Saturday, October 27, 2007
Military Priorities
The military is claiming that it needs to borrow Russian cargo planes (C-5s and C-17s) to move MRAPs to Iraq because it doesn't have enough of its own. And on the same page, the military is using a C-17 to move an elephant from Alaska to California. At least they have their priorities straight! Maybe elephants will become the new counter-insurgent tool!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Updates...
I always feel guilty when I don't write something for awhile, so here's a quick update on whats up:
1. We're still down here in god-awful Georgia. I'm going through the Captain's Career Course at Fort Gordon. The course is a typical Army school with the usual blah blah about leadership and normal Army stuff. It also has a nice little section about how to operate Cisco routers and running Microsoft Exchange 2003.
2. The kids are all doing well in school. Carmen and Emily are going to a very nearby elementary school that is run like a prison. But, I guess most of the kids are being raised to act like criminals (ie, no discipline or respect), so its fitting. Amber is still being home-schooled and is learning about world history (Magellen and Cortez at the moment), is doing Geometery for math, is learning about the planets and solar system in science, and is learning about Spain for Geography. She has one week of classes and then tests on Fridays. Sometimes she tries hard and sometimes she doesn't - her grades reflect her effort if not her ability.
3. The elementary school - its in a poor-er part of town and has limited funding from the school district. The classrooms are poorly equipment for a school in the age we are in. The TVs don't have DVD players and computer access is extremely limited. The library is small and under-booked.
Sarahann has been doing some extreme volunteering at the school - initially just with Carmen's class, but is one of the very few (maybe 5) parent volunteers for the whole school. She has worked at the school book fair and her current project is decorating the halls outside some of the classrooms for Fall and Halloween. We are also trying to get donations of $25 so we can donate a DVD to each classroom. So far, we have received five donations.
4. No change on the original issue with the school-district and I've been too busy to stay on top of it. But, I havent given up yet.
5. Surprisingly, the mail boxes are still graffitti free. The "gang" is still in the area, and I think they were out casing the neighborhood the other night. One night last week we were sitting around the living room at about 11pm with the back sliding glass door open (to take advantage of the rare cool breeze) and we first saw a group of about 8-10 teenagers walk by - very slowly and they definately looked into our apartment. They immediately walked BACK by twice looking in. We took the appropriate precautions, but they never came back.
6. We haven't been able to go off-roading in awhile (except for a brief trapse through a small wooded area when we were on Fort Gordon looking for a good trick-or-treat spot). So, the Jeep is too clean and I can tell its getting fidgety - it seems to look for curbs or rocks to drive over. The majority of the off-road obstacles in the woods and forests around here are mud-related, and the Jeep isn't really set up for too deep of mud, but I think it'll do fine. The problem is that I don't have any way to get "unstuck" right now and no one to go off-roading with.
7. We have been able to go Geocaching and are up to 49 finds so far. The kids' travel bugs are moving around nicely. Amber's is in New Mexico, David's is in Wyoming, Emily's is in New Mexico, Illyana's is in Colorado and Carmen's is moving to Germany. I have a good route planned for next weekend that will take us to downtown Augusta and then out into some swamp-land.
8. Our next move should be up to the Portland, Oregon or Vancouever, Washington area and we will be there about 18 months while the Army pays me too much to get my Master's degree in Political Science. We should be leaving here in January and starting school in March. **Note the "SHOULD"s that are prevelant there - thats because with the Army, things are never 100% certain.
