Even Though You May Already Know

I'm beginning to read 2 Peter today, and as I come to verses 12-15 of chapter one, my mind goes back to the death of our friend Roger a few days ago. I think he could have penned the very words the Apostle Peter wrote in the first chapter as he was facing imminent death himself. Roger and his wife Marlo were always reminding us of the important things of life.

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind (v. 12-15).

My Beloved and I worked on our state homeschooling board for several years along with Roger and Marlo and two other couples who became some of our dearest friends. We've met up yearly in a central location in the ensuing years to keep in touch and pray for homeschoolers across our state, but this past year the group wasn't able to synchronize a time to do that. It saddens us that we were not able to connect, knowing now that Roger's degenerating body would soon release him, and he would depart this earth. 

The Apostle Peter reminded fellow believers to keep reminding others of the faith, that we are to keep growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. As Roger and Marlo often reminded us, I remind you to do the same, dear one, so that grace and peace can be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As for the Apostle Peter and our friend Roger's knowledge of Jesus...

We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, 
because we will see Him just as He is.

1 John 3:2 

 They have now seen Him, just as He is.

BTW--If you're a homeschooling family, please consider supporting your state organization. They give hundreds of hours of volunteer service each year that most families probably know little about, but who reap the benefits nevertheless.

Painting ~ Thoughtful Reader, František Dvořák (1862-1927)

public domain via Wikimedia Commons 

Using It Wisely

 24 hours clock, Paolo Uccello 1443

Our daughter is homeschooling our grandchildren, and we were talking recently about the benefits of using a timer for routine and rhythm. Homeschooling lends itself well to developing self-discipline for children and parents alike, if we're diligent about it. It can lead to a rewarding life, here and the hereafter.

So we talked about good approaches to using a timer to set the pace—like when the children need to transition from their favorite subject to something less exciting, getting back on task after a brief break, or being relieved of a bland or difficult task. It's a good thing for children to learn to manage their own time and activities, and a timer helps to set good habits.

It's a good thing for us parents and grandparents to learn as well. Time is a valuable resource that we all have. The caveat, though, is that it's limited in quantity. It slips through our fingers like sand, but we cannot gather it up once again. We use it even by doing nothing at all with it.

And, then, there are the robbers of time that steal it away from us. Most of us probably recognize the thief after we've lost the time. Strange, isn't it, that we are often our own accomplices to being embezzled.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16

The days we live in certainly seem to be more and more filled with evil, and we know who's behind that. So, a reminder today to be a good steward of the time we have here on earth. It's discipline for the purpose of godliness and preparation for eternity. We're discussing that thought in our Sunday School class this week. The book we're using: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney. Looking forward to the discussion. I always learn something from fellow believers.

I do hope you have a church family to discuss such important matters with, dear one.

Painting ~ 24 hours clock painted by Paolo Uccello located at Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore of Florence, Italy

Independent Study to Scholarly Research

As I mention in the sidebar, we joyfully taught our daughters at home through high school. Those were years filled with learning on both sides of the desk--for them and for us. We knew the girls were doing well in many ways during those years, and our family reaped many benefits as we went along. It was when they went to college that we found out what an advantage they had gained. There have been many studies over the years showing the value of home education, and we like to encourage those who are on their own journey.

An article I read today speaks of many of the same advantages. Written by a university faculty member, titled "Homeschooled students bring own skill set to university campuses." 

Parent-educated students that I’ve met exhibit a strong intellectual vitality and passion for exploring difficult concepts. On the average, they have a penchant for open-ended problem-solving. It is plausible that in their homeschool environments, they’ve already been given a vast number of opportunities to grow their capacities for self-direction. Consequently, their inclination for independent study seamlessly transfers to the scholarly research environment.

If you're a home-educating family or considering it, I'm sure you'll find encouragement in reading the entire article, found here at floridapolitics.com. If you'd like more information on educating your children at home, or just want to learn a bit more about it, you can click on the image above that will take you to HSLDA, advocates for homeschooling.

We began our journey in the 1980s when the road was less traveled. We were some of the pioneers, and much could be said about the joy in all of that--as I've touched on here and there in some posts. Our daughters married home-educated fellas. All graduated from universities, two at the top of their classes (our daughter being one, another daughter with honors), three with master's degrees, and all are doing well with what they've chosen in life. AND our grandchildren are being taught at home as well. The proof is in the pudding.

If you're on your own journey, I do wish you well. Keep on keeping on!

Image from the Home School Legal Defense Association

If You Really Want to Annoy Me...

If you really want to annoy me, act as if families who are educating their children at home are second rate. When you do your back-to-school acknowledgments and hip-hip-horrah-here-we-go-again fanfares, give us a little nod, like "homeschoolers, if you want to join us, you can come up, too" as you call those in the traditional school systems to the front for recognition and applause. Act like we're not particularly involved, anyway, like we're just peripheral to the celebration. It really annoys us.

Take little notice that we're doing what we believe to be best for our children as much as those in your school. We're pulling money out of our own pockets for books and dictionaries and crayons and curriculum--a full set for each child, including a teacher's manual, reference books, supplemental materials, science lab equipment, foreign language classes, music lessons, on and on it goes. There are no discounts to us for our field trips, either, because our family isn't very large, and we can't sell Christmas cards and candy bars to help with special purchases. The neighbors frown on that, but we buy yours. And we still pay our taxes so the government schools can buy all that stuff for their students and take them to the movies for good behavior.

