Latest news with #ChristinaFranco
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The U.S. has 'No Kings' say hundreds of El Pasoans who joined anti-Trump protest
Chants of "No Kings" echoed through Edgemere Park as hundreds of El Pasoans joined the nationwide day of protests against the policies of President Donald Trump. Protesters of all ages gathered on the corner of Airport Boulevard with creative signs condemning Trump's attacks on immigrants, in defense of U.S. democracy and echoing the popular Trump acronym, TACO — Trump Always Chickens Out. The protest quickly spread down Edgemere Boulevard as more people continued to arrive throughout the morning for the "No Kings" protests on Saturday, June 14. "We have to be active participants in our democracy, we can't just sit idly by," Christina Franco, a 55-year-old resident of El Paso, said "We don't have kings. We have equal branches of government that have to do each of their parts." People started to gather before 10 a.m. and many remained after 1 p.m. The protest coincided with the president's 79th birthday, Flag Day, and a military parade in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which will include displays by troops, tanks, and other military equipment. The protests were organized to condemn Trump's increasing overreach, disregard for the independence of the other branches of government and increasingly authoritarian actions. More: For the first time in decades, the US-Mexico border is silent. Here's why The protests were peaceful, with organizers reminding the people who had gathered on the 100-plus-degree day to drink water. Police were a constant presence to guarantee the safety of those who were demonstrating. The protesters were joined by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, who has condemned the Trump administration's misuse of taxpayer money, including the $45 million spent on the military parade on Saturday. "Our country is in a very precarious moment, as we see judges ignored, as we see democratically-elected leaders arrested, thrown to the ground, handcuffed, and as we see increasing egregious corruption and self-dealing," Escobar said. "I think most of us here understand the grave risk that our country is in. Our democracy is backsliding in a way none of us has seen in this country. Peaceful civic resistance is critical in this moment." More: 'It is a setup': ICE arrests migrants after their hearings at El Paso federal courthouse Millions of people across the United States participated in anti-Trump protests Saturday in nearly 2,000 towns and cities. The national "No Kings" protests were organized by the 50501 movement in support of the U.S.'s democracy. The movement's name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. The protest in El Paso was organized by members of the Indivisible the 915 and EPTX United groups. Organizers were happy with the turnout, said Jackie Dean, an organizer with Indivisible the 915. More: El Paso joins national protests against ICE raids and military deployment Saturday's protests follow a week that saw massive protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in southern California. Trump deployed the California National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles in response to the protests. The protests in Los Angeles quickly spread over concerns of the heavy-handed raids by ICE. "I am out here because they are separating families," Rafael Pineda, a 30-year-old resident of El Paso, said during Saturday's protest. "They are leaving scars not just in our community, but across the world. Human rights aren't being respected. We are acknowledging that reality and that many of us are upset." Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@ @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @ on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Hundreds in El Paso join 'No Kings' anti-Trump protest
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The U.S. has 'No Kings' say hundreds of El Pasoans who joined anti-Trump protest
Chants of "No Kings" echoed through Edgemere Park as hundreds of El Pasoans joined the nationwide day of protests the policies of President Donald Trump. Protesters of all ages gathered on the corner of Airport Boulevard with creative signs condemning Trump's attacks on immigrants, in defense of U.S. democracy and echoing the popular Trump acronym, TACO — Trump Always Chickens Out. The protest quickly spread down Edgemere Boulevard as more people continued to arrive throughout the morning for the "No Kings" protests on Saturday, June 14. "We have to be active participants in our democracy, we can't just sit idly by," Christina Franco, a 55-year-old resident of El Paso, said "We don't have kings. We have equal branches of government that have to do each of their parts." People started to gather before 10 a.m. and many remained after 1 p.m. The protest coincided with the president's 79th birthday, Flag Day, and a military parade in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which will include displays by troops, tanks, and other military equipment. The protests were organized to condemn Trump's increasing overreach, disregard for the independence of the other branches of government and increasingly authoritarian actions. More: For the first time in decades, the US-Mexico border is silent. Here's why The protests were peaceful with organizers reminding the people who had gathered on the 100-plus-degree day to drink water. Police were a constant presence to guarantee the safety of those who were demonstrating. The protesters were joined by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, who has condemned the Trump administration's misuse of taxpayer's money, including the $45 million dollar military parade Saturday. "Our country is in a very precarious moment, as we see judges ignored, as we see democratically-elected leaders arrested, thrown to the ground, handcuffed, and as we see increasing egregious corruption and self-dealing," Escobar said. "I think most of us here understand the grave risk that our country is in. Our democracy is backsliding in a way none of us has seen in this country. Peaceful civic resistance is critical in this moment." More: 'It is a setup': ICE arrests migrants after their hearings at El Paso federal courthouse Millions of people across the United States joined anti-Trump protests Saturday in nearly 2,000 towns and cities. The national "No Kings" protests were organized by the 50501 movement in support of the U.S.'s democracy. The movement's name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. The protest in El Paso was organized by members of the Indivisible the 915 and EPTX United groups. Organizers were happy with the turnout, said Jackie Dean, an organizer with Indivisible the 915. More: El Paso joins national protests against ICE raids and military deployment Saturday's protests follow a week that saw massive protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in southern California. Trump deployed the California National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles in response to the protests. The protests in Los Angeles quickly spread over concerns of the heavy-handed raids by ICE. "I am out here because they are separating families," Rafael Pineda, a 30-year-old resident of El Paso, said during Saturday's protest. "They are leaving scars no just in our community, but across the world. Human rights aren't being respected. We are acknowledging that reality and that many of us are upset." Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@ @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @ on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Hundreds in El Paso join 'No Kings' anti-Trump protest
USA Today
28-05-2025
- General
- USA Today
These parents are 'unschooling' their kids. What does that mean?
