Who killed Miss Delia B.?

The place was Sugar Hill. The year was 1908. The day was July 24. Miss Delia B. Congdon’s lifeless body was found on her pantry floor. She had been beaten with a sharp instrument. Miss Delia was a deaf mute who lived in the home she grew up in. When her parents passed away they willed the home to Miss Delia so she would always have a safe and familiar place to live. Miss Delia suffered a bout with scarlet fever at the age of 8 and as a result lost her hearing and most of her speech. At the age of 41 years, 3 months and 13 days her life ended in a tragic way that, to this day, is still somewhat of a mystery as to who actually did the horrific deed. Who killed Miss Delia B.?

Fast forward. The place is Orford, New Hampshire. The year is 2008. The day is August 2. A woman at a flea market is handed an old and mysterious envelope containing the yellowed newspaper clippings about a murder and the manhunt that pursued. Hand-written in pencil on the front of the envelope are the words: The paper slips in account of Miss D.B. Congdon East Wallingford VT. The woman stands there holding the envelope and shudders. She knows this story but how did these faded clippings make their way over time into her hands?

I am the woman standing there at the flea market holding the fragile envelope that contains the brittle news clippings. I remembered, as a little girl, listening to a tale of murder and intrigue on Sugar Hill from accounts told by my parents. Later in life I remember learning more about the murder of Miss Delia from a brother who researched the history of Sugar Hill and its neighboring hamlet of Centreville where we grew up. Why now, had these clippings surfaced? Where did they come from? Who took the time to clip and preserve them in this now frail envelope?

Later that evening as I lay in my make-shift bed in the van, which I drove to the flea market, I pulled from my purse the well worn envelope of news clippings. I gathered my pillow and a flashlight and settled in to read the news from the past. As I gently pulled the clippings from their paper time capsule a thunder storm raged outside the van. Lightning flashed repeatedly illuminating the night sky and making visible the cemetery next door. My thoughts were racing with eager anticipation of what more I could learn about the demise of Miss Delia that my brother hadn’t told me.

The clippings were in no particular order but, fortunately, the person who so carefully preserved them had taken the time to write some dates on them in pencil. As I began to read Miss Delia’s story began to eerily unfold before my very eyes.

To be continued....

Putting things into perspective this holiday season

The holiday season is upon us. As a child the holiday season meant celebrating Thanksgiving and the next 4 weeks leading up to Christmas. It was a time for love and giving. A time to celebrate the birth of a savior. It was a season celebrated country wide with peace, laughter and good will. It was the norm to see streets lined with colorful lights and to hear the jingle of celebratory bells.

I must have led a sheltered life because I seemed to have missed something. Growing up, little did I know that around the world this season held a darker meaning where streets run red with blood and the sounds of anguished animals are the norm.

In America putting a Santa hat on a beluga whale is perceived as cruel yet the celebration of Eid-al-Adha is a time honored 'tradition' to the point of replacing Christmas at an elementary school in England. Will the streets of England run red with blood during this holiday season?

Sorry, folks, but the celebration of the butchering of animals in this gruesome fashion makes my blood run cold. Seeing little children running through blood soaked streets wielding knives is not the sort of celebration I want replacing Nativity pageants.

Did mostly stupid people vote for Barry Soetoro a.k.a. Barack Hussein Obama? Read below and you decide.

Did mostly stupid people vote for Barry Soetoro a.k.a. Barack Hussein Obama? See this survey here and then decide for yourself. The interviewer left out one question: "Did you attend public school or did you homeschool?" Guerrilla Homeschooling awards the Dork Award to the majority of those interviewed for this survey. There may be some hope for the young black girl in the glasses that she will one day smarten up. If this were not so sad this would be some seriously funny sh@!*t! Geeeeeeeesh! This country is really screwed!

Archives 9/28/06: Need a good laugh? From the Democratic Underground.com: The Onion That is Home Schooling by Michael Harris

While poking around on the net I found this 9/28/06 ignorant article in the archives of the Democratic Underground. Michael Harris attempts to portray homeschoolers as racists and separatists with The Onion That is Home Schooling. What a hoot! Check out some of the nitwit responses after the article.

I guess I'm a separatist since I kept my children out of public school so they wouldn't be subjected to idiot teachers and the kids in the neighborhood known for destroying private property, their inabilities to read, write or calculate, and for harassing elderly citizens in the middle of the night. That isn't exactly the sort of education or socialization I wanted my children exposed to.

Mr. Harris wins a belated Dork Award for his writings.

History 101: Is Obama a draft dodger? Could be!

Read the latest on Debbie Schlussel' s website where she and a reputable investigator have uncovered what could very well be Obama's falsified selective service document. Are we getting yet another draft dodger in the White House? How can we teach our children to be honest and upstanding citizens in this country when election after election we are duped by liars, thieves and thugs who want nothing more than power and money?

Years of public school indoctrination supporting the seedy world of homosexuality can only result in mayhem...and does!

