Time to Say, "Farewell"

After much discussion, prayer, and deliberation, my husband and I have come to the conclusion that our days of home schooling must come to an end. I have many mixed emotions about our decision. I have many concerns and I wonder if we are making the right decision. Yet in my heart, I know it is time.

We have begun the registration process with a local private Christian school, and hopefully we will have Zach and Jenna enrolled and set to go to school when the second semester begins in January. It's a small school with a good reputation. The staff is both professional and kind. It seems to be a good fit.

Amazingly, our children are excited about the change. Actually, Jenna is excited. Zach is "okay" with the idea of it--and I think he will warm up to it even more once he begins to feel "at home" there. (Interesting phraseology, huh.)

I could list all the reasons we decided to make this move, but as we are confident in our decision, there is really no point. Suffice it to say, however, that it was a difficult one to make, and came at the cost of much soul-searching.

As for HomeSchool U, I am sorry to see it go so quickly. I hope those of you who found encouragement in these pages will not be discouraged by our decision to put our children in an institutional school. Although our time of home schooling has ended, I remain convinced of the benefits of home schooling, and continue to advocate it as one of the most effective means of education for certain families. The decision to home school is a very personal and individual one. It is not for everyone. And it is not necessarily something that should be done throughout a child's education in every situation. In fact, I encourage regular evaluations for those families who home school. Evaluate your reason(s) for continuing. Evaluate how your children are doing--academically, emotionally, physically, and relationally. Evaluate how the primary "teacher" is doing. All these factors are important considerations. There is so much more to home schooling than how much work the students accomplish or how much information they learn.

So with that said, all that's left is to say, "Farewell." It's been fun! My best to you in your endeavors. Please pray for us in ours.

Sincerely yours,
Mary Comm
HomeSchool U

We Need Each Other

A couple is having marital problems...
A friend is battling cancer...
Another friend and her husband have both lost their jobs...
A single mother struggles with Lupus and the financial crisis of being unable to work...
A home school mom faces discouragement...

These stories are all real. This is life in 2003. Families are falling apart. Illnesses are rampant even among young people. Though the economy is gaining momentum, people are still facing unemployment issues. And yes, home schooling can certainly be discouraging at times.

The bottom line is that we need each other. None of us can be the Lone Ranger in this life. (Hey, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto and Silver!) We weren't created to "do" this life alone. How do I know this? Well, I've tried it, for starters. But even more compelling than that, God discloses our need for one another in the pages of His Word...

"Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." --Exodus 17: 8-13 (NASB)

Moses was sent by God to do a job. He was given the tools with which to do the job. Even so, he could not do it without the help and support of his friends. If Moses couldn't do it alone...well, you do the math! In my estimation of things, this is a crystal clear picture to us of how we are to be there for one another.

Paul heartily supports this theme as well, in Galatians 6:2, telling us that we are to :

"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." (NASB)

I recently shared a burden I was carrying with a friend. The simple words she spoke to me ("I'm praying for...") was enough to lighten my load a bit. "They" say Two heads are better than one, but I say a burden shared is a load lightened. It's a phenomenon that defies explanation--how by sharing my burden with someone else, it instantly becomes easier to bear.... But that is just how things work when brothers and sisters in Christ "do life together." That's what being part of the body of Christ is all about [1 Corinthians 12:27].

So the next time the cares of this world (or the stresses of home schooling) begin to weigh you down, call upon a friend you can trust--a brother or sister in Christ--who will gladly bear the burden with you. Then stand back and watch in amazement as the load becomes lighter. The situation may not change at all, but the weight of it sure does get easier to bear when someone is there to help you carry it--and especially so if they help you carry it to the Throne of Grace. Then you'll be able to carry on with the job God sent you to do....

Sex Education

Last year, as we learned that our nieces and nephews in public school were already being introduced to sex education, we decided we had better "get with the program!" So we did our homework and came up with a couple of resources we found to be very helpful in broaching this sometimes difficult subject.

For our son, who was almost 11 at the time, we purchased Dr. James Dobson's book Preparing for Adolescence. We instructed our son to read through one chapter at a time, then he and his dad discussed each one's contents. This method was very effective in helping to prepare him not only for the imminent changes to his body, but to inform him about emotional changes as well. (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!)

For our daughter, almost 8 at that time, we purchased American Girl's The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls. This was an excellent book for our daughter, which we read through together, chapter by chapter. (I did not complete the book with her however. Because of her maturity level, I did not feel she was quite ready to learn about menstruation last year. We will pick up where we left off in the not-too-distant future, I'm sure....)

Neither my husband nor I had much guidance going into adolescence. We wanted our children to be better prepared--especially in this crazy world! These books were just what we needed to introduce this difficult topic to our children, while also opening up a dialogue that has continued as circumstances have presented themselves. "They" say that if you can keep the doors of communication open with your children, the adolescent years will go much smoother. We have told our children there is nothing they can't tell us.... We are praying that God will prepare our hearts to receive whatever they may share with us in the future with His wisdom, understanding, and compassion.

