Can I teach everything? Just me? Definitely not. Not all at once, not every day, and definitely not all by myself.
A great blessing and relief in home education is that it can be a multi-faceted effort. Homeschool families have help from online classes, DVDs, math tutors, music teachers, sports coaches, Bible studies, co-ops and support groups. Homeschool families have dads or grandpas or church friends who teach science and mechanics and yard work and carpentry. Homeschoolers have grandparents who teach sewing and cooking and coin collecting, and they have friends who teach writing and etiquette and dissection. Homeschoolers gather together and teach their own classes on history and geography and Christian worldview. And homeschoolers are the best at finding educational field trips!
You don’t have to teach everything yourself-reach out and find the help you need whether online or in your community.
Now, I must admit, that sometimes it feels like I have to take on this huge task all by myself and teach everything there is to teach. I feel like I am going to miss something, or my children are going to miss something. These feelings are just what we need to drive us to our Good Shepherd and Counselor who desires to lead us.
These are very comforting words in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” He not only knows what He wants us to teach our children, but He knows what He wants to teach us: to be like Him is to be learning to be meek and gentle and humble in heart. Take heart, when you feel low, you are close to your Savior who wants to lead forth in this eternal work. Give Him your heavy burden and take His rest.
No need to teach all by yourself, yoke up with Him and let Him do the work. Don’t feel prepared for what’s ahead? (I rarely do!) Don’t worry; He wants to teach you all things pertaining to life and godliness. And when you keep your mind centered on Him and His Word, He gives you perfect peace. So, we give Him our anxious thoughts and He gives us His peace – amazing exchange!
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” Isaiah 26:3.
Praising God for the continued liberty to keep our kids Home Where They Belong! ~ Deborah
~Deborah
dwuehler@theoldschoolhouse.com
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Raising Real Men
When we were newlyweds, we didn’t have much money. The first few years, we learned how to do a lot–home repair, car repair, cooking and baking from scratch, making our own fun–all sorts of things!
But as time went on and we had more income, and more children to love, we realized that sometimes “do-it-yourself” wasn’t saving as much as we thought.
I paid someone to change the oil in my van today. I’ve done it lots, and so have my teen-aged sons. Today, though, I had some critical business to take care of, my only available son was taking the SAT, and I realized that it made more sense to pay a few extra dollars and buy back the time and trouble it would have taken for me to do it.
I finally learned that even if I know how to do something, it may not be the right thing for me to do.
Dear homeschooling mom … can you teach everything? Well, of course, not everything known in the universe, but everything you’d like to happen in your homeschool?
Maybe you can! I’ve met some incredibly smart and talented homeschool moms–most of them are, I think. But is do-it-yourself pride guiding the best use of your time and effort? Maybe not.
Here’s an example. I bet you can work every single problem in your kid’s algebra book. Why should you spend the money to buy the problem manual the publisher offers? You can just figure out the answers yourself to check your child’s homework, and it’s like money in the bank!
But if you do that, and you invest an extra 15 minutes a day in order to capture that savings, by the end of the book you’ve spent over thirty hours re-inventing the answer key … all to save $30.
Would you take a job to work for $1 an hour? No, of course not. But if someone said, “I’ll come work for you for $1 an hour”–and it was all above board–would you consider hiring them?
How many days would you cheerfully give a dollar to someone so you could spend an extra hour nursing your baby, reading to your toddler, praying with your teenager? Would you give a dollar for a nap, some days? That’s exactly what you’re doing when you decide to spend a little bit more and get the teacher’s aids–problem manuals, essay prompts, and study guides which are available for most curriculum. Could you re-invent the wheel? Of course. But do you really want to?
I’m not suggesting you hire out your child’s education. The relationship you build as parent to child and teacher to student is precious, and it’s a rewarding thing when you do it at home, in your family. But some of the drudgery and repetitive stuff can be very easily done at a reasonable cost.
So can you teach everything? Maybe so. Probably so! But some parts of it, maybe you shouldn’t. Your special gifts, your unique relationship with your children, your Mom-ness, are worth infinitely more than a dollar an hour. It’s not a question of your ability to do it, but the advisability of you doing it yourself. Save your time for the important stuff!
Yours in the Battle,
Hal and Melanie
info@raisingrealmen.com
We’ve raised a houseful of sons and picked up a lot of great advice we’d love to share with you! We’ve got three special opportunities this month–BOYHOOD BOOT CAMP is our online program for parents with young sons, and PRE-FLIGHT will open up the crucial things you and your teens worry about. And check out our blog, RaisingRealMen.com, where we’re hosting “31 Days of Q&As” answering the most common puzzles about parenting boys!
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Announcement
Click here and get your free ebook
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The Familyman
Greetings from a Walmart parking lot in Atlanta. Tonight, I’ll be speaking at a purity ball, and last night I spoke at a local homeschool group.
Did you know all homeschool moms feel just like you? They wonder if they’re qualified to teach their children. They wonder if they’re going to let them down or ruin them. They feel like they’re failing. They feel pressure to put their older kids in co-ops and charter schools from other homeschool moms who tell them, “Everyone puts their kids in classes when they get to the upper grades …” Those words increase their feelings of insecurity.
Maybe you feel some of these same things. Now hear this: you are qualified to teach your children at all ages and what you don’t feel qualified to teach, they can learn on their own or there are plenty of helps available to help you.
You can do it. You can do it. You can DO IT!!!!!
Be real,
Todd
P.S. – I’ll be speaking at homeschool groups in Kissimmee, Brooksville, and Lake Wales tonight, tomorrow, and the next night. To learn more, visit my speaking schedule on my website.
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A division of
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PLUS, we now have selected Bible Adventures for preschool-elementary available in French and Spanish! These brightly-colored and vividly illustrated stories are wonderful additions to your family Bible study. These stories are helpful for students who wish to practice their foreign language skills or French-speaking and Spanish-speaking students who would enjoy these beautiful stories.
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“You are the “go-to” [for] articles, quotes, ideas, sales, you help us stay connected!”
—Kamilla Ostwald
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“I am amazed at the number of times I open my Homeschool Minute newsletter and have the opportunity to read EXACTLY what I need that day! Thank you so much for putting a real face on homeschooling.”
—Michelle Sager
Liberty Twp, OH
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“Only just this past week have I seriously checked into the content of the SchoolhouseTeachers.com site … May I just say wow?!”
–Janelle Chille
Mason City, IA
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“I really enjoy reading all the THM articles. I learn a lot from Todd Wilson’s column. [He’s a] funny guy who speaks the simple truth! Thank you very much!”
–Charlene
Brandon, FL
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“I look forward to THM every Wednesday. I really enjoy Deborah’s articles. For some reason, it must be God, she always writes about what I am needing to hear. Her ability to put scripture and God in the middle of all her articles keeps me coming back. I recently have been enjoying the Youngs’ [articles] because I have a young man (10) in my house. The encouragement of the Youngs is fabulous. I thank God for parents like them that pave the way for parents like myself and my husband.”
–Racheal Fowler
Glen Burnie, Maryland
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“
So love reading TOS on my iPad from cover to cover every month!!!”
–Leigh Anne McGrady
Dunwoody, GA
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“What I appreciate most about Todd’s column is that he never assumes he knows what is best for me… but he KNOWS that God knows & encourages me to find that & follow that. Thanks for all the encouragement over the years!”
—CA
Kannapolis, NC
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“…I appreciate them both so much. I love Diana’s passion for teaching history in a fun and interesting way. And that she is all about relationships first. I love that about Todd as well, and that he always, always says it is okay to relax about the schooling.“
—Mara Martin
Everett, WA
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