Readers Respond

I have just decided to homeschool. My sister-in-law shared an issue of your magazine with me and I just love it. I can’t wait to subscribe and I wish I could afford to get all of your back issues. Thank you for all the wonderful information in your magazine. I can’t wait to begin homeschooling and implement all I’ve learned. God bless you.
—Ruth Emond
Warwick, Rhode Island

I have found The Old Schoolhouse to be the best homeschooling magazine that I’ve seen. I enjoy the large amounts of information it provides and the Godly position that it holds. Thank you for blessing us with your work. Blessings in your continued work for the Lord!
—Janet and Haley Miller
Sarasota, Florida

Words cannot express it all! I love receiving your magazine and eagerly wait for it each quarter. Great job!
—Mary Shenk
Dauphin, PA

I just had to email you and share some thoughts with you. I have been getting The Old Schoolhouse for about a year now and I have to tell you that every new issue is better than the last. I think that Summer 2006 is the best (but that is only because Fall 2006 isn’t in my hands). As I read through the issue I keep thinking how in touch with me as a homeschooler this magazine really is. When I get my issue I always thumb through the whole thing, reading nothing, just looking. Then I go back and read Deborah Wuehler’s column and then head to “About Our Cover.” I am so fascinated with the stories behind the old schoolhouses. I don’t know what it was about the Summer 2006 issue but there was so much that spoke to me, I was starting to think you guys had hidden cameras in my home! I loved Deborah’s “Homeschooling the Rebel.” That she was so honest and willing to share so helped me to realize I am not alone. I also have to praise Jen’s editorial [“What to Do When You Think You’ve Lost Them”]. It was awesome! Truly. I could see so much of myself in it as a rebellious teenager, and it voiced so many of my fears for my own children. But what really touched me and made me cry was the way she spoke of her mother and how she admitted that her mother made mistakes. How Jen shared that her mother, realizing her mistakes, turned to the Lord and prayed for her children. It was not a one-time prayer, but she “banged on Heaven’s door.” It was a light bulb moment for me. I realized that so many times I pray and expect the Lord to answer NOW! and I most of the time take lack of immediate answer as a “no.” I now realize that I need to continue to pray and that it may be years before I have an answer, but I need to be banging on Heaven’s door. Two thumbs way up for Jen!
I think I next read “Learning with Love in the Wright Family.” I was drawn to their story because their family was grown through birth and adoption just as ours is. What an example this family is to us all. Of course I also loved “New Beginnings” for the same reason, adoption. What special people to open their hearts and home to their three youngest daughters. Man, they had already raised a family but were so willing to start over. Oh yes, I cried through both of these stories.
I could ramble on and on about what a great job you all are doing at TOS, but I will spare you. Just know that I think you are doing a wonderful job and I don’t know how you make each issue better, but you do. I am a big fan. Continue doing what you are doing—it is working.
—Dixie Hillstead
Evanston, Wyoming

Thank you for your recent email. We have so far received two magazines and have devoured them. I must say, this is the only magazine that I sit down to read with a cup of tea in one hand and a highlighter in the other. We do hope you will continue our subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Unfortunately, as we live and work in Tibet, we are unable to take advantage of your offer to come and speak. (Did you realize your magazine went as far as Tibet?)
—Kay Olayo

I have so enjoyed getting TOS in my mailbox. I’ve taught my children at home for 18 years and will be schooling, if God allows, for another 13! (Multi-generational children!) But the last few have been the most challenging of all. Our family moved to China four years ago, where we serve as missionaries. The changes we’ve undergone and our too busy schedule, along with no homeschooling fellowship, have led to a lost zeal for the process. I was thinking about that one day when your magazine came to my attention. Seeing your kindness in offering free subscriptions to missionaries almost made me weep. I felt so cut off from the Body of Christ at large at that time that this special offer for missionaries was more of a blessing than you could imagine. It’s been a great joy to me to get the magazine, and I am most grateful for your generosity to us. However, we don’t want to be a drain on your family resources, either. If your budget allows, I would love to extend my subscription, but if things are tight there, please don’t feel compelled to extend it but instead accept our great thanks for your kindness to those serving in a different field.
—Pat

