Cult Fandom

...what does that even mean? (Not to diminish your joy in your diamond shoes.)

DARE's numbers show higher drug rates use than kids not exposed to DARE. It's not just you.

Well, are all kids everywhere equally exposed to DARE? Or is DARE primarily used for kids who are already at a higher risk of drug use?

Here's one DARE study, Gud: [link]

Feh on the subtitle change, but still. This is all so exciting.

Getting your own line of mousepads is definitely a sign of coolness.

My wife points out that her brother started drinking while at school and experimenting with some drugs which led indirectly to a brain injury that has been a tremendous burden on him and the family. She also likes to point out stories in the news about bad things that happen in schools.

I know that many home-schooled kids have done really well, but I think she really needs more experience dealing with other people.

Also, staying at home? Not that safe.

Staying at home may be more dangerous than you think, according to a recent survey. Over 2.8 million people attended accident and emergency departments last year [1998] as a result of accidents in the home.

The survey by the Department of Trade and Industry showed that falls, slips, and trips were the most common cause of household injuries. However, a surprisingly large number of accidents happened while people were involved in no particular activity at all.

Eating and drinking claimed 42 000 casualties. Seemingly innocent household items also resulted in trips to hospital. Slippers accounted for over 37 000 injuries, flower pots for 3500, and tissue paper injured over 1500 people.

That's freaky, Jessica. What little I remember of the DARE thing was in elementary and was tshirts and um...that's all really. They certainly didn't teach us jack about what drugs looked like or really any specifics. The electrical safety guy from the power company was much cooler. He put a hotdog inside a damaged insulated glove and fried that sucker with a giant blue arc froma transformer(or something) !

I should also say, I don't think the fact that DARE sucks is a reason not to send kids to public school.

Or is DARE primarily used for kids who are already at a higher risk of drug use?

Nope. [ETA: Used in 80% of the school districts in the United States, in 54 other countries around the world, and is taught to 36,000,000 students each year] It's just a really ineffective, non-scientific program. And disturbingly cult-like its ownself.

Agreed that this is far from a reason to fear the public schools. But it might be a place where you can give Mrs. Gud some validation and have E exempted (assuming DARE is the program they use at your local schools).

Happy Birthday Leif!

one thing that is making you happy today

It's Friday.
I have my big ipod with me today, so I have lots of music to drown people out with.

blargh. I came home sick with uglybad headache thing. Do not want.

ION, the hub was homeschooled through 9th grade, and is seriously agin it for all the socializing reasons mentioned, as well as the fact that it really wasn't a very good education once he got beyond the early-years skills stuff -- not that his mother didn't try hard to teach him, and she covered all the stuff recommended by the curriculum they were following, but with none of the expertise or resources or learning-from-peers that goes on even in okay schools... why punish a kid just for the sake of your own sense that he's a special unique snowflake who can't possibly be served by the same schools as everyone else, you know?