About Me
|
Oct. 26, 2009
Mr. Pointy Nose Returns
To read the first Mr. Pointy Nose, please click here!
 Sister heard the knock on the door first, but Brother beat her to it. It was Mr. Pointy Nose, the truant officer who had visited many months earlier with dire warnings about homeschooling and had left a friend, with a bread recipe.
“It’s the man from the state!” Brother yelled. Mother rushed from the kitchen with Baby on her hip and sighed in relief when she saw their guest. “Please, come in,” she said.
Mr. Pointy Nose took a chair in the living room and Sister went for refreshments.
“What brings you all the way out here again?” Mother asked.
“Well,” said Mr. Pointy Nose, “two things, actually. First, I wanted to let you know that I’ve quit my job and I’m moving to Montana.”
Mother was surprised. Brother was ecstatic. “Oh, wow! Montana! That’s a big state! They have a lot of steer and horses and even buffalo. Can we come visit you?”
Mother signaled Brother to calm down. “What will you do in Montana?” she asked Mr. Pointy Nose.
“I have a brother who owns a ranch out there. I thought I’d try my hand at cattle herding.” He smiled sheepishly, as if he knew how unsuited for such work he seemed. “It’s always good to learn new things,” he added.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Mother said.
“Can we visit?” Brother asked again, ignoring Mother’s warning glare.
“I’d be happy to have you,” Mr. Pointy Nose said, “but you know it’s hundreds of miles from here.” Brother nodded and ran for an encyclopedia.
“On a more serious note,” Mr. Pointy Nose continued, “A new truant officer has been assigned, and I’m afraid she won’t be so easily won over. She’s on a low-carb diet.”
Mother burst into laughter. Mr. Pointy Nose was starting his new life with a new sense of humor.
“Really,” Mr. Pointy Nose said, “she’s a tough one. Takes her job and herself very seriously. I didn’t want you to be surprised.”
Mother thanked Mr. Pointy Nose for the heads-up and wrapped some homemade strudel for his journey. He left amidst wishes of good luck and even some hugs.
After the children were in bed, Mother and Father talked long into the night. Sister and Brother tip-toed out of their room and sat in the hallway for many moments watching the light under their parents’ door and worrying in whispers about the new truant officer. They weren’t doing anything wrong, of course. As a matter of fact, they were doing many things quite right. But they worried nonetheless.
The family didn’t have to wait long to meet the new truant officer. She showed up at their door two days after Mr. Pointy Nose. “Ms. No-Bread” the children decided to call her in private, even after Mother gave them a disapproving look. “Well,” Sister said, “it’s not mean. She doesn’t like to eat bread, does she?”
Ms. No-Bread was tall and even sterner than Mr. Pointy Nose had let on. After a brief and official introduction, she announced, “Your children belong in school.”
“My children are in school,” Mother said calmly. “We homeschool.”
“We live at school,” Brother added, even as Sister tugged at the back of his shirt. Brother was only seven and still not very good at knowing when he should keep quiet.
Ms. No-Bread’s eyebrows drew together until they touched. “That’s not school and it’s not legal.”
Mother turned and handed Baby to Sister. “I think there must be a misunderstanding,” she said when she turned back to Ms. No-Bread. “Homeschooling is perfectly legal and has been very good for my children.”
Ms. No-Bread harrumphed and stomped back to her car, warning, “We’ll see about that!”
The next day, the family was served with papers to appear in court. That night, Mother and Father stayed up late talking again. Sister and Brother sat in the hall again. Brother fumed, “I should have set a trap for that lady.”
“What would you do with her if you caught her?” Sister asked.
Brother thought this over for a long time. “I would get Daddy to drive her far away and leave her there. In Montana.”
Sister laughed. “That wouldn’t be a very nice thing to do to Mr. Pointy Nose.”
The day of their hearing arrived and the whole family went together. Brother was under orders to be on his best behavior. Father and Mother had decided they would represent themselves and that Mother would speak for the family.
Ms. No-Bread presented her case before the judge, then shocked the family by asking that the children be removed to foster care while the case was under investigation. It was with great effort that Mother gathered her wits to speak.
“Your honor,” she said, when it was her turn. “I’m sure this lady has the best of intentions, and I’m glad she cares so much about children.” Mother held her breath for a second.
“Our family has been homeschooling for nine years,” Mother continued. “I have to be honest and tell you that we would do it with or without the blessing of the state, but it does happen that homeschooling is legal in our state and that we are not in violation of the law.”
The judge leaned forward. Mother hoped she hadn’t shocked him, or offended his sense of authority. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brother lean forward, too. He and Sister were sitting on the front row, because they had begged to be close to Mother — just in case. Father sat near the back with Baby, because Baby wasn’t always very quiet. Only a handful of others sat scattered about the courtroom — two other homeschool families who had come to support Mother and Father, and some people there for their own hearings.
“You’re telling me,” the judge said, more surprised than angry, “that you would knowingly break the law if it didn’t suit you?”
Mother cleared her throat. “Yes, your honor, I would. You see, a law that forcibly takes children from their parents to be educated by the state is both unconstitutional and unconscionable. For the good of my children and for the sake of liberty, I would be forced to choose what is right over what politicians had concluded should be the fate of my children.”
