Category Archives: Encouragement

Self-Reliance, Resiliency, and Overcoming Learning Problems

Thinking about the recent storm devastation, we are inspired by the self-reliance, resiliency, and innovation in face of challenge. Let’s apply these lessons to learning challenges.

Overcoming Learning Problems Instead of Labeling into Entrenched, Weaponized Disabilities

Our position is that as parents and educators, we want to overcome learning problems, rather than labeling our children as disabled — thus intentionally failing to do our job, thus damaging children, thus increasing resentment in order to overturn “the hegemonic order.”

Problems need solving. Learning problems need to be solved or worked around — or in some other way to be overcome. This is the path to a successful and happy life. This is the path that works.

This is also the Biblical was to proceed. We are called to be overcomers — by faith, and woks. The Word of God and the example of Jesus and the leadership of Holy Spirit in all ways invites us to have hope, faith, hearing of good ideas, selfless service, and long-term blessing.

By contrast, there is another path. One that insists on labeling problems as either insignificant thus unaddressed — or as “disabilities.”  Disabled? meaning not able!  Labeling theory, long and strongly accepted in Psychology, Sociology and Education disciplines shows how people live up — or down — to labels. Nowhere is this more true than with children and social environment of school. Please see academic paper by Sales connecting JD and LD in the 1990s. Older, more well known work is widely known by Rosenhans, Schiff, Becker and others.

Diagnosis can be used as death knells, or as I encourage, as direction to parents and educators. However, if diagnosis are used for labeling (and they inevitably are in schools) the path is turned away from solving problems. Educators do not remediate but rather accommodate — at best. Look around. Notice, as the oldest research in teachers’ behavior showed, that teacher treat anyone with LD diagnosis/label as less intelligent. Thus, they get less, rather than more, quality education. They get pulled out of class, so they miss more. They have abbreviated curricula, missing more. They get drilled over and over again at what they are weak in, thus insuring demoralization.

But there is much more. If you have read James Lindsay, or Alex Newman, or Paolo Friere you might even be able to detect it in the critiq2ue of what we are doing by the conventional LD podcast. It is important in Marxist thought to always tear down whatever is considered normal. It is important to weaponize one group against another. Marx himself said in Das Kapital that he cared nothing for science, but only wanted to increase conflict, in order to improve society. Marx originally was thinking of class warfare. However, in the United States, where nearly everyone thinks of themselves as middle class, other conflicts have been intentionally excerbated. Whereas once the government school could not be  bother about  learning problems, and parents worked to get education for their children, since oh about 2000, public educators have been grooming students and their parents to be hostile to educators in a way to ensure the greatest conflict. Teachers are constrained by school rules; schools insist on being in complete control of any move regarding the “learning disabled.” Thus, fewer problems get fixed; fewer even than when the problem was not recognized.

This is in larger context, also a Marxist ploy. In our 5th generation warfare environment, in our cold WWIII, outside forces that have taken over the elite, are ensuring that our youth are not educated. Not in academics. Not in social skills. Not developed in anything — except perhaps in being weaponized, emotionally triggered pawns.

Once you see this, listen again to our detractors. You choose. Do you want to spend your time and money in resentment and conflict and status squabbles? Or would you like to have learning problems solved, and weaknesses overcoming by strength, and faith applied to find good ideas — for success and total well-being. Two paths. You decide.

Priorities in Life – Makes Rest Line Up

Prioritizing life makes the rest line up the best. Even if we get good grades or a good job, if we are a bad person, we have not succeeded. Same for our children. Yet, in the rush of being a parent, of a child whose needs take up maybe extra time, especially in today’s dark world, we might forget the most important. The urgent crowds out the important. But if that important foundation is missing, everything else slants, breaks, and could crumble.

Eternal, moral, and only then educational.

Today, in this holiday season, let us consider the most important things, and how we can re-prioritize, come to faith, and line the rest of life up. The promise is that it works better that way.

I offer again my product on how to teach in dangerous times. I offer some guidance in going through this next dark rough patch.  Get under the wing of God, with others doing the same. I will see you on the other side of night, in the bright light of day. Be blest: may you and your children increase. Why? How? Because we are taught of the LORD and therefore great will be our shalom, our total well-being.

First Things that a Mama Lioness Does

Last Time: Engage as  Mama Bear

Last time we talked a little bit about being a mama bear – holding other people accountable. Today, I am going to talk about my perspective that arises from 2 generations of failure, even with prodigious ability, to get government school officials to follow the law. I also recognize the work of Katy Marshall (Texas Scorecard) and her Exposed podcast, that discusses the dark side of Texas public schools. Trouble is, Texas is not somehow different than any other state. Maybe it is much better! They may have larger school districts — or not. They may have more conservative politicians – or not. They may have citizen who are more willing to speak out because they think the system is more conservative — probably.

Rabbit Trail: Isn’t it Odd?

Isn’t it odd, actually, how all our local school districts, in whatever state seem to be facing the same very strange problem of porn in school at the same time. Isn’t strange how, after FBI fingerprints being put in as a precaution back in 2007, and public outing of sex offenders’ locations online, that we still have so much sexual abuse of children? Isn’t it passing strange that when parents come to school board meetings, that across the country, they are treated as if they were criminal offender? And not just in one location or another.   Okay, but moving on.

Exposed : Dark Side of What is Going on in Government Schools

It happens that recent episodes  of Exposed have focused on alleged abuse in Prosper ISD. What needs to be understood in context is that Prosper is an reasonably affluent part of Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, fast growing, and not unusual. Some small towns might suffer less, but they are under the same ultimate management. Similarly, one thinks of Texas as a “red” state — but we have already discussed the false dichotomy of thinking that that means that governance is more conservative or just. Go back about 3 episodes for that.

Season 6 Episode 2 – The Other Cheek

Season 6 Episode 3 – The Spreading Rot

THIS TIME: MY THOUGHTS ON MOST IMPORTANT TO DO

This time on Overcoming Learning Problems, I will share with you my maybe surprising conclusions about what is more important for a mother to do today. More conservative and more radically change oriented. Think Susanna Wesley! Change the world. And you will find it jolly well matches your personality, too, I imagine. You will be, should be surprised that I think so, but I do. My reflections today, after more fights with school officials than I wish to recall.

DEEPER APPRECIATION, MORE PURCHASING, MORE SHARING

Knowing this, I expect you will find a deeper appreciation of what we are doing here at GSB: Overcoming Learning Problems. Our perspective will save your child from the abuse and academic degradation that you WILL find in government schools. Our perspective might save you the $87,000 one of our interviewees say that they charge families. It should save most home-schoolers a lot of grief, anxiety, and bewilderment. What I put out here, for free, is very valuable. Please make use of it, get more, and tell your friends.