The Decision: Why We Considered Homeschool

In the first of this series, Considering Homeschool, I promised a trip down memory lane. Join me as we begin the adventure!

The year was 1985. As my husband and I were cleaning up after dinner one night, we listened to the news on the radio. They were talking about a new law in Florida that made it legal to homeschool in our state. We didn't even have any children yet, but my husband's ears perked up. This was important to know. This was really good news!

He related to me how he had asked his mom once, when he was very young, why he couldn't just learn at home. Shocked by such an idea, his mother had looked at him, and said, "You have to go to school! They would put us in jail if you stayed home!" It just never made sense to him. His teacher would penalize him for doing homework on one subject while she was lecturing in another. (He still has the uncanny ability to read a book and listen to someone speaking at the same time.) She would reprimand him for coloring a frog red instead of green. (Somewhere along the way, he had seen a photograph of a poison dart frog that made an impression on him.) School was no place for creativity or individuality. The teacher told his mother that he would never make anything of himself if he didn't follow her directions. (Did I mention that my husband is now a PhD?)

My experience with school wasn't much better. My dad had taught me to read when I was four. I still remember proudly reading Mr. Pine's Mixed Up Signs by Leonard Kessler to my kindergarten class. I was extremely frustrated sitting there, listening to classmates struggle to read simple words. My grades were good enough, but my report card always came home with the comment, "Does not put forth best effort." I was bored. Then there was The Machine. The teachers were obsessed with increasing our reading speed. So they used a contraption that flashed the words to a story on a screen, then quizzed us on our comprehension of what we had read. Never mind actually enjoying the story; a person must read fast! But of course, we never read good classic children's literature. Instead we were subjected to "readers" with mediocre stories, carefully crafted by educators and guaranteed to make reading a chore, rather than a joy. When I was required to do a serious research paper in 11th grade, my topic was about education -- and my paper was 20 pages long!

Besides our personal experiences, we had other reasons for our interest in home education. My husband taught at a large parochial high school at the time. It was an excellent school whose graduates were highly successful. It was also very expensive. On the other hand, we were unimpressed with what we saw in the local public schools. And we had become committed Christians, desiring to do all things to the glory of God. The public school system just didn't teach or support our values. When we had children, we didn't want them to be taught things that opposed our faith.

Right then and there, I determined to find out all I could about homeschooling. I wanted to be prepared. And so my research began. First stop: the public library.

Be sure to come back next week, for part 3 of my homeschooling series! You can sign up, on the right, to follow by email. That way, you won't miss a post!

One of My Orchids is Blooming!

It's been sitting there for quite some time. Just a couple green leaves in a terracotta pot. I'm not sure this particular plant has ever bloomed. In fact, we don't even remember where it came from. But one day, while I was outside working in the garden, I noticed that a flower spike with a few buds had appeared. And a couple weeks later, four beautiful yellow orchids are smiling at me!

It's always a nice surprise when one our orchids blooms. They don't do it often, but when they do, their blossoms are breathtaking. We see them in stores all the time -- exquisite plants with several flowers standing cheerfully on a stalk. Their beauty is enticing. And even though they cost more than we would like to pay, we often can't resist the temptation and hand over the cash for the fleeting beauty of a plant that isn't much to look at when not in bloom. 

When we bought our first orchid years ago, a lady at the store told us to put the plant outside when its flowers were gone. We had paid good money for that orchid and were afraid that if we banished it to the outdoors, it might get bugs on it or something. So we kept it inside and added a few more to our collection. We pampered them and fussed over them, but they didn't seem to do much. They just sat there, occasionally growing a new leaf and not looking very pretty. 

Finally, we decided to take "Orchid Lady's" advice and put them outside. God could take care of them for us. We placed them on a little table in a shady spot under a tree and hung another one, in its basket, from one of the branches. I watered them once in  a while but, for the most part, I neglected them. There they sat, through the heat and rain of summer, through dry spells and windy weather and a cold snap or two. And then they decided to bloom. 

