The Free Lunch Culprit

I read a news story today that reported on another study about the “obesity epidemic” among children.  The culprit, according to the story, is the unhealthy school lunch paid for by the government (in other words, paid for by taxpayers) to feed children whose parents can’t afford to feed them.

Let me get this straight: these children are so poor and hungry that they are……..obese?

Is anyone else out there puzzling over this discrepancy?

There is no doubt that the Lord calls us to feed those who are hungry, but I think His definition of “hungry” might differ from our government’s definition of hungry.  I’m thinking of the children in Africa who are literally skin and bones, whose bellies poke out not from too many twinkies and cokes but from malnutrition.  These children might get one bowl of rice a day, period.  No strawberries or apples or bananas.  No carrots or green beans or salad.  Just rice.  Those are the kids who truly need $2.92 a meal, which is what a typical school meal costs.

Our government nannies at the Department of Agriculture dictate that our US kids need more fruit and vegetables and whole grains, and they require schools districts who get federal lunch money (taxpayer lunch money) to provide meals that adhere to the food pyramid guidelines.  I’m okay with that — I’d much rather my tax dollars pay for homemade bread than pop tarts — but there’s a catch (of course).  The government (again, that means we the taxpayers) only pays out $2.68 per lunch.  According to the School Nutrition Association, each “free” lunch costs about $2.92 each.  Who makes up the difference?  We do.  To cover the cost differential, schools increase the cost of lunch for everyone else.

What does this twenty-four cent difference mean for the average taxpayer who does not qualify for the free lunch program?

In 2007, 5.1 Billion free lunches were served.  At a twenty-four cent shortfall per lunch, that means there were $1.2 million between what those lunches cost and what taxpayers paid.  Those of you whose children eat school lunches paid extra, on top of what you already pay in income tax, to cover the difference.

During the general election I wrote a blog about Michelle Obama’s comments regarding making sure that everyone “gets a piece of the pie.”

Hmmm.  What kind of pie was she referring to?  The School Lunch pie?  The Medicaid pie?  How about that Social Security pie?

What kind of pie do you deserve?

Me?

I’d rather serve it than eat it.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.¹³“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
John 13

Reason 6,200,000 To Homeschool

I haven’t actually been keeping count of the reasons why my family chooses to homeschool, but the number in the title isn’t an accident.  That’s the number of teachers in the U.S.  Most of these teachers do an excellent job educating even within the constraints given them by the State.  Some of them, however, are unfortunately going several steps beyond educating and are indoctrinating your children.  Consider this video of children singing a song about President Obama:

Those of you who attend Tea Parties and who advocate smaller government must understand that you embrace the “s” word (Socialism) every time you put your children on the government school bus.  Every year when you trust someone else to teach your kids what the Government thinks they need to know, you are embracing socialism.  You are allowing public money to be spent on your children’s education.

In case you think this song was a one-time affair, consider the response of Superintendent Christopher Manno, who focused his comments not on the indoctrination itself, but on the filming itself:

“The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized,” he wrote in a note to parents and the media.

You see, to the State, what goes on behind classroom doors should stay behind classroom doors.

I am not permitting parents….

I am not permitting parents to opt students from viewing the president’s message, since this is a purely educational event.”
-Dr. Arthur Tate Jr., Superintendent of Schools, Tempe Elementary School District Number 3, Arizona

Hmm.  Not permitting?  Just who do the kids in your school district belong to, their parents, or to the state?

The White House dismisses criticism (they do that all the time these days) from parents who object to the idea of their children being forced to watch the President’s speech on education this coming Tuesday.  As an educator, I am all FOR encouraging children on the benefits of lifelong learning, including speeches from our elected leaders.  The speech itself is not what shocked me.  The “suggested classroom activities” for PreK-6th graders are what made this teacher blink and take a step back.

Understand that it is a good thing for a classroom teacher to build background knowledge, encourage students to take notes, and provide time for discussion in response to any speech.  All of those are very important pieces of learning.

However, the Teaching Ambassador Fellows with the U.S. Dept. of Education, who wrote these suggested activities, have a different view of government than I do, and it clearly shows through in the words that they chose.  They wrote their suggested activities from the perspective that the Government is supreme and the people answer to the Government.  The quote above from the Arizona school superintendent is proof that there are many in our great republic who have lost sight of what it means to be a federation of states rather than a top-heavy federal entity.

