Leaders e-Newsletter, September 2006
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In This Issue
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From the Editor
Welcome back to the September edition of the Leaders e-Newsletter from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! Is your school year off to a great start? Are you enjoying the fall season in your local support groups and co-ops? All of us at TOS pray that you are blessed in your homeschooling endeavors!
This month in the Leaders e-Newsletter we have several encouraging articles for homeschool leaders and their families. Wayne Walker begins with his devotional "He Shall Be Like A Tree" and brings encouragement for homeschool families to be rooted in the Lord. Kim Wolf reminds us our calling as support group leaders to minister to families in "Is Your Iron Getting Rusty?" Teri Ann Berg Olsen concludes with helpful tips for homeschoolers to get organized in "Homeschool Organization." Be sure to check out the contest this month featuring Teri's book at the end of this e-Newsletter.
We hope that the articles this month will encourage and support you in your ministry as a leader to your families and homeschool communities! If you have feedback, ideas, or contributions for this e-Newsletter, please write us at leaders@theoldhomeschoolhouse.com and we look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings,
Sharra Badgley
Editor, Leaders e-Newsletter
Sharra Badgley is the blessed wife of Michael and mother to Shaiya and Briyah. They make their home in West Central Indiana. She is a freelance author, serves as editor for the Leaders e-Newsletter, and is the Indiana Homeschool Nations Coordinator for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.
Stop in and visit her at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/SBadgley and www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/Indiana.
Devotional From God's Word: He Shall Be Like a Tree
By Wayne Walker
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:3). The fall season begins in September. Other than the traditional "back to school" time, fall is especially noted for the brilliance of the leaves on the trees. I like trees. When I was in junior and senior high school (many long years ago!), at least twice, I believe in eighth and tenth grades, we studied about trees and had to make leaf collections. I have now forgotten much of what we studied, but when walking in the woods or even along the streets, I still enjoy looking at and identifying the trees that I can remember. Man has used trees for so much--food (fruits, nuts), clothing (thread made from certain tree fibers), and shelter (wood for houses, fires).
The Psalmist says that God wants us to be like a tree in two ways. First, we should be "planted by the rivers of water." Trees are planted in the ground. However, have you noticed that some trees have very shallow root systems so that when a storm comes up it does not take much wind to blow them down, while other trees have deep root systems that enable them to withstand the storms? God wants us to be "rooted and grounded in love" (Ephesians 3:17). We accomplish this through daily Bible study and prayer, regular worship, and generally drawing closer to God so that we shall not be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14). One of the reasons we homeschool our children is that we want them to be "planted by the rivers of water."
Second, the tree "brings forth fruit" in his season. I have always been a fresh fruit fanatic--apples, pears, peaches, plums, even figs, all of which grow on trees. Although using the picture of a vine rather than a tree, Jesus reminds us, "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8). We need to bear the fruits of good works and right living as directed by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22-23). Simply put, a fruit tree that does not bear fruit is useless. And people who do not bear good fruit are worse than useless.
Therefore, homeschooling parents work hard so that their children can bear good fruit in their lives. This year, may you see good fruits from your homeschooling experiences. One other thing I want to mention about trees. As poet Joyce Kilmer noted, "Only God can make a tree."
Wayne S. Walker is a minister, the husband of Karen, and the homeschooling father of Mark and Jeremy.
Visit him at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/Missouri
Leader to Leader: Is Your Iron Getting Rusty?
By Kim Wolf
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Prov. 27:17 -- "As iron sharpens iron, so one man [family] sharpens another."
When you began your homeschool adventure, where was it that you went to ask questions, get answers, find the camaraderie of many shoulders to cry on, and find out that your child wasn't a freak because he was having trouble with his nine times-tables? Where was it that you could count on someone with experience to be there for you?
Does "support group" ring a bell to anyone?
I hate to say it, but in many areas support groups are going the way of snow in summertime ... they seem to be melting away and fading into the atmosphere. And I say, "what a shame!"
It's come to my attention that many of our precious experienced homeschoolers are starting to drift away from attending their area support group meetings. Do they feel that they have outgrown them?
