Classic considering homeschooling... from Considering Homeschooling:
Will your children believe in Jesus when they graduate from high school?
Homeschooled: 94%
Public Schooled: 15%
94% of homeschoolers keep the faith and 93% continue to attend church after the high school years. But a shocking 75% to 85% of Christian children sent to public school drop out of church, and do not hold a Christian worldview after high school graduation.
There has never been a better time to homeschool...
Never before have parents had access to such a wealth of educational resources and technology for home education. And, Christian homeschool support groups abound, offering parents a helping hand in homeschooling.
There is an abundance of extra-curricula activities for homeschoolers to participate in, with opportunities for wholesome friendships and real-life learning experiences.
Homeschoolers avoid harmful school environments where God is mocked, where destructive peer influence is the norm, where drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and homosexuality are promoted, and where school violence is on the rise.
By grade eight, the average homeschooled student performs four grade levels above their public and private school counterparts.
A background in teaching is not necessary; in fact, "home educated students' test scores remained between the 80th and 90th percentiles, whether their mothers had a college degree or did not complete high school."
How to get started homeschooling...
It is natural to feel uncertain when you begin. Pray and trust God for the confidence you need. Get the support of other believers by contacting the homeschool organization listed on the back of this brochure.
Research homeschooling by attending Christian homeschool conventions and reading books like Home Schooling: The Right Choice by Christopher Klicka.
Keep your young ones home and out of preschool which disrupts family bonding, teaches inconsistent discipline, and exposes children to harmful peer behavior.
Avoid government homeschooling programs such as "charter schools" and public school independent study programs. These government programs usurp the father’s God-given headship over the family and focus the homeschool on humanist goals and curriculum.
Discover the blessings of private Christian homeschooling – your children will appreciate your caring efforts. In fact, a recent study found that 95% of the homeschool graduates surveyed were glad that they were homeschooled.
What does God say about education?
Homeschooling is the most Biblical form of education. God addresses parents, not government employees, as the educators of their own children:
"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7
"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
- Isaiah 54:13
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
- Proverbs 22:6
Jesus said: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."
- Luke 6:39, 40
"Learn not the way of the heathen."
- Jeremiah 10:2
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
- Proverbs 13:20
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On Saturday, May 2, Exploring Homeschooling will be hosting
a Homeschool Information Night featuring a panel of homeschool support group
leaders. The panel will include:
Janice Henry is currently a member of the
Regional Advisory Board of the statewide organization, Christian Home Educators
of California (CHEA). In 1992 she and her husband, Kirk, entered homeschool
leadership, in spite of the fact that they had just begun to homeschool
themselves. The initial group of people, who were simply interested in getting
information about homeschooling, developed into a CHEA Support Group and
Independent Student Program. With members in Los Angeles, Orange, and
surrounding counties, Southern California Christian Academy (SCCA) continues to help
families homeschool with joy and excellence. Janice's warm yet thought
provoking messages encourage parents to build strong children and youth for the
Kingdom of God through private Christian education in the
home.
Debe Haller, wife to Danny for 35 years, and
mother of four home-schooled graduates, has been a respected leader in home
education for over twenty years. With truth and humor she shares Biblical
principles and practical applications she has learned by the grace of God in the
areas of being a wife, creative ways to get children to cooperate, teaching
techniques, and home school organization. The Haller family own and operate Hope Country Schoolhouse
Homeschool Book Store and Hope
Christian Academy PSP in Garden Grove. Debe is the author of The
Challenge of Raising Cain and Mrs. Mom: Agonized or
Organized?
Rebecca Kocsis, is a veteran homeschooling
mother, Support Network Director for the Christian Home Educators Association of California. Along
with her husband, Ed, she graduated all five of her children from their
homeschool and is proud to say that her grandchildren are now being
homeschooled, as well. Rebecca serves as the Director of Olive Tree
Christian School, a PSP serving Riverside County and much of the surrounding
Southland.
Terri Bonstrom and husband Greg recently
celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. They have one son, Jimmy, who will be
16 in May of this year. Jimmy has been homeschooled since birth. Greg and
Terri currently lead a support group for families, South Orange County Christian
hOmeschoolers (SOCCO), which offers a private website for members to share their
homeschool trials and triumphs, and to volunteer their God-given resources with
each other to support one another in their homeschool journey. For more
information on SOCCO, please visit the public website: www.socco-online.com
Toni Muus and her husband Jerry have been
married for 33 years and have homeschooled their three children since 1988.
Their youngest son will be graduating in 2010. Along with homeschooling Toni
has been in some form of leadership with Whittier Christian Schools
PSP and has been its Director since 1999.
Posted by Considering Homeschooling.
