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Home Schooling
Is anyone home schooling their kids?
Has anyone been home schooled? Can someone tell me the benefits and drawbacks? Not what you they MIGHT be if you haven't experienced it, just what they ACTUALLY were if you taught from home or if you were a home school student. I plan you home school my little one this fall... |
Re: Home Schooling
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Many home-schooled students take classes at my community college. Depending on the education level of the parents, they actually seem to do better than the traditional high school students. I say depending on the education level because when some parents aren't strong in math, for instance, their children seem to be the same way. Another advantage I see is that the home-schooled children appear to be more mannerable and interact very well with "authority figures" and have a more mature air about them. Lots of the students that I see are involved with other activities, so they're not just at home and in the books. Which leads me to the "disadvantage". I do see some h-s students that seem to be lacking socially, because mom and/or dad are always talking for them and doing for them, but I wouldn't say that's the majority. I realize your son is a kidlet, so this probably didn't help you a whole lot, but it's something to think about/look forward to. |
I homeschooled 3 of mine for 3 years. As a trained teacher, I wasn't afraid that I was cheating them scholastically--which many homeschoolers do--but I began to see some really weird older homeschoolers and didn't want my kids to turn out like that. Yes, they were comfortable with adults but they were just plain odd with their peers and they went to such great lengths to prove how "normal" they were that they weren't.
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My kid is very well behaved, and it freaks some adults out. I think that has more to do with my background than him being at home with me, though. I was raised that you shouldn't have to tell a kid to do or not to do something twice.
He went to a preschool type daycare for a year and a half, and he was the good kid in class, not the geek, but the one who knew how to do what he was told, which is pretty odd for 2. At home however, he would show me what he learned from the other kids, some good, some bad. He showed me that he could pee standing up, but he also showed me that he could go "MMMM!" and act like he wanted to hit me, if he didn't like what I said (that didn't last long). Anyhew, I am worried about him being up to speed educationally as you said most parents are. Socially, I think he'll be fine... |
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How old were they at the community college?
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I was not homsechooled and don't plan on homeschooling my children. A good private school will do quite well if I ever have any.
I have interacted with a number of homeschooled kids, and all of the ones I have met have a great deal of trouble with their peers, as has been noted. They are out of step socially, and it's really hard for them to be involved in group situations. Everything about the group dynamic seems to throw them off, even just going out to a restaurant (it's a bit like watching a movie that features a time traveler "MONEY! You guys are allowed to like, hold your own MONEY!"). In terms of racial relations it can be disastrous for the kid- white homeschooled children that I've met have usually almost NEVER interacted with a black person, and come to the situation with some outrageous preconceptions, if not outright prejudices (not that people who should know better don't, but the homeschooled kids can be extreme). I dont know any black homeschooled children, but I can imagine that it would be similar for them. We inherit our parents prejudices, and it's only experience with the world that allows us to form our own individual opinions on whether they're right or wrong. Homeschooled kids don't have that opportunity as much. On the brighter side though, a lot of them have had a great sense of self-esteem, so even if they were freakin' weird they didn't seem to worry about it too much. But they WERE kinda weird. I'm just sayin'. |
My brother and I went to private schools, and I was scared of black people for a long time. I saw black people every day, but they either worked for my mom - and I knew them, or they were her patients. My mom insisted that I went to an HBCU and I refused to get out of the car on the first day. That fear didn't come from my parents. I think fitting in and functioning socially or different. There are some real weirdos who have been in school since day one. I don't want him to LEARN to conform. That could limit his creativity.
