Educators At Home

Before I even began homeschooling, I went to have lunch at my dearest friends home one spring day.  I loved to pick her brain,  look around at her home and glean anything I could from her because she was living the dream I wanted to live.  She found much delight in her young son, enjoyed being a “keeper- at- home” and was   diligent about training and discipling him.  While browsing around her kitchen,  I noticed these 21 rules posted on her refrigerator.  She told me about them and how they helped her in training her son.  I decided to use them as well and they have been such a blessing.  Now that my boys are older we do not refer to them as much,  but in the early child training days,  I would use these 21 rules and refer to them many times during the day. To my children they were the law of our home.  We memorized them, used them for our copywork,  and even added music and sang them.  Today Grandma still chides,  “number 16…don’t forget about rule  number 16 ! ”  because our family has a difficult time with this one.  I hope you will benefit from this helpful child training tool as well.   ~Anne

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Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee…and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, have not lived in vain.

Although we are still finishing projects and books through the month of June, this is the time of year when I like to sit down and journal my thoughts; reflect on our year,  and write down what we have accomplished as well as what we have neglected to study.  Although this journaling is for my benefit,  I hope that you will enjoy hearing about our year as well.  In fact,  I would love to hear about your year.  I learn so much from other homeschoolers and even though we should not compare ourselves with other families,  I don’t think it is wrong to inspire others and share our successes and failures.

I guess a part of this journaling comes from my own insecurities and feelings that I did not do enough.  I have a feeling of uneasiness at the end of a school year and begin to doubt myself and conclude that I am not scholarly enough or that I did not do enough to contribute to my children’s academic success.    My dear husband always   reminds me that our children are kind, happy, and smart too.  I reply with a halfhearted  “Yea, I guess you are right.”  So, I write to convince myself that our year was adequate and that the Lord taught us plenty.  Read more...

“The issue is the same today as it has always been throughout history,
whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite.”
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work to give to those who are not.”

“Most bad government has grown out of too much government”
Thomas Jefferson

“A heavy or progressive or graduated income tax is necessary for the proper development of communism.”

“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.”

“The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.

The education of all children,from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care,shall be in state institutions at state expense.”

Karl Marx

Although we are officially finished with our A Beka history book for this year, our history learning never ends.  My boys are becoming quite the history buffs and learning some civics and current politics as well.  We’ve been watching “Founding Father’s Friday’s”  on the Glenn Beck show and have gained more knowledge about Sam Adams, George Washington,  George Whitfield and others and have been entertained as well.

During lunch hour while we eat our soup and sandwiches we enjoy watching the “American Heritage Series” by David Barton.  Each episode is only about 25 minutes long so our attention does not wander much. What a painless and fun way to learn history!  I love homeschooling!

This month we are going to work on memorizing several easy and short documents. First, we will learn The Preamble to the Constitution and then the First Amendment to the Constitution.  We will also begin to learn the first two paragraphs to The Declaration of Independence.  Perhaps you will care to join us.  Happy Homeschooling dear Families! ~Anne

Preamble to the Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.  Read more...