1. Your storage unit comes with a few dead scorpions and a live 10-inch centipede. (That photo is the real deal. That sucker crawled out from under our storage unit building when the rain started.)

2. In every gas station you will hear blaring love-sick cowboy western music over the speakers.

3. If you stop in any small town McDonald's, you will find at least one really old farmer in a cowboy hat. He might even tip his hat to you if you don't look like you just drove in from New York or California (no offense to my NY and CA buddies!).

4. You see about 90% more Texas flags than you do American flags.

5. Everything is bigger and better.

6. THE MEXICAN FOOD ROCKS!!!!

7. There isn't a restaurant that doesn't serve jalapeños as a condiment.

8. Everybody says, "Howdy" (the informal version of "Hi") as a greeting. What else would you expect of the "Friendship State"?

9. It takes at least an hour to get anywhere you are going (and not necessarily because of traffic). If you go "a ways", you might be talking about a 3-4 hour drive (such as between Houston and Austin or Dallas and Houston).

10. If you break down, it only takes about five minutes and an ex-marine wearing a cowboy hat and driving a "Superduty, fully-loaded 350 Big Dooley" will arrive on the scene with a tow chain to assist you. He won't let you pay him for his help, either. (This has actually happened to me - when I got stuck in the mud trying to turn my vehicle around while going on a field trip with the kids). I can't tell you how many times I've been helped by friendly Texas drivers in my life.


Texan Quick Links
More facts and trivia about Texas
Cowboy 10 Commandments
Whut Makes You Thank Teksuns Tawk Funny?
Texas Edition Barbie Dolls
A Texan in Heaven


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Buzz Words: Texan, Travel, Humor, Funny, Texas, Life, Silly, Southern, Mexican Food, Geography, List, Laugh, Lone Star, Funnies, Personal, Home, Centipede, Photos, Cowboy, Roadtrip, Food

James 1:2-4 ~ 2) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3) because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I'm alive and I'm in Texas. My wallet is a lot lighter, and finally I am coming up for air. I didn't bother checking off the rest of the list because it got really crazy Friday when we had a kink in our moving plans. The movers were going to charge us about 800$ more than we anticipated, so we rented a truck and had to do it ourselves to save some money. Of course, I'm not getting any younger, and without the help of our good friends, family and the help we hired, we would still be going up and down those apartment stairs with boxes right now. We have ended up with a lot of plan-B adjustments through this process. It has been an emotionally and physically draining week. Even with all the stress, I have seen the hand of God working in each day’s details.

One area we have definitely not suffered is our meal-times! Notice the "Powered by Chipotle" shirt in the moving van photo (that's me). We had a HUGE meal at Chipotle after we returned home. It had been nearly seven months since I had their marinated chicken. It was time for a “fix”. I asked Kevin why Chipotle chicken was like CRACK to me... and he told me it must have "voodoo" in it. I have been enjoying all the spicy wonders of Texas cuisine in-between our errands. Seeing familiar faces and getting to gorge on breakfast tacos with home-made pico de gallo is a welcome diversion to our moving and family crisis.

It rained BUCKETS on us while we unloaded the truck into storage. Literally sheets of rain. One of the hired laborers on the unpacking end must have been on mental vacation, too. He hardly did any work at all. Kev's computer box got dropped about 8 feet onto concrete - no telling if that thing will fire up when we unpack it. Somehow my underwear got packed into an obscure storage box (along with my phone charger). We have had to buy some new clothes and other necessary items, purchase additional storage, pay for extra things we weren't expecting, and get sleep whenever we could catch a spare moment.... not to mention that Kev had to go on an interview and we have had to travel between cities here at home as well. We’ve put in well over 1,000 miles (on both of our vehicles). It was a good thing the moving truck was diesel. It got better gas mileage than we expected.


We're staying with friends and family right now (and that has been emotional with last week’s family tragedy). My computer is up, but not connected to the internet still. I think Kevin is going to pick up a wireless device today. I am having to borrow friends' and family's PCs at the momment. In-between naps, errands, loading and unloading my vehicle, and eating Tex-Mex… I have time to check email. Hopefully I can get a little more bloggish as time goes by... but I do have to admit that we are ‘temporary’ for most of this month. We'll be looking for a place to live soon because KEVIN GOT THE JOB HE WANTED! Praise the Lord! Hang in there and have fun browsing the archives while I'm sifting through luggage for clean clothes and matching shoes! Maybe next month we'll be in a house again somewhere.

God bless you all - from Texas! May you all be as happy to be where you are as I am to be here. It is so good to be home.


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Buzz Words: Moving, Packing, Crazy, Family, Boxes, Life, Busy, Stress, Crisis, Relocation, Story, Getting Things Done, Overwhelmed, List, Personal, Parenting, Job, Finances, Travel, Money, Texas, Summer, Food

"I've gone out to find myself. Should I get back before I return, please keep me here."

