Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Jan. 8, 2013

The Life of the Mind

By Robert

J.P. Moreland recently updated his fine book Love Your God with All Your Mind. In re-reading it I came across this sobering quote by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli: "Western civilization is for the first time in its history in danger of dying. The reason is spiritual. It is losing its life, its soul; that soul was the Christian faith" (Handbook of Christian Apologetics).

As Moreland argues, the role of the mind is crucial to the Christian worldview. Unfortunately, anti-intellectualism has far too often weakened the influence of the church. In chapter 1, Moreland lists five characteristics of anti-intellectualism and how it has impacted Western Christianity. These include 1) A misunderstanding of faith's relationship to reason; 2) The separation of the secular and the sacred; 3) Weakened world missions; 4) Anti-intellectualism has spawned an irrelevant gospel; 5) A loss of boldness in confronting the idea structures in our culture with effective Christian witness.

To counter the rise of anti-intellectualism, Christians must take seriously Christ's call to love God with heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). With my oldest son graduating from high school soon, looking back on his homeschool journey has helped me appreciate the opportunities he's had to train his mind to think clearly and also to learn how to engage culture intelligently.

How does Sonlight accomplish this? One way we do this is by fostering a mindset that is open to understanding and evaluating ideas. We want to educate, not indoctrinate. May we all seek to be deliberate about both encouraging our children to use their minds for the glory of God, and using their intellects to make a positive difference in this world.

Robert Velarde
Author/Educator/Philosopher

Tagged anti-intellectualism, books, celebrations, curriculum, Homeschooling, intellect, intellectualism, J.P. Moreland, mind | 2 Comments

Jan. 7, 2013

The Curse of Classroom Management

By Luke

She is a kindred spirit. Her ideas mesh well with my own. She is passionate about education and teaching the children entrusted to her care. She's energetic. And she has decades of teaching experience.

I think that's the problem.

A student sits, staring off into space. "You're supposed to be writing!" she snaps at the girl.

"I'm thinking!" comes the indignant reply.

The teacher moves on to a boy slowly typing. "You should add a space between those lines." It is not a suggestion. "No. Not like that. Add a space there."

I've been invited to teach a class on how to make movies. I don't have much experience in the classroom, but Brittany and I do teach Sunday School. For me, the creative process takes time. I'm accustomed to a bit of chaos and movement. I don't mind 10-year-olds snickering and talking with each other. And if a child needs more time to figure something out, that doesn't bother me. I give them the space.

Classroom Management

For my educational compatriot, she acts in the opposite fashion. There is no time for thought. There is no space for socialization. There is no room for goofing off. "Remember," she threatens. "This is for a grade."

And suddenly, the other things that feel disrespectful and stifling are pushed aside. The curse of the classroom has descended. When all else has failed, grades are the final offense. The goals of the classroom are order and compliance: I told them to write a story; they should be writing.

I don't have a good term for this yet, but "classroom cynicism" is what I'm using for now. This teacher, who loves kids, believes her job is to hound and prod and cajole and put students in their place.

I stand off to the side, watching her try to wring success from her charges' heads. And, to me, it's painfully obvious that she's doing it wrong. Her years of teaching have taught her that kids must be controlled and directed. My years of homeschooling have instilled in me the opposite: Kids need to be freed and helped to fly.

Here's the thing: I think she'd agree with me. But all these years of trying to keep a classroom under control and pushing her students to "succeed" have created a bad habit in her. Managing the class has overshadowed imparting the love of learning. "Teaching" has been reduced to keeping kids on task.

And that is so unfortunate.

As homeschoolers, our curriculum is a tool, not a taskmaster. We have flexibility and freedom. And we are not hindered by the chains of classroom management. Instead, we can enjoy a life-time of learning. And as we homeschool our children, we can experience the way we wish we'd been taught if our teachers had fallen prey to the curse of classroom management.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged children, grades, Homeschooling, school, teaching | 3 Comments

Jan. 2, 2013

My Goal...No More Resolutions!

By Jill

A year and a half ago I was what doctor’s call morbidly obese.

I knew I was overweight and I had made various resolutions over multiple decades to lose weight. I would say something like, “Starting on Monday, or January 1^st or the day after my birthday I resolve to lose weight.” I had a vague idea of how I would get there; I wouldn't eat so much, I wouldn't eat cookies [my personal Achilles heel], I wouldn't skip breakfast, and so on. I ate healthy food most of the time so a lot of advice that I read which said to eat more veggies, drink more water and don’t eat out so much didn't apply to me.

What I found out is: resolutions don’t work.

