a Six Foot Chinaman Causing This Ruckus

***UPDATE***

I am sure that everyone is now aware that the shooter in this case was not from China on a student visa as originally reported in the confusion and fog of the unfolding incident. The young man had been in America since the age of 2, which was when his parents immigrated from South Korea. They worked hard and tried to live and give the American dream to their son. It would have been okay, too, if the guy hadn't been plum crazy.

There were moments of heroism to be noted, too. One story describes a young Jewish man who gave his life to save his fellow students by blocking the door so that the shooter could not enter.

Correction - as seen on A Tangled Web,the person who sacrificed his life to save his students was Professor Liviu Librescu - a survivor of the Holocaust. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13. God bless his soul.

***End Of UPDATE***

First may I say that I am horrified - HORRIFIED - by the murders committed in Virginia today. What a nightmare for the students and also for their families. My prayers are with all of them.

A year ago the senior faculty at Virginia Tech were celebrating the fact that a bill was defeated that would have allowed law abiding students and faculty to carry handguns on campus. I really wish that bill hadn't been defeated. Perhaps the death toll would have been much lower. Perhaps it wouldn't have - but I would prefer to take my chances in a place in which my right to defend myself is recognized.

Now - it seems to me that the average citizen's diet in China must be much improved over the last several decades, wouldn't you agree? It's not often that one meets a 6 foot tall male citizen of China, is it? I have observed that the 2nd generation Asians that I know here in America are much larger than their parents - and it is due to a healthy diet throughout childhood.

It will be several days before we know what really happened down there in beautiful Virginia. Soft target - that is what a school is.

Dang. Terrible.

Monday, April 16, 2007

We gotta Nor'Easter blowin' in from the Sou'West.



Ooooh - it's nasty out there tonight. We got soaked getting to the little one's poetry reading - now we're getting blown away!





Image courtesy AccuWeather.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Weenies Infesting My Hometown.


"A group of Littleton parents is opposing the design and location of a memorial to a fallen local Navy SEAL, Danny Dietz, who died in combat in Afghanistan two years ago. They say the statue, depicting Dietz clutching an automatic rifle, glorifies violence."

What a bunch of Gun Fearing Weenies. I really can't stand 'em. Worse - it's going to be within a few blocks of a school and a playground. Oh dear! Time to frigging faint!

"'I don't think young children should be exposed to that in that way - unsupervised by their parents or any adults,' said Emily Cassidy, one of the mothers."

What kind of stupid-ass is this woman? Where did she immigrate from? California? New York? I know DAMN well she isn't a Colorado native. Not a libtard like that! Not in my hometown.

And then, AND THEN, along comes another dim-bulb to compare Danny Dietz to a Columbine shooter:

"Linda Cuesta, the parent of a child who was at Columbine High School during the deadly April 1999 shootings, said that memory "colors everything in my life," but she is sympathetic to the Dietz family. 'As much as it breaks my heart to do this, we have to weigh the effect of the statue in this particular place against the family's feelings,' she said."

OMG. She is unable to see a difference between a murderer who shoots innocent high school peers and Danny Dietz - fighting against terrorist islamofascists in Afghanistan. As the Limey's say: "Hand me the sick-bucket!"

Thank you, Jesus and God in Heaven, for making me who I am: Not a Libtard. I pray fervently in Jesus' name that my children will not grow up to be Gun Fearing Weenies. Oh - and God please bless Danny Dietz and let him know we honor him for his service. I, personally, respect the hell out of a Navy SEAL. Comfort his family and give them strength. Amen. It is done.

Link

Monday, April 09, 2007

Cubed Has an Education Blog!!

Cubed has an education blog!! You MUST go take a look and give her a warm greeting and a thank you. We here in the Grizzly Sloth hold Cubed in very high regard. She is a wonderful writer and has scads of information to convey to you. Click on that title right above and you will be transported immediately to her newest endeavor.

Grizzly Mama featured many of Cubed's writings right here. You probably remember, but just in case here they are:

Education and Jihad, Part 8.
Education and Jihad, Part 7.
Education and Jihad, Part 6.
Education and Jihad, Part 5.
Education and Jihad, Part 4.
Education and Jihad, Parts 2 & 3.
Education in America, Part 1. (I did a crappy job summarizing this one - so please follow the link to Cubed's original essay. In fact - I insist that you follow the links to Cubed's original essays on ALL of them!!)

