Wanna Be a Steader!

OH MY WORD!! I just read one of the best blog posts on the trap of Virtual/Charter schools that I've read in a long time (and didn't write myself! HAHA!!). This came from http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com. She is the mother of 14 w/#15 on the way and has homeschooled them all. I HIGHLY recommend her blog - full of wisdom and grace. I'm posting her entry about Virtual/Charter schools below and request that not only YOU read it, but link it to your own blog, or copy/paste it onto your own blog (and give her the credit, of course) and tell everyone you can to read this. It's excellent!

I live in a largely blue-collar town. There are no mansions or super affluent people that make up our community. The families that choose to be "traditional", with the daddy as the breadwinner, struggle. Lots of homeschooling families that I know here have had trouble even affording a computer.

In a community like ours, virtual schooling where the government sends a family a computer, pays for internet use, and supplies all sorts of glossy, colorful curricula and even science and craft supplies, is just too much of a temptation.

When our state first began to offer such programs, I can remember the glowing reports of all of the "goodies" that were sent--it was like Christmas! Everything needed was provided, including scissors and craft paper, and seeds for growing things. Mothers who before had been wringing their hands wondering how they were going to afford the Saxon Math series were now almost care-free.

But there was a catch.

Someone has said that nothing in life is truly "free". With all of the goodies and the ease of knowing someone else was in charge came a large price. Instead of worries over buying supplies and curricula, now the mothers had a heavy burden placed on them every day. They had to coerce and nag and bite their fingernails over getting the work done that was required--a whole boat-load of extra fact-cramming and busy-work that made it almost impossible for anyone to have a good life, especially for the mother who had even 3-4 children on different levels. Instead of having their lives simplified, they were complicated beyond comprehension, and their children were being harmed in the process and turned into drones who hated anything to do with "learning".

The most unfortunate thing of all was that most mothers were convinced that this sort of government-sponsored slavery was what homeschooling was all about! Many who were already feeling overwhelmed about teaching their own children became convinced, after allowing the state to muck with things, that homeschooling was impossible and horrid. So, they gave up.

But learning is not a super-complicated thing that only professionals know how to do!

Our children were born to us completely helpless--they could not even hold their own heads up! Somehow, with our encouragement, they learned to walk and talk and feed themselves. Children, even in some of the most impoverished conditions, learn to do these things, unless they are ill or haven't any food to eat.

Why do children learn these things? Is it because they are constantly nagged, or they have been through the right "programs"? No. Children learn these things because they want to and they need to. The parents are there to facilitate and encourage.

Now here is the secret that those who run teaching colleges and publish curricula and make their living on the supposition of universal idiocy do not want you to know:

TEACHING CHILDREN IS NOT DFFICULT--THEY ALREADY WANT TO LEARN!

I once checked out a magazine published for teachers from the library, thinking I could glean something of value for my own family. An article was written therein about teaching composition to middle-school students. I could not believe the amount of verbage it took--paragraph upon paragraph of evidence and studies and then the methodology that took pages to explain. What a waste!

Writing is just an extension of language, another form of communication. When it is taught in this context, it no longer seems mystical or complex. Good writing is learned by reading the good writing of others--with reading aloud, discussion, and application.

The same goes for the other subjects. Math is a sort of communication, it is the communication of the Creator to His creation--that there is order and care. Science is best described as the "thinking of God's thoughts after Him". The wonder of this planet and the universe is the only catalyst needed. Once the appetite has been whetted, a parent need only to watch a child take off like a rocket-ship (and be willing to enjoy the adventure).

Of course, you can't enjoy the wonderful adventure of discovery with your child if every day is prescribed and written down. The time and energy you would normally have to explore and discover is all taken up by the reading of droll, dumbed-down texts, numerous questions to be answered by rote understanding, canned experiments and the like.

Yes, there are times when a little rote learning can be valuable, but not as an all-encompassing program. The teaching of facts should be likened to handing out tools that a skilled craftsman, the child, can use to create and discover further. Rote learning should never become the end, but the means. We should not be so much concerned with turning out children who can win at Trivial Pursuit as much as we should be concerned with raising children who can take the information in any situation, analyze it, and come up with wise conclusions and solutions.

I do not write theory here; I myself have seen the proven examples, and not just among my own children.

