I considered starting a totally new and different blog for the single purpose of addressing minooka 201 board of education issues. But I have decided to just pick up the old blog and keep moving forward. I plan on posting my personal thoughts here. If I mention district stuff then it will either be
1. Purely factual and informational
2. Just my personal opinions on all things related to kids, school, education, etc
I also should start back up with my blogging. My add mind could use some outlet! So here goes....
Monday, December 1, 2014
Friday, March 16, 2012
Parents - Kids' First and Primary Teachers
Never has it been more clear to me that Tim and I are our kids' first and primary teachers. There have been so many experiences over the past 3 years which have illustrated this emphatically. I think this principle gets lost on so many parents. For many parents they seem to have handed over their power as parent to other people. For some it's because they simply do not want to be burdened or bothered with the task of parenting. But I see far more parents who have been intimidated and belittled into submission.
Parents do not feel they have a God given right to protect, defend and educate their children as they see fit any longer. They feel intimidated by school authorities and other such institutional powers into handing over their power as parents over to better educated "smarter" professionals. They are belittled or degraded in very subtle ways. Slowly over time a parent's natural sense of dominion over all things related to their child diminshes until all that is left is a superficial sphere that has the least amount of influence and potency to form their child as they would like. They wake up one day and scratch their heads and ask "who is this child and how did he get to be this way?" Well, it matters who his primary teachers are. They degree to which we reliquish power to other authorities is the degree to which we lose our ability to shape and mold our children into the men and women we want them to be in this world.
We need to remind ourselves each and every day that we have a serious responsibility to be the most imporatant teachers in our child's life. We are here to protect, defend, and teach our kids. If their is a void there then someone else will fill it. We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied into "letting go" of this awesome responsibility because others seem to have a better resume for education. Education begins in the home and our schools and teachers are to be a cooperating extension of this. We are supposed to be equal team players. All too often we are made to feel like we are supposed to just sit on the bench and watch from the sidelines as others act as the active players and coaches in our kids' lives.
Those parents who give this position up willingly are a lost cause. They don't care. But there are a great number of parents out there that just need to be reminded - encouraged - to be their kids' first and primary teacher once again. Don't be ashamed to be your child's advocate! Don't be embarrassed to protect your child's dignity and honor! Do it! Do it with gusto and courage!
Our kids NEED us! God gave them to US. He gave them specifically to us for a reason and He knows that we can educate them better than a whole gaggle of PHD's.
Schools need to walk the walk to back up all their talk of "partnership" and "dialogue" with parents. Schools must create an atmosphere that fosters cooperation between parents and school staff. My experience is that there is a very adversarial atmosphere that runs just below the surface. Schools say they want parents to be involved and act as "partners" with them but when push comes to shove they really would rather you just sit back down on the bench and shut up. They want your child to cooperate with them - and that is as it should be - but they can't seem to see your child as part of a package - part of a larger family dynamic. Kids cannot be educated isolated from their parents. Or let me correct myself - kids CAN be educated isolated from their parents, but that's not as it should be! The best environment for kids to learn in is one in which parents are recognized and respected as the first and primary teachers. Then and only then can a school maximize its potential as an institution of learning. Without this first basic principle it becomes just a factory cranking out "products" - uniform, interchangeable, homogenous, products. We cannot let this happen.
The roots of a truly well educated child lie in the recognition of him as a unique, unrepeatable person with dignity. We destroy this foundation when we undermine the authority of parents. We all can thank all the irresponsible parents over the years who have soured and poisened many good teachers and administrators. These educators I think have seen so many parents who do not care that they have begun to lump us all together and in effect have created this undercurrent of antagonism we good parents feel when we try to advocate on our child's behalf.
So, we must remind ourselves of our sacred responsibilities towards our children but we must also remind our schools of this as well. Stand your ground parents and do not second guess yourself if your intentions are good. if you are motivated by a desire to have your child be well educated and well formed as a person then there is no shame in that.
I write this as an encouragement to others but also for myself as well as I too feel intimidated and unsure of myself when faced with conflicts at school and with the school. The bottom line is - I love my kids! They deserve to be treated fairly and with respect to their dignity. It's my job to make sure that that happens! That's it. I am the most important person in my child's life!
Parents do not feel they have a God given right to protect, defend and educate their children as they see fit any longer. They feel intimidated by school authorities and other such institutional powers into handing over their power as parents over to better educated "smarter" professionals. They are belittled or degraded in very subtle ways. Slowly over time a parent's natural sense of dominion over all things related to their child diminshes until all that is left is a superficial sphere that has the least amount of influence and potency to form their child as they would like. They wake up one day and scratch their heads and ask "who is this child and how did he get to be this way?" Well, it matters who his primary teachers are. They degree to which we reliquish power to other authorities is the degree to which we lose our ability to shape and mold our children into the men and women we want them to be in this world.
