Hello Friends and Welcome Back!
Back in the day when I was in elementary school, we were always excited and depressed about the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. For my brother and I, it meant a little relief from the small farm chores of haying, building fences, and chasing cows.
Now came the getting up extra early and walking ALL the way to the end of the driveway to catch the bus, which didn't seem nearly as long a walk if I were going to my friend's house to play! Also came the cool stuff that we "had" to have for the new school year, new glue sticks, yellow pencils, three prong folders, and if you were lucky, a new pencil box. But most importantly, I really needed that "Six Million Dollar Man" lunchbox if I were going to be successful "readin, writin, and doin rithmitic" that year!
Fortunately for me, we were one of the first to be picked up by our bus and were able to pick the best of the seats. We even had enough time to switch a few seats to find the one we liked best before anyone else. We just had to make sure to strategically place our lunchbox to get the most visibility for Lee Majors in the passing glances of the other bus riders, especially the girls.
Now we live in the day of phones that can text, facebook, twitter, google, webserf, calculate, play movies, get directions, tell you the weather in Newfoundland, and get this.....you can even talk to someone verbally live! And how could we live without the MP3 or Ipod player that holds more songs than have ever been written, or more pictures than have ever been taken, at least seems that way to me?
Yes, times have definately changed, and so has the cool stuff. And while I try to convince myself and you that our "homeschooled angels" go through the grades without the bias and pressures that we all have faced, being free to pursue that pre-ivy leauge education, well let me convince myself first, and I'll get back to you.
From chalkboards to touchscreens, we all are faced with the competiveness of the workplace, family, society, and school. How will our angels respond? Will they be sensitive to the less fortunate? Will they understand the value of the education that you are working so hard to give them? Or possibly act like other kids, which by the way, they are! Let us teach them these lessons well!
In closing, if there were a "homeschool bus" that picked up the homeschooling kids in your city, what would they be noticing as they walked past the lucky ones who were first on the bus? A glimpse of Dell or Mac? For this is truly the cool stuff of learning, and yes it even beats your Star Wars lunchbox!
May God Bless Homeschooling Dad's the world over! I'll meet you back in the Garage soon!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
You want to be impressed...here's how!
Hello Again! I would like to share a short story with you and encourage you to follow suite! About four years ago, or so, my wife attended her first large scale homeschooling conference. Of course, I was working and could not attend. The kids were with their grandparents for the few days it was going on.
The conference was about two hours from the house, so she stayed in a local hotel. Wow! The first evening, we talked on the phone, and she just kept saying, next year you are coming! When she came home, she was so excited! We talked...well actually, she talked and I listened!
What was it that excited her so much? Was it the great breakout sessions she attended by leaders of the movement or the hall full of vendors? Of course that was all well and good, but the most exciting part was simply the realization that she wasn't "alone" as a parent trying to homeschool, as she felt she was.
The next year I was in! Thanks again to wonderful grandparents, we were able to go alone, and it had changed venues and was twice as large. I could not believe my eyes! Everything she said was so true! Thousands of homeschooling parents, hundreds of product vendors, and many wonderful sessions on various topics! No matter what a persons particular desire to learn about, there was probably a seminar about it at the conference. Organization, disciplining, theories of teaching styles, teaching tips and techniques, just to name a few.
But like her from the past year, I felt a sense of encouragement from just seeing so many people that were blessed to be able to homeschool their children, and had been blessed enough to be able to attend. Imagine going to a major league game and EVERYONE in the stadium loved the team! Just being able to fellowship and and participate by meeting other parents from all over the multistate area boosted my spirits and left an impact on me that is almost indescribable.
Last year we went again and took our oldest daughter. She has already said, that she was coming with us next time! So men, if you have never been to a homeschooling conference, or if your wife has never been to one, do yourself both a favor and look for one near you, and you will leave with a renewed sense of passion like you haven't had since you started homeschooling!
Thanks for stopping in, may God Bless all the homeschooling dad's around the world, and I'll see you next time in Dad's Homeschool Garage!
