Logic! What do they teach in school these days?

One of my biggest goals in homeschooling is that my children learn to think. As such, I have spent two years teaching Logic, and Chandler is signed up for a Logic class as she begins her high school journey. I have found that the Letters to the Editor provide a perfect place to look for both logical and illogical thinking. One particular letter attacking Miss California provided the most egregious examples of logical fallacies I have yet seen.

I had to respond!

Yesterday it was published in our local newspaper, The Press Telegram. Here it is in its entirety.


Regardless of what you believe about same-sex marriage, the attacks on Miss California are so full of logical fallacies as to be embarrassing, and are actually working counter to the cause.

The letter from Jason Thompson (" `The Donald' has it all wrong," May 24) is a perfect example. He first states that she never answered the question, but only gave her opinion. The question was, "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit?" Her answer implied a clear "no" and yes, it was her opinion. That's what was asked for when the judge prefaced his question with "Do you think ..."

Thompson wonders what this teaches our children, and then follows with several non sequiturs about it being a divisive topic and wondering whether she gave her life to God before or after breast implants. Are Christians not supposed to have plastic surgery? Where is that in the Bible? And what does that have to do with what we are teaching our children? Jason Thompson is teaching the children that you can use ad hominem attacks on a person you disagree with.

Then he brings up the racy photos of her that in his legal opinion constitute fraud, even though the person she supposedly defrauded, Donald Trump, doesn't see it that way. Now we are onto the red herring fallacy. What do these photos, her Christian faith or her alleged fraud have to do with her opinion on same-sex marriage, which began this whole controversy? Nothing.

One point I have never seen mentioned is that as the representative of California, where same-sex marriage was rejected, she only said what the majority said at the ballot box. She is also parroting the opinion of President Obama, whom the majority of Americans put in office. So her views are exactly in line with voters.

Michelle Lasch
Long Beach

This made me laugh out loud

This column from Andy Borowitz is very funny. I had to share it:

U.S. to Respond to North Korea with ‘Strongest Possible Adjectives'
Obama: We are Prepared to Consult Thesaurus

One day after North Korea launched a successful test of a nuclear weapon, President Obama said that the United States was prepared to respond to the threat with "the strongest possible adjectives."

In remarks to reporters at the White House, Mr. Obama said that North Korea should fear the "full force and might of the United States' arsenal of adjectives" and called the missile test "reckless, reprehensible, objectionable, senseless, egregious and condemnable."

Standing at the President's side, Vice President Joseph Biden weighed in with some tough adjectives of his own, branding North Korean President Kim Jong-Il "totally wack and illin'."

Later in the day, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the North Korean nuclear test "supercilious and jejune," leading some in diplomatic circles to worry that the U.S. might be running out of appropriate adjectives with which to craft its response.

But President Obama attempted to calm those fears, saying that the United States was prepared to "scour the thesaurus" to come up with additional adjectives and was "prepared to use adverbs" if necessary.

"Let's be clear: we are not taking adverbs off the table," Mr. Obama said. "If the need arises, we will use them forcefully, aggressively, swiftly, overwhelmingly and commandingly."

H/T dad

Prager University

I love Dennis Prager. I listen to him every day. Now he has started what he calls "Prager University". These are short video clips he has created to teach and inform his fellow Americans. Here is the first installment:

I'm a Crunchy Con

Somehow I found out about this book and I HAD to get if from the library. It's called Crunchy Cons, meaning crunchy conservatives. Here is the subtitle if you can't read it: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party) It was that "hip homeschooling mamas" that leapt out at me.

This conservative writer had started eating organic vegetables because they taste so much better and he liked the idea of supporting family farms, and he was teased by his fellow conservatives for going "crunchy". As he began to think about that, he started to rethink what being a conservative means.

He makes the case that true conservative seeks to conserve what he calls the "Permanent Things". A real conservative values faith, family, and friendships above politics and economics. Crunchy Cons are those that want their faith in God to inform every aspect of their life, whether that means being good stewards of the planet or favoring economic policies that help, rather than hurt, families. Crunchy cons know that it is only through faith in a being higher than ourselves that we can avoid the hopelessly empty trap of self-worship.

Again and I again I found myself in the pages. One thing of value to a crunchy con is the wisdom and beauty of the past in terms of architecture. How many times have I railed against cookie cutter track homes that are nothing more than places to sleep. These are not homes in the true sense. They don't invite you in. They don't shower you with warmth. And if you decide to customize your house in such a way as to appeal to your sense of hominess, watch out for the Homeowners Association! That's against the CC&R's.

He also nailed my ambivalence for Facebook, et, al... While crunchy cons value technology to the extent it furthers our vision of faith, family, & friends, when technology inhibits those things, it is to be rejected. Many times, Facebook is the opposite of what a crunchy con like me really desires - true relationship. Just this last week, I had other people tell me things they had learned about someone else. "He had surgery." "She saw that movie." "He tried that restaurant." When I asked, "How's he doing?, How'd she like the movie?, What did he think of the restaurant?" The response is, "I don't know. I saw it on Facebook." That's not real relationship!

Like other crunchy cons, I don't worship the Republican Party. But I do believe it is the party that best holds the values I do. One thing that excited me about this book is the possibility that the Republicans, or even a third party, (the Democrats, with their fairly open hostility toward religion would probably never go in this direction) would take these ideas to heart and see a groundswell of support from people like me.

But the book is out of print, which does not bode well for it's transfomative power. So I'm not holding my breath that any politician will start to promote a life that puts faith above all, family first in policies, and seeks genuine, authentic community.

Regan's Poem

Here is poem Regan wrote that I thought was particularly good. so I thought I'd share it here:

The Dark, Black, Woods
Many folks will tell you not to wander in the woods at night
Anything may jump out, giving you a fright.
The only men who’ll go into the woods, well, bravery, they do not lack
But notice how all who go in, ha! They never do come back.

