Inspired by a little-known picture book from the pen of Bethany Tudor, this is a diary, of sorts, where I document some of my thoughts, activities, and ideas as I explore the challenges met by the characters in the story: hard work, the care and nurture of others, housekeeping skills, life changes, charity, community, and cooperation, among others. Like Samuel and Samantha, the ducks in the tale, I struggle and succeed, cope and celebrate, work and play, handling the tasks that come my way. I invite you to join me on my journey.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

House Sold!

Way back last summer, shortly after I started Gooseberry Lane, my mother put my childhood home up for sale. My father had passed away in November 2005 and the large 1910 structure was unnecessarily roomy for one seventy-six-year-old lady. After several months of sorting and decluttering, donations, and an estate sale, the home went on the market August 31, 2006. Originally listed at $79,000, in early March my mother received an offer of $74,999 for the property. Given the slowing real estate market in the Upper Midwest, selling seemed like the best option. Holding out for a “better” price seemed like wishful thinking and the bank was waiting for a payment on my mother’s new house, a three-bedroom mobile home that she had purchased before the “big” house was ever for sale. After a month of paperwork, inspections, and loan officer questions, the house was finally sold. A new family now owns it.

When this whole process began, I made a prayer request, less for the house (I think) and more for my ability to cope with the transition of seeing my childhood home pass to someone else, but I made the request nonetheless. This is what I asked for:

- the home would be purchased by a family with small children
- the building and grounds would be kept in good repair
- the home and grounds would create wonderful memories for children

Well, yesterday afternoon, my mother informed me that the new owners are married with a baby on the way and at least one other child who, interestingly enough, is the same age as my sister when my parents bought the house in 1960. Also, after some conversation with the new owner-husband, my mother ascertained that he is knowledgeable about home maintenance and repair. So, it appears that my prayer was answered, at least as far as my first two requests. I may never have an answer to my last request. That really depends on the new family and how they live their life. But God is faithful and, knowing that He already answered part of my prayer, I have faith that He will keep the new family in His care and will help them build a wonderful life for their children in a home that, for the last one hundred years, has already provided much joy to those who have lived within her walls.
Bless this house, O Lord, we pray.
Make it safe by night and day.
Bless these walls so firm and stout,
Keeping want and trouble out.
Bless this roof and chimney tall,
Let thy peace lie overall.
Bless these doors that they may prove
Ever open to joy and love.
Bless the windows shining bright,
Letting in God’s heavenly light.
Bless the hearth a-blazing there,
With smoke ascending like a prayer.
Bless the people here within…
Keep them pure and free from sin.
Bless us all, that one day, we
May be fit, O Lord, to dwell with Thee.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

A Coupon From God

I so appreciate it when God pays attention to the details of my life. Friday night was yet another example of this. My daughter and I went shopping for a set of colored pencils for her to use in her health and world geography classes. These were no ordinary pencils, mind you. These were Prismacolor Premier, the 120-pencil set, for $120.00. Fortunately, while we were contemplating this purchase at our local A.C. Moore, a total stranger came up to us with a 50% off coupon. The manner in which this woman approached us made me think she had mistakenly identified me as an employee of the store rather than just another customer. I almost sent her away before she explained that she didn’t have any questions, she just wanted to share her extra coupon with me. I thanked her and proceeded to find the manager so he could retrieve the colored pencils from the backroom. Apparently, this particular set of Prismacolor pencils is too expensive to leave on the shelf for fear of theft. After a bit of a wait to check the price, we exited the store having saved $60.00! My daughter is now ready to color anything under the sun, be it a diagram of the endocrine system or a map of Africa. God is so good to me.

The Lord watches over all who love him… Psalm 145:20 (NIV)

Spelling Anyone?

Can anyone spell anymore? Does anybody really care?

Yesterday morning, when I drove onto the military base near my house, I checked the public announcement sign at the front gate for the latest news. This is what I saw:

FREE MARRIAGE RETREET
DELUXE ACCOMODATIONS

Being a homeschool educator and a natural speller, this creative use of orthography irritated me. My husband said I should contact the base commander, a gentleman who (many moons ago) was stationed with us at the Historic Ship Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum, when he was just a lowly lieutenant and my husband was a first class petty officer. I suppose the suggestion was given in the hopes that the captain could get the spelling error corrected.

I wonder if anyone would correct the sign if I brought it to their attention? I wonder if anyone would care?

Evaluation: Rudolph Club FEB 2007

My new assignments for the Rudolph Club are below. I had from February 25th-March 25th to complete these tasks. I think I did pretty well. I still need to store some of my Christmas boxes in the attic, so I wouldn’t call the month a complete success. I am making progress, though.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT #1: Begin a Holiday Letter
I created a form in my computer where I can notate the happenings in each month of 2007. January and February have already been summarized.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT #2: Open a Christmas Club Account
I have done this for a number of years, setting aside anywhere from $10.00-$200.00 per month for holiday expenses. So far, I have $400.00 set aside for Christmas 2007. I generally deposit money in the Christmas fund until October. November and December are for spending the set-aside cash. :-) When budgeting for this account, I consider more than just gift purchases. I try to include other costs as well: Christmas tree purchase, extra food for dinner guests, etc. This year I am including airfare for my mother should she decide to come visit for the holiday.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT #3: Keep Up With the Gift Closet
I purchased St. Patrick’s Day socks for the sock box. Now I am on the lookout for Easter-themed footwear. I also bought some Christmas gifts for other people as well.

