Malala – a true heroine.

Watch as Malala Yousafzai tells Jon Stewart what she planned to say to the Taliban man who came to kill her.

She was shot two years ago when she was 14. She nearly died but the British army flew her out and brought her to my local hospital where she was treated and is looking very well!

Now 16 she is an amazing young woman.

The complete interview is here:

My Lesson Packs and a curriculum list websites.

I am announcing the launch of my lesson pack shop. There are plenty of freebies that many of you may have seen before on That Resource Site. Please have a look if there’s stuff you missed last time or something you’d like to recommend on.

I am also going to sell some lesson packs. Some will be study packs associated with books we use on our curriculum. Click on the picture above to go and peruse. Please do pass on the link

 to anyone you think might be interested.

My Amazon shop continues as usual. Please feel free to give into any temptation to buy stuff from it.

Click on the picture to visit it.

Finally I have set up a blog called LEADING THEM OUT in which I am building an eclectic curriculum based on what we use or want to use. It is not prescriptive, as that is hardly home eddish is it? But I hope it will be useful.  If you have ideas for the curricula just add them in the comments box on the appropriate page and they’ll be there.

I do like looking over other curricula for ideas and so I hope this site with offer ideas in the same way. I am hoping to provide links to good free and downloadable resources to bypass postage and import tax.

I don’t know how well this will all go but I hope I can off set some costs while offering some good value to other families at the same time.

The signature at the foot of posts in the future will always link to the shop. So you can easily access it. So wish me luck and pass it on. Say a prayer and wish me luck.

Misuse of antibiotics – again.

The angst over the misuse of antibiotics has tended to be focused on poor old GPs while the shocking misuse in farming gets ignored.

Now we discover that some bright spark put antibiotics into ship paint presumably to reduce the need for drydock so that more money can be made faster.

The fact that there are more antibiotic resistant infections has been well known and well documented for many, many years. We’ve seen new strains of TB and of course the famous MRSA among others. So many patients are finding repetitive infections are no longer responding to antibiotics and the choices they have to fight infection are getting narrower.

Usually the media concentrates on the mythical patient who demands antibiotics when they don’t need them.  My personal experience is that people try NOT to take antibiotics unless they just can’t avoid it.  Frequently doctors refuse antibiotics to people who need them, leaving them to get so sick even a doctor can’t miss it and then they are given a stupidly short course of a broad spectrum antibiotic which, unsurprisingly, leads the patient to need to return to the doctor for a second course a couple of weeks later.  Despite the fact that we all know this happens, the policy remains in place. As far as I can see, this policy is simply a way to help infections become more resistant.  Making sure the infection is completely killed off, has to be a more sensible approach.

For those of us with compromised immunity it’s a recipe for disaster. As we suffer repetitive infection, helping strengthen bacteria with silly approaches to antibiotic use.

I don’t know how dangerous antibiotic paint really is. I do think the massive over-use in farming which allows for poor animal welfare is a genuine problem both for animal welfare and human health. But I do think the way antibiotics are prescribed by doctors is silly. They seem to have their hands tied – if they prescribe properly some daft MP will shout they’re over prescribing, but if they don’t prescribe when it’s needed, then people like me are left sicker for longer and sicker than we need be.

If there really are patients out there demanding antibiotics when they don’t need them; well, doctors can refuse. They could also take blood and sputum for testing; and then fewer mistakes would be made surely.

I wonder if those who demand a script are fearful of taking time off work. Perhaps a more realistic approach to sickness might help. One in which sick people keep their germs to themselves by staying home a few days. The love of money is the root of spread infection.

The Spartacus Report as the Government tries to get the sick and disabled to pay for the bankers crisis.

I haven’t been paying attention. I heard a few muffled rumours that this Government, being not so different from the last one had targeted sick and disabled people to claw back the money lost by the economic crash. You know, the one with the bankers who were bailed out and other corruptions in finance around MPs and such.

Anyway, sorting out the economy and helping to kick start some jobs must wait. First the Government are going to take the money from the seriously ill and disabled. SEE HERE.  WE HAVE UNTIL TUESDAY TO GET THE PETITION DONE SO PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO SIGN

There had been a bit of a media campaign last year – again I missed it – that was aimed at saying those of us claiming DLA are faking it. Thanks Mr. Cameron. As it happens less than 1 % of DLA claims are false, but why let reality get in the way of a good bit of propaganda and we all know how the mainstream media love it too. It’s why I barely read or watch the stuff – and that’s also why I was a bit out of the loop on DLA.

There had even been a vagueish promise that DLA was safe. HA! If I had seen that promise I would have known straight away it wasn’t. There had been some rumblings back in October.

The way the Government has been rather sneaky has caused a firestorm and the Spartacus Report showing how dishonest and just basically nasty this is has gone viral. Good. I was especially shocked by the idea that cancer patients should wait six months before they could claim – hoping they would be too sick or dead eh? Really that is low. It’s effect on carers is noted too.