To Do before Saturday:

Find a moving truck for this weekend
Finish all laundry and pack all dishes
Go see friends tomorrow
Book a flight for friend to fly up to drive husband's truck back
Friends drive down to see me from out of town for lunch
Call Electric Co. and cancel service
Sign forwarding address in apartment office for refund of deposit
Call and cancel DSL and phone
Husband pays ticket instead of taking defensive driving
Bills/Checkbook done (it'll be a while before I can pay them again)
Paperwork sorted and dealt with on desk
Suitcases packed with enough clothes for a month for each of us
Pick up more free boxes
Friend gave us more tape
Forward address at bank
Change address at PO
Write and mail a letter to all creditors with new address
Call auto insurance agent and let him know we are moving back to TX
Change address for all magazine subscriptions
Cancel the Sunday Paper
List used curriculum for sale
Sell used curriculum we don't want to pack and carry back with us
Return books to library
Charge batteries in digital camera and video camera
Give extra food to neighbors
Cancel Netflix (will resume once we get settled!)
Cook and eat at home to get rid of perishables (resist fast food temptation)
Notify AR homeschool office of move
Write goodbye letter for our church
Give away clothes/hand-me-downs
Finish packing apartment
Change husband's cell phone number
Friend from TX coming in to town, drop off rental car
Pick up moving truck
Turn in key
Load vehicles & Moving truck
Friends to help load and unload?
Thank you card for for Moving Boxes

As you can see... I'm a little busy. I'll be back when I quit meeting myself coming and going... if there's any of me left.


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Buzz Words: Moving, Packing, Crazy, Family, Boxes, Life, Busy, Stress, To Do List, Relocation, Prayer, Getting Things Done, Overwhelmed, List, Personal, Parenting, Paperwork, Bills, Organization

I thought I would share with you a quick photo from our last amazingly crazy move (in 2005)... of Morgan popping her head up from the sea of boxes in our then living room. The kids made box costumes, packed themselves in boxes, walked on the boxes, crawled through the boxes, and covered everything in the living room with boxes to make a "fort". At one point, they even went around with upside-down Chinese-food take-out boxes on their heads - while dancing and singing from INSIDE a moving box (with their legs sticking out at bottom and their heads sticking out at top). Kids have no idea what kind of stress adults go through during a move. It's all a grand adventure. They make the process so much more fun. I don't know if I could do it without their enthusiasm. The first thing Morgan said today is, "I CAN'T WAIT TO PACK!" and "This will be our hermit crabs' first long trip, Mommy!" [Yes, we realize that we are breeding little nomads.]

I just wanted to say it up front RIGHT HERE that I am very thankful for your kind comments AND PRAYERS for our family. This is one time that I can't really respond to each one individually. We couldn't get through this without your prayers. Kev and I feel a huge weight is off of our shoulders (as far as the waiting period goes... and the prayers that we've been praying to go back home to be with family). We also feel peace about the move. We feel confident that whatever is in store next will be a blessing from the Lord. We are sad and happy at the same time... which is a very strange emotional mix. I go from tears to laughter in seconds flat. [Hey - nothing much different than the average PMS right?] Mostly I just wander around with a look of shock on my face. [I actually passed up coffee and sweets last night - so you know I'm not myself!]

Right now, we are cleaning house and doing laundry (OK - the kids are... so I had better get up and quit blogging). I picked up about 25 boxes this morning to get us started. I think I'll pack the kids' room and the kitchen and bookshelves today. The good thing about this move is that it is only HALF of our belongings (since the other half is in storage in Texas since our last move). I'll be glad to get everything in one place again. Hopefully we can procure a mover (and/or) moving truck that is affordable and willing to come on such short notice. I'm sharing a few links from our last "moving season" below. Be sure to check those out in my absence. The Homeschool Carnival was right on the money when it said that Sprittibee sometimes does "hotel school". What a timely theme! I got a kick out of that last night when I read it. [And believe me, I needed a laugh.]

Just wanted to let you know what was going on with us so you would feel like you didn't have any problems. We tend to be the crisis clinic around here. I don't know how people without the Lord manage to get through trails in their lives. Kevin and I have been so humbled by how truly blessed we are... even through the uncertainty, the grief, the fear, and the anxiety... we can laugh about it and are so thankful that God is in control and that we have each other. We are blessed. We really are blessed.

Thanks again for your prayers.


Other Quick Links:
Landinvitations of the Seller (Spoof on Lamentations I wrote while selling our last house)
Unanswered Prayers (During our last trail before moving)
Buried in Boxes, But I'm OK (Our last packing adventure)
Real Life Countdown to Moving Day (Very funny... and some of it is 'da troof')
Counting My Blessings (Every good 'whine' deserves a list like this)
Gasoline Woes (And some added humor...)


