Tragedy

It is always interesting to see the news media respond to an event, especially one involving human tragedy. My heart goes out to the parents in Littleton, CO and we will continue to pray for those affected by this tragedy. USA Today's response on April 26, was extremely interesting. The article cited their own poll stating "...about half say parents bear a ‘great deal' of responsibility..." The same article cites a Newsweek poll which says that 70% of the surveyed say a lack of parental oversight is a major factor. Yet this same article goes on to say that "psychological characteristics are about 50% inherited." The final statement of the article is "But to suggest that their families were solely ‘the crucible for creating these kids is to leave too many of the puzzle pieces unresolved."

In verses like Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6, I believe the Bible is very clear. First and foremost, men, you are responsible for the upbringing of your family. This includes all aspects of their education, from the books and curriculum used to the extra-curricular activities they are allowed to participate in. Their education includes discipline and responsibility, including the responsibility and consequences for actions taken.

I thank God for each of you and the opportunities He has given us through this ministry. We have met many families who are committed to educating their own children and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. There have been many opportunities to fellowship and to share throughout this school year. I have seen Dads and Moms committed to the cause. I hope to see more in the coming year.

Copyright © May 1999 By Mark Chism

Crisis! What about school?

Are you prepared for the unplanned events that we are so often faced with? How do you prepare? Can you adapt?

Our April Family Fellowship topic was organization. Being organized does not mean you cannot be flexible. It actually allows you more flexibility.

Are you prepared? If you were all the sudden faced with surgery, where you were going to be out of commission for a while, would you have to cancel school too? This recently happened to me. I recently had surgery which would not allow me to lift or move things over 5 lbs and required extensive recovery time. I was concerned about school, but I did not want to cancel and my kids did not want to either. We cherish the summer break and did not want to put it off. So we didn't cancel school. It continued with the help of my mother, friends and my husband.

How do you prepare? Fortunately, I already have a system my children are used to using. I have a lesson planner and each child has a daily assignment sheet where I write their assignments and special instructions. So while I was away having surgery, another home school mom helped the children diligently follow my instructions and they completed their school work. My friend only had to look at their assignment sheets to see what they needed to do.

I made these daily assignment sheets up for 2 weeks. This kept structure in my home instead of unneeded chaos, and kept the children working instead of worrying. If we were not already accustomed to this structure and organization of assignments and able to scale work according to the day, then my children would have probably missed about 6 weeks of school.

Can you adapt? Sure you can. You don't have to assign a full load. Once I found out I was surgery bound, I sat down with the lesson planner and looked to see how many lessons my children had left in each subject. I knew my husband would take time off from work to care for me and the kids and he teaches science and history. So I planned several History lessons that week. Also, being the last quarter of the school year, the kids were about to finish several subjects early. Therefore, one child was able to skip Spelling and English for the week and the other Math and Writing. So they got a break there. They didn't really notice a whole lot, because they know to do what is on the assignment sheet.

Let me clarify something here. Instruction of so many hours per day does not mean you must stand in front of your child and lecture them for that time period. That instruction comes from them reading their assignments and reading and doing what the workbook or textbook tells them to do. Then when it is graded, you can see where their understanding is and where they need further instruction. So when the teacher is out, if you have a good curriculum, it should be able to help you through those times. I don't believe kids can teach themselves, but I don't believe school has to be haulted everytime a crisis occurs either. Use your tools and resources that are available to help you organize your school now so that when you need help, others can follow your plans and keep the kids schooling on track. A word of caution, don't expect your friends to teach for you. They can administer the homework you have assigned, but are not your substitute teacher. That is your spouse's job. This is just a part of homeschooling.

Homeschooling is a way of life for most of us. Each crisis we face is a part of our children's education. They will learn more from those experiences than any text book could offer them. Don't feel guilty if you have to cancel book work for awhile. Think of it as a field trip and keep your kids involved in someway. If they are old enough, have them do research on the situation and write you a paper. Have them help with chores, meals and with siblings. These are all things they need to learn. Just don't let things go, so that you suffer later in the year with a ton of book work still left to do.

I write from the heart and from experiences that I face. I hope this helps someone. I am still recovering from my surgery and I appreciate your prayers.

Eujeana Chism
Phillippians 4:13

Copyright © May 1999 By Eujeana Chism