Investing in Your Children

As people become more and more disenchanted with the public school system, we find a new breed of homeschoolers bringing their children home.

Now, no disrespect to them, I heartily congratulate them on caring enough to remove their loved ones from the influences of evil government, amoral and anti-religious teaching, and dangers of all kinds. But, it just seems to me that some of the flavor has gone.

When I started out, the moms who surrounded me were really "into it." Some of them were using KONOS curriculum and it seemed that there were weekly dress-up parties and costume-making and acting out and adventures. Although I had a more traditional and laid-back approach to teaching, I feel like we were in full-tilt with four days a week of instruction and a fun field trip day with friends every Friday.

I was in homeschooling because I wanted to be near my kids. I wanted to be with them. I wanted them to know they were loved and cherished. I wanted them to be influenced for Christ and His kingdom, away from worldly distractions. So many reasons. Oh, and to be educated. That was certainly on the list somewhere.

But, as I run into new homeschooling moms today, there seems to be a "Yes, I really want my kids to have a good education and I don't think the school system can do that; but how can I do it without really getting involved?" They seek out only curriculum that is fully laid out and "easy." The ideal seems to be one where the kid plugs into something all day and doesn't have to ask mom any questions. Or he is dropped off to co-op classes all day, everyday of the week. (How is that different from school exactly?) And preferably, there is no grading involved or projects or anything that needs mom's time or energy.

Now, I'm lazy myself. And I like using a few things that are online (but never everything). And I've been part of co-ops (nothing wrong with them). And I must admit that I like "easy-to-use" ('cause who likes "hard-to-use"?). But, when those don't work out the way I want exactly, I do need to jump in and help, tutor, or make adjustments. For instance, I sometimes sit next to my son while he is doing math on ALEKS, and I have a whiteboard and a dry-erase marker and I demonstrate how to do problems as he goes along. Doing the program by himself just didn't work the way I hoped (because of him, not the program). When Logic of English taught a few things "backwards" (for our thinking), I had to restructure, re-teach, and pray for understanding.

I am almost always there, and mostly available, even though my kids are in high school.  They can do a lot on their own, but we still have discussions about things. I still read to them. I still want to be near them and see how they are doing.

In the school system, we'd say we don't want the child to "fall through the cracks." That can happen in homeschooling too. As educators of our own children, we have to step in when there is a question or a problem and not get freaked out that the child didn't learn the first time in the first way the material was presented.

And, most importantly, if we are going to influence our children for Christ, they must see us and hear from us. We can't manage from the other room, with a phone curved over our ear, our eyes on the TV, and our hands in the dish soap at all hours. How can we use their academic education as a spring-board to learning about God and His creation if we have no idea what they've been "learning" all day?

Homeschooling requires a commitment. If you aren't committed to spending some quality and quantity time with your child, then when the first road-bump hits, you'll be tempted to literally throw him back on the bus. Invest your time and energy, and I think you will more likely to be willing to stay true to the path you have chosen or to which you have been called.

Now, the irony of this article will be that the moms who aren't super-involved probably won't read it and those that are will feel guilt and condemnation although they are already doing all they should. So, don't do that to yourself. Prayerfully consider whether you are investing the proper amount of time with your child and let the Holy Spirit's response be your final answer.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  Galatians 6:9

Conspiracy Theory 451

So, it started because I was looking for a book at the library and couldn't find it. I wasn't even sure I wanted to re-read the thing, something that was required reading when I was in school (lo, these many years ago). But, the fact that it wasn't there, wasn't available at the library, was an irony too huge to be missed.

Now, I have lamented the waning book sections at our library for years. I'm pretty sure there are more video shelves and computer space available than there is room for good ol' fashioned books. And they seem to sell off a lot of "important" books and keep a lot of nonsense. But, not to have THIS book? The ultimate irony.

The book, of course, is Fahrenheit 451. This book is about censorship. It is about books and how a future culture will do away with books. In fact, it will be socially unacceptable and even illegal to read books. The fact that I couldn't find it seemed like a conspiracy was taking place.

Now, it is always smart to check on conspiracy theories and, as it turns out, mine was completely fabricated by my own incompetence. I had spelled "fahrenheit" without the first "h" and thereby missed finding it by "that much." My public library is exonerated -- I can get a copy of the book quite easily. So much for irony. The real irony is that a fake conspiracy got me reading.

But, I didn't know that, so I bought the book from a used bookseller and began a frenzied read to find out what I was being kept from reading. What was embedded in this book that my younger self rolled her eyes over and probably didn't notice or understand? I found a few things that were truly intriguing for me and possibly for all those in the homeschool arena.

First, author Ray Bradbury did a masterful job of describing his future/our present-day life. From his 1950's college library, he predicted that everyone would be walking around with ear buds, shutting out the world around them. That TV would be prevalent everywhere (think most restaurants these days) and that their noise, color, violence and reality shows (and interactive reality shows!) would overwhelm any intelligent thought. That the people on TV would be the friends and "family" of those watching, more than people you shared a room, or even a bed with (think social media). He didn't foresee that there would be hand-held versions/smartphones, but the idea was purely there.

