Magnolia Tribune

Mississippi homeschool parents on why learning from home was right for their families

Published

1 year ago

October 17, 2023

There are misconceptions that homeschooled children are not held to any standards as well as stereotypes that portray homeschooled learners, by and large, to be maladaptive, socially inept, and academically lacking. Statistics show this to be untrue.

Mississippi families who homeschool have a lot of freedom when it comes to their children’s education. Since the only Mississippi Department of Education mandated requirement is that parents notify their local school district that they will be homeschooling each school year, the options available are limitless.

According to Mississippi law, a child must start an education path, whether at home or in a school, by the age of six. Many families homeschooling choose to wait until their children reach this age to start what would be considered their kindergarten year.

Others start sooner.

That’s the case for Sarah Pradillo and her daughter. Pradillo has always been intentional with how she structured her day with her children. Intentional play and exploring interests from a young age fostered a constant learning environment in the Pradillo household.

“Homeschooling has always been our plan,” said Pradillo. “I read that if you homeschool until they grow up and leave, you have 18,720 more hours with your kids than if they went to school.”

Pradillo said that maximizing time with her kids, along with being able to personalize their education, based on each individual child’s needs and interests, has been a driver for homeschooling.

“My daughter, the other day, was doing her reading in her chapter book aloud, which is part of what we had to do that day,” said Pradillo. “But she was able to do that while riding her tricycle in circles in the den. She doesn’t have to sit still. We can do this however we want to do it.”

Pradillo said she is motivated by the progress she sees in her children.

“I get to see that moment when it clicks, and they can read,” said Pradillo. “And I get to see how they light up when addition starts to make sense. I don’t miss those moments. I get to see them play together, grow together, and learn together.”

Flexibility and freedom, Pradillo said, are some of the great perks of homeschooling.

“They will get an individual education, based on their needs, how fast they learn something, and it won’t take as long,” said Pradillo. She added that since a typical day of learning in homeschool doesn’t take as long, they have more ability to explore other things.

“We get a lot of time for enrichment, extracurricular activities, and exploring other interests,” said Pradillo.

Teacher decides to leave classroom to homeschool own children

Beth Thrasher is a mom of two. She’s also a teacher. She says she knew from her own teaching experiences that she would be homeschooling her children.

“I taught in South Jackson for twelve years,” said Thrasher. “And I’ve just come to realize that I don’t know if there’s any amount of money or legislation that could fix what we’ve created in the public school system.”

Thrasher claimed that her training as a teacher encouraged her to make data-based decisions for her students, but added that the whole education system flew in the face of data-driven decisions.

“The whole system ignored that philosophy,” said Thrasher. “Research shows homework is useless. ‘Well, no, we have to have homework.’ But why?”

The former teacher said when she entered her first child into the public school system, she encountered even more inconsistencies with evidence-based education practices.

“Studies show that elementary students should spend half their time playing,” Thrasher said.

“But then we have threats that students lose recess if they don’t perform well on such and such test or behavior. These were kindergarteners. It was crazy.”

This disconnect that Thrasher noted is not new. As early as 2006, The American Academy of Pediatrics observed that with each school year, children’s abilities to store new information have shifted as outlets for play and physical expression were being reduced at school. According to that AAP study:

“Currently, many schoolchildren are given less free time and fewer physical outlets at school; many school districts responded to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 by reducing time committed to recess, the creative arts, and even physical education in an effort to focus on reading and mathematics.”

Fast-forward over a decade, and the AAP is noting even more detrimental impacts of the loss of playtime:

“The benefits of play are extensive and well documented and include improvements in executive functioning, language, early math skills (numerosity and spatial concepts), social development, peer relations, physical development, and health, and enhanced sense of agency. The opposite is also likely true; Panksepp suggested that play deprivation is associated with the increasing prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.”

These disconnects drove Thrasher not only to homeschool her children, but also to find the best format that served them.

“I really tried to model learning for them,” said Thrasher. “If I was learning something new, I tried to show them ‘Mommy’s writing this down; Mommy’s going to watch a video or read a book about this later.’”

Thrasher sparked interest-based learning in her children and varied the curriculum to meet them where they were.

“You’re always looking for learning,” said Thrasher. “Are they engaging with their environment? Are they expanding their vocabulary? Are they asking questions?”

For example, when Thrasher’s daughter wanted her to buy something, it was the perfect time to teach her about math and personal finance.

“She knew I was teaching (online) classes at the time,” said Thrasher. “So I asked her things like ‘how many classes would I need to teach to buy you that?’ and she would come up with the answer and get back to me.”

