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	<description>Chattanooga Southeast Tennessee Home Education Association</description>
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		<title>Used Book Sale</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2012/05/05/used-book-sale-2/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2012/05/05/used-book-sale-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2012 18:58:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events & Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3564</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<strong>Used book sale invites young entrepreneurs to meet their public</strong>

A Used Book Sale will be held Saturday, June 9, at the spacious [Camp Jordan Arena][map] in East Ridge.

This is a great opportunity for homeschooling entrepreneurs to showcase their products to a large group of people. Young business people (children not yet graduated) will be allowed to set up at the individual price. Come on out, kids, and show us what you can sell.

Mom or dad also sell for no more than the admission price.

Businesses are welcome at the event for a $25 fee.

<h3>Saturday, June 9, times</h3>

<ul>
<li>Sellers 8 a.m. </li>
<li>Buyers 9 a.m. </li>
<li>Sale ends at 1 p.m. We must be out of the build- ing by 2 p.m. </li>
<li>Gary Hargraves will start setup at 7 a.m. Can you or a son volunteer?</li>
</ul>

<h3>Admission for all at door</h3>

<ul>
<li>Free — children under 17</li>
<li>$3 per adult</li>
<li>$5 per couple </li>
<li>$25 for a business </li>
<li>Businesses and young entrepreneurs are asked to preregister at <a href="&#x6d;&#97;i&#x6c;&#116;o&#x3a;&#101;&#120;&#x68;&#105;&#98;&#x69;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x2e;&#114;&#x65;&#x67;&#64;&#x63;&#x73;&#116;&#x68;&#x65;&#97;.&#x6f;&#114;g">&#101;&#120;&#x68;&#105;&#98;&#x69;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x2e;&#114;&#x65;&#x67;&#64;&#x63;&#x73;&#116;&#x68;&#x65;&#97;.&#x6f;&#114;g</a></li>
<li>Table and chair rentals

<ul>
<li>No charge if you bring your own,</li>
<li>But if you want to rent, the cost is $6 per table and $1 per chair.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Used book sale invites young entrepreneurs to meet their public</h2>

<p>A Used Book Sale will be held Saturday, June 9, at the spacious <a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/campjordan.gif">Camp Jordan Arena</a> in East Ridge.</p>

<p>This is a great opportunity for homeschooling entrepreneurs to showcase their products to a large group of people. Young business people (children not yet graduated) will be allowed to set up at the individual price. Come on out, kids, and show us what you can sell.</p>

<p>Mom or dad also sell for no more than the admission price.</p>

<p>Businesses are welcome at the event for a $25 fee.</p>

<h3>Saturday, June 9, times</h3>

<ul>
<li>Sellers 8 a.m. </li>
<li>Buyers 9 a.m. </li>
<li>Sale ends at 1 p.m. We must be out of the build- ing by 2 p.m. </li>
<li>Gary Hargraves will start setup at 7 a.m. Can you or a son volunteer?</li>
</ul>

<h3>Admission for all at door</h3>

<ul>
<li>Free — children under 17</li>
<li>$3 per adult</li>
<li>$5 per couple </li>
<li>$25 for a business </li>
<li>Businesses and young entrepreneurs are asked to preregister at <a href="&#x6d;&#97;i&#x6c;&#116;o&#x3a;&#101;&#120;&#x68;&#105;&#98;&#x69;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x2e;&#114;&#x65;&#x67;&#64;&#x63;&#x73;&#116;&#x68;&#x65;&#97;.&#x6f;&#114;g">&#101;&#120;&#x68;&#105;&#98;&#x69;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x2e;&#114;&#x65;&#x67;&#64;&#x63;&#x73;&#116;&#x68;&#x65;&#97;.&#x6f;&#114;g</a></li>
<li>Table and chair rentals

<ul>
<li>No charge if you bring your own,</li>
<li>But if you want to rent, the cost is $6 per table and $1 per chair.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

<h3>Tips for success</h3>

<p>Make our book sale and entrepreneur day a memorable event for yourself and your children:</p>

<ul>
<li>Sell your own books and products </li>
<li>Bring plenty of change </li>
<li>Share a table with a friend; you can take turns shopping </li>
<li>A <a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/campjordan.gif">map to Camp Jordan</a> is on our web site</li>
</ul>

<h3>Contacts</h3>

<ul>
<li>Businesses &amp; entrepreneur questions &amp; registration, Jan Bontekoe at <a href="&#x6d;&#97;i&#x6c;&#116;o&#x3a;&#101;&#120;&#x68;&#105;&#98;&#x69;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x2e;&#114;&#x65;&#x67;&#64;&#x63;&#x73;&#116;&#x68;&#x65;&#97;.&#x6f;&#114;g">&#101;&#120;&#x68;&#105;&#98;&#x69;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x2e;&#114;&#x65;&#x67;&#64;&#x63;&#x73;&#116;&#x68;&#x65;&#97;.&#x6f;&#114;g</a></li>
<li>General questions, Lisa Stewart, (423) 476-5520, <a href="&#x6d;&#97;&#105;&#x6c;&#x74;&#111;:&#x6c;&#105;&#115;&#x61;&#x62;&#115;t&#x65;&#119;&#97;&#x72;&#x74;&#64;&#103;&#x6d;&#x61;&#105;&#x6c;&#x2e;&#99;&#111;&#x6d;">&#x6c;&#105;&#115;&#x61;&#x62;&#115;t&#x65;&#119;&#97;&#x72;&#x74;&#64;&#103;&#x6d;&#x61;&#105;&#x6c;&#x2e;&#99;&#111;&#x6d;</a>.</li>
</ul>
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		<item>
		<title>Dutch treat: Huzaren salad</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2012/04/21/dutch-treat-huzaren-salad/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2012/04/21/dutch-treat-huzaren-salad/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:57:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3529</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<img src=http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Dutch.png alt=Dutch style="width: 192px; height: 248px; float: left; margin: 5px 10px 5px auto;" />

<span class="dropcap">M</span>any writers I admire often put together posts or columns that contain a hodgepodge of ideas. Usually I come up with a main idea for this space but I fear my life has been so scattered lately that I am fresh out of main ideas. So I am putting together this editorial and calling it Huzaren Sla after one of my favorite Dutch salads that consists of bits and pieces of meat, fruit, eggs and garden vegetables designed to travel well. The story behind this (you knew there had to be a story, right?) was that Huzaren Sla (salad) originated in the small garrison towns where the Hussars (mounted soldiers) were stationed. But because of the poor quality of the food in the barracks, the average Hussar was anxious to get one of the kitchen maids as a girlfriend — preferably one that served a rich family. After the familys dinner, the Hussar went over to his girlfriends kitchen to charm her into making him a salad out of the leftovers. Here is hoping you find something useful in the following mix of thoughts that I have hastily gathered up from my leftover musings.

<ul>
<li>In Tabletalk (my daily devotional book) the current topic is a study of the Heidelberg Catechism. This Catechism contains questions about how the knowledge of doctrine might help us in our everyday lives. Last week the question of how the knowledge of creation and providence help us was discussed. The point was made that this knowledge gives us patience in our trials. “A patient response to suffering does not deny pain’s severity or the difficulty of seeing how the Lord is working for our good in some cases. Instead, patient sufferers acknowledge their troubles honestly before God. They realize that tragedy is not good in and of itself but that God uses it for good. And they continue to believe He is praiseworthy, even when they find it hard to worship Him. “ Furthermore we are told to give thanks in all circumstances. That means we have to believe that God sovereignly decreed those very circumstances, otherwise, how could we thank Him?</li>
</ul>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Dutch.png" alt="Dutch" style="width: 192px; height: 248px; float: left; margin: 5px 10px 5px auto;" /></p>

