Truancy in the Panhandle~ A Mother’s Rant

There was a meeting yesterday in the Panhandle, a meeting that has been duplicated across the state to address the truancy issue in West Virginia.

{For those not familiar with the term (and I wasn’t until I started in the social work field), truancy is being absent from school without permission.}

Some of you may be surprised that this is a HUGE problem in the Panhandle, some of you may be part of the problem.

22% of students in Berkeley County were absent {unexcused} more than 10 days of the school year last year.  We aren’t talking about missing a day or two for the stomach flu or an extended family weekend.  Truancy is kids staying home from school for no acceptable reason.

Why is this a problem?

This is how I, as someone who works with teens on a daily basis and have four of my own, view truancy: Truancy is a gateway drug.
If a child is supposed to be in school and isn’t- What are they doing with their time?  Who is supervising them? Who are they hanging out with?  How far are they falling behind in their studies?

Nothing constructive is taking place, I can assure you.

As someone noted in a meeting I attended today: “it starts with truancy”.  What starts? Irresponsible behavior, casual sex, drug use, criminal activity, dropping out, teen pregnancy and more.

The statistics are there to support this {read the Martinsburg Journal’s article here}  hypothesis.  And I see it every day with my own eyes.

In my work with teen moms I have encountered students that missed more school than they attended {and that was BEFORE they ended up pregnant!!! }.

Parents, please stand up and be a parent. If your 7th or 8th grader “won’t” go to school, you have a parenting issue.  My 14 and 15 year old boys know better than to even try to skip school. They don’t get to stay home unless they are vomiting or running a fever.  If they miss the bus, I drive them.  If it became an issue, they know that I would sit with them through each class {in my bathrobe and slippers} if that is what it took for them to fulfill their responsibility of receiving an adequate and appropriate education.  Their future is at stake and if they aren’t mature enough to care about that, I am.

As a society, we act surprised at the sense of entitlement and lack of work ethic in the majority of teenagers we encounter.  Many say “the school needs to do a better job of XYZ” or “the community needs to do a better job of ABC”. This problem, of truancy and the other issues that can stem from it, are a legitimate concern in this state and in this area.   I want to suggest that parents need to do a better job of being parents if we want to see change occur with issues such as truancy.

No is a complete sentence.  When it comes to staying home from school, please learn how to say “no” to your child.  The alternative is not attractive!

**Editor’s Note: I have many friends that homeschool their children, a choice that I respect. Please know this article is not directed towards homeschoolers.  This is about the truancy of enrolled public school students.**

Mabel’s Labels for an organized school year

A new school year brings many challenges.  Kids that need to get up earlier, learn their schedule, make new friends and stay organized in the process.

I was excited to receive a personalized {for my son} set of Mabel’s labels to try out for the school year.  The Ultimate back-to-school pack came with skinny mini labels {perfect for folders, notebooks, etc}, shoe labels {which go in the bottom of your child’s shoe, just love this concept!} and tag mates {which apply right to clothing labels.  We used this for gym clothes and jackets}.

Mabel’s Labels is a company owned and operated by mom’s just like us.  Their product makes sense and with prices that range from $12-$21 they are affordable as well.  I love the durability of the labels- if they can make it through what my boys can put something through, then you know they are made to last.

I am looking forward to purchasing some for my Sweet Pea as she heads to daycare a few days a week.  Mabel’s Labels are perfect for sippy cups and survive the dishwasher and microwave!

How do you help your kids stay organized for the school year?

I was provided an Ultimate School Combo. Opinions are mine and not influenced in any way.

Back to school tips

Previously featured on The TODAY Show, Martha Stewart, MSNBC, Rachael Ray and Fox & Friends, Michelle Madhok is a well-known expert who can help parents get through this year’s back-to-school shopping with flying colors! 

Here are some of her tips for a successful back to school year:

1. Shop online. Only. Avoid the back-to-school mayhem entirely. Carve out time with each child to cybershop, saving contents of shopping carts until all the kids are done!

