You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April, 2009.
I really admire you for homeschooling your daughter. I wish I could do that with my kids!”
If I had a dollar for every time I have heard those words, I’d have enough to take myself out to Starbucks a few times! Neighborhood moms often shake their heads when they learn of our homeschool status. Some moms look at me as if I’ve suddenly grown another nose. Others confide that they would be all over homeschooling if, like me, they were trained teachers or had the slightest inkling of what to do.
The purpose of today’s blog is encourage these moms who may be toying with the idea of homeschooling. If this is you, then please know that I have been praying over this blog — and you — for a few weeks now. My wish is to give you something to ponder.
You are already homeschooling successfully.
Does your child know how to tie his shoes? Does he speak? Is she able to use a fork? What about making the bed or putting away clothes or singing the ABCs? Parents are their children’s teachers from the get-go. We teach them to say “Mama” and “Dada.” And they learn! Your kids’ brains are wired to learn. They are like little impressionable sponges. What goes into their heads in the elementary years helps shape the people they will become.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
There are large cities in this great nation of ours where nearly sixty percent of high school students fail to graduate. In the Dallas ISD, the graduation rate hovers around 50%. Nationwide, 30% of high school students do not graduate. I think this statistic says more about the schools themselves than about the students. Wisdom is NOT being taught in public schools in America anymore, period. Students are learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. They learn how to write a five paragraph essay. They may learn that the ulna and radius are the two bones in the lower arm and that the outer layer of skin is called the epidermis. But they will not learn wisdom.
Why? Because public schools do not teach the fear of the Lord.
If you choose to trust your child’s education to the state, then understand that he or she will spend 16,900 hours under someone else’s authority than the Lord’s over the course of kindergarten through twelfth grade. This means that, as a Christian, it is entirely up to you to teach your children to fear the Lord, and thus start them down the road to wisdom. If you are homeschooling, you have a 16,900 hour head-start in which to do it.
Homeschool curriculums are prolific
There are so many outstanding curriculum programs for homeschool out there that the difficulty lies not in finding them, but in finding the ones that suit you and your children. Many of them are simply modified curriculums that were written for Christian schools, such as Abeka and Bob Jones. Others, such as My Father’s World and Sonlight, were specifically written from the ground-up for homeschool families. Teaching Textbooks is a math curriculum specially made for homeschools, while Saxon Math is successfully used in public schools, private schools, and now homeschools. Homeschool Book Fairs are held all over the country and are a wonderful resource to new and veteran homeschool families. Publishers bring samples of their books; many bring entire sets and families buy at the book fair so they can avoid shipping charges. With the plethera of resources available, not to mention the (free) local library, there is no limit to the quality of education a homeschool parent can provide. Many curriculum programs include teacher’s guides which break down the subject into daily and weekly readings and activities; the Saxon math program even provides a script for the parent to read aloud in the early grades.
If you can read this blog, you have the ability to homeschool.
No one knows your child — or loves him — better than you and the Lord.
You raised your child and know without a doubt that he is going to someday work with his hands. He fidgets even while watching television and taps his foot when he reads. A child like this often suffers in a traditional classroom setting because large class sizes mean kids need to conform to a set of rules — such as sitting still. Maybe your child is very immature and is just not “getting” the reading thing. It could be that she just isn’t developmentally ready yet. I know a twelve year old who has recently finished reading The Lord of the Rings. He did not know how to read until he was TEN…and now, two years later, he is reading books that some adults have trouble comprehending. How is this possible? His homeschool mom read to him and taught him, and one day, when he was ready, something “clicked” in his brain.