We need to remind ourselves each and every day that we have a serious responsibility to be the most imporatant teachers in our child's life. We are here to protect, defend, and teach our kids. If their is a void there then someone else will fill it. We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied into "letting go" of this awesome responsibility because others seem to have a better resume for education. Education begins in the home and our schools and teachers are to be a cooperating extension of this. We are supposed to be equal team players. All too often we are made to feel like we are supposed to just sit on the bench and watch from the sidelines as others act as the active players and coaches in our kids' lives.
Those parents who give this position up willingly are a lost cause. They don't care. But there are a great number of parents out there that just need to be reminded - encouraged - to be their kids' first and primary teacher once again. Don't be ashamed to be your child's advocate! Don't be embarrassed to protect your child's dignity and honor! Do it! Do it with gusto and courage!
Our kids NEED us! God gave them to US. He gave them specifically to us for a reason and He knows that we can educate them better than a whole gaggle of PHD's.
Schools need to walk the walk to back up all their talk of "partnership" and "dialogue" with parents. Schools must create an atmosphere that fosters cooperation between parents and school staff. My experience is that there is a very adversarial atmosphere that runs just below the surface. Schools say they want parents to be involved and act as "partners" with them but when push comes to shove they really would rather you just sit back down on the bench and shut up. They want your child to cooperate with them - and that is as it should be - but they can't seem to see your child as part of a package - part of a larger family dynamic. Kids cannot be educated isolated from their parents. Or let me correct myself - kids CAN be educated isolated from their parents, but that's not as it should be! The best environment for kids to learn in is one in which parents are recognized and respected as the first and primary teachers. Then and only then can a school maximize its potential as an institution of learning. Without this first basic principle it becomes just a factory cranking out "products" - uniform, interchangeable, homogenous, products. We cannot let this happen.
The roots of a truly well educated child lie in the recognition of him as a unique, unrepeatable person with dignity. We destroy this foundation when we undermine the authority of parents. We all can thank all the irresponsible parents over the years who have soured and poisened many good teachers and administrators. These educators I think have seen so many parents who do not care that they have begun to lump us all together and in effect have created this undercurrent of antagonism we good parents feel when we try to advocate on our child's behalf.
So, we must remind ourselves of our sacred responsibilities towards our children but we must also remind our schools of this as well. Stand your ground parents and do not second guess yourself if your intentions are good. if you are motivated by a desire to have your child be well educated and well formed as a person then there is no shame in that.
I write this as an encouragement to others but also for myself as well as I too feel intimidated and unsure of myself when faced with conflicts at school and with the school. The bottom line is - I love my kids! They deserve to be treated fairly and with respect to their dignity. It's my job to make sure that that happens! That's it. I am the most important person in my child's life!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Family Update
It's been so long since i've posted here that i think i'm missing 2 babies. Caleb was born June 4, 2010. Caden was born June 28, 2011 For those of you who are keeping count - that's seven. Morgan 14, Mary Grace 12, Collin 9, Monica 7, Christopher 4, Caleb 20 mths, and Caden 8mths.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Catholic Power
Catholics SHOULD be in totalontrol of the current political climate. But we are not! Why? Take note that the light blue is the majority Catholic pop. Red is Baptist. Now Republicans currently win those Baptist majority states no problem but those light blue ones are frequently either contested or they go Democrat. What's wrong with this picture?Catholics. Catholics are the problem. Why are we NOT voting our beliefs? Why are there still a majority of self-professed Catholics voting Democrat? How is this possible? This country's political agenda and culture could be easily set by Catholics nationwide. We have tremendous power. Currently this power has been used to facilitate the politics of death and covetessness. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Baby Hating Obama Administration
I think my head is going to explode! This entire HHS mess has been extremely revealing. For those of us to which nothing needed to be "revealed" it is simply verification of what we already knew...but now is no time for "i told you so's"
I think enough people have commented on the religious liberty aspect of the HHS mandate etc. I would like to comment on what I see as the blatant anti-baby mentality of the Obama administration. Gee wiz fellow Catholics what more has to be said and done by these people before you get that they HATE BABIES! Yes, I said it they hate babies. They hate procreation. They hate the idea of man woman child. They would love it if sex were purely for pleasure/entertainment purposes - like a recreational sport. Michelle Obama could promote it as a healthy aerobic exercise for everyone to get in shape with! "Come on everybody let's burn some calories and have some fun while we do it!" "Oh and don't forget your free government provided tax dollar paid contraception to avoid those pesky side effects like babies and motherhood and fatherhood!" "We wouldn't want to punish your recreational fun with a baby now would we!"
