Here in Florida they take a different approach than when I was a kid. Growing up, parental involvement was verboten. Here it is encouraged. Then, on JUDGMENT DAY, all adults leave the room, and some very qualified judges take four to five hours to question the kids. If the kids understand the concepts and can support the thesis verbally, they are in. If they can’t, judges know mom or dad did the project and they are out of the running.

As a result, you get some fantastic projects. I’m proud to say my daughter won first prize in her category two years in a row (social sciences — and due to my wife’s effort alone — I just made the copies). You can read about it here:

6th-grader turns testing tables on teachers, School Board members

That was three years ago.

Too bad no Orthodox Jurisdiction in America has a formal support program for the Children of Clergy.

That, and ‘all year school’ pretty much cancels the nearly universal experience of 8-hrs/day work experience in the summers. Now most high school seniors have no idea what it takes to work 40hrs/week. There is a great deal of learning that goes on to become part of a team working at a business. Not to mention self-understanding about career and ‘not career’.

For example, being the fellow that unloaded bags of ‘fertilizer’ off the delivery truck at the hardware store in high school, I came to understand doing homework was a much better idea than I thought previously.

Thank you to everyone helping out.

Sure, we will publish the results. It will be a few weeks though.

It’s a conspiracy, I tell you!

Magdalena, friend of Fr. John Peck

Go Antonia!