<p><span class="dropcap">M</span>any writers I admire often put together posts or columns that contain a hodgepodge of ideas. Usually I come up with a main idea for this space but I fear my life has been so scattered lately that I am fresh out of main ideas. So I am putting together this editorial and calling it Huzaren Sla after one of my favorite Dutch salads that consists of bits and pieces of meat, fruit, eggs and garden vegetables designed to travel well. The story behind this (you knew there had to be a story, right?) was that Huzaren Sla (salad) originated in the small garrison towns where the Hussars (mounted soldiers) were stationed. But because of the poor quality of the food in the barracks, the average Hussar was anxious to get one of the kitchen maids as a girlfriend — preferably one that served a rich family. After the familys dinner, the Hussar went over to his girlfriends kitchen to charm her into making him a salad out of the leftovers. Here is hoping you find something useful in the following mix of thoughts that I have hastily gathered up from my leftover musings.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>In Tabletalk (my daily devotional book) the current topic is a study of the Heidelberg Catechism. This Catechism contains questions about how the knowledge of doctrine might help us in our everyday lives. Last week the question of how the knowledge of creation and providence help us was discussed. The point was made that this knowledge gives us patience in our trials. “A patient response to suffering does not deny pain’s severity or the difficulty of seeing how the Lord is working for our good in some cases. Instead, patient sufferers acknowledge their troubles honestly before God. They realize that tragedy is not good in and of itself but that God uses it for good. And they continue to believe He is praiseworthy, even when they find it hard to worship Him. “ Furthermore we are told to give thanks in all circumstances. That means we have to believe that God sovereignly decreed those very circumstances, otherwise, how could we thank Him?<span id="more-3529"></span></p></li>
<li><p>“If the events and creaturely decisions that result in our good occur because God ordained they would occur, we can give Him all the praise and glory . Since the Lord’s sovereign decree is the foundation for everything that ever happens, we can be confident of God’s good purposes as He works all things according to His will (Eph. 1:11)”</p></li>
<li><p>In our homeschool lessons with my middle son, we are reading through Modern Times: The World from the 20s to the 90s by Paul Johnson. This tome weighs in at a hefty 870 pages. We are currently about a third of the way through. As a child I scavenged the local rummage sales to find used history textbooks and I would read them cover to cover. Back then textbooks were still clothed in literary style and were the greatest stories instead of the mash up of facts and splashy eye catching twaddle of many textbooks today. I am really enjoying reading about what really went on in the world during this epoch of history covering the world wars and beyond. As I mentioned in last month’s editorial, I am covering this same period of American History with my youngest son in a history co-op I am teaching for first through third graders. This has given me the opportunity to study it in great depth with my nearly 16 year old son and in a distilled form using living history books with my 9 year old. It is always such a delight to be able to learn right alongside my children. My middle son has so often heard me say as I read Johnson aloud, “Wow, I never knew that!” Here is one choice bit from our reading. “The tragedy of interwar China illustrates the principle that when legitimacy yields to force and moral absolutes to relativism, a great darkness descends and angels become indistinguishable from devils.” (p. 201). This section on the gangs controlling China in the time of Mao and communist warlords read like the script of a gangster movie. It described a period of China history that opens one’s eyes to a world so very foreign to our American sensibilities. But that period was a cake walk compared to the Russian Revolution under Lenin and Stalin. Their dictatorship was so complete that every area of life was under their despotic control, and the intelligentsia of the west swallowed it hook line and sinker seeing as the new utopia. History is a cautionary tale.</p></li>
</ul>

<ul><li><p>Recently I had a visit from my sister and one of her daughters, a niece who is the same age as my daughter. We have always been close. This niece is in her third year at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Two years ago I visited her there and surmised this must be the college where all the sixties radicals and hippies send their children. I was appalled at the lack of responsibility, the names of the classes my niece was taking and the emphasis on saving the planet vs. saving one’s soul. After nearly three years at the college her re-education is nearly complete. As we shared a carmelicious brownie at the Blue Ribbon Café in Soddy-Daisy, she informed me she has no need for any spiritual life, at least not one of the orthodox kind.</p>
<p>She is planning a summer at a Sufi Muslim organic farm called the Abode of the Message. Her boyfriend is a trust fund baby from the D.C. area. His mom worked for the EPA under Carol Browner in the Clinton administration. He now travels all over the world during his breaks rock climbing. Providentially he was in the Chattanooga area the week she was visiting me so we were able to share our family dinner with this supremely self-confident young man who knows exactly how things should be ordered.</p>
<p>His senior thesis is on how the commonly accepted practice of completing one’s education, then getting a job, finding a wife and settling into marriage and children is all wrong. He does not believe in marriage. He thinks the way men have lived their lives in the western tradition is oppressive, especially to the disadvantaged. Of course he thinks one should have all the benefits of marriage without any of the responsibility and he is practicing this conviction with my niece.  </p>
<p>My husband put it well. “He is a cad.”</p>
<p>I shudder for what these colleges are doing to the next generation. I can not help but think we must do all we can with God’s grace to equip our children to have a firm understanding of what they believe so that they will be able to strike at the strongholds of the enemy which has raised such towering edifices in the culture. My heart breaks for my niece who is so very lost and does not even recognize it. Hopefully we will stay in touch and God’s truth will be evident at some time in the future to her. That is my prayer.</p>
</li></ul>

<ul>
<li>I posted on Facebook that I was feeling somewhat smug about the fact that I did not succumb to the Hunger Games books. I must confess that my daughter got me hooked on another wildly popular series which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. So I have been wary of falling into another trap of sensational fiction even though I am tempted to read just the first book to see what all the fuss is about. I have, however, read a lot about the books, which is my mind is almost as enjoyable as reading the books. My take is that there has to be a better way to encourage our young people with noble and high-minded ideas than a narrative about kids killing kids. I understand the story is well crafted and has much to teach about totalitarian states and reality media. But it reminds me of a short story I was forced to read in high school, The Most Dangerous Game, about a man who slowly realizes that the hunter he just met has decided to hunt the most elusive and cunning of prey: him. I still feel the horror of that realization. The Hunger Games sounds very manipulative to me with impossible situation ethics in the vein of those popular lifeboat scenarios in high school social studies class. You know the one where you have only so much room in the lifeboat and you have to decide which person in the group is worthy of a spot and which is not. Horrid stuff which often forces one to jettison God’s truth in favor of pragmatics. That is never a good idea.</li>
</ul>

<p>I am thinking there may be a theme in all of these bits and pieces of my Dutch salad of an editorial after all. Theology matters. What you believe or refuse to believe plays out in your actions. Your specific beliefs about God affect how you respond to circumstances in your life, whether or not you can offer heartfelt thanks, knowing that hard thing is from the hand of a loving Father God. A through study of history shows what happens when man rejects God and opens himself up to false doctrines. When universities no longer teach God’s truths, our young people will come up with a new truth, one that is more convenient, more earth friendly but will lead to a dangerous place where there is no sure foundation. When we are willing to accept premises in what we read that give no place to God and his commandments, we think we have to make impossible choices, and excuse one evil to prevent a worse evil. Let us arm ourselves and our children with God’s truth so that in the evil day, they can raise that standard with great confidence.</p>

<p>&mdash;JMT</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Protecting the future by remembering the past</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2012/03/28/protecting-the-future-by-remembering-the-past/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2012/03/28/protecting-the-future-by-remembering-the-past/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:26:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3462</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p class="byline">By Rich Melton

It’s been said that “history teaches us that mankind learns nothing from history,” and while this may often be the case, it does not have to be so. In the history of every individual, family, organization or nation, there are crossroads at which remembrance of the past is critical to protecting the future. Scripture speaks to this truth in Deuteronomy 6. The book of Deuteronomy records the instruction of Moses, the leader of the Israelite nation, at a pivotal point in Israel’s history. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for forty years and the new generation was about to cross over the Jordan River to enter the land that God had promised to them, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Chapter 6, Moses speaks these wellknown words to the people:

<blockquote>
  Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
</blockquote>

This passage captures what I believe was at the heart of the return to home education movement when our family began homeschooling in 1984. I say return to home education because before the industrial revolution in America — when public education became the norm, home education was the predominant method used to train children in this country.

<h3>Edge of legality</h3>

Even before we were married, my wife and I had been convicted by the Holy Spirit that we were called to live out our faith before our children on a daily basis, and that our children’s education was our God-ordained privilege and responsibility. We viewed the education process as a part of everyday life and character development. And so our family ventured into what at the time were the mostly uncharted waters of modern-day homeschooling.

