Too many homeschool moms start homeschooling their elementary aged children with confidence.  This confidence wanes as children enter the middle school years, and by senior high, many parents doubt their ability to continue.  There seems to be an unwritten rule in many circles that ordinary moms can only homeschool UNTIL high school.  Then, they are incapable of teaching such complex subjects as algebra, chemistry, advances language, government and law, etc.  If you find yourself in one of these circles, I say the circle must be broken! Step purposefully outside the circle of uncertainty!  You CAN homeschool your child- at any age!

The real ability lies within your child, not you!  He or she is the one required to learn the information or lessons, not the parents.  There are several ways to make this process easier for your child.  And this will make your homeschooling the upper grades much more pleasant for you as well!  Hopefully this will be a time to enjoy your older student and to develop strong bonds with your child as he or she nears adulthood.

First of all, make sure your child is prepared to handle the material of the lesson.  If there are prerequisites, finish those first.  Don't jump into trigonometry if your child isn't familiar with the terms in algebra.  Sometimes lessons need to be done in a proper order.  It is more important that your child understands what he or she is expected to learn than to force them to hurry through lessons to advance to the next level.  Also, don't expect too much out of your child.  If your son or daughter struggles in reading or math, allow the time to work through these lessons without the additional pressure of a time constraint.  Know your student.  Know your child's limits, his/her weaknesses.  Don't assign lessons that don't take these factors into account.  We would all fail German 2 without taking German 1.  Remember this and prepare your child for the lessons you have planned.

Develop a love of learning in your child while he/she is young!  The younger the better, in fact!  If your child learns to love knowledge, nothing will stand in the way of his/her education.  Gaining knowledge becomes the goal instead of just finishing a subject.  Desire drives us as human beings.  If your child is driven by a passion for learning, he or she can learn anything!  Even without instruction, a person who can read and who loves learning can learn almost anything, even advanced math and chemistry.  Instilling this lifelong romance in your child will give him or her the edge that will make learning not only easy but a joy!

So you have an aversion to math?  Shakespeare not your cup of tea?  Well, guess what?  God made each of us different.  So don't be afraid to admit you don't want to face chemistry again.  But also, don't pass that fear onto your child.  If your child needs more help than you feel able to give, reach out to other moms and dads in your local homeschool group.  Find a mom that is passionate about chemistry, calculus, or Plutarch and have them share that subject with your child.  When a person is excited about something, it is contagious.  So expose your child to other parents or people within your community who love what you don't.  You could also check into tutoring programs such as Sylvan or a public  school or private tutor to help assist a struggling student.   Some schools even allow homeschooled students to participate in their classes.  Even technical colleges will often allow students over sixteen to take a class.  And don't forget the internet!  Find online or satellite classes or ebooks to help your child learn.  There are so many options available to homeschoolers today.  We just need to do a little research and take advantage of them!

My favorite resource for students is real books.  Give a child the opportunity to sit under some of the most brillant minds in history by giving him/her a chance to read their writing.  Give your child a real book- not a textbook, not a lesson plan or a regurgitated version of someone else's opinion.  Give them direct access to scientists, doctors, inventors, mathematicians, poets, presidents.  You will never get better teachers than allowing your child to develop a relationship with the author and his material.  I have never regretted a single book I've ever read.  (Oh, okay.  Maybe Junie B. Jones to my daughter when she was six!  That is why C.S. Lewis said books that weren't worth the time to be read by adults weren't worth the time to be read by children.)  Engage your child's mind with quality books!

Lastly let your older child take part in the planning of his/her education.  If he/she has a college or vocational goal, show him or her the classes needed to reach that goal.  A student who wants to be a nurse sees science classes as a means to an end and can use that forward thinking to endure tough lessons.  He/She practices perserverance in achieving their goal.  As parents, we also need to practice the art of listening.  Maybe your child wants to be a florist or a chef.  Then, maybe he/she doesn't need to be on the science or math fast track.  He/she would do better studying the economics of small business or the French language  Education can be tailored to your child's interest and goals.  Since no child is the same, no course of study needs to be the same either.

In closing, I want to gently remind you to take all your thoughts, plans, worries, fears to the Lord in prayer.  And be ready to obey when He answers!  Homeschooling through high school may not be for everyone but if God puts it on your heart, He will be faithful to provide you with all you need to homeschool successfully.  Be confident in His provision and seek His will for the education of your child.  And I'll see you outside that circle of doubt!

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Hello!  I am having my first contest so bear with me!  I have available the book, Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Terri Maxwell with the study book.  To enter, post a short comment about your mom- or the dear friend you'd like to bless with this book.  Please also post a link back to the contest on your blog.   I will randomly choose the winner on Thursday December 18, at 8pm.  I will contact you THAT NIGHT for shipping details.  If possible, I'd like to get this out on Friday so you will get it in time for Christmas!  So please respond asap if you win!

