As we send out this last e-newsletter of the 2021-2022 school year, I wanted to congratulate everyone on the successful completion of another school year! Some of you may already be done, some of you are on the final pages of your lesson plans, and some of you may still be plugging away throughout the summer. Regardless of where you fit in those categories, you have completed another (or a first) HCS year, so I hope you take some time in the next week or so to celebrate that.
You may be thinking my declaration of this being a “successful” year is overly optimistic. Some of you may be looking at the number of lesson plans you skipped or fell behind on. Some of you may be focusing on the low test scores, the less than desirable attitudes, the unexpected life happenings this year that completely threw you off track, or the feeling of being completely overwhelmed with all the homeschooling life entails. Bravo! Those are all part of the journey and part of the story that makes up the homeschooler you are now, and the homeschooler you are becoming. There are likely things you plan to do differently next year because of things you experienced this year. There are likely some new curricula you heard about this year, or a new approach, or a cool class that you may try out next year. You may be convicted that you spent so much time stressing over academics that you neglected some of the spiritual training and emphasis that was one of the reasons you decided to homeschool in the first place. You may have inadvertently piled so much on your plate that you found you had no time for play - whether through field trips, spontaneous outings, or times of fellowship. All of those reflections are going to make you a better homeschooler next year than you were this year. And that, my friends, is what I call a successful year.
For most of us, this year was simply another year in our homeschool journey. We have learned and grown and will take those lessons with us when we start up again next year. And as we share our experiences and our progress with others on this journey, it becomes easier and easier to see how every year of homeschooling is truly successful in that we are able to encourage and teach others through what we have learned and experienced. This is why I love our HCS community. I have learned so much over the years from those ahead of me, and I have been able to share with others some things I have learned along the way. No matter what number of years this year held for you, you are now officially in that same role. You have experience behind you to share with others, and you are part of a vibrant homeschool community made up of so many people who have their experiences to share with you. What a blessing!
I hope to see you all around this summer whether at the beach, hiking, in the office, or out and about. Other than the week after graduation, we will be here to serve you and plan for an exciting 2022-2023 school year. Have a great summer, Everyone!
by Vicki Stormoen, HCS Principal
As we head into our second month of the school year, I hope you are feeling some measure of confidence in your schedule and rhythm for your homeschool day. There are likely some things that are working well and perhaps some things that need further tweaking. That is perfectly normal. The beauty of homeschooling is in its flexibility. Embrace that and make changes and adjustments as needed. In the midst of the academics, clubs, classes, field trips, and life, I would encourage you to remember the most important aspect of your homeschooling routine that can often get lost in shuffle: the biblical discipleship aspect of homeschooling.
One of the greatest advantages to homeschooling is the ability to teach your child according to your biblical worldview without the constant attack of that worldview from others all day. You are in a unique position to incorporate the Bible into every curriculum, every class, every activity, and every conversation on a daily basis. There are several ways to go about this including adding a Bible class/curriculum portion to your school day, using distinctively Christian curriculum that will proactively incorporate biblical truths into the subject, and engaging in biblical discussions with your children throughout the day as the opportunities arise.
There are many great Bible curricula to choose from. There are traditional publishers like Abeka and BJU, Christian Liberty, Alpha and Omega, etc. There are also some great options from Apologia, Veritas, Answers in Genesis, and Memoria Press. However, you certainly do not need to use a packaged curriculum to teach Bible. Simply studying God’s word together is a great way to add Bible to your school day. There are a plethora of resources to use for this such as inductive studies, the Bible Project, family worship guides, and devotional guides from publishers that line up with your family’s theological convictions. Be sure to add memorization to whatever direction you go with this. Kids have an amazing ability to memorize. Take advantage of that fact and use this season of their lives to fill their minds with God’s word. Truly, there is nothing of more importance that will be more relevant for all their lives than that. Make sure they leave your home with a solid, biblical foundation and a sharpened “sword of the spirit” at their fingertips from having hidden so much of the Word of God in their hearts (Ephesians 6).