Boris Johnson the Mayor of London has stepped up to the plate on this, and as I have never been a fan of his, I would like to say I respect him a bit more now. Even the Daily Mail covered it, although of course they had to have the poor pitiful cripple in a wheelchair picture (blergh!) Actually i don’t like having my photo taken but those pitiful-crip pictures are as bad as the oh-so-brave-crip ones; perhaps a cheerful, normal(ish) badly behaved cripple picture is required.

In the House of Lords today the “reforms” (how often that word is misused) were defeated. Nevertheless there are some fears that the Government will do an Ed Balls and simply trample over anything that smacks of democracy or simple justice.

As it happens I have great reservations about benefits even though I receive DLA. I actually found the process of claiming horrible and can only think it could be damaging and deeply humiliating to a lot of people. Probably why over £13m in benefits remained unclaimed last year.

The idea of changing over a benefit from DLA to PIP or whatever is surely going to cost a small fortune and while it will undoubtedly keep pencil pushers and clip board carriers in work – it is a costly way to deny help to the disabled.

I think families should look after their sick and disabled and should be enabled to do so through tax allowances, which would mean keeping the money earned, far cheaper than taking it away, renaming it a benefit and giving bits back,  that help someone be home with the person who needs care. If families were not being so heavily taxed in every way shape and form we could probably afford some of the extra costs of having a dilapidated old cripple in our midst. It would also, perhaps, iron out some of the awful injustices I am aware of. For example I get DLA and have had, so far, no problems with this. But I am aware of others with similar disability levels to me who can’t get it for some reason and are put through astonishingly stressful processes to prove how sick they are.

The bizarre idea that many disabled people could find work leaves me stunned. There are so many able-bodied healthy people who can’t get work. On what grounds do these clip board carriers believe someone who can barely get upstairs or who is so ill they can’t stay awake by 2pm is going to get a job?

It’s a bit of a sad irony that only days after my reminiscence over Maggie Thatcher’s attack on the long-term sick – that Dave is up to the same.

Should homeschooling families receive “government” money?

The question on whether families who homeschool in America and home educate here in the UK should received some sort of tax break or benefit has been raised many times. I am sure the same question gets asked in Australia and other countries where home education takes place.

In America Congress has (again) failed to pass a measure to offer tax breaks to families who homeschool. Zoe Romanowsky blogged briefly about it. Interestingly the comments are much the same as the reactions I have heard here.

To summerise the comments; most families are justifiably suspicious of money from the Government (even if in reality it is just being allowed to keep more of the money you’ve earned) because it will come with strings attached. The strinngs will undoubtedly be detrimental to the education and general welbeing of the homeschooled children.

What Gatto has to say about the abysmal educational system in America could just as easily be said of state education here. Isn’t that why so many UK HE families wax lyrical about him?

As a (cautious) Gatto fan myself I have sympathy with those who are saying that all families should receive tax breaks -keep the money they earn- and the Government should get out of education, as it has proved to be appalling at providing it.  It might also be argued (with justification) that teachers unions have undermined education and are the power behind the refusal to allow tax breaks to homeschooling families. Over here we certainly saw some poisonous union activity against home education during the Labour shenanigans.

Allowing families to keep the majority of their income would be just, presuming rights and responsibilites were handed back to families for the care and education of children, elderly, sick and disabled relatives and that there was a locally provided and resourced safety net for those who needed it. However, we all know that would never happen. The government is a greedy beast and there are too many poweful vested interests shouting for their piece of our flesh.

The NYT discussion is here. Comments are often the same old prejudices spouted over. It just shows how badly school has educated so many people.

Nordisk has pulled out of Greece. Hope it doesn’t do that to the UK!

Say a prayer for the diabetics of Greece facing what must be a pretty frightening prospect that Nordisk is pulling out of their health system.

If our own broke country follows Greece and our NHS finds it can’t be bothered to sack people with clipboards and stop so much unnecessary stuff (like abortions) then we might face the same problem. I would be very very scared if Josh couldn’t access his insulin. (He would be scared too.)

I pray that when the cuts come to our NHS it will be where cuts are needed and not to life saving drugs like insulin.

UPDATE Josh tells me Nordisk made a 21% profit last year globally. He learned this off his diabetes forum. Now if they are that financially healthly it seems to me they could try something better than they are offering Greek diabetics right now. Perhaps they could say children and those who are still unstable could keep Novo Rapid and Glargene while the others change over to the older cheaper insulins and the freebie they are offering.

I can see they are trying to offer something to Greece and truly the Greek government and their fiscal irresponsibility are to blame; same as here in the UK; bit the Govt wont suffer over this-people with diabetes will.

LA man visited today.

The man from the LA came over today. He’s the new guy and I felt sorry for him taking over after the Ishaq trial. He is pro-home ed as far as I could tell. He asked what I needed and I told him I needed some copper sulphate if he could get me some. He said he would look into it.

