mcmama's comments

A Response to the NEA's 2007-2008 Homeschooling Resolution - Blog Entry

12 Oct 2007 07:11 AM

I always wondered why they couldn't come up with a better source than a school janitor. Then I remembered, when I student taught and subbed in NYC, the head custodian was actually more powerful than the principal.

My kids went to private school, and it is true, some private schools have unlicensed and under prepared teachers. So that is important when evaluating a private school.

When I looked at re entry into public school, I got all sorts of lectures about how private schools don;t meet requirements, but the local district exceeds them. When I specifically asked how they would accomplish foreign language class placement since my kids had been studying since 5th grade (instead of 7th, which the district thought was just so advanced) there was no response as to a placement test. Ditto math, science, and honors English.

A lot of the talk about "standards" is hype. When confronted with private school students from independent schools or Montessori who actually exceed the expectations, they just do not know how to place these students. In short, if you're not deficient in something and needing them to fix it, they don't know what to do with you.

Library Thing: Catalogue Your Books Online - Blog Entry

10 Oct 2007 07:36 AM

This is great for bookaholics, especially those of us who collect.

Blasphemy, Free Speech and Kathy Griffin's World View - Blog Entry

23 Sep 2007 06:37 AM

How do you turn off your television set on the Emmys? I don't want to be separated from pop culture that much! Don't watch the superbowl, the half time show has wardrobe malfunctions and whatever else. Don't watch the emmys, where stars get to shoot off their mouths about politics and now religion. How marginalized do billions of people have to become? Also, the ad by Miracle theater and petition drive did serve a purpose - it said there is a response at all. No one would notice $90,000 going to missions. It opens up this discussion - which our popular culture needs to have - about why is it ok to generalize and insult billions of Christians but no one else.

When A Fish Goes Missing - Blog Entry

20 Sep 2007 05:06 PM

Yes the filter has been a problem in the past. But as a child I lost a guppy because I mistakenly put it in with the goldfish. Big goldfish. They ate him right up.

The Widows of 9/11: Already Remarrying? - Blog Entry

11 Sep 2007 11:28 AM

In most other circumstances, we do not expect people to remain widowed, and say "good for them" when they remarry. It's six years already, - honor the dead, but life is for the living.

Is Rosie Trying To Ruin "The View?" - Blog Entry

11 Sep 2007 11:25 AM

I used to wish Rosie would shut up so that we could have more of Barbara's civil conversation. Barbara is way classier and smarter than Rosie. She has excelled in her field, and dealt with constant real discrimination against women. Without her, many women broadcasters would not have the opportunities they now enjoy. I don't really LIKE Barbara's opinions all that much, but I do respect her, and she has the demeanor of respecting others while pressing her points.

MTV VMA Awards: Oh My! - Blog Entry

10 Sep 2007 07:05 AM

I saw the video. Strutting while blonde. You can overlook the no longer tight body, but her dance moves are very sloppy, and she has this look of confusion on her face. It is as though she thought she were walking through a rehearsal. She can't do the same old same old now - there will always be someone younger and more driven to succeed. She needs to grow up, the pop tart days are over. The premise of that dance number is pretty depraved, I think, but for her that is nothing new. I guess she can stage as much provocativeness as she wants, but she herself is no longer up to it.

Single Parent Procrastination - Blog Entry

04 Sep 2007 07:04 AM

OK OK! Gonna go finally put that stuff in the mail and answer those notes, and make those calls, and...and...and...

Leona Helmsley's $12 Million Bequest to Her Dog - Blog Entry

30 Aug 2007 01:27 PM

I think this is wonderful.

A large trust fund for the dog makes certain that whoever takes care of her will do it well, and always have the interest of keeping the dog healthy at heart. And I do not fault her for smaller bequests to her grandchildren, including the ones who received nothing. The grandchildren now have a wonderful bequest, with which they can invest and make their own fortunes - and the ones who don't get anything are just out of luck, but if their grandma was not close to them in life, why give them anything?

Her charitable bequests will likely do the world a world of good.

Do Homeschoolers Brainwash Their Kids? - Blog Entry

24 Aug 2007 05:57 AM

I guess I was brainwashed in Catholic school, because we said a prayer before classes, before meals, went to first Friday mass, and learned catechism. And all that happened during school, not after. I guess they washed my brain very thoroughly, because I am not a catholic anymore! (Maybe I had a dirty mind all along!) And I guess I am brainwashing my kids because we pray together, and although they go to a secular school, I take great delight in showing them that religious people are not stupid, even when they have southern accents!