Abigail Pregnant with #6

[singsingsing]

I think it's still pretty rare. My dad is half French Canadian and I've never heard of anyone in his family (and his family is huge) having it. My maternal grandfather is full French Canadian but was adopted, so we don't know about his family. He did have genetic testing done, though, and based on that report he is not a carrier.

[NurseNell]

Irish Catholics and French Canadians are also at risk for being Tay Sachs carriers.

I didn't know that. That explains my brother being a carrier. When their first baby was stillborn he and his 100% Jewish wife had genetic testing done, my brother was found to carry Tay Sachs. She didn't.

[Mudball]

Abigail talks about homeschooling while pregnant. For the last two pregnancies, she has pretty much cancelled teaching homeschool during her first trimester because of morning sickness. I think this is also the first time she's claimed to be an "unschooler."

abigails-alcove.blogspot.ca/2013/07/back-to-school-prep-portable-classroom.html

This post of hers actually made a lot fo sense to me. I've been an unschooler and a reg. workbook/curriculum homeschooler and unschooling is a ton more work and involvement for me. It's much easier to do her workbox method of schooling, so it's understandable she'd fall back on that while she's feeling sick and tired. Of course, I have no idea what type of unschooler she is so ...

[Jinger Jar]

This post of hers actually made a lot fo sense to me. I've been an unschooler and a reg. workbook/curriculum homeschooler and unschooling is a ton more work and involvement for me. It's much easier to do her workbox method of schooling, so it's understandable she'd fall back on that while she's feeling sick and tired. Of course, I have no idea what type of unschooler she is so ...

Her oldest children are nearing 10 years of age and for the most part can neither read, write, nor do basic math.

She wrote one post (back in the spring, perhaps?) in which she admitted the she'd given up trying to teach her children anything; she gives them worksheets and if they do them, fine. If not, it's not her fault. She tried. She's leaving their learning up to God.

[anjulibai]

Her oldest children are nearing 10 years of age and for the most part can neither read, write, nor do basic math.

She wrote one post (back in the spring, perhaps?) in which she admitted the she'd given up trying to teach her children anything; she gives them worksheets and if they do them, fine. If not, it's not her fault. She tried. She's leaving their learning up to God.

What? Seriously? Doesn't her state require evaluations that she needs to pass? Who is dropping the ball and letting her get away with that?

[Jinger Jar]

What? Seriously? Doesn't her state require evaluations that she needs to pass? Who is dropping the ball and letting her get away with that?

abigails-alcove.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-emotional-cost-of-homeschooling.html

Finally, this year, I'm backing off of my intense focus on my kid's reading success. We are at the stage in 4th and 2nd grade where I've been totally intense, and then totally apathetic, and then mildly depressed about their lack of reading "progress."

Now I show up.

I show up.

I show up with an engaged smile and a patient heart and I'm ready to teach reading skills 5 days a week. My kids can choose to take advantage of that special tutor time with their Mom, or not. Meanwhile, I'm mastering the art of persistence.

This post appeared after she'd made several lamenting the fact that her oldest is really struggling with literacy and numeracy.

There are more than 10 references to herself in that small quote. There are two references to her students, and both of them are negative ("their lack of reading progress" and "choose to take advantage of that special tutor time with Mom, or not"). I hate to break it to Abigail, but teaching isn't about the teacher, it's always about the students and their needs. She, ever the narcissist, thinks it's all about her.

While persistence is good and it's all nice and everything that she shows up, she's got to do a lot more than merely darken the doorway emotionally, physically and intellectually if she has any hope of teaching anyone anything.

Honestly, what I know about the legal requirements of homeschooling in her state could fit in thimble. But I do know that by the 4th grade a child should be able to spell the word axe and do more than simply decode two- and three-syllable words. In mainstream classrooms 4th graders are reading to learn in social studies, math, and science, and in language arts they're writing multi-paragraph pieces and analyzing short stories and novels. The fact that her children seem to be unable to do these things and she's not getting them to help they need is troubling.

[anjulibai]

That's horrible. Her poor kids. I wonder why her husband doesn't say anything or do anything. And why not send them to Catholic school? You'd think she'd grasp at the chance for her kids to learn from holy nuns (barf). Of course then she can't martyr herself over how hard it is.

The most fucked up part of all this is that none of this is really Catholic teaching. I am not a Catholic and don't particularly care for large parts of it, but she obviously is twisting Catholic beliefs for her own ego.

[anjulibai]

Also, that whole post really was all about her and how hard it is for her. It isn't about Rushmore or their needs, it's obviously about scoring points with God.