This is the mentality of liberals, democrats everywhere. Sadly this is the mentality of most Christians, most Catholics in this country too. How did we get here?
How did we go from seeing children as a blessing to a burden? Sure we still give it lip service and say "children are a blessing" but no more than 2! Now how does that make sense? If something is a blessing then it would follow LOGICALLY that you would want MORE of that blessing not less. Still most people are horrified at the thought of more than 2 children. This attitude is what the Obama administration is counting on.
They know just how the American public will respond to a clash between religious liberty and sexual license because the American people have spoken loud and clear by their actions over the past 40 or so years. Contraception is the "right" we all will demand over the real right to religious liberty because contracetion is what we truly value.
When forced to contrast these two ideas - the Catholic Church's "silly" hang ups about sex vs. the gov't protecting us from unecessary and undesirable superfluous babies the administration knows very well that this culture has long long ago chosen their path. We Americans prefer a path that is baby free for the most part and we couldn't possibly consider any connection between sex and babies! I mean come on - sex is about love and togetherness and fun and all that NOT babies! These damn Catholics need to get over it and join us in the 21st century!
And so I fear this administration has chosen a fight it will surely win. We cannot fight a battle we already surrendered to long ago. Besides we have either killed off or rejected the very children who could have been soldiers for us on the front lines. We may talk the talk and cry about religous liberty now but our actions have spoken and the administration knows it! Selfishness wins again.
The baby hating Obama Administration will continue to railroad over religious liberty and smackdown any righteous indignation by clergy or bishops because our own hypocrisy has crippled us! Guess what folks in reality WE are baby haters too!
I think enough people have commented on the religious liberty aspect of the HHS mandate etc. I would like to comment on what I see as the blatant anti-baby mentality of the Obama administration. Gee wiz fellow Catholics what more has to be said and done by these people before you get that they HATE BABIES! Yes, I said it they hate babies. They hate procreation. They hate the idea of man woman child. They would love it if sex were purely for pleasure/entertainment purposes - like a recreational sport. Michelle Obama could promote it as a healthy aerobic exercise for everyone to get in shape with! "Come on everybody let's burn some calories and have some fun while we do it!" "Oh and don't forget your free government provided tax dollar paid contraception to avoid those pesky side effects like babies and motherhood and fatherhood!" "We wouldn't want to punish your recreational fun with a baby now would we!"
This is the mentality of liberals, democrats everywhere. Sadly this is the mentality of most Christians, most Catholics in this country too. How did we get here?
How did we go from seeing children as a blessing to a burden? Sure we still give it lip service and say "children are a blessing" but no more than 2! Now how does that make sense? If something is a blessing then it would follow LOGICALLY that you would want MORE of that blessing not less. Still most people are horrified at the thought of more than 2 children. This attitude is what the Obama administration is counting on.
They know just how the American public will respond to a clash between religious liberty and sexual license because the American people have spoken loud and clear by their actions over the past 40 or so years. Contraception is the "right" we all will demand over the real right to religious liberty because contracetion is what we truly value.
When forced to contrast these two ideas - the Catholic Church's "silly" hang ups about sex vs. the gov't protecting us from unecessary and undesirable superfluous babies the administration knows very well that this culture has long long ago chosen their path. We Americans prefer a path that is baby free for the most part and we couldn't possibly consider any connection between sex and babies! I mean come on - sex is about love and togetherness and fun and all that NOT babies! These damn Catholics need to get over it and join us in the 21st century!
And so I fear this administration has chosen a fight it will surely win. We cannot fight a battle we already surrendered to long ago. Besides we have either killed off or rejected the very children who could have been soldiers for us on the front lines. We may talk the talk and cry about religous liberty now but our actions have spoken and the administration knows it! Selfishness wins again.
The baby hating Obama Administration will continue to railroad over religious liberty and smackdown any righteous indignation by clergy or bishops because our own hypocrisy has crippled us! Guess what folks in reality WE are baby haters too!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Think I might make a comeback
I think i may try to make a comeback here. I'll need to plan out my time. that's funny - cause i have no time! anyway i think i like this format better than facebook cause it's so much more private and personal. too bad it takes more time. we'll see if i "get 'er done"...
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Playing Catch Up
Haven't been here in a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOng time! I've been busy and any free time I've had has been filled by the reading of books and not the writng of books. I've been chewing on some good reads as of late but for now I'll just post some pics of the kids...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Marxism,TOB,Fatima, and the Mass - Some Thoughts I'm working on...
