Updated: We Are Not Alone

Written with permission
By Katharine Trauger
katharinetrauger.wordpress.com

Imagine yourself as Maria, wife of a famous Jew, whose family has made—and had to leave behind—fortunes, many times, forced to leaveIsraelduring the Roman destruction, andSpainduring the Inquisition. Arriving inEnglandviaVenice, and again wealthy, your husband is a famous writer, admired by Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott, before you marry him. Now facing anti-Semitism inEngland, it seems you can find acceptance nowhere, and your son begins to need an education.

Your husband fears the better English schools, although your family can afford them, because of the attitudes of the elite. Therefore, he tentatively places your son in one of the lesser schools. You mourn for your son as he faces daily, rude reminders of his differences—his darker hair and skin, his slight stature, and his unbelieving stance toward Jesus Christ. To compensate, he learns boxing and regularly demolishes his classmates.

And is miserable. (more…)

The Winter Blues

Written with Permission
By Debbie Slaughter
HeritageCreek.blogspot.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

This time of year is really tricky for teachers, at least those of us who teach at home. Recently I’ve come across several women (fellow homeschooling moms) who are tired and weary. Some are ready to give up and stick their kids in the public school; others are just in need of some changes at home. Let me just say, “Been there; done that.”

I have experienced those feelings before: being weary of the same old routine (or lack thereof) and feeling like I’m cheating my children out of activities, friends, and academic success. All of these feelings would hit me at the same time every year—right after Christmas. (more…)

What Can I Do When My Child Is Hurting?

Written with Permission
By Zan Tyler
www.TOSMagazine.com

 

For three and a half years, my son Ty attended Covenant College on a soccer scholarship. During the fall of his junior year, after a particularly arduous practice, Ty suffered from a migraine headache. He used a newly prescribed medication and subsequently lost the vision in his right eye. The whole ordeal was a time of darkness and difficulty for me, although Ty embraced his loss with faith and handled the situation with grace.

Ty’s desire was to stay in college, so helping him accomplish that became our family goal for the year. (more…)