Hey, GGIC:

I researched “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”, then took the test. It would appear that the text takes a non-grammatical, seat-of-the-pants approach to punctuation and writing in general…. which may result in “over-punctuation”. You may want to look up an old copy of “Elements of Style”.

Its all about control for you, free thinking is what propells us foward if you want to control someone get a dog, let your child think for herself instead of force feeding her your illogical lesson plan

Bean,

I was just offering help for self-improvement,but I guess you would need to realize there is a problem before it might be helpful.Sorry

Ryan,

Did you ever consider that the standard approach to education may be part of the reason that so many kids are unmotivated? Textbooks even put me to sleep, and I’m a compulsive reader. I believe that is why my son has been a much more difficult student than his sister- he spent six years in public school being bored to death half the time and in trouble for talking the rest of it.Many kids are willing to learn when it is fun, but someone needs to make it so.I am not saying that public school is wrong for many, just that it wasn’t the best option for my family,or apparently superdave’s ,either.There are many dedicated teachers out there, as there are many dedicated homeschool parents.Neither is inherently right or wrong,it just depends on the parents.Until the best interests of the kids overrides all else,education flounders. I believe most kids CAN be motivated and charming under the right circumstances,and intelligence does not get you far without a good attitude and ambition.Many successful people were not the most intelligent,but the most driven, and there are many definitions of success.I want my kids to be successful on their own terms, not buy into society’s definition because they don’t know any differently.To that end, I will use whatever tools/techniques/motivators that are available to help them achieve it.I will not force them to fit in someone else’s box, and we will be a happier family for it.

Hey green I’d be intersted in your stance on that boogus global warming theory dave speaks of?

Bean is a complete fool. I have wasted enough time with his thoughtless comments. I guess he is getting back at people who bullied him in high school and now he gets brave by acting tough on a blog. Wow, we are all amused but not impressed.

How dare you be so insensitive that you attack a child. I guess children will do that, won’t you?

I am not sure what Ggic when it comes to global warming. Personally, I think it is a farce but that is not the subject at hand. I have a feeling that I would get a much more mature debate with Ggic than I would with Bean or Ryan.

I am not a believer in Global Warming. I think it is silly to believe that we have all this great power over our earth. We can’t stop tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, and so many other Mother Nature issues so I don’t believe for a second that we are doing all this damage that so many think we are doing.

By the way, I forgot to mention that my daughter went to public school last year for a short time and did that ever de-motivate her. That might take care of you naysayers that she didnt have an experience with public schools. The only good thing to come out of it is that we use that as a fun prod when she slows down. I assure you it’s humorous.

Bean, you need to get out of your closet and get outside. Apparently you are a very unhappy and immature person. However, I do wish you well.

Bean,

I would say it’s real , but probably somewhat exagerated at this point, at least by Gore and the media.I do say it is past time this country starts to take responsibility for the damage it has done,but my family has been moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle for several years.The current economy is accelerating that out of a desire to stay financially solvent.Ironically, online programs could help school districts by potentially saving substantial fuel costs if enough students do it.Kind of like telecommuting for kids,LOL.Anyway, if we assume it is real and take appropriate actions,regardless of the degree we believe it, we’ll still be better off in the long run.If we assume it’s not real, and we’re wrong,it could be catastrophic for future generations.It won’t hurt to take better care of our environment, and better safe than sorry in a situation like this.

Superdave,

I don’t have a lot of time to read up on all the research on global warming(no surprise there), but consider this for a moment.If it is unhealthy to stay in a closed garage with your motor running due to toxic fumes, if you extrapolate that to the bazillion or so cars on the road these days,does it make sense that maybe that could accumulate in the atmosphere and create problems at some point?I can’t say if it is affecting the weather,I didn’t pay that much attention as a kid, but it seems to me that the weather patterns have gotten much more active in the past few years.Again, maybe I just pay more attention now.The “yellow” and “orange” or whatever color days in the summer is another thing I don’t remember as a kid.I have also seen pictures of the smog over Los Angeles, and it was scary.That is why I am willing to believe we might be contributing to the problem.Many times relatively small actions can have much larger impacts than we will ever know.

No offense pal, but these things have been happening since the beginning of time. The major difference is that we now have a media that spends entirely too much time accentuating every little thing that happens. Also, everyone has a video cam. So, multiply all of that and bam, hysteria sets in. Sorry, I dont buy the kool-aid. However, is it a good thing to recycle, of course it is. I just don’t buy the fact that government takes over and tells us what we have to do. If you want to recycle and pay more, God bless you. We are in America and we still have some freedoms. Please don’t force your views on me though.

It is no different than forced government schools. I still am waiting for a government school advocate to tell me why we are forced to go to the school of their choice instead of ours. In California the Supreme court there made criminals out of good home schooling parents because they didnt have that dreaded certification. God knows that we can’t teach our children unless we have certification. After all, look how well the government educates our children. As for me, I give it a failing grade. We rank so low compared to the rest of the world but for some reason that’s ok? “Not my school” is the normal response.

Government is far too big as it is now and now we are talking about Universal Health Care! Oh Please!

I believe there have always been fluctuations in climate and weather patterns,it seems reasonable to think so, but I don’t know how much evidence there is regarding how much it may have changed,or not.The fact that the population has increased so dramatically,and pollution along with it,is what really concerns me.Knowing that many of the resources we take for granted are finite is also a concern,but it’s not keeping me up at night yet.The media is very good at creating drama , but sometimes there is a kernel of truth buried somewhere in the hysteria.It does seem that there are more and more severe tornados and hurricanes in the last few years.Any idea how that compares throughout history?

As for the teaching without a certification, many forget that parents ARE their kids’ first teachers, for better or worse.Good parents are the most important factor in a child’s educational success.It is our job to advocate for our children, and if they are not learning or making “adequate yearly progress”,it is ultimately our responsibility to find out why.Unfortunately, many Americans have been indoctrinated in the government schools( as you call them) and have absolute(if misplaced) faith that their tax dollars are hard at work.Maybe they are, but if that is the case, why the need for “NO Child Left Behind”? To me , skepticism where government is concerned is never a bad thing. I tend to chuckle when someone questions our decision to continue homeschooling even though we are in a “better school district” now.Our reasons are still valid, and I thank God Illinois is fairly homeschool friendly.I think many people are still unfamiliar with homeschooling,even though millions are doing it now,and there is a knee-jerk reaction that different is bad.Sometimes it’s just different.The online classes tread a fine line between true homeschooling and satelite schools run by the government.That so many still believe homeschooling is somehow inferior to brick and mortar schools despite so much evidence to the contrary,at least in some districts, is simply ludicrous. If online classes improve the learning environment for even a few kids, it is worth considering.Ultimately,parents need to do what is best for their own kids.

Superdave,(the name itself about sums it up)
You are funny you wanted so baddly to ignor me and coulden’t my post are short and to the point I don’t need to post long winded comments to debate something that is based on individual family needs.

You continue to trash the public schools,tell me this what would you suggest my sister with 3 autistic children do? You need to count your blessings not everyone benifits from homeschools some very good people need the governments help.Talk about a small mind.