Look at it this way: if I take two pieces of rusty, dull iron--I have two pieces of rusty, dull iron! But if I rub them together, something great happens; they start to change. They become a little sharper, they become a little brighter and shinier. They become something usable. Iron can't sharpen iron unless there is friction between the two ... they have to meet together.
As I asked you in the beginning, think about when you were a new homeschooler and your child just wasn't catching on to a concept and, at your wit's end, you went to your homeschool support group and started asking around for help. Lo and behold! There was a wonderful, experienced mom there who had actually "been there, done that"! You went home, tried her advice, and it worked!
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Now think of this: A new homeschool mom, full of hopes and dreams and fears comes to your homeschool support group. Her child just isn't catching on to a concept and she's at her wits' end; and after coming to your support group she starts asking around for help. Lo and behold! Does she find it from you ... OR is this one of those nights when you decided you just didn't want to go tonight? After all, what more do YOU need to learn about homeschooling since you've done it for so long?
Well, what if the reason you are to STILL attend your group has changed? What if it's now a ministry? What if the reason that new homeschool mom leaves the meeting a little sadder and a little more fearful and discouraged is because YOU weren't there to answer her questions the way someone was there for you?
Isn't it time for us to be there for a new generation of homeschoolers? Isn't it time for us to share our experiences, our triumphs, our joys and even our failures with the new crowd? Isn't that part of our Titus 2 duty? Did the Lord really make you a part of your group JUST so you could get a newsletter, go to gym or co-op or field trips, find out about curriculum sales and legislative updates? I don't think so.
This is a new season in our lives and an opportunity to shine as examples of experienced homeschool moms!
Let's not be a part of the "me, me, me" crowd ... we're past that. Let's be the Lord's hands and feet and minister to our sisters and their families and ease some of those fears and build some dreams! After all, a long time ago someone cared enough to be there for you. Now it's your turn.
Blessings from Ohio,
Kim Wolf
Kim Wolf loves living in a small Ohio town with her husband of 21 years and their two teen daughters. They have homeschooled since 1993 and are very active in the music ministry of their church, particularly in the praise team and the audio/video team. She is a Miami County homeschool coordinator and loves getting new homeschool families started on their journey. Kim is also a speaker, freelance writer; plus a contributing writer, product reviewer and Ohio coordinator for TOS. Visit her blog: www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/Buckeyeblog
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Wisdom for Leaders: Homeschool Organization
By Teri Ann Berg Olsen
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
(I Corinthians 14:40)
"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace."
(I Corinthians 14:33)
Homeschool organization is a constant challenge. Like most households, homeschoolers deal with the everyday accumulation of laundry, dishes, toys, trash, and mail. In addition, we manage a multitude of school supplies, books, papers, and ongoing projects. A well-organized homeschool allows us to save time, energy, and money so that more of those resources can be utilized for the important task of educating our children.
As Mary Pride once said, "If it's not worth finding a special place for, throw it out. You'll never find it anyway." We need to have a place for everything and put everything in its place. This enables us to concentrate on teaching rather than on picking up, rearranging, and looking for things. Maintaining an orderly homeschool inventory keeps us from spending extra money to buy duplicates of items that we lost, or forgot that we already have. Organized supplies require less time and energy spent looking for what we need. Our time is too valuable to waste it on searching for things. Besides, it is inconvenient to interrupt lessons by having to clear off tables and desks, or find lost pencils, missing chalk, and misplaced books. Teaching and studying amidst a lot of clutter day after day is distracting, discouraging, and mentally tiring. It's actually stress-relieving to have an organized house.
Organized supplies are much more presentable than overflowing drawers or stuffed closets. File cabinets are a must for storing such items as workbooks, worksheets, school records, newsletters, magazine and newspaper articles. Bookcases and shelves are an excellent investment not only for books, but for models and displays, as well as for storing stackable containers filled with pencils and pens, crayons and markers, math manipulatives, letter and number magnets, etc. Make sure they are labeled. Clear plastic shoeboxes and empty baby wipe containers work well. Keep boxes of the same shape and size stored together so that they stack neatly. Arrange books so that they are easy to find, which may simply mean placing all of the science books on one shelf, history on another, and so on.