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Buzz Words: Moving, Packing, Troubles, Family, Boxes, Life, Changes, Hope, Texas, Job, Prayer, Christianity, Photos, Stress, Personal, Parenting, Kids, Humor, Faith, Peace

It rained most of the day today*. I can hear the tree frogs and bullfrogs outside singing their summer serenade. Tonight it just sounds like sadness to me, because my cousin (who was like a brother to me growing up) died today*. He had four biological children and a stepchild that all lived with him. A pending divorce, a lost job, financial trouble and his life-long struggle with depression finally culminated today into a suicide. I can only pray that he is forgiven and safe in the arms of Jesus right now. I know he called his sister after he shot himself and even talked about his funeral with her. My heart aches because I can not be there for my nieces, my mother, my aunt, and my cousins. They are back home in Texas.

... and because of the other bomb we had dropped in our lap today, we are unable to travel back for his funeral...

Within the same thirty minutes that my mom called to tell me about my cousin, my husband also got news that his long-term temporary job here in Arkansas is ending this week. I have four days to pack our entire apartment and move back to Texas… and from there, we really aren’t sure when and where we will go next. I know that wherever we go, we’ll be in good hands… God’s hands. Hopefully this time next week I’ll know something a little more certain. The only thing I’m certain of right now is a crazy week of packing, a busy weekend of moving, and a whole lot of grief as I try to grasp the fact that I’ll never see my cousin again. His little girls are crying themselves to sleep tonight*.

I urge you to listen to the frogs, smell the flowers, run in the rain and play in the puddles… hug your loved ones… be kind to others who may be struggling with the weight of the world on their backs (like my cousin was)… and treasure every moment you have.

Pray for our extended family and for us if the Lord brings us to your mind. I’ll try and check in as we ride the whirlwind through this week…




* I wrote this post before midnight... but these events happened in the late afternoon, Monday 6/18/07.

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Buzz Words: Christian, Death, Loss, Grief, Changes, Moving, Life, Sadness, Sorrow, Faith, Bad News, Family, Home, Personal, Prayer

My dear friend and teen blogger extraordinaire, Jocelyn Dixon of ~*~Lothlorien, Realm of the Lady of Light~*~, has passed the Blogger Reflection Award on to me and asked that I keep the flame burning. She created the award to help us reflect on the reasons why we love certain bloggers... and so that we could share their sites with others. Here's a quote from her initial post:

"...this award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them."

I pick up my torch with gladness... and share with you five blogs that make me light up each time I log on. Here below are...

Sprittibee's Top 5 'Blogger Reflection Awards':

1. Big White Hat - He's not a homeschooler, but he is a Christian father who is raising five kids (one who is autistic) and trying to be a good guy in a bad world. Therefore he has a big heart for those with learning challenges and believes that "everybody brings something to the table", no matter who they are... that "Everybody is a blessing". I enjoy the post-sermon lessons he shares when he gets home from church (a lot of them are similar to the lessons I tend to get when I really listen to a sermon - "even a bad sermon"). His honesty is refreshing. Takes guts to write about personal failures and admit where you went wrong. Another favorite thing about his site: his stories about living in the Lone Star State. What Texas ex-pat wouldn't enjoy a little reminder of home? It's good to see a Christian man stepping up to the plate and leaning on the Lord to guide him through life and raising his family. Most of the sites I read are written by women... so it is nice to get a man's perspective of the Christian walk.

2. Especially Heather - Heather, my partner in crime over at the Homeschool Blog Awards, recently underwent brain surgery to have a large tumor removed that she was diagnosed with during the Homeschool Blog Awards this March. I knew she was a sweet and faithful Christian before she was diagnosed with cancer, but reading her blog and following her story since then has been so inspiring to me. Just take a look at a snip from one of her recent posts about her prayers while she is in chemo:

"I have 2 weeks of radiation and chemo under my belt, and I have found the right mixture of medication, (and the right times to take them). But nothing can prepare you for the moments that you are on that radiation table, the clicking, the aloneness, the reality.

So I use that time to talk my Savior. As my friend Bethany says: “Jesus knows my every cell” I take that 15 minutes and really pray. I pray for my husband, my children, my parents, but then I pray for my cells, as odd as that sounds. I pray that the radiation would target those “stray cells of cancer” in my brain, and then I pray for the next person who will be on that table, that God would grant them peace and strength. I pray that their bodies would be made whole, and if before this experience they didn’t believe… cancer would draw them closer to Him."

