OT: Home Schooling

So long as you're looking things up, Dianne, our constitution more closely follows the thinking of Montesquieu than Locke, or so I've been told.

Elizabeth

Locke was one of the "thinkers" who influenced Jefferson and other founding fathers. From what my neighbor mentioned, Jefferson penned a number of ideals from Locke into the Declaration of Independence. Not the constitution. :-) But she is fried from student teaching and may have mixed things up.

Regarding Montesquieu, he says: Democracies can be corrupted in two ways: by what Montesquieu calls "the spirit of inequality" and "the spirit of extreme equality" (SL

Is this what's happening with our current corporations? Which, according to law, are "persons".

Dianne

Isn't that your interpretation of what the opinion of the local School District? I can bet none of the School Trustees would say that was their intent or agenda.

...Linda

Wow - I never thought I'd start a thread this long just by asking advice about home school websites! LOL It's nice to see everyone displaying all these different opinions without resorting to anything nasty. :) Kim

What's more, some of the references to "god" were added in the 2nd Continental Congress. Jefferson's original essay is also available online. Darla Sacred cows make great hamburgers. Picture Trail Gallery:

It is possible to be a spiritual person without being a religious one. Darla Sacred cows make great hamburgers. Picture Trail Gallery:

Linda D. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

And I prefer that the schools only teach "plumbing courses" and leave it to the parents to teach the values/ethics/morals -- a small school district a few towns over does exactly this -- they teach the plumbing part and then tell the children to the effect of, there is more to sex than just plumbing, and different families have different values about what they consider appropriate. So go home and ask your parents about that part." And the parents have been forewarned that this is going to happen so they can talk to their children about their own family values.

Linda D. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

It is based on examples I have seen, all of which support that premise.

Dianne Lewandowski wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

Please understand that I am asking the following question thoughtfully and politely, even though when I think about how to word it, it only comes out sounding sarcastic -- so you're saying that people with conservative viewpoints have no right to try to get their viewpoints heard, whereas those with liberal viewpoints have the sole right to have their views promoted in society? Something sounds not quite right here if you think that conservatives forcing their views down liberals' throats is not okay but that liberals are free to do exactly this, which is what they have been working on for the last 30-50 years. This leaves me *VERY* puzzled.

If she knew your feelings, that was rather rude.

And I as well feel that I am being dragged kicking and screaming where I don't want to go as a nation. So while I will acknowledge your right to protest things moving in a direct you don't like, I hope you will also acknowledge my right to do the same.

A militantly non-Christian friend used to wait until her companion was done saying her prayer, and then say one of her own, addressing her own Higher Power, loudly and repeatedly. Very rarely did she have to participate in saying Grace a second time.

So, you're OK with parents whose family values are "get pregnant as soon as possible so that you can get welfare and an apartment of your own"? Because, unfortunately, there ARE people who espouse those family values.

Karen C - California wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

No, I'm not personally okay with them, but I don't want the government telling me what I can and can't teach my own children or what I can and can't shield them from, so I feel like I would be a hypocrite to say that another parent cannot do the same thing.

At any rate, that was a small school district in an affluent area, so there was likely a small proportion of welfare-mentality people in that district.

In fact, I think that the smaller a school district is, the better it is, because the parents can wield more influence to have the district reflect the prevalent local values as opposed to something being promoted nationally. Obviously in the case of that small school district, it was important to the parents that they teach their children the morals/ethics/values part of sex ed, and I say more power to them for taking responsibility for that instead of palming it off on the schools.

Are your School Districts not governed by the Ministry of Education for the State? Our School Districts must follow the direction of our Provincial Ministry of Education.

As for the 'go home and ask your parents...." The problem is even when the students do this at least 50% of the parents won't get into it and/or don't know what to say. Never mind the fact that most students wouldn't ask in the first place.

Here's a for instance... I know a woman my age (48) who was a virgin when she got married. This was extremely important to her, and she raised both her girls with the same moral values....or so she and her DH thought. The daughter is now 20 yrs. old and living with her boyfriend, whom she had only had a long distance relationship with

...Linda

Linda D. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I'm in California, and I am not totally sure how much control the California Department of Education has over public schools, but I know that for private schools we are only told the branches of study we have to cover, but not how to cover them. So they might say "sex education," but it doesn't detail it. In fact, the last time I filled one out, the only thing it covered in detail is what all ethnic minorities had to be studied as far as their contributions toward history.