Hi Jen,
I read your editorial in TOS [“What to Do When You Think You’ve Lost Them”] and was really impressed. I always like your editorials. You have a gift for taking the very difficult situations and circumstances that we homeschool moms and families run into and bringing them home on a personal level. What’s more important is that you consistently turn our faces back to the only One that can make a difference in these situations.
This month’s editorial really spoke to me, and I spoke back to it as I read, saying “Yes! Yes! Yes!” and believe I shed a few tears gone nearly unnoticed because my heart was full. I went through years like that with my oldest son (now 26 and living for God), and my own mother went through her own heartbreak with me.
You speak the truth when you say that all that we do right does not guarantee “success” with our children, and all that we do wrong doesn’t mean that we have damaged their lives forever.
I’d also like to mention that the article on believing the media was right on [“Fact or Fiction?” by Danny Carlton]! I’ve been preaching it to my kids and we look at newspapers often to find a truly objective, fact-filled opinion-free article. So far, our efforts have been in vain. Christians need to remember to believe none of what they hear as Truth and only half of what they see, outside of the Word. We’ve become arrogant and lazy in our belief systems and our dependence on the media for Truth. If we don’t pull it together and knock it off, we are going to be in a world of hurt.
Excellent choice to put that article in this issue of TOS. I’ve only started to read the magazine, and I’m sure I’ll have more to say on other things as I read, but for now, just wanted to give you the big thumbs up on these two articles in particular.
—Shurleen Souza
Lebanon, Oregon
www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/OreoSouza

I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your editorial “What to Do When You Think You’ve Lost Them.” Wow. I sat with tears rolling last night, reading it. I am walking with a dear friend through some hard times with her teen son, and often the “answers” people give her or things she reads on childrearing are “you should have done this or that.” Well, that doesn’t help at this juncture. Right now we are at the point of beseeching heaven for him. There is truly nothing else we can do. He has parents who love him, raised him with the Lord, have homeschooled him all the way through, and are baffled about how they ended up at this point. So I thank you for putting into words what many people are living and walking through at this moment. You are an instrument of Him and I appreciate it!
—Jen McDonald
www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/AFJen88

Hi, Jen! I finally got my summer issue the other day, and your article was SO encouraging! I have several friends who I’ve been praying and crying with as their sons have made bad choices … and now both sons (18 and 20, not related) have moved out of their houses. It’s really difficult to know what to say, especially when you see their hearts breaking and know that they were fabulous parents. Children simply make their own choices … and we can’t make them for them.
—Marsha Drews
www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/drewsfamilytx

Just wanted to tell Jenefer how much I enjoy her articles and the magazine itself. It’s been a great resource for me since I’ve only been homeschooling a few years.
Also, I know it’s a little late to be saying this, but WELCOME TO GOD’S COUNTRY! I live in Dalton, Georgia, about 30 minutes south of Chattanooga off I-75. I’m a Carson-Newman College grad, so I spent quite a bit of time up your way. Love those Appalachian Mountains! Hope you do too!
Thanks again for a great magazine! Pass along thanks to your co-workers! —Heather Bramblett

Dear Jen,
I wanted to tell you that I think your latest editorial is your best yet. It was a compassionate essay that I think will move many moms to prayer. I once heard an older man give an answer to the praise he received for raising four godly children. He said, “If they have turned out well, then all praise belongs to God alone.” Thanks for reminding me of this truth.
—Heather
California

My dear Jennifer,
Just a note to thank you for your endorsement of Reading Pathways, and also to tell you how much I enjoyed your story of yourself in the latest TOS. It was deeply felt and beautifully written, and was a heart-stopper for me! You always have my prayers and wishes for the best.
—Dolores Hiskes
Livermore, California
Dorbooks, Inc.