3. It Coulda' Been Worse - DeeDee may not slap you in the face with her Christianosity, but she's certainly a faithful Christian lady. Her blog is more about her life and the nitty-gritty (humorous) little details of being a wife and mother... and middle-aged. I never leave her site without a belly-laugh and a smile. In these days of gloom and doom in the media and trash on TV, what DeeDee's blog provides is like a breath of fresh air. In fact, it has become one of my very favorite blogs on the net - so much so that I actually signed up by email. Now I can read her posts even if I forget to click over.

4. Owlhaven - There's always something interesting going on over at Mary's site. She's got a wonderful mixed family with children from Korea, Ethiopia and even some that she baked herself. When she's not accidentally dying her hair red, cooking up Potato-Carrot Curry with Injira, or "receiving sticky kisses"... you can find her sharing her inspiring life as a homeschooling mom of (soon to be) TEN kids. I hope you'll be as impressed with her humble servant's heart and love for others as I have been. You can see how blessed her kids are to have her as a mom by looking at their contagious smiles in her sweet photos. You won't be sorry you stopped by at Owlhaven.

5. Save the Kittens - Crystal is an American sweetheart... the girl you wish lived next door. I love her blog because she is so real and open. She is inspires me with her daily discussion about how she loves her husband so much. Despite the curve-balls they have been thrown in life (their daughter, Emily with Papillary Thyroid Cancer on Feb. 15, 2006) she continues to remain a faithful Christian, loving wife, and manages to homeschool on top of it all. I always enjoy seeing their family photos (all smiles) when I stop in to check on her. I get such a kick out of how head-over-heels she is for her man. I love seeing a Christ-centered marriage in action. It is something this world is so in need of... and has become a rare treat to witness. If only the world could know the joy of marriage - God's way.

Just because I am only listing five blogs doesn't mean I don't have many more favorites. It is just too hard a task to narrow them all down. Picking only five for this post was hard enough! I recently had to weed out my bloglines folder because I have so many blog subscriptions in there that I feel overwhelmed each time I open it. I keep a lengthy blogroll on my list of "other blogs I read" (those I love checking in on), I keep a few email blog subscriptions of those that I can't stand to miss, and I frequently click over to read many of the blogs in my Christian Homeschooling Blogroll and my other blogrolls in the sidebar. I can't vouch for the Cat-lover or political blogrolls (don't say I didn't warn you that they might not be Christian sites)... but there are a great many of those that are good, too.

I don't get to read blogs (even my favorites) as much as I would like to. If I did, I would get nothing done around here. I know how precious your time is... and am thankful that you stopped by today and gave me a few of those moments. I hope you know that I appreciate you for visiting and if I haven't been over at your site for a while... just shoot me an email or comment and bring me out of my little bubble!

If you would like to participate in the blogging reflection award, I'm sure Jocelyn would be more than happy to pass the torch on to you. Here below are her rules and the purpose behind these awards:

"This award is for the best-of-the-best so consider who you pick, carefully. This award should not be given to just anyone. If you're going to do the award don't just write a few words and slap it on your blog. Write real thoughts about these bloggers and what they've meant to you. If the bloggers you pick have already been given the award, don't be afraid to give it to them again. They deserve it as many times as it's given."

Rules of participating:
1. Create a post in which you reflect and list five bloggers and write at least a paragraph about each.
2. Copy the rules and information from this post or her original one.
3. Make sure you link back to her original post.
4. Notify the bloggers you picked and let them know they've been given the award via email or comment on their blogs.
5. Put the award icon in your post. She has more icons at her site (I have only included one of them).


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Buzz Words: Christian, Blogging, Inspiration, Encouragement, Christianity, Homeschooling, Life, Love, Favorites, Faith, Blogger Reflection Award, Links, Friends, Review, Encouragement, Uplifting, Hope, Family, Parenting, Inspiring, Joy, Praise

Labels: awards, blogging, faith, friends, personal

Next week my friend Kelly at Pass the Torch is gathering up everyone's tips for beginner homeschoolers. She's going to post a "Mr. Linky" with links from everyone's homeschool blog posts. Join her next week and share as many links to posts as you would like.

This post is my contribution to her series and I hope that if YOU are a first time reader here, you'll browse some of the links below. I have gathered up my "best of" posts that were written to help new homeschoolers navigate their journey as they set sail on the road to learning at home. God bless you and give you wisdom as you begin this new adventure.

I've been homeschooling for the past five years. This next school year will be our 6th. My kids are starting 4th and 5th grades this coming school-year. I keep records of all our learning adventures here at this blog for new homeschoolers (and old) to browse through for ideas and encouragement. This blog is my homeschool scrapbook, my journal, my personal family photo album and more. I also keep tons of homeschooling links in my sidebars... many that we use in our own studies every week.



