Legalities Of Homeschooling In California

A court ruling in Oakland, California has added another legal mine in the murky landscape of right for Californians to homeschool their children. According to this ruling "parent do not have a constitutional right" to home-school their children. This ruling has touched off anger and bewilderment throughout America's home-schooling community. It even prompted a denunciation from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This court ruling surprices even more when you look that the success homeschoolers achieve on average. They score an average of one grade level higher than publicly schooled students their age on national scholastic achievement tests. They watch 65% less TV than publicly schooled children, and are more involved in community and extracurricular activities. 98% of homeschoolers are involved in two or more organized outside activities (such as tennis, music, dance, computer clubs etc.) They are allowed to gain moral values from their home and not the children they sit with in the crowed cafeteria so are 50 times less likely to get pregnant before marriage, 35 times less likely to have an alcohol-related incident before the age of 21 and 46 times less likely to try illegal drugs.

The homeschoolers themselves testify the good of being educated at home. Justin, 15 stated Ive been homeschooled up until 9th grade, where I decided to try public school. I went and at first it was ok, not anything wonderful that for sure. I felt like in order for anyone to like me I had to act and dress the way everyone else was, I thought I had to be super skinny, so I stopped eating. Well now I am a sophomore and here I am back at home. At home you dont need to worry about looking right, and being popular. So take my word for it I would choose homeschooling over public and private school anydays.

True, homeschooler face a set of challenges that are more or less not existent in public schools. First, children need time away from home because they need to be able to fend for themselves. Mum and Dad wont always be there for them. Its cruel for parents to keep children in a home environment to learn, they need to experience the real world. And when the child gets old enough to learn advanced subjects such as pre-calculus, world history or physics and chemistry will the parents be able to teach those subjects? While all these challenges exist, they can be dealt with. For example, a certified teacher or tutor can provide for the more advanced subjects. If parents are not at home, then the child can be under the guidance of that hired personal tutor. To find a certified and safe tutor we recommend to check out www.tutorz.com one of the best tutor referral websites nowadays.

These facts clearly speak in favor of homeschooling. But can California parents still be on legal safe grounds when they decide their kids to be taught at home? The answer is yes:
There are three legal private alternatives for homeschooling children under California law:
By establishing a home-based private school
By enrolling in a private school independent study program - PSP
By hiring personal tutor.
One of the legally safest ways is to declare you home to be a school. You fill in a form, give it back to your city and they wont ask any more questions. Yes, you need to maintain certain school records but it is unlikely anyone will ask about them.
Parents may home-school children without teaching credential. This was decided in a California court reversal by the 2nd District Court of Appeal as a victory for students and parental rights.
So go on and do what is right for your child: homeschooling!

Legal Age for Breast Implants?

I am often asked, "What is the right age or best age to get breast implants?" Not being one to be speechless very often - this one will always get me.

I believe you can make a case for being in your young, mid twenties, sick of looking and feeling like a boy and wanting to have nice feminine curves to enjoy while you are young.  But the downside is that you still have life events to go through - like having babies - which may change your breasts and cause you to need another operation.  And too, the younger you get them, the longer the breast implant needs to last and since no device lasts forever, the more chance of reopertation.  But if you have read our book, then you know, that making really good, smart decisions preop can lengthen the life time of your result.

The other case is for women who have had their families.  They have seen a change in their breasts that they cannot change thorugh diet and exercise and their own habits so having surgery to alter the size of their breasts becomes very reasonable.  And getting them after having babies and later in life, you reduce variables that might cause you to need another operation in the future.

I guess the old saying "to each his or her own" really applies here as we all have different goals and expectations.  As long as you make educated decisions and go into this life changing operation with your eyes wide open and with reasonable expectations then you have done your due diligence and I believe you will be more satisfied with your result.

The one thing that is happening now that I cannot be speechless about is the "off lable" use of silicone breast implants.  I think it is important to remind potential patients that the legal age to recieve silicone breast implants in the United States is now 22 years old.  This is not our rule or a national plastic surgery assoication rule - this is law.  And to use a silicone implant on a patient under the age of 22 is illegal.  Now I am hearing that some plastic surgeons are using them on young, under aged patients under the guise that they are using the product (the silicone implant) "off lable" and consenting patients to that and therefore justifying in their own minds that its ok to use silicone breast implants on women under the age of 22 years old.  This one makes me scratch my head on two accounts ~ why are we permanently changing such a young body with breast implants to begin with?  and if they (the plastic or cosmetic surgeon) will cheat on a subject as important as this, what else will they do?  Just makes me very uncomfortable and it should make patients really ask hard questions of themselves and the plastic or cosmetic surgeon they are thinking about using.

As you have probably heard us say before, Life is about choices....you are responsible.  Integrity is a very important aspect of a responsible choice!