December 18, 2011 by admin.

Today, we had the privilege of visiting with veteran missionary, Terry McClure who is currently in the USA on furlough. He and his family minister to the people on the Islands of Palau in Micronesia- You need to Google that! :)  Bro. McClure has done a series of Bible studies that will help not only children, but adults as well. I am going to be posting bits and pieces of his studies (hopefully once a week!) to help generate some traffic to his site www.mcclureministries.com . The whole series on 36 lessons on CDRom is available for $30. It is well worth the price, I guarantee it. Please visit his site and for answers to your questions, please email Bro. Terry at terry@mcclureministries.com   So I’ll try and post the first lesson as soon as Christmas is done and get on a regular schedule to help all of us homeschoolers who lose our umph after the holidays! LOL

Posted in philosophy, Bible, projects, prayer, beginning, homeschooling, hints, Uncategorized | No Comments »

August 31, 2010 by admin.

“Focusing on the big picture” is necessary when home schooling. When we don’t focus on the big picture - the result of our efforts plus God’s grace- we get tunnel vision. One of the biggest pitfalls of home schooling failures is that they got tunnel vision- only seeing a small pinpoint of light, and (eventually)wondering when the end will come!

On the road home to WV from NC there is a tunnel through Big Walker Mountain. I will never forget one trip when the traffic was backed up for over 20 miles before the tunnel! As we got closer to the tunnel, we could see that they had one lane closed and were painting lines on the road. There was an exit right before the tunnel. (I think they kept that exit just for claustrophobics!) Well, when there are three females in a vehicle for a long period of time- let’s just say that is why they make rest areas! By the time we got to that mess, we were about to float through the tunnel and it didn’t seem like traffic was going to move for a while, so we elected to go OVER the mountain.

Once we got moving again (and breathing air that was not laden with paint fumes!) we saw the most beautiful farms and rolling hills! The sky actually looked bluer, and we even ‘mooed’ at the cows in the pasture. J Sure, it took a longer time to go over the mountain, and the gas station on the other side of the tunnel was the same one we stopped at when we came down the other side of the hill, but we were no longer stressed and grouchy at one another. It was a FUN journey. One that I would like to take again some day.

In comparison, many a new home schooling Mom has picked up her curriculum at a curriculum fair with delusions of grandeur (okay, maybe that’s too strong) -visions of excellence- dancing in their brains. Instead of choosing curriculum based on usable, everyday knowledge, we are lured by bright colors and/or name brand, shiny, excellently printed, streamlined and organized materials. As we pick up the package, we see our son or daughter at the next homeschool fellowship standing in front of a three sided cork board with a pointy, white stick discussing the plans for a new rocket designed to reach the north star! Well, not saying that can’t happen, for obviously in our history, people have done great things, but this should not be the main goal! If it happens, thank the Lord! Until it does, teach what is necessary to inspire greatness, and leave the promotion to God. J

Tunnel vision says that if Junior or Susie did not get 90% on all quizzes and tests he/she did not apply him/herself. The big picture says that your child knows 90% of the materials presented! If you feel that the other ten percent is absolutely necessary for their life goals, and they might not learn those facts later on, then by all means continue to teach that material until your child knows it. Otherwise, chalk it up to human error. (You know, chances are that if you give the same test a week later, after explaining the wrong answers, they may get a higher score. And chances are, if you go over the wrong answers you will find they say something like, “Oh! I knew that! I didn’t mean to put that answer!”)

Now, some of my homeschooling friends would chastise me right now for being mediocre and rearing my children without a full-throttle gung-ho attitude. “If we don’t aspire to greatness,” they say, “others will, and we will have a bad testimony for Christ and for homeschoolers everywhere!” Well, just call me a mountain of mediocrity, I guess. I think it was the Apostle Paul who said to let your moderation be known to all men, and that although he was a learned man, he chose to know nothing among some folks save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Don’t get me wrong, though, he CHOSE not to know anything among SOME folks. The point is that Paul had the big picture. He was learned and educated, but he wasn’t proud about it. You know what he counted all that as! He knew what was important in life and that was to attain Christ. To know HIM. To show others who Jesus Christ is and what His desire for our lives is.