The Ties That Bind
1. What’s Going On In the World?
a.Politics/Goverments
b.Culture/Media/Arts
c.The Church/Parishes/Priests &Bishops
d.The Family – Motherhood,Fatherhood,Childhood
2. What’s the Cause? The Root?
a.Our understanding/concept of self
b.Our understanding/concept of our purpose
c.Our understanding/concept of our goal
d.Our understanding/concept of God
e.Our understanding/concept of how we relate to one another
f.Our understanding/concept of how we relate to the physical world/nature
g.Our understanding/concept of how we relate to the supernatural/spiritual
3. Where do the Misunderstandings/Confusions Come From?
a.philosophy and anthropology what are they and why do they matter?
b.Christian philosophy and anthropology what happened to it?
c. Marxist philosophy and anthropology what is it?
d.What does the Church have to say about Marxism?
e.What has the human experience of Marxism been?
f.Why is Marxism so deceptively appealing?
g.Neo-Marxism – How does it manifest itself in the modern world?
h.Neo-Marxism – How does it manifest itself in the modern Church?
i.Neo-Marxism – its dangers and how to defend ourselves against it
4. Our Lady of Fatima
a.What is the message of Fatima?
b.Why then? Why now?
c.JPII and Our Lady of Fatima
d.JPII and Theology of the Body
e.Why does Fatima matter so much today?
f.Fatima – Herein lies the key
5. Theology of the Body
a.What is TOB?
b.Is TOB narrowly focused?
c.The breadth and depth of TOB properly understood
d.TOB and modern culture
e.TOB and Neo-Marxism
f.TOB and contemplative Prayer (Carmelite Spirituality)
g.TOB and The Renewal of The Church
6. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
a.philosophy and anthropology effect the Liturgy
b.The Liturgy is not a Human Design – Where the Church went wrong
c.The liturgy and a sense of the Supernatural
d.The Liturgy and the Body
e.TOB and the Liturgy – how are they connected?
f.The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the greatest weapon against Neo-Marxism today
g.Why restore the Liturgy? – predictions/ramifications
1. What’s Going On In the World?
a.Politics/Goverments
b.Culture/Media/Arts
c.The Church/Parishes/Priests &Bishops
d.The Family – Motherhood,Fatherhood,Childhood
2. What’s the Cause? The Root?
a.Our understanding/concept of self
b.Our understanding/concept of our purpose
c.Our understanding/concept of our goal
d.Our understanding/concept of God
e.Our understanding/concept of how we relate to one another
f.Our understanding/concept of how we relate to the physical world/nature
g.Our understanding/concept of how we relate to the supernatural/spiritual
3. Where do the Misunderstandings/Confusions Come From?
a.philosophy and anthropology what are they and why do they matter?
b.Christian philosophy and anthropology what happened to it?
c. Marxist philosophy and anthropology what is it?
d.What does the Church have to say about Marxism?
e.What has the human experience of Marxism been?
f.Why is Marxism so deceptively appealing?
g.Neo-Marxism – How does it manifest itself in the modern world?
h.Neo-Marxism – How does it manifest itself in the modern Church?
i.Neo-Marxism – its dangers and how to defend ourselves against it
4. Our Lady of Fatima
a.What is the message of Fatima?
b.Why then? Why now?
c.JPII and Our Lady of Fatima
d.JPII and Theology of the Body
e.Why does Fatima matter so much today?
f.Fatima – Herein lies the key
5. Theology of the Body
a.What is TOB?
b.Is TOB narrowly focused?
c.The breadth and depth of TOB properly understood
d.TOB and modern culture
e.TOB and Neo-Marxism
f.TOB and contemplative Prayer (Carmelite Spirituality)
g.TOB and The Renewal of The Church
6. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
a.philosophy and anthropology effect the Liturgy
b.The Liturgy is not a Human Design – Where the Church went wrong
c.The liturgy and a sense of the Supernatural
d.The Liturgy and the Body
e.TOB and the Liturgy – how are they connected?
f.The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the greatest weapon against Neo-Marxism today
g.Why restore the Liturgy? – predictions/ramifications
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | ||
| The Audacity of Hos | |||
| www.thedailyshow.com | |||
|
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
boys getting ready
the day mom was leaving for Germany...getting the boys cleaned up. Funny how hectic my days always seem to be no matter what's going on.
post marker removal
Here's a video I made at home about 15 minutes before Collin had to catch the bus to school. In this one I've just removed the "artwork" Collin had decorated his face with. Enjoy! This is my life...
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