Pat Boone sounds off in this opinion piece 'Homosexual madness: Attacking Catholics and Mormons' concerning the latest rift in this country between supporters of traditional marriage and gay activists. With the election of draft-dodging Obama it appears this rift is about to reach a fever pitch that includes gays and their supporters attacking little old ladies. Is it any wonder parents are pulling their children out of public schools in droves to homeschool them? Even the Obamas send their daughters to private school. The indoctrination going on in public schools isn't limited to Christian bashing and supporting the sleazy homosexual lifestyle. Public schools are distorting our constitution and rule of law as well.

Brad Pitt A Horrible Example For Fatherhood

This is off the beaten path but I think Brad Pitt is one of the most atrocious examples of fatherhood I've ever seen. How many children do he and Angelina have now? 20? 30? 50? Are they married yet???? No? Then aren't their children all bastards? Doesn't Pitt even care. Obviously, Angelina doesn't care. Why should they care? They've got movie careers and lots of looks and money. So much money that Pitt donated $100,000.00 to defeat California's Traditional Marriage Amendment recently. Seems to me if Pitt was so concerned about marriage he'd get married and stop raising little bastards. Times haven't changed enough (and never will) for a child not to eventually realize their mother was a slut and their father was a reprobate that never cared enough about them to marry. Just my opinion.

Home School Resources provides tips for avoiding homeschooling burnout

This is a list of tips for avoiding homeschooling burnout from Home School Resources. Although the list is short it can be very helpful for parents new to homeschooling. There are some very good tips on this list.

More Families Homeschooling In Gainsville, Georgia

You gotta love it! All around the country more and more families are catching on to the benefits of homeschooling. News articles about homeschooling are on the rise also. This positive article about homeschoolers of Gainsville, Georgia is inspiring.

"We chose to home-school for a number of reasons. First, I had a burning desire to keep my children safe spiritually, physically and emotionally," said Kellie Stewart, a Flowery Branch resident who has been homeschooling her four children for the past nine years."

Hurray for this mom. These are some of the best reasons for homeschooling today with all the incompetent and dangerous public schools in this country. This mom is doing her job of keeping her children safe!

Stewart also says: "When placing our child in the public school arena, we immediately felt displaced. It was as if he was no longer ours. The school officials made decisions for him for most of his daily waking hours, but also for how our family time would be used." (my emphasis)

There is hope for this country after all.

Then, Jim Sargent, Hall County school system director of student services adds his ignorant opinion by claiming parents are simply keeping their older children at home so they can "go out to work to help support the family or to take care of younger siblings to cut down on child care costs." due to a worsening economy. That has to be one of the most nitwit comments on homeschooling I've ever read. Sargent is being awarded the Guerrilla Homeschooling Dork Award.

Northville, Michigan Parents Exercising Their Right To Educate Their Own Children

This is a wonderful article about homeschooling families in Northville, Michigan who are taking charge of their lives and the education of their children. Homeschooling mom, Laurie Kilpatrick, said it best: "The point of home-schooling is not to shelter them, but to make sure you know what they're learning and why." Reading about these homeschooling families is inspiring.

Flexibility...Reason To Homeschool Teens!

This is a good article by Rhani Bigay: Contra Costa Times Teen Correspondent. This teenager explains how she decided to homeschool during her high school years. She writes: 'the most important thing that influenced our decision to be home-schooled is the flexibility.' Nice to see a youth take charge of their own education.

Teacher Bullies McCain Supporting Young Student

Not surprisingly this Obama supporting North Carolina school teacher was caught on tape bullying a young McCain supporting student. Listen to what this woman, Diantha Harris, says to her students in the class room. This woman has no business teaching children but her union will make darn sure she doesn't loose her pension when she retires someday....which should be soon after this incident. In her defense...if the parents keep their child in this school then they are just as much to blame for allowing their child to be verbally abused by public school teachers.

Dungeon Children

I remember the 'pit' at a local junior high school when I did my student teaching. It was a small windowless room where children were sent in some sort of pathetic attempt to get them to conform to the school's outrageous and unjust policies and rules. Needless to say my student teaching experience did not lead to a career as a public school teacher. In fact, I homeschooled both my children from birth.

I thought the 'pit' was harsh and a deliberate attempt at harming children but this form of public school punishment is over the top. How would the teachers and administrators at Ridgewood School in Doncaster, England like to spend a few days in this room?

The dad says his son won't return to this school if he has to spend a day in this 'dungeon'. Let's see if he holds his ground or gives in to the school administrators. The crime? His son let the air out of another boy's bicycle tires. Huh?

Dragging First Graders to Their Teacher's Lesbian Wedding Is Deemed A Teachable Moment???

A San Fransisco first grade class was taken on a field trip to their teacher's lesbian wedding and the charter school's directer deems it a 'teachable moment'. Huh? Did the parents give the school permission to let their 6 year olds attend a same-sex wedding? Wow, these must be very open minded and progressive parents. What's next on their agenda for field trips and teachable moments? A trip to the morgue to watch an autopsy?