We must take heed, therefore, to stave off the condition of tunnel vision as we go through the tunnel of homeschooling - for it IS just that- (just a part of the whole road of life) Let us not be forgetting that there is a whole valley opening up just beyond the 12^th grade!

All that aside. Maybe I am justifying my lack of Math skills? That sounds like a random thought, but it’s actually pertinent. I tried last year to do Algebra. I didn’t do so well. I am going on 39 years old. All of 25 years ago I was in an Algebra class in 8^th grade. I failed that class and every other Algebra class I have ever tried to go through since. I guess I’m going to try it again this year just because I have something to prove to myself. At this point I don’t’ know if it will ever get done, but I’m mad enough at the Algebra god to push him over a cliff! He plagues my dreams with visions of X and Y - that doesn’t do anything to help that Biology class the kids are taking- and makes me think in parentheses! (Well, sorta). See what I mean. J

If I don’t watch out, I can get tunnel vision. I will forget that I have lived those 25+ years in happiness and peace without EVER solving for X. Am I mediocre because I don’t think in terms of Algebraic expressions and polynomials? I don’t know, but in the big picture, I don’t think many people care. Well, except those rocket scientists. Whom, I guess, are needful to society. When your child reaches that goal, forgive me for my ignorance, please.

In all honesty, if I could ever have finished my grocery shopping with the aid of X, I may have tried to use her. She just doesn’t make herself available! J Dusting with the aid of Y may have encouraged me, since he might have saved me some time - um, after I did the problem to solve for the amount of time it would take to dust the area of my home before I started to actually do the work.

So, did I do it the hard way?

I guess sometimes you just have to go OVER the mountain and not through the tunnel!

Posted in attitude, philosophy, Algebra, curriculum, hints, beginning, homeschooling | No Comments »

May 4, 2010 by admin.

Book Review: Simply Homeschooling by Melinda Keen Lewis, MA, LPA, LSSP

Morris Publishing 2002

My friend picked this book up recently and thought it a refreshing look at home schooling. To us road-worn and (sometimes) weary - experienced folks, anything inspiring is welcome! When she passed it to me with accolades, I knew it would be a good book! I so liked the way it was written, I decided to do a book review here in case any of you would like to purchase it for yourselves. I know that it is available from CBD, but there may be additional sites to order from as well, including this address in the front of the book:

Lifestyle Learning

9704 Ravenna Court

Granbury, TX 76049

Neilmeltx@aol.com

(817)279-6262

I do not know if this is a current address, email, or telephone number.

Mrs. Lewis takes the verses Deuteronomy 11:18-19 and breaks them down into practical examples. She then takes each core subject and fine art, and gives real life experiences to guide a new homeschooler, or even an experienced one, in a relaxed, matter of fact, encouraging manner.

She gives highest authority to the King James Bible and acknowledges that without the Lord, we are nothing. His Word should be our first Bible Curriculum! Do not forsake the Bible!

As with any motivational materials, this book is chock full of great ideas, plans and excitement, but please do not feel that you must complete each of these things she mentions as a scope and sequence to have a well rounded home school. I do not believe that is the intent or purpose of her writings.

She has done a very thorough job of just telling us all to relax! Have fun! Listen and learn together with your children for a wonderful home schooling experience. As you learn and grow, hang in there with your fingers, teeth and toenails, and one day you can help someone else on their home school road just by telling your story and giving some examples of how the Lord brought you through a certain situation.

Another thing that I liked about the book is that Mrs. Lewis did not seem proud in her abilities or education (although she is capable and very well educated), but sites many sources that she has read from and learned from. There are ten pages of resource materials, books and helps listed at the back of the book. What she has gotten, she is freely giving- including the plan of Salvation! Excellent!

Simply Home schooling, in my opinion, should be a reference on any shelf! I hope you can purchase one for yourself to refer to in a down time when nothing seems to be going right. Remember that God will give you grace! I think homeschooling is something that never gets old and never gets stale. It just gets all the more exciting!

Happy Reading!

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March 12, 2010 by admin.

This is the time of year when homeschool assessments are being done. Consequently, this is the time of year when a lot of people who are debating about homeschooling start asking me questions. I would like to try and answer some of the more common questions here if possible for a reference to those whom I speak to. If you are like me, even though I’ve talked to someone, I like to have a written reference which I can go to if I forget something.