From a professional educator’s perspective, here is what is right and what is wrong with the outlook of these much-debated suggested lesson plans:

Before the Speech

This plan suggests that teachers build background knowledge by reading books about Presidents “and Barack Obama.”  The office of the presidency is larger than the man, is it not?  Or has that changed somehow?  I guess I can see the legitimacy of reading a non-biased book about his background if one exists.  But it does smack of putting the man before the message, does it not?

The activity guide suggests that teachers ask students questions to get them thinking, such as…

• Who is the President of the United States?
• What do you think it takes to be president?
• Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?

Those three innocent-seeming questions are actually teeming with an underlying belief that the government is supreme and is separate from and above, rather than of, the people.  The president and other elected officials are supposed to answer to the people!  They are supposed to represent us — but the tone of this question implies that their words are important and are not to be questioned.

During the Speech

Teachers are encouraged to get students to take notes in various forms.  This is a great idea and is one that I used liberally during last year’s presidential debates.  Note taking is a great skill.  However, the activity guide again assumes that the government (Obama) is supreme through these questions:

• What is the president trying to tell me?
• What is the president asking me to do?
• What specific job is he asking me to do?
• Is he asking anything of anyone else?

Makes me wonder just what it is that he will be suggesting.  If he is asking students to work hard, take personal responsibility, and cultivate a love of learning, then yahoo!  I totally agree!  But I do believe his speech may overstep those general bounds based on subsequent questions in the activity guide.

After the Speech

Teachers are encouraged to have students share their notes and discuss the “main ideas from the speech, such as citizenship, personal responsibility, and civic duty.”  I do believe that President Obama’s idea of civic duty might not line up with mine, and I do not think kindergarten children should even think along the lines of what their duties are to their state.  To their families, yes.  To the civic arena?  No. Older students are able to debate ideas; kids this young are like sponges and do not necessarily have the intellectual capacity to sort through what their president tells them about civic duty.  This *could* come close to the “i” word (indoctrination), depending on how it is handled.  For example, if the president exhorts students to not give up, to keep moving forward despite adversity, to seek after lifelong learning for learning’s sake, to pursue all their endeavors with excellence– those are noble causes, and he can use the office of the presidency to encourage.  If, however, he tells students that they all deserve equal shares of the American pie, that they all deserve equal grades for their equal efforts, then he is misleading them down a road called socialism.

Another GOOD part of these classroom plans is the suggestion that students write out their personal goals.  These are good ideas, particularly as they pertain to education (not civic duty).  For example, it would be completely appropriate for a second grader to set a goal to learn her addition facts by December 31st.  It would also be okay for a third grader to decide that he will give up his seat on the city bus to the elderly for the next six months.  But that kind of goal is best made under the guidance of his parents — not his president, and not his teacher.

The main editorial in today’s Dallas Morning News, Trumping Civic Virtue, accuses those right-wingers upset about the speech of irrationality and of a lack of patriotism.

Once upon a time, patriotism assumed a basic respect for America and its institutions….conservative writer P.J. O’Rourke expressed astonishment at the boycott initiative, admitting that he’s cautious about criticizing Obama around his children because he wants them to honor their president…Skepticism of those in power is a healthy instinct, necessary to a vigorous democracy (my note: we are a republic.  Look it up!). Skepticism unhinged from reason becomes paranoia and undermines the rational foundations upon which democratic self-governments depends.”

Paranoia?  Undermining the rational foundations of our existence as a nation?  Those are serious charges against me: an American and professional educator and writer who knows that the words we choose convey much more persuasive material than people realize.  I make it a point to let my own child know when I both disagree and agree with President Obama’s policies, and I instruct her to honor the office of the President as well as the president himself.  God himself is the one who ultimately chooses our leaders, and we dishonor him when we dishonor our leaders.  However, honoring someone does not mean suspending criticism.  It means respectfully questioning and ultimately using our voting powers to elect representatives who truly represent us.  If the act of asking questions about my government’s decisions make me paranoid, then our republic is in worse shape than I realized.

