The Real Life Home School Mom by Virginia Knowles
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
As promised, here is a very short excerpt and the table of contents from my book The Real Life Home School Mom. I have sent information on Common Sense Excellence in another message. Please note that the Learner's Journal lesson planners will not be available until early summertime. If you wish to order any books, there are instructions at the bottom of this message. Please e-mail me ahead of time if you are sending a payment by check.
Profits from books ordered by February 28 will help pay for an Easter conference for village churches in Malawi and Mozambique.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
(This excerpt is from the the chapter called Abide in Christ. It is a continual challenge to me, and I think I personally need to go through this checklist again!)
The Thessalonians Prescription
I have found an excellent Bible passage that I think really talks about how we must work on a day to day basis to reach our childrens hearts with spiritual truth. I use 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 to evaluate my effectiveness as a home school mom, and to give me the perfect prescription for getting our lives back in balance.
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
A Checklist for Home School Moms
1. Do I take the time to cultivate a reverent, fervent, joyful heart and home life?
2. Do I work hard to provide spiritual leadership through good example and teaching?
3. Do I require my children to show proper respect toward both parents? (Some people think that respect must always be earned. While we should try to be worthy of both respect and emulation, there is a certain kind of respect that needs to come with positions of authority -- such as parents, pastors, teachers of any kind, and government officials -- regardless of what our child feels about that person or the situation.)
4. Do I keep my children busy doing good things?
5. In my pursuit to teach my children independent living and learning, do I patiently exhort those who refuse to work, encourage those who lack confidence, and help those truly need direct assistance?
6. Do I seek to be a peacemaker by encouraging kindness and prohibiting revenge?
7. Do I give thanks in all circumstances, knowing God will bring good from them?
8. Do I eliminate influences and activities which are not the best for my family?
9. Do I teach my children to discern good from evil and to seek Gods will?
10. When I see Gods Spirit beginning to work in my child, do I avoid quenching this progress with my own impatience and perfectionism?
11. Do I pray earnestly and continually for my children?
Home schooling can provide the ideal setting for daily discipleship -- for ourselves and for our children. This needs to be the focus of any true education in our family. When Moms heart is nurtured through abiding in Christ, she can handle the challenges of the day better. When childrens hearts are cooperative and teachable, they will learn academic skills much easier. Sometimes it seems like a sacrifice to lay aside my own individual interests to invest the necessary time, energy, and love into my children, but the blessings are abundant and the rewards are eternal. It forces me to lean hard on God! As we all lay aside the old attitudes and methods that have hindered us, may God renew our minds so we can aim for the heart.
THE REAL LIFE HOME SCHOOL MOM
A Book of Help and Hope
Table of Contents
Dedication and Acknowledgements ... 1
Introduction ... 2
1. Blessed and Stressed ... 4
2. In Search of Sanity ... 11
3. The Hallmarks of a Gentle Spirit .... 20
4. Abide in Christ ... 27
5. Theory and Practicality: How Does Education Really Work? ... 37
6. Your Support Network ... 45
7. Life Management 101 ... 53
8. A Vision for the Future ... 61
9. Busy at Home ... 68
10. Excellent Work! ... 80
11. Building the Family Home ... 97
12. Cherishing Your Marriage ... 109
13. Little People ... 115
14. The Transitions of Life ... 121
15. The Home Schooled Mom ... 128
Recommended Resources ... 135
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