Help! I´m Homeschooling! part 2

Click here to read  Part 1

 A Combo Deal 

Have you ever seen a one-room school house? I had only seen one on television until we saw one in Wyoming a few years ago.  It was about the size of our home school room, only it had twenty or so seats.  There is no way that this teacher had separate subject matter for each individual student at his grade level. She had to have combined.  Sure, there would have been some student groups based on reading or math skills. She may have divided between older and younger children. In these old, one-room school house teachers had to combine as much as possible. We can, too.

Our homeschoolers in Chicago 2015

Combine Subjects

Having seperate subject classes for each individual student can be a waste of class time.  For example, why do the children need to write endless handwriting pages that are boring to them and to us?  Combine handwriting with something. I included handwriting with spelling and vocabulary.  If the letters were not written correctly and neatly, they were simply misspelled.  My children were all too happy to put down those handwriting books. You could try blending handwriting with Bible memory verses, for another example.  Another handwriting combo could come with art.  Give the students some nice pens and paper for writing. Suddenly handwriting is fun, and the students are learning different kinds of lines and curves while making beautiful letters.

To leave off picking on poor handwriting, let's take a look at another subject that can be easily combined with something else, composition. Most social studies, science, and literature subjects have essays or other writing assignments.  Too often those assignments get skipped leaving an important part of learning the concept undone.  Writing about something helps a person develop a better understanding about that topic. Why not combine the rules given in your grammar and composition books with the subject matter found in your social studies book? This provides an opportunity to do both.  You may need to adjust the writing assignment in social studies to fit the concept being learned in composition. For example, your student may be  assigned a summery in composition with a random topic and an essay in social studies about the Transcontinental railroad.  Learn the rules of writing a summery, and write that summery about a section in the history book about the railroad instead of writing an essay. Two birds; one stone.

Combine Classes

There is no magic in learning geography in ninth grade, world history in tenth, and US history in eleventh.  Social studies is a prime example of classes that can be combined with several students spanning different grade levels.  Think back to that one-room school house.  Their history lesson would have been taught all together.  She may have taught about ancient Egypt. They would all have been learning about it together but their assignments and tests would look different.  Frankly speaking, history is a lot more fun learned as a group than individually out of a book. Pair younger and older children to do research.  

On a practical level, combining classes is a lot more prep work for the teacher, but it is well worth the invested time.  Often junior high and senior high books follow a similar subject progression.  A smaller, easier version will be in junior high while a more complicated version will be in senior high.  Just because the books are different doesn't mean that you can't combine the subject matter.  Thomas Edison was an important inventor in both the junior high and senior high books.  Don't let grade levels marked on a book intimidate you.  You can customize it for your students. 

The classes that should almost always be combined are the electives.  If you find you can't find your groove in combining reading, writing, and arithmetic, then please, consider combining the other stuff. There is no reason that Bible, art, auto mechanics, PE cannot be combined.  As I mentioned, doing combo deals with your classes relies heavily on preparation, but the results are spectacular.  You and your students will have fun on the learning journey, and their recollection of the subject matter will be more meaningful.

That one-room school house produced some great results.  One teacher teaching different age levels and learning styles had to make it work for everybody. You can, too.

Patrick and Vicki Weimer in Iceland since 1999

Help! I'm homeschooling! part one

Some Rosa art from third grade.

Homeschooling is a challenge.  We have our last child starting her senior year in the fall.  In the early years, I remember being terrified. Homeschooling three littles guys? In a foreign country? Thankfully, the shared wisdom of seasoned homeschool moms helped boost my confidence and make me a better teacher.  It is my sincere wish to be a similar blessing to others on the homeschool journey, to share tidbits that I have picked up on the way.

Here are three things that I think are foundational to a homeschool family.

Determine that you actually want to teach your children.

Homeschooling is not for everyone.  If you are going into it half-heartedly or because of peer pressure, don't.  Decide what is best for you, for your family, for your ministry.  Not everything has to be figured out before you start, but you need to be sure homeschooling is what God has for you and your family.  My advice is to ask, seek, and knock in God's Word to find His plan for your family. If you determine homeschooling is the right option for you, move forward with confidence.  