Of course, sometimes children have challenges which go beyond our ability to help. As taxpayers, homeschoolers in Texas and Florida have the right to request that local school districts perform educational diagnostic testing. Private firms also provide diagnostic testing. The great thing is, if a challenge is noted, the homeschool parent is in a much better place to address the concerns than a teacher who has twenty five other students to teach. A friend of mine had suspicions when her third grader had over-the-top problems in spelling, and she initiated diagnostic testing. When she learned her child had dyslexia, she was able to connect with a therapist who meets with them twice a week and helps her know the best way to teach. As a homeschool parent, she is in the driver’s seat.
Flexibility is key
If you choose to homeschool, you get to be the principal, the teacher, and the student! If your children are night owls, let them stay up late and start school at 10. If you are early risers, you may get finished with school by noon. The only field trips you will be required to attend are the ones you plan, and you can make them be about whatever subject you happen to be studying or about whatever has sparked interest in learning. If your kids get sick, you don’t have to worry about make-up work or about information they may have missed in class because, as teacher, you can postpone class a day or two until they are feeling better. A homeschool family doesn’t have to take family vacations during the fiery summer; they can visit Florida during the off-season and save lots of money! The photo above is my daughter when we took an out-of-town trip. She found that interesting tree while we were on a walk and just had to investigate!
Support groups are everywhere
They are coming out of the woodwork — homeschool support groups are all over the place on the national, state, and local levels. The Home School Legal Defense Association is a support group and a legal resource; members receive free legal assistance if circumstances demand it. For example, sometimes school districts don’t know their state laws about homeschooling, and they contact a homeschool parent and demand that Billy attend school or be cited for truancy. The HSLDA keeps track of state laws throughout the nation. Often all it takes to resolve issues with local school districts is a brief phone call from one of the attorneys employed by the HSLDA. It’s nice to know they are there if I ever needed them!
On the local level, support groups range from mom’s meetings to co-ops. Classical Conversations is a fast-growing community nation-wide that strives to teach classical education with a biblical worldview. Students and moms attend class and learn techniques together. Children get valuable social interaction and academic competition as they compete with their peers — and their parents — in academic contests. Some co-ops are taught by parents; others are taught by certified teachers. Most meet once a week, although some meet twice a week and others meet only monthly.
If you are home during the day…if you have wistfully wished you could homeschool…you CAN. The Lord is there to help you, and so am I, and so are many others who are willing to share their expertise and knowledge with you. Please feel free to leave a comment if you’d like more information on how to get started. If I don’t know the answer for your state, I’ll at least find out where to go to get them.
My prayer is that a remnant of our population will achieve wisdom and not simply knowledge…through a fear of the Lord and an understanding of his ways and his overwhelming love.
Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. — From Deuteronomy 7
This week I have begun using a terrific application on my iphone. I downloaded YouVersion way back when I first got my phone, but I never realized the functionality of it until this week. My new favorite feature is the “Daily Reading” option located at the bottom of the home screen. One touch of the screen, and bam! I’ve got three separate passages ready to read, at my real (and virtual) fingertips. I’ve found that I can read it easily at my leisure…there is no longer ANY EXCUSE for me to put off sinking my teeth into God’s word. If I found myself without a phone or a Bible, I could still do my daily Bible reading by connecting to the YouVersion website.
A very kind friend, LL, mentioned to a group of moms last week that she is amazed at how many Christians today don’t regularly read their Bibles. How, she wondered, could a person possibly get to know God without using the means He gave us to get to know him? How can we be sure we are following his commands if we aren’t IN him? She wasn’t judging or trying to make us feel guilty. She just handed out a Bible reading plan and shared how she started reading the Bible every day about eight years ago — and how that discipline has enriched her life as a wife, as a mother, and as a homeschool teacher. LL is someone I want to BE!
Ever know anyone who possesses such joy that you just want to hang out around them? I’m hoping some of her joy will rub off on me as I get to know her better! She has more energy than anyone else I know. She’s in her forties and has gone back to school because she wants to learn how the brain learns. Guess what she does for every class she attends? She bakes huge cookies and feeds the other college kids! I’m sure they all adore her (I know I would!). I got to thinking: how does she manage to homeschool two kids, mentor two kids in college, teach a homeschool co-op once a week, bake amazing foods all the time AND take college courses, with JOY? It’s one of those God things. She KNOWS him. Like I want to KNOW him.
