Wanna Be a Steader!

As many of you know, I have been the Miami County Ohio homeschool coordinator for the past 11 years. I will officially 'pass the torch' on May 20th to a very capable, dedicated homeschool mom. One of the most important and busiest duties that I had was starting new homeschoolers on their adventure. And that was one of my my favorites parts. But...when receiving those calls - especially from parents whose kids were already in public school - I have heard some of the sadest, scariest, most maddening stories along the way.

And as many of you may know, I am the regular Wednesday contributor on HomeschoolBlogger.com's "Home Where They Belong"/publisher's blog. Today, I read a new entry by Tammy, a new contributor to HWTB, and she, also, has heard those terrible stories about what REALLY goes on in the public schools from parents wanting to start homeschooling...NOW. I thought you would be interested in a comment I left to her entry: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TOSPUBLISHER/529767/

Thank you, Tammy...for being one more voice concerning what is REALLY going on in public schools and the problems that parents share with homeschoolers. On May 20th I will wrap up 11 years as our county's homeschool coordinator and I, too, have heard all those heart-wrenching stories about what students (AND PARENTS) go through -- NOT just from other students -- BUT from teachers, "advisors," principals, superintendents and other administrators!

And, like you, I have also noticed a SHARP increase of parents taking older students out of ps, and at anytime during the year. It used to be that the bigger influx of "I want to take my kid(s) out of ps NOW!" calls came during Christmas break (or "Winter Break" in ps). NOW...they come at a fairly steady clip ALL YEAR LONG. I JUST had a mom of a 9th grader start homeschooling last week! Last year I had a mom start homeschooling with 3 weeks to go in her district and another mom called to take her son out with ONE WEEK to go in her district!!

Public schools are so far 'gone' and they will NEVER be the same. They are NOT the place for children to be - especially Christian children. DO NOT fall for the lie that Christian children need to be in the public school to evanelize...God NEVER sent children to evanalize...NEVER. SEND CHRISTIAN TEACHERS but NOT kids!! And then PRAY for those teachers.

But bring your children HOME WHERE THEY BELONG!! What about socialization? HOME is where good...REAL...socialization happens! I don't see that public school socialzation is very successful. But I CAN see that my children...and nearly every homeschooled child I've known IS successfully socialized, mannerly, polite, well educated, happy, engaged...I could go on and on. I CAN see that people such as Winston Churchill, General Patten, General McArthur; Presidents Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Truman; Ansel Adams, Charles, Dickens, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and the Founding Fathers certainly seemed to be well educated...at home...and well socialized.

Let the proof be in the pudding. I've got all the proof I need when I see the sadness, anger and hopelessness of the public school kids walking around the malls contrasted by the happy, mentally healthy, hope-filled, motivated homeschool kids that we know. WHAT A CONTRAST!! I've got all the proof I need when I hear tearful parents calling me about how to start homeschooling NOW because their child has been beaten up in the locker room for the 4th time and the school won't do anything about it...AGAIN. It's self-expression and their child just happens to be the canvas! I don't hear about that nonsense going on with homeschoolers around here. Do you?

A Seldom Thought of Field Trip

Here's something you have probably not thought of doing...how about a field trip to a funeral home?!

I am in no way trying to be morbid here, but I think you will find that it will be one of the most interesting AND beneficial field trips your Jr/Sr high students will ever take. As many of you know, we consider life skills as a major part of our homeschool. One of the topics in a unit study that we use as a loose outline covers the topic of ‘being prepared in all circumstances.’ Unfortunately, as we live in a fallen world, death is a part of life. When we were a young married couple Ty & I lost our darling 3 month old daughter, Jessica, to SIDS and we were faced with all the frightening, ‘must be done NOW,’ heartbreaking decisions that encompassed arranging a funeral…as we were only in our mid-20’s, neither of us had ever been involved in preparing a funeral for a loved one. As we are not promised tomorrow, we didn’t want our daughters to be completely in the dark as to what is involved in the funeral process, as we were.

