Things I have learned about homeschooling
This is our 5th year homeschooling. I’ve been doing it long enough that I’m now considered “experienced”. New homeschoolers will often eagerly ask my advice when I first meet them. Of course, many of them don’t seem to like what I have to say. 🙂 We use a rather unstructured, almost unschooling approach which I think freaks some people out. But whether you are more structured or more free-form in your approach, I have learned a few things during the last five years which I think are probably helpful for most homeschoolers to keep in mind. So here’s my list of some of the things I’ve learned so far:
1. You have more time than you think. Continue reading “Things I have learned about homeschooling”
Carnival of Homeschooling
This week’s Carnival of Homeschooling is up over at Palm Tree Pundit. It seems to be a more managable size than some of the more recent carnivals have been, so you can head over there without taking up your whole morning! Still some good stuff, including my “Sibling Socialization” post. Continue reading Carnival of Homeschooling
The Anti-Christ, Revealed
Yesterday my husband was watching a History Channel show on the anti-Christ. Part way through the show, they were saying that people thought that the anti-Christ would be a powerful, charismatic orator who would experience a rapid rise to power while appearing to offer peace, unity and freedom to his fervent followers. At which point my husband turned to me and said, “Oh my gosh! … Continue reading The Anti-Christ, Revealed
The Long Walk
Since I was in high school I have suffered from cluster headaches. Fortunately, it has been several years since I have suffered an episode. However, for years I lived with persistent daily bouts of scathing pain for weeks and sometimes months at a time. One of the things I discovered from living with pain was that over time, your ability to cope with fairly minor … Continue reading The Long Walk
Reading the Tea Leaves
My husband and I are on a tea kick right now because, well we have several boxes of tea in the cabinet, it only takes water to make and since we have a well, water is free! Anyhow, Celestial Seasonings’ tea boxes are covered with quotes and when making myself a cup of tea, I read one on the box I hadn’t seen before and … Continue reading Reading the Tea Leaves
Sibling Socialization – The Best Kind
I am the oldest of 9 children; 7 girls and 2 boys (poor boys!). We’re all almost grown up now and it’s kind of amazing to see how wildly different we all are in many ways. We have liberals and conservatives and people who don’t know which is which, there are introverts and extroverts, scholars and airheads, city folks and country lovers, Christians and new age-y types, and on and on. Yet there are a couple of things which we all pretty much have in common. We tend not to be particularly materialistic or impressed by names, titles or celebrity.
The other thing I think we all have in common is that we are profoundly tolerant of people. None of us really finds it that hard to say, “I disagree with you, but if that works for you, then have at it.” We all know how to deal with difficult people without going nuts. If you ever need someone to talk to who won’t judge you, even as they offer advise, call one of us. You can be diametrically opposed to everything we think is right, know that we do not agree with what you’re doing and still be friends with us. We’re not perfect, but we do know how to get along with people as a general rule.
One of my sisters and I were talking and laughing about our youngest brother who as a kid had a notoriously bad temper. She was telling me about the time one of the sisters called his Tae Kwon Do instructor to tattle on him for throwing hissy fits around the house. LOL Can you imagine having to take that call? Continue reading “Sibling Socialization – The Best Kind”
“Patience serves as protection against wrongs”
Over at Why Homeschool the Cates have put up this amazing quote: “Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to … Continue reading “Patience serves as protection against wrongs”
Timing is Everything
Today I finished a magazine article called “The Fight of Your Life”. It was an inspirational piece on fighting to build an excellent life. The take-away points were: 1. An excellent life is based on God’s ways, not man’s. 2. Take the time to think about what an excellent life means to you and plan how you will achieve it. 3. Don’t let the barriers … Continue reading Timing is Everything
Long Couple of Weeks
I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like because it’s just been an incredibly long and trying couple of weeks around here. Yesterday and today were particularly horrible. If anyone who wanders by here could say a prayer for our family, it would be much appreciated. And if you want to ship us some diapers, soy milk and cash, that’d be much appreciated as … Continue reading Long Couple of Weeks
Teaching Creation Science or ID? A formula for putting your child’s Christian faith at risk.
In my last post I kind of poked at those who use ridiculous notions of socialization to criticize homeschooling. Today, I’m going to sharpen my stick and point it in the direction of some of my fellow homeschoolers. It is my firm belief that an unfortunate number of Christian homeschoolers are putting their child’s future spiritual walk at risk in service to an idea which is not even necessary to the faith. I am talking, of course, about those who are teaching their children a from a creationist, anti-evolutionary POV. (Of course there are parents and churches who are teaching kids who aren’t being homeschooled the same things, but for the purposes of this discussion, I’m going to focus on homeschoolers who are doing this.)
Of course, one of the primary reasons some Christian homeschoolers teach their children that evolution, the big bang and such are wrong, is because they feel an obligation to inculcate a strong faith in their children. However, it is my very strong opinion, backed up by the experiences of many people who have been down this road themselves, that these parents are actually sowing the seeds of the destruction of their children’s faith in the future. Continue reading “Teaching Creation Science or ID? A formula for putting your child’s Christian faith at risk.”
The Upside Down World 