Something like that would be a useful service from the LA to those of us who are registered. In return for the box ticking we could get some basic inexpensive science supplies.

He mentioned that he thought the Tories wanted HE families to form their own schools and be paid for the HE. I pointed out that would undoubtedly come with strings attached and after what Ed Balls had done it would take a while for HE families to trust even a different Government.

He seemed fine about what we were doing. That should be it for a year.

I’m not bothered by it-but I’ll wait and see if I get any copper sulphate 😉

I had just posted this and was pottering around when I saw THIS ASTONISHING ARTICLE. It seems to me that Clegg and Cameron could save money by sacking everyone involved in NICE. They aren’t nice at all.

Good grief it was this very attitude home educators talked about only a few months ago. No more nanny state! PLEASE!

Goodbye DCSF Yippee!

Carlotta has linked to a Graun story that Michael Gove has set to work already and has changed the Dept for Children Schools and Families to The Department for Education. I would like to hope that his is a sign that my fervent wish that this government will leave families out of their interfering shenanigans might come about.

The Graun says:

Some fear the new name could mean that children and families will now become a lower priority for ministers.

Well we can hope so! The view that the DCSF was in way way encouraging inter-disciplinary work or improving the lives of families is a bit of a sick joke really. If there is one thing we learn from recent child murders right under the nose of social services and other departments is that they DIDN’T work together. No, the people in these agencies simply thought someone else could deal with it.

Maire who linked to THIS asks if it too much to hope that some of those involved with the appalling treatment of families under Bully Boy Balls will see their P45s? I think if this new Government wants to really CHANGE as their horrible obamaesque posters proclaimed then this does have to happen. I’m not holding my breath.

Nevertheless it is a good step in the right direction.

There is also the mild fiscally dependant promise of parent led schools. I still think home education is a better and cheaper option; but there are some things about little parent schools that might be better than HE. I have a few fluttery thoughts on this which I hope I can elucidate  later; but I’m not promising.

Vulgus vult decipi

Today we vote. While I feel a moral obligation to vote I still struggle with the fact that there are no truly moral candidates to vote for.

And while I have this little cartoon in this post I don’t believe a word of it. We vote, they get power, and they ignore what is needed for what they want. Where’s the voice in that?

Nevertheless a decision must be made and I suppose I have made one.

Against my inclination and with my memory of the 80’s and early 90’s still vivid, I will vote Tory.

Why? Simply because around here I have seen Vote Labour signs going up in house windows. I have to vote Tory to ensure the Labour candidate who was in the money grabbing scandal up to his neck and has written some pretty dumb leaflets for our delectation, doesn’t get in. Also, I have to admit the local Tory guy is a good man, with some genuine achievements for our locality under his belt.

I find it hard though. I remember what the Tories did to very vulnerable people. Apart from the appalling National Curriculum that Thatcher foisted on schools and Labour ran away with, there was Community Care. Remember that? It was a scheme to ensure long term mentally ill or disabled people were “cared for in the community”. Only there was no infrastructure set up to achieve this and so many of our patients ended up on the streets or in prison. Even today the prison population is made up of far too many mentally ill people.

Then there was the taking of benefits off the long term sick so they couldn’t even keep their homes. We had patients who had less in benefit that the rent for their horrible little flat. As nurses on our abysmal pay we often ended up buying our patients toiletries and other needs out of our money because they had less than nothing. One man who thanks to his schizophrenia needed a change of accommodation to a grand floor flat  nearer his mother couldn’t get the change because he was running up rent arrears-simply because he got less benefit per week than his rent. His mother on a state pension was just about getting by. She ended up trying to pay off her son’s debt so he could live safely near to her.

This and similar stories played out over hospitals and hostels all over the place.

Many other horrible things were done to the poor and vulnerable.  Have the Tories changed? Somehow I don’t think so.

As for home education. Michael Gove made it clear that there would be something done if they got the power.  Others on that side of the fence has muttered about “monitoring” HE too. No one paying attention thinks the Tories wont come after us; the question is WHEN will they? And will they be just a tiny bit more pro-family and pro-family freedom than the tyrannical  Balls?

Looking at Cameron??? Grief! I don’t know.  He likes Obama!

Well we’ll see and as the title says; the people like to be deceived. That’s the problem isn’t it?

Ditched the NSPCC? Good. Here’s a better place to send your money.

I have recently come across EF Pastor Emeritus blog. He writes well.

He wrote this amazing story of nuns who negotiate to buy the time of child prostitutes in Brazil. The parents bring the children to do the “work” because they believe this is the only way to make money to live on.

The sister has written a book which you can purchase here and it seems they work with children all over the world.

Father finishes his blog entry with this:

Sister Mary Beth Lloyd and her colleagues are probably spending Easter working miracles in a Brazilian transit terminal with little more than the price of a bus fare.

You can help by making donations payable to Religious Teachers of Filippini and mail to Sr. Mary Beth Lloyd, MPF at Villa Walsh, 455 Western Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey 07960.

