This week's column is for those of us who have done this homeschooling through high school before. Sometimes when you have done an activity many times before, you have a tendency to get careless; to think that you are so good at what you do, that there is no need for caution or introspection. I was reminded of that just recently.

A week ago today, I was riding my horse down at the arena. I decided to take a shortcut in getting off my horse. I tried to dismount from my horse onto the fence instead of getting down on the ground and THEN going over to sit on the fence. That shortcut and careless, cocky spirit, ended up with me falling and dislocating and fracturing my shoulder. I KNEW better than to try what I tried....but I was tired and I wanted off in a hurry. Now, I'm paying the price for that carelessness.

Sometimes, I have found myself doing the same thing with homeschooling. I assume with my younger kids that I have taught them and instructed them in all the ways that I instructed my older kids and so I become careless and begin to cut corners. In fact, while my father in law was here a few weeks ago, he gently reminded my husband and I that we were leaving out some important areas of instruction with my youngest son. I hadn't even realized it. I had just ASSUMED that I was doing what I was supposed to do. However, I can't afford to become careless. Consistency and diligence must characterize my approach to homeschooling from beginning to end.

So, for all of us who have "been there and done that" with regards to homeschooling through high school, let's be sure that we pay attention to those details and that we ALWAYS bring our plans before God for his guidance and wisdom. We can't afford to "go it on our own." God is the beginning and ending of all of our decisions and of all our paths.

Faith and Courage,

 Lori

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10. She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as serving as the Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts Fine Arts. You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey. You can also listen to Lori's podcasts by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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Have you ever felt as if you just can't keep up? Well, I do have to admit that I'm feeling that way right now. I'm sure you've noticed (at least I hope that you have!) that I've missed a week here and there writing for this column. It seems like the weeks of summer have just flown by and that with each passing day there is the cry of the urgent instead of the lazy days of summer I dreamed about last winter when there was snow all over the ground! I know that we are supposed to prioritize but sometimes crisis and situations arise and everything seems to be a priority. Have you ever felt that way? As the start of teaching creeps closer and closer, I get this tightness in my throat as I realize that I'm just not ready for school to start and I need some more time! Time to just be quiet! Yes......it's true! I already have two sons who have graduated and have gone on to "launch" successfully into their own callings. That should be a comfort to me as I start this year. Yet, I still have some of the same feelings that I used to have during the first few years of homeschooling. I guess it is true that "life" is always "life" no matter how "seasoned" we think we are. So, what do we do or rather, what SHOULD we do when life seems to run away from us and sometimes run away WITH us! I guess I'm writing to myself this week....but I'll let you in on my plan on how to "keep on - keepin' on"....... I'm going to go to bed each night focused on God.....I'm going to bring HIM my concerns and my worries. I'm going to ask HIM for wisdom to determine what is MOST important for me to accomplish the next day...and then, I'm going to ask HIM to give me the flexibility to bend if needed. In other words, I'm going to take one step at a time and continue in the direction and on the path that God has place me on. Homeschooling through High School is just one of the things that He has placed on my path......It is a very important thing...but it is just one of the things. As I deal with time management, prioritizing, life challenges, crisis, family health issues, and much more, guess who my highschooler is watching and learning from: ME! So amidst preparing for homeschooling and all the other "priorities" that are on my list, I need to continue to be faithful in the little things, like TRUSTING in the one who holds my future and my life in the palm of HIS hand and demonstrating that to my observant highschooler.

Faith and Courage, Lori Lane

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10. She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as serving as the Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts Fine Arts. You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey. You can also listen to Lori's podcasts by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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Lean Hard!

I'm sorry that I've been a bit quiet over the past few weeks.  My inlaws just left today to return back to their home in Maine.  While they were here they shared with me a website that sends out daily devotionals.  I'm so glad that they did because our summer has been FILLED with unexpected "crisis" of varying sizes and shapes.

Now that you have finished "planning" for the fall and your school year with your high schooler, let me remind you (and me) that unexpected things WILL happen during our school year.  When they do, we have choices to make.  We can fuss and fume about our lives being disrupted!  We can panic and talk to whomever will listen to our chatter. We can worry about what might happen next!

OR

We can LEAN HARD on the strength that comes from HIM.  Here is a devotional from the website my favorite inlaws shared with me.  I am planning on keeping this devotional accessible throughout this school year so that when the inenvitable UNEXPECTED situations occur, I will be reminded on whom to lean.

