Friday, August 26, 2011

Tribute to Homeschooling Parents

The son of the creators of Doorposts (from what I understand) wrote this to his parents:


Thank you, Daddy and Mama, for purposing to teach us at home, for following through, and for pouring out your lives for us. You have been faithful to the calling God put before you.

Thank you for reading the Bible to us every day.

Thank you for reading us hundreds of books.

Thank you for choosing to build a family library instead of buying new cars, expensive home decor, or big boy toys.

Thank you for staying up late correcting our schoolwork.

Thank you for helping us with math problems (even when you couldn't remember how to do them either). Benjamin turned out an engineer, so I think you did okay.

Thank you for turning off the computer and making us play outside.

Thank you for feeding our interests and fanning the flames of "delight-directed study."  We learned LOTS about history and about God's creation without knowing it was part of "school."

Thank you for investing in our music lessons.

Thank you for allowing us to make messes (and for teaching us to clean them up).

Thank you for sorting through curriculum each year to find what worked best for us.

Thank you for writing our curriculum when you couldn't find what you needed. God has used your work to serve many other families.

Thank you for pointing us to other godly men and women for more advice and training when you'd given all you could give.

Thank you, Daddy, for doing cool stuff with us like falling trees and building fences, and for teaching me how computers work.

Thank you, Mama, for teaching each of us to write well. That must have been hard.

Thank you for not giving up.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. - Galatians 6:9 KJV

HSE Magazine - Awesome Quotes

I received 2 free issues of Home School Enrichment magazine and I really have loved the articles so far.  The first issue, had an awesome article called: "Homeschooling: An Offensive Lifestyle."  It talks of what most homeschoolers have learned after their first year, that just setting a standard offends and homeschooling seems to upset a lot of people.  Some quotes from the article that I highlighted:

"Families are homeschooling because of biblical conviction, but judging by the amount of criticism they receive, one would think they have purposely set out to destroy the lives of their children!"

She also responds to a common sarcasm that homeschoolers get and which I have gotten myself that question how my child will learn how to live in the "real world?"

"The objective in Christian homeschooling is not to teach children how to "deal with the real world."  I do not want to teach my children how to merely survive this life.  As believers in Christ, we are called to be overcomers!"

Then, in another article in the same issue, I came across "Sacrifices and Homeschooling: Dispelling Myth #2: "I Could Never Do That."  Here are some quotes from that article:

"...people aren't willing to make the personal sacrifices that homeschooling requires."

"Homeschooling takes time, something many parents are not willing to give their children - not to the extent that home education requires."

She goes on to talk about how some mothers can't wait to get rid of their children when school starts up again and gives a reason for these types of mothers:

".....putting their children in school means the parents are getting their personal time back.  School is free day care so they can pursue their interests."

How true!  Since when is it the state's job to watch your kid all day and educate them?  God sure didn't give them that right, he told the parents they are responsible but anyway, I'm getting off track here lol.  =0

What would make a mother not want her child to the point that she can't wait to get the child out of her hair, so to speak?  The author points out the obvious, lack of parenting has created a disobedient child that no mother would want to be around:

"Since neither the parents nor the children are very happy, why would these parents want to have the kids at home with them during the day?  After-school hours are unpleasant enough!"

"These parents have already lost the hearts of their children.  It's sad to say, but ultimately, they don't even like their own children anymore.  They don't enjoy spending time with them, and they long for someone else to watch them so they don't have to.  Why?  Because their relationship is a battleground........the respect for the parent is no more."

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Tentative 2nd Grade Schedule

Here is our tentative schedule for this 2nd grade year:

8am - Me: wake up; dress; coffee; bible and prayer time

9am - K: wake up; we eat breakfast and K practices her piano and violin

10am-1pm - Homeschool for 3 hours (detailed schedule of this time in another post)

1-2pm - Lunch and Recess (play outside or inside)

2-4pm - K's quiet time and my free time for exercise, cleaning, etc.

4-5pm - I get ready for evening activities; K practices piano and violin

5pm - Prepare dinner; K sets the table

5:30pm - Dinner

After dinner is my time to clean house, do laundry, bake goodies, read and practice piano.  For K, she can also do as she pleases if her chores, evening reading and math are done.

10pm - Hubby does Bible and reading with K

1030-11pm - K: bedtime routine and sleep

12am - My bedtime routine and sleep