There are many many people who need our help and who are genuinely doing very good work at the sharp end of horror. So forget Govt sponsored psuedo-charities who will ditch their remit to look good for their master. These sisters work for one Master and He is worth looking good for 🙂

Teacher mock shot in front of children and 5yr old left up a tree. Home educators continue to have to defend themselves.

The fact that elf’n’safety meant a 5yr old was left up a tree and his rescuer had the police called on her is nothing compared to the fact that a school thought it a good science lesson to pretend to shoot a teacher in front of children, one of whom lost her father when he was shot dead. Please not the head isn’t sorry the deeply wicked charade took place, but only that it took a while to let all pupils know it was just a “joke”.

As this story follows so quickly on the fake holocaust story where children were told they would be taken from their parents.

Now I don’t trust the MSM at all. They couldn’t tell the truth if it bit them-but these stories are apparently true; at least no one seems to be denying them.

So why, I wonder, are we EHE families facing such a massive battle for the rights and well being of our children?

While Deech and fellow cronies complain that HE children don’t – or some people insist can’t- do science, I have to say if that story is an example of a science lesson then Deech et al are right; we don’t do that kind of science because it is plainly cruel.

SUPPORT the Rights of Home Educating Families in the UK

Tammy of Just Enough and Nothing More kindly asked how homeschoolers not resident in the UK can support us against the attack on our rights as parents to home educate our children.

The group “Stop the Government Stigmatizing Home Education” has begun a thread in which all messages of support will be placed so that Govt personal, Mr Graham Badman who is to analyse the review and the NSPCC can see that we have support.

Please put your messages in the comments box or you can email me at sctshell@aol.com

For all homeschoolers in the UK- you only have until Friday the 20th Feb to get the review form completed.

Please don’t treat this as somebody elses problem. There is reason to believe this attack on home eduation has far reaching implications for the rights and welbeing of all parents and children in the UK.

SEE HERE and SEE HERE

Also the TIMES ONLINE have picked up the story.

Thank you all for the support and prayers.

Fisking the DSCF

This from the DSCF:

Dear …..

Thank you for your email of 29 January regarding the review of home education. I have been asked to reply.

With regards to your concerns regarding suggestions that child abuse is linked with home education, I should explain, we know most home educated children are neither abused nor neglected.[So despite all the allegations made to the press they know it isn’t true. They have no evidence to back up the serious claims they made against home educating families] However, parents who abuse or neglect their children will find it easier to conceal this if they say they are educating their child at home as they will not be seen regularly by a teacher or other professional.[The assumption is that parents need monitoring and yet again no evidence is forthcoming. I might also add I can find no evidence that teachers are good at spotting a child who may be suffering abuse. In fact the just the opposite appears to be the case. While even the NSPCC has to concede the primary cause of abuse is bullying in school, which teachers seem unable to do much about] This means that Local Authoroties (LAs) do not have the same level of assurance about the welfare of children being educated at home, and there is a greater risk that the warning signs of abuse of a child not in school will not be picked up at an early stage. [One of the major front line professionals able to alert social services to possible abuse is the GP. No one is saying homeschooled children do not see their GP. There is also the arrogant assumption that only professionals have the wherewithall to spot abuse. Rubbish! All homeschool parents have enough sense to spot if a child is distressed for any reason. We spend a lot of time with each others children]

We are aware of allegations and concerns in this area but we want to establish what evidence is available.[In other words they have made the allegations in a very public way and even spent a lot of money launching a consult…I mean review but again there IS NO EVIDENCE]This is not just about that whether or not home education is currently used to cover child abuse, but also about ensuring that proportionate measures are in place to prevent it being used in future as a cover for neglect, forced marriage, or other forms of child abuse. [Meanwhile destroying all trust between parents, children and the LAs is supposed to help support children how exactly? The system we have works well. Parents and children work well together and families are able to support one another-but there are those who obviously want more control and cannot leave something that works well –well enough alone]

The Government’s priority is to safeguard all children. [Even though the evidence would suggest otherwise] This not about intervening with children educated one way whilst ignoring others.[‘Apart from the bit where we went all over the media making accusations about families who home educate, that have not been made about other forms of education’]  We want children educated in any setting to be safe and well and able to achieve the five ECM outcomes.[It is NOT UP TO the GOVt to ensure that children achieve the 5 ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes. Even if by some stretch of logic the outcomes made sense; and they don’t; no Govt could or should ensure all children achieve them. Parents have a right and duty to ensure their children are educated properly and in exercising that right and duty can ensure their children do well.] We already have effective mechanisms in place to monitor the safety of children in maintained schools.[Shall I laugh or cry? How can they seriously even attempt to make this claim!!!?} In addition, the Secretary of State has asked Sir Roger Singleton, Chair of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, to lead a review of safeguarding arrangements in independent schools, non-maintained special schools and boarding schools.[If this was supposed to make home educating parents feel better it doesn’t. It shows that anyone who isn’t part of the ‘one size fits all’ education package that has left so many children in this country illiterate and barely employable will be targeted for ‘monitoring’] The Review will examine the practical operation of the current statutory and non-statutory safeguarding arrangements that apply to these schools in England.&nbs p; Sir Roger expects to conclude his work in February 2009.