One of My Favorite Blogs ~ A Texas Ranching Homeschool Mom

We all have blogs that we return to day after day to read, enjoy, be encouraged be, learn from and catch up with friends. Whatever whim that particular blog fulfills. MANY of those blogs belong to some of you...and I sincerely hope that my blog is enjoyed by many of you.

But today I want to share with you, especially those of you who homeschool ~ and those of you who would LOVE to live WAAAAY out in the boonies somewhere. This is one of my absolute FAVORITE blogs that I return to nearly everyday. This blog belongs to "Ree," The Pioneer Woman and she is a homeschool mom of 4 "punks" (as she lovingly refers to them) who has a wonderfully humorous way with words and a knack with a camera as she shares the life of her husband, referred to as Marlboro Man, and life on their ranch. She ALSO has sections to click on for incredible recipes, photography lessons and home improvement...she's one BUSY ranch wife/homeschool mom!! Oh! Before I forget...she's even blogging about her city-girl-turned-ranch-wife-turned-homeschool-mom LOVE STORY, for all of us to enjoy (up to chapter 30-something!) called "Black Heels to Tracktor Wheels." You'll love it!

To introduce you to Ree and her city-girl-turned-ranch-wife-turned-homeschool-mom life, you will really enjoy reading the May 1st, 2008 entry!! http://www.thepioneerwoman.com Click on "Confessions" and then click on the entry entitled: "I Could Be Sitting in a Classroom Right Now." (I would have posted the full web-address, but everytime I did it would run across the whole blog page and blend w/everything. I'm not techo-savvy enough to know how to stop that!)

!Enjoy

Is Your Iron Getting Rusty?

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?

I hate to say it, but in many areas support groups are going the way of snow in summer-time…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 out-grown them?

Look at it this way: if I take two pieces of rusty, dull iron – I have two pieces of rusty, dull iron! J 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!

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 wit’s 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.

Trail Blazers & Mentors

I Cor. 1:1&2 - "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you."

Have you ever stopped to take the time to thank the person(s) who first educated you on the subject of homeschooling?

Where would we (and our families) be without them and the concern they showed us by taking the time to explain this godly plan of education?

Think of all the things you would have missed in your children's lives. Wasn't it wonderful to watch that light come on in their eyes when they finally realized that the numeral 3 represented three things? Wasn't it exciting when she was so inspired by a book she had just read to sit down and write a fictional story herself?...And it was good! Wasn't it incredible when he found that cicada shell on the tree, got out his magnifying glass and really got excited about pointing out that he knew where the head, thorax and abdomen were without being asked? Wasn't it thrilling when your family went to the beach for the first time (remember, I'm from Ohio!) and your kids couldn't collect enough seashells because they finally, fully realized that God made each and every one of them and that there were no two alike? Oh, the things we would have missed if not for these faithful friends who told us that our kids could stay home for school!

Think of the relationship you have with each child that you would not have if they had spent 6-8 hours away from you each day. Aren't you grateful that you could instill your values and the teachings of Scripture to them instead of "de-programming" them every night? Or that they are not caught "between the rock and the hard place" of having to "divide allegiances"? By that I mean that they don't have to be seduced by the pressure of believing that "cool" socialist Humanities teacher or that smug, self-assured atheistic Biology teacher vs. Dad, Mom and the Bible. Think of the heartache, and possible harassment, they have been spared so that they can be nurtured in the Truth of the Gospel and taught to defend their faith in the proper time. (I can find no place in Scripture were God sent a child out to evangelize.) By the time they complete their home education, by God's grace, they will be mature and secure enough in their faith that they can defend themselves against the "cool" socialist and the smug, self-assured atheist. I must be frank and tell you that I know very few Christian kids in public schools who are secure enough in their faith that they can properly defend it. Thanks to God's faithfulness and those dear friends who told us about homeschooling, you and I have had the opportunity to instruct our children "in the way they should go." (Prov. 22:6 & Deut. 6:4-9)