HOLIDAY BOOKS & MOVIES
The March selections were:

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
Aside from this novel ending on Christmas Eve, I am unsure how it relates to the holiday. It is the story of a father and his twelve-year-old daughter who find an abandoned baby in the snow and who, subsequently, help the child’s young mother recover from the birth when she unexpectedly appears at their home. While trapped in the house by a blizzard, the truth of how the baby was abandoned comes to light, leaving the father to face his own demons about his deceased infant child (and wife), while the daughter comes to grips with growing up amidst the grief that has permeated their lives since the death of her mother and sister. Publishers Weekly had this to say about the tale:
Retold eighteen years later by an adult Nicky [the daughter] but written in the present tense, the story shifts brilliantly between childlike visions of a simple world and the growing realization of its cruel ambiguities… Shreve does a skilled job of portraying grief, conflict and anger while leaving room for hope, redemption and renewal.
A quick and satisfying read, it explores much about loss and the process of recovery after profound emotional trauma, but, once again, I am unsure how the story relates to Christmas.

Recommended as light bedtime reading.

Little Women, starring Winona Ryder & Gabriel Byrne
I had to watch this film a couple of times to see the significance per Christmas. Sure, the Marsh family celebrates the holiday several times during the movie. In fact, Christmas celebrations actually anchor the film, giving the viewer a sense of how much time has passed while action is occurring in the other relationships throughout the story. Yet, I don’t know as I would recommend it as a “Christmas film.” Being based on a literary classic, the movie is certainly worth watching any day of the year, not just during the holidays.

Highly recommended, especially this version. As a fan of Gabriel Byrne (at least some of his films), I prefer this rendition over the one starring June Allyson.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

File Sharing Legalities

Confused about the legalities of file sharing and downloading on the Internet? Check out Legal Lad’s latest podcast, “Share and Share Alike” in the Gooseberry Lane sidebar. His advice: be very careful when engaging in file sharing activity. The penalty for willful commercial copyright infringement is up to six months in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. For articles that discuss this issue, Legal Lad recommends the following websites:

Recording Industry Association of America
Electronic Frontier Foundation

Have a great Saturday.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Is It Halloween or Easter?

Recently, I was shopping in the Super Wal-Mart not far from my home, when I happened to pass the “holiday promotion” aisle. Of course, this time of year, the shelves were brimming with Easter candy, Easter bunnies, and Easter baskets, all in lovely pastel colors of pink, yellow, and purple. But wait, what was this? A Shrek head? A Spiderman basket? A smiling soccer ball? It appeared that the traditional Easter motif had some competition. How strange, I thought, shaking my head and continuing on my way. Who would buy such a thing for their children? After all, it isn’t Halloween; it is Easter.

A few days later, I was in Kohl’s, shopping for some pretty, pastel Easter socks. How odd, I observed. No bunnies. No egg patterns. No cute floral designs. What was that? You have black socks with a skull and crossbones design in the hosiery department? Surely, you jest. It is, after all, Easter and not Halloween.

Several days after my trip to Kohl’s, I decided to shop online for some Easter items. Since I was looking for footwear, I headed over to the Joy of Socks. They had a few pairs of Easter socks with the traditional bunny and egg designs, alongside more hosiery sporting more skulls. I even found a pair of thigh-high lacy stockings with a spider web design. Those were sold out! Meanwhile the pastel bunnies languished in obscurity.

So where was I when the Easter bus left town? Did the Boogie Man and his minions kidnap the Easter bunny ala The Nightmare Before Christmas? Was I cranially in absentia when some massive cultural reinterpretation occurred? Easter does involve death…a death…the death of Christ…on Good Friday. Given that, I suppose some greedy corporation could advance an argument that skull and crossbones socks are an Easter-season fashion item. Of course, I would consider such an explanation complete lunacy, but I digress…It is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to remember that Easter involves resurrection…a resurrection…the only resurrection that saved any of us from eternal damnation… the resurrection of Christ. Easter represents life.

So if pagan symbols of death bother me on Easter, why am I not concerned about pagan symbols of life --- like the bunny rabbit and the egg and various flowers? Because they can be used as vehicles to explain the new life that we all have in Christ. Take the bunny rabbit, for example. Anyone who knows anything about rabbits understands their capacity to reproduce. What better symbol for new life could you possibly find than that, unless, of course, you had chosen a guppy? And what about the egg? Almost every new life on earth is born from an egg of some sort, including humans. As for the flowers, well, that should be obvious. Who doesn’t see the signs of new life when crocuses and daffodils emerge every spring? Just as we receive new life in Christ, so God can use these pagan symbols as witnesses to that life.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

So where does that leave the Shrek head, the Spiderman basket, and the smiling soccer ball? With blatant commercialism and nothing more. In my opinion, those items should be stocked in the warehouse until October when they can be more appropriately displayed as part of Halloween, not Easter.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Lake Sisseton

In my hometown, three blocks from my childhood home, is Lake Sisseton, one of five lakes within the city limits and, to my knowledge, the only one with an Indian legend associated with it. As a child, I used to hear people talk about an Indian maiden who died near the northwest portion of the lake. Distraught over the loss of a loved one, she either perished from sorrow or killed herself; I can’t remember which. From the site along the lake where this event supposedly occurred, near Sylvania Park, and running along the woods that cover part of the shoreline just below the back of the courthouse, is a trail. It ends in Ward Park, very close to my old home. As a child, my dad and I used to take this trail often. At the time, it was well worn; however, I am told that no one is allowed there now, due to lack of maintenance.

