It started when my oldest son was in fourth grade. He needed to study geography, but I had never studied geography before. He was only in fourth grade, so I wasn’t too afraid. I found a LIFEPAC® set by Alpha Omega Publications® which cover the geography of the world at a fourth-grade level. We read all the lessons and studied the globe together. But what do we do when they are in High School? What do we do when the classes we teach them can affect the rest of their lives? The short answer is that we do the same thing that I did when Zack was in fourth grade. We learn. No matter what grade you are teaching, it is always best for you to understand what you are teaching before you begin. Sometimes that is easy. Most adults already know how to read, write basic sentences, add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Sometimes it is not as easy. You might not have done well in math, so you struggle with algebra. Many schools make students pick between history and geography at some point, so you might have holes in your learning of one or the other. Your student may be very interested in forensic science, which you never studied. As with all decisions about our families and our homeschooling, we need to begin by seeking the Lord. You want to teach from God’s plan, not just make your plan and ask God to bless it. Pray about what classes your student should take. Pray for wisdom in selecting material to teach these subjects. Spend some time listening for the Lord to speak about these classes. Don’t forget to pray that the Lord would bless your time preparing and your learning as well as your student’s.
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My mouth went dry, my heart pounded. I slunk down in my seat, praying I would not be seen by my freshman English teacher. I was a horrible speaker in high school and I dreaded every time I had to get up in front of my peers and speak. Oh, the torture. Flash forward. High school English time for my own children. How will I help them do those high school speeches: demonstration, persuasive, or extemporaneous speeches. I didn't want them to experience speech in high school like I did. There are different things I did before high school to help them overcome fear of speaking in front of people. We did some family "oral book reports" in elementary and middle school. In other words we just talked about a book we had read, but when we shared, we stood up in front of the family. That wasn't scary. My children also took some speech classes with 4H at our local country extension office. I made sure they did that before puberty hit. Why before puberty? Well, all those hormones can make children more self-conscious in front of their peers. Finally, I put together a speech and essay class for our homeschool co-op. In that class of about ten to fifteen teens each time, we eased into speeches slowly. First they just stood in front of the group and introduced themselves. Then we moved on to the easier speeches like demonstration. We love history in our house. We to love to read historical fiction, dress up, cook up old recipes, and sing historical songs. We also like to study art as we move through time in our history studies. One year we got a collection American Art posters from the National Gallery of Art to review. This was a wonderful combination of artists. And not just paintings. There was a poster of Native American baskets and another of architecture. My favorite painting was of Paul Revere with his silver creations. I love that painting! We passed out silver pieces that I had inherited from my grandmother and talked about Paul Revere as an artist. As time went on, we wanted to dig a little deeper into certain artists. We decided to choose a few like Gilbert Stuart, John James Audubon, and Norman Rockwell. Elements of Art & Principles of DesignThe 20th Century is an exciting time in history to study! As a family, we decided to dig in and learn about this fabulous century and we had a blast doing it! At the Turn of the Century, the automobile was brand-new and man was learning to fly a simple plane. By the end of the century man had stepped on the moon and had stations in space. So many new inventions changed life as we know it: insulin, rockets, radar, lasers, GPS, computers, plastic, and vaccinations are just a few. Can you imagine life with out plastic? Most people lived on farms in the early 1900s, but by the end of the century, most people lived in cities and there were hundreds of cities around the world with over 1 million people in them. At the beginning of the century, vast empires ruled over large portions of the world including the Ottoman Empire, Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Russia, British Empire, and the Dutch Empire. After World War I, two of those empires fell and many new nations were created like Poland, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Estonia, and Finland. The Middle East, once part of the Ottoman Empire, was divided into territories and later into nations: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine (later divided into Jordan and Israel). So many changes. There are so many exciting people to learn about from political leaders like Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill to authors like G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis, from missionaries like Gladys Aylward and Jim Elliot to heroes like Douglas MacArthur and Edith Cavell, and from businessmen like Henry Ford and Sam Walton to athletes like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. When