I decided on the name of this blog, to sum up what our goal is in teaching our children at home. It is taken from Ephesians 6:4 which states that parents should "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
To define:
NUR'TURE, n.
To define:
NUR'TURE, n.
NUR'TURE, v.t.
Titus 3: 1,2 states: "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men."
It is our prayer that our children would be raised up to be Godly men and women, and that despite our failures and shortcomings, God's will would be done, and His name glorified. The purpose of this blog is many fold. The reasons I can think of right now are:
-to keep a journal of our successes and failures
-to keep track of progress (to look back on for future children)
-home base for information we learn along the way (articles of interest, quotes and advice from veteran homeschoolers, book reviews)
-to encourage others who may be on this same journey
-to educate those who may not know much about home education (why we do it, how we do it, where we do it, etc)
-I didn't want them to ride the bus for hours each day (and I don't care to drive my kids to and from school either!) I had spent 3 hours each day, starting at 7:30 and getting home at 5:00, on the bus for 11 years of my school days. In my final year, they changed the route, so we had only 20 minutes. That time on the bus was wasted time each day in which I learned very little beneficial information. It was mostly an unsupervised free-for-all of 12 grades up to no good. So that was what started the quest. The other reasons have come later, once we started looking into the option.
-I like my kids. I like them around. I don't want them with someone else all day. They make me happy. I like being their mom. I was almost 30 when I had my first baby. I had many years of "me" time. I don't need that anymore. I want my kids with me for as long as I can. A home schooled child gets 4 more years of time with their parents. My kids brighten my day, so why would I want to send them off?
-"More is caught than taught". We've all heard the saying. So who would their influences be in school? Likely the 20+ other untrained kids, rather than the 1 teacher. I don't want to have to undo what their peers teach them. Kids become who they spend the most time with. We want that to be Greg and I (and other good examples of our choosing).
-I was a lost-in-the-shuffle kid. Not smart enough for recognition, not dumb enough for recognition, not good in anything visible for recognition. I don't recall ever (in my school years) feeling special or standing out for anything. I know my kids (along with the majority of kids) would end up in this category too. I want them to shine in their God given talents.
-In a class of 25, an average child gets 7 minutes of individual attention from the teacher per day. I can provide much more than that at home. You just can't beat the "teacher to kid" ratio.
-Studies also show that 89% of public schooled kids will renounce their faith by their freshman year of college. Why? Because peer influence is much more important than parental influence because of time spent. For no other reason than time spent. I don't care to take that risk.
-Kids get to learn at their own pace. No one-size-fits-all education. If they know a concept, move on. If they don't, we can work on it longer.
-I love field trips. I hope we can go on them weekly, at least monthly. And off season vacations? Yes. Count me in.
-I want the challenge of relearning what I've forgotten, and seeing those light bulbs come on in their head when a concept is grasped. I love being the one who my kids look up to (and their dad) to learn new things. It's so gratifying for us, to be learning along with them.
-I am impressed with pretty much every home schooled kid I've met. They are the most self-confident, knowledge seeking, polite, etc. kids you will find. That is not to say that those kids can't be found elsewhere, but I've been really impressed with what I've seen.
-The final reason: We think it is the best option for educating our children at this point after researching all our options.
I'll probably think of more things later, but there's a start. I hope to update on here weekly, but will have to see what ends up unfolding. For kindergarten, we won't be too intense, but it'll be good to start get going on a routine, and seeing where we end up. At this point, I have no idea what to expect, but am excited to find out!! I know this will be challenging, in many ways, but I firmly believe that the rewards will be worth it in the end.
-I like my kids. I like them around. I don't want them with someone else all day. They make me happy. I like being their mom. I was almost 30 when I had my first baby. I had many years of "me" time. I don't need that anymore. I want my kids with me for as long as I can. A home schooled child gets 4 more years of time with their parents. My kids brighten my day, so why would I want to send them off?
-"More is caught than taught". We've all heard the saying. So who would their influences be in school? Likely the 20+ other untrained kids, rather than the 1 teacher. I don't want to have to undo what their peers teach them. Kids become who they spend the most time with. We want that to be Greg and I (and other good examples of our choosing).
-I was a lost-in-the-shuffle kid. Not smart enough for recognition, not dumb enough for recognition, not good in anything visible for recognition. I don't recall ever (in my school years) feeling special or standing out for anything. I know my kids (along with the majority of kids) would end up in this category too. I want them to shine in their God given talents.
-In a class of 25, an average child gets 7 minutes of individual attention from the teacher per day. I can provide much more than that at home. You just can't beat the "teacher to kid" ratio.
-Studies also show that 89% of public schooled kids will renounce their faith by their freshman year of college. Why? Because peer influence is much more important than parental influence because of time spent. For no other reason than time spent. I don't care to take that risk.
-Kids get to learn at their own pace. No one-size-fits-all education. If they know a concept, move on. If they don't, we can work on it longer.
-I love field trips. I hope we can go on them weekly, at least monthly. And off season vacations? Yes. Count me in.
-I want the challenge of relearning what I've forgotten, and seeing those light bulbs come on in their head when a concept is grasped. I love being the one who my kids look up to (and their dad) to learn new things. It's so gratifying for us, to be learning along with them.
-I am impressed with pretty much every home schooled kid I've met. They are the most self-confident, knowledge seeking, polite, etc. kids you will find. That is not to say that those kids can't be found elsewhere, but I've been really impressed with what I've seen.
-The final reason: We think it is the best option for educating our children at this point after researching all our options.
I'll probably think of more things later, but there's a start. I hope to update on here weekly, but will have to see what ends up unfolding. For kindergarten, we won't be too intense, but it'll be good to start get going on a routine, and seeing where we end up. At this point, I have no idea what to expect, but am excited to find out!! I know this will be challenging, in many ways, but I firmly believe that the rewards will be worth it in the end.
Here are some things that have gotten me through the last 6 years. First is Deuteronomy 6:4-9, to me this is not just the foundation of home schooling but should be the foundation of a Christian family. Next, is Colossians 3:23&24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive and inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
ReplyDeleteThis has just helped me to remember that my only focus should be what God thinks of me and not what others think of me. As long as I am obeying and honoring Him I know I am where I should be. You can call whenever you need words of encouragement as you begin this journey. We will be praying for you and Greg.