Senor Parrot’s Perch

Nick Mangiaracina notes some disturbing statistics about the trend of American high school students in his article “Reading, writing are one of our last bonds” , published in the University Daily Kansan.  This information, culled from the well known National Endowment for the Arts survey completed in 2004, has been noted elsewhere many times before, but it bears repeating:

According to a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, the percentage of people reading literature dropped 10 percentage points from 1982 to 2002. More significant was the 17 percentage point decline of reading literature of those between the ages of 18 and 24 during the same time period.

Standardized test scores support this trend. The Center for Pubic Education reported a 6 percentage point decline on National Assessment of Education Progress reading test scores among 12th graders between 1992 and 2005. As the name suggests, this test is used to measure progress in education, especially in math and reading.

Its easy to point our blame at schools, especially public schools, but really, there are many fine teachers just trying to maintain as best as they can. What we, as parents or students, can do, is do our best for ourselves in the sphere of influence that we have.

We have to monitor our our kids’ progress and supplement where we can. We don’t have to pay for expensive tutoring, if we can’t afford it, but we can get supplementary materials and start where our kids are at, work with them, and help them reach and exceed their expected grade level of performance.

Isn’t this what homeschoolers do? They have a growing network online and offline where they discuss curriculum and learning experiences and they do very well. As a supplement, some of these same strategies would work for our non-home schooled kids.

Home Schooled Young Adults are More Politically Engaged

It’s not that I’m all that excited about home schooling, but I not much excited about public schooling. I read an interresting article tonight, entitled GenJ teaches Leadership, Civics, that reported that while overall about 50% of eligible adults vote, only about 30% of the 18-24 year age group will. So much for Rock the Vote.

J Michael Smith, the author of this article went on to compare this rate to the home schooled 18-24 year old group. These vote at about a 76% rate, that is, this segment is about 2.5 times more likely to vote. The article also reports that home schooled young adults are about 3 times more likely to make financial contributions and an amazing 14 times more likely to volunteer for a campaign. The author attributes this to the heavy emphasis on American History. The author goes on to say:

This is good news because it shows homeschoolers are not only interested in the study of our government, but they actively do something to try to improve it. One of the reasons for this heightened involvement in society is that many homeschool families teach American history, which shows how important it was during the founding of this nation to have men and woman who were well-educated and powerful advocates for their positions. The great acts of civic and political leadership that led to the adopting of the U.S. Constitution occurred in a period in history that many homeschoolers admire.

Homeschooling as an educational supplement

In another article, this one from the NewsChief.com site, Supplemental education: When the classroom isn’t enough, other programs can step in, Andrea Calcano Cruz reports quotes a mother of twin boys with special needs that

“It’s definitely working for us. What the teachers have to deal with, I could not honestly expect my child to walk in a classroom with 20 different kids and get the one-on-one attention they need,” Neil said. “They wouldn’t be able to flourish in a regular public school setting.”

However, its clear that things are all that rosy for every homeschooling family. Find the right curriculum, or at least one that fits the budget and the desires of the parent, isn’t always easy or even achieved.

With all those choices, Neil said trial and error is how she deciphers what works best for her boys.

Note: the photograph above, Homeschooling at the Moran home!, was taken form Flickr.

Sherry at Semicolon didn’t so much post a list of “Best Books”, but maybe a “Best Method” for choosing a book to give as a gift. Her post is based on the so-often asked question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I like this approach. It’s simple, just like me, and it’s a fun way to dream about and imagine what might be in our kids’ futures, too.

Our college president shared this video from Youtube with the school ( the video is at the bottom of this post) . I see these changes almost everywhere I look. The world is changing fast and if I don’t make efforts to look ahead then I lose the chance to change with it. Same for you.

Wealth changes its location extraordinarily fast. Look at the rise of some of the largest companies today. They weren’t around when I was a child; they rose from new technology after I’d become an adult. And look at the shift in relative economic power from Europe to Asia, to India and China, specifically, only a short while ago regarded as backwaters and now economic powerhouses.

