We are so happy to be a part of a local homeschool co-op with some wonderful families who love the Lord and share their gift of love for children with our children. We met the ladies in the co-op through a friend from The Crossing who also used to teach at Birchwood Christian School, resigning a year before I taught to homeschool her own children!
The co-op instructs all the children in geography, science, and art. We rotate by age, so that in a 3-1/2 hour time frame the children learn each of the subjects and still have time to play at the big playground outside for recess. :) We coordinate snack time with our geography class, and choose a snack indigenous to the country we study.
For geography, we use the Galloping through Geography materials geared toward K-3. Science uses the Answers in Genesis materials, and Atelier Art governs our art lessons. Though we have students older than third grade, we find we are really able to extend the material upward to our oldest, in 8th grade.
Shana and John have both struggled in the co-op, but for different reasons. Shana is a very particular student, liking to be warned in advance about what to come, and struggling if things are not as planned. John's a social little boy, and wants to participate right along with the kids. His challenge comes when, at 2, he is not able to do all that the "big kids" are doing. He is easily frustrated.
We had to take John out of the mix for several weeks, because he was having such a tough time doing his own thing rather than being able to integrate with the kids, which is what he wanted to do. He would spend the mornings at another friend's, playing with all her kids. She homeschools too, so her children, ranging from age 17 to infant, were eager play buddies with John.
This system worked for a while, until my friend was not able to watch John on October 21. He had to come with me that day, so I took some age-appropriate books and a large utility tote (a fantastic Thirty-One product) full of developmental toys. He still wanted to color while the "big kids" did their lapbook pages and colored their flags, so though things were much better, they weren't perfect.
By this time, Shana had gotten used to co-op, and knew the routine, so she was doing much better. We had one glitch during her geography class because we sat John next to Shana, so we decided to fix that. I initially though, "how cute that they want to sit next to each other!" only to quickly find out that this love for each other waned quickly when Shana would not share her crayons or paper.
So, today, armed with all of our age-appropriate books, developmental toys, John's own crayons and map, and, by the way, an entertaining DVD presented by the art class, we had a great day of co-op! To top it off, we separated the siblings, and they did well. John entertained himself talking to new friends, and was also able to go to the science class to have a PB&J sandwich (think presentation on sedimentary rocks!) pressed in a George Foreman grill. :)
We will repeat the same next week and pray for the best! Actually, if Kevin's off for Veteran's Day, I will leave John at home with him so they can have boy time. Prayerfully, this will be repeatable in two weeks, if John doesn't go to co-op next Friday.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
After feedback, I tweak my perspective
I just blogged about the perils of a social bug like myself being the mommy teacher of our homeschool. I got lots of good encouragement from friends which made me feel so much more like owning the fact, for instance, that we are right on track with my goals for us!
My goal is that Shana complete two units of Little Hearts for His Glory (the K-1 equivalent for Heart of Dakota's curriculum) every month, placing us squarely with finishing this curriculum by the end of her normal first grade timeframe. So, if we shoot for three days of school a week, we more than adequately reach our goal, since each unit has five days of instruction. The sixth day can be a flex day, and we currently use that for Geography review or for study in our science curriculum in preparation for our homeschool co-op, which we attend on Fridays. We have sometimes done a book from the Five-in-a-Row curriculum, and, for example, right now we are reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. Shana wants to make an apple pie, and we'll probably do that for our unit's cake walk at their fall party this Friday night.
So, I guess we are doing ok. I think with advance planning and follow-through, we will maintain our goal, and reach it. My friend Jess suggested we school at the same time every day, and turn off the ringer. I should avoid social plans during that time. My other friend Laurel reminded me that learning happens all the time, and so we should not view learning opportunities in a compartmentalized fashion. My sister-in-law, Ann, who homeschools my nieces, told me to be easier on myself. I just wanted to be accountable, but I appreciate her encouragement to lay off! ;)
I took these points from my feedback:
1. Choose a time every day when optimal learning happens to plan our formal lessons
2. Remember that strategic socializing is important, and possible when you homeschool
3. Set goals for yourself, but don't beat yourself up when they are not achieved, unless you became lazy!
4. Remember that you homeschool partially because it fits into a busy lifestyle full of ministry, and sometimes you might have to let situations dictate your timing.
