Still Homeschooling?

Occasionally I run into people I haven't seen in a few years.  They always seem to ask, "Still homeschooling?"



"Yes."  I state without apology.

When I first began homeschooling, I felt like I had to justify my reasoning.  I no longer feel the need to explain my reasoning or why my husband and I have made the decision we have made.  Some will agree.  Others won't.

My girls back in 2008.

Year after year, I stick with it.  Homeschooling is simply a part of our family now.  It is a part of our family culture.  It is what we do. When I first began homeschooling, I wrote a blog post that listed some of my reasons why.   The last one on the list was, "I homeschool because God put it in my heart to do this and I need to be obedient even though it isn't always an easy task."  It still isn't an easy task.  I have learned many things over the years.  My reasoning has changed somewhat in some areas.  Experience has been a good teacher.  Each year I don't have to come up with a list of why I homeschool. I simply keep doing so.  When I compare the list I made back in 2008 with how I feel today, I am astounded at how little changes in my reasoning make a big difference.  I am also surprised by how much has stayed the same.

My First Homeschooled Daughter in 2008

(When I wrote the list in 2008, I had five daughters under 17. Three were in public school.  One was only eighteen months old.  Eventually I would homeschool four of those five daughters.  As of 2017, two have graduated.  The "daughter" I allude to in the 2008 post is now in her last year of high school.  The eighteen month old is a ten-year old fifth grader.)

Reason 1:
2008 - I homeschool because I want my daughter to love Jesus, and to be free to love and learn about Jesus without feeling pressure to do otherwise.

2017 -  I homeschool because I want to be able to teach my children about Jesus, the Bible, and our faith without apology.

What's different? - I have learned that, while I want my children to love Jesus, this is a decision they must make for themselves.  They can't live on my faith.  I can set an example, teach them the way they should go, but they have the free will to make their own decisions.  I still create an environment where they can learn about the Lord freely.

Reason 2: 
2008 - I homeschool because she can learn about the world with a Christian worldview, not a sheltered worldview that keeps other theories from her. She will learn about evolution, but she will also learn that it is not a theory we believe. She will learn about her creator.

2017 - Still true.  I don't believe in a sheltered worldview.  I believe in age appropriate.  I also believe in teaching what they world believes, such as evolutionary principles, because this is not something my children can escape.  However, I still believe in teaching fully about young earth versus old earth, and why I believe the way I do.

What's different? - Essentially, if I have made them critical thinkers, my children will be able to make determinations for themselves and defend their position.

Reason 3:
2008 - I homeschool because my daughter was beginning to feel negative about herself, already feeling like she had to measure up to everyone else and be like them.

2017 - I still hope that the environment I provide at home will be nurturing and build up my daughters, not tear them down.

What's different? - I may keep my children from some of the pressures and negative social aspects of public school, but I cannot protect them entirely.  The world will still try to tell them who they are.  To a large degree, my children might still compare themselves to others and find themselves lacking somehow.  I have learned that homeschooling may help, but it is not a cure-all or a protection against self-doubt.

Reason 4:
2008 - I homeschool because I get to spend quality time with my daughter any time I want to.

2017 - I don't regret one moment of the time I have had with my daughters that I have been blessed to homeschool.  This lesson was reinforced recently when I enrolled in college classes and was over- scheduled.  I was still here with my daughters, but I wasn't enjoying them because I was stressed out and overly busy.

What's different? - I am older and have more experience.  Three of my girls are grown.  The "daughter" I referred to in 2008 is graduating high school this spring.  Time goes by quickly, and I know the memories we made together are priceless.

Reason 5:
2008 -  I homeschool because I know what Laura is learning, how she is treated, and that she is safe.

2017 - If anything, since 2008, I not only still believe this, but feel even more strongly now.

What's Different? - Bullying, school shootings, suicides...  these things seem to be on the rise.  I know that perhaps the media shows these things more often, but the fact remains that it happens.  It happens often.  At home, my daughters can learn without the fear that they will be bullied walking to class.  I dealt with a lot of bullying, and even assault, when my older children were in public school.  It may happen other places we go, but I don't fear that my children will face it in their learning environment.

Reason 6:
2008 - I homeschool because I can make sure Laura is working at the pace for each subject that ensures she knows what she is doing and works best for her.

2017 - After several years of homeschooling, tailoring an education for a child has become something I feel is vital.  I homeschooled one child that came to me with an IEP from her public school.  She did well at home.  I know my husband struggled with undiagnosed ADHD as a child, and the school wasn't equipped to help him.

What's Different? - I know my youngest battles ADHD as well, and most schools would insist she be medicated. At home, I can find ways to fit the learning to her, instead of trying to get her to adapt to the learning.  She can work at her level, mastering one level before moving on to the next level.  In many ways, this works so much better than the school methods.

My 12th grader that was my first student in 2008.

Reason 7:
2008 - I homeschool because God put it in my heart to do this and I need to be obedient even though it isn't always an easy task.

2017 - God has never told me that He has a new plan for me.  He has never taken away the desire to homeschool my children.  The task is still challenging.  It still requires that I lean on Him.

What's Different? - After all these years, I have seen God walk me through tough times.  I have gained experience in teaching children and seeing what works and what doesn't.  I have seen how God walks with me and guides me in choosing curriculum and tackling subjects.  The difficulty of the task hasn't changed God's mind in what He has asked me to do.  I still must be obedient.

My daughters today. 

A Continuing Struggle with Public School

Having a child in public school this year reminds me of one of the reasons I homeschool.  When my beautiful step-daughter moved in with us, we knew it would be challenging.  She struggles in school.  She was diagnosed with learning disabilities years ago, but she has fought hard to remain in the mainstream classrooms.  She works so hard that teachers all commend her effort.  She goes to a tutor four days a week, an hour each day. 

She gets high marks most of the time on her homework.  It is her homework grades that keep her scores high.  She does horrible on her quizzes and tests.  We studied the other night for HOURS for a history quiz.  We went over the questions repeatedly in the study guide that was sent home.  I read to her from the textbook and then tried to explain how it all related and what was going on at the time, so she would understand the stories behind the dates.  She knew it well.  She should have aced the test.  She got a 76%.

That 76% was a high score for her for a test or quiz.  I was frustrated though.  We spent at least three to four hours going over and over the material.  The more we worked to learn these dates, places, and people, the more she began to detest history just a little more.

History was exciting!  This was boring.  I shared the stories behind the dates, people, and places as much as I could to make it more exciting for her.  However, that wasn't what she needed to know for the quiz.  When it came to the quiz, she needed just the facts.  How Boring!!  The stories in history are history, not the mundane details that alone hold no significance.  I can only attribute the 76% to the fact that my step-daughter did have some of the stories to work as "hooks" to hang the facts on.  Most of the time, she fails these quizzes.