The reason? The minute I ate a cookie or ate too much or didn't lose weight I broke my resolution. And that was that.

Failure.

My husband and eldest granddaughter and I. This photo is what inspired me to set some realistic goals to get healthier.

But, in the past year and a half I have lost 80 pounds and am not only lighter, I am more physically fit and have a lot more energy. My success didn't come from making a resolution, but from setting goals. I think in order to make any type of lifestyle change, setting goals is a much more productive method than making resolutions.

In order for me to lose weight I had to set realistic goals and then make a practical plan to meet those goals. One goal was that I had to increase activity, so I set sub-goal of walking 30 minutes five times a week.

I didn’t resolve it. So, if I didn’t do it I hadn’t broken a resolution; I just adjusted my goal and kept on. One goal was to write down everything I ate. One was to join a support group. I did these things one by one with each smaller goal supporting my bigger goal to become healthier.

Today as I was out walking and thinking about the changes the past year and half have brought to my life I remembered how I used this same goal-setting strategy when I was homeschooling my five children.

Me this past summer on my 37th anniversary. Healthier and happier.

When I resolved to give my children a good education and then I found that one of the children was lacking in some aspect of that education, I felt like I was a failure.

But, when my husband and I set a few goals for each child in the beginning of the year and then I made a list of a few ways I would try to help each child reach those goals, the task became much more manageable. I could adjust and adapt the goals as we went along, but when we had something to aim for and a plan on how to get there, each child had a much better chance of being successful.

A few years ago, Sonlight asked Kelly Lutman, Judy Wnuk and I to put together a booklet on how to set realistic Homeschool Goals. With decades of homeschool experience and 11 children between us, we set out to make a helpful booklet filled with practical advice. As a way to start 2013 out right I wanted to let you know that you can get a free copy of our finished product [in PDF format] by going here: Homeschool Goals Guide

I hope you will find the guide helpful and may you have a blessed and productive 2013. I am praying that you will reach many of your goals this year and that you will enjoy the journey as you reach them.

Take care,

Jill

Tagged curriculum, Encouragement, goal setting, goals, Homeschooling 101, Teaching Tips | 5 Comments

Jan. 1, 2013

From Luke's Inbox: Discouraged and Pulled Toward Public School

By Luke

I need a little encouragement. I've homeschooled from the beginning, but I just found out my 13 year old told my mom he wants to go to a public school. None of my relatives have ever been supportive of homeschooling. My husband nominally supports it. My son has dyslexia. We made great strides in reading after I read "The Gift of Dyslexia" a few years back. I am discouraged now because he thinks that if he had started in public school he wouldn't be as far behind in reading. I suspect the draw may also be because some of his peers in scouts are teasing him because he hasn't been exposed to popular music, girls, etc. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I'm thinking that maybe a charter school might be the way to go so that he has more interaction with his peers?

I am so sorry you are feeling discouraged. I'll gladly give you my two cents. But this is purely my opinion based on my observations. I don't know your family or your children or your local schools. That said...

1. Homeschooling is a great option. It allows us to customize and tailor our children's education to fit their needs, something a classroom can't do. Your example of reading a book on dyslexia and incorporating it into your homeschool is a perfect example of this, and, from what you've said here, it has proven very valuable! Here's a blog post that I think you may find encouraging about how homeschooling's flexibility can help your children keep moving forward.

2. I do not recommend people homeschool if their spouse is not behind them. But it sounds like your husband is still supportive--at least nominally--so that's good. The rest of your family--even your mom--can be dead set against you homeschooling, but as long as your spouse is behind you, please feel free to keep at it! Jill has a great blog post on this subject.

3. You know your children. You know them better than we do. What I recommend you figure out is why your son wants to attend a public school. Based on my experience, I'm very skeptical of the idea that he'd be reading better had he been in a classroom setting. If he's being teased--and that's driving him to want to be in a classroom--the teasing is only worse in school... especially at that age. I've talked with far too many kids who survived this time of life to think that this is a beneficial environment. It could be. But I highly doubt it. Here's an example of just one of the many conversations I've had with publicly schooled students (and I'm guessing a charter school won't be much better, especially, as you point out, much of this is likely coming from Boy Scouts).

4. Interaction with peers is great, but not the end-all of everything. In fact, building off point 3 above, it's likely a huge part of the problem! If your son needs new/more/better friends, that's one thing. And it's a very big thing! But, I've found that schools aren't the best place to make friends.