In the meantime, we are sleeping a little easier knowing we were the ones to introduce them to the topic of sex, as well as to begin preparing them for the monumental changes that lie ahead for them.

Childhood Depression

One of the many reasons we chose to home school was to spare our children some of the more serious affects and influences associated with being in an institutional school environment. Bullying, peer pressure, drug use, worldy views, inappropriate sexual behavior--all these things can crowd in on a child to causing them adverse feelings, often leading to depression. But just because we have protected our children from those issues does not mean they will automatically be immune to depression.

Statistics given by the National Mental Health Association's National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare show that "As many as one in every thirty-three children and one in eight adolescents may have depression." Further, "Once a child experiences an episode of depression, he or she is at risk of having another episode within the next five years."

Even though we don't have the same issues in our schools, there are many other factors that can cause childhood and adolescent depression. In fact, because we home school, because our children are 'set apart' from their peers at church and in the community, we have a unique set of circumstances that could contribute to those same feelings of despair and sadness.

We hope and pray it will never happen to us, but for the sake of our children, we should at the very least familiarize ourselves with the symptoms of childhood depression. It never hurts to be prepared!

Nothing to Prove

Regardless of how long we've been home schooling, it seems there is always a dark cloud of expectation hanging over our heads. Our children are expected to excell beyond that of institutionally schooled students. Our children are expected to be as involved as possible in social activities, because everyone knows they aren't exposed to social situations often enough (!). We are, at times, questioned, grilled, or otherwise measured by how well our children read or how quickly they can calculate a mathematical problem in their head. Because we educate our children at home we are somehow suspect--as if we would allow our children to piddle away their studies in pursuit of video games and cartoons.

In the wake of such suspicions or questions it is easy to respond defensively or to run down the list of academics our prize students are acing. We rattle off their activities and punctuate their achievements. We emphasize their strengths and down-play their weaknesses. All of which can take an enormous amount of energy.

I read something interesting recently, however, that has been rolling around in my head. It was a short article about how Jesus never defended Himself. He never explained His motives or His reasons for what He did or the choices He made. He left His actions to speak for themselves, knowing in the end, some would see Him for who He was and some would not. I like that! Because no matter how hard you try to convince the skeptics, they will remain skeptical as long as they choose to do so. And in the end, it won't make any difference about the education my children receive. I'm still going to be the best teacher for them I can be. I'm still going to desire the best education for them and do what I can to achieve that result.

Those who support us will continue to support us because they see the results in our children and in our family. Those who doubt, question, and worry will probably continue to do so as well. The only thing that changes by my choosing not to defend our home school is my stress level. And anything I can do to decrease that makes for a great day!

So from now on, I plan to let the results speak for themselves. If it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me! :-)

December Daze

We all know that school is different during the month of December. Whether it's public, private, or home school, this month is just different. Rather than try to force the proverbial square peg into the Christmas tree shaped hole, I have learned to adjust our schedule, our curriculum, and even our work load.

For instance, this December, instead of working through the history curriculum week by laborious week, we are putting it on hold until after the new year. Instead, for reading, we are choosing from a delectable variety of Christmas stories accumulated over the years. We started reading Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol yesterday, and while the language is a bit challenging for our students, I found they are still able to keep up with the story. (Plus I have a feeling it will stretch their vocabulary and their minds as we go!)

Additionally, this is the perfect time to give them a break from some of their more tedious work (such as outlining, cursive, etc.) and allow them to participate in some charitable causes. For example, we started a tradition a few years ago of taking gifts to the children who have been removed from their homes (for whatever reason) and are residing in the state shelter. This has proven to be a very rewarding exercise, and is a wonderful opportunity to show Christ's love to those who are in less than desirable circumstances at such a critical time of the year. This year, our students will assemble gift tags for each gift, complete with a Scripture that reflects the true meaning of Christmas.

Some other activities our students participate in are:

Project Angel Tree

Adopt-A-Family (through our church)

A Season of Sharing, Share the Light (the musical production also at our church)

All these activities serve to teach our children in a real and personal way about the world around them. It gives them an opportunity to give back from what they possess, and it reminds them what Christmas is really all about. If that's not a good education, I don't know what is!

Posted by The Teacher at 03:32 PM

Organizing for Christmas

A couple of years ago I started a Christmas tradition of my very own--and it has become one of my favorites! It's a Christmas notebook. Because there are so many activities, events, things to do, etc., this has become an invaluable tool, plus, once the season is over it becomes a wonderful record of that year's Christmas!

It's really very simple. I take a three-ring, inch-and-a-half binder, create section dividers on festive Christmas stationery, and begin making my lists, filling in my calendar, etc. I use clear sheet protectors for those items won't fit any other way.

Some of the sections I include are:

Calendar & Events

Gift Lists

Christmas Letter & Card List

Craft Ideas & Recipes

Holiday Memories

This year I even added a list of possible projects to do for school.

Of course one of the beautiful things about this idea is that you can tailor it to fit you, your schedule, and your family perfectly!

It sure makes checking my list twice all the easier! ;-)

Posted by The Teacher at 03:12 PM