And then, it got really interesting. As the Fire Chief (who in this culture burns the books) tries to explain to our hero, Fireman Guy Montag, why the books can't be allowed to be read anymore; he states:

"...let's take up the minorities in our civilization, shall we?  Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don't step on the toes of the dog lovers, the cat lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans, Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or Mexico. The people in this book, this play, this TV serial are not meant to represent any actual painters, cartographers, mechanics anywhere. The bigger your market, Montag, the less you handle controversy, remember that! All the minor minor minorities with their navels to be kept clean. Authors, full of evil thoughts, lock up your typewriters. They did.  Magazines became a nice blend of vanilla tapioca. Books so the [cursing] snobbish critics said, were dishwater. No wonder books stopped selling, the critics said. But, the public, knowing what it wanted, spinning happily, let the comic books survive. And the 3-D sex magazines, of course. There you have it, Montag. It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you are allowed to read comics, the good old confessions, or trade journals." 

This is so obvious in our culture today, I probably don't need to say anything else. You can't criticize the President without being suspected of racism; you can't even think of not baking a cake for gay wedding; and standing up for life might lead to your death. Everyday, somebody is apologizing for something. Some comment that offended somebody. Because there are so many somebodies in this global world we live in. Maybe it was simpler once, when you were offensive in your small hometown, you could at least leave and start over somewhere else. Here and now, give a false or unliked tweet and you you may never have another moment free of regret or reaction. Forevermore, you will be the guy who said whatever it was you said (right or wrong).

Montag questions further as to why the firemen are necessary in this dystopic future -- basically, why did the government get involved? Fire Chief Beatty answers:

"What more easily explained and natural? With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be. You always dread the unfamiliar. Surely you remember the boy in your own school class who was exceptionally 'bright,' did most of the reciting and answering while the others sat like so many leaden idols, hating him. And wasn't it this bright boy you selected for beatings and tortures after hours? Of course it was. We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it..."  [bolding, mine]

It becomes clear that books make us think. Later it is further clarified that our own reason will help us decide if the book is teaching us something worth knowing or not. And, if not, our reason will help us to sort it out and let it go. In the meantime, the mind can hold on to that which is good in that book, or in another. But, either way, the book lead us to think.

These comments made me think about our present-day schools. Are they turning out "examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators"?  I'm willing to bet that the kids who are turning out that way get additional encouragement at home or from books.

Common Core curriculum is doing its best to remove or change the classic literature choices for schools. Many books that were once considered classics are now frowned upon because they might offend (I'm thinking Huckleberry Finn, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the Bible).

There is one young girl in Montag's town who seems to still think for herself. Clarisse McClellan challenges much of Montag's ideals, shakes him out of his passive, non-thinking life. How did she maintain this culture of thinking?  Beatty tells us:

"...Heredity and environment are funny things.  You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years. The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle..." [bolding, mine]

As a homeschooler, I nearly jumped as I read this quote; did you? The world around is is trying to take our children earlier and earlier. Trying to have the most influence. Moms are encouraged to go back to work within weeks of having a baby, and preschool beckons with glittering force. Summer camps and even VBS are offered so that the little time parents do have with their kids is cut even shorter. Why? I love the acknowledgement that "the home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school."

This book made me think. If you haven't read it, or it has been a long while, you might want to read it (again). Encourage your high schoolers to read it too and discuss how it is like/not like our current culture.

Don't have a copy?  Ahem, you can probably find it at your local library.

[This book is definitely upper-level and PG for some old-fashioned cuss words.]

Vacation 101

Ask a kid what he likes best about school and he’ll either say “lunch” or “vacation!” As homeschoolers, we’ve found the flexibility to do more traveling than the typical school setting might allow.

Because we don’t follow the normal 180-day schedule, we can find off-season days to head to the beach or the mountains. This helps the budget quite a bit! (I have to admit here that my amazing world-traveling mother-in-law has also helped us frequently get to where we want to go!)

Over the years, we panned for gold in the Yukon, we measured the great sequoia in California, we walked on that Great Wall in China, we played quoits in Williamsburg, we dipped our fingers in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans, we traveled in trains, planes, automobiles and houseboats. We are now preparing for one of the most complicated itineraries we’ve ever faced: a Mediterranean tour including stops in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Israel.

Planning for vacations can be overwhelming. I can remember being overwhelmed by our first vacation with our first baby. We just wanted to spend a weekend at the beach. Is that so hard? It can be when you need a car seat, baby crib, playpen, beach umbrella, beach toys, baby food, and, oh yes, diapers!

My husband and I started a pattern then that we have followed ever since:

1. We make an itinerary. I type up a “formal document” that lists the days we will be traveling in the left column, then a column with the information about where we will be staying (hotels, tents, or houses) and what we will do while there. In the third column, I track the estimated amount of time for the drive or the visit to the museum or other point of interest. In the final column, I track the prices for lodging, attractions, restaurants, etc. (The 4-column approach doesn't work on this blog-site, so I just put the hours and cost next to each event.) Here is what one day of our last vacation looked like:

Day     Time     Destination/Hrs/Cost
SUN
9/15     9:30a      Breakfast at Hotel (FREE)
                           Drive from Atlanta to Chattanooga, TN (1½ hr)
            12:00n     Eat picnic lunch at Lookout Mountain?
                            Visit Ruby Falls & Lookout Mountain (open 8a-8p daily)
                                    1720 S. Scenic Highway, Chattanooga, TN
                               Take Guided Tour of Ruby Falls (1½ hr) ($18/pp)
                                     Wear sneakers & jacket (60-65 degrees)
                               Stay at La Quinta Chattanooga/Hamilton Place ($69)
                                      7017 Shallowford Rd, Chattanooga, TN
                                     Conf#________ (LQ Returns #______)
             6:00p         Eat dinner at Fazoli’s (same road/across street) ($8/pp)
                                      2332 Shallowford Village Drive, Chattanooga, TN

My husband likes running up the expenses in column 4 and making sure he knows how much money to prepare to spend.  The timelines are guesses and remain generally flexible.  We keep the itinerary in a folder for that specific vacation along with any mapquest directions, hotel confirmation forms and other paperwork we need while traveling.

