Hospitality, Friendship, Encouragement

Friday, April 30, 2010

Pondering...

www.allposters.com


I have an afternoon to myself today and will be spending time pondering somethings that are a part of my life.  

I want to use my e-sword program to do some word searches and to also spend time in the Word and seeking the Lord's wisdom and guidance.

Most of you know that we home educate and that I lead a co-op.  One of my joys is to speak with home educating moms and to encourage them in this great task that God has given them.  The last few years I am hearing more and more that they 'need' to have their kids take classes from an academic co-op because either they are afraid that somehow their student will 'miss' something if they try to teach them or that their teen argues and fights with them at home about their schoolwork so they want someone else to be giving them their assignments, etc...

This troubles me and breaks my heart.  These years that we have our children at home is prime discipleship time!  The teen years are so great!  I have loved having mine at home full time - has it been always easy? No!  Has it been worth it? YES!  

I see a lot of fear out there...at a time when the sky is the limit in what is available to home educators, more and more parents feel like they can't do it - they can't teach their children to read, or they can't teach their high schooler Government...the list goes on!

Home educating is a commitment and a long haul kind of thing.  You learn together and also by the time your kid gets to middle school age they pretty much can educate themselves!  They just need you to guide, answer questions, motivate, encourage!  After all we want them to not have to be spoon fed all their information in order to learn something.  We need to be teaching them from early on HOW to learn.  

So, I guess my real ponderings on this subject are "How can I encourage moms? and Can I encourage them?"  Do they really want to be encouraged in it?

Another area I am pondering is how to be more physically active daily.  I sit - alot.  My muscles sometimes are tight from sitting so much.  I sit to do school with the kids, I sit at the computer, I sit to read, I sit to knit, I sit to sew...well you get the idea.  I am trying to do more physical work in the gardens and around our property, I want to be able to move well when I am 'old', after all.

I am pondering the many great things the Lord is teaching us...not always easy...but it is good.  It just sometimes leaves you on the fringe at times.

So, what kinds of things are you pondering these days?  

6 comments:

twinkle said...

My sister home-schooled two of her children. One other daughter wanted public school and graduated second in her class as a "Fellow." I really don't know what that means, but her education was paid for.

Of the two who were home-schooled...one was a dreamer...the other was a hands-on kind of learner. Both did EXCELLENT in college. The dreamer went to Oxford for studies in Art and now teaches college level classes, provides art class training, and writes about the Art World in a large, well-known city.

Sadly, the one who was a hands-on learner, was killed in a car accident when he was 23 years old.

I say all this to make a point. God opens up great doors of opportunity for His faithful families. My sister wouldn't take a million bucks for the time she had with her son who has passed on. He went on to college and had a very fine career. He had musical training that gave him a special skill to entertain us all with.
Every child is different...one thrives in a home-school environment and another thrives in the public schools.
To me, it's more important what the family allows God to have control over.
I have just been amazed at His Hand in my family's lives. Especially the niece who is the dreamer. Every time we thought she was off on another rabbit-chase in her education, it wound up being a skill she needed for what she does now.
God is good.
Thank you for letting me ponder these thoughts myself today while tree surgeons are downing trees around my house! Those guys are crazy!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Thank you Twinkle for sharing the story of your family. God is good, and He will always give us what we need to do His will!

Becky K. said...

There is much to ponder, that is for sure. Today I rejoice in the fact that our children are so dear to us and that they love to talk and laugh together and with us.

A College Bound AP Education is surely a great thing, but if I had to trade it for this time we have had as a family, I would say, "No thanks!"

It is more important to us that our children learn to love the Lord, learn how to learn, and maintain strong family ties.

Who says there isn't peer pressure past high school? Sometimes I think we parents struggle with it just as much. That is why we, just like our children, should choose our friends wisely. We need to find those who will support us in our decisions when they are good and challenge us when we need it.

Becky K.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Amen, Becky, well said!

~~Deby said...

Pondering....hmmm...well I am been told by more than one person that I *think too much*.....is that pondering ?
Well after watching: Food, Inc., Seeds of Deception, King Korn....etc...I am trying to balance how does one afford to eat organically ?...I went to Trader Joe's and was sorely dissappointed..then several other places...paid $8.00 for ONE ...yes #1 of organic ground beef....so my pondering has brought to much stress...and I am going to pray over food and know that the Lord knows the rest...and IF I can AFFORD something organic...here and there fine....this is hard for a all or nothing person....
.....got to give my ponderings over to the Lord...as I take them on myself, often?

Deby

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Deby,

Organic is so expensive I can't afford to buy the meat either!

What we try to do then is to buy locally - we have even bought half a cow from the man we buy hay from and when he had the other half sold :) he took it to a local butcher. For steaks, and roasts, ground beef etc...it ended up being around $3.15 a pound! Plus we knew who had raised it, how it was feed and butchered.
We are starting to buy our chicken locally also...we know a homeschooling family with their own business...again we know the source!

Hope this might help and encourage you!

Information Friday

  I went out with my man for breakfast this morning! It was cold outside but it was worth going out in the cold!  I have a lot of differing ...