Titus 2:7 says, "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about you." Now it's our turn. If you have a year or more of homeschooling under you belt, then welcome to The Example Club! Just as those who blazed the trails ahead of us, just as those who lovingly mentored us, just as those who set that godly example for us to follow...let us not miss the chance to encourage a nervous mom full of questions, hopes and dreams. Don't be afraid to be used by God!...If God used Balaam's donkey, I KNOW He can use me...and you, too! Someone is watching and wants what YOU have, just as you watched someone else at one time.

Thank the dear ones who God used to get you on the road to homeschooling and don't be afraid for Him to use you in the same way.

No Religious Rights for Christian Students in Public Schools...

Are You a Double-Minded Mom?

James 1:5-8 -- {Modified for homeschool moms} If any of you lacks wisdom, (s)he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to (her). But when (s)he asks, (s)he must believe and not doubt, because (s)he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That (mom) should not think (s)he will receive anything from the Lord; (s)he is a double-minded (mom), unstable in all (s)he does.

Whether you're new to homeschooling or a veteran, complete with battle scars, one of our major concerns is choosing our curriculum and teaching tools. Or course, we want the best for our children, that's one reason why we teach them at home.

Do I use textbooks? Workbooks? Unit Studies? Unschool? Charlotte Mason method? Delight-Directed unit studies? All library books and hands-on approaches? Do I wait until my child shows an interest in a subject before I teach it? All of the above???? Calgon, take me away!!!!

I have been a county homeschool coordinator in my area for many years, one of the things I try to stress to new homeschool moms is to NOT make things too hard on themselves, especially the first year. The first year is a lot of trial and error and there's no big mystery about teaching that is learned at a teacher's college. Besides, YOU have the teacher's manual!

We are so blessed and there is so much to choose from...almost too much. My advice to anyone going to a state homeschool convention for the first time is to go with a shopping list. Chances are that if something on your list is offered at more than one booth, the first booth you find it at will not be the lowest price. You can really break the bank at a convention, or even shopping on-line...

A few years ago, I received a call from a new homeschool mom; she had just taken her daughter out of public school and was freaking out. She called me and told that she had just spent several hundred dollars on e-bay buying school books for her daughter who was going into 4th grade. "My goodness! What did you get?!" She said she had ordered so much that she had 3 Rubbermaid tubs FULL of all kinds of things and could I PLEASE come over and help her sort it all out.

When I arrived at her house, she was in such a tizzy that I told her she needed to "calm down and take a deep breath because, at this point, I'm more worried about you than I am about your daughter. You are too tense and anxious and you're going to make your daughter tense and anxious and you're going to ruin the experience for the both of you!"

After we sorted through her tubs of books and learning aids, I handed her a neat little pile of about 5 books and said, "Here's next year's curriculum." She nearly fainted!

A veteran homeschool parent told me that their rule of thumb is "pray and then proceed. Trust that the Lord has answered your prayers and then step out in faith and decide on your curriculum." Acting on your faith in God's leading takes away self-doubt and double-mindedness.

1) There is NO perfect curriculum or teaching style. Give yourself and your child(ren), time to get used to your teaching style and new curriculum. If you are new, you'll find in a month or so that you will find your "flow." Be assured that if you apply yourself and take the time, you WILL succeed. After all, no one knows or loves your child(ren) more than you do.

2) "It may be 'home' but it's still school.'" This is my standard come-back when people ask if my kids like being homeschooled. For one thing, I am quite unashamed that they have known nothing else but homeschool. BUT...being children, there are "those days." We all have them. When you were in school or in the workplace, didn't you have "those days."?