2. Sign-up for Price Alerts – Sites exist where you can sign-up to be notified when an item is marked down

3.       Earn cash back on purchases – Take advantage of websites like Ebates.com shopping websites that allow you to earn up to 20% cash back on online purchases

4.       Don’t pay for shipping – Join a service like ShopRunner that will give you fast, FREE shipping!

5.       Shop from the bottom up – Hit view all and then shop from the bottom up of the sale page. Everyone else will be shopping top down so things sell-out more quickly at the top of the page.

6.       Make a list – List out who you need to buy for on an organizing site like rememberthemilk.com and check-off when you score something for them

7.       Know the and return policies – Many items may be FINAL SALE, and are nonrefundable

8.       Skip the sales tax – Get big savings when you combine a sale and a coupon with a state-tax holiday. Sixteen states have tax holidays this year. Check out the full list of states here.

What are some of your back to school tips?

KinderPraise ~ fun for moms and kids

KinderPraise is a fun activity for moms and kids alike happening right here in the Eastern Panhandle!  I recently interviewed Pam Lehr, the founder and owner of KinderPraise.  Her responses are below, my questions in bold.

Tell us a little bit about Pam {the mom behind the KinderPraise concept}:

I have been a musician for as long as I can remember.  I love this wonderful gift God gave us and am discovering more musical blessings all the time.  I studied Music Education in college, majoring in the oboe.  In college I fell in love with a crazy wonderful guy and married him.  We have since had 3 beautiful children who never let life get dull.  One of my greatest joys has been sharing my love of music with my children. 

What led you to start KinderPraise?

Early in my teaching career, I began to look for ways to continue teaching music and be able to be a stay-at-home mom.  God lead me into early childhood (EC) music education and I received my training through Kindermusik® and Musikgarten®.  After the birth of my daughter, I began teaching EC music classes through my own small business and the Jefferson County Parks and Rec.  While I was teaching these classes, God showed me the verse Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise” (NIV).  About this time I also discovered a curriculum for EC music that was faith-based.  However, I had to wait a while until my husband and I were in a financial position not to need the income from the classes I taught.  I knew if I did these classes as a ministry and service to the community, I would not want to charge tuition for them.  A short time later, my husband’s income increased and KinderPraise was born.

What could a mom and child expect from a KinderPraise class?

There is a lot of emphasis on bonding in our classes.  The lessons are structured in such a way that most children are delighted with the activities and so the bonding is joyful and natural.  It’s a place where you can focus on your child as they are joyfully engaged in the activities in the class.  Activities vary depending on age, but typical activities include bouncing, rocking, and movement songs, and play with scarves, hoops, drums, jingle bells, rhythm sticks and shakers.  Children will also be exposed to age appropriate melody instruments and develop focused listening skills.  Children are also encouraged to respond vocally and musically throughout the class.  Along with the musical activities, there is also an introduction to prayer and the Bible (in the Preschool and Elementary).

What is the cost?

There is no cost for tuition for KinderPraise classes.  The materials cost is around $30 a semester depending on the class you sign up for.  The KinderPraise Academy class is more expensive because students are receiving and using a tone quality EC glockenspiel (think xylophone) for the class.  The good news, though,  is that we have for the most part used the same materials since KinderPraise started in 2002.  So, if you already have the materials, or can borrow them from a friend, the class is free!  We also provide materials for families that cannot afford to pay for them, and we also offer the option of paying for the materials in installments throughout the semester.  Siblings in the same class can share materials.

Where are the classes?

We currently hold classes at First Baptist Church in Martinsburg, WV and at Covenant Church in Shepherdstown, WV.  We are always looking for new teachers and new locations, though.  Currently, KinderPraise is also pursuing non-profit status.  Once this happens, I think we will be able to find new ways to expand and make this available at more locations.  I have to also say that I have been blessed over the years to train and teach with some amazingly gifted teachers.  They really are my breath of fresh air that keeps me going.  I love my KinderPraise team!

Who should we contact if interested in signing up {include deadlines, etc}?

You can call me at (304)263-9083, email at pamlehr@frontier.com or log onto our website at www.kinderpraise.com.  All of the current information is on the website and you can also register for classes on our website.  Classes start the week of 9/12/2011 and our registration deadline is 9/1/2011.  After the deadline, you can still register, but there will be an additional $3 charge for materials due to extra shipping cost.