Homeschooling the Rebel

Deborah,
I just got my latest copy of The Old Schoolhouse; I always seem to look for something you have written. The first article I read was yours. The title called to me: “Homeschooling the Rebel.” You had my attention, and then after reading the first few sentences I was wondering if I should be looking for hidden cameras in our home. You had us pegged! Thank you so much for your honesty and your willingness to share your life. It is so hard for us as homeschoolers and as moms to admit we are facing a tough challenge, and even harder to admit that we don’t know what to do about it. We start to doubt ourselves and our ability to teach our own children. We allow ourselves to think things like “No one else is having this problem; I must be doing something wrong.” “They would be better off in school, I am screwing them up for life.” We allow the enemy to feed our doubts and worries. I so appreciate your helpful ideas and how you pointed the struggling mom to Jesus and to prayer. It is wonderful to know I have someone out there who can understand the really, really hard days and is willing to reach out and share with such honesty and love. Thank you a million times for this article.
—Dixie
Evanston, Wyoming

Dear Dixie,
I am honored that you would look for my writing. I also struggled with writing this one about my dear rebel; after all, I am a devotional editor! My children are supposed to be perfect, right? It’s all a learning process in the Lord and in homeschooling, and it is so good to be able to share what we are learning. To place our rebels in public school or anywhere away from us, I believe, would be to lose their hearts. God has given these special ones into our care to prepare them for the fight they were created to fight for His Kingdom. Keeping them with us can be a very hard thing, because it requires another level of death to self in us; however, it produces life in our rebels if we will be consistent to point them to Christ at every turn. Instead of feeling burdened with a rebel, we can feel blessed to be called to raise one of these future leaders in righteousness. Thanks so much for sharing with me. I am greatly encouraged.
—Deborah Wuehler

I just wanted to express how encouraging your current issue of The Old Schoolhouse was to our family! Especially the article on “Homeschooling the Rebel.” We have a mildly autistic son whom we have just begun homeschooling, and [we have] started to run into several behavior issues that were addressed in this article. Reading and praying over this article has given me the strength to get up and keep going! I thank God for your magazine and your talented writers. We were given this magazine subscription as a gift from a friend—a godsend! We will definitely be renewing!
—Jennifer
Indianapolis, Indiana

Dear Jennifer,
I, too, have to pray often for the “strength to get up and keep going” and have found that strength in the wisdom of God’s Word. I so appreciated your comments and will be praying for your son. Thank you for the encouraging words. Let us know if there is any way we can help you further. Rebelling against the enemy of our souls,
—Deborah Wuehler

Jen, your article is awesome [“What to Do When You Think You’ve Lost Them”]. Thanks for the encouragement. Deborah’s article on “Homeschooling the Rebel” was wonderful. I needed to read that especially since we get back to school next week. Those tips may just help me make it through the school year with my own rebel. Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone. I always love reading the articles, and it’s so jam packed with great stuff! I love reading articles by my blogging friends. I love to write and read great writers. Thanks for all the hard work and a wonderful magazine.
—www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/cricket313

No More Rock Stars

I love to tear up my Old Schoolhouse magazines. I save the wonderful unit studies and especially love the drawing lessons, carefully preserving them in page protectors. But for the first time ever, I’ve had to tear a page out … not to save it, but to throw it in the trash!
In the interview with the Barlow sisters on page 114, “Not Your Average Girls,” Patricia and Emily Hunter write, “They are bold in their stand for purity and modesty and for living lives that are radically different from the world.” Later in the interview, they quote Romans 12:2, incidentally leaving out “to this world.”
Um … no. Sorry, but these girls do not illustrate modesty; they are not radically different from this world, but very like the secular world. They are wearing very tight clothing leaving nothing to the imag- ination, one even touting “Beatles.” The Beatles? Please! A rock group that stands for everything unlike Christ! Heavy makeup which hides the brightness and innocence of their eyes is another disappointment. Tell me, please … how exactly are these girls bold in their stand for modesty? Alyssa says, “Let’s raise a banner and a standard in our life, because there’s a better way for us than the way the world is trying to take us.” What, please, is that standard? What’s the better way? Where’s the banner? I’m afraid it’s emblazoned in glitter right across their chests …
TOS, please, please don’t interview rock stars and rock groups in your magazine! This does not help me in my homeschool endeavor. It does not edify nor encourage our graduating sons and daughters to reach for excellence. I’m disappointed. —Ana Huron
San Antonio, Florida