3) Your curriculum is a guide, NOT a master. YOU are the master of your curriculum. If you've studied the weather cycle for the last 3 years and your child knows it...skip it! There's no law that says you must complete every chapter, every page, every paragraph in every book. Keep in mind that most textbooks/workbooks are made for classroom crowd control. You know what your child needs to know and what they already do know. If your child gets 10 math problems correct, is there really a need for them to do 50?

4) Don't compare yourself to others!! Do you raise your children and parent just like your parents? Your neighbors? Even your best friends? Neither will your homeschool be like anyone else's.

5) Join and use your local support group. This is why we're here. If you or your child should have trouble grasping a concept, SOMEONE in the group has "been there, done that."

I hope you enjoy your homeschool experience. In the process of teaching our precious children, let's not forget to take the time to enjoy them. After all, even though we are their teachers, we are still their parents. Sometimes they need a hug more than the big red star on their completed paper.

Rosetta Stone Language Curriculum GIVE AWAY...ENTER NOW!!!

Here's an AWESOME offer from Rosetta Stone language curriculum and Jen Igarashi!!...

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE!

This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.

This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking. Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included! For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports.

To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these (blue) paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/ and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it. And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it. And good luck! The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg. And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win. Yay for free stuff!

Sweet Affirmation...

THIS is the type of affirmation that blesses my heart, brings tears to my eyes and makes the last 11 (or is it 12?) years of being the Miami County, Ohio homeschool coordinator worth all the time and attention!! I have always tried to be the kind of homeschool coordinator that I would have liked to have had when I first started homeschoolng 15 years ago.

I just received this e-mail today from a mom who recently began homeschooling her daughter:

Is Higher Education Important?

"Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with preparation." ~~Thomas Edison (kicked out of his public grade school for being "uneducatable" and homeschooled by his mother)

When I graduated from high school, the employer's mantra was, "experience required." I and my friends would often lament, "How are we to get the experience if no one will give it to us?!"

As with everything else, the times have changed and so have what employers require.

These days most students, especially young men, will find out that a college degree is a must-have in order to gain the most benefit from your career choice. Not to say that life-experience counts for nothing, many colleges will take a sharp look at the temporary jobs, clubs, sports and any community involvement a student has. My friend, Mavis Koon, wisely said, "God does not waste anything that you experience or go through -- that includes education."

Even in this politically correct world there really are some differences in what is expected, and the life goals, of the sexes...

Young men need to take their futures into consideration as to earning potential in order to be the major bread-winner for his family. His degree, or lack there-of, will undoubtedly effect such things as what type of job, or ministry, he may decide to embark on. With this vision of his future rolling around in his head he needs to consider how this choice of "degree or no degree" will effect his pay scale and the stepping stones to a better paying job via promotions.

Young women may want to decide how serious they are about their futures in the job market. Is this something she wants to do as a life-long career? Is this something she wants to do to help her husband, financially, for the first few years of marriage...until they buy their first home...until they start a family? Our daughters may also want to consider how her college or tech school choice might help her in managing her future home.

Many careers can be useful in her home life. Accounting and bookkeeping are of major use in her home life. Nursing and hair design skills benefit her whole family their whole lives (free medical assessments and haircuts can be a huge savings!). Connie Robertson reminds us that we never know what the future holds, "We don't know if God has a husband for our daughter. And if He does, they may not meet until they're 30." She certainly needs to earn a living in the meantime.

Many factors other than career choice go into choosing the type of higher education one needs or desires.

One decision is your choice of major, others are cost and location. Are you a resident of that state? That county? Are you taking courses on-line? How will all this effect your choices? How will this effect your costs?

There is a trend for some to attend a community college for their first two years. In going this route, many students have decided that they can still live at home and enjoy the support, encouragement and protection of the family while they are in the emotional transition between the teen years and adult-hood.

While enjoying the support of home for one or two more years, they may also work off some of the "minor," general requirements in the community college setting while saving money to finish and acquire their formal degree at a major University.

