Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I'm not going to add anything else not chicken related right now...but I assume I can share a picture anyway...to make up for my earlier input...

Another Maximus picture...Love this handsome Roo! Even though he's not super friendly...lol
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And since I contributed so much non chicken verbiage...Marquis...my other handsome roo...same disposition as Maximus...
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They are a beautiful set of bookends aren't they!

 

[BY Bob]

One more...just to make sure I have truly made amends... Madeleine...my Sapphire Olive Egger!

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And baby Madeleine... Okay...hopefully I'm absolved now...

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Very beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

 

[BY Bob]

I have peppermint all along one side of the run. It is pretty, smells wonderful, is evergreen and super invasive. But it does not deter rodents. In fact, they think it’s a lovely hiding place.View attachment 2411865

Bummer I was thinking it would make a beautiful border.

 

[BY Bob]

I'm a huge homeschooling fan, having taught remedial reading & writing to upper grade primary children & decided that a very poor job had been done by the educational establishment. For 11 & 12 yr olds not to be able to decode words like station, fashion caution is appalling ~ & it is rampant in the Qld system!

Homeschooling is not like regular school & does not have the same objectives. Firstly the idea is not to teach anything as such but to teach the child how to learn so that they can teach themselves what they need to know. I will give you 3 examples. YD asked to learn German when she was 6/7 so she could watch a German language show with me without me going nuts translating for her. I do not speak German but I found an American ex~ consulate German translator willing to take her on. Her German accent is still excellent though she is now only using her German for music but having learnt a 2nd language with confidence she takes on all the rest: Latin ,French, Italian, Hungarian... She knows how to go about it. Later we bought her her 1st computer & I worked hard to get it up & running for her. The 1st thing she did was crash it. Unwilling to admit what she'd done she wiped the whole thing & learnt how to reset it herself. Thirdly neither of us like math. Neither of us wanted to do upper math. I wanted the child to be able to budget & that sort of thing so we did no algebra or trig. Recently the child wanted to learn it for a job application & did so.

It's not how good the teacher is. Its not how much the teacher knows or the student learns. There are plenty of college grads who never read another book once they leave college. The trick is generate a love of learning in a student & the ability to learn how to learn. Sadly most schools only teach you how to pass an exam & kill both innovation & the love of learning.



And any homeschooler will tell you their kid socialises with a much wider variety & ages of people than any school child because they are constantly out & about in the community. I brought my older girl home [@ her request] in grade 9 & watched a reticent, unwilling to express an opinion child develop into a wonderful debater in a bible study class made up of a huge variety of ages & races who, unlike her peers, were willing to listen to an alternative viewpoint.

Given the nature of humans I'm sure some homeschooling parents do a lousy job but most I've known are very thorough & do a much better job than our school system ~ including the private system! I know because mine had heaps better general knowledge, particularly in history & Literature [ obviously my strengths] than their peers & when state tested outperformed them.

Descending from my soapbox now.

You have started your opinion and personal experience quite well. Thank you for adding to the conversation.

That will be one chicken photo please.

 

[BY Bob]

I’m the first to graduate university, too! But I’ll be honest; my parents paid for it.

No shame in that. You should be proud of yourself.

 

[BY Bob]

Very well stated Jehane...you hit the nail on the head our schools are the same here. My oldest son came home from school every day in the 7th grade telling me "Today was a total waste of my time" and he was in the gifted class...truly sad! My children are now very well rounded adult's with the ability to think for themselves! They experienced so much diversity in their lives!
Now I have to find a chick pic...
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That would have been a great Friday picture. Look at those beautiful Fluffy butts.

 

[BY Bob]

So I’m still catching up, but want to jump into the education conversation. Any suggestions on helping my teenage daughter? She is very bright, but failing all her classes. Her assistant principal called her “very bright” more than once in our last meeting. Her history teacher called her “a gifted thinker.” She is educating herself on things that interest her all the time.

Here is her take on religion, which may offend some of you, and for that, I apologize. “Mom, have you ever noticed that religions all over the world are similar? What if religion is really just a collective conscience and the conscience knows the humans are too STUPID to understand, unless it’s put in a context that is consistent with their culture?” I am just trying to illustrate how her brain works.

What do I do with her? She feels the public school system is a waste of time. Here in California, kids still have to meet certain curriculum standards when home schooling, so I hadn’t considered that. She’ll be 18 and legally can drop out in a little over a year. Does it make me a bad mom that I’m not that worried about her failing high school? I don’t see how I can make her care about school, and I’m not sure I care that much myself, even though I have a degree in Biology from the University of California at Berkeley myself? She is not me. And she may have a lot more natural intelligence than I do. I just wish she could find some drive and I don’t know how to help her there. Thoughts?

Alternate schooling may work. Perhaps she would be more challenged at Community College than high school. All she has to do is pass the high school equivalency exam. She does not have to learn the information in that building. The high school where my children went permitted them to take classes at the Community College their senior year. My oldest, the engineer, took her first two college level calculus classes there. Most Community Colleges have duplicate classes to High School available for those that need refreshers. Maybe that type of environment would better appeal to her.

Here is a chilly Hattie

 

[BY Bob]

Exactly, my children participated in all of these activities...we had a homeschool coop that they attended once a week...it had subjects on science, history, the bible, writing, anything that they were interested in, it was an amazing time for them. They did a play & my daughter was Anne of Green Gables...my youngest son also had a part...I wouldn't change a thing that we did for them!
Another pic...You all are going to get tired of my flock..
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Ok I first read this and thought there was some kind of home school chicken learning environment.

I just love these flock photos. You have been holding out on us.

 

[BY Bob]

Never! Keep 'em coming. I love seeing chickens out of doors enjoying themselves and doing natural chickeny things.

Edit: P.S. Love that chicken perching rock

That rock is truly awesome! I would be taking photos there all the time.

 

[BY Bob]

You are definitely not a terrible mom...there is more to an education than an education. My oldest son was so smart they didn't know what to do with him, he was able to pass with no issues & had enough drive to get it done even though he was so bored & frustrated! My daughter made the best out of everything, she is every bit as smart in her own way as her older brother! Your daughter sounds like my youngest son...he is very smart, but was much less interested in his education...he never failed a class & did graduate...but it was a bit rough at times, he was very hard to motivate & it's truly something they need to figure & learn to want on there own. One thing we did tell him is that school is his current job and he needs to finish it, so that he can move onto something he really wants to do...that seemed to help him focus a bit better. He became a StateTrooper. If she doesn't graduate, she can always get her GED...she sounds smart & she will find her way...let her know that you will be there to support her in what she decides to accomplish.

Well said.