In addition to incorporating Bible as a separate subject in your education plan, privately homeschooling allows you the freedom and privilege of selecting your own curricula. The wide world of curricula options can be overwhelming. You will need to find ways to narrow your options to make your decisions less daunting. One easy way to begin to narrow those options, is to limit your choices to Christian curricula. If biblical discipleship (the process of teaching others to follow Christ and live as He did) is one of your goals in this homeschooling journey, why not make sure everything they learn is coming from a biblical perspective? This is an easy way to encourage and reinforce things you are teaching them outside of the curricula. As the kids grow and you begin outsourcing some of their subjects (if you choose to go that route), you lose this ability to select the curricula. While you have that authority, use it wisely and select curricula that is imparting a worldview and perspective you want your kids to adopt. Whoever, or whatever, is teaching your children has a significant effect according to Luke 6:40: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Curricula stands as a “teacher” in the sense that it is through the specific curriculum a student is being taught. Curricula is written by people. People have worldviews. People have a predisposition or bias. Make sure the people behind your curricula have the same biblical discipleship goals you do.
Outside of the subjects and curricula we select for our kids, there are other times and opportunities to impart a Biblical way of thinking. Through homeschooling, you are in a position that enables you to be involved and present in the lives of your children in a way that you would not otherwise have. As the one physically at home with your kids, you will be the one to notice and help with sibling disagreements, selfish behaviors, disrespectfulness, indolence, complaining, and all the other character and life skills that we all wrestle with due to our sin nature. Rather than those moments happening outside of your sphere of influence, they are happening in a setting that enables you, in real time, to discuss a biblical response to each. Character training apart from the biblical understanding of why certain behaviors are wrong and need to be approached differently results in works righteousness that has no redeeming value. Teaching our children about sin and how to biblically respond to it is crucial in biblical discipleship. This is the difference between raising moralistic Pharisees and raising kids with a genuine understanding of their sin and their need for a Savior and their call to a life of holiness because of the work of that Savior. As the one engaging in these regular discussions with real-life application at home, it is your teaching that will most come through.
Biblical discipleship is not another task to add to your todo list; it is not an isolated moment; it is a way of life. This is why homeschooling and biblical discipleship complement each other so beautifully. It is a Deuteronomy 6:4-9 way of living. Whatever reasons God used to bring you to this homeschool journey, you can be assured He orchestrated it for a purpose. Seize this moment! Give your kids a biblical foundation through the studying of God’s word, through the use of biblically grounded curriculum, and through capitalizing on the everyday life moments that provide unexpected opportunities to give the gospel to your children day after day. This is more important than math. This is more important than crossing off the next lesson plan. Make this your priority while you still can. If all we can say at the end of this journey is that we produced educated kids who have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ, what have we really accomplished? May we all be able to echo John’s comments in 3 John 1:4 when this is all said and done: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
The beginning of a new homeschool year usually brings a cacophony of mixed emotions. There are some of you that are likely excited to get started and some of you that….well, not so much. That is all perfectly normal! Allow yourself some grace as you ease back into the routine and flow of another school year.
One thing I have learned to appreciate over the past 27 years of homeschooling is the gift of time. I have come to view homeschooling as a 13-year journey and not a year by year test. Having the benefit of taking several kids “all the way through,” I can clearly see how everything fits together and how the learning process is so individual and unique to each child. I have lived through the “this child will never, ever, learn to read” to “will you please put that book down and do your algebra!” I understand now not to panic when they still do not know their multiplication facts in 3rd grade. I know you do not need to lose sleep over the fact that you may still be doing dotted letters for your 1st grader.
As homeschoolers we often talk about the fact that we have the ability to tailor our kids’ education to their individual skills and abilities. And when they excel above the grade defined textbook, we applaud our efforts and talk about how successful this all is. But when they struggle or can’t read the grade defined reader, we convince ourselves we are inadequate to the task, or there is something wrong with that child. But it is in that moment, that moment when they are struggling and can’t do it, that homeschooling is the most successful. In a classroom situation, everything cannot come to a screeching halt while everyone waits for your child to “get it.” In a traditional school setting, your child cannot progress to the next grade level without being (more or less) exactly where everyone else is. Not so with homeschooling. You slow down when you need to (just as you speed up when you need to), and sometimes you just work with the difficulty and wait for it to work itself out in a year or two.