So I asked her what Bible program she had on her phone…come to find out, I had it on mine but hadn’t (gasp) used it. Instead of beating myself up , I jumped right into the Bible Reading plan with both feet this week. As usual, when I am mining for gold in God’s word, He doesn’t disappoint!
Part of today’s reading was in Deuteronomy chapters 6 and 7 (thus the quote above) What struck me first was the use of the pronoun your.
Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God.
That tiny little word, your, reached out through that phone screen and plucked at the contours of my heart. What does it mean to understand that my God is indeed God? It’s one of those sentences it is easy to skip over in an effort to get to the meaty stuff.
The Hebrew word used for what this translation says is understand is yada. This little tiny word packs a lot of meaning into four letters. It means not just to know, but to learn to know…to perceive…to see and find out…recognize…admit…confess…
In the picture above, my eyes see the Indian paintbrushes dotting the field. They see the little barn in the background and the trees in the distance. But do I really know that scene? I did not cross the fence and get up close and personal with the wildflowers. I did not traverse the field to inspect the barn. Are there animals housed there, or is it deserted? What is unique about each wildflower? I can’t answer any of those questions because I just looked at the scene from afar and used the lens on my camera to draw it in closer.
Sometimes I do that with God. I look at him from a long-range telephoto lens instead of up close with a microscope. I see a beautiful sunset and thank him. But am I learning to know Him? In order to truly know the wildflower scene, I would have to take a magnifying glass and investigate every inch…find out what bugs thrive in the field…what birds are nesting in which trees. In order to truly know God, I need to “see and find out” that the God whom I worship is indeed God, because this fact underlies everything else I could possibly learn about him and the world.
Our God, the LORD (Yehovah), really and truly is the ONE God. He is the faithful or confirmed God. He is the one who used great signs and wonders to bring the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. They — and we — are not merely doing what other peoples do and are bowing down to man-made idols or gods. We are aligned with THE God. The real one.
The internalization of this truth will put a specific lens on my “camera” as I learn to know God.
In all the noise of this world, with murders screaming out from the headlines and abortion pills handed out to the young, with senseless violence and obscene commercials filling the airwaves and the internet…with hungry people crying out for help in Somalia while pirates hijack the very ships that carry food for their poor and desperate…with our own White House requesting that the Name of Jesus be hidden from the television viewers during our president’s speech at Georgetown University…
A sudden quiet descends on my soul when I step back. Stand still. Focus my intent on learning to know Him. How would he have me respond?
With clouded vision? No, with discernment and wisdom:
but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. (1 John 4)
With fear? No, with peace:
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
And so, I begin a journey this week to, in the words of Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise…seek out new life and new understanding…to boldly go where I have not gone before. I will intentionally look for my God, who is indeed THE God, as I take pictures with my heart.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” -Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 7
My interest in educating my daughter at home began when she was only a toddler. I bought a couple of books about homeschooling and thought I would give it a try. It wasn’t long, though, before it became clear that my very bright only child turned social butterfly needed a social outlet. So it was with tears and much hand-wringing that I enrolled her in a preschool class two days a week. Despite a few bumps in the road, her experience was positive.
Fast forward a couple years to Kindergarten. What to do? Homeschool or not? The Lord made it very clear to me what we were to do: enroll both of us at a Christian school — me as a teacher, and her as a student. It was one of the only times in my life that I felt God’s hand on me so distinctly, directing me to get up, go, and get an application to teach. Three weeks later, I was hired as a first grade teacher, and my daughter was accepted as a Kindergarten student. It was absolutely the right road for us at that time.
