We have had our ups and downs of training in the Devine home! Over the past few years, I have faced issues that I have found that many other home school mothers have faced. We have tried many different solutions and have found some systems that work for us. I thought I would share some of them with you today, and I hope you will also feel free to share what has worked for you!
I have heard many people say that they could never home school because they could never get their kids to listen to them. While not an expert on the topic myself, I do know how important it is to tackle this issue! As Christian parents we are called to train up our children and teach them right from wrong. I will admit, that I have not always known how to do that so well, but I have found a few resources that have really made a difference in our home!
1. Biblical Character Training is Essential!
Start your day every day with a character training tool! If you are adept at using the Bible for this and are able to find the verses you need....great! If not, consider some of these resources:
For Instruction in Righteousness:
http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=15
This is a wonderful reference book! It breaks character flaws down into categories and gives Scripture references to illustrate the problem, gives Biblical examples, and teaches what the Bible says will happen in the lives of those who choose to continue in that particular sin! Very comprehensive. I have used this book to write devotion times for my AWANA girls in 5 minutes flat!
Discovering Jesus in Genesis:
http://www.crossway.org/books/discovering-jesus-in-genesis-tpb/
This book is a devotional book that is more about doctrine, but illustrates each truth with a great story that you can see transform your children's thinking quickly. It made a huge difference in our home. Other titles by the authors are just as useful, especially Big Truths for Little Kids which teaches the shorter catechism beautifully! A word of warning, preview chapters before presenting them as you might disagree with some of the conclusions of the authors! ( I disagree with their views on baptism.)
The If/ Then Chart:
http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=14
This is a great idea! We bought this from a home school convention, but it is just as easy to make your own! The idea is that you are able to sit down as a family and decide on a list of consequences for certain actions such as complaining/whining, picking fights, teasing, etc. Your child first needs to understand that these behaviors are unacceptable and why! Together you can decide on consequences for various infringements. If you child is part of the decision making process, then he can't say he didn't know! As time has passed, and we have experienced reoccurring problems, we have sat down as a family and addressed the problems and made our own if/then charts. Very, very effective for us!
2. Discipline is essential!
I am not one of those moms who say that you have to spank your kids for everything. I believe that we have to decide for ourselves what is working-not forsaking Biblical instruction. I have a few techniques that have worked for me.
When kids resist doing work: You can't physically force them to pick up a pencil and start writing. What's more, I think we all want them to enjoy learning and not see it as a punishment! I have a daughter that would sit at the table with her arms crossed and complain that she hated school. My first response was to apply the Biblical "rod" for disobedience. However, it proved ineffective with her and a battle of the wills ensued. One day I was exhausted and tired of lecturing and tired of disciplining and I simply said to her: "I can't make you want to do anything. I can't make you enjoy what you are doing. That is up to you. But you will sit here in this chair until you decide you are ready for me. You will not play with toys, write, color, eat, or get up until your work is done. So the choice is up to you how long you want to sit here alone. I have many things to do today and I can't sit with you, so I am going to go and ________ and when you decide you want to cooperate, let me know and I will help you."
Well! What a difference that made in my sanity and my daughter's attitude!
Shortly after, we instituted a treasure box. We sat down and picked an area that we needed to work on (for her it was obviously not arguing or complaining about school) and we set a goal with a date. We discussed why it is important to allow God to work on our areas of weakness. When the goal date was reached, and the child had rid herself of the behavior, she was able to pick a treasure out of the box. This was great incentive for the both of them!
For my other daughter, letting her have a little control was the key. She was not able to skip anything that I required of her, but she was allowed to do it in the order of her choosing and with as much independence as she desired. (within reason) It is my goal to raise self-directed learners, not ones who lean on me for everything, and I saw this as a way to get her on her way. A rigid schedule would be a source of contention with her, and they are just not that important.
It is definitely key to have your child's heart. I liked Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp, but I found it essential to have For Instruction in Righteousness to help me along, as he assumes you know where all of the verses you need are located. I think Ginger Plowman one-upped him with this book:
Don't Make Me Count to Three
Don't let the title fool you, Ms. Plowman would never count!!!! This book was even endorsed by Ted Tripp. Don't forget to order the behaviour chart!
I have deeply enjoyed watching my kids grow spiritually over the last year. God is certainly good, and He gives us what we need! Please feel free to share any great resources you have found for this topic in the comment area!
Showing posts with label Home School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home School. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Making a Model Solar System!
