...almost.

I was working away yesterday
Upon a thing or two.
When what should I see coming at me
But a coworker out of the blue.

"Right now, this moment, this very time
"The radio station is playing
"A bit about homeschoolers and awkwardness,
"So you should see what they're saying."

I decided to call. The busy wall
It stopped me once or twice.
Once finally through, they said "Hellu?"
I said, "Homeschooling's a blessing, not vice."

"I see. Uh-huh. That's very nice,"
The screener said back to me.
"I'll let them know, and thank you so
"For calling and talking with me."

<click>

I didn't get on the air. Instead, they talked with a woman who "had" to homeschool because of her daughter's recent surgery.

"How's it going?" the DJ asked.

"Horrible," the woman exclaimed, "I hate it!"

They also chatted with a guy who felt that his homeschool experience had been bad and he definitely wouldn't do it with his children, even though he had somehow turned out okay.

The last caller they got was very positive about her homeschool experience, but all they wanted to know was the age at which she lost her virginity... which somehow related to not being a dork and properly socialized.

Perhaps it's good I didn't get on.

Still, it's bothersome when the media end a segment on homeschooling by saying, "All right, I think we've established: If you don't want your kid to ever have relations... homeschool 'em."

Where did they come up with that?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

People send in success stories about Sonlight frequently. You can read some of them in the Sonlight Moments widget on the right (get the widget for your blog/site here). But we don't have too many great stories from here within Sonlight because... well... we're working^*.

But this morning in prayer, one of our recent summer staff, DeAnn, mentioned how much of a blessing it is working here. She and her husband, Brandon, will be moving in a few months, and she didn't want to start her four year old in a preschool, only to disrupt that in the move.

While preparing orders in the warehouse, Brandon turned to DeAnn and mentioned how much he loved reading many of these titles as a child. They decided to purchase from Sonlight and start homeschooling this year!

"I'm so excited that we have this opportunity," DeAnn told me.

"I'm really excited too," Brandon chimed in.

DeAnn and Brandon

Granted, they aren't sure they will continue homeschooling after this year. But for now, homeschooling is exactly what their family needs. And, who knows: Perhaps we'll read a Sonlight Moment from them in a few years <smile>.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

^*That's not to say we don't have some really excited parents here. Tim, our marketing manager, has been telling everyone how amazing his son has been doing in his first few days this year. ...perhaps I'll interview him next. <smile>

I noticed one of 'em today.

I was going through my blog feeds reading the 463 posts that had piled up since Friday afternoon and adding a few posts here and there to the Other Posts of Note. If you've browsed those posts at all, you know that I include posts that make me laugh, posts that make me cry, and posts that include information that I think is, well, of note.

So when I moved on after reading The good side of WalMart without adding it, I stopped myself.

'Hold on, Luke. You thought that was interesting. You just didn't include it because you don't particularly like WalMart.'

"Now hang on," I answered back, my pride more than a little bruised, "I don't need to include any posts about WalMart on a site about homeschooling and Sonlight. I have no obligation to include the post."

'Come on, you've linked to all sorts of stuff--even things with which you disagree--because it was a different perspective or bit of data that you'd never heard. Why this?'

"Because it's not that important. Besides," I toss in for good measure, "this is my blog and I can do what I want."

'Sure,' the little voice inside me said, sure that I wasn't sure at all. 'Now jot down "Subtle Biases" because you need to blog about this.'

And I knew I was right, as infuriating as I sometimes am.

So now I wonder: What will I neglect to teach my children because of the subtle, easy to dismiss biases in my own life? After all, we can't teach our children everything. There simply isn't time. But will I withhold something that would prove helpful simply because I don't particularly like whatever it is?

This is one more reason I love Sonlight: It encourages you to look at other sides, read things that may make you uncomfortable and consider your biases. If you walk away and still hold to your position, great! But you'll know better why you do and why other people disagree.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I get to be involved in many of the "behind the scenes" aspects of Sonlight, like taking part in what "the powers that be" discuss. So, when I give you an "insider's view" it could be from deep behind management lines.

But sometimes, when replying to one of my dad's emails, I feel a bit like Elihu: Just some kid piping up with my ideas.

I don't know if you've ever seen one of my dad's emails, but they can be epic. I got a few my senior year of college right around finals, and I'll merely say that more pages of reading was not what I was looking for at that moment.

But I've discovered I can dish out in similar fashion.

Like this morning.

My dad wrote the second part of an email series--yes, he writes email series. Doesn't everyone?--that discusses a book he's been reading about companies that fail. And I replied, pointing out some of the areas that I think are weak in how we communicate with Sonlighters and those who should be Sonlighters.

And I want to share my thoughts with you. Why? Umm... because I think it's interesting and gives you a glimpse into some of the things we talk about. So, here's what I think we should focus on when telling people about Sonlight:

What Sonlight gives you is everything you need to stay "on the field" one more year (be it overseas on a mission field or homeschooling in your living room). The Sonlight experience is the joy of a box full of everything you need and then having your kids beg you to start learning together now. ...a joy that continues for the rest of the year and into the next.

The rest is how we get you there: Great books, fantastic IG, customer support, and a guarantee so you can find what's perfect for you and your family. And, to make the deal even sweeter, and help you even more, we've thrown in a few bonuses: 10% discounts, free shipping, and the Forums.

I believe we need to flip our marketing on its head: We've been starting from the wrong end (the icing) and working down toward the cake. We need to tell people about the cake first, and then move up toward the icing.

Well, what's your experience? What was the most helpful/encouraging/informative thing someone ever told you about Sonlight? What are the things that you've read in Sonlight's marketing materials that have made you wonder, 'What's that doing in there?'

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I loved two of my really hard Bible classes in college.

For one of them I had to read through the whole Old Testament and take notes on each chapter (things like questions I had based on the text, themes I saw developing, etc). By the end of the semester I turned in a 140 page single spaced 8pt font document. It was insane.

The first day of the other class, my professor said, "I'm going to tell you what the final will be so you can start preparing now. You will write down everything you've learned about the book of John. You will basically recreate your course notes in three hours."

I worked my tail off in those classes, and I loved them.

Other courses were far less compelling and I complained about how much work I had to do. But for some reason, I was happy to plow through these courses despite the insane amount of work.

Why?

That's what I'm trying to figure out at the moment for a "next gen" project we're working on. I've jotted down some ideas, but I'd love to hear any insights you've had from situations where you've been happy to learn the material despite the difficulty. Some of the factors that have made me happy to work were:

• The hard work was just expected (no apology)
• The content was good
• I could tell the professors cared about me
• I could go and chat with my professors if I wanted to
• I felt like I could make progress

So what about you? Have you had a time when you've had to work really hard but did it happily? What caused that? What made the effort worth it?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father