I’ve had many students at the community college where I work who are struggling to rebuild their lives after the factory where they worked for 30 years shut down, either because the products were outdated and lacked customers or they crushed by competition. These are reliable persons willing to work hard, but no place to work that pays enough to keep the house. Other students have seen the handwriting on the wall and returned to rebuild their skill set and jump to a more stable ship.

They’re back in school, learning new things, stretching their minds like never before. They’re retooling themselves for the future. Education is critical. The earlier we attain it, the better it sticks. The broader it is, the more reliable we’ll find it. Especially math and science. Don’t like it? Get over it!

Video: Shift Happens

Nowadays, only social pariahs smoke cigarettes and eat trans fats. Nearly every city with any politically progressive presence is, has, or will make smoking and eating trans fats into a crime. Its laudable that they want to protect our bodies from our choices. They miss the more important thing: protecting our minds and spirits from the dreck we are exposed to day in and day out.

My family has found the online Movie, Music and Game reviews site Plugged In Online a valuable help in helping us select what we want our minds to consume. Bookmark it in your web browser so you can return to it whenever you want.

Plugged-In Online is provided by Focus on the Family, which also publishes Plugged In magazine, as well. So its no surprise that it promotes an evangelical Christian perspective in its reviews. I think that’s a good thing and one of the reasons I find it so reliable.

So, while the thoughtful and thought-provoking movie reviews of Joe Morgenstern at the Wall Street Journal remain my clear favorites of all those I read I find that many of my family viewing decisions are finalized by the reviews of Bob Waliszewski at Plugged In. He weighs elements and features of films in terms of my own family’s values. His concern is our spiritual and emotional welfare and he carefully notes why he makes his decisions and recommendations about movies. His reviews are also broadcast over many Christian Radio Stations. Whether they are broadcast on any non-Christian stations, I don’t know. 

Elizabeth Kennedy, on her blog About.com:Children’s Books, provides an excellently chosen list of summer reading lists. I recommend taking the time to look at all 10. There are many excellent books listed, and it would take much more than a single summer to read them all.

The lists group books by grade or age, genre, or both. They have many classics on the list, which is a good thing. 

Another good reason to read the lists is to see what the schools, librarians, and educators are encouraging our children to read. Not everything on those lists is something I would want my child reading at the age of 13 or 14, when emotions and hormones are running high, and judgement and wisdom are not sufficiently prepared to resist some Siren’s song of pleasure and self-fulfillment. However, I did not see too many.

I was most surprised at the overall excellent quality of all of the lists, each a book lover’s dream. Lists included science, history, Economics (yah!-one list included Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations-thats an ambitious book for a high schooler), classical texts, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh or Homer or the Bible, novels, poetry and books without any words like recently published Flotsam. The lists run long and short.

So, go look at the lists and pick out more than a few. Head to the bookstore or your library and read. Happy Reading!

Libraries are one of the best resources for lovers of Kids Books. The small local branch that we visit has a large and comfortable area for young children’s books that my kids dearly love. We usually stop by on Saturday afternoon on the way home from swimming lessons and the kids get to explore and find books that they will like.

In today’s Wall Street Journal Online, I read an interesting article by Jeff Zaslow, entitled “Of the Places You’ll Go, Is the Library Still One of Them?” In it he talks about the growing trend for kids to avoid the library, preferring the Internet for their research.

He notes that kids also prefer to own books rather than borrow them, a trend that Zaslow correctly attributes to our culture’s acquisitive inclinations.

They’re missing out. My small local branch library has a better selection of kids books than Barnes and Nobles or Borders. It doesn’t have as much of the junk, and it has more of the better stuff, and it has books that the retailer’s would probably never put on their shelves because, regardless of the books quality, it may just not fit into the Big Box Bookstore’s marketing plan.

An important point made by one of the persons Zaslow interviews in the article is:

“It’s true that older Internet-phobes are missing out on an incredible tool. But many tech-savvy kids never experience the library as a place for serendipitous discovery. “The library is about delayed gratification,” says Dr. Levine. “It’s about browsing through shelves of biographies. ‘Do I want Jackie Robinson? Franklin Roosevelt? What will I do when I grow up?’ The library slows you down and makes you think.”