These parents are 'unschooling' their kids. What does that mean? Show Caption Hide Caption Smartphones Aren't Making Your Children Smarter With schools beginning to ban phones and legislation being passed prohibiting them, many parents are wondering if smartphones are good for their children. unbranded - Lifestyle The days are about to look very different for most parents in a few weeks as schools let out for the summer. But for Christina Franco, 39, summer days in her upstate New York home are no different than any other day during the school year because her five kids are 'unschooled.' Instead of going to traditional school or following a homeschool curriculum, Franco's children decide what they want to learn every day. For her three younger children, who are 5, 6 and 9, that typically means playing outside for most of the day. For her 13-year-old, it means drawing or practicing the drums for hours a day. Her 17-year-old is preparing for graduation while working as a lifeguard. Whenever her kids are ready to learn, Franco plans a lesson or a field trip to museums, historical sites or mountains nearby. But there are no grades, no tests and no curriculum. 'My goal for them is for them to love learning,' Franco said. 'It's realizing you can educate your child beyond the school model.' Unschooling videos have amassed millions of views on social media as fascination with the educational movement grows. Even Kourtney Kardashian said sending kids to school felt "so dated" while speaking with her sister during a recent episode of the "Khloe in Wonder" Land podcast. Some parents say their children are thriving in the unschooling environment, fueling their confidence and desire to learn. But not all students find success in unschooling. Some former students say the lack of structure and accountability can lead to educational neglect if parents don't have the resources to make it work. Some kids who were unschooled feel they were left unprepared for adulthood and had fewer career opportunities. 'It takes an incredible amount of time, resources and energy to do it well and there is an equity problem to that,' said Jonah Stewart, interim executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, who was homeschooled. 'While we see many important and very beneficial uses for (home education), there are situations where it can be used for neglect and abuse.' What is unschooling? Self-directed education, commonly known as unschooling, is a form of homeschooling that is based on activities and life experiences chosen by the child, according to the Alliance for Self-Directed Learning (ASDE), a non-profit dedicated to increasing awareness and accessibility to unschooling. Education experts say parents and caregivers unschool differently. Some take a few pages from the homeschooling curriculum and carve out lessons for their children. Others attend micro-schools or 'free schools,' where unschooled children are grouped together in a "nature school" or "outside school" under the guide of parents or teachers, said Daniel Hamlin, associate professor of education policy at the University of Oklahoma. Some parents dive into unschooling with no structure and don't initiate any semblance of traditional education unless explicitly asked by their children. 'The thing we all have in common in unschooling is that the young person is in charge and has the autonomy of what it looks like and the parent is the support and guide,' said Bria Bloom, staff member and organizer at ASDE. She was unschooled growing up and is now unschooling her two children, who are 14 and 2. There are various reasons why parents and caregivers decide to unschool their children. Many say it's to shield them from the bullying and violence that sometimes play out in a traditional educational setting. Some don't want their children to be forced into learning things they don't find interesting. Others say they don't trust educators to focus on their children if they have special learning needs. While some parents claim unschooling produces happier students, Hamline said more research is needed. 'People come into this topic with their own biases in mind. People have these presuppositions about whether it's good or bad and the reality is that it's a very dynamic and diverse sector of American education,' Hamline said. 'There's all this change happening and there isn't a lot of good data to lean heavily into one perspective or the other.' 'Absolutely' educational neglect Unschooling may work for some families but some argue it's also vulnerable to unintended consequences such as abuse and educational neglect. Erin Lauraine, 42, was unschooled throughout her childhood and adolescence in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although her parents called it 'homeschooling," she said there was no curriculum, benchmarks, tests or progress reports. Instead of schoolwork, Lauraine filled her day with doing household chores, watching cartoons and working at her parents' manufacturing plant. It was 'absolutely' educational neglect, she said. 'It took me a long time to admit that,' said Lauraine, who now lives in Dallas, Texas. 