Ana,
We appreciate this letter so much. Sometimes in the preparation and production of the magazine, we get so involved with deadlines and marketing that we don’t step back and consider how our readers might receive what’s printed. No future issue will (as long as we are the publishers) contain this type of content. We sincerely apologize for the images in the last issue, specifically the photos of the music artists (and their garb). We flinched when the magazine came off the press, because one of our main mantras to parents, if you will, is to guard (shelter) kids from the world. Many Christian artists are following after the world’s musicians, looking (and often acting) no different than their secular counterparts, and we think it’s very sad. We don’t see how they can call what they do “a ministry” unto the Lord. Christ calls us to be separate, not clones of this world. Let it be a lesson to us to slow down and pay attention. Thank you again, Ana, for your kind rebuke. We accept it in the gracious manner it is given, and we will heed your words.
—Paul and Gena Suarez

e-Newsletters

I spent the last week checking out my bookmarks, looking at my stack of Internet stuff and trying to narrow down which was the best and, though it seems a little embarrassing for me to say this, because I don’t want it to sound like flattery, I’d have to say that hands down it’s this Homeschooling for Free newsletter—more generally, all of the TOS free newsletters. I have so many history resources, links, freebies, etc. just from the short while that I have been a subscriber. Especially this last one with all the Internet history links—wow! Amazing stuff and I’m really appreciative of all the work that goes into something like this. Thanks a bunch!
—Sandy Pryor
Williamsburg, Ohio

I just received my first newsletter (TOS Devotional e-Newsletter, August 2006) from your magazine and have to tell you what a blessing it is to me. The stories were inspirational and heartwarming. I am a mom of 7 and am now beginning a new journey—a journey that many have already taken. I begin the journey of homeschooling 3 of my children this year. There are many reasons for this but the main reason is that I know that this is where the Lord is leading me to go. I have many apprehensions and fears, being from a family where no one has been homeschooled or ever seemed to consider it, but God keeps confirming to me that it will be ok and He will be with me. Your newsletter was another ”vehicle” God used to speak to me and confirm His will in this. Thanks so very much for publishing a newsletter that is lifting up the Lord Jesus while lifting up His people!
—Debbie Stanley
Culpeper, Virginia

Dear Debbie,
I am so encouraged to hear that the Lord is directing you to homeschooling. Will it always be easy? No; however, it is God who will be at work in you both to will and TO DO His good pleasure! We can count on His faithful leading and provision. Let us know how things progress and if there is anything we can do for you.
Thank you so much for your heartfelt note regarding the e-Newsletter. Are you a subscriber to the printed magazine? If not, I’d like to send you a free sample copy.
May His Face Shine on You!
—Deborah Wuehler
Editor’s Note: To subscribe to any of our free monthly e-Newsletters, visit our website at www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.

Gena, God bless your little pea-picking heart! I just read your article [“Not Again: How on Earth Do I Answer This One?”] in Crosswalk’s Home School Encouragement, and you made my day!
With the new school year bearing down upon us, I’ve been filled to the brim with self-doubt and guilt about whether I’m doing my kids a disservice keeping them at home for school. Are they learning what they should be? Are they learning what they NEED to know? Are they learning anything at all? Will they ever get along with each other? Will they ever leave me alone for five minutes? Will the endless demands ever end?
But now I’m OK. This is all OK. I know that someday there will be an end to the questions and the demands for my time and attention and I’ll be so lonesome!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank for reminding me I’m not raising sheep. Thank you for reminding me that these kids are going to be different and that’s a GOOD thing! Thank you for encouraging me when I desperately needed just that!
—Martha Miles

Editor’s Note: Gena’s article can be found here: crosswalk.com/family/home_school/1203647.html

Your Voice

This Issue’s Question: My daughter Emma Jean is in the fifth grade, gifted, yet she is not getting the education that she needs in the public school system. She is actually getting very bored. Every year they say that they are going to have more than one enrichment class, but it ends up with math as the only subject. In speaking with someone yesterday, her child had been going to school with Emma and is also gifted, and now she loves being homeschooled.
She is learning much more. I guess my question is, will it take away from Emma’s social time at all and are there gifted or rather enrichment classes online? I would really appreciate it if you could write me back and give me any insight about homeschooling. Thank you kindly,
—Jann