But the public schooling industry, and it is a great part of our economy, does not want you and I to know just how simple teaching and learning really is. Just think of how many meetings and conferences would have to be canceled. Whole political commmitees would have to be disbanded. We would see a lot of educational phd's flipping burgers, and whole educational supply industries woud go belly-up.

Besides all of this, those who desire power over our population would be the saddest of all, because people of America would once again, as in the crazy times of our inception, realize just how many choices they have, and would develop the intestinal fortitude to pursue those choices. I personally believe that it would allow Chrisitanity to return once again as the underlying foundation of our Republic, as parents would be allowed to pass on their Judeo-Christain values in a personal way to the next generation.

But you won't read this in the leaflets sent out to entice you. They will act as your friend, and say how they understand that you feel unsure and intimidated. But they are not friendly. They only wish to use your own fears to convince you that you can not do it on your own.

But, with God's grace and help,

YOU CAN!!!!!!

Attention Stargazers!!

Sky Watch

The planets and the Moon are putting on a show! For a few nights, brilliant Venus, bright Jupiter, and the crescent Moon blaze in a striking conjunction. They first formed their brilliant triangle last night, 15 degrees high, in the southwestern sky. The three celestial objectives will continue to stay close together as seen from Earth even though the planets are millions of miles away.
Read more Sky Watch! We provide the current and upcoming months free for our Almanac.com readers.

Abe Lincoln, Thanksgiving and Divine Intervention

Here's something I found and thought it would be a great lesson for our children with Thanksgiving coming... {KW<><}...

In the White House, Abe Lincoln was pacing the floor of his office. He felt more troubeld than he had ever felt before. The fate of the Union was at stake. He felt as if he were almost alone in his concern for the outcome. Friends and aides appeared to be almost panic-stricken. Abe felt that this was the most critical hour of the [Civil] war, perhaps the most critical hour in the entire history of the United States.

In desperation he left his office, went into this room and locked the door. There he fell before a chair. With his head in his hands, he wept and prayed.

Now, more than at any other time in his life he turned to God. In deep anguish he told God that he had done all he could. He pleaded for help. There was nothing more that he could do. He must leave the result of the battle in the hands of God. He now knew that if his country was to be saved, it would be only because God willed it.

When he unlocked the door and came out of his room he felt that a great burden had suddenly been rolled off his shoulders. His intense anxiety and torturing concern had been relieved. He felt a quiet and calm trustfullness...

On his desk was a copy of the Thanksgiving Proclamation. He had proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a day of national Thanksgiving. The nation had never before had such an annual Thanksgiving Day and he had decided that it was time the nation remembered in a special day what God had done.

We have been the recipients of the choistest bounties of heaven; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

We have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

Tears slipped down his cheeks as he read these words, for he believed in them deeply. It was because of this belief that he ordered the Treasury Department to engrave the words, In God We Trust, on American coins.

As he was sitting at his desk, thinking about these things, an aide rushed in and excitedly exclaimed, "There's good news from the battle at Gettysburg, Sir..."

But in spite of this great victory, his days were filled, dealing with generals, listening to the problems of many citizens, and handling endless administrative details. For help he turned to God through the Bible and in prayer.

Almost daily now, he felt the need to go to his room to pray. More and more, he became conscious of the work of God in the affairs of men.

I believe we are all agents and instruments of Divine Providence. I hold myself in my present position and with the authority invested in me, as an instrument of Providence. I am conscious every moment that all I am and all that I have are subject to the control of a higher power, and that power can use me or not use me in any manner and at any time as in His wisdom might be pleasing to Him.

One day, Mr. Chittenden, the register of the Treasury, asked him if he believed that God actually directed national affairs. With a deep feeling of emotion, he replied,

The the Almighty does make use of human agencies, and directly intervenes in human affairs, is one of the plainest statements of the Bible...I have many evidences of His direction, many instances when I have been controlled by some other power than my own will, that I cannont doubt that this power comes from above.

Signs of Winter from The Old Farmer's Almanac

From The Old Farmer's Almanc...I thought this was interesting and something we can use for our homeschools or just for our own interest...KW<><

Few things concern the gardener more than the first warning signs of winter. At The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we employ scientific disciplines to predict the weather but also believe in keeping a close eye on nature. The following are all considered traditional signs of a severe winter ahead:

How Did You...

