Jan. 28, 2013

Homeschoolers: No longer powerless transients

By Luke
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The TSA agent snatched the unopened bottle of shampoo from my wife's hands and tossed it in a nearby waste bin. The bottle had been a gift but was very much over the 3 ounce limit for liquids, gels, and aerosols. My wife had hoped for some assistance. Now, after passing through security, she was left muttering, "What a waste."

Seth Godin put it well: "Like colleges, airports see customers as powerless transients. [You'll] be gone tomorrow..."

Walk-Off
Walk Away

If you've had to navigate the turbulence of college registration or airport security, you can likely relate. We are often treated like cattle rather than clients. We're fenced in, prodded forward, and at the whim of the authorities who dictate our fate. But it's not just colleges, where students struggle to find openings in classes they have to take. The education system, as a whole, assumes your children are theirs for the taking. The school's job is to process that batch of students and send them on their way. You are a vital participant--often the indicator of your student's success--but also a powerless bystander when it comes to your student's classroom experience.

Homeschooling changes this. Homeschooling empowers you.

Once we discover that we can influence our children's success, we take action to shape their experience. Your student is not a powerless transient. Your student is on a life-long journey of learning, and if one method isn't pointing to that end, there are other options. Your student is no longer simply a paycheck. Your student is an individual you can help point in the direction he or she is meant to fly.

Ready to consider your options? Check out our complete, customizable curriculum. With Sonlight's unmatched Love to Learn Guarantee, you won't be left muttering, "What a waste."

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

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Jan. 25, 2013

31 Reasons to Homeschool

By Luke
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My wife sent me an article about fascinating realities about education that you may not expect. If they had asked me to re-title the post, I would have labeled it 31 Reasons to Homeschool.

Here are a few things that jumped out to me:

Psychologists are drawing the conclusion that early academic learning structured around directive teaching not only inhibits creativity, but stunts a child’s natural curiosity to discover how the world works.

There are many reasons we built our preschool curriculum to be a gentle introduction to learning together. One of the big motivations, however, was to enable you and your children to discover the joy of learning. This will give you an excellent starting point for more rigorous academics in the years to come. More and more research confirms that this is the best way to approach early education.

In a primitive society, children learned necessary survival skills by mimicking their elders. It was essentially, learning in action. In modern times, academics are often taught rather than 'shown'- removing this type of opportunity from the educational process.

I think rich literature gives us the opportunity to, in many ways, "show" ideas to our kids.

...students who used e-books with sound effects, narration, music, and video were able to find and recite more information than the children who used a traditional printed text.

It could very well be that ebooks are the future. However, this point seems more to reinforce the idea that reading-aloud is an essential part of experiencing books. Just one more reason I'm thrilled that Sonlight's curriculum includes so many Read-Alouds.

Daydreaming is often seen as wasting time and sometimes a lack of the ability to focus. But recent research found the opposite is true.

Personally, I've spent quite a bit of time daydreaming. Glad to know doing so was such a great idea! <smile>

What points resonated with you? Do you disagree with any of the conclusions?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

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Jan. 24, 2013

When Hundreds of Thousands Turned to Christ

By Sarita
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What happens when a nation crumbles morally? When substance abuse and corrupt politics rule the day? When the people turn from God and seek pleasure in violent sport, gambling and womanizing? When children have to fend for themselves on the streets? When the rich abuse the poor?

In some sense, both England and France were in this position in the 1700s. Then England saw peaceful, sweeping reforms, while France spiraled into a horrific revolution.

I know I'm simplifying history here. But what was the difference between these two nations? I just read a compelling argument that John Wesley likely initiated the stunning change in England's trajectory.


A statue of Wesley preaching

Once John Wesley experienced a true "heart conversion" to Christianity, he studied the Bible, preached it, and lived it. He preached in open-air settings to the working class poor, on their way from the factories to the drinking houses. He taught the Bible to illiterate women and children. He visited those in prison. He set up programs to teach job skills to the needy. He urged the rich to care for the poor. He worked to end the African slave trade. In short, his words and deeds proclaimed the Word of God.

And in His mercy, God brought revival. God used John Wesley, along with coworkers George Whitefield, Charles Wesley and others, to reintroduce the Bible to the common people of England. As Vishal Mangalwadi puts it in The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization:

[Wesley] believed that God's purpose for him was to open the Word of God for his nation, pointing men and women to God through Christ. This, in turn, would reclaim their homes, towns and country from paganism and corruption. Wesley's central understanding of Christianity was that individual redemption leads to social regeneration.

When ordinary people heard the Gospel preached and saw it lived out, they turned to Christ. When they turned to Christ, their whole lives changed. They gave up their drunkenness, cared for their children, cared for the poor, began to treat others as people made in the image of God.

