Jun. 5, 2006 - Gotta Love Those Homeschool Conventions!
This past weekend, my dh and I were able to go to the homeschool convention in Wichita. Dr. Jeff Meyers was one of the key note speakers, as was Shelly Noonan. I hadn't listened to either of them before, and was just so blessed by their sessions. Here are just a few things that I gleaned from those times.
I'm homeschooling my children, not because I want to provide the highest quality education they can possibly get, but because we feel called by God to teach, train and coach Godly leaders for the future; that they might be a blessing to all nations of the earth. (Wow!)
And if our children never learn Trigonometry or win Geography Bees, we must do these four things:
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We want to make sure our children understand the times in which they live. ( I Chronicles - the tribe of Isachar - gained influence b/c they understood the times and what they were to do.)
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Our children need to know their God-given identity. - Not being less like themselves and more like someone else. But focusing on being everything God designed them to be.
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Learn how to communicate the truth with confidence and in the spirit of grace. Developing the skills needed to communicate effectively.
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Our children need to know how to lead - effecting change.
Now this may not be the vision of all homeschoolers, but I really believe that these things are what the Lord is calling us to do in our school. And I am praying that the Lord would help us accomplish these tasks.
Well, this changes my plans for teaching this fall. I'm so excited to get started! We'll be doing Bible history coupled with World History, a catechism course for younger kids, weekly Bible memory work, Develop a Christian Worldview (an over arching approach to understanding God, the world, and man's relationship to God and the world...so that we answer these questions from God' perspecitve:
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Where did I come from?
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How should I live my life?
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What is the purpos of my life?
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Where am I going? )
and what that means for us as a family, and doing lots of reading together.
Now, we did spend some money on an Algebra program for my high schooler, too...but it's short lessons...maybe 15 minutes a day produced by VideoText. I think my freshman will really like it. So we are doing some necessary academics. But, I'm not worrying about getting it "done."
I also learned a great deal from Shelly Noonan about our need for good manners. Now, believe me...this is not something that I've spent much time on as I've raised my kids. I have always wanted them to just "be comfortable" at home. However, what I've discovered is, that manners actually tell someone how you feel about them. Now, you may not want your manners to reveal that, but they really do.
So, we're going to talk a great deal about manners and honoring one another. I don't plan on becoming a drill sergeant. But I do plan on making sure that my kids see how much I care for them through MY OWN manners toward them.
Oh, and I love the definition of honor that I got from one of the JM workshops, too. It's actually from a book I bought called, Say Goodby to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in you and your kids! by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller.
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Honor - To treat someone as special, doing more than what's expected, having a good attitude.
So, when the Bible talks about showing honor to others, that's a great way to explain it to our kids. My dh and I have decided to really put this into practice in our own home. In fact, I'm trusting God to really speak to my teenage son as we seek way to honor him, show him how special he is, and have a good attitude. 
I'll come back and post more soon. Perhaps even a list of things we've invested in to start our year off with a bang! 