Faith and Courage,

Lori

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.  You can also hear Lori on “The End In Mind” broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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As you continue to work this week on making your choices regarding schedule, curriculum and activities for this upcoming school year, I wanted to share an article with you that I rec'd via email this week from Janice Campbell.  It was such a reminder for me of why I choose to continue to homeschool through high school.  I hope it blesses you and encourages you as it did me.  I think it will also help you remember things that you have "discovered" during our journey over the past few weeks of this column.

Faith and Courage,

Lori Lane

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.  You can also hear Lori on “The End In Mind” broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

From Janice:

I thought I'd share with you some of the most interesting things you can do if you choose to homeschool through high school. If you have any other good ideas, I'd love to hear them! You can write to me at jceved@comcast.net.

Enjoy! 

Janice Campbell
www.Everyday-Education.com

Build Strong Relationships
As my boys have grown through their teen years and into adulthood, it's been a joy watch our relationship develop and change. Without negative peer influences teaching them that they shouldn't like or respect their parents, the boys have remained a delightful part of the family. It's fun to have real conversations with your young people, and to see them bring their own insights, knowledge, and understanding to the discussion.

Get a Jump Start on College
Why spend four years just doing high school, when you could exert a little extra effort and earn college credit at the same time? By taking advantage of college-level exams, community college and online classes, and other opportunities, it's possible to graduate from college when most teens are graduating from high school.

Serve Others Through Volunteering
I've heard it said that teenagers are old enough to be useful, but young enough to be dangerous. One thing that can help a teen through this awkward stage of life is serving others. There are countless volunteer opportunities, formal and informal, within the church and community. Homeschooled teens have the opportunity to learn while meeting real needs for real people.

Start a Microbusiness
What could be better than a summer job flipping burgers? Entrepreneurship, for one thing. Just think—instead of spending time in a mindless entry-level job, teens can start and run small businesses, and not only earn money for the future, but also learn about planning, budgeting, organization, marketing, and customer service, and perhaps even gain experience for a future career.

Do Career Sampling or an Apprenticeship
In traditional school, you’re lucky to get one day off each year to shadow a worker at his or her job. Homeschooled teens can try different careers through informal mentoring relationships, formal apprenticeships, or volunteering opportunities.
 
Develop Special Talents
Have you noticed who is winning spelling and geography bees, music competitions and chess tournaments, debates and robotics competitions? Homeschooled students are often at the very top of these contests. Why? It’s because they have time to pursue special interests. If they want to spend three hours a day practicing violin, there are no deadlines. They don’t have to put down their instrument after 45 minutes and go rushing off to algebra or soccer. A homeschooler’s world lacks arbitrary deadlines, which means they can spend time on things that really matter.

Learn Through Travel
Just over a century ago, well-educated students were expected to complete their schooling with a Grand Tour of the world. While you may not have the resources for a Grand Tour, you can probably travel to nearby historic sites, visit other states, or yes, even travel around the world. By preparing wisely and choosing to travel when rates are low, you can experience different cultures and make unique memories without breaking your budget. Travel can be an education all by itself!

****
Janice Campbell, author of Get a Jump Start on College! , Transcripts Made Easy , and the Excellence in Literature series, has been writing and speaking on non-traditional education since the late 1980's. She and her husband, Donald, homeschooled their four sons from kindergarten into college, using the principles she now shares in her books and workshops. Visit her blog at www.Janice-Campbell.com   or her website at www.Everyday-Education.com for articles, resources, and a free e-zine.

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I’m currently on a plane flying back from a trip to LA and Santa Barbara.  It was a great trip and what a beautiful area.  I was able to spend time with my son in LA and attend Grace Community Church where he goes to church.  What a blessing that was!  I met his friends that he attends small group and Bible study with, and we were able to sightsee together over the weekend.  What a blessing to see your children on their own choosing to serve the Lord!  In addition, I spent some time in Santa Barbara with a dear friend who has decided to start an Artios Academies program in that area.  We had a great parent meeting and  I was able to meet some really meet some wonderful homeschoolers.  It’s funny though…no matter where I travel, it appears that the questions from parents are the same…..and I am really praying that the series that we have been going through over the past few weeks in this column has helped you FOCUS in on what God has for you and your family this coming year. 