Anyway, at the very north end of the Lake Sisseton, not far from the cemetery where my father is buried, is a railroad bridge; hence, the photo pictured here. A typical spring scene for this part of town, it is usually enjoyed only by those individuals crazy enough to get up early before the fog burns off. Fortunately, thanks to Chip Pearson, one of the long-time photographers for the Fairmont Sentinel, I neither have to get up early nor travel 1400 miles to see this sight. I just need to pick up my online newspaper. May you enjoy this photo as much as I did. Have a great day.

Note: After rereading the caption from the photo in the Fairmont Sentinel, I realized that this fog apparently rolled in during the afternoon, not in the morning as previously stated. How unusual.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Holiday Countdown Corrected

Hopefully, the recent mistakes in the Holiday Countdown escaped notice; if not, rest assured the errors have now been corrected. Please note, the days of Lent do not include Sundays, a phenomenon which may be partly responsible for my error. So we are now in the fifth week of Lent. After today, only one weekly church service remains before Holy Week. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the festival season of the church year passes. Have a great Wednesday.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Pet Food Recall

In case you hadn’t heard, Menu Foods, manufacturer of several major brands of cat and dog food, after the deaths of two cats and the incidence of kidney failure in an additional 18 cats over the past two weeks, decided to recall certain gravy-style pet food in cans and pouches made between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The list of brands is quite extensive and can be checked at www.menufoods.com/recall. I use Science Diet® Adult Light and Science Diet® Kitten food (both dry) for my cats, two products that are not included in the recall, thank goodness. I lost my beloved cat, Carlyle, to kidney failure several years ago and it is an experience I would not wish to repeat. I would advise anyone with a cat or a dog to consult the list and discard any questionable food as soon as possible. Inquiries about the recall can also be made by phone at (866) 895-2708.

Throw That Fruitcake!

Have you ever wondered what to do with that fruitcake you received from some well-meaning friend or relative last Christmas? Well, let me tell you how the folks in my hometown recycle that unwanted dessert --- they make it fly!

My hometown is unique in many ways, but this one may take the cake --- or the fruitcake, as the case may be. Every year, usually in January, to beat the winter blues, Fairmont hosts The Fabulous Fruitcake Follies, a day of festivities culminating in a fruitcake throwing competition. The point of the event is to beat cabin fever by coming out to socialize with your neighbors and cheer on the dozen or so throwing competitors.

And just how serious is this competition? Ron Gower (one of my former English professors from Minnesota State University) described it this way in an article he penned for the Mankato Free Press:
This is serious throwing, not just hand-lobbed projectiles. Throwers can use any mechanical device as long as it doesn’t use a motor or electricity, so the throwing machines range from oversize slingshots to air-powered cannon (pumped by hand) to medieval onagers and trebuchets, favored by most serious slingers.
Another rule for this confection-pitching contest? Participants must use genuine fruitcake. No frauds or pretenders allowed. Also, no additional weights are permitted to improve trajectory, although some contestants do soak their “ammunition” in water and freeze them, a natural and "legal" method of making their fruitcake heavier. This process must work because throwing distances have been known to reach as high as 680 feet. Winners actually progress to the national fruitcake throwing finals in Eureka, Kansas. Who would’ve guessed?

Not interested in lobbing fruitcake? Maybe some of the other activities would trip your trigger: a light breakfast, relay races, or the Ugly Fruitcake Decorating event. Sorry, no fruitcake eating competition. I guess the organizers offered this once, but no one volunteered. Being a fruitcake fan, I would have volunteered for such a gastronomic tournament, but I guess if you are attending an event where people choose to hurl fruitcake rather than eat it, lack of participation is understandable.

“The whole idea,” to quote organizer Dave Smith, “is to get people out to celebrate the madness of winter.” So, if you are feeling a bit crazy next January (since spring begins tomorrow), plan a trip to Minnesota for the Fabulous Fruitcake Follies, and remember to pack your trebuchet.

Photo taken by Mike Wasmund of the Mankato Free Press in Mankato, MN. Mike is a regular participant and past winner of both the local and national fruitcake throwing competitions. He holds the local throwing record, having pitched a fruitcake 684 feet with his home-crafted trebuchet.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Designing Health Class

In order to meet the graduation requirements for the state of Connecticut and the state of Maine (where our transcript service is located), my daughter must complete 40 instructional hours, or one-half credit, of health. As I could not/did not find an established curriculum that covered everything I wanted Katherine the Great to learn, I decided to design my own course. Most likely, it will be called Health, Sexuality, and Human Anatomy. This is what I came up with so far.

Course description
A survey course in human anatomy, growth and development, nutrition, immunology, fitness, safety, and first aid in order to better understand the human body, and determine what actions will help the student attain and maintain good health. Includes units on medical ethics and medical careers, as well as a comparison of biblical and secular attitudes toward sexuality, dating, and marriage.