Ultimately it comes down to the word “public.” Teacher Cynthia Mostoller, whose 8th grade history class hosted President George H.W. Bush’s speech in 1991, put it this way:

Every president needs to talk to the kids and have a message and speak from the heart….These are public schools.  They’re funded with public monies. It’s a public institution. (Presumably) he’s not advocating a position of ’support me in Afghanistan.”

Presumably he won’t advocate a position of supreme authority of the presidency, either.

The ripples from this speech should not be surprising to Christians who send their children to public schools.  Public schools are, in fact, public.  They are owned by the Big G, at least as far as Superintendent Tate and others like him are concerned.

And that is one of the biggest reasons why I homeschool.

A Life That Demands An Explanation

I heard a sermon the other day where the pastor quoted this statement:

Christians today ought to live a life that demands an explanation.

Our lives are to look different than the lives of those around us.

Does your life look different? Does mine?

This question has generated much discussion in our family. One of the assertions of the author of the Blue Parakeet book (which I finished this morning, yea!) is that not all of Jesus’ commands are applicable to today. I want to explore that assertion by examining for myself Jesus’ commands. I’ll begin in the book of Matthew:

“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

Can we follow that command in today’s world? Yes! Repenting is not just a “please forgive me” statement. It is a word that implies action. Someone who has been actively involved in a sin actively turns his back on that sin and moves off in a new direction, towards God. One of the sins I found myself committing is the sin of coveting materials things I don’t have. In repentence, I mute the television during commercials and put advertisements into the recycle bin without even looking at them. When I find myself struggling with selfishness and the Holy Spirit brings that to my attention, I need to immediately repent and intentionally redirect my thoughts towards God and others rather than on myself.

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you^[c] and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹² Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.

Are we Christians good about following this command of Jesus? I’m not. I get offended when the government takes God out of life and when the ACLU sues school districts for allowing prayer. It makes me feel angry when I overhear nonbelievers saying ugly things about those of us who follow Christ. Just yesterday there was an article out about the outgoing General Counsel of the NEA, Bob Chanin, who said,

“We are not paranoid, someone really is after us. Why are these conservative and right-wing b****rds picking on NEA and its affiliates? I will tell you why: it is the price we pay for success.”

The NEA issued a handbook about us Christian right-wingers in 1996 that said, in part, about the “radical right’s crusade against public schools”:

“They won’t go away. No matter how bizarre we believe their beliefs to be, no matter how illogical and inconsistent their goals appear, and no matter how often we reassure ourselves that ‘this too, shall pass,’ the political, social, and religious forces that make up the radical right in contemporary American society will not go away.”

Are we happy about that? No, as a whole we are not. We gripe about it in blogs. We tell Christian teachers to quit the NEA and stop sending them dues each year. But it is possible for us to be glad about it! It requires a renewing of our mindsets. We have been so blessed in our religious freedom that we have forgotten what it means to be blessed through persecution. Perhaps our time has come. Note to self: quit griping and start celebrating! Yea!! The media dissed Christians today!! Yea! President Obama denied that we are a Christian nation! If we truly follow Jesus, we will rejoice. Why? Because of the great reward that is coming!

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

We sing about that command…a great song by the Newsboys called Shine as well as a children’s song, “This Little Light of Mine.” I think it is significant to note here that in order to follow this command to shine, we must first do something. Good deeds. Is that possible in today’s world? Of course! Here are a few ideas. Some of them I’ll have to try myself!

• Tell the drive through worker you want to pay for the order for the car that is behind you.
• Take meals to neighbors who are sick.
• Pass on hand-me-down clothes to those who can’t afford to buy them for their kids or themselves.
• Stock the food pantry at your church or neighborhood on a regular basis.
• Keep a stash of granola bars or other food in your car and hand them out to the homeless (or homeless pretenders) standing on street corners. What does it matter whether the person is genuinely needy? God knows your heart! Your light shines either way!
• Consider becoming a foster parent.
• Get to know your neighbors. How can you love them if you don’t even know their names?

The list could go on and on! The point is, this is a command that, if we actually followed it, Christians and therefore Christ would be lifted up in honor! For us to say we follow Christ but then to sit on our laurel without actually doing the good deeds he commands us to do makes us no better than the Pharisees. It makes us hypocrites.

