What really counts ultimately
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Guest Writer; Values on 10 Jul 2000.
GUEST WRITER: EVELYN SEOW
I don’t believe it! My first-born is graduating from homeschool after all these years of walking by faith. For years, I was concerned whether I was teaching her enough and if she was up to standard. The piles of reference books, tapes, videos, curricula, tests, fears & tears are now but a memory. And of course there were those agonizing days when I fell on my knees and prayed, “Dear Lord please show me how to guide & teach my children correctly. Reveal to me the best educational methods, curriculum, and books. HELP!”
It’s year 2000 now, and I wonder why my confidence in homeschooling was so shaky. As Prisca is packing to leave for the US, tears are just welling in my eyes. Oh how I wish I had more time with her. It seemed like yesterday when I cradled her in my arms and prayed that she would grow up to be a mighty woman of God and a nation changer, touching multitudes with her life.
The time has come to release her, and God is reminding me that her life belongs to Him. He has opened wide the door for her to go to Oral Roberts University in the United States and has blessed her with more scholarships than we could ever imagine. Although I no longer worry or doubt if it is God’s will for her to go in this direction, I constantly wonder whether I have prepared her well enough. At least I know I did give her my very best!
Well, I want to share from my heart what I have learnt through my homeschooling journey. First of all, we need to understand that God has placed specific gifts in our children. We just need to discover their talents and develop them for His kingdom. Encourage them to excel in them, even though they may not seem very promising. The more we go against the way God has made our children, the more we place unnecessary burdens upon ourselves. Worse still, we discourage our kids and indirectly hinder them from reaching their full potential.
I must admit I was guilty of stifling one of Prisca’s God-given talents. When she was in Grade 5, I was really worried about her unusual way of journaling. Instead of writing, she would draw cartoon strips in them. They were cute and funny, but after consulting with several Education professors, I resolved to put a stop to her childish work and demanded that she communicated her thoughts in writing. Wasn’t I harsh? Seven years later, I realise how I missed my opportunity to capitalise on that talent. When she applied for her academic scholarship, she was required to submit a project. You guessed it: her project was a complete book of cartoons! The scholarship board especially loved the cartoons and awarded her the Regent Scholarship and a couple others as well.
Below are several pointers which I hope will be beneficial to you in your own homeschool journey.
1) Love:
Use every opportunity to show love to your children, both physically and emotionally. We often forget that they won’t be under our parental care for long. If it were possible, I would want to go back to the many occasions when I should have hugged Prisca. I used to think that she had outgrown demonstrations of physical affection and was too matured to be cuddled. Not true!
2) Discipline:
Discipline your children out of love and never out of anger. I know that it is all too easy to get worked up and frustrated, but this can be avoided if we see beyond the natural and look at the big picture of our children’s lives. Many a time we try to mould our children into what we want them to be. Instead, we ought to understand theirunique personalities, temperaments, learning styles, and special talents.
3) Discipleship:
The main reason why we homeschooled was because we wanted to disciple and mentor our girls on a daily basis. We currently apportion an hour and a half of our morning for Bible study and family devotions. We do not use any Bible study materials – we merely read straight from the Word and expound on it. We also spend ten minutes journaling what God has spoken to us. This has not only sharpened the girls’ writing and thinking skills, but it has also caused them to grow spiritually. You’ll be amazed at the profound insights your children can come up with when they are made to write.
In addition, my girls have to memorise the Psalms and recite them verbatim to me. We have almost finished the entire book. If only we had been more diligent, we might have finished memorising the entire New Testament. You might want to try that!
4) Academics:
There are so many curricula on the market nowadays. It is so easy to get overwhelmed and confused. Every curriculum claims to be the best and you feel like you’re lost at sea. I faced that problem too. Prisca was the “curriculum” guinea pig in our family. Well, we all do make mistakes. The important thing is to find what works for your child and then stick to it. Your friends will offer various advice, but don’t get swayed! Do remember to keep all career options open as most children are too young to know what they really want to do.
5) Keeping Records:
If you are considering the option of sending your child to university, it is essential to keep records of basically everything. Most US universities require the minimum of Grade 9-12 transcripts, but they also look out for other extracurricular records and certificates in your portfolio, especially if you are a homeschooler. When Prisca applied for her scholarship, she realised how invaluable all the photos of her activities, travels, mission trips and ministry work were. She was also very thankful that she had kept her records properly and dated and filed her work in a systematic way.
Though, homeschooling is challenging, it has also been fulfilling. Despite all my shortcomings, God remained faithful. A few weeks ago, I got my daughters to share a little something as an introduction to my Sunday sermon. After the service, a youth came up to me and said, “Aunty Evelyn, we don’t laugh at homeschooling any more. In the past, we all did.” Sounds familiar?
About the writer: Ex-Malaysians Evelyn and her husband Roland are pioneer pastors of a church in Melbourne, Australia.
Comments