♫ELECTRIC ┼ BARBARELLA♫

It has been a LONG time since I last posted. However, all avenues available to me for selling books have been removed; hence why I am trying to post here now.  When you respond, please tell me that you saw this on my blog so that I can properly identify where my books are going.

MATH
A Survey of Mathematics–(ISBN: 0321-20566-9(TE), 0-321-20565-0(student), 0-321-20597-0 (Sol. Man.)–technically a college level course given to students needing remedial help; so would be adequate for a very math savvy middle schooler and sufficient for a high schooler. Total is 2 very thick texts and one workbook style solutions guide. $30

The Teaching Company–Algebra 1 VHS (6) and Algebra 2 VHS(6)–comes with student workbook, worksheets and tests (purchased from another mom who separated these into sheet protectors). Asking $30 each or $50 for both.

Transition Math–University of Chicago math text (0-67345745-1)–text itself is in “C” condition. Pages clean, just cover worn.  Can be done by a middle schooler needing math transitional help.  $8.00

Discovering Geometry– (0-913684-08-2, D grade)–poor book cover, but pages clean. $8.00

Introduction to Algebra–(0-321-26947-0, F grade)–book cover is shot, pages are good, mostly clean (a few pencil marks), this is supposed to be a college level algebra text, but I did it with my middle AND high schoolers. $8.00

Consumer Math–(0-8251-2852-8 )–I have separated the binding to allow for workbook style, instead it is in a 3 ring binder. From the Walch company.  Book is clean otherwise, no writing.  $10.00

Living on your Own–(0-8251-4281-4(TE), 0-8251-4273-3 (student)– I have a teacher’s edition and one student book. The TE is clean and no writing. The student’s book is written in with pencil. Selling the set knowing this–$15.00
(and additional student text is available, written in pencil, for $5)

College Algebra–(0133999408(text), 0137458693(sol.man)–another “college” level algebra book, but one that can be done by math savvy middle school and high schoolers.  $15.00

ENGLISH
BK English 8th grade–(1580791093)–Simple 8th grade English text. Focuses on mechanics and grammar. $8.00

Easy Grammar 9–one teachers edition and two students. The teacher’s edition is clean, no writing. The student’s text is written in. The TE is an exact copy of the students, except the answers are in the back of the book (which I removed for ease, to the front).  You will get one TE and one student for $25.00.
(an additional student text is available, written in as well, for $5.00)

The Brief Handbook–(0838406599, spiral bound)–I have 4 of these. $8.00 each

Literature of the World–(0070334374)–student textbook. $8

SOCIAL STUDIES
One year of National Geographic Magazine with maps–2010, all issues. $20

16 volume set, Britannica Student Encyclopedia–(1-59339-300-8)–former library reference, clean, EXCELLENT condition. Used on Amazon sells for $270 dollars. I am only asking what I paid for them from library–$85 and this includes shipping. Very HEAVY set.

Barrons Let’s Review: U.S. History and Government–(0764113461)–I have 3 copies of these books. Clean and excellent condition.  Asking $8 each.

Enduring Vision–(0618473114)–US History book–$8

Contemporary American Society–(031462483x, book), (0314814760, study guide)–set for $10.00

American Government–(0618259368)–student book $8

Time American Legends–(1883013712)–Time Life book about the most famous American Legends. $8

World Fact Encyclopedia–(0755000145)– a world facts encyclopedia $10

The West in the World–(Volume 1–0-07-297318-8, student; 0-07285425-1, study guide) and (Volume 2–0-07-297319-6, student; 0-07-285426-x, study guide) I have 3 copies of each set. That is, 3 copies of Volume 1 student and study guide, and 3 copies of Volume 2 student and study guide. They are sold as a set (student and study guide).  Each set is $15

Readings in Western Humanities–(0-764-1596-5)–$8

SCIENCE
Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, with DVD (Discovery Channel)–Excellent condition book and DVD set. This does discuss evolution. No “monkeys to man” or “man walked with dinosaurs”, but it does talk about the rise of Prehistoric mammals (smilodon (saber tooth tiger) )and the “cavemen” (Australopithecus, I believe) who lived at the time; amongst other type beasts. Asking $30 for the set.