When looking for lodging, we have a few things we generally look for:

a) price (of course)...I feel gypped if I spend over $100/night, and I go for lower when I can. However, you have to balance safety, comfort, and cleanliness with price. Don’t sacrifice a good night’s sleep for an extra $10.

b) location...I try to find a place near an interesting activity or sight (of course).

Everybody does that. But, what we really love is finding places that have:

c) indoor pools...if there is any boring moment, we can always swim; plus great to stretch out after a long drive!

d) in-room mini-fridges...so helpful so we can bring supplies to make lunches to take with us whenever possible.

e) free breakfast...this is a huge time/money/space saver. We don’t have to carry as much food. We can just go downstairs and not have to make breakfast or look for a restaurant. Eating out at restaurants can get really expensive!

2. We make a packing list. I keep all of my packing lists on the computer so the next time we go on vacation, I can browse through and see what we packed before for a similar vacation. For instance, we have a favorite hotel we like to stay at when we go to the beach (Sun Viking) and every time we go there, I just modify that list for our current needs (no more diapers!) and save it with the current year in the file name.

Our list of things to pack includes clothing, accessories, hygiene, medicines, games/toys, and food items as needed. I check things off as they go into the suitcase or car (or whatever). Of course, other special items like cameras, pillows, identification, money, and other things are listed as needed as well. Some vacations require more “stuff” than others. Last week, we were houseboating in Kentucky, and took along a lot of camping-type supplies (flashlights, fishing poles/bait, star and bird watching charts) that we would never consider taking on an airplane ride to New York City. Every packing list is tailored to the specific trip’s needs.

3. We make a countdown. For bigger or more exciting trips, I often print up little squares with numbers. Usually the pictures that go along with the numbers related to the trip – a cruise ship or an airplane or in the case of our upcoming Mediterranean tour, we have the Pantheon, the Parthenon, and the Colosseum included. Each day, the kids take turns pulling off one number and we get closer and closer to leaving. When I forget (or get too lazy) for this step, my (now high school aged) children remind me over and over again – so it really does help build excitement!

4. We make it educational. Now, don’t get carried away thinking that we make some huge effort or bore our kids to death on vacation. We really don’t. But, we try to find one or two things that make the brain function while we take a break from “regular school.” There are lots of ways to do this. In that first beach vacation with a preschooler, we just made an attempt to notice things. For instance, let’s talk about that salty water you just swallowed. See that horizon line? Oooh! Look at that crab! In later years, we could refer back to those things during science class – remember when...

On other trips (at the initial suggestion by my MIL), we’ve collected water or sand samples. We have a whole array of little plastic bottles of water on the shelf from the Red, Dead and Mediterranean Seas, the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. We didn’t do anything “educational” on the vacation but collect the water (the more exotic “flavors” were given to us by my traveling MIL) but later, at home, we compared salinity or color.

In the Sequoia forest (at the suggestion of my BIL/SIL who live near there), we took a ball of yarn. We found the fattest tree we could and tried to hug it all around. Failing that, we used the yarn and now have a cool souvenir that reminds us exactly how big – and it is really, really big – that tree really was.

Some trips were perfect for history or cultural instruction. On the drive from California to Washington, we took along little history books for each state we were driving through. My kids love to read, so it was no big deal to ask them to read those along the way and get a feel for the places and things we would see. On the trip to China, we studied up before-hand on geography, history and culture. We learned some common phrases (hello, thanks, where’s the bathroom) and customs.

Everywhere we can, we make sure to visit museums, science centers, planetariums, living history centers, and zoos in various places. We’ve taken tours of government buildings, factories, historical houses, and farms. There is such a vast variety of things you can do that don’t look like “school” along the way. I tend to google “fun things to do in...” wherever we are going and I usually get more lists than I know what to do with. We don’t do everything, we can’t afford everything, and we don’t have time for everything. We pick one or two things that fit our time, our interest (or the interest we are trying to build) and our budget. We had no idea we were interested in wallabies until we met the cutest pair last week at the Creation Museum in Kentucky! We’ll be following up that trip with a trip to the library to research about how we can get our own pair! (Not likely, but fun to think about.)

One of my son’s favorite trips was Patriot’s Point in South Carolina. He would not have been interested in touring a plantation at that time. He was (and is) all about the air craft carrier and submarine tours that we took there. One of my daughter’s favorite places was our Williamsburg/Yorktown/Jamestown adventure. She loved just running around on the redoubts at Yorktown, watching the glassblower and silversmith at Williamsburg, and trying to hoe the garden at the living history museum in Jamestown. We weren’t being overtly educational, but I think we all learned a lot from those trips.