Topics Covered
Major body systems
Fetal growth & development
Mental health & disorders
Immunology
Infectious & noninfectious diseases
Systemic diseases & disorders
Nutritional needs
Healthy food choices
Exercise & fitness
Personal health care & hygiene
Household hazards
Road safety
Environmental safety
Emergency preparedness
First-aid procedures
Drugs & medicines
Drug & substance abuse
Alcohol & tobacco
Suicide, euthanasia, & abortion
Organ donation
AIDS
Stem cell research
Medical careers
Sexuality, dating, & marriage
Biblical discernment

Course requirements
- Read Health in Christian Perspective. Complete all assignments in textbook. Take all associated unit exams.

- Color all assigned diagrams in The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit & Lawrence Elson.

- Read Sex, Love, and Romance: Sex Education from the Bible by Hugh F. Pyle.

- Read Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We’re Still Single by Jillian Straus.

- Attend a presentation on abstinence education.

- Write a paper comparing and contrasting the biblical and secular attitudes toward sexuality, dating, and marriage.

- Keep a food diary for one week. Write a short paper analyzing your nutritional habits with an emphasis on areas needing improvement.

- Perform a personal fitness assessment. Write a plan to improve areas of weakness. Keep the plan for use in a physical education class.

- Explain & demonstrate various first-aid techniques.

- Perform a safety assessment on your home. Write a plan to address any deficiencies.

- Interview a health care provider in your community. Write a short paper discussing what you learned.

- Examine the current state of medical research and discuss the associated ethics issues per abortion, euthanasia, organ donation, AIDS, stem cell research, and suicide. Write a position paper supporting your personal viewpoint on one of these issues.

Note: The curriculum will include educational videos where appropriate. I may also require my daughter to visit a pregnancy counseling/support center as part of the course; however, I am uncertain if this is necessary given the other course requirements already in place for sex education.

Graded work
- Individual assignments from Health in Christian Perspective
- Tests from Health in Christian Perspective
- Coloring assignments in The Anatomy Coloring Book
- Sexuality paper
- Food diary & analysis
- Fitness assessment and plan
- First-aid demonstration
- Home safety assessment & plan
- Health care provider interview evaluation
- Medical ethics position paper

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Being of Irish descent through my mother, I never heard this saying until recently. It has become one of my favorites.

May those who love us, love us.
And those who don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he can’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping!

The Storm Has Passed

Well, the latest Nor’easter seems to have ended. Yesterday, I had snow and then some freezing rain. This morning, I have only rain. I suppose that means the last of the lovely white stuff will soon be gone until next winter, ushering in my "favorite" season of the year --- mud. Ugh!

This is my side yard, looking back toward the woods behind my home. I love the clean look of the snow just after it has fallen. It makes everything appear so fresh and renewed.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Get That Mammogram!

I read recently on the Livestrong Blog that the number of women in the United States who receive periodic mammograms is declining. Apparently, this trend was reported recently in USA Today. Curious to read the article, I searched the Internet for “mammogram decline.” To my surprise, two articles written almost two years apart reported the same trend. This is not good, ladies! Mammograms save lives! Let me give you a few examples:

A Homeschool Mom. Several years ago, one of the local homeschool moms who volunteered with me on the CHOOSE CT Coordinating Council went in for her mammogram in late August/early September. She wanted to get her annual physical and other related appointments out of the way before the academic year got too busy. Well, it wasn't long before she got the phone call she never expected. She had a lump in her breast. It turned out to be cancer, but because her physician, through the use of mammography, discovered the mass early, this mom is still here to educate her children. She chose to undergo a mastectomy, but did not require chemotherapy or radiation because of early detection.

A Grandma Beats Breast Cancer Twice. The mother of one of my dearest friends is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Interestingly, her bouts with the illness came 25 years apart. I do not know many details about how the first tumor was discovered. I only know that Mrs. M had a mastectomy as a result. Sometime when my friend was a teenager, her mother developed the illness again, resulting in a second mastectomy. Even now, at age 84, as a double mastectomy patient, Mrs. M still undergoes periodic mammograms and why not, the procedure saved her life --- twice.

Go With a Friend. You May Benefit. My daughter takes piano lessons from a wonderful woman who used to direct the choir at my former church. In discussing the new colon cancer diagnosis of a mutual friend, this grandmother shared with me that, as a younger woman, she agreed to accompany one of her friends to a mammogram. This friend from her younger days was apparently nervous about having the procedure done, so Mrs. N volunteered to serve as moral support. Since she was in the office anyway, Mrs. N decided to have her own mammogram. Well, the friend was fine, but Mrs. N had a lump in her breast.

These are only three examples from my circle of friends and acquaintances. Lord only knows how many more examples are out there. What is your mammography status? Have you had this simple screening procedure done lately, or are you contributing to the statistical decline in mammography? Get the test, ladies. Make your appointment today!

To read the article from 2005, click here.
To read the article from 2007, click here.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

A Free Wool Coat

Yesterday, after attending a noon Lenten service at my church and after dropping my daughter at her weekly piano lesson, I sat in McDonalds drinking tea and reflecting on the sermon I had heard just an hour before, based on a passage from Isaiah, written almost 700 years before the birth of Christ:
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. Isaiah 53:6 (NASB)
Common language skills tell us that the words “ALL OF US” in this passage refers to you and me. The phrase “LIKE SHEEP” compares us with those wooly creatures who, if you have ever spent much time around them, provide consistent evidence of lack --- lack of stellar intellect, lack of self-direction, lack of awareness, the list could go on and on. They provide beautiful wool for my sweaters; but let’s face it, the comparison of people with sheep is anything but complimentary to the people. We often lack intelligence, self-direction, and awareness, too, most especially when trying to follow our Shepherd; hence, the phrase “GONE ASTRAY.”