What Society Is Teaching Children Today

How can the children of today learn right from wrong when most of the grown-ups in our society are liars, cheats, screwballs, dead-beats, promiscuous, thieves, hate-mongers and socialists? And that's just the politicians, public school teachers and the liberal Hollywood crowd. Is this the message we're sending America's children? Do you really want to know what children are learning today? Then just view some of these items below:

Socialism...let's spread the wealth around!

Free speech...how to react and squash it!

How to steal elections...stuff the ballot box!

Wave the white flag...turn tail and run you infidel cowards!

You've got to pick a pocket or two...then blame the other party!

Home grown terrorism...how to get a PhD in murder!

Brainwashing...out of the mouths of babes!

Unborn children are baggage...or at the very least an inconvenience to the mother who CHOOSES to kill it and is encouraged to do so by politicians and feminists!

How can we expect children to become valued and valuable citizens when many of the role models in today's society are selfish, left-leaning thugs?!

Angry Educated Liberals & Obamaniacs!

"The number of middle fingers in a 'progressive' crowd is directly proportional to the number of PhD degrees in the ten-block radius."

This video was taken on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York. These angry and hateful people consider themselves 'educated' members of society. Where did they get their education?

This is more scary to me than watching two planes fly into the World Trade Center.

Rule #8: Don't Taser Your Wife's Kid!

This is unbelievable. Is this guy still a state trooper? Who in their right mind tasers a 10 year boy even upon the kid's request? What a creep. But, get this, the big story is that Sarah Palin is being blamed for trying to fire this nut case when, in fact, Palin's husband stood up for his nephew and sister-in-law the way any real man would have.

This annoys me because I've been re-reading some of my posts about how some homeschool moms have fought so hard against corrupt officials to protect their children and this creep tasers a 10 year old step-child. Then the press wants to crucify his sister-in-law who is running for high office because she thinks he's unfit to serve as a state trooper. Did this idiot trooper graduate from public school? That would explain alot!!!

King of the burger joint...too funny!

This is too funny. I give this boy's performance 2 thumbs up and applaud his meticulous attention to proper hygiene, however, I question his choice of location for bathing. Didn't the manager notice something floating in the kitchen sink other than the usual beef whopper and buns?

The world needs a good laugh now and then and this young fellow has certainly provided us with one, even if it is slightly grotesque. You needn't a warped sense of humor to chuckle at this one. Awe, youth. See the uncut interview of Mr. Unst@bl3 here.

Should parents need teaching credentials to homeschool their kids? Vote here!

Vote here!

95% say NO! (57,101 voters as of 6/10/08)
5% say YES! (3,062 voters as of 6/10/08)

Interesting little article about California's plan to rehear the homeschooling case here at parade.com.

Have we already forgotten the US Supreme Court trilogy on education?
Meyer v. Nebraska (1923)? Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925)? Farrington v. Tokshige (1927) ?

Then there is Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972).

The NEA (National Education Association), which has NOTHING to do with education but EVERYTHING to do with a controlled monopoly, can't seem to get it through their collective thick skulls that parents have natural, God-given and constitutional rights to raise their children as they see fit, including educating them.

Stay-at-home moms worth $116,805.00 annually!

According to the latest report by Salary.com stay-at-home moms are worth $116,805.00, work 94.4 hours a week and hold a minimum of 10 job titles including staff nurse, bookkeeper, nutritionist, van driver, psychologist and CEO. Read the Fox News article here or read the full report at http://salary.com/. Use salary.com's calculator to calculate your own self-worth then share this info with your spouse who works outside the home. Stay-at-home dads can also use the calculator.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

38% of Vermont Schools Are Failing...So What's New?

According to this recent article in the Rutland Herald 38% of Vermont's schools are failing...so what's new? Guess who the school officials are blaming? And they wonder why homeschooling is growing in Vermont at such a rapid rate. Duh!

"I guess this means we won't be going to the beach"...DUH!

...and the other one asks: "Does this mean I'm going to miss cheerleading class?"

This is just too much. Even I can't wrap my brain around this thinking.

My only question is: when did cheerleading become a class? Is it any wonder these girls are self-centered air heads?

To blame this on YouTube and MySpace is ridiculous!!! Parenting and years of being institutionalized in a school setting is to blame for causing all this pent up anger and hostility in these teens.

FL Teen Beaten By Schoolmates Will Homeschool

As homeschoolers we hear the question "What about socialization?" all the time. Is this the kind of socialization the questioner is asking about? Warning: graphic and disturbing video.

This is a sad, sad incident which only reinforces the argument against public school socialization. If this young lady fought back her injuries would probably have been worse. Public schools should offer mandatory courses in criminal justice in order to teach these young thugs the consequences of their actions. Parents...once again... keep forcing hundreds of immature, ignorant and self-centered youths with raging hormones into these public school warehouses and you risk the life and sanity of your beautiful children. What happened to this young girl goes on day after day in public schools across the nation. The only difference here is that is was filmed and broadcast online and these young creeps got caught.