Thrasher said the same applied to teaching other subjects. If they were traveling, they’d hone in on what they saw around them and have conversations about the geography they were seeing or the history of the area.

“Whatever they show interest in, you just lean into it,” said Thrasher.

Thrasher said this constant learning mindset, along with a routine and supplementing with co-ops and extracurriculars, has provided her children with a well-rounded, well-adjusted education.

Despite narratives, homeschooled children perform well

There are misconceptions that homeschooled children are not held to any standards at all. There are stereotypes that portray homeschooled learners, by and large, to be maladaptive, socially inept, and academically lacking.

Statistics show this to be untrue.

When it comes to academic performance, homeschooled students often outperform their public school cohorts.

The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) study showed that “homeschoolers typically score 15-30% higher than public school students on standardized tests. The average score for a homeschooler ranges between 85% to 87% while public schoolers score around 50%.”

In terms of socialization, co-ops, microschool programs, city recreation leagues, and other social outlets provide entertainment and enrichment in social settings for homeschoolers.

Many homeschoolers still have a prom, field trips, etc., outside of the traditional schooling setting. How students perform socially outside of their own circles, though, is admittedly split in the bodies of research because the definition of social skills can vary from study to study, and often, the results of those studies vary widely.

Part of the reason for the variance, according to Education and Behavior, is that the questionnaires involved in these studies are often subjective, with much room left for interpretation. One study may show that homeschooled students and traditionally schooled students score nearly the same when it comes to social skills, while another may have one student population outpacing the other.

Homeschooling parents in Mississippi may not be held to specific state standards, but they do their own homework to prepare their learners for college.

Ashley Sigrest, a homeschooling mother of four, has taken the lead in the education of each of her children during their entire lives. Her oldest, Brady, has started at Mississippi College this fall.

“The moment he started high school, we planned classes based on working toward college & his interests,” said Sigrest. “I asked other homeschool moms (about curricula) who had graduated kids who went to college and researched those before I chose (the best path).”

Sigrest said her job as a homeschooling parent to Brady shifted as he approached high school; she was more of a guide, urging him to become more of an independent learner– a skill needed for college.

“…By the teens, your child should be an independent learner able to read and follow directions for themselves. I became more of a facilitator, helping him as needed & discussing various things with him to ensure his understanding. We also utilized some local, in-person classes,” said Sigrest.

Brady received the Speed Scholarship at Mississippi College, which covers his full tuition.

“Having been an independent learner for most of high school education, he’s used to studying independently and preparing,” said Sigrest. “He’s joined a club and is involved in many student activities.”

The Coalition for Responsible Home Education outlined studies on how homeschool students fare once they become adults; in college, they fared on par or ahead academically among their peers, with math being the one subject that seemed the largest struggle. One of the very first studies of its kind, “Homes c hooling Grows Up,” showed that homeschooled students become well-engaged civilians and continue to value their learning into their adult years.

Parents of homeschooled students research college entrance requirements and get transcripts, diplomas, and any other necessities together when helping their child apply for college. Third-party organizations, such as co-ops, can help with this process as well.

The post Mississippi homeschool parents on why learning from home was right for their families appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

…

By: Courtney Ingle
Title: Mississippi homeschool parents on why learning from home was right for their families
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/10/17/mississippi-homeschool-parents-on-why-learning-from-home-was-right-for-their-families/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mississippi-homeschool-parents-on-why-learning-from-home-was-right-for-their-families
Published Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 18:12:10 +0000

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/pulling-the-curtains-back-on-the-socialist-lefts-drug-pricing-agenda/

Up Next

Black Caucus to push for right to contraception law in Mississippi

Don't Miss

Pulling the Curtains Back on the Socialist Left’s Drug Pricing Agenda

Magnolia Tribune

Staring mortality in the face at Christmas

Published

11 months ago

December 16, 2023

Staff Editor

My friend Jarrod is dying after an eight year battle with cancer. He’s lived a life worth celebrating, one that has drawn people to Christ.

I was going about my business this week when I received a text that stopped me in my tracks. A college friend was being moved to hospice care.

Jarrod Egley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in early 2017. In the fall of 2018, tests revealed the cancer had spread to his lungs and Jarrod’s cancer was classified as Stage IV.

For almost eight years from the date of the original diagnosis, he’s fought. Through surgeries, radiation, endless rounds and cycles of chemotherapy, and experimental immunotherapies, he’s fought.

Last year, I flew out to California and spent some time with Jarrod and his wife, Emily. We sat outside one night. He acknowledged to me that it was not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’ the cancer would claim his life. I told him I was sorry, because what else is there to say?

