She’s at it again, folks. Ms. Eastin has it in for us upstart parents who have the audacity to care enough for our children that we would want to keep them from the government’s maw, being willing to sacrifice ourselves instead by educating them at home. She has sent another of her famous letters to all the state legislators, requesting that they draft legislation to control home schooling.

In California, private schools are not subject to the same requirements as public schools. Teachers do not need to have special “certification.” Private schools may use whatever curricula they wish, as sectarian or secular as they desire. Public school officials have no right to oversee or regulate private schools. There is no law mandating how many students a private school must have, and there are no requirements that the teachers or principals of these schools cannot be related to the students. Anyone who wishes to operate a private school in California is free to do so…it’s still a free country.

Why does Ms Eastin want to control home education? Are her motives altruistic…she cares so much for “the children” that she will do anything to make sure they are receiving a superior education? If that’s the case, she must really be an ostrich. Everyone knows that home educated students score far above students in government schools. It’s no secret that scores of California students are in the basement, despite some of the highest per pupil spending in the country.

Aha! Money, money, money. With big budget deficits in California, perhaps the exodus of students from the school system is hurting the ol’ pocketbook. Maybe the state is so desperate to get some of the cash for all the MIA students that it will drag them kicking and screaming back into the system.

Let’s put it in perspective. David Limbaugh’s column in WorldNetDaily today addresses the issue of teacher competency:

Think about this. They want parents, who are already doing a fantastic job educating their children, to descend to their level of incompetence by acquiring “professional teaching credentials.” (No insult is intended here, and there are many exceptions to this, but recent studies have shown an alarming degree of ignorance among public teachers in many of the subjects they are assigned to teach.)

What should our response be? Shall we quiver and cringe because the big, bad wolf is knocking at the door? Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin! Contact your assemblyman and state senator immediately, and remind them that you don’t want or need any legislation addressing home education. If you can’t find their numbers, call the capitol switchboard at 916-322-9200. Do it NOW! We must continue to fight back by giving our children an excellent education and participating in the public debate as much as necessary to maintain our freedoms.

Check out HSLDA’s call to action for more information.

Until my technology experts (hubby and son) help me to figure out how to upload stuff to the rest of my website, I’m going to let you know about a couple of book bargains here on my weblog.

Go to Daedalus Books and look for Edward Ardizzone. You’ll find lots of Little Tim books in hardback for only $4.98. That is an INCREDIBLE deal! These books are some of our family’s favorite stories. They are about a little boy who has the sea in his blood, and he is full of spunk, courage and resourcefulness as well as integrity. The watercolor drawings are delightful, and the balloons with extra dialog are so fun to read. If you have little boys, you can’t let them grow up without these stories. My girls like them, too.

Also, visit Half.com for lots of great deals. If you don’t know what to look for amid all the books, music and movies, check out all the G.A. Henty hardbacks for less than $10. If you email me, I can send you a coupon for $5 off your first order of $10 or more.

It’s such a treat to discover new books. By new I don’t mean hot off the press and modern. I mean unknown to me heretofore and of exceptional quality. Thus, “new” in this context often means old.

I’d like to introduce you to a bit of literature which was a bestseller 100 years ago. Over 40 million copies of this booklet were printed, still the record for the greatest number of printed copies by an author in his lifetime. Amazing that you’ve never heard of it, isn’t it? Just 100 years ago, this booklet was a household word, just like G.A. Henty and Elsie Dinsmore (whose fame was just as great as the novels by Louisa Mae Alcott.) Now the bestsellers are by Stephen King and Danielle Steel. Still believe in the theory of evolution?

Perhaps the illiterates and television addicts of today can’t understand words such as “perihelion” which appears in the first sentence (I had to look it up, too.) Or it may be too painful to read these words in our slothful, finger-pointing society: “It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies…”

So dust off the dictionary and settle in for half an hour to enjoy reading A Message To Garcia. I guarantee you’ll say a hearty “Amen!” when you finish.

As a woman who recently experienced the travail of childbirth, I can add a hearty amen to these caveats to husbands who are assisting their dear wives during labor.

The new education palace, where the anointed ones plot new ways to dumb down the state’s children, is open for business, although there have been some mysterious glitches with water systems and computer networks, thwarting their nefarious plans from being implemented as quickly as they would like (doesn’t this just drip with sarcasm?)

Take a peek at these pictures of the beautiful new building with the motto of the educrats prominently displayed in the entry. Did you read it? “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.” Those who are unable to teach half the students in their classes to attain basic literacy, betray their lack of wisdom and even basic comprehension with this quote from the classic book Frankenstein. Who can tell me the fate of Dr. Frankenstein when he attained that knowledge he so desired? Class, class? Ever hear of forbidden fruit…the knowledge of good and evil? Guess that would presume some basic knowledge of the Bible, which would violate that sacred separation of church and state.

Can we say “sacred”?