My reminder for all of us as we start this new school year is this: You have time. Lots of it. Your children will get some things faster than others, and most likely, will get some things slower than others. But they will get it. Work with their strengths and slow down where they need you to. That’s the beauty of homeschooling. If you start at the beginning, you have 13 years to work with. Looking at it that way makes the journey much less daunting, in that not everything has to be learned on a predefined timetable. Enjoy your child, and this precious time you have one-on-one with him, encouraging and leading him in his weaknesses and propelling and challenging him in his strengths. When he finally graduates, knowing everything he was "supposed to learn", it won't matter that it wasn't until 5th grade he finally mastered his math facts. But that time and relationship you built in those years will matter. Focus on that.
Have a great educationally custom-tailored year!
Homeschooling can mean many different things depending on who you are talking to. For my opinion on what a bigger picture of homeschooling can mean, click here. The focus of this blog post is in determining if you are actually homeschooling or simply doing school at home. The more restrictions, conditions, reporting, and lack of real choice you are offered, the more likely you are doing school at home rather than actually homeschooling. If you are confused as to how the two differ, or which one you are really doing, here are some questions to ask yourself:
If the answer to any of the above is no, then you have your answer. You are doing school at home rather than availing yourself of the freedom and blessing of homeschooling.
A true homeschooling program will focus on the four repeating words in the above questions: “…the complete freedom to…” The homeschooling movement was born out of a desire to return the primary decision-making authority to parents versus the state in all matters of educating their children. This was not an easy task and was, naturally, met with much resistance from the public education sector. Because of those who persevered through those early years, we have the ability to answer a resounding YES to all eight of those questions. Those questions represent what true homeschooling can and should be. But why does it matter? Who cares if I am homeschooling or doing school at home?
For some, it does not matter at all. For others, however, the illusion of thinking they are “homeschooling” may prevent them from experiencing what true homeschooling freedom can be. Depending on the goals you have for your child (including both academic and spiritual goals), private homeschooling may be the only real way to achieve those goals for the very simple fact that it is only through private homeschooling that a parent has the final authority and say in all matters regarding their child’s education. And that truth is the blessing private homeschooling allows.
As we near the beginning of a new school year here at Heritage Christian School, let us take a moment and remember why we have chosen this private homeschool path. We have opportunities and advantages as private homeschoolers others do not. Let us not squander those privileges by providing an educational program that looks like everyone else’s. As private homeschoolers, we can boldly and unapologetically incorporate a Biblical worldview into every subject, every class, and every activity our children do this year. Let’s do that! As private homeschoolers, we can prioritize and include missions or service projects that further the kingdom of God this year. Let’s make that happen! As private homeschoolers, we can set our own timeline and follow the needs and desires of our students in the pacing, content, and scheduling of our homeschool year. Let’s remember that! Take some time in these next couple of weeks to remember (or set) your goals for your kids both academically and spiritually. Make whatever changes you need to make in your 2021-2022 plan to get closer to your goals. You, as a private homeschooler, have the complete freedom to do exactly that.
I am excited to start a new homeschooling year with you!
About the author: Vicki Stormoen has been homeschooling her nine children through Heritage Christian School since 1994. She is currently the Principal of HCS.
When we began homeschooling our kids back in the early 90s, “homeschooling” was a word you did not say too loudly without knowing who was in hearing range. This was back when it was not safe to let your kids be seen in the neighborhood before 2:00 pm and you scheduled all your shopping and errands at the same time every other “normal” family did so you would not have to answer the dreaded question: Why aren’t your kids in school? “Homeschooling” back then meant jean jumpers, 15-passenger vans (of which I had both), and an air of mystery and oddness, often labeled as fringe, far-right, ultra conservatives who were likely sheltering and ruining their children forever.