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Eliminating unnecessary items makes additional space available for more useful educational materials. Throw away all the worthless stuff like ballpoint pens that don't work, broken toys, torn outdated maps, half-finished preschool workbooks that the kids have long outgrown, piles of old magazines, dried-out Play-Doh sets, puzzles and games with missing pieces. Also get rid of things that don't mean anything, and replace them with instructional or inspirational items. Instead of covering your walls with glow-in-the-dark sci-fi posters, put up colorful maps or historical timelines.
You don't have to keep all of the drawings your children make and every report they write, but don't throw away any masterpieces without their approval. At the end of each semester, decide together which creations are worth saving. Keep them in a special folder or scrapbook for each child. Over the years you can pare down the collection as you become more selective. Store these archival materials in the back of the closet, under the stairs, or up on a high shelf. Reserve the easily accessible locations for materials that are regularly referred to.
In general, things should be stored as close as possible to where they are most likely to be needed. Buy extra quantities of often-used essentials (such as pens, pencils, and paper) so there will be a supply handy in every room. Keep a tote bag equipped with bookmarks, notepad, pencil, scissors, stapler and highlighter pen. Use it to store all the newspapers, magazines, and books that you want to browse through. The tote bag can be carried from room to room. When you have time to sit down and go through it, take notes, clip and staple what you want, then dispose of the rest. Try to handle papers only once. Read them, file them, or discard them, so you don't keep re-shuffling the same papers.
Keep a box or basket in a central location to toss in things you find around the house, then set aside a certain time each day or once a week to return the items to their original locations. Remove clutter at its source by picking up after one activity before going on to the next. Remind children to put their toys away before getting something else out. Make cleaning fun by playing lively music, singing a clean-up song, setting a timer, or racing the clock (keep track of how long it takes and try to beat the time previously set). When picking up, put everything back where it belongs. Don't just keep moving the clutter around from room to room. Remember that keeping the house organized as you go along is a lot easier than waiting until it's in total chaos!
Additional References
- Schoolproof, by Mary Pride
- Classroom Organization: It Can Be Done, by Dinah Zike
- Clutter Free; Clutter's Last Stand; Not For Packrats Only; and The Office Clutter Cure, by Don Aslet
- Confessions of an Organized Homemaker and Confessions of a Happily Organized Family, by Deniece Schofield
Teri Ann Berg Olsen is a home educator, librarian, and author of "Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom." An AFHE member since 1995, she and her husband have always homeschooled their children. In addition to serving as resource coordinator for the Knowledge House Learning Resource Center, Teri is the leader of Desert Hills Christian Homeschoolers and Arizona State Coordinator for The Old Schoolhouse® magazine.
Visit her blog: www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/Arizona and website: www.knowledgehouse.info.
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Contest: What Are Your Organizational Tips?
What do you do to keep your homeschool and household organized so that you can be efficient and productive in your homeschool leadership? How do you control the clutter and keep things organized? Send us your tips, hints, and ideas and you may be featured in the October edition of Leaders e-News. One person will be selected among the entries to receive Teri Ann Berg Olsen's book--Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom.
Please submit your entries before September 29, 2007 to leaders@theoldhomeschoolhouse.com.
Bulletin Board
TOS now offers an array of e-Newsletters to meet all of your homeschooling needs! Have you enjoyed this issue of the Leaders e-Newsletter? If so, TOS has added several new e-Newsletters to guide and encourage you during your homeschooling journey. Be sure to stop in to see which ones are best for you and your family! Click here for more information!!
Contributing Writers Needed! Are you a seasoned homeschool leader who would like to encourage others in leadership? Please consider joining the contributing writer's panel for the Leaders e-Newsletter. Send an email to Leaders@TheHomeschooMagazine.com if you are interested.
Thank you for reading the Leaders e-Newsletter this month.
We'll have more articles, inspiration, and practical tips for you next month.
You may forward this e-Newsletter to your friends in its entirety. If you have any comments, please email me at Leaders@TheHomeschooMagazine.com with your feedback. I would love to hear your recommendations on how to make this resource even better.
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