Last week we spent time putting all of our observations, thoughts, reflections and answers to prayers in writing and now it is time for the “rubber to meet the road” so to speak.  Based on what you have journaled and decided over the past few weeks, go ahead and plot out what courses you feel your student needs to study this coming year.  Write out all areas that you wish to “study” this year:  academic, life skills, character, fine arts, etc. Then, it is time for you to begin to research resources that not only fit those “course” goals…but also fit your overall philosophy as you approach this next year and fit your overall goal for this year as a family AND as individuals.

I want to suggest to you some resources that I just love using for my homeschoolers.  I have personally used all of these resources with one child or another.  You can see a complete list of books that I’ve used over the years by visiting my site and clicking on the library thing link on the right hand side.  It will take you to a list of books that I have in my library and will allow you to search for various books based on subject, title or author. 

                History and Literature  ( I use a great books and history integrated approach to both history and literature)

                                Tapestry of Grace

                                Beautiful Feet Books

                                Sonlight Curriculum

                                Exploring Government

                                Great Books                      

                Science

                                Apologia Science

                                Beautiful Feet:  Science Through Literature

                Math

                                Math U See

                                Saxon Math

                                Teaching Textbook

                Foreign Language

                                BJU text and tapes/cds

                Grammar and Composition

                                Write Shop I and II

                                Jenson’s Grammar

                                Jenson’s Format Writing

                Worldview

                                Summit Ministries

                                The Truth Project DVD series from Focus on the Family

                                Nehemiah Institute

                                David Quine

                                Tapestry of Grace

                At Home Composer/Artist Study and Music Appreciation:

                                Harmony Fine Arts

I realize that these are just a very SMALL sampling of the curriculums out there that we are blessed to choose from.  However, these are among my favorite because while meeting the academic demands and standards of a high school student, they also allow for some delight directed learning, flexibility and adaptation to meet the individual needs of our children.  So often we give up that flexibility and individualized approach when we near the high school level…..but it is one of the things my guys are the most thankful for as they continued through high school. It continued to develop their love of learning, their self-motivation, and their self-discipline and character.

From now on out the process of planning for next year becomes quite personal.  I would love to hear from you if you get stuck or need some input along the way.  Please remember that there is probably an “older” woman around who is a bit further down the road regarding schooling and they are a well of wisdom.  Don’t be afraid to seek counsel.  “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.”  However, remember the most important, “WONDERFUL COUNSELOR” and continue to seek his guidance as well.

You can reach me at llane@wildblue.net

Hope to hear from you soon.   Faith and Courage,  LORI

OH…P.S.  On Thursday, I’m interviewing Rea Berg from Beautiful Feet Books.  You can listen in live at 3 p.m. EST by going to www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind or you can listen to it as an archived copy later at your convenience by visiting the same website.  You don’t want to miss this interview and Rea’s wisdom from 25 years of homeschooling experience.

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.  You can also hear Lori on “The End In Mind” broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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I'm sorry that I was unable to post last week.  Life got in the way...but I'm back this week and I hope that you were able to take that extra week to really pray and ponder your compare and contrast list from week three. 

This week's task is a bit etherial.....(is that a word)....what I mean is..this week's task is a bit thought oriented vs. task oriented.  However, once again, YOU MUST write things down. With the scriptures that God has given you over the past few weeks, with what God has revealed to you about each child and with your compare and contrast list in hand, take some alone time this week to begin to write out what your "ideal" school year would look like for your high schooler.  (not necessarily for you..but for your HS student.      Before you dive in and start writing, review all the items that I have listed above....and keep them in mind as you being your journaling activity.  

You may want to journal "stream of consciousness" style first...and then, go back and and organize it according to topics such as character traits, extra curricular activities, academics, etc.  The more specific you can be the better.  However, remember that your journal writing and your description of your "ideal" year for your HS student needs to reflect what God has revealed to you over the past few weeks. 

This is a very important week and a very important step.  Next week we get down to nitty-gritty of putting feet and actions to help make this "ideal" a reality..but first, you must have the end result in mind before beginning the nitty gritty of a to-do list.

May God richly bless you this week as you bring your plans and "ideals" before him."

"The steps of a faithful man, are ordered by the Lord."