Fast forward to present day and the word “homeschooling” has taken on a whole new meaning that for those of us who have been doing this for many years can hardly even recognize. Homeschooling has become so acceptable, so cool, so hip, and so commonplace that for a good majority of people, it does not even mean what we think it means anymore. Homeschooling today is equated with Charter Schools, where you basically are still in “normal” school but sometimes you do that “normal” schoolwork at home, thereby making you a homeschooler.
This is not a comment, statement, or judgment on the explosion of the Charter School movement. It is simply an undeniable fact that the way many people use “homeschooling” and the way a private homeschooler uses the word “homeschooling” are two vastly different things. And this difference begs the question: What is homeschooling?
I submit that homeschooling is not merely an academic, scholastic approach or choice. It is not simply defined by the number of days or hours your child spends at home doing school. It is not limited to the ratio of parent hours vs. outside instructor hours involved in your child’s education. No, homeschooling is much more comprehensive and far-reaching than that: Homeschooling is the paradigm used to raise a godly, educated, disciplined, and biblically grounded generation for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. Two crucial, practical things are needed to accomplish this daunting task: lots of time and the right environment.
The Bible paints a picture of the family spending substantial time together. Perhaps the most quoted and repeated verse in support of homeschooling is Deuteronomy 6:6-7: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.” This 24-hour a day picture of actively and intentionally passing on our faith to our children requires, among other things, lots of time together. The scene is of parents using every opportunity, every activity, every teachable moment to a focused, biblical end. If we can catch that vision, take up that challenge, structure our whole family dynamic around that primary focus, the question about which educational option available to us best enables us to accomplish that goal becomes much easier to answer.
But simply spending significant, intentional time with our kids is not the only factor to consider. Recent studies in the field of psychology have shown that environment is much more significant in the shaping of personalities than previously thought. If this is true, it should give every parent pause in thinking through the environments they are placing their children in. By homeschooling your children, you are cementing the home as the preeminent environment in which these budding personalities are being formed. The godly traits, habits, and fruits we long to see in our children have their best shot in a home that has consciously taken up the Deuteronomy 6 challenge and has centered their environment to cultivate and nurture those godly fruits.
So how do we apply this more comprehensive view of homeschooling? There are three applications that immediately come to mind (and will keep this blog post to a readable length):
attitudes, relationships, and priorities.
Attitudes play an important role in the life of a homeschooler. As homeschoolers, we not only make decisions about what our children learn, but we have the opportunity to shape how they approach learning. This view of homeschooling extends beyond today’s math lesson or the upcoming science experiment. It looks at the heart, the effort, the discipline, the motivation, and the thought process that goes into the completion of the math lesson and the science experiment. This intentional focus provides perspective the student lacks and gives you the ability in real time to discuss the attitude, struggle, excellence, or indolence displayed and what the Bible has to say about that. Once our kids learn that as God’s creatures created in His image, our job as image-bearers is to think God’s thoughts after Him, education becomes so much more than lesson #34 in the book. Education becomes more than gaining knowledge. As image bearers, our students need to be taught that how they approach their duty to learn is just as important as what they learn. And as the one sitting at the desk with them, the opportunities to teach and model that can be captured as they naturally happen.
In addition to shaping attitudes towards learning, the homeschooling way of life forces, for better or for worse, a priority and emphasis on relationships within the home. From that wonderfully challenging fact comes all sorts of learning opportunities for everyone: conflict resolution, gossip, tattling, sacrifice, deference, sharing, submission, leadership, listening, delegating, persuading, stewardship, and the list goes on and on. You know what you need to have to teach, reinforce, and model those kinds of social skills? Time! Again, in real time, homeschooling gives you that time and ability to model and shape how your students grow and mature in these crucial social skills. Make no mistake, someone will be shaping these social skills be it the media, their peers, their teachers, or, more realistically, a blend of all of those. The one spending the most time with them will have the greatest impact. Homeschooling gives you that advantage.
