Posts Tagged ‘Homeschool’

• A Relaxed Home Education

  Date: 2009.04.18 | Category: Christian, Homeschool, Life | Response: 0

  By Beki Cowling

  I think the most important thing about educating our children at home is to ask God what is right for our child(ren)…and then actually listen to His promptings! For some people this is going to look like Charlotte Mason, for others it will look very much like a classical education at home…for us, it looks rather different.

  I have to confess that I absolutely love organization! If I had all the hours I needed in a day, my house would be very organized and probably over-labeled. My nature is to write lists and then savor checking off each item on the list. So before we had our first child, I was pretty sure that I was going to have a “classroom,” our homeschooling days were going to look very structured, and we were going to march right through them! Learning was going to be very systematic and organized. At the end of the day, I was going to be immensely satisfied with all of the wonderful check marks I was going to be able to make!

  When I finally birthed my first child, I decided that it was time to start reading all about homeschooling. I read all sorts of books on homeschooling; I underlined, I took notes, I even did little book reports on the books that I read! In short, I started a huge research project…only without a thesis, so, of course, the core of information was much too huge to assimilate. All of the terms and labels of this type of learning and that method of teaching confused me. So I reached a decision…I needed to just set it all aside and figure out what was best for my child.

  I didn’t have a name, or label, for what I was going to do with our son, Jami. I just did it, making it up as we went along. I am fully convinced that the only reason that what we do works for us, is that it was God’s design for our family and our children. So please do not feel that in any way I am trying to advocate that “relaxed” home schooling is THE way to go for everybody.

  I thought that before I talked about relaxed homeschooling, I should probably Google it to see what everyone else thought it was. One definition that I came across (and really liked) for “relaxed homeschooling” is:

  “Relaxed homeschooling? A term popularized by author Mary Hood. This is more a philosophy of homeschooling, rather than a method, and is characterized by tailoring a child’s education to what they need individually at a timetable that is good for them. In other words, make loosely structured goals, but relax and go with what your child’s interests are, meeting the goals in different ways for each child.” Amy Ringger, A+ Homeschooling

  In thinking about the last 10 years of homeschooling our son, I have realized that this is an accurate way of summing it up.

  In researching “relaxed homeschooling” on the internet, I found out that it was NOT un-schooling, it was NOT delight-directed learning (although there are many ways that it can be “delight directed”), and it was NOT child-directed learning. However, I did find that there were several other labels that were attached to “relaxed homeschooling,” such as mixed homeschooling, homemade homeschooling, individualized learning, watershed schooling, and eclectic homeschooling.

  In Easy Homeschooling Techniques, Lorraine Curry defined “Watershed Schooling” as “… a ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems. A watershed is also a critical point that marks a division. I’m christening this group watershed because it is midway between unschooling and structured schooling. Watershed parents usually, in their own words, pick and choose curricula. Some make their own plans and schedules and teach whatever they want. Others loosely follow the plan of a chosen method. They sometimes focus on the child’s interest—as in unschooling—but more often the teacher decides what she wants her children to learn. She may have a schedule, or may just do school when it is convenient. These parents are usually flexible in what, where, why and how, and yet not so flexible that they give the child complete control—as in pure unschooling. Often much time is spent in reading aloud. There are more homeschoolers in this third group than in any other.”

  The term eclectic homeschooling intrigued me as I have heard it often. The definition that I found for eclectic homeschooling was:

  “Eclectic homeschooling (also called many other names) seems to be the most common type of homeschooling. This is where the family takes a variety of learning resources and chooses the mix that will work best for their children. … Homeschooling in this way can be as scheduled or as relaxed as the family wishes, and can even change from month to month.” Donna Donnell, The Donnell House

  I think that perhaps eclectic homeschooling is the method of homeschooling in which the philosophy of “relaxed homeschooling” most often shows up.

