These conventions are a time to learn new tips, to be uplifted in your homeschooling journey, and to peruse the various vendors who are always onhand. Don't discount this last point. With so many curriculum options, it is always helpful to be able to flip through materials you are considering using.

Living Books

One of my favorite speakers at the convention was Sally Clarkson. Her approach to homeschooling is so refreshing to me. She said that if you aren't enjoying homeschooling then your kids aren't enjoying homeschooling. This is so true! It is important that in our zest for educating our children, we don't lose sight of the reasons why we are educating them at home in the first place.

No one will ever be able to to teach them everything they will ever need to know in life. Our goal is to give them a love for learning so that throughout their lives they will be able to learn whatever it is that they need to know.

Sally's approach to homeschooling resonated with me. She said that educating our children isn't a formula, it's a lifestyle. And that lifestyle needs to be filled with great literature.

She also said that when our children are reading or being read to, their brains are being stimulated and exercised. Thoughts are processed, information is passed back and forth, the entire brain is being utilized. When our children are sleeping, their brains are in a relaxed state, not much is happening, just occasional information flowing as they dream.

When our children are playing video games or watching TV, their brains are doing LESS than when they are sleeping. That point shocked me. Everyone knows that video games and TV aren't a great use of time for kids... but I didn't realize that while in these pursuits their brains are more passive than when they sleep?!?

Sally emphasized the importance of having family dinners at the table, where conversation can flow between family members. Don't eat in front of the TV. She also said we should try to incorporate family reading times into our nighttime routines as opposed to watching TV together.

Common sense advice, but it was good to reaffirm what is important. I had been feeling guilty for spending so much time reading with my children - because it was taking time away from math and spelling and some other subjects that were important but not as enjoyable to us.

Sally's lecture encouraged me that it is important to spend that time reading with my children. That I shouldn't feel guilty about it - rather, that I should make even more time for it.

You can read more about Sally Clarkson and her philosophies of education and life in the following books:

The Mission of Motherhood Wiping runny noses, comforting a sick child, or getting the kids dressed for school may not feel like chores with eternal outcomes. But your God-given purpose is to nurture your children and influence their destinies. Affirming your important role in God's plan, Clarkson offers solid biblical teaching that's a real mom-encourager and joy-restorer.

Seasons of a Mother's Heart A mother's life is a whirlwind of changing seasons! Learn to prepare your heart---so you can weather the transitions with grace. In this revised and expanded edition of her popular book, veteran homeschool mom Clarkson offers touching stories, biblical insights, and lessons from her own journey, along with thought-provoking questions for group discussion. Softcover, from Apologia.

Educating the Wholehearted Child, 15th Anniversary Edition A tremendous source of comfort for new and experienced homeschoolers. Guiding you with seasoned advice and encouragement, the Clarksons show you how to combine discipleship and education to create a God-designed program---the home-centered, whole-book approach to lessons. Using this revised and expanded edition with four main sections---home, learning, methods, and lifestyle---your children will live and learn for Christ. Softcover.

Conformed or Transformed

Another amazing speaker at the convention was Steve Demme, creator of Math-U-See. Steve has been a pastor, a Christian school teacher, and a homeschool dad. Like Sally Clarkson, the premise of one of Steve's lectures was that we need to remember why we are home educating our children.

Steve talked about why public schools were started in the first place. Schools met for a very short time of the year, between the harvest and winter time, when the snows would cause children to stay home. These parents sent their children to school to learn how to read the Bible and how to use math in daily life.

Steve's point was that sometimes homeschooling parents feel pressured to give their children a "better" education than what they would have received in school. In this quest, we can become obsessed with filling our child's day with more and more schoolwork until they break under the pressure. This is unnecessary and very sad for the children.

We shouldn't have an assembly line mentality about our child's education. Their day should not be filled with worksheet after worksheet. We need to be focusing more on living out the word of God in front of our children so that they can catch the most important lessons of life.

Our main goals for home education should be training our kids for eternity. This means focusing on their character and not just their grades. Homeschoolers are together all day long in close quarters giving them the opportunity to learn how to get along with others in this setting. We also have more time to spend with our children teaching them to start each day out with devotions, managing household responsibilities, and learning to help parents and siblings throughout the day.

Many kids in public school have days filled with schoolwork and nights filled with homework. They also have extra curricular activities which fill up any free time they may have otherwise had. They don't have time to spend their daily time with God, read a book for pleasure, play a boardgame with the family, go on a leisurely walk in the woods, or play with their siblings. Be sure you don't fill up your child's day to the point where they don't have time for these important things in life.

You can read more about Steve Demme and his advice on his blog: The Family that Stays Together

Thanks for reading this month's newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it! See you next month...

Michelle Caskey

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