Below are some links my homeschool-related archives here at Sprittibee:

Why Homeschool?
A-Z of Why I Homeschool
Why I Homeschool
Spritti What? (tells more about why I homeschool)
Homeschool: Did you make the right choice?
Christian Exodus from Public Schools
Yet Another Reason to Homeschool
Another Reason I Homeschool
Homeschooling Today in America - 2005
Four More Reasons to Homeschool

Beginning Homeschoolers
Homeschooling: Starting Out
Learning Outside the Box
Revised Parent's Prayer
Homeschool Planner Set-up
More on Sprittibee's Homeschool Series (my homeschool records, photos, lists, pdfs)
Lord, Teach Us to Parent
Making Vocabulary Fun
Fledgling Homeschool Co-op
A Scary Story About Standardized Test Scores
U.S. Public Schoolers Oblivious to the World
Back to School Interview with Sprittibee (about organization and scheduling)
Teaching Kids Time and Responsibility
Cultivating Love at Home: The Flowers of Affection
Sprittibee's Field Trip Foto Friday Series

Homeschool Encouragement
Order and the Organized Homeschooler
Setting Up a Prayer Journal
Being a Good Steward of Time
When Life Gets in the Way
Reduce Stress This School-Year
Holiday Encouragement for Homeschool Moms
Encouragement for Homeschooling
For the WANNA-BE Super-Mom, Super-Homeschooler and Super-Blogger
Ode to Homeschool Mothers

Unit Study Homeschoolers (KONOS)
A More In-Depth Look at My KONOS Planning
KONOS Planning for Dummies
You Know You're a KONOS Mom When...
Rainbow Days and Pots of Gold
My Updated KONOS Unit Planner PDF File


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Buzz Words: Unit Study, Learning, Elementary, Encouragement, Christianity, Education, Homeschool Tips, Life, Teacher, SAHM, Kids, Links, Homeschooling, Children, Homeschool, Lesson Plans, Education, Family, Parenting, School, KONOS, Teaching

Labels: advice, burnout, getting-it-done, homeschool, links, parenting, teaching

For those of you that enjoy my upbeat, fun and picture-happy Field Trip Foto Friday entries... you won't be that thrilled with the lack of images in this post. The one photo above is courtesy of the prison museum website (linked under the title of this post). You'll find plenty of other pictures on their website and at the handy links below. I forgot the camera on this field trip, but I don't feel that was a complete loss. I was able to really learn more on this field trip... rather than playing 'Pack-Mule Photo-Nut' as usual. This trip is highly recommended despite the sadness that you will most certainly feel after going. It is hard to bring me to a speechless state... but this little jaunt provided quite a few wordless minutes on the way home for reflection.

The Texas Prison Museum is about an hour and a half drive north of Houston in Huntsville, Texas (home to Sam Houston's Steamboat House). We took this field trip during our study about Crime and Punishment in the early part of our school year during 2005-6. My children were 6 and 8. I think third grade would be the earliest age group I would take on a trip like this; however, elementary and junior-high kids are more impressionable... and understanding the gravity of crime and punishment is important for everyone. No matter what your views on government, criminals, 'the system' and what-have-you... it is good to get a grip on the history of our justice system. The Texas Prison Museum is a good place to gather a better understanding of prison history and life in prison. A few of their famous exhibits include: Bonnie & Clyde, Carla Fay Tucker, Old Sparky (the electric chair), contraband, and inmate artwork.

While in Huntsville (a lovely town with quite a few other highlights and field trip opportunities) we visited this museum and took a free driving tour of the prison (they hand out a brochure at the museum that guides you on this little drive). Afterwards, we drove out to the prison cemetery and walked between shady pine trees while we read the gravestones (the ones that were marked). Seeing the graves that were recently prepared (some just gaping holes ready to fill) was heart-wrenching. There are many headstones with only numbers and many blank white crosses that whisper of an un-remembered soul. It is a somber place. We talked with our children about how these men might have felt about being buried there... about what they might have done to be buried there... and about how their family and the victim's families might feel. There are so many deep lessons and emotions that accompany a field trip like this. Even though some of these people were murderers, you have to feel a twinge of sadness for them. It provokes you to prayer standing there among numbered gravestones. It is a lonely feeling. The silent rolling hills seem to weep.

My children are acutely aware of how it feels to have a family member in prison. It makes it especially hard when you don't believe they were justly sentenced. To know that there are many 'mistakes' that slip through the cracks of the judicial system and land innocent people behind bars is also important. No system is perfect. People are fallible. Sure, most guys who are put away did commit a crime - and even some were gruesome enough to deserve a quick noose around the neck; but that is a small percentage of today's prison population. Some estimate that nearly 80% of criminals in the U.S. today are drug-related charges.

