How much time do we spend telling our children to wait, while we want them to come immediately, obey immediately, do it immediately?
How much time do we spend on the computer, while we give our children time limits that are strictly enforced?
Do we look at our children's art work and encourage their creativity as much as we watch television?
Do we actually talk (and listen) as much with our children as we do on the phone with our friends?
How much time do we spend complaining about others, when we tell our children that complaining is not glorifying to God?
How often do we do something out of the blue that isn't "our" responsibility (like make our children's beds), while we tell them they should just notice things to be done (like trash on the floor) and do it?
How much time do we spend reading aloud to our children instead of preaching to them that they need to read more?
Even as homeschool moms, how much time do we spend in DIRECT interaction with our children rather than simply bustling around them to get it all done?
How much time do we spend doing Bible study and praying WITH our children instead of telling them God wants a relationship with us? How much time do we pray privately and show them that we have a relationship with God?
Do we spend as much time writing love letters to our husband and children as we do updating our blogs for total strangers?
Do we spend as much time preparing nice meals for our families as we do getting ready to go out to eat with a friend or other moms?
Do we spend time at the gym or in front of an exercise video, while we can't find time to play catch with our children in the back yard?
Do we complain because our children get up late, but we won't take the time to rock them to sleep at night so they stay up until crazy hours?
How do we spend our time? I know that I have problems with some of the above and others are not a problem for me, but I know they are for other moms. How are you going to spend your time today?
Sonya Haskins
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Do you ever have those days when you wonder WHY you're doing this? Am I ruining my children? Are they really learning anything? I know all homeschool moms have those days occasionally. And then there are the days when we don't necessarily feel like failures, but we wonder why in the world we don't take advantage of that "long yellow school bus" that comes and picks them up for FREE and takes them (the children) away all day for FREE babysitting.
Of course we all know that nothing in the world is free and everything has a price. The "price" of public education will be saved for another day's essay / blog post. Today I wanted to mention that I was having one of those days this week when I thought, "If I'm sick more time than I'm not, are they really learning anything at all?"
Monday and Tuesday I spent a lot of time in bed resting (from a herniated disc this time). At one point I was having these thoughts when I was feeling like a failure and I decided to get up and see what the children were doing. (Chris had taken the day off work to help watch them since I was taking medicine that made me so sleepy.) I went into the living room and four of my five children were sitting in these huge boxes with their heads poked out the tops. They had their arms and hands hanging over the edge and I quickly noted that they had drawn controls all over the insides and on the flaps sticking out of the boxes. They had turned them into "jets," they said. So I lay there on the couch listening to them play.
I was still thinking, "I'm not doing a very good job teaching them. Here are my poor little children playing in boxes while I'm in bed again." While thinking this, I was still listening to the kids and I heard them saying, "Here we are at the Eiffel Tower in France," "Now we're at the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy," "Anyone who wants to get off at Alexandria, Egypt, here is your stop!!"
I said, "What are you guys doing?" They replied, "We're pretending our boxes are jets and we're the pilots. We're making stops around the world. Our passengers get off and other passengers get on and then we go to another place. It is great fun, but Micah is messing up our blasting jets when he moves the boxes because it makes the jets unstable and then we're going to CRASH if he doesn't stop it...." They kind of lost me after that, but I can tell you that if my four-year-old, six-year-old and eight-year-old (the ten-year-old was the one messing up the stability of the jets) can sit there NOT doing "school" and visit some of the great places of the world and name locations accurately and have FUN doing it, then I must not be doing too bad a job teaching them something!
So.... I told them to have fun on their journeys around the world, told Micah to quit messing up the stabilizers, reminded the pilots to be polite to their passengers. Then, while my children played and Chris took care of the meals, I went back to bed!
Sonya : )
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After sleeping for nearly two days because I was taking so much medication and it also hurt like the dickens to move, I finally had a doctor's appointment this morning. I was actually moving pretty well this morning and I was able to put my shoes on by myself! Yahoo! That was a major accomplishment after the past couple of days.
Anyway, I suspected that I had ruptured a disc. The doctor (really a nurse practitioner, but he may as well be a doctor and he certainly has more sense than most of the MDs I've seen!) said it was probably a herniated disc, but they couldn't tell that for certain without an MRI. I refused this test because that's just more money out of my pocket when we pretty much know what it is anyway. Besides, the treatment wouldn't be any different than if they don't know what it is - treat the pain and the swelling.
He had the nurse give me a shot of something in my bottom that is one of the best shots I've ever had. I know that probably sounds crazy, but I'm telling you - it didn't hurt at ALL, I didn't have any adverse reactions to the medication, and within an hour I could actually feel the swelling going down a tiny bit. I was certainly walking better anyway. With most medicines I've never had before, I end up getting hives, passing out, or having some other horrible adverse reaction (hallucinations, developing blood clots, etc.) so I was very pleasantly pleased that this shot seemed to do nothing except actually WORK. Amazing! He also put me on steroids and I'm not ready to shoot anyone yet so that's another miracle. Normally steroids have this horrible effect and I want to strangle someone and jump out of my own skin in the process.
My back still feels immensely swollen on the left side in particular, but certainly I'm doing better than I was yesterday or even this morning. I'm beginning to think that this is a temporary setback and not "oh dear... this is going to be the rest of my life in pain... sort of thing." Monday I was VERY depressed about that possibility. It is so difficult not knowing how you're going to feel from one day to the next. Way too many people take their health for granted and it's so sad. I wish I could get out and run around with my children like I used to. I would certainly do it.
Well, tomorrow I have a program at the Johnson City Public Library. Hopefully that will go well. It's about "The History of Homeschooling." I think it will be interesting. I can't wait to see what it's all about (meaning I can't wait to finish the research and give the presentation. I always learn so much myself through those sorts of things!).
My four-year-old is waiting for me to come lay down with her and I can't believe it's MIDNIGHT and my children are still up!! We all sat up and had family time together, which is nice, but I hope everyone sleeps in tomorrow so we don't end up with a bunch of cranky kids!