In the long run, our main goals are always to be together and be relaxed and have fun. Having the itinerary and the packing list help us keep organized and sane. And we also take on age-appropriate challenges of learning things like: saying common phrases in Chinese or another local language, counting foreign currency, trying out some hypotheses, reading about and absorbing the places we visited. For our next trip, we are looking forward not only to seeing the amazing architecture and bringing biblical history to life, but also trying all the flavors of gelato that we can fit in!*

*update: Mediterranean vacation complete and both Italian and Greek gelato flavors have been evaluated. However, more tests may be needed in the future to validate our results.  ;o)

Keep the Faith, Baby

Ten and a half years ago when we started homeschooling, there was lots of pessimistic encouragement in the form of “It’s worth a try; you can’t mess up kindergarten.” In other words, never fear, for if (or when) you fail at this endeavor, the schools are still waiting to take your children and they could undo anything horrible that you did. 

Now, as my youngest enters high school, I find less people with encouraging words – even those who homeschool themselves. There is this idea that high school should be hard and not only should I not be able to teach most of it, but my kids must be missing something. I’ve heard moms say, “Aren’t you freaking out? Aren’t you worried? Aren’t you afraid?” 

I check in with my kids pretty regularly – I mean, I see them pretty much all day, every day, and we do talk about stuff. I ask them if they are still happy homeschooling. (They are.) In fact, they’d be highly offended if I wanted to switch venues at this point. They would think I was pretty hypocritical and wonder if I still loved them as much as I did when they were little. (I do.) 

Do I ever have fears and uncertainties? Of course. Who wouldn’t? We can’t know the future. We can’t know what we might have “missed,” by definition, until we run into problems. So far, we haven’t. But, I do know God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He knows the future. And He is the one who set us down this path. And I trust that He knows what He is doing, even when I don’t. 

A man’s heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps. 

Proverbs 16:9

We are trying some new things this year. My kids have started earning college credits through examination. If they continue to do well, we’ll ditch more and more high school and keep on this path. I find that they are meeting the challenges that are set before them. When they hit a roadblock, we’ll stop and look for the way around or through it. 

I don’t know about you, but I was public schooled and ran into confusing situations and roadblocks and followed divergent paths and somehow I still got into (and graduated) college (and my college was the infamous UCF which stands for “U Can’t Finish”). Amazingly, those career goals (public school teacher) that I set for myself didn’t materialize, but God had uniquely prepared me to do what my future really held: wife, mother, homeschooler. So, fear or no fear, I’ll go down this road as far as God leads and as long as He is holding my hand.

All Over Again

My daughter is in the middle of tenth grade, so we are reaching our tenth year marker for homeschooling!  If I had to do it all over again, I would probably tweak a few things here and there curriculum-wise.  Mostly, I would use LESS, not more.  Below are my favorite choices from over the years:

Reading
Pre-K/K - Learn to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
also:  read lots and lots of books!  Fiction and Non-fiction!
Middle/High School:  BJU Literature

Writing
Pre-K - 4th - Handwriting Without Tears
2nd - How to Write a Paragraph (workbook)
3rd - 9th - Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) levels A, B, C
7th - 9th - Unjournaling

Spelling
K - 6th - for natural spellers:  Spelling Plus
or:  for not-so-natural spellers:  Sequential Spelling
also:  The Logic of English (book and maybe curriculum)

Vocabulary
7th - 12th - Wordly Wise

Grammar
4th - Junior Analytical Grammar
7th - 11th Analytical Grammar

'Rithmetic
K - 8th - A Beka Math
also:  Right Start Math Games
9th - Teaching Textbooks Algebra
10th - Teaching Textbooks Geometry
also:   ALEKS

Science
K - 2nd - A Beka Science
also:  Rub a Dub Dub, Science in the Tub
3rd - 6th Apologia Junior series (Botany, Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures, etc.)
7th - 12th Apologia series (General, Physical, Biology, etc.)

History
2nd - 4th - Mystery of History I (MOH)
4th - MOH II
5th - MOH III
7th - MOH IV
8th - MOH I (again)
9th - MOH II
10th - MOH III
11th - 12th - MOH IV
supplement with library books!

Geography
2nd - 7th grade - Maps, Charts, Graphs workbooks, levels A - H

Foreign Language (Spanish)
4th - La Clase Divertida 1
6th - La Clase Divertida 2
8th - La Clase Divertida 3

Foreign Language (Latin)
9th - Getting Started with Latin
10th - Linney's Latin (free online)

Must-Read Read-Alouds
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Goodnight Moon
Little House on the Prairie (series)
Julie of the Wolves (trilogy)
Henry Reed (series)
Pippi Longstocking (series)
The Chronicles of Narnia (series)
Left Behind - (kids series)
Left Behind - (adult series - PG)
Brother Andrew
The Hiding Place (PG)
China Cry (PG)
If I Perish
The Wheel on the School
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Giver
This Present Darkness (PG)
Not a Fan
So, What's the Difference?
It Couldn't Just Happen
Princess and the Kiss
Squire and the Scroll
Before You Meet Prince Charming
I Kissed Dating Goodbye
Chester the Crab Comix (read on their own!)
Young Peacemaker Comics

A New Year Cometh

This article originally appeared in the Pitter Patter newsletter of my MOPS group in January 2000.  We were facing a new year, a new decade, a new millennium.  A few things have changed over the the last 11 years, so I have updated a few spots in [brackets] and in color.

