Homeschooling Mistake #3

CLASSROOM SIMULATION:


I would venture to guess that most homeschooling moms have spent time in a classroom. Even though I was homeschooled for six years by my parents, I still spent seven years glued to a desk watching an infernal clock ticking oh, so slowly!

But I got an even better advantage for, despite announcing how much I hated school on the first day of kindergarten, I spent four and a half years as a teacher before coming home to raise my own children.

Now, I have what they call "School Fever". It's like Spring Fever, only it happens every August. I start to smell those bouquets of sharpened pencils. I pull out Maps and Charts and draw Wall Calendars on Poster board. And, I write out elaborate lesson plans that I know I will never, ever follow!

Then, right about now (February) I start groaning about all those good intentions from August and wondering whatever became of them!

You may be thinking: Her oldest daughter just turned six, what does she know about this? Well, we've been "doing school" for three years-- at least. (I know, poor Joanna!)

That brings me to today's title: The Mistake of School Simulation.

Does it seem a little ironic to you that we remove our students from a classroom environment and then try to recreate that environment for them at home?

Recently, a friend gave me a box of activities that a friend of hers didn't need. This box was chock full of laminated critters teaching consonant blends, time, etc... You know, the same stuff our teachers used to give us to catch our attention or occupy us when bored. Then my friend told me that the lady who created those items so carefully, drawing them out, cutting, laminating, adding brads when appropriate, and etc... had only lasted a few months in homeschooling.

I didn't mean to be rude and honestly tried hard to suppress that laugh, but looking at the box in my hands I knew exactly why she had given up homeschooling!

This lady (like so many other homeschoolers) was trying to simulate a classroom experience for her children. She wanted the bulletin boards, the activities, the maps, the marker-boards, the calendars, etc, etc, etc... just like her classroom. And, in her mind, she was a failure if she couldn't produce it.

Think about it: the only reason we need bulletin boards in a classroom, is so everyone in the room can see them. When you have a few students, this is unnecessary! Another purpose of bulletin boards is to impress the parents with the subjects being taught, when and if they should chance a visit. When you're homeschooling, that's never a problem.

Now, I love maps. As a teenager, my bedroom wall was decorated with maps. I've got nothing against them (or bulletin boards, for that matter) but I'm trying to press a point.

If we're going to try to simulate a classroom "experience" for our children, then we shouldn't be surprised when discouragement hits right about now. But what is our goal? To educate our children for the glory of God, or to recreate an environment that we've been told is the only key to learning?

If you answered the latter, then you might want to chance a glimpse at some public school SAT scores...



Other articles in this series:
Homeschooling Mistake #1
Homeschooling Mistake #2

The Case of the Missing Mountain

Why shouldn't you tell jokes to a volcano?

(It might start cracking up!)

Now, before you all groan and walk away, I'd like to tell you about an awesome book and concept that suddenly appeared in my mail box last week. I had completely forgotten that I agreed to review The Case of the Missing Mountain this summer, but I'm tickled pink that my blog was chosen for the task. =)
 

Click here for more details and ordering info

Written by Kim G. Jones, a former guide at the Mount St. Helens' Seven Wonders Museum, this book is like a glorified version of Ranger Rick. And I say "glorified" for two reasons:

1. It is much better quality, as a book rather than a magazine. With 80 full-color pages and paper back binding, the book is filled inside and out with adventure and fun. The publisher, Master Books, is well-known for their exceptional work of publishing, and the author has done a remarkable job letting children interact with the book rather than just read it.

2. It is also "glorified" because it glorifies the Creator and teaches children the Truths of Creation from the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Hidden in the 80 pages, you are likely to find:

• Secret Codes
• Word searches
• Gorgeous photos
• Mazes
• Fill in the blanks
• Science experiments
• Fun Facts
• Volcano jokes
• Hidden Ranger Clues
• And MUCH, MUCH more!

 When the book is finished and all the clues uncovered, the children can go to Kim Jones' website: thenaturetour.com to receive their Official Mystery Ranger Certificate and Badge.