Well, to my mind, that is the problem right there. If the parents were doing their job right in the first place, the schools wouldn't have felt the need to step in.

Which is all the more reason to shield children from becoming *too* dependent upon other children who are just as immature as they are, if those moral values are important to them.

"Melinda Meahan - remove TRASH to reply" wrote in news:Xns9663C164DE369mmeahanatsonic@208.201.224.154:

It's always rude to assume someone holds the same religious beliefs as you do and to expect them to join you in yours.

When faced with similar situations, I use a simple, "I don't pray." I don't explain why, nor do I try to stop them from praying themselves. My mother lives in a retirement community that has a communal dining room. When she sits at a table with people who want to join hands and pray before a meal, she declines, stating she just washed her hands before dinner, and doesn't want to risk the germs. :-)

Melinda Meahan responded:

I accept that. We've had a most enjoyable and civil discussion.

I never said they shouldn't be heard. I've been hearing them loudly and clearly for about 30 years, now. It is now a thunderous clamour.

First, we have to define liberal. I consider myself a moderate, with perhaps a slightly left leaning.

Being a moderate means that, even though I may detest the thought of terminating a pregnancy, I won't deny another their right to do so. Even though I may shudder at the thought of having to make a decision to end a life (turn off the machines), I won't deny another the dignity to make the decision for their family - particularly when it has gone through a full court process. Not that I trust the courts. Been there. But families make these decisions every day. Who am I to interfere in their thoughtful, painful decisions?

Also, I wouldn't tell a gay person he can't be equal to me. Nor do I fault them for anything. Nobody in their right mind would choose to be homosexual. I'm open minded enough to understand the biology. I had religious teachings for over 20 years hammering the opposite theory to me. I chose a different path of acceptance.

Liberals - in my viewpoint - allow for differences of opinions. Right-wing christians want it their way or the highway.

Christians are free to raise their families and live their lifestyle. They do NOT have the right to foist that on me.

She didn't know my feelings. That is beside the point. Religion is a private thing. We live in a very homogenous society and must take that into consideration when we're amongst others. I pointed up that example because this is the way I see right-wing christians behaving. Be damned how the other person feels. They're gonna get religion, like it or not.

I do not know all of your feelings on all issues - though I can guess. However, I prefer to leave options open for everyone . . . to believe or not believe. As a nation, we have to be all encompassing and not foist any single ideal down everyone elses throat. That's why we formed this country to begin with. We didn't want someone else telling us what to do.

A Christian is free to abstain from abortion, to choose not to accept homosexuals in their life, to leave dying patients on machines until hell freezes over, to refuse medical treatment gained by using stem cells. But they have no right to dictate that to me. By insisting that everyone accept these christian-right values, that is getting close to a Taliban type rule (a theocracy). No thank you.

Dianne

"Dianne Lewandowski" wrote

And of course, there are some of us, Christians, who support the right to choose, who see homosexual men and women as our brothers and sisters (one we are currently struggling with in my denomination), and who support the right to die with dignity. Dawne

It would be wonderful if all Christians were truly tolerant and thoughtful as you are, but unfortunately we hear much too much of those who believe only their way is the right way and everyone should think the way they do.

But as long as there are groups like yours, there is hope for a better future.

Lucille>

Ditto,

I don't work Sundays, and I lost my dad a few years back, but what we have now is pretty great. As for stitching time....could there ever be enough hours in the day to constitute "Enough" hours? lol And regarding the home-school aspect...my kids had Sparks, Brownies, Girl Guides, Swim Club, Dance School, Language School, Karate and Ice Skating Club. I went to a public school way back when, and I didn't have HALF the socializing my kids have! I think Erma Bombeck had me in mind when she wrote her books! lol

Maureen

L> ROTFLOL!!!! It certainly *is* about choices :) And I'm pretty happy