There is also a review underway of the operation of Local Safeguarding Children Boards.

I can assure you that there are no plans to change the right to educate at home.[But there are plenty of plans to make the choice of home education as difficult as possible. There are plenty of plans to try and force strangers into our homes to “monitor” us and demand we teach what the Govt want taught] The Review is about ensuring that the right mechanisms are in place to ensure that all home educated children are safe and well and are able to achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes.[Again they have not even read their own legislation. It’s a bit rich to tell families who home educate that the Govt can ensure our children achieve the 6 silly outcomes when children in school are NO WAY NEAR achieving them]

Yours sincerely

Alice Hickey
Public Communications Unit

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk

 Take a look at DARE TO KNOW for more info and excellent fisking.

Government attacking homeschoolers again!

It was only December when the last consultation with the Government ended and it was agreed that provision for homeschoolers was fine and we should be left well alone. The attack last year was around the word “truancy”. The suggestion was that homeschooled children and truant children were somehow the same thing. This, of course was blasted down in flames. The leaders in the home ed community, especially spokespeople from Education Otherwise had put forward the facts about homeschooling very well and that was that.

It seems that those with the Government will stoop really low indeed to attack the homeschool community. One the one hand homeschooling is a front for FORCED MARRIAGE-not that there is ANY evidence, and then Government are quite willing to make snide assertions about abuse; again with no evidence. Even that very dodgy organisation the NSPCC are in on the homeschool bashing.

There is a consultation summary and questionnaire online which is to be completed by 2oth Feb.

While they try and persuade you to register-you don’t need to. I would print up the doc and arrange your answers and then get them typed up in one go.

The first question uses the word “safeguarding” as though home education is a bad idea already. It is a shockingly badly worded questionnaire and makes it clear they want to “monitor” us and uses “support” as a euphamism for interfere.

This is not a Government that has shown itself friendly to families or the rights of children. The snide accusation that homeschoolers are either keeping truant children or abusing our children is so dishonest it hardly makes the homeschooling community feel we can trust Big Brother does it?

If you can help us fight this-please do. Prayers will be very much appreciated.

Kindess and Concerns

My sister in law was over today and we got talking about the way communities seem to work. She is working with people who live in a more rural area than she used to. She feels she relates better to them than her old client group who tended to live in high rise flats and housing estates. In many of these places people, even the worst of estates, can find a kind of community. Certainly it may be easier in rural places where there is a village culture, but even inner city places can have these little oasis of kindness and community.

With the way the economy is going there is a lot of worry that people will be left destitute. Bishop Patrick O’Donaghue, affectionately referred to as POD, has talked of how this time around the economic downturn could have serious effects on families because families and communities simply are not as strong as they were even in the 80’s when we had the last massive problem economically.

He pointed out that families simply seem not to be taking care of one another these days and that a change in behaviour was desperately needed to ensure people got through what could be a number of very difficult years.

I think there are real signs that people are trying to care for one another even in the most difficult circumstances. I know of one case where a friend came and stayed with a friend of mine while her baby was in hospital and helped out. I know of a sister who has offered to pay the gas bill for her sister because she has no children and understands the problems of heating a home with little ones in it.

In my own life I love how the mums share so much so that we all have a way of caring for our children and for each other.

I think it was St Francis of Assisi who said that anyone who owns more than he directly needs is in effect stealing from those who are in need. It’s a good thing to remember as I think it won’t hurt to hoard all those kids clothes for a while.

A lot of support I see in my local area is done quietly. It’s the neighbour who takes care of a garden for someone less able. That same neighbour who kindly gives you a lift on the day the tutor at college phones to say he has called an Ambulance for your son (as happened to me last year).

It’s the person at Church who asks what help you might need when a new baby is due-or a child is sick.

It’s the time taken after Mass to offer support to a mum with a concern about her child, or the mother who has just lost her baby.

I know of parents who are working when they could be retired to help out their children and grandchildren.

I know of teenagers willing to help someone sort out a house they are moving into.

There are loads of these little things going on just around here. It’s not too gloomy is it?

*sigh* Another reason to homeschool

On the front page of the Catholic Herald I discover that the school I pulled my daughter out of-for a number of reasons- had invited Ms Claire Short MP anti-Life politician who consistently voted against anything that might save the life of a baby- to some kind of prize giving event. Apparently ‘Ms’ Short was an old pupil there.

After Fr Guy Nichols of the Oratory-a very good and holy priest-and some parents protested, the invitation was withdrawn. Ms Short is very cross believing the withdrawal is ‘rude’.

It is just so sad that when there are so many Catholic women out there trying to follow the teachings of Christ and His Church, that this Catholic School couldn’t find one for it’s prize night.