Although we are from Texas (the state which puts the most inmates to death in the U.S.), I am not a cold fish when it comes to discussion about enforcing the law and punishing criminals. I try and see justice and mercy through the eyes of the Lord. Compassion is a dying emotion in today's world. I wonder how many other people feel any when they walk amidst the solemn prison graves in Huntsville? My heart goes out to the victims, the families, the lost (those who may have died without Jesus), and the inmates who are alive and dead in Huntsville. There is a story behind each grave. They were flesh and bone people like you and me - who needed prayer. Some still do (the ones on the other side of the hill behind the razor-wire). If only those stones could talk.

Other Quick Links:
Sprittibee's Homeschool Series (Links for field trip lists, book lists, other years...)
More about our Crime & Punishment Unit
Texas Indian who spent time (and was buried) in Huntsville
Huntsville, TX official website


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Buzz Words: Huntsville, learning, elementary, field trip, history, prison, graveyard, crime, Texas, museum, ethics, criminals, education, homeschooling, personal, homeschool, enrichment, lesson plans, opinion, family, parenting, teaching, justice, BOP, punishment, KONOS, compassion

Looks like Gov. Rick Perry has been caught doing good. He needed this after the nasty little HPV vaccine stunt. He has signed, sealed and delivered a blow to the ACLU this week. That is good in my book. Check out this nifty article I got via email from a Christian friend today (below).

HB 3678 was signed on 6.8.07 and is effective immediately. Praise the Lord. Although my kids don't attend public schools, I can still be happy for the small victories that their public school peers gain. It isn't their fault they are in public school. I wish the best for each of them. Texas is a great state to homeschool in... and hopefully it will become a little better by and by for the public schoolers as well. These no-nonsense type laws surely help.

RELIGIOUS STUDENTS' RIGHTS CLARIFIED IN NEW STATUTE
by Kelly Coghlan

Schools are not religion-free zones, school officials are not prayer-police, religious students are not enemies of the state, and the Texas Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act makes all that clear. The Act, which goes into affect this summer, provides much needed guidance for school officials who have sometimes felt compelled to quash students' religious expressions for fear of lawsuits. The new law pulls together Supreme Court rulings into a format that is easy to understand and apply.

"This law is a victory for freedom and non-discrimination for every young Texan," said Rep. Charlie Howard who introduced the bill. "It is win-win for students, school administrators and teachers. No longer will a cloud of confusion obscure the rights to individual expression students enjoy under the U.S. Constitution. School officials need no longer fear the threat of lawsuits simply for allowing students to exercise their constitutional rights." Houston attorney Joe Reynolds who has represented more Texas school districts than any other attorney said "this is the best piece of legislation for school districts that has been introduced in the past 50 years."

This Act does not require or suggest that any child express a prayer or other religious viewpoint, it just protects them if they do. Whether or not a student will ever use a speaking opportunity to express a religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible topic is a matter upon which school officials must not speculate, opine or discuss since school officials must remain neutral. Doing otherwise will land a school in constitutional hot water.

The first section of the Act (Sec. 25.151) reads: "A school district shall treat a student's voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint, if any, on an otherwise permissible subject in the same manner the district treats a student's voluntary expression of a secular or other viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject and may not discriminate against the student based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student on an otherwise permissible subject." The remainder of the Act shows schools how to implement this into practice.

A safe harbor model policy (Sec. 25.156) for schools to include in their local policies is a part of the Act. If a school district adopts and follows the suggested model policy, the district is assured of compliance with the Act regarding all matters covered in the policy. Schools are free to draft their own policy but will not have the assurance that they are in compliance with the Act. This type of model policy has been field tested in a number of public school districts for up to 6 years from Texas to Illinois, and Superintendents from two such schools testified in the House and Senate that no student had abused or exploited any speaking opportunity, embarrassed the school district, or caused any lawsuit or complaint under the policy.

The model policy covers the following subjects: Student Expression of Religious Viewpoints, Student Speakers at Non-Graduation Events, Student Speakers at Graduation Ceremonies, Religious Expressions in Class Assignments, and Freedom to Organize Religious Groups and Activities.

The Act establishes safeguards to assure that a student's voluntary religious viewpoint, if any, will not be attributable to the school or mistaken as affirmatively sponsored by the school. Thus, there are requirements of: (1) limited public forums for student speakers, (2) selection of speakers based on neutral criteria, and (3) disclaimers to be read/printed.

Section 25.152 requires the "establishment of a limited public forum for student speakers at all school events at which a student is to publicly speak" in order to, inter alia, "eliminate any actual or perceived affirmative school sponsorship or attribution to the district of a student's expression of a religious viewpoint, if any." The 2001 Supreme Court case of Good News v. Milford Central School holds: "[S]peech discussing otherwise permissible subjects cannot be excluded from a limited public forum on the ground that the subject is discussed from a religious viewpoint. [Excluding a] religious perspective constitutes unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination." Thus, the Texas statute, by using the limited public forum format simply codifies the precise language of the Supreme Court.