We talked about our faith, about the trials of Job, about Jacob wrestling with God, about Paul’s affliction. But mostly we reflected on our time together in school, on the good things, and the mundane things, that happened since.

Jarrod and I met at Tulane University. One Sunday morning in the Spring of my freshman year, I rose from my dorm room bed, dressed, and began walking down Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans with no particular agenda. I walked until I came across First Baptist Church and the thought flickered in the vacuous recesses of my brain to enter.

Some would say it was a lark. The Calvinist in me says providence. The walk that morning changed the trajectory of my time at Tulane and my life on the whole. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry became central to my life and put me in regular league with Jarrod. I met him first at the BCM and we ultimately ended up attending church together.

Jarrod was a faithful servant on and off campus. He helped organize a group of us that would weekly make our way down to the Esplanade seawall on the backside of the French Quarter to feed the homeless. On Friday nights, he could be found at chapel with a small cadre of students foregoing Bourbon Street for early 2000s worship music.

Jarrod was a loyal friend in those years. Never rude or biting. Not prone to an insult for an easy laugh. Persistently encouraging. An engineering student, his mind worked linearly and was oriented to problem solving. There were never a lot of wasted words — always a lot of deliberative questions when he disagreed or did not understand a point. He exhibited intelligence, empathy, and the kind of moral conviction that sets someone apart.

He also had a wry and dry sense of humor and a penchant for beating people at Madden football. He was fair-to-midland on the ultimate frisbee pitch. Along the way, there were crawfish boils, Mardi Gras outtings, poorly attended Tulane football games, and more than a decent amount of wing eating.

After college, I lost touch with Jarrod. He moved back to his home state of California. He got married to his college sweetheart, who could not have anticipated her husband’s journey, but has been a steady and constant helpmate throughout. Jarrod became a very successful engineer and a bourbon connoisseur. One of his bucket list trips took him to Kentucky, where he got to meet and became friends with bourbon “Hall of Famer” Freddie Johnson of Buffalo Trace acclaim.

Jarrod at Buffalo Trace Distillery (Spring 2022).

Sitting in his backyard nearly 20 years after graduating from Tulane, I saw many of the same qualities I had grown to admire when we were students together. I saw a husband who doted on and supported Emily’s passions. But I also saw someone whose body had been beaten to hell and back, who was tired, and who, like Jacob, had been wrestling with God. We quickly fell back into friendship, which perhaps is the mark of good friendship.

We all have aspirations in our youth — for the kind of spouse or parent we might be, for what we might accomplish, for what we might experience. Along the way, dreams are satisfied, modified, or they die on the vine. The clock inevitably works against all of us. That night in Oceanside, California, Jarrod, a numbers guy, saw that time was not on his side. He believed, as we all would, that he still had more to give, more impact to be made, and more things to see and experience.

After that trip, Jarrod and I stayed in touch, most frequently triggered by news of his cancer. It has been mostly the bad variety in recent months. Now spread throughout his body, down to his bones, he has lived in constant pain for months. Not even a steady diet of morphine and an implanted pain pump solve for it. Jarrod’s been hospitalized twelve times just in 2023.

But his matter of fact sense of humor and way of seeing the world remains in tact. So too does his faith that despite these trials, he has always been safe in the hands of Christ.

There are people in the world who believe that life is random, disordered, and without reason. I am not among them. I think my friend is staring mortality in the face at Christmas for a reason.

For thousands of years before Christ came, there was darkness and despair. Sin and shame gripped the hearts of men. Until one holy night, God, in His infinite love, mercy and wisdom, sent His son to save. Jesus is the light of the world and the hope of man. He has won victory over death and Jarrod’s will not be the exception. Jesus came for Jarrod, and for you.

For thousands of years since Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, His disciples have been used as divine instruments to point the way to God. Jarrod is among them. If life expectancies were the measure, Jarrod would be at the midway point for most people. He’s made a lifetime of impact for the Kingdom and on other people.

So, to my friend Jarrod, you were placed here with a purpose. You have run your race. You are loved. And when this chapter closes, you will hear “well done, my good and faithful servant.” There is no greater evidence of a life well lived.

While Jarrod and Emily have been fortunate to have health insurance, their portion of the medical bills so far in 2023 have eclipsed $30,000, and Emily is facing additional uncovered expenses during Jarrod’s hospice care, including a night nurse that costs over $400 a night. If you would like to help defray the cost, a contribution can be made at their Go Fund Me page.

