Headlines of the Week (Or Whatever)

These are things that exist in the world.

Prison Wife Apparel

Slideshow: Sad Dads at One Direction

Hillbilly Beatboxing is a real thing in the world.

On Children's Autonomy.

Slut-shaming as parenting.*

"I took slut looking pictures."

Not, I disobeyed. Not, I posted photos that could negatively impact my life. Not, I behaved inappropriately for my age. But, I took photos that implied that I owned my sexuality and body, which angered the people who actually own my sexuality and body.

Summer Art Classes

So there's been some interest in the art classes, which is great. Basically, we'll have either six long classes or twelve shorter classes on six topics, depending on the ages/attention span of the kids who sign up. The classes will take place during the day at the downtown branch of the Lawton Public Library. They will be free of charge, but each student will need to bring their own items*. The days and times will be determined once parents have responded.

Overall, they'll need a notebook/binder/art journal and a pencil so they can make their notes and sketches in one place, and an easel for most of the classes. That should all run about $15 or less. They will need a few items for each class, which generally cost $5.00 or less, without coupons.

The class overview is below. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. :)

~Rose

Dude. Dude, this kid has it right. (Randomly found in the Interwebs.)

"The world is pretty and everyone should be quiet and enjoy it."

Photo of the Day

Pioneer children!

So we spent most of Sunday at the Museum of the Great Plains. We're working on early America, so they had alot of good information and exhibits related to our current unit and then I let them loose in the science area. (The space set aside for the traveling, interactive area.)

The Internet is for... Kids.

I was recently involved in a discussion regarding how we allow our children to use the Internet. I was surprised to see so many negative responses, especially concerning viruses and pornography. Many parents cited protective reasons to severely restrict their children’s Internet usage, and made with clear (with their terminology, concerns, etc.) that they, themselves, were not strong Internet users. This attitude strikes me as ridiculously short-sighted. Just like with other boring or worrisome topics, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about Internet usage so that we can educate our children.

Myth: Charter schools take money from traditional schools.

So this is how it works.

Schools have two sources for funds. The first is local, which means a portion of your property taxes, any bond issues or sales taxes that you vote to go to schools, and any local fundraising efforts. (Think Box Tops for Kids and similar programs.) The second is state, which means both state and federal funds. These funds go through the State Department of Education and are dispensed to schools based on a complicated bit of math called ‘State Aid’ formula. In a nutshell, each student has x amount of money attached to them. X is determined by taking a base amount and ‘weighting’ those funds for students whom are lower-income, have disabilities, or a variety of other needs-based factors.

Charter schools don’t get to dip from both funds. Charter schools only receive state funds, meaning no local taxes, no bond issues, etc. For instance, we live in Lawton, so our property taxes go to Lawton Public Schools. Our children attend Epic Charter School, so our State Aid funds go to Epic Charter School. The take-away is that our charter schools receive less money than our traditional brick-and-mortar schools, not more, as some critics would have you believe.

Do charter schools take money from traditional schools? Yes, when they take students. However, the traditional school no longer has to pay for that child, and gets to keep the local funds. So not only do they not lose money on state funds, but they are able to spread those local funds among fewer students. A win-win for traditional schools, which is why almost all Oklahoma charter schools are run by traditional school districts. You might notice that these districts are happy with their own schools. It’s the other schools that are villainous.

Photo of the Day

After a long discussion of Veterans Day, the kiddos (including Melissa's two) are writing thank you letters to veterans.

Banned Book Week

Remember, folks, read a banned book for Banned Book Week! We picked up And Tango Makes Three, with no problems. Also, here's a funny article about a few banned books.

Random Thoughts

"The Fukushima situation has exposed a grave danger to our world. But the danger isn't radiation, it's the poor state of science education."

and

An Austrian atheist will be allowed to wear a colander on his head in his driver's license photo after successfully arguing that it counts as "religious headgear" for Pastafarians.

As a contrast, more people are upset about the Austrian atheist than the sad state of American education.

Good for a giggle.

I was reading curriculum reviews today, and came across a very unfavorable review for a particular company's science course. As a Christian creationist, the parent was upset that this company's science course was about... Science.

Lying For Santa

Hey, by the way, y'all, I'm not going to ask or instruct my children to lie to your children because you choose to lie to them. I am also not going to lie to them.

Now, don't get me wrong. No one in my household is going to go out of our way to tell them that Santa Claus isn't real (and that you lied to them), but if it comes up, the younger members of my household are probably not going to be able to gracefully deflect the conversation, thereby casting light on your lie.

Deal with it. Oh, and stop lying to your children.

Election Day

Not only did I vote, but I took my kids along and we discussed the democratic process, candidates, state questions, who can put questions on the ballot, and how. We looked at the sample ballot and discussed different ways to vote (paper ballots, electronic, Internet), along with the problems with each way.

Am I like the mom in the joke about homeschoolers? Maybe just a little... :)