The judge was rapt now. He gathered his robes and descended from his bench. Ms. No-Bread gasped.
The judge motioned for Mother to sit in a nearby chair and he took one opposite her. “Please, continue,” he said. Ms. No-Bread tried to protest, but the judge motioned her to sit also. “Doesn’t this fascinate you?” he asked her.
Brother could contain himself no longer and ran to his mother and sat on her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and spoke.
“I know that many parents feel intimidated by the state system of education, but they do have the right to choose freedom. It’s wrong for the state to take children by force. It’s wrong for it to force its own curriculum and ideology on children, its own vision of the future, its own agenda for society. It’s the role of citizens to create their own future, based on their own individual visions. That’s how we came to be the United States of America and the freest nation on earth. The people, not the state, created America. Now the government has decided the people can no longer be trusted — not even to raise their own children.”
Ms. No-Bread rose to protest again, but the judge interrupted her. “What do you think of this, ma’am?”
Ms. No-Bread stuttered a few incoherent words and sat down.
“Go on,” the judge said to Mother. “You have my interest.”
“Your honor,” Mother went on, “the state is our servant, not our master. Since when does the servant order the master to turn over his children and threaten to lock him up if he won’t?”
The judge looked thoughtful. “But some parents, all too many, maybe, won’t see to their children’s education as they should. In the long run, that costs the state money — welfare, prisons, tax revenues.”
Mother looked doubtful. “Maybe,” she said. “On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine it getting much worse than it is now — with most children in state schools. Could it be that the state has taken on a job never intended to fall to it and is paying the consequences? The family is not some program instituted by politicians. It’s the natural way of life, a law of nature, so to speak. Laws of nature are usually violated at considerable risk to the offender.”
The judge leaned back in his chair. “Whoa. You’ve given this some thought. Go on.”
“Maybe,” Mother said, “much of the dysfunction we see in society today is because the state has taken over the role of parents. Maybe state schooling is actually a major cause of our problems, for the very reason that it defies the laws of nature.”
“But,” the judge began.
Mother held up her hand. “Please, if you don’t mind, I’d like to make one more point.”
The judge nodded and Ms. No-Bread looked as if she might cry, or maybe explode.
“A few people argue that because some parents will fail to see to their children’s education all children should be forced into state schools. This seems an odd line of reasoning to me. What else do we apply it to? Do we require children to be nourished by the state because some parents will feed them poorly? Poor nutrition costs the state — in healthcare, lost taxes from lost earnings, and welfare. Do we force all adults to exercise daily? Adult lethargy costs the state plenty. Do we monitor the daily activities of all citizens because some will commit crimes? Crime costs the state a tremendous amount of money. Why the preemptive action against potential imperfections in parent-controlled education but nowhere else?”
The judge rubbed his chin. “That’s a good question. Why, indeed?” He turned to Ms. No-Bread. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think,” she snapped. “I just do my job. Smarter people than me came up with this system.”
The judge turned to Mother and raised his eyebrows.
“The history of our system is another story,” she said, “and there’s not time to get into it now. But common sense serves just as well to determine what’s right. We may deem other people’s imperfections worse than our own, but that does not give us the right to take away their children and indoctrinate them according to our own perceived perfection —“
At this, Ms. No-Bread stood and blurted out, “What about people who abuse their children? How will we ever know if they aren’t in school?”
Mother nodded. “Child abuse is a horrible thing, but most abused children already attend state schools where the abuse goes unnoticed or even ignored. Some are even abused in schools without any repercussions. But again, are we prepared to monitor all families because a few do wrong? Is that what you would want if you had children?”
Ms. No-Bread didn’t respond. She sat down and glared out a window.
“People are not perfect,” Mother said. “There is plenty that needs to be done to help parents do their job better. But that is not the role of the state. The perfecting of imperfect human beings by their fellow imperfect human beings should be done by persuasion, not coercion.”
Brother had drifted off to sleep and Mother shifted him on her lap so his head rested more comfortably against her shoulder. A heavy silence hung in the atmosphere, one of thoughtfulness.
“I won’t take much more of your time,” Mother said. “But I would like to emphasize that I did not bring children into the world to fulfill someone else’s vision for the future. As you well know, there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of competing visions within education circles. And, as I’m also sure you know, the winning theories are those of people with the most will and money to influence politicians and others in authority. The law then attempts to take my children by force and make them submit to the winner's ideology. The only thing that stands between this grasp for my children and their freedom is their father and me. If I won’t protect them, who will? So, yes, even if it meant breaking the law, I would protect my children from becoming pawns in this deadly game of who is most perfect and therefore justified in taking away the children to prepare them for the correct future.”
Brother stirred and looked around. “Are we done yet?” he asked. The judge stood and ruffled Brother’s hair. “Yes, son, we’re done. Go home and learn all you can so you can make as convincing a case for freedom as your mother has done.”
Brother leapt from Mother’s lap, ran over to Ms. No-Bread and threw his arms around her. “You can come visit us sometime,” he said. “We can give you roast beef instead of bread.”