Back to School Bash

It seems like the summer has flown by!  My boys return to school {Berkeley County} in less than a month!  We will be having a back to school bash here at Eastern Panhandle Moms August 1-5th with special deals, ideas and giveaways!  So mark your calendars and subscribe to our Facebook page and blog updates to make sure you don’t miss out!

Are your kids going to deal with this in school?

By Nathan A. Cherry

There was a time when things were simple. You didn’t need a technology degree to operate a phone, and cars were not smarter than the people driving them. But, things change. And while many of the changes in technology and society have been good, some seem to be more damaging than helpful. So when I hear phrases like “gender identity,” or “ender confusion,” and “gender bending” I can’t help but sigh and wish for those simpler times.

It would seem that those simple times are long gone, to be replaced by a world of politically correct phrases that aim at affirming adolescent confusion encouraged by parents, society, and culture. The results are often sad as children and teenagers become increasingly confused about who they really are. Instead of finding safe guidance toward reality and the encouragement that a mistake did not take place at birth; that they were born a boy and should act like a boy, they are being pushed harder to “explore their sexuality” and engage in “gender bending” to discover their “authentic self.”

Did anyone understand that last sentence? Me either.

What I do understand is that more children and teenagers are being pushed into dangerous behaviors that will ultimately cause a lifetime of mental, emotional, and even physical harm. Take a look at some of the recent stories from around country dealing with this issue of “gender confusion.” (Click here for the original article).

• “The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) amends its constitution, dropping the requirement that players be “female at birth.” A former male SWAT team member now living as a woman, Lana Lawless, had sued the organization in order to play in a tournament.”

• “A group of students from Seattle’s Queer Youth Space travels around to schools, churches, detention centers and counseling groups. Their goal is to reteach gender and sexuality. Here are just a few statements from their 3-minute video: It’s about being queer. This is reteaching gender and sexuality. Because we all have a gender and a sexuality. I am a boy and a girl. This is about how my identities cannot be summed up in letters. People assume that I’m a boy.”

• “An IRS Tax Court awards the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders group $250,000 for court costs. The costs were incurred in a case earlier this year, when the IRS ruled that medical expenses for “sexual reassignment surgery” could be deducted from a transgender-identified woman’s income tax filing. The majority in the 11 - 5 decision believed that surgery and hormones were medically necessary to treat Gender Identity Disorder (GID).”

• “A female college athlete tells her coach and team that she is a man, because that is how she feels inside. So against all the physical evidence of her body, those around her talk to her as if she were a man. The NCAA begins developing new policies to deal with gender-confused athletes.”

Perhaps one of the most troubling stories I’ve read lately is the account of a mother who is encouraging her son’s fascination with dressing up like a girl. She even wrote a book about it to teach others how to foster such behavior. She believes her son is expressing his “authentic self” and wants to encourage and affirm his behavior.

I wonder if she would encourage his behavior is a chair if he were to believe he was a chair. Or if he wanted to be a thief would she encourage that behavior too? Just because my son puts his sisters headband on doesn’t mean I run out and buy him a doll and dress. It means he is a boy playing. And just because I think I’m a car doesn’t mean I am…I’m a man.

Maybe that’s too black and white for the “gender bending” elites of our society. Maybe I’m old-fashioned (I’m barely over 30!?). Or maybe I have a sense of morality that demands adherence to certain rules of nature; including the rule that boys are not girls and girls are not boys. If that makes me narrow minded so be it. However, I hardly think I am in the minority in my view, regardless of what the liberal media and political pundits claim. The fact is, more Americans continue to espouse traditional views of morality and virtue. You know the kind that raises boys to be men and girls to be ladies; and doesn’t apologize for it.