  And what does a practical application of a relaxed home education look like for our family? Well…I have always and only had two main goals in educating my children at home: first for my children to develop a real relationship with Jesus and second for my children to love learning always. So, the only imperatives for our day are reading a part of the Bible and working on Bible memory work. Of course, whenever Jami hears me list what is required of him each day, I also include math and piano! Everything else is optional. In part, our home education includes the following:

  A very thought out, prayed over, detailed list of objectives for each of my children, for each “grade” level. I develop it as my child finishes, or is finishing one “grade” level, and then I promptly set it aside and only refer back to it a half a dozen times a year. It is tailored specifically to what that child needs.

  • Personal quiet time (PQT) with God – we shoot for one minute for each year of age for our kids.
  • Bible – read one section, which is usually less than one chapter.
  • Bible memory work – one or two new verses each week of a longer passage that we are working on.
  • Math-U-See – usually one page.
  • Missions – reading Youth With a Mission (YWAM) biographies on great missionaries and Voice of the Martyrs periodicals, one article at a time out of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine
  • Life skills – chores (We can teach them all we want, but if they can’t shop for food, cook a meal, and do laundry, they may starve or look really frumpy!)
  • And lots and lots and lots of reading! We read all sorts of living books. We often organize our reading of some of these living books by subject. For history, we have used The Story of the World, and next year we’ll use The Mystery of History. When we studied World War II, we stopped and read 15-20 books that were simply stories about people who lived through World War II in some capacity or another. We have all of the YWAM books, and whenever they mention somebody who is in a YWAM, Sowers, Landmark, or Childhood of Famous Americans book, we stop and read it. Many of these books I read aloud to my children…and just as many I pre-read and then have my son read on his own.
  • For science, we are enjoying reading the A Beka science readers. When they mention a scientist, we stop and try to find a good book on them. If there is a subject that my son wants to investigate further, we hit the library. We utilize the same series as I listed for history.
  • Piano – only three times through each song.
  • Typing – Mavis Beacon for 5-10 minutes most days.
  • Art – my mom teaches my kids once or twice a month.
  • Greek/Latin – only one word a week.
  • Horse riding lessons – once a week, weather permitting.
  • Homeschool swim team – twice a week, mid October to mid January.
  • Scouts – meetings are usually once a week.
  • And lots and lots of time playing!

  I think, for us, the things that are the hardest to implement include time management and resisting the temptation to get involved in too many activities, which are probably the same thing really! After I find out what my husband’s work schedule is going to be for the next month and write it into our family calendar, I then go through and cross off every day that I can and write in “Home Day”! We try to stay home three to four days each week.

  When people ask us if we can do something, or when I am tempted to add another activity to our schedule, I can honestly look at our family calendar and say, “I’m sorry, we already have something scheduled for that day,” because we do (and it’s even written into the calendar!) This has been hard to do, but is KEY in keeping our home education relaxed.

  In closing, I want to give you another quote I found floating in the great stratosphere of the nebulous Internet:

  This relaxed method of homeschooling sounds frightening to many new homeschoolers because they’re afraid that if they don’t require much “seat work” or written work, their children won’t learn much. They want to do everything “just right” so they try to imitate school at home—not realizing that it’s not only unnecessary but also often inefficient and boring. Schools have to do things differently because they’re forced to deal “one on twenty-thirty” instead of “one on one,” therefore, it’s impossible for them to give individual attention to each child and customize their curriculum to fit every need. But we don’t have these limitations!

  We don’t want our children to be turned off from learning at an early age or to think of learning as something that only takes place within the context of “school.” We want them to enjoy learning from the start and become a lifetime learner—interested and curious about everything whether it’s “school time” or not. Tamara Eaton, August 15, 2008 Article of the Week on CHFWeb.net Christian Homeschool Forum.

  And that, ladies, is a worthy goal!

  Eclectic Homeschool Association

• How far is the moon from the Earth?

  Date: 2009.02.06 | Category: Fun and Trivia, Homeschool | Response: 1

  How far is the moon from the Earth?

  Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical (oval-shaped), its distance varies from about 221,463 miles (356,334 kilometers) at perigee (closest approach to Earth) to 251,968 miles (405,503 kilometers) at apogee (farthest point). The average distance from the moon to the Earth is 238,857 miles (384,392 kilometers).