It is strange to think that not only were we raised in a different century from our children, but a different millennium. And certainly this is a different “age.”

The age of technology is upon us. My three year old has already mastered her “preschool” computer program. She can click her way through the screens as well as mom. Mom never touched a computer before junior high and then it was the one computer in the whole school for “kid use” – a TRS-80. It worked off of cassette tapes somehow. Sounds like ancient history.  [Okay, so this really is ancient history, my now-teenagers are playing games over the internet with friends in other neighborhoods, took their driving test online, use Google instead of a dictionary or an encyclopedia, and rapidly assimilate new physics apps on the iPad.]

In the “good old days” my brother and I spent Saturday mornings glued to the TV set with such questionable fare as Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Pepe LePew. They [child psychologists and parents] worried at the time about us not understanding why the coyote did not get hurt when he fell into the canyon. My children are not allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons due to violence, bad language, bad attitudes, poor adult role models, and new age doctrines that are not hidden, but openly displayed. And forget regular daytime/ nighttime TV too. The coarse humor, overt sexual relations, and the “selling” of the homosexual lifestyle have made this hobby a thing of the past for my family.  [The main TV show my children have grown up with is Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition which is now about to go off the air!  We were pretty good about keeping TV limited to that one hour a week, with "safe" videos thrown in here and there.  With some new digital TV stations, this year my kids have branched out to Batman (Adam West), Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes.  It has been fun watching them get a kick out of all the oldie goldies.]

School was a safe place for children to go and learn when I was growing up. Our children will find that a laughable statement. A teacher could hug you and love you like a surrogate parent. Now they are afraid to brush against a child for fear of lawsuits.  [This year alone, I have heard of 8 kids hit by cars at their bus stops, 2 bus drivers who went to battle with students on their buses, a bus driver that wouldn't let a parent board, teachers and principal who fell into the pits of pornography, sexual abuse, and cheating with and for their students.  Bullying continues to sky-rocket even with all this "tolerance training."  We opted instead for the last 10 years to homeschool.  Our homeschool isn't perfect:  we are behind in some things.  But, my children know the Lord, they tend toward kind and respectful, and we know each other.]

[I wrote this article BEFORE the events of 9/11...just think of how that one event affected our lives.  Airport security; field trip tours to the dairy, the newspaper, and other interesting places; bag checks at theme parks,  and so much more!]

Doctors used to know you and your family and your history. [Uh, let me know if you can find one of those near me.]  Restaurant and grocery store employees used to be friendly and competent.  [Not to be rude, but if the power goes out, nobody knows what to do.  There is no way for a cashier to tally up your groceries (they are not visibly marked anymore) even if she is able to do the math.  I have noticed with the recent recession that workers are tending to be happier in having a job and working harder to keep them.]

This new society begs the question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The answer, however old-fashioned, is still “By keeping it according to Thy word.” (Psalm 119:9)

How can we best help our children in the New Millennium? By teaching them God’s Word from the Bible and giving them God’s standards for living. Maybe they won’t fit in with their generation. I pray they will not.

Homeschooling Resource "Must-Have"

So, where was this book nine years ago, when I started homeschooling?

Educating the WholeHearted Child, by Clay and Sally Clarkson of Whole Heart Ministries, has actually been around since 1994, before my children were even born, but this is the first time it has been in my hands.  I wish I had owned it back then.  The 3rd edition, published earlier this year, is a treasure-trove of almost everything you could need to know about homeschooling.

The Clarksons begin with the assumption that you believe homeschooling is a good idea, but they give you plenty of reasons to re-examine your heart on the issue.  They want you to start with the basic foundation and conviction that homeschooling is part of God's plan for home and family:

"The home is the only institution designed and provided by God in scripture for training children" (pg. 13).

They examine the purposes for homeschooling and boil their vision down to this:

"Our vision is to help you keep faith in your family" (pg. 16).

This nearly 400-page resource is broken down into four major sections:  home, learning, methods, and living.  The writing is clear and concise, so you can skim through or dive right in to any section or chapter without feeling lost.

I can't stress enough how much information is here.  The Clarksons help define goals and solidify your reasons for homeschooling.  They back everything up with pertinent scriptures, studies, quotes, and personal experience on the margins of every page.

One of my favorite parts is about knowing "What to Do when Cornered by a Critic:" 

"Always remember that these vocal adversaries of homeschooling are not neutral.  You can generally assume their criticisms have been cooking for some time, and you just happen to be the one who gets to taste what's in their mental oven.  You don't have to swallow their arguments, but don't throw them back in their face either.  Your 'gentle answer' may help convert a critic into an inquirer and maybe even a friend" (pg. 31).

They go on to give you valid ideas for how to answer: 

• the Legislation Question,
• the Education Question,
• the Socialization Question,
• the Qualification Question, and 
• the Reputation Question (Section 1, chapter 2).

One of the main topics of this book is discipleship, how to birth and nurture your child's relationship with God.