9. Current events:
a. Fires in California - Sad that so many people lost their homes. But, I think the more interesting thing is the fact that all of those people moved into the stadium (very reminscent of Katrina victims), but that they aren't all trying to kill each other and no one is dying. I think the reason for the dramatic differences is that the people in that part of California are more interested in being nice to others and making the best of the situation - taking control of their own lives, rather than letting the situation control them and only looking out for themselves. The victims in New Orleans had a "what is someone going to do for me" whereas the victims in California are being proactive to help each other. Yes, yes, bad me for not feeling sorry for Katrina victims two years after the fact. Two years is plenty to pick yourself up and move on.
b. Iraq - yup, still going on. Still sucks, but still needs to get taken care of.
c. Presidential race - If I were to make a wager, I'd put my money on Hillary, as much as I think she is the worst person for the job and will absolutely screw the country over. I don't know where my vote will go, but it definately will not be to her. Ever. Ever. Ever.
d. Bush - I think he's trying but is being misguided by his advisors. His administration has taken great strides in destroying the liberties of the people here and of absolutely disregarding the Constitution. For that, I hate this administration. But, I still think Hillary would be much much worse. The Patriot Act is complete and utter BS and I'm glad that at least some of it has been overturned by the courts. Wiretapping of US citizens is also BS, and so is torture and holding people as "enemy combatents" without trial or representation. The suspension of Habeous Corpus for any extended length of time, without a damn good reason is an affront to the Constitution and should be resisted at every opportunity.
e. The World Series - Go Rockies! I hope the Series is as exciting as the playoffs.
f. TV shows - waiting for Lost; watching Jeopardy!, Big Bang Theory, NCIS (occasionaly), Kid Nation (I dislike the "Beauty Queen" with a passion) and the one girl who danced for nickles in the first show is great. I'm glad Greg got the Gold Star so he can quit pouting about it every week.
g. The American dollar is worth less than the Canadian dollar and I think its hilarious that those Canadians are still having to pay the "Canadian" price on books! I'm sure there is a way to make some $$ on this little downturn of the American dollar, but I'm not sure what it is.
10. I have too many books that I need to read to even begin mentioning them.
11. I need to take the GRE soon. I hope I do alright...
12. The PS3 is better than the XBOX 360 and WII put together.
13. Isn't that enough already???
1. We're still down here in god-awful Georgia. I'm going through the Captain's Career Course at Fort Gordon. The course is a typical Army school with the usual blah blah about leadership and normal Army stuff. It also has a nice little section about how to operate Cisco routers and running Microsoft Exchange 2003.
2. The kids are all doing well in school. Carmen and Emily are going to a very nearby elementary school that is run like a prison. But, I guess most of the kids are being raised to act like criminals (ie, no discipline or respect), so its fitting. Amber is still being home-schooled and is learning about world history (Magellen and Cortez at the moment), is doing Geometery for math, is learning about the planets and solar system in science, and is learning about Spain for Geography. She has one week of classes and then tests on Fridays. Sometimes she tries hard and sometimes she doesn't - her grades reflect her effort if not her ability.
3. The elementary school - its in a poor-er part of town and has limited funding from the school district. The classrooms are poorly equipment for a school in the age we are in. The TVs don't have DVD players and computer access is extremely limited. The library is small and under-booked.
Sarahann has been doing some extreme volunteering at the school - initially just with Carmen's class, but is one of the very few (maybe 5) parent volunteers for the whole school. She has worked at the school book fair and her current project is decorating the halls outside some of the classrooms for Fall and Halloween. We are also trying to get donations of $25 so we can donate a DVD to each classroom. So far, we have received five donations.
4. No change on the original issue with the school-district and I've been too busy to stay on top of it. But, I havent given up yet.
5. Surprisingly, the mail boxes are still graffitti free. The "gang" is still in the area, and I think they were out casing the neighborhood the other night. One night last week we were sitting around the living room at about 11pm with the back sliding glass door open (to take advantage of the rare cool breeze) and we first saw a group of about 8-10 teenagers walk by - very slowly and they definately looked into our apartment. They immediately walked BACK by twice looking in. We took the appropriate precautions, but they never came back.
6. We haven't been able to go off-roading in awhile (except for a brief trapse through a small wooded area when we were on Fort Gordon looking for a good trick-or-treat spot). So, the Jeep is too clean and I can tell its getting fidgety - it seems to look for curbs or rocks to drive over. The majority of the off-road obstacles in the woods and forests around here are mud-related, and the Jeep isn't really set up for too deep of mud, but I think it'll do fine. The problem is that I don't have any way to get "unstuck" right now and no one to go off-roading with.
