• Got ADHD?

    theresa


    Theresa Lode or, simply “T”, had her world turned upside down and inside out when her son was diagnosed with ADHD and a few other goodies. Her choice- follow the doctor's orders....or trust her heart and delve into the world of Free Range Education. She chose the latter...

    Curious? Want to know more? Read on ...

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 191 other followers

  • Your email is safe with me. No exceptions!

  • Blog Stats

    • 37,342 hits

  • Meta

Perhaps the box is the problem

Posted on April 27, 2010 by therealmotherlode

This past week Molly and Caleb took their first ever standardized tests.  It was the TCAPs- Tennessee’s way of measuring our kids, their teachers and their school administrators.

The testing protocol was quite rigid they reported.  Don’t look around.  Pick up your pencil when told.  No coughing or nose blowing allowed.  And when you’re done- sit and wait.

Molly told me how hard it was to just sit their and stare at her desk for 30 or more minutes since she finished the tests rather quickly. And I feel bad for the teachers.  I can’t imagine that when the teachers envisioned their future as educators, this is the picture that came to mind.

What’s more disturbing to me is how we have come to accept this as normal, yea verily, even healthy for the kids.

High performance on a standardized test is no indicator of future success.  But yet in all the smoke and mirrors and gobbly gook of academic yabber, we’re led to believe this is a good thing.

True indicators of success include: Perseverance, good relationship skills, curiosity and resourcefulness.  Stuff that can never be quantified on a test.

This compelling desire to box up our children and quantify them like some sort of factory widget has been around for a long time.

Theodoris Van Gogh had this perspective.  He felt that if his son didn’t fit the mold…his son was the problem, not the mold. Tsk, tsk.  I’m grateful his boy followed his heart; how about you?

Do you suppose Vincent would have done well on the TCAPs?

Hey! Be sure and join Deb Ingino and I for a chat about learning differences THIS THURSDAY at 9:00 pm cst.  Cut and paste the link in the right sidebar for all the info.  We’re going to have a lot of fun!

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, education, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting, Public schooling, Special Needs' Kids, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

A visit with Chris Davis

Posted on February 26, 2010 by therealmotherlode

For those of you who’ve been homeschooling for awhile, Chris Davis’ name isn’t new to you.  He was homeschooling back when homeschooling wasn’t cool (isn’t that a country song?) and has mentored and encouraged thousands of home educators through the years.

And if you haven’t met Chris, I encourage you to purchase a copy of his book, I Saw the Angel in the Marble.

Our lives have been enriched with his friendship as well as knowing a few of his kids.  (His kids are amazing human beings.)

Today, Chris still works in the education field but as a public school substitute teacher.  (He comes from a family of educators and holds a Master’s degree in Education.)

In an email chat with him recently, he shared some of his observations of what is driving schools.  He notes that some of these thoughts stemmed from a candid conversation with a school administrator.

And then, when substituting recently, a student asked Chris, “Why do we have to learn this stuff?”  The class expressed their hatred for their teacher. What drives schools these days?

In true Chris fashion, he didn’t answer their question until they had thought for themselves; they knew the answer already, he told them   And then he spilled the beans.

With out further ado, Ladies and germs….Chris Davis:

I said, “There is a small group of people who write the questions that are on the TCAP Test you have to take at the end of each year. The people who write the textbooks then make sure they put the information in their books that cover these questions. Teachers became teachers because they love science or history or math and they want to teach you really cool stuff that will cause YOU to love science or history or math or that may, actually, be useful to you. But, they can’t.

“The TCAP Test you take at the end of the school year is what drives everything that happens in every classroom. When you take the TCAP you receive a grade that says you do or don’t know the questions that small group of people have put on the test. Your teacher receives a grade on how well his class does on the test. The school receives a grade on how well all the students in the school do on the test. The county receives a grade on how well all the schools in the county do on the test. The state receives a grade on how well all the counties in the state do on the test.

“Depending on how the student does on the test, his grade causes him to be held back, passed on to the next grade, or passed on into the “dumb classes”. If the whole class does poorly, the teacher can lose his job. If enough classes do poorly, the principal loses his job and the school is put on probation. If enough classes do poorly a few years in a row, the school loses Federal money. If enough schools do poorly, the superintendent loses his job and the entire system could lose Federal money.