This course would allow a student who is having trouble declaring a major a little more time to decide without the higher cost of University. Many students may appreciate the opportunity to gain a little more life experience and having the time to listen to the experience of older friends who are in college ahead of them. What are they finding are necessary steps...what are they finding are foolish or unnecessary steps?

Any pastor who take his leadership path seriously needs to take much care in their choice of higher education. Many decide to attend seminaries specifically backed by their chosen denomination.

When asked about a specific benefit higher education had in his choice as a pastor, Rev. Thomas H. Sager (C&MA) said, "College shocked me out of my narrow-mindedness." He went on to explain that higher education for the student thinking of ministry as a vocation will gain by being exposed to other world-views. By associating with others of differing backgrounds one may better understand other perspectives; the reasons others make the choices they make. This will greatly benefit ministry students when they become pastors, in that a modern-day pastor does much more than sermonize on Sunday mornings. The modern pastor is much in need of relational skills and reasoning skills when counseling, much less research skills and acquired knowledge of any topic he must discuss or teach on.

Rev. Sager also believes, "When preparing for ministry at the graduate level, the choice of seminary, the theology of your seminary, are vitally important."

Was Mavis Koon correct when she said, "God does not waste anything that you experience or go through -- that includes education"? Yes, I believe she was. However, when anticipating your life's career - whether it be on the professional level, technical, industrial, agricultural, and even the choice a daughter may make to stay home after marriage - take serious consideration regarding your higher education.

No longer is the employer's mantra "experience required." It is now "education required."

A college degree affects your future. It effects and influences pay scale, possible promotions and can be the stepping stone to a more fulfilling, better paying position.

Upcoming Intensive Courses from Thomas Bilney Theological Seminary

Miami County Ohio Homeschool Spelling Bee

Up-Coming Intensive Classroom Courses at Thomas Bilney Theological Seminary

As mentioned in a previous post, the Thomas Bilney Theological Seminary has agreed to accept Junior and Senior year homeschool students (and, OF COURSE, adults!! Read: PARENTS!!) for intensive courses. Classes meet at New Hope Community Church, 1999 Belvo Rd., Miamisburg, Ohio ~ 937-847-2407. (See web link on "Links" column at right.) Below are some available up-coming courses:

I have taken several of these courses (I'm working on a degree, myself), so if you have any questions just let me know.

Four Reasons to Homeschool Through High School

Luke 6:40 -- "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." [Jesus speaking]

When people find out that we are in our 15th year of homeschooling and they realize that, having homeschooled that long that we are bound to have graduated at least one, they often say something like, "Oh, I could NEVER homeschool in the high school years! We'll probably send ours kids back to public school when they reach that age."

YIKES! That scares me to death! I usually ask them, "WHY would you want to destroy everything you've poured your life into for that? It's not as hard as you think." Many times, sports is the issue. There are homeschool sports teams that would welcome your students with open arms! If not, start your own.

So, just in case you're interested, here are 4 reasons that immediately popped into my head when I was recently approached with this issue once again:

1) As I share when I speak - I could see the writing on the wall way back in 1978, when I was 19, and my niece entered public school. The rocket-fire-quick change in her personality and the terrible way she began to relate to familiy caused me to make a promise to myself that when I had my kids, if there were EVER a way (having never heard of homeschooling) that I would do all I could to keep my kids at home and be the primary influence in their lives, then I was going to do it.

2) I went through far too much to HAVE my kids. Having lost our first daughter at 3 months from SIDS and having 2 miscarriages between her and our next daughter, I couldn't see giving them to strangers to raise. Why would I want to give up 24,000+ hours of their most influential, most productive childhood and teen years to let someone else...that I don't even know, who wouldn't have their best interest at heart, who probably has some liberal agenda, who can't give them the time and attention I can and...who doesn't LOVE them...be the major influences of my children?! After all, Jesus warned us that a student WILL be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40)

3) These high school years are the best! Quite frankly, I hardly do any "teaching" anymore, unless it's a completely new concept or we are diving much deeper into the subject...I give the assignments, the tests, grade their papers - but they do quite a lot by themselves. Learning to learn on their own prepares them for college (if that's in their future) and for life in general. Teaching them to learn, letting them research things for themselves, is one of the best, most useful lessons they can experience.