we decided to study 20th Century World History, I went searching for the stories. You can read those stories all together in HIS Story of the 20th Century. But, we didn't want to stop with the stories, we wanted to dig into the culture of the 20th Century. History Labs & MoviesDrama! Acting is a wonderful way for the dramatic teen to unleash emotion. It's also a great way for the shy teen to come out of their shell. My oldest daughter had a drama class in our homeschool co-op with a actress and drama major. She learned so much about acting and loved the class. When the other children got to high school, the amazing teacher was gone. "Can we do drama?" they asked. "There's no one to teach it," I replied. "You could teach us," they replied confidently. I talked to my friend Laura about it and we decided we could do something simple. "Let's learn some simple drama techniques in the beginning of the year, do a short Christmas play, create a radio drama after the holidays, and then record some YouTube videos to close the year out," I suggested. "Let's start every class with an icebreaker," Laura enthused. She researched and came up with a different ice breaker for every class. We decided to open the class up to other teens, meeting three times a month. Tons of Fun!How We Did ItI’ve dabbled in art since I was a child. There always seemed to be other interests and priorities which prevented me from pursuing what talent I may possess. One of those other interests was homeschooling my children. As we worked through the years I met a few promising artists who were just not sure where to get training. Art school, after all, is very expensive, right? This year I was blessed with the opportunity to take an acrylic painting class with the students in our homeschool co-op. I started learning so much after just one class. However, what do you do if you don’t have access to a professional painter who will teach you or your children? You go online! One of our homework assignments was to paint a cherry using the Beginners Acrylic Still Life Course at the Will Kemp Art School. You can read about the project and watch this series of YouTube videos by going to his website: http://willkempartschool.com/beginners-acrylic-still-life-course-part-1/. This page includes a list of supplies needed, some pictures of the project in process and loads of links and helpful suggestions. I didn’t have access to exactly all the same products and he used but my local Michael’s had acceptable alternatives.
More than any time in their lives, teens need the love and stability of a family! Friendship with Mom and Dad is so important. Don"t let their "squirrely-ness" keep you from spending lots of time with these wonderful young men and women. Now is the time to enjoy what you have sown into their lives. And if there are problems, it is not too late to rebuild relationships. Rules without relationship breeds rebellion, so take time to invest in your relationship with your teen. That way your young adult knows that you are for him/her and want only what is best. He/she can trust you to protect, guide, and release! Home is the best place for a teen to be educated! In the family, there is the security of love and acceptance. Teen are testing their wings! Make sure that you are there to cheer them on and send them soaring. Teens also need friends, good friends who will build them up, not tear them down. Get to know all of their friends well. Make those friends feel loved and accepted. I've always tried to let our home be a hang-out place where teens feel comfortable to hang out and have wholesome fun together. In the teen years, my own children have each had their own struggle as they enter adulthood. Those struggles have included doubts, insecurities, anger issues, temptations, and a lot more. Those things don't bother me because I know they will come out on the other side loving Jesus and serving Him. It is important during those struggles to maintain a delicate balance of unconditional acceptance and house rules, as well as to listen to them and help them find answers to their questions. Most importantly, introduce them to Jesus who loves them best! After homeschool graduation, teens need to decide whether they will go to college, apprentice, or go right into the work force. Many homeschool teens choose to go to college. While some folks are calling for government-funded associates' degrees, in many career sectors, the tide is turning so that careers that only required a bachelor's degree, now require a master's degree. If your teen wants to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer, nurse, physical therapist, architect, or teacher, college will be in their future. It's in their best interest to not only prepare them for college studies, but to prepare them for the world of academia. You see, many university campuses have gone from being Christian or tolerant of Christianity to being anti-Christian. Post-Modernism, socialism, and New Age beliefs are often taught as fact, while Christian views are mocked and scorned. In addition, sex outside of marriage and addictions of all kinds are promoted on college campuses by professors and fellow students alike. How can we prepare our teens, who feel called to pursue a college education, to excel without compromising their values and beliefs? Rather, in fact, to shine brightly on a college campus? All of my children have had opportunities to speak up in class, defend the faith, and to share the Gospel privately with several professors. In addition, they have