7. We have been able to go Geocaching and are up to 49 finds so far. The kids' travel bugs are moving around nicely. Amber's is in New Mexico, David's is in Wyoming, Emily's is in New Mexico, Illyana's is in Colorado and Carmen's is moving to Germany. I have a good route planned for next weekend that will take us to downtown Augusta and then out into some swamp-land.
8. Our next move should be up to the Portland, Oregon or Vancouever, Washington area and we will be there about 18 months while the Army pays me too much to get my Master's degree in Political Science. We should be leaving here in January and starting school in March. **Note the "SHOULD"s that are prevelant there - thats because with the Army, things are never 100% certain.
9. Current events:
a. Fires in California - Sad that so many people lost their homes. But, I think the more interesting thing is the fact that all of those people moved into the stadium (very reminscent of Katrina victims), but that they aren't all trying to kill each other and no one is dying. I think the reason for the dramatic differences is that the people in that part of California are more interested in being nice to others and making the best of the situation - taking control of their own lives, rather than letting the situation control them and only looking out for themselves. The victims in New Orleans had a "what is someone going to do for me" whereas the victims in California are being proactive to help each other. Yes, yes, bad me for not feeling sorry for Katrina victims two years after the fact. Two years is plenty to pick yourself up and move on.
b. Iraq - yup, still going on. Still sucks, but still needs to get taken care of.
c. Presidential race - If I were to make a wager, I'd put my money on Hillary, as much as I think she is the worst person for the job and will absolutely screw the country over. I don't know where my vote will go, but it definately will not be to her. Ever. Ever. Ever.
d. Bush - I think he's trying but is being misguided by his advisors. His administration has taken great strides in destroying the liberties of the people here and of absolutely disregarding the Constitution. For that, I hate this administration. But, I still think Hillary would be much much worse. The Patriot Act is complete and utter BS and I'm glad that at least some of it has been overturned by the courts. Wiretapping of US citizens is also BS, and so is torture and holding people as "enemy combatents" without trial or representation. The suspension of Habeous Corpus for any extended length of time, without a damn good reason is an affront to the Constitution and should be resisted at every opportunity.
e. The World Series - Go Rockies! I hope the Series is as exciting as the playoffs.
f. TV shows - waiting for Lost; watching Jeopardy!, Big Bang Theory, NCIS (occasionaly), Kid Nation (I dislike the "Beauty Queen" with a passion) and the one girl who danced for nickles in the first show is great. I'm glad Greg got the Gold Star so he can quit pouting about it every week.
g. The American dollar is worth less than the Canadian dollar and I think its hilarious that those Canadians are still having to pay the "Canadian" price on books! I'm sure there is a way to make some $$ on this little downturn of the American dollar, but I'm not sure what it is.
10. I have too many books that I need to read to even begin mentioning them.
11. I need to take the GRE soon. I hope I do alright...
12. The PS3 is better than the XBOX 360 and WII put together.
13. Isn't that enough already???
Sunday, October 7, 2007
I hate the "neighborhood."
I love baseball. I love watching, I love playing, I just love all of it. I regret that I haven't watched as much as I would have liked this year, but I have watched nearly all of the playoff games - and I love them! I love the excitement, the plays, the actions, the strategy and I love the rules. Yes, the rules. Its one of the reasons I love baseball so much! The rules are well defined - the base is X inches by X inches, the plate is SO wide, the bases are 90 feet apart. Everything has its dimensions and places. The players all follow the same set of rules and everything works out.
However, this year, I've noticed something for the first time that really pisses me off - the "neighborhood" unwritten rule, specifically as it is applied to a double-play. I didn't know it even had a name until my wife mentioned it.