Yet another opportunity bestowed through homeschooling with this more comprehensive vision, is the fact that parents are placed firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to setting priorities. Church involvement, community service, mission trips, vacations, time with extended family, all these things may or may not be possible outside of a homeschool environment. Schedules and deadlines are set by others, some who may not place the same priority on these kinds of activities as you do. But as the ones who set the calendar, priority, and schedule, opportunities for learning beyond the schoolroom abound. These experiences and relationships further add to the overall shaping of your children and will become instrumental in the priorities they will one day set for themselves.
When you begin to see homeschooling as providing you the time and environment needed to take up that Deuteronomy 6 challenge, your whole way of thinking changes. You begin to spot the educational, teachable moments in everything: the way the kids approach and complete chores, the sibling arguments throughout the day, the downtime moments that lead to unexpectedly profound conversations, the hurts and insecurities that often go unseen in the busyness of everyone going full speed in different directions. You begin to see that beyond the curriculum, beyond the ABCs, beyond the academic aspect of homeschooling, there are so many other aspects of raising this child for the glory of Christ that the homeschooling life affords. You begin to see that, truly, homeschooling is so much more than what happens at the desk.
by Vicki Stormoen, HCS Principal
About the author: Vicki Stormoen has been homeschooling her nine children through Heritage Christian School since 1994. She is currently the Principal of HCS.
Written by Vicki Stormoen
February and March. It happens every year, no matter how much I mentally try to prepare for it. Every year, right on cue, February and March signal what ends up being my toughest homeschooling months of the school year. It is when I feel totally done with the school year. It is a struggle to keep going, I have lost my momentum, the grading is piling up, we are behind, and I still have a significant number of lessons plans to go to before it is over.
Many moms feel this “third quarter blues.” There are some things I have learned and experienced over the past 27 years of homeschooling that have helped during these desert times. It is my hope that in memorializing what I have learned, I can find (and hopefully impart) renewed encouragement and vision to finish the school year strong.
The third quarter blues are real but keep this in mind: the fourth quarter is coming! You may finish this school year differently from Plan A, but you will finish. Use the HCS community for help, support, guidance, accountability, and as co-laborers in the race. You are not alone. You are not the only one struggling right now. Try a new change in place, routine, perspective, priority, and/or attitude. Any change, however small, may help you limp your way to the fourth quarter.
See you at the finish line!
About the author: Vicki Stormoen has been homeschooling her nine children through Heritage Christian School since 1994. She is currently the Principal of HCS.
Written by Vicki Stormoen
In addition to all the activities, camps, vacations, and fun you may have scheduled over the summer, many of you may also be setting aside some time to plan for the upcoming school year. Here are my top three tips/challenges for you as you think through planning for next year:
1) Shake it up!
Do something new this school year. Whether it's a new curriculum, a new class, a new club, or a new routine, do something new and different to inject some freshness and life into your homeschool next year. The excitement you feel towards the new year will trickle down to your students. Give them (and you) something new to look forward to.
2) Project Positivity!
Remember, your attitudes and feelings towards next year will have a direct impact on your children. If you are already dreading and complaining about the upcoming school year, so will they! Let them see your enthusiasm and heart for the high calling we have as homeschooling parents. Let them know how much you count it a privilege and blessing to be their teacher. Let their memories of their homeschooling years be of parents who embraced their calling, gave it their all, and truly loved being able to spend extended time with them.
3) Renew your vision!
Take some time over the summer to sit down and reflect on, modify, or create your homeschooling vision. Why are you doing this? What are you hoping to accomplish in the long run? What can you do differently this year to bring you closer to your goals? The answer to these kinds of questions serves as your anchor when things get crazy during the school year. Keep your goals and vision visible and handy so you can be prepared and ready for anything that tries to throw you off course next year.
We (at the office) are busy planning for a great (and more normal) school year next year. We have new things to offer, new ideas to share, and renewed excitement and commitment to the HCS mission statement of supporting and encouraging and Christian families in the high calling of biblical discipleship through Christ-centered home education by providing administrative help, mentoring, classes, and parent-driven activities, all while honoring family sovereignty. It is going to be a great year!
About the author: Vicki Stormoen has been homeschooling her nine children through Heritage Christian School since 1994. She is currently the Principal of HCS.