I know that learning to take a test is important.  Testing well, on things like SATs, is a big deal when a child wants to get into college.  However, I don't think teaching boring, unrelated facts from a text book and then quizzing on those facts is teaching my step-daughter how to learn or what was important in history.  It just teaches her how to put information in her short-term memory and then forget it once the test is done.  For children like my step-daughter, that have issues retaining information even in short term memory without it being significant to her in some way, this is a catastrophe.  There are no "hooks" to hang the information on for those dates and places to have any meaning.

Learning "hooks" have become something that I realize make all the difference in the world in an education.  Raymond and Dorothy Moore, homeschooling pioneers, discussed the importance of learning "hooks" in education.  When I think of my beautiful step-daughter, I can only think in terms of she was rushed too fast, and never developed the essential learning "hooks" that would have made all the difference.

"Very young children do indeed learn very fast, as is commonly believed, yet only in proportion to their maturity. The child who combines cognitive maturity with eight - ten years  more of free exploration has developed thousands of “learning hooks” and an ability to reason consistently which is impossible for the younger child. Without this maturity, and confined to a classroom, the child often becomes anxious, frustrated, and eventually learning disabled."  The Moore Foundation




Jasmine was put in school at three years old.  She was in preschool, year-round until she was old enough to begin Kindergarten.  She had suffered from chronic ear infections as a baby that left her speech a little garbled.  She entered Kindergarten in need of speech therapy.  She struggled with learning from the beginning.  In first grade she was held back due to her learning issues.  Of course, she wasn't taught to read using phonics.  She was taught with the sight word method.  She could never remember all the words she was supposed to know.  I taught her phonics during the summer between her two first grade years.

Over the years the school has tested her repeatedly for learning disabilities.  She was diagnosed with a reading comprehension disorder in first grade.  In third grade she was diagnosed as ADD.  We were told to put her on medication.  We refused, and the school didn't push us.  She was repeatedly given IQ tests, and we were told that she would never function in a normal classroom.  She struggles, but she does function and gets passing grades.

I feel like the real child is trapped inside this girl. She has been through massive testing, IEPs, LD classrooms and LD teachers, years of tutoring, summer schools, and ridicule.  I feel like she's been beaten down so much that she feels that she can't learn like others and isn't as "smart" as her peers.  She struggles with tests, but most of them only show how little she can retain short term, not how much she really knows.

Yet, she is bright.  She has been through things in her young life that no child should ever have to endure.  (Some of this has just now been brought to light.)  I feel like she just needs a chance, and a different way of learning.  I pray God opens the door for us to homeschool her.  I would love to see the real child after a couple of years of encouragement and learning that fits her.  I would love to see how she would blossom under that environment.  The decision to homeschool isn't in our hands at the moment.  I have left it up to God.  If He feels she should be homeschooled, nothing will stand in His way.

First Day Nerves to Three Years of Adventures

Laura's 1st Day of Homeschool

It was October.  After weeks of research and prayers and talking with my husband, my little 3rd grade Laura was home.  My nerves were dancing in my stomach like Mexican jumping beans.  That combination of fear and excitement that asked continually, "Can I really do this?"  I prayed prayers to God that told Him how inadequate I felt.  I told Him how I thought I would totally mess up my kid's life.  I comforted myself with the words, "If it doesn't work out, I can always send her back to school."  I told myself and my family and friends that phrase, like a mantra, to keep my own doubts and the doubts of others from overtaking my life.

Three years later, I still get that feeling around the beginning of the school year.  Before the routine of school gets firmly established, I question myself. I wonder if I am doing the right thing. I pray for God's guidance and direction... because I know deep down that I am inadequate without Him.  I know longer ask if I can do this.  I know that I can't on my own strength.  It takes my King to give me His strength every day. 

My poor Laura, my first student, has been my guinea pig.  She has run the gamut with me of curriculum options and learning styles.  I homeschooled one of my high school daughters for two years and graduated her, but her plan was set by someone else.  Laura's plan has been set by me.  The journey we have been on has taken us many places, including in circles at times.  Yet we press on, with a preschooler in the mix now.

Homeschooling has been such an amazing adventure.  Only God could have led us here.  Now, the thought of doing anything else seems unnatural.  I love the curriculum I feel God led me to, but I know that I could homeschool without it if I had to.  Very simply, I've learned just as much over the last three years as my daughter.

I've learned what a true education is, versus "doing school".  I've learned that grades really don't matter, even though I had to assign them for a transcript for my high school graduate last year.  I've learned that tests don't tell what a child knows, but what they don't.  I've learned that spelling lists don't teach kids how to spell, but how to memorize short term.  I've leaned that history is best learned from our rich, wonderful literature, filled with stories of lives, instead of a textbook filled with bits and pieces of the past filled with dates.  I've learned that science is not about complex, difficult topics but about the wonder and fascination with the world our Lord created.  I've learned that Christ can take center stage and be woven through every subject, and that including Christ only improves the quality of the education... not detracts from it as seems to be the attitude of much of the world.

I hope and pray the Christ continues to lead me and that the adventure continues for a long time.

Interview from movie upcoming movie Indoctrination

I am very interested in this movie.  I wonder if it will give parents as much to think about as it is being portrayed.

Time... A Cherished Gift

Screams ring out through my home.  "Help Me!"   Following this desperate plea is the sound of laughter.  This is the normal sounds in my living room when my husband is home as he wrestles his daughters, tickling them and having a fun time "torturing them". 

Last year my husband had to take a job that has him working twelve hour shifts on midnights.  From Saturday evening till Wednesday afternoon, we don't see him much.  He's home to sleep on those days.  Quality time doesn't happen on those days.  He has some time on Sunday, but we are usually focused on church. 

He is off work from Wednesday morning till Saturday evening.  If my younger daughters were in public school they would only see their dad in the evenings of  Wednesday(though we are in church),  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the day until my husband goes to bed to sleep before work.  Personally, that doesn't seem to be a lot of time.  We would take advantage of it and make it special, as we do with my step-daughter when she is here, but it does make things difficult. 

But my girls are homeschooled.  They get to spend all day Thursday and Friday with their Daddy.  Oh, we still do school.  However, Daddy gets to help.  He likes to get involved here and there.  He likes getting to read to the girls or just keep the three year old busy while Laura does her work.  In January He wants to build a volcano with Laura while she studies them for science. 

Best of all, if we want to take Friday and just go somewhere and do something as a family, we can.  We don't have to worry about if it is going to cause problems for the girls to miss school.  We don't have to wait until school is out for the day if we want to go somewhere.  We just go and enjoy our day together.

Time together is something that you can't buy.  You can't ever get that missed time back. I am grateful that we have time with our children through the week, during the day.  Without that, their time with their Dad would be very limited.  He has time to do projects with them, to read to them, to rough-house with them.  His schedule wouldn't permit much of that if they were in public school.

