🚀 go-pugleaf

Andrew-
 AP> I am really sorry about the delay. I got caught in the
 AP> Christmas hassle, and I was away for about a week. Anyway, I sincerely
The holiday hassle got us, as well- no apology needed; good wishes reciprocated.
 AP> simply because they have not learned to " fit in" or at least to appear
 AP> to "fit in". I hope you are ensuring that your kids are learning to be a
 AP> part of the society to which they belong, as well as learning to be
 AP> individuals. I assume of course that you are already well aware of this
;^)  Ah yes, the concern about socialization. You are not the first to voice it!  My daughters and I attend martial arts school together; they participate in library and zoo programs, community education classes, etc.  They are more active in their communities than most people- the county fair, the local Nutcracker production, even local politics.  They've learned to communicate and get along with all types and ages of people.  We also get together with other homeschoolers for field trips, social times, et

c.
 AP> I have heard that the US state school system is really bad. Is this what
 AP> you mean? I(n what ways is state schooling in the US so awful?
While I have heard horror stories about public schools in the cities, we live in a very rural area, with "good" schools.  I just don't think the "system" is the best way to become educated; the whole idea that learning should be dissected into categories, doled out in 40 minute increments, seperated from "real life", and then measured by some standard above which we must not rise, and below which we must not fall, in any given subject at a particular age: while the process miraculously manages to produce a

 certain amount of learning,it's just not my idea of the best education.
 AP> Do you suggest things to the kids that they can learn? Do you guide them
The "rule" is that they must be gainfully occupied- ie, not bugging someone else, etc.  Whenever they are not so occupied, we offer choices or ideas.  We often arrive at projects by a sort of informal brainstorming- one comment or idea leads to another, and another...We are always available for questions or assistance.
 AP> What sort of books does Amber read? Has she discovered the Earthsea
 AP> trilogy by Ursula Le Guin? This has got to rank as one my alltime
The Left Hand of Darkness is one of my favorites.  No- she hasn't read these yet.  She likes mysteries, books with weird titles, myths and legends...
 AP> has Amber yet come upon the Dragon books by Anne MacCaffery. I myself am
 We got into dragons a year or so ago and I'm sure we read some of her stuff, but my memory fails as to titles.
 AP> You say that Amber is an avid fan of chess. So am I. Perhaps she and I
 AP> could play a game or so ( a very slow one mind you given the time lag)
 AP> over the BBS. Is Amber familiar with chess notation? I'll start the ball
We are all beginners here in the chess department!  I mentioned the concept to Amber, and she loved the idea.  We need to learn chess notation- could you recommend some reference to start us off?
 AP>                                            P - Q4 ( or d4)
As soon as we figure out what you did, we'll do something!
 AP> What sort of maths is Amber familiar with? Has she discovered the joys
 AP> of calculus and matrix algebra yet? Has she discovered fractals and
 AP> Mandelbrot set? I am just now myself teaching myself Chaos and
My husband is the family math man; I must confess a personal educational deficiency in higher mathematics.  I've come to find the subject interesting and useful, and am learning along with Amber. A program that makes Mandelbrot sets recently got us talking about that concept, and fractals.
 AP> ...  Perhaps she and I, and your other daughter could exchange
 AP> some maths problems and discussions in the future?
I'll remind Amber to reply to this message next time she logs on.
 -later - LL



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