Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Apr. 17, 2013

Sonlight and the Common Core State Standards

By Luke

Many organizations, companies, and curriculum providers are working to align themselves with the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Sonlight is not. Why is Sonlight not seeking to conform to the new Common Core?

First, Sonlighters already succeed. The Common Core is the latest attempt by policy makers to encourage schools to help students achieve. Sonlight students already do amazingly well academically. Sonlighers aren't failing. Many schools are. If politicians can find a way to help more students, that's great. But with over 20 years of success inspiring students--and parents--to love to learn, it would be foolish for Sonlight to change.

Second, Sonlight does things differently. Our revolutionary, literature-based approach--now embraced by many homeschool providers inspired by our success--doesn't exactly mirror most school material. Of course, outside of a fully embraced "Common Core," no two schools--or classrooms--are going to be completely in sync. So that's not really a problem. Far more importantly, Sonlight's focus is different. We take a global perspective from a unique educational philosophy.

Third, we're here to help you. We are aware of what's going on in the wider educational world, but our focus is on helping you. That's why we offer free access to Advisors, a year-long guarantee, and continually update our Instructor's Guides. Tweaking our curriculum to fall in step with what others are doing doesn't do much to help you teach your children. Such initiatives may help the government better direct schools, but the Common Core won't help you teach your children to read, learn math, or understand history. We'd rather focus on creating tools that assist your family's homeschool journey.

Sonlight is not adjusting our homeschool curriculum to align with the new Common Core.

Since Sonlight is not accredited, we are not bound to the "Common Core" standards (you can read more about accreditation here). We regularly update our programs to ensure you have tools to give your children an excellent education. But rather than follow the latest fads and hype about educational theory, we tend to stick to what we know works: Great books, lots of tools in your Instructor's Guide, and a focus on developing a life-long love of learning. Sonlight pioneered the literature-rich approach to homeschooling over twenty years ago. And we're not changing that.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged curriculum, education, government, Sonlight | 25 Comments

Apr. 16, 2013

Unplugging

By Jonelle

I had planned to write about how I am tired of hate. And I am. I am so overwhelmed by the hate that is pounded all the time. Between Christians, between sexes, between countries, between people. I know there are so many things that I don't understand, that I won't understand. And I don't understand the hate. It just makes me sad. Thinking you'll write about hate and then hearing about a bombing is pretty depressing. It's not a reinforcement you want.

I'm writing this Monday night while the girls sleep. I was blue today. It was gray and snowy*, there was a horrible bombing, and tomorrow, (today!), is my middle daughter's birthday. Seemed like there just isn't much to be happy about.

So, I called my mom. She reminded me we live in a fallen world. Because of what we as mankind did through Adam and Eve, death, hate, anger, pain have become the norm. I'm so grateful it doesn't end there.

But, we are surrounded by it. Sunday night Dave and I watched Argo on our computer. That too was depressing. I tend to think of "the olden days" (everything pretty much before I was born) as being better. But, when I did the entire world history course two summers ago, and now, just watching that movie, it reminds me: history is fraught with pain. We can't escape it. There has been no golden era for the world. Different places may have had peace at different times, but, just as the cry of my heart is to live a quiet life, I and millions (billions?) are not even given that. That too is sad.

So tonight, as I checked my phone for updates, looked on Facebook to see what people were saying, I felt a small check in my spirit. It's time to unplug. It's time to step back from the fear and the chaos.

It's not time to stop praying. It's not time to stop grieving. It's not time to stop reaching out to those in need. But it is time to stop living in fear. It is time to stop compulsively checking updates. It is time to stop the zoning out of the life in front of me because of dubious facts being passed my way.