I read a sad story recently.  A young man, homeschooled his entire life, was tragically killed in a car accident.  His parents were devastated.  However, the mother had a wonderful point.  She knows her son is in heaven.  She was able to give her son a firm foundation in Christ.  That foundation didn't flounder, like so many in public schools, due to conflicting teachings and peer pressure.  Instead, the son was strong in his faith.  The mother was also comforted by the fact that her husband and she got to spend so much time with their son before God called him home.  They made many precious memories that would never have been made if the boy was gone every day in school.  They got  to travel and go on trips together.  They got to learn together.  They got to pray together. 

Yes, time is a cherished gift.

Do You Really Know What Your Child Faces?

In a few weeks the local public schools will begin a new school year.  Some children will be excited to go to school.  Others will face it with dread, but will feel helpless because going to school is just a fact of life for them.  I am blessed.  I know this.  Even though my husband and I don't have a lot of money, we are both in agreement about homeschooling.  We both see how God is working in our lives and in our family.  We sacrifice to do the best we can to provide a Christian education for our children.  It isn't always easy to find curriculum, to plan and schedule, and to live on one income.  However, I know my husband supports and is in agreement with what God has called me to do.  Where the first year or so felt like an experiment, a time to "See how it goes", we have both had moments of seeing great things in homeschooling.  Bringing home the highschool student, while intimidating, has been wonderful.

Not everyone is as lucky.  Some mothers don't have the support of their husbands, either for homeschooling or even in their walk with Christ.  Many mothers have to work.  There is no other option.  Some mothers are single mothers and don't feel they can work and homeschool.  I've seen it done, but I know it isn't easy.   One decision for one family might not fit another. 

What I see as a choice that could be so wonderful for a child, most parents can't even bring them to consider, despite circumstances that are nearly intolerable for the child.  One girl I know is in high school.  She is a beautiful, spirited girl with such passion.  Sometimes that passion has gotten her in trouble because she gets off the path she should be on.  She's desperate to fit in with the others, but also wants to serve God.  The two desires don't usually mesh well.  This beautiful girl is at a nearly all white school, but she is a girl with some color.  Because of this she has dealt with racism, name-calling, and has just been tortured by a few racist children.  Unfortunately, the school has let the issues slide over and over again, and actually turned things around on this girl until she had the blame placed on her for incidents that should never have happened in the first place.   She is desperate to get out of the school.  She has begged to be homeschooled.

The family has dealt with other issues before with discrimination.  It is sad that, in this day and age, this kind of stuff still goes on.  It is even more unbelievable that it has been tolerated.  Unfortunately, this girl has paid the price.  I want to tell the mother that there is a better way.  Her daughter doesn't have to live in torture any longer.  There are programs, like Switched on Schoolhouse from Alpha Omega, that assign the work and do the grading for you.  All you have to do is log on and read reports of how your child is doing.  You don't have to teach the subjects.  I wish there was a way to show parents the benefits of homeschooling.  Sometimes the benefits of getting your child away from a place that is causing her so much pain and trouble is worth the sacrifice and fear.  I wish I could show parents how healing it can be to have a child not have to deal with the constant peer pressure, feeling bullied and discriminated against, and living with the knowledge that, if given the chance, there are those around them that would physically hurt them.

I don't want to be hypocritical.  My oldest daughter just graduated from public school.  I had left the choice up to her and she chose to remain in public school.  She had her own share of pressures she dealt with, but she also had only a couple years left when given the option to be homeschooled.  My daughter never had to deal with the pressures such as what I described above. 

Parents tend to see things through rose -colored glasses.  They look at schools and don't think things are that bad.  Even when they get reports of bullying or peer pressure, they tend to think it is at the same level as what they dealt with in High School.  Truthfully, most parents have no clue what their children deal with on a daily basis.  They don't know the pressure, the isolation, and the bullying that some children have to face day in and day out for hours a day.  They've forgotten how it felt to them, and aren't taking into account that things have gotten worse in the past few years in many ways.  Ask yourself, "Do You Really Know What Your Child Faces When They Walk the Hallways of their School?"

There are no easy answers, and the decision to homeschool should always be bathed in prayer.  Not every student has a horrible time in public school.   I pray for this girl, that if she must remain in the school, that she will find Christian friends and get some relief from the battles she has faced.  I also pray that, if God desires this girl to be homeschooled, that the decision be made clear for her mother and the path be made ready.  It's not always easy to stray from what everyone else is doing, from what you've always known.  It wasn't easy for us.  Yet, we pushed through and decided that we would follow the path God had chosen for us over what we had known growing up. 

Re-Establishing a Legacy for Christ

This picture was taken a four years ago, not long after my husband and I recommitted our lives to Christ.  Over the last few years, God has added another daughter to our family, and changed us in so many ways.  He has challenged us as individuals and as a family.  He has led us to be different than we ever expected,and loved us more than we ever thought imaginable.  We have been through tragedies and triumphs, but things have been different with God on our side.  We fight our battles, no matter how tough, on our knees, with Jesus by our side.

Both my husband and I grew up in church off and on.  Truthfully, it was usually more off than on.  My husband's father eventually fully committed his life to Christ and was called to become a Pastor.  By then my husband was a grown man and it was tough to accept at first that his father was different... even in a good way.  For me, I have a grandmother that used to be an evangelist.  She loves Jesus with a deep. abiding love.  It stands strong through thick and thin.  She took me and my sisters to church when she could.  She would read to us Bible stories and talk to us about God.  Yet, I walked away.  The influence of the world and not having stable Christian parents was too much.  I just couldn't trust God as a teen.

Fast forward fifteen plus years and my husband and I were at rock bottom.  We were going through impossible circumstances.  We blamed each other and fought all the time.  My husband called his dad for advice, then talked to his dad's pastor.  Next thing I know my husband has gone back to church, found a faith he'd only glimpsed as a child, and was acquiring something deep within him that I knew I wanted for myself.  It took time for me, but the power of God's call was too strong.  I'm kind of an all or nothing girl, and this time there was no playing around.  I gave my life to Christ as well.

How this has affected us as a family cannot be described in words.  My youngest, Megan, will never know the mom and dad that the older children remember.  She won't ever remember or know the angry, bitter people with the somewhat wild lifestyles.  The older girls do, however, know the transforming power of God because they have seen it with their own eyes and experienced it in their own home and lives. 

My husband and I were talking last week about our lives, our ministries, homeschooling, and our families.  During the middle of it all, my husband really understood.   He got it.  The directions God has led us may not truly benefit us.  We are being obedient so that our children, and their children, can have a legacy of faith.  The legacy that should have been their from my grandmother and my husband's father was almost obliterated by the devil and the one generation that went it's own way.  We are re-establishing it for our children.  We are training our children in Biblical values.  God is using us to fix, to redeem the path where we strayed and even where our parents strayed.

Why did God lead us to homeschooling?  God knows that the pressure of public schooling is high, and that we were in the world a very long time.  He knows that our children are susceptible to the same pressures and temptations that we failed to endure.  He wants us to raise our children away from some of that, so that we might establish the correct patterns in our own lives and in the lives of our children.  As I teach my children, I learn much about the Lord I serve and a Biblical worldview.  I learn as I teach, and I grow with them.  It isn't just for my children that I homeschool.  It is for me and for my husband and for our own growth in the Lord.

