There are some students who have a lot of trouble in their studies because they are disorganized. These kids are said to have organizational problems. There are many different kinds of organizational problems. For example, some impulsive kids do everything too quickly and too carelessly. But there are two other common kinds of organizational problems: one has to do with space, and the other with time.
Students who have spatial organizational problems have a lot of trouble keeping track of things. They keep losing everything. They have trouble finding a pencil, a piece of paper, a place to sit when they want to do their homework. Pages keep falling out of their notebooks, which are a mess. They lose books, assignments, and personal possessions. They just can’t seem to remember where they left things. Plus, their bedrooms often look like dumps! One such school-boy described his school locker as a "black hole." He said that nothing that’s gone into it has ever again come out!
Other students have trouble organizing time. They get mixed up about sequences and time. They are often late. They can’t remember when an assignment is due. They don’t know how much time to allow themselves to complete an assignment or job. They never are quite sure what to do first, what to do second, and what to do third when they write a report or work on a project. Time is just plain confusing for them. They can’t manage time, and this makes them disorganized.How Can You Fix Organizational Problems?
To fix an organizational problem, you need to understand that the child has the problem, which one it is, and then you need to design all kinds of tricks to help overcome the problem. A spatial problem may be helped by reducing clutter, reducing the number of choices available. You as parent/teacher may have to strictly limit how many projects are on the go at one time, what items are out and available for use on that project, right down to the number of pencils! Help the child keep track of these much fewer number of items by being strict about using them properly and tidying them away properly when finished. This means a much greater degree of supervisory commitment on your part. Hopefully the child will learn how to successfully manage these few things so you can then expand the number of items available giving the child the opportunity to learn to manage a larger number of items.
A similar technique may be used with managing time: strictly training the child to a timetable or some routine, teaching skills such as drawing up one’s own schedule, assigning priorities, estimating how long a project may take, how much time one should spend on this project at one stretch, etc. Now these techniques are not favoured by some for they are pretty much from the behaviourist school of psychology, Pavlov and Skinner, stimulus/response. Some say this approach demeans children, training them in exactly the same way one would train a dog. These techniques, like any techniques, will be limited in their effectiveness according to the nature of the problem. The child may have organic or physical conditions which must be addressed before effective learning can take place. Each child is unique, with a unique set of variables. This is the home educating parents’ challenge: to intently observe and constantly adjust the approach to the child’s makeup. This is also the vast advantage home educating parents have: they are able to observe and adjust, for they are tutoring/mentoring their own child, not a whole classroom filled with other peoples’ kids. This is not to say let the child’s needs dictate.... ultimately the parents are, under God, in charge, and the child must, under God, be subject to his parents. The Scriptures do not seem to give any leeway for organic or physical conditions.
What Do People Mean When They Say That a Child
Is Poorly Motivated?
A lot of times when a student has learning disorders, people say he is "poorly motivated." Often when a teacher or parent says this, he or she means that the student doesn’t try very hard or has given up completely. To be motivated toward something is to want very much to accomplish it or get it. Usually, students are motivated if there is a goal that they like. You might be motivated to learn algebra if you really like mathematics, especially if you think algebra is fun. You might be motivated to get good grades/comments about your home-school work if you enjoy success and if you like having your friends and relatives tell you how smart you are.
While it’s true that almost everybody would love to get good grades or compliments, there’s more to motivation than simply wanting them. You get motivated only if you think you really have a chance of getting what you want (like a finished project that is just the way you wanted it). If you think you have no chance of getting what you want, even if you try, you lose your motivation. Another part of motivation has to do with how hard it would be to get something. If you think that you could possibly do that project the way you envision it but that it would take superhuman effort -- too many very hard long hours -- you might lose your motivation because all that effort would not be worth it to you.
So a student can lose motivation because he doesn’t like a goal, because he feels he could never get that goal, or because the goal would be much too hard to get. You can see how a student with learning disorders might lose motivation a lot quicker than other students when it comes to getting a desired academic goal. Here is where the creative home schooling parent can help her student formulate goals that are very attractive (motivating) and definitely achievable. Observe your children: find out what motivates them, those things that they love doing, that really get them excited, into which they are willing to pour hours of time and tons of energy without even stopping to think about it. Then look for ways to tie these motivators into their curriculum so that it helps them learn. This can be as a reward for work that needs doing first or even better, incorporated as part of the learning process.
For example, we fostered and home educated an 8-year-old boy for a while who couldn’t sit still or concentrate but loved to show off. Yet he learned the location of every country in South America in two weeks! How? We got him tracing maps of South America, showing only the political boundaries. The maps stayed taped to the windows until he got the job done....he liked the tracing, but couldn’t stick at it for long, so would come and go. He made cards with the names of each country. He liked handling the cards and would match them up with the territory on the blank maps he’d drawn using the original map as a guide. We said he could show off to every visitor to our place once he had a few memorised. We also made a big deal of each one he could remember without reference to the original map. When he found that virtually no one else to whom he handed the cards could correctly match the countries’ name cards to their position on the blank map when he could, a "dumb" 8-year-old, his confidence and eagerness to learn more really grew.
How Do You Know If They’re Lazy?
There is probably no such thing as a lazy child. A child may look lazy if he or she has lost motivation. Some kids look lazy when they really have attentional difficulties that make it extremely hard for them to concentrate. A lot of other kinds of learning problems can make someone look lazy when really he isn’t. For example, a child may seem lazy because he hates getting started on homework. He has to be reminded about six times before he begins to do something like a report. His parents think he’s lazy, but he really has a fine motor problem that makes writing a huge chore, so he just dreads getting started. Once you discover a problem like this, back off. Get them doing writing they can do without it being such a difficult chore. Maybe you have to go back to the crayons and large sheets of paper, making one letter at a time.
(Some of the main ideas are from Keeping a Head in School: A Student’s Guide to Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders by Dr. Mel Levine, ISBN 0-8388-2069-7, Educators Publishing Service, Inc., 1990 31 Smith Place, Cambridge, MA 02138-1000.)