In case you don't know what the unwritten neighborhood rule is, it goes something like this: according to the RULES (the written ones) during a short-stop to second base to first double play, the second baseman is REQUIRED to have the ball, touch the bag and then throw to first. The out is a direct result of the player with the ball touching the bag before the runner - actually TOUCHING the base IS required, not optional. Now, enter the "neighborhood" "rule" which is basically an agreement that the basebman doesn't actually have to TOUCH the bag, but just be near it. The intent behind the rule is fine - you don't want people getting hurt when they (the runner and the baseman) try to occupy the same space at the same time. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Watching these games, I've seen double-plays turned with the second baseman nowhere NEAR the bag, not hopping over it, not scooting by it, but just standing in the general vicinity of it. This is complete and utter BS. If the rules say you have to touch the damned bag, then by god, you should have to TOUCH the damned bag. The runners don't get to be safe by being NEAR the bag, and the outfielders can't ALMOST catch the ball - they actually have to perform the appropriate action.
This attitude that being "close enough" is good enough is one of the big problem that we face as a country. Everyone is content to be "in the neighborhood" of whatever and we aren't disciplining ourselves enough to actually finish the job we set out to do. We half ass things and then wonder why quality suffers. The "neighborhood" is NOT close enough. When my daughter is doing her math, if her answer isn't right but is in the "neighborhood" - ITS WRONG! 3+4=7. It doesn't equal six or eight.
I hate the "neighborhood." It is the bane of discipline and right answers. So, when you get the chance - try not to be in the neighborhood - just touch the base.
However, this year, I've noticed something for the first time that really pisses me off - the "neighborhood" unwritten rule, specifically as it is applied to a double-play. I didn't know it even had a name until my wife mentioned it.
In case you don't know what the unwritten neighborhood rule is, it goes something like this: according to the RULES (the written ones) during a short-stop to second base to first double play, the second baseman is REQUIRED to have the ball, touch the bag and then throw to first. The out is a direct result of the player with the ball touching the bag before the runner - actually TOUCHING the base IS required, not optional. Now, enter the "neighborhood" "rule" which is basically an agreement that the basebman doesn't actually have to TOUCH the bag, but just be near it. The intent behind the rule is fine - you don't want people getting hurt when they (the runner and the baseman) try to occupy the same space at the same time. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Watching these games, I've seen double-plays turned with the second baseman nowhere NEAR the bag, not hopping over it, not scooting by it, but just standing in the general vicinity of it. This is complete and utter BS. If the rules say you have to touch the damned bag, then by god, you should have to TOUCH the damned bag. The runners don't get to be safe by being NEAR the bag, and the outfielders can't ALMOST catch the ball - they actually have to perform the appropriate action.
This attitude that being "close enough" is good enough is one of the big problem that we face as a country. Everyone is content to be "in the neighborhood" of whatever and we aren't disciplining ourselves enough to actually finish the job we set out to do. We half ass things and then wonder why quality suffers. The "neighborhood" is NOT close enough. When my daughter is doing her math, if her answer isn't right but is in the "neighborhood" - ITS WRONG! 3+4=7. It doesn't equal six or eight.
I hate the "neighborhood." It is the bane of discipline and right answers. So, when you get the chance - try not to be in the neighborhood - just touch the base.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Open Letter to Motorcyclists
Dear Motorcycle Riders,
I appreciate your rights to drive on the road, just like everyone else. I believe in your rights to be safe on the road - or at least as safe as you can be with no protection going 60mph down the asphalt (and don't say that you wear all the protective gear, so you will be safe, please). I know that some people drive too close to you and don't always look close enough in their mirrors to see you. If you want loud pipes and believe they keep you safer - have at it.
But when one of your fellow riders cruises up the middle of two lanes, betweens dozens of stopped cars because of traffic jam or line, that guy screws with your whole "oppressed people" argument. That guy thinks that because he CAN drive between all the cars, he is entitled to. Is it because he feels he always gets disrespected by the quadra-wheeled people? I don't know, I don't care. As soon as that guy cruises on by, inches from my door, because he can, he hurts all of you and makes us quadra-wheelers upset and give us our justification for thinking that, at least some of you, deserves all the pain you get. Just because he can, doesn't mean he should - and its illegal. And when that guy not only zips by down the middle but then cuts someone (me) off, missing the front bumper by inches, we really don't like that either.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I have a 4x4 Jeep that I am fairly certain can drive over any grassy median or dirt shoulder, hell, I could even drive into the woods to pass everyone - but I don't. Just because I can, doesn't mean I should or that its legal. We have rules of the road - if you want to be on the road, follow them like the rest of us.