Help support our Marines

We need to support ALL of our troops but for this blog I'm going to focus on the Marines because my wonderful nephew was recently deployed to Afghanistan.

This is a great website for those who want to help support our military. It is AnyMarine.com. Anymarine.com is website that helps the public get packages to those serving in the military. This is a valid, legitimate site. You can search for soldiers in a variety of ways, by the country they are serving in, last name, units home location, etc., (click "where to send"). Even if you don't know someone in the military find it in your heart to help these young men and women who are willing to die for your freedom and for your ability to sleep safely in your warm bed at night.

Handcuffs for homeschoolers???

Read another opinion here about the recent California court decision that would turn thousands of that state's homeschooling parents into criminals.

Homeschoolers not taking California court decision lying down

It seems everyone is weighing in on the recent California court decision that would require homeschooling parents be credentialed. Kelly Boggs at Baptist Press had his say and a right good argument against the stupidity of the court's decision.

Luis Huerta at Teachers College Columbia University weighs in...

HSLDA says no reason to panic...YET!!!

It's all about the teacher's union and their death grip on America's children. The public schools are not doing such a terrific job but, heaven forbid, parents who can do a better job should be allowed to teach their own children. I, for one, am sick of these union thugs whose only interest is their own job security and job comfort.

Homeschooling parents don't need advice from old hags either...

Governor Schwarzenegger denounces court ruling against California homeschoolers

The California state appeals court ruled against homeschooling. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger denounced their decision. Read here how the court turned thousands of homeschooling parents into criminals in one fell swoop! Be sure to read the comments at the end of this article. Fascinating, the level of ignorance among the public schooled population and those who run it!!!

For more articles concerning this situation in California read:

Homeschoolers in shock...

Parents respond...

California would be the most strict...

Dr. Dobson responds...

and

Handcuffs for homeschoolers???

Has North Carolina's Elizabeth City State University lost its collective mind???

I think someone is in serious doo-doo over this at North Carolina's Elizabeth City State University and they should be. Badly done ECSU!

Someone needs to be held accountable??? How about mom!!!

This is shocking...truly shocking! The mom wants someone to be held accountable. How about her for letting this happen. You don't just hand your underage teenage son off to total strangers in a foreign country and believe everything you're told. How dumb is that?!

"They can't tell me how I can cut his hair"...wannna bet?

This mom is upset her 6 year old was tossed out of his charter school for having a Mohawk haircut. According to mom there is nothing in the school handbook that prohibits it but it appears that information is open to interpretation. The school ruled against her and sent the child home.

What did she expect? Once you sign your name on the dotted line to enroll your child in any form of institutionalized schooling you've given up your constitutional and parental rights. When you sign your name to the enrollment form it is your way of saying you will abide by the school's every rule, policy and whim without question. Some parents only learn this after much embarrassment and trauma to their child.

No, the Mohawk is NOT a big deal and mom is trying to do what is best for her son. However, once again a parent is caught in the web of outlandish and paranoid rules and regulations in a system that cares more about behavior modification, attitudinal adjustment and political correctness than it does about reading, writing and arithmetic.

Homeschooling News Archives: 2/24/05 Charges against homeschoolers dropped, plainclothes cop fired

This article from the homeschooling news archives is a World Net Daily article dated August 24, 2005. This is a scary incident. I've spent many a day on a playground with my children and other homeschoolers. Many of us allow our sons to carry jack knives or small blade knives and encourage them to do so. In fact, my son had a jack knife collection when he was only eight years old. He was shocked to find out back then that boys in school were not allowed to have jack knives. This is a matter of a plainclothes police officer out of control and out of his pea pickin' mind!

Homeschooling News Archives: 8/7/05 Arrogant junior high school instructor voices opinion on homeschooling

Pat A. Neusch of Amarillo, Texas is a teacher at Westover Park High School. This is an opinion piece by Neusch from the homeschooling archives dated August 7, 2005. An arrogant Neusch tries to discourage parents from homeschooling but actually reinforces the reasons parents need to take their children out of public schooling.

FL mom goes on strike...arrested for neglect!

I'm sure we've all had one of those days but...this Florida mom may have carried it a bit too far. With 4 unruly teenage boys (and whose fault is that?) at home she went on strike, moved out and did her parenting from a distance. With all the boys under age 18 did she neglect her legal obligations as well as her maternal ones? The state says she did. They arrested her for child neglect. Where was dad???

Off the beaten path: JFK's love child?

This is a little off the beaten path but just in time for Valentine's Day. You can also view this as a history lesson. For years we've been told by the legacy makers JFK was the quintessential president. Why, he even has his image on our coinage. However, history has a way of revealing the truth in all situations. This man's resemblance to JFK is truly uncanny.

Parents Beware: England's Big Brother Headed For America???