We found out when we met the Gregg and Sono Harris family. They used to live in Dayton, Ohio and they led me to the Lord, introduced me the that handsome man in the pic who would later become my husband and told us that they homeschool their son. Yep...the cute little kid in the pic is Josh "I Kissed Dating Good-bye" Harris when he was about 8 years old! He was my little buddy and the 1st homeschooled kid I'd ever met.

Anyone Use Multi-Year Unit Studies?

Homeschool Victory In California!! PTL!!

Parents have the right to home school, state court says

The Blessing of a Homeschool Dad

A wonderful homeschool family in my area is facing the loss of their homeschool dad and husband. He was tragically killed last week when a car pulled out on him as he was motorcycling on his way to work.

Occurrences such as the loss of a homeschool parent or, as in our own case, the coming of our final year of actively homeschooling, gives me a reason to be so thankful for the choice we have made to homeschool…

In most homeschool homes dads serve in the roles of Principal/Superintendent, Banker and Supreme Court Judge. And some, if they are lucky enough and their schedule allows, even help mom in the role of Teacher.

I think of our friends and how their dad was able to help homeschool them through part of the day because he worked second shift. He was able to teach his children that even work could be fun. While mom took care of most of the academics, those kids learned about gardening, bee keeping, fixing cars and flying remote controlled airplanes, even playing the guitar from their dad. If his children had been away at school all day for more than 9 months of the year – while he was home during the day without them and then gone from home in the evening – those kids would barely know their dad. And worse, he would barely know them. But instead, they have hundreds of great memories and learning experiences that include their dad. Their homeschool dad.

Yes, mom is usually the one who does the bulk, if not all, of the teaching; but homeschool dads are the ties that bind. They are the backbone, the support system of the home. How many days is it that our husbands trudge off to work, leaving their family behind when what they would really like to do is to stay home with the ones they love? The ones who love them. They would love to come with us on our next field trip or sit as the subject of his little girl’s first portrait or help that boy who looks just like him learn his fractions.

I know Father’s Day is past, but how about designating a day in the near future as your own family’s “Homeschool Father’s Day”?! Thank him for working so hard so that his family can stay at home for school to be taught by the people who love them the most, to learn in peace and safety. Thank him for forking over the money every summer so that your family can buy the best in curriculum, magazines, educational games and learning resources. Thank him for being the one who works so hard so that your family can go on those great vacations…and when you go on those vacations, try to make it simply outstanding for Dad.

Staples Teacher Appreciation Days!!

Staples is having their annual Teacher Appreciation Days. I take advantage of this every year. In case you don't know, homeschoolers CAN get a Staples Teacher Rewards card/key ring tag!! Be sure to let the clerk swipe it at every visit.

Here is the link that you can go to and find out the date of your local Staples' Teacher Appreciation Day.

ATTENTION OHIO HOMESCHOOLERS!!! OHIO LAW IN JEOPARDY!!

Ohio homeschool law is up for review!! PLEASE read the notice below and PLEASE go to the website given!!! This is SO IMPORTANT!!! We face the possibility of losing the law we have enjoyed since 1989!!! KW<><

July 17, 2008

Ohio--Urgent--Your Help is Needed to Stop
Revisions of the Homeschool Regulations!

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

If Ohio homeschoolers do not act, they may face stricter homeschool
regulations.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Ohio Department of
Education (ODE) has initiated a formal review process of the home
education rules in the Ohio Administrative Code Section 3301-34. It
is imperative that every Ohio resident who is concerned about
homeschooling freedom register his or her opinion regarding proposed
changes. The comment period is now open and will last only until
August 8.

Ohio law dictates that the ODE review regulations every 5 years to
determine what changes, if any, should be made. O.A.C. 3301-34 was
enacted in 1989, and until now, the ODE has not found any revisions to
be necessary during the 5-year review. Even though the regulations
have worked very well for the past 19 years, the ODE has decided that
this time, changes are warranted.

The most important message Ohio residents can convey to the ODE is
that the regulations do not need to change. If enough people support
the current regulations, we may be able to stop the revision process
before it begins.

