Counting On Season 5/6/7 Who Knows? It's on Tonight!

[feministxtian]

36 minutes ago, BernRul said:

Teaching isn't reciting facts to a child and expecting a child to learn it. It is (in my philosophy--not all teachers agree and that's okay too!) giving a child the tools necessary to make her want to learn. To make her think of the new possibilities, to be critical of a problem presented to her, to let her approach information creatively, to hear different opinions from her peers and learn how to respond. Once she has those tools, she can become a life long learner, and take her education into her own hands.  I'm sure there are many homeschool teachers who do this--which, again, is great! But there are also many parents who simply try to teach their kids facts without teaching them how to learn. Without oversight and training, situations like those described by @mollysmom and @Hashtag Blessed can become all too common. 

This is exactly why I homeschooled my kids...all they were getting in school was fact/review/repetition/review/test. That style of teaching is why my kids became discipline problems...utter boredom and trying to be forced into a hole that they did not fit into...well, I'm not excusing the discipline problems. The teachers would call me and I'd tell them how to handle my kids and they wouldn't do it. It became a broken record of "if you're not going to take my suggestions on how to keep them occupied and out of trouble, I don't want to hear about this issue again". Yes, my kids were all tested 28 ways from last week and the school had the test results...the school wouldn't do a damn thing...and since my kids were on the other end of the spectrum, they weren't eligible for a 504 conference or classroom accommodations. So...I brought them home. Beyond textbooks, they were provided with opportunities at every turn. Back in the days before the internet (or slow-ass dial up), they went to the library a few times a week, were involved in extracurriculars, etc. Then, unfortunately, I had to put them back in school and that's when the shit hit the fan and they all walked right out of school by 10th grade. 

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

 

Spoiler

 

 

[front hugs > duggs]

I had a chemistry teacher in high school who had previously worked for NASA. He was brilliant, but had great difficulty explaining things to our small class of 12 students about advanced chemistry. He was not a great teacher despite being so intelligent in the subject matter. 

[Justme131]

I am a teacher. I have taught K-12, general ed, special ed, ELL/ESL, intervention and I have been an instructional coach. I am always trying to find ways to make learning relevant and fun for my students.

However, I know that I could NOT teach my own DD. There is no way.

I have no problem with parents homeschooling their children as long as actual teaching, learning, cooperation, and socialization is done. Parents should have the ability to choose what is right for educating their individual children and I mean individual. Not every child in a family learns the same way and I fully respect parents who make different choices for different children.

[KelseyAnn]

4 hours ago, MoonFace said:

Congrats on kicking your drug addition.   Good for you.   I'm sure that cutting back on coffee will be a piece of cake after that.  (I didn't say give it up entirely - but I can see cutting it back and using some of that money for something you really want for long term)   Good for you!

Thanks! I've been clean for nearly 2 years now and have traded the coffee addiction for a book addiction. 

[Pecansforeveryone]

To jump back in, no I don't think the Duggars have had free choices. Jana is a 28 year old woman sharing a bedroom with children. Being raised in an isolated cult-like environment does stunt your de vision making ability and thus your choices, Having said that, of course they are accountable for their choices as adults. It's kind of necessary to move forward as a society. I was one of t hge 1st to say I was going to hold Jinger and JD accountable for their choices now that they are a mother and engaged respectively. 

[viii]

I thought someone once said Jana lived in a small guest house on the property. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

4 hours ago, viii said:

I thought someone once said Jana lived in a small guest house on the property. 

I've seen many people speculate that she lives in a small guest house. I've never seen proof of that. 

[MoonFace]

11 hours ago, KelseyAnn said:

Thanks! I've been clean for nearly 2 years now and have traded the coffee addiction for a book addiction. 

YAY for you!   Great job!  Books are good things - and you can share them!   Here's to continued success and sobriety! 

[Chewing Gum]

For our non-USA menners, part one: 

They really should start to rename the series Jessa and Sibs. She does a good job navigating though, probably because she likes it. 

 

[Beermeet]

On 8/2/2018 at 7:00 PM, nvmbr02 said:

As a parent who has a child who is duel enrolled as a public school student and a homeschool student I can say I am no where near educated enough to really teach my child anything. And quite frankly, my husband isn't either, even though he has a master's degree and teaches college classes. Neither of us as a strong enough education in the classes she needs to effectively teach her anymore. Sure, we can offer a bit of assistance here or there, or proof read a paper but beyond that we just can't. So we don't. We pay for a program that offers online courses, with a teacher and tutoring available and she excels at the classes. It really is a win-win for us. She is being challenged in a way she was unable to be at her current school but she is still getting daily interaction with peers and other people during the school year (she would hide in her room all the time if she could, but she does get along well with other students and we want to to continue to interact with people) When we move next year we will evaluate the schools in the area and figure out if it will be best for her to go back to full time public school, go to school completely online or stay in the hybrid we are currently doing. 