Schools are not required to have student speakers for any occasion, and, thus, are not required to establish any limited public forums. But if there are to be student speakers, the limited public forum is required. For schools that opt to adopt the model policy, there are only two required occasions for student speakers: beginning of football games and beginning of the school day. From the inception of public education and football games, these two occasions have traditionally been introduced by student speakers; so nothing new here. Public speaking fosters numerous educational benefits in established pedagogical areas such as Speech, English, Grammar, Drama and Civics. Students have to organize their thoughts, author, prepare, practice, and deliver a concise oral presentation before a live audience, providing valuable educational opportunities. What a waste to allow school events to pass without utilizing them as opportunities for students to advance their communicative skills important skills for any career. Some districts may be tempted to eliminate student speakers altogether, but this would not only be counter-educational but would likely stir up legal issues rather than avoid them. If a district's motivation for eliminating student speakers is to assure that no religious viewpoint will be expressed, that is an unconstitutional motivation inviting legal challenge.

Finally, sections 25.153 & 154 of the Act codify the almost identical language of sections of the U.S. Dept. of Education "Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools," drafted by the attorneys of the U.S. Dept. of Education and U.S. Dept. of Justice.

The Act is an anti-discrimination law protecting students' voluntary expressions of religious viewpoints to the same degree no more and no less as students' voluntary expressions of secular or other viewpoints on otherwise permissible subjects and topics. Religious children do not receive special rights, extra opportunity, preferential treatment or extra protection, just equal rights, equal opportunity, equal treatment and equal protection. That's fair.

[Coghlan is a Houston constitutional trial attorney and author of Those Dangerous Student Prayers. He has represented 159 students and parents as amici curiae before the U.S. Supreme Court on faith-based issues, obtained the first federal injunction preventing censorship of a student's voluntary public prayer in Ward v. Santa Fe I.S.D., and is the legal author of the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act.]

Go Kelly Coghlan!


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Labels: faith, news, politics, Texas

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We are officially the #1 biggest GeeART fans on the planet. I'm going to literally break down and cry when we finish our last lesson. I say "OUR" because I am having as much fun as the kids are doing the lessons with them. Even dad is watching the videos with us. He's not such an art fuddy-duddy after all! We printed off the PDF lesson-plans for the first and second lessons and I'm trying to drag out the program so we'll have a lot of it to do during next school year. If you really did this program right, you could even make it in to its own unit study! They have artist cards (three each lesson) and an art gallery of masterpieces that they teach about each session... and if you were really interested, you could go comb your library for more about each artist. You could scour the net for extra artwork by each painter. You could paint a re-creation of each artist's work. Those are things you could add in to make the program go slower if you never wanted it to end (like us). I'm hoping to move soon, so I'm trying to keep myself from these extras right now... however, next school year (which begins in August for us) I look forward to really diving in.

One of the extra perks of GeeART is their Corel Painter Essentials tutorials. Each week the kids are learning things like: how to create digital art, what the different brush tools will do, how to find their tool-bars if the get closed by accident, how to use hot-keys, and how to move your canvas without de-selecting your brush. This information is done in an animated format - through a short movie that helps the kids relate to the characters and understand the concept better. The stuff they are learning will be useful information in any computer program - not just in Corel! Wanna see what you can do with digital paint? Go check out this video entitled, "Speed Painting". It is awesome!

I am amazed at how easily the kids are picking up these new skills and remembering the information they learn. They are genuinely interested in the artwork they see. Some of the things they are creating are just blowing me away. I already knew they were good at drawing... but with these new tools and art lessons by GeeART, they are well on their way to truly exploring art in a way that would be next to impossible for me to provide them at home (without ditching every other subject and spending a ton of time and money on JUST ART). School should not be bereft of good art classes. Every student - no matter how "un-talented" they appear - can benefit from learning about art. Have you been in an art museum lately? The last time I went to one, I saw someone's newspaper in a frame... with a big ink splat of blue paint on it! If that is worthy of hanging in an art museum... surely YOUR kid's stick figures are! Give your babies a much-needed boost in confidence and let Furnace, Tickles and Ruby show them that it is OK to take a risk and CREATE SOMETHING! It doesn't have to look like the Mona Lisa.

Here below are my kiddos lesson #2 'free-time' masterpieces on Corel Painter Essentials (they were not assigned works, they were just for fun after using the Corel Tutorials):





This summer only, you can get the entire homeschool art program (16 great lessons, a ton of PDF projects, all the artist timeline cards, your very own kid art gallery, and Corel Painter Essentials tutorials and license)... all for less than 30$. Click the title of this post or the icon on my sidebar to go see for yourself. They have discounted the program 60%!