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Kathy Lowers, Founder of Considering Homeschooling
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Classic considering homeschooling... from Considering Homeschooling:
Will your children believe in Jesus when they graduate from high school?
Homeschooled: 94%
Public Schooled: 15%
94% of homeschoolers keep the faith and 93% continue to attend church after the high school years. But a shocking 75% to 85% of Christian children sent to public school drop out of church, and do not hold a Christian worldview after high school graduation.
There has never been a better time to homeschool...
Never before have parents had access to such a wealth of educational resources and technology for home education. And, Christian homeschool support groups abound, offering parents a helping hand in homeschooling.
There is an abundance of extra-curricula activities for homeschoolers to participate in, with opportunities for wholesome friendships and real-life learning experiences.
Homeschoolers avoid harmful school environments where God is mocked, where destructive peer influence is the norm, where drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and homosexuality are promoted, and where school violence is on the rise.
By grade eight, the average homeschooled student performs four grade levels above their public and private school counterparts.
A background in teaching is not necessary; in fact, "home educated students' test scores remained between the 80th and 90th percentiles, whether their mothers had a college degree or did not complete high school."
How to get started homeschooling...
It is natural to feel uncertain when you begin. Pray and trust God for the confidence you need. Get the support of other believers by contacting the homeschool organization listed on the back of this brochure.
Research homeschooling by attending Christian homeschool conventions and reading books like Home Schooling: The Right Choice by Christopher Klicka.
Keep your young ones home and out of preschool which disrupts family bonding, teaches inconsistent discipline, and exposes children to harmful peer behavior.
Avoid government homeschooling programs such as "charter schools" and public school independent study programs. These government programs usurp the father’s God-given headship over the family and focus the homeschool on humanist goals and curriculum.
Discover the blessings of private Christian homeschooling – your children will appreciate your caring efforts. In fact, a recent study found that 95% of the homeschool graduates surveyed were glad that they were homeschooled.
What does God say about education?
Homeschooling is the most Biblical form of education. God addresses parents, not government employees, as the educators of their own children:
"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7
"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
- Isaiah 54:13
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
- Proverbs 22:6
Jesus said: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."
- Luke 6:39, 40
"Learn not the way of the heathen."
- Jeremiah 10:2
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
- Proverbs 13:20
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I always thought there should be country wide protests against government on tax day -- at least until all involuntary taxation was eliminated.
When someone suggested I attend a "tea party" my reply was something like "been there, done that... what's the point?" True, I was a member of Young Americans for Freedom and a long-time pro-life activist, so protesting is in my blood. But, in the last few years I have soured somewhat on street activism, at least for myself. Then I realized that our local tea party was on tax day... tax day! Now it made sense.
Here is my tax plank from my only run for public office some ten plus years ago:
"All involuntary taxation is equivalent to armed robbery and is immoral. I support any measure that relieves the burden of taxation from the individual and family. Furthermore, I support any tax relief measure that promotes and protects the Christian family. For example, two-parent single-income families should be exempt from state and federal income taxes. Families without children in public schools should be exempt from all property taxes. And, tax credits for children should start at conception."
So my son and I ventured out this afternoon... it wasn’t exactly Boston Harbor in the dead of night or under the threat of execution for sedition... but I was impressed with the turnout in our sleepy seasonal retirement community. Two thousand plus patriots of diverse backgrounds.
Never have I heard so many cries against "socialism" from average folks. A number of people came up to my son and said they were there "for his future". The realization that he was homeschooled answered with enthusiastic "God bless you" from strangers. And everywhere God fearing people with a true love of liberty.
I do not get the sense that these protests are just Presidential election whiplash as some would suggest -- most of the people on the street seem to realize that we simply traded one flavor of socialism for another. The left will dismiss these protests as irrelevant and reactionary right wing tantrums. Perhaps the left dismisses them at the peril of their own political power.
This grassroots movement is perhaps the beginning of something far more profound and lasting, perhaps the grumblings of a revolution.
I hope my son can someday tell the tale to his grandchildren of when the tide was turned against the steady creep of collectivism and tyranny. And, I hope it is a tale of a democratic people peaceably taking individual responsibility and flexing the machinery of republican government to refresh the tree of liberty. Let’s all help to prove Thomas Jefferson’s adage wrong: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure." To paraphrase Franklin, we have a republic, let's keep it.
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He has risen indeed...
Matthew 28:1-17
Mark 16:1-14
Luke 24:1-49
John 20 - John 21
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Classic considering homeschooling... from Considering Homeschooling:
Will your children believe in Jesus when they graduate from high school?