Three weeks ago, I was helping my daughter find books on the Boston Tea Party. I showed her how to search the online catalog, how to narrow it to books at the branch we were at, and then where to find the call number on the screen and then how to locate it on the shelves.

So, we quickly located 4 or 5 books to search for and as we were pulling them from the shelves, we were constantly interrupted by all those other good books shelved next to and between the ones we searched for. We went home with more books than we expected – a common occurrence – and happier for it.

Also, ever noticed, when reading up on a topic on Wikipedia, how annoyingly poorly written some of the articles are? In my experience, I’ve found that generally, books or printed articles, are a better read than the online articles, especially like those found in Wikipedia. If you’re looking to learn about something beyond very basic, just beyond definitional, information, books tend to be a better source.

Today I am very pleased to interview Jenn Doucette, a very funny lady and the author of the recently published “Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This: Refreshing Rest Stops for Moms on the Run.” She talks about herself, her books, and duct tape. Women – even your husbands would enjoy this!

But first, I want to tell you that you’ll enjoy this book. Jenn Doucette’s “Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This” is written for moms on the Go – Moms in need of a rest stop to recuperate, refuel, and reconnect.

With humor and insight Jenn Doucette looks at her own life and examines from all sides the frustrations and challenging incidents that every mom shares and provides practical and spiritual advice for slowing down, de-stressing and re-focusing in order to stay refreshed and find contentment in life.

Jenn is also founder of D.A.I.S.Y Ministries, “a vehicle to reach other women in need of a laugh, a hug, and some Spiritual encouragement. ”

Now, here’s Jenn Doucette!

SP:
Jenn, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a writer?

Jenn:
I live in the Northwest with my husband, Ben, and our three kiddos (J.J., Katie, and Emma). Among other things, I love comedy, good food, learning how to play the guitar, and alternative Christian rock bands (Jars of Clay, Mercy Me, Third Day, Casting Crowns, Newsboys). I’m a cat person, a LOST fan, and a follower of Jesus Christ. I’m a proud owner of two cats, one chicken, and a Beta fish named Gary.

And I am a writer.

Looking back, I believe my writing adventure began in first grade – the same year I discovered The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Gertrude Chandler Warner, Jane Eyre (yep, that’s correct), and Alfred Hitchcock. Sure, playing with dolls was still fun; riding bikes continued to be a big part of my kid routine; but words and books plunked themselves down as #1 on “My favorite Things” list and haven’t budged since.

It didn’t take too long, really, before I became a book junkie. Thankfully, the bookmobile made regular stops on our street, just long enough to give me a “quick fix,” to keep my imagination placated until the next trip to the library.

In 2003, after nearly three decades of fanatical reading and a year of wrestling with God about His calling for my life, I decided to become a writer. It was my hope to create a piece of work that would inspire others with hope and humor. Soon after this decision, an old friend contacted me; he turned out to be a literary agent.

I sent him some very rough stuff.

He liked it.

Sold it to NavPress publishing

And I became a published author.

SP:
In your new book, “Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This: Refreshing Rest Stops for Moms on the Run” you gave each chapter title with one form or another of the word “Go,” and in the introduction to your book you liken Moms to the Gingerbread Man, just one step ahead and always running as fast as they can so as not to be caught from behind by all the responsibilities of motherhood. Can you tell us what led you to characterize a Moms life this way? What are some of the dangers that this presents to Moms? How will your book help Moms find the break they need?

Jenn:
After giving birth three times in four years, I remember romanticizing the stage following the tumultuous toddler years. No more diapers! No more car seats! No more cutting up grapes or searching through sheets for a lost pacifier!

I believe I was giddy with naiveté.

Because once I finally arrived at the school-age stage, or what I call The Busy Stage, diapers became replaced with gym socks; car seats became replaced with neverending homework projects, grapes were replaced with orthodontic appointments and lost pacifiers with after-school activities.

The giddiness quickly wore off.

And I realized I wasn’t alone. And being the avid reader I am, I remember reading The Gingerbread Man out loud to my kids one time and cracking up. “This is me!” I chortled, pointing to the little brown cookie running away from the policeman, the butcher, plumber, the man, the woman, and the dog. It was right then that I knew I’d found a great theme for a book: Refreshing Rest Stops for Moms on the Run.

