The Rules Have Changed

The old rules of money changed in 1971 when Richard Nixon removed the gold backing of our dollar. Money, which used to be backed by gold, became currency, backed by nothing but faith in the U.S. government.

In his daily Dow Theory Letters, Richard Russell sheds light on how these economic changes are affecting our lives.

Last week Russell shared a fascinating article by Paul Craig Roberts, Watching the Dollar Die. Roberts explains in his article that, without a gold standard, the dollar’s value is dropping like a rock. Inflation skyrockets and the Federal Reserve resorts to printing massive amounts of “money.” In fact, they’re printing so many paper dollars that the Federal Reserve stated in March 2006 that they will no longer publicize how much M3 currency they’re putting into circulation. The more they print, the less it’s worth!

Those who are playing by the old rules of “save money” and “diversify for the long term” will painfully see that this is a new game where the old rules do not apply.

Pioneering homeschoolers need to lead the movement for a relevant financial literacy which teaches our kids the new rules of money and prepares them for the economy they will encounter.

Homeschooling Illegal in California

Homeschooling parents must now be certified by the state of California in order to teach their own children. So says Judge H. Walter Croskey of Los Angeles in a new ruling published February 28, 2008. California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, opposes this ruling.

Looks like California is retreating back to the Dark Ages. I went through this scenario way back in 1981 when I was denied permission by a Colorado school district to homeschool my own children because I did not have an official state teaching certificate. I took a few college courses to become state-certified and then permission was granted. I was automatically qualified! Fortunately, the emerging homeschool group worked with the state to eventually overturn such nonsense.

California should deal with individual abuses of freedom rather than outlaw the entire homeschooling movement. Michael Farris, president of HSLDA (Homeschooling Legal Defense Association) says, "At the heart of this case is a distrust of parents."

Please join HSLDA's petition to oppose this ruling.

John Taylor Gatto spoke about “The Weapons of Mass Instruction” last weekend at HENA's (Home Educators Network of Arizona) homeschooling conference. For those of you who may not know, Mr. Gatto was a public school teacher for over 30 years and even became New York State Teacher of the Year. After winning the award, he quit teaching because he was “tired of hurting kids.”

Mr. Gatto shared stories of how colorful characters like Richard Branson, Diablo Cody (Academy Award winner for the movie Juno) learned real-life lessons far from a school classroom. These experiences helped propel them to real-world success.

I later shared how homeschoolers have a unique opportunity to teach their children real-life lessons which will enable them to take control of their financial life. The Rich Dad Company provides the tools to become financially free.

First Day of School

Two weeks ago school began in our area. While their neighborhood friends sat in classrooms writing essays on what they did over the summer, my two oldest children sat in small sailboats on the Bay, practicing their newly acquired sailing skills. It was a glorious morning. The sun was shining, the air was warm and the wind was perfect for a morning of sailing. As my daughter and son maneuvered their boats so far out that I needed binoculars to see them, I smiled. The experience reinforced my decision to homeschool. Learning to write an essay is important, but how much more important is it to instill self-confidence into your child? To actually feel the forces of nature as opposed to reading about them? Homeschooling. It's not for everyone but for our family it was the right choice.

10 Home School Tips from Kathleen

I don’t claim to be an expert on home schooling or parenting, but there are certain things that I’ve learned in the course of home schooling. I’d like to share some of them with you and invite your thoughts as well.
1. Get clear on your educational philosophy and goals first, and then implement a plan to meet those goals. This is especially true when selecting curriculum.

2. Join a local home school group. They usually have fun activities for kids and they expect that you’ll be taking siblings along as well.

3. Get the kids OUT of the house. Children learn more outside of a classroom environment than inside. Our favorite outings are to construction sites.

4. When blessed with a gorgeous day, ditch the books and grab your bikes! PE (physical education) is important, too!

5. Animal Planet is a great way to great way to introduce your children to sex education (and a whole lot less embarrassing, as well!).

6. Cash Flow For Kids is an excellent tool for incorporating math in your curriculum, plus you don’t have to fight with your kids to do it!

7. A lemonade stand is still the best way to teach entrepreneurship to children. Read Rich Dad’s Escape From The Rat Race first and they’ll get a whole lot more from the experience.

8. Take advantage of the ability to travel during the off seasons. Rates are lower and attractions are not as crowded.

9. Take your kids to the office as much as practical. It’s great exposure to the “real” world.

10. Stick with it! Even the worst day of home schooling is better than a good day at public schools.

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire” - William Butler Yeats

10 Home School Tips from Anita

My kids are now young adults, but here are some ideas that I used---or that I wished I had used!

1. Start a home business and let the kids become your employees (tax benefit) or let them be creative and run their own business. They’ll learn accounting, legal matters, customer relations, and more in a real-world setting.

2. Teach your kids to “read” by creating a small “storybook”--complete with family pictures and short captions under each photo. My little ones memorized their books quickly and loved to “read” their story to Grandma and Grandpa. MyAlbumMaker.com is a great way to create a scrapbook online!

3. Allow your children to develop at their own pace. My oldest boy started reading at 5 years old. My youngest didn’t start until he was almost 8. In the end, it made little difference. Both graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

4. Help them set goals in all areas of life, and work together to plan strategies to achieve their goals. Encourage them to dream and think beyond today. MyGoalManager.com is a simple and easy way to create and keep track of your goals.

5. Don’t feel like they have to do every page of the workbook, textbook, etc. If they already know and remember the material, skip it (or quickly review) and move on to something new. Don’t waste time and energy rehashing old stuff.

6. Make your home school unique. You don’t have to offer a “home version” of the public school. Give your kids what you wished you would have had in school.

7. Give your children small rewards for achieving short-term goals. A special outing when they finish a project will help keep them motivated.

8. Create memories--and make sure you take lots of pictures. Remember the snowball fights, train rides, rodeos, bike rides... Take off-season vacations while other kids are in school. My adult children are still best friends, in part, because they share so many memories.

9. Take your kids with you as you volunteer in different settings (shelters, inner city rescue missions, Habitat for Humanity, etc.) It broadens their context to move outside their comfort zone and teaches them important values.

10. Financial education is a vital subject that is rarely taught in any curriculum. Teach CASHFLOW principles so they can create wealth to provide for themselves and to serve others.

Naval Academy Graduate Takes Kids Out Of School

“Traditional schools can not deliver the quality of education I demand for my kids”

As a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I was fortunate enough to receive the best education that the United States has to offer. The Class of 1984 had roughly 12,000 applicants, accepted 1,100 and only 100 of those were women. It was sheer determination that enabled me to endure the rigors of Annapolis and graduate as one of 64 women in our class.

As a mother of four children, I wanted the same standard of education for my own family. Unfortunately, the public schools can not deliver the quality of education that I demand for my kids. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2005 only 23% of high school seniors performed at or above “proficient” at mathematics.

I spent 20 years in the naval service, circumnavigating the world on five different ships. I have seen first hand that the world is rapidly changing and that traditional schools are not preparing our children for these changes.

Instead of driving a multi-million dollar war ship loaded with cruise missiles through the Straits of Hormuz, I now drive a mini-van loaded with car seats through American suburbia. My new mission is to provide my children with an education that is relevant and one that will enable them to compete in this ever changing world.

To accomplish this mission I had to home school. Homeschooling allowed my husband and I to pack up the four kids, four dogs, and three guinea pigs and move here to Scottsdale where I have been privileged to work with the Rich Dad company and expose my children to the "real world" of business. My work here has also enabled me to share the message of financial literacy and freedom to thousands of other home schoolers around the world.