From Keystone Magazine
July 2000 , Vol. VI No. 4
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
I spent the entire holiday break researching and writing a submission to the Ministry of Justice on their Discussion Document "Same-Sex Couples and the Law". Very depressing. The biased nature of both the discussion document and the background paper was amazing: they took a "nonjudgmental" approach which automatically forced them to regard married couples, defactos and homosexual "pairs" as all being on an equal footing. Well, once you do that, the result is a foregone conclusion: there is no logical reason why homosexual or lesbian "couples" (terms which are nowhere defined) should not have the same rights and privileges as do married couples when it comes to formal recognition in law and society, claims on property and the adoption of children.
No country on earth has actually redefined "marriage" to include same-sex liaisons, in spite of what we may have heard in the media. What has happened is that a couple of governments have made provision for such pairs to register their relationship with the state, formalising it more than defactos do. The net result is the same, of course, for it means the state must listen to their every claim for inheritance, reproductive technology, and adoption rights. Such a thing would amount to a total radical and revolutionary redefinition of two foundational institutions in our society, in Western civilisation: marriage and the family. The tenor of these discussion documents puts traditional marriage on the defensive of having to justify its existence and place of privilege in law, by asking how different treatment of homosexual "couples" from marrieds can be justified. This issue WILL affect us all greatly. Please consider it.
The ministry of Justice would like feedback by 31 March 2000. Either do the questionnaire on their website; write your comments in response to their printed questionnaire attached to the Discussion Document, "Same-Sex Couples and the Law"; or simply write your comments to them. Request a copy of the discussion document mentioned above and also a "Backgrounding the Issues" document from:
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 180, Wellington
ph.: (04) 494-9700, fax: (04) 494-9701
email: reception@justice.govt.nz
Copies of these documents and the questionnaire for electronic completion are available on their website:
Each support group will form its own unique character. This simply reflects the fact that each is formed for a different set of reasons and formed by different people. It is easiest on everyone to "grow" into a recognisable support group rather than "go" into it, forming one overnight from nothing. In the first method, you do as you are able and as you have keen and eager helpers. If you "go" into something, it is like trying to organise others who don’t want to be organised, and you could end up frustrated beyond words.
Some support groups limit their numbers. This has several advantages. It preserves the group’s character and group dynamics. This can be extremely important for some, for the character and dynamics of that set of individuals could be the entire attraction of a support group. A group of home educating mums, all good friends from way back, will see their support group as a natural extension of their years of friendship. A set of mums all from the one church denomination will obviously see and appreciate and approach things in very similar ways, minimising the need to be wary of other differing value systems within the group. Although welcomed with opened arms for here are other brave souls who have "seen the home schooling light", one or two new families coming along will definitely change the way the original group interacts. The new comers could well have completely different needs, aspirations, expectations and value systems and could easily step on the toes of the original group members simply because they do not know the unwritten "rules of relationships" which have already developed among the others.
Larger and growing groups have more complex dynamics and are always changing and become less personal. Larger groups also require...and expect.... more organisational structures. If the organisation isn’t there, the person seen to be in the "leadership" position is criticised: totally unfairly and unjustifiably as the person is a volunteer already busy with her own family. But criticism comes and sometimes it can be severe. This can be very hurtful (support group members, please take note), but it is also an excellent opportunity to learn and grow. Criticism is simply part of the price of serving in a leadership capacity. "No pain, no gain" is a true statement. However, this can be avoided by a well-focussed executive committee, and larger groups can certainly begin to gain larger discounts and attract the attention of those offering various goods and services. One danger to watch for is that you don’t allow the support group’s mechanics and growing administrative requirements to become a higher priority than your children’s education. It is easy to be pushed along by circumstances, especially when so many people are hoping you will do this and do that and what a fabulous opportunity to serve others....before making any commitments to being chairperson, ask your husband. Better yet, get the dads to do all the admin, for the mums are already doing all the teaching.
It is to be expected that support groups will fluctuate over time and that some members find one group no longer meets their needs so they move to another or establish their own. Many home educators belong to several groups, for again, each offers something unique. When you see this happening in your own group, recognise it as a natural occurance and try not to make life difficult for yourself or others by questioning loyalty and commitment. Our loyalty and commitment is to our Lord and our families long before it is given to some support group. Sure, it is nice to have things remain the same, but that isn’t always realistic.
Incorporation Many support groups become legally incorporated. Probably the only benefit to doing so is to be able to qualify for Clear and Telecom donations and grants from various agencies. There are two ways to become incorporated.
1) Via the Incorporated Societies Act, wherein you need 15 people to sign a deed of incorporation. You have elected officers and AGMs and must have minutes of meetings and financial statements, properly audited. These are legal requirements. It can seem a somewhat top-heavy bureaucracy for a few outings and some mums wanting to get together. But large groups with lots of assests (a resource library for example) may need such a structure. It means someone is going to do a lot of work administratively that has nothing to do with home education. An incorporated society’s structural requirements will of necessity draw some people away from the task of home education for more or less hours a week. It is also expensive: $250 to incorporate and if you get a lawyer involved in writing the constitution and other paper work it will cost several hundred dollars more.
2) The Charitable Trust form of organisation requires only three people as trustees of whatever assets you have or will have. It costs nothing to gain legal incorporation as a charitable trust, although it will if you hire a lawyer to do your constitution and other paper work. Charitable trusts are not legally required to present minutes or have AGMs or to provide financial statements, unless the trust is applying for grants. The trustees can just organise activities themselves and make all the decisions. Most people are quite happy to pay fees and have others do all the work. Or you can have elected officers and run the show like an incorporated society. But in that case, the elected officers must be very clear about what parametres they must work within as laid down by the constitution and the trustees. The trustees are still responsible for what the elected officers do. We have seen terrible problems erupt among good friends when it slowly dawned on the elected officers that the trustees could overturn any decision made by the elected officers. Although this rarely actually happens, the elected officers must be willing to operate within this system.
Either form, incorporated society or trust, can have a status with the IRD as profit-making or charitable. Charitable status means no bank fees and no worries with income tax. In addition, donations of $5 or more to an organisation with charitable status are themselves tax deductible.