  Sources: McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology 7th ed., vol. 5, p. 470; The Universal Almanac 1992, p. 16.

  http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/space/how-far-moon-from-earth

  Olivia asked me to google this question as she is writing something that she needed the number for! In the process I found out that the distance changes, something I didn’t know.  As they say you learn something new everyday!
  

• “I Just Want to be a Mommy”

  Date: 2009.02.02 | Category: Christian, Home Tips, Homeschool, Life, Train up a child | Response: 0

  This article spoke to me and encouraged me when I was feeling overwhelmed as a homeschooling Mum.  I have been busy with the beginning of our school year and thought to post this as my blog entry for today. Enjoy.

  Our first year of homeschooling, I had a seven-year-old, a five-year-old, and a three-year-old, plus a constant struggle with depression partly rooted in a lack of spiritual growth. At this time, I found another Christian mom, with children my children’s ages, in whom I saw wonderful spiritual maturity. This other mom agreed to spiritually mentor me. For a year, we met together, did a Bible study, memorized Scripture, and discussed the practical aspects of our spiritual walk as Christian women. I was so grateful for the investment this woman made in my life. That year my friend’s children were in a Christian school, but the following year she decided to homeschool them.

  Although our mentoring time lasted only one year, we continued to maintain a friendship. After a year of homeschooling, my friend chose to put her boys back in a Christian school. I can still remember her words to me that afternoon as I sat in her home, and she justified her actions, “Oh, Teri. I just want to be a mommy. I want to welcome my boys home in the afternoon as their mommy. I don’t want to have to be their teacher too. I just want to be their mommy.” I recall driving home that afternoon in tears. “Lord, I just want to be a mommy too. I want all the happy, fun things about being a mommy with none of the difficulties.”

  In my mind, I pictured my friend’s children coming home from school in the afternoon. She would have spent the day in personal Bible study, prayer, exercise, housecleaning, reading, ministry, sewing, and cookie baking. As the children bounced in the door, they would be met by a beautiful, smiling mommy. I was sure she would have taken a long shower and blown her hair dry too. The children would smell the freshly baked cookies and scramble for a seat at the table. There they would happily discuss the excitement of their day in school. Finally, they would head outside to play while my friend started supper in peace and quiet. I just want to be a mommy too!

  As I prayed about my heart-wrenching discussion with my friend and my personal feelings about wanting to “just be a mommy” too, the Lord soon began to show me some things. He made me realize that my homeschooling lifestyle was “just being a mommy” in its fullest sense. As we begin a new school year, perhaps you are struggling with feelings of not wanting to tackle another homeschool year. Maybe you have even thought the thoughts of my friend when she told me she “just wanted to be a mommy.” It could be that this is your first year of homeschooling, and you are concerned about being both a teacher and a mommy. Perhaps your role as a homeschool mom has lost the joy it once had. Together let’s encourage one another in the direction the Lord has led each of us in homeschooling. After all, I just want to be a mommy!

  What does being a mommy really mean? Titus 2:4 tells the old women to “teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.” Easily seen then, my role as a mommy is to love my children. Practically speaking, how is this done? Do I have more chance to love my children when they are away from home at school for seven or eight hours or when I have them home with me all day? The answer to this one is obvious: when they are home with me. By loving my children, I just want to be a mommy!

  During those extra hours I have to “just be a mommy,” I can tell my children over and over again how special they are to me, how much I love them, how wonderful they are, and how blessed I am to “just be their mommy.” I have seven more hours a day to give them hugs, pat them, put my arm around them, smile at them, kiss them, laugh with them – opportunities to “just be a mommy.” The bottom line is, “I just want to be a mommy!”

  What about the time we spend in homeschooling? Have I taken off my “mommy” hat and replaced it with a “teacher” one? I am taking the place of a teacher in a classroom in my children’s lives, but I am still “Mommy” in the fullest sense of the word. My mommy role as a teacher began from the first words I quietly whispered in each newborn baby’s tiny ear. Almost everything my children have learned in their young lives, this mommy has had a part in teaching them. Being an official teacher in our homeschool is simply an extension of this natural teaching relationship that exists between a mother and her child. Really and truly, I just want to be a mommy!

