AOP's Daily Focus
Homeschool Hazard Signs
Like the road signs that warn us of impending danger, there are also warning signs for parents on the road of homeschooling. We can either take heed to the dangers that they clearly indicate lay ahead, or we can choose to disobey these common hazard signs and end up in a homeschooling ...
How Much Wood?
Living and homeschooling on one income forced our family to heat our old farmhouse with wood for the winter months. Although our money was limited, the endless supply of wood available in our grove and the groves of neighbors was not. One math lesson my children wished they could have skipped learning was the dimension of a true "cord" of wood — 4' x 4' x 8...
Daisy
What picture comes to your mind when you hear about a cow named Daisy? Do you see a soft-eyed jersey with a sweet, calm nature? That's what my son and I were hoping for when we adopted a baby twin calf from our neighbor one spring for a homeschooling project. Although she was not a jersey, she did have the sweetest face with big eyelashes that looked like the petals on a daisy. Thus she was named, and a new adventure in raising a baby calf began for m...
No More
When we first started homeschooling, I was so excited to give my children the opportunity to experience every learning situation available. My schedule included lofty ideas of weekly field trips and my children's involvement in any sport, music, or church activity they wanted to attend. After all, we wanted to make sure no one accused us of isolating our children. However, after homeschooling three to four months, I realized my sanity was at stake if I continued to run my four children out the door to each of their daily activities. The half-completed projects and academic assignments that were left behind added additional proof we had a problem. That's when I decided: no...
Down, but Not Out
You know your homeschooling day hasn't gone well when your husband comes home from work and finds you crying. Some days being a Christian and a homeschooling mom puts you into situations that tear you down and bring you to tears. The rejection by others overwhelms, frightens, angers, and discourages you. The world does all it can do to convince you that you are a fool for following Christ and His call to educate your chi...
My Life's a...
I tried to listen to the deeper message my high school daughter was communicating as she went on about all the terrible things in her life. Her list continued to lengthen until she stopped mid-sentence and said, "My life's just a pain." Most of her issues involved trusting God for future provisions and the challenge of waiting on Him for these unknowns. I could see her faith being stretched, but I was bothered by her ungrateful response to what God had already given her. Couldn't she see all the blessings around her? Didn't she know and appreciate how much we had sacrificed to give her the best education at...
Treasures in Heaven
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:34).My twelve-year-old son's favorite pastime after our homeschooling day was looking for hidden items in the ground with his metal detector. Searching for money, old bullet shells, jewelry, and other items consumed hours of his time. At first, I loved seeing his excited face as he came running into the house with each latest "treasure." Soon, however, I noticed a change in his attitude. Like a gambler placing his next bet, he seemed to be driven to find the next treasure that might be worth hundreds of dollars. Greed had taken over, and we needed to bring his hobby under Christ's lor...
Dream Stealer
"No," I said again to my daughter for the hundredth time. "We don't have the money to buy a horse." As I heard myself saying the words, I felt like I was bursting her bubble, although I knew what I was saying was true. Any homeschooling family living on one income knows the careful planning and budgeting that has to be implemented just to pay for day-to-day living exp...
What Should I Do?
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).Do you ever wish you could wake up in the morning and let someone else figure out how your homeschool day is supposed to go? My indecisiveness in homeschooling was usually generated by the fear of making the wrong decisions. What if we were using the wrong curriculum? What if my children weren't getting enough social interaction? What if my children weren't learning what they needed to know to be successful in college? Wasn't there someplace I could go to find all the answers, so I didn't have to second guess myself an...
Are You Listening?
Like many homeschooling mothers, I sat working at the kitchen table as my children worked on their schoolwork. Although I was supposed to be teaching, I was also doing several other jobs at the same time — washing clothes, cooking supper, and grading papers. As I snipped fresh green beans from our garden for our evening meal, my son asked me a question about his math. He was having difficulty with factoring numbers and needed my...