I love teaching science! I am fortunate that my kids love science too. In our home school co-op, we spent several weeks learning about the solar system. I wanted the kids to have a hands-on project to take home with them. So here it is!
Material List:
1 36" dowel rod
1 used up CD disc that you don't want anymore
Paint-- red, orange, blue, white, brown, black, green,
10 paper clips
yarn or string
9 styrofoam balls of varying sizes:
Mercury--1"
Venus---1"
Earth----1"
Mars----1"
Jupiter----3"
Saturn----3"
Neptune---2"
Uranus----2"
Pluto----optional---we used a ping-pong ball!
Newspaper
1 balloon
glue and water
metallic gold or silver glitter
2 thumb tacks
You can skip the paper mache sun if you want to spend the extra money to buy a very large styrofoam ball for the sun. I did this project with 7 kids, and it was way too cost-prohibited, as one large ball costs $5! So we started by making a large sun out of paper mache. Blow the balloon up. Tear strips of newspaper and dip in a mixture of 50% water and 50% Elmer's Glue. Wrap the balloon with the paper strip, smooth down, and allow to dry.
Next, talk about each planet as you paint.
Mercury is rocky and fairly barren. It's appearance is much like the color of our moon. Mix some black and white paint to make gray, and paint Mercury gray.
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. It has an atmosphere of swirling clouds heated by the sun. It appears very bright in the night sky. Paint Venus Orange/gold/brown swirled.
Earth is a beautiful green and blue. You know what to do!
Mars appears red because of the rusty colored rock found there. Paint Mars red.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It has a large red spot that is a hurricane-like storm that has been swirling for at least 300 years! Jupiter has lots of swirled colors. Paint it gold/brown/reddish pink--and don't forget the great red spot.
Saturn is known for it's beautiful rings. Cut one of the 3" balls in half, making sure the surface where you cut is as smooth as possible. Paint Saturn similar to Jupiter in color. Paint the CD a brown or orange color. Allow to dry. When it is dry, spray with spray adhesive (or you could use Elmer's glue and smear it) and sprinkle with gold or silver metallic glitter. When it is dry, spray glue (or use a stronger glue) onto the flat sides of the ball. Place the bottom of Saturn face-up, stick a tooth-pick into the center, place the CD over the center, and press the top on, holding the planet together firmly until the glue is somewhat set.
Uranus appears to be a light blue. Mix some blue paint with white to make a lighter blue and paint Uranus blue.
Neptune is a brilliant blue. This is thought to be partly because of the methane in the atmosphere, but Uranus has close to the same amount of methane as Neptune but isn't as deep a blue. Scientist are not really sure why. Maybe another element or compound exists here that we don't know about? Neptune is the stormiest planet in the solar system. It has a large storm similar to Jupiter's that appears as a white swirl instead of red.
Pluto is optional. I still love Pluto even though it has been de-classified as an actual planet. We used a ping-pong ball (because it is cheaper!)
Now come back to your sun and paint it yellow and orange. You might want to add some dark sun-spots for good measure!
When your planets are dry, take paper clips and twist them in half. Push the "U" that you now have down into the styrofoam, tie string to it, then push it in as far as it will go. For the ping-pong ball, poke a hole with the end of a full un-broken paper clip. Stick the tip down into the ball, then wrap the paper clip around the ball and push it into the ball until you only have a "u" left. tie a string to the "U" and then twist it like a twist-tie so that the string won't slip off.
For the sun, You might be tempted to tie the string to the end of the balloon sticking out----don't do it! I made that mistake...the balloon popped and shrank, and the sun slipped off and cracked. Instead, poke 2 holes into the sun a couple of inches apart and thread a long piece of string through it, and tie it in a knot.
When you are finished, tie all of the planets on the dowel rod in order, starting with the sun. When you have finished, tie yarn to either end of the rod. Tie a knot in the top of the string and push a thumbtack through the knot and into the ceiling. Repeat with the other side.
 |
| You will notice that we didn't use the same size balls I suggested. Simply a cost thing... |
Material List:
1 36" dowel rod
1 used up CD disc that you don't want anymore
Paint-- red, orange, blue, white, brown, black, green,
10 paper clips
yarn or string
9 styrofoam balls of varying sizes:
Mercury--1"
Venus---1"
Earth----1"
Mars----1"
Jupiter----3"
Saturn----3"
Neptune---2"
Uranus----2"
Pluto----optional---we used a ping-pong ball!