Silent No More

Please support the Silent No More event in Oxford. Details are HERE.

Women will be allowed a voice at last to speak out about their experiences with the abortion industry and how, not only were their babies killed, but their lives were badly effected. God bless them and comfort them.  It is a courageous act in a world that really doesn’t want to know.

Another reason to homeschool.

The National Union of Teachers (not called NUTs for nothing) is the biggest teaching union in the UK. Recently the other big teachers union the NASUWT complained that too many kids in the classroom where ‘little princesses and little princes’ who had simply never had anyone say ‘no’ to them before. Teachers face abuse in the form of swearing, personal attacks and violence; I know this from friends who are teachers. However for some considerable time instead of being in loco parentis teachers have made themselves powerless in the face of this behaviour. The unions stratch their heads and suddenly say that parents need to take control of their children. Ah yes, but when we try the schools frequently over-ride us.

So there are all these really nasty children in school. You would think the unions would look at the schools where this sort of behaviour is somewhat less and think-how can we do that? Er, no. The nuts of NUT are actually looking at a vote AGAINST faith schools. Now, my experience of Catholic schools is hardly stella-but the fact is Catholic schools (and I think the few Jewish schools we have) are far far better than state schools. Other Christian schools some in close behind us and still ahead of state schools.

After Bishop O’Donaghue was subjected to bullying and “bizarre” questioning by Barry Sheerman et al in behalf of the ever tolerant government I am not surprised at yet another attack on faith schools.

Soon homeschoolers will be back in the line of fire.

Not NICE sex-ed

I’ve been meaning to post about the new book out about the mess Govts have made of the National Curriculum by politicing and dumbing it down. One of the commentators on this blog said he thought this Govt would try and make homeschooling illegal. He’s probably right, but those of us in the UK committed to it will keep going until the last minute.

It was Hitler who made homeschooling illegal in Germany and yet this is a law the present German Govt has not only chosen to keep, but use some pretty scary orwellian tactics to enforce, including putting children in psychiatric institutions if they catch them being homeschooled.

But I digress. This post is about sex-ed. I received an email from my friend Amanda (a fellow homeschooler) with this report:

The National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided
to include home educated children in the scope of guidance being prepared on
behalf of the Department of Health regarding the teaching of PSHE. (The full
title is: ‘School, college and community-based personal, social and health
education focusing on sex and relationships and alcohol education’.)In its draft scope, issued on 14 September 2007, NICE stated that ‘children
and young people who are educated at home’ would NOT be covered by the
guidance. However, in response to submissions from several bodies (see
below), the final scope now states that children in ‘education other than at
school, including home education and pupil referral units’ WILL be included
in the scope of the guidance –
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PSHEFinalScope.pdf (para 4.1.1).The guidance will be sent to local authorities who will then mediate it to
maintained schools and home educators in their area. (Independent schools
are not covered.) While the guidance will not be statutory and not have the
force of law, it is not difficult to envisage some local authorities using
it to put pressure on home educating parents to deliver a type of sex
education they are not comfortable with, or to insist that all home educated
children attend sessions arranged by the local authority. (It is not unheard
of for local authorities to try to insist on giving ‘puberty talks’ to home
educated children and I fear that this guidance could be used to legitimise
this kind of intrusive approach in some areas.)

There will be further consultation during 2008 and 2009, with the final
guidance due to be issued in September 2009.

For further information and to request registration as a stakeholder,
contact the project co-ordinator, Brian Travis, at
Brian.Travis@nice.org.uk<Brian.Travis%40nice.org.uk>
Or to register your concerns with NICE, give them a ring on 020 7067 5800
and ask to speak to the person responsible for the guidance on PSHE. It may
be worth pressing the point that neither independent schools nor those
educating their children ‘otherwise’ than at school are bound by the
National Curriculum, yet NICE are proposing to include home educators within
the scope of the guidance. When I mentioned this to the lead official for
the guidance at NICE, she argued that independent schools were at liberty to
download the guidance from the NICE website if they wished. Hardly an
answer, since home educating parents could also download it if they wanted
to do so! The difference is that home educators are included in the
document, while independent schools are not.Groups who asked for home educated children to be included in the scope of
the guidance were:

British Association for Sexual Health and HIV: ‘The needs of those educated
at home should be considered. The assumption may be that they are not a high
risk group, but this is not known. Can resources be provided for those
home-educated?’

Central Lancashire PCT: ‘Why will this not affect children and young people
educated at home?’

East Sussex County Council: ‘The omission of home-educated children is a
concern; this cohort includes some very vulnerable children and young
people. Perhaps guidance could address LEA supervisory/advisory duties for
this cohort, and liaison with home educators’ associations e.g. ‘Education
Otherwise’ could be useful.’

Healthcare Commission: ‘CYP not educated at home may not be covered under
the elements of the guidance which is delivered but perhaps (hopefully) they
will have access to provision through youth, voluntary and community
services. Information for home educators could still be provided through
voluntary networks. Could explain provision for 0-4 is through other
channels and cite (perhaps that’s for the guidance when published!)’