The post Staring mortality in the face at Christmas appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

…

By: Russ Latino
Title: Staring mortality in the face at Christmas
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/16/staring-mortality-in-the-face-at-christmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=staring-mortality-in-the-face-at-christmas
Published Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:05:22 +0000

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023/

Magnolia Tribune

Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023

Published

11 months ago

December 15, 2023

Staff Editor

Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.

In Mississippi

1. Laurin St. Pe’ named CEO of Singing River Health System

The Board of Trustees of Singing River Health System announced the immediate appointment of Laurin St. Pe’ as the Chief Executive Officer on Thursday.

“We are thrilled to announce Laurin St. Pe as the new CEO of Singing River,” said Steve Ates, Board President in a statement. “His wealth of healthcare experience and proven track record make him the ideal leader to steer our health system toward its next phase of growth and success.”

St. Pe’, who has been serving as Interim CEO since July 2023, said he is honored to assume the role of CEO at Singing River. He has worked at Singing River as Administrator of Singing River Health System’s Pascagoula Hospital and Gulfport Hospital, in addition to overseeing program service lines throughout the entire system to his subsequent appointment as Chief Operating Officer of Singing River.

The health system says St. Pe played a crucial role in the financial revitalization of Singing River Health System while steering the organization toward financial stability.

2. Gulfport-Biloxi airport, Stennis evacuated after threats

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport was evacuated on Thursday morning “out of an abundance of caution,” airport officials said, after receiving an emailed threat to certain transportation entities across the state.

The airport was thoroughly security swept, cleared and reopened in just over two hours. Gulfport-Biloxi is now operating regularly.

The threat was also sent to Stennis International Airport. Their staff and personnel were also evacuated until the facilities could be swept and cleared.

Any passenger whose travel was affected by the evacuation is encouraged to contact their respective air carrier.

3. Cassidy arrested in Iowa for beheading Satanic Temple statue

Former Mississippi congressional and legislative candidate Michael Cassidy was arrested this week in Iowa for beheading a statue at the state’s Capitol erected by The Satanic Temple.

Cassidy reportedly decapitated the statue and turned himself to police on Thursday. He was charged with fourth degree criminal mischief. He then started an online legal defense fund where he’s raised upwards of $20,000 as of Thursday night, according to his X account.

4. “Serial fraudster” ordered to cease offering investments into companies

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, on October 26, 2023, Secretary Michael Watson and the Securities Division issued an order against Stephone N. Patton. The SOS says Patton is a serial fraudster with multiple criminal convictions in Mississippi and Florida.

Through business filings with the SEC and Mississippi, Patton has held himself to be the CEO of various companies, including Star Oil and Gas Company, Inc., North Gulf Energy Corporation, Inc., Patton Oilfield Services, Inc., and Patton Farms, LLC.

The SOS says using these business filings and company websites, Patton claimed to have raised hundreds of billions of dollars through investment opportunities. Through investigative efforts and collaboration with the SEC, the SOS discovered none of Patton’s companies are operational, have any assets, or generate any revenues. Account records show Patton spent investors’ funds almost as soon as he received them on personal expenses. The total amount of known investments made to Patton’s fraudulent companies is over $80,000. Further, none of Patton’s investment offerings have been registered or notice filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.

The SOS order requires Patton to cease and desist from offering investments with his companies, requiring Patton to permanently deactivate his companies’ websites to prevent any further dissemination of his false or misleading information. Patton is also ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $25,000 to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for these violations, in addition to restitution owed to all his Mississippi investors.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Congressional retirements mounting as 2024 election cycle nears

Retirement and departure announcements are piling up ahead of the start to the 2024 election cycle. The New York Times has developed a Retirement Tracker that currently shows 22 Democrats and 11 Republicans who are in Congress now will not be seeking re-election next year.

“Dozens of members of Congress have announced plans to leave their seats in the House of Representatives, setting a rapid pace for congressional departures, with more expected as the 2024 election draws closer,” the NY Times reports. “Given Republicans’ razor-thin House majority, the wave of exits has the potential to lead to a significant shake-up next year.”

You can find the tracker here.

2. Texas, Daily Wire, The Federalist sue U.S. State Department over media censorship

The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center has come under fire as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton along with The Daily Wire and The Federalist have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the department funded technology that could “render disfavored press outlets unprofitable.” They claim that the department has helped social media – Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) – to censor free speech while funding technologies used to censor right-leaning news outlets such as theirs.

New Civil Liberties Alliance is representing The Daily Wire and The Federalist. Paxton and the outlets claim the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a British think tank, received a $100,000 grant from the State Department in 2021, and NewsGuard, which rates the “misinformation” levels of news outlets, received $25,000 from the State Department in 2020, according to the lawsuit.

