Greetings and blessings to all the homeschooling high school families!  My name is Lori Havens, and I'm honored to be writing for The Front Porch . . . I'll be taking over for Lori Lane, who is on to new and wonderful adventures!  As I've read through Lori's past entries, I've realized that I am stepping into some very gifted shoes.  My thanks to her for the blessing her writings have been to me and to countless others, no doubt.  I pray that my humble musings here will be a blessing to you all, as well.

Summertime has finally come to Illinois.  Weather-wise, it certainly took its time arriving!  We are enjoying meals outdoors, the gentle sway of the hammock on the back patio, warm sun on our skin, etc.  Just writing about it brings about those feelings of lounging and laziness!  I remember the intense longings for summer vacation when I was in high school . . .

 May into early June . . . intense study for final exams . . . the high school pressure-cooker was full on!  Do you remember it?  Go back . . . picture yourself there.  You're sitting in classroom after classroom, knowing that the end is just around the corner.  The teachers are talking, but for moments at a time, your mind isn't comprehending what they are saying, because you can hear the birds outside the window . . . yes, the one that all that glorious warm sunshine is beaming through.  The leaves on the tree outside that window are deepening in their green color, and thoughts of lazy days with no schoolwork fill your mind.

Fast forward--you've just completed your last final exam . . . your eyes are glued to the clock's second hand, as you and your friends strain to bolt out of the classroom like a bunch of racehorses out of the starting chutes...bbbbrrrrrriiiiinnnnggggg!  There is a collective "whoo-hoo!!!" as an entire building erupts in the shear joy of freedom . . . it's summer vacation!!!

Fast-forward again--this time, to late August or mid-September.  You've just walked into your math class . . . Algebra I, Algebra II...the books are opened, and the teaching begins.  You will spend the next month or two learning absolutely nothing.

Why?  Because you will need to spend these months reviewing what you spent so many hours doing last year, re-learning concepts and formulas that you once knew, but "lost" over those wonderful, lazy, hazy days of summer vacation. 

Mom and Dad, is this what you want to experience in your homeschool math time this coming August/September?  If you're like me, right now all you want to do is climb in that hammock in the sun and rest.  You don't want to think about the upcoming school year just yet!  Believe me, I am with you!  It is very important for both parent and student to have that blessed time of rest . . . a break to allow the body, mind, and spirit to be refreshed. 

Ecclesiastes 12:12 is a good verse to keep in mind as our high school students toil throughout the school year:   " . . . of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh."  At some point in the school year, we do need to let them take a break!  For our family, that break comes primarily in the summer, but there are some studies that we simply do not allow them to break off from completely: math, and foreign language.  These are particularly susceptible to the "use-it-or-lose-it" syndrome, and we do not enjoy spending the beginning of our academic year re-learning "lost" material!  Summertime studies do, however, often take on a different "shape" in our home, in order to provide a rest for their "study-weary flesh."  Join me next week for Part 2 of "Summertime Counts,"  for a discussion of strategies for keeping skills sharp while keeping it restful.

May God Bless you,

Lori

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (15), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."    You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger .

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