I didn't grow up watching T.V. While we owned one starting when I was, I don't know, 7 (my sister would know, she's a date person) we watched 1 movie a week on Sunday nights. And the Olympics. Maybe the Super Bowl. Maybe. Anyway, we didn't watch T.V. So, even though we went to school 20 minutes from Columbine and knew many people from our youth group who went there, we didn't have the sustained coverage in our faces after the shooting. Similarly, during 9/11, I saw a few videos of what happened later, some stills. But we didn't sit in front of the T.V. and listen to all of the breaking news. I'm glad we didn't. It wouldn't have been good for me. I still remember those days. Remember where I was, who I saw. I don't need the actual images seared in my brain.

So too tonight, I am opting to unplug. We still don't own a T.V. But, I'm sure between my computer and my phone I could be all caught up on every last detail. But, I'll wait until tomorrow. Until more is known. I want to know. I believe it is important to know what is going on. But, I'm glad the girls aren't hearing something, seeing something, that would hurt them. I'm glad I'm not hearing something or seeing something that would hurt me. We played tonight instead.

I'm going to read a little. Finish this post. Maybe eat some cookies. I'm going to say my thankfuls. Offer more prayers. And catch up with the world tomorrow.

Praying for peace,
Jonelle

*I'm more of a sunshine and warmth kind of girl; gray days suck the life out of me.

Tagged current events, fear, prayer | 3 Comments

Apr. 15, 2013

Choosing Your Investments

By Luke

You are investing in your kids. As a homeschooler, you're pouring time and energy and resources into your children's education. And what a great investment it is! Not only do your children get a great education, you also bond with them through great books, get to see them grow, have them during the best hours of the day, instill important values, and give them tools that will set them up for success in life.

You're doing all that--and more--for less than the cost of a public education.

That's a great investment.

Growing up, I tithed what little money I earned. As I grew, my parents began to discuss giving in a broader context. They talked about their decision to focus on unreached peoples. They talked through their rationale. They encouraged me to consider what I would give to, and why. And as your children learn about the wider world--starting as early as Core A--you can begin to naturally discuss the needs all around us.

A few years ago I read an article about charities and organizations losing funds because this next generation only gives to the most recent need. Rather than prayerfully considering their gifts, people today "tweet five bucks" to the latest fad in giving. Money pours in for a while, and then it's on to the next thing. This also means that high profile needs (such as earthquakes and tsunamis) get funds but long-term needs--like Scripture translation--are no longer on people's minds.

This kind of thing also comes up when confronted by beggars. Should I buy the guy a meal or would that money be better spent feeding ten children in Africa? Or translating a portion of Scripture that could transform a culture? Or support a missionary to bring the good news of Christ to a people who have never heard it? Or helping send a kid to camp? Or should I save the money to spend on my own family and the kids I minster to?

These are hard questions, and worthy of consideration and conversation. What has God called you to invest in? Your children, to be sure. But what else? And it's not just finances. How we spend our time and energy is also part of this equation.

I believe it is important to think about our investments. But, at the same time, remember that we serve a good God! This is not yet another burden to place on yourself. Remember that God has entrusted us with His blessings so we can bless others. These are opportunities for us to follow His heart, to hear Him tell us, "Well done!"

What things are you involved with--personally or as a family--to bless others with the blessings God has given you? How do you help your children think about helping others?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged blessing, giving, missions | 2 Comments

Apr. 12, 2013

Homeschool Benefit: You Hear Your Kids

By Luke

She's pretty and popular. Wavy brown hair dances at her shoulders. She carries an affecting, infecting, impish grin. It's no wonder boys like her. And her parents just discovered the scars on her arms.

Whether out shock or grief or ignorance, her parents refused to believe they had been blind to her cutting. "My dad even went so far as I ask when I'd joined the occult," she told me. Her eyes filled with tears. "And I'd been doing so well recently."

Her parents know their daughter has been "on the fringe" for a while now. But they have no idea how far down the rabbit hole their girl has fallen. Her mom once called me to ask about a situation where her daughter had lied through omitting key details about her plans. So, this girl has not helped her parents trust her. But because she's in school and works late hours and has conversations long into the night on her cellphone, her parents are out of the loop.