Newspaper
1 balloon
glue and water
metallic gold or silver glitter
2 thumb tacks
You can skip the paper mache sun if you want to spend the extra money to buy a very large styrofoam ball for the sun. I did this project with 7 kids, and it was way too cost-prohibited, as one large ball costs $5! So we started by making a large sun out of paper mache. Blow the balloon up. Tear strips of newspaper and dip in a mixture of 50% water and 50% Elmer's Glue. Wrap the balloon with the paper strip, smooth down, and allow to dry.
Next, talk about each planet as you paint.
Mercury is rocky and fairly barren. It's appearance is much like the color of our moon. Mix some black and white paint to make gray, and paint Mercury gray.
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. It has an atmosphere of swirling clouds heated by the sun. It appears very bright in the night sky. Paint Venus Orange/gold/brown swirled.
Earth is a beautiful green and blue. You know what to do!
Mars appears red because of the rusty colored rock found there. Paint Mars red.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It has a large red spot that is a hurricane-like storm that has been swirling for at least 300 years! Jupiter has lots of swirled colors. Paint it gold/brown/reddish pink--and don't forget the great red spot.
Saturn is known for it's beautiful rings. Cut one of the 3" balls in half, making sure the surface where you cut is as smooth as possible. Paint Saturn similar to Jupiter in color. Paint the CD a brown or orange color. Allow to dry. When it is dry, spray with spray adhesive (or you could use Elmer's glue and smear it) and sprinkle with gold or silver metallic glitter. When it is dry, spray glue (or use a stronger glue) onto the flat sides of the ball. Place the bottom of Saturn face-up, stick a tooth-pick into the center, place the CD over the center, and press the top on, holding the planet together firmly until the glue is somewhat set.
Uranus appears to be a light blue. Mix some blue paint with white to make a lighter blue and paint Uranus blue.
Neptune is a brilliant blue. This is thought to be partly because of the methane in the atmosphere, but Uranus has close to the same amount of methane as Neptune but isn't as deep a blue. Scientist are not really sure why. Maybe another element or compound exists here that we don't know about? Neptune is the stormiest planet in the solar system. It has a large storm similar to Jupiter's that appears as a white swirl instead of red.
Pluto is optional. I still love Pluto even though it has been de-classified as an actual planet. We used a ping-pong ball (because it is cheaper!)
Now come back to your sun and paint it yellow and orange. You might want to add some dark sun-spots for good measure!
When your planets are dry, take paper clips and twist them in half. Push the "U" that you now have down into the styrofoam, tie string to it, then push it in as far as it will go. For the ping-pong ball, poke a hole with the end of a full un-broken paper clip. Stick the tip down into the ball, then wrap the paper clip around the ball and push it into the ball until you only have a "u" left. tie a string to the "U" and then twist it like a twist-tie so that the string won't slip off.
For the sun, You might be tempted to tie the string to the end of the balloon sticking out----don't do it! I made that mistake...the balloon popped and shrank, and the sun slipped off and cracked. Instead, poke 2 holes into the sun a couple of inches apart and thread a long piece of string through it, and tie it in a knot.
When you are finished, tie all of the planets on the dowel rod in order, starting with the sun. When you have finished, tie yarn to either end of the rod. Tie a knot in the top of the string and push a thumbtack through the knot and into the ceiling. Repeat with the other side.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Why Home School? Part 3 Teach Them to Love God
DISCLAIMER: I am not writing this to try to talk you into home education. I Don't believe it to be the only way. I have written this because of the frequent of question of why I decided to home school, and to answer the occasional criticism of my choice. Home education is what I believe that God is calling me to do. I am simply answering that call!
You might be asking yourself right now: Does she think I have to home school if I want my kids to love God? Most definitely not. Parents who love God generally have children who love God. BUT, when your child has so many things competing for his or her attention, where will God be on his priority list? Where will you rank?
When children are taught in Sunday School that God saved part of our race through Noah, and then learn at school that there was never a word wide flood, confusion reigns. Children look up to their teachers. And why not? They have a college degree in this stuff...right? Well, the truth is, evolution and secular humanism reigns supreme in the public school setting. Both are the equivalent of a religion, yet the are pushed as indisputable truth while the idea of an intelligent designer is laughed at. Neither of the theories have be scientifically proved, yet the school system still shuns one for the other. This doesn't have to be. We can home educate our children about Darwin, evolution, and all of the world religions and still instill in our children a Biblical worldview. But a child will most likely believe what the teacher is telling them to believe. Therefore, is it not appropriate to place your children under someone who believes the same as you do? My children have learned about Confucius, Buddha, and Muhammad just this year. They learned to origins of each line of thinking and where it departs from Biblical Christianity. They have learned that all of these religions have good things about them, but they are missing one thing...Jesus.