DK e.Encyclopedia–(0-7566-0215-7–DK’s Google linked science encyclopedia. $10

Encyclopedia set Growing up with Science–FULL set–(0-7614-7505-2) former library reference, clean, EXCELLENT condition. Not sure what it sells for on Amazon, as only one of the books comes up. I am only asking what I paid for them from library–$85 and this includes shipping. Very HEAVY set.

Conceptual Physics Set–HUGE set–(0-13-166302-x, TE) and (0-13-166301-1, student) PLUS: overhead transparencies, lab manual TE, Concept practice book and TE, tests, lab manual for PC with cd, PC test book with CD, review questions book, problem solving exercises book. This is a huge lot and heavy. It is all in excellent condition except for the concept practice book TE has a ripped cover. I am asking $90 for the whole thing.

General Chemistry–(0-13-1920154)–this comes with a CD to accompany the book. $15

Red Shift Astronomy–(0-534-49031-x)–I have two copies, both come with CD program to accompany book work. This is clearly for a child that is *extremely* oriented towards Astronomy. It is very challenging to do and takes someone whose mind goes that way.  $10 each.

~~Toni

www.brandnewliver.com

Yeah, I know it has been a long time since I posted, but I had graduation and other things going on. The Princess Brat is now the Princess Graduate! As for the link above, please visit it and consider a donation. Don Waugh is a very good friend of mine and does not deserve this hand that he has been dealt.  Any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated!

~~Toni

Pun intended…

By now I am sure you have all heard about it–the death of that little girl at the hands of some moronic “Christian” imbecile who is also a follower of No Greater Joy and the Pearl’s To Train Up A Child.  It’s all over the place now and honestly, I’ve nothing to say that hasn’t already been said–Why are we not standing up against these people? Why are we not holding them just as responsible for the deaths of these children?

They write filthy, abusive, abrasive, and just plain disgusting stuff under the guise of “Jesus” and “God” based beliefs.

• Stop The Rod–TTUAC  (note: Stop the Rod is a website dedicated to exposing these abuses. Link takes you to their detailed explanation of the book)
  
• James Dobson
• Lisa Welchel (Yes, Blair from Facts of Life practices child beating!)
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp

These are just a few of the baby-beating manuals on the market that espouse “corrective” discipline from a very early age (months old!).

“If one part is poison, it’s all poisoned”. You cannot use the excuse “I take the good and leave the bad”. If there is one part that is bad, it is all bad, end of story. You are a vile child abuser, good parts or not. And to do all of this in the name of the god you believe in? Even more vile.

There is something in your book about Jesus saying “the least of what you to do them, you do to me”…I really do hope there is a special place in hell for those of you who believe anything the Pearls believe in.

(as an FYI only: if you subscribe to a certain, very popular, homeschooling magazine; you might want to re-think that. Not only are they huge supporters of the Pearls, but they employ their oldest daughter as well)

If you want TRUE Grace Based Parenting, please visit my very good friend, Joanne. Get Off Your Butt (and Parent) No hitting, smacking, beating, wooden spoons, plumbing supplies, setting the kids up for failure, etc… needed. If that is all you know or know how to do, go away.  If you want to learn how to be a good role model to your children without the need for destructive and abusive means, then please, go visit Joanne.

~~Toni

Was the absolute best thing I have seen in a long time. It was amazing! If you get the chance, GO!  And whatever you do, don’t sit on the floor. Sit about midway up for your arena.  You get a much better view of the dinos that way.

Link to my Flickr account because there are too many pictures!

Walking With Dinosaurs Link

~~Toni

He was stalking the blanket!

My Little Pink Lady!

She was investigating the Guinea.

~~Toni

Yes, I did it again. Her name is Andromeda. She is boxer/pit/lab mix. 3months old.  Thank the goddess for Freecycle!

(Hercules and Persius are my two bassets. In mythology, Perseus actually rescues Andromeda from the Kraken. Which is funny as hell because they are all three now playing the 100 m. Basset hound relay and Persius is running from her! Hercules loves her and is letting her climb on him and bite his ears)

Yes, I am a sucker. I know it. And now, some other random photos from today. The Children’s Summit where Princes Brat in Training and I met up with a rock wall, some Conquistadors, and Smokey the Bear.

Taste the Rainbow!

~~Toni

Seeing as I haven’t posted in a long time.  Let’s see if I can get this new format to work.

Just some random photos of a girl and her horsey and another girl and her piggie.