Faith and Courage,

Lori Lane

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.  You can also hear Lori on “The End In Mind” broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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Now, we are going to WORK with those lists by comparing and contrasting.

1.      Compare and contrast the classes and activities that your child was involved with during the past school year to the list you made of your child’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, etc. and ask yourself, “Did the items on that list of classes and activities integrate with who my child is and who God created them to be?”   “Did they integrate with my child’s interests and gifting?  If not, what changes do I need to pray about making for this upcoming year?”

2.      Compare and contrast the classes and activities that your child was involved with to the list of things that you wrote down during the first week of this series.  That was the week we prayed about God’s direction for each individual child and about HIS direction for our family in homeschooling the coming year.  Do the list of activities and classes line up with what God has said is important and with the direction and focus that he is revealing to you?  If not, what changes do I need to pray about making for this upcoming year?

3.        Now, list everything you had ALREADY planned and assumed that your child would participate in during the upcoming school year AND list the time requirement involved in each of those classes or activities.  Then, follow the same process as listed above.  Compare and contrast your plans with what you have observed and learned about your child and with what you feel like God is leading you to do this upcoming school year.

4.     Be sure to write down your thoughts during this entire process and/or make notes on the lists that you have compiled.  BUT still, do not look at curriculum catalogs, or making plans based on what you have observed and written.  Throughout this whole process be sure to constantly pray for God to make himself known to you in a way that will make your path for the coming school year very clear, plain and focused.

Once again, I would love to hear from you and hear what you are learning or gaining by walking through these steps with me.  You can email me at llane@wildblue.net 

Faith and Courage,

Lori Lane  

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.  You can also hear Lori on “The End In Mind” broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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                Last week’s step included clearing your plate of any preconceived notions regarding high school and not spending any time planning for next year, or reviewing curriculum, or reading articles or homeschooling books.  Instead, last week was the first step in our process and it was a week where each of us spent time being quiet and on our faces before God.   We were to ask Him to reveal to us the vision that HE has for each of our individual children.  We were to spend time in Scripture and pray for each child individually.  I encouraged you to pray about their strengths, their interests, their character, their spiritual lives, their activities and also pray about their weaknesses and shortcomings.  I hope that you were able to pray scripture and God’s promises for your children and that you asked HIM to reveal HIS plan for the coming year.  Throughout this past week, I hope you were able to find the time to journal your thoughts and any scripture that God impressed upon you and that you shared them with your spouse and together, prayed about your children.  I would love to hear from many of you what you felt like God began to show you over the past week and what you were able to journal regarding your insights.

                Now…..on to this week.  First, continue to do step one from last week.  Continue to pray, journal and discuss with your husband.  Continue to AVOID planning and AVOID curriculum reviews, articles and books and focus just on hearing God’s still small voice regarding your plans for homeschooling through high school.  This is a very important step to continue through the ENTIRE series that we are working through together.

                Secondly, I want you to do the following two part process. 

Part one:  Write down every class and extracurricular activity that your child was involved  with during the past school year.  Yes…..write down EVERY class and EVERY extracurricular activity.  This includes anything from youth group and mission trips, to Algebra and British Literature, to a choir or a theater production. 

Part two:  Spend some time this week observing and reflecting on your child as an individual.  Observe and reflect on your child and write down any insights and specifics that you notice or remember. For example, observe and reflect on what makes your child motivated; what makes your child excited; what special interests does your child have; what makes your child feel defeated and discouraged; what weaknesses do you notice in your child; what natural characteristics and gifts does your child exhibit; what bores your child; etc., etc.  Get the picture?  Write down and list     everything you know about your child.  Jot down what you observe currently and even note things from the past that you can reflect on and that will give you insight into your child. Try to spend this next week looking at your child as if you were first meeting him and getting to know him and write down everything. It is VERY important that you do the writing portions of these steps.  Without these things written down, some of the steps further into the process will be impossible for you to complete and I don’t want you to become frustrated later on.

                I know you are probably wondering where we are headed in this process….so, let’s just remind ourselves.  We want to come out at the end of this series with a clearer picture of what GOD has in mind for us and what He has in mind for each of our individual children as we homeschool through high  school. We want to begin high school (for you 1^st timers) and begin again EVERY year of high school (for us old fogies) with the end in mind.  Determining and focusing on what God wants for our child is our goal.  