I am not saying that you can't teach your kids truth if you send them to school. I am saying that without a doubt, it is much harder to do. I have friends at church who say that they do not even have time to work with their kids on memory verses for the sheer lack of time and the mountains of homework the kids have every night. God's Word falls to lower priority when you have to live on someone else's schedule. But when you wake up and have your kids next to you, when you take them along with you throughout the day, when you spend your days and evenings with them, it is much easier to fulfill God's command in Deuteronomy 6:7 "You shall teach the diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." It is our responsibility to teach them.
And then there is the issue of friends. 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits." We know this is true. Even adults are affected by those they keep company with. How can we expect our kids not to be? So all of the time and energy that we put into our kids character training could possibly be sabotaged by the fact that they see their friends more than they see us. Most likely, they will have a strong desire to be liked or fit in. It is hard for me to remember that it doesn't matter what my friends think......it is much harder for my kids.
There is the common argument of "salt and light" among Christian families. We are supposed to send our kids out into the world to be little missionaries for the Gospel. Unfortunately, statistic show that more Christian kids are evangelized by the world than the other way around. In the book Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can do to Stop it." by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer, it is estimated that some 85% of evangelical youth will leave the church at some time or another. This really tells me that our kids are not being salt and light to the world, but rather, they are losing their "saltiness" and having their faith trampled by the world. The authors of the book think that the solution is to teach science at church. I sincerely disagree. There are many great thinkers out there in the Christian community that disagree over certain areas of science, creation, etc. For the most part, the things that they disagree on can never be proved. But if we simply endeavor to grow our kids with a Biblical Worldview, then they will learn to filter everything through God' Word. There are incredibly smart people out there doing research in the areas of creationism providing us with scientific data compatible with the Bible.
But far more insidious than creation versus evolution is the idea of secular humanism. Secular humanism is the idea that man is inherently good, and can do without a God. It rejects (supposedly) anything that is taken on "faith" and only accepts that which can be proven by science. It is a more subtle form of anti-Christian philosophy. I say that it is anti-Christian because the Bible teaches the absolute opposite. We are all sinners, we are all separated from God, we all need a Savior. Jeremiah 17:9 say that our hearts are desperately wicked. Secular humanism also teaches that human life is no more valuable than any other form of life. Man has dominion over nothing. As you can see, this is very contrary to Bible teaching. As a matter of fact, secular humanism rejects anything supernatural or based on faith. For the Christian family, this is simply not an option.
If you still intend to send your kids out into the school system, I would encourage you to evaluate their beliefs closely and keep close tabs on what they are learning. It is important to know that these subtle philosophies are creeping in.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Psalm 1:1-2
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3
You might be asking yourself right now: Does she think I have to home school if I want my kids to love God? Most definitely not. Parents who love God generally have children who love God. BUT, when your child has so many things competing for his or her attention, where will God be on his priority list? Where will you rank?
When children are taught in Sunday School that God saved part of our race through Noah, and then learn at school that there was never a word wide flood, confusion reigns. Children look up to their teachers. And why not? They have a college degree in this stuff...right? Well, the truth is, evolution and secular humanism reigns supreme in the public school setting. Both are the equivalent of a religion, yet the are pushed as indisputable truth while the idea of an intelligent designer is laughed at. Neither of the theories have be scientifically proved, yet the school system still shuns one for the other. This doesn't have to be. We can home educate our children about Darwin, evolution, and all of the world religions and still instill in our children a Biblical worldview. But a child will most likely believe what the teacher is telling them to believe. Therefore, is it not appropriate to place your children under someone who believes the same as you do? My children have learned about Confucius, Buddha, and Muhammad just this year. They learned to origins of each line of thinking and where it departs from Biblical Christianity. They have learned that all of these religions have good things about them, but they are missing one thing...Jesus.
I am not saying that you can't teach your kids truth if you send them to school. I am saying that without a doubt, it is much harder to do. I have friends at church who say that they do not even have time to work with their kids on memory verses for the sheer lack of time and the mountains of homework the kids have every night. God's Word falls to lower priority when you have to live on someone else's schedule. But when you wake up and have your kids next to you, when you take them along with you throughout the day, when you spend your days and evenings with them, it is much easier to fulfill God's command in Deuteronomy 6:7 "You shall teach the diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." It is our responsibility to teach them.