  I thought about what it meant to be a mommy teacher beyond simply teaching my children facts and figures. What teacher in a school loves their students like I love mine? What teacher’s main goal in life is to see their students grow up to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength? What teacher is going to cuddle a sick student on the couch, tucking that student in with extra pillows and blankets, while loving and consoling him through his misery? Hey, I just want to be a mommy!

  Perhaps I should consider the time spent in disciplining or correcting my children during school hours. Maybe I am not being a “mommy” then. Once again Scripture assures me that this is part of my mommy role. “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (Proverbs 6:20). My friend didn’t like to have to make her children do their schoolwork. Sometimes they cried about what they were to do for school and this was part of why she abandoned homeschooling in favor of “just being a mommy.” One of my most important “mommy” responsibilities is to prepare my children for life. If they face a difficult task in their school and choose to cry about it, this is my chance, as their mommy, to encourage them to pray about it, to put forth some effort, to try again, and to rest in the Lord. What opportunity these hours my children are home with me during school time afford. Wow, I just want to be a mommy!

  Every day I have a choice set before me. I can look at my homeschooling with resentment and think, “Lord, I just want to be a mommy,” while sending my children away to school and doing what I want to do all day. I might think these same thoughts without acting on them but all the while wishing I could put them in school. It will still affect my attitude toward my children and my homeschooling. Alternatively, I can view homeschooling with rejoicing in my heart and say, “Lord, I am so grateful to just be a mommy. Thank you that homeschooling is part of the mothering I can give to my children. I know there are moms who want to homeschool their children but can’t. I know there will be difficult days for us as we homeschool our children. Yet, it remains with me as to what I will allow in my thoughts.” May we be mothers who relish our roles as homeschooling mommies. Let’s never forget, I just want to be a mommy!

  Written by Teri Maxwell, co-author of Managers of Their Homes, Managers of Their Chores, Keeping Our Children’s Hearts: Our Vital Priority, Just Around the Corner, and author of Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit.

  Teri Maxwell is the mother of eight children and began homeschooling in 1985. Three of her children have graduated from homeschool, two are still living in their home and one is married. Teri is a homeschool conference speaker and has been writing monthly articles of encouragement for homeschooling moms since 1990.

• Currently Reading

  Date: 2009.01.12 | Category: Christian, Homeschool | Response: 3

  I received an order from Koorong the other day and one of the items was my new book.  It’s been a long time since I’ve had a new book so I was looking forward to it.  It’s a 4-in-1 by Janette Oke – Seasons of the Heart.

  I read the first one yesterday and started the next one.  So far so good.  I’ve tried to read it slowly, but I’ve never been able to read slowly!  We also received som books for the girls and an interesting one by John Hudson Tiner (John Tiner) from his “exploring” series called Exploring the History of Medicine.  We already have Exploring Planet Earth.  These books are an addition to our Science resources for our homeschooling library.

• New Years Eve Eve

  Date: 2008.12.30 | Category: Bible, Family Journal, Homeschool, Life, Scripture | Response: 3

  For me today I am usually thinking, “Right, the year is done, can we just get on with it!”

  2008 was a good year for us as a family.  Nice and quiet, low-key, nothing majorly out of the ordinary happened, no major incidences to deal with.  Life was good.  We embarked on a year of home education for the girls (our 5th) and for Dave.

  It seems we’ve had less of those years than the other kind, so in a way, it was time for one.  I hope and pray that 2009 will be more of the same.  Peaceful and quiet, doing God’s will, living and loving life.

  These scriptures are in front of me at my desk, things I meditate on often:

  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.  James 3:17-18

  And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
  2 Timothy 2:24

  Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.  Titus 3:14

  So our lives are spent in right living by being obedient to God.  We try to the best of our abilities to what is right in the eyes of God.  As I read on a blog post comments section today – “I’m performing for an audience of One”.  This is essentially what we do as a family, we go about our days quietly and unassuming to do our Father’s will.

  God Bless you and yours as you end this year and start a new one.  Remember every day can be and should be a fresh start with God, He chooses to forget our sins so that we can be new creations.

• I love the flexability of homeschooling.