And thus, "England after Wesley saw many of his century's evils eradicated, because hundreds of thousands became Christians. Their hearts were changed, as were their minds and attitudes, and so society—the public realm—was affected."

Wesley did not follow God half-heartedly. Nor was he a superhero. Instead, he simply sought God in earnest, preached in earnest, and served in earnest. He and his trainees adhered to a strict schedule: "eight hours a day sleeping and eating; eight for meditation, prayer and study; and eight for preaching, visiting, and social labors." And thus, he worked on behalf of the English people. And God worked wonders. Wesley even inspired the younger William Wilberforce to devote his life to the abolition of the slave trade.

Wesley's life reminds me that God uses ordinary people to change the world.

I am concerned about our own nation's direction. Out-of-control spending. Inefficient welfare systems that do limited good. Huge lobby groups profiting from their pet projects. A devaluing of marriage. Children bouncing around from one foster home to another. The murder of precious unborn children.

But God could use you, and me, our children and our grandchildren to change things. Even one person can change the direction of a society—one person committed to God, to hearing from Him and spending time in prayers, coupled with a vision to change society for God's glory.

May we be people who fear not, but focus on what brings God glory. May we choose discipline and a heart sold out for God over the comforts of stability and material accumulation.

And may we be an example for our children. So that when God is ready to use them, they are ready to serve.

May God's Kingdom come!

Blessings,
Sarita

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Jan. 23, 2013

Five Ways to Improve Reading Aloud

By Luke
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His voice lilted and swung, painting the world as much as the text from the book. His children cuddled close, as if their strain could pry the story out sooner.

My dad is a master of reading aloud.

Couch-Reading
In contrast, I struggled reading to myself—let alone out loud! I have painful memories from high school when I had to frantically rehearse my paragraph before I had to read it to the class. Today, my mom says I read aloud beautifully. What changed?

Here are five things that helped me improve my public reading:

1. Get better at reading in general

I say it often, but I've improved since college. Getting the right kind of glasses helped correct for my unique eye trace needs. As I've gained ability in basic reading, I've gotten better at reading aloud.

2. Read the familiar out loud

I've had morning devotionals for years. But now that I'm married, I read the Bible passage aloud. In many ways, I've spent over a decade rehearsing these passages in my head so "performing" them now is much easier. This has given me confidence as I branch out into new text.

3. Start with simple material

This idea builds off point two above. There is a huge difference between Shakespeare's poetry and that of Dr. Seuss. And I know we'd all love to recount Shakespearean epics with ease... but sometimes we have to start with The Three Little Pigs.

That's one of the nice things about homeschooling: We can start when our kids are young. At that age, reading aloud is easy! The material will grow harder as we improve.

4. Practice with an eager audience

My wife loves to hear me read, especially when she's doing dishes or making dinner. So even if I'm fumbling over words or not being super clear, she's enjoying it. And it's much easier to practice on an audience that's enjoying it than one that critiques your every foible.

5. Mimic the great readers of the world

My dad is an excellent role model to follow. I had years to hear how to read a story aloud. And, honestly, there are a few things that I noticed didn't work so well. I've consciously tried to do something different there. If you didn't have the opportunity to grow up listening to someone read aloud to you, perhaps it's time to get some audio books.

If you've been reading aloud for a while, what have you found helps you perform the stories better?

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Jan. 22, 2013

Peace That Doesn't Even Make Sense

By Luke
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Everything is going wrong. Murphy is right, as usual. I'm trying to prepare for a trip but nothing lines up. Paperwork, travel dates, accommodations, equipment... all of it conflicts. Worse, I don't like travel or paperwork. I'd rather stay home.

Thankfully, I've got a bunch of friends who remind me that it's going to work out, that God provides, that I can take a few deep breaths and leave the stress in His hands.

They're right.

Philippians 4:6-7 remind me to take these things to God in prayer, thankful for how He has provided in the past. Doing so will, according to this passage, give me a peace that, really, doesn't even make sense. By all human measurements, this situation is very stress-worthy! But the peace of God is rooted in His ability to handle even this mess.

You may have this trust thing down pat. But I've found that God continues to stretch me--however little--so I have to continue to put ever more faith in Him. So I'm mostly preaching to myself here, but I hope you find the reminder encouraging as well: No matter what you're going through, bring it to God with thanksgiving, and His peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ.

That's the message to me today. And writing it down has helped--a little. May you rest in His peace, no matter what you're going through today, this week, or this year.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

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Jan. 17, 2013

What is it you do, exactly??

By Judy
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PassingGradeFor the past few weeks I have had to undergo a variety of medical tests. Most medical technicians, if they're any good (IMHO), learn to make small talk to fill the time and make their patient feel less stressed. Without exception, each of the very kind medical personnel has had a conversation with me that went something like this ... "So where do you live?" "How many kids do you have?" "How old are they?" Then without fail ... the dreaded "What do you do?" comes up. As if being a wife and mom and caring for my home isn't enough to do!