And to where have we all strayed? To the happy land of “self.” In our sinful state, we spend most of our waking hours concerned with our own lives, our own goals, and our own problems. We don’t spend a lot of time worrying about others or what the Lord thinks is important. We can’t help it; it is just the way we are. In the Lutheran church, we confess these words, or something similar, in our liturgy on a regular basis:
We are by nature sinful and unclean and have sinned against God by our thoughts, words, and deeds.
And just who is going to rescue us from this condition, assuming that to remain in such a sinful state would be detrimental to our eternal health? Christ, of course; hence the phrase “BUT THE LORD HAS CAUSED THE INIQUITY OF US ALL TO FALL ON HIM.” Jesus took all the punishment for all the sins of all the people ever born (and whoever will be born). As a stray sheep, I can do nothing to save myself. I need Christ to stand in my stead, to provide the covering for my sin that I cannot provide for myself. In the words of my pastor:
I can wear a coat of righteous wool shorn from the Lamb of God Himself.
That coat is a free gift provided for each of us. All we need to do is accept it.

Probiotic Study

Every day, I receive a “Daily Tip from Dr. Weil.com,” the website of the renowned physician Andrew Weil who has authored several books on healthy living and healthy aging. This morning the news was (hopefully) good for me, as I have been taking probiotics for several months now.
A new study from Belgium suggests that daily intake of probiotics (friendly bacteria) and prebiotics (substances that nourish friendly bacteria in the intestines) may reduce the activity of enzymes in the colon that produce carcinogenic compounds. A small study that included 53 young, healthy volunteers who took probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics (a combination of probiotics and the foods that foster their growth) found that certain probiotics and prebiotics decreased levels of enzymes believed to be involved with the development of colon cancer.
Apparently, the synbiotics did not appear to help reduce the targeted enzyme levels. The probiotic study can be found in the latest edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In a shameless commercial plug, I take Shaklee Optiflora® Probiotic Complex and Shaklee Optiflora® Prebiotic Complex every morning before breakfast.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Body Clock Confusion

I’m not sure if it is the fact that I am still recovering from a severe case of influenza, or because I’ve hit middle age, but this early shift to daylight savings time has my body clock completely confused. I feel like I lost an hour, not gained an hour. My most productive time of day is early morning (between 5:00-7:00 AM). Because the late winter/early spring light that comes through my window is now a hour off, I am now an hour off. I wake up to find that it isn’t really 5:00 AM; it is actually 6:00 AM. So, in my mind, when my feet hit the floor, I am already an hour behind. Is anyone else completely confused?

Homeschooling for Hire?

As a preface to this article, Plush Duck admits to being a self-described homeschooling purist, meaning she believes that homeschooling should be done by parents, not private tutors, online virtual schools, community college courses, or the occasional public school class if permitted by local education officials.

As the coordinator of a homeschool support group, I receive my fair share of phone calls regarding homeschooling and, normally, these inquiries come from families investigating home education as a viable commitment for their family. Recently, however, I have received several phone calls from professional public school educators, some retired, some actively employed, who have faced the question, “May I hire you to homeschool my children?” My advice to these individuals: insist on a legally binding employment contract, enumerating your duties and responsibilities as the instructor, and the parents’ duties and responsibilities as the employer. Then have the contract signed by both parties in the presence of an attorney or, at the very least, a notary public. This sounds heavy-handed and legalistic, I know, but as a professional educator, it protects you from an accusation of “educational neglect” if your students do not perform as well as desired by the parents, and it gives you a way to hold the parents accountable if they fail in their duties as an employer. Of course, it also gives the parents a vehicle by which to hold you accountable as well, but I digress…

As a veteran homeschooler, my more pressing concern is this: when did home education by parent-teachers become “homeschooling for hire” by certified teachers, whether or not the parents work outside the home? Important news flash: this is NOT homeschooling; this is the creation of a private school within the physical confines of your home! Please, do not call this type of education “homeschooling!” The mere fact that student instruction is occurring in a location outside the physical boundaries of a public or private educational institution does not mean, by default, that such instruction is “homeschooling.” Homeschooling is education that occurs in a private home with the majority of instruction being given by the parents.

When parents decide to homeschool their kids, they are actively retaining the authority to educate their children, rather than delegating that authority to a public or private school. Likewise, any time parents make someone else, be it the public school or a private tutor, responsible for the entirety of their children’s education, then they have delegated their authority to direct the education of their children to that other entity or individual. It boils down to who is responsible, and these boundaries need to unequivocal. When the parents tackle the instruction, they are responsible; when the child attends a public or private school, the educational institution is responsible. When parents decide to “homeschool” their children, but hire out the entire instructional task to other people, who is responsible then? The parents? No. They aren’t doing the instructional work. They are merely acting as the general contractor for their “private school” and hiring a staff to teach various subjects. Is the hired staff responsible? No, not clearly. When a child is withdrawn from school and a notice of intent is filed, the parents take on the educational responsibility of their children; it is the parents’ names on the dotted line, not those of the assembled teaching staff. Hence, my earlier comment regarding an employment contract.