Homeschooled: 94%
Public Schooled: 15%
94% of homeschoolers keep the faith and 93% continue to attend church after the high school years. But a shocking 75% to 85% of Christian children sent to public school drop out of church, and do not hold a Christian worldview after high school graduation.
There has never been a better time to homeschool...
Never before have parents had access to such a wealth of educational resources and technology for home education. And, Christian homeschool support groups abound, offering parents a helping hand in homeschooling.
There is an abundance of extra-curricula activities for homeschoolers to participate in, with opportunities for wholesome friendships and real-life learning experiences.
Homeschoolers avoid harmful school environments where God is mocked, where destructive peer influence is the norm, where drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and homosexuality are promoted, and where school violence is on the rise.
By grade eight, the average homeschooled student performs four grade levels above their public and private school counterparts.
A background in teaching is not necessary; in fact, "home educated students' test scores remained between the 80th and 90th percentiles, whether their mothers had a college degree or did not complete high school."
How to get started homeschooling...
It is natural to feel uncertain when you begin. Pray and trust God for the confidence you need. Get the support of other believers by contacting the homeschool organization listed on the back of this brochure.
Research homeschooling by attending Christian homeschool conventions and reading books like Home Schooling: The Right Choice by Christopher Klicka.
Keep your young ones home and out of preschool which disrupts family bonding, teaches inconsistent discipline, and exposes children to harmful peer behavior.
Avoid government homeschooling programs such as "charter schools" and public school independent study programs. These government programs usurp the father’s God-given headship over the family and focus the homeschool on humanist goals and curriculum.
Discover the blessings of private Christian homeschooling – your children will appreciate your caring efforts. In fact, a recent study found that 95% of the homeschool graduates surveyed were glad that they were homeschooled.
What does God say about education?
Homeschooling is the most Biblical form of education. God addresses parents, not government employees, as the educators of their own children:
"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7
"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
- Isaiah 54:13
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
- Proverbs 22:6
Jesus said: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."
- Luke 6:39, 40
"Learn not the way of the heathen."
- Jeremiah 10:2
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
- Proverbs 13:20
|
Posted by Considering Homeschooling
For all our friends in Southern California, Exploring Homeschooling of Orange County is once again hosting an incredibly informative "Homeschool Information Night" on Saturday, March 28, 2009 with special guest speaker Janice Henry.
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Posted by: Considering Homeschooling
The North Dakota Home School Association (NDHSA) 2009 Home School Convention is March 19-21, 2009 in Jamestown, ND. Workshops and guest speakers include:
Michael P. Farris is Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and Chancellor of Patrick Henry College.
George Escobar is the founder of Advent Film Group (AFG) and has over 20 years experience in film, television and interactive media. He has worked for top executives in the industry including Sony CEO, Fox Network and TELE-TV SVP. Prior to AFG, Escobar was VP of Product Development for Discovery, Executive Director for AOL/Time Warner and is former producing Fellow from the American Film Institute Conservatory. He holds seven U.S. patents in technology and user-interface design.
Most recently, George co-produced, directed, and scripted COME WHAT MAY in association with Patrick Henry College (PHC). Mike Farris, founder and chancellor of PHC, plays the moot court coach in the movie. COME WHAT MAY was made by and stars homeschooled students.
George acknowledges, “When I was in Hollywood I was a marginal Christian. I knew Christ, but I didn’t live for Him. Now, as a more mature Christian, I can clearly see and appreciate why the Lord literally pulled me away from Hollywood. I might have grown to become a successful filmmaker, but I would have been an ineffective ambassador for Christ. The Lord first had to mold and remake me as a homeschool dad of three sons and a devoted husband to my wife, Claire, for 20 years. More importantly, I needed to learn that the Lord comes first in everything I do. That includes my family, church, education, world view, my craft as a filmmaker, the people I work with and the organizations I support.â€
Theresa Deckert lives in Devils Lake, ND with her husband Jeff. They have been homeschooling in the state of North Dakota for 24 years. Their two oldest children have graduated from their homeschool and are married. Theresa is currently homeschooling a senior and a 2nd grader. She and her husband serve on the board of the North Dakota Homeschool Association. She is also part of the legislative team working toward a better law for our state and the Lake Region Area Homeschoolers. Her passion as a board member and a workshop leader is to represent and help those who are just beginning this amazing journey called homeschooling.
