I'm a Christian, Dave. I don't worship money and I hope I haven't come across that way. I agree. I know that if I'm not a giver now, I probably wouldn't be even if I was well-off. Same goes with attitude, humility, and happiness. But I do know there are plenty of people who are well off who donate their time and money to ministries and charities. For example, I know a guy who started a business from home and eventually grew it to be a well known company in the area. Now he has employees, which frees up his time. He spends probably 30-40% of his time traveling all over the state ministering to prison inmates and has put A LOT of his own money into buying books and materials for them. The band I'm in back home (at least when I am home) has led praise and worship for his organization a few times (in the prisons) over the last year. I think it would be nice to be able to do something like that full-time and have the resources to back me up.

I'd also like to home-school my son (when he is of age) and teach him practical things that I wish I would've been taught and not have to worry where the money is going to come from to pay my bills. I could do that already if I made just a little more in trading than I make now from my job - and that certainly is no where near 1M! I haven't even seen him for over 3 months because my job requires a lot of travel. Unfortunately, there isn't a job in my field of expertise in the town I live in or anywhere close to home.

OK, now I'm rambling - sorry. Back to you guys!

Actually, it's not a good idea to home school your kid, it's better for them to learn social skills with other kids. Sheltered kids are not prepared for the world until they go through some hardship and learn from them. That's why it's good to show them work ethics and try to get them a job so they understand how hard it is to make money, and appreciate it when they have it.

I made minimum wage when I was young, working the summers. I saw things in totally different perspective after I got my measly paycheck. I didn't even see things as money afterwards, it was like...ok, that will cost my 20 hours on the job just to buy.

Anyways, it's offtopic, I know.

That is the number one argument I always hear from people and I absolutely disagree. Statistically that is incorrect. Would you rather have a well educated child or a child who knows how to socialize?

Home schooled kids are not socially inept. I find this conception to be extremely hypocritical when coming from the NEA - the same NEA who claims that kids whose parents are involved in their schoolwork do better! Hmmm - I wonder why? Government schooled kids are much dumber now than they used to be back when the majority of teachers actually did their job. It didn't used to be that way back when there was less note passing and socialization in the classroom. I can give two examples:

1. When I was married and my oldest step daughter was in 7th grade, we were having a geographical discussion. Come to find out she had no earthly idea what latitude lines were - something I learned in 5th grade! Good thing I had a globe in the house from when I was a child.

Later, while talking about history I came to find out she had no idea who Hitler or Nazis were. I was absolutely shocked! When I was in 7th grade, we were reading Anne Frank's Diary! So I had to explain all of this to her.

These were not the only things that I ended up having to teach my children. There were times, after I mentioned wanting to home school the kids, that my kids were practically begging their mother to let me home school them. And this coming from a daughter who was VERY popular in school with many friends. But she didn't care. She wanted to learn and I made it appealing - something teachers have failed to do. I even asked my wife, who had been a teacher for two years, who could do a better job giving our kids an education with less money - me or the school? She looked at me after thinking about it and said, "you would be better."

2. I ended up becoming friends with a guy while I was a high school teenager who was home schooled. How ever did that happen? I thought home schooled kids didn't socialize! Yet here I was befriending him. He was 17 and a manager at a predominant restaurant - at 17! He had a level of maturity that no other kid his age had. He has gone from success to success ever since. I'm sure that if he had no social skills, they'd have never hired him.

To sum it up:

Kids have their whole lives ahead of them to learn how to socialize AFTER they get their education - and they'll be much more equipped to do so. And if they can't figure it out after that, then something is wrong! The very fact that you can sit down with your own child and have a dialog with them is in fact teaching them "social skills." I mean, come on - how the heck did we survive all these millennia without government schooling? Do you realize that one in five American adults currently believe that the sun revolves around the earth?!!! Or that only one out of ten knows what radiation is? That one in three knows that DNA is a key to heredity? That Americans generally don't know what molecules are? That is really sad! Read this. How do you suppose that came to be?

I don't think any kid is prepared for the world coming out of high school. I certainly wasn't. Most of us are green for several more years right out of school. School never really prepared me for what I would encounter in the years to come. I had to learn a lot of it by hard knocks. So I think this point is irrelevant as to who schooled you.

Again, this has nothing to do with school. Who is it you're talking about thats going to show them work ethics? The parent, who the child lives with and ends up emulating, or a teacher? I learned the value of a dollar when I was a kid and mowed lawns so that I could by a bike, a pair of shoes that I really wanted, and a video game system. It had nothing to do with school. The school didn't direct me to do that - my mother did.

I hope my reply doesn't come across as an argument - that certainly is not my intention. However, I am very passionate about my view on this. All I am saying is to step back and take a real good look at the information at hand. How much of it is propaganda and how much of it is really true? I've done my homework (no pun intended) over the years and thats what has led me to want to home school my child. It wasn't just something I've always wanted to do, but rather a conclusion I've come to after learning how things really are over a number of years. If you still disagree, thats fine. I have learned to agree to disagree with many people - and I'm perfectly OK with that. Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding - and I'm willing to take that chance.

Cheers!

