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Another "teacher" abuses student

This heavy handed treatment of our children needs to stop. COLUMBUS, Ga.  - A 13-year-old boy had to have his right leg amputated after a contractor at a Columbus, Georgia, school "body slammed" him repeatedly, an attorney for the boy's family said. http://www.click2houston.com/news/national/teen-loses-leg-after-teacher-body-slam-lawyer-says

Tired of the abuse

Thankfully this teacher was caught and fired, but how often does this happen?  How does this set up our children to not trust adults and to not trust anyone in authority like perhaps police? https://blackmattersus.com/18177-texas-teacher-fired-after-abusing-little-black-kid/ I removed my kids from the schools for far less than this.

Amendment 1 Georgia 2016: Will allow the state to take over failing schools.

It sounds good, right?, but somehow I'd never even heard about it until I ran across a Facebook video today.  I couldn't pull the video, but here is the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/KeepGeorgiaSchoolsLocal/videos/249804532083705/?pnref=story Then I read this:  https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_Authorization_of_the_State_Government_to_Intervene_in_Failing_Local_Schools,_Amendment_1_(2016) And this:  http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/fight-over-opportunity-school-district-amendment-gaining-steam/article_1b261f1b-f247-5edf-b21c-d54ba637286e.html and I am not feeling too good about it... to paraphrase, from what I understand is the state will take over failing schools that could not meet the numbers in 3 years.  Then they would be able to hire and fire and change curriculum, and hold that school for 5-10 years, and if THEY could not then bring the school up to par, they would close the school. That's bothersome.  I'd like to know more.....

Uh-oh Are my kids ever going to leave

It's not like I actually want them to leave or anything...and my daughter isn't really back yet, but, my son has moved comfortably into the basement and set up what looks like a space-age computing system to work on his website and I guess incubate. I am preparing for my acting/artist/costuming daughter to come home by preparing one of the spare rooms in advance, so it it not just a huge cluttered mess. So, clearly, they are grown and they either are or are planning to live with us for a while. Both are considering grad school, but the boy will surely do it online...I don't know about the girl. And I want them here, I really do... I just don't want to cook for them, or clean for them.  I don't. Anyway, here's to hoping they aren't officially boomerang kids. One in five people in their 20s and early 30s is currently living with his or her parents. And 60 percent of all young adults receive financial support from them. That’s a significant increas...

Racial Bias in Preschool

Is your preschooler being racially profiled? How would you ever know? It's not one of those things you can put a finger on, especially if you are not looking for it, but something usually nags at you that your kid might be getting a raw deal.  Pay attention, does your black kid get in a lot of trouble for things a kid their age normally does?  That might be a problem. If your kid is one of few in his class, chances are he IS getting a raw deal. Read: Bias Isn't Just A Police Problem, It's A Preschool Problem New research from the Yale Child Study Center suggests that many preschool teachers look for disruptive behavior in much the same way: in just one place, waiting for it to appear. The problem with this strategy (besides it being inefficient), is that, because of implicit bias, teachers are spending too much time watching black boys and expecting the worst. I have become convinced that homeschooling is the answer for parents of black children who want...

Are we done yet?

My son got his college diploma in the mail yesterday!  His GPA is good.  His GPA for his Major is impressive.  I know I've said I would not hinge his post homeschooling success on his homeschooling, but ... it is hard not to. He was homeschooled.  He went to college.  It was hard.  But he finished and finished well. Now, the question is what kind of job will he get.  All sure-fire possibilities are close to the college in a town he does not want to live in... so the search begins.  Also, his dad and I are trying to get him to consider grad school.  30 credits to a Masters degree.  He's thinking about it. Actual graduation is in December.  He'd like to skip it.  We are going and acting a fool.

Anger and Loathing with AT&T

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I tried to handle this privately. (update at bottom) I tried to work one on one with AT&T, but after 9 hours on the phone with them, 90 minutes at a time, and after they all but welcomed me to try to work out my problem on my Twitter feed :( It is clear that I have no other choice but to blog my issues. Hold onto your hat.  This is going to be a bumpy ride! So let's try to start at the beginning, shall we? Back in late July, when it was almost time for my daughter to return to college, her cell phone broke.  Her cellphone is on a 3 year payment plan, and we all know cell phones last 2 years tops, but fine...