I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a brighter day and I will be able to touch my toes again! I pray that you will have a blessed day as well!
Sonya
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I know there are people out there with worse problems, but I'm asking you guys to please pray for me. I'm getting very discouraged.
I have done so well without any medicine since September. Then, two weeks ago Sunday, I was on the way to the grocery store and something happened in my abdomen and it felt like someone had put in a knife and began twisting it around (this was around when I was ovulating, but the pain was much worse than just ovulation...). I actually had to turn around and go home, couldn't go to the store, and had to walk in hunched over because I couldn't stand up straight. It was awful.
Since then, I've just felt generally bad. Part of that is because I'm depressed from having to take the medicine again, which I said I would never do again, so I'm upset at needing it. I'm also upset at the fact that I shouldn't get better, then worse again.
Last week on Tuesday I pulled a muscle (or muscles) in my shoulder area and it hurt to use my right arm until yesterday.
So this morning I decided to get up early, get my "I can do this" attitude back, take a shower, clean house, and start school again tomorrow (I've felt too bad the past couple of weeks to do much so the children have been working independently on schoolwork). I went up to take my shower, found I had started my period, took my shower, and I stayed in a long time because my legs are hurting real bad this morning (and have been for two weeks) so I was letting the hot water run down my spine. When I finished and started drying off, I bent over to dry my legs and something "popped" in my lower back - around the area where it always hurt the most due to clots. This is right in the center of my spine. So I was bent over in the shower - not able to stand up straight and not able to squat down any further....
I stood like that until the pain stopped enough for me to dry off and get dressed. I hobbled downstairs and e-mailed Chris to please come help me, which he is. Now I'm posting this because I can't do much else since it hurts to move my legs. It is difficult to do school well, write, clean or do much of anything else when I can't move without pain.
In other words, it's not just the pain that is depressing me, but the fact that it seriously interferes with my LIFE!!!
... Maybe that's the problem... I do see it as MY life, but truly as a Christian I realize I've given my life to God. I have been so blessed in many ways - being able to stay at home with the children, the ability and freedom to homeschool, being able to write books and have them published, having a great husband, and so much more, but I just wish I didn't have to worry about this ONE thing. Chronic pain affects so many other areas of your life. It's frustrating. I'm not happy about this.
Sonya
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Here are some of the blogs that have posted reviews of my new book on a "blog tour." Several more will be done by moms at homeschoolblogger, which is pretty cool. I look forward to reading the different evaluations of the book. They have all been positive thus far!
http://jennyupthehill.com/2007/11/28/the-homeschoolers-book-of-lists/
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/01charger/436354
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/01charger/436985
http://fiddledeedee.net/2007/11/21/book-review-the-homeschooler%e2%80%99s-book-of-lists/
Also, earlier this week, I had a radio interview with a station in Minnesota and when I went to check the website later, I realized that Ken Ham, the founder and president of Answers in Genesis and the man who conceived the idea for the Creation Museum, was interviewed immediately before me. You can click on the link below to listen to the interview about the new Creation Museum. I am so thankful that they built that place! You can listen to my interview as well, but after you click the link, just scroll down the page because we were the last two interviews.
http://www.kkms.com/blogs/JeffandLee/11560438/
Have a great day!
Sonya
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Here are 50 practical ideas for celebrating Christmas that won't cost you a fortune (or even a penny)! And if you want to read more about celebrating without gifts at all, read my entry from yesterday.
1. If you've been saving family heirlooms for your children, give them the gifts now. (This is probably best for ages 10 and up, depending on the maturity of the child and the ability to take care of the item.)
2. Invite some others over for Christmas dinner from local women’s shelters, a local group home, a men’s shelter, etc. (Of course use common sense about who and how many people you invite based on the size of your home, how many children you have and the children’s ages. Most of these people are just down on their luck and could use a friendly meal.) Make sure you share more than a meal – share the Christmas story before you eat.
3. Make a few gifts go further. Have a treasure hunt and give your younger children clues about where to find their gifts. Most kids don’t mind if they receive one or ten gifts, but if the “joy” of getting the gifts lasts longer, they will have more fun with what they do receive.
4. Ask all of your children to find one or two things to pass on to younger children for gifts. They can wrap these themselves and they will also have the joy of giving a gift to others. (Some parents give each child a little money to buy gifts for others in the family or encourage them to use allowance money; try this instead. You might be surprised at the willing sacrifices that come out of it.)
6. Cook your families' favorite meals during the twelve days before Christmas and then have a feast on Christmas day.
7. Invite friends over to enjoy meals with you.
8. Call some local non-profit agencies that serve others (like the food pantry, non-profit thrift stores, animal shelters, etc.) and see if you could volunteer some service time in the weeks before Christmas, when they are especially busy. This would not only help them, but also helps you focus on others.
9. Go sing carols at a nursing home as a family.
10. Instead of giving material gifts, bake cookies for your friends, relatives, and neighbors.
11. Make gingerbread houses with your kids.
12. Make homemade sugar cookies with your children.
13. Make popcorn garland and hang it around your house. (We don’t have space for a tree to put all our beautiful ornaments on this year so we’ll probably do this!)
14. Make popcorn balls.
15. Plan a family vacation or trip to a particular location and then put brochures for the destination under the tree in lieu of gifts. (This can be as simple as a trip to a local historic site together or as fancy as a trip to Myrtle Beach. This idea was suggested by another homeschool mom and I love it!)
16. Make copies of old family photos and put together a family photo album for each of your children.
17. Make scrapbooks for each of your children.
18. For a younger child, put together photos of that child and his/her siblings.
19. Do something with your child(ren) that you’ve been promising to do, but haven’t had time.
20. Play games over the holidays. (Since we are having very few gifts this year, we’ve promised the children that we will play games with them all week and stay off the computer for the whole week of Christmas unless they are in bed asleep!)
21. Help your child clean his/her room.
22. Exchange certificates – for backrubs, chores that person normally doesn’t do, special time, a date night, etc. – and honor them after Christmas. These are easy to make and can be tailored for children or adults.
