Learn, Live, Love - Homeschool Blogger

A Year Later....

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:25:00 -0500

I find it very ironic that as I was contemplating what to do with the various blogs that I own, I realized that it has been exactly a year since I have written on this blog. I think in taking a break from this blog, I not only was rethinking what to do about writing in this forum, but also rethinking education, in general. I feel like I have gone on a bit of a journey this year. Not only has our family added a precious daughter, but we have also changed the location that we call home. There has been some adjusting to our new place in life and has caused me to think about what we do in the area of teaching our children.

Coming from a background of being educated and educating in the public school system, I feel that I have carried that mindset into our home. How was I to think that if the system didn't work for my child in public school, it would work for him at home? Well, it didn't ! As I have been praying about what direction to proceed with our children, I seemed to really connect with the idea of 'unschooling' or as some may call it, 'relaxed homeschooling'. I have also been through a series of trial and error situations trying to connect with others that have this same mindset. There were some that I could connect with on an educational level--philosophically--but were very opposed to viewpoints from a Christian perspective (this seemed to be based on some hurt inflicted by professing christians--that's a subject for another post...). Others that may have the same mindset spiritually speaking, seemed to reject the idea of unschooling. It has been only recently that I have been able to connect with other Followers of Christ that also embrace the concept of unschooling. It is nice to be able to finally feel like we are not entirely alone!

One of the resources that I have been able to get my hands on is Christian Unschooling by Teri J. Brown. This is a great way to be introduced to this concept of really thinking about educating your child in a whole new and refreshing way.

So, in regards to my writing on this blog, I feel like more doors are opening up for me to discuss educating at home or really just learning, in general. I do hope to write a bit more consistently and look forward to reading your thoughts as well.

In the Peace of Christ,
Christy

Goodbye....for now

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:01:00 -0500

When I first stumbled upon Homeschool Blogger, we were just thinking of homeschooling our son. I have made some great connections with others here. I have been encouraged by many, many people in our homeschooling journey. For this I am so very thankful.

It is now 2 years later and I am finding myself without the words to type or the motivation to write in this forum. We have been quite busy with adopting a new child and I am currently finishing the school year in the public school system.....and will not be going back---yea! But I find myself wanting to write about fostering and adoption or things of a more spiritual nature----and I have other blogs for those trains of thought.

So, I am saying goodbye for now. I am not sure if anyone stills reads this blog--I have been lousy at keeping it up to date! But, if you do want to continue to read my writings, you may follow me here:

Love Each Child-- our journey through fostering and adoption

Until My Last Breath--thoughts on my relationship with God and with others

I wish you peace and many blessings upon your journey through life as you homeschool your children--

Christy :)

A Family's Perspective

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:58:00 -0500

I came across this article about one family's journey of homeschooling their children. It is a very interesting article, one that I believe will encourage you:

"There's no denying that the modern home-schooling movement was born of the desire to shake off stultifying school bureaucracies and to sidestep the uncertain mission of public schools, which is set by adults with often conflicting priorities for children. A century of ideological struggles has defined the hodge-podge taught in schools, and they persist to this day. Will schools teach evolution or intelligent design? Offer safe-s*x or abstinence-only instruction? Encourage art and dance or treat them as distractions from No Child Left Behind tests? Home-schoolers can make our own decisions based on what's best for our children."

Isn't it wonderful to have the freedom to make decisions based on our children's needs and not be driven by standards and set curriculum? Why so many people still question whether this is a good thing baffles me!

One of the experiences that was described by this family really touched me, I think because this is not a rare occurrence, as some would have you believe:

"For several years, they participated in a fife and drum corps, playing colonial and traditional patriotic music, marching in parades, learning not only music and history but also teamwork, perseverance, discipline and a great deal about the communities through which they marched. This kind of experience is fairly typical of home-schooling."

And another compelling thought:

"I've never heard a home-schooling parent refer to a child as "learning disabled," for instance. There are many kinds of intelligence, but conventional schools usually only focus on one. Take late reading. A conventional school education depends on written textbooks and workbooks and homework, so a child who can't read is unable to learn. But home-schoolers have developed systems and approaches that work with the kind of talent and intelligence a child has."