 I think parent, even with a limited education, can be a effective teacher for the child IF they are aware of their own limitations and are willing to take the steps needed to ensure their kids are getting a well rounded education that meets their child's needs. I also am a strong believer in regulations for homeschooled students because without regulations it is just a way to hide poor education/brainwashing and even abuse in some cases. 

And for the record, both my younger children are full time public school students and they excel in that environment. A lot of my oldest daughter's issues have to do with being a gifted student stuck in a small school system that just isn't able to provide the classes she needs.  

Hi!  Can I ask what state you are in? Or country even?  I would love to do both home and regular school.  It doesn't seem possible.   At my son's IEP meeting I inquired if there were any classes that could be done at home and they said no.  How are you doing this?  I love it!

[DillyDally]

48 minutes ago, Chewing Gum said:

For our non-USA menners, part one: 

They really should start to rename the series Jessa and Sibs. She does a good job navigating though, probably because she likes it. 

 

I loved how they start the new season with an update on each couple and the grown-up siblings and just leave out Jill and OfJill as if they never existed. Ice cold, Jessa 

[tabitha2]

It’s not Jessa being “Ice cold”  It’s the show runners that make decisions about those things.  They are not a part  of the show  any more so they are not going to be mentioned on air. 

[SquirrelySquirrel]

On 7/31/2018 at 12:02 PM, Buzzard said:

"Clash of the Titans" was my favorite movie when I was little.  I was Medusa for Halloween when I was 5. Yes, I know how strange I am... 

If you're strange, so is my kiddo. This is the LittleSquirrel at age 10. It was definitely one of the most fun costumes we've ever made! 

 

[nvmbr02]

5 hours ago, Beermeet said:

Hi!  Can I ask what state you are in? Or country even?  I would love to do both home and regular school.  It doesn't seem possible.   At my son's IEP meeting I inquired if there were any classes that could be done at home and they said no.  How are you doing this?  I love it!

 Our situation is a little different. We live in Guam, so a US territory and my kids go to DODEA school here, which is set up with the DOD. But we previously lived in Minnesota and it was also allowed in our school district anyway to dual enroll. Most students that I know in MN that are dual enrolled do the core classes at home and to school for electives and PE. We didn't need to have out daughter dual enrolled there, they just moved her in the classes at the school that fit her, even if it wasn't her grade level. IF we would have stayed for 7th grade the plan was to have her take her math class at the high school.  I know it isn't an option everywhere though. I am hoping it doesn't become an issue for us when we move, but at least at that point she will only have 2 years left of high school so we may just officially homeschool her full time and figure out other ways for her to socialize. 

[BlessaYourHeart]

I'm a teacher, and I feel like I can't read this thread without having an input. 

I was in normal school most of my life, apart from 4 months where I was home schooled. At the time the home schooling was the best choice for my mental health. Home schooling isn't big in Northern Ireland, or the UK as a whole really. My mum knew she could use the Ni curriculum and teach me English ( I was year 10, so 14). However, she knew she had no skill or ability to teach me anything else. So I was enrolled in a home school program usually used by British parents who live oversea's and want to British education for their child. It was all online. I had teachers who I spoke with twice a week per subject. I excelled in the subjects I was good at and stayed on pace with the subjects I wasn't so strong with. I am so thankful my mum did this and realised her own limitations. She knew me as her child and knew exactly what I needed and didn't think she could do everything. When I went back into mainstream school, they had all the data from the online program. I started a new school, different from the one previous to homeschooling, was put in a gifted and talented register for English which meant I was given extra opportunities and pushed that little bit harder and stayed on pace with my other subjects. My mum kept me in a program outside of school which allowed me to complete a few GCSE's early, the school fully supported this.