Nathan A. Cherry lives in Bunker Hill with his wife and two children. He is a contributing blogger for the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as well as Eastern Panhandle Moms. Nathan is the Connection Pastor at New Hope Church in Inwood West Virginia where he serves to connect folks into places of service both within the church and in the community

West Virginia Chooses Title V Funding for Abstinence

Despite the outrage of Planned Parenthood and NARAL, states are pursuing abstinence-only sex education funding from the federal government. Even though President Obama sought to completely defund abstinence-only programs, not only do they still exist, but many states are turning toward them and seeking their help.

In 2009 a total of 29 states participated in these morally responsible programs that seek to teach students that abstinence is the only sure-fire way to avoid STD’s and unplanned pregnancy, according to a recent article by Citizenlink.com.

Of these participating states five chose not to reapply for the programs.

However, at least eight new states have applied for 2011 funding.

Citizenlink had this to say on the decision of Virginia and Minnesota to seek abstinence-only funding:

“The state chapters of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice were outraged after learning that Republican Govs. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota opted to forego the government-preferred Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funding for the abstinence-only funding option.
Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation of Virginia, did not mince words when defending McDonnell’s decision.
‘Despite the rhetoric from the economic loser in this decision – Planned Parenthood – recent studies have shown that abstinence education effectively helps teens postpone risky sexual behavior,’ Cobb said.”

Planned Parenthood and NARAL are indeed the losers here.

I am pleased to see that West Virginia has been on the list of states participating in this funding and education option, and has continued to stick with it.

Having recently become involved with the Young Lives program of the Eastern Panhandle and area director Jill Bevins, I can clearly see the need for abstinence education. And, after spending some time with Ms. Bevins learning more about her organization I quickly saw a very real passion she and her volunteers have for this often forgotten, ostracized group in society. 

I was saddened to learn that Berkeley County (where I live) has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state of West Virginia. In an area full of affluence it further proves that values must be taught regardless of socio-economic status. Just because you live in a middle class, or upper middle class area doesn’t mean teen pregnancy isn’t going on; it’s not just an issue in lower socio-economic or minority areas.

I want to underscore the message and value of abstinence education in our public schools. There is absolutely no other way to be 100% safe against STD’s and unplanned pregnancy than to abstain. No other method even compares. This method, however, calls on students to exercise restraint in the midst of a sex-crazed society that says there should be no rules regarding sexuality. A devious message to be sure.

In fact, the reason Jill Bevins and Young Lives of the Eastern Panhandle have more than 30 pregnant high school and middle-school girls they are currently helping is because parents, schools, government, and society have fed them a spoonful of lies. It’s a medicine that is easy going down but leaves a bitter taste later on.

For more information on the Young Lives of the Eastern Panhandle Organization contact Jill Bevins by clicking here.

 Nathan A. Cherry lives in Bunker Hill with his wife and two children. He is a contributing blogger for the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as well as Eastern Panhandle Moms. Nathan is the Connection Pastor at New Hope Church in Inwood West Virginia where he serves to connect folks into places of service both within the church and in the community.

Will lawmakers have final say in parenting?

As if parental rights are not under constant attack already, a great threat to the desires and wishes of parents in raising their children is looming.  As Citizenlink.com (a division of Focus on the Family) reports, “U.S. senators are under pressure to ratify a U.N. treaty that could give government the last word on parenting decisions.”

At the center of this firestorm is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This treaty gives “the government the power to override decisions of good parents when their choices differ from the paths favored by the progressive Left.”

More specifically, parental rights concerning the “ability to direct their children’s spiritual upbringing, as well as what – and when – they learn about sexuality” would all be in danger. As if teen sex, pregnancy, and spiritual matters are better left in the hands of the government?

This is just another obvious example of the radical left’s attempt to undermine parents that intend to raise their children with the strong conservative values that help shape America. This can be described as nothing more than political game-play with the welfare of our children intended to brainwash them into being political pawns.

However, thankfully, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has offered a resolution (S.R. 519) to defeat adoption of the UN treaty and preserve parental rights. Sen. DeMint believes that the UN treaty “undermines traditional principles of law in the United States, regarding parents and children,” and offers an example in which “the United Kingdom was found to be in violation of the Convention … for allowing parents to exercise a right to opt their children out of sex education courses in the public schools, without a prior government review of the wishes of the child.”