ACTION NEEDED

1. Go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5316 and register your
comments about the ODE's intent to change O.A.C. 3301-34. The
deadline to comment is August 8.

2. Forward this message to others. Anyone who is a "stakeholder" may
register comments. This means that if you homeschool in Ohio, have
previously homeschooled in Ohio, are considering homeschooling in
Ohio, or have a family member or friend who is homeschooling in Ohio,
you may comment to the ODE.

3. It is important to comment in your own words--please do not simply
copy and paste someone else's message. If your message is not
original, it is possible that it will not be counted as an individual
response.

Ohio homeschool leaders are also closely monitoring this situation.
For more information on the review process, please visit
http://ohiohsalert.org/ .

Sincerely,

Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
HSLDA Staff Attorney

JUST IN!!! ~~ Favorable Development in the California Homeschooling Case!!!

Favorable Development in the California Homeschooling Case

Thank you for your continued prayers for the California homeschooling case, In re Rachel L. Last night, Mr. L’s attorney in the juvenile court reported to Home School Legal Defense Association that the juvenile court judge terminated jurisdiction over the two youngest L children in a hearing held on July 10, 2008. Mr. L is represented by Gary Kreep, who is the director of the California-based United States Justice Foundation, which has long been a close ally of HSLDA and homeschoolers in California.

Two years ago, the children’s court-appointed lawyers had asked that the two children be ordered to attend a school outside the home. That request became the basis for the court’s February ruling that homeschooling is illegal in California. The appellate court later vacated its own decision and set the case for rehearing. Oral argument on the rehearing was held on June 23, 2008 and a decision could be handed down at any time.

Mr. L’s appellate attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund will be making the appellate court aware of this new development immediately. They will move to dismiss the petition pending in the court of appeal on the ground that the petition is now moot. In other words, the children are no longer under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Therefore, any decision by the appellate court based on the two-year-old petition could not be enforced against the L children.

“This is a significant favorable development toward preserving homeschooling freedom in California,” said Mike Farris, Chairman and Founder of HSLDA.

A Treat for Star-Gazers

Here's a real treat for all of us amateur star-gazers! Homeschool blogger, "Jay from Cleveland", has a neat presentation up on his OTHER blog, http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/classicalastronomy/555979, of the July sky in animation. Be sure to click on the link above, watch the presentation and THEN go out tonight and see how many you can find!

CHEO Fun

Second...THANK YOU to my blog friends from both Homeschool and Homestead Blogger who stopped by!! Some of you didn't tell me your blog names...but you know who you are! lol I got to meet my friend "McBLOG" (http://www.homeschooblogger.com/mcblog) and she is JUST as sweet as I knew she would be! I even got to meet her dh of 10 years -- they spent their 10th at CHEO! Now THAT'S dedication!

Third...THANK YOU to those of you who came to my workshops. I truly hope that you took something away from one of them that you can use. Everything I share in my workshops has worked for our family, so if it works for us, it can work for someone else.

Fourth...After years of blogging, e-mails and a few business related phone calls, I FINALLY got to meet the famous Jen Ig (Igarashi) (http://jeneralities.com)!! She was at CHEO representing Rosetta Stone, so we FINALLY got to meet. I also got to meet 3 of her kids - Coie: driver extraordinair!, Emmiko: the Maze Queen, and Bo: boy wonder. I had so much fun meeting all of you. We'll have to do it again sometime.

Now...if you go to Jen's blog you will see a picture of me in the midst of hysterical laughter. Fortunately for me, you can't quite tell that black, watery mascara is streaming down my face all the way to my chin! The reason is because, once again, my slight hearing problem got me into a situation that was funny and embassassing all at once. After a long day at CHEO on Friday night Balinda, Jen and her family, and Spunky and her friends and I went out to eat at Wendy's. BEFORE we even got there though, our little caravan lost Spunky at least 3 times! How that happened I'm still not quite sure 'cause we only had about 3 turns to make between the convention hall and the Wendy's that was by our hotel. Anywoo...once we all got there Balinda placed her order, then me, then Jen, then Spunky and crew. As Balinda had already ordered, she moved to the left so that I could place mine. Understand here that after a day in a noisy convention exhibition hall w/crowd noises and exhaust fans blowing my hearing was a little "worn," now the fans were blowing in the Wendy's kitchen behind the young man who was taking my order. NOT ONLY were those fans going...BUT the young man MUMBLED everything he said!! No joke...I'm going to see if I can come up w/SOME SORT of letter combination that will adequately give you an idea of just how this kids sounded TO ME...everything this kid said sounded like "fledda, fledda, flubba, fleedda, fledda?" You know, there's only 'so many' times a person will listen to you say, "excuse me? pardon me?" before they start getting irritated at you...but "FLEDDA, FLEDDA" is all I could understand this guy saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Balinda...she had NO IDEA why I was looking at her w/a combination of "HELP ME!" and trying not to laugh! So all I could do was answer what I thought he was saying to me...."Fledda, Fledda, Flubba, Fled?" "Yes, I'll have a #1 w/no onions, please." "Fledda, fledda, fled." "Um...OK...here's a $20."

