A Homeschoolers Experience with the Public School

I’ve had an interesting time with the Homeschooled Young Man during a volunteering opportunity. We spent 2 days with around 140 kids ages 8 ½-11 years old. These public schooled kids took part in engaging and hands on activities over the course of two school days. The presenters were upbeat and kid friendly. The kids were well behaved and quiet...too quiet actually for my liking.

Over the course of 8+ hours I spent with these adorable 8 ½-11 year olds, I did not hear the usual giggles from the girls that I am use to hearing, nor small talk amongst boys that I am use to hearing. I saw emotionless faces, frowns and blank stares from these children. But, I saw a hunger in the children for attention from the presenters, when those men and women engaged one on one with these children. Each boy and girl was eager to talk with and spend time with these adults. But after each session they became like little robots. Back to frowns and staring at the floor while being told to line up against the wall, "1-2-3 eyes on me" by their public school teacher. I know that public school teachers will say that this is a must to keep order. But it makes me think of when we had 4,000 adults and children for a homeschool meeting at the state capitol a few years ago. There had to be order and quiet voices with almost 2,000+ kids involved, there were no robot children in the group nor forced lining up against the wall, yet there was no chaos.

At 14 years old The Homeschooled Young Man was a group leader of about 25 children and 2 public school teachers. He held the door open for the group on 11 different occasions and was told “Thank you.” only 3 times over the course of 2 days each lasting 8+ hours.

I was pushed and shoved numerous times throughout the days without so much as an excuse me, sorry or anything by these students.

Then after awhile I had opportunity to sit back in a chair in the back of the room and sort of take it all in. It was then that I noticed the clothes that the teachers were wearing. Skin tight workout pants that stop at the calf, that showed panty lines and a bold written word across their backside, another one wore a similar pair of pants that were way too small and every time she bent over her pants came down and her shirt went up to expose her bare backside (she looked like a plumber, KWIM?). Yes, these were public school teachers of 8 ½-11 year olds.

I guess I could look past that, but the thing that really struck me was the manners that the teachers displayed, yes these are the people that are entrusted with most American children for 7+ hours each day, 30+ hours each week, 5 days per week, 180 days per year and nearly 1,300 hours per school year. I saw teachers not sitting properly in chairs (ya know one of the things that drives us parents crazy at the dinner table is when our kids don’t sit properly, slouching down in the chair with the rear on the edge of the seat and their neck on the back of the chair), teachers talking to each other during the presentations (ya, know it drives us crazy when our kids do this), teachers yawning like roaring lions (ya know how many times you have been trying to teach your child to yawn with their hand over their mouths?). I saw so many kids being grabbed by the arm and yanked around like dogs on a leash and teachers yelling in the face of the kids and the blank looks on the children’s faces while they have an adult standing over them yelling. This must go on often because the other teachers never even looked over to see what was going on. Think about where your kids bad habits are coming from, those things that drive you crazy when your kids do them.

The icing on the cake was the way that the teachers spoke to the children. Every time there was an instruction of “Throw your trash away, PLEASE & THANK YOU!” I thought to my self that “PLEASE & THANK YOU!” really comes out sounding snide and rude no matter how you say it. That phrase seems to be up and coming. We were eating out about a month ago and the waitress said that to us when she gave us our check. The Homeschooled Young Man commented how rude that sounded, even though he knew she was not meaning for it to be rude. 

Now mind you this is NOT a representation of all public school teachers, I happen to know some fine teachers. But this was a peek into the system and I do think this was a typical day in many school systems.

As we drove home I was thinking about all this and here was my take away. Hey Homeschool Momma, are there things that you are doing during your homeschool day that might be negatively effecting your children? Are there things that you are unknowingly passing on to your children?

This brought to light a few things I need to work on in my homeschool. Take some time to assess things that you think of and then improve your homeschool for you and your children.

Homeschooling Saves Tax Dollars

A mom in your neighborhood is preparing lessons to teach her children. In the minute it takes you to read this, moms all over the USA are using their "freedoms" and investing their own money in their child's literacy, prosperity, and future. This mom does this because she knows government run schools are not working anymore. She is saving millions in tax dollars by homeschooling her child.

Pray for a homeschool mom, love on a homeschool mom, and appreciate a homeschool mom!

I love this sign!!

Can Anyone Else Relate To This?

Is it just me or can an anyone else relate to this?
I was really encouraged last night by Todd Wilson's talk on The Old Schoolhouse Expo. This is one of his cartoons that I find so funny! We have both of his calendars too and get a laugh out of them over and over again.