And then there is the issue of friends. 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits." We know this is true. Even adults are affected by those they keep company with. How can we expect our kids not to be? So all of the time and energy that we put into our kids character training could possibly be sabotaged by the fact that they see their friends more than they see us. Most likely, they will have a strong desire to be liked or fit in. It is hard for me to remember that it doesn't matter what my friends think......it is much harder for my kids.
There is the common argument of "salt and light" among Christian families. We are supposed to send our kids out into the world to be little missionaries for the Gospel. Unfortunately, statistic show that more Christian kids are evangelized by the world than the other way around. In the book Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can do to Stop it." by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer, it is estimated that some 85% of evangelical youth will leave the church at some time or another. This really tells me that our kids are not being salt and light to the world, but rather, they are losing their "saltiness" and having their faith trampled by the world. The authors of the book think that the solution is to teach science at church. I sincerely disagree. There are many great thinkers out there in the Christian community that disagree over certain areas of science, creation, etc. For the most part, the things that they disagree on can never be proved. But if we simply endeavor to grow our kids with a Biblical Worldview, then they will learn to filter everything through God' Word. There are incredibly smart people out there doing research in the areas of creationism providing us with scientific data compatible with the Bible.
But far more insidious than creation versus evolution is the idea of secular humanism. Secular humanism is the idea that man is inherently good, and can do without a God. It rejects (supposedly) anything that is taken on "faith" and only accepts that which can be proven by science. It is a more subtle form of anti-Christian philosophy. I say that it is anti-Christian because the Bible teaches the absolute opposite. We are all sinners, we are all separated from God, we all need a Savior. Jeremiah 17:9 say that our hearts are desperately wicked. Secular humanism also teaches that human life is no more valuable than any other form of life. Man has dominion over nothing. As you can see, this is very contrary to Bible teaching. As a matter of fact, secular humanism rejects anything supernatural or based on faith. For the Christian family, this is simply not an option.
If you still intend to send your kids out into the school system, I would encourage you to evaluate their beliefs closely and keep close tabs on what they are learning. It is important to know that these subtle philosophies are creeping in.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Psalm 1:1-2
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3
Monday, December 20, 2010
Why Home School? Part 2 What About Socialization?
DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to convince you to home school, or even saying that it is the only way. I am answering the questions of those who have asked politely, and those who have criticized. These are the reasons why I made my decisions. I believe that God is calling me to this, and I am simply answering the call.
It is an inevitable part of any home school parent's life. I totally understand all of the questions. I had them too at one time. And let's face it, TV shows like Law and Order do their best to portray the darkest side of anything- including home education. People tend to think of home school families as Amish-looking kids that neurotic parents hide away from the world. When public schooling has become the "norm" it is normal for people to have questions for those of us who choose a different path.
So, this is the BIG question. "What about socialization?" Almost everyone I talk to asks that question eventually. I want to encourage you to look at the issue in a different light.
First of all, most home school families do not hide their kids away from the world. They may socialize in different circles than you do making it seem like they never come out, but they do. My kids have friends at our co-op, at church, and in our neighborhood. They have even made "one-day friends" with a girl at the mall. (We ended up having lunch with her and her mother that day-I had never met them before..) My kids all go to the grocery store and anywhere else I need to go with me. Chances are, they see much more of the world than their government educated counterparts.
A couple of years ago, I had a friend attack me a bit. She was frustrated with the personalities of those around her and told me that I wasn't adequately preparing my kids for the real world. She told me that they needed to deal with difficult people in order to survive. I can understand her point of view, but I believe that it was quite short-sighted. When I was young and had to deal with friend "drama," I didn't come home and share every detail with my mom. I really had no constructive guidance on how to deal with issues when they arose. We have all read Lord of the Flies right? We do know what happens when kids are left to govern themselves.......right? Without close parental supervision and intervention, even siblings can end up being the worst of enemies. Oh....do I have stories to tell!
It doesn't have to be that way!!
I don't claim to have any magic formulas. I don't know how to cook a kid so properly that they never argue or complain. I do know, however, that there are people out there who actually enjoy their kids teenage years. We are so accustomed to thinking of teens as moody, argumentative, and unpleasant, that when we see kids that aren't that way we think them weird! I will tell you what I suspect is up. Ask me in 8-10 years and I will tell you if I was right. I have already said it. Kids need supervision. The don't grow up to be stellar people all by themselves. But, if you are away from your kids 8 hours a day, 9 months a year, you might have very little idea what is really going on in their lives. I can tell you from experience--my mom had very little knowledge of what was really going on in my life. Only what she saw. On the contrary, if you kids grow up with a wise parent guiding them through almost every situation, things might be a little different. Before compulsory education, this was the norm. We would be ignorant to say that respect and manners in kids have improved over time. (what planet would that be on?)