In those early years, we lived on the edge of legality as battles were waged in the state legislature of Tennessee and other states that set the boundaries for what was and was not legal regarding a parent’s right to educate at home.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="byline">By Rich Melton</p>

<p>It’s been said that “history teaches us that mankind learns nothing from history,” and while this may often be the case, it does not have to be so. In the history of every individual, family, organization or nation, there are crossroads at which remembrance of the past is critical to protecting the future. Scripture speaks to this truth in Deuteronomy 6. The book of Deuteronomy records the instruction of Moses, the leader of the Israelite nation, at a pivotal point in Israel’s history. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for forty years and the new generation was about to cross over the Jordan River to enter the land that God had promised to them, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Chapter 6, Moses speaks these wellknown words to the people:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This passage captures what I believe was at the heart of the return to home education movement when our family began homeschooling in 1984. I say return to home education because before the industrial revolution in America — when public education became the norm, home education was the predominant method used to train children in this country.</p>

<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/StillLifeAbigail.jpg" alt="StillLifeAbigail" style="border: 0px; width: 350px; height: 357px; float: right; margin: auto auto 5px 10px;" /></p>

<h3>Edge of legality</h3>

<p>Even before we were married, my wife and I had been convicted by the Holy Spirit that we were called to live out our faith before our children on a daily basis, and that our children’s education was our God-ordained privilege and responsibility. We viewed the education process as a part of everyday life and character development. And so our family ventured into what at the time were the mostly uncharted waters of modern-day homeschooling.</p>

<p>In those early years, we lived on the edge of legality as battles were waged in the state legislature of Tennessee and other states that set the boundaries for what was and was not legal regarding a parent’s right to educate at home. <span id="more-3462"></span> It quickly became apparent that we needed protection from the potential threat of intervening authorities, such as truant officers and social workers. We also lived on the edge of social acceptability as family, friends and neighbors questioned us about whether our children would be properly socialized and/or adequately educated. It was obvious that we needed encouragement and support and we were attracted to other families who shared our heartfelt desire to home educate our children. We homeschoolers had the real sense that if we did not “hang together,” we would all hang separately. It was out of this environment that the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the Tennessee Home Education Association (THEA), and the Smoky Mountain Home Education Association (SMHEA) were born.</p>

<p>As homeschooling developed and proved its merit, it gradually became more and more acceptable and even favorable in the eyes of the general populace, so much so that we now have a new law in Tennessee that is quite supportive of home education. We no longer have to fear a knock on the door from a truancy officer questioning us about violating mandatory attendance laws or from a social service worker asking about whether or not we are abusing our children. We can safely and legally teach our children in our own homes with a minimum of interference. And we are glad that this is so.</p>

<h3>Taking blessings for granted</h3>

<p>But herein lurks danger – one that Scripture also addresses in the verses immediately following the passage previously noted. The Holy Spirit, through Moses, warns the people of a day when their blessing would be taken for granted:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This passage has always sobered me, because I recognize that my situation is exactly this. I live in a great and splendid city that I did not build. I live in a house full of good things that I did not make with my own hands. I drink from water supplies that I did not create. I eat rich foods from fields and trees that I neither planted nor harvested. I am satisfied beyond my need. The very real danger for me at this point is that I will think to myself, “Man, I have it made. I don’t need anything and I’m not dependent on anybody!” The natural man in you and me is prone to forget that it is the Lord who has provided these blessings, that others have labored and sacrificed so that we may dwell securely, and that we are always dependent on one another for our true wellbeing. I realize that my “natural” tendency is to take these things for granted, to lazily enjoy the fruits of the labors of others, to become increasingly self-absorbed, and to let “someone else” do the work of maintenance and upkeep that is always necessary to preserve that which I have inherited and to which I have become accustomed.</p>

<p>This is a danger that is real, not only for us as individuals, but also for us collectively —as a movement and as people. And because the Lord knows our hearts in ways we do not, He graciously warns us well when He warned the Israelite nation of this danger even as they were preparing to go into the land of promise. This is a danger that the home education movement is just beginning to face as well. Because we now have wider freedom and more latitude to operate independently, our natural tendency ﻿will be to do precisely that: Be independent of one another.</p>

<p>This tendency will be compounded by the fact that, as a general characteristic, home educators are a rather independent lot anyway. Furthermore, because there is no clear and present danger, nor common peril, we do not sense the same urgent need for mutual protection and support that we felt in the pioneering days of the homeschooling movement.</p>

<p>We have begun to live in a house that some of us didn’t build, drink from a well that some of us didn’t dig, and eat from a vine that some of us didn’t plant. Thus, we are in danger of forgetting that the victory that the Lord has given came at a cost and that in order to preserve and further these freedoms we have inherited, we must continue to be diligent in our support and encouragement of one another in the broader homeschooling community.</p>

<h3>Downside of independency</h3>

<p>It is easy for us to take for granted the freedoms we enjoy in teaching our children at home. It is now easier for us to become increasingly isolated and to only be concerned about our immediate families. It is easy for us to let “someone else” lead a support group, coordinate a science fair, plan a field trip for a group, work on a graduation committee or be a resource for someone who is just beginning to homeschool. It is all too easy to lose sight of the big picture that there are others who need our experience, support, and encouragement so that they know that they are not alone in their efforts to make a difference as they raise the next generation.</p>

<p>As one who remembers firsthand the struggles and commensurate joys and fellowship of the early days of home education, I also realize, thanks to the warning of the Lord, that I must diligently bring to mind and recall the past to overcome my natural tendency toward independence and isolation. I must not become lazy and self-absorbed, but rather be vigilant and selfsacrificing in working hard to preserve what is and to cultivate what can be so that these blessings will remain for future generations to enjoy.</p>

<p>Likewise, all of us who are seasoned home educators have come to a crossroads in our movement’s history. If we fail to remember how we arrived at this place, what we have today may easily be lost over time as the fabric of the home education community weakens and we become increasingly vulnerable.</p>

<p>There are still threats to our freedom lurking, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ratification of which could quickly undermine our freedoms. Yet, if we choose to remember our past and continue to work diligently against becoming self-absorbed and independent of one another, then we have hope that the freedoms we have today will be preserved into the future for as long as we protect what we have inherited.</p>

<p>The bottom line is this: As in the formative years, we must actively work together for the greater good and encourage one another across the spectrum of the homeschooling community to maintain vigilance in preserving our freedoms. We must continue to serve one another and to volunteer in the giving of our time, effort and energy to enrich and support the home education experience of ourselves and others.</p>

<p>This continues to be the work of the Tennessee Home Education Association and the Smoky Mountain Home Education Association. May we all faithfully participate in protecting the future by remembering our past.</p>

<hr />

<p><em>Rich and Ruth Melton live in Knoxville and homeschooled all five of their children, four of whom have graduated. Rich Is pastor/teacher at Christ Chapel, treasurer of Smoky Mountain Home Education Association, a chapter of THEA.</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Lingering long on one’s lessons</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2012/03/24/lingering-long-on-ones-lessons/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2012/03/24/lingering-long-on-ones-lessons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:44:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3442</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/t_roosevelt.jpg" alt="Teddy Roosevelt" style="border: 1px solid black; width: 250px; height: 239px; float:left; margin: auto 10px 5px auto; padding-right: 0px;" />I am often drawn to the teaching of Charlotte Mason. So many times it is a natural affinity. In preparing classes for a co-op I teach, I occasionally find myself a bit obsessed with a particular character. No worries! In a discussion of how history outlines can be mischievous in making one think the whole history must be learned, Charlotte encourages the very obsession I so easily fall prey to.

“Let him (the student), on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period. Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation for a whole age.” Vol. 1 p 281.

I fear that our students may be somewhat spoiled by fast paced lessons in multi-media format. To “linger pleasantly” is a foreign idea and has met with some resistance in my early elementary aged students. But I forge on nonetheless and cheerfully ignore their protestations!

My middle son is also studying the same period of history and I am listening to his high school lectures on CD. A recent one was on Theodore Roosevelt. So I have been immersed in his life. I have read or skimmed at least 4 books on him in the past weeks.

That may be why I was so taken last month with Downton Abbey as it too fit right into this period of history, at least that is what I tell myself in an attempt to redeem the hours spent watching and reading about this fabulous period drama!