'I was denied access to an education and denied access at an age when my brain was primed to learn.' Laws to prevent abuse and neglect when a child is educated at home, whether it's unschooling or homeschooling, vary widely from state to state, said Stewart, from the Coalition for Responsible Home Education. In New York, Franco is required to notify the superintendent of the intent to homeschool, compose and file instruction plans and turn in quarterly reports about her unschooled her children. But about a dozen states don't have any safety nets to ensure a child receives a proper education, Stewart said. Parents aren't required to notify the school, provide instruction plans or send in regular assessments. Families can also skirt around state laws by enrolling children in certain 'umbrella schools,' which offer a way for parents to meet compulsory attendance laws, Stewart said. While some umbrella schools can help with recordkeeping and submitting state paperwork, most don't provide academic oversight or accountability. The lack of check-ins with the student or family also makes it harder to provide social services, Stewart said. 'A lot of social services work is predicated on continued engagement,' she said. 'When the opportunity for contact is foreclosed, the odds of that family receiving the intervention it needs are lower.' 'My entire life is being a late bloomer' While Franco's oldest son flourished academically, she said the social pressures of middle school weighed him down and eroded his confidence. That weight lifted once her son left traditional schooling in seventh grade and began unschooling. After graduating, Franco's son plans on taking a gap year to figure out his next chapter. He's considering an apprenticeship as a mechanic or college for a mechanical engineering degree. 'I encouraged him that he doesn't need to make the decision, right now,' Franco said. 'He realized he can learn anything he wants to learn.' While her son's future appears full of possibilities, Lauraine and other former unschooling students felt lost entering adulthood. Lauraine knew how to operate a blowtorch and balance her parents' checkbook, but she didn't know who she was and what she wanted to do with her life. Adulthood 'was pretty terrifying,' she said. 'It was really trial and error trying to figure something out,' she said. '(My parents) prioritized the practical experience but didn't understand the psychological consequences of adulthood-type exposures on kids and the meaning put into those experiences.' Lauraine eventually got her GED when she was 35, which she said was an emotional experience, and graduated this year with her bachelor's degree in behavioral science. She commends parents who want to take a proactive role in their child's education, but advocates for stronger state regulations to prevent educational neglect. 'My entire life is being a late bloomer,' Lauraine said. 'I don't believe my parents are bad people. I believe that their intentions, while they were good, were really shortsighted." Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
These parents are 'unschooling' their kids. What does that mean?
The days are about to look very different for most parents in a few weeks as schools let out for the summer. But for Christina Franco, 39, summer days in her upstate New York home are no different than any other day during the school year because her five kids are 'unschooled.' Instead of going to traditional school or following a homeschool curriculum, Franco's children decide what they want to learn every day. For her three younger children, who are 5, 6 and 9, that typically means playing outside for most of the day. For her 13-year-old, it means drawing or practicing the drums for hours a day. Her 17-year-old is preparing for graduation while working as a lifeguard. Whenever her kids are ready to learn, Franco plans a lesson or a field trip to museums, historical sites or mountains nearby. But there are no grades, no tests and no curriculum. 'My goal for them is for them to love learning,' Franco said. 'It's realizing you can educate your child beyond the school model.' Unschooling videos have amassed millions of views on social media as fascination with the educational movement grows. Even Kourtney Kardashian said sending kids to school felt "so dated" while speaking with her sister during a recent episode of the "Khloe in Wonder" Land podcast. Some parents say their children are thriving in the unschooling environment, fueling their confidence and desire to learn. But not all students find success in unschooling. Some former students say the lack of structure and accountability can lead to educational neglect if parents don't have the resources to make it work. Some kids who were unschooled feel they were left unprepared for adulthood and had fewer career opportunities. 'It takes an incredible amount of time, resources and energy to do it well and there is an equity problem to that,' said Jonah Stewart, interim executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, who was homeschooled. 'While we see many important and very beneficial uses for (home education), there are situations where it can be used for neglect and abuse.' Self-directed education, commonly known as unschooling, is a form of homeschooling that is based on activities and life experiences chosen by the child, according to the Alliance for Self-Directed Learning (ASDE), a non-profit dedicated to increasing awareness and accessibility to unschooling. Education experts say parents and caregivers unschool differently. Some take a few pages from the homeschooling curriculum and carve out lessons for their children. Others attend micro-schools or 'free schools,' where unschooled children are grouped together in a "nature school" or "outside school" under the guide of parents or teachers, said Daniel Hamlin, associate professor of education policy at the University of Oklahoma. Some parents dive into unschooling with no structure and don't initiate any semblance of traditional education unless explicitly asked by their children. 