My main issue with SOME (not all) homeschoolers is that there is the attitude of 'I can teach my own child everything better than a teacher because it's my child'. To me that attitude is damaging. I trained as a teacher for 4 years and I am damn good at what I do. I have no doubt I could effectively home school my (hypothetical) child in English, History, Russian, RE, Health and Social and other arts and humanities subjects, even possibly Biology and Chemistry (although I couldn't teach the sciences past GCSE level). However, there is no way in hell could I effectively home school my child in Maths, any language beyond Russian and some basic Spanish and a plethora of other subjects. I would be doing the child a disservice and hindering their opportunities and learning. Even with my fiance being a PE and Geography teacher, there is no way even the two of us together could provide a well rounded education. We would need some kind of online program or something. 

My point is, even the best teacher can't teach everything. I agree with @BernRul that homeschooling works best and benefits children best when parents realise their own limitations and provide additional opportunities and support. 

[Chickenbutt]

I could never homeschool my kids/gr kids because a) I'm not smart enough b) I'm not disciplined enough and c) I would probably bring back corporal punishment in "my" school. Or to put it more nicely....I don't have the patience for it. 

[JordynDarby5]

I could never be a teacher whether its home schooling or in a school. There's just so much to it. Being able to be in a classroom with 25 kids day in and day out, dealing with all their issues, acting out, and stuff while also teaching them. Trying to get each kid to where they need to be by the end of the year. Dealing with the parents, and rules. Having to constantly use their own money for supplies. Being creative and clever enough to come up with different projects and ideas. My sister-in-law is a teacher, two of my cousins are teachers and my uncle was a teacher. Seeing all they've had to deal with I really don't know how they do it. I really don't know how any of you teachers do it.  You are definitely underpaid. 

I've had really amazing teachers. One who was part of a teacher swap in elementary school from Australia was really cool teaching us all about Australia. An old retired teacher who tutored me when I needed help with reading. She did such a good job I ended up loving reading. My middle school history teacher who made the class fun and interesting and did different accents it made the class more fun. He made history fun and I love history ever since. The only math teacher I've ever had that helped me understand math. She explained it normal words and terms using anything from football phrases to popcorn. I wish I had her every year in math. My mom even wrote her a thank you letter and I thanked her too. I no longer understand any of it. But for one year I did. A chemistry teacher who realized I was never going to understand chemistry. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how many times I stayed after school with him going over the chapter we were on. He agreed to give me a passing grade because he saw I was trying so hard but couldn't get it. One English teacher in high school my best friend and I just loved. We were both nerds who when we got into myths we really got into it. We had a lot of really great conversations with him about the different Greek and Roman myths, discussed Shakespeare work. 

I've had bad teachers. One math teacher was a really good teacher when he was teaching the Advanced Math classes. Well, one year because of a shortage he ended up teaching the complete opposite.  The kids either repeating the class or barely passed the last class but still doesn't understand any of it. I don't think he ever understood that his students didn't understand anything he was saying. He'd post grades after every chapter. 97% was failing. He would ask at the end of chapter if we understood the chapter, we'd say no but he'd move on. If we didn't understand chapter one why do you think we should move onto chapter two? He seemed surprised when on chapter five we still didn't understand what had been covered in chapter two. But he would always ask. Why ask if your just going to ignore it and move on? On some level he had to realize we didn't understand right? I tried to talk to him, my parents tried to talk to him but never got anywhere. Majority of the class failed and had to repeat the class. I got my much better math teacher the next year. I had a teacher who didn't like me but he did like the girl I was always paired up with for class projects and stuff. He was always praising her and singling her out for being a great student.  He was always giving me zeros because he thought I wasn't paying attention when I was and refused to listen when I told him I was paying attention I could repeat back everything he just said. I didn't have this history teacher but my friend did and she told her students that Custer had been murdered by the Sioux and went into great detail how his troops were murdered. Leaving out what a horrible monster Custer was. My first grade teacher wanted to me to repeat the class because she thought I was too short to move up to the second grade. My mom went off on her on that one. When I ended up getting her again in the sixth grade we kind of worried whether or not she'd hold that against me or not. She recognized me only once asked me if my parents were together (I guess hoping they were divorced and she wouldn't have to deal with my mother) I said no they were still together. She never said a word to me the rest of the year.    