23. Use the money you would spend on gifts for your spouse and pay off a bill. Even $100 toward ties, cologne, a new ring, or whatever could pay one small credit card bill or a month ahead toward the electric bill (or at least part of it!). You can get joy by relieving financial stress as well as giving a material gift.
24. Write your children, spouse, loved ones an individual note telling that person why you love him or her.
25. Make your children, spouse, loved ones a little book with a special message for that person. You can do this on the computer by printing only on about ¼ of the page, cutting these all the same size, then stapling them together or sewing them together (works better) in the middle and then binding them with cardboard on the outside. You can even cover the cardboard with something like wallpaper samples or drawer liner and it looks very pretty. Color little pictures in the book, etc., but make it personal. I did this for my friends about ten years ago and they loved it.
26. Give Christmas ornaments. (This is not free, but you can do this pretty cheaply compared to other gifts.)
27. Send out a Christmas letter and let everyone in the family help compose it. (If this is difficult to do together, allow each member of the family, including children, to compose a paragraph about what HE / SHE has done throughout this year. This is great schoolwork anyway.)
28. Do you have some things put back (toys, clothes, games) that have been stored away so long that your children don’t remember them? If so, pull those out and give them to your younger children for “new” gifts.
29. Have a Christmas movie day (not necessarily on Christmas!) and watch all the great Christmas movies while you munch on some of the great food you’ve been making. Invite a friend (or allow your children to invite friends!).
30. Offer to watch your friends’ children while they shop. What a great gift!
31. Here is my personal favorite: Give your husband (or teenager) a stack of CD’s that have your favorite songs on them. Make a list of your favorite songs and ask the person to make you a CD just with your favorite songs. Chris has done this for me in the past and it’s a GREAT gift! I don’t have to flip through CD’s finding just the one song I want to listen to. (This is legal as long as they are YOUR CD’s. You cannot borrow CD’s and do this because it violates copyright.)
32. Visit your relatives.
33. Write letters to politicians, doctors, and others thanking them for their service to the community.
34. Write a letter to the editor about what Christmas means to you.
35. Take some of your books to the used bookstore and trade in for pre-owned, slightly used books that you can put under the tree at Christmas.
36. Offer to do something for someone that you CAN do, but you know that they cannot do. Can you repair their computer, cook them a few meals, clean their house, fix something around their house, etc.? What services can you offer?
37. Trade computer games with another family to use as gifts. (Just make sure they’re off YOUR computer first.)
38. Trade games or toys with another family to use as gifts.
39. If someone else is cleaning out toys to make room for something big they are giving for Christmas, as them if you can have their old toys.
40. Mend a broken toy that meant a lot to your child and give that to them for Christmas.
41. Give something that costs you nothing, but means a lot to the other person. (My mom gave me the picture of my grandparents holding their first two children – one was my mom – for Christmas. What a beautiful gift!)
42. If you are an older parent, write the history of your childhood and give this to your grown children for Christmas. They WILL cherish this – if not now, one day.
43. If you have games that are missing pieces and you can’t play, order just that one part. This is a lot cheaper than buying a new game. (Better yet, visit local thrift stores. Sometimes they have little game pieces in their toy bins!)
44. Memorize a piece of music and play it for the family at Christmas. (This is a great idea for kids to do.)
45. Buy your children a candle. For some reason, kids are fascinated by candles. Just make sure they know the rules about lighting them with you there.
46. Take each of your children out for special time alone around Christmas time and make sure they know the meaning of Christmas and salvation.
47. As you give out Christmas gifts, do this… Tell the story of Christmas, but stop every so often with a missing word. For example, you might say, “There in the manger lay the baby _____.” The first person who fills in the blank gets a gift intended for them. My mom did this at Thanksgiving with relatives present who weren’t Christians, but they all enjoyed the game greatly. No one is allowed to open gifts until the game is done and everyone has their present (one per person).
48. Take some snacks to your local fire department or police department.
49. Have plenty of finger foods on hand for the Christmas season – party mix, nuts, popcorn, Jello® salads, oranges, grapefruit, etc. Keep these things handy and spend more time just enjoying your family instead of cooking or focusing on the gifts.
50. Put handmade items, small coins, a two-dollar bill, etc. in the stocking. Kids love these things and they bring as much joy as more costly items.
Sonya Haskins
You can read more at www.sonyahaskins.com.
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According to the Federal Reserve, the total US consumer debt reached $2.46 trillion in June 2007. (This number does not include mortgage debt.) The American Research Group reports that in 2006 the average spending for Christmas gifts was $907; it is estimated to be close this year. For people who begin their shopping before November, the numbers soar to over $1000 of average spending per household on Christmas gifts.
“As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?” Ecclesiastes 5:11
While we (Americans) increase our debt, our spending, and our material “wealth,” we (as a society) are increasingly turning our backs on God. Now that it has passed in a couple of states, we will begin to see bathrooms across America open to people who are unsure which gender they would prefer to be. For those who become pregnant, the child in their womb is a choice. Even proponents of abortion agree that it IS a baby and will become nothing else, but it’s simply a matter of the pregnant woman wanting or not wanting to give birth to that child. If it would be an inconvenient time to have a baby or if there is something supposedly wrong with that baby, she can choose to terminate that child’s life. Since a Supreme Court decision in 1982, parents are also allowed to deny children nourishment and care AFTER birth if they believe the child’s quality of life would be poor. If a child does make it into the world and then is introduced into our secular, institutionalized school setting, legislators are trying to make training in homosexual lifestyle mandatory while banning the use of traditional family terms like “mom” and “dad.” Children are being introduced to various forms of sexual intercourse beginning in kindergarten. By junior high, they have seen more forms of sex than I even knew about until after I was 25 years old. Worse, they are told to experiment. When these experiments result in pregnancy, abortion is a widely chosen option and there are now close to 4,000 abortions daily in the United States – yes, that’s 4,000 little babies who are murdered daily in our beloved country.
