Connecting to God through Giving Thanks

 

 

The American Thanksgiving holiday is here and many of us are busy with preparations for celebrating with friends and family.  I am personally thankful for a week with both of our kids back at home from college!  It is rare for all four of us to be living under one roof for a few days and I treasure this time together!  I don’t have to check my phone for their text messages or wait until they have time to talk on the phone, because they are right here with me, and I can talk to them in person.  We have enjoyed sharing meals, watching a movie, laughing at each other’s stories, watching football and basketball games on TV, and just being at home together. 

 

When we are near each other, it is easier to connect.  My relationship with God is like this, too.  When I am reading His Word and regularly talking to Him in prayer, I feel a connection to Him.  I think of Him throughout the day, and I talk to Him.  He is near to me in spirit, through the everyday challenges and joys of my life.  When I see something beautiful, I can tell Him.  When I become afraid, angry, or sad, I can tell Him about that, as well.  My connection to God keeps coming back to my mind throughout the day. 

 

Giving thanks requires an action of “giving”.  “To give” is a verb, so “Thanksgiving” is named after an action of giving thanks to God for the blessings He has given to us.  When we offer our thanks to Him, we come closer to His love and mercy for us.  When we recognize what God has done to rescue us from sin and death, we become more aware of how much grace He has given us to thank Him for.  We can open our hearts and our minds to grow in our relationship with God.

 

Thanksgiving can be a time for fun traditions like making special holiday dishes, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, festive holiday meals, games, and beginning to decorate for Christmas.  Even in the joyful business of this season, may we each take time to remember to give thanks to God for His incredible gift of salvation through Jesus, for family, for friends, and for the many blessings in our lives today.  Let’s not forget our connection to God and the many reasons that we can give Him thanks today. 

 

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his people; the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”  Psalm 100

 

 

Our Daughter's Gap Year Experience

Taking a gap year is not something that was common when I was in high school and considering my options after graduation. However, there are many more options now for students who want to take a gap year or who may be uncertain about what they want to do in the future after high school.  My oldest child wanted to stay on track with his friends and enter college the fall after he graduated from high school.  My younger child also wanted to go to college, but she has been competing in equestrian showjumping events around the country for the last few years and during her junior year, she and my husband came up with a plan for her to take a gap year to focus on her sport before she went to school again.  It has been a positive experience for her overall and she is even more excited now about going to college this fall!

We chose to wait for her to work on college applications after she graduated, during the first summer and fall of that gap year, so she would not have to defer her enrollment.  Some students that take a gap year choose to apply to universities during the fall of their senior year, like the normal time frame, and defer enrollment after they are accepted and that is another perfectly fine option.  During the fall of my daughter's senior year we were still dealing with restrictions from a worldwide pandemic and it was hard to even visit college campuses in person, so that was another huge factor that helped us make this decision.

During the fall of her gap year, my daughter was training and competing with her horses, but she also had more time to spend working on her college applications, essays, getting recommendation letters, and all of the things required for her to complete her applications.  I already had her grades and transcript completed since she had already graduated, but it gave me time to finish up full course descriptions and a set of comprehensive home school records that I prepared to send in with her applications, as her guidance counselor.

She also has done more work at the barn, since she did not have to hurry home to do school work after her riding lessons.  She has done extra riding to help her trainer out with other horses, did a bit of office work, and pitched in to do feeding and grooming of the horses as needed.  So she has gained skills that will be good to have even if she only has horses as a hobby in the future. 

High school can be very busy and stressful, so our daughter has finally enjoyed having some time to relax and just develop herself.  While having a break from school she has had time to enjoy other things like working out, playing piano, reading a book for fun, and spending time with people who are important to her.  She has had time to sleep, cook healthy meals, and focus on her well-being.  

She also spent some time away from home, showing horses, when we let her go by herself and she was on her own.  It has been good for her to watch how much gas she has in her car and how much money she has in her bank account.  She also had to buy her own food and toiletries, much like she will when she is at college.  She structured her own time, getting herself to bed and getting up to go to the barn each morning.  While she was there, she also got really sick one week and experienced what it's like to be sick and far away from home.  She got better, but I think it was a bit of a realization of how much she appreciates all that we do for her when she is living in our home, with us.  