This story was reported in June 2006. It is happening in England but, trust me, it isn't far behind here in America if the Hildabeast is elected to the White House. If, you as a parent, think you have few parental rights now, just wait until the Democrats get back into the White House.

This is exactly what the Clinton administration was trying to install when they were in charge. What do you think the Hildabeast's book 'It Takes A Village To Raise A Child' was all about. Are you ready for the cradle to the grave nanny state here in America? Are you willing to pay for it?

Duct Tape 101...Sorry, no extra credit for taping students to their seats!

What was this teacher thinking? Another teacher gets her teaching degree prematurely (last June according to this news article).

Again, John Taylor Gatto writes in 'The Underground History of American Education':

"Nobody should be allowed to teach until they get to be forty years old. No one should be allowed anywhere near kids without having known grief, challenge, success, failure, and sadness.

We ought to be asking men and women who've raised families to teach, older men and women who know the way things are and why. Millions of retired people would make fine teachers. College degrees aren't a good way to hire anybody to do anything. Getting to teach should be a reward for proving over a long stretch of time that you understand and have command of your mind and heart.

And you should have to live near the school where you teach. I had some eccentric teachers in Monongahela, but there was not a single one didn't live close to me as a neighbor. All existed as characters with a history profiled in a hundred informal mental libraries, like the library of her neighbors my grandmother kept."

I'd like to add that no one should be allowed to teach young children unless they have children of their own! How many more of these college graduates are out there in charge of children in the class room?

Weird Stuff: Incompetence? Sicko? Caution...not for the squeamish!

Miscarried Fetus 'Mistakenly' Placed in Mom's Bag

This is horribly sick. If you are a woman with children you may find this very disturbing. But then, we live in a world where some consider an unborn child as nothing more than a mass of tissue. What on earth was the person thinking when they did this?! It's not like going to the dentist for a tooth extraction and expecting the patient to take the tooth home as a memento! Some nurse or aide needs some serious training in bed side manners.

I'm a vet...please don't spit on me!

I served my country proudly and with honor in the early 1970's, fresh out of high school and at the peak of the Viet Nam war. I cared for our soldiers and their dependents while working as a medic in our military hospitals. When I traveled the country back then I was told to wear civilian clothing and never wear my uniform through an airport. We, in the military, were harassed, spit on, called names and viewed as a war mongers back then. I was a simple farm girl, unaware of politics but proud of what America stood for. I believed in the land of the free and home of the brave. Now, this is all behind me...or is it?



These fools stood next to me at a Loyalty Day parade in 2007. They had no idea I was a veteran. Their comments and actions were hurtful. They were rude to the passing veterans and others in uniform. What hurt the most was their in-your-face presence meant to demean our military. When the aging WWII veterans passed by, these goons held their sign even higher to make sure the veterans saw it. Their only purpose was to bring shame to our military while drawing attention to themselves.

I found out later these left over hippies pop up every where they can with their signs in order to get media attention. What sort of people do this? Losers who have no life and crave attention, that's who. If they were truly concerned about the welfare of others then why would the guy holding the sign let his cigarette smoke blow into the faces of children within inches of him? I don't think he gave a rat's rump about anyone but himself.

Mitt Romney wants Mike Huckabee to stop whining!

In this news article Huckabee is told by Romney 'no whining'. Who needs the Hollywood writers when politics and campaigns are far more entertaining to watch and listen to.

Laugh of the day -- too funny!

This is too funny! List of the day is where I go when I need a good chuckle. Life is too short, laugh a little in between the bouts of seriousness.

Worried your homeschooled child won't develop social skills?

No need to worry. Children will naturally learn to socialize with all ages provided they aren't locked into their peer group the way they are in public school. Read up on what other homeschoolers do day to day and your confidence will rise amazingly. We all have had our doubts about educating our own but it's so natural children react positively, providing you keep it relaxed and don't try to 'school' them.

Reading sources:

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/index.htm
http://www.homeedmag.com/index.html
http://www.holtgws.com/
http://learninfreedom.org/
http://homeschoolnewslink.com/

Why do people ask the socialization question?

How often do you, as a homeschooler, get asked the ever perennial question: 'But, what about socialization?'

When people ask 'What about socialization?' they are simply showing their ignorance. I learned to ignore them or give them a totally outrageous answer. After a while, my children did the same and some of their answers were hilarious. I stopped wasting my energies years ago trying to figure out if the inquirer was jealous, being hostile, or just plain stupid. It was never a sincere question and still isn't.

Does your public high schooler want to homeschool?

Our children and my nephew use the local community college as their high school. While taking classes they also receive college credits. My nephew used his 30 credits to enter the military at age 18 (he just turned 20 and has traveled around the states and to Germany and is presently stationed in California) with no high school transcripts, diploma, or GED.

Our daughter is working part time and still taking classes part time. She began college at age 15 (she was a preschool dropout and homeschooled all her life). She owns her own business http://flutternutstudios.com/ and pays for each course out of pocket so she won't have any loans to pay back when she graduates.