5. Homeschooling is a great option (said that already <smile>). But it's not the only option. If you and your spouse decide it's a good idea to send your son to a school to try it out, that's fine. Please feel free to do so! One of the things I've seen is that once parents have homeschooled, they discover a new sense of responsibility and power over their child's education. Even if you send your children to a public school, you'll be involved and active in their education. If the classroom allows your son to thrive, fantastic! If it proves not as beneficial, you will have the power and drive to bring him back home.

Hope that helps a bit.

Whatever you decide, may you have peace in your decision. I look forward to hearing how your son is doing in the new year! Keep up the good work.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged discouraged, family, Homeschooling, inbox, school, socialization | 4 Comments

Dec. 31, 2012

Eating Disorders, Invisibility, and Other Socialization Ills

By Luke

Her weight hovers just above one hundred pounds. If she lost a little more, she'd be in the double digits. The thought thrills her. That would be an achievement she could claim, a fact about her that people couldn't strip away, and she'd be so skinny! On the one side, she relished her friends telling her she was the skinniest person they knew--even if it was couched in concern for her health. On the other, she imagined herself becoming ever more invisible as her physical frame shrunk from intentional starvation. To be skinny is to be beautiful, and skinny she could do. In the petty world of her twisted social circle, this was the best course of action.

Eating disorders. I don't know why, but I've been having a bunch of conversations about them recently. And if it's a theme in the lives of girls I know, it may be a broader issue right now as well. So, I'm blogging about it--as uncomfortable as that is for me. Also, it seems as though adults are often unaware of how their thoughtless comments encourage this destructive behavior in their daughters.

I'm a writer, not a psychologist, but this societal ill seems best bred in bad socialization. "I wanted to disappear," one girl told me. She had just described her social group, headed by a particularly nasty alpha female. Another confessed that she didn't feel beautiful, and so she weighed herself every morning to get a numerical value of her physical worth--a practice she learned from her mom. Another girl put it simply: "I liked the attention." I've been told it can also be a way of maintaining some control in life or mitigating feelings of guilt.

Self-Doubt

And I was reminded, yet again, of one of the biggest benefits of homeschooling: confidence. That's not to say that homeschoolers never have eating disorders. I'm sure some do. But you pick it up from somewhere: a mom too obsessed with body image; a dad who calls you ugly (seriously? <grr>); friends who, somehow, allow you to equate weight with value; a group from which you wish you could vanish; a constant barrage of messages repeating "you aren't good enough" ...and on and on it goes. This issue is one of socialization. Yes, it's psychological with physiological repercussions, but it is rooted in a lack of love and support.

And, as homeschoolers, we can do love and support.

If you know someone suffering from an eating disorder, please connect with someone who made it out of one. There is much to learn. I was horrified to discover that telling my friend that she needed "to eat more" produced the opposite result. By mentioning food, it further solidified her resolve to stay skinny. Insidious.

The surprise to me is how much bad socialization drives this disorder. It is good to be able to interact in society, but I'm becoming increasingly disgusted by the idea that kids "need to spend time in school" as if it only produced good things in them.

It doesn't.

And, please, as you consider your resolutions and plans for the new year, keep in mind how your discussion of them may be interpreted by your children. We want to be healthy and godly and do good works so people glorify God. But we do not want to be focused on our appearance, legalistic, or miss out on grace. Here's to a balanced, beautiful, and beneficial new year.

Do you have any advice for someone struggling with an eating disorder (or a parent with a child suffering from one)? What socialization ills plagued you as a child? How do you maintain a healthy balance of pressing forward and resting in grace in your house?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged disorders, socialization, socialization ill | 4 Comments

Dec. 28, 2012

What Does the New Year Mean for You?

By Luke

I had the opportunity to record a bit for The Sociable Homeschooler's New Year's show. Since I took the time to write up a few thoughts, I thought I'd publish them here as well:

The New Year, as a celebration, offers a chance to hang out with friends and family. Our tradition, which my wife brought to our household, is to make paper hats at our New Year's party. Everyone who's over makes one and we snap a picture of our creative work at midnight.

Our Hats in 2010

The new year also marks only four months until we launch our new Sonlight website and catalog April 1. I can't share anything right now, but there's some cool stuff coming. One of the mild frustrations of working on big projects is that you have to wait so long to tell people about them. And while four months is a third of a year, that time goes quickly.

Aside from the cool new things we're working on here at Sonlight, I don't currently have any plans to make this coming year different. We'll continue to have kids over for movie night every Saturday. Brittany and I are still teaching Sunday School. When we have the chance, we look for strategic giving opportunities. This is a practice we started really pursuing last year and are working to grow in it even more. And I'll continue to work on my free film school. I have an idea for the next course I'm hoping to make, but we'll see if I can carve out enough free time to finish it.