They are now trying to fix that.

I don't know how that's going, but I'm guessing it's been bumpy. How do you reconnect with a child you've abandoned to the world? How do you catch up on where she is emotionally if you can't bring yourself to trust what she says? How do you get her to open up to you when she feels betrayed, insulted, rejected, and interrogated? I don't know. Being a parent is hard enough. I can't imagine trying to overcome all that too.

But I know this: Homeschooling gives us opportunities to hear our kids. As you discuss the literature you're reading together, as you work through areas where your children struggle, as you are involved in their daily lives, you can get a pretty clear picture of how your child is doing.

Please, take advantage of this benefit! Talk with your children. Listen to them. Lay a foundation today so that you can hear your children when they encounter difficulties tomorrow.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged benefits, children, discussion, Homeschooling | 3 Comments

Apr. 11, 2013

4 Ways to Inspire Your Kids to Change the World

By Luke

Sonlight students are different. We are not content to merely join a "safe" sub-culture and sit on the proverbial bench. We want more. One Sonlight mom put it this way:

The Sonlight graduates that I know all have the same desire to be in the world but not of the world, as in IN THE WORLD. My daughter wants to be a musician who impacts the world for Christ, but not a "Christian Musician". I know another young lady who is a newly published author who wants to be a "writer who writes fiction that can have an impact on the world for Christ" but not a "Christian Writer". They are young people who don't want to be part of a sub-culture, they want to change the culture.

What motivates that? What builds this kind of focus in us and our children? How do we inspire our kids to want to change the world?

1. Emphasize sharing Christ with the world. Sonlight's curriculum has a strong international, missions focus. We encounter, through literature and stories, people all over the world who need Christ or who have been transformed by Him. After experiencing this reality again and again, it's no wonder we want to reach others with the good news of His grace and redemption!

2. Give godly heroes. Church history--not to mention Scripture--is packed with ordinary men and women who did amazing things while following God. We take time to learn from this great cloud of witnesses. Building off the desire to introduce people to Jesus, we discover that God can use us to do just that.

3. Don't shrink back from the need. As we mature, we discover just how desperately wicked the heart of man can be. But God's redemptive power is even greater than this! We wrestle with difficult questions, encounter difficult situations, and are introduced to difficult ideas. We don't isolate ourselves in solely "Christian" contexts. Instead, as we study Scripture and history, we learn of the great need and the even greater opportunity in following God's call.

4. Follow Christ's example. Just as Jesus is the embodiment of "God with us"--where He came in human likeness even while we were still sinners--so we should meet people where they are. Hudson Taylor, as one example, did this with tremendous impact. Now we can find ways to transform our culture from within as well.

Read more about the ideas behind these four ways to inspire kids.

Sonlight encourages us to look outside our bubble. As we mature and are trained by our parents, we feel no compulsion to stay isolated in a Christian community. Indeed, how could we? The world needs Jesus, and we are His body.

From Church into Culture

What does this look like? Let me share a bit of my story with you:

I discovered I had a love for film as a kid. I dreamed of transforming movies like Star Wars from focusing on the Force to speaking of the Lord. I didn't have any knowledge of copyright laws at the time. Nor did I understand the cheesiness of cheap knockoffs. I just knew I wanted to be a "Christian film guy." But as I slowly discovered the artistic wasteland of the "Christian film" sub-culture, I realized I wanted nothing to do with that. It is bland, weak, and misses reality in its pursuit of spiritual messaging. I also wasn't interested in Hollywood, with its culture of lies and abuse and inefficiencies. Instead, I want to make films that point people to Christ.

Have I arrived yet? No.

But I have discovered an intense love for adapting Scripture for a modern audience (be they pre- or post-Christian, agnostic, or ignorant). So I've made one short film telling a well-known Bible story in a way that, I believe, makes the ideas accessible to someone who does not--at this time--accept Scripture. I've got another I hope to shoot this summer.