"There is always the temptation to reduce discipleship to a program, a project, a course of study or a set of rules.  This may be especially true in a curriculum-driven homeschooling community.  The danger when that happens is not about doing something biblically wrong, but about missing the biblical dynamic and fulfillment of home discipleship as it could be -- the influence of personal relationships, the leading and power of the Holy Spirit, and the joy of the journey exploring God's path of life together" (pg. 58).

In the Methods section, the advice becomes even more practical, giving specific ideas for how to teach reading, history, geography, fine arts, science, foreign language, and other subjects.  The over-arching premise is a whole-book approach to learning, eschewing textbooks for biographies and other "living books."

Other interesting chapters deal very effectively with personality types and learning styles, testing vs. not testing, family roles, celebrating holidays, structure and order in the home, and support groups.  There are a plethora of useful forms and reading lists.

If you are new to homeschooling, I would recommend this book as a "must-have."  If you've been around a while, I think it could help get you rejuvenated or restructured.  I was definitely reminded of many things I meant to do and I now have a list of things to do and think about, including:

1. Record Holly reading so she can hear how she sounds when she reads to fast or too low.
2. Plan to take a family missions trip.
3. Think about early graduation into independent study and employment.
4. Write Night (everybody writes a story).
5. Ask "real questions" (i.e., why do we homeschool? or why must I be saved?) and have kids research biblical and extra-biblical sources for a written response.
6. Set up a more permanent learning space.
7. Hold a "project day" and allow kids to work on things that interest them.

I only took exception to one line in the book.  The Clarksons do not advocate spanking (pg. 67), but they present their ideas, with a lot of grace for those who disagree (like me), so I'll extend grace to them as well.

Educating the WholeHearted Child is published by Apologia/WholeHeart.  If you haven't heard of Apologia by now, you must be very new to homeschooling!  I am most familiar with their Exploring Creation science curriculum by Jeannie Fulbright (elementary) and Jay Wile (upper levels).  They also offer online courses in science, apologetics and worldview.  You can find this book on their website for the regular price of $22.00 (but it appears to be on sale for $20.00 at the moment).

Though this book is intended for parents of children ages 4 to 14, I think there is plenty of meat, especially in the first 2 sections, even for high-schooling families.  In fact, I'd even consider assigning my high-schooler to read a few sections to learn the hows and whys of homeschooling for the future instruction of her own children.

This is one of those books that deserves the title "Resource" and that you will want to read and review, at least in sections, over and over again.

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  For more TOS Crew reviews, click here.

Redeem the Time

This year, I find myself chauffeuring my kids to outside events more than ever.  I was finding myself with a lot of wasted time on my hands.  I would get the kids out the door, drive them where they needed to be, and then ask, "Now, what am I going to do?"  There are five hours of dance, two and a half hours of sports club activities, and another hour of piano lessons where I was just sitting, doing nothing, or worse, looking for treats in the food or shopping line to pacify myself.  I had to do something else.  So, I compiled a list:

What I Can Do While the Kids are Involved in Sports/Music/Other Activities

• Quiet Time - I can read my Bible and pray (duh!)
• TOS Reviews - I can keep up with my blog and review schedule by reading assigned works and jotting down notes
• Write - I can write stories for my kids (if I get the inspiration) and I can write letters/e-mails to friends/family
• Mpact Girls - I can pray for my teen class and prepare the lesson for the week
• Read - I can read for fun or information
• Plan - I can plan for literature or other subjects that take a little time
• Visit - I have a couple of friends nearby the locations where I am waiting; I could pop over
• Run Errands - I can go to the bank, the library, or the store
• Walk - I can walk (or even swim at the rec center) for exercise, fresh air, and enjoying Creation

Just giving purpose to these alone-times has improved my attitude and productivity tremendously.  Now, I get myself prepared before we leave the house.  I grab pertinent books, writing materials, lists, etc.  I even try to remember to take a healthy snack along so I am not tempted by nearby McDonalds or Slurpee stores.

See then that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16

Freedom to Learn

We think of learning as a basic freedom.  We are free to learn, learning is free, and learning gives us freedom. 

So, why are so many schools constructed like prisons?  Often large imposing buildings, sometimes windowless, usually institutional.

And why are students sentenced like prisoners?  They are incarcerated for six to eight hours a day, five days a week, from the ages of five to sixteen as a minimum sentence.  Parents often add one to five pre-k years and colleges -- a.k.a. "the big house" -- , in general, require an additional two.

The meals at prisons and schools, so I hear, are sometimes comparable.  And there is always a time limit on lunch.  However good or bad the food is:  choke it down fast!  Students and prisoners alike are told how they can dress, how they can fix their hair, and their seats/beds are assigned.  Bullying occurs in both the prison yard and the school yard, students sometimes the meaner combatants.

Schools, like prisons, can be locked down in emergency situations, no one in or out.  Security checks are ritual, the search of book bags and lockers not unusual.  Physical contact is limited.  No fraternization with the guards/teachers is allowed.  Policemen wander both sets of halls.  Both students and inmates long to get outside, to stretch, to roam free.

And what freedom does a child have to learn in this environment?  He is told when and where and what to read, when and how to hold a pencil, what to think, and when to start and stop learning.  He learns about math for 38 minutes, no more, no less.  He spends a similar amount on English grammar.  The art class he longs for comes once a week and the music he learns is scripted at best.