Jo’s Trust: ‘Children and young people educated at home should be covered by
any guidance.’

Sex Education Forum: ‘”Groups not covered”. It is unclear why this document
would not be relevant to children educated at home.’

Perhaps the reason this stuff is irrelevant to homeschooling parents is we take care of our own thanks. We don’t see the need to impose a programme of sex ed on our children that has been used for some considerable time in schools with the result that young people are getting STD’s and unplanned pregnancies at one of the highest rates in Europe. Perhaps when the ‘experts’ can provide some evidence that any of what they push on our children actually does any good- we might consider it.

Reasons to Homeschool

Homeschooling can be hard work and I am sure I am not the only one who occasionally wishes she was sending her children to school. But there are so many reasons I am glad I homeschool.

On the negative side there is the national curriculum, which here in the UK is appalling in standard. Mac at Mulier Fortis has written her response to the latest Government plan. Knowing she was a science teacher I asked her before what she thought of the content of the present GCSE and she didn’t mince her words. I had begun to teach Iona (13) the beginning of the course to give her a head start-but I was astonished at the poor standard and even obvious mistakes-theories presented as facts and the low level of actual science in the workbooks.

Alex sat the International GCSE which is exam only and far more science than faff and fad. I had phoned the universities before embarking on IGCSE’s because I had never heard of them before I began homeschooling and was told they preferred them. They are generally considered higher quality and of course being exam only (some of them) cheat proof.  When Mac wrote THIS post a commentator recommended IGCSEs.

The children expected to listen to the twaddle they are being fed are truanting in massive numbers. They can hardly be afraid of missing anything can they? Mac points out that all the fun bits of science have been removed and the recycling and tree hugging is bulking up the worksheets.

But it isn’t only science that has suffered. English has been feminised to the point where even girls get bored. Where are the books for boys to read? Where are the books that have something other than misery and depression in them? The IGCSE offered Pride and Prejudice and The Importance of Being Ernest as well as Julius Caesar- well written and interesting and the last two actually had some interest for my son. He loved The Importance of Being Ernest.

Another good reason to homeschool is that my children will not only have time to read-something not done in school-but will be able to read well written and good books (no Pullman here) that actually increase their literacy and vocabulary.

To make matters worse in schools, even primary schools, the sex education agenda is being pushed very aggressively.  They are insisting that children need even more explicit information as though this will help in any way. There is NO EVIDENCE that sex ed is reducing teen prenancy rates or disease rates. I’ll write more on this as it is very important and will have a knock on effect on homeschooling families.

Still who cares? So long as schools can reduce their carbon emissions by 2016!!

I am SO grateful I can homeschool my children.

You can download the whole PLAN if you want to.

 Pope Benedict VI has published his new encyclical which you can read HERE . 

“Spe salvi facti sumus” it begins quoting St Paul’s letter to the Romans-in hope we are saved.

So Papa has covered the cardinal virtues in his two encyclicals, Charitas (love) and now faith and hope.

UPDATE

As I have a rather unwell baby to take care of I have been stuck under her and that gave me time to have a quick read through of ‘Spe Salvi’. I love the way the Holy Father writes. He is not difficult to understand at all and yet he manages to ack so much meaning into a small number of words. The encyclical is deeply rooted in Scripture as one would expect.

He speaks of the real Christian hope of redemption comparing it with the rather limited hopes of those who only have things to hope for. He points out how St Paul and the author of Hebrews have a much deeper and more substantial grasp of hope.

Salvation is not simply given, writes the Holy Father, it is offered…and we are on a journey to attain it. He then begins the journey with the nothingness we are tempted to live within-the old gods who can lead us from nothing to nothing-to slavery.

He then tells us the story of St Josephine Bakhita. I love this saint and have been working on writing a children’s version of her lifestory for my godchildren for some time. One of my godchildren is called Josephine and I don’t think there are other saints with that name.

 St Josephine was kidnapped from her village in Darfur, Sudan by muslim slave traders. She was sold and resold, tortured and abused until at last she came to the house of the Italian consulate and began nurse to his friend’s daughter.

Finally in Italy she found the God she had always sought in the tortured Christ-a God who loved her with every drop of blood from his wounded heart. She was baptised and joined the Canossian sisters and lived her life sharing the love of God she had found. The children loved her too and called her their Black Mama.

Pope Benedict links the story of St Josephine with St Paul’s letter written in prison as he sends back the slave Onesimus to his master -no longer as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.

From there we journey deeper into an understanding of this hope. We are not called as isolated individuals but as a people; family, community. Papa is clear that we are not meant to see our salvation as just for ‘me’ and each man’s relationship with God being purely personal-it is communal.