                Remember, this will be a process and a journey and one on which I hope you will continue to join me. I hope that you will let me know some of what God may reveal to you over the next few weeks.  It would be a great encouragement to me to hear from you.  You can leave a comment here on the blog or you can email me directly at llane@theendinmind.net

Faith and Courage,

Lori Lane             

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.  You can also hear Lori on “The End In Mind” broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind

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               Now that you are nearing the end of the school year, may I give you a suggestion?  Try to set aside some time to do a pretty simple, but yet thought provoking exercise.  You may know that I have written a book entitled:  Beginning With The End In Mind.  One of the best things my mom ever did for me was to teach me to NEVER begin a project or a process without considering what outcome I wanted at the end of the project.  In other words, I was told to always begin a project with the end in mind.  Homeschooling is no different than any other project. When homeschooling through high school, “beginning with the end in mind, becomes even more important. 

                I can remember when one of the boys was just beginning to walk.  Of course, like all children, he was always drawn towards the staircase.  As I came around the corner of the living room one day, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, my toddler son standing at the TOP of the staircase doing that very unsteady “toddler sway.” I knew at any moment he was going to tumble head first down the stairs.  Strangely enough, (ha) I didn’t take the time to stop and think about how many stairs there were to climb to get to him; how sore I was from exercising the day before; how many times I had told my son not to go up the stairs; or even how many times I had rescued him from other calamities that very same day….NO….I didn’t stop to think about anything except getting to my son before he fell down the stairs. I knew where I was headed and I was focused on my son at the top of the stairs.

                The same is true of homeschooling through high school.  When we have a clear picture of where we want to end up, what we want to accomplish, and the vision that God has given us, we won’t find ourselves spending time thinking about how many times we have had to repeat something to our child, how many hours we are devoting to the upbringing of our student, how mentally and emotionally tired we are, and we won’t spend much time floundering around for direction. Instead, we will be focused on our desired end result.  This focus will enable us to handle our daily responsibilities because we know where we are headed and what we need to accomplish.  Have you heard the saying, “A leader cannot lead until he knows where he is going?”  We can’t expect our high school students to know what direction to go, and what they need to accomplish, if we find ourselves floundering with an unclear picture of God’s vision for our family and for our children.

                SO…..if we need to know where we are going….where do we start?  For the next several weeks, we are going to go through one step each week and strive to determine what God has for each of our children as we homeschool them through high school.  I hope that by the time we end the series of “steps” we will have a much clearer picture of what God intends for us to accomplish during this journey of homeschooling through high school.   Simply put:  we are going to homeschool through high school…….with the “end in mind.” 

                For the first step and during this first week of this series, spend some time away from curriculum selections, away from scheduling, away from homeschool catalogs etc., and instead, turn your attention toward God himself. Ask Him to reveal to you the vision that HE has for each of your individual children.  Spend time in Scripture. Pray for each child individually.  Pray about their strengths, their interests, their character, their spiritual lives, their activities and also pray about their weaknesses and shortcomings.  Pray scripture and God’s promises for your children and ask HIM to reveal HIS plan for the coming year.  Journal your thoughts and any scripture that God impresses upon you and share them with your spouse and together, pray about your children.

                I want to be sure and reiterate to you that it is very important to clear your mental and emotional plate at the beginning of this process so that we hear HIS still small voice.  So, don’t forget, no homeschooling books this week, no more articles, no catalogs, no planning sessions, etc.etc.etc.  Just spend time seeking HIS face and His direction.  For some of us, this will take some real self-discipline because our minds are always rushing ahead and we may think that we need to research something.  Yes…the time for “researching” will come, but for this week, our only focus is on God and on seeking HIS face and HIS direction.  Agreed?  Great!

                Over the next few weeks, this will be a process and a journey on which I hope you will join me. I hope that you will let me know some of what God may reveal to you over the next few weeks.  It would be a great encouragement to me to hear from you.  You can leave a comment here on the blog or you can email me directly at llane@theendinmind.net

Faith and Courage,

Lori Lane               

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys have graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!) She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of homeschooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.

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You can also hear an interview with Zan as she explains her fight to homeschool in the state of South Carolina during the 1980’s.  She was threatened with jail and worked diligently to help make homeschooling legal in that state and continues to be active in promoting pro-homeschool legislation.