  Date: 2008.12.22 | Category: Family Journal, Homeschool, Life | Response: 1

  This year we tried something different to the usual 4 terms of 10 weeks with 2 week holidays in between, from the first week of Feb until a week before Christmas.  We usually start in January because the girls are over Christmas and are getting bored to distraction and work until the end of November with the term holidays throughout plus extras here and there.  I found that after about 5 or 6 weeks of school the girls get tired and real learning tapered away and was labourious.  Also 2 weeks of holidays was just too long.   It is crazy to do it just because everyone else does it that way.  Homeschooling is about finding what works for your family. I decided to try something different (because I could!) and cut the times in half.  Five weeks of work with a week off.  It worked very well for the first half of the year, but for the second half, clashed with other things that came up… life!  We had a surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa (and Mack the dog) a few months ago, so an impromptu holiday resulted.  Dave was studying in two Semester blocks, so he had time off when we didn’t and vice versa.  We also had a visit from Nanna and had to go down to Perth for a few reasons too.

  I’m planning to try to follow the terms next year.  Dave is studying again, so we should line up better with his holidays.  I don’ t know if we’ll make it all the way through the year, but we’ll see how it goes and change it if it isn’t working, just like everything else in life!

  The girls finished all their work early this year because I wrote out the remaining work in a list and said work through it at your own pace and when you’re finished it’s holidays.  Now I wrote out about 12 days worth of work and they did it in 2 days!  So holidays started a couple of weeks earlier than I expected!  This year I wrote out their work in a diary a week at a time at the beginning and extended it to the 5 week term at a time toward the end of the year.  This year we also worked from a diary type book where I’d written out the whole years worth of work and when we had a break (like I mentioned above) we stopped and picked up where we left off.  There was no “behind” or “catch up” to a certain date.  Each page of the book is numbered, not dated.  It took a lot of pressure off of the kids and me.  We’ll be sticking to this from now on, after all, life is not a competition, it’s a journey.

• Homeschooling progress

  Date: 2008.11.19 | Category: Christian, Family Journal, Homeschool, Life | Response: 0

  Some may be wondering about our homeschooling journey.  I  looked back through my posts and realised that for something that is a major part of my life, I don’t really write about it much.  So I’m going to give a little update as we draw near toward the end of the school year.

  This last “term” (the past 3 or 4 weeks) I’ve been really impressed by the way the girls have been getting stuck into their work.  I think it’s like the end of a marathon for them, eyes on the finish line (Christmas!).  They’re getting into their work quickly and asking for help if they feel a little out of their depth (instead of hoping that bit will disappear!).  For instance, this morning it was just after 10am and I said they need to start soon, they went and got their books and took themselves out to the caravan to work. (I only just realised that they took Chloe their 1yo cat with them…she’s now inside.)

  They’re allowed to work at the kitchen table, at their desks in their rooms, at the study desk, in the lounge room (no TV), on the swing, on the trampoline or in the caravan or anywhere else that they can concentrate properly.  Sometimes I tell them where they have to work because I can see one is not settling and annoying the other, or one has to write a report etc.

  They work independently on their basics books (maths, journal, english, health and spelling) and then we come together (usually after lunch) for unit work.  This is the first year we’ve been able to really get into units.  I’ve found that lapbooks work well for us.  What are lapbooks?  You study a subject (we’ve done; China, Sled Dogs, Metals/Rocks and Bees.) You use minibooks for a small aspect of the subject (usually about 10-20) then using 1 or more manilla folders refolded to maximise presentation, the minibooks are glued in similar to scrapbooking (I’m guessing as I’ve never scrapbooked, but I’ve seen it!).

  We are currently making a Jesse Tree.  A Jesse Tree is something I’d never heard of until I started to research for the Christmas Unit.  It is a constructed tree (made of dowel or sticks or an old  bush) on which you hang symbols which represent different times of Jesus’ ancestry from Creation onward.  There are different ways to do it, but it’s basically an Advent activity.  Each day the appropriate scripture is read out and that symbol hung on the tree from the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas Day.  We have printed off the symbols which the girls have coloured (beautifully!) and glued onto discs I cut (from the old Business Directory Calendar! Perfect card!).  Next we will cover the backs of the discs with either christmas paper or another disc (we haven’t decided yet) and glue on a small reference to the appropriate scripture.  Add a hanging ribbon/bit of wool/thread to each and then begin this Sunday.  Yup, it’s only 5 weeks until Christmas!!!