This book is brand new and is such a gift of encouragement to moms.  Terri Maxwell is from www.Titus2.com   She and her family provide lots of Biblical encouragement for homeschooling families.  Our homeschool group used this book as the basis of our summer Moms' Bible Study.  We had some extras that I forgot about and that's why we're having this contest!  If you would like to bless a homeschooling mom that you know, please enter!

Good Luck and God bless!

In Christ Alone, mel

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I decided to post this letter here because of what I saw on MamaArcher's blog.  http://www.mamaarcher.com/2008/12/exodus-mandate-call-to-dunkirk.html I totally agree with Voddie Baucham and the other people on this video.  I hope you will heed the call on this video to parent with purpose. 

This book is primarily written for parents who want to guard their children’s hearts for Christ. 

Have you noticed how many different programs our public schools offer to our young people?  The public schools now ensure our children a healthy breakfast and assistance with homework afterschool.  They also offer afterschool sports and educational enrichment programs.  It is truly amazing how giving and supportive the schools are to our children.  But have you noticed something that is lacking?  Something that is sacrificed on the altar of “what is good for our children?”  It is us, the parents.  Compulsory education requires that our children leave our care and teaching to be educated by professionals "with our children’s best interest at heart" for at least 7 hours a day roughly from the ages of six to eighteen.  Of course, you have the options of homeschooling or paying for a private school education for your child.  But the National Education Association and Department of Public Instruction would really  like you to utilize their programs; you are paying for it already anyway.  And they are the professionals.  The NEA is also actively pursuing more restrictive laws for homeschoolers across the country and would like to have the government mandate a course of study for all schools.  Here is the NEA in its own words from its 2007-2008 Resolutions: "The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.
The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools. The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from a home school setting."

Most of us, parents, have gone to public school.  Few of our generation were homeschooled for even a portion of their educational career, much less for the entire thirteen years.  It has become absolutely ingrained in us to shove our children out of the nest at age five to spend the day among their peers and the educational professionals.  But have you stopped to think, why the public school system wants our children?  Wants them so much that there are laws in all fifty states that give them RIGHTS to our children’s education?  Why do they want them so badly?  Of course it is good for society to be educated but our public schooled nation has been growing more illiterate since the 1930s.  So the teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic is not the goal.   Why do they want our children?  They even refer to children at large as “their children.”   Why do we give up so freely what the NEA has gone to great lengths to secure?  I will tell you why they want OUR children.  Because our children are of such high value.  It is time that we started realizing the value of our young people.  It is time we, as parents,  stop and think.  God blessed us with each one of our children.  And we hand them off without so much as a second thought.  It is time to take them back.

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Well, my oldest son (CatfishOn) got a betta- a Siamese Fighting Fish- last summer.  For some reason, about a week ago, he decided he wanted to breed bettas.  Those who know him know what an understatement it is to say he is obsessed with breeding his betta!  He has read 2 fish breeding books- no small feat for the boy who only wants to read about Brett Favre or the Green Bay Packers!  He also has scoured the internet finding out every obscure fact about the fish known to man!  Needless to say, his enthusiasm has been contagious and now USAPUPPY (daughter) and BlueSky (2nd youngest son) are owners of bettas and are chatting constantly about how many babies they will have, how many bowls we'll need, how many babies they'll have to "cull," etc.  Whew!  I'm overwhelmed just thinking about the 100+ Siamese Fighting Fish each needing its own bowl so it won't kill its sibling or get eaten by its parents!  Talk about a disfunctional family! 

So now we are adding this to our unit on oceanography.......  which we are supposed to be finishing this week with a trip to the Discovery World Aquarium.  Today's virtual fish dissection was not attended with much enthusiasm.   I guess it just hit too close to their heartstrings!  But now they are even more eager to observe their bettas, label their fins, and discuss their eating habits!  Their excitement is almost too much to bear!  You can only imagine the trepidation as CatfishOn waited with bated breath for his beautiful male betta to start hiding in his new cave rock.  The poor fish had no time to get used to this new, strange object in his tank.  He was expected to go inside and take a nap!  Aaah!  We are also learning lessons in patience! 

Now seems like a good time to review how we are to be "fishers of men" utilizing patience and perserverance in presenting the Word to the lost.

Hope you are all having a lovely homeschool Monday!  We are!  (Despite the snow!!!!!!!!!)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUoYAj7Nosg

This youtube video is amazing!  And it really reminds me that I am doing the right thing keeping my kids at home.  I want them to love learning not to depend on others to 'educate' them....   Life is a learning experience and knowledge is a gift.  I want my children to see that.  It reminds me of that quote- "Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire."  May that fire burn brightly within all of us!