I don't want my kid to always be worried about what people think of him. I'd rather him not care. So if you are saying that the people you encountered were weird, but didn't care, to me, that is a good thing. As far as race goes, I don't think he'll get an appreciation of the race in public or private school. African or African American history isn't priority in traditional American education systems. I think he'll learn more to appreciate his race at home with me, than he would in a classroom. That is where I got my appreciation from. My black history books were at my house. We don't watch TV (just public) for that very reason. I don't want him to think that all white people are lawyers and all blacks are criminals, or that we just sing, dance, and jirate in videos (also known as Black Entertainment Television). My thinking for home schooling came from thinking of the things that I taught my son daily that I know he wouldn't get at school. One day we were leaving the daycare and he was struggling to hold the door for his classmates mom. She grabbed the door and said, I got it. He said, "men hold the door for ladies." His favorite quote is, "If a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat." He says "please" and "thank you," and excuse me when he passes gas or burps. He eats with a fork, and uses his napkin. He knows that some people can't hear and that they speak with sign language, so he doesn't stare and point. To me that is what it means to know how to interact socially. He functions well in society without offending anyone. There's a difference between being socially inept, and not being "cool" or "in". I wasn't even close to being "cool" or "in" until I was an adult, and i didn't care, which made my younger years a lot less stressful and painful than others that I knew. I just want to know if anyone knows what the educational drawbacks were. Is it possible to know too much? There was a guy I knew who was in school, but his mom taught him a lot at home and it was just weird. He was always saying, "amazing, isn't it?" Like a complete freak. So far, without me formally homeschooling yet, he knows his alphabet in sign, and some vocabulary, some spanish, and a lot of the states, some of his bible books, and that is on top of the regular stuff like his alphabet, shapes, colors, some words by sight, animals, and stuff like that. He wants to know more, like a little sponge, but I wonder if a kid can know too much and THAT makes him seem strange. Did anyone's parents use standardized testing? |
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I also think it's sad that you were forced to go to an HBCU. I can see why your mother did it if you were indeed afraid of black people, but I dont think you can really learn to appreciate a culture by force. I never considered going to an HBCU because of my private school experience. But it wasn't about being afraid of anyone, it's because my school was a prep school in the best sense- the whole point of me going there was to go to an Ivy League school, and so I did. Quote:
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It's a bad idea to protect your child from learning about life or race by homeschooling, because while you are afraid that he might pick up bad things, you might also prevent him from participating in the good. Change happens rapidly, and things that you or I might not appreciate but are nonetheless positive are sure to be found in or by our children, and the ideas that they spread. It's important that kids have access to those ideas. Black and white children interacting was the momentum behind the civil rights movement. They shared an ideal that was completely foreign to many of their parents, and that changed the world. Quote:
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I was not making a judgement on how you choose or plan to raise your son. I was merely relating my experience with homeschooled children. |
My fiance is worried about the "odd" thing. He agrees with the reasons I have for homeschooling. He wants him to have friends. There are sports leagues and all kinds of things for them to get into. Which I think is a good idea. I think he'd be fine in school socially. He's got the follow along, blend in sort of personality, and that worries me.
SIDE COMMENT: I am so glad that I went to an HBCU now. That is where you get to see some of the best that black america has to offer. It was tough at first. I wore birkenstocks and socks when I first got there, and people said I didn't "sound" black. But I learned a lot. I learned that I am not always the smartest person. There are black people that could be just as educated as I was without going to the best schools. I met my fiance there and he went to the same type of schools I did, but they did have some black population and he lived in a black neighborhood. I was forced to go for the same reasons that white parents force their kids to go to certain schools. My mom had a higher regard for HBCU's than she did for the ivy league. She figured that they ivy league was for people who wanted better jobs, and she taught us that we were not supposed to be employees, so the name on the diploma was less important than the quality of the social interaction and the education. We applied to them, and went to expensive ivy league college tours but only to put the certificate of acceptance on the wall. Can anyone shed some light on the education part of homeschooling? How hard is it to see if he is learning too much or not enough? |
hijack
Say what you will about Ivy League grads, but the education I recieved there was second to none and the contacts made are invaluable. I find the idea that people go to those schools in order to work for someone else puzzling at best, since most Yale alums I have interacted with end up highly placed and running the companies they work for or going into academia.
I also never had to worry about financial aid at my school because the endowments are huge. If you got in, they made sure you could afford it. THat is definitely something I have seen lacking in some HBCU's, simply because they don't have as much money. But you can't really argue with someone's perception. |
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thanks!