Do what is best for you as a teacher.

Some junior year Rosa art, a drawing of her horse

This may seem a little backwards.  We are, after all, supposed to put others first.  When you decide to be the teacher, though, you need to make it work for you. You have to make decisions about curriculum and teaching methods based on your own skills and preferences. 

Don't we do this in other areas? Take cooking, for example? Ask ten different women how to make fried chicken. There will be ten different recipes using all different kinds of tools and cooking methods. The results are generally the same, fried chicken.  

Just as we use our own skill set when we cook for our family, we do the same with teaching our children.  Consider your own strengths and weaknesses.  The more comfortable you are in your own skin as a teacher, the better your students will learn.  Don't try to be someone else or fit yourself into the "perfect teacher" role.

Decide who the teacher is.

Patrick and Vicki Weimer

Will you, the mom, be the single educator? Your husband might like to teach, too. Mine taught Bible, science through junior high, karate, wood shop, car mechanics, and other electives.  You could incorporate people in your area to help you teach certain things. Also, there are a variety of on-line options available now.  My personal opinion is that using a combination of all of these gives a student a well-rounded education.  I'll talk about that in a later post, though.  

These three things may help you establish the framework for your homeschool.  I hope there is something helpful there.  In future posts, I would like to share things I have learned about choosing curricula, taking standardized tests, having an umbrella school, making a school room, and other things that have been a help to me. 

That Light Bulb Moment

Missionary Jobs

Missionary work is diverse from one field to another, from one missionary to another, and even from one day to another.  Toilet cleaning and mopping at church, grocery shopping in extreme weather conditions (no one-stop shopping here), struggling with red-tape legalese in a foreign language - these are some of the less than glamorous jobs.  Though those time eaters can be unpleasant, there are some really fulfilling things that we get to do, too.  Some of the best jobs are telling a person broken down by sin that there is forgiveness and hope in Christ, rejoicing with a new Christian over his first answered prayer, or sharing a meal to encourage a family.  My favorite job, though, the one that makes me want to get up every day, is teaching.  

That Light Bulb Moment

One of our children who is headed to college in the fall but is uncertain what the Lord wants him to study spent this last week helping a young lady study for a math exam. She told me that he was able to help her really understand the math like never before. In her words, "He should really be a math teacher." 

I asked him what he thought about that.  Did he like teaching her? Would he like to be a math teacher?  

He replied, "I don't know if I'm supposed to be a teacher or not, but I can tell you one thing.  I loved that light bulb moment."  

I know what he means.  I love that "light bulb moment," too.

In The Beginning

As with many European countries, Iceland has experienced a larger than normal number of immigrants.  One of them, a lady from Ghana, has been coming to our church.  Before meeting this lady and others like her, I took for granted the opportunity I had been given to go school, to learn to read and write. She was never afforded that opportunity. 

At home she, her husband, and her children speak their mother tongue Twi.  She can also speak a little Italian that she picked up while in Italy for a few years but when she came to Iceland, she could speak neither Icelandic nor English. While diligently trying to learn Icelandic along with her children, she also wants to learn English.  

For the last several months, we have been studying both the mechanics of reading and the English language together.  We had to be very creative at first to communicate with each other since neither of us spoke any language the other spoke. Adding a little color to our lessons, at least one of her children is with us during lessons playing, nursing, or sometimes crying.  The learning process has been slow at times, but she is a hard worker and studies what we learn together.

Today was really exciting.  I had an English Bible for her but was waiting to give it to her until she could read it.  As we got to the end of our lesson, I told her that I had a surprise for her.

When I pulled out the Bible, she looked confused.  "I already have a Twi Bible," she said.

"Right," I replied, "but this one you know how to read." 

We opened the Scriptures to the first page.  In broken, thickly accented English she read, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." 

I cried.  What an honor it is to share the gift of reading so that someone can read God's Word for the first time! I am so excited that I get to watch her grow in the Lord as she reads all about Him. 

