A Letter for You
My name is Lori Leu - mother of 2 - one child I homeschool, the older attends public school.
I was a teacher in our local public school before resigning from my position and bringing my
children home with me. I view quality education very highly. My father, due to extreme circumstances, only had a 6th grade education; my mother finished high school. As hardworking farmers they put myself and my 3 brothers through college. "Education is something NO ONE can ever take away from you." This was instilled in me from the time I was young.
When my husband and I decided to venture into the homeschool world I did so with great reluctance. As a public teacher I had the stereotypical view of home education that most of the population shares. I had witnessed what many have. A parent will become "angry with the system", pull their children out and then a year later put them back in without ever furthering their education. The foundation of their opinions does have some truth to them.
CCHE was truly a God-sent blessing to me 5 years ago when I began this adventure. I was frustrated, overwhelmed and angry. Although I was "trying" to be an obedient wife I was drowning in my new position. So many have said to me "you are a teacher so this is easier for you". Not so! Homeschooling is VERY different, though I will not take up the space needed to explain the differences. Several women, some that are still here and some have moved on, came along side me and helped me, supported me, and gave me a very new view of homeschooling.
Homeschooling is a BEAUTIFUL adventure. It has given me the opportunity to know and understand my children in an awesome way. But let me also say... it isn't an easy adventure. As adults, we must get up each morning, dress, eat, prepare for the day, spend some time with the Lord, and GO TO WORK. Whether you leave home or not you still must go to work. As a family, we have gone to the Proverbs time and time again. We are actually going through verse by verse in our morning family quiet time right now. So many verses speak to the "slothful" man. Let me encourage you to set a good example for your children and also make them accountable. Our schedule is different now, but for the first few years the kids knew that school started at 8 am. They were to be dressed, fed, and ready by 8. We are usually done with school by noon. Therefore, if we know of an upcoming event or vacation...we work ahead to be able to take the time off. A future boss is not going to say "come in whenever you feel like it and sure...take that vacation without finishing that job you're working on." Also consider those unexpected trials that may force your child to have to enter public school. With that said, please know I also acknowledge those "once a winter good snowman snow days" that happen and other unexpected but awesome spur of the moment things that teach us flexibility. Maybe I have hit a nerve with some. I am sorry if I offend, but we know that children (and adults for that matter) thrive when they know their boundaries and what to expect each day.
This year our oldest re-entered public school. We have overcome many obstacles and stereotypes. He is doing very well. I believe there is good and bad in public school, good and bad in private school, and good and bad in homeschooling. I see things from both sides of the fence.
As a homeschooler, make it your priority to do an awesome job educating your child so the stereotypes will not have a foundation. Can your child take instruction and be respectful to others? Is he/she working and performing to the best of their ability? Do they fulfill their given duties without shirking responsibility or passing it on to others? And most importantly... do you as a parent model all these things to your child?
Homeschooling is much more than protecting our children from the evils of the world. It is equipping them with the ability to stand firm in this world. I am FAR from perfect. My family knows that. But they also know it is my (our) job to be better today than yesterday.
CCHE is a wonderful place to model to your children and others the things I have spoken of. Announcements to parents about being respectful to the building and the people should not be necessary. Responsibility is a life skill we MUST teach and model for children. Take pride in your school, in your educating, in your parenting. Make the most of each moment. They grow way too fast. What will they have learned from you?
Encouraging Thoughts
Here I am sitting on my back porch/kitchen area. This is my favorite spot in my house. It is covered with windows and I feel like I am all by myself. I take a moment and think back at the last year. What a year. Sometimes I wonder why the Lord let so many things happen. Of course some of it was my own doing, but still. I have this disease that hinders me from walking, exercising, cleaning, or just about anything that I really want to do or that I think I want to do. So I said—ok God, I can deal with this, just show me what You want me to do. But in reality I couldn’t deal with it and I didn’t know how to deal with it. So I finally prayed to God to help me deal with it and admitted that I could not do it alone. Just when I thought that I was getting things together, God said—No, you still do not get it. I am the one who is in control. I then was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I knew I had it, but I thought it would go away. It got so bad I finally went to the doctor, and it’s a good thing I did. Another day or so and I would have landed in the hospital. That was it. I knew I couldn’t handle any of this. I couldn’t get control. But I still thought I could handle it and I could solve this. As you see I can be a controlling person I like to be in control—myself, and my family to a certain degree. But I always think that I can do it and I do not need help. But God was trying to show me that He and He alone is in control. Just when I thought things were going to be ok, God decided to allow something else to happen,
something that I really could not control and that I still can’t control. As I was studying John 15, I remembered that God is the vine and I am the branch and that He dwells in me and that He alone does things and without Him I can not do anything—absolutely nothing. I knew that, but now I am trying to live that. If my God is sovereign and if my God forgives people and if my God is in control, and He is, I need to trust God with everything, not just what I want to, but everything. My health, BJ’s school, and children, and what we are going to do in the next 4 months. I know that the next four months will be challenging, but I know that God does lavishly love me as He says in John, and that God is forgiving and completely in control. I thank God that I don’t have to be in control that I can let God be completely in control and trust that He has my best in mind. I thank Him for that.
--Ginny Shelton
March
Why???
