Learning In Spite of Labels~ Practical Teaching Tips and a Christian
Perspective of Education by Joyce
Our Father Abraham~ Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R.
Wilson
A Family Guide to Biblical Holidays by Robin Sampson and Linda
Pierce
Good and Angry by Scott Turnasky and Joanne Miller
Having Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver
A Parents Guide to The Spiritual Mentoring of Teens ~Building Your
Childs Faith Through the Adolescent Years by Joe White , Jim Weidmann
Wild Days ( a book about language arts and nature journaling) by
Rackliffe
How to Create Your Own Unit Studies by Valerie Bendt
The Power of Parents words by H. Norman Wright
How to read the Bible for all it's worth by Gordon D Fee and Douglas
Stuart
Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in You and your
kids by Scott Turnasky and Joanne Miller
You Can Teach Your Child Successfully Grades 4-8 by Ruth
Beechick
A Strong Start in Language
An Easy Start in Arithmetic
A Home Start In Reading by Ruth Beechick
Any Child Can Write by Harvey S. Wiener
" This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look: ask for
the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you
will find rest for your souls."
Jeremiah 6:16
Sep. 15, 2007~ Something to Share Saturday~Confidence Pt 2 ~
~Something to Share Saturday~
Confidence Part 2
Please if you haven't read the devotional "Confidence" go HERE
I would love to share how Bob Shultz spoke into where I was...,am...,and... need to be. Last year I hit Homeschool burnout. I was very overwhelmed with certain life circumstances in my family and plus it was very trying to live for man ways instead of for my Lord. What I mean by that is I was trying to get approval by the teacher in the DL ( distance learning program) that I had enrolled my boys in at the time. I was in it for two long years and I felt like I was jumping hoops for the British Columbia Learning Outcomes instead of where God was leading me. The money was not worth it. I had tasted the good and knew I needed to get back to the place where I had the freedom to do what I felt the Lord was leading me in our homeschool.
Because I took my eyes off my Lord's leadings I started to lose my confidence. I felt dried up and depressed. I have been out of the distance learning program for a full school year and have been trying to get back to where I was suppose to be. I have had this strong desire to get back in my right and perfect place. I am deeply effected for what I had chosen from when I was in the program. I now get concerned of what will others think . Where I hadn't had that before the program. "Am I doing enough" and so on. I never had lost the desire to HS my boys and God provided us healing in ...building "House that God Built". He gave us a beautiful learning journey and a healing time. I was praying and crying out to God to lead us to the right place ( meaning curriculum/how we were to learn ) to be. A friend was blogging about Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach and my prayers were answered. I felt at peace, encouraged, and excitded finally.
This last week I have been feeling over whelmed b/c of all the canning and keeping up with the house/life and....starting our schooling up again. I felt like the man who hadn't worked for awhile and wasn't sure about his abilities in. I kept telling myself that I had to just start and things will fall into place. It is like the expression " Once begun is half done". Yes, the hardest part for me was to just start and have faith the Lord will led me in my plans and will still lead me through His plans as we go along. That is why I connected so much with the verse I put at the top of my blog. Jeremiah 6:16
Homeschool burnout is real and I pray that if anyone has felt it email me and I would love to pray for you . I always thought I would never experience it and I would be fine. Be careful and keep your eyes on the Lord. I had wrote another entry about HS burn out I will look for it today and put the link here on the bottom.
God Bless you my SS'sIC . I pray this made sense. I kept feeling the Lord wanted me to share this for someone. (((hugs))) Maybe it was just for me to work through my feelings this last week. Thank goodness the Lord is bigger and more in control than me.
The Lord used Heart of Widsom for me, too, to bring my heart back into the homeschool. It truly is a journey learning to not worry about what others think and keeping your eyes on Him, trying to please Him only.
So many moms get to this place and think they failed and their only option is to put them back in school! Sometimes it is a change of curriculum that sets your heart on fire, sometimes it a a change in scenery from inside to outside, most often it is a change of heart and a reminder that the Lord never asks us to do anything He hasn't prepared us to do.
God is so faithful and only asks the same of us.
Because of Jesus, Bobbie
I appreciate your openness. Burn out is a real danger for us all. Fearing man is a big problem for me. I am trying to keep my eyes on Jesus instead of the local public school! Sometimes it is not easy. I am so glad you have not lost your focus. Your boys will benefit greatly! And you will bring joy to the Lord.
Your SSiC,
Jenn
Thanks for your comments about HOW. I'm glad to know where your coming from. If you have ever read Robin's books, (I am not at home so I do not have their title names at hand), you would know that Robin's entire philosophy is seeking and following the lead of the Holy Spirit. She says over and over for you to make the HOW program YOUR program and improvise to fit YOU and your schedule.
Your life might be like mine - very busy and a whole lot of other things going on besides trying to school - were moms, housekeepers, wives (very important!), cooks, etc.... etc... You know what I mean. And I know that I'm not a ditto of some homeschool moms that seem to be able to do everything at all times. God made me who I am. He knows my capabilities (and limitations). I have to trust Him each day for that what gets done was His priorities. What I taught, was what He would have had me to teach. It is totally outside of following what other people do. But that's the entire scope of the Christian walk, right?
Antoinette
Hi!Thanks for the comment!
I just added you to our friends list!I should have thought to do it sooner,But silly old me~I never thought of it until now!
I like your blog a lot!
Have you ever visited our Mom's blog?Her's is really nice!You'd probably enjoy it!I know I do!And lots and lots of other people do too!(I mean LOTS!Mom was looking at her blog the other day and she said she ONLY had 100 and some visiters!We don't even get half that!