I had a couple teachers in high school that really should not have been given classes. One English teacher was older and way too senile to teach. I don't know if she was a good teacher in her younger years and maybe she really was excellent. But now that she was older she really wasn't. I thought my brother was making up stories when she was his teacher. Oh no when I had her as English teacher she had no idea who anyone in her class was. She'd everyone the wrong name and not just mixing up names no she's call you say Stacey or Amber when there was no Stacey or Amber in the class. Maybe they were in a different class or maybe not.  And just because she called you Stacey one day didn't mean she'd wouldn't call you Shannon another day and Kelly another. You just answered to anything because if you tried to correct her she'd yell at you for talking back. It didn't take long for some of the students to realize they could ditch the class and she'd never know or you could inviting their friends to hang out in our class. She never noticed the difference You could light up in class and she never noticed. Half the time she was in the classroom sitting at the front at her desk.  I have no idea what she thought was going on. Did she never notice the the flame from the lighters or smell the weed? Or notice students smoking. We did word searches and crossword puzzles all year long.  Except for one week where she passed printed off pages of a the first couple chapters of a book. That had sex in it. A lot of sex in. Then picked it all up on Friday because she'd been told it wasn't allowed.  No kidding. Back to word searches and crossword puzzles. I somehow ended up with a B+ I have no idea how. She retired a couple years later.  I don't know how she lasted so long.    

The second one I think she had mental problems. At the time I wasn't sure between mental problems or a drug problem. But now I think it was probably mental problems. She was a Spanish teacher who was a no show for a month. Then she finally showed up. She started out nice and normal. We started through the refresher chapters from the year before (even though we had been doing that for a month none of our subs wanted to go any further since they weren't our real teacher). Then she kind of started coming off kooky but really fun. She's act out Spanish words, foods and stuff which was really cool and a great way to learn, and a lot of fun. There were a couple odd moments a brief second that she's stop for a moment or say something weird. But we chalked it up to being kooky. Then at one point after about a week she ended up in the corner even though it wasn't the word and then acted like she didn't know where she was. At first we thought it was a joke or playing around. "Where am I?" "In the classroom" Then it didn't change. She kind looked around like she really wasn't sure where she was. It took while for it to dawn on us that she wasn't playing around. One of my classmates went next door to get the teacher from that classroom who coaxed her out of the classroom. It was weird. But the weekend passed and she was back in class Monday and seemed normal again. For a couple more days.  Then ended up in the corner again and once again had to go next door to get the teacher out of that classroom to come and get our teacher out of the corner. This kept repeating after the fifth time she started disappearing. But when she showed up after her disappearing she seemed normal again for a couple days and it would start all over again then disappear again. Every time we had a sub we went over the review again. But when she was there we didn't know how to act either. Relax when she was normal or not because you didn't know if it was going to last? It never did. She never said anything about where she was or what happened. You never knew if she remembered what happened and didn't want to talk about it or she didn't remember. So you ended up really nervous while hoping the last time was the last time and worrying what if she ends up in a corner, scared and not knowing where she is or if this time something else happened. You just didn't know. This went on until just before Christmas break when she disappeared again and no one heard from her again. She never picked up her checks or came back for her stuff. We learned that from our new teacher who was one of our subs when we came back after the break.  I asked our teacher at the end of the year. Still never came back for her checks or returned any of calls. I don't know why the school didn't step in and try do something sooner when it was clear she needed help but I wish they had. I wonder how she managed to hold it together for an interview but maybe she was better in the beginning? She seemed normal for about a week. I wonder how much the school knew or little they knew when they hired her. I ran into her about four years later working in a flower shop she didn't recognize me and I decided not to say anything since I didn't really know what happened or if she remembered or if she did how she'd feel about someone asking her about it. She did look better.  I hope she got the help she needed.    

[KelseyAnn]

Was anyone else kind of surprised to see Michelle being kind of rough/aggressive with Josie for saying bomb instead of bombs? 

I would have though Josie to precious for scolding. 

[2manyKidzzz]

9 minutes ago, KelseyAnn said:

Was anyone else kind of surprised to see Michelle being kind of rough/aggressive with Josie for saying bomb instead of bombs? 

I would have though Josie to precious for scolding. 

I’m glad you mentioned this. I found it just plain uncomfortable. I thought she was really saying “bombs”...mostly, but Michelle was being a jerk. Josie has a sweet voice to me. Michelle was being obnoxious. There I said it. And while I’m on the topic of DQ, I thought the dress she wore for SiRen’s wedding was horrid. She followed her boobs down the aisle. She looked silly to me. 

[mollysmom]

13 hours ago, Chickenbutt said:

I could never homeschool my kids/gr kids because a) I'm not smart enough b) I'm not disciplined enough and c) I would probably bring back corporal punishment in "my" school. Or to put it more nicely....I don't have the patience for it. 