When I first started homeschooling, I thought everyone should do this. Then reality hit, and I realized that I bit off a big chunk to chew. Could I really do this? The answer is both yes and no. The "no" comes when I try to do anything in my own strength. I get impatient easily, grumpy quickly, and my expectations remain unfulfilled. Too many times, I have found myself sinking instead of walking on the water. And, like Peter, I had better call on the One Who can help me, or I'm sunk. The days go better when I'm focused on Him, and homeschooling for Him. I no longer think that everyone should homeschool; sometimes I think I shouldn't either. But if God has called me to do something, and I believe He has in this case, then I'd better obey. So, as with anything He calls us to do, we are to throw ourselves into it, and that's what I try to do. Each year I look for ways to improve as a teacher. I look for ways to improve as a mom. But most importantly, I look for ways to continue to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, I can do nothing. But, I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
That does sound "pie in the sky," especially after a day like I had yesterday. I get discouraged like everyone else, and that yellow bus can look so tempting! Sometimes I feel like giving up; I feel I'll never get control of my attitude. But even the apostle Paul said, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on." So, I'll keep plugging along. Come along and keep me company!
Carol Nelson
February
The Perfect Home School Mom
As I sit to write, my thoughts are drawn to the news report from this morning reminding me that this is supposed to be the most discouraging week of the year. I have to giggle wondering if they sent a fly to rest on my wall. No, can't be. As home school moms, even the most enthusiastic and committed of us, we need encouragement from time to time. Recognizing that our children's very futures will, at least in part, rest upon the training we provide for them, can weigh heavy on our hearts and minds. So, this brings me to the purpose for which I write this note: if you have reached the point in the year where you are intensely aware you are not the perfect home school mom, then take heart, that's where God wants you to be!
My husband is a public school teacher and prior to home schooling our oldest son, I often worked in long-term substitute positions in the same public school district where my husband teaches and where our children attended school. Because of this, the most frequently asked question I heard was, "Why in the world are you home schooling your son?" At the beginning, I didn't have a well-formed answer, at least not one I could give. C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that he came "kicking and screaming" to salvation. While the comparison is a loose one, I have to admit his description clearly represents how I came to home school. Admittedly, many of my days begin with that same sentiment. My husband pleaded with me to consider home schooling our oldest, and after weeks of crying and gnashing of teeth, I realized I had a very clear decision to make. My choice was either to give in to my own will and reject Mike's leadership, or to submit to his God given leadership; submitting, there's the rub. Certainly, this admission requires me to acknowledge that I am not the perfect home school mom. Thankfully, over the last several years, Mike and I have prayed, talked, and planned together. We can both clearly say now that our purpose in home schooling one, two, or all three of our children will be motivated by one factor: are we doing what we believe God would have us to do for each individual child, one year at a time?
Scripture reminds me perfect strength comes when in myself, I am the weakest. Talk about encouraging! Each one of us has different reasons for home schooling our children. Maybe you've been told that in order to truly raise a godly Christian child, you must home school. Maybe you've struggled with relatives or friends who feel every good Christian parent should have his/her child in public school. Maybe you don't yet know "...why in the world are you home schooling your child?" My encouragement to you is to take heart! You are not alone! God's strength is sufficient to take over when you feel the weakest. Commit your child to the Lord and ask Him for wisdom, guidance, and ultimately strength. When we have done this, we can rest, knowing that whatever decision we make regarding the schooling of our children will rest on His plan. Be "...confident of this that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Let His strength be yours! Isn't it great to know that you are not the perfect home school mom?
Submitted by Kris Healy
January
Hey, Can I Have a Few Quiet Moments?
Phew! The tree is down, the needles all picked up, the ornaments neatly tucked away for another year. Oh man, I have space in my living room again and things are beginning to look and feel normal once again. I wonder if I've caught my breath yet as I sit down for a cup of tea. Can I throw the kids outside yet? But as I look at the snow falling down outside, I notice the thermometer is at 3 degrees.
I stare at the huge pile of books. I wonder if we will ever get through it all. In the next room I hear the rumbling of little feet and the crashing of --oh, who knows what? As the kids yell back and forth at each other and my stack of books is still sitting in that big pile. I slowly get up, knowing that my tea will be cold when I get back. Do I have the energy to go on? Is this really, really necessary? In the back of my mind I think, "Man, if I would just send them all off to school, I could have my days to myself. It would be a lot quieter. My house would be neater and, well, life would just be easier." Wouldn't it? As I go to the other room, I have to go through my kitchen. There tacked up on my refrigerator in large letters reads:
MY REASON TO HOME SCHOOL
I stop dead in my tracks and read it. "The reason I home school my children is to train them to become godly adults. This I do by building character and teaching them that God is the center of all things." Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Joshua 1:8-9 says, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
I think I know what that means, as I travel to the back room to see the mess that the kids are making; that I am not alone and God is with me even during this time. I take a big breath, hold on to that promise, and my step is just a little bit lighter. I smile as I enter the room to find the pillows on the floor, the books knocked down, and blankets made into a little tent, and two little heads sticking out smiling at me saying, "Mommy, like my tent? This is what Moses used in the wilderness!" I smile, reach down and hug my kids. I walk out of the room thinking, "Oh, yeah, this is why I home school my kids!" The large pile of books does not seem so huge now. My kids are learning about who God is and to be able to read the Bible for themselves, and, well, isn't that worth all the frustration and noise? As I sit back down at the table, I realize that when you put all things in perspective, life at home with my kids is great!! This time will pass all too quickly, so I think I will just try to enjoy the time I have.
By Ginny Shelton