I love how Sonlight helps inspire us to change the world.

Have your kids shown a desire to shape culture? What ways are they seeking to share Christ?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged Bible, biographies, Christianity and culture, missions, Sonlight, students | 5 Comments

Apr. 10, 2013

You read that book?!

By Judy

I was driving home from an appointment the other day and caught the Breakpoint commentary for the day. Imagine my delight when I discovered it was a discussion about the value of literature in a young person's life!

Karen Swallow Prior, an English prof at Liberty University, has written a memoir titled Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me. Her book focuses on how God used literature to draw her to Himself. But a couple of observations in the commentary made me think of Sonlight's article titled Why Sonlight Uses Certain Books that Some Homeschoolers Won't Touch.

From the commentary (highlighting mine) ... From the time she was very young, books were Prior's refuge and guide. She's not saying that all the books that she read were good or moral; some of them contained outright "falsehood." But the way to counter those books was reading "more and more books" in order to be exposed to "competing ideas and examples" and to learn to discern the truth. Prior quotes John Milton, that "conservative, Puritan Christian," who wrote in 1644, "Let [Truth] and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter?"

I definitely believe there is a balance. We don't want our children wallowing in literary garbage. But this statement from the Sonlight article sums it up nicely, in my opinion ... We should not close our eyes to what is ugly, contemptible, unhealthy, or evil and pretend it doesn't exist. We must be aware of such things if we are to avoid their dangers. But, God says, we need to focus on the good.

I challenge you to challenge your children in their reading ... help them to discern what is unhealthy and evil, and to focus on what is true, noble and excellent. But don't be afraid to let them learn about and engage the culture in which they're living.

Still on the journey ...
~Judy Wnuk
Sonlight Customer Champion

Tagged books, discernment, literature | 1 Comment

Apr. 9, 2013

What's Your Teaching Philosophy?

By Robert

Do you have a teaching philosophy? Do you need one? What about the resources you incorporate in homeschooling--do they have a teaching philosophy?

A teaching philosophy is typically driven by worldview thinking. A worldview drives how we see and interpret reality; it's how we make sense of things. Presuppositions come into play, too. These are assumptions that are foundational to our thinking.

Sonlight President Sarita Holzmann recently shared two presuppositions or "underlying assumptions about education" that we have at Sonlight: 1. Education should help children develop their gifts and become equipped to do whatever God calls them to do to further His Kingdom; and 2. Every child is naturally curious and can love to learn. Education should help nurture that love to learn.

As an educator I've taken time to consider my teaching philosophy, which is centered on my Christian worldview. This leads me to seek to equip, edify, educate, and encourage students to seek God's calling in their life and apply their beliefs practically and reasonably in all they do. I hope to develop ambassadors for the cause of Christ who will intelligently engage culture.

Recently on a radio program I was asked to discuss a film and its implications in relation to Christianity. When the host asked me about the movie, I mentioned that we need to keep in mind that every form of media we encounter has one or more underlying worldviews guiding it, whether it's film, television, books, art, music, etc. This applies to educational materials, too.

Having a teaching philosophy helps us understand our approach and identify alternative views. It can help us stay on track and remember our overall goal. Take some time to think about the teaching philosophy that guides you, as well as the educational resources you use. What are the assumptions guiding the material? Do you agree or disagree with the approach? Even if you disagree with some points, how can you turn your disagreement into a learning opportunity for yourself and your children?

So, what's your teaching philosophy? Let us know in the comments section!

Robert Velarde
Author/Educator/Philosopher

Tagged books, Christianity, curriculum, education, film, Homeschooling, learning, teaching, worldview | Leave a comment

Sonlight and the Common Core State Standards

Unplugging

Choosing Your Investments

Homeschool Benefit: You Hear Your Kids

4 Ways to Inspire Your Kids to Change the World

You read that book?!

What's Your Teaching Philosophy?

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