Why Teach Spelling?

I've heard countless arguments about the "futility" of teaching Spelling to children.

"Why bother?  We have Spell-Check in every computer program and most, if not all, kids do their work on a computer."

Uh, why?

This is why:

Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques for my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it to say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
It’s rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
Eye am shore your pleased two no
It’s letter perfect awl the weigh
My checker tolled me sew.

-Margo Roark

(From the book i before e (except after c) by Judy Parkinson)

OVER Protecting and UNDER Socializing

I've been working through two things that have been on my mind and heart for a while.  In fact, this post has been written and sitting in draft mode for two weeks.  At least.  
It's required a bunch of mulling over, and even more prayer.  
It's two things I've heard frequently since we started homeschooling.


"Aren't you over protecting your kids?"

and, the infamous:


"What about socialization?  What do you do to ensure they're not under socialized?"

I'm getting on my soapbox and I'm not making any excuses or apologies for it.

Long, long, long story short, here is what I have come to believe is the only correct way (for me) to answer those two questions:


"Yes, I am over protecting my kids." 
And
"Yes, I WANT them to be under socialized."


Because, you see, I feel that both of these questions stem from a world view.  

If protecting my kids to a Biblical standard is OVER protecting them by a worldly standard, I'm okay with that.  In fact, we are called to protect our children.  Not just their physical protection, but their emotional and spiritual protection as well.  I have been given the great task and blessing to raise these children.  To raise them to be godly, moral, Truth seeking individuals who value hard work, honesty, responsibility and accountability.  To be people of God who are more concerned with others than themselves.  I am very, very convicted that in order to do that I must "over" protect them -- or more simply, I must protect them from living as the world would tell them to live.  


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

And if UNDER socializing my kids means that they are socialized to a Biblical standard and not to a worldly standard, I'm okay with that.  The "what about socialization" is one of the questions that really gets to me.  Do I really even need to answer that one?  I've seen what public school socialization does to kids.  The biggest issues in high school in the 50's were things like tardiness, talking in class, not turning in homework, forgetting a pencil, etc.  The biggest issues in the high schools now?  Gang fights, rape, assault, battery, theft, etc.  And the list goes on and on.  Sickeningly so.  


Even the "smaller" problems exist in abundance:  disrespect, dishonesty, lack of perseverance, selfishness,  irresponsibility, lack of accountability.   Do I want that for my children?  Absolutely not.   What I do want is them to have a safe, healthy social experience.  

When we decided to homeschool we decided to become recluses.  No field trips, no outings to the grocery store.  No park playdates.  No trips to the library or zoo.  No checking out the local history.  It's home, home, home.  And absolutely no talking or playing with other people and children that aren't in our nuclear family.


Do you see/hear/understand how asinine that is?  But, when people ask me how we socialize our children, I want to have some smart aleck comment like the statement above.  "Yeah, we never leave home, so they have a problem with socialization.  I see your point."  The truth is just the contrary.  We are very, very busy homeschoolers.  We interact with individuals not only at our own age levels, but those in differing ages, abilities, and environments.  I believe that it makes all of us better people.

So, do I over protect and under socialize?  Depends on who's asking.  
To the world, my answer would be yes.
To God, my answer would be no.  I'm protecting and socializing as He would have me do.


The world may think I'm over protecting and under socializing, but that doesn't really bother me.  If you know me, you know that I don't generally care what others think of me.  
But I do care what God thinks of me.
I take the gift of raising these children very, very seriously.  I might not have all the right answers, or know the right thing to say when asked a frustrating question by those who'd rather judge than respect, but I do know one thing.
God called me to mothering.  He called me to be the momma and the teacher of these two precious littles.
And God does not call the equipped.
He equips the called.

"These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6: 1-9

Manifesto -- Update

I realized this morning when I was looking at the Manifesto post in my email inbox, that the video did not show up.  In my spare time (maniacal laughing), I'll see if there is a way to get that into your email box.  But, for now, you'll need to go to the blog itself to see the video clip I've posted.   (Just click on the blog post title "Manifesto" to take you directly to that post.)

In Him,
GHM

Manifesto

I believe that if we don't stand for something, we will fall for anything.

This -- This is what I stand for...  The One True God...







Manifesto by The City Harmonic


We believe in the one true God
We believe in Father Spirit Son
We believe that good has won

And all of the people of God sing along

Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
We are free He died and lives again
We will be a people free from sin
We'll be free a kingdom with no end

And all of the people of God sing along

Amen (X4)

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, 
thy will be done, 
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.
And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, power and the glory. for ever and ever. 

We're singing

Amen (X4)

The Holy Alphabet

A lthough things are not perfect 
B ecause of trial or pain 
C ontinue in thanksgiving 
D o not begin to blame 
E ven when the times are hard 
F ierce winds are bound to blow 
G OD is forever able 
H old on to what you know 
I magine life without His love 
J oy would cease to be 
K eep thanking Him for all the things 
L ove imparts to thee 
M ove out of "Camp Complaining" 
N o weapon that is known 
O n earth can yield the power 
P raise can do alone 
Q uit looking at the future 
R edeem the time at hand 
S tart every day with worship 
T o "thank" is a command 
U ntil we see Him coming 
V ictorious in the sky 
W e'll run the race with gratitude 
X alting God most high 
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but... 
Z ion waits in glory....where none are ever sad! 




As a teacher and a Christian, I felt this was so appropriate.  May you find the blessing in it as well!