Here is the link to Zan’s article: 

http://www.theendinmind.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=41

          Faith and Courage,

                Lori Lane 

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as serving as the Executive Director of Master’s Academy of Fine Arts and Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.

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                I can remember my first son going through this “spurt towards manhood” as I like to refer to it.  It seemed like it happened overnight.  It seemed to me that one week I was chiding him for not speaking or singing loudly enough in his role as Charlie Brown in the musical “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and the next week we knew why he was not able to speak or sing as loudly as I thought necessary.  I honestly thought he just wasn’t trying and truly didn’t believe him when he said his voice felt weak.  It never even crossed my mind that his voice might be changing.  MY little boy turning into a man already…it couldn’t be!  However, only ONE week after completing the musical, his voice fell through the floor and the voice that came out of his mouth sounded like a bass trombone.  I even thought there was an intruder in the house one morning after my husband had already left for work….only to find out it was my son’s voice that I was hearing downstairs.

                Along with all the physical changes, comes the observation that our “young men” are truly trying to become independent, trying to assert themselves, to begin to make their own decisions, to form their own opinions, and to make much of what we have tried to teach them, their OWN set of beliefs and convictions.  This process is exciting, but it can also be a little nerve wracking as we realize that we can’t really “control” them like we had in the past. Yes, we are still the parents and yes, they should respect and obey us….but oh, my goodness, in some cases, they are towering over us as their mothers, and sometimes we can feel as if we have now become the children and THEY are the adults. (at least in a physical sense)  

                   It can be difficult as a mom knowing how to handle the ever expanding desire of our sons to “rule and conquer” the world.  It’s a challenge to know how to balance that attribute with their responsibilities and the respectfulness needed within a family, especially toward their mothers.  Some of the qualities that sons are exhibiting during this “spurt toward manhood” are God’s way of enabling them to develop into the type of man that can lead their families and be providers.  Yet, as we know, there must be a balance between that and the parameters in which they must exist within our families.  However, I have to admit that as I have observed over the years, I have seen moms of boys, more often than not, err on the side of thwarting their son’s sense of independence and need for assertion rather than moms learning how to properly deal with this need within their sons and even learning to nurture it within the parameters of family. 

                As your son enters the beginnings of manhood, I would highly recommend a couple of books for you to read.  One of those books is, “Becoming a Modern Day Knight”   and the other is “Bringing Up Boys” by Dr. James Dobson.  These books contain wisdom and practical applications that will help you as a mom understand this transition more easily and understand ways in which to help your son during this process.  In the meantime, spend some time as a couple talking about areas in which you can allow your son some independence and even leadership within the parameters of your family.  Help direct your son towards involvement in things that will allow him to develop and stretch his leadership skills.  Find areas in which he can prove to himself that he is growing towards independence and self-reliance.  However, most importantly direct him towards continuing to develop his own personal relationship and communication with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ultimately, his relationship with Christ will be the deciding factor in your son becoming the man that God intends for him to be. 

                Faith and Courage,

                Lori Lane 

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as serving as the Executive Director of Master’s Academy of Fine Arts and Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.

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                I guess you could say I’m approaching the age, at least among homeschool moms, where I’m quickly becoming the “older” woman.   Yet, it seems like yesterday that I realized our oldest son was about to start high school and I felt a strange sensation in my stomach, a weight on my chest and a sense of panic in my throat.  I had so many questions, so many concerns and so many fears.  I remember devouring everything I could get my hands on to read regarding homeschooling through high school.  I searched the internet, researched in the library, bought magazines, checked out statistics and anything else that would help allay the fears and uneasiness I felt going into new and uncharted waters.

                I’m sure that if you are in the same position or even if you or an “old-timer” like me you began reading this article thinking that perhaps I would share something you had never heard or read before.  You might have secretly hoped that you might even come across some special “secret” that would make teaching your highschooler all that you had dreamed and hoped it would be.  I don’t want to disappoint you, but as I mulled over what subject to cover first in this new column, I realized that as in all other areas of life….we have to begin at the beginning.    

                When approaching teaching high school at home, or even when “re-approaching” high school each year, it is SO easy to become enamored and focused on curriculum choices, transcripts, college requirements and even the dreaded standardized tests.  Approaching high school seems to call all of our fears to the surface and there they stay, close to the top all the time.  We worry about the “gaps” in their education; we worry about the weaknesses we see in their character; we worry about their future; we worry about their relationships with the opposite sex. Frankly, we spend a lot of time focused on our fears.