Either form can hire people to work for them (as long as the constitution allows for it). If the person hired is considered self-employed, or hired on a contract basis, the person is responsible for his or her own tax concerns. Having your organisation becoming the employer means getting into ACC and PAYE issues, which one really wants to avoid if possible. Either form can register for GST at any time if you see advantages to that.
So there are a lot of issues to consider, but probably only with a larger group. Most start by a couple of mums organising something for themselves and then others want to join in. That’s fine. When someone says, "Hey, you should organise such and such," you can respond, "Great idea! Feel free to organise it and we will do what we can to support you in your efforts." We began organising things for our own children and were quite happy to have others join in. But when others began to expect us to organise things for their children (even when their children were a totally different age group) and then NOT SHOW UP when we did organise it, we became more discerning. Outrageous? This happens in virtually every support group we’ve talked to.
The group must serve you and other home educators. Never let the group’s organisational and administrative requirements cause you to serve them to the point that you can no longer home educate effectively.
There is a mountain of information available through the CAB or other local community support agencies or on the web at: www.community.net.nz/.
From Keystone Magazine
July 1999 , Vol. V No. IV
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
A local home education support group might be nothing more than two families trading ideas and resources or as big as dozens of families who share in teaching each other’s children, run seminars and resource libraries, and keep in touch with a monthly newsletter.
They reflect home educators very well: just as each family is completely unique and has its own personal way of doing things, so each local support group is completely unique and develops and grows along with the needs of the members of the group.
Neither the Ministry of Education nor the Education Review Office officers are "officially" in the business of giving advice to home educators. They are by and large, however, people of integrity and expertise and will happily answer whatever questions they can. It seems clear that these officials will be referring more and more requests for information to local support groups. It is therefore prudent for local support groups to seek out reliable information on issues as they arise and endeavour to keep it on file. It is also a good idea for both prospective and long-time home educators to associate themselves with a local support group, as the MOE and the ERO see this as a real plus as they consider exemption applications and review reports.
In the early days of home education in NZ many families thought they were the only ones in the country considering such a wild idea as teaching their own children at home. One such family from Invercargill attended a homeschooling conference in Palmerston North in 1987 and went home encouraged to go public with the concept. They appeared in the local papers and soon discovered six other families there in Invercargill doing the same thing! This illustrates one characteristic of many home educators: they tend to take a low profile. If you take on a package curriculum it is very likely that your national administrator will be able to put you in touch with others in your area doing the same curriculum. Otherwise advice networks such as HENA (Home Educators’ Network of Aotearoa, c/- Kate Jaunay, PO Box 11645, Ellerslie, Auckland 1131) or NCHENZ (National Council of Home Educators New Zealand, c/- Peter George, PO Box 288, Hamilton) or SIHE (South Island Home Educators, c/- Dot Brown, PO Box 186, Rangiora) or CHomeS (Christian Home Schoolers of NZ, c/- Craig Smith, 4 Tawa St., Palmerston North) may be able to help you locate other home educators in your area.
How Do You Start One Up Yourself?
It has been said that there are three kinds of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who constantly ask, "What happened?" If you start something off, you may safely assume most who come along will happily let you remain in the driver’s seat. So start simply, realise that each person will have a different level of commitment, that an event which worked well in another region may not be that successful in your region, and that the bottom line of a support group is to meet existing needs rather than create new ones, such as AGMs, quorums, elections, budgets, etc.
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men....for you serve the Lord Christ. -- Colossians 3:23-24
One or two people need to be leaders/organisers/co-ordinators. Two can easily make decisions, plan a calendar, delegate jobs and then advise all the rest. Once you form a committee or try to get a consensus from all concerned, it bogs down quite dramatically. Leaders who have assumed the responsibilities also automatically take on a measure of authority as well. People will look to you, the leader/co-ordinator, for guidance and will begin to expect you to be an authority on many subjects associated with home education. You become the ear to whom some confide, the shoulder upon which some will cry, the sounding-block off which some will bounce ideas, the avenue through which some will want to push their barrows, the mediator between mere mortals and lofty government officials upon whom some insecure parents will depend. You will be praised by some and maligned by others in the same group over the same event! So be sensitive, respect confidentiality, be wise, be humble, be flexible, and hold onto pet projects with an open hand. And all you support group members, you who benefit from the voluntary work put in by these dedicated support group leaders, remember to volunteer for something whenever you are able, and remember to give your leaders an occasional word of thanks and a pat on the back to show your appreciation.
Usually the objectives of support groups include the encouragement of like-minded people and the provision of educational opportunities hard to obtain by individual families. This could lead to the formation of support groups open to all comers, or limited to perhaps those of a specific religious denomination or maybe just to those with secondary-aged girls. Some may want to have written objectives, a constitution, a catchy name, a paid up and committed membership or one that operates on a volunteer basis. There is usually a need for money at some point, at least to photocopy the list of planned activities. So the policy of how much money is required and for what purposes, how and from whom it is collected, and who manages it must be clearly defined for all to see.
Types of Support There are an inexhaustable number of ways home educators can help themselves and others through a local home education support group. Here are just a few ideas: Sharing resources. The group can compile a master list of who has what resources they are willing to lend. Or they could buy and build up a central library of resources reserved for their own members. Group outings & field trips. This is especially beneficial when going to places which employ their own educational personnel such as museums and art galleries. But visiting a friend’s chicken farm or an enthusiastic hobbyist like a ham radio operator can be even more fascinating. Co-op teaching. Some parents may be experts in certain fields and also happy to share their expertise on a regular or occasional basis with the children of other families. Perhaps a core of parents could take turns planning and teaching a unit or two on topics in which none of them has any particular expertise. Training workshops. The group could organise seminars/workshops with experts from within the Ministry of Education or from local organisations or with visiting experts. Newsletters. These are a good way to keep in touch, advertise items for sale or swap, advise of upcoming events, philosophise, share tips, book reviews, etc. Exploiting community services. This can be really good value. Your local home education support group may be able to get organisation or bulk-buying discounts from all kinds of suppliers. The library may operate a learning exchange where you may find a tutor for a certain subject. One of your group may be able to make a professional approach to a local school about your members attending specialised classes such as chemistry lab or metal shop. Are there night classes being offered by a local high school or the polytech? Home educators have access to the National Libraries, whereas the normal public does not. Computer hardware and software is often offered to educational groups at substantial discounts. Get St. Johns to give you a demonstration, get the health board to test hearing and vision, get the traffic cops to show videos and give talks on road and bike safety. See if a local school needs more players on its sports teams. Telephone trees. With two or three reliable people ringing all the rest rather than each person ringing one other on the list, a last-minute attraction or outstanding bargain can be circulated quickly and accurately. Activities among the group. Pot-luck socials, show-and-tell days, sports days, end-of-year breakups with prizegivings, a concert and even a yearbook comprised of contributions from each of the support group’s members all give a sense of belonging and contributing to an excellent cause outside ourselves.