And yes, I often find that I have done the last load of laundry, only to walk out to the laundry room and find full bins again!  ARGH!!  But it's job security  :O)

Have a great weekend!

Stop by my blog

http://adoptivemomhomeschoolinganonlychild.blogspot.com/

Praying in the new homeschool year

I plan on printing out & laminating this very nice prayer reminder that was sent to me by another homeschooling mom. You will find it here  on the keeping it personal website you can print out an 11x17 or 8.5x11 size 31 Biblical Virtues to pray for your children chart.

Check it out, it's super nice!!

Have a great weekend.
Moe

Are you a good mom?

I've been pondering that question for awhile now as I've been sick again with corn allergies sneaking up on me from somewhere. I've been miserable and tend to make everyone else miserable during this time. ( or so I think!)

I read a blog post about stay at home moms and as I read through it, I got thinking about what in my mind a good mom is and what a good housekeeper is. Well here is what I came up with, that I picture in my own mind when I think of a good mom and how my home should look.

A clean bedroom, toys picked up and kids playing well together.

The house is always neat, never any dirty dishes in the sink and bedrooms are neat.

Clean house, everything in it's place, bedrooms neat and tidy and no piles of dirty laundry.

 

Smiling happy kids, no dirty dishes, no piles of dirty laundry and clean bedrooms.

Where on earth did I ever get the mindset that this is what my life should be like with my family? Of course there is no dirty laundry, dirty dishes, piles of mail and magazines, messy cluttered kids rooms or toys all strewn about. These are FAKE homes, they are sets/props in which people/actors PRETEND to be homemakers, wives and mothers. Wow can our perspectives on life really be that inspired and convinced by years of media? I'm saddened that I allowed myself to believe this lie, of how things should be in my life. Is this what the Lord has for me? Am I reaping His very best for my life and my family?  Here is a link to the blog post, I hope it helps you to gain the perspective that the Lord has for you and your home. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2012/08/

May you find blessings in your family life this week.
Moe

Got clutter? Check this idea out.

This is such a great idea!!! I plan to start this up right away. chores for my ransom box.
$aving Make$ Cent$ website has some really neat ideas.
Thought this might help with the summer messes that kids seem to make around the house. She has some great chore ideas on her blog.

Have a great week!
Moe

Book review: Children In Church

I have had the privilege of receiving a pre-publication review copy of Children In Church Nurturing hearts of worship by Curt and Sandra Lovelace. This is a quick read for parents and even our 11 year old has read and gleaned from the pages of this book. You will be left with lots to ponder and prayerfully consider after reading Children In Church.

I highly recommend this book for couples before deciding to have children so that they can get on the same page, but it’s not too late to read the book with children already in the home. The scripture used throughout the book is immensely encouraging and backs up the authors views: a great reminder of how faithful our God is to His children, the Lord sees us through to the end when we follow His leading and direction.

The Lovelaces share the truth of how “others” may see us and how we may be viewed for having our children in church with us. The authors are very adept at using scripture, they do not rely on opinions or feelings, but on the inerrant word of God.

It’s REFRESHING to read a parenting book that is not full of emotional and self-esteem fluff, spiritual parenting is hard work in today‘s world. When we parent our children using God‘s Word, it may bring discomfort through conviction and the authors address how to handle this with prayer and discussion.

The Lovelaces provide advice on bring your children into church services, they share practical, tried and true tips to guide your family in enjoying worship together.

Must read pages..........

Page 29
“Are those without children beside them willing to grant charity to parents who are in the process of training their children? Are parents with children willing to grant compassion to those who need quieter surroundings?” Something to really ponder in the scope of this topic of children in the church.

Page 35 “Parents who are serious before the Lord about worshipping together in the corporate setting must understand that moving toward that goal will entail commitment, diligence, wisdom, strength, courage, determination, discipline, effort, energy, and so much more.” The authors emulate the essence of the challenges you may face stay the course and you reap the harvest.

Page 49 “Their primary goal was to present the character of Christ in this new setting…..” How to prepare kids for different social situations.

Page 61 Chapter on preparations, I’m not even going to share a quote from this chapter because you need to get the book and read it for yourself! WOW! I found that I was very lacking in this area and was very convicted of things that I do in my own life that are keeping me from being prepared for worship on Sunday mornings. An example from my own life is that we tend to stay up late on Saturday night as a family and then we are tired and grumpy on Sunday mornings as we get ready for church. If you could only read a single chapter in Children in Church, it should be chapter 5, it will transform your entire families view of worship.