Oh dear. I put them in backwards, didn't I?? Silly old bear. Well - you'll just have to use your own judgement. It matters not in what order you read Cubed's essays, you will come away more enlightened, better informed, and with plenty to think about.

I insist that you enjoy!!

Link

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Happy Easter.



Matt 28:5-6 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Happy Easter to all of my readers. May God bless you and may God bless America.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Protest Sestak appearance at CAIR event in Philly..

Here is the information that I received in an email from my friend Eagle Eye.

"(Coral Springs, FL) Americans Against Hate (AAH) will be leading a protest against Congressman Joe Sestak’s appearance at the First Annual Banquet for the Philadelphia office of CAIR, tomorrow, Saturday, April 7, 2007."

Protest details:
* Day / Time: Saturday, April 7, 2007, 5:15 PM – 7:15 PM

* Location: Outside the Hilton at 4200 City Ave.

* There will be refreshments

* Joe Kaufman will be giving his speech at 6:15


Apparently, the Manager of the Hilton on City Avenue informed Americans Against Hate that he would NOT allow the protest to take place outside of his hotel. The organizers of the protest contacted the Philadelphia Police Department to ensure that they were permitted to protest in that locale. The Police Department assured AAH that they absolutely have the right to organize a protest and informed AAH that police will be present to prevent any problems.

I am sending an email to Hilton Hotel Coporate Offices informing them that I will not choose Hilton Hotel for any accomodations that I might need in future travels. I urge you to contact them as well and let them know how you feel about their support of CAIR and their inability to support Americans exercising their right to freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble:

Hilton Corporate Communications

North America
Kathy Shepard, Vice President - Corporate Communications
Phone: 310 205-7676
Fax: 310 205-7678
kathy_shepard@hilton.com

Or
Northeast States (including Boston, New York, Philadelphia)
Lisa Hanock-Jasie, Director of Communications
Phone: 212 261-5836
Mobile: 917 545-6285
lisa_hanock-jasie@hilton.com


CAIR is an islamic organization with numerous terrorist ties. For more information about CAIR and it's terrorist ties please visit this site: Anti-CAIR. BTW - CAIR went after Anti-CAIR in the court of law. Freedom is still alive in the United States of America, their lawsuit was dismissed. Here are the legal details.

Joe Sestak should NOT be addressing this organization! Anyone in Philly or the surrounding area, please make this protest if you can. We will not be able to as our preparations for Easter will not allow it this weekend. We are with you in spirit, Americans Against Hate!!

God Bless America. God Save the Republic!

***UPDATE***

Here is a report from one who was on the scene:

Report.

***UPDATE 2***

Here is another with pictures:

Freedom of Philadelphia.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Mr. Smith has tagged me!

People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own 6 weird things as well as stating this rule clearly! Three people need to be tagged and their names listed. Finally a comment needs to be left on each tagged person's blog...

(1.) I have a tattoo.
(2.) I hitch-hiked quite a bit when I was ages 14-16. I am lucky to be alive!
(3.) It takes my feet over an hour to get warm (when left to their own devices) after I crawl into bed.
(4.) I am looking for a used Gemeinhardt flute. After 27 years I got a sudden urge to play the flute again. I'm still wondering what has happened to me. That's the brand of flute and piccolo that I played starting in 4th grade, so I want a Gemeinhardt. **UPDATE** I now have TWO Gemeinhardt flutes!!
(5.) I've noticed that 'the Universe' provides us with the things we need out of the blue in very strange ways ALL OF THE TIME! It happens enough that I will tell the girls, 'Look! '"The Universe" has provided such and such and we were JUST thinking that we needed that!'
(6.) I love to break some rules. It makes me feel giddy and happy inside. So - I am breaking the rule to tag someone else. Although I would love to hear 6 strange/weird facts/things about you if you would like.

I love this Mr. Smith. Another UK blogger. I am totally into the UK bloggers!

It turns out that I had been tagged with this last year - so I am copying and pasting my responses. Sorry - but things haven't changed much and I am completely fried.

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