There is another great irony beneath all of this. I have had people tell me that their kids were failing 3 subjects in school because they do not care about their school work, all they care about is their friends, and in the same breath ask me "what about socialization? How do you socialize your kids?" Really? If we think about this, I should have been asking them, "what about education?" Socialization can be negative at times. I remember sitting in Mr. Sly's chemistry class in high school praying he wouldn't call on me, all the time thinking about what I was doing Friday night, what so and so said about me, I can't believe he likes her...etc.. I did terrible in chemistry and hated the class. With my past and most of my friends behind me, I took a college chemistry course and got the highest grade in the class. I could have done that in high school. I just didn't care. My social life was much more important. I do wonder from time to time what I could have accomplished had I really tried.
I have saved the most obvious for last. My kids will never be exposed to drugs, alcohol, or lewd behavior in my home. It is not that they won't understand what these things are. We have already had a talk about Miley Cyrus and her "bong" incident. They know Elvis and Micheal Jackson both died of drug overdoses. They know that alcohol affects your behavior and destroys your liver. They know that this is not normal. They know it doesn't glorify God. It is most likely that they will not have friends who encourage them to try these things. I'm not saying that they will never face the temptation, but hopefully they will confront it when they are old enough and mature enough to know that it doesn't matter what their friends think. My prayer for them is the Christ will be their best friend, and that they will seek to honor Him.
I realize that everyone is different. I know there are home-school families with kids who have problems. I will say with all boldness--it's not because they are home schooled. I am honest enough with myself to know that when my kids behave badly it is a reflection of me. In this day and age, people want to blame everything on a disorder instead of taking responsibility. (yes, there are real disorders out there.....no angry mail please...) It is pretty plain to me that those who discipline their kids have well-behaved kids and those who don't--well, don't. I want my kids to be well-disciplined. I want them to care about what God's Word says about their lives and how they should behave.
All of this to say: socialization isn't an issue. Kids who have good role models by their side day in and day out will do just fine without all of the "issues." So next time you tell me about your kid and their school, don't be surprised if I ask you.....what about socialization??
It is an inevitable part of any home school parent's life. I totally understand all of the questions. I had them too at one time. And let's face it, TV shows like Law and Order do their best to portray the darkest side of anything- including home education. People tend to think of home school families as Amish-looking kids that neurotic parents hide away from the world. When public schooling has become the "norm" it is normal for people to have questions for those of us who choose a different path.
So, this is the BIG question. "What about socialization?" Almost everyone I talk to asks that question eventually. I want to encourage you to look at the issue in a different light.
First of all, most home school families do not hide their kids away from the world. They may socialize in different circles than you do making it seem like they never come out, but they do. My kids have friends at our co-op, at church, and in our neighborhood. They have even made "one-day friends" with a girl at the mall. (We ended up having lunch with her and her mother that day-I had never met them before..) My kids all go to the grocery store and anywhere else I need to go with me. Chances are, they see much more of the world than their government educated counterparts.
A couple of years ago, I had a friend attack me a bit. She was frustrated with the personalities of those around her and told me that I wasn't adequately preparing my kids for the real world. She told me that they needed to deal with difficult people in order to survive. I can understand her point of view, but I believe that it was quite short-sighted. When I was young and had to deal with friend "drama," I didn't come home and share every detail with my mom. I really had no constructive guidance on how to deal with issues when they arose. We have all read Lord of the Flies right? We do know what happens when kids are left to govern themselves.......right? Without close parental supervision and intervention, even siblings can end up being the worst of enemies. Oh....do I have stories to tell!
It doesn't have to be that way!!
I don't claim to have any magic formulas. I don't know how to cook a kid so properly that they never argue or complain. I do know, however, that there are people out there who actually enjoy their kids teenage years. We are so accustomed to thinking of teens as moody, argumentative, and unpleasant, that when we see kids that aren't that way we think them weird! I will tell you what I suspect is up. Ask me in 8-10 years and I will tell you if I was right. I have already said it. Kids need supervision. The don't grow up to be stellar people all by themselves. But, if you are away from your kids 8 hours a day, 9 months a year, you might have very little idea what is really going on in their lives. I can tell you from experience--my mom had very little knowledge of what was really going on in my life. Only what she saw. On the contrary, if you kids grow up with a wise parent guiding them through almost every situation, things might be a little different. Before compulsory education, this was the norm. We would be ignorant to say that respect and manners in kids have improved over time. (what planet would that be on?)