She was getting nose kisses from him:

He was VERY hungry

He was VERY sleepy….

He was VERY muddy…

They were VERY playful…

He is VERY lucky…

To have her….

BFF’s forever….

~~Toni

Yesterday was the Princess-Brat-in-Training’s birthday. I officially have TWO teenagers now. She chose Disney as her birthday present.

Oh-what-fun-we-had!

Busy around the second half of the day, otherwise, not too bad at all. Brought the whole family: Me, MadDad, Princess Brat, NeNe and Poppy, and the Nephew.

200 pictures, too many to post, so click on the link below:

A Celebration!

~~Toni

Now in all fairness, this little tit-for-tat has been going back and forth for a little while; between this teacher blog and homeschoolers.  I’m just catching up to the whole thing and I find it just as trite an argument as ever.  In all fairness, the gentleman who wrote this particular piece (linked) basically stepped in and tried to get both sides to chill out; but if I may throw on my 2 year old thinking cap for a moment, “She started it” sounds as good now as it did then.  And since I am bored (no doubt I should likely point that to my apparent lack of teaching skill, else I wouldn’t be so bored), I decided to tackle this guy’s comments.

He genuinely (of course, said after-the-fact that he “banished” us all to “let’s play nice” land) wants answers to his questions, so I am going to give them to him in true EB style.

Teacher, Revised

As a public school teacher who knows very little about homechooling, I would love to know what it takes to be a good homeschool teacher. I have questions like, How do you balance being both parent and teacher to your child?

As you have been answered on your blog by many, I will state the same: Parenting does not end once teaching begins. They are truly one in the same. I have both parented my girls from birth as well as taught them, from birth, everything needed to create healthy young children who began their young lives in the public school realm.  But since this question was asked with sincerity, I wish to ask you one with the same: Does your teaching stop just because you are also a parent? Or better still, do you stop teaching just because “school’s out for summer?” If you truly can answer ‘yes’ to either question, then I would dare suggest you have failed as both a parent and as a teacher.  One truly cannot be separated from the other.  Just because some people do not go on to teach within a brick-and-mortar school realm, does not mean they aren’t teachers.  And just because one is a parent does not mean he cannot be a teacher, either.  Teachers are found in all professions, though we may call them “supervisors” or “bosses” or “Human Resource Counselors”.  Their job, like yours, does not end simply because they leave the building.  They must go home to “supervise” or “boss” or even “Counsel” a family as well.  They lack no less skill at doing so simply because they choose to do it at home as well as at work.

How do you incorporate technology into your lessons?

You cannot be serious with this question? You claim to be sincere in your seeking of knowledge, yet you ask the most stupid question I have ever heard.  Tell me, do you also ask your wife how she can cook if she lacks a stove? Surely you know that one does not need a stove to cook, right? Yes, it makes our lives that much more convenient, but it isn’t a necessity needed to cook.  However, in the interest of fairness, I’ll answer your question: While I will concede to the fact that there are some homeschoolers who may live in modified caves without television, they aren’t completely unhooked from the rest of the world.  Why, in my own home I have :

3 desktop computers (and one broken one)

2 laptops

4 Nintendo DS systems

an Xbox

an Xbox360

all the Playstations

a Wii

a full surround sound stereo system

4 DVD players–one with the capability to not only copy VHS (WOW!) but also burn DVD’s as well

2 huge flat screen televisions

3 regular televisions

3 iPODS

4 cell phones

and get this: I even have an overhead projection system!

Holy Shit Batman! I don’t actually live in a cave! Admittedly, we’ve been blessed more than most, but I can assure you that even the staunchest “no television, ever!” (say it to the tune of “No more wire hangers, ever!) is technologically capable of teaching technology to their kids. Of course, since you asked how I actually incorporate it into my lessons, I could tell you all that I have done with any of the above, but I think it is fair to say that I don’t own this stuff for looks.  However, I will give you just one example, a simple one: DVD courses used to teach a subject that incorporate sight, sound, and ability to sit still for 30 minutes while taking notes.  That, in and of itself, can possibly wipe out SEVEN things on my list (depending on what kind of DVD I am using).  Now isn’t that just spiffy?

How do you go about teaching a subject you know very little about?