Publicity As home educators each family, each member of each family, is automatically on the Homeschooling Public Relations Team. Behaviour on field trips, in public during school hours, while visiting institutions, while being visited by guest speakers all serve to give home education and home educators a certain reputation with the public at large. Your local support group may want to appoint a press spokesperson/ liaison officer to produce press releases of your end-of-year breakup, special accomplishments of your members, or to invite the press to special functions you may stage in order to raise the home education profile and promote the concept to your local community. Also, it is the number and diversity of the individual home education families and the individual home education support groups which make their letters and submissions to Parliament so effective on those occasions when political lobbying is necessary.
The Most Important Supports The Lord God is the only One Who will not let you down. Christians can embrace this incredible promise: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." -- Isaiah 41:10
Your family & extended family, especially your spouse. If Mum came up with the home education idea, or if Dad did and then delegated the job to Mum, Dad still needs to be 100% behind the endeavour and to be the constant support to Mum and the children. He should actively contribute as much and whenever he can, be it academically, socially, sportswise or ensuring that Mum doesn’t do all of the housekeeping as well as all of the educating. Usually home education becomes an all-encompassing lifestyle which just about demands that all family members become part of the programme. The immediate family’s support, especially that of your spouse, spells the difference between happiness or horrors. Grandparents should be recruited, as they may have a lot of spare time and would jump at the opportunity to have such a vital input into their grandchildren. Although they may be bewildered about the home education concept and feel hurt because they reckon you are telling them they didn’t do their best for you, they have a wisdom of years and skills and stories of the past which will surely enrich our children’s lives.
Summary There are already many local home education support groups right throughout NZ, the numbers are increasing all the time, and they each reflect the individual local needs, concerns and characters of the families involved. Both the MOE and the ERO like to see home educators attached to local support groups. They are spontaneous groups, run on a volunteer basis for the common good. The support and activities offered vary widely from group to group. As much as they offer, local support groups can only supplement, and not replace, the vital foundational support which is only found in the family’s faith and the commitment of their own family members. With these supports in place, the home education family is well endowed to successfully embark upon one of the most exciting, challenging and fulfilling adventures that life has to offer!
From Keystone Magazine
May 1999 , Vol. V No. III
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
There are two callings to be minded by all Christians. Every Christian has a general calling, which is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. God has called us to believe on His Son, repent of our sin, and bear our testimony to His truths and ways in the world. Every man in the world should herein conform to the calls of that God, who has called us with this holy calling. But then every Christian has also a personal calling, or a certain particular employment, by which his usefulness in his neighbourhood is distinguished. God has made man a sociable creature. We expect benefits from humane society. It is but equal that humane society should receive benefits from us. We are beneficial to humane society by the worlds of that special occupation in which we are to be employed, according to the order of God.
A Christian at his two callings is a man in a boat rowing for heaven, the house which our heavenly Father has intended for us. If he mind but one of his callings, be it which it will, he pulls the oar, but on one side of the boat, and will make but a poor dispatch to the shore of eternal blessedness. It is not only necessary that a Christian should follow his general calling, it is of necessity that he follow his personal calling, too.
A Christian should be able to give a good account not only what is his occupation, but also what he is in his occupation. It is not enough that a Christian have an occupation; he must mind his occupation as it becomes a Christian. That a Christian may be able to give a good account of his occupation, there are certain virtues of Christianity with which he is to follow it.
(And although the language employed in this article may sound as if it is aimed exclusively at the male heads of households, the language of the introduction is clearly inclusive of all believers. Dads, this means not only you, but Mums at your calling as home educators and children in your calling as students.)
The Virtue of Industry
A Christian should follow his occupation with industry. It seems a man slothful in business is not a man serving the Lord. By slothfulness men bring upon themselves poverty, misery, and all sorts of confusion. On the other side, a man by diligence in his business, what may he not come to? A diligent man is very rarely an indigent man. Would a man rise by his business? I say, then let him rise to his business. I tell you, with diligence a man may do marvellous things. Young man, work hard while you are young: You’ll reap the effects of it when you are old. Yes, how can you ordinarily enjoy any rest at night if you have not been well at work in the day? Let your business engross the most of your time.
Come, come for shame, away to your business: Lay out your strength in it, put forth your skill for it; avoid all impertinent avocations. Laudable recreations may be used now and then, but I beseech you, let those recreations be used for sauce, not for meat. If recreations go to encroach too far upon your business, give to them that put off.
The Virtue of Discretion
A Christian should follow his occupation with discretion. It is a dishonour to the profession of religion if there be no discretion expressed in the affairs of its professors. Every man should with a praiseworthy emulation strive to get the praise once given to Joseph: "There is none so discreet as thou art."
More particularly, one memorandum for you is this: Let every man have the discretion to be well instructed in, and well acquainted with, all the mysteries of his occupation. Be master of your trade; count it a disgrace to be no workman. And as discretion would bid you to have an insight in your business, thus it also bids you have a foresight in it. Let every man therefore in his business observe the most proper time for everything, for there is a time to every purpose. The wise man says, "There is a time to buy and a time to sell," and a wise man will do what he can to discern the time.
