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The Old Schoolhouse
Magazine
Home Where They
Belong
|
August 22, 2007
|
 This
week's topic is one of my favorites - encouraging other
homeschoolers. I have been blessed with with some really sweet
friends who have blessed me with wonderful words of
encouragement at times just when I needed it most.
When the going gets rough, I find myself thinking back
on those words of encouragement and they help me press on. So
you know what? I make an extra effort to encourage other
homeschoolers - the newbies, the experienced moms, and the
ones in between. It's great to see those moms walking a little
bit lighter and patting their children on the back because
somebody affirmed what
they were doing or at least what they are trying to do! Be an
encourager.
Encourage one another, and build
each other up.
1
Thess. 5:11
Enjoy every
minute!
THM Editor
| |
 Mercy Every Minute
Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor
I have been homeschooling for
many years and let me tell you, I have been discouraged many,
many times. I was completely discouraged just this weekend. I
went to a homeschool concert displaying such talent as I could
not have imagined possible at such ages; truly gifted
children.
Surely these parents have poured more into
their children's lives than I have. Surely they must know how
to teach better than I do. Surely they must have it all
together where I can't even remember where I put it all! Thus
went my discouraging thoughts.
Fast forward to Monday
night. There I was practicing singing for a women's retreat. I
am not a singer, but there was a need and I responded. I stood
beside two singers whose voices were heavenly. I sang melody,
they sing different parts. We sounded beautiful together and I
realized once again that I am nothing on my own. I needed
these two beside me.
We need each other, especially in
homeschooling. We may not all have the same talents - some of
us are skilled musicians, some mathematicians, some cooks and
some tow truck drivers. All are needed in God's kingdom.
Together, we all make a beautiful picture of what
homeschooling looks like as God pours out His gifts on us and
our children.
And, when discouragement hits, hit the
Word of God! It gives a breath of fresh air, fresh
perspective, and fresh courage to continue on.
As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the
living God: when shall I come and appear before
God?
My tears have
been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto
me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out
my soul in me:
for
I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house
of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude
that kept holyday.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet
praise him for the help of his countenance. Psalms
42:1-5
~Deborah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mom Needs
Help: Do you homeschool your children bilingually? This
mom has spoken German exclusively to the children since they
were born while her husband has spoken English to them. So
far, she has had little success networking with others who are
homeschooling bilingually and even more specifically, with
others doing so with a German/English combination. Connecting
with other bilingual homeschooling families (especially those
who speak German) would be really helpful, and enable them to
swap info on curriculum possibilities, websites offering
target-language resources, etc. as well as give and receive
support in their ventures. To clarify, bilingual education is
not the same as foreign language education. The children
already understand German, so they will need content and input
in German, not material that merely helps them learn the
language.
If you have any ideas for this mom, please
contact me at senioreditor@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
and I will forward your information to
her.
|
Schoolhouse Spotlight
Dena Wood, Schoolhouse Store Manager
One of the greatest
encouragements to other homeschoolers is hearing from those
who have experienced the same trials and tribulations and made
it through. Who better to understand your fears than someone
who has walked the same path? The E-Book: See, I Told Me
So, contains the testimonies of twenty homeschool
graduates and parents who share their stories. You'll discover
there is no "normal" homeschooling lifestyle as you hear from
those who schooled through illness, with a home business, on a
minimal budget and more. These words or wisdom are a great
encouragement.
Uplifting and encouraging music from Val Halloran and
Leilani Clark is also a powerful inspiration. You'll want
to take a look at these recently added CD's. In her own words,
"It is my hope that as others
listen in, they can relate to these songs and be encouraged to
seek, follow and trust in the Lord. He is faithful and worthy
of all our trust, honor and praise."
And, though
I've mentioned it before, our E-Book: Homeschool Combo
Pack including Secrets of Successful Homeschooling,
Homeschooling the High Schooler and Homeschool Dialogues is an
excellent source of encouragement as you hear from fellow
parents and experts alike. An excellent bargain at the current
sale price of only $12.48 for all three books!
-
Dena |
It's Just Common
Sense
Ruth Beechick, Curriculum
Specialist
I see two camps of homeschoolers. One of
them needs encouragement more than the other. My two camps are
a crude division, of course, because most families are partly
in both camps. But defining them will help our discussion
here. One camp is the highly-structured, follow-the-school
model. The other camp is a freer home style of learning. The
first aims to pour in facts and grade the tests. The second
aims for children to think and reach out for more
knowledge.
Most beginning homeschoolers are in the
first camp because that school model is all they know. Then in
the first year or two they meet frustration and boredom, and
they need encouragement more than anybody out
there.