So...the whole time I was standing in line waiting on my order, all I could do was TRY NOT to laugh, 'cause I KNEW that if I started there would be NO stopping! Once Balinda and I got seated I couldn't hold it in any longer! I laughed an embarrassingly long, loud time! There was no stopping it! While I was TRYING unsuccessfully to eek out some sort of explanation for why I was laughing Jen came over to sit down...so NOW I'm trying to explain to them, through uncontrolable giggles and snorts, what the kid at the checkout sounded like to me. THAT was not only when Balinda had to laugh herself right to the restroom (she was now laughing as hard as me!) but that was when Jen snapped her pic of me that's on her blog. It is God's great blessing to me, as I said earlier, that you can't see the mascara running down my face!

Well...a great time was had by all. You'll have to stop by the other blogs and get their impressions of the weekend.

Critic Claims: "Homeschoolers are Only Good for Cleaning Toilets"

Critic Claims: “Homeschoolers
are only good for cleaning toilets”
by Gary DeMar

The title for this report is taken from a response to one of American Vision’s daily articles. The respondent is an atheist who claims he can refute any argument raised in defense of the Christian faith. I have irritated him so much by answering his poorly researched responses he sends to me that his true character is spilling out in a public way. His personal emails to me are worse than what I have reproduced here. If you want to know what the world would be like with atheists in control, here’s a little taste:

Here’s what I want homeschoolers to do: First, reply to this article and leave a comment describing what kind of work you are doing since you completed homeschooling. Second, send this article and its link to every homeschooler and homeschool organization you know and encourage them to leave a comment at the end of this article describing what they are doing since being homeschooled. Third, I don’t want to exclude those who have graduated from a private or church-related Christian school. You can get in on this was well by adding your comments.

The public school graduation rate is around 65 percent, and in large cities it’s lower as this April 1, 2008 report demonstrates. “New York City has one of the nation’s sorriest graduation rates, with less than half of city high-schoolers earning a diploma on time. . . . Even using the most optimistic calculation of the city’s graduation rate—including kids who earn GEDs and excluding special education students from the formula—only 60% of students graduated in 2006” Test scores continue to fall even though education budgets keep growing. It seems that all we hear from government educators is the need for more money. John Stossel’s 2006 “20/20” report (also see here and here) “Stupid In America: How We Are Cheating Our Kids” is a real eye-opener, especially when he asks South Carolina school official Dolores Wright, “How much money would be right?” Wright answers, “Oooh. Millions. And it would really make it right. . . . The more, the better.”

Is it any wonder that the judicial numbskulls in California and the new fascists in Germany are trying to wipe out homeschooling? They fear its superior product and how it makes public (government) education look so bad, especially when the cost of educating a student is factored in. While homeschooling has a great academic track record (also see here and here), enough so that some of the best colleges in the nation recruit homeschoolers, one of its greatest social benefits is its demonstration of true liberty. Liberals love to talk about freedom of choice as long as that freedom does not include the freedom to educate their own children. It would have been OK to kill the child while he was still in his mother’s womb, but once he’s born, he belongs to the State and its educational hacks.

IMPORTANT ALERT FOR OHIO HOMESCHOOLERS!!!

Homeschoolers Threaten Our Cultural Comfort ~ Article

I don't think this guy homeschools, but he certainly has taken the time to try to understand us more than most people do. His article is entertaining and his arguement compelling. KW<><

You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.