1. When do I send in my letter of intent? First of all, GOOD JOB in knowing that this is the first step to the legal process of homeschooling! Chances are, if you have gotten this far, you have already made up your mind to homeschool in the fall, and have been doing your own research. Letters of intent must be sent no later than two weeks before the first day of the school year. I don’t advise waiting that late. I do advise to send your letter Certified, especially in the first year you are homeschooling. Most of the time, we send in our letter with our children’s assessments. This year, however, I will have to send my letter separately because we chose the Portfolio option.

2. How should my child be assessed and when? First of all, WV law provides for three options for assessment. Option one is the WESTEST given at any public school. You must contact the school to order the test and arrange for testing. Most homeschoolers do not advise this option, for several reasons which I won’t get into at this time. Option two is to have your child take a standardized test such as the California Achievement Test, the Stanford Achievement Test, or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The test can be no older than ten years old. Most Christian schools do one of these tests, and I can assure you, they know how old the tests are ;). They are held to the same standard testing procedures. Up until this year, (and only because we chose portfolio) we have had no problems getting a Christian school to allow us to come and test with them. Organizations such as CHEWV also offer testing options through them. Option three is the Portfolio option. With this option, you much have a certified teacher assess your child’s work that he has done throughout the year and send in an assessment form to the board of education. Contrary to some people’s belief, you do not have to send your child’s portfolio to the board of ed.

Any of these forms of assessment have to be at your county’s board of education by June 30. The testing ’window’ varies, but is usually between March 1 and April 3. I always send my assessments by proof of receipt or certified mail. Yes, it costs some money, but it is worth the peace of mind to know that what you had to get in by a deadline, actually got there!

3. How much time do we have to spend ‘doing school’? There is no set amount of hours, time or days to the homeschooling calendar, but every parent concerned about their child’s education will have an idea about how much they know their child can handle in one day. Sure, there’s going to have to be some seatwork done, that’s part of learning to do things we don’t like to do! J But let me stress that paperwork and testing do not a classroom make! We used to go shopping, and Leah would tell the cashier how much my bill was before they hit the total button! She was doing math all through the store. It impressed ME the first time she did it. I didn’t know she was adding it up…tax included! J Reading road signs and billboards are good reading practice, not to mention trips to the library! Museums and arts centers are wonderful homeschooling tools. Don’t lock yourself in a box with a set number of pages or videos to watch every day. When the sun shines go play! They are only children once. I guarantee that if you apply yourself to homeschooling, it will show on assessments.

4. What do I mean by the last statement? Do you mean they don’t have to sit and do ‘work’ on paper? Well, in a word, yes. Here are some examples: When they are very small, and you are playing at a park, count the rungs on the ladder to the slide! How many times can you swing? See that sea-saw? What is it? Why does it work that way? Sounds like physical science. J The slide is a ramp. How far can you throw a rock? How fast can you run? (that’s Phys Ed!) Get fancy and use a stopwatch, or teach them to count the second hand on an analog watch! How fast does your heart beat after you run? How do you think your blood travels through your body? You know I can go on and on and ON with this school day and have never picked up a pencil. What’s that bug in the grass? How about that leaf? Which tree did it come from? How are clouds made? Why is the SKY BLUE???

Does that sound daunting to you? Then, I’m sorry. You are not ready to homeschool.

If it sounds fun and exciting and makes you want to go now… well, what’s keeping you?

Homeschooling IS a walk in the park - IF you apply yourself. You don’t know the answers to those questions? Well then, chances are your kids won’t either, because as far as I know, Government schools don’t do that.

Does it make you want to learn those things, and put a longing in your heart to teach? Well, then I’d say you’re ready.

Now, I have dear friends who are not physically able to go to the park and play with their kids. They honestly cannot run, they can’t get active because of ailments. That doesn’t mean they can’t homeschool. I have friends with other special needs - I refuse to use the word handicaps because they are NOT handicapped. They can do some things better than someone without their issues! I encourage them to homeschool also. Why? Because I know what homeschooling IS and what it is NOT.

