Real Learning

 

There is an old Chinese Proverb that says,

Tell Me and I Forget; Teach Me and I May Remember; Involve Me and I Learn

When trying to teach children, this is helpful to remember. Children need to be involved in what they are learning. Think about what you remember the best. If you are like me, you remember learning from your mistakes more than from your successes. You probably are more likely to remember things when you learned in some hands-on way. Now apply these memories to teaching your children. Involving the child in something hands-on that is fun creates a fun memory for the child. Because they are able to remember doing the activity, they have also learned the information. 

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Why Homeschool?

 

Homeschooling is the solution to a complicated problem. This problem should not be so complicated, but problems that has come from sin has made it complicated. 

Parents are commanded by God to teach their children. The Bible makes clear that education is to begin in the home (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:7; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).

•  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Gen 18:19
• And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deut. 6:7
• Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
• And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
•  When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 2 Timothy 1:5
• And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

Another good reason for homeschooling is the world in which we are living in. The school are not the same as they were just 10 years ago. Just take a look at the average reading and math scores of the USA.  It is obvious that something has gone wrong with the instruction of reading, writing, and arithmetic. When you homeschool, you are directly involved in what your child is learning. You are able to catch learning problems earlier and start working on solutions to the problems. 

I hope that you will prayerfully consider the education of your children. 

Trust Jesus

 Many people including me say that we trust Jesus. But do we really trust him? I have been thinking about different people in history. The disciples for instance really put their trust in Jesus. They risked everything to spread his Word. The Apostle Paul thought nothing of his life. He was only concerned with reaching the lost for Jesus.

There have been countless missionaries who relied on Jesus for everything from where to live to what to eat. My daughter recently was learning about George Muller. He was a pastor who did not even except a salary but lived on donations. He then opened and successfully ran an orphanage without any dependable income. He relied on God to house, feed, and cloth all of those children.

So, do we really trust that Jesus will give us what we need? We are called to follow, trust, and obey Jesus. A wise pastor said, "God does not call the qualified, but equips the called." Basically, God does not want anyone to think that they can do it without the help and grace of God.

Here are some scriptures to meditate on:

Matthew 19:26 - But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Luke 1:37 - For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Mark 10:27 - And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Mark 9:23 - Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Matthew 17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Luke 18:27 - And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Jeremiah 32:17 - Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Romans 8:31 - What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Job 42:2 - I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

Genesis 18:14 - Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Jeremiah 32:27 - Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

Isaiah 46:10 - Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Proverbs 3:6 - In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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Life Skills for Children

 Children are in need of learning basic life skills. In the effort to help them be better able to keep up with technology, many people have forgotten that children also need to learn basic skills. A computer cannot do everything for you. So many teens and young adult get to college, and they still need someone to wash their clothes, make appointments for them, and cook their food. This is ridiculous. I am sorry but a bright young adult should be able to figure out how to do basic things. 

The lack of these skills demonstrates a lack of reading comprehension skills. 

Think about cooking. There are countless cookbooks written in very basic language for children. Please go to a library and check one out for your teens. Here is a list of some of my favorite ones: 

• Betty Crocker's cook book for boys and girls.
• Kids cook! :100+ super-easy, delicious recipes /
• American girl around the world cookbook 
• Get cooking / --Sam Stern's get cooking
• Kids cook 1-2-3 :recipes for young chefs using only 3 ingredients
• The Boxcar Children Cookbook
• The Berenstain Bear's Country Cookbook: Cub-Friendly cooking with an Adult

These are just some that I like to use with my children. However, there are hundreds. 

Think about washing clothes. Have you looked at the back of most laundry detergents? They have instructions. 

Think about how to schedule an appointment. You need to know how to look at a calendar- which involves reading it- and you must talk to the person on a phone. Which part is hard? In addition, there are many places that allow you to schedule online. These teens are supposed to know how to operate a computer. So please teach your children how to read a calendar and mark on the calendar important dates. 