witnessed boldly on the university, planting seeds and introducing friends to Jesus. What can you do to prepare your teens? Well, I can only share with you what we did to prepare our teens for the world of academia. God will lead you to prepare your own teens, but our ideas may help you. Talk About What To Expect At CollegeOne of the blessings of homeschooling in Florida is dual-enrollment for homeschoolers. What does that mean? It means that homeschoolers can take courses at local community or state colleges for free. They only need to purchase books. Some homeschoolers graduate from high school at the same time they receive their Associates Degree from a local college. What should you look at when you consider dual-enrolling as an option for homeschooling high school? What questions should you ask? "Grab your folders and let me look through everything," I asked my son. He was back in a few minutes with six folders, each one belonging to one of his high school courses. The EZ Folder Method has been a life saver for me in planning, managing, and grading courses. I purchase an inexpensive 3-prong, 2-pocket folder in a different color for each course. If you want to be more organized, you use a different color for each subject year after year. For example: blue for history, white for Bible, yellow for science, purple for electives, orange for math, and green for English. Each folder contains all the information my teen needs to complete assignments in a given course, a check-off list to stay on track, an hours check-off table if we are counting hours, and the requirements to get an A or B or C. The completed work is inserted in the pockets. I can pick up a folder, glance at the check list, and check the work. Now, I am ready to sit down and talk to my teen about the course. When they start school, they grab their folders and any books and textbooks needed for the course. Would you like to make an EZ folder? Teenage rebellion is a myth. Some teens rebel. Some teens don't. Teens that do rebel don't rebel because they are teenagers. In primitive societies, boys hang out with dad learning to be a man and girls hang out with mom learning to be a woman. They go from child to adult without any drama or angst. In our nation, until the 1920's, children reached puberty later (usually around 16-18) and got married soon afterward. Again the transition was pretty smooth between childhood and adulthood. The 1920's was a paradoxical time for America. One of the most frugal Presidents ever sat in the White House vetoing spending bills and bringing down the national debt, while Americans themselves were offered and accepted with glee the brand new "Buy Now, Pay Later" philosophy. The bubble burst, of course, at the end of the decade. However, in the meantime, money was flowing and families were moving to the cities and suburbs from the farms. Teens had more time on their hands, less hard work to do, and more money to spend. Suddenly, a new thing happened. Young people were living to have fun and play, instead of working hard to help their families and preparing to have their own families. One thing we can't ignore during the teenage years is the impact hormones have on our teens. Our sons struggle with anger, sometimes excessive. Our daughters struggle with a wide range of emotions ranging from tears to giggles. The excessive mood swings in our beloveds are caused by fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Whew! Say those words ten times fast! Adolescent boys produce ten times more testosterone! Have you ever seen the rage of an addict on steroids? Maybe your teenage son is more self-controlled than you give him credit for. At the beginning of puberty, the pituitary gland swings into action releasing Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). In boys, these hormones tell the testes to produce Testosterone and sperm. In girls, FSH and LH tell the ovaries to produce estrogen and eggs. Other changes happen. History is exciting! History is full of drama, intrigue, and stories. Studying history is important to know the past, to understand our heritage, so we can plan for the future. It breaks my heart to see some children and teens learn history in a dry, dreary way so that they end up hating the subject. How we teach history can often determine if our students will enjoy learning about the past. My children all love history! I think it's because we had so much fun learning history together. Let me share how we learn history the fun way! Travel Back in TimeThe internet has completely changed the way we live and relate to one another. The internet has changed homeschooling for our family. My older kids did not go online much until college, while the younger ones spent their teen years in a world of social networking and Wikipedia. Young people today email, chat with friends through instant messenger, talk to people in chat rooms, play games, create blogs, create YouTube stations, create websites, and surf the net. They research online and build relationships online. There is so much at our fingertips today with just a click of the mouse. We can read classic literature, look up how a senator voted, get the latest news, and read our favorite blog. Yet, is the internet a safe place? I am sorry to tell you that the internet can be a dangerous place, too. We must protect our children from the criminal and evil activity that takes place online. We need to protect our children from the following things:
How Can We Protect Our Children? |
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