Homeschoolers Aren't Always Anti Social

As I said earlier in this blog, I'm homeschooled. Now I believe in my case the best way for me to receive my education is at home. Now I know that not all families have this opportunity, and  homeschooling might not be the best option. So, I am here here merely to inform you that the misconception that all homeschoolers are socially awkward is false.

Homeschooling, by definition, is being educated at home. The student is usually taught by a parent. But often the parent has additional resources, such as the Marion Home School Assistance Program (MHSAP).

MHSAP, for example, provides classes in fields that a parent might not be able to do easily. Such as music, art, science labs, and drama.

Homeschoolers seem to be associated with an antisocial stereotype, but on average, that is not the case. As Thomas Smedley, who, used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scaleto to rate students who were homeschooled said:

"In the public school system, children are socialized horizontally, and temporarily, into conformity with their immediate peers. Home educators seek to socialize their children vertically, toward responsibility, service, and adulthood, with an eye on eternity"

According to his results, when the average homeschooler is compared to the rest of the nation in socialization,  the average homeschooler is in the top 27%. If that didn't convince you, this video will.

Now whether or not a homeschooler is "socially superior" is debatable. But I can guarantee that not all of them are misfits.

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I decided that this particular post was a pathetic excuse for writing. I'm sorry, I only made it because I was busy and I really needed a new post

If Only They Followed The Book

You know what one of my biggest pet peeves is? When after reading a awesome book, I decide to watch the movie, which is hardly ANYTHING like the book. Then I spend most of the movie grinding my teeth and growling whenever the actors do something that contradicts the book. One of the best examples would be the book Eragon. Now this is one of my favorite books, I think Christopher Paolini is a genius (He was a homeshooler by the way), but the movie was an utter disgrace. The funny thing is though, I probably would of liked the movie (despite the bad acting), if I had never read the book. So it makes me wonder, is it better to read the book, or watch the movie first?

If you read the book first, and the movie doesn't follow the book, you will be angry at the people who made the movie, and you won't have a very fun time at all. (Except if you enjoy pointing out the numerous errors in the movie. Which I kind of do.)

If you watch the movie first, you will probably enjoy the movie, but when you read the book you can't imagine what the characters look like. They are already set in stone in your mind. Plus you will get mad that the book wasn't what you were expecting.

So I think the best thing would be if the director followed the book as closely as possible. I understand that the movie has to be a little different. And in the case of books like Eragon or Lord of The Rings the movie can't be quite as long as the book.

But in Eragon they rushed through several chapters in a couple of minutes. You can't enjoy a plot like that when everything is happening so fast.

Everyone I have met so far has agreed with me, directors really should pay more attention to the finer details of the book. Then everyone is happy. So, do you agree, or disagree? Please comment and give me your opinion

Free Laptops Maybe Not The Best Option?

If you live in the Mount Vernon/Lisbon IA area you have probably heard of the One-to-One computer initiative that Lisbon School is implementing for grades 6 through 12. What does this project do? It simply gives a free Apple Macbook to every student in grades 6 to 12. Now you have to wonder if this is a joke, a free laptop? Surely there are better uses for that money, right? I talked to several of my friends who go to Lisbon (That would be about, two), and they all said that even though they thought there was much better uses dollar for dollar, they wouldn't complain because of the free laptop. Didn't anyone consider the laptop's would probably be more of a distraction then a learning tool?

When I was younger, being a homeschooler, I always thought that computer labs were neat. The school lets you do stuff on a computer? Cool! But apparently Lisbon wanted to go farther. Why in the world would Lisbon want this? Maybe a big reason would be that over the last couple years Lisbon Public School District has made a big fuss about all the students open enrolling into a different district. If a kid has a choice between a better education and a free laptop, which do you think they are going to choose? And of course, Mount Vernon isn't very far behind, although for the 2010-2011 year only 8th graders will receive laptops. Now I might be wrong, the district supplied laptops might be a great thing. Or it might not. The 4 year lease is $140,000 a year. Which makes you think, 140k a year? You can buy a lot of pencils with that much money.

Blog

So, I finally made a blog. Now, you might wonder why I need a blog. Well, I don't. But you do.

Now, I'm wondering what I should blog about. After stalking a couple facebook friends, *cough* , I have no idea what to do. Some blog about every week, month, year, or some older ones, century.

Some make really small blogs, that are a couple lines.

Others don't have a blog. No lines

One blogger recapped about the last months events

I figure I will just write about anything that comes to mind. It might be stupid, outdated, and wholly insignificant in regards to other things I could say. But because you could do better, why don't you?

Now I don't know how long I will keep blogging, I will probably do it a lot at first. Then I will get bored, busy with school, or have my Mom find this. Then, well, I can't tell the future, can I?

Please comment, follow, or tell me how right I am. I like attention. Like a 4 year old. (Others might argue a lot of other things about me are 4 year old like)

Update: I think I have somewhat decided to devote this blog almost entirely to my opinions. They might be the same as yours, or they might not. But always remember, my opinion is always right. Even when it is wrong.