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’^{[d] 22} But I say, if you are even angry with someone,^[e] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,^[f] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,^[g] you are in danger of the fires of hell.^[h]“So if you are presenting a sacrifice^[i] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Is it possible to follow this command in today’s world? We don’t offer sacrificial animals…but we do make our offerings in church. How do you approach the offering plate? Do you toss in your check without thinking? Jesus clearly tells us to delay our offerings until we are reconciled to those around us. This is a difficult thing to do. It’s much easier for me to sweep something under the rug or to ignore it. But here’s a litmus test: if whatever it is makes you fret or obsess or want to discuss it with your husband or a close friend — then chances are you need to go be reconciled to that person. Ack! It is uncomfortable to confront these people, especially when you love them. It’s easier to confront a stranger (i.e, the rude store clerk or salesperson on the phone) than it is to confront someone you love. Yet Jesus clearly tells us to be reconciled. To seethe inwardly leads to anger which leads to cursing which leads to the fires of hell….a place where none of us want to be!

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’^{[k] 28} But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ So if your eye—even your good eye^[l]—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your hand—even your stronger hand^[m]—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

This is a big one, and not just for the guys. Jesus calls us to guard our eyes. Don’t let our eyes lead us into lust. I’m reminded of Casting Crown’s song, Slow Fade, that addresses this issue. Indeed, as the lyrics say, people never crumble in a day. I make it a point to not cultivate friendships with men or to be alone with them. It’s my way of making sure that the slow fade never catches hold of me: if I don’t engage in conversation or close friendships with men who are not my husband, then there is no opportunity for sin. Perhaps to some of you this is an extreme behavior on my part: but look again at what Jesus commands us: it’s better to cut off your hand than to commit adultery in your heart!

I’ve just gone through Matthew, halfway through chapter 5, and found these commands. I encourage you to not take my word for it. Seek out Jesus’ commands and think about how you can follow them in your life today so that your life demands an explanation, so that those around you notice your light shining. In a world where conformity is preached from Kindergarten through college, being different is discouraged. But you, be encouraged!

And be ready to give an explanation.

From institutions of learning to daycare

Four hundred eighth graders in Dallas returned to school over their summer break this week to retake the math portion of the TAKS test. Apparently the state was concerned because too many of the students received a “commended” score.

This is another example of a world where up is down and down is up.

Too many students do well on a test, and the administration automatically assumes cheating was somehow involved. Only this time, they didn’t implicate the students in the cheating. Well, who else? Did the teachers stay behind and secretly change answers on the answer sheets? Most of America’s school children are being taught in a system that assumes failure. What does that say about the quality of education?  (The teachers themselves are, on the whole, outstanding.  The system in which they are forced to work…with all the emphasis on standardized, multiple choice tests rather than well-thought-out arguments in the later years or memorization work in the early years…requires that they are just as trapped as their students.)

I recently attended an outstanding parent practicum of Classical Conversations. The next one in Texas will be held in July in San Antonio. I strongly urge all parents, whether they are homeschoolers or not, to attend one of these free 3-day practicums. The information you learn will change the way you think about education in America. It will cause you to question your own learning and might lead you to conclude, as I did, that most of the political and economic problems in this country today are directly the result of the inadequate education our current leaders received in schools.

I consider myself one of those who was inadequately educated. Like Leigh Burton, the founder of Classical Conversations, states in her book, An Echo in Celebration, I have a college degree. I graduated with a 4.0 average. Yet I can only speak one language. I couldn’t tell you the names of the constellations or even the names of the countries in South America. When it comes to political upheaval in other parts of the world, I am hard-pressed to find them on a map. I find it extremely difficult to debate anyone on any topic without breaking out in a cold sweat. Sometimes I even suffer panic attacks when a good debater challenges me on my statements because I get so flustered. I always assumed it was because I just wasn’t a debater. Come to find out, it means I am undereducated. Debate skills come naturally to a few, but rhetorical skills can actually be taught to everyone. They weren’t taught to me. I had 28 separate teachers throughout high school that taught me different subjects — yet I did not achieve a rhetorical understanding of any of them, nor do I remember much of what I supposedly learned. I was not taught how to train my brain.

Neither were our leaders. We are now faced with an entire generation of leaders in our governments and our businesses whose members were not taught to think on their feet. They were not taught the tools of learning. Is it any wonder, then, that they do such incredibly dumb things such as these?