Now, before all the homeschoolers out there attack me from the “what about hiring a tutor for one or two classes” angle, that is not what I am speaking about here. I am addressing what I see as a growing trend of parents who believe they can hire out the homeschooling of their children. If you currently homeschool and realize that physics, for example, is not your forte, then ask a fellow homeschooler in your community to teach just that subject to your child. This is where that statement “the majority of instruction being given by the parents” becomes key. If you as the parent-educator are handling more than 50% of the course instruction for your child, then you are considered the responsible party and you are assumed to be homeschooling. If you have chosen to delegate more than 50% of your instructional load to someone else, be it a private tutor or an educational institution, then you are not necessarily assumed to be homeschooling. Another important news flash: if you fall into this second category and you require the services of an attorney where your educational responsibilities are concerned, an attorney who specializes in homeschool law may NOT necessarily take your case. When it comes to the education of your children and your parental authority, why take the risk? Teach your children yourself and let the professional educators do their job where they are needed most --- in the public school.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Stardust Demolished

In 1976, the summer before I started high school, my aunt and uncle took my sister and me on a “once in a lifetime” trip around the western United States. Our destination: Las Vegas, Nevada. My uncle was a big-time (although very responsible) gambler who visited Las Vegas often and, on this particular occasion, agreed to take us with him so we could see the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone National Park, and an auto museum in Norfolk, Nebraska (my uncle was also a big-time antique car aficionado). During our visit to the desert gambling Mecca, we visited the Stardust Hotel and Casino, a fixture on the Las Vegas strip since it opened in 1958. My aunt had visited this hotel numerous times and, during our stay, she recounted stories of her encounters with celebrities while eating dinner in the restaurants or going to the various shows. It was fascinating, as a young teenager, to see this site that provided my relatives with so many great memories but I really gave no thought to the fact that, someday, the Stardust would no longer exist. Well, I aged and so did the hotel, and in a city whose casinos are becoming large, multimedia entertainment destinations in their own right, the poor old Stardust was no longer attractive, let alone competitive. The time had come for it to move over and make room for a newer guy on the block --- Echelon Place. So, as of this morning, the Stardust was imploded in one of those amazing, precisely planned explosions where nothing but the targeted structure falls straight down without disturbing so much as a shrub next door. I guess time marches on for buildings as well as people.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Rudolph Club --- FEB 2007

My new assignments for the Rudolph Club are as follows. I have from February 25th-March 25th to complete these tasks. I don’t think I will have any trouble finishing these.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT #1: Begin a Holiday Letter
So you won’t be challenged by writer’s block come November when you should begin your holiday letter, keep a log of activities throughout the year so all you need do is glance at your notes to begin the final draft of your Christmas tome. If you intend to include photos in your holiday letter, create a file for these as well, either on your computer or in an actual box.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT #2: Open a Christmas Club Account
To make certain you have a few extra dollars for Christmas cheer, set aside funds on a monthly basis to prevent a cash crunch at the end of the year. The financial cushion you create will be a welcome windfall when gift shopping begins in earnest several months from now.

FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT #3: Keep Up With the Gift Closet
Update your gift inventory form with any newly purchased items that you have hidden away for December giving. If you began collecting holiday-themed socks for a sock box, check the clearance sales for St. Patrick’s Day footwear.

HOLIDAY BOOKS & MOVIES
The March selections are:

Book: Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
Film: Little Women starring Winona Ryder & Gabriel Byrne

Spring Ahead!

Just a reminder that, thanks to a new law, daylight savings time begins tonight, three weeks earlier than usual. Turn your clocks ahead and make sure you keep an eye on your computer, your cell phone, and your PDA. Some concern exists that the internal clocks in these electronic devices may be a bit confused by the earlier time shift. I have heard that patches are available if the software in these items fails to “spring ahead;” however, I have no idea where to find these fixes. Sorry to be so entirely unhelpful. My recommendation: Google® a solution. It usually works for me.

Coming: MassHOPE Convention

The Massachusetts Homeschool Organizaion of Parent Educators, or MassHOPE, has released the details of their 18th Annual Christian Homeschool Convention. The theme this year: “Teach Them to Walk in Truth” based on 3 John 4:

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. NASB

The keynote speakers this year are Doug Phillips and Chris Klicka, two veteran homeschool dads who are extremely accomplished in many other ways. More information about them can be found in the MassHOPE brochure:
DOUG PHILLIPS is the founder and director of Vision Forum, a discipleship and training ministry that emphasizes Christian apologetics, worldview training, multi-generational faithfulness, and creative solutions whereby fathers can play a maximum role in family discipleship. He is a passionate communicator with a heart for home education and the restoration of Christian family and culture to the glory of God. As a constitutional attorney, Doug served six years at Home School Legal Defense Association and as Director for the National Center for Home Education. Doug and his wife, Beall, have eight children --- Joshua, Justice, Liberty, Jubilee, Faith Evangeline, Honor, Providence, and Virginia Hope. They live in San Antonio, Texas.