Personally, if my children were just a little bit older, I would use this for at least a full semester of science, supplementing with a few Creation videos. But it doesn't have to be used as school-work! I have a feeling that if you gave this book to any adventurous young person, they would instantly disappear themselves and re-emerge much wiser! 

Homeschooling Mistake #2

I guess living in the Amish community gave me a different perspective on a lot of issues. While we were there, one teenage boy chopped off his big toe with a machete. Ouch! But there was no screaming, no panic, no trips to the ER or calls to the doctor. The boy's dad simply went for the sewing kit and stitched that toe back on the foot with a needle and thread!

In our one-room schoolhouse, the "teacher door" was a revolving one. Unmarried girls from the community were all expected to take a turn teaching school for a year. There wasn't a specified teacher with a degree who continued as headmistress until retirement. All of the teachers had no more than a seventh or eighth grade education and none of them continued to teach after marriage.

But our world is so different than that. We idolize "professionals" and "education". We look to the government for aid and put doctors, lawyers, and teachers on pedestals-- whether they deserve it or not. If someone has a degree, that must mean they know what they're saying, right?

Wrong. I've known people with more degrees than a thermometer that just needed a good ol' dose of common sense!

Homeschoolers are not exempt from this "professional" mind-set. More and more are succumbing to government aid programs, as though they are incapable of giving their own children a good education. In our cyber-age of Wikipedia and Google, it seems we have forgotten that nothing is really free. And I fear the cost is far greater than any of us can afford.

Commenting on this homeschooling trend toward government assistance, Pastor Voddie Baucham, Jr. drew a parallel with the infamous Trojan horse saying,

"Individuals who could not get in through the front gate, 

have somehow found a way to give us a "gift". 

And this "gift" that we think is a trophy of our victory, 

is ultimately a ploy for our adversary to come in unaware."

"Equo ne credite, Teucri. 

Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes." 

 

Do not trust the horse, Trojans! 

Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even bringing gifts.

(Laocoön from Virgil's Aeneid: Book II)

Trailer for "Exposing a Trojan Horse," 

produced by The National Alliance of Christian Home Education Leadership.

Previous Post:

 Homeschooling Mistake #1

What I want to say on Mother's Day...

Have you ever gone to the store before Mother's Day to pick out the perfect card and then spent 2 hours-- not finding it? My problem is that, even when I find the card that says exactly what I want it to say, I know, deep down, that my Mom would never believe it.

On Christmas Night, I had a long talk with my Mom. And, although words aren't usually a problem for me, I couldn't seem to say what I wanted. (She's going to kill me for making this a blog post, but I think this is something every Mom needs to hear.)

 When we were little, Mom stayed home with us. But as soon as my brother was in kindergarten, she started working; first in daycare, but eventually she got a nice job at a Mortgage Company where she was promoted to Supervisor, against her wishes. I remember visiting her in her HUGE office and being enthralled by her electric pencil sharpener. Wow! It made me want to burst with pride to see how important my Mommy was.

But how was I to know that she was troubled by her job? Listening to John McArthur on the radio as he talked about a woman's sacred calling, Mom knew that her place was at home. She talked to Dad and prayed, but raising a family on his teacher salary left no promise for the future.

God works in mysterious ways. And if Mom had known that her prayers would land her in an Amish community; with no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no transportation, she may have prayed a little differently!

Imagine yourself in her shoes...

It was difficult. Mom refers to it now as her "wilderness experience". The pressures of an unknown life, and constantly comparing herself to the more-than-capable Amish women, was staggering. There were times she tried to leave, but she always came back. Always.

Today, even after raising four children and adopting three more, Mom doesn't think she has any special gifts; she doesn't enjoy cooking, sewing, baking, and all the other little "homemaker" chores. But she's faithful-- and that is more important than anything.

(S)he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
(Luke 16:10)

 Do you ever get tired of all the mundane chores? The ones nobody sees? Laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, wiping noses and cleaning bottoms? Your Heavenly Father sees and He blesses you for your faithfulness. He never said our job would be easy, but He did promise that it would be rewarding, even if we don't see it now.