But I digress — back to T.R.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/t_roosevelt.jpg" alt="Teddy Roosevelt" style="border: 1px solid black; width: 250px; height: 239px; float:left; margin: auto 10px 5px -1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px;" />I am often drawn to the teaching of Charlotte Mason. So many times it is a natural affinity. In preparing classes for a co-op I teach, I occasionally find myself a bit obsessed with a particular character. No worries! In a discussion of how history outlines can be mischievous in making one think the whole history must be learned, Charlotte encourages the very obsession I so easily fall prey to.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“Let him (the student), on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period. Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation for a whole age.” Vol. 1 p 281.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I fear that our students may be somewhat spoiled by fast paced lessons in multi-media format. To “linger pleasantly” is a foreign idea and has met with some resistance in my early elementary aged students. But I forge on nonetheless and cheerfully ignore their protestations!</p>

<p>My middle son is also studying the same period of history and I am listening to his high school lectures on CD. A recent one was on Theodore Roosevelt. So I have been immersed in his life. I have read or skimmed at least 4 books on him in the past weeks.</p>

<p>That may be why I was so taken last month with Downton Abbey as it too fit right into this period of history, at least that is what I tell myself in an attempt to redeem the hours spent watching and reading about this fabulous period drama!</p>

<p>But I digress — back to T.R.<span id="more-3442"></span>What impresses me about Theodore Roosevelt was his determination to be the best he could be despite some limitations.</p>

<p>As a boy he was thin, asthmatic, weak but his father had a talk with him that went like this. Keep in mind his father was a very strong Christian of the Dutch reformed tradition.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“ ‘Theodore, you have the mind but you have not the body. And without the body the mind cannot go as far as it should. You must make your body. It is hard drudgery to make one’s body but I know you will do it.’</p>
  
  <p>“His mother later remembered his son’s reaction was the half grin, half snarl which later became world famous. Jerking his head back, Teedie set his jaw and replied, ‘I’ll make my body. By heaven I will.’ ” (page 30 of Carry A Big Stick by George Grant)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>God gives all of us some limitations such as physical strength, size, health, intellect money, time, talents.</p>

<p>We can do our best to compensate for limitations. We can put ourselves on any number of self-improvement programs. Many times we can improve, we can work on our weaknesses. But sometimes our weaknesses remain and in that is another lesson.</p>

<p>For He also gives us His grace and lets us know that He has a plan for our lives. What always encourages me is that His plan takes into account our limitations. The fact that we can simply not do some things is no surprise to God. He can give us the means to improve some things about ourselves – Teddy’s dad built him a little gymnasium off his bedroom on an enclosed patio and encouraged him to get stronger. He also learned judo and became a college champion in boxing. This ability stood him in good stead as an adult when he was attacked by hired goons. As a young state legislator he had the audacity to try to institute reforms to break the political machine in Albany. His ability to fight off his attackers made him a very popular figure. After a family tragedy, he went out West to make a man out of himself in the wilds of God’s creation where he felt right at home due to his childhood interest in the natural world. Here he was able to live out his ideal of the strenuous life.</p>

<p>Here is a quote from the Kingsmeadow Modernity Curriculum lecture series:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“He had asthma the rest of his life, yet while campaigning in Milwaukee, an assassin shot him in the chest at point blank range. It knocked Teddy over, but he fought off his handlers and the police escort around him and said, “Bring that man to me.” So they brought this trembling guy to him, the smoking gun still on the ground, and Roosevelt said, “Is that really your best shot?” Then they were ready to take Teddy to the hospital, but he insisted on making his speech first. So he went in and with a rasping voice told his audience that he’d just been shot. They thought he was kidding until they saw the blood begin to expand. His speech notes were pierced with the bullet hole. His glasses were broken, but he spoke for an hour and a half. Then he went to the doctor where the physician said he’d never seen a human specimen quite like that. He had worked so hard all his life to overcome his natural limitations.”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>God has a place for you in building His kingdom here on earth and He already knows limitations. Furthermore He knows how all this will fit into His plan for getting us where He wants us to be.</p>

<p>His Word assures us of His sovereignty in the details: the strengths and the weaknesses.</p>

<p>Jer. 29:11- 14 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.</p>

<p>II Cor. 12:9 &#8211; 11 And He said to me, &#8220;My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.&#8221; Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ&#8217;s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.</p>

<p>Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.</p>

<p>Rom. 5:3-6 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.</p>

<p>Eph. 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.</p>

<p>It is so easy to let the limitations in our lives be a constant source of frustration. Of course we should try to change or improve what we are able, with God’s help. But take heart for He knows our frame, all our circumstances and will weave it all together in a tapestry for His glory.</p>

<p>I encourage you all to take the time to linger pleasantly in your lessons. There is so much that we and our children have to learn.</p>

<p>&mdash;JMT</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Gifts for the taking</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2012/02/11/gifts-for-the-taking/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2012/02/11/gifts-for-the-taking/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:17:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3418</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I must admit I have a kind of conflicted relationship with Ann Voskamp and her writings. On the one hand I am drawn to her gorgeous prose with its accompanying photographs of simple things beautifully arranged. On the other I read her musings, her battles within and I feel horribly inadequate.

Why does it make me feel inadequate?

Ann’s posts are full of impossibly beautiful writing, including achingly poignant descriptions. Ann wears her heart for Jesus on her sleeve and there is lots of authentic bleeding of emotions. Notice I said authentic. Even in my most jaded times, I recognize that Ann Voskamp is the real deal. What she writes is what she is. And so everyday I open her post in my inbox and I am momentarily immersed in the life of a woman who so loves the Lord so much that it hurts.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/HeartGifts.png" alt="HeartGifts" style="border: 0px; width: 190px; height: 190px; float: left; margin: auto 10px -5px auto;" />I must admit I have a kind of conflicted relationship with Ann Voskamp and her writings. On the one hand I am drawn to her gorgeous prose with its accompanying photographs of simple things beautifully arranged. On the other I read her musings, her battles within and I feel horribly inadequate.</p>

<p>Why does it make me feel inadequate?</p>

<p>Ann’s posts are full of impossibly beautiful writing, including achingly poignant descriptions. Ann wears her heart for Jesus on her sleeve and there is lots of authentic bleeding of emotions. Notice I said authentic. Even in my most jaded times, I recognize that Ann Voskamp is the real deal. What she writes is what she is. And so everyday I open her post in my inbox and I am momentarily immersed in the life of a woman who so loves the Lord so much that it hurts.<span id="more-3418"></span>Ann is a homeschool mom living in Canada on a farm with her husband and six children. She has known much adversity in her life and she writes about her struggles, her homeschool life, their farm, her marriage, her family, on a blog called Holy Experience. Ann is also the author of A Child’s Geography curriculum.</p>

<p>Perhaps we are not all geared to have such an emotional relationship with God. Some of us may be bent in that direction. I know other women who have written about their relationship with Christ in a similar fashion. I know it is my problem, but it can make me feel like I am missing out, that I am cold-hearted, that I do not care about the Lord in the same way. Why is there no giddiness? Why no consistent heart yearnings for intimacy with Him?</p>

<p>That said, I am convinced that, regardless of our “bent,” we all should cultivate this attitude of gratitude. I want my children to be appreciative of the Lord’s graciousness in their lives. I know I must model this in mine so last year I tried to keep a gratitude journal. After one year, I had about four entries. What does that pitiful effort say about me? Probably that I am too busy and otherwise occupied to take time to be grateful or remember God’s abundant graces.</p>

<p>Shortly after the first of the year I read Ann’s challenge for 2012. She called it her “joy dare.” This time she dared her readers to join her in the January challenge to start counting 1,000 gifts in 2012. Instead of just numbering random gifts, she made suggestions for three things to look for each day of the month. I decided to give it one more shot. The results have been rather surprising. It has made each day a sort of treasure hunt for God’s grace. It is the 21st of the month as I write this and so far, I have kept it up fairly well. Of course, God’s grace is all around us. Our days are full of His mercy. But there is something about starting the day with the idea of looking for very specific evidences of his gifts to us, which has produced much delight. Let me share some samples with you.</p>