                Have you heard the saying: fear is really “false evidence appearing real”?  When we are focusing on fear it is very probable that we will begin to become reactive rather than proactive.  We focus on the minors and not on the majors.  We focus on the “urgent” instead of the important.   Does any of this sound familiar?  None of us want to spend our time on things that are truly not important and not our true priorities.  So, when society tells us that academics are most important, or that getting into a specific college is most important, or that excelling in sports are most important, or that some specific skill is most important, or what people think is most important, how do we determine what is it important?  When our to-do list never ends, our schedule is packed, our responsibilities are endless and the “urgent” are screaming, how do we determine our priorities.   It all seems so complicated and so complex at times.

                However, God’s word has a way of narrowing our focus.  God speaks to us through his word and lets us know what is most important.  Our job as parents of children of ALL ages is to reach the hearts of our children and to turn them towards Him.  What do I mean by that?  I mean an openness to communicate with and mentor our own children in every area of life.  To demonstrate to them what it means to know God and become more like Him.  Notice I didn’t say lecture our children, I said, “Communicate”.  True communication takes an atmosphere of openness and honesty.  However, more importantly, to communicate with a highschooler’s heart takes time.  It takes the ability to be with them and be as undistracted as possible so that we don’t miss those rare moments when they WANT to share THEIR hearts with ours.  It takes the ability to LISTEN and not LECTURE.  It takes the talent of guiding and not always judging.  Obviously, the foundation for this type of relationship with your highschooler doesn’t just happen overnight.  This type of foundation is continually built between you and your child for many years.  However, it is never too late to begin this foundation.  If we cram our schedules full and we are overcommitted, we will not have the time or the brainpower to focus on those teachable, sharing moments with the heart of our highschooler.  If we cram our highschooler’s schedule full and they become overcommitted, not only will they not be home for you to mold and teach their hearts, but they too will be distracted, tired and unable to join you in those teachable moments.

                I guess what I’m trying to say is a couple of basic things.  Your child, especially at the high school level, doesn’t care how much you know, until they are SURE of how much you care.  Time to listen is a key element to showing how much you care.  Secondly, if we don’t take the time to reach their heart, no matter how well they do in academics and any other endeavor, we have not reached the mark that God has for us and for our children. 

                When you get a minute, do a search on the word heart in the Bible and see the importance that God puts on the heart and on our reaching the hearts of our children.  In the midst of all the pressing things on our to-do list that deal with high school courses, transcripts, opportunities and more, let’s be sure that we focus on the things that God considers important and don’t give way to the fear of what the world sees as important.

Faith and Courage, 

Lori Lane

Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10.  The two oldest boys graduated from home school and successfully entered college and/or internship positions!  (YEAH!)  She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, is a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, and is the founder and Executive Director of Artios Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts where she has worked with hundreds of home schooled high school students.  You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you can also receive encouragement for the journey.

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This will be my last entry here on the Front Porch concerning the topic of "Homeschooling through High School."  I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts, and hopefully have put forth some encouragement for the task at hand.

If I could underline what I feel the real bottom line is, I'll quote one more time from Ruth Beechick - a simple yet profound truth; "Remember, God has a plan for each life."  I know that we are following His path for us, in homeschooling our children - all the way through high school.  I also know that we are not perfect, and because of that, homeschooling our children will not run perfectly.  We do rely on the outpouring of God's grace over and through our lives.  We do fail our children, in many ways.  To think otherwise would be prideful thinking.  Yet we look to God, and lay our lives before Him.  We plead with Him for our children - that He would reveal the path - and especially that their lives would glorify Him.

In recognizing that God has a plan for each life, we can stop wringing our hands when biology comes hard to our children - or any such subject.  We can lighten up on those subjects that make no sense for our teens, and allow them to pursue what does make sense for them.  This is one of the greatest benefits of homeschooling through high school;  learning to recognize the path that God has for our teens, and having the opportunity to give greater time honing their giftings than public school would ever afford.

I'll also say one more time; Homeschooling will not save our children - but it does give the greatest opportunity for biblical parenting to take place.  You only have so many years to be a great influence on your children's lives.  Why not take it all the way through high school.  Our teens need us just as much as our toddlers - if not more.