Ms. No-Bread looked bewildered and embarrassed, but also a little less stern. A tear slipped down her cheek and she nodded as Brother ran back to his mother.
Permission to print this story in homeschool newsletters and post it on homeschool web sites with full attribution to its author is hereby granted. All other requests, please contact author at bzpbooks@isp.com. |
Comments (1)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Sep. 8, 2009
School Is Now In Session
Well, today is our first day of school. We are starting back lightly as to not OVERWHELM Kiddo. So far he is doing FANTASTIC! And to think, we are almost finished for today! WAHOO COOKIE! :> )
We have done our Bible lesson on John 3:16 with a wonderful packet by Max Lucado. Then we did Vocabulary, Algebra, and Spelling. I am not really worried about his spelling this year as he always does very well in this area, so we are taking it easy and just doing some review.
We are also starting a young adult book, "Point Break." This one Kiddo picked out himself. That way I KNOW he will read it! LOL
Has anyone else started school today? If so, how's it going for you?
I would love it if you would please pray for us that we have a wonderfully productive year. If you would like me to pray for you specifically, please send me a private message or leave me a comment and I will put you on my prayer list. |
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Sep. 4, 2009
Soap Making, Math, & Science
 After having spent the morning tackling Mt. Washmore, Mt. Dishmore, and Mt. Bakemore, I am going to try my hand at making a mess soap making. I am so EXCITED about this. I have wanted to make my own soap for the longest time, but have always been too afraid too busy to try it.
So, today, I am throwing up throwing caution to the wind, and jumping in head first with both feet!
This will be a great experience not only for me, but for Kiddo as well. We will be tying soap making, Math, and Science together. Measuring, learning about chemicals, and home economics all rolled into one fun activity. Is that considered killing three birds with one stone? YES!
Wish us luck Pray for us! |
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Aug. 26, 2009
Organizing
 Today I am going to ATTEMPT to get organized. Going through books, making schedules for school and home. I have never been one for really being organized, but I have found that when I am homeschooling, I absolutely HAVE TO BE organized.
Are you an organizing, schedule keeping, homeschooling mom? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants, like I sometimes do?
How do you manage to be the keeper of your home and the teacher/principal of your school? Do you have any tips that really work for you that you would like to share? If so, please do. I'm sure we could all benefit from it!
|
Comments (2)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Aug. 24, 2009
Great On-line Math Helper
Last Page | Next Page
Thanks for visiting!!!
|
Home
View My Profile
Archives
My Family
Skippy, aka
Grace Seeker
and I were married in 1986 and recently celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. Skippy
is a water treatment plant manager that purifies and recycles water for a large poultry company. He plays
the drums with our Praise and Worship team, coronet, and helps run the sound booth
at our church. He likes to watch HOUSE, Ice Road Truckers, BONES,and the
Deadliest Catch (curled up on the couch with ME, of course!) Skippy is my BEST FRIEND
and the LOVE OF MY LIFE. Oh, and I forgot to mention he is the world's BEST
DAD!
I ? YOU, SKIPPY!
Goose
has graduated from our local community college with an Associate's Degree in
Liberal Arts & Sciences. She is now taking on-line classes with the University of Pheonix to continue her
education, as it is her desire to become a Child Psychologist. She was recently married to her high school
sweetheart, Tang, and they are living close by with their sweet little fur baby, Bailey. Goose enjoys cooking,
the outdoors, crabbing, spending time with family and friends, working out, and finding mouth-watering Weight
Watcher's recipes. She loves watching HOUSE, Will and Grace, The Biggest Loser, eating pumpkin ice cream,
and buying Pampered Chef and Mary Kay. Her latest love is collecting Pandora charms for her bracelet.
WE ? YOU, GOOSE!
Bean is very artistic and a whiz on the computer. She has recently started making
personalized military purses using their spouse's/fiancee's/boyfriend's ACU's. She is doing very
well with her business, but has recently taken some time off to marry her high school sweetheart, Tex, and to
move to their new home our of the area. :> ( Bean is also enrolled in classes now and will be getting her
Associate's Degree in Business when completed. Bean loves animals, enjoys cooking, sewing, working on the
computer, EATING, spending time with friends and family, watching HOUSE, Army Wives, and Paula Dean.
WE ? YOU, BEAN!
Kiddo, aka
Nintendo Master is very much enjoying being
home-schooled. He enjoys playing video games, and listening
to his MP3 player. He loves doing woodworking with Skippy. He is a STYX, Relient K, and RUSH fan, just
like his dad. He also enjoys board games, listening to Adventures in Odyssey, and attending the Youth Group
at our church. Kiddo also loves to EAT, play POKEMON, Guitar Hero, and Rayman on his DS. He also enjoys
spending time with his good friend, Barlow Girl Girl, his cousin, NEMO, watching HOUSE, Deadliest Catch,
and Ice Road Truckers with mom and dad.
WE ? YOU, KIDDO!
This is my girl, Paws......the BEST doggone dog in the world!!!
This is Grandma's girl, Bailey.....She is soooo adorable!!!!
|
