Persevere, Encourage, and Connect

Have you ever heard the legend of Pheiddippides?  According to legend, Pheidippides was sent from Marathon, where a battle had raged, to Athens letting the people there know of the outcome of the battle. After allegedly running 150 miles without stopping he burst into the assembly and announced the victory over the Persians and then collapsed and died.  Some legends say that he ran there and back and lived.  Who knows?  All I know is that we derive the term marathon from this legend.

  Now, I am a runner.  I like to run(not 150 miles).  It does something to my brain. When I go periods without spiking my serotonin levels, people around me pay for it.  I, however, am not a long distance runner.  30-45 minutes is enough for me.  I thought at 1 time that I wanted to run a marathon but after looking at the training schedule decided that I didn’t have 4-6 hours per day to devote to running 4-5 days per week.  As educators, we are in it for the long haul!  Some of you reading this have run to Athens and back and have finished the race.  Some are nearer to the end and some are closer to the beginning but we are all running.  Ask any veteran educator and he/she will tell you that perseverance was the key.  We want to finish well. 

 1 Cor 9:24-27 says:

²⁴ In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. ²⁵ All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
²⁶ So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. ²⁷ No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules and fail to win the prize.

Notice, he didn’t say that you were going to win but to run as if you were.  We should never fail to see the prize before us.  What prize do you envision?  A scholarship for college?  Independent learner? Life long learner?  What prize do your children see for themselves at the end?  As they get older, ask them.  Let them have a say(within reason) in what they want for their lives.  Then, begin to run toward that goal with them.

Are you training your whole body and those  of your children?  A great runner doesn’t just work on his legs but works his core and arms and trains his mind for the long run.  How are we training the minds of our children?  Are they getting a well rounded education?  Are we teaching them self-control?  I think that is a fruit of the Spirit that is sorely lacking in the world and I realize that it is sorely lacking in me.  Do we have our kids training for the long haul?  Do we have around us a great cloud of witnesses to bolster us when we fall?  Do our kids have friends that are racing for the same prize?  Moses had people hold his arms up when he could no longer do it himself.  Jesus had the disciples accompany him to pray for Him.  We know from scripture that they fell asleep. TWICE!  When He needed them the most, they were sleeping.  They couldn’t endure!  Imagine how they felt when they knew what He had to endure.  He was headed to torture and death and they were sleeping.  Sometimes, I feel like I am sleeping.  I feel Jesus tell me, “You couldn’t even stay awake for 1 hour.  Look at what I have entrusted to you.  Be vigilant!”  Persevere!

Many of you know my story of AJay and I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say that at 10 weeks pregnant, we were told that there was a 50/50 chance that the baby and I could die.  At 19 weeks I went on bed rest.  At 23 weeks, my waters broke and I entered the hospital.  The Lord brought to mind Romans 5.  We will all suffer trials!  But suffering brings perseverance, perseverance character, character brings hope and hope never disappoints! For 11 weeks, I lay in the bed at Mission while someone else mothered my other children while I carried this one child.  I let God develop my character from my perseverance during this very trying time.  What choice did I have?  2 really: 1 to be grateful for the lesson that I was being taught and to do so with grace and joy or 2 to kick, scream, cry and whine about where God had placed me.  With God’s grace, I was able to endure it with strength.  God’s strength not mine!  I was weak and He was made strong in my weakness.

Now is our time to endure, to keep running steadfast, stay up praying.  Our calling to be parents and educators can be exhausting.  It can bring trials and suffering.  We don’t get the break when our children leave us for 8 hours a day for 180 days out of the year.  What do we get instead?  We get to watch the light go on in our child’s eyes when he masters a concept.  We get to mold and shape our children into godly young people who look for something more in life than what can it benefit me.  We get the blessing of watching our children!  Yes, we only have them for a short time( about a ¼ of their lives) to make them into god-fearing, responsible, life-long learners.   How we endure during this time in their lives will be modeled by our children with theirs.  Are we persevering with grace and mercy or are we kicking, screaming, and whining? 