Your Answers

It sounds like you already know that you will be able to work at her individual level in all subjects. For social activities, try non-graded activities, such as church groups, 4-H, community center classes, etc. There is almost certainly a homeschool support group near you, as well, which may offer various field trips, co-op classes, and the like. Homeschool co-ops are much more likely to allow a child to work at their intellectual level than public schools are. Depending on your state, though, you may still be able to enroll your daughter for a few public school classes. Just be careful that you don’t do too much—kids need down time, as well. (It seems every year we pick up too many outside activities. I am still learning this point.) A couple of good books about homeschooling gifted kids are Creative Homeschooling for Gifted Kids by Lisa Rivero and Gifted Children at Home by Janice Baker, Kathleen Julicher, and Maggie Hogan. A good email loop is groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolingmensans.
—Melinda Stimpson
Taylorsville, Utah

“Hooray!” for recognizing your daughter’s educational needs and wanting to act upon your observations! There are a number of online resources for gifted students. The University of Missouri has a great selection of gifted classes. Check out their website at cdis.missouri.edu/GOAL.htm. In addition, Duke University sponsors a Talent Identification Program for gifted elementary, junior high, and senior high school students. Other universities throughout the US participate. This website has additional information: www.answers.com/topic/talent-identification-program. “What about socialization?” is an old and tired argument! There are many activities open to homeschoolers. Check with the homeschool groups in your area for weekly outings such as roller skating, sports teams, a Red Cross Club, 4-H. Weekly classes are another option. The Master’s Academy of Fine Arts offers unique, hands-on classes for homeschoolers in history, art, and science. Check their website, www.mafa.net/index.php, to determine if a program is established in your area. Also, if your daughter is gifted and has an area of interest, her day will be free to pursue the interest, perhaps via volunteer work. Once you start asking around, you will find there are many opportunities that support your desire for strong academics and socialization.
—Michelle Eichhorn
Stoneville, North Carolina

ngs about homeschooling is that you can meet your child where they are. I have a daughter that would be in second grade in public school, but at home is doing third grade work. My 6-year-old son has not completed kindergarten; he just needs to work at a slower pace. The kids get plenty of social time with one another and through our involvement at the library, church, and friends.
—Michelle Chadwell
Golden, Missouri

I let my kids learn at their own pace, study what they are interested in and at the level they are comfortable with. My 13-year-old is in eighth grade, but she does high school level. There are many distance learning classes on the Web that your daughter might enjoy. A book I would recommend is Homeschool Your Child for Free—lots of resources listed. Also, Homeschooling the Middle Years and Teen Years—really good references to webpages and programs. By all means pull her out so she can blossom; no need to let her be bored. School doesn’t have to take all her time.
—Cindy Whitsitt
Weaver, Alabama

Of course there are gifted students being homeschooled. Don’t rely on the public schools to fulfill your child’s potential in a class of 20-30 students. The primary educational goal should be to cultivate the higher cognitive skills and to facilitate a love of learning. Perpetual boredom in class can lead to school aversion. You can be sure that the public schools spend more money and time trying to cater to children with special needs or behavior problems than addressing the needs of the gifted. Rescue your daughter while there is still time. Teach her to be a self-directed learner—a stakeholder in her own education. What is she interested in? Let her read, write, research, and produce products (reports, presentations, brochures, etc.) around that topic. It sounds like she is a very special person who has a lot to offer. You can provide a better home education for the gifted than the government can. Get book lists from area schools and libraries. Have her read them all for her grade and for the grade above. You can borrow all of the textbooks from the public school if you want to supplement. At least in Connecticut you can.
—Heidi Loiseau
West Haven, Connecticut

Next Issue’s Question: I have been homeschooling our children for 14 years. Two have graduated, and the younger three are 17, 14, and 12. They have never schooled outside of home, and I feel with several moves since their schooling began, we have fallen miserably behind. How do I play catch up without insulting them? Our son plans a career with the Navy. He is our 17-year-old, and he has never had high school classes such as algebra, chemistry, and the like. Have I done a disservice to our children by not putting them back in school at the higher grade levels? Our church recently considered starting a church school program for junior and senior high levels. I expressed to the kids that I could go to work full time and we could send them, but the tears poured— they did not want to stop homeschooling. Where do I get started again? Your input would be greatly appreciated.
—Dorothy

If any of you experienced homeschoolers have any advice for our next issue, please visit our website’s “Your Voice” section at www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com or write to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Publisher’s Office, Attn: Readers Helping Readers, PO Box 8426, Gray, TN 37615.