The next time I see a biker cruising down the middle lane, I will scoot towards the middle - just to make it hard. Between my bumpers, the entire lane is mine, don't try to take it from me. I love my Jeep, but I'm pretty sure it'll take a hit from your bike better than your bike will.
I'm just saying, if you motorcyclists want respect from us, you must respect us also.
PS. To the one specific biker who rode up the middle lane and cut me off today - you are lucky - you missed by only a few inches. I'm not sorry I rode your ass up to the gate and I'm glad that the MPs took care of you. And I hope they didn't buy the BS line about how "you didn't know you couldn't do that." Didn't you take the motorcycle test to get your license? I'm pretty sure its in there.
I appreciate your rights to drive on the road, just like everyone else. I believe in your rights to be safe on the road - or at least as safe as you can be with no protection going 60mph down the asphalt (and don't say that you wear all the protective gear, so you will be safe, please). I know that some people drive too close to you and don't always look close enough in their mirrors to see you. If you want loud pipes and believe they keep you safer - have at it.
But when one of your fellow riders cruises up the middle of two lanes, betweens dozens of stopped cars because of traffic jam or line, that guy screws with your whole "oppressed people" argument. That guy thinks that because he CAN drive between all the cars, he is entitled to. Is it because he feels he always gets disrespected by the quadra-wheeled people? I don't know, I don't care. As soon as that guy cruises on by, inches from my door, because he can, he hurts all of you and makes us quadra-wheelers upset and give us our justification for thinking that, at least some of you, deserves all the pain you get. Just because he can, doesn't mean he should - and its illegal. And when that guy not only zips by down the middle but then cuts someone (me) off, missing the front bumper by inches, we really don't like that either.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I have a 4x4 Jeep that I am fairly certain can drive over any grassy median or dirt shoulder, hell, I could even drive into the woods to pass everyone - but I don't. Just because I can, doesn't mean I should or that its legal. We have rules of the road - if you want to be on the road, follow them like the rest of us.
The next time I see a biker cruising down the middle lane, I will scoot towards the middle - just to make it hard. Between my bumpers, the entire lane is mine, don't try to take it from me. I love my Jeep, but I'm pretty sure it'll take a hit from your bike better than your bike will.
I'm just saying, if you motorcyclists want respect from us, you must respect us also.
PS. To the one specific biker who rode up the middle lane and cut me off today - you are lucky - you missed by only a few inches. I'm not sorry I rode your ass up to the gate and I'm glad that the MPs took care of you. And I hope they didn't buy the BS line about how "you didn't know you couldn't do that." Didn't you take the motorcycle test to get your license? I'm pretty sure its in there.
Do Something
I love it when people complain about the neighborhood they live in - and when you ask them whats wrong they tell you about the graffiti and garbage and stuff like that. Then, when you ask what they have done to help, they say nothing. If people aren't going to do something to help, then you have no basis to complain.
Why do I even mention it? Good question. I've usually lived in nice neighborhoods with little to no graffiti and a generally clean area. There has never been a need to do any clean up. Now, we've moved back to Augusta, Georgia and live in an apartment that is not exactly in the best part of town.
When we got here, the first thing I noticed was the gang graffiti on the mailboxes. There was also garbage all along the back fence of the complex - which our apartment looks out on. So, one of the first things we did was to clean up our section of the fence. I had the kids go out and pick up all the garbage that was right out back - and now it looks fine. The next project was the mailboxes - I think that if you leave graffiti up, it just encourages more and tells whoever is doing it that they can get away with it. So that was next.