“So, you can see that everyone is afraid that you, the students, might do poorly on your TCAP Test. Being afraid sucks because it makes teachers treat you like slaves and it makes them teach things that cause you to say, ‘Why do we have to learn this stuff?’ and they can’t answer you because, mostly, they wouldn’t teach ‘this stuff’ in the first place unless they were forced to do so.

“Can you see now how powerful that little group of test question writers is? They drive everything that is done in the schoolroom.

“Poor principal. Poor teacher. Poor you.

“And, as long as someone has the power to give or withhold money, everyone does what they are told.” (Emphasis mine.)

Bravo, bravo. Standing O’s for Chris.  Would someone please shout, “Amen?”

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | 8 Comments »

Is attending school like taking your medicine?

Posted on January 5, 2010 by therealmotherlode

Montana's Magnificent State Capitol Building in Helena

You know- it tastes bad but it’s good for you.

I was thinking this the other day when I received an email from Molly’s history teacher.  The kids will be learning about government, she said.  She lined out the course work for the next three weeks and admitted that some parts will be sort of dry. Ugh.  How well I remember!  Makes me yawn just thinking about studying government in school.

Molly’s history teacher is a gem.  She’s energetic, has wonderful rapport with the students and she’s knowledgeable on her subject matter.  I liked her the first time I laid eyes on her.

But even she…a top notched teacher….admits the upcoming lessons may be boring.

I thought back to our years of living in Montana’s state capitol, Helena.  Hardly a legislative session passed without the Lode family making an appearance or two.  We listened in on hearings and met many political leaders, including Montana’s first woman governor, Judy Martz.  (If I can find the picture, I’ll post it later.  We have a photo of our family with Governor Martz.)

The kids knew their way around the Capitol (especially Daniel who was fascinated with the heating and cooling of such a magnificent building.)

My kids have watched me write letters, send emails and call political offices.  The listened in on spirited conversations and chimed in their opinions.

Dry is hardly the word I’d use to describe their education on government.

I feel sorry for kids for whom their educational experience will solely consist of four walls and a teacher who admits the work is boring.   And if your kid has learning differences, this is especially detrimental.

Because even the most creative  and the best teachers are limited by the constraints of our archaic educational models.

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Labels are for Soup Cans, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

2nd graders with heroin

Posted on February 4, 2009 by therealmotherlode

Wow.  It never ceases to amaze me.  Almost every day, there is a headline related to school or education issues.

This one shocked me not because of the incident as much as how the school handled it. 

Five little boys, second graders, had little packages of white stuff.  The teacher confiscated it and called the cops.  Who in turn identified it as heroin.

The kids were brought to the hospital; thankfully they had not ingested the stuff though one boy put some in his mouth only to spit it out.  It makes me sad that the only “bad trip” these kids should be aware of is watching a Barney episode.  Or perhaps the Teletubbies. 

The police will be interviewing  the kids and the parents eventually but in the meanwhile…school officials sent home letters reporting “the incident” to the parents.

Of course, I know there is probably more to the story than the article reports.  It made me wonder—how many of these kids are being raised in single parent homes?  How did the one little guy get heroin in hands that should be pushing Tonka trucks around in the dirt?  How long will it be before these kids get more opportunity to destroy their lives through drugs? 

There is a  picture of the school accompanying the article.  There is a happy childish looking display in the window.  It’s rather chilling in light of this occurence.  It says, We are learning in here.

Yep.  They sure are.

Filed under: Public school incidents | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Toilet paper can’t begin to clean up these messes

Posted on January 8, 2009 by therealmotherlode

Better put toilet paper on Johnny’s next “Back to school” list if you live in Detroit.  The principal of an elementary school recently sent out a letter to parents requesting among other things, toilet paper and light bulbs. In asking for the donations, the school letter pointed out that the request was, “of the most utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety.”   And you thought shootings and teachers with overactive libidos were all you needed to worry about.  But I digress.

Because of the district’s $400 MILLION budget deficit  it is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state.   (And we know how effective those Michigan government financial managers are, eh?)

One alert reader commented that part of the problem lies in the fact that Detroit schools receive “only” $7,500 per kid as opposed to more affluent districts which receive $12,000 per child.