Here is a website with links to sites that help teach other life skills. Many are useful things to know. Free Homeschool Life Skills Curriculum - Freedom Homeschooling

God Sees

   

  When I was about 7 years old, I got a beautiful pair of white boots. I really liked those boots. I wore them everywhere. One day I even wore them outside to play. I liked to ride my bike. I would ride my bike all over the yard. This day was no different. 

    My mom had been inside doing housework all morning. I had been outside playing all morning. She had gotten to a stopping point and came outside. She had not gotten far from the front porch when she froze. She saw there on the ground a rattle snake. It was about 10 inches long. It was laying in the well-worn path that I had make with my bike. She also saw my boot print on its head. 

    My mom called me over and asked me about the snake. I asked, "What snake?" She then showed me the snake with my boot print on it. It is amazing that I had apparently killed the snake before the snake had a chance to strike without me ever seeing the snake. 

Thankfully God is always watching. He looks after his children even when we are unaware. I was too busy having fun to notice the danger, but God is faithfully watching at all times. 

God Will Provide

 

When I was growing up, we never had much money. My parent’s divorce was finalized on my 4^th birthday in September. Then in Oct of the same year, my dad was involved in an 18-wheeler accident. A car had drove under the flatbed trailer. His neck was broken. He was out of work with no where to go. My mom let him come back and sleep on the couch. In December, my mom fell and broke her back. She was in the hospital through April of the next year. Now neither had a job.

The house note was only $200 a month, but it might as well have been a million. Neither one of my parents could work. My dad tried to work hauling pup wood, but with having to take care of me with no help, it was hard. We didn’t have any family to come help. We could not afford childcare.

Somehow even during this time, we paid the house note, had lights, and ate.

At the end of April, my mom was able to come home from the hospital. However, they had waited too long to do the surgery. Her sciatic nerve in her left leg was dead. The doctors said that she would never walk again, but she was determined to prove them wrong. An older gentleman in our town was kind enough to give her two walking sticks that he had made from wood. She practiced everyday dragging her leg. Over the years she did improve.

Because my dad was now well and my mom was out of the hospital, my dad went back to work as a long-haul truck driver. He now paid child support of $175.

So, we had a $175 and a few food stamps coming in every month. Unfortunately, the house note was still $200. My mom was not able to work. So, she prayed. It took another year the approval for her disability SSI to come. During this year, we paid the house note, had food, paid the light bill, and even had a phone.

My mom would pray. After she prayed, money would appear near the car that was in the driveway. We lived out in the country on seven acres of land. We do not know how the money got there, but it was always enough.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

Angels Drive Log Trucks (sometimes)

Don’t ever drive faster than you angel can fly or drive.

It was around September of 2008. My dad was in the hospital with heart problems. He was needing a stint put it. Many years earlier, my parents had divorced. My dad had horses at his place that had not been feed. As I was getting ready to leave, my dad mentions the horses to me. I agree to see about them. Since it was closer to go the back roads, I start off through the back roads. I am driving a little bit too fast when something tells me I need to slow down. I slow a little bit but not enough.

Soon after, I hit a pothole and flip the car. As the car is flipping, I cry out, “Please, God, let the car land upright.” The car flips, according to the marks on the ground, about three times. Thankfully, it landed right-side up. However, it did take out a large portion of a cast iron fence.

I am scared to say the least about the most. I know that very few cars come this way. I cannot find my purse or my phone. I look up and see a wonderful sight. I see a log truck coming to a stop. A Black man gets out of the rig. He comes to me. I am so relieved. He tells me to sit still, and everything will be all right. He explains that help is on the way. He gets the car door open and finds my purse and phone. He then tells me that a man is coming down the hill. Next, he goes back to the log truck and drives away.

A few minutes later, the owner of the land arrives. He asks me if I am all right. He tells me that he saw the whole wreck and that he has already called for an ambulance. I tell him about the log truck driver who opened the car door for me. He then explained that there was no one was there. There was not log truck or man according to this man, but I saw him clearly. No one knows how my car door got opened. It had to be wired shut for hauling.

Thankfully, I only had a fractured collar bone because of the seat belt.