5. Flexibility is key, but only when partnered with discernment!
My goal is that Shana complete two units of Little Hearts for His Glory (the K-1 equivalent for Heart of Dakota's curriculum) every month, placing us squarely with finishing this curriculum by the end of her normal first grade timeframe. So, if we shoot for three days of school a week, we more than adequately reach our goal, since each unit has five days of instruction. The sixth day can be a flex day, and we currently use that for Geography review or for study in our science curriculum in preparation for our homeschool co-op, which we attend on Fridays. We have sometimes done a book from the Five-in-a-Row curriculum, and, for example, right now we are reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. Shana wants to make an apple pie, and we'll probably do that for our unit's cake walk at their fall party this Friday night.
So, I guess we are doing ok. I think with advance planning and follow-through, we will maintain our goal, and reach it. My friend Jess suggested we school at the same time every day, and turn off the ringer. I should avoid social plans during that time. My other friend Laurel reminded me that learning happens all the time, and so we should not view learning opportunities in a compartmentalized fashion. My sister-in-law, Ann, who homeschools my nieces, told me to be easier on myself. I just wanted to be accountable, but I appreciate her encouragement to lay off! ;)
I took these points from my feedback:
1. Choose a time every day when optimal learning happens to plan our formal lessons
2. Remember that strategic socializing is important, and possible when you homeschool
3. Set goals for yourself, but don't beat yourself up when they are not achieved, unless you became lazy!
4. Remember that you homeschool partially because it fits into a busy lifestyle full of ministry, and sometimes you might have to let situations dictate your timing.
5. Flexibility is key, but only when partnered with discernment!
Confession is Good for the Soul
I have to confess, I have not been diligent about Shana's school. Well, I have and I haven't. I am starting to feel that I'm missing a key window of time in her learning spectrum, and I'm needing to capture it! We have been at this for three months, and while I think there are a lot of pluses, I have to confess that I have made it more of a priority lately to catch up with people or not miss opportunities to do things during the best hours of our day, the morning.
A typical morning for us is currently shifting later by an hour (thank you, Alaska sunrise/sunset changes!) later every day. This is all of a sudden an issue in the past two weeks, because the average day shortens by 35 minutes a week during the fall.
We usually have breakfast upon waking up. When doing school, I immediately launch into two of our 3R's (if you need a refresher, they are reading (which we do in the afternoon, for reasons stated below), writing, and arithmetic, otherwise known as math). If we have time, we do our storytime from our curriculum. Then we get ready for the morning, getting dressed, brushing teeth, and heading out to our morning activity. Right now, with Shana being in kindergarten, we can leave at 10 and still have gotten ample time in for school. However, with most of our recent activites being earlier than that, school has, well, gotten pushed to the side.
When we do school, we come back around lunchtime, have a quick lunch, and start quiet time. Shana initially would take 45 minutes for quiet time, then bound down the stairs at exactly 45 minutes after her quiet time started to spend time with me. All I have to say is I better have spent time with the Lord, exercised and showered before the kids got up because I get online to send a couple of emails during her quiet time before she is already downstairs again!!!
After quiet time, we do the rest of her school, the Bible portion. All together, this only takes 45 minutes. We then have phonics to do, and piano. We do phonics in the afternoon while John is napping for the simple fact that we do it on the computer, and if he saw her on the computer, he would want to do it too. Moving it to the afternoon saves us time and hassle because he doesn't know she's doing it. That takes another 20 minutes, tops. I find piano the hardest to get to, but again, that has to be pushed to John's nap now so he doesn't see her playing it.
Our biggest problem recently has been not protecting that prized 9-10 hour to capitalize on being home and getting school done, mostly because we are in the car zooming somewhere to meet someone. I can push off errands till the afternoon, but often, because of John's nap in the afternoon, we race out in the morning.
