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| Date: From: Subject: | 9/1/2011 9:56:17 AM Home School Legal Defense Association High School--Homeschooling on the Freeway of Life |
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#=====---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter September 2011--Homeschooling on the Freeway of Life ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Uncle Tom’s Cabin: The Story That Changed History ]-------------- Harriet Beecher Stowe, daughter, sister and wife to the Christian leaders of her day, wrote the novel that rallied people to the cause of ending slavery. President Lincoln is said to have called her the little woman who started the great war. Buy the only DVD with video and teaching materials by teachers for teachers and students. Learn More >> http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?id=389 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, September can be a time to turn over a new leaf. For some, the biggest challenge of homeschooling is the academics, but for many it's the dynamics. You may be hoping and praying that you and your students will relate well to one another during this school year. Good idea! Here are some practical suggestions to get your homeschool off to a good start. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest We encourage you to begin the new school year by being a bit crazy! Fill your home with laughter, joy, and thankfulness. Buy a joke book to share with your teens, read funny quotes together, or keep a folder of trivia. If your high school at home is becoming too serious, lighten up! Hide your teen's favorite candy bar in his history book or give him an occasional day off school for a sun day. Why not? Public schools have snow days. Treat your teen to an ice cream cone for an especially fruitful day of school or tape a note to his calculator that simply says "I'm crazy about you!" and watch him smile. Take time to carefully nurture your children. Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson encourages you to tenderly care for your teen's heart in the midst of all the academics. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12180 Great Expectations We don't homeschool in a vacuum - we homeschool in the midst of life. Lofty ideals of the number of courses your teens can manage or the projects that you'll oversee need to be balanced out with the babies who need attention, the sickness that may invade your home, and the move that means not only a relocation but also lost school time. These interruptions to school are not exceptions to the norm - they are the norm! Take time to ask others for counsel and seek out help in this particular season. It could be that a tutor for your teen's math course will free you up to spend more time teaching the little one to read. Or, you could barter with several other moms and offer to teach your teen and several of his friends a composition course, while the other moms choose a course they would like to teach. This arrangement will free you of time teaching one of the courses. Your son or daughter also benefits by having students with whom to brainstorm, practice in editing the writing of others, and a ready made audience for presenting speeches. In addition, time for socializing after class will help to recharge your teen. Cheaper by the Dozen For those of you teaching many children and a wide range of ages, remember that even though your time is divided, your children are still benefitting more from your instruction than if they were in a class of 25-plus children. Your home provides them with a stable and safe environment where their best interests are taken into consideration. Younger children hear your conversations with your teens which lays the foundation for their future learning. To make the most of your time and efforts, combine as many grade levels and courses as you are able and make use of an occasional online course for your teen. Teaching your children can swallow up time for other home responsibilities. If getting supper on the table is difficult, Vicki Bentley's tips may be helpful. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12181 Paradise Lost The squeal from the next room reminds you that the tight quarters of homeschooling make for some raucous times. Imagined expectations soon collide with realities. There will be times when your temper rises, your teens' motivation wanes, and your patience with hearing excuses for late assignments dries up. What will you do? High school at home requires clear minds, fresh energy, and even-keeled emotions. Impossible? Getting a good night of sleep is one of the best places to begin, especially for moms. A bleary-eyed mom does not see clearly and most likely will not respond gracefully. Also, a sleep-deprived teen won't have the sharpness to grasp the lessons of the day. Sleep rejuvenates the body. Moms, the chore you feel you must do today may best be left until tomorrow when you have more vigor. Also, pay attention to your family's schedule and limit your teen's activities to just a few. Driving around endlessly saps vitality and has the tendency to turn moms into cranky creatures. ? Call of the Wild Ever notice how everyone's hormones don't rise and fall in harmony? (Note: this can be a plus! ?) These circumstances can make for some rather dissonant discourses. Throw in a little sibling rivalry to the mix, and the potential for eruptions increases exponentially. Resolving conflict in a constructive biblical way will reduce stress and will keep minor scuffles from becoming major battles. We suggest several resources to keep the hounds at bay. First, parenting teens is hard work, so you may want to check out Paul David Tripp's Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens with Study Guide. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12182 Peacemaking for Families: A Biblical Guide to Managing Conflict in Your Home http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12183 by Ken Sande can make a great study for family devotions. Sarah, Stephen, Grace and Harold Mally co-author Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends and share practical helps for creating peace in the home. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12184 The Mally siblings taped an e-vent in which they discussed overcoming irritation and anger, applying humility and mercy, working through pride and offenses, and maintaining a peaceful home. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12185 Pride and Prejudice We tend to see very big specks in other people's eyes but ignore the logs in our own. It's especially true when we are so adept at seeing our teen's lack of character and maturity. Be on guard to this and never correct your teen out of a sense of superiority. Rather, try to remember back to when you were his or her age - it brings perspective to the equation. Ask the Lord to shine His light into your heart and fill it with kindness and compassion. Your teens need your help to see their shortcomings, but they also need to know your unconditional love and your unshakeable hope in them through the Lord's grace. Galatians 6:1 says: "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted." For a wonderful new look at an old parable, read Tim Keller's The Prodigal God. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12186 We tend to focus on the prodigal son's extravagant, wasteful living, but Keller reminds us of the Lord's extravagant, everlasting love for prodigals. You'll look at your teen (and others) in a new way! Happy New School Year! If you are an HSLDA member, give us a call or send us an email whenever you have questions or need advice. If you are not yet a member of HSLDA, we invite you to join today! http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12187 Join us next month as we provide you with practical tips for recordkeeping during the high school years. With smiles and light hearts, Becky Cooke and Diane Kummer HSLDA High School Consultants HSLDA High School Teacher Training Sessions - Purcellville, VA - Join Becky and Diane as they present High School at Home: The Basics and High School at Home: The Next Step. Registration is now open http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12188 September 9-10, 2011 - H.O.M.E., Greenville, NC (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12189 September 17, 2011 - HSLDA High School at Home: The Basics Purcellville, VA (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10484 September 19, 2011 - CHEACC, Naples, FL (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12190 October 1, 2011 - GRHE, Roanoke, VA (Becky & Diane) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10800 October 17, 2011 - SAIL, Winchester, VA (Diane) October 21, 2011 - MAP Your Future, Indianapolis, IN (Diane) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12191 October 29, 2011-- High School at Home: The Next Step (Diane) Purcellville, VA http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10484 November 10, 2011 - PEACH, Xenia, OH (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12192 March 3, 2012 - Living Waters Home Educators, NJ (Diane) April 12-14, 2012 - MACHE, St. Paul, MN (Diane and Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12193 May 11-12, 2012 - CHAP, Harrisburg, PA (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12194 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can get a little latte or a lotta legal. 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