It Will Be All RIGHT 

Hey Mama,

I heard you were struggling with anxiety . . . worries . . . fears. As you may have heard in the last couple weeks, there’s a lot of that going around. Fear. It can be paralyzing.

Just stopping by to encourage you. Your children are struggling, too, aren't they? And that just tugs at your weary heart even more. Heavy-laden, concerned Mama, you are not alone.

John 14:27 speaks of peace. Christ gives us peace, not the kind the world has to offer, but something far better, much stronger. Did you know His ways are higher than ours? We think we see everything that is before us, but He knows what is around the next corner. If only you could see around that corner, if only you could see what He can, you'd realize He knows all the struggles of today, but He also sees you overcoming in HIS timing.

And when you do struggle, remember to seek encouragement from those who have also endured, who have followed this same journey, and have overcome. Many of them have shared their stories and resources for your struggling learners in the pages of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.

Understanding Your Child's Learning Struggles

If I Wait, Will it Be too Late? What to Think When Reading Doesn't Start Easily

Ready for Math

And remember, Mama. . .

The good news—He sees! Not only does He see, but He gives us peace because He cares, a peace the world can’t even understand.

I know it's hard right now. Your heart is weighted down in these troubling times. But don’t focus on what’s heavy right now, Mama. Set your eyes on Christ and His perfect peace, and know in your heart (because it’s true) that He works all things for good for those who love Him. Your “around the next corner" is coming. Provision will arrive. Uncertainties will dissolve. The unjust will not prevail. The sadness will cease. This pain will not endure. Just wait. He will RIGHT everything. He will right it all.

Trust His heart, God-fearing Mama. It's pure. And it’s yours.

“ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27

Love, gena

The Tricks Up Your Sleeve

Let’s face it, sometimes it’s a challenge just to teach the basics of “reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.” We live for those days when everything just seems to “click” and then try to replicate them. It can seem elusive, though, can’t it?

I’ve found in over twenty years of homeschooling that this quest we are on is very fluid. Our children are growing continually and not just physically. It’s hard enough to keep up with their shoe size, much less their developing intellectual abilities, plus emotional and spiritual maturation. We have new students, it seems, each week as all of these changes ebb and flow.

Given all of this, it pays to be flexible in planning our lessons. It’s smart to have a few “aces up the sleeve.” Sometimes you need a little something extra to help your student to catch what you (or the curriculum . . . or both) are throwing. 

I used to be overwhelmed with certain teaching materials which seemed to have so many bells and whistles, it was mentally paralyzing to me. My perfectionism would grab that entire list and try to execute e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and I would burn out. So would my kids! Over time, I learned to change my perspective and choose a handful of those things to have on stand-by, in case my original approach was not proving as effective as I’d hoped. Jesus understood the wisdom of using a variety of methods to teach people—stories, object lessons, teachable moments, and illustrations. Why shouldn’t we?

Formal math and formal English can be dry. So, look for supplemental resources which can engage multiple senses and maybe even incorporate some fun! Musical learning tools, rhymes, visual aids in the form of charts, graphics and videos, and manipulatives may provide just the support you need. 

Many remember “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” as a novel mnemonic device to aid us in remembering the Order of Operations. A quick search on the internet can turn up a treasure trove of helps ranging anywhere from an entire Pinterest board full of ideas for teaching geometry proofs to sites which actually bring some fun to sentence structure and diagramming down to elementary-level language arts and math games on our own SchoolhouseTeachers.com website.

 

One final note—we know that play is an important element for early learners. It’s also critical all the way through adulthood. Don’t underestimate the value of incorporating a little joy into the school day for your older students and for you as well ! 

Diane Heeney  is a graduate of Bob Jones University, where she served on faculty for ten years. She has been Assistant to the Director of Advertisng Sales at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine since 2016. She’s homeschooled her three children over the course of the past 18 years, having graduated their two oldest. Diane, her husband Patrick, and their youngest child, Katie, reside in eastern Wyoming.