Well, my goal was to write one letter per week, but I couldn't wait 'til next week for this one.
To the editor:
As the parent of a 12-year-old child, the title of Rick Thorpe's article (on page C6 of Sunday's Capital News) immediately caught my eye and I read the article with interest. Rick Thorpe states that the Foundation Skills Assessment is a valuable tool. He claims that the ministry of Education uses the results data, along with other information, to "help build a better education system." He reports that "the results give parents, teachers and schools a snapshot of how students are doing in reading, writing and math and help them make plans for improving student achievement." That may or may not be true, I believe it is not, but shouldn't teachers and schools, already know how students are doing in these subjects? Shouldn't it be utterly obvious from spending six hours a day, five days a week with a child, how well they are doing? Do we really need to spend the vast amounts of money these test cost to find out this information? Would the money not be better spent directly on improving learning in the schools, instead of on administering more tests?
There are so many points in his article that make me shake my head, but none bother me as much as this one where, in my opinion, he tries to make it sound like the government is doing parents a favour with the FSA. He says, " the FSA is a part of the government's accountability and responsibility to parents. Parents want to know how their children are doing in school and how they can help their child improve." I wonder if parents were aware that they needed the government's FSA to tell them how their children are doing in school. I've heard this line a few times as a defence or reasoning for the FSA, and I can't quite believe anyone would dare to say such a thing. I should think that most parents figure they know quite well how their children are doing, even without the report cards and parent-teacher interviews, let alone the FSA information - which, until this year, the results of which parents were not usually made aware until the next year, at which point they are only told whether their child is meeting, non-meeting, or exceeding expectations. If my child was in public school and it was implied to me that I needed the results of the FSA to tell me how my child was doing, I would be outraged.
Thankfully, my children are not in public school, and after our experience with the FSA this past week, I am more pleased than ever before that they are not. The only disadvantage that my children have by learning at home (with a DL independent school) is one that I have just realized this week, and it is that we do not have the arena in which to make our objections regarding the FSA public. Unlike public schools, independent schools risk losing their ministry funding if they do not comply with the government's policy that all students write this test. Were my children in public school I would have been very happy to refuse permission to have my 12-year-old write the FSA. I would have made it very clear that I did not agree with this kind of testing, and that I would not be a part of wasted tax payers' dollars by having him write it. I believe that there is no value in any child writing this particular exam. After hearing about and reading some details of the marking procedures for these tests, I now believe it is, not only an utter waste of time that could be better spent on actual learning but, an absolute disgrace to the ministry.
I would like to urge parents of public school students to find out more about FSA, and to decide if they believe that their children benefit from them. I would encourage parents to look further into this matter and find out about marking techniques. I believe that if public school parents took a stand against this kind of testing, if they refused to let their children write these tests, that the government would have to accept that decision. The FSA really has become little more than a power struggle, a political hot potato between the Ministry of Education and the BCTF. They have become about everything except the children, and I think that we parents need to stand up for and put our children's education first, because if we don't, who will?
My favourite use for old sheets.
Cut in strips about 2 - 2 1/2 inches wide, sew ends together to make long strips and then turn in and iron. (turning the edges in makes for a tidier looking, longer-wearing rug) You'll need lots.
Still more. (the prep work is the part that takes the longest)
Chain about 13 - 15 stitches, and then just start crocheting around...and around...and around.
These are heavy, long-lasting, hard wearing rugs.
This one isn't finished yet, but it gives you an idea of how they look.
Just now, I cut them up, sewed a seam, and added a piece of yarn as a tie, in order to make these.
With these particular particular panels, each end has a folded over edge which is easily turned in to a casing for the yarn tie, without any extra sewing. So quick and easy...or should that be sew quick and easy? Guess what everyone in my family will be getting with their gifts this year?
So excited!! Last night, at a community discussion of the globalized food system, two lovely ladies brought me all these seeds. (
I grew up eating home-made perogies. My brother and I used to have contests to see who could eat the most. 
When my oldest was little, I used to make them quite often, but now they seem to have become a "treat", something we make only occasionally. Seems silly, really, because we all love them, and they are actually quite simple to make.
Especially when you have such willing helpers on hand. My boys are motivated by good food!
And, were it possible to make "extra", then they could easily be tucked in the freezer so that the effort that was put in would make for two dinners. (looks like we would have to triple the recipe to get any extra around here)
I cut a strip from the edge of another sheet for the tie, and it was pretty quick and easy to turn these bits into an apron.
This is my wrist on a mission.
To reach 21 consecutive days with not a single complaint. It says in the book that the average time it takes is 4 to 8 months. I'm game. The habit of not complaining sounds to me like a very good habit to develop.
And since the oven is on, and you are making 'lazy' things, you might as well make a lazy apple pie. That is my new name for this dish. It might more aptly be called apple pie without the pie because I was too lazy to even get a store-bought crust, let alone make a homemade one. I just sliced local apples into a pie plate, added some 
A scoop of salve mixed with either a drop or two of eucalyptus or oregano oil makes for a good chest rub when your child has congestion in his chest. It's an earth-friendly substitute for certain petroleum-based products.
Isn't it simply fantastic? Recognise it? It is the kitchen of the Waltons. Remember them? My sons and I have been sooo enjoying watching the old shows on a DVD set we got from the library. We've had a lot of talks about times in the depression and what it may have been like. I do not try to romanticize that time to them, but I do think that there were many things that were abundant in that time that are seriously lacking in ours. The strong family connections. The dependence on and strong sense of community. A habit of enjoyment of simple pleasures. And knowledge. Knowledge to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. Knowledge to be able to do almost everything for yourself. It takes a lot knowledge to live that sort of life and to thrive doing it.
And while I am admitting my wants, I find that I also want the wooden clothes drying rack that they keep in their kitchen, it would come in handy here in the winter. (I will be on the lookout the next time I go thrifting.) Actually, I would kind of like the whole house, I mean, just look at that front porch. And just imagine the garden that I could have with all that space. Eeep, those are a lot of wants.
This afternoon I made these treats for the three sweethearts in my life. They are melted fair-trade, organic dark chocolate mixed with organic raisins and usprayed almonds, all purchased from this 
Last week I decided that I really needed to replace my Keeper that I have had for about 11 years. I decided to try a Diva cup this time and really wanted to have some cloth pads as well. Yesterday I found some flannel and some terry cloth in my stash, and this afternoon I made these. They are actually very simple to make. And my kind of sewing too because...no one but me is going to see them, so no need to worry if my stitches are wonky or my sewing is sloppy. :-)
An aside - when I went to our health food store to pick up the Diva cup they did not have them at that location. I knew they had them at the one in town and so I asked my husband to pick one up for me. He did. Here is my tip to anyone not yet married: if you want to know if your man is a keeper, see if he has any problem with buying feminine hygiene products. If so, you might want to rethink the relationship.
So I won't say that I have accomplished this goal and found the definitive answer to my search for our daily bread, but it's a pretty good one...for now.
snip, snip, sew, sew. Done the first batch. You can bet that there will be a lot more where these came from by tomorrow.