I thought of that. He's the kind of kid who would wait for them to catch up. You know how some kids get bored and talk or act up that is how you find out they are gifted or accelerated or something. He would wait quietly at his desk. But the "as far as they can go" thing is there a too far? Can kids know so much they seem weird? I don't think he'd wear his knowledge on his sleeve, but how much can you really tell at 4? My fiance wants me to promise that he'll go at some point, but problem is, he'll probably know more than his peers, and be put in a class where he is younger than everyone (it happenend to me) then the perceived benefits of going to school would be lost on him anyway. Is it really better for him to learn more than what is required if he is going to go to school eventually anyway? |
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But what happens when they get to that point or the parent says "I've taught them all I can"? Then they end up coming to my community college! Like I said earlier, it's a while before you have to be concerned about that, but that may be an option 10 years from now. If he is showing astronomical intelligence once you start teaching him, you also might want to have him tested to see if he is gifted as well. |
Ok, I didn’t read the whole thread but I will throw my two cents in anyway. I was not homeschooled but I know people who do. One uses the Seton Home Study School (http://www.setonhome.org) because she said that the Catholic schools have become too liberal. Another uses the Calvert School because she likes their curriculum. The last person that I know uses Sonlight (http://www.sonlight-curriculum.com/) because the curriculum brings religion into every subject. They are fundamentalist Pentecostals.
I thought about homeschooling my son. After looking at most of what’s out there, I’d pick the Calvert School. My husband is against it but I think that it would be a great experience. There are all kinds of activities for homeschoolers to participate in here. A local homeschool educational supply store offers gatherings for everything from story time to science classes. Our city’s Parks and Recreation Department has independent athletic leagues set up so kids can play sports and they don’t have to be on a school team. There are also several homeschool associations and they have athletic teams too. These associations play against other associations throughout the state. The resources are out there. You just need to find them. The most important thing to do is to make sure that the program is accredited! I was surprised when I read that some of top names are not. It makes things difficult if you should decide to switch to a regular school or come graduation. |
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I started reading at a very young age (my mom is now a retired teacher), at the time I was also small for my age so when they wanted to skip me she refused (from pre K to 1 grade and then later again from 5th gr to 7th). How that affected me? I have mixed feelings about this. When I was 4 I was tutoring other 1st grade students teaching them how to read (when my mother found that out she hit the roof and then moved me to private school). I don't really remember this but my mom told me that at the first "audition" (I don't know what they call it for schools), we were in a room with other parents and kids. All of the white children were given the "See Dick Run" books to read, each took their turn and could read but i her opinion did nothing all that special. When it was my turn the lady in charge handed me the "Life in the City" reader (I'm showing my age but if you are of a certain age group we had these series of books throughout elementary school). Well they were shocked when I opened the book and started to read. The woman thought I had memorized it and asked me to read from another book, which I did. Although they finally offered me admission my mother decided from their attitude she wouldn't put me there as the token black and instead put me in a Christian school. While my religious instruction was fine, the teachers I had didn't know how to deal with me academically. In hindsight, they should have given me additional assignments since my mom wouldn't let me be skipped. Instead, they put so much an effort to keep the slower kids up to par I just coasted by with barely any effort (again with me as a tutor). You know in elementary school its never "cool" to be the smart kid so instead of embracing my abilities I was constantly trying to pretend I didn't know as much as I did. If I had other interaction with kids outside of school who were "like me" I wouldn't have felt like such an outsider and would have kept my love of learning fresh. And frankly although I consistently scored outside of my age range I don't believe I ever scored "genius" (my math/quantitative skills sucked then and now). I just needed to be moved up because I was ahead of others in my age range. In hindsight (and in discussions with my mom), she finally acknowledges that things could have been handled differently. She was so concerned with me being overwhelmed socially but didn't see how it hampered my education at the time. My suggestion, you can teach your child additional things to keep his brain occupied but let him go to school. If there is something that your son has an aptitude for seek other avenues for him to study that outside of school (for me it was piano) and be with others that are on his level. You can also engage his mind by teaching him another language - if you start now, he'll be fluent by the time he finishes elementary school and can still start a 3rd one in JHS. There is so much in this world, one can never learn too much. In other parts of the world its normal for children to be fluent in many languages and its easier to learn as a child. There is so much that is NOT being taught in school (especially about black history and dare I even go into carribean history) you can't run out of material. I think if you give your son additional / supplemental educational support at home he will turn out well rounded. [The following is from my mom] To ease your mind, there are tests that you can have administered to test his IQ and levels. I'm not sure where you live but if you really believe he is above average there are other programs for kids that are better than being home schooled especially if you are not a trained educator. Everyone focused on the success stories, but home schooling is not neccesarily the best choice for a child who may be gifted. What ever school you place him in you have to be prepared to supplement it. Do your homework and get him in a good school and you can always add to it. |