According to the State Department’s website, the Global Engagement Center’s mission is to direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.

As reported by Reuters, the lawsuit cited a GDI-produced list from December 2022 that ranked The Daily Wire and The Federalist as among the 10 “riskiest sites” for news while the least-risky included The New York Times, Associated Press and NPR. Reuters notes that the lawsuit alleges such “blacklists” are reducing revenues to The Daily Wire and The Federalist along with their visibility on social media and ranking results from browser searches.

Sports & Entertainment

1. SEC releases 2024 schedules

Wednesday evening, the Southeastern Conference released the 2024 football schedules for its member schools, including of interest in the Magnolia State the schedules for Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

It is the first schedule that includes new conference members University of Oklahoma and University of Texas, bringing the conference to 16 schools. Each SEC team will play eight conference football games plus at least one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 or major independent, each team will have two open dates.

The 2024 season will be the first year the SEC will play a schedule without divisional competition since 1991. The top two teams in the league standings based on winning percentage will play in the 33rd SEC Football Championship Game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7.

2. White, Jesiolowski, Jones honored by MAIS

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) in Mississippi, comprised of non-public schools, announced this week that Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s senior quarterback John White was named the 6A Player of the Year while Hartfield’s Reed Jesiolowski and Hartfield Chris Jones were named the MAIS 6A Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

All three have committed to play college football at the University of Mississippi.

White is Mississippi’s all-time leader in career passing yards with 15,259 yards, a record he broke during the 2023 season.

MAIS, like the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) for public schools, is broken down into classifications, from 1A to 6A. However, MHSAA added a 7A this season.

Markets & Business

1. Consumer retail sales up as energy, gas prices move down

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in November after being unchanged in October. Retail sales rose 0.3% in November after rising 0.2% in October, meaning consumers continue to spend at the start of the holiday season.

The CPI or inflation rate is 3.1%, higher than the Federal Reserve target of 2% but below the 9% peak in 2022 which reached a 40-year high.

As for the energy index, BLS reported that it fell 2.3% in November after decreasing 2.5% in October. The gasoline index decreased 6% in November, following a 5% decrease in the previous month.

The index for fuel oil fell in November, decreasing 2.7%. However, the natural gas index rose 2.8% over the month after rising 1.2% the previous month. The index for electricity also rose 1.4% in November, after increasing 0.3% in October.

The energy index fell 5.4% over the past 12 months. The gasoline index decreased 8.9%, the natural gas index declined 10.4%, and the fuel oil index fell 24.8% over this 12-month span.

2. Week’s market rally continues into Friday

At close of trading on Thursday, the U.S. markets continued the week’s rally, pushing the Dow up 158 points to 37,248 while the Nasdaq and S&P also made gains, 27 points and 12 points, respectively, to close at 14,761 and 4,719.

The record high for the Dow on Thursday moved futures up 102 points.

According to CNBC, the major averages are headed for their seventh straight positive week. As of Thursday, the Dow is higher on the week by 2.8%. The S&P 500 is up by 2.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.5% this week.

Stocks rallied after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged this week while members look towards cuts in the new year and beyond.

The post Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023 appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

…

By: Magnolia Tribune
Title: Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/15/magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023
Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Magnolia Tribune

New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off

Published

11 months ago

December 15, 2023

Staff Editor

Interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin said this week that only about 59% of the City of Jackson’s water customers are paying their bills.

JXN Water has announced new rates and fees coming in 2024. Those who are not paying will be at risk of shut offs.

The company, which was established by federal appointed interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin, has been overseeing the city’s water system for the better part of a year.

Officials estimated that the average cost for water in the city was $76 per month for residents. Henifin clarified that JXN water will not attempt to recoup any charges prior to November 29, 2022, and will work with those who have failed to pay since that time.

He said only about 59 percent of the city’s water customers are paying their bills.

“You can’t forgive bills, so we have to be creative in how we part that,” said Henifin in reference to Mississippi’s laws that prevent giving away water.

According to a release by JXN Water announcing the rate changes, residents in single family households with small meters that use up to 748 gallons daily would see a bill increase of roughly .30 cents per day. Research indicates that the average U.S. family uses 300 gallons per day.

SNAP customers will have a new rate tier that could lower their bill by up to .69 cents per day, on average.

“Those who need to save the most benefit from saving money by drinking tap water. This new rate structure makes water affordability possible for 12,500 JXN Water customers who receive SNAP benefits,” said Henifin in the release.