Have they all been eaten?
Or maybe only beaten?
Only those who enter the forest
Can see what lies before us.

You see, on a dark and scary night,
One filling you with fright,
If you enter in the vast, black scene
You will hear an owl scream.

If you make it this far, you are likely to go home
For the scare the forest gives, chills all the way to the bone.
But, if you would wander further, just a little down the bend,
Everything would change as you travel to your end.

The black flower petals, start changing as you stare,
And soon, they become dollar bills, and coins, just right there.
The dirt underneath you becomes fine gold dust, yes it’s true.
The black, bleak sky turns to a beautiful blue.

Soon you see houses made from ice cream,
And fish that are red and green.
You see a whole village where gumdrops line the street
And cars, which look good enough to eat.

You see cows playing tubas, with many people standing around.
The ocean is a pretty purple, and so is the lovely ground.
Who could have guessed you just came from the lonely dark?
When you are standing on a spaceship, with a monkey, in a park?

So those folks who tell you men are eaten in the woods?
Well, they’re wrong, they’re just too scared to come and enjoy these goods.
Only men who’ve been there have the knowledge others lack.
For all of those that enter, why would they ever come back?

Carrots and Sticks

I'm not sure how to present this exactly.

On one hand, it can be a testament to homeschooling. I am fostering my child's natural creativity by unbinding her from the shackles of traditional school. She's free to learn and discover the world around her.

Or I am offering evidence of the way my daughter's mind works (I'll let you figure out which daughter), and you may decide that homeschooling is causing her to be quite odd indeed and that traditional school is called for immediately.

Either way, an experiment was done to see if the "carrot and stick" thing is real. Apparently not. Or we just have a very lazy dog. That's possible I suppose.

Do you tell them?

I know the picture is lousy, but if you can't read it, it says, "Bad Credit. No Credit. Clearence Sale. Welcome!!!"

That "Clearence" just kills me! They paid a lot of money for this sign. Did it ever occur to them to do a spell check on it? Do they know it's misspelled? Do they want to know? Do the people who might buy a car from them see the sign and decide to go elsewhere? Are they trying to appeal to people who can't spell?

These questions go through my head every time I see that sign.

It's a real dilemma for me.

Chandler's Poem

I was cleaning out Chandler's writing folder and I came across this poem that she wrote. I just love it, so I thought I'd share it here.

Sorry I Missed Your Birthday
By Chandler Lasch - 2.26.09

Sorry I missed your birthday, pal.
I didn't mean to be so late.
I really wanted to come to your party.
Your parties are always so great.

You would've been terrified by our morning.
You would've cried like a newborn baby.
You're quite lucky that you weren't there,
But as usual, I was brave as can be.

You see, my parents were kidnapped by ninjas,
And I by cowboys from Spain!
It was all a mistake, a grand prank, you see,
And they said it wouldn't happen again.

While we were on our way to your party,
Our car suddenly rose in the air!
An alien vortex had captured us,
Then they dropped us and left us there.

I realized I'd forgotten your present.
And we hurried back home so as not to be late.
But my dogs were having a party,
And they'd thrown my cat in the lake!

Sorry I missed you birthday.
When I didn't come, I am sure you wept.
But we had an eventful morning,
And besides, I overslept!

And so it begins...

When we first started homeschooling, Chandler was in 4th grade and Regan was in third, I used a book called The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home as my bible. This book promised "an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school -- one that will train him or her to read, to think, to understand, to be well-rounded and curious about learning." The theory harkens back to time long ago when an American education was something to be envied.

Although I have strayed slightly over the years, we have managed to build a strong program based on a lot of reading great books and writing constantly. I think we are exactly where we should be at this point in their education.

But next year high school begins for Chandler, and this is the point at which it all comes together. All my hopes and dreams for a well-rounded, well-versed, clear-thinking child start here. Since I first heard of the Torrey Academy that Biola does for homeschool, high school students, I knew that was my destination for her.

What is Torrey you may ask? "It is Classically Informed
Torrey Academy draws on the great minds of the Christian tradition for class curriculum and teaching methods. Students read Great Books and participate in tutor-led discussions, helping them to wrestle with and think critically about the ideas that have shaped the Christian worldview for over two thousand years."

For the last three years of her four year career, they offer one Torrey class. It counts for 30-35 units as it encompasses history, literature, Bible, philosophy, and language arts. For her freshman year, they offer a class in Logic. I stayed up until midnight tonight to assure her a place. Just listen to this course description: This course introduces students to Torrey Academy by exploring the importance of clear thinking for Christian spiritual development. Students learn why great Christian leaders have traditionally seen the life of the mind as a key component of spiritual growth. Students examine the basics of Socratic Logic, including terms, syllogisms, and evaluation of soundness and validity. The class also explores how argumentation plays out in everyday life, including a lengthy study of informal fallacies. Students end the year by exploring good methods for reading and engaging essays and literature using logical principles. Readings include With Good Reason by S. Morris Engel, How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, and works by Plato, C.S. Lewis, Washington Irving, William Shakespeare, J.P. Moreland, and others. We recommend that parents and independent study programs count this class as meeting the requirements for ten high school academic units for Logic/Critical Thinking.

In addition to this, I want to sign her up for a speech and debate team that competes statewide. I am so excited about this I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep now!

Happy 2nd Birthday Emma!

This little miracle is such a blessing in my life. Words cannot describe how much I love and cherish her. Seeing her today on her second birthday is joy I only dreamed of for many years.

Happy Birthday, Emma. And thank you, God, for this amazing angel.

To see all of the shots I took at the party click on each link (good for the next 30 days)
Album #1
Album #2
Album #3