Bravo
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stardusttwin - this was a wonderful post and you and your mom gave 96sweet great advice. |
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EDITED TO ADD: the homeschool teacher, their mother, has degrees in teaching, nursing, education administration, etc. so I agree that if the parent is not a skilled teacher (or at least have the ability to truly teach) this may not be a good idea. Everyone that I know that has been homeschooled has really excelled academically. SC |
I know lots of people who were homeschooled for various reasons - most of them are above the average in intelligence, but are ridiculous with social interaction. Say what you will, but that's going to affect them when they get to college...
ETA: I decided to put it all out there and tell y'all a little story. There's a girl who went to one of the colleges I attended, I won't name which one so that I don't completely out her. When she got to said college and moved into the dorms, somebody's dad dropped a few 4-letter bombs because he dropped a futon on his foot. She absolutely freaked out that he swore and her parents told him that she wasn't used to hearing that type of language, and then told her RA the same thing. All through the semester, she constantly was correcting us for being sloppy and ill-mannered - and she didn't do any better in class than the rest of us. She moved home. |
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Wow ladies!
Thank you very much. I forgot to add something though. My youngun has a developmental stutter. It comes and goes about every 2 months. When he comes out of what I call an "episode" he has lots of big new words to share. lol When he has to tell me something he is thinking about on his own, he does it. Not really in response to questions when the answer is in the front of his mind. The doctors (and my mom, a pediatrician) says that his mouth is catching up with his brain. I don't think he really notices it much, but sometimes if he is having a hard time he stops and says, "I gotta breathe, and think." My fiance was watching him in Sunday School class (they teach it like a kindergarten class), and told me that he is like a classical student by nature. You know how they say that some kids aren't meant for the classroom? He's not that kid. He is the one who sits still, and listens, and the teachers say what a joy he is. We know it isn't because he contributes so much, but because he doesn't say much and does what he is told. Anyway, some people say that if he is around other kids, it will stop. Not his doctor, not teachers, just people. Since it comes and goes and he is so young, his doctor doesn't want him to do speech therapy. I am not a trained teacher. The only thing I am trained to teach is manicuring. lol But it is said that some kids benefit from that extra year or two at home to build their confidence in themselves for when it is time for them to go to school. I think that if he ran into an impatient teacher, or worse, a teacher who babied him, it could set him back. I mean, he is a cutie, and always tends to end up in some old ladies lap. I did skip a grade, and I didn't like it at all. It took me a while to make friends, and I just didn't know the stuff the other kids knew. A chick blackmailed me for half the school year for reading "f--k" out loud when it was written in the bathroom. I didn't know what the word meant, and she said she'd tell on me if I didn't let her play with me and my friends. A year makes a difference in your reasoning. It really does. Shoot, I couldn't even legally drink until a few months before graduation! I went to a private black pre-school for a year where they had the old style of teaching. Little house in the south, all ages. We had a 3 year old who could read in my class. 22 years later that lady is still alive and kicking and turning out little baby geniuses, and I want my little one to go there, but the 10 hour drive would be a little hectic. Anyhew... I thank all of you all for the feedback and advice (oh, and my youngun won't be shocked by cussing. I've forgotten to save a file or two for a client, and he's heard some choice phrases. he knows it's wrong, but he knows that when grown ups get mad, they do some stupid things.). I think I'll do it until first grade at least. Then if he still stutters, and it doesn't come and go, at least he'll have a good year to build his confidence in what he knows, and he'll be old enough for speech therapy if he needs it. Again, thanks so much... ya'll are the best! Imma copy and paste this thread and email it to my fiance... |
I don't think it's true that homeschooling will stunt social skills. Being around other people does help to develop social skills, however that is only if the child has had a mixture of both positive and negative interactions. What about the children who have mostly negative social interaction in school? Especially at a young age. How will THOSE kids learn social skills in regular schools?