P.S.
More links:
U.S. Falls In Education Rank Compared To Other Countries
AMERICAN EDUCATION FAILS BECAUSE IT ISN'T EDUCATION
More money, better education?
American Education Is Failing Students
Twenty Troubling Facts About American Education
U.S. Teens Rank Low in World Tests

I have to check in here, too. The government controled schools are a big joke.(US schools) I went to them and yes passed. Did real good with anything that had to do with math sicence history etc.. english (spelling) I am still on the 3th grade level. why? Why don't I know what a noun is or viol is? And a dangleing participle? dont think these are spelled right. I was the first of my class in every thing else but english it was the last. Toke some test out of HS and in math etc I had grades of 94-96 percentile in english it was 43. Thats the school system. Thank goodness I can read.


The teachers have the students beleive that all they need to know will be though them. All will given them by the system. That is seen here on this forum, people want to be given without working for it... give me your ea .... and soforth. Teaching students what they need to know is fine, but teaching them where to fine what they dont know, is fare more important in life.

Another thing with the school system is that they beat the creative juices out of the students. The ones that don't want to let go are casts as "'Rebels' Without a Cause". The what if view of the world is stolen from each student in the system. If you look at little kids they can see more then we adults can. Their world has no boundaries, no limits, the creativeaty inharent of a child is were all the inventions in the past came from, not from schools. Most of history is fill with people who created and invented brillant thing with out schools. The schools system today trys to beat each child into a mold to meet sociality views of perfection. If one doesnot fit then hes cast as a social retard. As social skills goes I went to public schools and a good example, as I'm about the most socially dysfunctional person your will ever meet.

An example of the teachings of the schools system; I will leave you with a question. "What is the meaning and intent of the 'Federal Constitution'"? Do your research you may not have been given the right answer. Ask your kids what they are and see what they answer is!!!! Now go back, and see what the govenment changed in the text (the original text) without anyones knowledge. That change, changed the 'subject' of the document. This is a very complex question it can not be answered with out research on your part.

Keit

I'm in no way taking this as an argument, it is actually very interesting for me to discuss this.

Obviously, we are not on the same side of this, but I respect what you are saying. I still feel that children should go to school, and form friendships and learn about social skills. Behaviorial patterns are learned in a very young age. Smart kids come from all backgrounds, I knew geniuses that came from public school too. Strong parenting is a definite must, so teaching them geography or whatever the school misses is a must. It is there to reinforce what the children have learned, schools are not going to be the end all. I would also recommend after school tutoring classes as well.

In a school, kids are exposed to all kinds of things that they cannot possibly do at home. Some good and some bad. They will be exposed early, and can slowly process them with a guiding hand from the parents. When they are off to college, you won't have a say what they did or thought.

How did making a million dollars morph into a home schooling debate?

Talk about derailing a thread!

LOL. Its all good. I don't mind. I love a great discussion.

LOL. Yeah, we better take it offline.

It is all good if you have salvation behind you and you have the heart of Christ within you and God is #1 in your life along with the other correct priorities as the Bible spells out. The point of what I was eluding to is that many lost souls (Not saved) have made the world, the riches of the world their top priorities in life. Where is Jesus / God in many of their lives - Nowhere or low on the scale of their priorities. These are the people in great jeopardy of losing their soul because they never wake up to find salvation and create the personal relationship with Him.

As long as we maintain the correct relationship with Jesus / God and with our family and friends, the pursuit of a better life is very much ok. When we find pride, arrogance, judgment of other less fortunate people and greed as a result of the accumulation of wealth in our life then we begin to start having relationship problems with others including God.

I feel very sad for people when I pass car washes on Sunday middle morning on the way to church and see bunches of cars being polished by people who are lost or very weak in their relationship with Jesus / God (Not attending church). The Bible says that the road leading to destruction is very wide and most will follow it. In Houston, Texas I would say that a rough estimate of people that have the assurance of going to Heaven (And Salvation through Jesus) is about 1 in 30 people. I suspect this may be a very conservative number if the whole nation was polled.

Money is a game and should not ruin or destroy us in the process. I know the adversary of God will use wealth to corrupt even the best if the best allow it to. Many times pride of wealth comes into a persons life and as the Bible states that pride comes before the fall. If a person can master our prideful nature and the influences and temptations of the adversary, go for it. But remember God at all times and share with others as Jesus gave His all for our Salvation.

I treat trading in Forex as just a game. I use my own money and if I have made excess, I share it with God and the homeless on the streets of Houston. This gives me a way to Evangelize and help the people that need hope as Jesus did during His ministry on Earth. This is not to brag or be prideful, but to illustrate that we all can make a difference to people that are in greater need then ourselves in the world - One person at a time! If you do not have a giving heart, ask God to give you one with love towards all others. If you find that you problems giving to other races, then ask God to take wrong nature out of your heart. Let your light shine for all to see and give glory and honor to our Father in Heaven!

Reverend Dave
<><<<<

^^

So what does a reverend use to trade??? And do you use an EA???

Wait, wait...please forgive me for this...let me guess the name of your EA. Is it divine intervention or.....holy grail? LOL.

Just kidding with ya rev, and put in a good word for me, ya?