I have to be honest and say that I hate politics. I really do. It’s hard to know what or who to believe and discussion, especially about issues I am passionate about, like abortion, really upset me. But, I do believe strongly that every American citizen of voting age has the responsibility to participate in the process.

So with things heating up for November’s presidential election and all the media spin and the commercials - oi! it’s enough to drive me nuts!!! I digress - sorry. Like it or not, there is an important election around the corner.

My reason for writing this post is because of a thought-provoking article written by Mary Pride, publisher of Practical Homeschooling. In her article she discusses the issue of homeschooling and candidates’ positions on the subject. The title of her article, which may surprise you, is Huckabee Not the Best for Homeschoolers. Hmmm, but what about all the homeschooler endorsements for Huckabee we’ve been hearing about? Confusing, huh? Ms. Prides article is well-written and I think she raises some good points for consideration. If you’d like to read it, and I strongly encourage you to do so; it can be found here.

Towards the end of the article is a link, to a chart comparing candidates views on various issues. Take the time to look at it. Another good resource for comparing the candidates postions is On the Issues. Look for the link on the upper right hand corner that says “2008 Race”. You’ll find a lot of interesting information there. (Just click “cancel” on the annoying pop-up.)

Lastly, this is a great time to teach your kids about the election process, the US government and media bias. Here are some resources to help:

• Ben’s Guide to US Government for Kids: Contains great education information for grades K-12
• Provided by StudentNewsDaily (a great Current Events site!) Conservative vs. Liberal Beliefs
• Media Bias: News Bias Explored and How Media Shapes Perception

Another family-fun resource that teaches about the presidential election process is a board game called “Hail to the Chief“. We played this game before the 2004 election and even our non-gaming granddaugter enjoyed it and the whole family learned.

It’s an important election facing us, so as homeschoolers, let’s take advantage of the opportunity we have to really get to know the candidates and teach our kids about this wonderful privilege we enjoy and that so many have sacrificed so much for - voting.

Sue

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This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2008 at 12:42 pm and is filed under In the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.