Our own homeschooling days are in the past. We're finished. But my heart is still with those who are giving it a go for themselves in the here and now. I want to cheer them on. I want to acknowledge their hard work and the prayers they pour out over their children, that God will give them wisdom and success. And many, many, many of us have succeeded and been stellar. We have children of homeschooling friends who are, in turn, homeschooling their own children now. Our precious grandchildren are being homeschooled. There are homeschooled graduates who are exemplary mothers and fathers. There are those who have upstanding positions in their careers, who are, by anyone's standards, pillars in the community. Homeschooling is not a second rate, second choice mode of education.

I taught in a traditional classroom before I began homeschooling. Education in the home was our personal choice for offering our best to our children. They flourished. We began a local support group that grew to over 200 families that provided activities, field trips, and specialized classes that can be challenging for single families to tackle, like speech class and foreign languages. Parents who were specialized in their fields taught small classes, like chemistry labs and biology labs. 

We worked on the state home education board to provide conferences, achievement testing, monthly newsletters with timely articles on materials and methods, awareness of legalities and legislative involvement. I was the state testing coordinator for several years, and It thrilled me to see that homeschoolers' achievement test scores far exceeded students in the government schools and out-distanced private schools as well. 

After we finished our own journey through homeschooling, I went back to get my masters degree in instructional strategies and processes, planning to return to the traditional classroom. It was amazing to see that what graduate students were being taught as new methods and strategies were simply those that homeschoolers use on a daily basis. We had already figured it out because we search for effective means to help our children succeed. No, we don't know everything there is to know about education, but all we have to know is our own children and how to help them be successful learners. And we give our best to the task. 

Homeschooling families go above and beyond what most people observe, simply because it's done in the home and in the heart. And it really annoys us when we're so marginalized, especially in the church where there should be a biblical framework for all fanfare. This is a major reason why most homeschooling families aren't attracted to churches with private schools. 

Just sayin'.

 ~ Photo, One of Our Graduations

Sweet Homeschooling Memories

I've been going through filing drawers the past few days, thinning out for our move later in the year. Some things I just couldn’t part with, though. They hold such special memories of our homeschooling years, years filled with so many happenings and so much happiness.  

 
I came across the following paper, written by our then 10-year old Elizabeth, probably as an English assignment. If you’ve homeschooled your children for any length of time, you can probably relate to this:

I like homeschooling because I like being with my family. I learn more than the basic subjects, like knitting. I have more free time so that I can read. I get up at 8:00 so I get plenty of rest, then I can pay more attention to my work. I can go to my grandparents’ house just about anytime. I enjoy petting my dog when I’m doing my work, and I couldn’t do that in a school classroom.

I came across Laura's graduation speech in her folder. A portion of her sentiments meant quite a lot to us. I know many parents have received similar thoughts.

Finally, I want to thank my family—and especially my parents. I really appreciate their willingness to teach me at home—their sacrifices of time, energy and everything else they’ve given. This is as much their day as it is mine—we’ve made it together, and I can’t thank them enough.

That’s one of the biggest advantages of homeschooling—it brings you together as a family. I’m closer to my parents than I would have ever been if I had [gone] to school like I wanted to in the seventh grade, and my sister’s one of the best and most loyal friends I have. As the card she gave me for my birthday said, “Having a really close friend is a wonderful thing, but when that friend is also part of our family, it’s one of the nicest things in the world.”

Our homeschooling high school years

I write this post, not as a credit to ourselves, but to encourage any of you who may be feeling a heaviness in your own homeschooling right now. I felt it often. Ask God to strengthen you and give you wisdom. That was my ongoing prayer. The days will pass, and soon the children will be gone, off to their own dreams and adventures. And you won't be together, and the house will be too quiet.

But then you might get an extra special blessing by watching the next generation homeschool your grandchildren.…..and an extra, extra special blessing if you get to be a part of it. My own mother and sister live close to one another, and Mom got to help with homeschooling those grandchildren. Sometimes I get to help when our little Elijah comes to visit. It takes me back to sweet memories, days I could have lived in forever.

I pray frequently for homeschooling moms, that God will strengthen and give wisdom. 

Welcome, September

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather
And autumn's best of cheer.
 
~Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

September is the doorway to my favorite season. Soon all of creation will glow with autumn blaze and a warm homey coziness will settle in. Hot, muggy days will soon be over, with cool mornings and chilly nights returning. 

September days are quiet here with neighborhood children off to school. I miss those days with the smell of new books and pencils, when we were busy settling into a routine of home schooling. We always began our school year in early August, and by September we were in full swing. So much to learn and do. An early August start gave us December to put away the school books and enjoy the Christmas season.

This school year My Beloved and I will be teaching a government class for the home schoolers in our church. We began teaching a few classes when our own girls were in their high school years, when we gathered a few friends together for a class that worked well as a group. We'll be actively involved at the Legislature come spring and doing some lobbying should our homeschooling freedoms be attacked, as they so often are. Someday, maybe we can help home school our grandchildren. What fun that would be! 
 

Painting ~ Autumn Scenery
Created by Photoangel - Freepik.com

Schooling or Education?

 

"Thank goodness I was never sent to school.

It would have rubbed off some of my originality."   

Beatrix Potter

I was chatting with a couple of young homeschooling moms at church last night. They had been to a curriculum showing earlier in the day. What a blessing to share in their enthusiasm for training their children at home! It isn't an easy road, but everyone will benefit. The children, obviously, but mom and dad will, too, as God uses daily experiences and their love for their children to change them more into His divine image of parenthood.

A few thoughts about schooling and education from some famous others:

"I've never let school interfere with my education."   

Mark Twain 

"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."

Albert Einstein

"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Let him come and go freely, let him touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of colored paper, or plant straw trees in flower pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experiences."

Anne Sullivan ~ Helen Keller's teacher

"You send your child to the schoolmaster, but 'tis the schoolboys who educate him." 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
Schooling or education? There is a difference!