scornfullearner

If you would have asked me just a year ago, I would have told you I was against abortion in just about every sense of the term. And I still am.

However, I have realized that just because I don't like it does not mean it should be against the law. It's not hurting me for someone I will never meet to abort a child. I hate it, I do. But, she could be doing something very responsible.

The way it seems that many politicians work is this:
They are pro-life until the child is born.

Adoption is not always the best answer because it's not a perfect system. It definitely needs work. We wind up with children in the system until they are 18 and have no idea how to live. They wind up homeless, beaten and abused in other ways, and needing help from the government that takes a life time to get.

You also have to take into account the women who realized they were pregnant after partying that involved drinking and drugs. It's not selfish that they choose to abort a baby who would wind up with all sorts of disorders. Even if they did clean up their act and get off the drugs and change their lifestyle, they would still have a child to deal with who has problems. And again, the adoption system isn't perfect. Not many people will adopt a child who will require lots of medical attention.

I was going to do a super long blog about all of the laws that were being introduced, but it's all been in the media so much lately, I feel like a lot of people should be up to speed. If not, go to Google and search "Trans vaginal ultrasound" and you'll see what started a good bit of it earlier this year.

I really wish people would realize that just because they have a belief system does not mean that everyone else shares it. Yes, as Christians, we are supposed to spread the word of Jesus, but that does not mean making what Jesus would do into law. Of course, most of these laws are so far from what Jesus taught it's ridiculous.

A lot of people gripe about people being on government benefits. If more women were able to access contraception or have an abortion when necessary (not in the sense of "oh, I'm pregnant because I refused any type of birth control" or "this is my fourth abortion" or "I have three kids, I don't need a fourth") we would have fewer children and parents on welfare, I think.

I'll delve more into that stuff later.

Public School
Public school has been catching a lot of flack. It is definitely in need of an overhaul. The "rules" and regulations are somewhat ridiculous, but with a little work, we could fix the system. Teachers and parents have little to no say in how the students are educated, and "teaching to the test" is becoming rather commonplace since the passing of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Students have to do well on the standardized tests in order to graduate high school, get into college, even pass a grade. Each student has a different way of learning, each student tests differently. Some suffer testing anxiety, some cannot express their thoughts in words as well as others, etc. With standardized testing, teachers cannot cater, for lack of a better term, to their students' needs.

However, some teachers are always finding methods to help their students understand the information presented to them in a preferable amount of time. Games like BINGO, breaking activities down into segments and having the students place them in order, and videos reinforcing the lessons help the students remember what has been taught to them. Incentives like bonus points, help as well.

Here are some pros of public schooling:

• Students can learn in a group setting


• Diversity among students creates an opportunity for students to learn about other cultures first hand


• Extra curricular activities


• Many schools offer tutoring opportunities and/or teachers have hours after class for extra help with work


• If the parent works a day job five days per week, the general 7:30AM to 3PM schedule is easy to work around.


• Offers opportunity to learn social skills.

Cons:

• Many schools cannot allow the parent to choose which school they go to (they have to go to the school in their living area)


• Fees at the beginning of each school year can be costly


• Not enough independent time for the student who learns better that way


• Some students get restless sitting their desks for hours without a recess


• Administration is not always reliable or there for the children.

Home School
Home School needs an overhaul, as well. I've heard about children who could not play outside during public school hours because their neighbors would call the Department of Human Resources and their parents would be questioned. Home school is almost frowned upon, especially around my area. Many people feel like the children are not being taught (there are stereotypes, but as with many, not everyone falls into that category), that they are lazy, uneducated, and basically skipping school, which is why the children could not play outside during public school hours. If action is taken to improve home school, children can have an even more flexible schedule to work with, they can take more educational trips, or even trips to the library without facing the possibility of being contacted by authority figures with the wrong idea.

Home schooling has quite a few pros:

• Flexibility. Parents can work on one subject per day, spend as much time as needed on a subject or project. The school "day" can start later than 7:30AM, can stop for a few hours in the middle of the day and pick back up later so the child can have a break.


• Parents can choose the curriculum


• One on one time with the instructor and student


• Bonding between parent and child can take place as they work together to learn and create things


• Field trips aren't as big of a deal as they would be in public school. Bus fees, lunch fees, big groups of students are avoided when it's a family trip, or a small trip with other children from the home school umbrella.