I appreciate the freedom of homeschooling.  To vacation when we please.  To stop and review at the moment of need.  To wear pajamas when we want.  To think for ourselves.  To not learn today, but to soak in yesterday.  To take field trips that apply to our learning.  To hug and to love my children all day long.

But, I must be careful to preserve those freedoms.  To not get caught up in "schooling" and "what the state wants" and "what colleges want" so much that I turn my own home into a prison, where we are held against our wills for six to eight hours or more a day.  It isn't easy to stay free.  When will I learn?

How do I keep my middle-schooler going and not fight me ALL THE TIME about doing school work?

This question was posted on Christian Homeschoolers Taking a Stand.  I had to laugh.  I'm not always that successful on this one.  From age 10 or 11, each of my children took a slightly more adversarial stance about everything.  I've tried, first of all, not to take it personally.  I believe it is a phase, but one that has to be worked through.  My oldest is almost 15 and we are seeing light at the end of a long tunnel.  Here are some of the ways we have tried over the years:

1.  We remind them of Ephesians 6:1-3.  The first day of homeschooling, we undertook to memorize this verse.  It was the first thing we did and they know it, they know it, they know it.  They know that what we as parents require is "for their own good" and that if they want to "do well and live long," they will obey us, pure and simple.  So, sometimes, a simple reminder with a smile will do.

2.  At other times, we have instituted incentive programs.  At the end of the last school year, I had one that worked well.  We were getting ready for a big vacation to Alaska.  I tacked an envelope to the wall with the monetary figure $20.00 written on it.  I let them know that they would be getting that promised amount IF they discontinued "the stall" which had become such a part of our daily lives.  But, every time I caught them using a stall tactic (including arguing about why they needed to do this), I would deduct fifty cents from their total.  Unfortunately, I hestitated over the first few times and gave too much mercy.  But, one day, I did it.  I walked over and slashed the $20.00 and wrote $19.50.  That was it.  That was the last stall that we faced for several months.

The things to remember about incentive programs is that they must pay off and the pay off shouldn't be too distant.  A year is generally to long to wait, but 9 weeks isn't too bad.  And it doesn't have to be money, it could be any privelege.  We used to give tickets for the amount of schoolwork done each day in order to have time on the computer.  No tickee -- no playee.  We have rewarded certain numbers of books read with outings or new books. 

3.  Sometimes, I've had to take a step back and say, "Why is this child fighting so much?"  Is there something else going on?  And sometimes there was.  Sometimes there was unforgiveness in a heart that needed changing.  Sometimes there was sleep deprivation.  Sometimes there was anger that one sibling's work was more/less than the other.  And sometimes they just needed a break. 

We, as adults, don't think too much about working all day and then some more.  But, kids need fresh air, they need change of pace, and they need rest in order for their brains to keep working.  At different times, we've had to adjust the break levels and add in snacks.  When they plaintively ask, "Can't we take a break now?"  I don't ignore that.  Our school day generally runs something like this:

8:00 AM - Breakfast/Bible/Read Alouds/Morning Chores

8:30 AM - School Work (schedule varies, but math is always during this slot)

10:00 AM - SNACK BREAK -- for my kids -- this is the most important meal of the day!!!

10:15 AM - Return to School Work

12:00 N - Lunch (We sometimes do work over lunch, sometimes not)

After lunch, we finish up school between 1:30-3:00 PM depending on what's on the list.

2:00 PM - Another light snack

They have a list of things to do each day and they can generally order their day, with the exception of math which I insist upon being done early.  In the olden days, math could drag for hours if it was left to a less brain ready time of day.

I also have had them use timers during math so they are aware of the time.  They are allotted an hour, but generally finish in much less time.  If the hour bell rings, they have to stop and do push ups, do something else on their list, then return to math later.

The good news is that in middle school, your child may be able to help you figure it all out.  Have a conversation with them.  First, get away from the situation, preferably alone with them.  Ask "What is bothering you about school?  Is it the material?  Is it too hard, too easy, too boring?  Is it my teaching method?  Are you upset about something?  Are you tired, unhappy, or overwhelmed?"  Let them try to voice their issue.  Sometimes that is all it takes.  To know you care.  And they may put out more effort for you afterwards.  Or, they may not.  But, your relationship will be stronger.

4.  As always, pray for God's wisdom.  He has it when we don't.  He knows how much structure you need.  You may need more.  You may need less.  Depends on what you have going on right now and both your and your child's personalities. 

Take a Leap /leep/ for Literacy

What would happen if psychology suddenly lost its silent “p” and was spelled with an “s”? Would we lose any basic understanding of its function or importance? Instead, I think we would save many taxpayer dollars, increase teacher’s class time for content, reduce teacher training needs, and increase student success (dyslexic or otherwise).

I am not a math person, but I think I can figure out these formulae:

Teach a kindergartener to read/spell + never have to address the issue again = less time in school

Less time in school = less teachers, less classrooms, less books, etc. = less tax $

Why don’t we have a phonics-based spelling system? I don’t know. It seems to make so much sense. Every child could learn to read more easily and people from around the world would have an easier time learning our language. There would certainly be less “bad spellers” in the world!
Most kindergarteners are praised for beginning to spell phonetically, and then we spend the next six years – or more -- training them to “spell it right.” Some never get it, hence computers with spell-check.