[GeoBQn]

Abigail talks about how this feels like her first time being happy that she is pregnant.

abigails-alcove.blogspot.ca/2013/07/my-first-happy-pregnancy.html

[NurseNell]

Abigail talks about how this feels like her first time being happy that she is pregnant.

abigails-alcove.blogspot.ca/2013/07/my-first-happy-pregnancy.html

And now the secondary infertility is noted as almost 3 years. Give me a break, there was no secondary infertility and it's insulting to those who really have secondary infertility.

It seems to me by announcing the pregnancy so early she's setting herself up for major depression if she miscarries, which at 38 is a real possibility. It's very hard when a wanted pregnancy ends in miscarriage but when you've told half the world it must be harder. And she's already got the godmother chosen?

She's a fruitcake.

[niagarahauls]

I understand being sick and not having the energy or wherewithal to homeschool 5 kids. But, Abigail and her husband are both highly educated correct? Although the book learning does not seem to translate to common sense in their situation. For the love of Pete send them to public school, apply for scholarships to parochial school or find a homeschool co-op and try something different. Because if your 4th grader can't read what you are doing isn't working.

I really hate it when these twats decide to give up on teaching their kids and just call it "unschooling."

[Mela99]

I'm assuming you were raised Catholic, right? Concerning the bolded, this is what makes me wonder in astonishment at the Catholic Church nowadays, being all "PRO-LIFE!!!!111!!!" and churches having shrines for the unborn killed by abortion and sending teens to Washington DC to participate in pro-life marches, because although I was raised Catholic and don't remember a thing being said to me one way or the other, my husband (who went through 9 years of Catholic school) remembers hearing this same thing - the baby has to take a breath. He doesn't remember where he learned that from, but it had to have been in his Catholic school, right?

I was indeed raised Catholic. I didn't go to a Catholic school, but was brought up on the traditional catechism.

[Stephanie66]

She's an attorney, correct? (I remember some post about the great thing about living in poverty #3,764 is that she only has to make a minimal payment on her student loans for ten years, then she is out, scot free.)

So I *really* don't understand why she doesn't believe it is absolutely imperative that her children do well in school.

The problem at this point is her older kids would probably need special education, something the private schools in West Virginia probably don't do. Like all private schools, they can pick and choose the students they want, and most want kids that can excel (or at least do well) with involved parents. Special education is expensive.

[polabear]

Catholic schools, in my experience, aren't that picky in who they accept. However, they probably wouldn't be prepared to help her kids catch up. Plus it'd be cruel to the kids! They need some intensive tutoring to catch up.

[NurseNell]

She's an attorney, correct? (I remember some post about the great thing about living in poverty #3,764 is that she only has to make a minimal payment on her student loans for ten years, then she is out, scot free.)

So I *really* don't understand why she doesn't believe it is absolutely imperative that her children do well in school.

The problem at this point is her older kids would probably need special education, something the private schools in West Virginia probably don't do. Like all private schools, they can pick and choose the students they want, and most want kids that can excel (or at least do well) with involved parents. Special education is expensive.

She graduated from Smith College, and got her law degree at UW Madison so she is not dumb. Now when it comes to common sense she has none but still, I don't understand her lack of concern over her children's education.

[NurseNell]

There is only one Catholic school in that part of WV but it is in her town. It offers early childhood education, starting at age two. It goes through the 8th grade. She really is doing her kids a disservice by not sending them here.

[Mudball]

In general, I am not panicked about unschooled kids not knowing the things that schooled kids know at the ages schooled kids know them because it's not the same thing. So, when I hear that a 10 year old is still struggling to read or write I am mostly "Meh" because I know of more than a few cases of kids that didn't start reading until a "later" age and then picked up big fat tomes about whaling ships in the 17th century and read those obsessively. (True story) It just seemed that it evened out more often than not, the "See Spot Run" years were skipped but so were the "See Spot Run" reading material levels.

And it's similar with Math. It's all anecdotal, obviously, but that's been what I've seen again and again.

At the same time I think it's just kind of stupid not to encourage reading as best you can because life gets so much easier unschooling-wise once your kid is reading! :lol: I mean, jeez, she doesn't even do lazy right!

Having said all that, yeah, I think she's just being self-indulgent, lazy and selfish. I hate people who do nothing and just pretend they are unschooling when unschooling is far from nothing. Then those people wonder why their kids are getting into trouble, are hyper, obnoxious etc.. THEY ARE BORED AND UNSTIMULATED! :evil:

[singsingsing]

I think it's insane to not focus on fundamental reading and math skills at an early age. That's when children are primed to learn the most. I took French in school from the age of 6 to 15. Most of the French I remember is the stuff I learned between the ages of 6 and 9. I'm sure there are kids who are able to make up for lost time, but why lose time at all? It's so unfair to these kids to deny them an early foundation in such basic subjects.