After a move to Texas, I felt His call to try the very narrow homeschooling road. The thought of homeschooling my daughter was daunting even though I was a certified teacher. One visit to the local homeschool bookfair had my head swimming with all the curriculum choices available for home educators. Yet walk this narrow road we have done.
As I look at the narrow road ahead, I have to wonder: am I truly following God’s will for my daughter, or am I following my own desire to learn more through teaching? I am certain that the education she is receiving at home is superior to anything she would find in any school, public or private, because our parent-teacher ratio of one-on-one can’t be beat. We are building a close relationship day after day. She is so innocent — much more so than other girls her age raised up on the Disney idea of beauty and self-worth. Homeschooling gives us the opportunity to live a more relaxed lifestyle than those who attend school, at least in terms of bedtimes and wake-up times. My daughter spent her first two years in private school being constantly sick. Then we moved to Texas and moved OUT of the institutional setting, and her health has been more normal. Sure, she still gets colds and other ailments. But she is not at the point where she is sick every day of the year, as she was in Kindergarten and first grade. Better health for us all is another benefit to homeschooling. But does that mean homeschooling is God’s will for her? Or is it MY will for her to not get as sick?
Three years ago, I had hopes that she would have a brother or sister, either natural or adopted, by now. That hasn’t been the case. My husband has not warmed up to the idea of adopting a child, and I have come to terms with this closed door. I feel extremely blessed to have my sweet daughter in my life. But knowing that her road through life is going to be one she walks alone, without siblings, is homeschooling the best option for HER?
I’ve been praying about the decision of whether or not to homeschool next year, and the verse that popped into my head is the one about the narrow road quoted above. I always thought the verse was one of Jesus’ ways of telling us that He is the ONLY way to the kingdom of heaven. But when I looked at the original Greek, God had a surprise in store for me. Take a look at the verse again:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Focus in on the word “narrow.” It is used twice in the New International Version translation, but the Greek word for each one is different. The Greek word for the first reference to “narrow” is stenos, and it means narrow as we usually use the term, such as when referring to an opening. But the Greek word for the second “narrow” reference is thlibo. It means to press hard on something (such as on grapes), or to be compressed. It was used as a metaphor to depict someone being troubled or afflicted or distressed. Squeezed. Squished, like a grape.
So…Jesus seems to be saying that the road that leads to life is not an easy road. It is a road that compresses those who walk upon it. Only a few find it…but Jesus told us to enter it. To walk on it. To be different.
The word “thlibo” accurately describes the way many homeschool moms and students feel, especially at the end of the school year! It isn’t easy having the discipline to “do school” every day…but we do it nonetheless! It feels distressing sometimes knowing that the only day nothing outside of the home is scheduled is Monday. We are involved in activities with other children: Classical Conversations and Science class give my daughter instruction in a classroom setting and puts her around other children.
But is it enough? Classic opponents of homeschooling point to students’ “lack” of socialization. Because of my child’s status as an Only, I take her socialization very seriously. I walk the road that squeezes the energy out of me because I believe it is God’s way for us, at this point in time. There may come a time that He leads us elsewhere, but for now, as she enters fifth grade, I am fairly confident that the “homeschool” trail is where He is leading. I’ll continue to pray for guidance.
I’ve often bought into the conventional Christian wisdom that a person who is operating in God’s will experiences smooth sailing. But looking at Jesus’ words more closely tells me that those who have entered that narrow gate find a pathway that presses down. This thought goes right along with other parts of God’s word:
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ” -Zecharaiah 13
Paradoxically, the fact that I am feeling pressed is a good sign that I am on the right road! Now that is an encouraging word, from Jesus’ mouth, to my heart! I am so thankful to have His word at my fingertips and in my heart.
So said the sign my daughter and I carried at a Tea Party today. We joined with at least 500 others in all walks of life protesting the “Big Government” mentality of the current — and past — administration. There were people my age and younger, some with young children. There were also a few ladies and gentlemen who walked with the aid of canes and walkers, proudly waving American flags and signs. Some of my favorites said,
- Taxpayers are not ATMs.