I read most of the books my children read.  I learn with them in history and science from a Christian point of view.  I read the Christian stories that touch hearts and lives for Christ.  Stories like The Green Little Frog, biographies like George Mueller, events like the Great Awakening; none of these were in my public schooled text books.  Reading about them now has inspired a deep longing to know more.  I have independently read about the Christian roots in our country's formation.  I have drawn closer to God in the process.

There are many reasons God calls families to teach their children at home.  The government wants to fight homeschoolers.  They are using many methods to try to get homeschooling families to cooperate:  Mandatory testing, core standards for everyone, even free programs that use the public school curriculum.  However, they are often surprised by the tenacity of homeschoolers to fight these options.  On one income, they will struggle but refuse funding from the government.  Why?  They don't want the government to tell them how to educate their own children.  Government officials don't get it.  Most of the homeschooling movement has been driven by Christian families.  There are families that don't homeschool for these reasons, but a large percentage absolutely does.  All the attacks on homeschooling is looked at as persecution for Christ, and that we will endure.  We will fight for our right to homeschool no matter what, because when you are called by God to do something, obedience comes first, even if it means defying those that want to take away our rights.  To us, those rights are God-given, and that is more important than the opinions of a few that want to control us.

"She Won't Work For Me"

There are so many excuses parents have for not homeschooling. I've had many conversations with my step-daughter's mother. My step-daughter has been diagnosed with a reading comprehension learning disability as well as ADD. She is a wonderful, sunny, fun girl that just has problems in school. I think she'd benefit enormously from homeschooling. However, her mother has other issues with the idea.

First, my step-daughter, Jasmine, doesn't like to do her homework for her mother. Often, she is either slow to get her work done or she just outright complains and gets upset about it. Her mother feels like it is a constant battle, and that because of this she could never homeschool her daughter. Sadly, though we get along, she doesn't want to let me homeschool her daughter. I think it's more about having professionals teaching her than anything else. She honestly believes that the school is more equipped to handle a child with learning disabilities than a mom could be.

I've tried to express that homeschooling is different. First, when a child comes home with homework, they have already had a full day. If they are working over the weekend, they are frustrated that they have to work on what should be time to just be a kid. Jasmine goes to school in the morning, works all day, goes to tutoring for an hour four days a week, and then usually has an hour or two of homework on top of all that. Of course she's combative. Of course she gets tired and doesn't want to do the work.

She tries so hard to keep up with the kids in her class. She struggles. She is in tutoring because she does so well with the one on one attention. Without the tutoring, her performance in school would have been a lot worse. As for the standardized tests, these have been a nightmare for her. She doesn't pass them. Even if she understands what is being asked, she often has a hard time getting the answers on the paper in the time allowed. Just knowing there is a time limit stresses her out and she gets flustered.

I've never seen a child work as hard as her, however. The work load in sixth grade has been enormous, even with extra help she is receiving. Jasmine just keeps plugging away doing the best she can. Ironically, she may not test well, but she is getting high grades. Her homework scores keep her other scores from pulling her down. Plus, occasionally, she is so well prepared for a test that she does well on it.

I think Jasmine would benefit so much by a homeschool environment. She would get one on one all the time for every subject if needed. I think, with her reading difficulties and comprehension issues, she would grow tremendously with a combination of being read to daily and having wonderful, engaging books instead of textbooks for her classes. I think she would blossom with activities such as experiments and timelines and a few craft projects to coincide with her studies. I think she would relax in a homeschool environment because she wouldn't feel she had to compete with the other students. She could just learn and grow and find things she is interested in.

I doubt she'll ever get the opportunity to homeschool. This isn't my decision to make. I pray that if God's will is for Jasmine to be homeschooled that she will be given the opportunity. I hope that we can give her a glimpse when she is here. Her father reads to her on nights she is here. Usually, he reads from the Bible or Bible stories. This coming summer, when she comes to stay with us for a few weeks, I want to begin to read the Narnia series with her and Laura together. I might even begin it early, and just read a chapter every time she is here. Since she'll be here for a week over Christmas we might get her hooked on a wonderful adventure story.

Other than that, we do our best with her homework to get her engaged in it. However, she shows many of the typical signs that she doesn't enjoy learning new things. To her, it is boring. With the way the public school teaches, I am not surprised.

I'm sure there are other reasons why Jasmine's mother wants her to remain in public school. I know that, living in a rural area, the opportunities to be in sports or music programs is limited if not in the public school. However, I don't think that is the case entirely. Softball and Soccer are both outside of the school system for younger kids. There are music classes you can pay for, lots of camps at the local college, and the theater program for kids in the summer in the town about 15 minutes away. Some of these things are free or cheap. There are things to do, you just have to look for them and maybe put in a little more effort than you would in public school.

For those that are serious about wanting their child to succeed in schooling and with Christ, there are ways. The "She Won't Work For Me" excuse is, sadly, just an excuse for those that are either intimidated by homeschooling or too dependent on the public school children to do the job that often would be better done by a parent. Now, there are those that should not homeschool. I agree with this. However, some of the reasonings people give to me just sound hollow.

I do know that often the public schools discourage parents from homeschooling, actually making the parent feel that they wouldn't be able to do a good job. It takes a strong parent to stand up against this view from "professionals" and do what God has led them to do.

Getting a Little Tougher Skin

It's in the quiet, the words that aren't said. I know things are said out of my range of hearing, but to my face not much is said. This is my friends and family, not strangers, that act this way. Members of my church family, and people that have known me for years... all seem to have that strange quiet around me now. They aren't like this all the time, but when the issue of school comes up, they all seem to get this way. The conversation doesn't even have to be about homeschooling. Even public schooling seems to get some people to act strange, like if they complain about their schools they think I'll try to convert them to my way of thinking. I don't think even becoming a Christian made people this nervous.
My choice to homeschool my children brings out the worst in others at times. The same people that one day could be complaining about all the problems their children are having in school are the same ones that get quiet at the mention of my choice to homeschool.
It gets to me sometimes. I've even had former homeschool parents act this way. One lady told me that she wasn't sure she should have homeschooled. She wasn't sure her children got a quality education, and they missed out on school activities. I was flabbergasted. Her children, every one, follows Christ. Two are in ministry. Her children are all well spoken and love God. I don't understand why she is not seeing what I see.
I'm learning to shrug things off. I still believe God led me to homeschooling. I love so many parts of it in my life. I love how close my children are getting. I love that my daughters are getting an education that is Christ-based. I love that I get to spend time with my children that most parents don't even realize they are missing. I know that this decision was right, even if those around me don't understand.
There's a certain pressure that my daughters have to be different from other children because they are homeschooled. The studies have been done, and the test results are in. Homeschoolers do better. Does that mean if my daughter acts like a typical 9 year old that homeschooling isn't working? Of course not, but the pressure is there at times.
I am learning to get a tougher skin, to not let things bother me. I'm learning to go about my business and not worry so much about the approval of others. There are times, however, when I wish there was more support among my friends and family. The hard times are the toughest. There is general attitude that, because the economy isn't the best, I should stick my kids back in school, put the toddler in day care, and find a job. I've tried to explain that, after expenses, I won't make much. One lady said that if I made $20 a week, it was worth it. She obviously isn't counting the costs by my standards.
I've grown quiet about homeschooling. Maybe I just need a good support group, but I don't want to drive 30 minutes to attend the closest one. The blogs I read have boosted me enormously because I realize I'm not alone in this crazy journey. There are others that believe that not sending their children to public school is a good thing.
Now, I have two daughters in public school. One is in her senior year and I am very proud of her. The other is in 6th grade, and I worry about her. She struggles in school, has been diagnosed with learning disorders, and has to fight not to be put in an LD class till she graduates. I hate that the school has labeled her. However, legally, she is only my step-daughter. I don't decide her education.
I know that God has me on this path for a reason. I am trusting in Him, despite the challenges that have been placed in my way.