4) But more than that, they are SO much fun! I love being around my teen girls. I LOVE being the person that they come to when they need an adult to confide in or ask advice about "girly" things. I love the adoring relationship they have with my husband. And THIS is the best place to teach them to be women of God and keepers of their homes. This is FAR less likely to happen if they are peer dependent, as so many public/private school teens are. In a school setting, the teachers are not their only "teachers"...it's the blind leading the blind. "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Words of Jesus; Matt. 15:14 ~ emphasis mine)

I love my kids and wouldn't give up this time with them for ANYTHING but heaven!

Public School Spending vs. Homeschool Spending

Homeschoolblogger, Sonya (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homemakerscottage), has a great blog!! One of her entries I'm going to post below...THEN...after you read that...you MUST visit her blog, scroll down to where her introduces the subject of her local library (in Eastern Tennessee) changing their mind about letting her host a homeschool discussion/book signing...because...get this...the MAYOR (prompted by the local superintendent) decided that HE DIDN'T LIKE THE SUBJECT!! You will love it and be frightened by the story all at the same time! But...when God gets involved WONDERFUL things happen!!

Because part of the reasoning behind the denial of the library as a meeting place was that homeschoolers take money from the public schools (sound familar?!), Sonya did a little research and then posted the entry below.

Tax payers have GOT to start asking their districts where all that money goes!! Our little village school district spends $7,500 per student...I have homeschooled for 15 years and we have averaged $500-$600 per year...TOTAL for all the girls!! So, read Sonya's entry, below, and I hope it inspires you to ask some questions, too.

Here is some food for thought. You can figure these numbers with your own children with the amounts for your own school district. This is a fun activity to show how money can be misused. (Then you might want to look over your own budget and see if you can make improvements.)

I am certain this is going to make some people mad (not homeschoolers), but you know what, this is PUBLIC information and we can let the truth speak for itself.

The following is taken from the Oct. 4, 2007 Washington County Board of Education meeting.

On a motion by Ms. Silvers, seconded by Mr. Mabe, approval was given to increase the mileage reimbursement rate to .46, effective 1 October 2007. Motion carried unanimously on roll call vote. OK, if you drive a car that gets 30 MPG and you travel 100 miles, you'll get a check for $46.00, but if you pay $3.00 for a gallon of gas, then you've spent $10 on gas, right. That means that they are clearing $36.00 for every 100 miles. There is no vehicle I know of that needs $36 for "wear and tear" for every 100 miles. Can anyone say - "WHERE ARE OUR TAX DOLLARS GOING?" Have you ever wondered why some of these guys live in much nicer homes, take expensive vacations, drive fancy cars, etc.? DO THE MATH. It's OUR money. So don't talk with me about $7,000 for my child to go to public school. I am paying bills for the leaders of the public school system to pad their pockets.

Ms. Silvers moved for approval of the Committee’s recommendation to increase the per diem rate for meals to $7.00 for breakfast, $11.00 for lunch and $18.00 for dinner for a total of $36.00 per diem. I wish I had this kind of money to spend on my own food each day! I just took all five children (none eat free now) to Golden Corral. The bill for six of us was $20.65. Now if these people go on a week long trip and eat at a reasonably priced restaurant for each meal, they aren't starving, and it might cost $19 a day ($4 for breakfast, $5 for lunch and $10 for dinner). When they are reimbursed for their $36 per diem allotted, then they are making a clear PROFIT of our tax dollars of $85. Which of us couldn't use an extra $85 per week?

Mr. Hardin moved to amend the motion to increase the reimbursement to $8.00 for breakfast and $12.00 for lunch so the rate would be the same as for the County. Mr. McLain seconded the motion which carried unanimously on roll call vote. Oh, I should have waited to make my comment... THIS is really the amount I would like for my own food each day. It's more than the previous amount.