I don't currently actively prepare for the new year. I also don't make resolutions. I do, however, try to look back with gratitude for God's provision and grace over the last year. Again and again, as we read the Old Testament, God reminds His people to remember what He has done for them past, especially when they are facing a new challenge. I think recalling God's faithfulness helps us build our faith. And resting in God's goodness, especially when following Him through really hard times, is the best way I've seen to be free of stress. His grace is sufficient and He provides peace that wouldn't make sense in any other context.

Not that I've figured all this out <smile>. But may God's goodness continue to lead us to repentance. May His faithfulness encourage us to be more faithful. And may His redemptive work spill over from our lives into the lives of those around us.

May you have a blessed and fruitful new year.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged celebrations | 4 Comments

Dec. 27, 2012

Update from a missionary you may know

By Sarita

In 1962, a farm girl from California hiked through the Filipino jungle. She and her colleague from Wycliffe wanted to translate the Bible for a tribe of former headhunters.

Just last month, John and I got to meet this missionary in person! We heard her speak and then shared dinner together. How fun to get an in-person update from a woman who has inspired me for so long.

If you've used Sonlight Core C, you know who I'm talking about: Joanne Shetler recorded her amazing story in And the Word Came with Power.

When we met, Joanne shared a fascinating recap of the story she shared in the book, and then gave some updates. I'll start with a reminder of her powerful story:

How God transformed the Balangao people
Joanne trekked through the jungle to tell the Balangao people about Jesus. At first, the Balangao couldn't understand why she had come. They thought she had come either to steal their language or to find a husband.

As people without a Bible, the Balangaos lived in constant fear of the spirit world. They struggled to raise enough animals for all the sacrifices the evil spirits demanded.

The prayers of Joanne's sending church helped change the situation. After Joanne's first furlough, the congregation changed their prayers from a simple "Lord, bless the missionaries" to "God, show the Balangaos that you're stronger than the spirits. Make the Balangaos desire you; help them believe your Word."

And God answered!

Once the church began to pray, Joanne asked her "father" (the man who protected and cared for her in the village) to correct the grammar in the Bible passages she was translating. In the Balangao culture, fathers correct their children, and children don't teach. This setup was perfect.

As her "father" read the words, he commented, "This is really good." Then he started to ask questions: "Where do people come from? Where does trouble come from?" He brought others with him to ask more. One man asked "What is it that you say to God when you want to become one of his children?" And then, "Is it OK if we tell this to other people?"

Most Balangao people were terrified to stop sacrificing to the spirits. They knew the spirits would retaliate. But then the spirit mediums themselves burned their spirit paraphernalia. They turned their backs on the evil spirits and pledged allegiance to God. Everyone expected them to die immediately. But they didn't. And so the Balangao began to seek this God who defeats the spirits.

Through miracles and unexpected ways, God has brought many of the Balangao people into His family. The joy and freedom they found has been contagious. Now they want to share the Good News with others.

So Balangao men and women have gone out to do translation work among other peoples in their area. One man, Ignacio, declared, "God called me to go to a people who have never heard." He then went to the next valley over to a people known for tribal killing, the Madokayan, in order to translate the Bible through the Seed Company.

Updates
Joanne shared that Ignacio has almost finished the Madokayan New Testament translation! You can "meet" Ignacio in a short video or read his first-person testimony on the Balangao Blog.

Ignacio's daughter hopes to serve as a Bible translator somewhere in Africa.

Balangao translators currently serve in China and throughout Papua New Guinea. Praise God for the multiplication that happens when a people hear the Good News for the first time!

Joanne now leads workshops in various places where Wycliffe/Seed Company missionaries are translating the Bible. She uses her experience to help address issues within the newly planted churches

The work is not over
As we once again celebrate this Christmas the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, may we remember the 1,969 people groups who still need the Scriptures in their own heart language. May we remember to pray for the translators who labor to break the power of the spirit world.

May God bring many more into His family!

Blessings,
Sarita

P.S. Joanne mentioned how fun it is to receive emails from Sonlight students who were impacted by her story. I loved this story of one Sonlight family who found the Balangao blog and contacted Joanne. How exciting for Taryn's kids to receive a response from a missionary/author!

Tagged missions | 2 Comments

The Life of the Mind

The Curse of Classroom Management

My Goal...No More Resolutions!

From Luke's Inbox: Discouraged and Pulled Toward Public School

Eating Disorders, Invisibility, and Other Socialization Ills

What Does the New Year Mean for You?

Update from a missionary you may know

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