<p>On the eighth of the month, the prompt was: a light that caught me, a reflection that surprised me, a shadow that fell lovely. I read this in the morning and tried to find these things throughout the day. I have never seen such a gray cheerless day as that one, so I switched up Day 8 with day 9. The next day also dawned dark and dreary but at the end of the afternoon, the sun came shining through the rain and made the dogwood tree in the front yard look as if it were sparkling with tiny diamonds.</p>

<p>I stopped our lessons and pointed out the beauty in front of us to my 9 year old. He and I took a quiet moment to revel in the loveliness before us. Then I ran out to the back yard and sure enough, there was a spectacular rainbow, the reminder of God’s covenant with man.</p>

<p><span class="dropcap">O</span>n the nineteenth of the month, one of the prompts was a grace that might never have been. We were still trying to finish our lessons, but I noticed the sunset was creating an especially gorgeous sky out the window. “Hurry up and put on your shoes, I told my son. We have to take a walk.” Despite his objections, we bundled up and headed into the woods behind our house at twilight time. The trees were silhouetted in the waning light behind us. It was a short walk but infused much loveliness into our day, and we had almost missed it.</p>

<p>I must admit that my cynical self sometimes reads my journal and thinks some of the graces recorded are a bit contrived. But no matter. I am becoming aware each day of specific things for which I can be and am grateful.</p>

<p>Thank you, Ann Voskamp, for writing your beautiful thoughts and for inspiring this busy, often too-practical mom to recognize God’s grace all around me in a thousand gifts and more.</p>

<p>&mdash;JMT</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Graduation 2012 Info!</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2012/01/28/graduation-info/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2012/01/28/graduation-info/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:13:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events & Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Graduation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3389</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<h2>Graduation 2012</h2>

<h3>Graduation Information Downloads</h3>

<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Grad-Calendar-Schedule-R1.pdf" title="2012 Grad Calendar &#38; Schedule R1.pdf">2012 Graduation Calendar &#38; Schedule</a> &#8592; Download PDF</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Grad-Info-R2.pdf" title="2012 Grad Info R2.pdf">2012 Graduation Information</a> &#8592; Download PDF</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Grad-Rules-R3.pdf" title="2012 Grad Rules R3.pdf">2012 Graduation Rules</a> &#8592; Download PDF</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012-Bio-Guide-R0.pdf" title="2012 Bio Guide R0.pdf">2012 Graduation Bio Subject Line Guide</a> &#8592;  Download PDF</strong></li>
</ul>

<h3><a href="http://csthea.org/2011/11/26/graduation-registration-meeting-2/">Graduation Registration Meeting</a></h3>

<ul>
<li><strong>6:00 PM EST, Monday, January 16, 2012</strong></li>
<li><strong>Oakwood Baptist Church Sanctuary<br />
4501 Bonny Oaks Drive,<br />
Chattanooga, TN 37416</strong></li>
<li><span style="font-size: larger;"><em><strong>Do not</strong> call the church.</em></span></li>
</ul>

<h4>Late Registrations</h4>

<ul>
<li>A $50 Late Fee will be applied for all who register after January 16, 2012. </li>
<li><strong>No one</strong> will be registered by phone, US mail, e-Mail, or any other way than a direct face-to-face meeting. </li>
<li>If you miss the January 16 Meeting and still wish to register you MUST: 

<ol>
<li>E-Mail Gary Hargraves.</li>
<li>Send the e-mail to <strong><em>both</em></strong> of the following addresses:

<ul>
<li><a href="&#x6d;&#97;&#105;&#x6c;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x67;&#97;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#99;&#x73;&#116;&#104;&#x65;&#x61;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;">&#x67;&#97;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#99;&#x73;&#116;&#104;&#x65;&#x61;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;</a> and <a href="m&#97;&#105;&#108;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x67;&#x6c;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;g&#114;&#97;&#118;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#x74;&#x76;&#x61;&#x2e;&#x67;&#x6f;v">&#x67;&#x6c;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;g&#114;&#97;&#118;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#x74;&#x76;&#x61;&#x2e;&#x67;&#x6f;v</a>. </li>
</ul></li>
<li>Include the name of your Graduate in the e-mail. </li>
<li>Include the name of the Parent or Guardian in the e-mail.</li>
<li>Include a phone number or two in the e-mail at which you can be reached.</li>
<li>Put "Graduation" in the Subject Line of the e-mail. (E-mails without the required Subject Line may be deleted and not responded to.)</li>
</ol></li>
</ul>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Graduation 2012</h2>

<h3>Graduation Information Downloads</h3>

<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Grad-Calendar-Schedule-R1.pdf" title="2012 Grad Calendar &amp; Schedule R1.pdf">2012 Graduation Calendar &amp; Schedule</a> &larr; Download PDF</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Grad-Info-R2.pdf" title="2012 Grad Info R2.pdf">2012 Graduation Information</a> &larr; Download PDF</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Grad-Rules-R3.pdf" title="2012 Grad Rules R3.pdf">2012 Graduation Rules</a> &larr; Download PDF</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012-Bio-Guide-R0.pdf" title="2012 Bio Guide R0.pdf">2012 Graduation Bio Subject Line Guide</a> &larr;  Download PDF</strong></li>
</ul>

<h3><a href="http://csthea.org/2011/11/26/graduation-registration-meeting-2/">Graduation Registration Meeting</a></h3>

<ul>
<li><strong>6:00 PM EST, Monday, January 16, 2012</strong></li>
<li><strong>Oakwood Baptist Church Sanctuary<br />
4501 Bonny Oaks Drive,<br />
Chattanooga, TN 37416</strong></li>
<li><span style="font-size: larger;"><em><strong>Do not</strong> call the church.</em></span></li>
</ul>

<h4>Late Registrations</h4>

<ul>
<li>A $50 Late Fee will be applied for all who register after January 16, 2012. </li>
<li><strong>No one</strong> will be registered by phone, US mail, e-Mail, or any other way than a direct face-to-face meeting. </li>
<li>If you miss the January 16 Meeting and still wish to register you MUST: 

<ol>
<li>E-Mail Gary Hargraves.</li>
<li>Send the e-mail to <strong><em>both</em></strong> of the following addresses:

<ul>
<li><a href="&#x6d;&#97;&#105;&#x6c;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x67;&#97;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#99;&#x73;&#116;&#104;&#x65;&#x61;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;">&#x67;&#97;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#99;&#x73;&#116;&#104;&#x65;&#x61;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;</a> and <a href="m&#97;&#105;&#108;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x67;&#x6c;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;g&#114;&#97;&#118;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#x74;&#x76;&#x61;&#x2e;&#x67;&#x6f;v">&#x67;&#x6c;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;g&#114;&#97;&#118;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#x74;&#x76;&#x61;&#x2e;&#x67;&#x6f;v</a>. </li>
</ul></li>
<li>Include the name of your Graduate in the e-mail. </li>
<li>Include the name of the Parent or Guardian in the e-mail.</li>
<li>Include a phone number or two in the e-mail at which you can be reached.</li>
<li>Put &#8220;Graduation&#8221; in the Subject Line of the e-mail. (E-mails without the required Subject Line may be deleted and not responded to.)</li>
</ol></li>
</ul>

<h4>We will <strong>attempt</strong> to contact you and let you know the following:</h4>

<ol>
<li>If it is too late to register</li>
<li>When and where Mr. Hargraves might be available to meet with you.</li>
<li>Whether it is too late for the graduate’s name and Bio to be listed in the program.</li>
<li>When your Bio is due (If adequate time remains before the Layout Deadline).</li>
<li>When your Bio Late Fee would be incurred (usually 1-7 days after your Registration)</li>
<li>What your Registration Fee will be.</li>
</ol>

<h3><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Banquet-Info-Reg_R1.pdf" title="2012 Banquet Info &amp; Reg_R1.pdf"><strong>High School Banquet</strong></a> &larr; Download PDF</h3>

<ul>
<li><p><strong>Date:</strong>  Friday, May 18, 2012</p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-CSTHEA-Outstanding-Student-Application-Form_R1.pdf" title="2012 CSTHEA Outstanding Student Application Form_R1.pdf"><strong>Outstanding Student Application Form</strong></a>
<!-- 
### **High School Banquet**
* **Date:**  Friday, May 20
* **Location:** <span style="color: red; line-height: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-size: 115%;">Note change of venue!! &rarr; Central Baptist Church, Hixson</span>
* **Cost:** $20 per person
    &#8211; Payment deadline is **May 14**
    &#8211; All admissions prepaid by check only.
    &#8211; No unpaid admissions.
    &#8211; No payment taken at the door.
    &#8211; Make checks payable to “**CSTHEA**”
* **Dress Code:** Dress is formal or semi-formal. No low-cut, backless or otherwise immodest attire. If you are dressed inappropriately, you will be asked to leave.
* **Attendees** must be junior high/high school age or older (13 and up).