Now this wasn't in the board meeting minutes, but it IS public information as well. Superintendent Grant Rowland makes $110,456 per year!! I can't imagine what my own family would do with that kind of money. But again, MY taxes are paying HIS salary and meanwhile we struggle to get by and buy books and supplies, give our kids great educational experiences, and pay the bills. As of the last census I could find for Washington County (2000), the median household income for Washington County is $33,116. This is difference of $77,340. The difference is still twice as much as most of us make!!

So, the next time one of them says that they want that extra $7,000, everyone needs to ask the question - "Are they thinking of the best interests of the children or will they use this same money to increase meal rates and give their leaders another grand?"

Homeschoolers spend about $550 per year for each child on educational expenses and our kids are smarter, better socialized, and more well-disciplined. So it's not about needing more money.

Theological Seminary Open to High School Homeschoolers!

My pastor, and other Biblical scholars, have stepped out in great faith and have begun the Thomas Bilney Theological Seminary. "A non-prerequisite seminary experience that will make the difference in your Christian ministry endeavors. Equipping, Educating and Experiencing Chrisitan Ministry." Offering Seminarian Certificates, Associate Degrees, Baccalaureate Degrees, and Master's Degrees. "The goal of our instruction is not to create a doctrinal position in the student, but rather to equip them with the theological tools that prepare them for a healthy productive Christian ministry experience."

The Seminary is "in process" for Accreditaton - however - "many Christian denominations are already accepting TBTS credits toward their educational and ordination requirements." At this point, this must be understood...since the Seminary IS a NON-prerequisite school, they CAN offer courses to variety of people (which is why they are offering these courses to JUNIOR and SENIOR high homeschoolers!). BUT...even though they CAN award Seminarian Certificates, they cannot award degrees unless the student has already graduated high school or has a GED. Upon graduation, that student may write their Degree Completion Project (on a related and approved subject); at that time their Seminarian Certificate will be tranferred to the appropriate Degree!!

~ Personally attend the complete lecture series for a specifically outlined TBTS certificate program.

~ Demonstration of active participation in Christian ministry for a minimum of one (1) year.

~ Degree Completeion Project (5,000 word paper on related and approved subject).

~ Demonstration of an active leadership role in Christian ministry for a minimum of two (2) years.

~ Degree Completion Project (10,000 word paper on related and approved subject).

~ Demonstration of an active leadership role in Christian ministry for a minimum of three (3) years.

~ Degree Completion Project (15,000 word paper on related and approved subject).

You may select the concentration or discipline of your seminarian degree by simply taking more of your courses in the specific area of study. All completed degrees must have a minimum of one (1) course from each of the five (5) primary discipline groups.

The degrees issued by the Thomas Bilney Theological Seminary are legal degrees in that they represent the fact that the student has completed the prescribed course of study required for graduation from this seminary. Degrees earned at Thomas Bilney Theological Seminary are considered to be religious and/or ecclesiastical degrees, and may or may not be accepted as academic degrees by other educational institutions that a graduate may be desiring to transfer credit to. [Similar to trying to transfer credits earned from Sinclair or Edison to a school like Wright State. KW<><]

{Classes held at New Hope Community Church, 1999 Belvo Rd., Miamisburg, Ohio 45342}

This course takes both an internal an external viewpoint of the historical Jesus and the Jesus in the 4 Canonical Gospels themselves. It examines the 4 Gospels in relation to the entire Bible and in particular the New Testament Pauline Epistles. Metaphoric qualities to the book of Revelation and Jesus in the gospels in a final discussion for awareness.

This course walks the crucial timeline of the New Testament community of Christian faith from the ascension of Jesus in Acts 1 to the current evangelical struggles experienced in contemporary Christianity. Much attention is given to the first four centuries as well as the dissention and reformation timeframes.