Steve Demme and his wife Sandra have been married for over 29 years. They have been blessed with four boys: Isaac, 28; Ethan, 26; Joseph, 23; and Johnny, 21. With God’s help, they have all been home educated. Steve addresses a variety of topics at homeschool conferences to encourage parents in their God-given responsibilities of raising and training their children for His glory. He and Sandra have created the Math•U•See Foundation, a nonprofit corporation to assist and encourage parents and families with cassettes, booklets, and other helpful resources. Steve is the author and founder of Math•U•See. He served in full or part time pastoral ministry for many years after graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. www.stevedemme.com
Lois Walfrid Johnson believes that an important part of her call as an author is to restore the spiritual dimension to our understanding of history and religious and political freedoms. Her 29 books and 17 updated editions include three historical series and 21 novels: the Adventures of the Northwoods (1906-07, transition years in MN, WI, and upper MI) and Riverboat Adventures (1857, immigrant, steamboat, and Underground Railroad history). In her Viking Quest series (approximate year 1000) Lois shows a world view in which Vikings came to raid and encountered Christianity. When enough of them became Christians the raids stopped, and courageous sailors changed world history. In the fifth novel, The Raider’s Promise, Lois’ characters join Leif Erikson in founding the only authenticated Viking site in North America. For a partial list of awards received see www.loiswalfridjohnson.com and click the “about Lois†tab.
Peggy Ployhar serves as the MACHE (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators) Special Needs Coordinator with the goal of “Empowering parents to love homeschooling the special needs children God has chosen for their homes.†She says that homeschooling was God’s chosen blessing for their family, an adventure that started almost 6 years ago when her oldest son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Peggy’s passion to serve God where He calls and motivate others through her speaking and counseling to do the same, has given countless individuals the courage to step out in faith and trust. She believes that being in the will of God is the cornerstone of the Christian walk and therefore her lessons, lectures and retreats all center around bringing individuals back to truth in all life circumstances. Peggy is the former MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Area Coordinator for MN, ND and SD, and she is certified by the American Association of Christian Counselors. Peggy lives in Apple Valley, MN with her husband Doug and their three children, two cats and one dog.
Victor Storkel is founder and president of Virtue in Knowledge Publications. He is first a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and has committed his life to follow and apply the teaching of the Bible in all areas of life and to follow the example of Jesus Christ under the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He is also a national speaker and author on the topics of education and critical thinking skill development. He has been a featured speaker at National Home Education Conventions across the country for the last 10 years. He and his wife Gail have 3 children, Crystal, James and Collette. In his spare time he enjoys studying God’s Priceless Word, travel, golf and soccer. www.virtueinknowledge.com
Allen Wold is a former farmer from Wheaton, Minnesota. He has been married to his wife Beth for thirty-two years, and together they have three children and one grandchild. He farmed for twenty-seven years before God led him to enroll at Oak Brook College of Law, a Christian college. He graduated in October 2007. Since the school was online, he homeschooled himself in law while continuing to homeschool his two youngest children.
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Posted by Considering Homeschooling
For all our friends in Southern California, Exploring Homeschooling of Orange County is once again hosting an incredibly informative "Homeschool Information Night" on Saturday, March 28, 2009 with special guest speaker Janice Henry.
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Venessa Mills is fighting a legal battle for the heart and soul of homeschooling in North Carolina. As reported on World Net Daily, on Friday, March 6, Judge Ned W. Mangum stripped her of the right to homeschool, and ordered her three children to enter public school.Â
Mills was forced to defend her right to homeschool during divorce proceedings brought on by her husband's unfaithfulness. Mr. Mills admitted, under oath, to repeatedly committing adultery. Even with abundant evidence showing the Mills children are well adjusted and well educated, Judge Mangum ruled overwhelmingly against Mrs. Mills on every point. He stated the children would do better in public school despite the fact that they are currently at or beyond their grade level. Evidence showed two children tested several grades ahead.
When issuing his verdict Judge Mangum stated his decision was not ideologically or religiously motivated. However, he told Mrs. Mills public school will "challenge the ideas you've taught them."
What has emerged is a picture of a clearly liberal judge imposing his beliefs and striking down traditional values. Mangum, a Democrat appointee, disregarded the facts of the case in favor of his own agenda. Such anti-conservative prejudice is increasingly legislated from the bench, and appears to be encouraged by the Democratic Obama administration.
Robyn Williams, friend and homeschool mother of four was present at the proceeding. "I have never seen such injustice and such a direct attack against homeschooling," said Williams. "This judge clearly took personal issue with Venessa's stance on education and faith, even though her children are doing great. If her right to homeschool can be taken away so easily, what will this mean for homeschoolers state wide, or even nationally?"
On March 24th lawmakers in North Carolina will be reminded of the sheer numbers of homeschoolers in their state. As students and their parents descend on the capitol, organizers of the Capital Fest 2009 field trip will show they have a voice in North Carolina legislation regarding education.