Overall, our daughter has gained real life learning experiences during her gap year that are different than the experiences she will have in college.  Although living away from home is similar to going to college, she has simply had more time to develop herself before going to away to live at a university. Time is a commodity that is fleeting and many of us do not have the opportunity to give ourselves more time, but this year she did have the gift of time and now she is even more excited and ready for her future, sure of herself and her goals for the next chapter of her life. 

Hope for Your Homeschool

It's August and it’s a crazy time for schools and families alike, trying to navigate COVID-19 and the new rules and regulations that have come with it, as well as multiple ways to educate kids in person, online, and through hybrid models.  It’s such a strange time and I am thankful that our plans for my senior daughter are not that different because we have always home educated her, but at the same time, we are trying to help my son prepare to go back to living on his college campus for in person classes with lots of new rules.

I also have friends and family talking about keeping their kids at home for school, and not virtual school, but actually considering withdrawing them from their brick and mortar schools to home educate their kids and truly homeschool.  Almost all parents are faced with some type of decision about how to handle school for their children during this pandemic and it’s not easy for anyone.

Although each family faces unique circumstances and choices, we can all try to make the best decisions for our own family and if you do choose to educate your family at home this year, I can offer some encouragement!  You may be fearful, anxious, and extremely uncertain about how this "experiment" of educating your kids at home will go, but don't fret, many people have done this for generations and you can do it, too!

One Year at a Time

Thinking back to 2006, when we began our home education journey, I initially felt a strong desire to try home schooling for my oldest child's Kindergarten year, for several different reasons, but I was afraid to talk to anyone about it!  After I finally brought it up to my husband, he supported me and started asking other people about homeschooling, which scared me even more!  I had been a music teacher to kids at church, in public and private schools, but could I teach my own precious kids everything that they needed to know?  My husband wisely told me to take it just one year at a time.

As I timidly started to share our idea with family and friends, I did have relatives and friends who were kind and well-meaning, ask us those dreaded questions about “socialization”, although we had already been part of children's church ministries and choirs, soccer teams, basketball teams, and music lessons.  The opportunities to "socialize" only expanded when we became more involved with our local home school community.  My mother-in-law also reminded us that she was actually homeschooled for many years while living overseas as the daughter of missionaries and I appreciated her support. 

 

Most of our family were very supportive and we started finding a few families in our community who were already home schooling and began building relationships with them.  It was in the local home school community and an online message board for the curriculum that we were using at the time that I began to find support and mentors in home education.  There were many times when I could not see how this was going to work out, but I learned to take it one year, one month, one week, one day, and even one moment at a time and it was great to have other home educators to turn to with my own questions.

Unique Learning Journeys

I was determined to give our kids the best education for their personal mix of strengths and challenges.  I also really enjoyed researching curriculum, trying new ideas, and learning about how to best teach my own children.  We tried many ideas that didn’t work, but we also continued to use what was working and I was able to find ways to help them enjoy learning! 

 

My college music education Professor, Dr. Dimmick, always taught us Music Ed. students to become "lifelong learners" and that's what I wanted my kids to become.  I did not have all the answers, but I found lots of resources and ideas to try along the way and you can, too.  One of the big ideas I had learned from my education background was to look at the different ways that each child learned naturally, with their strengths and unique personality.  I really enjoyed doing lots of reading and educational activities together, but also having some time to focus on their own individual needs and strengths. 

Leading the learning for my kids continued my own journey of lifelong learning as I learned more each year about the subjects we were studying, how to teach our children in a different way, or by reading books that were new to me.  Over the years, I found more resources in person through a larger homeschool community and online as the internet grew and developed more ways to communicate like Youtube and Facebook.

Blessings of Time Spent Together

As I look back now, with one graduate of our home school and one senior, I can say that I have been blessed to have had this gift of time with our children while they were growing up.  We have many memories of doing so many things together.  We know each other so very well and we have our own "family culture" of our shared experiences, jokes, funny memories, frustrations, sad moments, and joyful times.  We have shared many stories and wonderful books, games, puzzles, field trips, travel experiences, concerts and performances.  The kids have their own nostalgia now over the funny things they did together while growing up not only as siblings, but as schoolmates.