  So that’s us for now.

• Escaping the Homeschool Matrix

  Date: 2008.11.08 | Category: Homeschool | Response: 0

  The room was brightly lit and cold. She was sitting at a table, across from an empty chair. She knew the questioning would begin any minute. The door opened and a man bearing a remarkable resemblance to Hugo Weaving walked in and sat down in the empty chair.
  “Mrs. Anderson,” he began, “we’ve been monitoring your homeschool. Apparently, you have been living two lives. In one life, you’re Katherine A. Anderson, homeschooling mother and wife in a respectable community. You have a homeschool curriculum. You have a schoolroom. You volunteer . . . to help out with your homeschool support group. The other life, Mrs. Anderson, is lived in your pajamas. Your kids are unable to complete their assignments, and if you can get them bathed and dressed before your husband returns from work, you consider it a good day. One of these lives has a future, Mrs. Anderson. The other does not.”
  She just stared across the table at this man. “Who was he?” she wondered. Why was he accusing her of these things?
  The man opened up a folder and began leafing through it. “As you can see, we’ve had our eyes on you for some time, Mrs. Anderson. I think that you should look long and hard at how you are failing in your role.” He pulled out a single sheet of paper. “Your son is 6 years old and yet he cannot read. Your 11-year-old daughter spends half her time daydreaming and staring off into space. She hasn’t scored better than a D on her spelling quizzes all year. Your teen, this . . . Melissa, I believe her name is . . . she hasn’t prepared for the SAT test. If you really loved your children, Mrs. Anderson, you would have your children at their desks and hard at work by 7:30 each morning.”
  Tears started to well up in Katherine’s eyes. Was she really that bad at homeschooling?
  “As far as your curriculum goes, you’ve switched back and forth from A Beka to Saxon to Bob Jones and back to Saxon again in just two semesters. I have to wonder, Mrs. Anderson, if you are teaching them correctly. How can you jump from curriculum to curriculum without causing your children to become hopeless, blathering idiots?”
  Mrs. Anderson made no effort to wipe away the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks. She knew all these accusations were true. There was nothing she could say to refute them.
  “Tell me, Mrs. Anderson. What’s it like, living in your pajamas? Do you enjoy being a slob?” His words began to cut deep, and somewhere deep inside her soul, a wave began to form.
  “How many times did you yell at your kids yesterday, Mrs. Anderson? Can you really say you love them if you treat them this way?”
  The wave began to build, quickly becoming a surge. Mrs. Anderson’s anger was rising above and beyond the shame and fears this man was exploiting.
  “Your best friend, Laurie, doesn’t have any trouble getting her six children ready to go to eight different activities each week, yet you always manage to run late . . .”
  “That’s enough!” Her waves of anger burst over the dam and began to pour from her lips. “I don’t have to listen to these accusations. I am a loving wife and mother, and I care deeply about my children. We may not get to every activity on time or complete every assignment, but we are trying. My children are well fed and clothed, and they are learning so much more than they would learn anywhere else. My son is a gifted engineer. He dismantled three phones last week to understand how the buttons work . . .”
  “You consider that school?”
  “Absolutely! He is learning mechanics and science. If I can get him to put things back together so that I can answer the phone, I’ll be all set. By the way, Melissa doesn’t need to study for her SAT test right now. She’s 14! We will prepare for it when the time is right.