But at least you recognize that & choose to spare both you & your children from being miserable!!!  I CERTAINLY wouldn't be able to homeschool my kids (if I had any) for the same reasons you listed!!!

25 minutes ago, KelseyAnn said:

Was anyone else kind of surprised to see Michelle being kind of rough/aggressive with Josie for saying bomb instead of bombs? 

I would have though Josie to precious for scolding. 

Is there video of this I can watch? I saw the snip of Josie singing but I didn't see that part.

[libgirl2]

14 hours ago, Chickenbutt said:

I could never homeschool my kids/gr kids because a) I'm not smart enough b) I'm not disciplined enough and c) I would probably bring back corporal punishment in "my" school. Or to put it more nicely....I don't have the patience for it. 

I barely had the patience to go through homework. Thank God my son was a very good student and didn't need too much help,

My best friend home schooled her daughters (for religious reasons) until they hit middle school. She has a master's degree and is very intelligent. The religious fervor died down and the girls went to public school. They were with or ahead in areas of their age groups.

[KelseyAnn]

1 hour ago, mollysmom said:

But at least you recognize that & choose to spare both you & your children from being miserable!!!  I CERTAINLY wouldn't be able to homeschool my kids (if I had any) for the same reasons you listed!!!

Is there video of this I can watch? I saw the snip of Josie singing but I didn't see that part.

I think it was a preview for next episode? IDK for sure, I was at work and caught a glimpse while I was trying to get my consumer not to run outside without any clothes. 

[Daisy0322]

I've been on a social media and internet break because I felt like I spent too much time on it and not enough time present with my son but Im coming out of my sabbatical for a moment since I watched the season premiere...

Jessa is definitely the "star" now. It felt like the show was told through her eyes in a way. I think that's mainly because of her strong social media presence though. 

Lauren seems comfortable with the camera and seems normal-esk with the sisters but Si came and she turned into a giggly, doe- eyed, ring hunting, baby hungry, fundy drone. Her breathy voice doesn't bother me too much... oddly it kind of reminds me of Marilyn Monroe. 

Speaking of giggly... KENDRA. Girl would probably be a pet fundy of mine if she'd quit that incessant giggling. She reminds me of a school girl stereotype. I found it funny though when she admitted she hadn't been much of anywhere and I do like how friendly she is. It seems very genuine. 

Are the sponsored by market place? They have to have other options right? Why do the go there so often?

Ugh she ordered fruit... I hope that it's because she's actually health conscious and not because she's thinking about fitting in a wedding dress and the pressure of being in tv. 

Si seems pretty natural with her but she seems stiffer when he's around. I think that's to be expected though... it just occurred to me that a courtposal is pretty much and unofficial real proposal and how un-special that must have been for her at the market place with his sisters. Also side note- they are all horrible at acting surprised when they finally get asked to court. 

Im jealous of the Greece honeymoon... that's my dream vacation! They did decent. I think a lot of what makes them look uneducated is them being young, untraveled, or staged. I can't say that I don't have stupid moments, I just don't have them on camera lol. Also I had no clue real Greek salad didn't have lettuce so I don't think that's ignorant really... no one knows everything. But the Greek mythology TH is just sad. They should at least know a couple.

Everything in Laredo was just time filler and annoying. 

Jessa never seems to like Bens creative presents to me. They are definitely marketed as the role models to the other marrieds though.  Ben dies well with the kids... I think he actually is very involved with and without the cameras there.

The wedding was pretty... I like the dress a lot better now. The both seemed like it was a business arrangement though. Those vows were intense and kind of sullen. THAT KISS THOUGH....DAMN. If that was real then I expect they may have the best sexual chemistry yet... I'm going to need more evidence though. 

 

[Carm_88]

I had great teachers, horrible teachers, and teachers that fell somewhere in between. There are certain people who get a degree in education who should never step foot in a classroom. However, if my parents tried to teach me anything, I would have ended up with no high school diploma. Until, I was old enough to do homework for myself, it was a pain. My Mom would force me to sit down and do it, I would be drilled nonstop until I cried. Once I cried, she would try to do it for me. That's not what I wanted, I wanted her to leave me alone so that I could do it the way I was taught. It was absolutely horrible. 

Teachers are trained to teach kids of all skill levels and all ways of learning. My friends who are teachers talk about their nonstop planning and how the best moments of their days is when the kid who thinks that they are stupid, gets it! Teaching is a hard and often thankless job and I truly appreciate all the teachers who gave me a good school experience.