There is another great irony beneath all of this. I have had people tell me that their kids were failing 3 subjects in school because they do not care about their school work, all they care about is their friends, and in the same breath ask me "what about socialization? How do you socialize your kids?" Really? If we think about this, I should have been asking them, "what about education?" Socialization can be negative at times. I remember sitting in Mr. Sly's chemistry class in high school praying he wouldn't call on me, all the time thinking about what I was doing Friday night, what so and so said about me, I can't believe he likes her...etc.. I did terrible in chemistry and hated the class. With my past and most of my friends behind me, I took a college chemistry course and got the highest grade in the class. I could have done that in high school. I just didn't care. My social life was much more important. I do wonder from time to time what I could have accomplished had I really tried.
I have saved the most obvious for last. My kids will never be exposed to drugs, alcohol, or lewd behavior in my home. It is not that they won't understand what these things are. We have already had a talk about Miley Cyrus and her "bong" incident. They know Elvis and Micheal Jackson both died of drug overdoses. They know that alcohol affects your behavior and destroys your liver. They know that this is not normal. They know it doesn't glorify God. It is most likely that they will not have friends who encourage them to try these things. I'm not saying that they will never face the temptation, but hopefully they will confront it when they are old enough and mature enough to know that it doesn't matter what their friends think. My prayer for them is the Christ will be their best friend, and that they will seek to honor Him.
I realize that everyone is different. I know there are home-school families with kids who have problems. I will say with all boldness--it's not because they are home schooled. I am honest enough with myself to know that when my kids behave badly it is a reflection of me. In this day and age, people want to blame everything on a disorder instead of taking responsibility. (yes, there are real disorders out there.....no angry mail please...) It is pretty plain to me that those who discipline their kids have well-behaved kids and those who don't--well, don't. I want my kids to be well-disciplined. I want them to care about what God's Word says about their lives and how they should behave.
All of this to say: socialization isn't an issue. Kids who have good role models by their side day in and day out will do just fine without all of the "issues." So next time you tell me about your kid and their school, don't be surprised if I ask you.....what about socialization??
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Why Home School? Part 1
DISCLAIMER: These posts are simply an attempt to explain to you why we chose to home school. They are not an attempt to try to convince you to do the same, nor are they criticizing your choices. This is God's call on my life. I am answering it.
This is a question that I answer almost daily. As you can imagine, when I meet new people, or when people I know find out that I home school my kids, I get a range of responses. My favorite response is: " Wow! That's great! I admire you for that!"
I do get that from time to time.
But most of the time it goes more like this: "Why in the world did you decide to home school?" and " I would rather have my kids in school, they would drive me nuts if they were home with me all of the time." or " I just don't have what it takes to teach my kids everything they need to know." or my least favorite: "What about socialization? How do your kids learn socialization skills?"
I can surely understand all of these responses. I probably had the same thoughts when I first heard of home education. I try to take the time to explain my reasons, but there are so many, sometimes it is hard to know where to begin!
I think the logical place to start in my case would be a better education. No, I am not so arrogant to think that I am better than all of you teachers out there who have studied the ins and outs of education. But I will say with all of the confidence in the world: I know my kids far better than you do. I know their strengths and their weaknesses. I am able to spend one on one time with them daily. I know when a certain curriculum is not working. I spend a lot of time trying to analyze learning styles and attempt to adapt my teaching style to each of my students. You have to admit, this is impossible in a class of 30 or so.
Home education has come so very far in the past 25 years. There are so many resources out there to help almost any parent educate their children effectively. In fact, my Rainbow Resource catalog is bigger than my last phone book! There are also resources for children who have been labeled as learning impaired, ADD, ADHD, Autism, etc. These children can be extremely brilliant, yet not thrive in a school setting. Each and everyone of these kids need one on one instruction with someone who loves them and are firm yet extremely patient with them. I have one child who could possibly be labeled ADHD if I would let the medical establishment get a hold of her, but I am also aware that she is extremely bright and needs a firm and patient touch. She excels in areas of math and science, and I am proud to be able to encourage her on in her interests.