I live with a dyslexic child who, though he conquered reading, has spent more than 7 years on this “spelling project” and is still in the starting phase, learning the patterns that have so many exceptions. Because he doesn’t have good sequential memory skills, the phrase, “I” before “e” except after “c”, is useless to him.

When your child is learning to read, what do you say? “Sound it out.” But, that doesn’t work with all words. We have a whole generation who learned to “sight read” because of the confusion over our supposedly phonics-based system. Is that a hard /g/ or a soft /g/? Is that “e” short, long or silent? Why does “ch” sometimes sound like /ch/, as in “church”, but other times sounds like /k/, as in “school”?

My son’s spelling program, Sequential Spelling, uses the following as a simple demonstration of the changing sounds in our language:

Ma
Mag
Magic
Magician

Notice the difference in the “a” sound from “ma” to “mag”? What is the change in the “g” sound from “mag” to “magic”? What happens to the “c” sound going from “magic” to “magician”? Let's not even talk about "cian" sounding like /shun/.

As a homeschooler, I can attest to the idea that if the system is easy to learn, it is easy to teach. It is obvious that a truly phonics based system of spelling would increase students’ ease of learning, thereby reducing the number of instruction hours needed by trained and re-trained professionals. The need for reading specialists and remedial teachers would diminish. And maybe, just maybe, there would be more time in the day for more art, music, history and the sciences.
I know that phasing one system in and another out can, and probably should, take many years. England’s “Great Vowel Shift” in sounds took 150 years. So, I propose a few first steps:

1. Remove initial silent sounds like that “p” in psychology and “g” in gnu.
2. Get rid of the silent “gh” in “neighbor” and “weigh”.
3. Replace “ph” with “f” in words like “pharmacy”.
4. Only use the letter “c” when needed for the /ch/ sound. Otherwise, substitute “s” and “k” as appropriate.
5. Start marking long vowels (leave short vowels alone) with a line over top – preparing the way to remove silent “e” someday.

These would be small steps for our generation, perhaps huge leaps in literacy for the generation to come. Next, we will work on implementing the metric system!

School is Coming!

Getting ready for the new school year! I remember the school supplies, the haircuts and fresh new clothes of this season when I was young. For homeschoolers, those outward statements of "school is coming soon" are faded; the true sign of the season beginning is in the curriculum. Here is the curriculum choices we've made so far for this year:

7th grader:
A Beka General Math
Apologia Astronomy
Sequential Spelling 2
Analytical Grammar - part 1 (maybe)

9th grader:
Video Text Algebra
Getting Started with Latin (almost complete) then on to Linney's Latin
Wordly Wise
Apologia Zoology
Analytical Grammar - part 2
Ballet, Tap, Jazz dance classes

Together:
Bible Covenants
Names of God by David Wilkerson
IEW
A Beka Themes in Lit/BJU Elements of Lit
Apologia Physical Science
Mystery of History (returning to Book 1)
WW2 Unit Study + The Hiding Place
Painless Poetry

Co-ops with our Homeschool Group
Physical Science
Chess Club
Cantering the Country
Book Club (classics)

Also trying out Sports Club at a local Rec Center

As I type this, I think this looks ambitious and I know that we will not get it all done, but God willing we will take the best pieces and leave the rest!

Homeschooling High School – Are You Crazy?

When our children were toddlers, we considered the idea of homeschooling.  My husband was all for it.  I was dubious.  I was already “on” 24/7 and couldn’t imagine that continuing into the school years.  My selfishness led us to what we thought would be the next best thing:  Christian private school.  We got the uniform, paid the tuition, and lost our daughter.  Within a month, we were dissatisfied (through no fault of the school we chose, but with “school” in general) and within nine weeks of study and prayer, we had decided to give homeschooling a try. 

When people asked, “How long?” we cautiously said, “one year at a time.”  And probably every year, we briefly re-think our decisions.  That was nine years ago.  Now people query me:  “Are you really going to go through high school?”  The implication is:  “Are you crazy?”  Doubt is easily sown and I have considered our options again.  I prayed again for wisdom (before bringing it up to my husband). 

The evening news is a constant reminder to me of some of the reasons public school will not be our choice.  Almost every time I watch, there is a teacher or student arrested, a bus accident, or some other horrific occurrence to show that many schools are not safe places these days.  My niece brings us stories that make me cringe about the indoctrination the public school tries to give her.  Besides evolution and tolerance-training, her school annually shows “The Secret” – the Oprah flick about how to ask the universe for what you want (New Age philosophy) -- yet she is not supposed to bring a Bible on campus.   A friend of ours is interning in a public middle school and keeps reminding my kids, “You aren’t missing a thing!”

So, my mind turned back to Christian school.  They tend to have rigorous academic standards and they would certainly uphold our conservative Christian values, wouldn’t they? 

Then I ran into an old friend of mine, one whose children have gone to Christian school all their lives.  And, while her children have done fine, she revealed that a majority of her eldest child’s senior class (now in their first year of college) have already abandoned their faith and training.  No matter how hard the school tried, they did not make a difference.  The children are partying, drinking and playing around with the world.

I felt a sudden renewed peace with our decision to home-school through high school.  Because there is no security in any option that we choose.  Homeschooling certainly does not guarantee a child will continue in the path laid by the parents.  We must only rely on the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.