Nope, that is not a typo. The United Kingdom was in violation of the UN’s UNCRC because they allowed parents to make the decision to pull their kids out of sex education classes and did not check with the kids first. This truly is a dangerous treaty that would bind the United States government to an international law in which parents have fewer rights over their kids than government.

The bottom line is that neither the government nor children themselves know what is best for kids in raising them. That responsibility belongs to good parents that seek the best for their children. (The full article can be viewed here.)

The Citizenlink Action Center offers quick and easy methods of contacting your Senators to ask them to help defeat adoption of this terrible UN Treaty. Sen. DeMint has 30 co-sponsors for S.R. 519 and needs just 34 total to defeat the treaty. Take action today.

 Nathan A. Cherry lives in Bunker Hill with his wife and two children. He is a contributing blogger for the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as well as Eastern Panhandle Moms. Nathan is the Connection Pastor at New Hope Church in Inwood West Virginia where he serves to connect folks into places of service both within the church and in the community.

Would you approve this curriculum?

Martinsburg, WV – Parenthood in the 21^st century has enough stress. When the state of the economy, political landscape, political correctness, and so many other factors are considered it’s a wonder we all don’t end up in a padded room together. But one of the joys of being a parent is the ability to teach and train our kids in a manner we see fit. We have the opportunity to impart our values and convictions to our kids believing they will mature into honorable men and women. But what do you do when other people are trying to usurp your authority and indoctrinate your kids?

Parents in Montana are facing this very real battle. Families in Montana were recently made aware of a new sex-ed curriculum that would be imposed upon every student in every school. The new curriculum drew criticism from across the country after parts of it were revealed; particularly the parts where Kindergarten students are taught basic human body parts and 1^st graders are taught homosexuality.

Forget that most government sanctioned sex-ed programs are a clear trampling of parental rights. And forget for a moment that many government sex-ed programs violate the religious liberty of many families. Let’s just be practical, realistic for a moment. Is there any benefit at all to teaching a 5 year old about basic human body parts? Is that what is most essential in the physical, mental and emotional development of a child at that age? I can’t see it.

What I can see is an attempt to indoctrinate kids with governmental rhetoric on what sexuality is and is not – regardless of the religious views of the family. What I can see is a push into subjects children are not emotionally ready to deal with. What I can see is teaching something that will ensure early experimentation with sex that will lead to teen pregnancy and abortion; not to mention STD’s. But that’s me.

Below are some of the headlines and stories on this issue for your benefit. Staying informed will make us better people and better parents.

Montana School Board Considers Sex-Ed for Kindergartners, Parents Object
Parents in Helena, Mont., are fighting the public school board over an explicit sex-education curriculum being considered by the Helena School District.
The curriculum would start teaching children in kindergarten about family structures, and by 5th grade is shockingly explicit. (Click here to read more from Citizenlink)

Helena, Mont., Mulls Kindergarten Sex Ed
The Helena Public Schools Board of trustees faced a large and emotionally charged crowd at its meeting Tuesday night as it considers whether to begin its sexual education curriculum in kindergarten. Click here to view the proposed curriculum.
The Montana Family Foundation is fighting the proposed changes, telling Fox News its biggest concern is teaching graphic sexual detail to kids who are not emotionally able to process or comprehend it. If the changes pass, kids as young as 5 will begin to learn medically accurate names for a number of both male and female “private parts.” (Click here to read more from Fox News)