- Socialism is fine until you run out of other people’s money.
- Next time, Read the Bill.
- TEA: Taxed Enough Already
Faces of many nationalities marched along the sidewalk with us. We weren’t members of one particular political party; in fact, we were, if anything, ANTI-political party. Republicans AND Democrats got our country into this financial mess. No politicians gave flowery speeches. We were just ordinary Americans taking an hour out of our day to protest our dismay over the direction OUR country is headed.
This was my first political protest, and it served as a valuable lesson in our homeschool journey. In our country, we have the freedom to peacefully assemble. We have a right to speak our minds. We are, according to one sign I saw, a
Silent Majority No Longer
No one dumped tea in the municipal fountain. Hopefully, when our elected leaders see the thousands of voters across America waving tea bags, they will remember their REAL employer: we the people. This is a wake-up call, Congress. Stop the wild spending. Balance the budget. Make getting us out of debt a priority. Or else forfeit your right to represent us. Because instead of dumping tea in the harbor, we’ll be like Donald Trump in the voting booth and say,
You’re Fired.
Being a homeschooling parent does not preclude my interest in events occurring in the public education system. The children being indoctrinated in public schools will one day be our future leaders: policemen, teachers, firemen, pilots, soldiers, scientists, physicians, etc. So it has been with increasing dismay that I have read about my local school district’s attempts to
- prohibit teachers from giving grades for homework assignments, even if those assignments are never turned in
- eliminate the automatic “zero” grade currently given to those students caught cheating on exams
- prohibit a teacher from assigning a grade lower than “50″ (some districts set the bar at “70″) on a report card regardless of the student’s lack of mastery.
When I am sixty years old and need the services of a physician, I do not want to be saddled with a doctor who learned to work the system and just “skate by” in school. America used to be about excellence. In fact, the immigrants who settled our great country were all about excellence. “Do it right the first time” was a value taught in schools and in homes. Thousands of new innovations and inventions blossomed out of the quest for excellence. It is a shame that educational leaders across the country are now pushing for “grade-less” institutions. A report card is supposed to be a way to show NOT the value of the child, but to show the child’s mastery of the subject matter. If teachers are no longer allowed to issue failing grades, then what is the point of education? How will a teacher, a student, and his parents know whether or not a topic is mastered? I do not want a doctor who was allowed to “pass” biology but who failed to master anatomy!
Kudos to State Senator Jane Nelson who has introduced legislation that would eliminate these district attempts to “de-grade” student achievement. Proponents in the “no-failing-grade” camp claim that poor grades lead to student drop-outs (and thus less money for the school districts), and that some students need a “safety net”. The problem with this “safety-net” mind-set is that it rewards under-performing students to such an extent that all students begin to play the system. What’s the point of doing homework (and mastering a subject) if your friend doesn’t do his and makes the same grade you make? What’s the harm in cheating?
Many teachers already offer those who fail exams to take a re-test — that practice was in place way-back-in-the-olden-days when I was in high school. That was an adequate safety net. Teachers are not “out to get” students but aim to encourage and lead them to success…true success, that is. Not an empty one.
Proverbs 21 speaks to much of the harm that is happening in classrooms all over Texas and the nation. Do we want to raise up an entire generation of children who have no work ethic? No thick skin? No sense of accomplishment?
Lazy people finally die of hunger
because they won’t get up and go to work.Do your best, prepare for the worst—
then trust God to bring victory
Today was one of those days when the sun seemed too bright. The bird songs outside my window were irritating, and I felt a strong inclination to drop kick the bunnies into next week when I discovered — again — that they had resumed setting up housekeeping right underneath the strawberry patch. Piano lessons today were sour, not sweet, as I stumbled and fretted over Amazing Grace. I feel guilty that my husband still has a job and we have a house compared to those who don’t, I want to help the poor but don’t know how, and I’m madder than a wet hen that my attempts to be self-sufficient failed when last night’s freeze totally wiped out the sweetly green seedlings in our garden . I spied my old dog’s collar tucked away in our closet and lost it as I caught a whiff of his Shiner smell. I’m out of trash bags and paper towels, desperately need a haircut, and my husband has been gone on a business trip since Saturday. (cue the violin, please)
Whine, whine, whine, right?