What Not to Do......

.......when homeschooling your child. I have made every mistake that could possibly be made since I began home schooling my kids 7 years ago. Learn from my foibles....

1) Don't assume that how you begin is how you will finish.
I have changed so much since my 5th grader's kindergarten year. I was so rigid and structured when I started and now I am a little more relaxed. I have morphed into someone I would not have recognized lo that many years ago. I might even look into un-schooling one day. Nah! See there I did it again.

2) Don't let the terminology scare you.
What does that mean? Sometimes, in situations where we are extremely comfortable, we speak with the lingo that is used in that situation. For instance, I wait tables and I use terms like 86'ed and cut and code terms that we use frequently. In home schooling, there are terms like un-schooling, lap booking, note booking, and classic Charlotte Mason. They can be intimidating! Don't let them! Do what you like to do and your kids will like it, as well! They will see your passion and your heart and follow suit.

3) Don't compare yourself to everyone else! We rate ourselves against public schools, private and other home schools. Why do we do that? We just set ourselves up for failure and disappointment when we try to be like others. Our children are different and our families from others. We have different life experiences and expertise from which to draw. Use them to your advantage!

4) If you have multiple children, don't compare them to one another. This is where public schools fail our kids. They lump them all together and expect them to all perform the same. We all have our own talents and as parent/teachers, we should seek to bring out what strengths they have. That is the benefit of having 2, 3, or 4 kids versus 28-30. If your child likes to work with their hands, then let him play with Legos. If your child excels in art, then having them draw or paint while you read to them. The words will sink in more clearly.

5) Don't stress out when you need a mental health day! The rigors of being with your kids all day, everyday can get to you. Bake together or watch a movie. Let the older kids "school" the other ones and watch what happens.

6) Don't do things like public schools do! This is the reason you don't send them there! The way they are doing things does not work for you so why would you even want to do that? Let PS do what they do and you do what you do! For the love of Pete! So, you don't get 180 days or you don't go from 8-3. So what? Of course, check with your state to see what the regs are but relax a little!

These are just a few don'ts. Don't worry! I will be giving some "do"s next week but tomorrow I will tackle don'ts of a public school.

Remember the Alamo

We have been learning some fun things in history. Recently, we learned all about the Alamo. The kids drew a life size (at least for army men) Alamo. They then fought the battle. I will let pictures tell the rest of the story.

Setting up our Mexican army

Ready for attack!

Bird's eye view

The Texans...waiting.  Buzz is Davy Crockett, Mr. Potato Head is Austin

They are attacking!

The carnage when 4000 men attacked 189 and all the Texans died

Santa Anna is victorious...at least for now!

 Fun in home school!  I love it!

MESSIAH Academy-Report Cards

What a year 2011-2012 has been for The MESSIAH Academy!  We have learned so much!!!

My Kindergartner: Summie was an eager leaner and began to read short books on his own by Christmas.  His writing evolved until he was writing at least as nicely as his sisters.  His math skills blew all of us away.  By the end of the year, he can do simple addition in his head i.e 9+5 or 15+20.  Did I mention that he is in kindergarten?  All I can say is that he was a joy to teach!

My 2nd Grader:  Ella struggled at the beginning of the year with spelling.  She just didn't get it.  I began to think that she was dyslexic and had her tested.  She wasn't!  She had a "behavior" problem.  We laid off spelling for about 2 months.  When she told me she was ready, we began again and WOW what a difference!  She could spell.  Her math skills improved and she did really well.  Her favorite subject is history and we did tons of fun things with it including playing a game called Guillotine when we studied the French Revolution.  No worries...no real heads rolled.  It is a card, strategy game.  Her writing improved and she learned to write a simple poem and illustrate it.  Her art abilities would make any art teacher proud!  She really came around and began to read chapter books by herself.  What a sweet child!  I am privileged to be her teacher!