Deb Turner - Homeschooling from the Heart
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Featured Graduates and Alumni

Deb Turner has been homeschooling for 20 years, and is thrilled to have yet another 10 to go. She and her husband, Craig, have 5 children and 3 grandchildren.  Craig works as a mechanical engineer, while Deb enjoys raising her children and loving up her grandchildren. She also enjoys writing and gardening.

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You want to prepare you student for high school, and thus college perhaps.  You have a goal - a plan laid out for your subjects, and hope to be through at least Algebra 2 by the end of high school - if not Calculus.  But your student is in 8th grade and still struggling with basic math.  What do you do?  What about the plan?  What about the goals?

Be patient.  Some things you just can't rush.  If you worry and rush, you will be rushing your student through math rather than getting that firm foundation that is necessary for the next step.  If all is going along as planned, great!  But if you have a struggling student, rushing things will only create anxiety.

I have made that mistake with my son.  I kept ignoring that we needed to really work on basic facts, and make that foundation sure before building further.  Also, his mind just really had trouble wrapping around algebraic equations.  My pastor told me once that he could not do math at all until the very end of high school, when it all clicked for him and suddenly he knew what to do.  Before that point, he said, it was like reading everything in a different language.  And math is its own language.

This year, my son is having success with math, maybe for the first time.  Every day I look over what he did, and he is always getting between 95 to 100 percent on his papers.  I do believe that something clicked that had not before.

Patience.  No, he will not be ahead of the game in math when he starts college.  But he is not going into a math career, so it doesn't matter so much.  What does matter, is that I fretted and worried, which created worry and math anxiety in him.  We don't need to be in a race to make it all happen in a year.

Patience.  Aren't you glad that God is patient with you? 

Deb Turner - Homeschooling from the Heart
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Featured Graduates and Alumni

Deb Turner has been homeschooling for 20 years, and is thrilled to have yet another 10 to go. She and her husband, Craig, have 5 children and 3 grandchildren.  Craig works as a mechanical engineer, while Deb enjoys raising her children and loving up her grandchildren. She also enjoys writing and gardening.

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Homeschooling Works!  Our local community college is soliciting homeschoolers, because they've noticed the students it's producing.  For those of you who are afraid to homeschool through highschool, read on. 

Greetings, those of you involved in homeschooling!

At Mohawk Valley Community College, we have noticed that several top
students have had homeschooling backgrounds. Specifically, Professors
Alguire, Birt, and Chace of the Engineering Technologies and the Trades
Department have noticed that homeschooling can produce students who are
very strong in math skills, a key ingredient to the engineering and
surveying fields, as well as other technical disciplines. We would like to
have homeschool groups better acquainted with MVCC, its programs, and
its policies. Okay, so we'd like more homeschooled students to attend
MV, too!

We were hoping to meet and greet any students 8th grade and up, and
just as important, their parents. There would be a lot of Q+A and
discussion. What we are asking for is that you network, asking around in your homeschooling groups (feel free to forward this email), and see what
interest there is. We are willing to come to your meetings and we also
invite you to come to our campuses. Please respond to this email with questions, invitations, or mere expressions of interest so we can get the ball rolling (see questions below). We hope to set up meetings & tours between now and Christmas.

Thank you!


[A list of questions followed for us to respond to, and then ...]


(P.S.: Personally, I think homeschooling is great and often defend its
advantages as far outpacing the many disadvantages of public schools.
My wife was homeschooled!)

"But" you say "I can't teach math!"  There are ways.  There are self teaching materials, dvd series, all kinds of options.  And if you teen is struggling so much with math, maybe math won't be his/her major.  It won't be my 16 year old son's major.  

There is support for you.  Like this: Click over for a visit with Janice Campbell, and you will get lost in all the encouragement she has on her website for homeschooling through high school.  It's great!  She can help you.  Or how about Cindy Rushton?  Tons of encouragement for you, there.  And of course, every Thursday right here, on the Front Porch.

Deb Turner - Homeschooling from the Heart
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Featured Graduates and Alumni

Deb Turner has been homeschooling for 20 years, and is thrilled to have yet another 10 to go. She and her husband, Craig, have 5 children and 3 grandchildren.  Craig works as a mechanical engineer, while Deb enjoys raising her children and loving up her grandchildren. She also enjoys writing and gardening.

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