• Pass a stimulus bill authorizing over $700 Billion in taxpayer funds…without reading it first.
• Give bail-out money to automobile companies…only to find out after the fact that the money wasn’t enough, forcing GM to declare bankruptcy. Why did the government have to do anything anyway? Lots of companies go bankrupt and restructure and reopen leaner and more efficient!
• Impose term-limits on our President but not on our Senators or Congressmen.
• Fail to fix the Social Security system
• Continue to add more and more legalese to the income tax laws which now stack so high that they reach 20ft in the air…rather than scrapping the whole thing and starting fresh
• Focus all the “health care crisis” debate on government intervention…when there are many alternatives on the table that would eliminate fraud and waste and save taxpayers money

I could go on and on here. I’m not just criticizing the current administration. I could bring up examples from the Bush years and the Clinton years, the Reagan years and the Carter ones…all the way back to the 1950s.

As a nation, we have no common sense anymore because common sense is extinct. It is not being taught in public schools, and public schools are now where most of our kids spend about 1,440 hours each year. Education is now viewed as an entitlement rather than a privilege. Parents rely on our schools to baby-sit their kids. That is an ugly truth.

When Ft. Worth schools temporarily shut down in an effort to contain the swine flu, parents got mad. Why? Not because their children missed a week or so of learning, but because they had to find daycare.

Hiding isn’t just for wimps

Today I had one of those “Huh?” moments while reading  about the events leading up to the crowning of Israel’s first king, Saul.  God’s people grumbled and complained and kept begging for a king, so God finally said, “Okay.”  It reminds me of the times that my dad gave in and let me have my way.  If I had a fit, his answer was always no.  But I quickly learned that if I gracefully accepted his initial “No,” he usually relented later and would agree to let me do whatever it was that I had asked.  To this day, I can see him stand in my doorway, arms crossed and head tilted to the side as he sighed deeply and said,

You can do (whatever)…against my better judgment.”

So even though God knows that a king is NOT what is best for Israel, he’s giving in and letting them have one.  He chose a man who stood head and shoulders above the rest.  Saul was merely going about his business, looking high and low for his father’s lost donkeys, when Samuel the prophet befriended him and honored him at a huge feast.  Can  you imagine the bewilderment Saul must have felt upon hearing these words:

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance? (from 1 Samuel 10)

Samuel then went on to tell Saul a few prophesies.  First, he said that Saul would meet two men near Rachel’s tomb who would tell him that his father’s donkeys had been found.  (Remember…we’re going from found donkeys to ruler of Israel, literally overnight!)  Then Samuel told him that as he went on his way, he’d meet up with three men.  One would be carrying three young goats, one would be carrying three loaves of bread, and another would carry a flask of wine.  Samuel told him to accept the bread they would offer him.  Finally, Samuel predicted that Saul would come upon prophets and that he himself would become a changed person and would begin prophesying. He instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Gilgal and to do whatever the Lord led him to do.

So Saul went on his way, and, I’m sure to his utter amazement, everything happened the way Samuel said it would happen.  When he met with the prophets, the Bible says:

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.  When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.

Saul saw his uncle shortly after this, but he did not say anything about what had happened.  Maybe his mind was whirling.  Maybe God stilled his lips so that he would not say.  When Samuel arrived, he assembled the Israelites by tribes and clans in order to select a king (against God’s better judgment).   The tribe of  Benjamin was selected…and then the clan of Matri.

What happened next is when I hit the Huh? factor in this story.

Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the LORD said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

Huh?

Saul, the chosen one, the one who had already been anointed, who had already had the Spirit of God come upon him, who had already prophesied, the  one who stood head and shoulders above everyone else, went into hiding!  He was afraid!

There are times that I despise myself when my fears strangle me.  How is it that one such as me, one who has been saved by grace and is a daughter of the king, could still be shackled with panic and fear?  I never realized until today that Saul was just like me in that regard.  There have been times that I have wanted to crawl into bed and hide under the covers because I was afraid.  I have always felt so weak and…damaged…because of my phobic tendencies.  But this passage gives me hope!  Everyone faces fears and hides away for a time.  Even kings.  Even moms.