Children who are homeschooled can learn how to interact with others by participating in sports, scouting, dance school, church, etc. I've known socially retarded people who recieved regular schooling from k-12 and socially competent people who has been homeschooled. |
I do agree.
Some kids just ain't right. I think if your parents are socially out of line, you have a higher chance of being that way too. My son is naturally outgoing, but he learned to be reserved from me. He would definitely have to be in rec league or something... |
Homeschooling
I want to thank all who contributed to this forum. I am going through the same thing, debating if I stay home and homeschool my child. Every time I drop him off to school, my heart breaks because the school is:
inept discipline issues poor classroom mangement skills good concept school but poor execution-foreign language immersion school Lack of patience and concern for student welfare exhibited by the principal and teachers And the list goes on and on. Currently, I am seeking another school for him but I am feeling very squeamish about making another choice, public or private. My question is enlight of watching Marva Collins on CSPAN last weekend. Where are all the good teachers have gone? Is it all about the paycheck, 6-7 hour work days, strong union and summers off attracting poor teachers? |
Resources for Af-American Home Schoolers
African American Homeschoolers Network
http://www.aahnet.org National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance http://www.naaha.com/ http://www.affinityforlearning.com {From the website} Homeschoolers are a creative lot; we have to be to meet the challenges we face every day. I'm always looking for new curriculum ideas to challenge my child, keep him interested, and meet his educational needs. I figured other homeschoolers are, too, so I set up this web site where we can all share our best ideas and favorite curriculum, books, and websites to help each other out. I hope these help you get started. NP. |
Thankya... thankya...THANKYA!!!
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Home Schools Are Becoming More Popular Among Blacks
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 11, 2005 RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 10 (AP) - When Denise Armstrong decided to teach her daughter and two sons at home instead of sending them to public school, she said she did so thinking she would do a better job than the school of instilling her values in her children. At the time, Ms. Armstrong was the only black parent at gatherings of home-education groups. But she said that has been changing. "I've been delighted to be running into people in the African-American home-schooling community," said Ms. Armstrong, who lives in Chesterfield County. The move toward home schooling, advocates say, reflects a wider desire among families of all races to guide their children's religious upbringing, but it also reflects concerns about other issues like substandard schools and the preservation of cultural heritage. "About 10 years ago, we started seeing more and more black families showing up at conferences, and it's been steadily increasing since then," said Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/ed...omeschool.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is appealing more and more to me, especially if there isn't a good Christian school in the area. One this for sure, I am appalled at my city's public school so Lord willing, they won't be attending. |
I thought about this thread while watching Trading Spouses. The kids were home schooled, but were required to go to school per the new mommy.While in the traditional setting, the kids realized they were soooo far behind (academically) the non-home schoolers.