Williams is rallying homeschoolers from across the nation to fight back to defend their rights as Americans to educate their children. She feels the judge has been given a free hand to impose his personal opinions and needs to reexamine his decisions. Please subscribe to Robyn's blog and join the fight for protecting everyone's homeschool rights (www.hsinjustice.com).
For more information or to schedule an interview contact Adam Cothes at [email protected] or call 253-797-6194.
The public is being encouraged to take these action steps:
1. Forward this message to every person on your contact list, and all those interested in protecting basic American rights. After the right to educate is gone, property and other basic rights will follow.
2. Read the blog at www.hsinjustice.com
3. Contact three officials to express your outrage at Venessa Mills' right to homeschool being taken away and the prejudicial orders of this judge. Three or four short emails or phone calls could be the difference for these kids, and many more like them.
You can reference the case number: #08CVD17753
Judge's Supervisor
Judicial Standards Commission
P.O. Box 1122
Raleigh, North Carolina 27602
919-831-3630
State Legislators
NC Senate--Neal Hunt (R)
919-733-5850
[email protected]
NC House--Ty Harrell (D)
919-733-5602
[email protected]
North Carolina Governor
Governor Bev Perdue
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Phone: (919)733-4240
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Book Review by Kathy Lowers (and by Victoria Lowers, age 7)
Title: Katy
Author and Illustrator:Â Mary Evelyn Notgrass
ISBN number: 1-933410-86-8
Approximate reading level: Ages 7-12
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Are your kids on MySpace or Facebook? Then they may be facing the same dangers that they might in public school. Â
According to the New York Times and Washington Post, MySpace has deleted 29,000 registered sexual predators from its membership and Facebook is not far behind... and those are just the sexual predators that they found out about!
The good news is that there is a full featured, parent driven social networking site on the way just for Christian homeschoolers. I can't divulge too much right now as the project is still in development, but the principals are interested in finding likeminded Christian homeschoolers as investors and ministry partners for this new online community.
If you are interested in becoming an investor or ministry partner in this ground floor opportunity, please email [email protected].
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To all our friends and everyone considering homeschooling in Orange County, California:
This month's Exploring Homeschooling™ Orange County is a special introduction to homeschooling by Susan Beatty, founder of the Christian Home Educators Association of California. Today, Susan is a leader in the homeschool movement, but at one time she started too. Come learn for yourself or to introduce a friend to the how and why of private Biblical homeschooling. You will learn:
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Part Three of a Series by Kathy Lowers
Founder of Considering HomeschoolingÂ
If I could take every conservative Christian parent to their neighborhood abortion clinic parking lot for a "field trip," I think I could convince most of them to homeschool. I would only need about an hour. Let me take you there on a Saturday morning…
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This weekend, I was at in a quandary at the library -- I had reached the 100 book limit on my card again, and this did not reflect the other books we had out on another card. The librarian, with a knowing smile exclaimed, "you must be a homeschooler!"
We then got into a conversation about why homeschoolers are noted for reading a lot more than their schooled counterparts (as an aside – I do screen the books I get from the library for inappropriate content. There are still wholesome fiction books and accurate non-fiction to be found in libraries, if you know what you are looking for, and if your library has not been totally taken over by liberals).
Why is it that home educated children are known for reading a great deal more than typical children?
Looking at our own home, I can see several reasons. First, homeschooled children do not come in after a hard day of traveling to and from school and have to tackle a load of take home assignments. They do their reinforcement work as they learn their subjects and so their nights are not plagued with the burden of homework. And, since a homeschooler’s day is usually shorter in duration than a brick and mortar school day, homeschoolers naturally have more free time to read.Â
In our home we are building what we call a "generational library" -- stocking our shelves with classic and quality Christian books found at garage sales, on-line, etc. that cannot be found in the secular libraries. The library we have in our home is brimming with all kinds of edifying gems our children love to read again and again. In addition, our church has an expanding family resource room that is brimming with God-centered reading materials. And, we go to the library, on average, twice a week.
Most homeschool families I know have unplugged the TV and are not engaged in the entertainment gamer craze. It is no wonder, then, that no one has to force anyone to read in our home -- whenever they get a free moment, our children grab a good book and that they are several grade levels ahead in reading.
We are not anti-technology -- far from it -- my husband is a computer programmer, and our children will hopefully reach his level of expertise one day. But, technology can replace book reading in the lives of modern day children. I am convinced there are a multitude of skills such as vocabulary accumulation which are gained by old fashioned book reading that just cannot be obtained elsewhere.
Here is an article in this regard that caught my eye today. Note that is states that among the children surveyed "almost a third take a games console to bed rather than a book, while a quarter never read in their own time". I guess we homeschoolers should be happy when we catch that child with the flashlight, trying to read under the covers!
