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Hey Mama,
Never give up …
The trials you face today are the wise counsel you will provide tomorrow. Consider the young girl out there; you’ve not even met her yet. She may not even be out of her teen years right now. She’s not part of your life … yet. Ten years from now, she will be a Mama just like you, going through some of the same things you are now. Because you endured, because you got through these storms, you have strong character and knowledge of God’s word. YOU will be that Titus 2 Mama. YOU will be that one she turns to for encouragement and counsel.
Get to know your Bible inside out. You will want to give correct counsel, able to rightly divide the word of God. No fluff! The pain you have walked through, and the testimony you will have of how GOD brought you through it, will be powerful.
Titus 2 Mama–that’s you. Prepare for those upcoming conversations with young, Christian moms you will influence for the Kingdom.
His Purpose. His Plans. His Reasons. God has it all in His hands, He knows what you are going through right now, and it’s all very MEANINGFUL. None of it is random.
And you have a beautiful future in Him. Keep enduring. Persevere, Mama. It’s worth every moment from an eternal perspective, and that’s the only perspective that matters.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
This week I would like to introduce Adam Andrews who will be writing once a month in place of Todd Wilson. Adam is one of our regular magazine columnists, homeschool dad of 6, and Director for the Center for Literary Education. He and his wife, Missy, homeschool their children in Rice, Washington. You’ll enjoy his practical advice and common-sense approach to homeschooling!
~ gena
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Announcement
Are you a U.S. Support Group Leader?
Would you like to receive a free copy of the new
2015 The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Annual Print
when it is released? If so …
Post a brief summary of what you think about the magazine on 3 social media outlets (Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, web page, blog, etc) and indicate that pre-orders of the 2015 Annual Print Magazine are only $10 (U.S. only) through February 15 in The Old Schoolhouse® store:
www.theoldschoolhouse.com/product/2015-annual-print-edition
Once you do that, send Pat Mills links to where you posted about this offer at pmills@theoldschoolhouse.com.
Then when the magazine is released, we will mail your copy.
Thanks!
Gena Suarez
Publisher
The Old Schoolhouse®
publisher@theoldschoolhouse.com
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Relational Homeschooling
Dear Friends,
When it comes to homeschooling, have you ever felt like quitting? I think if we could all sit around a table and talk together, we would be surprised at how much we have in common when it comes to this idea! We would laugh with deep relief as we discovered we weren’t the only ones harboring thoughts of an easier path … And then, with the freedom that comes from being real, we could actually think honestly about why we homeschool.
For me, my decision to homeschool came when I was pregnant with our first child. A friend handed me a book about homeschooling, and I found the whole concept utterly entrancing! Pictures of perfect days with perfect children danced through my head. You probably know how long that image lasted! You’re absolutely right; it popped just a few days of teaching my kindergarten student at home (with two younger children who kept me hopping). I began to discover that kids learn differently than I expected, they struggled with things I enjoyed, and they enjoyed things that were outside my comfort zone.
And, being a novice homeschooler, I followed the model of school in my head. We had a desk, an apple, an American flag. I knew when we would have reading, writing and recess. I had all my ducks in a row, but my son wasn’t interested in ducks.
After a month of struggling with increasing difficulties, like making boring textbooks palatable, I was struck by the question my son asked. “Mom, do we HAVE to keep doing this?” I quietly put all the kindergarten books away, and discretely went back to doing the things we had been doing before: reading fun books, playing with play dough, taking walks, cooking together, playing with music, and enjoying everyday life.
It took three years of trying this start-and-stop approach to homeschool before it dawned on me that he loved learning a LOT more when we quit doing artificial, formal school. When he had a chance to really engage with material, to freely ask as many questions as he wanted and dig into answers, and to follow his interests down the rabbit trails, my son loved learning.
Which brings me back to the idea of quitting. In the three years that I tried to force him into a narrow educational box, I felt like quitting every day. It was hard, it was distasteful, and I was failing miserably as a “teacher.” But, to my utter surprise, when we finally discovered the freedom to learn in ways that were appealing to my son, homeschool became an adventure and a joy.
And, who wants to quit when you love what you’re doing???
Remember, dear friends, stay relational!
Diana
dianawaringpresents@gmail.com
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2015 Annual PRINT Edition Now!
The 2015 edition of the “big book” annual magazine is headed to the printers next month so we have it on pre-sale right now online. The only place you can order it at the moment is at the TOS store, and it’s just $10!
Newsstand price in the U.S. will be $12.95. Grab your copy online today and save money! It’s $10 until mid February, and then the cost goes up to the regular online pricing of $15 with free shipping.
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The Art of Reading
Navigating the Dog Days of Winter
Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to face the music. It’s time to admit that the grand homeschool plan we made back in September lies in shambles on the kitchen table. We only got half as much done before Thanksgiving as we planned, and momentum for the rest of the year has pretty well petered out. The Dog Days of winter are here, and we sit cooped up inside with nothing but our own inadequacy to keep us company. It must be January–the wheels of the homeschool wagon are falling off again!
At these times, Missy and I both find it hard not to lose patience and take our frustration out on the kids. So we yell at them–out loud on occasion; in our hearts continually. This makes it worse, of course, because it represents yet another failure. Not only have we failed at school; we have failed at parenting as well. Not only have we failed to give them the schoolroom lessons they needed; we have also failed to provide them an example of godly character–of patience, kindness and self control.
If this has ever happened to you, take heart! It happens each January to homeschool moms and dads all across the country–and it’s all part of God’s plan to create strong families.
I shudder to think what kind of relationship I would have with my kids if all I ever did was model perfect patience and self control, and demand that they do the same. The truth is that it’s only in mutual confession, repentance and forgiveness that my kids and I really love each other, and these things always come in on the heels of a temper tantrum of some sort.
If I present myself to my children only as an example of godly character, they will inevitably conclude that we have nothing in common. If, on the other hand, I share my own sins with them and walk in repentance, they will see not only that I am a creature as they are, but also that I am the same kind of creature, with the same specific weaknesses, in need of the same grace and forgiveness from God. Our shared sinfulness is a built-in platform for establishing real relationships. It’s the only thing we really have in common.
It’s funny to think that one of the worst things about mid-winter homeschooling might also be one of the best, but I think it’s true. The impending failure of the grand September plan forces me to avail myself of the mercy that only comes to sinners. In the midst of my temper tantrum, I can stand with my children on the ultimate common ground: as objects of the undeserved, unfathomable and unceasing love of God.
Adam
adam@centerforlit.com
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Liberty Twp, OH
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Mason City, IA
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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.”
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Glen Burnie, Maryland
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Dunwoody, GA
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East Texas
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