I recently became the  director of a local Classical Conversations group.  CC is a homeschooling model and method and functions like a co-op, only with more academics and a focus on the classical model of education (about which I’ll be writing much more later when I have had time to assimilate!)  I attended a three-day seminar and training last week and found myself feeling a little like Saul.

What on earth have I taken on?  Is the Lord SURE I am the one for this position?  Me?  The one who is phobic and anxiety-prone?  The one who knew absolutely nothing about classical education until about six months ago and is now totally passionate about it?  I had a mini-panic attack at the end of the second day that woke me up from sleep.

But now I am reminded of Saul, and of David, and of all those Biblical examples of flawed people working out their faith in real ways.  Sometimes they ran away before they got it right.  Sometimes they hid.  Now I don’t feel so bad about covering up with a blanket and hiding in a book for half the night.  Saul’s anxiety must have been sky high, to go from donkey-searcher-outer to king!  Kinda makes my anxiety about going from homeschool mom to CC director pale in comparison…and I’m realizing that it’s not necessarily wimpy to hide for a little while.  God knows where I am, and, like he did with Saul, he’ll direct others to drag me out when it’s time for me to do the tasks he’s set before me.

Feeling Pressed? You’re On The Right Road!

“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.

Education Matters

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

The Fool in me

I have been slowly reading Ted Tripp’s book, Shepherding a Child’s Heart.  Our homeschooling mom’s group meets once monthly to view a video and discuss aspects of the book and ways to apply what we are learning in our own lives.  I like this “take” on child-rearing because it goes so much deeper than surface-area behavior.  The book discusses ways that parents, using Jesus and God’s word, can look past misbehavior and into their children’s hearts.  Why not just focus on the behavior itself?

That’s what I learned in college.  I remember a class dedicated to different methods of “behavior modification.”  As a teacher, I handed out stickers and compliments and made a big deal out of rewarding good behavior.  The problem with this and most of the behavior “plans” out there is that they focus on the external and only work when the teacher/parent/caregiver is physically present. Kids learn to do the misbehaviors when our backs are turned! We need to teach our kids in such a way that they understand that the LORD is always present and always sees everything.  We want to follow Deuteronomy 6:5-8 –

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

So…how to get from here to there?  I am a practical learner.  I like to have real tools in my toolbag.  It turns out that I’m learning that God’s word has every tool that a parent could possibly need.  My task is to find them, dig them out, apply them to my own life, and then teach them to my daughter.

What do you know about the book of Proverbs?  Growing up, I knew that if I opened my Bible to the middle section, it would be there.  I knew it contained wise sayings, but it hasn’t been until recently — through my study on how to shepherd my daughter’s heart — that I have realized the need to actually live out those wise sayings.  How can I live them out if I don’t know what they say?  How can I write them on the doorframe of my house if I don’t know what they are?

In typical type-A fashion, I’ve decided to do a character-study of the book of Proverbs.  There are characters there, did you know?  There’s the wise man, of course.  And there’s also the wicked man.  And the fool.  And the mocker.

Today I’m going to look at characteristics of what the Bible calls The Fool…so I can, with God’s grace, repent of my foolish ways and incorporate them in my conversations with my daughter.

The Fool

• despises wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7)
• hates knowledge  (Proverbs 1:22)
• his complacency will destroy him (Proverbs 1:32)
• will be shamed (Proverbs 3:35)
• brings grief to his mother (Proverbs 10:1)
• his chattering brings him to ruin (Proverbs 10:8)
• his mouth invites ruin (Proverbs 10:14)
• he spreads slander (Proverbs 10:18)
• he dies because of a lack in judgment (Proverbs 10:21)
• finds pleasure in evil conduct (Proverbs 10:23)
• brings trouble on his family (Proverbs 11:29)
• his own way seems right to him (Proverbs 12:15)
• shows his annoyance at once (Proverbs 12:16)
• proclaims foolishness (Proverbs 12:23)
• detests turning from evil (Proverbs 13:19)
• harms his companions (Proverbs 13:20)
• rips apart her family with her own hands (Proverbs 14:1)
• does not have knowledge on his lips (Proverbs 14:7)
• lies to himself about his own ways (Proverbs 14:8)
• mocks at making amends for sin (Proverbs 14:9)
• is hotheaded and restless (Proverbs 14:16)
• is quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:17