Now, I am no expert on orchids. But I think that orchid lady was on to something. Actually, I believe that the plants need some changing temperatures to give them a little kick. When they are kept indoors, there just isn't the fluctuation in temperature that they seem to want. Obviously, you don't want your orchids outside in freezing weather. But a little cool weather might just wake them up and get them blooming. And when you get those lovely flowers again, bring your plant inside  and enjoy!

Considering Homeschool

As a homeschooling family, we were always a little unusual. Some people thought we were just plain odd. Instead of packing lunches and sending our kids off to school on a big yellow school bus, we "did school" at home. Many people envisioned our children sitting at desks, with Mom standing in front of a chalk board teaching arithmetic. Some may have seen advertisements for homeschool curricula featuring pictures of little Johnny at the kitchen table dressed in a collared shirt and dress pants, while his blue-denim-jumper-clad mother leans over his shoulder and smiles at his books. Usually, there is a globe nearby and, of course, a shiny red apple strategically placed in the photograph. While some families may do things that way, many do not -- especially families with five children! In order to dispel these misconceptions and, perhaps, encourage someone who may be considering homeschooling, I'm going to try writing a weekly post on the subject. Who knows? Maybe I will pique the curiosity of somebody who never even thought of such a thing!

The logical time to begin a series on the subject of school might seem to be August or September, when our thoughts turn to a new academic year. Indeed, just about every August, someone with a child about to enter kindergarten will ask me The Question: What curriculum did you use? They think they already know the answer. Of course, because we are Christians, we must have used XYZ Christian Curriculum. But they are wrong. I cannot answer their question with a simple one minute answer. Furthermore, the time to be asking this question is not seven days before school starts!

I understand that circumstances sometime arise which require a parent to make a quick decision regarding school for their child. Having taken the drastic action of pulling a child out of the local public school, the parent is desperately trying to find out what to do next. If that is the case, my first advice is to pray! For some reason, we often seem to wait until things get out of control before we ask God for guidance. Believe me, God knows what's best for you and your child, and He will show you the way, if you ask. But then, after that, you had better start doing your homework! Get busy and learn everything you can about the legal requirements where you live, find a homeschool support group, and educate yourself. Books and websites on the topic abound, and the amount of teaching material that exists is astounding.

In this series, however, I plan to begin at the beginning. Why on earth would we have chosen to teach our own kids? How did we figure out what to do? How did we do it? Did it work? And, of course, the answer to The Question: What curriculum did we use?

Join me as I take a trip down memory lane and share our adventures. Don't miss a post. You can sign up, on the right (web version), to follow by email. Feel free to post questions or comments below and share with your friends and family!

Chili Weather

There's nothing like a bowl of hot chili on a wintry day. Whether there is snow on the ground or wind and rain with cold temperatures, it's always nice to come indoors and get warmed up with a delicious meal. And chili will surely do the trick! Everyone seems to have a favorite recipe for this concoction. Some like it hot and spicy, while others prefer a more mild flavor. 

This recipe is the one I make for my family. It is not too terribly spicy, but that can be fixed by adding more black pepper or some jalapenos, or simply placing a bottle of pepper sauce on the table for those who like it hot. It's very easy to put together. The recipe says to cook it on the stove, but I have been using my slow cooker lately. That way, I can fix it in the morning and forget about it until dinner time. It will turn out a little more soupy if done that way, but you can use less water if you prefer. It will thicken up a bit in the refrigerator, and when you warm it up the next day it will taste even better! Served with crackers or corn bread and topped with cheddar cheese or chopped onion, this chili will warm you up on the inside while winter winds howl outside. 

Mama Judy's Chili

2 pounds  ground beef 

One 29-ounce can tomato sauce

Two 15-ounce cans dark red kidney beans (with liquid)

Two 15-ounce cans pinto beans or light red kidney beans (with liquid)

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin powder

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups water

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain off the fat.