In a word, homeschooling is instilling a love of learning in your child that will last a lifetime. It is not a tedious, boring, mental anguish that makes everyone hate learning.

Nobody, (I mean nobody!) knows everything. The learning process continues long after the twelfth grade whether you know it or not. Think about it, how many things can you think of that you learned after you got out of school? So just because you can’t do some things does not mean you can’t teach other things.

The last bit of advice I would give is …ask for help. Other homeschoolers with a true heart for kids won’t put you down because you have a limiting quality that keeps you from doing something like going to the park! Maybe they will take your kids when they take their kids? Homeschoolers ARE social! J Then, maybe one day, you can teach their kids something. I kind of hate to use a cliché, but - We’re all in this together! It is invaluable to have a homeschooling friend to talk to.

It is invaluable to have your kids with you; to watch them grow and learn and BECOME a productive adult capable of handling life’s cold, hard facts in an extraordinary way.

Posted in standardized testing, friends, teachers, Q&A, portfolio, curriculum, homeschooling, hints, beginning, letter of intent, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

February 23, 2010 by admin.

This part was lost in the computer laundry….I might find it later lol….

Let’s go on to some Homeschooling Q & A Well, for the last three .. um…two…blogs, I’ve not really focused on homeschooling as much as getting to the heart of the spiritual issue of trust. I thought I would kind of get back on the subject of homeschooling for those of my followers who want to know about homeschooling, since they don’t need any spiritual advice

Posted in friends, teachers, opposition to homeschooling, attitude, comments, beginning, letter of intent, curriculum, homeschooling | 2 Comments »

August 5, 2009 by admin.

Don’t panic!!!  Have you sent in yourLetter of Intent?  How about your curriculum?  Have you decided when you are going to do laundry?  The KITCHEN NEEDS PAINTED!!!  AHHH…

 Deep breath.  August is an ‘exciting’ month for us.  I am thinking it’s that way for you too.  But not to worry, all’s well. 

The first question- Have you sent in your Letter of Intent?   In WV, it is law that you send a letter to the board of education explaining your decision to homeschool.  You can find a sample letter at:  www.chewv.org  This has to be done every year no matter if it’s your first year, or your eleventh.  

To make things easier, I started sending in my letter of intent with my test scores.  That way,  I know they get it - because I send my test scores either registered mail or delivery confirmation- and I know it’s not late. 

 Second question - curriculum?   If you have ordered your curriculum, you should have started receiving shipments (A Beka) or whole packages (ACE etc)  
This year, we are short on cash, so I’m bitsing and piecing curriculum.  And no, I’m not nervous about it.  I have curriculum calluses!    There is a peace in knowing you are doing exactly what the Lord wants you to do, and HE will equip you to do it. 

 Now, I can’t help you with scheduling your laundry time around school.  That’s an individual family thing.  But, I can tell you that it won’t do itself.  I suggest a home-ec class - Right Patricia?  :) 

Repaint the kitchen?  You have to be kidding.  Focus and concentrate on the today of homeschooling.  If you absolutely NEED to paint the kitchen…my suggestion is get it done before school starts if you are a control freak, or make it a class project.  Remember- HOMEschool. 

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August 3, 2009 by admin.

The Lord impressed upon our hearts before we were married to homeschool our children.  We were ignorant, and knew no one else who homeschooled their kids, but we were sure that the Lord wanted it this way, so we started out by learning whatever we could about it. 

We began homeschooling in earnest in 1995 when our daughter, Leah was 4 years old, but our plan had never been to send our children to either private or public school. Now, with Leah done with high school and beginning college, Sarah beginning tenth grade, and Logan in eighth, we think we’ve learned a thing or two, so we’d like to share - and we’d like to help ease fears about homeschooling if possible.  We welcome questions - no question is too small or dumb! 

Just a thing or two that is imperative for those of you who have never homeschooled:

#1. Trust God - it’s His plan. He wouldn’t give you kids you can’t teach.
#2. Know the law - WV law can be found at http://wvhea.org/lawsection.htm
#3. Get wise counsel - ask other homeschooler’s questions
#4. Don’t be afraid- you can do it!!!

Posted in beginning, hints, homeschooling | No Comments »