The same discretion must show a man how to proportion his business unto his ability. It is an indiscreet thing for a man to overcharge himself in his business. For a man to distract his mind, to confound his health, to launch out beyond his estate in his business is a culpable indiscretion. Be therewith well advised by the rules of discretion with another caveat: And that is, suit your expenses unto your revenues. Take this advice, O Christians: It is sin, I say it is ordinarily a sin — and it will at length be a shame — for a man to spend more than he gets, or make his layings out more than his comings in.
The Virtue of Honesty
A Christian should follow his occupation with honesty. Truly, justice must be exactly followed in that calling by which we go to get our living. A Christian in all his business ought so altogether justly to do everything that he should be able to say with the apostle Paul, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience (Acts 23:1). A Christian should imitate his Lord, of Whom it is said, "He is righteous in all His ways." In your business you have dealings with other persons, but certain vein of honesty, unspotted and resolved honesty, should run through all your dealings. You aim at the getting of silver and gold by your occupation, but you should always act by the Golden Rule.
Shall I be more particular? I say, then, let a principle of honesty in your occupation cause you to speak the truth, and nothing but the truth, on all occasions. Don’t conceal from any customer that which you ought in equity or charity to acquaint him withal, and more especially if your customers do rely upon your sincerity. Don’t exceed the truth, either in commendations or disparagements of commodities. Don’t assert anything that is not truth about the kind or the use or the price of them. In every bargain that you make in your business, let a principle of honesty keep you from every fraudulent or oppressive action.
Wherefore, take no advantage either from the necessity or from the unskillfulness of those with whom you are concerned: It is uncharitable, it is disingenuous, it is inhumane for one man to prey upon the weakness of another. And therefore also, never, never make any bargain with such as you suspect have no just propriety in what you go to purchase from them. If you fear that stolen goods are offered you, never touch those burning coals nor incur that brand.
Are there also any manufactures that you are to work up for others? Let them all be well wrought. Give every manufacture its due perfection. Cheat no man with anything that shall be unserviceable to him. Do nothing slightly, do nothing basely, do nothing deceitfully. But I have yet another thing to say: Let a principle of honesty cause you carefully to pay the debts which in your business must fall upon you. Run into debt as little as you may, but being in debt, be as ready to get out of it as ever you were to get into it. Finally, I have yet one more to say: Let a principle of honesty cause you to keep your word in all your business. You sometimes give your word; let that word then be as good as your bond.
The Virtue of Contentment
A Christian should follow his occupation with contentment. A Christian should not be too ready to fall out with his calling. It is the singular favour of God unto a man that he can attend his occupation with contentment and satisfaction. That one man has a spirit formed and fitted for one occupation, and another man for another, this is from the operation of that God, Who forms the spirit of man within him. Count not your business to be your burden or your blemish. Let not a proud heart make you ashamed of that business wherein you may be a blessing. For my part, I can’t see an honest man hard at work in the say of his occupation, be it never so mean (and though perhaps driving a wheelbarrow), but I find my heart sensibly touched with respect for such a man.
It is possible you may see others in some greater and richer business, and you may think that you might be yourselves greater and richer if you were in some other business. Yes, but has not the God of heaven cast you into that business which now takes you up? Is your business here clogged with any difficulties and inconveniences? Contentment under those difficulties is no little part of your homage to that God, Who has placed you where you are. Fall not into any fretful discontent, but with patience make the conclusion of the prophet: "Truly, this is a grief, and I must bear it! I must bear it!"
And hence, another thing to be pressed upon you is this: Let all persons take heed of too suddenly leaving that business wherein God has fixed them. When a man is become unfit for his business, or his business becomes unfit for him, unquestionably he may leave it. And a man may be otherwise invited sometimes justly to change his business; I make no question of it. But many a man, merely from covetousness and from discontent, throws up his business. And how many, do you think, repent of their doing so?
The Virtue of Piety
A Christian should with piety follow his occupation. O, let every Christian walk with God when he works at his calling; and in his occupation with an eye to God, act as under the eye of God. It is a wondrous thing that I am going to say: A poor man that minds the business of his calling and weaves a thread of holiness into all his business may arrive to some of the highest glories in heaven at the last.
(Cotton Mather, 1663-1728, American colonial historian and theologian, was born in Boston. Intellectually gifted, he entered Harvard University at age 11 and graduated in 1678. He became an assistant to his father, Increase Mather, at Boston’s Second Church, and from 1685 to 1728 held a joint or sole pastorate at the same church. Widely celebrated as a scholar, he was one of the founders of Yale College, a member of the Royal Society of London, a leader of the conservative element among the Puritans, and author of approximately 450 books on a variety of subjects. He gave generously of his time and money to the poor, established a school for educating slaves, supported the building of churches in poor communities, and came to the aid of needy ministers.)
CHomeS Comment: Some today would argue that the Rev. Mather’s ideas, written before the industrial revolution, hold little relevance for today. Steeped as he was in the Scripture and the traditions of a God-fearing society, we might do well to examine why such an argument might, or might not, be accurate.
The entire concept of a calling from God is questioned by many. They would say we end up in this job or that job because of the circumstances of the times. My very first summer job seemed like that. I was delivering ice to the drinking cans of the workers in the vineyards and orchards of central California, and shifting bins of fruit and field toilets. Most of my peers were picking the fruit in the 42°C heat. Anticipating the questions I would be asked, the friend of the family who got me this plum job told me to tell others I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. But even if that had been the case, and knowing that the friend and the boss whom he greased on my behalf and me too at the time were all total unbelievers doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is Lord. The Lord Jesus got me that job using the family friend’s relation with the boss. The Lord is the One who orchestrates the affairs of men, and not we ourselves. That’s what "Lord" means. That comes with the territory when One is God. If He didn’t have such all-comprehensive power, He would not be the God of the Scriptures.
It is quite liberating knowing that the job I have is exactly where the Lord wants me to be.....unless, as Cotton Mather also says, there is a definite inappropriateness about the job, an inappropriateness which is not borne of discontent, laziness or selfish ambition.