There are so many gems here just in the first fourteen chapters of Proverbs!  I can see themes running through several of the chapters.  For example, Chapter 1-3 seem to dwell on the “head” workings of the fool.  In his heart, he hates wisdom of any kind…why?  Perhaps because he wants to go his own way.  If his own way happens to be unwise, he doesn’t want to hear it.  Does that sound familiar?  It does to me in my own life.  For example, wisdom told me several months ago that it was time to say good-bye to my dog, Shiner.  But I was a fool about him.  It was my duty to take care of him, and I let my own love for him and desire to have him around get in the way of what was best for him. It hurts to say this, but I do think he really was suffering.  I can’t bear to see the photos we took of him on his last days because the strain of pain is easier to see now that we’re removed from the situation.

Proverbs 10 talks about the foot-in-mouth syndrome.  The Fool talks.  A lot.  His talk is ugly and slanderous sometimes.  Sometimes it’s just silly and untrue and just flat-out, well, foolish. I hate to admit it, but there are times that I am this fool.  I see it with much chagrin when I overhear my daughter repeating some of the comments I have made about so-and-so politician or government official.  There is a difference between wisely DOING and foolishly running and complaining at the mouth. Yikes.  I confess I resemble this Fool too much!  I need Jesus to help me renew my mind AND my speech.

A know-it-all syndrome inhabits the Fool of Proverbs 12. Ever had a conversation with someone that became distinctly one-sided as she went on and on about her expertise in the field, and if you happened to disagree with her, she rolled her eyes or otherwise showed you scorn?  I’m afraid many of our elected officials fall into this category.  Those who cling to the “party line” without regard to right or wrong…those who are unwilling to listen to the other side.  The scientists who black-list other scientists (even Nobel-Prize winning ones) when they acknowledge the existence of an Intelligent Creator are embodiments of the Proverbs 12 Fool.  I confess that when it comes to education, I am sometimes The Fool.  Newlyweds fighting over the “correct” way to load the dishwasher or fold socks are guilty of becoming Fools.

The children in chapel at my daughter’s private school had a favorite song with lyrics that warned against the follies of The Fool as found in Proverbs 14.  They went something like this:

Be quick, quick, quick to listen
Quick, quick, quick to hear.
Quick, quick, quick to listen
Quick pick up those ears!

But be sloooww to speak…
Be sure you know what to say..
Be slooowww to speak…
That’s the righteous way

It’s important (and fun) to note that God gave us 2 ears but only 1 mouth for a reason!  I’ve been The Fool in Proverbs 14 before.  Some days I just get angry, short-tempered, and annoyed.  Little things get under my skin and make me lash out with angry words.  I’ve been known to slam a cabinet door or two in my day!  I don’t like to be hot-headed or quick-tempered.  I’d like to blame it on PMS (and actually there is some truth there), but still…God gave me these hormones and will give me the control I need to keep my temper in check, even on “those” days!  (Lord, you know how much I need you to renew me and my mind on those days when I hurt so bad I can hardly function…thank YOU for being so merciful because I sure do need it!!)

The scary part about The Fool in Proverbs 14 is that she actually rips apart her own household.  The Hebrew word used for “household” means a house, but it also means an established family unit.  We moms have such a responsibility to keep the peace, don’t we?  Ever heard the saying:

When Mamma ain’t happy, ain’t NOBODY happy?

That’s because we hold the key to our family’s hearts.  Through our words, our gestures, and our actions, we can reinforce our family relationships or tear them down with our own hands.  The word used in Hebrew for “tear down” also means to utterly destroy.  The thing about it is, many times we deceive ourselves into thinking that our outbursts are necessary and good.  We think that our kids will REALLY pay attention this time if we show them just how angry they’ve made us.  So we go to extremes and act out in anger rather than in wisdom.  Maybe we ground them for an entire month for something that really wasn’t that bad but that got under our skin.  Or maybe we resort to emotional damage and wall them off and shut them out.  If they can’t behave, then we won’t be available emotionally or be there for them when they need a hug.  Have you ever done that?  Or worse, said something that implied you wished you didn’t have a family?  Those kinds of reactions to misbehavior teach our kids how to be Fools themselves.

Wow.  There’s so much to learn here, and I haven’t even made it through the whole book of Proverbs yet.