A true mother is one of the holiest secrets of home happiness. God sends many beautiful things to this world, many noble gifts; but no blessing is richer than that which He bestows in a mother who has learned love's lessons well, and has realized something of the meaning of her sacred calling. ~ J.R. Miller

 I am so blessed to have a mother that, regardless of what the world screamed at her, regardless of her own upbringing and short-comings, she understood her calling and desired to follow God-- instead of man.

Her children rise up and call her "blessed"

My parents and their nine grand-babies!

"And you mix it altogether for a happy family!"

Homeschooling Mistake #1

I've been around homeschoolers for twenty-three years and can remember when it was unusual, unheard-of, and absurd. Back then, no one asked, "How do you socialize?" They hadn't had time to come up with dumb questions like that. And forget about support groups or co-ops: there weren't enough homeschoolers in the state to fill up a conference room! (OK, that might be a slight exaggeration...)

Gradually, homeschooling became more and more popular, with parents pulling their children out of public and private schools in droves. Now, everywhere you turn, you run into these unsocialized homeschoolers. If they aren't winning the National Spelling Bee or playing quarterback at the University of Florida, then they're lawyers, doctors, or worse; they're Moms raising the next generation of homeschoolers!!!

Yep. That would be me. I know my parents weren't perfect, but I will forever bless them for their decision to homeschool before it was cool. And it is my delight to be homeschooling their grandchildren in an age when homeschooling is rampant and homeschoolers are thriving.

As a homeschooled child, the only thing I regretted was not being able to do Drama. Today, it is my delight to teach Drama to homeschooled children, through our local co-op. Most of them realize what a blessing it is to have this available to them and they throw themselves whole-heartedly into the productions.

(Some of my students in our "Lightning Larry" performance)

But I worry about some families. It seems they've forgotten that the first word in homeschool is HOME. Driving here and there for volleyball games, piano lessons, 4-H, Algebra lessons, etc, etc, etc... the poor mothers are run ragged by the crazy demands of their children. Personally, I don't know how they can afford it, and it definitely boggles my mind that anyone would assume responsibility for their child's education and then shift it to untold teachers and groups! How can you call that homeschool? It seems that we have become so busy with extra-curriculars that we have forgotten what is truly important: shaping the lives and the characters of our children-- at home.

I do love our co-op. The opportunity to get together once a week with like-minded families and to share our talents with each other is such a blessing. And I love to teach Drama! That's hard to do with a classroom of three. But I believe we should all keep things in perspective and remember that homeschooling is just that-- schooling done at home. 

Supplementing His Income

As many of you know, my husband and I have been looking for a way to supplement his income. At first, I watched children in my home, and while I enjoyed many aspects of that, trying to raise two families was emotionally difficult. Blogging has been fun, but other than winning one giveaway and being rewarded for blogging about Shutterfly, my blog has not contributed financially in any way.


Recently, I've looked into different internet opportunities but was scared to try anything, afraid that I'd get knee-deep in strange waters, and have no one available to bail me out.

Then, about a month ago, Thom and I contacted Papa Don Schroeder here in Pensacola. He and his son, Michael, own the local CNN radio station and both have impeccable reputations in this community. They told us about a new organization: Monitium, which is revolutionizing network marketing. Created by reputable network marketers for the protection of others, the whole organization is top-notch and rather impressive.

Right now, from December 15-January 15, you can join Monitium for FREE! This is a value of $118! Just follow the link, add your contact info, and I'll get back with you. Or call me directly with any questions you may have. (850) 453-8071.

Monitium: Thom and Mary

Thom and I joined with great excitement, and would love to share with you the opportunity to create multiple income streams within your own family.

BOOK GIVEAWAY ON LAF

Check out the book/bundle giveaway on Ladies Against Feminism! I am increasingly impressed by the quality of books being published by Master Books/New Leaf Press/Attic Books. This giveaway is really impressive, with three different packages available. But the deadline is midnight tonight EST. Hurry...


Click here and leave a comment on LAF to enter the Book Giveaway.

Package #1 Morning and Evening Devotional/Journal

Package #2: Life of Washington/For You They Signed

Package #3: Children's Illustrated Bible/Passport to the World