But more than just being where God wants me to be at the time, He has a whole swag of reasons why He wants me there at that time. As Cotton Mather says, to be content in the job, even when it is "clogged with any difficulties and inconveniences" is part of the homage I am to pay to my God. James tells us to count it all joy when we meet various trials, such as a swine of a boss or lousy working conditions, for the benefits that follow (James 1:2-4). And the Lord also assures us that all things work for good to His people (Romans 8:28). And our work, whatever we do, being from God can be fulfilled by us as an act of worship, bringing glory to God (I Corinthians 10:31). The Scriptures tell us to work this way (Colossians 3:23-24) and promise great reward as well (I Corinthians 15:58). These principles are very easy to see when we consider our calling to home educate our children. It makes me all the more determined to work for the maintenance of our ability to fulfil our duty to home educate with a minimum of state interference.
Now this old fashioned idea of industry being a virtue really seems past its use-by date these days. Some will argue that most jobs are dead-end affairs, with no hope of promotion; that the "system" no longer rewards industry, but only cunning; that the jobs aren’t there anyway; that there are gender and racial and cultural barriers; and that some jobs (such as child rearing, homemaking, and volunteer societies), being unpaid, will never be rewarded, no matter how hard you work. These viewpoints have varying amounts of truth to them, reflecting the fact that we live in a fallen world and in a nation that has turned its back on the God of the Bible. But all these viewpoints also completely ignore the God of the Scriptures...and He is not bound by the iniquities of our present society. He can ensure that the hard-working and diligent will be rewarded..... perhaps by being in the right place at the right time. We cannot know how He will accomplish His ends, but as long as we trust in Him and not ourselves, our efforts can be part of the solution to the problems, rather than just remaining part of the problems (Proverbs 3:5-10). Remember, He is still Lord, and totally in control.
If more of us could get a handle on what Rev Mather and the Bible say about contentment, our lives would be a lot less hectic and much more fulfilling. I think most of us home educators have figured out that we probably cannot both educate our children at home and maintain a show-home degree of orderliness and tidiness at the same time. I mean, sometimes the beds don’t even get made. How come with all the labour-saving devices, we are all working harder than ever before? Is it possibly because of discontent? Do we want to possess more, to be involved in more things, to be seen to be involved in more things, to not miss out on the latest, to "support" the good work someone else has organised?
Maybe these things are good things, totally justifiable. But maybe there are times when the good can prevent us from accomplishing the best. Maybe there are too many good things that come to us in a state of urgency or on a once-in-a-blue-moon basis, so the pressure of the moment takes us away.....again and again......from spending time, the long periods of uninterrupted time, required to effectively impart those formal academic lessons or those informal character lessons. If home education was just a matter of imparting information, books, tapes and computers would all suffice. But we are talking about imparting our lives to our children’s lives, by personal lessons, by personal precepts, by personal examples. And that all takes time. And contented people tend to have more time, for they have figured out what is important and are less likely to be distracted from the top priorities in life (the best) by all those good things that constantly come their way.
Do you know what their top secret is? I mean apart from having figured out their priorities in life? Do you know that top executives pay hundreds of dollars to learn this secret and how to properly use it? Are you ready for this? The secret is learning how to say "no".
Now, even unbelievers can take advantage of this concept. Anyone can see that if Bob was perfectly satisfied and contented with jam sandwiches for lunch everyday, he would have a much higher degree of contentment in life than would Jim who would settle for jam sandwiches, but was only contented with Italian dry salami and Swiss cheese on San Francisco sour dough bread. The trick there is to sublimate your real desires for more pragmatic ones and convince yourself that you now really want this lesser item.
But Christians have such an advantage! Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." I found this so liberating! What does the Lord get? Well, anything He wants ... He is the one who decides all things that come into existence. If we take delight in the Lord, that is, delight in Him and all the things He wants, then He promises to give us those things we want, the desires of our hearts. But since they will be the same things as what He wants, it will simply come about as we do His will on this earth. Nothing could be farther from the picture of God as some kind of Santa Clause collecting things on these individual wish lists. And nothing could be more fulfilling and satisfying and contributing to continual contentment than having the desires of the heart fulfilled by simply going about my everyday life, a life committed to doing His will. Now His Holy Spirit dwelling within will make this a delight, rather than a chore. It will enhance the unity we Christians seem to have given away since we will all be taking delight in the same things rather than doing our own things. And part of this delight in the things of the Lord will surely be a humble admiration for the vast diversity evident in God’s people.....especially as expressed in each individual’s calling from God.
So although we all delight in the same thing, it does not mean we all do the same thing. We each have our own calling from God, a calling which may be modified as the years go by. And we accept that it is a calling, something I am supposed to do, because it is a calling from God, my Master. The option to take it up or leave it be isn’t really there. He has called me to do this specific job. I had better do it because He called me to it. And if I’m smart I’ll do it because I know He has only the best (which doesn’t mean easiest or most fun or exciting) lined up for me. I follow my own calling, embracing it as my own, and I rejoice with my brothers and sisters in their callings and encourage them therein.
No, not everyone is equal or will be equal. No, we will not see perfect or total justice on this sin-cursed earth. But, as the Scriptures instruct us, we should wait patiently, eagerly, for Him Who judges justly and will finally put everything right. Only let us be found by Him faithfully doing His will. For when we have done all we were commanded to do, we will say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10).
From Keystone Magazine
March 1998 , Vol. IV No.1
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
Bill Gates, founder of computer software giant Microsoft, extols the virtues of the written word: "People cannot become truly knowledgeable without being excellent readers. While multimedia systems can use video and sound to deliver information in compelling ways, text is still one of the best ways to convey details.
"I try to make time for reading each night. In addition to the usual newspapers and magazines, I make it a priority to read at least one newsweekly from cover to cover. If I were to read only what intrigues me I would finish the magazine the same person I was when I started. So I read it all." (From The Guardian.)