Meanwhile, most Christians wouldn’t consider abortion for their own children, but many think it might be a good decision in some circumstances for other people’s children, especially if the family is poor or if the child has a “problem.” Whatever their own personal reasoning, these Christians have become the “fools” spoken of in the Bible, which clearly states that God creates ALL life. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Although the Lord is talking to Jeremiah here, it is clear throughout the Bible, particularly Isaiah, that the Lord creates each of us individually and for a purpose glorifying to Him.
Christians fornicate, marry, divorce, remarry, and participate in adulterous affairs statistically as much as unbelievers. We are participating IN the world; we have become of the world; we are not setting ourselves apart from the world as our God has commanded us.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:11-14
It’s not just that we live in a bad world and Christians must put up with it until Christ’s return. Since the holiday shopping season has begun, let’s return to the first point about debt. There seems to be no distinction between spending of believers and unbelievers. In fact, Christians may spend more because we not only buy gifts for our own families, but also those who are less fortunate. However, as we wrap the boxes for Samaritan’s Purse, do we remember to pray for these children, the countries they live in, and their leadership on a regular basis? Do we support our troops that desperately try to bring medicine and education to these countries? As we take an angel from the tree to give gifts to a foster child, do we invite a foster child to live in our home so that we develop a personal relationship with them and share the gospel? Would we adopt a foster child who is basically an orphan in this world (James 1:27) and has been waiting for a home for years? Do we make dinner for the birth parent who has lost custody of her children and help her learn better parenting techniques?
When we give, do we send money, but not prayers? Do we send gifts, but not ourselves? Do we send Christmas cards, but neglect to follow up and ask that person if they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior?
Do we spend so much at Christmas time that we wait until April, when we receive our tax returns, to pay off the debt and then swear that we won’t do it again next year?
"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." Haggai 1:4-6
These verses in Haggai refer to a literal house of the Lord (temple in this case), but the lesson that giving priority to ourselves before God will bring judgment rather than blessing is a theme that can be applied today. Are we rude to cashiers because our bill was more than we expected? Do we give money to our relatives at Christmastime, but neglect to tip the waitress with two young children at home? Worse, do we even forget to share with the waitress (and others) the blessings of Christ this season? While we eat our fancy Christmas dinners, do we forget that there are local homes with men, women, unwed mothers, abused wives, etc. who would love to have a nice meal – especially one around a table where they can see Christian fellowship since many of them have never experienced that in their lives? Are we willing to invite these people to our own homes for dinner? If not, are you willing to go serve dinners at the local Salvation Army or other “home”?
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:6
If Christians are going to be set apart from the world and others are going to see us as different, we need to do several things.
1) We need to pray fervently and seek God’s will in all things. We cannot know all the answers, but of course God does and each individual Christian needs to seek God’s will in his/her life.
2) We need to be content with what we have and stop living like the rest of the culture in which we live, which puts “ME” first, tells us we should have what we want when we want it even if we don’t have the money for it, and we need to be willing to let go of material things that we already possess if that will glorify God (by enabling us to give more to the church, blessing others, reducing our debt, etc.).
3) We need to be shouting the name of the Lord from the rooftops and praising the Creator of the universe. It is difficult to tell these days who is a Christian and who isn’t because there are a lot of “good” people who are not believers (and we are not witnessing to them because we just assume they are Christians!) and there are a lot of Christians who may as well be toadstools.
This Christmas season, I encourage you to take a look around your home and in your heart. I am not saying people shouldn’t share Christmas gifts. That is not my judgment to make (and we will share gifts in my home, but it will be different this year). However, we (Christians) are being increasingly intertwined with the world. We do not live differently and we although we may read the Christmas story with our own families, we are not sharing this with those who need to hear it most.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8
Remember, on the first Christmas, Jesus didn’t come bearing gifts other than himself. The shepherds then came and once they saw the baby, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…[then] The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God.” (Luke 2: 17-18, 20) Later, the Magi came with gifts for the Christ child. They did not exchange gifts with one another – their gifts were for the Savior. God was able to use those gifts for his glory since the riches that the Magi brought most likely financed the family’s escape from Herod’s evil plan to murder the Savior. The key here – in looking at the first Christmas – is that the shepherds spread the word, glorified and praised God, and the Magi brought gifts for Jesus.
The only gift we need has already been given to us – Jesus Christ our Lord.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
I hope this blesses you in some way this Christmas season!
Sonya Haskins
sonya@sonyahaskins.com
www.sonyahaskins.com
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The TV interview on WYHB went well today. After going to Chattanooga for the interview this morning, I went by the used book store to trade in some books. I always like to stop by there when I'm in town. My idea of heaven is an endless supply of great books and the Lord in the same place. I don't mean that in any disrespectful way, but you know how some people say their pets, etc. will be in heaven. Really, I think we will be so happy to be with Jesus that we won't even think about earthly things and besides I don't think we can even comprehend how eternity will be, but IF there were going to be earthly things there, I think good books would definitely be included.
Revelation 21 talks a lot about what heaven will be like and there are definitely fountains and precious stones mentioned, but the glory of the Lord is so great that there will be no need for sun or moon to shine. My favorite part is Revelation 21:3-4, where it says "...the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor dcrying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." For those who grieve this holiday season, I encourage you to hold on to the promises we have been given in the Bible and I am so sorry for loved ones that you are missing or other pain that you are experiencing.
I spent some time at the store today buying last minute food items for my mom. She cooked a great Thanksgiving dinner for us and everything is ready for tomorrow except for the turkey, which is going in the oven tomorrow morning.
When I returned back to my mom's house in Soddy-Daisy (Tennessee), I saw that I had an e-mail from a new homeschool mom. She was asking me about curriculum choices for her teenage son. I love getting e-mails like that. Sometimes when I think about the different things we moms do - cook, clean, answer questions, run errands, teach, write, do other hobbies, etc. - it seems to me that the most enjoyable things are those that we get to do in service to others. I always enjoy a moment to sit alone as much as the next person, but answering questions of other homeschool moms, reading books to my children, or doing something nice for my husband really mean much more than anything I could do for myself.
