G.K. Chesterton, the great Christian writer of the early 20th century, said, “anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.” This statement is the antidote for so much of what ails our culture, and specifically our home schooling. Reluctant to start until we are well prepared, and reluctant to stop until we are absolutely finished, we can find ourselves controlled by inertia.
Inertia: the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity.... Inertia is that force that causes us to stay put, to avoid getting up in the morning, or filing our income tax, or cleaning the bathroom. Inertia also is the force that keeps us going once we have begun.
Let’s look at the inertia that keeps us going once we have begun.
Most forms of celebration consist of giving thanks and giving credit. When people celebrate, they don't usually apply the celebration to something outside their experience. Rather, they take a realistic look at what is normal in their life and recognize in it the great gifts.
The world of education (at least the professional world, where people make money at it) is continually looking toward more and more avant garde and sophisticated ways of delivering education. If a masters or doctoral student of education wishes to amount to anything, he had better come up with at least one new idea. The result is a constantly shifting plethora of pedagogical ideas loaded with eloquent terminology and backed by volumes of research.
When I was a kid, we had screentime. Our device was a B&W TV with three channels and one was in French. If you’re sitting there wondering “what device is a B&W TV?” that’s because it was before your time, and if you’re nodding your head saying “Yeah I remember,” you are old… I mean, old-er. If you wanted to see a movie you had to go to the movie theater. That changed with the advent of new technology and what is called “user controlled content”. User controlled content is where the individual using the device can control what they see and hear. With changing technology the user has gone from just simply using the device, to interacting with the device, and finally immersing themselves into the device. (I’ll clear things up later regarding the last one.)
It was with the support of their local school principal that Ken and Marlane Noster brought home their eldest child, half way through grade 3; but the superintendent threatened to charge them with truancy. The late 80’s were rife with inconsistencies in treatment of home schoolers.
When people seek more information about the science and technology event, one of the first questions that I hear – with a tone of apprehension in their voice – is: “Is this a science fair?” The answer I give is “no” – to which I hear a sigh of relief.
Have you considered what a wonderful resource we have in the growing number of graduates who have been home schooled right through high school? I hadn't until I found myself in a position of great need.
I found that my involvement in the administration of WISDOM, the farm, and my commitments to my church community; not to mention the education and formation of my children, kept me rather busy. Praying for discernment, and wrestling with what I must let go; I found the answer was not to let go of anything more at this time, but to find assistance. The most logical solution in my mind was to find help with running my home; so began the search for a part-time housekeeper. I was insistent that I find someone who would fit into our home as an extension of our family unit - someone with integrity who shared our values. I never did find her....
May/June 2025 - 30th Anniversary Special Edition
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May/June 2023
When I look back on my years of home schooling through high school, I am sure that I will have many fond memories of WISDOM’s Online Courses. Since the autumn of 2003, I have taken seven online courses, all of which were profitable. I take one every season – In fact, one season I took three at the same time! My plans are to continue into my eighth course in the upcoming school year. I do not wish to stop!
I was not sure that I would feel this way when I first signed up for a course three years ago. This was the “Introductory Great Books” course. When I looked at the reading list initially, I was uncertain as to whether I could manage the weekly reading assignments, or discuss them adequately. After all, books such as the “Iliad”, the “Aeniad”, and, at that time, “War and Peace”, can seem rather intimidating to a nearly-thirteen-year-old! I thought that the conversation might be over my head, especially as there were students in the class several years older than me. However, encouraged by my parents, and made hopeful by seeing that such favourite authors of mine as Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien were on the list, I took a deep breath and signed up for the course.
Happy Home Schooling to all of you – especially to the families new to WISDOM. This eLetter (Terry’s Terrific Learning Connections or Terry’s Tender Loving Care) is meant to encourage and inspire families homeschooling their children.
We are living in uncertain times. Some of us have homeschooled for years, while others leaped into homeschooling this September. No matter what lies ahead of us, homeschooling our children is a great choice! There were times when I got distracted by academics or parenting issues and those were what I focused on.
Today I encourage you to focus on your relationship with your child / children. Why not add relationship building activities to your daily / weekly plant?
Make a list of what each child loves and try to include that in your homeschool week / life as much as possible. Talk often. Eat good food together slowly. Play games. Go for walks. Read great books aloud. Read the Bible and pray together to relieve stress and anxiety. Hug often.
Do whatever builds your relationship with your child as much as possible. Our days together might seem long, but the years are so short.
How many containers do you need to fill a science program? Peculiar question, huh? Perhaps I should ask: How many weekends does it take to fill your science program containers?