Our son is 16 and started his college classes last fall. He is attending part time and helps me with my home based antique/eBay business. He too is paying out of pocket so there will be no loans to pay back or a debt burden.

It is taking longer than going to college full time but it has given them time to mature and decide what directions they wish to take. There is also no monetary waste on college campus room & board. They can focus on their class work without the usual distractions such as campus politics & parties, etc.

Some good sources for learning about homeschooling are:

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/index.htm
http://www.homeedmag.com/index.html
http://homeschoolnewslink.com/
http://learninfreedom.org/
http://www.nheri.org/

Commercial and Celebrity Worship Holidays

Do some folks worry your homeschooled child isn't learning? Especially learning about things they think are relevant in today's world? Take, for instance, the recent Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrated this year on January 21. Is it so important a child know and celebrate this date? Why? So what if a homeschooled child doesn't know the significance of this date or who King was? Is that an indication that homeschoolers are not learning?

My homeschooled children learned all about Martin Luther King, Jr. and what that included was he was a law breaking womanizer who was selfish when it came to being a parent to his children and husband to his wife. The same goes for that self-absorbed womanizer John F. Kennedy. So what, really, is the point of asking if a homeschooler is learning if they don't know the meaning of January 21st? To us it's just another contrived celebrity worship holiday.

Others are concerned when they find out many homeschoolers do not use textbooks. Textbooks?! Textbooks are bland and devoid of anything worth knowing. Much of the information in them is totally out of context with life and historical fact. We never used textbooks because they are worthless for educational purposes.

Many people do not understand there is a difference between 'schooling' and 'education'. Homeschoolers (a totally inappropriate word to describe children who are learning free of forced public schooling) learn from living life. Many have family centered lives. Schooled children (those in public or private schools) live school centered lives and are force fed totally worthless experiences revolving around pagan and commercial holidays such as Halloween, Valentine's Day (although I kind of like this commercial holiday--a woman can never have enough dark chocolate around the house), Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, etc.

People need to chill and stop worrying about homeschoolers and their education. We're actually amused that public and private schools make such a fuss over these holidays and month long unit studies, year after year, after year, after year, of the same ol' same ol'. Better to make a fuss if your child doesn't know the meaning and significance of her own or her grandmother's birthday.

Are you schooling at home or homeschooling?

Using a canned homeschool curriculum (such as Abeka DVD) and can't motivate your child to do their 'home work'? Feel like you need to tell your child what to do constantly in order to accomplish what is expected of them?

Maybe it's your approach. Stop schooling at home. If you're recreating the school in the home that is a big turnoff to everyone. Relax and try 'unschooling'. It is not normal, nor is it natural to force feed information into a child.

Try reading 'The Homeschooling Book of Answers' by Linda Dobson. You may develop a better grasp on what homeschooling should be. Do this before you turn your child off to learning completely by 'schooling' them at home. Home should feel safe and secure where parents protect you from distress and harm. By schooling at home you make the home an uncomfortable and stressful place to be. Most children would rather be in school if they are going to be subjected to the torment of 'schooling' and save the home for a safe haven away from all that schooling nonsense. I'd toss the Abeka program and start creating your own, more natural, learning experiences.

Can older school drop-outs homeschool?

Are you an older high school drop-out? Are you in your twenties and wanting a diploma? Don't want to get a GED but are wanting to 'homeschool'? Want to know if you can do it, how much it will cost and how long it will take?

High school diplomas are not worth the paper they are written on. Needing a high school diploma, transcripts, GED and even SAT scores is all propaganda public schools and their supporters spew to keep money flowing into their livelihood. Sign up at your local community college and get started on educating yourself. Then consider creating your own business for an income. There are many opportunities to create income and wealth that don't include wasting your time in high school. High school is not about education, it's about warehousing children and dangling carrots (in the form of athletics, proms, activities, etc.) in front of them to get them to conform so the tax money keeps flowing into the pockets of the teachers and administrators. Take responsibility for yourself and your education. No one else can. Move on and start learning what you truly need to know to function and succeed in this world.

Guerrilla Homeschooling Endorses Mitt Romney for President!

You begin to have an inkling your political opinions matter when friends and family start asking you, more often than you can count, who you would vote for in a presidential election and why. I see more and more of this as the years go by. People know I'm vocal and they know I research political issues. They know I take presidential elections seriously and they know I wouldn't support a candidate if I didn't feel him qualified and trustworthy. I don't know why my opinion matters to them but, if it does, then I'm here to place my support behind Mitt Romney for president.

Romney is presidential in every way. He's not the perfect candidate but his record speaks to conservatism and that is what I stand behind. Romney's background on myspace is an open book on his values and an indication of what his presidency will be. Romney's leadership and values is what this country needs in these uncertain and dangerous times. With a strong, moral and experienced conservative leader in the White House our lives keep heading in the direction of freedom and self-responsibility.