We asked the apartment complex management to provide the spray paint, which they did, and we all went out to paint over the graffiti. Not long after we started painting over the graffiti, there were five or so teenage males that came out of a nearby apartment and walked slowly by, watching us as we painted. I have no doubt that they were the boys who did the original painting. We took pictures of the graffiti before we started and I also took pictures as we progressed and of the boys who were taking an interest in our anti-graffiti project. They walked back and forth until we ran out of paint - all of the graffiti was painted over, but the mailboxes were not a solid color. So, we halted our project for the day. We wholly expected our anti-graffiti painting to be regraffittied within a few days, or the weekend at the latest. Much to our surprise, no one tried to paint on it again. We requested and received more paint from the management and finished up the painting a couple of weeks later.
While we were finishing up the painting, people who were driving through the complex would slow down and watch what we were doing. All they could see from the road was some people behind the mailboxes spraypainting. As we were finishing up, one guy parked and walked around the mailboxes to see exactly what we were doing. As he walked around the side of the boxes, I could tell be the stern look on his face that we thought we were up to no good. I made eye contact with him and asked him how he was doing. He looked sternly at me and then at the back of the mailboxes. When he saw that we were painting over the graffiti and not making graffiti, his demeanor immediately changed and he said, "Oh, you're painting over the graffiti. Thanks." His tone was one of surprise and sincerity. I casually said, "We all have to do our part," and finished up the painting and went inside. He still seemed surprised. I don't think many people around here take much interest in anything much greater than survival.
We saved a little paint so that if the graffiti comes back, we can quickly remove it.
I know that by removing the graffiti we have made ourselves more of a target in the neighborhood, but I'm not really worried. Everything is insured and we can cover the deductible. As far as the safety of the family, we always watch the kids go to and come from school and they are never out of sight. The doors to the apartment are always locked at night (although they are not exactly "sturdy"). I go to PT early in the morning and come back at seemingly random times during the day, so there is no way to tell when we're home and when we're not. If someone makes the mistake of breaking into the house while we're asleep - they will quickly find themselves on the receiving end of some .40 caliber hollow points.
I wholly believe that if everyone would clean up their areas and maybe just a little bit outside of their area, everything would be much better for everyone. There are more good people in the world than bad people - but the bad people just do more to get noticed.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Why do I even mention it? Good question. I've usually lived in nice neighborhoods with little to no graffiti and a generally clean area. There has never been a need to do any clean up. Now, we've moved back to Augusta, Georgia and live in an apartment that is not exactly in the best part of town.
When we got here, the first thing I noticed was the gang graffiti on the mailboxes. There was also garbage all along the back fence of the complex - which our apartment looks out on. So, one of the first things we did was to clean up our section of the fence. I had the kids go out and pick up all the garbage that was right out back - and now it looks fine. The next project was the mailboxes - I think that if you leave graffiti up, it just encourages more and tells whoever is doing it that they can get away with it. So that was next.
We asked the apartment complex management to provide the spray paint, which they did, and we all went out to paint over the graffiti. Not long after we started painting over the graffiti, there were five or so teenage males that came out of a nearby apartment and walked slowly by, watching us as we painted. I have no doubt that they were the boys who did the original painting. We took pictures of the graffiti before we started and I also took pictures as we progressed and of the boys who were taking an interest in our anti-graffiti project. They walked back and forth until we ran out of paint - all of the graffiti was painted over, but the mailboxes were not a solid color. So, we halted our project for the day. We wholly expected our anti-graffiti painting to be regraffittied within a few days, or the weekend at the latest. Much to our surprise, no one tried to paint on it again. We requested and received more paint from the management and finished up the painting a couple of weeks later.
While we were finishing up the painting, people who were driving through the complex would slow down and watch what we were doing. All they could see from the road was some people behind the mailboxes spraypainting. As we were finishing up, one guy parked and walked around the mailboxes to see exactly what we were doing. As he walked around the side of the boxes, I could tell be the stern look on his face that we thought we were up to no good. I made eye contact with him and asked him how he was doing. He looked sternly at me and then at the back of the mailboxes. When he saw that we were painting over the graffiti and not making graffiti, his demeanor immediately changed and he said, "Oh, you're painting over the graffiti. Thanks." His tone was one of surprise and sincerity. I casually said, "We all have to do our part," and finished up the painting and went inside. He still seemed surprised. I don't think many people around here take much interest in anything much greater than survival.