#### Schedule
* Seating &#038; pictures **6 p.m.**
* Meal starts **7 p.m.**
* Program **7:55 p.m.**

#### Emcee Info
Would you like to emcee the banquet? We prefer to choose our two emcees from the senior class but we are open to having other high-schoolers if no seniors apply. If you are interested in emceeing, we will contact you based on your interest expressed in the registration form.  Or you can contact Mrs. Lynn Smith <tlecal@comcast.net>.

#### Performance Information
We encourage everyone who would like to perform to do so. Both group and individual performances are welcome. The more we have the more fun the banquet! You do not have to be a senior to perform Any homeschool related group can perform a skit as long as they meet the deadline for sending in information and the content is deemed appropriate and is adequately described and time slots are available.

Those performing at the Banquet will still have to get their proposed performance reviewed &#038; approved.

You must send an e-mail to Mrs. Lynn Smith at <tleca1@comcast.net> &#038; to Gary Hargraves at <gary@csthea.org>. The e-mail must have “**Banquet Performance Details**” in the subject Line, The deadline for submissions is **May 7, 2010**. Please include all of the following: 

1. Theme
2. Content
3. Number name and current grade level of all individuals involved
4. Duration of performance
5. Name, e-mail and phone number of contact individual for the proposed performance

#### Banquet Seating &amp; Requests
Seating is assigned 1st come 1st served. If you want to sit with friends, both you &#038; they must request to be seated together. We will honor requests if possible.

**[Banquet Reservation Form](http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BANQUET-RESERVATION-FORM-2011.pdf &#8220;BANQUET RESERVATION FORM 2011.pdf&#8221;) &larr; Download PDF**

#### Directions from I-24
Take the Belvoir Ave. and Germantown Rd.exit (Exit 183 on I-24 East, 183A on I-24 West) to Belvoir Ave. Turn north on Belvoir. Take the 1st right after North Terrace onto Austin St. The BX can be seen from Belvoir and North Terrace.
 &#8211;></p></li>
</ul>

<h3>Calendar</h3>

<ul>
<li>Graduation Rehearsal, May 17</li>
<li>Banquet, May 18</li>
<li>Graduation, May 19 at 1 p.m. at Central Baptist Church Hixson</li>
</ul>
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		<title>Graduation Registration Meeting!</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2011/11/26/graduation-registration-meeting-2/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2011/11/26/graduation-registration-meeting-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events & Activities]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<h2>Graduation 2012</h2>

<h3>Graduation Registration Meeting</h3>

<ul>
<li><strong>6:00 PM EST, Monday, January 16, 2012</strong></li>
<li><strong>Oakwood Baptist Church Sanctuary<br />
4501 Bonny Oaks Drive,<br />
Chattanooga, TN 37416</strong></li>
</ul>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Graduation 2012</h2>

<h3>Graduation Registration Meeting</h3>

<ul>
<li><strong>6:00 PM EST, Monday, January 16, 2012</strong></li>
<li><strong>Oakwood Baptist Church Sanctuary<br />
4501 Bonny Oaks Drive,<br />
Chattanooga, TN 37416</strong></li>
</ul>

<p><span style="font-size: larger;"><em><strong>Do not</strong> call the church.</em></span></p>

<h4><em>All Graduates Must Attend</em></h4>

<ul>
<li>Each Graduate MUST be accompanied by at least one (1) Parent or Legal Guardian.</li>
<li><strong>(No Student will be registered without a Parent or Legal Guardian present.)</strong></li>
<li>Each Graduate will be sized for his/her gown. </li>
<li>Each Graduate will pay his/her fees at the Registration Meeting. </li>
<li><strong>Fees must be paid by check <em>only</em>. No cash will be accepted.</strong> </li>
<li>Fee amount will be announced at the Meeting but should be between $185 – $250. </li>
<li>No Graduate will be registered without providing payment at Registration. </li>
<li>We will go over all other details during the Meeting. Q &amp; A time will follow. </li>
<li>The Meeting should end between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m.</li>
</ul>

<h4>Late Registrations</h4>

<ul>
<li>A $50 Late Fee will be applied for all who register after January 16, 2012. </li>
<li><strong>No one</strong> will be registered by phone, US mail, e-Mail, or any other way than a direct face-to-face meeting. </li>
<li>If you miss the January 16 Meeting and still wish to register you MUST: 

<ol>
<li>E-Mail Gary Hargraves.</li>
<li>Send the e-mail to <strong><em>both</em></strong> of the following addresses:

<ul>
<li><a href="&#x6d;&#97;&#105;&#x6c;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x67;&#97;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#99;&#x73;&#116;&#104;&#x65;&#x61;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;">&#x67;&#97;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#99;&#x73;&#116;&#104;&#x65;&#x61;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;</a> and <a href="m&#97;&#105;&#108;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x67;&#x6c;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;g&#114;&#97;&#118;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#x74;&#x76;&#x61;&#x2e;&#x67;&#x6f;v">&#x67;&#x6c;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;g&#114;&#97;&#118;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#x74;&#x76;&#x61;&#x2e;&#x67;&#x6f;v</a>. </li>
</ul></li>
<li>Include the name of your Graduate in the e-mail. </li>
<li>Include the name of the Parent or Guardian in the e-mail.</li>
<li>Include a phone number or two in the e-mail at which you can be reached.</li>
<li>Put &#8220;Graduation&#8221; in the Subject Line of the e-mail. (E-mails without the required Subject Line may be deleted and not responded to.)</li>
</ol></li>
</ul>

<h4>We will <strong>attempt</strong> to contact you and let you know the following:</h4>

<ol>
<li>If it is too late to register</li>
<li>When and where Mr. Hargraves might be available to meet with you.</li>
<li>Whether it is too late for the graduate’s name and Bio to be listed in the program.</li>
<li>When your Bio is due (If adequate time remains before the Layout Deadline).</li>
<li>When your Bio Late Fee would be incurred (usually 1-7 days after your Registration)</li>
<li>What your Registration Fee will be.</li>
</ol>

<h3>Calendar</h3>

<ul>
<li>Graduation Rehearsal, May 17</li>
<li>Banquet, May 18</li>
<li>Graduation, May 19 at 1 p.m. at Central Baptist Church Hixson</li>
</ul>
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		<title>Teaching your older boys</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2011/10/25/teaching-your-older-boys/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2011/10/25/teaching-your-older-boys/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3328</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Cindy Rollins

I have been asked if there are ever circumstances where a boy might flourish in a school environment rather than at home with his mother, acknowledging that not everyone has that option.

I did not have that option and I always consoled myself by remembering that most boys in schools are taught by somebody else’s mother.

What are some of the obstacles a mother faces while homeschooling older boys?

After talking to a friend it occurred to me that these problems might not be exclusive to boys, only most of my experience is exclusive to boys so I will address that.