Hurry over and start having fun! I'm planning to keep a record in here of each lesson we do and the finished products we create. I'm looking forward to having a lot of artwork to look back on... and a future full of creativity with the kids. Thanks GeeART! We love you Furnace, Tickles and Ruby!



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Tex-Mex and Geographical Woes
I should have saved my money and cooked it myself... "hindsight is 20/20" (as my mom always says). We ate out nasty Mexican food yesterday on our day off. I wonder why we don't learn our lesson. Each time we have tried to find good Mexican food in Arkansas, we've been dismally disappointed. We go home burping up a reminder of why we shouldn't spend money on Mexican food anywhere north of the Texas border. Texarkana's Mexican food doesn't count, either. Sorry guys. Nothing personal. Of course, this experience only makes missing home a little worse. I don't know how some of these other Texas ex-pats can go so many years living out of state... but I'm melting down at this point. It is nearing two years and I'm loosing my resolve. I'm going to start crying for mommy here shortly - just like Paris Hilton. A six month stint across the border is about as much as I can handle. It would make it infinitely easier if I could go home to visit for a week or two. I went home five times last year. This year, we haven't been able to afford any trips home since Christmas. We've just been hoping that the promotion would come through and we could show this place our tail-lights.

Other Important Stuff
I have a few morsels to share with you that couldn't wait for their own post. You can thank me later.

Here ya go:

Thursday Challenge this week is for photos with the theme: "PEOPLE" (Crowds, People Relaxing, People Rushing, Individuals: happy, sad, pensive,...). Everyone can join in the fun. I'm sure you have a perfect photo to share with us. Just click over and see what everyone turned in this past week to get ideas.

It may be too late (registration was supposed to be by yesterday), but maybe they will make an exception for you if you are in the Dallas area and really want to go. To where? To the World Premiere Showing of the Documentary: "Taking a Stand in Texas, The Battle for Home School Freedom!" This documentary will eventually be released to the public and to television networks for those of you who can't make it. "You will get to see the lead attorney in the historic class action suit which finally defined homeschooling as legal in Texas – as well as the surprise witness whose testimony helped to win the case." If you want to try and go, call toll free 888.200.4903. The Premiere will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 15, in Dallas, Texas, at the Hall of State at the Fair Park.

Have some Bible experts at your house? Test their skills at this online Bible quiz site. Beware, it is addictive!

Ever wondered what your HEBREW birthday was? Convert your birthday to the Hebrew calendar with this nifty Hebrew date-converter.

Speaking of conversion calculators. Here's a nifty Unit Conversion Guide you might want to bookmark!

Kris has done a smash-up job on the Carnival of Homeschooling for this week. Stop over at her place to read all the entries.

It can eat battery acid, dissolve a tooth, and clean your clothes. But do you REALLY believe that Coke is bad for you? Not just coke (all cokes... er... sodas for you Northern folk). Pop, whatever. Check out this health information about carbonated beverages. It might make you think twice before you pop the top.

... as IF you needed more reasons to homeschool... here are a few: Teachers stage fake gun attack on kids - by USA Today... and "Lawsuit over Brokeback Mountain in Class" - by ABC News.

King Herod's tomb found? Read about it at the Biblical Archaeology Society.

Anyone out there wish they could plant a flower garden but can't? We apartment homeschoolers really enjoyed this budding website. You can click away as you create your very own virtual flower garden. Here's a tip: If you like your creation and want to save it, just push your "Print Screen" button at the very top right corner of your keyboard. You can then open "Paint" and paste what you saved in there to create a bitmap image. Then you can save it as your desktop image and gaze on your flowers any time you want!

Carpe Diem
I'm back to school and business as usual today. Still waiting on the Lord to provide deliverance from the funk and our exile. Hoping to go home to the promise land... now (Texas) and again (Heaven) one day when we go home to meet our Lord. I hope you are happy and home... and that the Lord's face is shining on you today. Thanks for your comments and emails. You are a treasure to me.


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Updates on us:
1. I've had a nice break... but I'm feeling more buried than ever. Too much on my to-do list.
2. Still no word on the "move" or the "promotion". Praying it comes today - or at least this week. Prayers are coveted.
3. We are still grading papers and this is our last week of school for '06-'07 - last day is Saturday!
4. We're going to do summer school, but we'll take a week off next week (and while we move).
5. I'm about to enter all the grades for the school-year into a computer program and print report cards, too. Not because I have to. Just because I want to.
6. I'm enjoying the day off with my husband and kids today. We'll probably go grocery shopping today and wipe our computers clean. How b