• Many children finish school early (by sixteen or earlier)

Some cons:

• The stigma (as mentioned previously)


• Some children do not get to be around others, so their social skills fall behind


• Most curriculum options require a religious studies course. Not everyone who wants to home school their children falls into the religious/Christian category


• It is rather expensive (curriculum books, teacher books, school supplies) throughout each school year


• A good "umbrella" is hard to come by in some areas. If the umbrella school is a bad one, ones degree may be moot in their state, and they will have to take college tests to continue their education.

Each school system is a good one, depending on the needs of the child and the area. Where I live, you cannot move your child from one public school to another if you are not happy with how your child is being treated because your child must attend the school in their area. The only other option is an expensive private school or home school. But home school may not work for the parents. It could be too expensive, they may not be confident in their knowledge to teach their own children. Their children may need the rules and discipline in the form that public school offers.

But some children may thrive better on one on one time or smaller groups. Some children with learning disabilities or physical disabilities can do better when they are at home. There is less bullying, less moving around from class room to classroom, no downtime in a P.E. class (for those physically disabled) that can be used for learning more about what they are interested in.

Both types of school can push an agenda. Some public schools are very liberal or conservative and push those views in their curriculum. In home schooling, the parents or tutors can push discrimination and teach hatred. That's a risk we take in any case, though.

Yes, in some ways, home schooling is better than public schooling. My best friend loves that she was home schooled. I, however, love that I went through kindergarten to twelfth grade in public school. I was picked on, but I did really well because I had more structure than my parents could have offered. I have a family member who was home schooled and never learned how to communicate and act around other people her age. I enjoyed time with adults, but I played with kids with little to no awkward moments.

And one school cannot say the other school is more educated. Many people who were home schooled say they are smarter than those of us who went to public schools. It is not true. Neither is the opposite. Each person is strong in areas that others aren't. I've seen people taught by very intelligent people who cannot spell or use punctuation. I know people from public school who do not have a grand vocabulary, but have gone on to be engineers.

The biggest issues you have to consider are your child's personality and the rules of public school (can you choose where your child goes if you are unhappy). Other than that, it really isn't accurate to say one is better than the other overall. For an individual, maybe, but not overall.

So, this is my first post here at Dreamwidth. It was going to be sooner, and on a different topic, but I'm getting a little tired of politics right now, so I decided to wait. Until I ran across this link that a friend "liked" on Facebook.

It was a page called Boycott Liberal Hollywood. The info page says liking it will help spread the word and by not going to movies made by these "elitists" we can stop the liberal agenda. Some people are saying "down with Sean Penn" and other similar remarks.

Now, if you've made it this far, you know I'm a Conservative, almost through and through (but that's a post for another time), and would vote Republican over Democrat without any pressure, but this, to me, is ridiculous.

You see, you're asking people to stop doing what they enjoy. You're making people put politics into what they enjoy. I don't know about you out there, Readers, but I don't think about politics when I decide if I like a movie. I consider the actors and actresses, yes, but their political affiliation has nothing to do with it. I know that Ashton Kutcher thinks that we, as Americans, work for Obama, as the President, even though we have been taught in our years of school that that is not the case, but I still watch That 70's Show and I'd probably watch that movie he did with Kathrine Heigl. His ignorance and choice in political affiliation has nothing to do with his acting. My favorite singer/actor is a liberal and he, along with his bandmates, proudly show that they voted for Obama. You know what? I still buy his CDs and watch his films. I don't think of politics while I'm enjoying his voice.

Can anyone tell me they truly do?
Would you choose to consider those choices of someone before going to see a film?

This, to me, is causing an even greater divide in our Nation. We don't need to be pushing others away, "teaching them a lesson"; we need to be getting together and trying to work something out. I know that's something only a true Optimist would wish for, but well, we need more optimism in this country.

I know that one of the points of this page is to make people aware of these views so they will stop "supporting them" and buying tickets to see movies. This all goes back to my point of "Why are you thinking about these things while watching a film?" Yeah, they benefit from those sales, but there are going to be people out there like me and many others who won't stop seeing films for this reason. I'm not sure it's going to help.

And we need to have Politically Free entertainment!