Homeschooling Gaining Popularity in India

Here's part of the story:

Home work: Comfort of homeschooling

Fed up with the many failings of India's education system, a growing number of families are opting for the comfort of homeschooling. Taran N Khan reports

At age nine, Shelly Daruwala can quote Kipling and Khayyam fluently and conduct elaborate chemistry experiments in her kitchen. In the Mohamedy home, six-year-old Khadija rattles off complex spellings while her brothers, Suleman and Yusuf, repair a computer keyboard for their dad.

These children seem to know much more than kids their age? Their parents say it is because they don’t go to school. These are children who thrive in a world without syllabi, schedules, heavy school bags and vitriolic teachers.

Fed up with the failings of India’s education system and driven by the desire to give their children a unique experience, a small but growing band of Indian families is leaving behind the classroom for the radically alternative methods of homeschooling.

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SAICFF Winners Announced!

Best Trailer: Cory Taylor

Best Young Filmmaker: The Choice

Best Animation Runner-Up: Wars of Humanity II: Price of Rebellion

Best Animation: Winston Churchill: Escape from Pretoria

Best Biblical Family Runner-Up: Hero Dad and the Incredible Cave Rescue

Best Biblical Family: The White Handkerchief

Best Documentary Runner-Up: A Lifetime of Childlike Faith

Best Documentary: Acts of Mercy

Best Narrative Runner-Up: The Choice

Best Narrative: Day of Reckoning

Audience Choice Award: The Oath of Desormeau

Best of Festival Runner-Up: The White Handkerchief

Best of Festival: The Oath of Desormeau

Live Coverage of the SAICFF & Film Academy

Starting today, Alex and Brett Harris will be giving live blog updates of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and Film Academy. For those who cannot attend these events, this blog is a must. It's almost as good as being there! Lots of pictures! Check it out here!

What Does it Take to Win at the SAICFF?

In a recent e-mail announcement, Doug Phillips stated that this year's film academy will answer the questions, “What makes a successful Jubilee winner?” and “How do I produce a competitive film for the SAICFF?” All Christian filmmakers should pay attention. Remember, the top winner at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival receives a $10,000 Jubilee award.

Without even attending the filmmaker's academy, I can tell you one of the qualifications for a winning film. My good friend, Nathaniel Darnell, pointed this out to me last year. What one thing do past Jubilee winners have in common? The 2004 winner was The Art of Play; the 2005 winner was No Greater Love. If you have seen the films, you may have noticed that both of them contain this common element: the lead actor uses a typewriter! I just thought I should let you in on this little secret. If you want to win the $10,000 Jubilee award, just make sure your star uses a typewriter!

I Saw a Mushroom Cloud!

It's true! I saw a mushroom cloud today. Here in the United States! How could this be? Is this the end of the world?

Hardly. There's nothing to worry about folks. Let me tell you what happened. I was cutting grass today and there was this really large mushroom in the yard. I decided to mow right over it. When the blades of the mower hit the mushroom, the mushroom exploded into the air, causing a big black cloud - a mushroom cloud. Whew! I guess you all feel relieved now don't you? That's good.

New Store Design

We just launched a new design for our online store. Please check it out and tell us what you think!

Uniting Church & Family Conference

Today begins the Uniting Church and Family Conference from Vision Forum Ministries. Many topics will be discussed including "How to Have Meaningful Family Worship", "Saying Goodbye, Saying Hello: How to Leave/How to Join a Church", "The Covenantal Structure of the Local Church", "Children and the Dominion Mandate", "How to Survive Transitional Periods", "Tackling the Challenge of Church Reformation in Modern America", and others. For those who cannot attend the conference, I highly recommend the forthcoming CD recordings.

Speakers at the conference include Doug Phillips, Geoffrey Botkin, Scott Brown, Arnold Pent, Jeff Pollard, Kevin Swanson, and William Einwechter. Mr. Phillips and Mr. Einwechter are featured speakers on our upcoming film, A Defense of God’s Law.