I've rationalized this somewhat by thanking God we are only doing Kindergarten, so that if we only do school three days a week (plus our co-op on Fridays), we're doing great. Plus, all told, our curriculum only takes 1-1/2 hours a day, with the piano being another fifteen minutes, so it's not a major time sucker. My goal is to do a unit's worth of lessons in two weeks, which means five lessons plus two co-op days = seven days of school. That seems to meet Shana's attention span and capacity for learning right now.
I'm feeling especially convicted today because we did school Saturday since we ran too much last week. We have not done school since Saturday, and though we can do it today, we will look at having to do it the following Saturday too. Then, Monday is a free day, since there are a lot of activities.
Work in storytime for John at the library, and I feel maxed out. Thankfully, that begins at 10 am, so I can do school with them first, before we go, and then maybe get another day.
Then, there was the Usborne party day last week. A friend had one. I LOVE my curriculum (check out www.heartofdakota.com), but it is complete as is. Supplements are added for the upper age range, but she's at the lower one for her guide, so I don't NEED Usborne books! However, I hadn't seen this friend in a while, another friend was going to be there; need I say more!
I am confessing I don't know where to start. I don't want to neglect my friendships, and I feel blessed to be in a situation where I have so many friendships that it is easy to have to put some to the side. However, I'm already feeling out of touch with a lot of people, but I know that is where I need to start. We committed to homeschooling (a) because we felt the Lord leading us to it, (b) because we felt it would provide the best quality education for our kids, (c) because of the flexibility it affords in a fast-paced military lifestyle. It's that third one that's getting me right now. I need help with it!
A typical morning for us is currently shifting later by an hour (thank you, Alaska sunrise/sunset changes!) later every day. This is all of a sudden an issue in the past two weeks, because the average day shortens by 35 minutes a week during the fall.
We usually have breakfast upon waking up. When doing school, I immediately launch into two of our 3R's (if you need a refresher, they are reading (which we do in the afternoon, for reasons stated below), writing, and arithmetic, otherwise known as math). If we have time, we do our storytime from our curriculum. Then we get ready for the morning, getting dressed, brushing teeth, and heading out to our morning activity. Right now, with Shana being in kindergarten, we can leave at 10 and still have gotten ample time in for school. However, with most of our recent activites being earlier than that, school has, well, gotten pushed to the side.
When we do school, we come back around lunchtime, have a quick lunch, and start quiet time. Shana initially would take 45 minutes for quiet time, then bound down the stairs at exactly 45 minutes after her quiet time started to spend time with me. All I have to say is I better have spent time with the Lord, exercised and showered before the kids got up because I get online to send a couple of emails during her quiet time before she is already downstairs again!!!
After quiet time, we do the rest of her school, the Bible portion. All together, this only takes 45 minutes. We then have phonics to do, and piano. We do phonics in the afternoon while John is napping for the simple fact that we do it on the computer, and if he saw her on the computer, he would want to do it too. Moving it to the afternoon saves us time and hassle because he doesn't know she's doing it. That takes another 20 minutes, tops. I find piano the hardest to get to, but again, that has to be pushed to John's nap now so he doesn't see her playing it.
Our biggest problem recently has been not protecting that prized 9-10 hour to capitalize on being home and getting school done, mostly because we are in the car zooming somewhere to meet someone. I can push off errands till the afternoon, but often, because of John's nap in the afternoon, we race out in the morning.
I've rationalized this somewhat by thanking God we are only doing Kindergarten, so that if we only do school three days a week (plus our co-op on Fridays), we're doing great. Plus, all told, our curriculum only takes 1-1/2 hours a day, with the piano being another fifteen minutes, so it's not a major time sucker. My goal is to do a unit's worth of lessons in two weeks, which means five lessons plus two co-op days = seven days of school. That seems to meet Shana's attention span and capacity for learning right now.