My 4th grader: Isabela really began to excel in her schooling.  She did her math on the computer with a CD-Rom.  At first, she didn't like it but she grew accustomed to it and eventually scored very high on her EOG.  She even says that she likes fractions!  Not me!  Her reading has always been above grade level but her reading comprehension is average so that is something that we will be working on.  Her favorite subjects are science and history.  We did some fun experiments.  They were assigned the task of getting a 50# box up 2 flights of stairs using a piece of plywood and a lever.  She loved levers and points them out every where we go.  Izzy did a big project of the state of NC and a unit book on poetry.  She copied, wrote and illustrated that book.  It turned out to be a beautiful project.  She is a fantastic student who is self-motivated and loves to learn!

Somethings that I did this year to ensure success: I made more hands on activities.  I tried to go on field trips at least every other week.  I required the older ones to volunteer.  I began making them a to-do list of subjects they must get done.   When they checked everything off the list, then they were done.  They like that and it made for an easier day.  I set these tasks the night before and they really lived up to their potential this year.

I look forward to next year but for now I am gonna enjoy my 8 week break!  We have already cleaned the play room/school room and have it organized for July.  Now, I just have to get curriculum for next year and we are all set!

Warning! I Am on My Soap Box!

So you were warned!  I have my knickers in a twist today!  What has me all riled up?  This article or at least the responses to the article.   For those of you not from SC or a nearby state, you may not know what is going on.  Well, I will tell you.  A county in SC approved the right of home schoolers to play sports in the district where they reside.  Some people got their panties in a bunch and now it is a bill that is going to the state house in Columbia.  Here is my opinion(for what it is worth).....
.....I pay taxes in my state.  I pay the same amount as any other person in my bracket pays.  I educate my children in my home.  I am a productive citizen of my state.  I vote!  I volunteer!  I work!  I attend church!  I support my local economy when I can!  So what does my local or state government do for me?  Not a thing!  My kids can't play anything but rec league sports.  I don't get the benefit of using my local schools or the facility without paying for it(I tried to secure a softball field for rec league practice and I was told I would have to pay).  As far as I know, my taxes go to the schools in my state and since I pay federal taxes, too, I suppose education around the nation.  Since my kids are not adding to the teachers' or the schools' burden, shouldn't I get something for my money other than criticism for my choice or others telling me my kids are unsocialized?  That is up for debate!  I think we should or if not, then give me voucher for my money.

What really has me up in arms are the numbers of people who think that children who school at home are unequipped, shy, backwards children who cannot possibly know how to survive in this world.  They won't know how to handle peer pressure and bullying. They are inept, awkward nerds who cannot function without the benefit of public, traditional school.  Let's see...traditional schools are failing American kids.  Our education system is the worst it has ever been, not to mention the most violent.  Many people home educate because they don't want their kids exposed to that kind of behavior.  Scientific research on the brain suggests that people don't reach full maturity until after the age of 25.  That means we are sometimes incapable of making wise decisions until that age.  I want to help my children to learn to think for themselves, critically.  I don't want them to think only about themselves.  I want them to learn that socialization occurs among different age groups.  In the workforce, there are so many different ages, not just others of the same age.  My kids socialize in that way now!  We visit nursing homes and preschools and hang out with the youth in our church.  My 9YO can converse just as easily with anyone from children to the elderly.  Gone are the days where home schoolers stay on their mountains or in the back woods and hide from society.  We are taking field trips and dual enrolling in college and volunteering and playing sports.  I know that there are still some families out there like that and good for them!  That is their choice!  There are awkward children in the public school who cannot get along with their peers.  Please, do not generalize.  People who do are committing a great disservice to themselves, their children, and their own education.  Stereotypes are bad when race is brought into an argument so they should be bad in all circumstances!