When I talk about education, I can't help but be a little greedy. I am desperately enjoying teaching my children history. I hated history as a child because I found it as dry as cardboard. History now happens to be one of our family's favorite subjects. We make history come alive with maps, projects, and recipes from certain time periods and cultures. I am learning so much ~right along side of my kids. That is just priceless to me!
Many people ask what we do with subject that we do not feel confident to teach. This is where the home school co-ops come in. I know that there are mothers out there who have done a fine job without co-ops, but they can be a big help in some instances. My children attend co-op classes once a week during the school year. This year, they are both in art classes taught by a trained artist. They are also each in science classes. As they get older, they might transition to a high-school oriented co-op where they can take literature or science with the necessary labs. It might seem like this defeats the purpose of home education, but consider the fact that they are home 4 out of 5 school days.
Last but certainly not least is the time and training that my kids get in God's Word. I have heard so many parents of school kids complain that they do not have the time to spend in the Bible with their kids. Homework, extra curricular activities, parents work schedules, are all reasons they list for not being able to help their kids memorize scripture. However, our first and foremost priority to our kids is to teach them about God. The Bible commands that we as Christians instruct our children in the ways of the Lord! How can we do this without spending time in His Word? We love the AWANA program at our church and use it as a guideline for scripture memorization. This is not our sole resource, but our kids enjoy it very much.
Stay tuned for my next post when I will tell you what I think about socialization. :)
This is a question that I answer almost daily. As you can imagine, when I meet new people, or when people I know find out that I home school my kids, I get a range of responses. My favorite response is: " Wow! That's great! I admire you for that!"
I do get that from time to time.
But most of the time it goes more like this: "Why in the world did you decide to home school?" and " I would rather have my kids in school, they would drive me nuts if they were home with me all of the time." or " I just don't have what it takes to teach my kids everything they need to know." or my least favorite: "What about socialization? How do your kids learn socialization skills?"
I can surely understand all of these responses. I probably had the same thoughts when I first heard of home education. I try to take the time to explain my reasons, but there are so many, sometimes it is hard to know where to begin!
I think the logical place to start in my case would be a better education. No, I am not so arrogant to think that I am better than all of you teachers out there who have studied the ins and outs of education. But I will say with all of the confidence in the world: I know my kids far better than you do. I know their strengths and their weaknesses. I am able to spend one on one time with them daily. I know when a certain curriculum is not working. I spend a lot of time trying to analyze learning styles and attempt to adapt my teaching style to each of my students. You have to admit, this is impossible in a class of 30 or so.
Home education has come so very far in the past 25 years. There are so many resources out there to help almost any parent educate their children effectively. In fact, my Rainbow Resource catalog is bigger than my last phone book! There are also resources for children who have been labeled as learning impaired, ADD, ADHD, Autism, etc. These children can be extremely brilliant, yet not thrive in a school setting. Each and everyone of these kids need one on one instruction with someone who loves them and are firm yet extremely patient with them. I have one child who could possibly be labeled ADHD if I would let the medical establishment get a hold of her, but I am also aware that she is extremely bright and needs a firm and patient touch. She excels in areas of math and science, and I am proud to be able to encourage her on in her interests.
When I talk about education, I can't help but be a little greedy. I am desperately enjoying teaching my children history. I hated history as a child because I found it as dry as cardboard. History now happens to be one of our family's favorite subjects. We make history come alive with maps, projects, and recipes from certain time periods and cultures. I am learning so much ~right along side of my kids. That is just priceless to me!
Many people ask what we do with subject that we do not feel confident to teach. This is where the home school co-ops come in. I know that there are mothers out there who have done a fine job without co-ops, but they can be a big help in some instances. My children attend co-op classes once a week during the school year. This year, they are both in art classes taught by a trained artist. They are also each in science classes. As they get older, they might transition to a high-school oriented co-op where they can take literature or science with the necessary labs. It might seem like this defeats the purpose of home education, but consider the fact that they are home 4 out of 5 school days.
Last but certainly not least is the time and training that my kids get in God's Word. I have heard so many parents of school kids complain that they do not have the time to spend in the Bible with their kids. Homework, extra curricular activities, parents work schedules, are all reasons they list for not being able to help their kids memorize scripture. However, our first and foremost priority to our kids is to teach them about God. The Bible commands that we as Christians instruct our children in the ways of the Lord! How can we do this without spending time in His Word? We love the AWANA program at our church and use it as a guideline for scripture memorization. This is not our sole resource, but our kids enjoy it very much.
Stay tuned for my next post when I will tell you what I think about socialization. :)
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