CHRIS KLICKA is Senior Counsel of Home School Legal Defense Association, an 80,000 member nonprofit legal organization dedicated to protecting the rights of parents to homeschool. He served as Executive Director of the National Center for Home Education, the lobbying and research branch of HSDLA, for six years, during which time he drafted federal legislation, lobbied on Capitol Hill, and provided expert testimony before the U.S. Congress. Since 1985, Chris has successfully represented over 3500 homeschooling families, requiring him to deal with thousands of public school officials, social workers, prosecutors, and police officers. He has argued before four state supreme courts and several state appellate courts and has appeared before a dozen state legislatures and state boards of education to testify on behalf of homeschoolers. His book, Home Schooling: The Right Choice, has been heralded as “the standard-bearer of books on homeschooling” and has sold more than 45,000 copies. Chris’ newest book, Home School Heroes, just published in 2006, follows the struggle and triumph of homeschooling in America. Chris and his wife, Tracy, homeschool their seven children in Warrenton, VA.
In addition to these renowned speakers, the MassHOPE organizers have added a Teen Track with classes about creation and evolution. From Mission: Imperative!, these offerings run the gamut from Ancient Civilizations to The Pillars of Evolution to sessions on spiders and dinosaurs. I am sure my sixteen-year-old daughter will attend some of these. The younger set (ages 5-11) has a Children’s Program available for them as well. Their theme for the weekend --- Mission Unconditional: Secret Agents for God’s Love.

I, of course, am interested in the workshops on homeschooling through high school, sessions like:

- Avoiding Transcript Trauma
- Homeschooling the College Bound
- Teaching Teenagers to Think Critically
- Course Options to Diversify Your High School Program

It promises to be a fun-filled, educational time. If you are interested in attending, download the registration form on the MassHOPE website and mail it in as soon as possible. And don’t forget, the convention has a vendor hall for all your curriculum needs, with many companies offering free shipping for the entire weekend.

Plan now. See you there!

Friday, March 09, 2007

Homeschool Monitoring

Last week, the New Jersey Superior Court handed down a decision in a divorce case where they felt compelled to “recommend” a change to the New Jersey homeschool law. Whether the New Jersey legislature or the New Jersey Department of Education will take this “suggestion” remains to be seen. At any rate, this member of the homeschool community is watching to see what happens.

Apparently, as part of this domestic dispute, the Superior Court became aware that “so many [homeschooled] children are left unsupervised.” No home visits are conducted. No lesson plans are reviewed. No testing is performed. Further shocking the court: the State of New Jersey Department of Education Homeschooling Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Parents/guardians are not required by law to notify their public school district of their intention to educate the child elsewhere than at school.

2. The law does not require or authorize the local board of education to review and approve the curriculum or program of a child educated elsewhere than at school

3. No certification to teach is required to be held by the parent.

4. No standardized test(s) are administered to the children.
Even more troubling in this case:
- The mother was unaware of the books used by the school district.
- The children may not be receiving “equivalent” instruction.
Wow, lots to worry about. Let’s examine these concerns a bit more closely.

First, no home visits were conducted. While legal requirements differ as to the constitutionality of home visits, most states do not allow these because they violate that “zone of privacy” we all enjoy within our homes. Generally speaking, if government authorities wish to enter a private home, they need a compelling interest and enough evidence to procure a search warrant.

Second, no lesson plans were reviewed. Homeschooled students are not under the care of the public school system; therefore, public school officials have no authority to review curriculum or lesson plans. The public schools are responsible for the children they educate; parent/educators are responsible for the students they educate. Just because the public school is not performing this task does not mean it is not being accomplished. Many homeschool parents purchase pre-written lesson plans, or have educational materials reviewed by fellow veteran homeschoolers. Is the problem the fact that no “objective” governmental agency is policing homeschool parents? We allow the American Medical Association to police doctors and the American Bar Association to police lawyers. Why can homeschool parents not police their own kind?

Third, no testing was performed. When educational officials talk about “testing,” they are almost universally referring to standardized tests like the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills or the Stanford Achievement Test. While these exams have been around since I was a child and while they can play a roll in an overall educational plan, if children do not take them, it does not mean the students are not being tested. It just means they aren’t being tested with those tests. Homeschooled students are tested every day using unit exams, math drill sheets, spelling quizzes, and the like. Any and all of these “tests” are sufficient to determine if a child is acquiring subject matter knowledge. In fact, in most cases, these subject matter exams and quizzes actually cover more areas of knowledge than standardized tests, which tend to focus exclusively on language and math skills.

As for the New Jersey homeschool guidelines:

1. Parents/guardians are not required by law to notify their public school district of their intention to educate the child elsewhere than at school. Ok, even I must admit that some level of notification may be a good idea. The filing of a notice of intent, for example, such as we have in Connecticut, would suffice to notify the school district that the education of any given child will be the responsibility of the parent.

2. The law does not require or authorize the local board of education to review and approve the curriculum or program of a child educated elsewhere than at school. This is perfectly understandable as the school district has authority only over those children in its care. To allow any greater authority would permit public school interference with private schools, parochial schools, some charter schools, and any other non-public school institution that educates children. Sorry, no one should have that much power. Remember, the United States was modeled on the idea of limited government.

3. No certification to teach is required to be held by the parent. Believe it or not, the National Home Education Research Institute has determined, through numerous studies, that the educational level of parents and the lack of teacher certification of parents have absolutely no impact on the academic achievement level of the student. Yes, counterintuitive though it may be, repeated studies bear this out as reality.

