Evaluation Time!

I was visiting with a new homeschool mother who was talking about what the No Child Left Behind Law has done to the public school teachers. It has left the teachers so stressed out. They have to teach in such a way that the students do well on the tests. That conversation reminded me of a book we have in the S.V.H.E. library: What Your Child Needs to Know When by Robin Scarlata.

This book was a best-seller in the 1990s. This book answers these questions:
What are the state standards?
What are God's standards?
How were children taught in Bible times?
How do I prepare my goals for the year?
How do I overcome my testing fears?
How do I overcome my child's testing fears?
Are the achievement test scores accurate?

Robin Scarlata points out that academic standards should not be separated from spiritual standards. We need to teach the whole child she says. Parents need to realize what their children really need to know - true wisdom from God's Word. The spiritual is just as important as the academic. Robin Scarlata has a chapter on character evaluation. How can that be evaluated on an achievement test?

This reminds me of the verses in Isaiah 55: 8-9, " For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways", says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Last evening we watch a video documentary at the monthly SVHE meeting titled: Home School Dropout: Why the Second Generation is Now Headed for a Spiritual Wasteland. This documentary, featuring the Botkin siblings, explores some of the reasons why second-generation homeschoolers are dropping out of the movement – in other words, they don’t intend to homeschool or actively disciple their own children (and many are dumping Christianity altogether). The labor of their parents means nothing to them. They try to melt back in to mainstream American culture, thinking it will bring them happiness. As one of the Botkin siblings puts it, “They want to be cool.” They presented six sins of the second generation. Here is what they say of their generation:

1. We don’t seek God for ourselves. (Please read that about ten times!!!!!)2. We don’t take our own sin seriously. 3. We are proud. (Homeschoolers may be academically better than average, but “Is beating the average really a standard of success?”) 4. We don’t engage the world. (Isolating ourselves from the world’s problems instead of confronting them.)5. Laziness and complacency. 6. We are bitter instead of grateful.

As I meditate on the conversation I had with the new homeschool mother, Robin Scarlata's book, and the documentary I am reminded of how Job in Job 1: 5 prayed regularly for his children. I am also reminded of Psalm 127, which tells parents how to labor and prosper with the Lord. Other Scriptures that come to my mind include Deuteronomy 6: 4-9. These verses tell parents to love the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength. Then parents are to teach that love of the Lord to their children.

I know that from my homeschool and life experiences that there is always hope with the Lord. Yes, at times, we as homeschool parents have failed. But we do serve a gracious and merciful God. He is a faithful. He has said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is there for us. He is our Restorer and our Redeemer. He can bring good out of bad. I say to the Botkin siblings the story is not finished yet. There is still hope for the second generation homeschoolers!

The American Heritage Series

A new addition to the library is The American Heritage Series with historian David Barton. It is a 10 DVD series that is very popular at the time of this blog. It has been shown in local churches, on the Salina cable access television, on several Christian networks, and even used last school in our S.V.H.E. co-op classes. Also, it can be seen on The Homeschool Channel. Here is a link to the Homeschool Channel: http://www.thehomeschoolchannel.tv/ I even found some of the videos from this series on You tube.

Amazon.com has done an excellent job reviewing this series. Just check it out: http://www.amazon.com/American-Heritage-David-Barton/dp/B001RJ78TE

Margin in our lives

This morning I happened to be in the car at 7 a.m. when I heard Richard Swenson on the Focus on the Family radio program. He was talking about the fact that we need a margin in our daily life. We do not have to have every hour of every day scheduled with an activity. He said that sometimes we should say "no".

In the mid 1990's I remember a speaker with several children at the TPA Homeschool conference in Wichita who said that she has no ministry outside the home. The entire audience stood up and clapped. I clapped, too. Why? I think that was the year in which I was teaching 3 - 5 years old on Wednesday night and Kindergarten on Sunday. That was also when I was homeschooling all six of my children. But what became too much was when the Wednesday teachers decided to have the Wednesday night children plant flowers. We planted them but nobody was watering them after a week. The pastors did not think it was their resoonsbility. So I decided I would take that job on. So every day that summer I came to church to water the flowers. Two weeks in August the temperature was about 110 degrees every day. So I came twice a day. The next year the pastor asked me if I wanted to be responsible for the flowers in front of the church since they were so beautiful the previous summer. I wisely said no. I did recommend a different lady who is still enjoying being responsible for the flowers. I have learned over the years that activities do take more time than you originally think that they would.

We do have a book in the S.V.H.E. library by Richard A. Swenson published in 1992 named Margin.

Check out this book from our library or you could check the Focus on the Family web-site. http://www.focusonthefamily.com/ Dr. Swenson spoke on October 12 & 13, 2010. I do not know how long programs are kept online. But it is worth your time. You might also want to check out Richard Swenson's web-site. http://www.richardswenson.org/index.html

The American Storyteller

I want to post an excellent web-site for auditory learners called The American Storyteller Radio Journal. It is real people and real stories. The host is Nelson Lauver, who has been known as the Rockwell of Radio. He is a master storyteller. His stories are only 4 minutes. There are currently 117 stories to pick from. Do try at least one story. I know you will be hooked. http://www.theamericanstoryteller.com/

Usborne books

In May 2010 at the annual S.V.H.E. used book sale I purchased several Usborne books for the homeschool library. The S.V.H.E. Library now has over fifty Usborne books. Usborne books are books for children of all ages. http://www.usborne.com/ is the official web-site for the company. Usborne Books was founded by Peter Usborne in 1973. Peter Usborne pioneered a completely new generation of entertaining, colorful and friendly books. Since its foundation, Usborne has been the publisher that children love for its humorous, factual and fun books. These are books that were not available when I was growing up. These are the books that every month I find on the floor and scattered around the library. The stack of Usborne books is never in order. Why? Because children do love these books! ! !

Power Perfected in Weakness

Power Perfected in Weakness is the journal of Christopher J. Klicka. Anybody who has been homeschooling for a few years knows this man. He has probably done more for homeschooling than anybody else in America. He was the Senior Counsel of HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). He was also the Director of State and International Relations at HSLDA. Chris Klicka went to be with his Lord on October 12, 2009 at the age of 48.

This book speaks of his inner man. His main passion was telling people about Jesus. Chris had a very severe form of multiple sclerosis for 15 years. His many trips to the hospital he used as opportunities to tell others about Jesus. Because of his difficulties he always had one of his children with him. They would give tracts to the people as Chris told others about Jesus.

This book tells of the faithfulness of God as Chris relied on the promises found in the Bible. The message of this book is that God can sustain you through anything!

I found this book very interesting since my father died on September 21, 2009. This was the time when Chris had gone to Colorado Springs for a homeschool leadership conference. Chris was taken ill at this time. He was hospitalized and then moved to hospice care where family and friends were with him in his dying days. His wife Tracy was posting online his progress. As I read this posts I received comfort since the very same things that the Klicka family was going through my family had just gone through with the death of my father. We, too, had hospice care. We, too, were at the bedside of our loved one. In both cases the faithfulness of God was there.

When we are weak God truly is strong.

check this out

Do you know somebody interested in homeschooling? If you do have this check out this web site: http://www.thehomeschoolchannel.tv/