<h3>Two Scenarios</h3>

When boys enter 9th grade they are often immature. They still don't care about much but as they begin to mature in 10th grade, I have found, they either become increasingly concerned that they are going to look stupid when they get out into the world, a bit self-conscious about being judged as a homeschooler, and as a consequence willing to go through almost any hoop you put them through in order to succeed, or they begin to think that the other kids they know have it a lot easier than they do and that public school is a piece of cake and that their mother's expectations are completely ridiculous. All of my older boys so far (6 of them) have fallen loosely into one of these two categories in 11th and 12th grades. Other families are probably not quite so extreme. We tend to run hot or cold around here.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/boyrunning.png" alt="Boy running" style="border: 0px; width: 175px; height: 309px; float: left; margin: auto 10px 5px auto;" />By Cindy Rollins</p>

<p>I have been asked if there are ever circumstances where a boy might flourish in a school environment rather than at home with his mother, acknowledging that not everyone has that option.</p>

<p>I did not have that option and I always consoled myself by remembering that most boys in schools are taught by somebody else’s mother.</p>

<p>What are some of the obstacles a mother faces while homeschooling older boys?</p>

<p>After talking to a friend it occurred to me that these problems might not be exclusive to boys, only most of my experience is exclusive to boys so I will address that.</p>

<h3>Two Scenarios</h3>

<p>When boys enter 9th grade they are often immature. They still don&#8217;t care about much but as they begin to mature in 10th grade, I have found, they either become increasingly concerned that they are going to look stupid when they get out into the world, a bit self-conscious about being judged as a homeschooler, and as a consequence willing to go through almost any hoop you put them through in order to succeed, or they begin to think that the other kids they know have it a lot easier than they do and that public school is a piece of cake and that their mother&#8217;s expectations are completely ridiculous. All of my older boys so far (6 of them) have fallen loosely into one of these two categories in 11th and 12th grades. Other families are probably not quite so extreme. We tend to run hot or cold around here.<span id="more-3328"></span></p>

<h4>Solution for Scenario 1</h4>

<p>The first scenario while not exactly a mature attitude is very easy to deal with. Lay it on thick, mom.</p>

<h4>Solution for Scenario 2</h4>

<p>The second scenario is much more difficult. As a matter of fact, the ideal at this point would be to get the child under other academic authorities. Mom should try to remove herself from the equation either through some sort of school, outside courses, online courses, dual enrollment, etc. Our options for this are growing exponentially in this age of the Internet.</p>

<p>As I have mentioned, I have not been able to remove myself from the equation which has added stress to my life. Insert Big Smiley Face. But in spite of the smiley face homeschooling a resistant son can be hard on mom. I suppose I might have lived to 100 if I had not had so many boys now I will be lucky to hit 60.</p>

<p>If you find yourself in that situation, with an uncooperative child, you are going to have to, as a last resort, pray.</p>

<h4>Hope for the Future</h4>

<p>After you have prayed you are just going to have to do the best you can. You are going to have to choose your battles wisely, you are going to have to communicate the ideas of self-government and you are going to have to be brave and let your child fail. And while you are doing all that, may I suggest that you try not to take the situation too personally.</p>

<p>Taking things too personally is a fatal flaw of any parent/child relationship. It causes you to lash out and misinterpret what is really going on. It causes you to overreact. This is especially lethal in parenting boys. A boy will naturally be confused and repelled by this sort of emotion. It will make him feel manipulated, especially if he is a very nice boy and ultimately wanting to please you. You see, a boy can be very nice and resistant at the same time.</p>

<p>It is most likely a situation that could not have been avoided due to the temperament of the boy and his reaction to your personality and expectations. If you can navigate through it prayerfully you can still go on in future years to have good relationships with your stubborn sons and they may still have tenderness and love for their stubborn mother too.</p>

<p>But perhaps you are thinking about all those boys in the homeschooling catalog that seem willing to sit at their parent’s feet until they are at least 30. I am sorry to say that you cannot order boys from a catalog.</p>

<p>You are stuck with the real kind that came filled with testosterone straight from the factory. The only way to deal with a real boy is to speak to the manufacturer about him on a regular basis, not expect him to act like a girl, make sure he is not on the computer too much and get him in the fresh air and sunshine.</p>

<p>May I suggest baseball?</p>

<p><em>Cindy Rollins is a homeschool mom of 9 children who lives in Hixson and blogs at <a href="http://dominionfamily.blogspot.com/">dominionfamily.blogspot.com</a>. Email Cindy at <a href="m&#97;&#105;&#108;&#116;&#111;&#x3a;&#x64;&#x6f;&#x6d;&#x69;&#x6e;i&#111;&#110;&#102;&#97;&#109;&#105;&#x6c;&#x79;&#x40;&#x67;&#x6d;&#x61;i&#108;&#46;&#99;&#111;&#109;">&#x64;&#x6f;&#x6d;&#x69;&#x6e;i&#111;&#110;&#102;&#97;&#109;&#105;&#x6c;&#x79;&#x40;&#x67;&#x6d;&#x61;i&#108;&#46;&#99;&#111;&#109;</a></em></p>
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		<title>Western art museum delights families</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2011/10/22/western-art-museum-delights-families/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2011/10/22/western-art-museum-delights-families/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:19:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Webmaster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events & Activities]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Resources]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3324</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<strong>By Erin Stroud</strong>

Many may be unaware that the western lands of our nation are but a couple of hours south of Chattanooga. “How can this be?” you ask. Well, it’s only an illusion, but a topnotch one. The Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Ga., is a gem just down I-75, and makes for an exceedingly worthwhile day trip for enrichment and enjoyment.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/museum.jpg" alt="Museum" style="border: 0px; width: 298px; height: 191px; float:left; margin: auto 10px 5px auto;" /><strong>By Erin Stroud</strong></p>

<p>Many may be unaware that the western lands of our nation are but a couple of hours south of Chattanooga. “How can this be?” you ask. Well, it’s only an illusion, but a topnotch one. The Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Ga., is a gem just down I-75, and makes for an exceedingly worthwhile day trip for enrichment and enjoyment.</p>

<p>The 120,000-square-foot museum, opened in 2003, houses permanent collections of Western art, Civil War art, and a remarkable gallery of Presidential letters and portraits. The variety of artistic media is truly stunning, from fine art and sculpture to classic Western movie posters. Some special items of note are a showcase of the stages involved in casting a bronze sculpture; an exhibit of one artist’s depiction of the same range burial in two differing paintings and a sculpture; and a large, intricate, fascinating sculpture made entirely of paper. The themes of the six permanent exhibitions are The American West gallery; The Cowboy gallery; Faces of the West; Heading West; The Modern West; and The Sculpture Court. The Heading West gallery features a genuine, restored Conestoga wagon. There is much to be found in the way of enrichment and education at the Booth Museum, and we in this area are very fortunate to have such a distinguished facility of which to take advantage.</p>

<p>The museum also houses temporary exhibits. Those coming up include “Stan Natchez: Indian Without Reservation” (September 13 through January 8, 2012); “Booth Photography Guild Biennial Exhibition” (September 13 through November 13); and “Western Art South of the Sweet Tea Line III” (September 24 through February 12, 2012).</p>

<p>Be sure to check out a “Saddle Bag” at the Information Desk for your child/children when you arrive.It’s filled with family activities to make the visit more engaging. Younger children will enjoy “Sagebrush Ranch,” a high-quality, hands-on area where they can take part in more fun and educational activities than can be detailed in this space. Suffice it to say that their experience will be a memorable one (be sure to take your camera)!<span id="more-3324"></span>Oct. 20-23 of this year, the Booth Museum will host their Annual Southeastern Cowboy Festival and Symposium. The following is reprinted from the Museum’s website: “Sample the wares of vendors ranging from Western art to collectibles. Enjoy entertainment throughout the day on two stages, including Western music, fast draw competitions, three performances of the Re-enactment of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and demonstrations of traditional Native American dances by the Big Mountain Family. Plus, living history encampments with demonstrations of pioneer skills from bygone days.</p>

<p>The Kids Corner of the Festival and Symposium will feature a variety of free activities for children. They can create a slinky snake or a hand print horse, paint the “yard art” ponies, do some calf roping and have their face painted. There will also be pony rides available for a small charge.” The admission prices for the day are Adults &#8211; $10; Seniors (65 and over) &#8211; $8; Students &#8211; $7; Children 12  Under &#8211; $3. There are also special group rates available.</p>

<p>In March 2012, make plans to attend the Southeastern Cowboy Gathering. Now, this is FUN! Chuck-wagon cookoff; open fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo contests (“Top musicians from around the Southeast compete for cash prizes and bragging rights”); an adult cowboy poetry workshop, children’s activities, musical entertainment; and more. When our family of four attends, we are each given a ticket to a different chuck-wagon for lunch; that way, we can sample each other’s food and vote for our favorites. Tickets for the chuck-wagon lunch are $12 each. The general admission prices are the same as previously shown.</p>