Phenomenon or New Normal

Homeschooling is still very mysterious for most of the country. While the numbers of people turning to homeschooling and leaving public schools is growing, there is still a large percentage of the population that doesn't understand it. So many Americans still think parents that homeschool their children are sheltering their kids from the real world. Despite all the data to the contrary, school officials and pretty much everyone that doesn't homeschool still believe that children receive a better education in a school.
I've dealt with this quite often. There was some concern from those close to me on if I could successfully teach an elementary school child last year. I got beyond it when others saw my child was learning. However, when I brought my high schooler home last week, even my closest friends and family members have questioned whether this is going to be as high a quality of education as what she was receiving in the local high school. I questioned it myself, and still do sometimes.
For the last several days I have watched my daughter do very well with homeschooling. I've seen a discipline in her that makes me proud. No one has to tell her to start her school. She jumps in and works hard, never putting things off or having a negative attitude. She's even getting excited when she learns something new. That's awesome to me. I didn't see her feel this way about public school.
I don't believe homeschooling is a phenomenon. The numbers are increasing because so many people for many different reasons are dissatisfied with the public schools.
Some of those reasons are religious. Christian parents are growing tired of their children walking away from central truths and values.
Some parents are pulling their children out of public schools because they are tired of the poor quality of education. In my area, not one of the local schools in a three county area can pass the state's standardized testing.
Some parents are homeschooling because some schools are dangerous places. Even small town schools have students being arrested for drugs and police dogs sniffing lockers.
I think while all these reasons are important, there is also a deep seated anger growing in parents that is causing them to take back their rights. Parents are tired of the power the schools have in the lives of their children. Schools talk about wanting parents to be involved in schooling of their children. It sounds all nice and sweet for it to be a partnership. That works until there is a difference of opinion between the school and the parents. Then, parents are often pushed aside as the school feels it has the authority to do as it wishes. That is why parents of children with ADD or ADHD are often told they need to put those children on medication. That is why so many parents of children that have been bullied feel helpless to stop the situation when the school either refuses to get involved or treats incidences as bothersome annoyances.
Why are so many parents turning to homeschooling their children? Parents are slowly taking back their rights. They are tired of the state and the schools telling them what to do with their children. They are tired of their rights as parents being limited.
This is for religious reasons in many cases, and that can't be cast aside no matter how much some try. In fact, the more it seems that faith and religion get pushed aside, the more those with deep faith are willing to make sacrifices to ensure it doesn't happen. Christian homeschooling parents are willing to live on one income, work at home, or evenings just for the right to educate their children at home and teach them life from a Christian worldview.
Religious convictions aside, many parents are pulling their children from public schools because they are tired of feeling like the school has all authority. Want to take a family vacation in the school year when the rates are cheaper? You'd better get permission from the school first or it will be considered unexcused. Do you have a child that gets sick often or has to go to the doctor often for treatment? Make sure to get those doctor's notes. Of course, that might not even be enough. One school was refusing to accept the doctor's notes from one student and instead wanted the doctor to fill out a form each time. Another school pressed truancy charges against a parent despite doctor's notes when her daughter had underwent bladder surgery.
School officials would argue that there has been abuses. I'm sure they are right, but I think those abusing the rules are few. Most parents get tired of feeling like they have to report to the school about everything and get permission from the school for doctor's appointments and vacations. They want their families back. They want their rights back.
Homeschooling is not some phenomenon that will fade into oblivion. I truly believe it will become the new normal in time. As parents realize that the schools are failing their children, intruding on their constitutional, and I believe God given, rights as parents, I think the number of homeschoolers will continue to climb drastically. Schools used to be the place where information and education was housed. Now, with the internet and technological advances, the schools no longer hold the monopoly on education no matter how much money is thrown at them by the government.
I also believe that, with the struggles in our economy, many families are waking up the the fact that the quest for more and more stuff has not brought happiness or genuine security. Now, priorities are shifting into what really matters. For many, that is family. How can anyone desiring a closer family not see one of the main by-products of homeschooling is closer family relationships.

Can I Really Homeschool A High School Student?

The situation with my daughter has reached a point where a decision has to be made. Her English teacher from last year (and again this year) has pretty much stated that my daughter failed because she didn't turn in her work. Of course I know that isn't true because I helped her with her work. My daughter has no history of not turning in her work, and she fought really hard last year to do well with this teacher.
I know part of the responsibility rests on me. I should have been more aware of what was happening with my daughter. All I can say is that with being so sick, and then the surgery, I didn't confront this teacher the way I should.
So now my husband, daughter, and I have some tough decisions to make. We've been praying and we honestly feel that, if the school can not rectify this situation satisfactorily, then my daughter will be brought home. They have set up the school policies so that this teacher has a lot of power. That is very unfortunate for the large percentage of students she failed and left with no way to make up the class.
I get very nervous when I think about homeschooling a sixteen year old junior in high school. I did get a little comfort from the local home school teacher here in town. She is more than willing to loan me curriculum and help my daughter in classes in which she may need help. When I told this wonderful lady that my husband was on layoff and I couldn't afford to pay her, she just laughed and told me not to worry about money. "Don't let money stop you from homeschooling your daughter." She told me .
Then this morning my older daughter was on the college website that she has been interested in attending next year. She pulled up a whole section on this college's admission policies on homeschooling. With a transcript and SAT scores, they gladly accept home school students.
I keep praying for God to make it plain what we should do. If I am to home school my high school daughter, then I want a neon sign or something from God saying " DO IT!" So far, it kind of feels like that is the direction we are being led. I mean, the school's mess ups and unwillingness to admit fault and determination to not work with us is a big sign. Then there is the fact that our curriculum is being handed to us for free, with help if needed. Throw in the fact that many of the colleges are seeking home school students and... signs are looking pretty neon to me.
Still, my stomach is beyond butterflies. Jet airplanes are roaring in there. So many questions come up in my mind. What if this doesn't work out? What if it's too hard? What if Tasha hates it? I mean, she says she wants this, but she's sixteen. What if she starts it and hates it? It's not like she can just go back to school without having to make up time. The whole point of this is to help her not to hurt her. And, being sixteen, should I really trust her instincts?
So, more prayer has to happen. More research is being done. I guess it's time to get on some home school blogs of those that are teaching high schoolers. Before I began homeschooling my 9 year old last year I used blogs to get so much knowledge and reassurance.
Decisions must be made in the next few days.

