High School Musical 2

Last Saturday, Focus on the Family was on the radio with thier weekend roundup show. It's sort of a summary from the week with little snippets. One of the snippets was actually on High School Musical and what a great positive influence it is. I was very skeptical.

So many young girls (ages 5-10) are big into Hannah Montana, iCarly, and High School Musical. It's so hugely commercialized. I feel like I see it everywhere--and then to hear about it from Focus on the Family. Wow!

I actually didn't get to hear what they had to say, but it made me curious and determined to make up my mind for myself what I think about the High School Musical craze. From my Netflix this week, I got High School Musical 2.

It was indeed pretty wholesome. I can't remember any language and aside from Sharpei's very revealing outfits, there wasn't any other barely clad bodies. The message was that friends are more important than everything else--I think. It made me realize how out of touch I am with fashion. It surprises me what is considered wholesome dress nowadays. All in all, I can't say that I have any huge objections--minus one very big one.

Is it age appropriate for the little girls viewing it? It definitely is appropriate for middle schoolers and high schoolers (though I think it might be too Junior Highish for them). But, do 3rd and 4th graders really need to be focused on dating and having a boyfriend and the cutest boy in school? Do they need any more encouragement in that direction than is naturally already in school.

A friend of mine used to teach 5th grade in Colorado. It was part of her curriculum to teach Sex Education. She had to push to get the okay to teach abstinence. It's so hard to believe, but true. This is what truly happened to a friend of mine. After teaching her class one day, one of the little girls said that she wished her cousin had heard that lesson before she got pregnant (as a 7th grader). And another little boy came to tell her that two children in the other 5th grade class had had sex.

I know that sex is a far cry from dating. They're truly very far apart. But, my point is, are our kids being exposed to things too young--whether it's dating or sex? Are we letting them be kids and are we even helping them stay kids? Or are we allowing the culture to send them on a wave that's going to crash very quickly onto the shore.

I'm thankful my friend had the courage to speak to her students about what they were already being exposed to. But, is it possible to stave off that exposure until they're a little older? I don't know the answer to this one.

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story. My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard. Am I questioning too much? Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way. But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them. Recently, I read a book that troubled me. The book I finished reading was Guiltless Living by Ginger Hubbard. When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...

Writing A Homeschool Teacher Resume

I'm helping a friend who's switching jobs write a resume. She hasn't written one in years, so this is something new. I began working on her resume, but then stopped to write my own because I thought it might be helpful. Being a homeschool teacher may not seem to many like an occupation or career, but it is. I used the combined form of resume for myself. I began with the basic information, then moved on to strengths (the combined skills/experience part), education, Occupational Experience, then Related Experience, Certifications, Computer Skills, and mentioned at the end... References Available Upon Request. Sometimes homeschooling parents have to reenter the workplace because of family changes and needs. How could you express what you've been doing in a way that's acceptable for a resume? Well, here's my take on it... Teacher, Homeschool ...

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