mcmama's comments

You Call That Homeschooling?

24 Oct 2007 09:46 AM

Going to the grocery store was important in family child care. There are a lot of educational experiences that can be gained by a trip to the grocery store. Not only identifying the fruit imports, but also calculating which is the better bargain, which is better for you, just what's on those nutrition panels, etc.

Not a place for a regular classroom, but certainly a setting for critical thinking skills to be applied.

Yeah, maybe public schools do need to schedule a trip to the grocery store. And in NYC, there are a lot of markets and such that could be valuable experiences.

At least you don't live near the beach, where there are all sorts of frivolous extras to learn about, like tides, types of shellfish, aquatic life in general, food chains, composition of sand and why it is different colors on different beaches....not to mention physical exercise.

Or you don't have airline employee passes that entitle you to fly free to costa rica when you want to study the rainforest up close, like one family I know of did.....

Gosh, why aren't those children in school!!!! On the other hand, how come the lady who was asking all the questions did not learn in school how to be polite enough to mind her own business????

Courthouse Research Blogs in Summary

14 Oct 2007 06:05 AM

Where I am, (NJ) the information online would be very incomplete, so you would need to go to the courthouse.

Also I found when I was a realtor, that due to the overwhelming volume of home sales and refinanced mortgages, there was a backlog in my area of recording deeds. This meant that title companies might not be able to turn up clear title in their research for a home that flipped within six months.

When you find information online, you only find what people have put online. When you go to the courthouse or town hall. they have to give you the records that are available to the public.

Defending Yourself Against the Aging Narcissist (1)

13 Oct 2007 06:45 AM

That's very true about getting angry with a narcissist and showing it. My ex husband used to deliberately provoke me until I was shouting or crying or both - and then he would be very calm and apparently enjoy the show. He loved doing thing just before he had invited someone to stop by so they could see me being a wreck. I guess this was his nutty way of sharing with others. If he found pleasure in my unhappiness, he supposed others would too! Meantime, he got sympathy.

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

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

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

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

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?

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?"

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!

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.