You who have at least one foot in the second
camp, I give you the assignment of trying to encourage those
in the first camp. Help to free them from just one enslaving
study. A good one to start with is grammar. Tell them to drop
it completely for children below junior high age. Hand them a
copy of the introduction to my book How To Write Clearly (I
hope you have that new book.) and that will save you the
explanation of why dropping grammar leads to better language
education. After the no-grammar system works for a while,
suggest another change that you practice and believe
in.
Once your camp one friend catches on that the
school model is not necessary and may not be the best, she may
be ready to read a book for homeschoolers that has helped you
a lot and that you can recommend. Some of my books serve here
as overall explanations of how to do home style
learning.
Some booksellers, from their sales this year,
are observing that there may be 150% more homeschoolers in the
07-08 year. If they are even partially correct, there will be
a lot of camp one people. Can you take on one of those
families and be the
encourager?
-Ruth
|
The Familyman
Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries
My
favorite example of encouragement is one that happened many
summer Olympics ago. It was the year that the women's
gymnastic team was going for the all-around gold, and it was
down to them and one other team.
Everything hinged on the final event, the vault, and
if the Americans won they got the gold; if not, they got the
bronze. Petite, American, Kerri Strug, stepped to the line and
vaulted into the air, landing in a bone-jarring heap on the
mat. She had twisted her ankle badly, and the U.S. had lost
the gold (or so we thought).
Amazingly, fifteen minutes later, she was back at
the line with her leg all wrapped up below the knee. She was
going to make another attempt. While the crowd was going nuts
at the idea of the little girl attempting the impossible, I
was observing a great example in
encouragement.
The camera panned to
her coach --a thick-accented, large-mustached man whose eyes
were fixed on Kerri.
"You can do it,
Kerri," he hollered, "You can do it!"
He didn't tell
her how to do it or how not to do it, he simply cheered, "You
can do it! You can do it!!!" And she did--and the rest is
history.
That's what your friends
need to hear from you regarding homeschooling. They need you
to cheer them on and say, "YOU CAN DO IT!!!" Sometimes they
might ask for and need advice or suggestions, but most of the
time, they just need someone (you) to come alongside them,
believe in them, and tell them that they can do it!
Be
Real,
Todd
PS -By the way, we offer a great pack of
funny, encouragement cards to help you encourage each other in
homeschooling. Check them out at: http://familymanweb.com/cards2.htm |
 Homeschool Freebies
Julie Nott, TOS Marketing Manager
You
know what's encouraging to me? The availability of resources
for homeschoolers! Even free ones! Just take a look below at
the "Meet Some of Our Friends" section...there's some really
good free stuff right there!
The other encouraging
thing is the abundance of homeschooling support groups. Can't
find one in your area? Look on our website here and see if there
is one close to you. If there aren't any groups in your area,
would you consider starting one?
We all need
encouragement. Beginners and veterans alike need
encouragement. I don't know what I would do without the hugs,
understanding words and empathy that I have received from
other homeschooling friends. They are like a balm to the soul.
Can you be that to someone
today?
~Julie
|
Meet Some of Our
Friends
Our newest Time Traveler
has arrived at Home School in the Woods! "The American
Revolution" teaches history in a hands-on way! Over 40
activities on CD will change the way you teach history!
One mom wrote, "My oldest son (13) said that for the first
time he actually feels like he is learning something about
history!" Check out "New World Explorers" and "Colonial Life,"
too!
Visit our website for a FREE DOWNLOAD of a complete lesson for
each of our Time Travelers! Included are text, project
directions, masters for projects, and a full lesson plan
schedule to
preview!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.etap.org provides a single
homeschool resource for your entire family. Our memberships
include Math, English, Science, and History, as well as
GED/HSEE/SAT/ASVAB test preparation, all on a single
easy-to-use web site. The curriculum includes instruction,
practice exercises, and assessments, as well as audio/video
tutorials and links to interactive activities to make learning
motivating and engaging. Students can access eTAP wherever
there is an internet connection: at home, at the library, or
even when traveling. All subjects include grades K-12, so a
single membership is good for the entire family. You will
receive a 25% discount by using the coupon
"thehomeschool".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scaredy
Cat Reading and Spelling is a creative, unique approach that
has worked for thousands of parents and teachers with
success! You will have the confidence and the tools to
effectively teach your child while having fun! Games,
songs, cards, and activities, along with scripted lessons
provide you with the ability to engage your student, with
logical rules that make sense! Contact us today for a
FREE DEMO DVD and see why we won the
2006 Special Needs Company of the Year Award from TOS!
Call us at 800-745-8212 or visit us at www.JoyceHerzog.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want
your child to excel at math? Visit Shiller Math for your FREE diagnostic test
and to build an individualized lesson plan that will fill the
specific holes in your child's math foundation using all the
learning styles: visual, auditory, tactile, and
kinesthetic.
Have you had your ShillerMath today? Get
on the path to math success! Call 888-556-6284 or visit www.shillermath.com.
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