I was schooled in a public school in the very county mentioned above.  I did well in school.  I was the type that would have done well in any school situation.  Going to public school did nothing to prepare me for college.  The socialization of high school is very different than that of college!  I was not taught to make wise choices and I did not always do what was right.  I had to learn all the same lessons that private school what few home school children there were did.  Time management, saying no, studying, choosing friends and activities.  Can anyone explain how high school properly prepared them for a residential college atmosphere?  Maybe a few but no one is fully prepared  until they are in that situation.  So let's change the argument.  The socialization one is old and tired. 

More Than Conquerors

In school today, we were learning about conquistadores coming to America and marching through the land with their weapons and diseases.  They either killed or enslaved and entire race of people.  But when that wasn't enough, they bought slaves from Muslim traders.  But the Muslims couldn't keep pace, so the Spaniards went to West Africa and began tromping through villages there enslaving men, women, and children.  These innocent people were then shipped over the Atlantic and put to work until they died.  They went unwillingly.
This got me thinking about Paul saying that we are slaves to sin.  Were we forced into going across the ocean or did we go willingly?  I think that we go.  Not just go but we jump on board the ship, go below decks, and put the shackles on our own legs.  We think it is going to be this great adventure but like slaves prior to us, we find out that there is not enough food, water, or sunlight.  The slave master is harsh and unforgiving and the pain we experience is unrelenting.  The few minutes of pleasure we get doesn't even compensate for the time we spend chained up and toiling away at the earth.
Why do we do it?  The African and Native American slaves had no choice.  But we do.  We willingly go and sometimes we go with great excitement and glee.  Why?  Because, we are children of the Father of lies!  Yep, you read that correctly!  Our base nature comes from the 1st sin of pride.  We inherit that.  The slaves from long ago inherited their skin color from their ancestors.  That made them a target to the white man.  Our base nature makes a target for sin.  We can't help it.  Until....
Until Jesus knocks at the door.  Some people open the door quickly and let Him in immediately.  Others(like myself) open the door after many years of Him standing out there knocking repeatedly.  Christ is a gentleman and will not go where He is not wanted.  But He wants you and me.  So He is willing to take the rejection and neglect because He loves us.  When we finally let Him in and ask Him for forgiveness, He lovingly and gently removes the manacles.  He massages and heals our wounds and He begins to heal our hearts.  You see, Christ's loves is not the slave master.  Sin is!  Christ is the emancipator.  Freeing us from our bondage and paying the price that we owed!  He changes us!  What, then, does that make us?

Children of the King!  No longer slaves but we have moved straight to the castle and donned the royal robes of splendor.  We have a new Father!  An Abba father.  He loves us!

Mis Conquistadores!

Won't you open your heart to the freedom that is offered to you?  Jesus is standing at the door and He wants to come in.  Won't you let Him?

Wednesday in Pictures-Homeschool

Since I can't be wordless, I am calling this post Wednesday in Pictures. This is a sampling of what we have been doing at the MESSIAH Academy. My babies sure are cute! Notice that I am missing a student? Izzy is teaching a computer class to 3 year olds at our church's preschool. I am sure that she is loving it!

See the shadow! Must be the donut monster! Aaaaggghhh!

Sneaking up on their prey!

The Model

They had to label the parts of the body! Isn't AJay cute?

Wordless Wednesday-Defending the Castle

We have been studying knights and castles in school. Their assignment was to build a castle. Meatball, the dragon, laid down next to it and defended it!






You can tell the dragon is fierce, right?

School's in For Us

That time of year is upon us! The start of school...I know that most parents look forward to this day with a certain amount of gusto! The arguing is over and the parents get a break until 3pm and then homework, supper, bed, and bath. This describes lots of families but not mine. In case you don't know, we home school our kids. That means that my kids stay home and some even stay in their PJs. That means I can use corporal punishment and get away with it! That means that I am the teacher, principal, lunch lady, and janitor. My hubby's title is Superintendent of School.

This year, our formerly all girl academy has become a coed one with the addition of my kindergarten age son. There were no tears as he left for school and I was not hurriedly rushing out the doors with my hair on fire to get everyone where they are supposed to go. My pupils were so excited that they wanted to skip breakfast and brushing their teeth and get going. But, being the prudent mother/teacher that I am, I know that a great breakfast is key to good behavior and better retention of knowledge. I, also, know that stinky breath is gross!