I'm feeling especially convicted today because we did school Saturday since we ran too much last week. We have not done school since Saturday, and though we can do it today, we will look at having to do it the following Saturday too. Then, Monday is a free day, since there are a lot of activities.
Work in storytime for John at the library, and I feel maxed out. Thankfully, that begins at 10 am, so I can do school with them first, before we go, and then maybe get another day.
Then, there was the Usborne party day last week. A friend had one. I LOVE my curriculum (check out www.heartofdakota.com), but it is complete as is. Supplements are added for the upper age range, but she's at the lower one for her guide, so I don't NEED Usborne books! However, I hadn't seen this friend in a while, another friend was going to be there; need I say more!
I am confessing I don't know where to start. I don't want to neglect my friendships, and I feel blessed to be in a situation where I have so many friendships that it is easy to have to put some to the side. However, I'm already feeling out of touch with a lot of people, but I know that is where I need to start. We committed to homeschooling (a) because we felt the Lord leading us to it, (b) because we felt it would provide the best quality education for our kids, (c) because of the flexibility it affords in a fast-paced military lifestyle. It's that third one that's getting me right now. I need help with it!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Christian Praxis in a Pluralistic Environment
I'm not sure the "new age" of pluralism is all that it's cracked up to be. In the marketplace, one can see the impotence of watered-down observances of Christmas and Easter that is sure to make the average evangelical Christian sweat. We all believe in offering a hearty "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to those who would say "Season's Greetings." And we're pretty proud of ourselves that we can be so bold in our day and age.
In the military, my context, I see that the watered-down aspect of pluralistic Christianity only serves to divide all those of faith into different corners (although a room with as many corners as you'd need would practically be round). We all tend to assert why OUR particular brand of Christianity is the superior one and point out flaws, omissions, or shortcomings of other ones.
I've most recently seen one brand of church assert that their version of the Bible is the only authoritative one, and all of us other helpless creatures are hopelessly swayed by the evil one himself. I've also seen others pledge to forego certain foods to maintain purity, or others completely inundated with the allure of their individual church body second-guess or even question the viability of others. I've been to such a variety of church services in Alaska that I know some bodies I've been involved with would wonder if others are truly Christians just based on their worship styles.
I'm not even referring to music. The dichotomy certainly travels down the worship music line too. Some friends who hold a true faith in God fall hard on their hymns and time-honored songs of the faith, to which I have to remind them that some of their favorites are less than 50 years old. Yes, some of the more recent "anthems" are shallow theologically, and this should give one pause. I think people are actually asserting a superiority ecclesiastically just based on tempo, mood, and rhythm.
So, what is happening to the American church? From my vantage point, we are eating each other up and spitting each other out, and judging others who are not like ourselves has become the norm. Jesus, knowing the thoughts of the Pharisees, in Matthew 12:25, said, ""Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."
No one I know wants this for the church. So, why are we doing it? I'm fully cognizant that based on the beliefs of some I mentioned in this article, they might not believe I'm a Christian because of MY beliefs, and see no harm done by coming against me with the superiority of their beliefs. However, in Mark 9:40, we see Jesus saying to the disciples themselves, that "he who is not against you is for you." So if I'm not against them, at minimum (although I would wager that I am with them 100% as far as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20), then why all this pushing away based on issues I don't even see as doctrine, but as preference?
We've got a major issue in the American church, because we are so comfortable speaking our piece that we choose to push others away by saying that their beliefs are inferior to ours. Meanwhile, people are perishing daily without a chance to hear the Gospel, as we stand mildly by, arguing our points.
I'm not trying to argue these specific points, but to use them as illustration. If we are truly all on the same team, we ought to act like it and start preaching the Gospel, whether we use words or not. We have people God's called us to, and we choose to sit in our whitewashed tombs proclaiming our own greatness, to the expense of others in the church!!!
Let's grow up and look for our similarities instead of our differences, and go after those who don't know Christ, and love those who've rejected Him!!!
