www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.comwe;are;yet;between;those;two;points,;wewill;be;paralyzed,;insecure,;and;stressed.This need not be.
God has made Education to be sim-ple,;knowable,;enjoyable;.;.;.;and;of;thehighest;quality.;He;doesn’t;call;us;to;runpit stops but rather to run greenhouses,which;can;nurture;our;“young;plants”;inthe Light of the World.
Your;mission,;teaching;style,;and;toolscan be streamlined. Ask God how toteach efficiently to your kids’ learningstyles;(not;your;own;worries).;His;planswill;be;doable;and;enjoyable;for;all.;Thetools;(curricula);will;fit;.;.;.;simply;anddirectly.;Be;at;peace!;You;don’t;have;tomake Education more complicated thanGod does.
Prune;your;schedule.;You;needn’t;teachall possible subjects (everything that“sounds;good”),;or;you;won’t;do;any;well.Ruth;Beechick;wisely;talks;about;teachingthe;3Rs;to beginning;students;in;short,concentrated spurts, in the morning, sothat the kids develop the habit of atten-tiveness;when;they;are;fresh.;Everythingelse is a wonderful extra that can be addedinto the richness of teaching through dai-ly;life;or;special;enrichment;times,;whichshould;be;kept;joyous,;not;heavy.
When the kids “get it,” reward themby;moving;on.;Our;maternal;checklistsneedn’t;be;slavishly;satisfied;if;the;kidshave;grasped;it;already.;Let’s;be;agile,;ef-ficient,;and;flexible.
In other words, let us be focused, forovermuch;breadth;is;the;enemy;of;depth.What;is;your;family’s;calling?;Where;areyour;children;trying;to;build;expertise?
We were a history family, so we wentdeep;there;.;.;.;and;did;not;take;every;pos-sible math class in high school. We folded how-to-read and how-to-write intoour;history;probings.;When;writing;anessay;about;Winston;Churchill;kills;twobirds with one stone, there’s no need togenerate;made-up;sentences.;God;givesideas for multitasking! We did scienceand;art;in;concentrated;(but;thorough)spurts;around;the;seasonal;availability;ofgifted friends.
Don’t;forget;that;your;kids;will;pur-sue;more;learning;when;they;can;drivethemselves to special classes, work opportunities, and travel experiences, earning college credit in high school. Youneedn’t;teach;everything;by;the;end;ofsecond grade.
Thanks to Gina, we began homeschooling with the “focused green-house”;idea,;not;the;“hurry/cram/panic/pit;stop”;model,;and;my;now-adult;sons,both with successful families and ca-reers,;and;with;their;God-given;love;oflearning;yet;intact,;are;still;exploring;allthere is to learn!
Michelle Miller is in her nineteenth year ofhomeschooling (and learning what Education is not!). Two younger children (and hubby, thankfully!) are still home in northernMichigan. Two older sons are now successfuladults. Michelle, a columnist, librarian, andspeaker, has authored the spiritually focused,in-depth, literature-based TruthQuest History curriculum, one of Cathy Duffy’s “Top100 Picks” and a multiple award honoree.www.TruthQuestHistory.com
The Creation Answers Book—Regularly $14
( creation.com/s/10-2-505)
Biblical answers to over 60 important questions thateveryone wants to know on creation, evolution, and theBible! Equips you to effectively respond to those thatresist the Gospel due to worldly teaching on origins. Thisimportant work is a ‘must have’ for anyone’s library!
Origins in the Modern World:Why it Matters DVD —Regularly $13
( creation.com/s/30-9-521)
Society is crumbling all around us—and itis increasingly harder to penetrate withthe gospel message. Why? This powerfulmessage takes the lid off the most deadlyspiritual battle of our time—the authorityof the Bible, the real issue in the originsdebate.
Get all threefor only $25!Use SKU #40-1-100creaton.com/s/40-1-100
Refuting Evolution —Regularly $10
( creation.com/s/10-2-110)
This book is a is a hard-hitting critique of the most up-to-date arguments for evolution, to challenge educators,students and parents. It is a powerful, yet concise summaryof the arguments against evolution and for creation. It willstimulate much discussion and help students and teachersthink more critically about origins.
You don’t have to
make Education
more complicated
than God does.