  “Another thing. My daughter may not always study with perfect concentration, but she draws the most beautiful pictures. She understands forms and shapes so much better than her brothers or sisters do. She is a very bright girl, no matter what your files say.”
  These bold statements took the man aback. Mrs. Anderson’s outburst, though somewhat controlled, was clearly not what he had expected to hear in response to his accusations.
  “You say I yell at my kids, and that’s true. I do lose my temper when I clean a room and come back in thirty minutes to find it in worse shape than it was before I cleaned it. But your files don’t show the breakfast we had yesterday when we sat around and talked about three things we like about each other. I enjoy my children so much more than you could imagine. And we truly love each other.
  “I stay in my pajamas some days, that’s true. But we are at home and like to be comfortable while we do our work. Learning is more important than appearances.”
  “But are your children really learning, Mrs. Anderson? I show that you have lost ground every time you’ve tried to set a schedule. How effective are you if you can’t even maintain a schedule?”
  “We may struggle sometimes. I admit, we don’t hit the mark with schedules, but we do a good job setting goals. We know what direction we’re going, and we do a good job, even if we don’t end up completing our workbooks. If anything is out of line, it’s my own expectations.” An idea began to form in her mind.
  “What? We are not to blame, Mrs. Anderson!”
  “Of course,” she thought, “it all makes sense now.”
  Katherine looked straight into her accuser’s eyes as she spoke calmly and deliberately. “I know who you are! You’re my own expectations. You’ve been trying to trap me.”
  “Nonsense. We don’t need to trap what we already own.”
  “You don’t? Then you would have no problem if I made pajamas the standard school uniform?”
  “Uh . . .” Suddenly, the man became quite anxious.
  “And you wouldn’t mind my going to thrift stores to buy more phones and other things for my son to dismantle?”
  “Wait . . . this isn’t what we wanted. Stop!”
  “Why? Don’t you want to hear about how we’re going to stop going to so many activities and start spending more time together as a family? I’ve got some great ideas, including a bug collecting expedition and a board game night.”
  “Board games don’t constitute an education! They . . .”
  “Oh, yes they do. Colors, numbers, counting, reading, and strategy all work together to educate my children. And the best part is that they don’t even realize it’s school.”
  The man was becoming transparent, and he was quickly fading from view. “But what about your curriculum? You can’t change in the middle of the year! It’s . . . ”
  “I can change our curriculum whenever I think we need to. If something isn’t working, we can try something else. That’s one benefit of running your own school. I would rather find something that works than have my children suffer through an entire year of work that doesn ’t meet their needs.”
  She could see that the man was livid and shouting angrily, but now, along with his appearance, his voice had faded. He was almost gone from view when she said, “Oh, by the way, school starts at 10 a.m. from now on.”
  With that, he disappeared.
  Mrs. Anderson was about to scoot away from the table when she awoke with a start. Rolling across the screen on the television in front of her were credits for a fantasy film about people fighting the forces of artificial intelligence. She quickly pushed the “off” button and headed upstairs to bed. After all, she had a bug hunt to plan tomorrow.