We saved a little paint so that if the graffiti comes back, we can quickly remove it.
I know that by removing the graffiti we have made ourselves more of a target in the neighborhood, but I'm not really worried. Everything is insured and we can cover the deductible. As far as the safety of the family, we always watch the kids go to and come from school and they are never out of sight. The doors to the apartment are always locked at night (although they are not exactly "sturdy"). I go to PT early in the morning and come back at seemingly random times during the day, so there is no way to tell when we're home and when we're not. If someone makes the mistake of breaking into the house while we're asleep - they will quickly find themselves on the receiving end of some .40 caliber hollow points.
I wholly believe that if everyone would clean up their areas and maybe just a little bit outside of their area, everything would be much better for everyone. There are more good people in the world than bad people - but the bad people just do more to get noticed.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Homeschooling
Because of the whole RCBOE and illegal searching deal, we have pulled our oldest daughter out of the school district and are now homeschooling her. Of the kids we have, she is the only one who we can do this with because she has the ability to work on her own. If the younger ones were to be homeschooled, it would be a mess - they can not be controlled outside of a regular school environment.
Our homeschooling curriculum consists of classes in History, Language Arts, Math, Vocabulary, Spelling, Geography, Science, PE, Sign Language and Home Economics. She is required by the state to have school for four hours a day - she gets more than that. She starts school at around 0900 and is usually done by 3ish - much like a regular school day. However, when she was actually in school, she would leave the house at 0800 to catch the bus and not get back until 1700 on the bus. At public school, she only had five classes and had to learn at the pace of the slowest kid - which down here, is pretty slow. Most of her time was spent waiting for others or the bus. Waste, waste, waste.
So far, she has learned:
History - the origins of man from cavemen through Alexander the Great (so far)
Math - we just finished up Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying and Dividing fractions.
Science- learned about what the earth is made of, what the atmopshere is made of and the moon and its phases.
Geography - we have go in depth into Ethiopia, Egypt, and Greece.
Language Arts - the basics of english, the main parts of a sentence and paragraph and she has done a book report. She is now reading "Call of the Wild"
Spelling and Vocab - the basics, spelling words, learning new words, etc
PE - she runs every other day or does Yoga. She will have a PE test at the end of the quarter - next weekend.
Sign Language and Home Ec are done on an as-available basis - she helps with the household chores, cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc and learns a little bit more sign language every few days.
She is doing really good in some subjects and not so well in others.
Her math is what she is doing the worst in, but I think that isn't due to any inability or lack of understanding, but rather a lack of focus to do good. She just whips through the problems and makes silly mistakes.
I think part of the issue with her and us and homeschool is that we see every grade and every piece of work she does now. She can't slip on one assignment and have us not see it. Before, when she was in school, we really only saw the report card at the end of the quarter and made decisions based on that. Now, we see every week how she is doing and adjust things accordingly - sometimes in her favor and sometimes not. If she is doing well, we move on faster - if she isn't we do more of the same until she understands.
Our homeschooling curriculum consists of classes in History, Language Arts, Math, Vocabulary, Spelling, Geography, Science, PE, Sign Language and Home Economics. She is required by the state to have school for four hours a day - she gets more than that. She starts school at around 0900 and is usually done by 3ish - much like a regular school day. However, when she was actually in school, she would leave the house at 0800 to catch the bus and not get back until 1700 on the bus. At public school, she only had five classes and had to learn at the pace of the slowest kid - which down here, is pretty slow. Most of her time was spent waiting for others or the bus. Waste, waste, waste.
So far, she has learned:
History - the origins of man from cavemen through Alexander the Great (so far)
Math - we just finished up Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying and Dividing fractions.
Science- learned about what the earth is made of, what the atmopshere is made of and the moon and its phases.
Geography - we have go in depth into Ethiopia, Egypt, and Greece.