Ordinary World Changers

I recieved this email from Crosswalk.com. I was so encouraged by it that I wanted to share its message.


Ordinary World Changers
Jonathan Lewis
It was beautifully packaged when it arrived. The best deceptions always are. And ever since Eve was beguiled by the old serpent's falsehood in Paradise, we her children have been just as eager as she to accept a lie beautifully told.
It has been said that God always saves the best for last, while Satan presents us with his best first, hiding the final payment for our gratification behind a tantalizing show of pleasures enticing to our senses. And so the lie came, and the lie was packaged by the master of glittering deceit. The destruction within was carefully concealed from our willingly blinded eyes.
And what exactly was this lie? Simply this: that staying home to raise children was a waste of a woman's talents and time; that true fulfillment must be found in the rough and tumble of the world, not in the obscure sphere of home and family; that the mammon of this world, which can never be carried into the next, was worth more of a mother's time and devotion than the eternal treasures of her own children.
Such was the skill of the deceiver that we accepted his lie, never thinking how easily we might have torn aside the lovely wrappings to expose the ugliness beneath. Such was our zeal to accept the lie beautifully told that children by the countless thousands have known only a mother preoccupied with the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and have never known their home as the haven it might have been.
A similar lie was presented to fathers: that training and mentoring their children was somehow beneath their masculine importance; that raising children was the mother's job; that they, as the fathers, didn't need to be bothered by the concerns of the home circle.
The fruit of these lies can be seen all around us as we are the daily eyewitnesses to the collapse of morality and virtue in our society. Doubtless we cannot trace all of our societal problems back to the abdication of parental responsibility, but an honest look at the facts compels us to admit that the increasing absence of both mothers and fathers from their children's lives has had an enormous negative impact on our society.
There can be no doubt that parents are the key influence in their children's lives. Even professional educators recognize this, citing parental involvement as one of the foremost indicators of academic success. Kathleen Cotton and Karen Reed Wikelund, in their article "Parent Involvement in Education," write:
The research overwhelmingly demonstrates that parent involvement in children's learning is positively related to achievement. Further, the research shows that the more intensively parents are involved in their children's learning, the more beneficial are the achievement effects. This holds true for all types of parent involvement in children's learning and for all types and ages of students.
Looking more closely at the research, there are strong indications that the most effective forms of parent involvement are those which engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities in the home (emphasis added).
Of course, the impact from involved parents doesn't stop at academics. And none of this comes as a surprise to homeschoolers, who have taken parental involvement to the limit. The mystery is why, with so much evidence supporting the advantages of parental involvement, stay-at-home moms don't have more respect in society. Why do we still view full-time moms as flunkies who either don't have the skill or lack the ambition to do anything really "important"? And why do so many fathers still consider active involvement in the lives of their children as beneath their importance?
It ought to be apparent to society by now that we have fallen for a pair of insidious lies; it ought to be obvious by this point that for parents to invest themselves willingly and continually into the lives of their children is one of the highest callings they'll ever fulfill. And yet the great deception seems to continue unabated. When we will wake up and realize this, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that homeschoolers are uniquely poised at this moment in history to have a tremendous impact on our nation and the world.
Why? Because we understand a vital truth, and we have reshaped our lives to live according to this truth. We recognize that parents have a fundamental responsibility to shape not only their children's minds, but also their hearts. We recognize that whoever wins the battle for the hearts and minds of our children simultaneously wins the war for the next generation.
For far too long, Christian parents have surrendered their responsibility and left the raising of their children to the world. Not surprisingly, we are reaping what we have sown. Up to 88% of children from Christian homes who are subjected to 12 years of public education leave the church by the time they graduate from high school. The next generation of Christ's army has been trained by the enemy and is fleeing our ranks just at the time of life when they should have been fit for battle.
The picture for homeschool graduates is radically different, however. Dr. Brian Ray's 2003 study Homeschooling Grows Up revealed that over 90% of homeschool graduates continue in the faith of their parents. These figures are refreshingly positive and serve as confirmation that God's plan for the family really does work. And this is precisely why homeschoolers are poised to make a difference in the world. While so many Christians are losing the battle for the next generation, we have determined to fight back. We are engaged in a task no less significant than raising up a new generation that is able and ready to advance the kingdom of God and the cause of Christ.
Can an army of young people who have been trained in the nurture and admonition of the Lord enter the world and leave it unchanged? Can they go forth with purpose in their eyes and determination in their step and leave society untouched?
When we look around the world today, we see decline and chaos on every hand. Given the enormity of our problems, it may seem hopeless to think that we can make a positive difference. After all, can any one of us change the world alone? Perhaps not. One individual acting alone rarely does. But simply because our individual capabilities are limited does not diminish the vitality of our role. The task of changing our world for the better may be divided between millions of us; the role that any one of us individually will fill may seem insignificant. But we dare not succumb to the belief that we are expendable simply because we are incapable of accomplishing the whole task. If we do, our united potential will dissipate like the morning mist. Let each of us bravely and consistently do our part--however small--and the greatest tasks can be accomplished.
God has raised up the Christian homeschooling movement at this point in history for a special purpose. Like Esther in the Old Testament, we have been brought to this position to accomplish something unique. At a time when the world seems intent on self-destruction, God has raised up a community of Christian parents with the capability of producing thousands--yes, even millions--of young people with a different set of values than the world around them.
You have within the walls of your home--sitting at your table, playing on your floor, scampering through your halls--one of the most powerful weapons of our time: children whom you can train to go out into the world and accomplish great things for God; children who can dream great visions and make them reality; children who can slay the Goliaths of our generation as they echo the words of the youthful David, "Is there not a cause?"
The Bible tells us in Psalm 127:4--5, "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." An archer sends out his arrows to go beyond where he can reach--to accomplish what he cannot personally do. In the same way, parents send forth their grown children--after properly training and equipping them--to reach beyond the bounds of their own time and space, to go where they cannot, and to accomplish the things God has set before them.
The differences between our homeschooled young people and the rest of the world can be stark, for we have the opportunity to train our children with the character, convictions, and spiritual maturity that most of the world lacks. We can train them to be motivated while the rest of the world is apathetic; we can train them to be independent thinkers while the rest of the world is going with the flow; we can train them to be dedicated to excellence while the rest of the world contents itself with mediocrity; we can train them to be selfless servants while the rest of the world seeks its own pleasure; we can raise them to build their lives on the solid foundation of Christ while the rest of the world builds on the sands of false religions, misguided worldviews, and hedonistic pleasures. Pause for a moment to consider the reality of these differences, and then ask yourself if the world will be the same 30 years from now if we succeed in sending out tens of thousands of such young people.
If the army of homeschool graduates currently being raised up has the potential to change the world, then the parents who are sacrificing so much of their time and energy to nurture and disciple them certainly are equally significant. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the gathering ranks of common, ordinary homeschooling moms and dads are the unseen world changers of our generation.
Mom, every time you're discouraged and feeling tempted to put your kids on the Big Yellow School Bus the next time it rumbles by your door, remember that you're part of something bigger than yourself--you're part of a movement God has raised up to have a greater impact on our world than you can imagine. You're one of hundreds of thousands of other moms and dads who have decided to recapture the vision of dedicated parenting and raise up a generation who will turn this world upside down for God.
As the world was transformed once by the abdication of parental responsibility, so it can be transformed again by the re-acceptance of it.
The devil would like nothing better than for you to become discouraged and give up on your kids. That's why he's happy for society to bombard you with the message that you're wasting your time at home; that's why he seeks to allure you with all the temptations the world has to offer. But think about it this way: he wouldn't try so desperately to tempt you away from your home and children if the extra effort spent raising your kids was having no positive impact on the world.
Your role may not seem exciting; you may spend your days in the quiet, unnoticed tasks of home and family. The world may never know you exist. But when you send forth your children as the arrows of a mighty warrior, the nations won't be able to help but take notice. With God's blessing, we can make a homegrown difference in the world around us. And it all starts with individual moms and dads willing to accept their calling and join the ranks of the ordinary world changers.

