Homeschooling – Missionary Style

Burn Out, Classroom Help

Published with Permission
Written by Esther Dalton
www.TOSMagazine.com

I was frustrated. The curriculum for my twelfth-grade English class required me to write an essay about C.S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, and T. S. Eliot, comparing how they used stories to convey apologetics—a fascinating topic. Unfortunately, my family did not own any of their writings other than the brief excerpts anthologized in my British Literature textbook and our dog-eared copies of The Chronicles of Narnia—hardly enough material for a decent essay. The books my family owned were all the resources I had. We lived in Asia, not the United States.

As a homeschooling family on the mission field, we encountered many challenges like this one: lack of materials at home, lack of resources in the community, and lack of opportunities for interaction with other students and educators. Yet, for my two siblings and me, homeschooling was the ideal mode of education, because school had to be “portable.” (more…)

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Updated: We Are Not Alone

Biography, Informative, Just For Fun, Special Needs

Published with Permission
Written by Katharine Trauger
http://katharinetrauger.wordpress.com/

 

Hyperactive, asthmatic, infinitely curious about creation, rising to high governmental positions . . . who was this famous home scholar?

Can you imagine yourself married to a hardware importer so rich he can afford to indulge in philanthropy?

Let’s imagine such a life for a while—the life of Mittie—a mother of four during the U.S. Civil War era.

You cringe at talk of politics because your family is divided over it. Some relatives have joined the armies of the South and, some, the North; some are Democrats, and, some, Republicans.

Your own husband refuses to enlist for combat, to prevent fighting your brothers and breaking your heart. (more…)

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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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