[Stephanie66]

Attorneys are having a rough time right now-it's pretty dog-eat-dog. I am not sure she could go back to being a lawyer right now, even if she had to.

What does Jon do? (besides keep them in poverty?)

I wonder what her family thinks of all of this? Obviously, if she plays cello, she came from an upper-middle income family. Not many poor kids going to Smith.

[Jinger Jar]

Catholic schools, in my experience, aren't that picky in who they accept. However, they probably wouldn't be prepared to help her kids catch up. Plus it'd be cruel to the kids! They need some intensive tutoring to catch up.

My experience has been a little different. The Catholic schools in my community, in addition to the one I graduated from, all have entrance requirements - academic and financial - and none accept students whom they think are not fully proficient in English. In addition, none of the offer Special Ed services, nor are they equipped to handle medically fragile students (e.g., students who need full-time aids, who are incontinent, etc.).

A few years ago a close friend of mine sent me her 14-year-old, who wanted to spend a year living in the US. Although not a native English speaker, this kid has been studying the language since he was a toddler. Both parents have PhDs from Australian universities, so he had plenty of exposure to the language at home and at school. Despite the fact that he was a straight A student in English, despite a strong IELS result, despite the fact that I am an ESL teacher and vouched for his proficencies and assured the school I would provide any language support he needed, and despite the fact that he conversed with the principal himself, I had to fight to get him enrolled in my parish school. I basically had to promise the principal that his teachers would not have to devote any class time to his language development and that he would not be disruptive by asking for clarification related to him not understanding verbal or written instructions. In addition, they made it abundantly clear to me that they were making an exception in enrolling him. It turned that he was the same straight A student there that he was in his home country, but in the beginning they acted like they were accepting some utterly ineducable child because English was not his home language :roll: .

[NurseNell]

Attorneys are having a rough time right now-it's pretty dog-eat-dog. I am not sure she could go back to being a lawyer right now, even if she had to.

What does Jon do? (besides keep them in poverty?)

I wonder what her family thinks of all of this? Obviously, if she plays cello, she came from an upper-middle income family. Not many poor kids going to Smith.

She is from an upper middle class family. Her parents both have PhD's and are college professors.

[NurseNell]

My experience has been a little different. The Catholic schools in my community, in addition to the one I graduated from, all have entrance requirements - academic and financial - and none accept students whom they think are not fully proficient in English. In addition, none of the offer Special Ed services, nor are they equipped to handle medically fragile students (e.g., students who need full-time aids, who are incontinent, etc.).

A few years ago a close friend of mine sent me her 14-year-old, who wanted to spend a year living in the US. Although not a native English speaker, this kid has been studying the language since he was a toddler. Both parents have PhDs from Australian universities, so he had plenty of exposure to the language at home and at school. Despite the fact that he was a straight A student in English, despite a strong IELS result, despite the fact that I am an ESL teacher and vouched for his proficencies and assured the school I would provide any language support he needed, and despite the fact that he conversed with the principal himself, I had to fight to get him enrolled in my parish school. I basically had to promise the principal that his teachers would not have to devote any class time to his language development and that he would not be disruptive by asking for clarification related to him not understanding verbal or written instructions. In addition, they made it abundantly clear to me that they were making an exception in enrolling him. It turned that he was the same straight A student there that he was in his home country, but in the beginning they acted like they were accepting some utterly ineducable child because English was not his home language :roll: .

The city I moved from a year ago has as many Catholic schools as public schools. Most of the schools accept students for whom English is a second language. My grandson's kindergarten class this past year was mostly immigrants from Ethiopia and Somalia. My grandson is Spanish/English bilingual. They also accept some special ed students, including LD. The students needing special ed will go to the closest public school at the beginning of the day or the end of the day for their special ed services. There is also a van that goes to the Catholic schools and the students have class in the van. My kids' Catholic school had both a blind student and several deaf and hard of hearing students. There are also occasionally students in the Catholic schools needing catheterizations, also tube feedings. All the Catholic schools have licensed school nurses from the public school system assigned to them.

[Stephanie66]

She is from an upper middle class family. Her parents both have PhD's and are college professors.

They must be proud.

[GeoBQn]

Her dad was sending her gift cards for a while for things like groceries.

[slickcat79]

Her dad was sending her gift cards for a while for things like groceries.

And then her husband told him to stop because it was hurting his wittle fee-fees to have his FIL insinuate that he couldn't provide for his family (even though he actually couldn't) :roll: Because clearly a grown man's pride is more important than his kids being able to eat.