In a large pot, combine the beef plus all remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

Makes about 12 servings.

A Day in the Garden

Saturday was a lovely day. It started out a little chilly, but once the sun woke up and rose from the horizon, the temperature warmed up nicely. After a week with too much rain and too little sunshine, it was the perfect day to work in the garden.

I started out with a walk around the property to see how the most recently planted trees were doing and picked a few green beans from the vegetable garden. I took a couple cuttings from my coffee tree (Coffea arabica) for propagation and dug up a small firespike plant (Odontonema strictum) to give to a friend. I filled the birdbath with nice fresh water and noticed that three of our orchids are getting ready to bloom! Then I decided to put on my old work clothes and get my hands dirty.

There is a small area beside the patio that has become a dumping ground for all sorts of junk. No one can see it from the other side of the fence, but ladders, stacks of flower pots, and old wooden pallets make the place an eyesore. A scraggly dwarf powderpuff tree (Calliandra haematocephala) had seen better days, and I had recently taken it out so that I could revitalize that little section of the yard. Thinking it might be a good place for a Japanese garden, I went to the nursery looking for some bamboo to set the scene.

Since bamboo can be very invasive, I wanted to get a dwarf variety that I could keep contained in a planter. Unfortunately, they didn’t have what I was looking for, but there was a colorful threadleaf copperleaf (Acalypha godseffiana ‘Firestorm’) that looked like it might be a good substitute.

Of course, we never seem to get out of a plant store with just one plant. We spotted a gorgeous purple Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) that we couldn't resist, as well as a few other small beauties.

And then we saw it -- a little tree with flowers that look just like Japanese lanterns! The Chinese fireball maple (Abutilon darwinii x striatum), pictured above, was just what I needed to add some interest to my garden. So it came home with us, as well. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but after planting the tree and the copperleaf, pulling some weeds, and lining a path with stones, I'm beginning to see some progress. Stay tuned for updates on this project! 

Words of Wisdom from Anne of Green Gables

I didn’t have red hair like Anne Shirley, but I did have curly hair and freckles at a time when straight tresses and a flawless, tanned complexion was the ideal. I never smashed a slate over a boy’s head at school, but I did whack my best friend over the head with a cigar box in a fit of anger. I never read Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maude Montgomery, until I was an adult. But as soon as I opened the book and took in the first few words I knew I had discovered a treasure -- and a kindred spirit.

Anne had a talent for getting herself into predicaments. Usually, it was a result of her sometimes overactive imagination. But no matter what happened, there was always some important lesson to learn from the experience. Here are some of my favorites: 

• Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it. Mistakes are inevitable. The only way to never make a mistake is to never do anything -- and that would be a mistake! But no matter how badly you mess up today, there is always tomorrow. The sun will rise again, and you can start anew. Even a completely ruined life can be saved by the grace of God. As the Bible says, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 
• The truth will set you free. Sometimes, there are misunderstandings. Sometimes there is deceit. But in the end, the truth will always be discovered, and things will be made right. Jesus said, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32
• Life's too short to hold grudges. When someone hurts you, it's easy to be angry. But holding on to that anger doesn't make things better. While you are fuming and unhappy, that other person has probably forgotten all about the incident and is enjoying a lovely day. Don't waste your time with bitter grudges. Forgive the offending party, let it go, and move on. The Bible says, Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:26
• You don't make an important call in kitchen clothes. This little gem might seem silly, but it is a matter of respect. Whether you are visiting someone to make an apology (as in Anne's case), or simply meeting for lunch, it's always a nice gesture to try to be presentable. Be considerate and show your appreciation for others. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 
• It's not what the world holds for you, it's what you bring to it. You can spend your life endlessly looking for happiness and complaining about what you don't have, or you can make the best of every opportunity. Just remember, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23  But most importantly, count your blessings! 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1