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From the Boston Herald:
"Christine A. McCallum, 29, who is on leave from her job at an Abington elementary school, was charged yesterday with seven counts of statutory rape for the serial liaisons in Rockland and Abington from February 2006, when she allegedly took the boy’s virginity, to November 2007."
This is just too sickening to comment about... read my comments on any other story about public school teachers sexualy abusing children... Ahhh, that's what they mean by socialization... a PTA mom, a 13-year-old public school boy, and the back seat of an SUV.
Public schools are filled with preditors. It is time for your to stop considering homeschooling and home school now.
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Well, you thought that cell phone would keep your kid safe if there was another school shooting. Who knew the shots would actually be homemade porn made with that very same cell phone?!?
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I keep seeing stories about homeschooled college football star and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
The prospect of competing in high school sports, scouting, and having a professional sports career are not concerns for our family. But, sports are a consideration for many families considering homeschooling, especially as families consider homeschooling high school.
In some states, homeschoolers are able to play on local public school teams. In other states certain homeschoolers are fighting to change laws to allow homeschoolers to play. The public school bureaucrats, of course, don't want private homeschoolers playing on their teams. My personal opinion is that I don't want anything the government schools have to offer. With "free" goodies comes control and government control of my home school would be an anathema.
The good news is that the options for private sports training are many and varied. Private and amateur leagues abound in most metro areas. For example, the Oklahoma Christian Home Educated Football Association is a nonprofit Christian athletic organization established to serve homeschool families in Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas.
Although the public schools may have larger programs for traditional team sports, we live in a new world order of sporting. Baseball and American football are not Olympic sports. (Baseball and softball was voted off the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.) The internet provides a medium for acquiring the best training information regardless of your locale.
So, if it’s the training, discipline, team experience, or personal confidence that you are hoping sports will help provide your children, homeschooling is still the best option... if your children love the Lord, sports is just another avenue where these positive character traits can be a good witness.
Let's pray that Tim Tebow can continue to be a good witness for the Lord and homeschoolers.
Here is some Tim Tebow biography from Wikipedia:
Timothy "Tim" Richard Tebow (born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the Florida Gators. He was the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season and was the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.
Tebow played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where he became a Division I-A recruit and ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a senior. After a tight recruiting battle, he chose to attend the University of Florida over the University of Alabama. Tebow, being a dual threat quarterback adept at rushing and passing the football, was used in his freshman season largely as a change of pace to the Gators' more traditional quarterback, Chris Leak. His contribution in the 2006 college football season was as a key reserve who helped the Gators win college football's national championship game for the first time since 1996.
As a sophomore in the 2007 season, he became the Gators' starting quarterback and broke the Southeastern Conference records for both rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns accounted for in a single season. In addition to the Heisman Trophy, his performance in 2007 also earned him the Maxwell Award as the nation's top football player, the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback, and the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport.
Tebow was born on August 14, 1987 in the Philippines to Bob and Pam Tebow, who were serving as Christian missionaries at the time. While pregnant Pam suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of extremely strong drugs used to bring her out of a coma and to relieve her dysentery, the fetus had experienced a severe placental abruption. Expecting a stillbirth, doctors recommended an abortion to protect her own life. She carried the baby to term, and both mother and child survived.
All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family’s deep Christian beliefs along the way. In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. The law specifies that homeschooled students may participate on the team of the local school in the school district in which they live. The Tebows lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tim played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he began to explore his options to play for a new high school. He decided to attend Nease High School, which under head coach Craig Howard was known for having a passing offense. With the rest of his family living on a farm in Duval County, Tim and his mother moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the football team at Nease. His performance soon began to turn some heads, and led to a minor controversy over him being a homeschooled student that chose for which school he wanted to play.
As a junior at Nease, Tebow’s stock rose as he became a major college football quarterback prospect and was named the state of Florida's Player of the Year. He would repeat as Player of the Year in his senior season. One of his highlights as a high school athlete was finishing a game on a broken leg. During his senior season he led the Nease Panthers to a state title, earned All-State honors, was named Florida's Mr. Football and a Parade All-American. Tebow finished his high school career with 9,810 passing yards, 3,186 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns and 62 rushing touchdowns. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game in San Antonio, Texas which features the top 78 senior high school football players in the nation and is shown nationally on NBC television.
Tebow was considered one of the nation’s top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN “Faces in Sports” documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim’s homeschool controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process. Tim Tebow was also featured in Sports Illustrated on the “Faces in the Crowd” page. In 2007 he was named to FHSAA's All-Century Team that listed the Top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100 year history of high school football.