I encourage my readers to research Romney's history and leadership record. If you have strong core conservative principals you need to research your candidates and see whether or not they are true conservatives. Romney's background and record indicates he's the best candidate for president.

ADHD: The real meaning

ADHD:

Adventuresome / Determined / Happy / Delightful

That's my boy!!!

Don't let them label or drug your child. Especially your naturally free thinking, free wheeling, fun loving, testosterone filled little boy. It is not normal to take a young child that nature designed this way and plunk him (or her) down at a desk, with certified strangers who waste a majority of his time day after day, in order to force feed him (or her) information that is irrelevant to living a happy, intelligent, and drug free life.

Before you let them label and drug your child read this! Don't believe ADD is a myth? Then read this!

Since when does a temper tantrum warrant handcuffs & arrest?

If a parent tried this, this, or this at home they'd find themselves in handcuffs and arrested for child abuse!

Since when can't a teacher handle the temper tantrum of a 5 year old? Is cuffing and arresting a child at the age of 5 necessary or even wise? What parent, in their right mind, would even chance sending their child to public or private school and risk having this happen? Parents need to take responsibility for this happening to their child, not because the child misbehaves or throws a tantrum in school, but because school officials have stepped over the boundaries of common sense and are totally devoid of good parenting skills which are needed to raise children. These parents need to be held accountable for subjecting their children to these incompetents in the first place.

How convenient the teacher just happened to be video taping her classroom the day this 5 year old threw a tantrum. There is mention this child and her mother already had conflicts with the staff. There seems to be one too many incidents of arresting and handcuffing 5 year olds in this country. Has it dawned on these school officials these children don't want to be institutionalized and throwing a tantrum is the only means of expression for their young minds. As a parent are you willing to risk an incident like this and destroy your child's future?

Read Amy's top 10 reasons her kindergartners won't ever be hauled away in handcuffs!

Hands-on Behavior Teacher Breaks Student's Finger

In 'The Underground History of American Education' John Taylor Gatto writes:

"Nobody should be allowed to teach until they get to be forty years old. No one should be allowed anywhere near kids without having known grief, challenge, success, failure, and sadness.

We ought to be asking men and women who've raised families to teach, older men and women who know the way things are and why. Millions of retired people would make fine teachers. College degrees aren't a good way to hire anybody to do anything. Getting to teach should be a reward for proving over a long stretch of time that you understand and have command of your mind and heart.

And you should have to live near the school where you teach. I had some eccentric teachers in Monongahela, but there was not a single one didn't live close to me as a neighbor. All existed as characters with a history profiled in a hundred informal mental libraries, like the library of her neighbors my grandmother kept."

Sounds like this teacher got his teaching degree prematurely and now it's going to cost him his career and his reputation. As a home education advocate and one who watches what goes on in public schools I see a goodly number of these behavior specialists doing harm to their students. When I hear a public or private school teacher say: "I love those kids like they were my own..." it creeps me out. These people need to get their own children and leave mine alone. If they truly feel the need to nurture they need to get a puppy. They have no business being near children, especially those of others. But then, a smart parent wouldn't let their child be with a teacher like this in the first place.

Brave little soldiers and hero mommies!

I received my latest issue of The American Legion yesterday. Didn't get a chance to read it until this morning while having breakfast. An article that caught my eye and made me cry was titled: Hug-a-Hero dolls comfort kids of the deployed. This is a must read for anyone who proudly supports our troops, whether they be here working at home or deployed overseas. The official website is www.daddydolls.com.

The wives of two Marines developed the idea of making fabric dolls with the printed picture of their husbands in uniform so their ill children could still have daddy to hug while he was deployed. What a wonderful idea. What touched my heart was the photo with this article of the 4 year old receiving chemotherapy holding her 'daddy doll'. I remember so well the dependent children I cared for while working in the military hospitals when I was stationed around the country at various Army posts. Military families are special. Their children are special. They must endure many hardships and sometimes never know when a parent or spouse must leave for a length of time to serve overseas. It's what they choose to do but they do it selflessly and proudly. It's something civilians will never understand. To this day I still feel the tug of my 'military family' and remember fondly the many great opportunities and experiences I had while in uniform.

Community college classes begin again

Tomorrow is an important day here at our house. Our homeschooled 16 year old son begins his spring semester at the local community college. He's taking 2 courses this semester but fills the rest of his days with piano lessons, 1st Robotics, chores, improving his computer skills, sleeping, working and basic puttering. Winter is a slow time for us since we live on a mountain top and basically hibernate from January to March.

Why only two classes a semester at the community college? We don't want to overload him (travel, homework, scheduling) and we pay for each of his courses out of pocket as not to burden him with student loan debt by the time he is 21. Besides, traveling in the dead of winter is a nightmare here in Vermont, especially when snow storms or blizzards hit. It isn't worth risking our car or lives just to race off to classes everyday. By choosing only two classes a semester we zero in on the classes which will be most beneficial to him. We did the same for our daughter who is now 21. She began taking college classes at age 15.