DeeDee at www.fiddledeedee.net posted a review about The Homeschooler's Book of Lists today. She did a great job and I was so pleased that she enjoyed it. Try to visit her website if you have a chance. It's neat.
Well, I think I'm needed in the kitchen! I'm soooo looking forward to turkey tomorrow. Turkey is one of my most absolute favorite foods!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sonya
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If any readers live in Knoxville or Chattanooga, I just wanted to post a quick note about a couple of things.
I'll be on Knoxville's WBIR's Style Show here in a few hours - at 4:15 eastern time. I'll also be on WYHB, a Chattanooga tv station, sometime on Wednesday. I guess it will be on the evening news on that channel. Anyway, we'll be talking about The Homeschooler's Book of Lists and homeschooling in general. If you live in these areas, tune in and then let them know how much you appreciate coverage of homeschooling. The more positive feedback the media receives like that, the more likely we are to continue to see positive things in the news about homeschoolers.
Also, I'll be at the following two places this week for book signings:
Soddy-Daisy Pizza Hut, this Friday (day after Thanksgiving) from 1:00 to 3:00
Barnes & Noble on Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Saturday after Thanksgiving from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (The manager said to make sure you know that you can also apply for your educator's discount card while you're there and get a discount on the book and other educational materials from now on.)
Please try to come to one of these events if you're in the area. I would look forward to meeting you all.
Meanwhile, I'm also going to do NOTHING at all on Thursday, but enjoy the Thanksgiving dinner my mom prepared for us already. It will be such a treat to sit back and just enjoy (well, and then do dishes of course!) And we will be playing games and I'm sure watching the parade.... So I guess maybe I won't manage to do nothing. I do plan to relax with my family, though. I'm looking forward to that!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Sonya
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Yesterday I posted my goals. Apparently other moms could relate and a couple asked me if I actually accomplished these things so I thought this morning I'd post an update.
My goals for yesterday are listed below with the outcome:
1. Finish sorting through winter clothing and put these things in chest of drawers for each child. (I managed to finish this job for one of our five children... OK, so today I'll still be working on this goal. It was a much bigger project than I anticipated. We did manage to get the summer clothes put away, but now all the winter clothes are laying in the floor beside each child's area being used as a huge soft jumping pile, which means I'll end up having to wash them as well if we don't get them put away soon.)
2. Make the children do their own chores instead of me doing the chores for them. (Accomplished.)
3. Have our Bible study first and then do read alouds for at least an hour. (I usually do this first and absolutely should so that if nothing else gets done, at least this does. When I get off the computer, this is what we're doing first today.)
4. Clean off kitchen table so that we can do schoolwork and have a decent meal. (They've been using this for their art project area for the past few days.) (Accomplished yesterday, but this morning I slept late and it has already been turned into art project area again. Before it only included markers and crayons. Unfortunately, today glue, glitter, and paint have been added to the mix. ... At least they are creative!)
5. Go to town and run our errands (bank, take a book to Rose at assisted care facility, thrift store to drop off stuff in van, recycle place) (Accomplished!)
6. If it stops raining, clean out van and bring all the STUFF in the house to put away. (I don't think I'll ever get this done. Yes, it's nasty in the van. Maybe I'll wait until someone misbehaves very badly and make cleaning the van their punishment. They would probably never misbehave again!)
7. Go through mail that has been piling up for a week. (Not done... I'll do it later. This is the reason we changed all our bills to autopay.)
8. Once #4 is accomplished, assign children written work and make sure they do it. (They did actually do their written work.)
9. Cook a good lunch with Micah (it's his day to help). (We made "power soup," a combination of potatoes, peppers, carrots, celery, chicken broth, lots of garlic, and whatever else we can throw in. It was great!)
10. Put sheets back on our bed. (Our four-year-old was sleeping in our bed before my husband and I went to bed and she had an accident. Last night we slept with no sheets, but they are washed now so I need to put them back on the bed.) (Christopher helped me do this so this was accomplished.)
11. Wash everyone else's sheets... Actually, maybe I won't do that today. That can be a goal for a totally different day. (Of course I didn't get this done.)
12. Have the older children take a shower and give the youngest children a bath TODAY. They need one. (Done! Everyone is much cleaner now.)
13. Stay off computer until all of these things are done (with the exception of coming back to read them to make sure I'm still on track.) (I actually did very well with this... I think I only came back one time and otherwise I stayed off the rest of the day and worked, taught, cooked, etc. It's amazing how much more you can get done OFF the computer.)
So today my goal is to absolutely do our read-alouds, which includes our Bible study time. I'm going to do that right now!
Sonya :)
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I don't normally write out my goals unless I'm feeling overwhelmed. I feel the need to write down some things today and perhaps I'll be able to focus better. Sometimes just the accountability of knowing that others are able to read the goals (if they want to) can help me accomplish more.
Today my goals are:
1. Finish sorting through winter clothing and put these things in chest of drawers for each child.
2. Make the children do their own chores instead of me doing the chores for them.
3. Have our Bible study first and then do read alouds for at least an hour.
4. Clean off kitchen table so that we can do schoolwork and have a decent meal. (They've been using this for their art project area for the past few days.)
5. Go to town and run our errands (bank, take a book to Rose at assisted care facility, thrift store to drop off stuff in van, recycle place)
6. If it stops raining, clean out van and bring all the STUFF in the house to put away.
7. Go through mail that has been piling up for a week.
8. Once #4 is accomplished, assign children written work and make sure they do it.
9. Cook a good lunch with Micah (it's his day to help).
10. Put sheets back on our bed. (Our four-year-old was sleeping in our bed before my husband and I went to bed and she had an accident. Last night we slept with no sheets, but they are washed now so I need to put them back on the bed.)
11. Wash everyone else's sheets... Actually, maybe I won't do that today. That can be a goal for a totally different day.
12. Have the older children take a shower and give the youngest children a bath TODAY. They need one.
13. Stay off computer until all of these things are done (with the exception of coming back to read them to make sure I'm still on track.)
OK, I'm going to go get some work done. We are going to eat dinner with some new friends tonight. I am looking forward to that!