It's a big family by today’s standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.

There's no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom. The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task.

You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home schooled in the U.S., and the number is growing. Their reputation for academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a deal for the public.

Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech, suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular schools. Others are concerned for their children’s safety. Some want their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the movement.

Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California.

Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return.

Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state’s bureaucrats on these “trouble makers.” Their implicit rejection of America’s most venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. “Individualism”) spurs us to heat the furnace and feed the lions.

Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own
"self-fulfillment."

Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?

Is it any wonder we hate her so?

Sonny Scott a community columnist, lives on Sparta Road in Chickasaw County and his e-mail address is sonnyscott@yahoo.com.

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/8/2008, section 0 , page 0

A Solid Foundation in a Shaky World

Ah, yes. The “homeschool verse.” Nearly every homeschooler has heard, quoted or written this verse. Walk into most homeschool homes and you are likely to find it somewhere…on a cross stitch or a plaque on the wall, down to a bookmark in a well-worn Bible.

But why is this verse so special to so many homeschool families? Because it reminds parents that God has specifically given us the responsibility of impressing His teachings and His commands upon the hearts of our children – HIS children. Not a stranger in the building down the street, not even their Sunday School teacher or our pastors.

There’s something special, something lovely and spiritual about the bond between parents and their children. God has instilled this relationship of love between us because he expects parents and children to spend huge chunks of the day with each other. This was the way it was from the beginning. What better way to spend the day than with those who you love? Who better to learn from than someone who loves you like no other and wants the very best for you?

As the number of homeschoolers grow it is more and more apparent that parents are coming to this realization as well. Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40) Mike Farris, of HSLDA, put it this way, “Your children will become the disciples of the person with whom they spend the majority of their time and from whom they receive instruction. If they spend the majority of their time with their peers, they will become disciples of their peers. We call it peer pressure. Should we be surprised when a substantial number of children from solid, believing, Christian homes reject their parents’ faith and embrace the life styles and philosophy of the people by whom they have been discipled?” [emphasis mine – KW<><]

I see this happening so often. The justification I hear for Christians sending their children off to a public school is that they want their children to be witnesses for Christ. Fine. So do I. But I can find no place in Scripture when God tells someone to send their children out to evangelize. That task is left to mature Christians.

Yes, I know about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But they were captives in a foreign land. They had no choice. BUT…by God’s grace they had come from a godly home and obviously had been prepared by being “homeschooled” in the Scriptures before their captivity. They were forced by that foreign government to learn the ways of that culture, but their childhood training gave them the godly foundation to stand upon as young men. Because of their faithfulness to God, God was faithful to them and caused the hearts of many to be turned to Himself…including the king!

Oh that our children will stand strong for the Lord when they are making their own way in our fallen world because we were faithful to His call.

Growth in the Christian Homeschool

2 Peter 3:18 – “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

In your mind, is the success of your sacrifice to homeschool, love, nurture and prune your children for the sake of Christ measured by academics? How high their SAT/ACT scores are? What Ivy League college they are accepted by? Is homeschooling strictly academic in your home? Or is the growth of your children measured in a different way?

How about by the growth of the out-pouring of GRACE to the needy, to those who may not have many friends, to forgiving a sibling for “barrowing” something without permission AGAIN. How about their understanding that we are saved by grace and not by “being good,” and taking that Good News to a lost and dying world so that they might be changed into a new creation and welcomed into life eternal. I Cor. 15:12 – “But by the GRACE of God I am what I am, and His GRACE to me was not without effect…”

How about by the growth of their RELATIONSHIP with Christ. Does the love and maturity that comes from spending time with that Dear Friend show in their countenance? Does it show in how they treat their siblings, in how they obey their parents? If our children are growing in their relationship with the Lord, we will see that shine through in moments that we least expect. It won’t always be the big things…look for those precious little reminders that give assurance…opening the door for an elderly couple, bending down to pick up something someone dropped without being asked, willingness to read the Bible or ask questions so that they may understand all the more. 3 John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

