Bloom Where You Are Planted

Burn Out, Single Parents, Special Needs

Published with Permission
Written by Sheila Campbell
pausingtopraise.wordpress.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

“Watch me!” the words rang out through the bright sunshine as my red-headed fireball of energy sped past on his bike. I stood just inside the door and watched in wonder as his hands gripped the handlebars tightly and his legs pedaled furiously against the brisk wind that left a trail of dust running after the boy and the bike.

West Texas is known for the wind that seems to whistle across the plains on a regular basis. If you live in West Texas, you either love the wind or you spend most of your time indoors and miserable. I love both the beautiful sunsets that paint the big Texas sky with color and the dusty winds that fill the air with dirt particles and catch the light of the sinking sun to give the sky its glorious hues.

Bloom where you are planted. It is an old statement, but there is a lot of truth to the words. I think, though, in order to truly bloom where we are planted we must be thankful for more than just the location that we call home; we must also be grateful for the circumstances and the seasons in which we find ourselves and learn to praise God and see His loving hand in both the good and the difficult things in our lives. (more…)

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Hate of Learning: One Cause and a Possible Remedy

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative, Organization

Published with Permission
Written by Andrew Pudewa
www.TOSMagazine.com

When one of my daughters was around 12 years old, we faced a significant problem with her motivation and quality of work. Her “school” days went pretty much like this: She would get up, do everything on her checklist with as little effort as possible (often being “finished” by 10:00 a.m.), and then spend the rest of the day snacking and annoying everyone else in the house. When confronted about the quality of her work, she would counter, “I did it—what more do you want?” When it was pointed out to her that she was “finished” in a couple of hours and that perhaps she could have a bit more added to her checklist, an ugly, hormone-enhanced argument would ensue: “I’m already doing everything I have to. More wouldn’t be fair! How come you want to make my life miserable? I’m doing enough, okay? Can you just leave me alone?”

Sound familiar? If you have a large enough family, you’re likely to have at least one child who develops this attitude at some point, which might be appropriately termed “Hate of Learning” stage. The danger, of course, is that Mom and Dad start thinking evil thoughts such as “We’re failing her . . . maybe we should put her in a good school . . . of course, she wouldn’t necessarily spend any more time studying, but at least she’d be out of our hair for a while . . . maybe we just need to be more strict . . . .” Such were the thoughts my wife and I entertained at that time. Fortunately, I came across a possible strategy that involved neither sending her to school nor using a heavy-handed approach. (more…)

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Home School: Books, Children, Kitchen, and Husbands

Burn Out, Classroom Help, Informative, Preparing for College, Preschoolers, Single Parents

Published with Permission
Written by Ronald E Johnson, C.Ph.D.
www.pacworks.com

Someone once observed with tongue in cheek, that the best candidate for managing a Fortune 500 corporation would be a home school mother who successfully educated half a dozen children while keeping her marriage intact.  Anyone who knows anything about education, marriage and home management smiles in agreement.  The fact is that home education is no easy accomplishment.  It requires a genius level mental capacity, industrial level production, Wall Street management skills, and athleticism at the Pro-bowl level!  And oh yes, the effective home school mom demonstrates a good sense of humor, tough hide, romantic touch, culinary skills, and academic competency at the Ph. D. level. 

Nothing short of praise and admiration are due to moms who home educate their children.  The women who decide to train their children at kitchen tables and living room desks deserve credit far beyond the accolades splashed on traditional school teachers.  Not only do home school moms keep house (laundry, dishes, meals, diapers, mopping, and dusting), they are acutely aware of sensitive relationships with their husbands.  It is one thing to keep children focused diligently on arithmetic, grammar, penmanship, and science projects; it is quite another thing to maintain a positive and endearing relationship with husband after a grueling day with diapers, arithmetic, biology, grilled-cheese sandwiches, and research assignments. (more…)

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