So, you ask, what does a day in the life of the MESSIAH Academy look like?

Prayer(we must give thanks to God for His abundance)
Pledge of Allegiance(we are thankful to live here where we can school at home)
Bible verse memorization(we are doing Psalm 139 the WHOLE passage)
History and Science(as an entire school)
Quiet time/devotions(the girls do this)
Reading(the girls do this)
Math/Writing/Phonics/Reading(for Summie while the girls are on their own...he is done)
Math/Grammar/Writing/Spelling (each girl individually)
Lunch
Nap(yes! everyone...even my 4th grader)
Recess

We aim to be done by lunch time. If we need to continue after nap, then we do! But we can usually get it all done. I work hard to give the girls things to do so that I have individual time with each student.

Is all that worth it? ABSOLUTELY! I love watching the lights go on in their eyes when they get something that I have taught them. Very gratifying!
Here is hope that the 2011-2012 year is a success for us all!

If You Give a Home School Mom a Day....

If you give a Home School Mom a Day

She is going to ask for 2

When you give her 2, she is going to ask for 3.

When she has 3, she will find a place to stay.

Then she will call her friends to invite them to join her.

Some of her friends won't go, so she will journey on without them.

On the way, she will come upon a home school fair. She will buy some curricula for her students.

She will make new friends there.

She will want to look at all the books while she is there.

When she is done, she will head to the beach.

When she gets there, she'll need to change her clothes. She'll have to call home.

she and her friends will put their toes in the sand. They will search for sea shells.

When she gets to her condo, there will be dinner. Then, she will want to change into her PJs and play a game.

She and her friends will be competitive and yet learn something at the same time.

Then she will update Facebook and sleep late into the morning.

Of course when she wakes she'll realize that she has only 2 days and then 1

And chances are if you give a home school mom 1 day, she is going to ask you for more.

What To do When Your To-Do List....

is a monster? We have about 10 weeks off from school and my to-do list is a mile long and I have no hope of actually getting it done. These are once a year (more like once a decade) projects that are on top of keeping up a house with 6 people, working 3-4 nights per week, teaching youth Sunday school, and various field trips I have planned for the summer. That being said, here is my list:

Dining/Sun Room:
Clean out home school cabinet, sand, paint, move to play room


Clean out China cabinet, clean thoroughly, organize games in bottom


Dining room table: wash cloth, clean thoroughly, clean out bottom cabinet, store games


Move plastic bins downstairs



Store eBay stuff in dark room cabinet



Organize craft table


Get rid of love seat(yes there is a love seat under there)

Move furniture around(need help)

Playroom:

Clean



Get rid of tool bench



Move in book shelf

Touch up paint

Paint window trim




Install window trim(see pic above after 4 years of being off)

Assign shelves to students

Install a ceiling fan


Miscellaneous:
Paint front door(if you missed the WW post from last week this is also on my list)

I am tired already and here I sit!

Transparent Thursday

So some super confessions today! What do you have to confess? I know you are out there just saying that you can sympathize so please do!

I am feeling a bit run down right now! Not sick, mind you but just worn out from burning the candle at both ends. That thought leads to.....

I need some substantial time without the kids. Not just a few hours but a few days. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone who can take all 4 for us right now! Bummer!

I am really enjoying home school this year. I feel like I have come into my own, if you will. I like the subjects that I am teaching and the students. We are having fun and learning!

I compare myself and my students to other moms and students. I don't like doing that. I know my kids are individuals but I am competitive and want them to know as much as others their ages. I gotta quit putting that on them!

My clutter problem is getting better but is still a problem. Why can't I defeat it? I know, because I have no help from at least 4 other people in this house! I have instituted the policy that if it is on the floor when I sweep at 11 pm, it goes in the trash!

Whew!!! Feel much better! How 'bout you???? What is on your mind today?