I nearly spat out my coffee on that one.  And I had an epiphany on how they can solve their um, delicate issues.  Skip the emergency financial manager and hire a homeschool mom to balance those books.  Statistically speaking, we homeschool moms educate our children far better and we do it for an average of $500 a year.  (I can’t specifically recall if that is per child but I think it’s per family.)  And any toilet paper shortage is quickly remedied by a trip to WallyWorld.

And in the meanwhile—on another Great Lakes shore, we have the scandal in the Chicago Public School where ersatz educators purchased cappuccino machines to the tune of $67,000.  True, that amount is trifling for the amount of moola in their budget.

Now on the one hand, being a coffee fiend, I have a soft spot for coffee-related things.  And I do commend the vocational programs for wanting to impart 21st century skills to the youth.  But do we really need another dumbed-down version of a real life skill?  And besides, they couldn’t even use the darn things.

“…Schools didn’t know how to use the machines and weren’t prepared to implement them into the curriculum,” Inspector General James Sullivan said.

Here’s a thought—send those kids out to Starbucks and the like and have them get trained in REAL LIFE and get this…it will cost tax payers NOTHING and the kids get a paycheck.  Oh- be still my heart-if that isn’t a win-win situation why you could just thump me over the head with a roll of toilet paper!

If they send me one of those machines, I could probably come up with some more terrific ideas.  Lawd knows, it’s going to take much, much more than toilet paper to clean up these messes.  (And I’m not talking money.)

But in defense of the schools…it must be tough coming up with bright ideas to tackle these pesky issues.  Especially when you’re out of light bulbs.

Filed under: Current events, homeschooling | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

School’s such a gas!

Posted on November 24, 2008 by therealmotherlode

The call of the wood duck strikes again!  This time in a Martin Country, FL school where a 13-year-old boy was arrested for “breaking wind”.  He then “shut off computers” the other students were using.  (It was unclear as to if the computer’s shut down were as a result of the noxious blasts.)

The Sheriff’s department responded to the call and filed a report.  (Gives new perspective to the “To Serve and Protect” motto, eh?)

The boy was then placed under arrest (“Disrupting a school function”) by the school’s resource officer (read: School cop) and remanded to his mom’s custody.

Good Gracious!  This is so beyond silly it almost leaves me speechless.

I read the article to my kids.  They laughed.  And I laughed.  In our home, some of the most hilarious moments occur a few hours after a pot of chili.  My boys have almost raised flatulence to an art form (one which I insist is expressed outside.)  Yes, we’re pretty earthy around here.  Such is life with boys.

But I’m not without reason and can understand the, ummmm, disruption this could cause in the classroom.  But did it really need the Sheriff’s Department to respond?  Will this kid have a rap sheet now as a Seriel Fartist?  Will the Sheriff’s deputy cars now have to  be equipped with Gas X?  Are new Sheriff’s deputies trained and equipped to face this new generation of criminals?

Just wonderin’…….

Filed under: Current events, humor | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

What the hell’s going on in the schools?!

Posted on September 26, 2008 by therealmotherlode

Here’s a good reason to keep those kids at home: Their safety.  The stories in today’s Tennessean are horrifying: A kindergarten girl s*xually assaulted on a the bus by a third or fourth grader.  A 10-year-old autistic boy was HANDCUFFED and place in the back of a squad car.  Here’s the link; both stories are on the front page.

This is not the first time an assault as taken place on a school bus—another one was reported maybe a month or so ago.   And the autistic boy?  Evidently, school personnel were unable to handle his behavior so they called in the police. (?!)

Mary Hood wrote a book several years ago entitled, “Onto the Yellow School Bus and into the Gates of Hell.”  I bet if that little girl were old enough to articulate it, she’d agree with Mary’s assessment.

You know, we homeschoolers often get asked the question: What about their socialization? (This subject deserves a rant all of its own and times does not allow right now.)

With the kind of socialization going on in the government schools, I’ll keep mine home, thank you.

Late entry: I forgot to mention the other school headline.  A local school 30-something female school teacher is under investigation with having s*x with a 17-year-old boy.  It’s suspected that she had relations with other boys too.

Filed under: Current events, homeschooling | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 191 other followers