The First Year

I called this blog 'Brook Academy: First Year Adventure in Homeschooling'. Well, technically our first school year is over. I homeschooled Laura from October through May. I kept her on a very similar schedule as the local public schools because she has three older sisters still enrolled there. I wanted vacations to match as much as possible.
This first year has definitely been an adventure. When I began in October, I had several reasons for what I was doing. First, I wanted my daughter to have a Christian education, and there aren't any christian schools that are local. Second, I've been extremely disappointed in the local public school. Yes, most of the time they do a very good job, but each year it seemed like my daughter would come home just a little more apathetic toward learning. And third, I saw some very good examples of homeschooled children both as children and when they grew into adults. I wanted that for my daughter. I wanted her to have a strong foundation with God, education, and with herself. I want her to become who God wants her to be without all the peer pressure of what the kids at school want her to be.
So, we began the school year with some reading lists and some workbooks. I didn't have a definite direction, but I knew I had a lot to learn. I spent hours scouring the internet researching information. Other homeschool blogs became my lifeline. The encouragement from others and learning how other homeschools worked was a tremendous help and blessing to me. I would spend a lot of time planning.
I had to replace some workbooks for something different. I tried a couple of Lifepacs, and really didn't like them. I used Abeka for a couple of subjects and truly enjoyed them. However, I don't really want to do public school at home. I began to delve a bit into unit studies. I tried Konos, and thought they would be great for a larger group of homeschoolers. However, with one, it just didn't have the same impact. I bought Weaver off the internet, but some of it was missing. I ended up looking into Heart of Dakota and fell in love with the books.
I used a lot of Sonlight for my books this year. Sonlight is a wonderful program and, if I stick with homeschooling for very long, I will probably end up switching to their program for the higher grades. We truly enjoyed the books we read from the Sonlight lists. And the program gave me a strong idea of what my daughter should be reading. The program is full of quality literature.
Laura has done a LOT for Bible. A strong Bible program is important to me. Laura read "The Book", a children's story bible published by Tyndale. When my husband and I first decided to homeschool Laura, I asked him what he wanted Laura to learn. My husband is a Sunday School teacher for preteens. He wanted Laura to get a foundation in the Old Testament. He thinks that is neglected in the church. So, Laura read all the Old Testament stories. It took her from October till the last day of school in May to finish all the stories.
Laura also read from the New Testament nearly every day. With Stars, she is to read the entire New Testament in three years. We made good progress. She's nearly done with Year One.
Laura also finished the Daisies program. We hope to finish the Prims program by the end of summer. We wanted to finish it during the school year, but we just got too busy.
I was really intimidated by teaching Laura math. And we struggled here and there, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. While she needs to practice over the summer, Laura learned her multiplication tables and beginning division. She tested at the end of last week and is at level for national standards. That's a little higher than Indiana Standards.
To say this year was an adventure is an accurate statement. I am looking forward to this next year. I've learned a little about what I am doing, though I don't consider myself an expert or anything. I've learned a lot from Homeschooling...probably more than my daughter. I've learned about the kind of mom I want to be. I feel more like my children are not only blessings, but an honor. You see, the decisions for their lives are mine now. Before, I felt like I was at the whim of the school. I honestly felt like my wishes for my children came after what the school demanded. And most of the time I felt like I was just trying to keep up with their homework and deprogram them from what they had learned at school whether from peers or the curriculum. I felt like I didn't have much influence in what my children were going to end up believing. Now, I feel like I can make an impact that matters.
There are still obstacles. One lady at church told me that she doesn't want her daughter homeschooled because she wants her child to have friends. I laughed. My daughter has friends. They might not all be her exact age, but she has friends. She gets along well with other children both younger and older.
Next year I hope to get involved in a homeschool co-op. There isn't one here in town, but as more and more parents decide to homeschool, I thought about forming one. There is one about 20 minutes away. I might join that one if nothing local turns up.
This first year has truly been an adventure. I encourage those who are thinking about homeschooling to try it at least. It will be harder than you thought, but more wonderful too. There will be days where you just want to quit and send your kid back to public school. And there will be days when you wouldn't go back for no amount of money. I prayed about homeschooling before beginning and I pray every day for God to guide me. I make my decision year by year, but I also look at the long-term benefits.
A friend of mine was so impressed by what she learned through me that she researched homeschooling herself and presented her findings for her college class. The teacher called her saying that she had no idea homeschooling had such benefits. Most people don't know the benefits. I am still surprised at how most people don't think homeschooling is real school or better than public school. It so can be, as long as it is done with love, prayer, and dedication.
So now...on to summer, then on to homeschooling fourth grade and preschool. My challenges next year, homeschooling a toddler for preschool and a fourth grader. Let the Adventure Begin!

