Adventures in Homeschooling meet the Teachers
What a blessing, what a lovely lady; that is my introduction to Sandra!
We meet several years ago through family and business, she was just growing out of teen years and stepping into the world of her new life as an adult.
I praise God for how He built the strong foundation in Sandra that seems to give her the strength and ability to do whatever He calls her to. No challenge to much for her and God!!!
I asked Sandra to write on the subject of homeschooling because she has embraced the call and allowed God to use her to be the teacher of her children both in school lessons and lessons of example and life.
It is my prayer you as a reader will take the subtle lessons Sandra offers and help to transform your children's lives for the Glory of God.
Thank you Sandra for your willingness to share your life with us, may God bless and empower you for your lifes work in Him.
In Christ
Theressa Lindsey, Director
Homeschooling Mom, Sandra Loeffler
When you have a child, many thoughts go through a mothers head; “will I be a good mother, will I feed them the right foods, where will they go to school?” And in time you realize how to make those decisions for your children.
When our almost 4 year old was ready for school, we were informed that she needed speech therapy. It seemed to be an easy decision to put her into the public school system. We did and she received great care and a good education and we were very happy when she tested out of the speech program after just a year and a half. She had achieved the maximum levels of the program and was even helping other students who had speech delays or other social issues in her school.
Why would we think about homeschooling if the public school system was going so well? Well, by an act of God, we were called to move... and not just anywhere but to an Island that took us back to the stone ages... or at least it felt that way to me. We all have come to love and have adjusted to our little Island and in doing so had to make a decision about homeschooling. The schools here are...well, either cost an arm and a leg or are not at a standard we would accept for schooling.
Of course anxiety arose with, what curriculum to choose, what's our schedule going to be, how will she socialize within our small community. And I have been amazed watching God's hand in it all. God allowed those to go before me.... I wasn't trying to re-invent the wheel... but it still felt that difficult to me at first. My sister-in-law homeschools her 4 children and has tried many different curriculum's, so it seemed only natural to ask her 1,000 questions, which she graciously answered.
All in all, it has been a wonderful decision to homeschool. I know exactly what she is learning and with the extracurricular activities, she seems to have a more well-rounded education. She isn't influenced by other children's behavior or bad attitudes and she and her sister play very well together now... :) It is a lot of work and it took time to adjust to the new and ever evolving schedule. But it has and is so worth it.
Even the tough moments, or stressful times are an opportunity to teach our children. You've got dishes on your mind, laundry to fold, dinner to start thinking about, dog needs to be fed, another child pulling on your dress, the phone starts ringing, you have 3 more subjects to complete for school today...take a breath, you're just reading it... Where is the lesson to learn in stress? We teach all the time, even if we think we're not, they are watching. They learn our managing skills, our coping skills and even pick up on our spiritual struggles with stress. What a great way to reflect and learn a little too.
Remember, God gave us, as parents, the responsibilities to raise our children and to bring them to Him. Sometimes that requires us to make hard decisions and sacrifices we thought were impossible. By the Grace of God, anything is possible, even homeschooling.
I am a firm believer in doing what God has called You to do. It may be homeschooling, it may not be. Your job is to search and seek Him in all that you do.
If it's on your heart, does it align with God's Word? Are there red flags or green ones pointing you in a specific direction? Pursue God's Will for your life and the life of your family. You may never know the lessons you or your kids will learn. Or the places you will see.
Homeschooling Mom, Sandra Loeffler, USVI
When our almost 4 year old was ready for school, we were informed that she needed speech therapy. It seemed to be an easy decision to put her into the public school system. We did and she received great care and a good education and we were very happy when she tested out of the speech program after just a year and a half. She had achieved the maximum levels of the program and was even helping other students who had speech delays or other social issues in her school.
Why would we think about homeschooling if the public school system was going so well? Well, by an act of God, we were called to move... and not just anywhere but to an Island that took us back to the stone ages... or at least it felt that way to me. We all have come to love and have adjusted to our little Island and in doing so had to make a decision about homeschooling. The schools here are...well, either cost an arm and a leg or are not at a standard we would accept for schooling.
Of course anxiety arose with, what curriculum to choose, what's our schedule going to be, how will she socialize within our small community. And I have been amazed watching God's hand in it all. God allowed those to go before me.... I wasn't trying to re-invent the wheel... but it still felt that difficult to me at first. My sister-in-law homeschools her 4 children and has tried many different curriculum's, so it seemed only natural to ask her 1,000 questions, which she graciously answered.
All in all, it has been a wonderful decision to homeschool. I know exactly what she is learning and with the extracurricular activities, she seems to have a more well-rounded education. She isn't influenced by other children's behavior or bad attitudes and she and her sister play very well together now... :) It is a lot of work and it took time to adjust to the new and ever evolving schedule. But it has and is so worth it.
Even the tough moments, or stressful times are an opportunity to teach our children. You've got dishes on your mind, laundry to fold, dinner to start thinking about, dog needs to be fed, another child pulling on your dress, the phone starts ringing, you have 3 more subjects to complete for school today...take a breath, you're just reading it... Where is the lesson to learn in stress? We teach all the time, even if we think we're not, they are watching. They learn our managing skills, our coping skills and even pick up on our spiritual struggles with stress. What a great way to reflect and learn a little too.
Remember, God gave us, as parents, the responsibilities to raise our children and to bring them to Him. Sometimes that requires us to make hard decisions and sacrifices we thought were impossible. By the Grace of God, anything is possible, even homeschooling.
I am a firm believer in doing what God has called You to do. It may be homeschooling, it may not be. Your job is to search and seek Him in all that you do.
If it's on your heart, does it align with God's Word? Are there red flags or green ones pointing you in a specific direction? Pursue God's Will for your life and the life of your family. You may never know the lessons you or your kids will learn. Or the places you will see.
Homeschooling Mom, Sandra Loeffler, USVI