What we save on room and board, by having our son attend the local community college, helps pay for classes, thus keeping us debt free. It may take longer for obtaining a degree but at 16 he has a head start compared to students still wallowing in public school waiting to graduate.

Another benefit of our son's participation at the community college is he'll be learning in an environment of multi-age students with varied backgrounds and goals. This helps with class discussions because opinions will be as varied as the students, and he'll hear opinions from students who have lived life before returning to the classroom.

Nothing rips me more than this phony ADD thing!

If there is one thing about child rearing that annoys me the most it is the destruction of perfectly normal children being diagnosed with the phony disease ADD/ADHD by unscrupulous public school teachers, psychiatrists, pediatricians and the ignorant or disinterested parents who allow this to happen.

Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD has written a book titled The ADHD Fraud: How Psychiatry Makes “Patients” Out of Normal Children, Published by Trafford Publishing. Thankfully, another voice for the innocent children. One day this nightmare will cease and children will be allowed to be children again. At least, for now, we can rescue the children one at a time from the damage being perpetrated by forced public schooling and ignorant parents.

Simply...LOVE says it all this Valentine's Day!

Angel Ridge Art has created this adorable Valentine greeting card, using one of the many Flutternut Faerie designs created by homeschool graduate and talented Vermont artist, Annaquista M. Pykosz. This Valentine greeting is now available in many forms including greeting cards, mugs, canvas bags, 2008 calendars and more. Check out these other Flutternut Faerie designs to share the fun and magic that will set your heart aflutter.

1st Robotics Now In Rutland, Vermont

Rutland's hometown heroes General Electric (did you know Thomas Edison was a homeschooler?) and Alderman's Chevrolet have combined efforts to sponsor a 1st Robotics team here in the Rutland County area. This wonderful opportunity is open to high school age children in the area. They meet at the GE plant right here in Rutland, Vermont. At this time there is only one homeschooler participating in this group and the rest of the participants are from area high schools.

See more about 1st Robotics at http://www.usfirst.org/. What a great opportunity for students interested in math and science to have this available to them. The mentors from GE are terrific and the students are learning so much from them and from this hands-on experience. The students get to work on the robot and compete at regional and national competitions. Contact the group through the website and learn more by reading about 1st Robotics at the same site.

Teenage sleep deprivation? Not in our house!

We don't need to worry about teenage sleep deprivation in our house. My son sets his own clock. He's a practical thinker. One of those 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' type. He chooses his own bedtime and most days I don't see him stir out of his room until well after noontime, unless we have something on our agenda for the day. Now that our son is a teenager and his sister is 21 with her own car and schedule, our days aren't rushed like they were when my children were younger.

We crammed our days with activities and outings in our children's early years. So afraid, were we, of missing any opportunity for learning or socializing, we'd pile into the car nearly every day to run errands, go shopping, visit libraries, museums, attend performances or whatever, returning home completely exhausted. Both we and the car was usually out of gas by the end of each day. As I look back now I think we could have relaxed about this homeschooling thing just a little more.

My son and I still enjoy outings together, which normally consists of dump runs or grocery shopping these days, but if I need to run somewhere in the mornings and his help isn't needed he stays home, under the covers fast asleep. When he needs to readjust his clock for early morning piano lessons or community college classes I figure he will. He's very capable and responsible. For now, he's a teenager, it's winter and much of nature is hibernating, so why shouldn't he.

Wham, blam, the flu bug has finally hit

Oh, my gosh, I thought I would die. That was the feeling I had when I quickly developed chills and an all over body ache that sent me to the sofa for 48 hours this week. Fortunately, the feeling only lasted 2 days but I was totally non-functional the entire time. I could barely get up to eat, drink or change the DVD.

Since we homeschool we don't get exposed to many seasonal ailments. The few times my children ever contracted some vile infectious disease came from attending the so-called Well Baby clinic, where they played with those nasty toys made available by health officials, or when they were exposed to cousins who attended public school. However, nearly every winter, my sweet hubby brings us home a cold or flu bug from the college campus where he works. He was sick all last week so I knew something was about to come my way. It sure enough did but my system seems to handle it better than his. He was sick for 2 weeks. I was sick for 2 days. Even our son complained of not feeling well but he bounced back in a few days.

We usually make it through each winter with only 1 bout of cold or flu so I'm hoping this is it until next year. We can all hope, can't we?

Settling into 2008

We found a new use for our vintage oak hall tree this Christmas. The stockings were hung from the hall tree with care...


Our curious little unschooler was forever exploring her world. She's 21 now and called tonight to say she was in Maine on an outing in search of antiques! We never know where her next adventure will take her.



One of the highlights of 2007 for our family was our son's 6 weeks away at camp. What a transition for all of us but it was a great experience for him and his parents. This particular camp is what I would call the nearest thing to utopia for a young boy. The freedom and learning experience our son had here was life changing for him.