<p>Of particular interest to home-schoolers are the museums “Homeschool Fridays” (Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2) held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., during which students will “&#8230;discover a different artist, style and theme each month while creating [their] own masterpiece[s].” Also on tap for homeschoolers is “Home School Gathering (Ages 5-17) “Calling all Home-School Students! The Booth Museum is having a special day just for you! This program is held in connection with the 9th Annual Southeastern Cowboy Gathering. Tours will be offered several times throughout the afternoon, art activities will be located at different stations around the museum, free audio tours will be offered that day and there will be a special 10% discount for you and your family in the store and café. (Thursday, March 8, 2012, 1 – 4 p.m. $5 for students, $3 for adults.)</p>

<p>I can’t encourage you enough to take a day to check out the
Booth Western Art Museum. There is a cafe on-site where lunch or
snacks can be had, plenty of free parking, and, of course, a gift shop
par excellence! So saddle up and mosey on down to Cartersville’s <a href="http://www.boothmuseum.org/">Booth Museum of Western Art</a>.</p>

<h3>HOURS</h3>

<ul>
<li>Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday &#8211; 10:00 am to 5:00 pm</li>
<li>Thursday &#8211; 10:00 am to 8:00 pm</li>
<li>Sunday &#8211; 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm</li>
<li>Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas</li>
</ul>

<h3>ADMISSIONS</h3>

<ul>
<li>Members &#8211; Free &#8211; JOIN NOW!</li>
<li>Adults &#8211; $10.00</li>
<li>Seniors (65 and over) &#8211; $8.00</li>
<li>Students &#8211; $7.00</li>
<li>Children 12 and under – Free*</li>
</ul>

<p>*Children must be accompanied by parent or guardian</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Vision and Revision</title>
		<link>http://csthea.org/2011/10/12/vision-and-revision/</link>
		<comments>http://csthea.org/2011/10/12/vision-and-revision/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://csthea.org/?p=3311</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before I started homeschooling, I listened to a series of tapes about a vision for homeschooling families. The speaker, George Grant was illustrating how we only use a small portion of the brain’s capabilities. He told a story of Teddy Roosevelt and how he was able to dictate two letters in different languages to two different secretaries while reading a book at the same time. Even though that feat may not be possible for our untrained minds, he suggested, our children could surpass us in their abilities. We would stand amazed at what God could do through faithful families who trained their children at home to be warriors for God’s Kingdom.

Last month I had the privilege of talking with Dr. Grant about that vision and had to admit, I seemed to be in a season of disillusionment. Oh, I still listened to and was inspired by all the getting started with homeschooling talks that are so popular this time of year. It is not that I have any regrets but I no longer am starry eyed about how it all will turn out. Dr. Grant admitted that he too was not sure about his children at certain points in their life before they were adults. But the point he made was we really do not know what the future will hold for us or for our children. In the meanwhile we are to continue faithful to our calling as homeschool parents.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://csthea.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/binoculars.png" alt="Binoculars" style="border: 0px; width: 250px; height: 218px; float:left; margin: auto 10px 5px auto;" />Before I started homeschooling, I listened to a series of tapes about a vision for homeschooling families. The speaker, George Grant was illustrating how we only use a small portion of the brain’s capabilities. He told a story of Teddy Roosevelt and how he was able to dictate two letters in different languages to two different secretaries while reading a book at the same time. Even though that feat may not be possible for our untrained minds, he suggested, our children could surpass us in their abilities. We would stand amazed at what God could do through faithful families who trained their children at home to be warriors for God’s Kingdom.</p>

<p>Last month I had the privilege of talking with Dr. Grant about that vision and had to admit, I seemed to be in a season of disillusionment. Oh, I still listened to and was inspired by all the getting started with homeschooling talks that are so popular this time of year. It is not that I have any regrets but I no longer am starry eyed about how it all will turn out. Dr. Grant admitted that he too was not sure about his children at certain points in their life before they were adults. But the point he made was we really do not know what the future will hold for us or for our children. In the meanwhile we are to continue faithful to our calling as homeschool parents.<span id="more-3311"></span>At this point in my life, we have graduated our oldest from homeschool, and, Lord willing, will have another graduate this coming year. In addition we have another in high school and our youngest is in elementary school. On bad days I joke to myself that I even though I have made glaring mistakes with my teenagers, I still have hopes of my youngest emerging from my parenting relatively unscathed!</p>

<p>But, as I said, that is on my bad days. When I am thinking clearly and am in more of a spiritual balance (!) I can recognize much grace and much delight in all the years I have homeschooled. I have the fondest memories of early homeschooling, of amazing field trips, of entertaining talent shows, of countless mornings and afternoons just curled up on the couch with my children around me listening to me read aloud from many many living books. Homeschooling has given me the opportunity to teach my children as individuals, to tailor their lesson offerings to what they needed. I used the same curriculum through the years with all four of my children and each one took something different away from it. One child drank in all the beauty and creativity of the arts, another child’s imagination was fed by all the classic tales of fantasy, still another was able to keep up with his academic work even though he had huge difficulties reading, as I read everything aloud to him and we delighted together in the books that my older children read on their own without me. And now my youngest looks at me wide eyed at the antics of the Wilder children in Farmer Boy, the third time reading it aloud for me, but it is all new to him and we are both laughing and being amazed together at the hard work, huge quantities of food and industriousness of farm life.</p>

<p>I can honestly say I am looking forward to another year of homeschooling. I love that I can tell my oldest son what he needs to graduate and he can on his own, do the necessary work in a mixture of self study courses and outside classes. I love that I am still reading quite a bit aloud to my middle son, that I can choose books that I love to read, that I am looking forward to reading along with him. Books on theology, on worldview, on culture along with classics that I never got around to reading myself. And even though it is the fourth go round on teaching year three, I love that I can share those beloved books scheduled for this year with yet another child who will look at me with wonder.</p>

<p><span class="dropcap">B</span>ut one of the biggest benefits of our homeschooling journey has been that I have become a lifetime learner. Earlier this month, I visited my daughter who is living and going to school in NYC. Before my trip I did lots of research on self guided walking tours. I am never happier than when I can visit a city and know all the stories behind the buildings, recognize the architecture and realize the life that was happening at the time that building was built. I get such a thrill looking at a street or a walkway and knowing that an artist, writer, musician, etc whose work has delighted me has walked those same streets, lived in that very building. So I purchased several books, checked out others from the library, and arrived in the city armed with a list of places I wanted to visit and guided walks for nearly every area of the city. The first day I decided to try to make an early morning gallery talk at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Frans Hals. Because he is a Dutch painter, I felt an affinity with him. The talk did not disappoint. I left with a new understanding of life in the Netherlands, of the reformation, of the value of art in the common life. The rest of my week was filled with visits to other historic museums, libraries, churches and sites where certain events occurred. I had my trusty guidebook with me at all times. When my daughter accompanied me, she put up with my “obsession” as she called it, with the history of the city. I know it was humiliating for her to be with such an obvious tourist!</p>

<p>I do believe my years of reading about history, art, literature and so much more has whetted my appetite to continue to learn when the opportunity presents itself. For that I am so very thankful. I did not know or expect that when I started homeschooling my children. My goal was for my children to be lifetime learners, to be self-directed, responsible, freedom loving adults. The thing is that we really can not dictate what our children will be like as they get older. It is encouraging to see many of those traits in my children. Yet, we are all unfinished works, even this mom who is on the other side of 50, has so very much to learn. The upside is that our God is forming us daily into the image of Christ just as He is forming our children. We are not perfect, we make lots of mistakes, and yet, we press on. We may not always be the best example to our children. Some days it seems I have to do a lot of apologizing to my children. But instead of making me feel weaker, I know that it is the necessary burning off of all that dross. As my children get older, they are forgiving of me in a more understanding way. For this I am grateful.</p>

<p>It is good to have vision, to see in your children how God might use them in the building of His kingdom. I just need to be reminded that how that vision will be filled in is not for me to control.</p>

<p>And so another year begins. May your homeschool year be full of grace, rich in delight and grounded in His truths,</p>

<p>&mdash;JMT</p>
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