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I have been HS my oldest for a few months now. We are using Calvert and we like it very much. |
individual choice
i think that home schooling is a wonderful option for families that have the time, energy and resources to do. i have considered do so for my daughter, but since i am still considering options regarding her education, i am holding off on that.
for those parent who choose to home school, i think it behooves you to ensure that your child/ren receive a well-rounded education. the fact is, at its basic level, public/private education can provide a wealth of information and give kids the ability to learn academic and social skills they may have a hard time receiving at home. kids have to be socialized to deal with other people, learn how to deal with life's ups and downs and not be disillusioned that real world will be like the comforts of home. if i do homeschool my kids, i will have them involved in extracurricular activities so they can have that peer interaction. to do otherwise will be setting my kids up for problems they didnt ask for. how to educate your child is an individual/family choice. but it must be done having conducted all of the research and having fully committed to the process. |
This month's Ebony magazine has an article on homeschooling kids. Very enlightening
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Per my prior posts a while ago, I have definitely seen some of the educational benefits of Home Schooling. However, I just can't help but wonder if it ever occurred to many parents to ask their *kids* if they'd like to go to school and interact with other kids in an academic setting or if they actually *want* to be schooled by their mom all day. I recall being a high schooler and a junior high schooler and actually *wanting* to go to school b/c going to class with my friends was FUN. I guess I thought of that when you wrote "We are using Calvert and we like it very much." I thought - well, how do you know that your kid actually likes it very much and doesn't want to go to school with the other kids. What kid wants to spend all day with his/her mom? I guess that at the end of the day, I loved my mom (and dad) but I didn't want my mom as my teacher AND my mom. If your kids didn't like it, how could they ever tell you so? Mom, I love you but I don't want you as my teacher - hard to say for a kid. Just some thoughts SC |
My thoughts exactly, SC.
*enjoying the dialouge* |
Hi SC,
My situation is a little different. HS is something that we are doing for now. My son just turned 5 and because of his late birthday he is Pre-K. I am a SAHM but my son goes to pre-school for a three hours three days a week. On the days that he doesn’t go to pre-school, we do HS or participate in other activities. Now this is where the FAQs come in and probably WAY MORE info than you wanted: 1. Why HS if you send your child to pre-school? I saw this as an opportunity to be more involved in my child’s education and to have fun. 2. Isn’t what you are doing redundant? No, Calvert compliments the pre-school’s curriculum. 3. Why pay money for Calvert when you could buy the same or similar materials at a local store? I priced it. Calvert was cheaper and I didn’t have to scramble to put things together. I like “school in a box.” 4. Don’t you get bored spending all your time with your kids and vice versa? No. Right now, we enjoy each others company but I am sure that will change come the pre-teen years. Please don’t misunderstand everyone gets their “me” time. Seriously though, with HS, you can set your own pace. Some days the teacher’s guide may allot two hours for the full day’s lessons. Sometimes we are done in an hour and head to the park and other times it may take more than two hours. 5. How do you know that your son likes it? He grabs his workbooks and tells me its time for lessons. 6. What about subjects in which you are weak? That’s not a problem right now. If my son were older, there is assistance. There is a network tutors available consisting of professors, teachers and sometimes parents. 7. What about socializing with other kids? That is not a problem here. First, we live in a neighborhood full of young families. Second, our church and athletic club both offer programs for SAHM/Ds and their kids. Third, our athletic club offers PE classes for HS as well as team sports like swimming, tennis, soccer and basketball. Fourth, we participate in activities like KinderMusik and Gymrompers. Fifth, there are also several HS associations here from Catholic to Fundamental Christian to Secular. There is a HS sports league and even dances for those who are allowed to dance. 8. If you like it so much why not continue through HS? We want our children to have a traditional Catholic education like we did and our parents. However, that wouldn’t stop us from supplementing. There might be a subject that interests them not offered by the school. Now for my friends with older children who HS, the kids might like to go to a brick and mortar. I don’t know about all of them but for at least three it wouldn’t be possible. One is training for the Olympics, another is a professional dancer and a third got “lost” in the classroom. |
thanks!!
thank you for posting this. i am having the same dialogue on another forum i belong to. im a bit concerned with this perception that if you home school that your kids will not turn out as well adjusted or will just be lacking more than non home schooled kids.
im considering the home school option and i like that you have incorporated various things to provide a well rounded environment. :) Quote:
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