In the military, my context, I see that the watered-down aspect of pluralistic Christianity only serves to divide all those of faith into different corners (although a room with as many corners as you'd need would practically be round). We all tend to assert why OUR particular brand of Christianity is the superior one and point out flaws, omissions, or shortcomings of other ones.
I've most recently seen one brand of church assert that their version of the Bible is the only authoritative one, and all of us other helpless creatures are hopelessly swayed by the evil one himself. I've also seen others pledge to forego certain foods to maintain purity, or others completely inundated with the allure of their individual church body second-guess or even question the viability of others. I've been to such a variety of church services in Alaska that I know some bodies I've been involved with would wonder if others are truly Christians just based on their worship styles.
I'm not even referring to music. The dichotomy certainly travels down the worship music line too. Some friends who hold a true faith in God fall hard on their hymns and time-honored songs of the faith, to which I have to remind them that some of their favorites are less than 50 years old. Yes, some of the more recent "anthems" are shallow theologically, and this should give one pause. I think people are actually asserting a superiority ecclesiastically just based on tempo, mood, and rhythm.
So, what is happening to the American church? From my vantage point, we are eating each other up and spitting each other out, and judging others who are not like ourselves has become the norm. Jesus, knowing the thoughts of the Pharisees, in Matthew 12:25, said, ""Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."
No one I know wants this for the church. So, why are we doing it? I'm fully cognizant that based on the beliefs of some I mentioned in this article, they might not believe I'm a Christian because of MY beliefs, and see no harm done by coming against me with the superiority of their beliefs. However, in Mark 9:40, we see Jesus saying to the disciples themselves, that "he who is not against you is for you." So if I'm not against them, at minimum (although I would wager that I am with them 100% as far as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20), then why all this pushing away based on issues I don't even see as doctrine, but as preference?
We've got a major issue in the American church, because we are so comfortable speaking our piece that we choose to push others away by saying that their beliefs are inferior to ours. Meanwhile, people are perishing daily without a chance to hear the Gospel, as we stand mildly by, arguing our points.
I'm not trying to argue these specific points, but to use them as illustration. If we are truly all on the same team, we ought to act like it and start preaching the Gospel, whether we use words or not. We have people God's called us to, and we choose to sit in our whitewashed tombs proclaiming our own greatness, to the expense of others in the church!!!
Let's grow up and look for our similarities instead of our differences, and go after those who don't know Christ, and love those who've rejected Him!!!
Being a Female Ordained Minister Has Its Risks
Unfortunately, I don't blog as quickly or as often as my mind moves. However, I have been mulling this subject for a while, and I don't know if I'm quite through with it.
It might be good background information to say that I have been having a hard time for years accepting the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has called me to be an ordained minister. I have suffered ridicule from both ends. Some groups claim I'm not a Christian because God wouldn't call women to ordained leadership in His church. Others say to be careful because the stigma that ordained women are actually lesbians is quite strong in some circles. So, to come right out and say you're an ordained minister, even if you don't have a church, is risky. On top of that, I've had still others say they would never go to a church with a female lead pastor, because God never called women to leadership in the church. To that, I say, what do you make of Deborah judging Israel? What do you make of Lydia holding house church. What do you make of the apostle Junia, or the teacher Priscilla? Then, they counter with "well, being a priest is different than being a pastor. You might be a pastor, but God never called women to be priests in His church." How do you know? Maybe the Jewish faith didn't employ women as temple priests, but that could have been because the other role for women was to be prostitutes (although not in Jewish tradition, but in other religions of those surrounding Canaan).
So, I have found the ordained ministry quite tiresome. I have obstacles to overcome before even starting out. I have had friends just tell me, "isn't your ministry to your kids enough? Why do you have to make a big deal out of finding a pastorate?" To this, I reply that none of this was my idea. My call was not one I chose. I would not have chosen the ridicule and, quite frankly, verbal abuse people seem to want to heap on women who answer the call to ministry. Go ahead, abuse away. Jesus was abused and yet He rose from the dead, even after His abuse resulted in His death.