How about growth in an OVERWHELING ASSURANCE that they were created with a purpose by a loving God Who is directing their paths. There may come the day when they will wonder out loud, “Why am I in this family?” Hopefully, their understanding that the Lord directs all things, even our decision to homeschool, will allow them to appreciate the choices we have made for them. As they grow and learn they will be able to see how they have been allowed to flourish in their homeschool environment and how their education and life-style compares to no one else’s…and that will be an overwhelming assurance that God knew what He was doing when He allowed us to be a family. Jer, 29-11 – “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

How about growth as they take pleasure in WORSHIP. I don’t know about you, but to me, worship is the way I “hug” the Lord! We need to help our children understand that. One wonderful fact to share with them is that this has been going on since time began! Songs of praise and worship help us to cultivate and express our love-relationship with the Lord. Talk to them about how God inhabits the praises of his people, that even the rocks and creation cries out to God in worship, or how David could calmed Saul just by singing praises to the Lord. David was such a worshipper! Do they know that the book of Psalms is a hymnbook? Worship isn’t always expressed in song…worship is also expressed in our tithes and offerings, our willingness to do all for God’s glory. Psalm 100:2 – “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”

How about TIME. Do our children grow in the Lord by taking TIME to BE WITH Him? Do WE? Relationships do not grow unless time is spent together. The same with ourselves and the Lord. We grow in our relationship with Him by spending time reading our Bibles, time in prayer, time in worship, time in the fellowship of the saints! The Lord has been so good in all He has done for us, how can we NOT want to spend time with Him? Hosea 10:12 – “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is TIME to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”

How about growth through HELPING. Cultivate a willingness to HELP others…this will improve relationships within our homes as well as cause them to grow a good reputation within our church and community. A wonderful, creative lady in our support group started a service club and they have done everything from bake and deliver cookies to election workers, to decorate a local library for holidays, to write encouraging letters to our servicemen and women, to sew teddy bears for abused children. One of the girls who delivered cookies to the poll workers was recognized by one of the recipients and was told how much those delicious cookies are appreciated and looked forward to every year! A little bit goes a long way! Those girls have learned so much about helping in the Name of Christ. Ecc. 4:9-10 – “Two are better then one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can HELP him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to HELP him up!”

Just as a little plant needs the ingredients of sun, water and soil for growth, our children need the ingredients that we have been endowed by the Lord to provide for them…

Get Out of That Boat!

Isaiah 41:9 & 10 -- "I [God] took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are My servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

In his book "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat," John Orterg asks this question: "Where is Jesus calling you to jump to Him with reckless abandon?" Have you given that any thought lately? Has God been nudging you to move a little farther out toward that water? Is there something Christ is telling you to "experiment" with in that still, small voice of His?...A new curriculum? A new way of structuring your homeschool day next year? Writing you own unit study? You may even have "stumbled" onto this blog because you know the Lord is calling YOU to begin homeschooling and you need some encouragement to get started!

Jesus calls us to walk in faith...faith in Him and how He will work in us through the call He put on our life. What's holding you bck in your homeschool walk of faith? Is it fear? The reason most people don't jump is fear. Of course, nothing as serious as a change in lifestyle, as homeschooling brings into one's home, should ever be attempted without much prayer. But what if you have prayed and, even though you know the call is still on your heart, the fear is still there? Then what do you do? Well...during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Peter had to get out of that boat to walk to Jesus at some point. Was he afraid? Absolutely!

Fear can be either paralyzing or motivating. Fear can make your imagination run away with you so you'll never do what you are called to do (Will I completely ruin my child's intellectual growth? What if I make them social misfits? What if they won't listen to me? What will our parents think?)...or...fear can be healthy and keep us from danger or making wrong choices (Why should I send my children to a government school to be shaped by people I don't even know, in a system whose teachings are in conflict with Scripture and our family's values?). No one loves your children more or knows them better than you. Make no mistake, homeschooling is a calling. One that needs Christ's guidance everyday. So remember, Peter didn't start to sink until he took his eyes off of Jesus! We need to learn from his mistake.

What boat does Jesus want you to jump out of? In the opening verse God, Himself, promises "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Proverbs 16:3 declares, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." Wow! What incredible promises! Why do I fail to take Him up on His promises? If God has called me His servant, has told me that He has chosen me; has told me that He will strengthen me, help me and uphold me IF I commit my plans to Him...WHAT in the world am I afraid of? What are you afraid of? What are we waiting for...a push? No, jumping requires action on our part.