Have a great day,
Sonya
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We should have taken out our winter clothes a couple of weeks ago, but we weren't as cold at that time and then last week all the stuff with the library happened. So, I'm just now getting around to doing this. It takes three days usually to get the new season's clothing out of storage, go through the old stuff to see what fits or doesn't, sort bags to give away or use or put back in storage, and then clean up the mess.
Sarah and I were going through her drawers and I took out a black skirt. The following conversation reminds me once again to what lengths children will go to to hang on to their stuff (in this case clothing), whether they use them or not.
I said, "I think we'll get rid of this one, Sarah. It looks too small and I haven't seen you wear it in a while anyway."
She said, "I think we should keep that one."
"But it looks too little for you," I replied.
She said, "Yeah, but I might need it. After all, you never know when we might need to go to a funeral."
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Today is the day of the Washington County / Jonesborough Public Library program that was canceled by order of county mayor (then rescheduled after the media got involved). As I write this, I am still outraged that the superintendent has managed to keep his role in this silent and the county mayor and county attorney have managed to put all blame on the librarians. The librarians have been great. Anyone who is reading my blog at least can know the TRUTH. Now, I better calm down and have some quiet prayer time before I go to the meeting this afternoon. Chris is going to try to tape it and if he is able to get somehow get it converted to a format that we can put it on the website, we'll do that so that you guys reading this in different parts of the country (and New Zealand!) can see it as well.
This morning I'm headed over to WJHL again. They invited me to be on their morning show. That was very nice. I hope I will be a good representative for home education and also for my Lord Jesus Christ.
The article in the Johnson City Press yesterday was on front page news. Here is the link for the story if you want to read it on the internet. I don't know if you can still reach the link or not because it was yesterday's headline, but I will put it here and then if it stops working, I'll see if I can paste in the article. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=60618
Here is the link again to the WJHL story from Monday. I thought this was a great story because they talked a little more about homeschooling in general. I love the pictures of the children on there. I think there are a lot of people who just don't realize that these children aren't being locked in dungeons and denied food. They are bright, healthy, sweet, intelligent children. And of course I don't mean just mine - but homeschooled children across the United States. The problem is that the media only shows a few cases here and there were a kid is kept out of school and abused, but that's NOT homeschooling, it's truancy. The media hasn't learned the difference yet. Anyway, this is a good article. Here's the link: http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-11-05-0032.html
Have a great day!
Sonya
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I have heard reports in the past of parents wanting to put their children back into public school from a homeschool setting and being told that they couldn't do that until the following year or semester. I never followed up on this before, but this week I heard this from another homeschool parent, who shall remain anonymous.
Being curious, I called the Washington County Board of Education and asked what was the procedure for enrolling a child in school. I asked about if you were a parent of a young child and wanted to put them in kindergarten, then if you were a parent of an older child who has just moved into the area, or if you already lived in the area, but simply wanted to change schools because you think another one is better. Then I asked what if a child was coming from a private school or homeschool setting, how do they go about enrolling.
Now I used to be a newspaper reporter and I took copious notes. Here is what I was told:
| If your child is coming from this school setting: | I was told you should do this: |
| a brand new kindergartner | There are sign-ups posted in the spring and you should go to the school he will attend and register. |
| a child moving into town | Just go to the school where he/she would attend and register with the principal. |
| a child moving within town | Go to the school in the new district and switch schools. |
| a child wanting to change schools within same area, but to a "better" school | This is a tuition situation where they may have to wait until there is an opening at the new school, but you will have to go talk with the principal at the school and see what he / she says about when there would be an opening. |
| a child coming from private school | I swear to you the man over enrollment for our county, said, "Well I don't know why in the world anyone would want to do that unless they are flunking out of the private school or something." When I said, "Well, what if they are," he said, "Well, I just don't think anyone would want to do that, but if they are already in school somewhere, they must wait until the next semester." |
| a child coming from home school setting | This same man said to me, "The decision to place a child in an educational program is a ONE semester commitment. You cannot say you are going to homeschool and then halfway through the semester decide that you want to put your child in public school." He said it was the Washington County School System procedure. I asked for a copy of the procedure, but he said they weren't written down and he wasn't obligated to provide this to me, but he would absolutely not enroll a homeschool child until the following semester. I said, "Do you realize that's unconstitutional? You can't deny a child a public education just because he or she has been homeschooled." |
I spoke with the TN State Board of Education attorney and he said this was illegal and they couldn't do that. I presume he spoke with our local superintendent's office because as of yesterday the "procedure" has been changed. Homeschooled children can go enroll in school if they would like at any point during the semester.
Now granted, most of us couldn't be paid to do that, but at the same time, we need to stand up for the rights of those who want or need to because we don't know what the future holds. When homeschoolers are prejudiced against - for any reason - it will eventually come back on all of us. If we stand up and say we're not going to let this happen, we will be protecting rights for ALL homeschoolers.
Sonya
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Here is some food for thought. You can figure these numbers with your own children with the amounts for your own school district. This is a fun activity to show how money can be misused. (Then you might want to look over your own budget and see if you can make improvements.)
I am certain this is going to make some people mad (not homeschoolers), but you know what, this is PUBLIC information and we can let the truth speak for itself.
The following is taken from the Oct. 4, 2007 Washington County Board of Education meeting.
On a motion by Ms. Silvers, seconded by Mr. Mabe, approval was given to increase the mileage reimbursement rate to .46, effective 1 October 2007. Motion carried unanimously on roll call vote. OK, if you drive a car that gets 30 MPG and you travel 100 miles, you'll get a check for $46.00, but if you pay $3.00 for a gallon of gas, then you've spent $10 on gas, right. That means that they are clearing $36.00 for every 100 miles. There is no vehicle I know of that needs $36 for "wear and tear" for every 100 miles. Can anyone say - "WHERE ARE OUR TAX DOLLARS GOING?" Have you ever wondered why some of these guys live in much nicer homes, take expensive vacations, drive fancy cars, etc.? DO THE MATH. It's OUR money. So don't talk with me about $7,000 for my child to go to public school. I am paying bills for the leaders of the public school system to pad their pockets.