I think the dangers in continuing to live an “on the go” existence are the risk of missing our kids’ childhoods, missing out on the relational aspect of parenting; I also believe moms on the go are prime candidates for burnout. If we don’t get the rest we need, we’re more prone to just keep on running. Divorce, abandonment, and suicide are the extreme possibilities for moms who have been sucked dry by their care-giving responsibilities.

How will my book help? Well, hopefully it will make ‘em laugh. Pooped out moms need to laugh. My book also gives examples of mistakes I’ve made (oye), suggestions I have for improvement, as well as humorous examples of mom blunders. I believe my book can help, because I’m like all the other moms out there – and every mom needs to know she’s not alone.

SP:
In your first chapter you emphasize every Mom’s essential need for girlfriend time – a point that my wife really agreed with, and when we were discussing this point together she made it reeaally clear to me that it is really, really, reeeeaaaaallllllly important. Ok. So, since it has now been irrefutably established as fact, can you tell us why it is necessary? What about a Mom who doesn’t have that girlfriend network to turn to? What can she do to find or create her own sisterhood of the go-go moms so she can get that girlfriend

Jenn:
Girlfriend time is vital because women and men are different. Duh, I know. But the fact is, women understand women in ways the men in our lives will NEVER understand us. It’s not enough to be loved, appreciated, and respected. We need to feel understood by someone. And it’s reassuring to hear how others may be struggling with similar issues, or to hear how others have successfully maneuvered through a tricky parenting situation. Our girlfriends cheer us on, they make us smile, they listen to us cry, and they love us through it all.

Unfortunately, not everyone has friends like that. My response to that? I’ll quote Woody from Toy Story: “If you don’t have one – get one!” This is definitely easier said than done.

Here are some ideas for getting connected with fellow girlfriends:

MOPS groups – (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) These groups can be found all across the United States. They primarily meet in churches, and provide childcare. MOPS groups tend to meet every other week and offer guest speakers, crafts, parenting suggestions, and a wonderful opportunity to network and socialize.

Online chat groups or blogging loops – be careful, this can be risky and you have to be smart. Here are a couple online groups to check out: http://www.frugalmom.net/
http://twomomsinablog.com/
http://www.pioneerparenting.blogspot.com/
http://www.5minutesformom.com/
http://www.mom2momconnection.com/
http://www.shoutlife.com/ (this is a Christian alternative to myspace.com)

Get involved with a local church

Join a local scrapbook group, a health club, or book club

Get to know your neighbors or your kids’ friends’ parents
SP:
Where did you get the idea to include the little activities in the “Getting Directions” section at the end of each chapter? I really liked how you structured these sections. The first question is something simple and funny – like bait drawing them into the next questions. Then, its like you sneak up on your reader and suddenly they realize you’ve dropped something very practical, meaningful and easily done right into their lap that can make that rest stop happen for them. And the best part is, its something that the reader wants, because really your questions act as sparks to generate plans of their own.

Jenn:
Book clubs are kind of the rage right now and I wanted to format my book so that if groups wanted to use it in their book club, they’d have ready-made questions from the get-go.

I’ve spoken to a number of MOPS women’s groups and they always ask me to bring in a short set of discussion questions to get women sharing with one another. The idea is to bring them to the table in a non-threatening way, to let them laugh with one another before they get to some of the deeper issues. I don’t want them to feel tricked though ! If they opt out of the more soul searching questions, then they’ve at least contributed to the lighter ones. I want to be sensitive to those women who find it difficult to share in a group (I can SO NOT relate, but I know those sweeties are out there), and to let them know they’re still valuable, that their input is important.

Bottom line? I love my audiences and I love my readers and I want them to feel safe with me.
SP:
You put your Christian faith right out there in the open and each chapter of your book emphasizes an appropriate passage from the Bible to meditate on. Can you talk about the role your faith has played in your life?

Jenn:
A big part, baby. Jesus has been in my life for as long as I can remember. He’s been a very real, integral part of every major decision in my life. I’ve seen him work miracles of the heart, miracles of the body, and miracles of the soul. He’s humbled me, changed me, forgiven me, and molded me.