He writes of the 19th Century modernity and it’s loss of hope. We must pray and we must suffer and be willing to suffer for other people. We must embrace the cross as Christ commanded. It is part of the journey-it is how we offer “com-passion”. He reminds us we need to “offer it up” but he isn’t being trite-it is part of hope and the gift of redemption.

Having given a view of hell and human made justice he goes on to look briefly at purgatory and then we are brought back to heaven. He calls on Mary Ave Marie Stella to be our guiding star and help to bring us home.

Read it all-it will be well worth your time. We are well blessed to have a pope like this.

Pro-Life Rally in Oxford 

Support those who are fighting the good PRO-LIFE fight. Sign the petition for the children of Bulgaria and say a prayer for Amanda a fellow homeschooling mum as she stands with those prepared to speak out for the life of babies in the womb and their mothers.

Fr Ray on King Philip II of Spain

Iona is still working on her history project on the Spanish Armada. Fr Ray has very usefully posted THIS from the Catholic Herald. It looks as though the Herald have pulled the article though in favour of one about the plight of the Chaldean Christians in Iraq. Nevertheless there is enough on Fr Ray’s blog to be helpful for Iona.

Children are persons – not hot-house plants.

Charlotte warned that children should not be treated as hot-house plants forced to grow in an unnatural environment “The world suffered that morning when the happy name of ‘kindergarten’ suggested itself to the greatest among educational ‘Fathers'” she wrote (Home Education p189). She has not been the only warning voice against the early forced education of little ones. Over the years more and more experienced educators have spoken out against this including Holt and Gatto of course.

The UK Govt however lacking any form of common sense and being swamped in their own twaddle have decided that the way to tackle the appallingly low standard of literacy in this country is to ignore the research and force 3 and 4 year olds to learn to read.

My fellow homeschooler and friend Amanda has sent me this link to a BBC report that repeats, through the research Dr Lilian Katz what most of us who homeschool have been saying for some time. It is a mistake to try and force little children to read. Dr Katz points out that Scandinavian children do not attend school until the ages of 6 or 7 and they have no literacy problems like we do here in the UK.

Years and years of research backs up the view that children need time to grow and speak and form their habits (as Charlotte would say) before formal classroom education is required. It is important for a child to want to read-putting them off is hardly a good idea.

Unfortunately in the UK twaddle reigns supreme.

Another good reason to homeschool.

My Children -FADy eaters

It was reported in the news today that scientists have found a gene in breastmilk called FADS2. It effects the way the body processes fatty acids in the diet.

Previous research has shown that long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (Pufas) accumulate in the brain during the first months after birth. They are present in human breast milk, but not cow’s milk, and children.have recently been added to infant formulas, as the importance has become more recognised.

Scientists believe that Pufas are important to childhood brain development because they are essential for the efficient transmission of nerve messages and help to promote the growth of nerve fibres.

A long term study carried out in the UK and New Zealand shows that breast fed children can have IQ scores about 7 point higher than bottle fed children on average.

Studies followed the progress of more than 3,000 children in the UK and New Zealand. AOL news explains “One, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, tracked the health and behaviour of 1,037 children born in New Zealand from the age of three.

IQ was tested at ages seven, nine, 11 and 13 and DNA samples obtained from 97% of the participants when they reached adulthood.

The Environmental Risk (E-risk) Longitudinal Twin Study monitored the development of 2,232 British children, all twins, whose IQ was measured at age five. DNA was taken for analysis from 2,140 of the In the New Zealand study, 57 per cent of the children were breast-fed and IQ scores ranged from 55 to 147. A total of 48 per cent of the UK children were breast-fed. Their IQ scores ranged from 52 to 145.

The DNA samples revealed that 90 per cent of the children in the two study groups had at least one copy of the “C” version of FADS2 which yielded higher IQs if they were breast-fed. But breast-feeding had no effect on the 10 per cent of children who had “G” versions of the gene.

The findings appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They go some way towards settling the “nature versus nurture” debate over what has the greatest influence on child intelligence.”

I am not convinced there really needs to be a ‘nature versus nurture’ debate. Surely a child’s intelligence is effected by both nature and nurture.

I have Sheila Kippley’s book on breastfeeding- see above. She explains the massive health benefits to both mother and child, benefits that have finally been recognised by the World Health Organisation. They now recommend breastfeeding  a child until he is 2yrs if possible.

 

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“…{Breastfeeding]  benefits the child and helps to create the closeness and maternal bonding so necessary for healthy child development.  So human and natural is this bond that the Psalms use the image of the infant at its mother’s breast as a picture of God’s care for man…”

Pope John Paul II

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Kippley writes from the foundation of Pope John Paul the Great’s Theology of the Body and the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of women. Her book is particularly useful because it offers practicle advice and encouragement along with the theology and scientific facts about breastfeeding.

It is not just that a mother’s milk is best for the child and actually changes and develops to give the changing and developing child the very best for that time; nor the fact that breastfeeding helps prevent breast cancer-but that it is part of the bond between mother and child.

And finally as my beloved husband points out-it’s free.