Ms. Silvers moved for approval of the Committee’s recommendation to increase the per diem rate for meals to $7.00 for breakfast, $11.00 for lunch and $18.00 for dinner for a total of $36.00 per diem. I wish I had this kind of money to spend on my own food each day! I just took all five children (none eat free now) to Golden Corral. The bill for six of us was $20.65. Now if these people go on a week long trip and eat at a reasonably priced restaurant for each meal, they aren't starving, and it might cost $19 a day ($4 for breakfast, $5 for lunch and $10 for dinner). When they are reimbursed for their $36 per diem allotted, then they are making a clear PROFIT of our tax dollars of $85. Which of us couldn't use an extra $85 per week?
Mr. Hardin moved to amend the motion to increase the reimbursement to $8.00 for breakfast and $12.00 for lunch so the rate would be the same as for the County. Mr. McLain seconded the motion which carried unanimously on roll call vote. Oh, I should have waited to make my comment... THIS is really the amount I would like for my own food each day. It's more than the previous amount.
Now this wasn't in the board meeting minutes, but it IS public information as well. Superintendent Grant Rowland makes $110,456 per year!! I can't imagine what my own family would do with that kind of money. But again, MY taxes are paying HIS salary and meanwhile we struggle to get by and buy books and supplies, give our kids great educational experiences, and pay the bills. As of the last census I could find for Washington County (2000), the median household income for Washington County is $33,116. This is difference of $77,340. The difference is still twice as much as most of us make!!
So, the next time one of them says that they want that extra $7,000, everyone needs to ask the question - "Are they thinking of the best interests of the children or will they use this same money to increase meal rates and give their leaders another grand?"
Homeschoolers spend about $550 per year for each child on educational expenses and our kids are smarter, better socialized, and more well-disciplined. So it's not about needing more money.
Sonya
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A story about this program is on the website of our local news station tonight. I am pasting the link here and you can feel free to share it with whomever you like. It's a good story and should be of interest to homeschoolers everywhere. If something like this ever happens to you - you need to take a stand and let them know it's unconstitutional to ban particular topics at public libraries.
Here is the link to the story and the video:
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-11-05-0032.html
(There is also a question somewhere on there about whether or not gov officials should be able to say what takes place at public library. Make sure you vote on this if you can find it!)
Also, some people have asked me about addresses for the people involved so that they can write letters to these people in support or disagreement. I've pasted the addresses and names below with a description of their involvement. Now remember with some of these people, like the news reporters, you can e-mail them directly from their links on web pages.
Thank you all for your prayers and support and for those of you who will take the time to respond. I believe when we are silent, they assume we (Christians) aren't out here or we're too weak to take a stand. We won this battle for our rights. Praise to our Lord!
In Christ,
Sonya Haskins
Here are the addresses:
Pat Beard, director (PLEASE let her know how thankful we are that they are sponsoring this program and you would like to continue to see homeschool related activities at the public library.)
Dorothy Linton, special events coordinator (who scheduled the program and did NOT misunderstand the mayor)
Washington County - Jonesborough Library
200 Sabin Drive
Jonesborough, TN 37659
WJHL News Channel 11
Selena Wiles (She is the one who contacted me last year interested in home education. She handed the story off to Melinda, but I believe we should send her thank you notes to let her know we appreciate her interest in giving home education a fair report.)
Melinda Perkins (did the interview for THIS story and she did a great job)
P.O. Box 1130
Johnson City, TN 37605
HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) (They did not actually have to contact the mayor's office, but they did discuss the issue in their office and were ready to step in if needed. Great resource! I'm just thankful they are there.)
P.O. Box 3000
Purcellville, VA 20134
County Mayor George Jaynes (who told the librarian to cancel the program)
P.O. Box 219
Jonesborough, TN 37659
http://www.wcde.org/education/components/contact/default.php?sectiondetailid=9&sc_id=1194309906
Grant Rowland (who is not cited in the news story, but Jaynes told at least one commissioner that Rowland told him to get the program canceled)
405 West College Street
Jonesborough, TN 37659
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Our local county mayor says that he does think it's a problem for homeschoolers to use public buildings because he says homeschoolers are taking money from the public school system. The local news station just left and as I told them, this attitude is part of the problem. The school system isn't "losing" money. We pay taxes and don't get any of the benefits from the money allotted to the public school system. They don't give us books, allow us to use school facilities, provide transportation for our children, or give us free lunch. We pay taxes and then pay again to educate our children at home (buy our books, supplies, training, etc.).
I hope that the superintendent and his friends are reading this because as I've said you before, it's not about money. It's about wanting what is best for children, whatever school setting they are in. If he wants to debate that and all the reasons home education is a terrific choice, I'd be happy to do so.
The news station said that this story will appear on the internet for homeschoolers who want to watch it outside this area. As soon as I find out the link, I'll post it here.
Thanks!
Sonya
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The Washington County - Jonesborough Library just called to tell me that the program entitled "Homeschool Methods" is set to take place on Thursday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m. The county mayor, George Jaynes, denies that he ever said to cancel it, even though he told not only the librarian to cancel it, but he also told another homeschool parent and also a commissioner that he did in fact say this. He would not discuss it on record, though, with anyone.
So, this was a very small battle, guys, but I think it's just an example of things to come. Still, praise God that we WON this one!!
If you are at all able on Thursday, skip afternoon naps, playtime, reading time or whatever and come to this program. It is FREE and open to the public. The program will be good, but I would really greatly appreciate the support you would be able to show by being there. I expect that there will be people there from the "other side" asking questions, etc.
Oh, and here is one funny thing to leave you with... The mayor told the library that he could prove he didn't tell them to cancel the program, that he simply suggested that they not have it due to the topic (which is still wrong!!). He said there were three other people standing there listening to the conversation who would back up what he said. So I'm thinking, "How many government employees does it take to make a phone call???"
Please do a few things:
1) First of all, praise God that this was an easy battle.