Page 73
The chapter on supplies is invaluable!!

Page 113The chapter on conflicts has wonderful encouragement for when the going gets tough, we have to remember that Satan does not want our kids to grow spiritually and he will fight us tooth and nail in raising our children for the Lord. Once again Lovelace points us to God’s word for answers and guidance. Praise the Lord for an author of a modern day parenting book that uses scripture to enlighten us in our parenting journey.

Page 120 “Thus, parents who are making their way along this journey will do well to go before the Lord to see what He might reveal to them about their own attitudes, actions, expectations, and judgments.”

Children in Church
has it all folks, guidance for every step of the way in bring your children together with you as a family to worship. I highly recommend reading through the book with a highlighter and marking up the pages, because you will want to refer back to the timeless biblical truths contained within its pages.

I know from personal experience that prayer is the number one need in the area of Children in Church. We began praying about this several years ago, just my husband and I, never once mentioned it to our child. One day a few years ago our son told us that he wanted to come to worship service to hear pastor preach, we told him to pray about it and we would revisit the topic again. He came to us again and said he was ready, we reminded him that there would be no going back and forth to children’s church for the fun stuff: parties, outings, etc. He said that he was ready. We survived the looks, comments, the whispers and phone calls that we and our son received regarding our not following the rules. We are a couple of years out now and have never looked back. The conversations that we have after church regarding pastors preaching are so enlightening, before we would ask, “What did you do in class today?” We would get a one or two word answer, now we get a commentary. Needless to say having our child in church has blessed us beyond measure.

This book is a must read for lay people as well as pastors and church workers. All I can say is WOW! Children in Church has a powerful question for parents, “Why are we separating out the children from the main worship service?” Is this separation hindering spiritual growth in our families?

Head on over to http://childreninchurch.com/order/ and order a copy, get one for your pastor and your best friend at church. This is a must read.

Teaching kids survival skills

I came across this great blog article and thought I would share it.  I run into so many moms that have kids in public or private schools who say that they can't teach their kids anything because there is no time with them being gone all day at school. This article has some neat ways to teach these things even if your kids are gone all day. Survival Skills for kids helped me to see the importance of these things and how they can be worked in to the lives of our children.

4-H is something that has helped us to, our son can read the 4-H books about the subject we are looking at tackling and then we put our hands and feet to work on it. 4-H is free in most areas and "It's Not Just For Farm Kids Anymore!" Many inner city clubs have popped up across the country. Most clubs meet 1x per month for a meeting. 4-H is a great way to learn new skills that will be used for a lifetime and it also helps us get something out of our tax dollars that we pay in as 4-H is part of the US Department of Agriculture.

Have you taught your kids any survival skills? Share with us.
Moe

We lost a chicken :O(

I was resting in the recliner on Friday morning when I heard our son come screaming around the house. Now as a mother I know the difference between a 'I broke my arm' scream and a 'something terrible has happened' scream. Well it was the something terrible type of scream. And our son ran in the house crying saying "I can't find the head, I can't find her head." Well he had gone out to do his chores in the chicken house and found one of his hens missing a head and blood all over. It was very sad. I know it was hard when Sicky Chick was ill, but we knew she was ill and then she died, but to be enjoying your day and all the sudden walk in on that, it was very hard. We thought it was a mink or a weasel, but since the head is gone we are thinking more like a dog, since the other two would have just cut the neck and drank the blood. Now on our Christmas cards I will have to cross off 14 chickens and write in 13. Sort of entertaining in a weird way, but when you have been ill, sometimes the most interesting things are funny. lol. She will be missed though.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecclesiastes 3:3-5
I think I have done all of these this past week. It's so wonderful that God's grace extends to all who will accept His free give of Salvation. Won't you accept this gift during the season of giving? Click here to find out more.

Merry Christmas

Time Management: Ecclesiastes 3:1

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1.
What does this verse mean to you and your homeschool? To your family?

As I write this I think about how the Internet can suck up so much time in a day, jump online to find a recipe, then that mushrooms into checking email, then looking up a link that someone sent you, then a great deal on homeschool materials and on and on. It is my personal opinion that Satan is behind the Internet. We would call it sin if we sat and watch soap operas for 4 hours straight.

