Home Education | Educating Today

The Trip of a Lifetime

One of my grown sons asked me to give him some names of homeschooling resources that I would recommend. He has two young sons now and plans on homeschooling, but he has always looked at homeschooling from the student’s point of view. He was homeschooled from birth through high school graduation and he said that he now needs to look at homeschooling from a parent’s point of view.

Wow, what fun! He has sent me on a wonderful journey of remembering people and circumstances that God has used to make our family life so rich and meaningful. I know God had us on a trip of a lifetime and it will continue on through our two sons and their families. Some of it has been exciting and wonderful; some of it has been filled with difficulties and struggles. But through it all, God has been living His life through us (when we let Him) and for that, I am truly thankful to Him.

I told my son that I just don’t want to give him a practical list of tools. I want to tell him the stories of how God worked all of this out, sort of reminisce a little.

Okay, now to get busy.

The first and best resource my children have is their dad. He was the one that God told first that we should homeschool. When we first got married, he made the decision to follow Christ and there was no turning back. He loves the Lord so much and truly is in love with Him. My sons and I have had the benefit of living a blessed life because of his decision to follow Christ. From the time our children were born, their dad said that we were starting a new dynasty for God.

Because of work, he could not be very involved in the day to day homeschooling, but because of his willingness to provide and protect us, we were able to homeschool. Through the years, he was just as dedicated to homeschooling as I was. In fact, many times he was more dedicated and kept me going.

He was always excited to go to the homeschool conferences and bookfairs with me for which I was very grateful. It was so much fun doing that together and both of us being excited about it. He wanted us to learn all we could plus he was very discerning and kept us out of several bad situations.

Even if you’re not from Texas, the first thing I would recommend is to read through the Texas Home School Coalition website at http://www.thsc.org and http://www.thsc.org/Categories.aspx?Id=Considering_Homeschooling. This is great basic info about homeschooling. Yes, this applies to Texas, but it’s great home education info. Use the drop down lists. Go through the Q & A section. Take time to watch the video on the home page. On the right hand side of the home page, sign up to get a free subscription to the “Review” quarterly. It’s a great little magazine. Then google…homeschooling nameofyourstate. You’ll find some great resources to study and read through.

As you go through the different resources that I recommend, ask God to show you what He wants for your family. As you study these resources, you need to develop your philosophy of education. When homeschooling days get tough (and they will), your educational philosophy will help you to keep going. You can keep going because you know God has a plan and He’s working out that plan through your family.

Well, that’s all for now… more resources coming soon.

Filed Under: Home Education

So Why Do You Homeschool?

By Susan 2 Comments

My husband and I homeschooled our two children from birth through high school graduation.
We knew we were going to homeschool before our children were born. We were married 11 years
before one of those little guys decided to join us and another 5 1/2 years before son number two came along.

We Can Be Our Own Worst Enemy…

Before kiddos, I taught in public and private schools and I loved it, but I had the great blessing of being
able to stay home with my children. Homeschool parents often ask me if having a teaching degree and
classroom experience helped me homeschool. My answer is a BIG resounding … “No.” In fact, that classroom
experience got in my way. You know, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. That was certainly the case with me.
We can talk more about that later.

Many say they are scared to homeschool because they never went to college. Let me ease your mind.
No one knows our children better than we do. We know their strengths and their weaknesses. Sure we want them
to do well academically. But there’s a lot more at stake here. We want to have a strong, loving relationship with
our kids. As Christian parents, we want them to have the freedom to discover and grow in their faith.

What a Family Adventure…

We knew that God had called us to homeschool. There was no doubt in our minds. Were there difficult times? You betcha.
At the very first homeschooling conference we went to, the speaker laughingly said that God calls familes to homeschool
so He can grow the parents up. Oh boy, was he right!!

Homeschooling is a wonderful adventure and is well worth your tears, your time and your energy. If God has told you to do this, He will certainly supply what you need, when you need it. Having a degree or classroom teaching experience can’t do that for you.

Leave a comment below and let me know why you decided to home school. If you’re just thinking about it, let me know that too.

Talk to you next time.

Filed Under: Home Education

Old Person Pride

By Susan 1 Comment

I got an email from an “old friend” and thought you’d enjoy
what he had to say.

I never really liked the term “Old Person,” but this makes me feel a little better.
And if you aren’t an “Old Person,” I bet you know one! See if you remember these
days.

* Old People are easy to spot at sporting events; during the playing of the
National Anthem. Old People remove their caps and stand at attention and
sing without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in them.

* Old People remember World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal , Normandy and
Hitler.

* They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, The Cold War,
the Jet Age and the Moon Landing.

* They remember the 50 plus Peace-keeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, not to mention Vietnam .

* If you bump into an Old Person on the sidewalk he will apologize.

* If you pass an Old Person on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady.

* Old People trust strangers and are courtly to women.

* Old People hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make
certain the lady is on the inside for protection.

* Old People get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children
and they don’t like any filth or dirty language on TV or in movies.

* Old People have moral courage and personal integrity. They seldom brag
unless it’s about their children or grandchildren.

* It’s the Old People who know our great country is protected, not by politicians,
but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.

* This country needs Old People with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride
in their country and decent values.

We need them now more than ever.