When I was a much younger wife and mom and homemaker, that question used to make me frustrated and sometimes angry. How dare they question my "value"?! As I've walked further along in my journey, I've learned that most folks aren't really making a conscious judgment about my worth, and my value really doesn't come from their opinion of my life choices. I also stumbled across a standard "response" in the early days of my homeschooling that made me chuckle, and served to boost my self-confidence on those days when I really wondered if what I was doing had any real value.

What do I do? I am the administrator/instructor of an exclusive, multi-grade academy designed for the express purpose of enhancing genius and maximizing potential in a select group of creative children. And what is it that YOU do?

Each time that saying circulates around again, it makes me smile and gives a little boost of encouragement. So what do *you* tell people when they ask what you do? Are you annoyed by the question, or can you answer with confidence?

As you invest time in your children's education, and their lives, this week ... give your self a job performance rating of A+ and be encouraged that what you do will have an eternal impact in their lives, and the lives of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, etc...

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

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Jan. 15, 2013

Finding Healing

By Jonelle
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[Soft music plays, scene opens on a dark bedroom, a bump in the bed proves someone is curled up]

Narrator: Depression. Headaches. Exhaustion. Dry skin. Nightmares. Feelings like you just can't handle it...if you have any unwanted symptoms you could benefit from homeopathy.

[Cut to sunlight path, Mom pushing stroller while older child runs in a puffy dress; cut to Mom wrestling with oldest child laughing and giggling while they give each other kisses; cut to Mom and youngest child, Mom and baby laughing as they dance]

Okay, so, it's not a commercial, it's my life. But, that pretty much sums up the past several months. After a few years of dramatic health issues and even more traumatic emotional issues, I was feeling like I just couldn't handle IT. Anything. I felt like a shadow of myself. I just wanted energy again. I wanted to feel like if a situation came up with the girls, that I didn't need to curl up into a ball and just cry until Dave came home. That I could cook and clean, and think again. I really wanted to think again.

So, I went to a classical homeopath.*

After reviewing an extensive medical and life questionnaire, we talked for almost 3 hours. Then she gave me a remedy. A single dose while I was in the office with a few additional doses to take when I got home.

I drove away and within 15 minutes I thought, "Wow, I feel really good. I feel like I can DO life."

I got home and had the best 3 days in months. Then I needed another dose. Almost 3 months later, I take a small, diluted dose when I feel like I need it. For example, when visiting my in laws and everyone came down with a cold, I felt like I was getting a sore throat, took one dose, and I was fine. I ate something that didn't agree with me, took a dose, and my headache subsided. After a really bad night of sleep, feelings of, "I just can't take this any more!" I took a dose, and survived the day with no major melt downs.

Treating chronic issues using classical homeopathy is different that treating acute symptoms, headaches, the flu, bug bites etc. Classical homeopathy looks at the entire person, physical, emotional, mental. It assumes that your body wants to heal itself and it aids in that healing process.**

So how am I?

Not depressed. Things have happened, I've walked through sadness, but it's just sadness. It's no longer the tipping point that then I spiral out of control. It's just a period where I can say, some things in life just are sad, and I can cry and process that and then be okay.

Two headaches in all these months, both of which I know where caused by food (or in one case color) that has something my body disagrees with.

I have energy! In fact, I am doing a program called 8 weeks to a less cluttered home.

I am exercising. I am cooking and thinking about meal planning. I am doing school with Natalia. All of these things would have been beyond my reach a few months ago. They would have felt like pipe dreams. I would get to the end of the day and think, I just need to watch a show. Now, I can put photos in albums or read.

My skin is better.

No nightmares. Ever. I honestly don't remember a time in my life when I haven't had nightmares.

Frankly, most days I'm just ready to take on life. Even in the same situations (where everyone is melting down) I can handle it. I can take a deep cleansing breath, pray, and then handle the situation.

closet
My newly organized closet

There are many different ways of healing, even within the natural realm. I have used numerous different doctors over my life, and I feel like homeopathy has had the most dramatic, positive, and immediate effects for me. I feel like almost anyone would benefit from it.

This is my story. Do you have any experience with homeopathy? What natural methods do you use to promote healing?

Until next time!

Jonelle

*There are many different homeopaths, and many different sites and books on it as well. Mary Ellen's website is a jumping off point.

**Many of you many be wondering where God is in the use of homeopathy. Isn't that a weird Eastern religion type thing? No, it's not. And, for me, as I've turned more towards natural healing methods, I've determined to focus on giving thanks to the Creator of natural ways of healing, instead of worshiping the healing substances themselves. I'm grateful that the Lord has made ways for us to heal ourselves long before now, that we didn't need to wait till the 21st Century before we could find true health through man-made drugs. Homeopathy itself is a VERY different way of thinking about health and does take some time to process what it is.

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