Despite having family ties to the University of Florida, where his parents first met as students, he remained open-minded during the recruiting process and became very close to Alabama coach Mike Shula. After careful consideration he decided to play for Urban Meyer's Florida Gators. One of the reasons he chose Florida was because of Meyer's spread option offense, an offense for which Tebow was deemed a prototypical quarterback.
Tebow spent the last three summers before enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work.
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This from the Palm Beach Post:
Three students at Glades Middle School in Miramar were suspended this week and face expulsion after school administrators say they were engaged in inappropriate sexual activity in a classroom.
One female and two male seventh-graders may have been involved in sexual activity for several weeks, school district spokesman Keith Bromery said.
Two seventh-grade teachers have been reassigned to work away from students while the district investigates, Bromery said.
The activity was allegedly going on in their classrooms," Bromery said. "They're responsible for maintaining a certain decorum."
He said none of the students are being accused of rape. Other students may have been involved aside from the three suspended - all of whom are about 13 years old.
"These three are the perpetrators," Bromery said.
Principal Krista Herrera sent a letter home with students Tuesday, assuring parents that students at the school are safe.
Reason 524,237 to start your home school today.
I like the quote about the "reassigned pending an investigation" teachers: "They're responsible for maintaining a certain decorum." No word yet if these are former "Teacher of the Year" awardees.
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[Editor: Considering Homeschooling is proud to present this special guest column by Michedolene Hogan of Unique Parenting.]
By: Michedolene Hogan
When parents send their children to school, they expect for their children to be taught the necessary academic skills appropriate for their age. Yet, there scope of education is growing at an alarming rate. Schools have begun to overstep their boundaries and assume the role of the home in many aspects such as the socialization of our children.
According to the 2003 Webster's New World dictionary, to socialize means to make fit for living in a group. This definition is similar to that found in the 1810 Merriam-Webster which states: To make social: especially to fit or train for a social environment.
In order to be properly socialized, children must be able to be sociable, having a disposition to associate and converse with others. Children must have the ability to join in company or society and to unite in a general interest. Children must also have the ability to work in conjunction with others in the community and conform to laws. Children must exhibit respect for authority and an understanding of how the world works. Observation and practice are the main tools that children employ in order to learn these social skills.
Based on the aforementioned necessary skills one would assume that the best place to learn such skills is in a classroom surrounded with peers and authority figures, right? Wrong.
What kids really learn in traditional public education settings
Traditional public schools settings are not as idealistic. Children may be surrounded by their peers but, these are not the best role models for social behavior. In schools, children often meet peers who are involved in delinquency, low academic achievement and exhibiting behavior problems. These are the children who get the most attention from their teachers and as a result, stand out to their peers. In the end, our children learn an unacceptable concept of social behavior by practicing what they observe. Despite this reality, the school continues to take the lead in training children for social situations.
Raymond and Dorothy Moore, in their research on the validity of Early Childhood Education, determined that enrollment in formal schooling before ages 8-12 was not as effective as projected, but put children’s development at risk. They presented evidence of a correlation between the following childhood problems and the increasingly earlier enrollment of students:
Juvenile delinquency
Nearsightedness
Increased enrollment of students in special education classes
Behavioral problems
Early enrollment in schools interrupts bonds and emotional development that children form in the home with parents. This damage, as found by the Raymond and Dorothy Moore, is not repaired in an institutional setting.
Over 8,000 studies were conducted in the 1970’s by the Moores. In the end, they concluded that, “Where possible, children should be withheld from formal schooling until at least ages 8-10” because, “children are not mature enough for formal school programs until their senses, coordination, neurological development and cognition are ready.”
Another theory, developed by teacher John Caldwell Holt, stated that “academic failure of school children was caused by pressure placed on children in schools.” He declared in 1980, “I want to make it clear that I don't see home schooling as some kind of answer to badness of schools. I think that the home is the proper base for the exploration of the world which we call learning or education. Home would be the best base no matter how good the schools were.”
The school setting expects children to handle a whole new set of emotions as early as 3 years of age. At this tender age, children do not even understand their emotions, much less know how to appropriately deal with them. Children end up imitating their peers, whom as stated earlier may be involved in a number of behavior issues. The impact of a child’s sociability is an absolutely harmful progression away from positive sociability and self-concept.
