high school

Dear Friends,

Before we launch into our topic for the May high school newsletter, we want to extend our warmest wishes for a Happy Mother's Day to the moms in our email audience. All of you ladies have our deepest respect and
appreciation for the vital roles you play in your families. You are doing much more than just teaching your children academics--as one needlework quotation says, you are "tending souls and building minds." Be encouraged this month and rest in grace as you continue to serve
your families for the glory of the Lord.

As you think over the goals you have for your high-schoolers and the values you want to impart during these high school years, take time out from the math, science, English, history, and foreign language lessons to spend a little time thinking about and mapping out a plan to teach some valuable life skills to your teen. We've come up with eight different categories of "life lessons" for you to consider. Begin now to help him or her prepare for adulthood by...

Dear Friends,

Sorry for the title, but we wanted to be sure you would read the June newsletter. Did it work? Seriously, we don't have any miracle cures guaranteed to motivate your teens. If we did, we would both be sunbathing in the Caribbean living off of book royalties! Nonetheless, we hope to provide you with a number of new ideas and simple reminders for motivating your teen (and you).

What is motivation?

The Encarta Dictionary defines motivation as "a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something; the act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something." As parents you can use creative ideas to provide your teens with enticement to be motivated students.

How do I motivate my teens?

One of the key words in the definition of motivation is incentive. We are much more enthused about doing something when we can see a reason for doing it. Likewise, your teens need to understand that there are reasons for them to...

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! We pray the Lord's blessings on your family as we head into 2010. Fresh beginnings always offer new inspiration and motivation. We hope you are in that frame of mind.

If we asked you to evaluate your relationship with your homeschooled teen, would you smile or frown? Regardless of your reaction to that question, the majority of parents are very interested in improving their relationships with their teens. Homeschool parents in particular know that the close encounters homeschooling provides on a daily basis can either be a source of encouragement or cause for prayers of supplication. If you would like to take some time at the beginning of this year to equip yourselves as parents to better train and interact with your teen, we'd like to offer some suggestions for parenting resources.

Please know that we do not intend to be a substitute for your individual pastor's oversight or instruction. The titles mentioned below are merely recommendations--your pastor will undoubtedly be able...

Dear Friends,

For many of you, the school year is winding down, and your teens are finishing those last few assignments. Do you think they know that you look forward to summer as much as they do? As you enjoy a brief break from your teaching routine, the summer months may be a good time to think about life skills to teach your teens in preparation for adulthood.

Although many of our newsletters focus on academic skills, we'd like to branch out and suggest areas that go beyond the schoolwork. No matter what avenue your teens plan to travel, teaching these skills during the high school years will be useful.

Home and Car Maintenance

Both young men and young ladies will benefit from learning the basics. Simple meal planning and cooking, grocery shopping, sorting laundry, ironing, sewing on a button, as well as lawn care and changing furnace filters are among the many skills that can be taught.

If your teen is headed off to college in the future and will live off campus, learning about renter...

Dear Friends,

We hope that July provides you an opportunity to take a moment away from the harried pace of life. Maybe it's time to sit on the porch with a frosty glass of iced tea or lemonade, or to enjoy a gentle swing in the hammock listening to the sounds of summer. Let your mind drift back to family memories of yesteryear and then come forward to those of today. What do you want to preserve and pass on to your children and future grandchildren? What kind of legacy do you wish to leave for your family?

Legacy--such a legal sounding word, yet it embodies so much of who we are, where we came from, where we're headed. According to Webster, it includes receipt of a money gift from a will or something received from an ancestor or predecessor. However, it can also encompass such intangibles as history, ideas, beliefs, stories, or wisdom passed down from generations that may uniquely identify us as the Smiths, the Roberts, and so forth.

In the grand story of Scripture, God lays out the legacies of people he chose to...

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! Isn't it wonderful to be gifted with a fresh new year stretched out in front of you? As you are diving back into the rigors of teaching high school classes and corralling your teens from all those days of vacation, remember I Thessalonians 5:24: "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (NASB). Let's trust God in this new year to provide the wisdom, strength, and resources necessary to teach and mentor your children.

Homeschooling through high school is a big job--but it is manageable. Some practical ways to remain committed to the task and remain sane while doing so are:

• Make a New Year's resolution to schedule a regular time alone or with friends. This will reorder your perspective to see that your circumstances are similar to others'; your child's behavior is "normal"; your teaching challenges are understood by others. How refreshing to know you aren't the only one experiencing these feelings and fears!
• ...

Dear Friends,

A new year is a wonderful opportunity to get a fresh start and a renewed perspective on your homeschooling. Although most of our newsletters provide practical input about academics and the "how to's" of teaching high school, this newsletter will focus on nurturing hope in the midst of "tending the souls" of your children. Tending souls is often a workout for the heart--it can be heartwarming or heart-wrenching! Dads and Moms, you may become physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. So this month, we want to share some thoughts from our hearts and extend to you something that all of us need no matter what season of life we are in--HOPE. Even if you are currently experiencing a time of joy and peace in your homeschooling, this message of hope may be timely for you to share with friends who will benefit from an infusion of hope.

The hope we are speaking about is that comfort, expectation, confidence, or trust that God's promises are true. We could define hope as looking towards...

Dear Friends,

Welcome to another edition of the HSLDA Homeschoooling Thru High School email newsletter. It's hard to believe this issue begins the third year of the high school newsletter. To those of you who have been receiving the newsletter since the beginning, we are blessed by your readership. We love hearing from our readers, and we enjoyed meeting many of you as we traveled during this past homeschool conference season.

September is a month of new beginnings--the start of a new school year, new books, and perhaps a new baby or a new high schooler! The beginning of a school year is a great time to be reminded of the precious blessings our children represent. They are all different; they are created in the image of God, and they have each been given specific talents.

We promised you last month we would be on the hunt for average homeschoolers. Of course, average means different things to different people. We define average as those students who generally score in the mean when taking tests or those students who...

Dear Friends,

We hope your school year has gotten off to a good start, and you've settled into a routine--although "routine" may not be a word that is in your vocabulary during these hectic yet precious teen years. Our prayer is that you will hit your stride and find just the right mix between the seriousness of high school academic preparation and the fun times of experiencing and enjoying life with your young adult.

As part of your homeschooling activities, we want to encourage you to consider the benefits of carving time out of your busy schedule to take advantage of mentoring and being mentored. A mentor is an experienced teacher who nurtures and fosters a younger and usually less experienced person. As you've seen your child reap the rewards of one- on-one tutorial style teaching, you can also profit from spending time learning firsthand from a mentor who may be another homeschooling parent, relative, teacher, or someone the Lord brings to you. We know how busy your days are and how little time you have...

Dear Friends,

Christmas is coming! Carols are in the air! Your children are busy making up their Christmas wish lists. The planning of parties, family holiday dinners, and Christmas cookie swaps may be crowding out the thoughts of English, history, and math. It's that time of the year! If you are already overwhelmed by the holidays, don't feel any obligation to add one more item to your plate. Instead, schedule down time on your calendar and spend some quiet moments meditating on the wonder and gift of Christmas, specifically, Immanuel, God with us.

BUT...if you would like to introduce the idea that "it's more blessed to give than to receive" as part of your Christmas traditions, this month we want to suggest ways you and your children can bring hope and God's love to those near and far away who are less fortunate. Of course, we are not saying each family must incorporate all of these ideas, but you may elect to choose one to try, or come up with your own idea to give a blessing. As homeschooling...