Our Updated Homeschool Mission Statement

18 Wednesday Apr 2018

Tags

Convention, Curriculum, Family, Girls, HEAV, Homeschool, Mission Statement

Since I discussed Creating a Homeschool Mission Statement during my Preparing for Convention series, I thought I’d actually share with you what Hubby and I have decided on. This has been reviewed and updated for this year. (And is based on “Defining Your Homeschool Mission: It’s More Than Your Why“) It still serves us pretty well, but we refined it a bit. This has been slightly revised since an older post.

Our Homeschool Mission Statement

Our Goal

That our children become well-rounded, well-educated, interested individuals – who have the ability to investigate their own interests and be productive, independent, discerning, successful adults (however success is defined by them). We want our children to have strong Christian hearts and spiritual knowledge, as well emotionally and spiritually healthy.

“Our mission isn’t simply to pursue knowledge, but to pursue God’s wisdom and prepare our children to become God’s effective servants. We want our daughters to grow confident in Christ and the unique role that God created them to fulfill for His greater glory.” (quote that I loved enough to steal to use for ourselves.)

Verses That We Base Our Homeschool Plans On

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. — Proverbs 22:6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. — Proverbs 3:5-6

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? — Mark 8:36

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. — Deuteronomy 6:4-9

What Are Our Non-Negotiables?

They must be challenged and be on a “college-ready” path, whether they go or not.
College itself is flexible, advanced training or education of some sort is not.

How Do We Evaluate Our Efforts and Results?

Their joy in learning. Learning can and should be fun, and more is retained when they enjoy what they are doing.
Their curiosity and desire. Education should serve as a vehicle to whet their appetite for more knowledge, and give them the vehicle to further that knowledge.
Successfully learning, retaining lessons. Not regurgitating information but truly understanding it.
Personal relationship with and love for Christ. Deepening knowledge and understanding of the Bible, exploration of applying that understanding to their own lives, and sharing that love with others.

What We Look For in Curriculum

Christian-based education.
Family-based curriculum and learning together as much as possible.
Encouraging independence in learning as they mature, though learning together when possible.
Should encourage the love and joy of learning, delight-directed learning whenever possible. Not on “teaching to the test,” or Common Core Standards.
Flexibility of time and curriculum and interests.
Ease of program on teacher. Minimal preparation needed. No personal need to reinvent the wheel.
Spending time with girls and as a family.

Have you created a Family Mission Statement, or a Homeschool Mission Statement/Plan? I’d love for you to share it with us if you have!

Show me . . . . Your Sweetest Easter Memory For This Year!

07 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by MP31W! in Uncategorized

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Church, Faith, Family, Girls, Show Me Series

For more information about our new “Show Me” Series, go here.
Welcome to our “Show Me” series! Your link-up can be just a picture, or pictures with explanation. Or just explanation if you’re like me when taking the picture and actually getting it uploaded might mean you’d miss out!
The goal of this linkup is fun, though some might have a homeschool bent. If you don’t homeschool, please feel free to participate anyway and show us how that “show me” theme pertains to you and your home! And if we can share some tips and cool brainstorming ideas along the way — EVEN BETTER!

This week’s theme is “Show Me Your Sweetest Easter Memory For This Year!” This Easter was very near and dear to my heart. It’s the first Easter that my girls are believers. To me, it’s their first “real” Easter. Good Friday took on all new meaning for me.

While we celebrate this day as a solemn, serious occasion, I still see so much love in rejoicing in this event.

I would lay my life down for these girls. Without even thinking about it.

But even laying MY LIFE down for them wouldn’t be enough.

I could be the BESTEST ______, MOST AWESOMEST _____ and I still couldn’t save my own kids. Nothing I could do could ever be enough.

And frankly, for this recovering Type-A overachiever, that’s a hard pill to swallow.

But also so freeing! Because you know what? I don’t have to!

I can relax, because the Lord Jesus loves my kids more than I do. (And I as I tell my girls, that is a whole heck of a lot!) More than I could possibly EVER.

And he loves me too. He saved my kids for me, because He knew I couldn’t.

I can relax. I can rejoice. Because I know He’s got this.

Yes, the crucifixion was an amazingly horrible, painful, and harrowing experience.

But HE DID IT. IT IS FINISHED.

(You know how good it feels to mark something off your to-do list??? Yeah. Think about getting to scratch that off! IT IS FINISHED takes on whole new meaning, doesn’t it?)

As a Good Friday writing exercise, I asked both my girls to write a paragraph about why Good Friday was important, and what this all meant, as if the person they were writing to didn’t know what Easter was. I promised them I would share it here (which they love, by the way. I might have future bloggers on my hands!). These paragraphs are my most special memories from this year. And so, here it is, in their own words. (I did fix the misspellings.)

YOUNGEST: (Age 6)

“Jesus died on the cross. Why? Because He wanted the punishment, to take away everyone’s sins. That is why we celebrate Easter. We collect eggs, but that is not the best part. What is it? Jesus! Jesus is the best part of Easter. It is say that Jesus dies on the cross, but He rose again! After the cross, a friend of Jesus took him into a little cave. And 3 days later, He had risen!”

Oldest: (Age 8)

I am going to tell you why Jesus died on the cross. You know all the bad things we do? They’re called sins. Jesus got nailed on the cross. He did not do anything bad. And it hurt very bad. That is why we celebrate Easter. He died on the cross for our sins. Easter is all about him dying on the cross for our sins.

Be sure to check out some of my friend’s posts!

Amy at Http://homegrownhatfields.wordpress.com
Michelle at http://homeschoolerontheedge.crookers.com/
Kyndra at http://kyndrasteinmann.com

Join us and post your link in the comments! Be sure to check out everyone else’s posts!

Our Homeschool Mission Statement

10 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by MP31W! in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Curriculum, Family, Girls, Homeschool, Mission Statement

Our Homeschool Mission Statement

Our Goal

That our children become well-rounded, well-educated, interested individuals – who have the ability to investigate their own interests and be productive, independent, successful adults (however success is defined by them). We want our children to have strong Christian hearts and spiritual knowledge, as well emotionally and spiritually healthy.

Verses That We Base Our Homeschool Plans On

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. — Proverbs 22:6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. — Proverbs 3:5-6

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? — Mark 8:36

What Are Our Non-Negotiables?

They must be challenged and be on a “college-ready” path, whether they go or not.
College itself is flexible, advanced training or education of some sort is not.

How Do We Evaluate Our Efforts and Results?

Their joy in learning. Learning can and should be fun, and more is retained when they enjoy what they are doing.
Their curiosity and desire. Education should serve as a vehicle to whet their appetite for more knowledge, and give them the vehicle to further that knowledge.
Successfully learning, retaining lessons. Not regurgitating information but truly understanding it.
Personal relationship with and love for Christ. Deepening knowledge and understanding of the Bible, exploration of applying that understanding to their own lives, and sharing that love with others.

What We Look For in Curriculum

Christian-based education.
Family based curriculum and learning together as much as possible.
Focused education decisions for each child. Dividing topics that are age appropriate, changing curriculum for each when necessary.
Should encourage the love and joy of learning, not on “teaching to the test,” or “Common Core Standards.”
Flexibility of time and curriculum and interests.
Ease of program on teacher. Minimal preparation needed. No personal need to reinvent the wheel.
Spending time with girls and as a family.

Have you created a Family Mission Statement, or a Homeschool Mission Statement/Plan? I’d love for you to share it with us if you have!