I finally made the difficult decision to completely wipe out Christina's 6th grade math scores on her Teaching Textbooks computer program and have her start all over again. She had been having trouble with her math the last few weeks and I slowly came to the realization that combined with the inconsistancy of summer homeschooling and lack of dilligent effort, along with a missed concept or two, she wasn't making it. She was more than half way through the second CD. It's really okay to back up... after all I don't want her trying to do 7th grade math when she turns 11. She is smart and quick and usually finds math a piece of cake, but she also tends to take the easy route and consequently missed something somewhere. She said she was fine with my desicion. The computer records everything and looking through her work of the last few weeks I noticed that when she got a problem wrong she didn't necessarily watch the explaination to see where she went wrong. I told her that I considered that a form of cheating... just skipping over the hard parts and not really learning. Somewhere she missed something important. I wanted to impress upon her mind the importance of hard work and dilligence so I asked her to write me a one page essay on how she planned to study her math from now on and back it up with a scripture.
Just this morning she had struggled to write out a book report. I made her revise it about 6 times. It wasn't very long and it wasn't really that creative, but she finally got it done. Well, she went off to write me this little essay and was back in 15 minutes with an entire page, neatly printed and I could only find 3 spelling mistakes. It was written with passion! I read it with disbelief and laughed until the tears ran down my cheeks. I laughed because I could see the funny side of it, and because I remember a similar paper written by her older sister over an issue with spelling years ago, and I laughed because she contradicted herself . I also groaned knowing I was dealing with a heart issue. The passion was actually rebellion all couched in good things. WoW! I had my work cut out. A quick prayer was in order.
The Essay:
Jesus is coming very soon. So soon that I will not have time to even need a job. The signs of the times are appearing everywhere. We need to be ready for Jesus to come and telling all who will listen about His soon return. So, why are we just wasting our time learning math and all the other subjects? The only subject that I believe that we should spend time on is our grammar so that when we tell others about Jesus we may have clear undefiled speech. So that others may find the truth through our clear healthy speech. So, let’s not waste our time with things that we do not need. When we get to heaven we don’t need math, spelling, writing or history, science and all those others things. They will be very useless then. Come let us reason together, Says the Lord of hosts. This is what I believe. Don’t you think so, too? As Pepere would say, “We need to learn to love to work”. And I want to learn to love to work in every day work and in work for Jesus.
Christina wasn't in the room when I laughed... but I think she knew. She came back to ask if I had read it and what did I think? I told her I saw a spirit of rebellion in it and that I recognized that it had bothered her more than she realized to erase her math and I sent her on her way to memorize her weekly scripture texts. Half an hour later I asked her to please type up her paper. She went off to do it but wasn't gone 5 minutes when she came back weeping. She was totally heartbroken saying she knew the paper was written in a spirit of rebellion and she was totally contrite. She couldn't type it. Her passion had cooled and the Lord had spoken to her heart and she saw things as they were. Tired out now she wrote:
For school I will be very, very careful and diligent in all subjects. Be diligent unto God, a “woman” that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15
I will not grumble or complain when told to do school or when the problems are too hard. Do all things without grumbling or complaining. Phil. 2:14
I will follow school rules and not cheat even if it takes extra long. I will learn to the best of my ability. I will make God first.
Thank the Lord hard lessons can be learned!
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Posted by gabbie427 on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 09:23 - Link
What a wonderful post, and a wonderful lesson your daughter learned today. I must admit I laughed a little as well reading her essay. Bless her heart though for realizing that she was being rebellious and contrite and then rewriting and including the verses.
Obviously you are doing a good work in her. I don't know one other child who would have acted in this way, apologetic of her actions and make it right in the way she has. My son is only 2, but I am nervous and yet looking forward to teaching him such lessons.
God's Blessings,
Amy Jo
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Posted by JulieFCC on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 05:43 - Link
Angela - What a great story!! Having 4 boys (the oldest three in school) I have had situations similiar to yours in that they too tried to take the easy way out at one time or another. I think that you handled the situation with heart and humor. Keep up the great work and your girls are very blessed to have you as their mother. Have a blessed day!!
Good for her, poor girl.
Posted by momof4boys on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 09:03 - Link
At first I just read the essay part and thought that you had written it. I was sitting here thinking, "Has Angie gone off her rocker?" Now I understand as I went back and read all the rest of the post. It brought tears to my eyes. Good for Christina!! her heart is in the right place. She'll do good this year!
Julie
Oh those tough days!!!
Posted by mulberrylane on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 10:31 - Link
I had the girls write me a paper on their needed recourse in a particular subject. Chelsea's was so full of remorse and true desire to do better. Megan's on the other hand was spiteful and bitter. Wish I would have thought of having her type it. It took her weeks to get over that bitterness. I had prayed much and her attitude changed and a willingness to put better effort into her work. Well, good to know that I am NOT the only one with rebellious children when it comes to "school work".
Warmly, ~Melissa
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Posted by Ann @ His Grace To Me on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 07:06 - Link
What an inspiring post. Some days it's hard to find the energy to keep going until the hard lessons are learned, but we must if we want our children to truly grow.
