An Excellent Article

This is one of the best homeschool articles I have ever seen. But get this- it was written for a secular newspaper, and I'm not even sure that the person who wrote it homeschools. In fact, if I had to take a guess, I would say that he doesn't.

http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=274594&pub=1&div=Opinion

SONNY SCOTT:Home-schoolers threaten our cultural comfort
6/8/2008 9:39:01 AMDaily Journal
You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.It's a big family by today’s standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.There's no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom. The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task. You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home schooled in the U.S., and the number is growing. Their reputation for academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a deal for the public.Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech, suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular schools. Others are concerned for their children’s safety. Some want their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the movement.Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California. Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler. Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return. Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state’s bureaucrats on these “trouble makers.” Their implicit rejection of America’s most venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. “Individualism”) spurs us to heat the furnace and feed the lions.Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own "self-fulfillment."Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?Is it any wonder we hate her so?Sonny Scott a community columnist, lives on Sparta Road in Chickasaw County and his e-mail address is sonnyscott@yahoo.com.

Indiana Trip

Just last night we got back from a trip to Indiana. We were there so that we could be at my grandparents' retirement party. All four of their children were there, and most of the grandchildren. It was a lot of fun!

This is the whole family minus my dad, my uncle David's wife, and her two sons.

My grandparents were given a gift from Shultz-Lewis, the children's home they've been working for for 20 years. They were houseparents, and my grandpa was the science teacher. My grandma also trained houseparents.

This one is too funny just because no one is doing what they're supposed to!

Here's one of me and my siblings, Karl and Sarah. I love this picture. That's just about the best smile we could get out of Karl.
Alrighty, here's a picture of us with our grandparents. : )

All of the grandkids. (Sarah looks SO pretty!!)

This is beautiful Judy with her handsome brothers Jed and Jeff. I was so glad to visit with them for a while. And I was especially happy to talk to Jed about highways. This kid knows every one that exists!!! He must like to study maps. :) (My mom is their first cousin, so that makes them my second cousins??) This is my favorite picture from the whole trip. We knew that my mom looks like her aunt Patty. But I don't think anyone realized just how much they look alike!! Another set of twins for you. This is me with my cousin Emily. People kept getting us confused.

The Fruits of Feminism

What feminists teach is nothing short of a lie. The most fulfilling thing a woman can accomplish is serving her family- either under her father's roof or that of her husband. Right now I want nothing more than to be the best daughter and sister that I can possibly be. Prayerfully, I hope to one day be blessed with a husband and children. But even if I never get married, I will always serve my family. And even though I know that's what I'm called to do- it is not a burden. It makes me happy. I say this not to brag, but because I wish more girls and women could know this joy. But our society is flooded with the feminist agenda. We need to rise up and show girls from a young age that God created them to love their homes and families, to be keepers at home, and to be under the authority of a Godly man (their husband or father).

When I read this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021293/index.html
(which I read on Stacy McDonald's blog, which can be found through http://www.familyreformation.com/ ), it made me miserable for this woman who was raised by a die-hard feminist who saw her one child as a tragic burden rather than as a joyous blessing. Through her experience she realized the joy of motherhood- but, not before she went through some huge tragedies. This woman's early life is a perfect example of the fruits of feminism. May we (girls and women) turn our hearts to our homes and families. May we seek to fulfill the glorious role that God has given to us.

I would like to end with a quote from Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin's So Much More (a must read for any young woman, imo.).

" A real woman is a woman who recognizes that she has been exquisitely and perfectly created by a loving God for a unique purpose. Out of genuine gratitude, awe and a desire to please her Maker, a real woman joyfully embraces her femininity and submits every aspect of her identity- the attitudes and affections of her heart and mind, her appearance, her manners, her speech, her ambitions and her beliefs- to God's original and unique design for her as a woman. A real woman undersands that God designed femininity because masculinity was not enough in itself to represent God's image and glory. The differences between men and women glorify God, and downplaying these differences downplays God's glory. A real woman wants to bring glory to God by being a woman."

This Summer

Saturday I spent the day in Englewood at the Rebelution Conference! It was a fantastic day, and I think God really used it to bring people closer to Him. The message that Alex and Brett Harris are spreading is a great one that young people everywhere need to hear. It's already linked a couple times on my blog, but here's their site: http://www.therebelution.com/ Check it out! You will be blessed.

Anyway, it was a wonderful day for me. My dad, Sarah, Karl, and I went. We had a lot to discuss on the way home and we still haven't finished. : ) One of the highlights of the day for me was getting my Do Hard Things book signed by Alex, Brett, and Mr. Harris. I was so excited! It was also fun to get some Do Hard Things t-shirts, which I've been wanting for a while. I was also surprised that there was a pretty large book store- books that the Harris family recommends. We bought several of them. I've already finished Be The Change by Zach Hunter. Now I'm going to read What's the Difference: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible by John Piper. I also picked up more copies of Do Hard Things to hand out to friends. Sarah and I just decided on Sunday that we'll do a book discussion group for this book throughout the summer- so I hope we can get a lot of people to read it and take part in the discussion.

I also want to mention that I was able to meet a great girl- Hillary. We both commented on the Rebelution blog that we would be at the Denver Conference, and she was able to spot my name tag in a crowd of over 1,000! It was so amazing to be able to put a face with a name on a blog comment, and to see one of the Rebelutionaries from the blog in real life.

I can't think of a better way that I could have jump started my summer. It really motivated me to use this summer (and all of my life) for God's glory.

Thursday I'm headed to Indiana to be at my grandparents' retirement party. This will be a lot of fun. My cousins, Abby and Emily, will be there. All of my mom's siblings will be there- I haven't seen some of them for years. It will be interesting. But please pray for a safe trip and a blessed visit.

What else this summer? At the end of July we're headed to Kamp Koinonia. This is something I can't wait for. : ) Other than that, life will be pretty much the same. I'll be trying to really make some head way with my Herbalist course. Still teaching Bible class. And making some plans for a few projects in the future (more on those at some later time...). I'll be working on my rat garden and hoping it does well, and just spending time with friends and family. It should be a really great summer.