This is an incredible thought....to think of the child as one with unique talents and abilities, not unfocused behavior and disability. This is a change of thought for some (including me), but a change that we all we do well to experience.

If you are intrigued by the small portions of this writing that I shared here, go read the entire article. The authors have also written a book called, Homeschooling, A Family's Journey, which looks to be a very interesting story of their personal walk through their adventure of homeschooling.

Christy

Adoption Update

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:22:00 -0600

Here's an update on our journey through Foster and Adoption. Thank you for your prayers in this situation. We truly are praising God and are amazed at His love for us!

http://www.loveeachchild.com/2008/02/18/a-breath-of-fresh-air/

A Meme from a Friend

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 14:41:00 -0600

I have seen this particular meme floating around the blogosphere. I thought it looked interesting, but the thought didn't amount to much of anything. When my friend, Laura from Our World is Our Classroom posted a blog entry on the 123 Meme, I knew I wanted to participate.

Here are the instructions:

Pick the nearest book of 123 pages or more
Find Page 123
Find the first 5 sentences
Post the next 3 sentences
Tag 5 people

As usual, I have more than 1 book sitting on my nightstand...can anyone relate? So, I will share from 2 books that I am currently reading.

The first one is a book called Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World, Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child. This book discusses the danger in your child being taught in only one method (traditional, logical, pen and paper, quizzes, tests, flash cards, etc...) and gives suggestions for thinking (and teaching) outside the box a bit. Here is an excerpt from page 123 where the author is discussing the fact that the traditional methods of teaching math bypass the right-brained child's greatest strength--the ability to access and hold images.

" Flash cards, it turns out, are fine if you take the "flash" out of them. They're visual, which helps kids with a right-brained learning style, but they're a nightmare for ADD kids because they demand quick processing, which is not congruent with their learning style. Rush a visual learner and he's out of his game."

I don't know about you, but this is extremely helpful for me. It is difficult to teach your child in one method, not receive the desired results and find out that it's not going to happen unless they are able to "see" what you are trying to teach. And with some children, we need to see the world from their perspective, before we are able to effectively teach them.

The second one that I want to quote is from a book that I received this past weekend at a homeschool conference. The book is called, I Miss My Time With You, and is written by Elizabeth Franklin. She shares her thoughts on the importance of making our relationship with God an essential part of our life. Here is an excerpt from this book:

"He wants you to know Him intimately. Don't allow anything to stand in the way of a living, precious, intimate, "in love with God' kind of relationship. That's what He wants with you."

I haven't read this book, so I can't speak for it's entirety just yet, but as for this excerpt, I can say a definite "Amen!" I think we too often get caught up in the daily pressures of all that we "need" to do, or so we think, and miss what is essential to our life. If we don't have that intimate relationship with God, how do we think we are going to be able to handle the pressures that come our way?

So, that is my contribution to this meme....I hope it was encouraging to you. Now, let the tagging begin.

guitardylan
JacqueDixonSoulRestES
WriteInJoy
RaesFamily
pianosteve

Have a beautiful day!
Christy

Homeschooled Children with Special Needs

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:59:00 -0600

Because I am still 'in the system', at least part time, I am given the privilege (I say this sooo tongue in cheek) of learning the latest news in the world of Special Education. Most of the time, the news pertains to new theories or ideas to use with children that are diagnosed with a disability or even a great success story of a child with a disability. This is helpful. Sometimes the news pertains to techniques, strategies and innovative curriculum. This can be helpful. And then sometimes the news highlights another brilliant idea from the public school system. This is not helpful at all.

This article really brings to the surface a problem in the public school system. The children somehow get lost in the power and money struggle and their needs go unmet. How can this happen? As someone who became a Special Education teacher for the purpose of actually helping children who would otherwise be pushed aside, this is really a tough pill to swallow. I realize this is not in my school system or even in my state, but I can honestly say this type of mentality has the potential to surface it's ugly head at any point in any system. It makes me ponder how long I can be in this system, as limited as it is......