'The thing we all have in common in unschooling is that the young person is in charge and has the autonomy of what it looks like and the parent is the support and guide,' said Bria Bloom, staff member and organizer at ASDE. She was unschooled growing up and is now unschooling her two children, who are 14 and 2. There are various reasons why parents and caregivers decide to unschool their children. Many say it's to shield them from the bullying and violence that sometimes play out in a traditional educational setting. Some don't want their children to be forced into learning things they don't find interesting. Others say they don't trust educators to focus on their children if they have special learning needs. While some parents claim unschooling produces happier students, Hamline said more research is needed. 'People come into this topic with their own biases in mind. People have these presuppositions about whether it's good or bad and the reality is that it's a very dynamic and diverse sector of American education,' Hamline said. 'There's all this change happening and there isn't a lot of good data to lean heavily into one perspective or the other.' Unschooling may work for some families but some argue it's also vulnerable to unintended consequences such as abuse and educational neglect. Erin Lauraine, 42, was unschooled throughout her childhood and adolescence in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although her parents called it 'homeschooling," she said there was no curriculum, benchmarks, tests or progress reports. Instead of schoolwork, Lauraine filled her day with doing household chores, watching cartoons and working at her parents' manufacturing plant. It was 'absolutely' educational neglect, she said. 'It took me a long time to admit that,' said Lauraine, who now lives in Dallas, Texas. 'I was denied access to an education and denied access at an age when my brain was primed to learn.' Laws to prevent abuse and neglect when a child is educated at home, whether it's unschooling or homeschooling, vary widely from state to state, said Stewart, from the Coalition for Responsible Home Education. In New York, Franco is required to notify the superintendent of the intent to homeschool, compose and file instruction plans and turn in quarterly reports about her unschooled her children. But about a dozen states don't have any safety nets to ensure a child receives a proper education, Stewart said. Parents aren't required to notify the school, provide instruction plans or send in regular assessments. Families can also skirt around state laws by enrolling children in certain 'umbrella schools,' which offer a way for parents to meet compulsory attendance laws, Stewart said. While some umbrella schools can help with recordkeeping and submitting state paperwork, most don't provide academic oversight or accountability. The lack of check-ins with the student or family also makes it harder to provide social services, Stewart said. 'A lot of social services work is predicated on continued engagement,' she said. 'When the opportunity for contact is foreclosed, the odds of that family receiving the intervention it needs are lower.' While Franco's oldest son flourished academically, she said the social pressures of middle school weighed him down and eroded his confidence. That weight lifted once her son left traditional schooling in seventh grade and began unschooling. After graduating, Franco's son plans on taking a gap year to figure out his next chapter. He's considering an apprenticeship as a mechanic or college for a mechanical engineering degree. 'I encouraged him that he doesn't need to make the decision, right now,' Franco said. 'He realized he can learn anything he wants to learn.' While her son's future appears full of possibilities, Lauraine and other former unschooling students felt lost entering adulthood. Lauraine knew how to operate a blowtorch and balance her parents' checkbook, but she didn't know who she was and what she wanted to do with her life. Adulthood 'was pretty terrifying,' she said. 'It was really trial and error trying to figure something out,' she said. '(My parents) prioritized the practical experience but didn't understand the psychological consequences of adulthood-type exposures on kids and the meaning put into those experiences.' Lauraine eventually got her GED when she was 35, which she said was an emotional experience, and graduated this year with her bachelor's degree in behavioral science. She commends parents who want to take a proactive role in their child's education, but advocates for stronger state regulations to prevent educational neglect. 'My entire life is being a late bloomer,' Lauraine said. 'I don't believe my parents are bad people. I believe that their intentions, while they were good, were really shortsighted." Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Unschooling movement is growing but is it good for kids?