Thank God for Old People.

Filed Under: Home Education

Are You Disorganized and It’s Driving You Crazy?

By Susan Leave a Comment

I am a starter. This doesn’t mean I can’t finish things, but it is much easier and more natural for me to start things as opposed to finishing. To finish I have to purposely avoid being distracted and have to concentrate on bringing it to a conclusion. My mind is always suggesting new and exciting things to check on and investigate. I’m like a child in a candy store – I want them all. When I think of a creative idea or a new business strategy, I fear I will lose my thoughts during this moment of inspiration. Knowing this about myself, I try to get the ideas down in a tangible form so I can remember what to return to later.

Taking the time to come back to these ideas later and develop them into a workable plan takes some thoughtful dedication. The only thing that helps me in this area is organization. My time is limited so I need to be well organized so as not to feel too scattered and overwhelmed. Needless to say organization is not my strong suit. That’s what I’m working on this year… well, I say this year, but I’ll be working on organization the rest of my life. I don’t work well under too much time pressure either , but I am always pressed for time. Hmm, I think I cause much of my own problems. Are you like that or do you have organization and time under control?

I’m notorious for having multiple piles of paper. Paper is not my friend. Ha! So I’m in the process of coming up with a paper organization system. I’ll let you know what I decide on using… It needs to be very simple to execute. Maybe I need to be a minimalist. Hmm, I’m going to have to explore that thought. Oops! There my random thoughts go again. The point is I need to be productive which means my filing system will ensure that urgent things are not forgotten and I can find documents and notes quickly and easily.

Where I have lacked skill in the past is letting go of stuff I don’t need to do in my life. This is part of being organized to… getting rid of the stuff you no longer need. Oh, I have such a problem with that. What if I need it again some time? When you can’t do it all and feel you are wasting a lot of your life on monotonous tasks then it’s time to pare down “the stuff” in your life.

So what does this have to do with educating our children? A lot. If you have a child who is a Finisher, your disorganized life is probably driving him crazy and if you have a child who is a Starter, you are teaching that child to be as random and disorganized as you are. Grrr, why do they always pick up our bad habits?

No one is going to be perfectly organized with their time, thoughts and plans, but we all can work on small organizational changes that will benefit ourselves as well as our family.

If you have ideas for a good, simple paper filing system, share them with me. I’d love to hear them.

And sign up for a free copy of my e-book “Are You a Starter or a Finisher?” Just enter your name and email address and I’ll email you a download link so you can get your own copy. It will help you understand your kiddos and your spouse a little bit better.

Filed Under: Educating Mom, Home Education

“Why” Do You Homeschool?

By Susan Leave a Comment

Today let’s talk about why you decided to homeschool. Do you remember?

When you first decided to homeschool, your “why” was a major deal. You know what? Your why is still really, really important. Your “why” is your reason, your purpose. You need to know what it is!

We know our vehicles need gas, that plants need water to survive; we know we need sunshine and good food to keep us healthy, but what I want to know is what does your homeschool need? More importantly, what do you need as a homeschool mom or dad to keep going? What fuels you?

What fuels you is your ‘why,’ your reason, your purpose.

It’s not just about the academics, is it. It’s something deeper than that. Granted, academics are important, but your kiddos could get that other places than being home with you. So what is it that fuels you?

When we started homeschooling, my “why” was to be home with my children so we could share our love of God, the principles we believe in and give them every opportunity to know who they are in Christ. That was more important than anything else.

As the years went by, my “why” evolved to include teaching them how to research and study so they can learn and investigate whatever their heart is interested in, whatever God would lead them to study. I wanted my children to “love to learn.”

We wanted them to learn to stand up for what they believe, to look you in the eye when you talk to them and have a meaningful conversation, to love being with their family. So as time went by, I added to my “why,” but the original reason was the foundation of what we did.

My children are grown now and have friends and businesses of their own, but I am still as passionate about homeschooling as I was when we started. Some days it’s hard to remember your “why,” isn’t it? Life and reality can get in the way of our passion and purpose. But ask God to help you renew your vision.He will!

Remember what excited you about homeschooling your kiddos? When you are clear on “why” you chose to do this, no problem will keep you from doing what you’re passionate about.

What is your ‘why?’ I’d love for you to share it with me.

Are You Spending or Investing…Your Time, That Is

By Susan Leave a Comment

Sometimes we invite ourselves to our own little pity party about how we use our time.

We think about all the other things we need to be doing
or what’s not getting done because we’re so busy home schooling.

But are we spending or wasting our time OR
Are we investing our time in something that’s totally worthwhile?

Homeschooling is time consuming -
-lesson planning
-dealing with poor attitudes
-planning and going on field trips
-dealing with poor attitudes
-grading papers
-dealing with poor attitudes

Hmm, do you see a pattern here? What’s with the bad attitudes?

Could it be that we set the tone for our homeschool?
Do you act like you’re overwhelmed or are you excited about what you’re doing and all the possibilities?
Do you act disheartened or are you encouraged to be doing what the Lord has called you to do?
Just think about that for a minute– you’ve been called by God to teach His children. Whew, what a blessing!!

You know what? It’s all about our attitude, isn’t it?
Invest wisely.

Filed Under: Home Education