Big Sky, Big God
"Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice" (Psalm 65:8b).Living in western Nebraska where the sky is bigger than the ground, our homeschooling family developed a particular love of studying the clouds and the sky. On countless occasions, one of my children would come running into the house and say, "Mom, you've got to come and see this!" Walking outside together, we would stand and watch as God painted a breathtaking scene just for us on the canvas of His sky. Each inspiring sunrise or sunset seemed to make all the homeschooling problems of the day fade away into insignifi...
What's Next?
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:6a).One technique I commonly used to motivate my children when homeschooling was the "cliff hanger." I would entice my children's appetite to learn by only presenting enough information to get them excited. Reading only to a climatic part in a story, I would stop and say, "If you want to find out what happens, you'll have to read the rest for yourself!" This tactic was a great motivator, especially for my oldest daughter who couldn't stand not knowing the e...
Hiding Out
Do you feel empty today? Is the idea of homeschooling your children overwhelming? Some days, you just don't feel like being profound and inspirational. You would rather hide in bed under the covers or lock yourself away in the bathroom for several hours. The last thing you have is your act together, and you don't feel like disciplining yourself to keep going. Saying "yes" to your selfish feelings and jumping into irresponsibility would be so much e...
The Real Deal
"Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thessalonians 5:25).Seated with my children in the living room, we had just begun our homeschooling day with devotions. The morning had been hectic like usual, and I wasn't in the best of moods. No matter how hard I tried, the starting time for school seemed to be getting later each day. Feeling incompetent as a teacher and trying to make up for lost time, I quickly asked my children, "Is there anything we need to pray about?" Several needs were expressed by each of my young children, which I hurriedly wrote down. However, as I started to pray, my son interrupted and asked, "Mom, what about you? Is there something you need prayer for today?...
Tough Teaching
"But Mom," my son cried. "I know I already did these math problems! I don't want to do them over again. My paper has to be somewhere!""I'm sorry," I replied. "You may have done them, but they're not here now. We've spent fifteen minutes looking for your math worksheet, and it's nowhere to be found. You'll have to do them again."Frustration crossed my son's face, but I resisted the temptation to let this missing assignment go unaddressed. Another precedent was being set, and my son needed to realize he was responsible for maintaining and organizing his work. My actions seemed tough, but I was considering the future. No college professor or employer would tolerate an excuse like "I had it somewhere, but I can't find it now....
Fleshy Teaching
Do you remember the day you decided to homeschool? You knew you needed to make a change in your child's education, but you had no clue how to get started. You felt helpless and utterly dependent on God's guidance and waited on His leading to know where to go and whom to talk to for a...
The Pit Hours
"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22).The toughest time of the day for homeschool moms of young children has to be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For some reason, God chooses to give children a second wind after supper, but forgets to include the moms. We have to collect the pieces of a long homeschooling day that lie strewn throughout the house and also give baths, read nighttime stories, and put the children to bed. With our energy levels already running on empty, all of this work seems like a formidable, medieval castle. Where are our knights in shining armor to resc...
In High Places
"For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God" (Romans 13:1b).Standing in the rotunda of our state capitol, I knew this homeschooling field trip was going to be a memorable day for my children and me. We could feel the history of past generations all around us as we visited our state senator, a long-time family friend. We had come to see the compelling process of how a bill becomes a law, and we weren't disappo...
Five Kernels
"I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude" (Psalm 109:30).My children loved studying the heroic story about the Pilgrims in our homeschool history class. The Mayflower voyage, Squanto's corn planting and hunting lessons, and the first Thanksgiving all captured my children's deepest interest. However, the one story of the Pilgrims that most affected my family was the story about the "Starving Time" during the spring of...
White Dog - Black Dog
"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD" (Psalm 116:17).A new day to homeschool waits in front of you, but already your restless mind is walking you through the countless problems and chores left over from yesterday. You feel the negativity crawling up your back like an impending viral cold. Once again, you face the choice of feeding the white dog of hopeful expectations and thankfulness or the black dog of despair and complaining. Which dog will you choose to feed with your tho...