  —

  Steve Walden lives in Colorado with his wife, and together they homeschool their three children (ages 12, 9, and 5). Steve is a freelance writer and editor. When he’s not blogging, he’s searching for new opportunities to write about a variety of topics, including homeschooling, coping with disabilities, and connecting with God. Steve’s desire is to help others rediscover God as their first love and the source of their strength.
  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

• Casting down the Imagination

  Date: 2008.08.30 | Category: Christian, God, Life, Scripture, Train up a child | Response: 0

  I was reading an email from Crosswalk Homeschool Encouragement.  It is right in the area God seems to be concentrating in my life at the moment – the mind.  Recently I’ve been slowly reading and making a study of the book “Loving God with All Your Mind” by Elizabeth George.  The main verse she presents is Phillipians 4:8 Whatever things are true… think on these things.  Now from a Christian point of view (and mine!), that is whatever is written in the Bible, what God says is the truth.  It also says Jesus is the truth and the truth shall set you free.  So I have been casting down imaginations and thinking on what is true.  What is true about God, what is true about me, what is true about other people and what they are thinking and what is true about my life now, not the past and not the future.  You have no idea how much mental space that has cleared up.  God is good. 

  Here is that email. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

  Casting down the Imagination

  Kym Wright

  “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:5 One of Adolf Hitler’s more famous sayings is: “If you tell a lie often enough, and loud enough, people will believe it.” And, often, our spiritual enemy tries to use this very trick on us. Imaginations, as defined in the dictionary, is the formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses. It is an unrealistic idea or notion; a fancy. A plan or a scheme. It came on so very slowly, I’m really not sure when it began. I was just disgruntled with being a mom. It wasn’t fun anymore. The joy was gone, replaced by a sense of failure and a desire to succeed at anything outside the home. Put the children in school. Be a career woman. Be a somebody — as if motherhood is for wimps and “nobodies.” I plodded through the homeschooling days. No joy, but doing the work nonetheless, committed to being home. In my mind I knew this was a wonderful calling, that I was doing a great work, that my time investment counted, and my occupation was worthy. But, the accusations and lies persisted. No joy. Do it anyway. You’re not doing well. So, I’ll persist in a poor quality job. You’re doomed to failure. Probably, but I’ve committed to staying home to raise and teach the children. One day, one of our older children came to me and said, “Mom, thank you so much for spending your time teaching us. We’d never have made it so far without you.” I was floored, astonished. My mind whirled with questions. Am I really doing an okay job? Are the children really turning out all right? At that moment, I recognized the enemy’s voice, and realized I had been believing — not just one lie, but many lies. The foundation was an imagination — something in my mind, which wasn’t true — and my mind had allowed a larger plan of the enemy to discourage me. My failure was an unrealistic notion. My heart thrilled with the question, “And just how far could I go if I believed this venture was a success?” So, I followed the biblical example and cast down the imagination. I just tossed out this image which had exalted itself against God’s plan for me. And I replaced it with this new image: me enjoying my calling. The children doing well in life — for indeed they were. Contentment and joy. Success in fulfilling my mission in life. So, I pose the question, What has the enemy stolen from you? What image is he trying to foist upon you, to steal the joy in finding God’s best and success for your life? Let’s reclaim the joy. Challenge the lies in our minds. Declare war on the father of lies. Cast down those wrong images, and let’s raise up the vision God has for us.
  

  ---

  Mark & Kym Wright have homeschooled since the mid-80s. They have 8 children, having graduated 4. Kym pens the “Learn and Do” unit studies. You can visit her website at: www.Learn-and-Do.com. First published in Weekly Wakeup with Kym Wright, a free e-Couragement for moms. Subscribe to The Mother’s Heart magazine, a premium online publication for mothers with hearts in their homes, published by Kym. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There is a scripture that comes to my mind when I read about that lady losing her joy of homeschooling.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:3-5 For me homeschooling is not only about reading, writing and maths, it’s about teaching the girls about God and the truth. 

• Home Ec for the homeschooler

  Date: 2008.08.15 | Category: Christian, Life | Response: 0

  Every so often I get an email from The Old Schoolhouse (a homeschooling magazine I subscribe to) which does a run down on a certain theme or subject.  This time it was Home Ec.  Todd Wilson is one of the colomnists, his column is called The Familyman.  The following article is what he wrote for this issue.  Brilliant.

  The Familyman
  Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries

  After a quick Google search, I found that the term Home Economics was coined in 1899. I’m guessing that some pubic school brainiac officials decided that school needed to be more like home. I assume the thinking went along these lines:
      
  “Ladies and gentlemen . . . academics are not enough. Our young women need to learn the valuable skills of preparing meals and managing a home. I suggest that we teach homemaking skills and call it something institutional sounding like . . . home economics. Ooo, we could even shorten it to Home Ec. All in favor say, ‘Aye.’”
      
  Since then, public and private schools have not only been teaching Home Ec, but in recent times they have also modeled THEIR schools after what we already do in our homes.
      
  They let their students build things with wood and metal and call it “industrial arts.” They have turned finger painting into “art class.” They call playing, “gym” and “recess.” They plant gardens, go on nature walks, and teach children how to get along with each other.
      
  In short, they KNOW that the best place to teach children is in the HOME and have spent the last 100 years now trying to make their schools more like it.
      
  In light of that, why do we homeschoolers try to make OUR homes like THEIR schools?? We need to stop and do what we do best. So, Mom and Dad, let’s teach our children to cook, clean, and care for the needs of our home and those who live in it . . . but please, PLEASE don’t call it Home Ec. It’s just home.

  Be real,
  Todd