Admittedly, weaknesses do exist, even in (gasp! horror!) teachers.  I have a weakness for Foreign Language. It truly is a travesty, though, that I can’t figure out how to use one of my non-technologically created pieces of equipment to find a way to teach such a difficult subject, isn’t it?  Snark aside, the truth is, this is also a dumb question.  For one to claim so much education behind him without being able to show he actually uses said education, truly shows the arrogance of teachers, doesn’t it?  Really, thinking before you speak is one of the lessons in logic, or did you miss that class?  Truth is, what I cannot “teach”, my husband can. What he and I won’t or can’t teach, it’s a good thing there are companies out there who make it easy for us to want to teach it, yes? Plus, co-oping is a good thing (for some) and many use it.  I find it too much like the public school experience and I choose to find alternative methods, such as what I described above, to “teach” a subject I know very little about.  It’s amazing the plethora of stuff that’s out there.

How much homework do you give? Is it even called ‘homework’ when it’s assigned at home?

Well, since the very definition of “homework” is “work done at home”, I would assume all we DO is “homework”.  However, no, I don’t give ‘extra’ assignments to be done after I have finished teaching for that day.  The very reason homework exists is to keep the student busy, at home, with mind numbing and sometimes completely unrelated, pieces of paper just to prove you’ve taught them something that day.  Since I don’t have to prove this to anyone, my proof lies within the pudding.  And since I can make some damn good pudding, I think my proof suffices.

Do your students have to take the same standardized tests as mine? If so, how much test prep do you do each week?

Yes and no.  Since the very reason your students are failing is because of those standardized tests, why would I want the same for mine?  The FCAT is a laughable farce of a test and proves nothing to anyone except to educrats who think they know how to teach.  Now, to be sure, each state has different standards for what can be done to prove to them you are actually doing it.  I am thankful that in my state, I have the option of choosing the umbrella option and using a private school as my covering, for which no standardized test of any kind is required to “prove” I am actually “teaching”.  Especially since I don’t teach anything remotely similar to what is being “tested”.  What I teach far surpasses that.  We do utilize the IOWA test, having found it to be a decent (slightly) way to show us exactly where our children stand.  We also chose the SAT/ACT and PSAT as our standard as well.  Just for good measure I have a now 8th grader, who when she took the PSAT last year, scored in and above the 10th grade level.

Homeschooling just stinks, though, doesn’t it?

As for how much test prep I do a week? Maybe if you guys quit focusing on “test prep” and actually, you know, TAUGHT, these kids might learn something. And something useful at that, instead of “study, memorize, forget”.  No, I spend exactly one week on test prep–the week before, teaching them strategies on how to take the SAT (I can’t believe you need a strategy to pass a general knowledge test).  Any more than that, and I become like you.

In short, I want to know your best (and worst) practices.

We do not need “practices” to be able to teach sir.  If you are practicing, you can’t very well be called a teacher then, can you?  I have standards by which I teach my girls and by which I want them to learn, none of which I practice. The world is our chalkboard, our library, our teacher.  One walk outside, out back even, and I can teach them a plethora of things, all things more credible to the over all learning experience than what one would learn in the square fishbowl called a classroom.

And as homeschool teachers, aren’t you just as curious about the life of a public school teacher? If for nothing else, to rethink and reshape your own teaching philosophies?

Irrelevant to the discussion and a bit of a straw man at that.  No, I do not want to be curious about the life of a public school teacher, especially not if the goal is to reshape or rethink my own teaching philosophies. Why would I want to model educating my own children after that which does not work?  No, my own teaching philosophies are guided by my kid’s educational abilities, wants, and needs.  I may use the guides given for a four-year track high school graduate and issue credits based on that, but that’s only because the educrats refuse to see homeschooling as a legitimate and viable way of teaching.  And let’s not forget that my husband is himself a teacher.  A very in-demand one due to his background and degree.  I STILL do not want to model my philosophies after his.  What he wants and needs for his classroom of 30 are not his nor my wants or needs for our “classroom” of two.

Really, since you claim that this argument is laughable and getting old, why continue the fodder? I am NOT trying to take your job away.  No educrat is going to come knocking on my door and say to me “Mrs. Wilson, since you are such a wonderful teacher, would you come take over Mr. X’s job and teach in his place?” I am also unlikely to get a teaching job based solely on my experience as a homeschooler.  So why the worry guys? Honest, we ain’t all out to get you. I swear.

Toni