2) Come on Thursday if you live in the Washington County, Tennessee area. I think the worst thing that could happen at this point is for no one to show up and give them "ammunition" that the public isn't interested in these sorts of programs.
3) Write a letter to the county offices and the superintendent's office (with correct grammar, spelling, etc.) letting them know that you support homeschooler's rights and you will oppose any attempt to prohibit us from exercising our First Amendment rights as well as our right to educate our children as we choose. Put this in your own words, be nice, and above all, proofread. We need to follow up on this issue. (And remember, you don't have to say you are a homeschooler if you would rather this not be known.)
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Sonya Haskins
www.sonyahaskins.com
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In regards to the issue of our county mayor canceling the library-sponsored program because it was about homeschooling...
I just spoke with the reporter from WorldNetDaily. He was very professional and will wait until he can talk with mayor and/or superintendent tomorrow. I hope he can get through to them. He wants the truth of what happened and will report that accurately.
I still believe that once the county attorney gets involved in the morning that they will reverse this decision. It still bothers me greatly that it occurred at all, though. The superintendent should not have this kind of power over the mayor and the mayor should not be able to cancel a library-sponsored program. It's all still very difficult to fathom. Where are the checks and balances and the separation of departments, etc.?
Anyway, I know many of you are reading this and I've heard from numerous people offering prayers and support. Continue to pray.
If the mayor's office changes their decision tomorrow, we will want to write a thank you to that office letting them know how much we appreciate that they have decided to allow this program and thus protect our First Amendment rights.
If the office will not reverse their decision, we will need to begin contacting them to let them know that we disagree with this decision and it is a violation of our First Amendment rights.
Thanks for reading and I'll post more tomorrow after we see what the mayor's office says in the morning.
Sonya H.
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It is likely that the situation with the
I am writing this today because I want to very clearly state once more what has happened and why this is a major issue for everyone – not just Christian homeschoolers, not just homeschoolers, but every citizen of the United States. This is a situation of a government official telling the local public library what program topics they can or cannot sponsor. (Two of the attorneys at HSLDA told me that attempted censorship is nothing new, but this is the first time they are aware of this happening at a public library!)
I’m going to state here again basically what happened and then I’ll talk about why this is a BIG problem.
I had a program/book signing scheduled at the local county library for this coming Thursday, November 6, at 2:00 p.m. The program was entitled “Homeschool Methods” and is based on a list in my new book, The Homeschooler’s Book of Lists, released by Bethany House Publishers in September. This is a terrific library and great staff and I love working with them. The Johnson City Press printed the notice of the program in Friday’s paper. The mayor called to tell the librarian that she must cancel the program, send a retraction to the paper immediately, and that there were to be no library-sponsored programs relating to homeschool. He said it was a conflict of interest since it was a public building being paid for with public taxes and they were obligated to support the public schools.
I told the librarian that I would be contacting HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) and possibly the media to discuss the issue because I really felt like it violated some sort of First Amendment rights. (I found out afterwards that it falls under “viewpoint discrimination” and I’ll discuss that more in a minute.) I also told her that I would contact the mayor and see if he would change his decision, but if he did not, that I would be pursuing this issue as far as I could because it just didn’t seem right that he could say, “You can’t sponsor that program because I don’t like the topic.” (I also told the librarian that it might get rough, but I really appreciate all they do so to please remember that!)
The library programs have always gone well and we’ve never had any problems. These are advertised by the library, in the local newspapers, to let the public know about the programs because they are always open to the public. This is important to understand. You don’t have to agree with the viewpoint being presented and you could come and ask questions or disagree with the presenter (though most people don’t) because it is a program open to the public. The programs are not intended to persuade, but to inform. There is a huge difference! As far as my own presentations, I am always open to discussion. As an author, I want to help others who are interested in pursuing their own publication goals and sometimes I’ve been able to guide them. As a Christian, I never know how the Lord might use their questions and/or my answers to help someone or otherwise accomplish His will. So in other words, I don’t mind questions or discussion.
The county mayor has told a couple of people that he received several calls complaining that the program was going to take place. These were (reportedly) from the superintendent and several commissioners. The county mayor told the library that they were to immediately send a retraction to the newspaper and that they were not ever to sponsor a homeschool-related program. (Now here is another point to clarify… He did NOT, to my knowledge, say that we could not USE the library, but he did say they could not sponsor homeschool-related programs. However, I did hear from someone else in authority who spoke with the mayor that he had also made a comment that we shouldn’t even be using public buildings to meet and such, but the librarian did not tell me this so I do not know if it is true.)
In my opinion, the superintendent in our area is very anti-homeschooling. I say this because he gives people misinformation, such as some things he cited incorrectly in a Johnson City Press article about homeschooling a couple of years ago. He told the Press that homeschoolers must register through his office, which is not correct. In the state of
That is what has happened up to this point. I also want to make it clear that up to this point, I honestly thought this would clear up within a few hours after I called the county mayor’s office to let them know that what he did was illegal. Numerous people tried contacting the mayor’s office through two different numbers on Friday and no one answered all afternoon. The media and several other people have been trying to reach the mayor all weekend and he is not answering or returning calls. I was told yesterday by someone who spoke with him directly (who knows him personally and got through) that he said he would not change his decision and we could go ahead and contact our lawyers because he wouldn’t allow the program to be reinstated. I still really think he will in the morning.
Anyway, with his position at this point, I can only suppose that this could become a major controversy. He has violated the First Amendment rights of every person in our community. This isn’t just about homeschooling and that’s what I want everyone to understand. What if the next time he doesn’t like the particular program presenter or he doesn’t like the book or if he just simply doesn’t like the topic again. He cannot pick and choose what things the public is allowed to hear and what thing they are not allowed to hear. That is viewpoint discrimination and it is unconstitutional.
This program was set up according to library policies, when there was an opening in the schedule, and advertised to the public. A government official cannot step in and decide that he doesn’t want the public to hear that information.
Sonya Haskins
www.homeschoolblogger.com/homemakerscottage
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