Celebrate the School Year

1) Celebrate

As another school year draws to a close, celebrate as you think of the goodness of God to have partnered with you. The sovereign Creator has not forsaken you at any point through the school year. He remained in control through exciting lessons and dreadful failures. He knows every weakness of you, the teacher, yet He calls you to represent Him in the training of your children. To be trusted with those God calls valuable is reason to celebrate. Take a moment right now and worship. “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

2) Appreciate

Look at the differences among your children. Some learn quickly, others not so quickly. Ask God to allow you to see what He sees. Begin to focus on differences as individual touches from God. Encourage what God has created in each child. Above all, for each one, draw him to cherish the God who made him. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”(1Peter 4:10)

3) Communicate

You, mom, are allowed to need help! Communicate this to God, to your husband and to your prayer warriors. Be open to seeking help in areas that overwhelm you.

First, evaluate what and why you are overwhelmed. Deal with spiritual issues, such as perfectionism or comparing. Next look around you for resources that you may not have tapped. Consider:

- Student teachers. Are your older children getting the excellent experience and training available to them as they prepare to teach their younger siblings? They may teach what they are learning in history, Bible or science. OR they may review an area needing review, such as math facts or phonics. The teacher mom chooses what and when student teaching will happen. Can’t you envision all kinds of lessons as your children interact?

- Your husband. While his work schedule may prohibit him taking full responsibility for math, for example, he may be able to do a specific science project or teach a certain math concept or review regularly some area of need. Ask him. Communicate your need.

4) Dedicate

Dedicate yourself to being a continuing student of excellence in education. Use difficult teaching or discipline moments to declare your absolute dependence on God. Regularly renew your commitment to God and His ways. Review your Bible study plan. Dedicate your moments to God, as you envision future generations profiting from your labor today. Dedicate yourself to eliminating those thoughts and actions that destroy,

such as:

- Nagging. You will purposely choose to lead the discipline situation, rather than giving the child control by your whining.

- Showing displeasure while teaching. You will replace this with genuine gratitude for the way God made each child as a learner. You will also create quiet moments in your schedule for rest and fun reading –knowing that this is necessary for efficient teaching.

- Comparing. You will rebuke the thought of the perfect house and perfect children of every other homeschool family in your acquaintance. Even if this were true, it does not control how you serve God today by providing for and training your own children.

5) Facilitate

Do this by taking advantage of local resources.

- Special field trips to local historical sites can be refreshing and eye-opening. Once you become familiar with a site, share what you know with other families.

- Older people can be a resource untapped. They will enjoy sharing and can give first hand research to topics like “games before phones.”

- Grandparents often have an area of specialty that would benefit your child. Such as: baking bread or learning another language.

- Libraries. Today we use internet for the research we used the library for even recently. But libraries can still offer a great opportunity to explore.

- Other community buildings such as government offices and banks offer opportunity to teach values, thinking skills and Biblical principles.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you may be able, where appropriate, to help your child become a successful adult as they watch how you do it! Enjoy your children. Get to know them. Ask questions. Listen.

God bless you as we serve together with one goal –to love God and love others.

Love, Becky