With all the talk about education overhauls and the continuing decline of the public alledgeducation system, most of you probably read this blog and breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness my kids are safe at home,” you say, or “I pity the neighbors’ children, that they can’t be home like mine.”
You can’t actually bring other people’s children home, to their own homeschools or to yours, but there may be something you can do to encourage their parents, to plant a seed which may in time grow into a homeschool opportunity for those who might have considered it beyond their reach. It does require a little extra education for your own kids, and a little extra effort on your part, but in the end expanding your homeschool to include “summer guerilla missions” probably won’t feel like any work at all.
What is Summer Guerilla Missions? Read on…
How many times have you heard someone tell you a truth that you didn’t want to acknowledge at the time, but after the fact it lurked around in your thoughts until you couldn’t do anything but accept it? Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like that, like a tiny seed that grows until even the birds of the air can nest in its branches, or a tiny bit of leaven that, hidden in a large quantity of flour, eventually leavens all. (Matthew 13.31-33) The positive presence of homeschool families can do that, too.
Maybe your friend says, “I wish I could homeschool, but I just don’t have the brain power to teach like you do,” or “my kids love playing with your kids after school, because they’re always so polite and homeschooling seems like so much fun, but I just don’t have the energy to do all that work.”
You might want to invite her children over this summer to do a science experiment with yours, something fun like making homemade root beer from a kit or making and flying kites to learn about physics. Even if you’re not in school, find a stand-alone project that’s both educational and fun. Then teach the whole group like you would a regular school activity. When the kids go home, they’ll talk about their experiences and what they learned. When your neighbor comments on what an amazing experience her children had, explain how easy it is to get the kits and follow the instructions – and the same goes for curriculum too. Don’t make it a hard-sell – nobody likes that – but her children’s positive experience with a homeschool activity, and hearing how easy it is to do, will have an impact. And even if she never mentions the activity, you’ve planted a seed through her children. They will remember, and they will talk about it, even if you never hear a word.
Including your non-homeschooling friends and their families in fun summer activities will have a greater impact than you could possibly imagine. It takes some time and effort to schedule educational activities, and more to find ways to integrate non-homeschoolers without specifically telling them you’re promoting education. But the truth has a way of working on its own, and once people realize how easy homeschooling is, and how much rewarding time we can spend with our children in the process, it’s enough for you to plant. Or to water. God will give the increase.
Susan Spann
TOS Items of Interest
Jun. 18, 2009
Posted by John Green 