What a better way to harm our children than to take away their mothers: nursing mothers chat on-line while babies feed, checking emails while kids are wanting to talk after school, mothers staying up late to chat online or mindlessly surfing the net into the wee hours of the night, only to wake grouchy and tired from lack of sleep.

If you are feeling convicted by anything above, please pray about your Internet usage and find a buddy to be accountable to. Last year a dear friend of mine and I got on this subject, it was something that was on both of our hearts and a hard habit to break. But we came up with spending 30 minutes online in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon. And guess what? We had a lot more time in our day for much more important things than surfing the web and as an added bonus, we noticed that we did not have "FUZZY BRAIN".  Ever get a fuzzy head after being online? Sort of a spaced out feeling? Think about how the kids look after playing video games for an hour, that glazed look, they can't hear mom calling for them, they are zoned out.

How on earth do we figure out how to spend out time? Pray, pray without ceasing (my husbands favorite line). Sunday is my planning day, I glance through the up coming weeks work, check over the calendar, get a quick list of things that I MUST DO and then add in the extras, Internet time is one of those extras and I actually use a timer imagine that!

LOL.....even better it's a chicken timer! We also use this same timer for video game time and all computer time. You really can get all your surfing done in a set amount of time. Now for you 30 min might not be enough, especially if you do work online. I fill out surveys, sell items and moderate groups, so I have to be really mindful of the time that I spend on each item. This year what has really helped me is that I have unsubscribed from several emails, now that I have a junior high homeschooler, I have gotten rid of several younger kid material emails, groups etc. That has helped me go through the emails faster. I also have unsubscribed to several business emails, if I have not bought anything in the last year from a company that sends me emails I click on the unsubscribe button. WOW does that cut down on the emails! I will tell you that sometimes you have to unsubscribe a few times before it takes effect, I do it one week and then if I am still getting emails the next week I do it again. I have also set my emails up to filter in to folders for homeschooing, frugal ideas, recipes and personal emails. This really saves time, since if I am looking for a recipe, I can just go to that folder.

I will make a brief comment on Facebook, I'm not a big fan of FB. Think about how you can use FB for Jesus Christ. How can you further the Gospel using FB? Well for one remove all the "Christian" friends that you have on there that complain about their lives, how poor they are, how bad their kids are, what terrible husbands that they have (you know the people I am talking about!) or the ones who talk about what color undies they have on and if they like it on the chair or on the table (a purse that is), just delete them all! Then invite those that don't know Christ as Saviour and be an encouragement to those people. Be up lifting and inviting, share what the Lord has done in your life. Be salt and light to the world through Facebook. Also "LIKE" positive things and before you post a status line think of Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Or as I like to say "Post about these things!"

Now if you are a tired mom that feels the need to "zone out", please get on your knees and ask the Lord to help you overcome that need to be zoned out, that need is not healthy nor is it conducive to your family life, marriage or homeschool. Sometimes life online is a lot more fun that life in your own home. Get into the Word of God and let it permeate your soul!! Jesus Christ can be closer to you than anyone else. He is waiting for you to come to him. And He will understand and forgive you your sins of wasting time online and He is willing to forgive you all your other sins too, just for the asking, go to this website to find out more. http://needhim.com/

Spend your time wisely with your children as it is fleeting.
Moe

Michelle Duggar on Focus On The Family

I was so encouraged by hearing Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar on Focus On The Family. It gave me some things to really think about. We don't watch the show since we don't have pay TV, though I have read their first book and plan to read the second one too. I just love Michelle's calm spirit and how she talks of relying on the Lord for all her needs. I hear so many parents talk about the show and how it's unbelievable how great the kids are. But in thinking about it, the Duggars are using God's principles that can be followed by all parents.

#1 Love your children enough to discipline them.
#2 Love your children enough to disciple them.
#3 Love your children enough to put God first.
#4 Love your children enough to put your marriage 2nd.
#5 Love your children enough to have daily devotions with them.

This Bible verse comes to mind as I listen to the broadcast.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. ⁶And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
⁷And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
⁸And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. ⁹And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

Take the time to download the 2 episodes of the Duggars entitled "The Blessing Of Raising A Large Family," they are free. Even a mom of an only child can be blessed by this broadcast. They aired on July 28-29.
Just go to focusonthefamily.com then click on broadcast at the top of the page. Then go down to the calendar to click for more info. Focusonthefamily.com
Another link I found with some neat info on the Duggars was http://www.boundlessline.org/2011/07/wwtdd-episode-183.html
Let me know your thoughts on this broadcast.