Anyway if you want to go see it just copy and paste this address. http://www.homesteadblogger.com/howilovethee/
Or even easier,Just go to our Blog and Click "our Mother's Blog" under links.
Have a blessed day in the Lord!
~Kate
~*~*~*~
I can have that burnout feeling, and am I doing enough, what will others think feelings all the time. It is hard to work through, and the only way I have found to work through them is with the Lord and keeping our eyes on Him. Thank you for being so open and honest with this blog. It was a true blessing to read. :)
JoAnn
thank you so much for praying for my girl.
sam had a wedding and high holy days he was preparing for so i haven't been able to get near the computer!
she is very much 2tim 3:15, and has always belonged to Him more than us.
I know, our younger daughter went through the burnout. She didn't and still too today don't like math. This year I have a friend whom is also trading off time with her lesson's. Then her daughter is coming over to our home and were helping out with Biology & History. I've found help through help with other mom's out their, can & will help out with that relief for the kids and also us. It's truly a blessing, a blessing that we need as parent's and the kids need too. This has helped me out with my burnout with our daughter through Math. Being I'm boring with teaching math (ha, boring), however that's what I've been told.
You know the best thing you've done here, is too open up and express your inner self. Showing through your words, the gift of love you have to share with everyone here. Myself, I'm glad to hear....those words 'mom burnout' yes it can happen to anyone & even our own children too. What a blessing you are & most important sharing such true words.
I've experienced hs burnout before. It's an awful place to be. I'm glad that you worked through it and are sharing this experience with others. It is a completely different lifestyle than most mother's experience, and I am thankful to have found all of the encouragement that I have from HSB. Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Thanks for sharing Mary, I will keep you in my prayers! I have an amazing article on HS burn out from a blogger here at HSB but I too need to find it. If I do I will post it for you!
Your transparency and honesty will bless many others going through a similar situation im sure!
Yep, been there!!! Last year I had horrible burnout. It had actually started the year before during the time Little One had surgery. I was under a lot of pressure to keep up Prince Caspian's activities which was a total mistake. I burned out bad and did not recover until about the end of the this last school year. Basically I had to cut out almost all activities that required a commitment. And if I didn't willingly give them up, God made sure I did. Pretty much anything I tried to sign up for either got canceled or got moved to a time I could not do it. I just really needed rest.
Hi Mary! Thanks for sharing, I've known burnout too, not with school, but with other commitments (co-op & the like). It takes a while - a long while, to get back on track again. I sometimes feel if I could only take a month-long nap, I'd be ready to go again. lol I think the key with home educating is to remember to NOT look at what the government says is "normal" or right for your child's grade level - it will drive you crazy - 10 different "experts" will tell you 10 different things. No one needs all that stuff anyways, besides how many children coming out of the governmental institutions do you want your sons to imulate? Many can't read, can't make change, and are lacking in character & basic social skills. Just start where you are at, make sure they get the basics - what they need for real life, and help them follow their bents (giftings). Putting God first in everything - He will bless! God's ways are sooooooooooo different from this world's ways, but God's ways are right every time. I's say you are doing a fine job with your boys - helping with the House that God Built was such a good education all in itself! Your boys know more than what most boys dream of knowing.
Seriously, though, for me it was more like you with the canning. I have so many responsibilities and they all matter--healthy food, good bible based education, clean home and clothes, nice yard (for dh to come home too.) etc.
I was really feeling like there was no way I could do it and I knew that I had to focus on God as my strength. Thank you for the great post.
Blessings, my sweet sister in Christ, Terrill
Oh Mary, I know too well the discouragement and futility you have felt. I have been struggling with many things this past year, and finally feel as though I'm beginning to come out of it a little. The closer I creep to God and the more I lean on Him, the easier everything else becomes.
May you creep a little closer, lean a little more, and know that I'm holding you tight in my prayers.
First , I am a daughter of the King almighty and a
a wife to my Handsome of 17 years. A mom of 4 on the go boys 15, 13, 9, and 7. I grew up in the states but married my Canadian sweetheart and moved up north.
We live in the southern part of British Columbia , Canada on our homestead. We have homeschooled our four boys from birth and plan to go the distance till all four graduate from our homeschool. I teach with a Charlotte Mason style and use the Heart of Wisdom Approach. I love to craft! I am a beader, knitter, x-stitcher, quilter. We have been on a journey of being apart of building "The House that God Built". I have been recording our journey on my blog. Go to my links and you will find it. I know God has a lot more instore for us and we just need to follow where our Lord takes us.
God Bless you my SS'sIC . I pray this made sense. I kept feeling the Lord wanted me to share this for someone. (((hugs))) Maybe it was just for me to work through my feelings this last week. Thank goodness the Lord is bigger and more in control than me. 
First , I am a daughter of the King almighty and a
a wife to my Handsome of 17 years. A mom of 4 on the go boys 15, 13, 9, and 7. I grew up in the states but married my Canadian sweetheart and moved up north.
We live in the southern part of British Columbia , Canada on our homestead. We have homeschooled our four boys from birth and plan to go the distance till all four graduate from our homeschool. I teach with a Charlotte Mason style and use the Heart of Wisdom Approach. I love to craft! I am a beader, knitter, x-stitcher, quilter. We have been on a journey of being apart of building "The House that God Built". I have been recording our journey on my blog. Go to my links and you will find it. I know God has a lot more instore for us and we just need to follow where our Lord takes us.