The conference was about two hours from the house, so she stayed in a local hotel. Wow! The first evening, we talked on the phone, and she just kept saying, next year you are coming! When she came home, she was so excited! We talked...well actually, she talked and I listened!
What was it that excited her so much? Was it the great breakout sessions she attended by leaders of the movement or the hall full of vendors? Of course that was all well and good, but the most exciting part was simply the realization that she wasn't "alone" as a parent trying to homeschool, as she felt she was.
The next year I was in! Thanks again to wonderful grandparents, we were able to go alone, and it had changed venues and was twice as large. I could not believe my eyes! Everything she said was so true! Thousands of homeschooling parents, hundreds of product vendors, and many wonderful sessions on various topics! No matter what a persons particular desire to learn about, there was probably a seminar about it at the conference. Organization, disciplining, theories of teaching styles, teaching tips and techniques, just to name a few.
But like her from the past year, I felt a sense of encouragement from just seeing so many people that were blessed to be able to homeschool their children, and had been blessed enough to be able to attend. Imagine going to a major league game and EVERYONE in the stadium loved the team! Just being able to fellowship and and participate by meeting other parents from all over the multistate area boosted my spirits and left an impact on me that is almost indescribable.
Last year we went again and took our oldest daughter. She has already said, that she was coming with us next time! So men, if you have never been to a homeschooling conference, or if your wife has never been to one, do yourself both a favor and look for one near you, and you will leave with a renewed sense of passion like you haven't had since you started homeschooling!
Thanks for stopping in, may God Bless all the homeschooling dad's around the world, and I'll see you next time in Dad's Homeschool Garage!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Remember When.....
Men,
Remember when you and your family made the decision to begin homeschooling? Like anything that you do in life, it probably was not the easiest decision you made. If you had a friend or family member that was homeschooling, you should consider yourself lucky to have the resource to get information first hand and not from a book.
There are as many reasons to homeschool as there are to not to homeschool. Maybe you decided to homeschool due to your religious views, the condition of your local schools, the educational quality of your local schools. Maybe because you have a budding Olympian that must practice many hours a day, or for your child's health or dietary reasons. To me, all are valid reasons, and I salute all that have decided to take on the challenge.
No matter what the reason, the bottom line is giving your child the best possible education, isn't it? Have you ever questioned yourself as to if you had made the right decision? Did you ever catch one of those "feel good" news stories on TV about how a group of high school kids are helping feed the homeless, helping to clean up a neighborhood, or starting a recycling program at the school that they attend, and wonder just a little what your child would be like if they had that opportunity?
I have! And my conclusion is this, I have NO regrets! We are closer as a family now than we have ever been. My kids now value the things that they get more (usually), and I value the things that I am able to give them (definitely). For each kid that is doing good works from the constraints of public education, I am sure they are hundreds that are barely making it through.
Oddly enough as it turns out, now when I see the "feel good" news story about a group of public schooled kids doing good things, I truly am happy for them and the community in which they live. I also wonder, what if those kids that are doing the good things had the same opportunity that my kids have, what other awesome things would they be doing? And what if the kids that are barely making it through the system, had the love and support of a homeschooling parent on their side? Just imagine the difference in our world.
May God Bless the Homeschooling families and dad's around the world! See you next time in, Dad's Homeschool Garage!
Remember when you and your family made the decision to begin homeschooling? Like anything that you do in life, it probably was not the easiest decision you made. If you had a friend or family member that was homeschooling, you should consider yourself lucky to have the resource to get information first hand and not from a book.
There are as many reasons to homeschool as there are to not to homeschool. Maybe you decided to homeschool due to your religious views, the condition of your local schools, the educational quality of your local schools. Maybe because you have a budding Olympian that must practice many hours a day, or for your child's health or dietary reasons. To me, all are valid reasons, and I salute all that have decided to take on the challenge.
No matter what the reason, the bottom line is giving your child the best possible education, isn't it? Have you ever questioned yourself as to if you had made the right decision? Did you ever catch one of those "feel good" news stories on TV about how a group of high school kids are helping feed the homeless, helping to clean up a neighborhood, or starting a recycling program at the school that they attend, and wonder just a little what your child would be like if they had that opportunity?