A New Year

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 23:18:00 -0600

I am incredibly thankful for the arrival of this new year--

For the opportunity to homeschool our son and continue to discover new aspects of his character that would otherwise be hidden
For God's provision for our family
For the possibility of becoming a mother again--see this blog for further details
For the possibility of moving to another state
For my partner in life
For our special friends--old and new
For the freedom to fellowship with other believers each day
For the promise of an eternity in fellowship with our Father

I pray that 2008 brings you much peace, joy, love and fellowship as you follow Christ in each day!

Christy

You Make Me Smile

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:47:00 -0600

My son has given me an award...the You Make Me Smile award.

How cool that I made it to his list, although I feel that I should be giving him this award. Dylan is always trying to make me smile--he loves to laugh and he loves even more to make others laugh. And he succeeds frequently! I am so glad that God has blessed him with this desire--at moments when I need a smile or a good laugh, Dylan is there for me!

I do hope that there are moments that I make him smile as well. The truth is....we like to have a good time together, along with his dad, and we try to find moments in each day to make that possible.

So, thanks Dylan for this award! You made me smile!

I'll pass this on to others that make me smile here at HSB: Steve, Jacque, Gena, Jennifer, Sarah, Amy and Lisa

Christy :)

Sensenig Update

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:37:00 -0600

A came across a website that may interest some of you. It is an opportunity to go to EPCOT in FL and see everyone's favorite mouse AND enjoy a great homeschool (or disneyschool) experience! It looks like an extremely cool outing---maybe we can work it out to go--I don't know, but one can dream!

In other news, my posts here have been very sporadic, mostly due to busyness. So, just to update you on what is going on in our lives:

We are currently awaiting word for Steve on a possible job opportunity in Abingdon, VA. He has a interview in a few weeks and hopefully we will know something very soon.
We are currently awaiting the possibility of adopting a foster child. We also should something in that regard soon. You can read about this journey at http://www.loveeachchild.com
I am trying to juggle a few schedules (homeschooling and teaching preschoolers with special needs)
We are still trying to adjust to a homeschool method and schedule that works for Dylan. We have adopted a more relaxed method. We have basically given him control of what he wants to learn. The reason for this change is because he seemed to be dreading school every day, so we decided to be more relaxed in our approach. To our surprise, he wanted to continue all the subjects we had planned, but he had some other ideas as to how they were presented to him. It seems to be working well---we are keeping our eyes open for any other changes that need to be made

I think what I bring to our homeschool experience can be a detriment at times. What I mean by that is this: I was raised within the halls of a public school system--my mother worked there, my grandmother worked there, and countless aunts and uncles worked there as well. So, I followed their lead....unfortunately that mindset has followed me in teaching my son at home--one I have to constantly war against. I want my child to love learning, but I know he also has some methods and habits to shake off as well.

So, we are still in process. I do know this: The choice to homeschool our son was the absolute best thing we could do for him. He has had the freedom to express wants, desires and also needs that probably would not have been met in a public school setting. We, as his teachers, have been able to change methods and curriculum that were not working for his learning style--and it's okay! Why teach something that you and your child dread each day? It is simply not worth it--

Another thing that I'd like to share:
Steve has written an article in the current issue of TOS, entitled, Holiday Songs, More Than Tradition. Go read this article--He has done a wonderful job putting together his thoughts regarding the history of a few familiar Christmas songs. He also has several CDs available to purchase from the TOS Store.

I apologize for my infrequent posting here, but hopefully this will bring you all up to date.

Have a beautiful day!
Christy :)

Homeschooling Article

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:13:00 -0500

Don't you love it when you are able to read a positive article about homeschooling? It is nice to be encouraged at a time when people are so eager to make judgments regarding homeschooling, in general. And to see a community of homeschoolers that provide multiple opportunities for their children, is refreshing as well.

I'm sure you'd love to read it for yourself, so go ahead and read what is happening in Western North Carolina!

Have a wonderful week!
Christy :)

HT: Tami