{"id":1128,"date":"2017-02-10T12:22:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T02:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/?p=1128"},"modified":"2018-01-24T13:30:58","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T03:30:58","slug":"homeschooling-lobbying-fires-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/2017\/02\/homeschooling-lobbying-fires-contracts.html","title":{"rendered":"Homeschooling, Lobbying, Fires and Contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I haven\u2019t posted for a few weeks and I wasn\u2019t planning to post at all this month.\u00a0 I realised though that my silence right now is perhaps not such a good thing, given some of the things that have been going on in the Pagan Blogosphere.\u00a0 So this post is simply to update why I haven\u2019t been writing lately.<\/p>\n

\"homes
Homes for Home Ed<\/a>, a positive lobbying event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Homeschooling and Lobbying<\/h2>\n

If you follow me at all on Facebook, then you would already know about this.\u00a0 Last year, just before Christmas and so just before all the schools, various departments and most politicians went off on holidays, my states education department released proposed new education and training regulations.\u00a0 As part of those regulations is an increase in oversight on homeschooling.<\/p>\n

Most reading this probably aren\u2019t that interested, so I will keep the explanation short.\u00a0 The changes include things like requiring new homeschool applications to include a learning plan for the entire first year, everyone will undergo random reviews (which compare work done to those learning plans), and the worst the new rule that would require children to stay in school until the application is processed.\u00a0 28 days or more.<\/p>\n

Which is, you know, awesome for those children who are being removed from school because they are unsafe in school from bullying, abuse, assault, sexual assault or neglect.\u00a0 Children suffering physically, emotionally and mentally; children considering suicide.\u00a0 Forced to stay in school for 28 or more days<\/a>.\u00a0 Parents, having to ask permission to protect their children.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve been fighting the changes.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, if necessary we will comply with any new regulations.\u00a0 We can do plans and reviews (even if they are a waste of time and resources).\u00a0 The main problem, other than the children in danger in school thing, is that the department regulating us \u2013 well they hate homeschooling and they are about to be given almost unlimited power over us.<\/p>\n

So fighting, lobbying, protesting, petitioning<\/a>, writing letters to our members of parliament<\/a>, to newspapers, meeting with politicians and so much more.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been pretty busy and it isn\u2019t going to stop until March at the earliest.<\/p>\n

This is why I haven\u2019t been posting here at Patheos and why I don\u2019t plan to post again this month (unless something truly compelling catches my attention).<\/p>\n

Fire and Flame<\/h2>\n

A bit over a week ago my kids were playing in their toddler sisters room when they happened to look out the window and notice something odd about their trampoline.\u00a0 I went out to have a look.\u00a0 Gone.\u00a0 Or not entirely gone, the frame is still there.\u00a0 But the trampoline, which sits right next to my toddlers bedroom wall, right next to where she sleeps \u2013 it was lit on fire during the night.<\/p>\n

The police took about six hours to respond to my phone call about it and even then they haven\u2019t followed up after that first day. Haven\u2019t returned to take photos or anything.<\/p>\n

I guess arson isn\u2019t a big deal around here.\u00a0 In bushfire country in the hottest month of the year.<\/p>\n

\"trampoline
Unless they spontaneously catch fire?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Contracts<\/h2>\n

And of course while all this is happening all that contract stuff with Patheos began.\u00a0 I am sure you\u2019ve read all about the contracts and what they might possibly mean one day maybe.\u00a0 There is some loose and kind of distant connection between Patheos and various US organisations that I know nothing about \u2013 because why would I know about them?\u00a0 And there is the possibility that at some point Patheos may edit my posts (after discussing such edits with me), or they may delete my posts or they may censor me in some way (mostly swearing, but also any insults to Patheos or Beliefnet).<\/p>\n

And some of the bloggers here at Patheos are kind of upset by these things.\u00a0 And that\u2019s fine.\u00a0 They find the loose connections to be too much.\u00a0 They find the editorial changes to be too much \u2013 despite Patheos always having that right anyway.\u00a0 Or they find something else to be too much.\u00a0 And that\u2019s fine, their decision, their moral code they are dealing with.<\/p>\n

But me, I don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

Yes, I said that.\u00a0 I don\u2019t bloody care.\u00a0 I can\u2019t bring myself to care about a possibility based on a super loose and distant connection to various US organisations I know nothing about.\u00a0 I can\u2019t bring myself to care that someday they might possibly ask me if they can edit a post of mine.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care that they may delete my post. I don\u2019t care.\u00a0 So I signed the contract and will continue writing here (once February is finished).<\/p>\n

I have more important things to deal with than worry about a blogging contract that I can walk away from at any point in time.\u00a0 No one is forcing me to sign anything, no one is forcing me to write at Patheos forever.\u00a0 I choose what I do, when and how.\u00a0 And if Patheos don\u2019t like it \u2013 well that\u2019s fine, it\u2019s their house really.\u00a0 They don\u2019t want me to enter the house without first wiping my shoes on the doormat, so be it, their house their rules.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t want to follow their rules, then I should probably not go to their house.\u00a0 It\u2019s quite simple.<\/p>\n

And in case anyone is thinking my lack of care somehow equals me supporting various right wing or conservative or fundamentalist organisations, think again.\u00a0 It has nothing to do with those organisations.\u00a0 Consider my perspective here.<\/p>\n

Someone lit my kids trampoline on fire, a fire lit right next to the wall where my daughter was sleeping.\u00a0 A leaky overused outside tap is all that stopped her bedroom wall from catching the flames.<\/p>\n

Why should I care about a stupid internet contract.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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