I have! And my conclusion is this, I have NO regrets! We are closer as a family now than we have ever been. My kids now value the things that they get more (usually), and I value the things that I am able to give them (definitely). For each kid that is doing good works from the constraints of public education, I am sure they are hundreds that are barely making it through.
Oddly enough as it turns out, now when I see the "feel good" news story about a group of public schooled kids doing good things, I truly am happy for them and the community in which they live. I also wonder, what if those kids that are doing the good things had the same opportunity that my kids have, what other awesome things would they be doing? And what if the kids that are barely making it through the system, had the love and support of a homeschooling parent on their side? Just imagine the difference in our world.
May God Bless the Homeschooling families and dad's around the world! See you next time in, Dad's Homeschool Garage!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Welcome to the Garage!
Men,
I have wanted to take the time to sit down and do this for quite a while now. There is always 10,000 things that are yet to be done, and I keep putting off the things that I want to do for that rainy day. And since I think that we have had 0.02" inches of rain this year, at least it feels that way, I figure it is best to get started.
I choose the title Dad's Homeschooling Garage, because I think most men like their garage if they have one, or want one if they don't. Right now I don't, but I used to. I found that it was a relaxing place, when it was clean and semi organized. It is where I always wanted to have an old couch and sit with a friend and talk about stuff. Some dad's are great at sports and pass that along to the kids, I'm not, I was that sick kid with Asthma back in the day when in school. Some dad's are great at fixing up old cars or motorcycles, I'm not, I just wanted to drive the General Lee, not fix it up! But I love my kids with all my heart, and I would do anything for them!
I am not wanting to do this to give advice, but rather to seek advice. It is no secret in my household that my wife does 110% of the homeschooling activities, and manages 99% of the household things that need to be done. Please don't consider me to be the lazy type, I'm not, but I am resolving to step up and take more of the load off of her in ALL the departments that she works in here.
2009 was the toughest year of our marriage. The loss of my job with two weeks notice, just one month before losing my father who had been getting progressively worse since falling on Jan 1 of 2009, and there are other things.
We are Christians, have been trying to find a home church here for a while, where we feel that we all "fit". If you have ever moved 9 hours from your comfort zone, then you know how hard it is! We visited one today that we have a good feeling about, we are praying about it.
Well that's my first entry. Must get some sleep before going to work tomorrow! May God Bless Homeschooling Dad's the world over! I'll meet you back in the Garage soon!
I have wanted to take the time to sit down and do this for quite a while now. There is always 10,000 things that are yet to be done, and I keep putting off the things that I want to do for that rainy day. And since I think that we have had 0.02" inches of rain this year, at least it feels that way, I figure it is best to get started.
I choose the title Dad's Homeschooling Garage, because I think most men like their garage if they have one, or want one if they don't. Right now I don't, but I used to. I found that it was a relaxing place, when it was clean and semi organized. It is where I always wanted to have an old couch and sit with a friend and talk about stuff. Some dad's are great at sports and pass that along to the kids, I'm not, I was that sick kid with Asthma back in the day when in school. Some dad's are great at fixing up old cars or motorcycles, I'm not, I just wanted to drive the General Lee, not fix it up! But I love my kids with all my heart, and I would do anything for them!
I am not wanting to do this to give advice, but rather to seek advice. It is no secret in my household that my wife does 110% of the homeschooling activities, and manages 99% of the household things that need to be done. Please don't consider me to be the lazy type, I'm not, but I am resolving to step up and take more of the load off of her in ALL the departments that she works in here.
2009 was the toughest year of our marriage. The loss of my job with two weeks notice, just one month before losing my father who had been getting progressively worse since falling on Jan 1 of 2009, and there are other things.
We are Christians, have been trying to find a home church here for a while, where we feel that we all "fit". If you have ever moved 9 hours from your comfort zone, then you know how hard it is! We visited one today that we have a good feeling about, we are praying about it.
Well that's my first entry. Must get some sleep before going to work tomorrow! May God Bless Homeschooling Dad's the world over! I'll meet you back in the Garage soon!
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