(The King of Computer Whiz himself promotes the reading of magazines! There must be something to this reading. I remember doing exactly what Bill says he does: get a copy of Time or Newsweek magazine, and read it cover to cover each week. I read BOTH those magazines religiously cover to cover each week for about six years. I found the business and economic stuff incomprehensible, and much of the rest a bit dull at times. But I began to learn who were the leading lights, the names that appeared again and again. I became aware of the vast array of human issues being played out in every corner of the globe. I began to understand what the media meant when it referred to "left-wing" or "right-wing" or "conservative" or "liberal", and also noticed how biased one magazine was in particular and how it took every opportunity, no matter how far it had to stretch, to say something promoting the evolutionary world-view. Just knowing those names and a wee bit of the context enables me to this day to talk to anyone about almost any topic, AND TO ASK INTELLIGENT QUESTIONS. This HAS to be the quickest, easiest and most interesting way to learn anything! None of us needs to know everything, nor do our children. But we should all learn enough about as many topics as we can in order to ask intelligent questions, probing how this topic relates to another, what its relevance is to everyday life, etc., in order that we may learn from every person with whom we come into contact. At the same time it is one of the best ways to make friends and leave a very positive impression with others: you were the one who was interested in what that other person was involved in, and actually asked questions to draw them out and actually listened intently as if you were eager to learn from them. They will be very pleased to see you again next time.)
From Keystone Magazine
July 1997 , Vol. III No.4
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
We were in an independent fellowship for 14 years, all our married life, where all our children grew up, where all our best friends were, our only spiritual home. When the Lord developed within us through His Word the convictions of Christian education and home schooling, we were stunned that others did not share our enthusiasm for this way of raising a generation of disciples for Christ. We thought their disinclination for bringing the Word of God to bear on tbe political scene regarding public morality was a cultural hangover from the good old days when Christians never had to be involved in such things. But when immorality, humanistic heresies and even the trampling of their own traditions were not spoken against when they happened in the congregation, we knew something was wrong.
One day I was handed a copy of a letter by the elders, written to someone else which said they did not believe in either the PRINCIPLE or the PRACTICE of home schooling and would never want to see their pulpit used to promote such a thing. We had been home schooling for five years. WHY HADN'T THESE ELDERS TOLD ME!! WHY HAD THEY LET ME GO DOWN A PATH AND TAKE MY FAMILY DOWN A PATH THEY CONSIDERED HARMFUL? WHAT KIND OF SHEPHERDING, PASTORING, ELDERSHIP IS THAT??!!
We knew we had to go. Why? Because these shepherds not only refused to shepherd, but also let each person go his own way. We either had to find a church that WOULD shepherd us properly or do the job ourselves.
Working through the issues involved in that little choice took us SEVEN years. We found the issue of authority to be a crucial one, right next to fidelity to Christ and His Word. We found some surprising things.
First, there are some things which are inescapable. Therefore these things affect everybody and cannot be ignored. One is the deceitfulness of sin. We found most Christians underestimate the degree to which they are susceptible to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. That last one especially, the pride of life, is what causes us to deny that Jeremiah 10:23 applies to us: "I know, 0 Lord, that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (I Corinthians 10:12). The deceitfulness of sin is inescapable. Therefore we must be constantly on guard AND open to the admonition of others.
Then there is doctrine. The fellowship we left would say that love unites, but doctrine divides. But that in itself is a statement of doctrine. That is what they believe, it is what they teach. One elder told us, "Well this is what we believe, and if you don't like it, you can leave." That was a statement of doctrine. When I told them, which was difficult through my uncontrollable sobbing and tears, that we felt we had to leave, only one of the eight elders tried to talk to us about it. That showed the commitment of their love to unity. Everybody has doctrine: the one they profess may be different than the one they live by, but doctrine is inescapable. So the question is, which doctrine is closest to Biblical doctrine.
A third inescapable item is the way in which God has ordained under His own authority other spheres of authority. The family, the church, and the state are three main ones ordained by God, each with its own sphere of influence and each accountable and subservient to God's authority. You know this is inescapable by the amount of trouble inevitably caused when one authority tries to extend its sphere of influence into that of another or is actually invited by the other to do so, as when the state relieves the family of its social welfare, health care and educational responsibilities.
We must not complain about man-made structures because they too are inescapable. We WILL have one structure or another, always man-made, no matter what we do. Even if we stay home and not even meet with any other believers, that too is a man-made structure, made by ourselves. (Personally because it is made by myself to suit myself rather than to help and encourage others I would therefore tend to trust it all the less as this kind of system is humanistic to the core, being self-centred rather than Christ-centred. Of course if there is no Christ-centred church within a reasonable distance, then you probably do need to stay at home, rather than come back from a service in such a place complaining about it in front of the family and feeling unclean.) And so, the question is which man-made structure is closest to the Biblical pattern.
So, when the authority of the church begins to eclipse that of the family, you come up with strongly authoritarian church structures, from huge international organisations to local personality cults, where the doctrine is determined by an elite person or group, and more and more of the family's activities are determined for it by the church. On the other hand, when families believe they can fulfil for themselves the responsibilities of the church, you can get antinomian* structures where doctrine tends to be rather fuzzy at the edges to the point where each family determines its activities for itself with no reference to the church, the Body of Christ of which this family is meant to be a part.
Just because the church structures we have experienced seem restrictive to us does not mean church structures are wrong. That is like saying because my marriage seems restrictive, marriage is wrong. Why do we tend so quickly to blame the institution and not the sinners (ourselves) who are in tbe institution? Could it have something to do with this "do your own thing" generation in which we live, which rebels against whatever doesn't suit ME? Have we possibly been influenced more by the world and our own deceitful sinfulness than by the Lord's Word in these situations? Why do we focus more on, "What (probably new thing) does the Lord want ME to do?" rather than "How can I more effectively do what the Lord HAS ALREADY TOLD ME to do in the Scriptures?" I am not saying that we should stay put in a "church" which has compromised, apostacised or grossly overstepped its boundaries, but neither should we despise the churches as a whole simply because what we have experienced has been unsatisfactory.
The perfect church does not exist on earth, but then neither does the perfect Christian exist on earth. That means that being an imperfect member of an imperfect church will give us plenty of opportunities to obey some of the clear commandments the Lord has already given us: to bear with the failings of the weak (Romans 15:1), not neglect to meet together to stir one another up to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25), to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), to do good to the brethren (Galatians 6:10), and to love one another so that the outsiders may see (John 13:34-35).