They are also growing into fine, young adults as they continue growing and learning.  I am thankful that we lived a lifestyle that allowed us the time to talk about character traits and the Bible each day during school.  We read inspiring stories about people who overcame great challenges to serve and help others.  We also learned so much together about history and the Bible and how God's story is woven throughout history and mankind.  None of us are perfect, by any means, but our kids have a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of the Bible and I can see them using wisdom to apply it to their own lives now.

If you are feeling a deep desire to just keep your kids at home and spend time with them this year, I would encourage you to try it!  You can help your kids to learn in fun, enjoyable ways in your own home.  It may look very different than any school you have ever attended, but that's really okay.  You may find that the learning lifestyle is a great fit for your own family!  You know your children better than anyone and you can learn how to help them learn in their own unique ways. There really is hope for your home school!

 

 

Life Skills in College

Learning happens everywhere!  Our college freshman son is learning so many things in his classes this semester, but I've also been thinking about what kinds of life skills he is developing in and out of the classroom.  He is doing a lot of real life learning!  Going to college is not just about learning knowledge and information, but also about becoming more of an independent, emerging, young adult.  It's a way for students to go outside of the walls of their family home and to stretch themselves and to grow.  Below are some of the specific life skills he is developing in this first year of college:

• How to manage his time, including taking time to take care of his personal needs like eating meals, laundry, exercise, and sleep, besides time for studying
• Managing his finances, keeping tabs on his bank account and spending habits 
• Keeping track of how much gas is in his car, so he doesn't run out!
• How to access all of his online class syllabi, assignments, grades, feedback, and how to keep track of all of this information
• How to communicate with many different people including his roommate, suite-mates, students on his hall, his RA, professors, classmates, advisors, university staff, and other friends 
• Learning more about how he learns and figuring out what resources and accommodations are useful and helpful to him at the college level, with dyslexia and dysgraphia
• How he studies best, what environment is quiet enough for him, what time of day works well for him,  and where he can go to study if he needs a quiet place
• Scheduling classes, how to make changes to your schedule, and knowing that you don't have to stay in a class if it is not a good fit and how to take care of those changes before certain deadlines
• He is still learning about himself and his strengths and weaknesses while he is an Exploratory Studies major, trying out different kinds of classes that may lead to a choice of major or a career interest

I am thankful that our son has been able to go to college this year to learn, to be challenged, and to grow.   He is developing skills that he will use in everyday life for many more years to come. 

2019-20 Our Classes and Curriculum

This year will be the first year that our home school will only have one student, instead of two!  We have graduated our oldest and he is heading off to a small, private university about an hour from home in the fall.  It's exciting and scary and a bit sad, but will also be a lot of fun! So many emotions!  I am including his classes for first semester, in case it interests any readers out there.  I think it's a good mix for such a transition for him with interesting classes, general requirements, and some special interests that he can further investigate.

College Freshman

• First Year Seminar: Sports and Culture (English class) (3 hrs)
• Exploratory Studies (2 hrs)
• Strategies for Success (1 hr)
• The Bible (3 hrs)
• Perspective in Creative Arts: Music In Action (3 hrs)

Our 11th grader finished up her Driver's Ed recently and is still busy with her equestrian training schedule.  She is completing more credits to meet college entrance requirements in the future, but is also starting to add in some electives of her choice. 

11th grade, Junior Year

• Bible - Love God Greatly studies, Youth Group studies, community service, and participation in worship services
• American Literature -  Notgrass Exploring America, 7 Sisters Literature Guides, and Brave Writer "Boomerang" Literature Guides
• English Composition - Brave Writer online classes and SAT prep on Khan Academy   
• Math - Algebra 2 Teaching Textbooks
• Science - Friendly Chemistry
• Spanish 3 - Seasons Learning live online class with BJU Press Spanish 3 books
• Intro. to Psychology - 7 Sisters Psychology from a Christian Perspective 
• College & Career Exploration - 7 Sisters Homeschool Career Exploration guide and activities, start looking at universities and visiting in the spring
• Study Skills - SAT prep with Supertutortv.com 
• Fine Arts - piano lessons
• Equestrian Skills 3 - continue developing equestrian hunter jumper riding and jumping skills, participate in regional horse shows, private lessons