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  Another reason I am glad I am an American.  Let's just hope and pray we can continue to keep the UN out of our lives and our homes!

In Prayer,

mel+4

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THE NEW WORLD DISORDER
Constitution threatened by homeschool case
Expert: U.S. parent-led education endangered by U.N. children's protocol

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Posted: August 12, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

A couple in Brussels has been threatened with criminal neglect for schooling their children at home, and a U.S. expert on the issue told WorldNetDaily the case actually could pose a threat to the sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution.

That's because if the basis for the legal arguments being made by Belgian prosecutors ever would be accepted in - or imposed upon -- the United States, that fact would make the U.N. protocol equal to the Constitution.

In the case at hand, Alexandra Cohen has published a piece on the Brussels Journal website that her husband, Paul Belien, the website editor, was called to police headquarters, questioned, and threatened with criminal negligence counts because their children are homeschooled.

"He was told that the Belgian authorities are of the opinion that, as a homeschooler, he has not adequately educated his children and, hence, is neglecting his duty as a parent, which is a criminal offense," she wrote.

What terrifies U.S. homeschool education experts is the authorities' decision to cite the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a legal argument.

That 1990s-era document was ratified quickly by 192 nations worldwide, but not the United States or Somalia. In Somalia, there was then no recognized government to do the formal recognition, and in the United States there's been opposition to its power.

"(The treaty) would become the supreme law of the land," Chris Klicka, the senior counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association, told WND. In conflicts with the Constitution, the treaty easily could prevail, he said.

"Our worst fears are being realized as we see these other European countries feeling the pressure because they did sign on and enter into this treaty," he said. "Britain, for instance, had a report done by the (U.N.) Committee of 10 and they got chastised because they were allowing corporal punishment."

Although signed under the Clinton Administration, the U.S. Senate never has ratified the treaty, largely because of conservatives' efforts to point out it would create that list of rights which primarily would be enforced against parents.

The Convention is an international treaty that creates specific civil, economic, social, cultural and even economic rights for every child. It is monitored by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, which conceivably has enforcement powers.

Under the U.N. protocol, a child could have an abortion without telling her parents, while at the same time forcing them to pay for it. A generic description of the treaty calls it "child-centric." But Klicka's HSLDA is more specific.

The U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause requires that "all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land," the HSLDA said.

That would mean any state law relating to child custody, the family, education, adoption, child pornography and dozens of other issues could be nullified in an instant, the group said.

Under the protocol, children would be vested with freedom of _expression, so that "any attempts (by parents) to prevent their children from interacting with material parents deem unacceptable is forbidden."

Reaching to the far end of that logic would produce this result: your 6-year-old wants Playboy magazine, or even to visit a Playboy club, and you pay for it.

Parents who fail would be subjected to "identification, reporting, referral, investigation, treatment, and follow-up."

Klicka said the HSLDA is not directly involved in the Brussels case, although he has contacted the couple's legal counsel and has offered assistance if needed.

In the report by Cohen, she said the couple's four oldest children were homeschooled, and have moved on to the university level.

"Our youngest child is also being homeschooled, but she has yet to obtain her high school certificate, for which she is currently taking exams," she said. Those exams will be taken before the nation's Central Examination Board, of the Ministry of Education.

"The Belgian Constitution, written in 1831, allows parents to homeschool," she wrote. "The CEB exists to enable people who have not attended or who have failed school to obtain an official high school certificate."

The number of homeschooled students in Belgium, although small in number at about 500, has quadrupled in the past five years "as parents are seceding from the official schools where drugs and violence are rampant and pupils are indoctrinated with political correctness," she wrote.

That, she said, "clearly bothers the authorities," who recently introduced a legislative plan that cites the U.N. protocol and obliges homeschooling parents to sign "an official 'declaration of homeschooling' in which they agree to school their children 'respecting the respect (sic) for the fundamental human rights and the cultural values of the child itself and others.'"

She and her husband refused, and now the Ministry of Education believes they have violated the law, she said.

The only response from the Minister of Education, Frank Vandenbroucke, came through a spokesman who said in a local newspaper that in Belgium homeschoolers are required to sign a document that requires them to follow the protocols of the U.N. Convention.

"These parents have not done this. This is why the ministry has started an inquiry," he said.

Klicka noted that even if the Senate never ratifies the protocol, it could be dumped on the United States by the ruling of an activist judge.

"The fact that virtually every other nation in the world has adopted it has made it part of customary international law, and it means that it should be considered part of American jurisprudence," Cohen wrote.

In an earlier critique, HSLDA President Michael Farris noted the protocol essentially would move any rights that parents now have to social workers, who could make any decision concerning children - and force compliance.

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