To cap off social stress, I cite an internal struggle that ensues in every situation I find myself. Did I really discern the call correctly? Am I just playing out my own fantasy? Is there something I'm not content with which pushes me to look for some outlet to express my inner shepherd? Aren't my kids church enough? Why do I go to congregations and pretend to be a good little congregant, instead of someone who can lead? Is there something about ME that makes people not want to ask me to lead? Which community or communities are right for me, as we move often? How can I serve and homeschool my kids, which I fully enjoy? What would people or congregations say if they knew I was an ordained elder in the church? Would they say, "you're not welcome here, you can't really be a Christian, you must have heard wrong, you're not welcome to express those gifts here, you can be a part of us if you'll put that part of you away," or would they say, "that's COOL! How do you feel you can serve here?" How do I brush the dust off my feet from those who would fall in the former category, when the majority of evangelicals (of which I do identify myself) would THINK that I was misled?
I'm really close to understanding that I can't be like "everyone else," who can just go to a church and fit in. I either know I'm welcome, or I can tell I'm not. However, how do I feel about the fact that the majority of people at two of the recent churches I've found myself don't know I'm an ordained minister because I'm not sure what to do with that information once they had it? Would they try to proselytize me? Or could they believe the God they serve is the same God who called me into leadership, without deconstructing their whole theology?
It might be good background information to say that I have been having a hard time for years accepting the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has called me to be an ordained minister. I have suffered ridicule from both ends. Some groups claim I'm not a Christian because God wouldn't call women to ordained leadership in His church. Others say to be careful because the stigma that ordained women are actually lesbians is quite strong in some circles. So, to come right out and say you're an ordained minister, even if you don't have a church, is risky. On top of that, I've had still others say they would never go to a church with a female lead pastor, because God never called women to leadership in the church. To that, I say, what do you make of Deborah judging Israel? What do you make of Lydia holding house church. What do you make of the apostle Junia, or the teacher Priscilla? Then, they counter with "well, being a priest is different than being a pastor. You might be a pastor, but God never called women to be priests in His church." How do you know? Maybe the Jewish faith didn't employ women as temple priests, but that could have been because the other role for women was to be prostitutes (although not in Jewish tradition, but in other religions of those surrounding Canaan).
So, I have found the ordained ministry quite tiresome. I have obstacles to overcome before even starting out. I have had friends just tell me, "isn't your ministry to your kids enough? Why do you have to make a big deal out of finding a pastorate?" To this, I reply that none of this was my idea. My call was not one I chose. I would not have chosen the ridicule and, quite frankly, verbal abuse people seem to want to heap on women who answer the call to ministry. Go ahead, abuse away. Jesus was abused and yet He rose from the dead, even after His abuse resulted in His death.
To cap off social stress, I cite an internal struggle that ensues in every situation I find myself. Did I really discern the call correctly? Am I just playing out my own fantasy? Is there something I'm not content with which pushes me to look for some outlet to express my inner shepherd? Aren't my kids church enough? Why do I go to congregations and pretend to be a good little congregant, instead of someone who can lead? Is there something about ME that makes people not want to ask me to lead? Which community or communities are right for me, as we move often? How can I serve and homeschool my kids, which I fully enjoy? What would people or congregations say if they knew I was an ordained elder in the church? Would they say, "you're not welcome here, you can't really be a Christian, you must have heard wrong, you're not welcome to express those gifts here, you can be a part of us if you'll put that part of you away," or would they say, "that's COOL! How do you feel you can serve here?" How do I brush the dust off my feet from those who would fall in the former category, when the majority of evangelicals (of which I do identify myself) would THINK that I was misled?
I'm really close to understanding that I can't be like "everyone else," who can just go to a church and fit in. I either know I'm welcome, or I can tell I'm not. However, how do I feel about the fact that the majority of people at two of the recent churches I've found myself don't know I'm an ordained minister because I'm not sure what to do with that information once they had it? Would they try to proselytize me? Or could they believe the God they serve is the same God who called me into leadership, without deconstructing their whole theology?
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