Grade 1 Students to Learn about Gay Relationships in Montana Sex-Ed Program

A recently unveiled proposal to teach comprehensive sex education in grades K through 12 in Helena, Montana, public schools is attracting considerable controversy, as it comes up for debate Tuesday evening.
An outline of the proposed program, which can be found online, shows that students in grade 1 would be taught that “human beings can love people of the same gender.” In grade two they would learn that “making fun of people by calling them gay (e.g., ‘homo,’ ‘fag,’ ‘queer’) is disrespectful & hurtful.”
In grade 5, when students are typically 10 or 11 years old, they will be taught that sex can involve “vaginal, oral, or anal penetration.” They will also be taught about “sexual orientation.” In grade 6 they will be taught that sex can also involve “using the penis, fingers, tongue or objects.” (Click here to read more from LifeSiteNews)
Only if parents stay silent and refuse to speak up and object to this obvious indoctrination of a political agenda can such devious objectives be accomplished. It should be common sense that 5 and 6 year olds are not ready for any sort of sex-education. Pushing this sexualization of our kids is not only dangerous it’s an insult to parents taking the responsibility to teach and train their kids seriously. We don’t need more comprehensive sex-ed classes in school. We need more parents willing to speak up and tell the government to leave our kids alone as we teach them the core values and convictions that made this country great.

 Nathan A. Cherry lives in Bunker Hill with his wife and two children. He is a contributing blogger for the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as well as Eastern Panhandle Moms. Nathan is the Connection Pastor at New Hope Church in Inwood West Virginia where he serves to connect folks into places of service both within the church and in the community

Do you know who is teaching your kids? and what?

Martinsburg, WV – Parents, do you know that your authority and responsibility for the protection of your kids doesn’t end at the doors of the school-house? Now you do. Everyone from principals to school board officials to our national government would have you believe otherwise. But don’t be fooled. Your rights and responsibilities as parents extend into every hour and minute of your children’s lives.

Knowing this to be true I’m increasingly frustrated by parents that seem content to be spoon fed politically correct rhetoric while mindlessly doing exactly what they are told. The dangers in such conforming are incalculable in regards to the worldview a child adopts.

Consider for a moment that I recently reported on new findings which show a decrease in sexual activity among teens, especially among young men. So it would seem, contrary to cultural perception, that not everyone is “doing it” and there is good reason to teach abstinence rather than push condoms and promiscuity among teens.

Enter Planned Parenthood.

The brilliant folks at a Southwest Iowa Planned Parenthood drew anger from parents after teaching teens various sex positions – among other things – during a sex-education class. Let me be clear, I don’t believe it is the government’s or schools job to teach sex education to children; that right belongs to parents. But let’s suppose for a moment it was the schools job. In a class designed to teach sexual health and protection, what purpose does it serve to teach sex positions? Which part of sexual health does that facilitate learning?

And while Planned Parenthood says they “are not trying to keep any of this a secret. All information we use is medically accurate and science based.” I would point out that it is not a matter of keeping secrets but of undermining parental authority and rights in educating children.

If you want a better idea of how Planned Parenthood teaches check out their website for teens by clicking here. (Warning: explicit content)

If that wasn’t ridiculous enough the school board in Provincetown, Mass., has decided to hand out condoms to all their students…including first graders! What do first graders need condoms for? What possible benefit could there be to such dangerous, careless, negligent actions?

After the story broke nationally the school board was inundated with calls of objection to such a policy. One might think the school board would hastily reverse such a policy, seeing the error of their ways. One would be wrong to think that.

School Superintendent Beth Singer, after being hounded by press, parents, Gov. Deval Patrick and others commented that she “knew the policy wouldn’t work in every school district around the country, but that in Provincetown it’s the correct policy in order to protect kids.”

So Ms. Singer believes the best way to protect first graders is to give them condoms? She must have a very different definition of what “protection” is.

If the government, Planned Parenthood and schools refuse to do what is best for our children we must, as parents, step up and set clear guidelines for their education and growth. We cannot sit back and expect others to do what is our God-given responsibility. Parents, it is your job to be involved in your kids’ lives and know exactly what they are learning and where they are learning it. If you turn a deaf ear and blind eye to what they are being taught you cannot reasonably expect to be upset when they decide on values or beliefs that are contrary to yours. If you want them to honor and cherish the same beliefs you do, you must make it your highest priority to teach them.

For the sake of first graders everywhere I hope Ms. Singer and Planned Parenthood get a clue.

Nathan A. Cherry lives in Bunker Hill with his wife and two children. He is a contributing blogger for the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as well as Eastern Panhandle Moms. Nathan is the Connection Pastor at New Hope Church in Inwood West Virginia where he serves to connect folks into places of service both within the church and in the community.

Next Page »