There is hope for us, though, through the renewing of our minds by the Holy Spirit.  For every proverb about The Fool we find in Proverbs, there is a contrasting one about The Wise.  My next post will delve into the habits and thoughts and characteristics of the wise.

All this convicting information from Proverbs tells me that I NEED to be renewed.  Over and Over, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Do you?

Check out this song by NewWorldSon.  It’s a live recording, so the quality isn’t as great as I’d like, but it was enough to make me want to get an album!

Itching Ears Want To Hear

Texas state Representative Joe Deshotel wants to use taxpayer money to pay kids who make good grades in school.  Not every kid, of course.  Just the ones attending low-performing schools.  He proposed to use stimulus money to shell out $50 per kid per A for the “core” subjects — English, math, science and social studies.  Students who make Bs would get $35 per grade and those who make Cs would get a mere $20.  (see story here).  Hmm.  Maybe I should go back to high school!  What ever happened to earning an education?

It’s just another case of the ABCs and greenbacks flying out the window.  Our intrepid leaders continue to believe that throwing more money at the dragon will somehow magically induce kids to perform well in school.

What they are forgetting is that a person’s success has more to do with internal motivations than external ones.  Why do I personally strive to do my best in everything I set my hand to?  Granted, I have “Type-A” personality characteristics, but the motivation goes deeper than that.  It goes back to what I am learning on my faith journey, and it is what I am struggling to teach my ten year old from Colossians 3:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Also in education news today is another mark of a disturbing trend among school districts to effectively nullify the importance of homework — and honesty.  Plano ISD is considering two separate rules that would prohibit a teacher from assigning a grade of “zero” to middle school students who do not complete their homework.  Homework will be accepted at any time in the school year, and homework grades will no longer be applied to final grades on report cards.  A second rule applies to students who are caught cheating.  Currently, students who cheat are automatically given a “zero” for the assignment.  The new rules require teachers to give these cheating kids another chance.

And how, exactly, is this “real-life?”  How is this godly?  In the words of Jesus from Luke 16:

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

we find that children who are essentially rewarded for being dishonest with “just a little cheating” will learn to become dishonest with the things that matter.  I wonder if the biggest Ponzi-scheme cheater Bernard Madoff had teachers who let him off the hook when he cheated in class?  Now he does get a second chance…if he lives another 150 years.

All this woeful education news makes me happy that I homeschool — but for how long will I be allowed that freedom?  A state judge in North Carolina is in the process of ruling that a woman’s homeschooled children must be put in public school.  Why?  It seems her husband, who initiated a divorce with marital unfaithfulness, wants his children to learn science from a worldly point of view.  His wife, who has been successfully homeschooling (her kids are 2 years ahead of their peers) for four years uses the Bible as her ultimate teacher’s guide.  The judge stated in an oral ruling that the kids must be placed in public schools in order to satisfy the father’s desire for them to learn evolution rather than creation science.  As Spunky Homeschool reported yesterday, why not let the father teach his kids science and let his ex-wife continue to homeschool them?  Haven’t they been through enough upheaval through the misery of a divorce without forcing them into classrooms where they will be bored stiff (assuming the public schools will do what they usually do and stick them in classes with their same-age-group rather than on their ability levels)?

Another article in today’s paper makes me feel that I’m living in Nazi Germany rather than Texas.  Several school districts in my area have begun aggressively filing truancy charges against parents and students when students have what they deem are too many absences.  Some parents whose children have special health needs have kept them home at times — and the district decided to file charges against them for doing so.  (see story here).  The moral of this story for me is to avoid public schools like the plague.  Parents who send their kids to state schools are freely giving away their rights to direct their own children’s education, and, in some cases, their health management.  The bottom line is: if  you don’t want the state to tell you how to raise your kids, school them at home or in a private school.  We are becoming more Orwellian every day.

Be alert for the enemy in these days.  He’s on the prowl, slowing turning what is biblically right into secular wrong, and what is biblically wrong into secular right.  As we learn in 2 Timothy 4:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Today’s itching ears want to hear that morality is a matter of opinion.  The fact that state legislators are resorting to bribery to keep kids on the right track is a big clue that as a society, we are utterly lost.  We need the Savior more than ever.