4. No standardized test(s) are administered to the children. As stated above, just because standardized tests are not used to track student progress does not mean that children are left unexamined. Periodic subject exams are sufficient to determine if children are acquiring subject matter knowledge.

And in reference to the additional concerns of the Court:

- The mother was unaware of the books used by the school district. In an era when it is well understood that public schools are failing our children, is it really so horrible that homeschool parents choose to utilize educational products other than those used by a failing system? The plethora of materials available in every subject area is truly astonishing and is equally available to both public school educators and homeschool parents alike. Just because parent/educators are unaware of or are not utilizing the same curriculum as the public school does not mean they are using a substandard product.

- The children may not be receiving “equivalent” instruction. Now we come to it, the crux of the Superior Court’s concern. How does the state KNOW that homeschooled children are, or are not, receiving an education equivalent to the education they would receive in the public school? Simply put, it doesn’t. Nor should it because public schools do not have authority over children who are not in their care. Does that mean that the educational progress of homeschooled children is not being monitored? By no means! Their educational progress is assessed constantly by parent/educators, and current homeschool statistics tell us that the education received by homeschooled students is currently superior to that of publicly educated children. If such an exemplary condition of monitoring and equivalency is insufficient for the New Jersey Superior Court, then the justices should say exactly what they are thinking: WE DO NOT TRUST PARENTS TO DO THIS JOB. If the Court does not trust parents to accomplish this task, what is the basis for this lack of trust? I would like to know because current homeschooling statistics do not support such a position. Homeschoolers are doing a better job than their public school counterparts.

Now, I will be the first to admit that homeschooling is not for everyone. It is not “just another educational option” that should be considered if parents are unhappy with their local public school and are unable to afford private education for their children. Homeschooling is a demanding, child-centered (oftentimes, God-centered) lifestyle that requires parental dedication over a period of years, not just from September through June of the current educational term. It is also not an “educational option” that will yield historically excellent results if parents “hire out” the teaching to virtual schools, online schools, or privately contracted teachers. Parents MUST BE INTENSELY INVOLVED in the curriculum planning process; parents MUST DO THE TEACHING; and parents MUST ASSESS STUDENT PROGRESS in order to maintain the level of excellence that homeschooling is famous for. If you, as a parent, are unable to commit to this level of dedication, then homeschooling may not be for you.
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Statistics about the efficacy of homeschooling can be found on the website of the National Home Education Research Institute at www.nheri.org.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Offer to Buy

Well, the day I was waiting for (and dreading) has finally arrived. Late last week, a family made an offer to purchase my childhood home. On the market since August 2006, this is a welcome development, as my mother needs the proceeds from the sale of this house to pay off the loan for the mobile home she now lives in. Yet, this also means that a beloved piece of real estate that has been in my family for many years, and that contains much family history, will now be providing memories for someone else. The beloved old home will soon begin a new life as part of the history of another family. Hopefully, they will treat her well. Strange how time marches on.

For those who may be interested in numbers: selling price $74,999.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

On the Mend

Today marks my first official day back in the “land of the living” after seven days of nausea and upper respiratory symptoms. I still don’t have my normal level of energy, so I will need to take it easy, but at least I am not feeling completely ill. I can only imagine how my friend who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer feels every week that she has treatment. She has nausea on a regular basis. I only had it for a week. Good health certainly is a blessing that I, too often, take for granted.

Winter Remains

This morning, the wind chill outside my door is -5º F. I think, despite what the groundhog said a month ago, winter is still here.

More evidence of winter: last week (before I got sick), I checked my voice mail and heard this:
Hello. We are having an ice storm. The [electrical/telephone] poles on our road are all down. The tree in the yard came down and barely missed the house. The water, electricity, and heat are all out. I’m in hell. Goodbye.
This may sound weird to say but, fortunately, this was my 68-year-old mother-in-law and NOT my 76-year-old mother. Then again, my mother lives in a town where the sewer, water, and power rarely fail. My mother-in-law, on the other hand, lives in the country with a septic system and rural power. When her electricity goes out, she loses everything. Since the power loss to her home was due to the destruction of the electrical pathway, she may be without power for a while. Maybe I should retract that previous “fortunately” statement?

Winter in rural Minnesota is always interesting, but storms like this latest one remind me that, at times, it is actually life threatening. That is why I am amazed when these blizzards strike and people do extraordinary things that I don’t see here in my part of New England. For example, in the middle of this latest storm, my mother lost her heat because the vent pipe for her furnace was clogged with snow that had built up on the roof of her mobile home. She contacted her plumber to let him know what had happened. In true midwestern fashion, he came over to resolve the problem. Amidst driving wind and snow, this gentleman took a ladder, crawled up on my mother’s roof, and cleared the clogged pipe. Then, he relit my mother’s furnace.

Truly, I could not get an oil delivery to my home if I was devoid of heat in a blizzard, let alone get someone to crawl up on the roof of my house to repair a problem in the driving snow. Maybe the difference is the fact that people in my hometown realize the life threatening nature of winter weather. Here, life-threatening conditions seem to pass quickly: it may be brutally cold with snow one day and 45º F the next. Whatever the reason, living ~1400 miles away and being completely unable to help my mother through this latest crisis, I am eternally grateful to this gentleman who made certain my parent was safe and warm.