Public School Limits Rights of a High Schooler

My three older girls are in public school. Most of the time I feel that is the best choice for the two oldest. They are in High School and only have one and two years left before they go off to college. They are in classes that are beyond me in Math and Science, and I don't have the finances at this time to pay for expensive programs or pay for a tutor.
Yet, last week I almost decided to pull them anyway. I was disgusted at the school. My 15 year old had to give a speech. She was told that she could not give a speech about God or church or Jesus because it was too controversial. She choose a different topic and didn't give it another thought. Both of my older girls have dealt with things like this before and they both just do what they can for God. They know their rights are limited, but they also know that they have a mission field where they are.
My daughter chose a non-controversial topic for her speech. She was totally appalled and angry when two girls gave a speech that promoted abortion. Both my daughter and another girl stood up and said that it wasn't right that their rights were limited, but that they had to listen to two girls promote killing unborn children.
I'm sure that many in the world would call my daughter narrow-minded. I don't believe she is. I totally believe that she as well as my other daughters and other Christians are discriminated against in school for their belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We live in a small, rural community. There are numerous churches in this area. I am still surprised that the school feels that this kind of discrimination is alright. With all the churches, aren't there more Christians that teach, that attend the schools, that are just as disgusted with this kind of thing? I guess I expected that our small area would be insulated against the rising tide of apathy and outright rejection of Christian beliefs.
I'd already noticed that rejection in small ways. I've seen Satan deceive Christians into complacency. Church attendance is no longer a priority even for Christians. When I was a girl, my Grandmother took us to church. There was rarely a good reason to miss. Children's sports games and practices were never scheduled on Sundays or Wednesday evenings. Now most churches in our area have cancelled their Wednesday night services for kids and youth because of sports and summer activities that take precedence.
Our church has not cancelled Wednesday nights, but our attendance takes a major hit. And I don't see anything wrong with children being in sports. My kids play sports. However, I've noticed there is no balance. It used to be busy in the summer due to softball and baseball. Now, however, I've noticed that schools and clubs are scheduling activities on Wednesday nights all year long. So many kids can't come to youth or children's church because of Football games or Basketball games or Girl Scouts.
I can only pray. I pray for guidance about how to raise my children in a world where Jesus in not only not a priority, but an ignored obligation. I pray for a country that is being deceived into thinking that Christian values are disposable or even offensive. I pray for parents that believe over-scheduling kids will fill them with what only God can give.

Christian Women Get an Education about Public Education

Last night at church we did something different for us. We've been going through the Fireproof series. We split up into two different groups and the men went to the Fellowship Hall. The women stayed in the Sanctuary. What followed was some bible reading, questions, and some very interesting discussions.

We are at the point in the Fireproof series where we talk about parasites. Candid conversations about issues such as addictions and temptations flowed freely though the group of women. Now, while there was some conversation about addictions such as pornography, drugs, etc; most of the conversation concerned guarding our minds.

Common things seemed to be things for concern. Issues like television shows, even certain commercials, pop-ups on the internet...these were the types of things about which we had some very frank discussions. There was a general agreement that, as Christians, we have to do whatever we can to protect our minds and our families from being subjected to the constant media influx of things we just shouldn't be putting into our souls. We have to guard our hearts.

We talked at length about homeschooling versus public schooling. It was a divisive issue for the women. Many women work. For them, they know there are issues in public school, but hold the belief that our school system is better than most due to the fact that it is in a smaller, rural area. However, I felt they were a bit misled. Yes, the school doesn't have the crime rate of one from a large city. My 17 year old daughter was quick to point out that, as a student of the school, she sees what goes on daily. She pointed out to some of the moms about the attitudes of the students. She told about the blatant sex that occurs. She talked about not being able to even disagree publicly with homosexuality because it might make others uncomfortable if they are gay. However, she stated that her freedom to read her bible and pray and hold Christian viewpoints is almost non-existant. She opened the eyes of some of the women with the truth about what she has been required to study and books she has been told she has to read. Yes, even in the small town schools these things are happening.

My daughter was quick to point out that she has chosen to go to public school, but she doubts that she will allow her children to attend public school. Each year, it seems even to her, that more is allowed, more lines are pushed. For her, she feels that each year her rights are a little more limited. She knows that she is the minority. In fact, she is quick to point out that there are very few Christian students in her class.

What I've learned so far in Homeschooling

I've been homeschooling just a short amount of time. I began just three short months ago. In those three months I look at what I have learned and I am amazed. I felt led by God to begin homeschooling my third grade daughter. I have a full house with four daughters and a step-daughter ranging in age from 21 months to 17 years. Homeschooling was not exactly what I thought God would have me do when I prayed for direction.

I had met other homeschooling families and was impressed. The families were close, God-serving families. The children were respectful and intelligent and weren't ashamed to follow Jesus. They were different than other children, even my own, but in a totally good and awesome way. They were easy to talk to, without the attitudes many other children have...especially around adults.

When God led me to homeschooling, I thought it was for my daughter. I honestly thought it was to benefit her, to give her a Christian education and world-view. I thought it was so the same admirable qualities I saw in those other homeschooled children would eventually be instilled in my little girl.

I still think that, but I had only scratched the surface. I never thought about what it would mean to me personally. Did I have any clue who Charlotte Mason was? No. Did I know anything about traditional, classical, eclectic, unschooling, etc. approaches to learning and schooling? No, I thought we'd read some good books and do some workbooks, maybe go on a field trip now and then. I had no clue what a unit study was, and when I first read about them I rolled my eyes and thought they looked a little too abnormal. My view of school was the model of public school. I just wanted Christ and creationism thrown into the mix.

If you glance through my previous posts from the beginning you may see examples of my arrogance. Oh, how I thought I knew what I was doing. How could I know the pleasure of a library raid to get a stack of 15 books on cats and pet care. I would have never dreamed the pleasure of discovering a horse with my daughter and Om-Kas-Toe; or the adventure of being young and alone and making friends with an Indian boy in The Sign of the Beaver. Even this week, My daughter and I are on an adventure with a family and a cat named Pete in Spycat.

I would have never known that a bone could bend. I wouldn't have heard my daughter telling her friends at church the story of the Tower of Babel that she'd read in her Bible Stories book. I wouldn't have imagined I would be an effective teacher while changing the diaper of my toddler and folding laundry, but my daughter isn't distracted by my business.

Of course I have made numerous mistakes. The bunches of workbooks my daughter has began should testify to that. Despite wanting a Christian education, I had a tendency to put academics ahead of Christ. I corrected that a few weeks back by putting our Bible studies as the first thing in our day after chores.

I still tend to overschedule at times. I still often find myself wondering if I am doing enough, covering enough. I wonder how Laura is doing compared to her public school counterparts. I research different curriculums and worry that I'll make a wrong choice that could be costly. Then I read that many homeschoolers spend very little and I feel like I'm foolish for spending what I have.

I pray....A LOT! I ask for guidance and wisdom. And I am learning to enjoy this journey God has placed me on with my daughter. I am amazed at all the Lord has taught me in three short months. It makes me wonder what he has in store for me to learn in the next three months. I don't believe it is my daughter alone that God wanted to have homeschooled. I think he is giving me an education I never dreamed was possible.

Sonny Scott: Homeschoolers Threaten Our Culture

I found this article on a blog I was looking at and really liked what it had to say. Granted, not all homeschoolers are this stereotypical, some of the sentiments ring true.


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 homeschooled 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 ideal 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?
Me thinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the homeschooled 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