This progression is best explained in When Education Becomes Abuse: A Different Look at the Mental Health of Children. Here is their explanation of the sequence of emotions experienced by young children in early childhood settings:
Uncertainty as the child leaves the family for a less secure environment
Puzzlement at the new pressures and restrictions of the classroom
Frustration because they are not ready to handle the regimentation of formal lessons (unready learning tools – senses, cognition, brain hemispheres, coordination)
Hyperactivity growing out of nerves and jitters from frustration
Failure which quite naturally flows from the four experiences above
Delinquency which is failure's twin
Benefits of Home Schooling
Learning in the home is the best option. Home is the where true learning, exploring the world, takes place. ‘Learning’ in this case includes not only academic education but also an understanding of the social environment of the world. Teaching children in the home has countless benefits including:
Home provides the proper atmosphere and value system to build upon.
Home sets the example of honoring and respecting authority.
Home teaches children how to be part of their community both physically and spiritually.
Children with home as their base of exploration benefit from more time spent with warm, responsive parents, limited time with peers and free exploration under parental guidance.
The parents are in control of the social influences and the child isn't exposed to the whirlwind of emotions that come with early childhood education.
Children build a strong bond with the parents as the center example for proper social behavior and are given more opportunities to be among their community in a guided manner.
The National Home Education Research Institute conducted a survey in 2003 of 7,300 adults who had been home schooled. Their astounding results once again make a case for the home; 71% home schooled adults are active and involved in their community compared to 37% of U.S. Adults from a traditional education background. 76% of home schooled adults between 18-24 voted within the last five years compared to 29%. The numbers are even greater in larger groups at 95% compared with 53% of traditional schooled adults. The survey also reported that 58.9% of home schooled adults reported that they are “very happy” with life compared with 27.6% for the general U.S. Population. 73.2% find life “exciting,” compared with 47.3%.
Socialization is to make social: especially to fit or train for a social environment. Children best acquire this skill through the practice and observation in the home, not in the schools. Raymond and Dorothy Moore recognized this need in their first publication in 1975. That was just the tip of the iceberg in the research of socialization and teaching children. Evidence abounds and grows continually to support the home as the best place to socialize our children. Most recently, the NHERI statistics drive home the essential call to all parents to model their successful and productive adult lives with their children as the best social example to follow.
About the Author:
Michedolene Hogan lives in a quiet neighborhood of Yucaipa CA with her husband of 15yrs. Her favorite activities include spending time with her family and crafting fun family activities. She finds her greatest satisfaction in being a stay at home mom raising healthy children and publishes a bi-weekly newsletter offering advice for building strong families.
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Each week Considering Homeschooling recognizes the faithful service of someone getting the message out about homeschooling. This week we recognize Wayne Walker for his blog Hymn Studies, "studies of hymns that can be used in your homeschool as part of your devotions, Bible curriculum, or music study."
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The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
- Luke 15:1-7
If you are ready to start your home school or just considering homeschooling, then call your friends and neighbors together and say, "rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep."
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OK, so my kids have no idea who any on the hottest Hollywood celebrities or pop stars are... no clue. Ask them and they will just stare at you like you are dumb. (I've got to work on their manners!)
As homeschoolers we get to pick and choose who we want to admire and why. The media cannot force feed us or our children because we abstain from their influence altogether. No cable television, no satellite, and only rabbit ears on rare occasions (like when we got a direct hit from Tropical Storm Fey).
So on December 7th, we can look at the lives of real people who made a difference... like those brave men who did their duty for family, liberty, and country on December 7, 1941. Brave men like Cassin Young:
CASSIN YOUNG
Congressional Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy.
Place and date: Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.
Born: 6 March 1894, Washington, D.C.
Appointed from: Wisconsin.
Other Navy award: Navy Cross.
"Comdr. Young proceeded to the bridge and later took personal command of the 3-inch antiaircraft gun. When blown overboard by the blast of the forward magazine explosion of the U.S.S. Arizona, to which the U.S.S. Vestal was moored, he swam back to his ship. The entire forward part of the U.S.S. Arizona was a blazing inferno with oil afire on the water between the 2 ships; as a result of several bomb hits, the U.S.S. Vestal was afire in several places, was settling and taking on a list. Despite severe enemy bombing and strafing at the time, and his shocking experience of having been blown overboard, Comdr. Young, with extreme coolness and calmness, moved his ship to an anchorage distant from the U.S.S. Arizona, and subsequently beached the U.S.S. Vestal upon determining that such action was required to save his ship."
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I spent some time in special education classes as a child for a physical handicap -- a bone disease that, thankfully, that did not progress far enough to cause permanent damage. Of course, my participation in these classes was more about the additional revenue the school would receive from the state than any benefit I received concerning my handicap.
Now, I will qualify this with the acknowledgment that there are likely many good people caring for these children in most schools. However, like any public school teacher, these special needs teachers are strangers caring for children that especially need the loving kindness of mom.
A hat tip to Fearfully and Wonderfully Made for this article from CNN about children forced into cell-like school seclusion rooms.
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