I actually started a post earlier today that compared the state of my heavy heart with King David’s in Psalm 68, but the LORD must have had mercy on me and allowed the computer to freeze up and erase my 650 words before I had a chance to post them. David was a King who had real enemies pursuing him, ridiculing him, gunning for him…um, quite a bit more than the silly stuff on my plate.
A glimmer of sunshine kept the darkness at bay, though. That’s one of the blessings of my inheritance with the Lord. I might be in a funk, but He is still there, still the same, steady rock. So as I wallered in self pity today, the old hymn, It is Well With My Soul kept springing to mind, in between my fusty ruminations. I have only the Holy Spirit to thank for that! So tonight I did a search on YouTube and found a version of the song that I absolutely love by The Newsboys!
If you are going through a rough patch and are a child of THE King, drink in this song and let its truths fill your soul.
Man! After listening to that reminder, it really IS well with my soul, thanks to Jesus…(cue the sunshine, bird songs, and bunnies, please!)
This is a quick, broken-arm update.
Today’s x-rays showed that my daughter’s bones are not growing straight. Apparently, the bones shifted when her swelling went down. Now new bone is growing in such a way that her arm bone is “bowing.” Her bone sits at a 10 degree angle, whereas “normal” ones sit nearly straight on the vertical with perhaps a 1 degree tilt.
The good news is that the doctors *think* that as she grows, the bone will naturally straighten itself out.
The bad news is that there is a chance the bone won’t, and she could end up with a permanent “bowed” appearance in her lower arm.
I saw the arm without the cast today. The bowed-ness is visible.
The alternative is invasive surgery where the doctor re-breaks the bones and then inserts rods and pins to hold them in place. This procedure would leave two scars, one on top and the other on the bottom.
I have to say I don’t like either of those choices.
I don’t want my little girl to have any defect in any way! Is that shameful of me to feel that way? My head knows that these bodies are just temporary carriers until we get to heaven. But my fleshly heart is weeping. I know it’s silly. It’s just ten little degrees. Ten little degrees that show up as an obvious slant.
Today I can’t see the forest. I can’t see God’s plan for my little girl in all of this. I just wish it had never happened. I wish she had never fallen off the balance beam. I wish that God had answered my prayers in the affirmative when I asked Him to send his healing down to her.
Instead, He said He would heal those bones…but not in the way that they were before she broke them.
What’s up with that?
I am squirming in this chair as I write these words because I know what God’s answer is to my questions. He would likely answer my questions just as he answered Job’s in chapter 38:
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?“Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?
I’m just a hunk of clay that gave birth to another hunk of clay. The Lord is the one who knit her in my womb. He put all her pieces together. If He wants her arm to be different, who am I to question him? I am her mother. Like a she-bear protecting her cubs from danger, I have an instinctive impulse to lash out when she is in danger. But to whom do I lash out? There is nothing in my power that will make things right in her arm. Only in the LORD’s power, through Christ, can her arm be made whole again in the way it was before it was broken.
I must trust today that God sees the forest. He is drawing out her life and has a plan. Maybe this experience will guide her toward a medical profession. Or maybe this is a test for me to prove that I really can let go and let God. Because all I can see today is a section of the forest choked with weeds and dirt and nasty things that scurry on the ground, I have to trust that the Lord guides my feet and her feet — and her arm bones.
We’ve decided not to do surgery — the doctor recommended that we take the “wait and see” approach. Is this the right trail through the forest?
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21