Language Arts - the basics of english, the main parts of a sentence and paragraph and she has done a book report. She is now reading "Call of the Wild"
Spelling and Vocab - the basics, spelling words, learning new words, etc
PE - she runs every other day or does Yoga. She will have a PE test at the end of the quarter - next weekend.
Sign Language and Home Ec are done on an as-available basis - she helps with the household chores, cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc and learns a little bit more sign language every few days.
She is doing really good in some subjects and not so well in others.
Her math is what she is doing the worst in, but I think that isn't due to any inability or lack of understanding, but rather a lack of focus to do good. She just whips through the problems and makes silly mistakes.
I think part of the issue with her and us and homeschool is that we see every grade and every piece of work she does now. She can't slip on one assignment and have us not see it. Before, when she was in school, we really only saw the report card at the end of the quarter and made decisions based on that. Now, we see every week how she is doing and adjust things accordingly - sometimes in her favor and sometimes not. If she is doing well, we move on faster - if she isn't we do more of the same until she understands.
PTA
When we first came to Georgia and signed the kids up for school, we also got ourselves involved in the PTA program. The first meeting was a few weeks ago. I was a little bit stunned as to how it played out.
I'm curious as to what the purpose of the PTA is - really, I haven't a clue. I suppose that a PTA is there to support the school and the kids that go to the school. From the budget that this PTA put out, it looks like the kids in the school earn money for the PTA through the sales of stuff (chocolates and wrapping paper, etc) and through collecting box-tops and all that. I thought that the box-top money went to the school itself, but apparently, it goes to the PTA. So, what does the PTA DO exactly? Good question. From their budget it appears as though they send volunteers to Atlanta for training and buy parting gifts for teachers and administrators. Also, I don't know what the difference is between this year and last years budget, but last year they had a $2700 surplus - THIS year they are under by $2000. I wonder what happened?
Personally, I think they should cut out the teacher gifts until they are back within their budget and even then, maybe they should be looking to improve the school and educational pieces rather than spending over $1000 on gifts.
If I were going to be here longer, I would worry more about it. But, I'm not sure how much I could do then anyway. It seems like the people here are just content with how things are and are not at all interested in making things better.
Funny thing about moving around more than the average person - you see what is good and what is bad about numerous aspects of society in different parts of the country. In Colorado, the teachers cared about the kids and liked their jobs. The school was clean and orderly and the kids liked going. Here, the school is more like a prison. At the end of the day, a woman tell which kids to go where over a PA system. Kids are subjected to random searches as they get off the bus. My kids, who usually love school, don't want to go!
I digress. At the next PTA meeting, I think they will here more about what they are doing wrong.
I'm curious as to what the purpose of the PTA is - really, I haven't a clue. I suppose that a PTA is there to support the school and the kids that go to the school. From the budget that this PTA put out, it looks like the kids in the school earn money for the PTA through the sales of stuff (chocolates and wrapping paper, etc) and through collecting box-tops and all that. I thought that the box-top money went to the school itself, but apparently, it goes to the PTA. So, what does the PTA DO exactly? Good question. From their budget it appears as though they send volunteers to Atlanta for training and buy parting gifts for teachers and administrators. Also, I don't know what the difference is between this year and last years budget, but last year they had a $2700 surplus - THIS year they are under by $2000. I wonder what happened?
Personally, I think they should cut out the teacher gifts until they are back within their budget and even then, maybe they should be looking to improve the school and educational pieces rather than spending over $1000 on gifts.
If I were going to be here longer, I would worry more about it. But, I'm not sure how much I could do then anyway. It seems like the people here are just content with how things are and are not at all interested in making things better.
Funny thing about moving around more than the average person - you see what is good and what is bad about numerous aspects of society in different parts of the country. In Colorado, the teachers cared about the kids and liked their jobs. The school was clean and orderly and the kids liked going. Here, the school is more like a prison. At the end of the day, a woman tell which kids to go where over a PA system. Kids are subjected to random searches as they get off the bus. My kids, who usually love school, don't want to go!
I digress. At the next PTA meeting, I think they will here more about what they are doing wrong.
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