It seems to me that the Scriptures do clearly state that elders are to be appointed in every place (Titus 1:5), that they are to rule over us (I Tim 3:4-5, 5:17, Hebrews 13:7, 17) , that we should submit to them (I Peter 5:5, Hebrews 13:17), that we should call them when ill (James5:14), and that we pay them well (I Tim 5:17-18). Yes, the elders certainly have directives as to how they are to look after us (I Peter 5:l-3, Hebrews 13:17) and must be held accountable to that by way of exhortation (I Tim 5:1).
The Church on earth, the Body of Christ, is made up of ALL SORTS: the weak, the immature, the lazy, the strong, the keen. I am commanded to bear with them all and not to please myself, but to serve and to love all my brethren. Apart from the Bible verses above that indicate that I should be a member of a local congregation under elders, from a practical, logistical point of view, I can best fulfill the commandments to serve the brethren by being committed to a local congregation. Because I do not have a corner on tbe truth, I must concede that I can learn something, probably quite a bit, from every brother and sister in the congregation, if I would only take the time to listen and learn .... to love and serve them as I have already been commanded by the Lord to do.
The organisational church is not meant to usurp the authority of us fathers within our families, but to strengthen and equip and support us in that role. The authority of the church is over corporate areas of worship, discipline, the sacraments, etc. If the pagan Roman Empire could be commended by the Lord in Romans 13 as a minister of God to whom we should submit, how much more can we joyfully submit, in those appropriate areas, to the appropriately constituted church of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever, Amen !
*Antinomianism (against the law) stresses freedom from the condemnation of the law to such an extent that it can come to mean freedom from the law itself. It also tends to reflect a modern existentialism or "here and now" attitude as if it had nothing to learn from the church's 2000 years of history, struggle, practise and scholarship.
From Keystone Magazine
May 1996 , Vol. II No. 3
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
When I heard those lines sung by the Everly Brothers a few weeks ago, I burst into tears. As a father I now know about the unspeakable nightmares I must have put my parents through. I would love to apologise to my Dad, to talk over all the trials I forced on him. But I never even had a chance to say 'good-bye" to my Dad. He died of sudden heart failure when I was 13. He was 44, same age as I am now. He was one of those dads who worked 10 hours a day, six days a week. Even though I can count on one hand the times he did something with just me out of the five of us kids, I loved him dearly ...he was my Dad.
As a door to door salesman I once met a man who said he wasn't interested in my products and really couldn't spare the time to have a look since he was nursing his terminally ill wife who had been sent home from the hospital to die. What do you say? I asked him what advice he would give me if I were to find myself in his position. Without hesitation he replied, "Start talking to one another." Even though they'd been together for years, now that they saw the end was near, they couldn't find enough time to talk to each other. I wish my Dad had taken the time to talk to me. As a matter of fact I remember how twice just the month before he did, he called into my room just on bedtime to see how my brother and I were doing. He had never done that before. It was neat. Then he was gone.
Time is short, men. Do those things for your family you have been thinking about doing, but keep putting off. Go get ten minutes, OK, make it only five minutes, with one of your children just as they are going to bed. Lying there in the darkness is a good time to re-cap the day, catch up with each other, and you never know what burning questions they may be encouraged to ask. Make it a regular time at least once a week.
Read to them as often as you can. Use times around the dinner table as the opportunity to fulfill your role as prophet, priest and king. When I pray after reading the Scriptures at meal times , I now confess our collective sins, as did Job for his children, and ask the Lord's forgiveness. As we read though the Scriptures, there is hardly a topic of interest to modern families which is not mentioned. I am tempted to skip parts like the rape of Tamar or the incest of Lot's daughters, but there it is in the Bible giving me the perfect opportunity to talk about these things with my children. If I have read some outrageous statement or story in the papers I will read it to the children and invite their comments on it. We have some really good discussions that way, and it is especially educational in allowing me to point out the humanistic, pagan thinking in many of these stories and how that differs from Christ-centred thinking. In fact I just read an article which stated that "several studies have found the frequency of family meals together to be a strong predictor of student test scores. "
Time is short, men. Keep short accounts with people. Don't let the sun go down if you are angry at someone or pushed out of shape because of some kind of problem with another person. Go get it sorted out as soon as you recognise that there is a problem. You may not get another opportunity.
Let me be more specific. Husbands, fathers, it is our responsibility to keep our homes and families running smoothly. It is up to us before God to sort out the problems that arise in family situations, or, see that they get sorted out. The Lord will hold us fathers responsible. We will have to give an account of how we handle the role of head of the household He has delivered unto us.
We have all heard it said that the best thing we could possibly do for our children is to love our wives. You have heard that, I trust. Well, I would like to vouch for it, from our own experience. Not that we are experts in this area or have a whole lot to shout about. But there have been periods of time when I have not had the best of attitudes toward my wife. Not just once but several periods of time. During those times I noticed the children became sulky, unusually disobedient in both frequency and type, less communicative. What is worse, one of the children seemed to be developing his own negative attitude toward my wife, the child's own mother, simply because he was mirroring my lousy attitude. When my attitude improved and I began to show a lot more respect and consideration toward my wife, the children all improved. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5: 25 ). The benefits of obeying this Scripture extend to our children and their entire home educarion and training.
From Keystone Magazine
November 1995 , Vol. 1 No. 5
P O Box 9064
Palmerston North
Phone: (06) 357-4399
Fax: (06) 357-4389
email: craig@hef.org.nz
Craig and Barbara Smith and their 8 home educated children and 3 Grandchildren: Genevieve (born 1980) and Pete (married 2008 with Natalie 2008 and...); Zachariah (1981) and Megan (married 2005 with Cheyenh 2007 and Dusti 2009); Alanson (1984); Charmagne (1987); Jeremiah (born Mitchell 1992 and now adopted); Jedediah (born 1997 and now adopted); Kaitlyn (born 2000 and now adopted); Grace (born 2005 guardianship).
We use a Biblical/Hebrew/Classical approach to our home education.
Stumble It!