Hearing for the First Time

When there are no pre-printed Sunday School curricula in your language, you make your own. Creativity is the name of the game here.  At first, I thought it was a handicap not to have anything in Icelandic ready to order. In time, though, I have changed my mind.  By having to do lessons "from scratch," I am able to better tailor each lesson to the children that I am teaching.

Recently I have been struck by the tremendous honor it is to teach someone the Bible for the first time.  God is amazing; telling children about Him is actually so very fun.  From a literary perspective the Bible is written in such an entertaining way.  He makes it too easy for us.  His stories are exciting, funny, scary, miraculous, but most of all true.  Teaching a child to add or subtract is rewarding, but that pales in comparison to the privilege of getting to share true Bible stories with them for the first time.  Watching their little faces stare in wide-eyed wonder at what we are reading is such a treat. The greatest, most wonderful thing of all, though, is that in sharing these amazing stories with the children, I know that they are getting to know the God who loves them.

Yes, sometimes days are long and hard, and many jobs we do seem insignificant and thankless. They are not all like that, though. I feel so blessed to have the honor of teaching, of helping someone read God's Word for the first time, of sharing the timeless treasures in the Bible with children, of watching that "light bulb moment."

Vicki and Patrick Weimer in Iceland since 1999

Stuff Gets Said

Gossip and "fake news" have been around since long before social media. People like to talk about things that are different. Sometimes they are afraid of something new. As missionaries, we are often surprised to learn some new stories people are telling about us. Some stories are hurtful, some are just puzzling, but some are downright hilarious.

The Hurtful Stuff

Regarding the hurtful things said, we have to deal with that just like anybody else does. The best thing is to take it to the Lord.  This is true in any land. We have to remember who we are in Christ, and remember that the truth will come out.

The Puzzling Stuff

Sometimes we hear misconceptions about ourselves or our church that make us scratch our heads.  Usually my snarky replies remain unspoken. 

"Is it true that you can't drink coffee in your church?" Um, no, thankfully.

"We heard that you aren´t allowed to celebrate Christmas." That house with the giant Christmas tree in the window, it's mine.


"Why can't women talk in your church?" It would be really hard for me to teach Sunday school without talking. 

"Why are you against science?" I'm not, but my kids might have wished I were when they had to take chemistry and biology.

The Funny Stuff

Then there are the stories about us that are so bizarre, we can do nothing but laugh about them. 

About a year ago, I was feeling really good about myself - I know, pride goeth before a fall - because a local teenage girl had told my daughter that I was really nice and pretty. Wow! A few days later one of our church teens told me that she had heard something about me.  I couldn't wait to hear it.  Someone else liked me perhaps? No. The Lord had a cure for that pride of mine. A rumor was going around our whole village and had spread to some other towns that I was killing cats. Apparently they thought I was putting poison out in the yard and enticing cats to come taste their doom. It was talked about at home, at school, and even in the grocery store. Who knows how this even started. Okay, it was a blow to my ego to know something so blatantly false, and strange,  was being said about me. That first night brought tears of self-pity, but the Lord helped change those into tears of laughter. I joined my kids, our church teens, anybody who actually knows me in laughing about the silliness of it. 

My favorite story about the church, though, happened years ago when the military base was still here. The church was trying to build but was being stonewalled from several places. Because of that, we couldn't afford windows in the building.  Having no windows invited all kinds of speculation about what was happening inside, but one local village was convinced they knew the truth.  The story went something like this: "Those strange people in the window-less church are evil.  They dress in nothing but long underwear, dance around strange lines on the floor, and sacrifice hens." So there were some military folks in long undies under their clothes, and we did admittedly have an AWANA circle for the kids' game time.  That said, none of us knows where the hen sacrifice part started.  And why not roosters, too?  This is one that still makes us laugh today.  

People say stuff. We have to learn to take it to the Lord, grow some thicker skin, and sometimes just laugh about it. 

Patrick and Vicki Weimer, Iceland since 1999