Oh, the Good Ol' NEA...

As many of you probably know, the NEA has renewed their attack on homeschooling. However, this year, homeschoolers are talking back on a large scale. If you would like to voice your support for homeschooling in the form of signing on to a petition, please go to: http://www.thepetitionstie.com/1/homeschoolers-against-nea

If you would like to read a great blog entry regarding the petition and some of the trash going on in the public schools (illegally supported by OUR tax $$), such as the reprehensible decision to give our birth control - WITHOUT PARENTAL KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT - to CHILDREN as young as 11 years old! Please go to http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TOSPUBLISHER/410569/ I left a comment there, so "just in case" you don't have the time to read the other blog in whole, below is my comment in which I tell about a family I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday to do their assessment. Hopefully, you will be SO encouraged!

Recovering from Public Education

I saw this on Crosswalk.com's homeschool section and HAD to share this with you. It's a little long but SO WORTH the time to read it!

I have an infirmity in my spiritual life, and I have spent 20 years trying to regain my health. During my years of public school education, my soul became infected with the disease of worldly philosophies. Yet, if anyone could have graduated from the public classrooms unscathed, it was I. I was set up for success.

I truly loved the Lord and was more Biblically literate than most. I had a stable family with parents who cared about my emotional, spiritual, and physical welfare. I escaped the moral morass that keeps parents awake at night praying that God will preserve their children's souls. My high school years could be projected on a screen for all to see, and there is very little of which I would be ashamed. I took advantage of opportunities offered me in school and had a long list of awards and accolades by the time I graduated. The light of Christ shone through me enough that my classmates voted me "Most Likely to Become a Nun." I was also valedictorian of my high school class and suffered persecution for wanting to state the name of Jesus in my graduation speech.

So why is it that I feel ensnared by my education? It wasn't because I lost my Christian testimony or fell into deep sin or worldly behavior. Instead, I succumbed to a more subtle malady. The worldly philosophies and values that were taught day after day by my teachers, textbooks, and classmates sank deeply into my heart and mind, influencing my entire outlook on life. It has taken the Lord 20 years to begin to teach me to think biblically.

Kevin Swanson, in his book Upgrade: 10 Secrets to the Best Education for Your Child, makes the following argument in favor of sheltering children: "The acid test determining whether a child is ready to be subjected to an environment hostile to his own worldview and faith is found here: the child must be prepared to confront the world, to wrestle with principalities and powers, to cast down imaginations that oppose the knowledge of God, and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ . . . If [a child] is not prepared to cast down the imaginations of egalitarianism, God-eliminating evolution, materialist socialism, relativism, environmentalism, atheism, pluralism, or sexual 'freedom,' then he should not be subjected to a steady diet of it. Many children cannot even define these terms, let alone cast them down." (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Pulishers, 2006)

Kevin was referring to the passage in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 which tells believers to take every thought captive and cast down every imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. This sums up well the problems I encountered in my education. I was not prepared for the daily spiritual warfare to which I was exposed. As a result, I was spoiled "through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8). Thankfully, God in His mercy continues to renew my mind and straighten out my thinking.

I graduated from high school as a feminist. If you had asked me if I was a feminist, I would have denied it. I did not hate men or think that men and women were equal in every way; after all, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. But I did not have any idea of the roles God ordained for men and women. I wanted a career more than almost anything else in life, and I was taught that this was what I should work toward in school. I wanted to be a successful businesswoman in some field. I longed to leave home every day, wear pretty suits, and make lots of money.

I looked down on those who invested their lives in running a home and raising a family. When I was still a student, my sister got married, and some talented homemakers hosted a very lovely bridal tea for her. I remember sneering inside that those women did not have anything more important to do than make chocolate-covered cherries. Needless to say, I did not spend much time learning the skills I would need to run a home. I was too busy pursuing career skills the world told me were more valuable.

Even though I had read and studied Bible passages