New Orleans Is Like Ancient Rome

The first thing we did, academically, on our first day of school is review Ancient Rome. I picked up my TruthQuest History Guide for Ancient Rome and read a few pages that we covered last year. I had not previewed those pages in order to have a discussion. WOW, I was so excited the way God worked out the pages I was reading. Let me tell you about it.

From the "Reality Check-The Poverty of Rome" section of Ancient Rome TruthQuest History guide

...the Romans were becoming quite worldly, thus indebtedness increased, and the huge number of slaves changed teh way Romans lived. . .Too, it was hard for little farmers and businessmen (small businesses) to compete with the nobles who produced goods using cheap slave labor and thus charged lower prices (big business). Skills and productivity dripped away. The Roman people figured that if the government was so rich, it ought to cough up the money to feed and entertain everyone. The people cared less and less about participating in government, especially since their tiny fractional votes were of so little value (sound familiar?)....

...Yes, I did earlier say the Romans started out with a good system of laws. But no legal system can stem the tide of sin if people aren't willing to be self-governing, which means doing the right thing without being forced to , simply because it honors God and is good for others. (beginning to tie into New Orleans)

...And the wrongdoer didn't learn his lesson sice there were no consequences. Thus, without self-government or fear of punishment, the Romans soon become lawless. (Superdome, New Orleans just happened over the weekend) Remember, Romans 13:3-4 tells governments to protect good citizens and punish evildoers. The government of Rome wasn't doing either! (neither was the police force of New Orleans as they were attacked)

You must learn something from this! Whenever bad government is not righted, there are only two eventual outcomes: chaos/anarachy or tyranny/dictatorship. Chaos ususally comes first, then a tyrant takes over, who is tolerated because people can't endure the chaos!

Comments in parenthesis are mine!

WWe discussed this as I read and at dinner last Tuesday night. Now, I was not saying New Orleans would have a dictator soon, but we can easily see the chaos produced from the lack of self-government and the lack of punishment for wrong-doers.

History DOES repeat itself!

Kerry

Strategies to Start School

Just a few more ideas about starting school. When I looked through a copy of The Old Schoolhouse this past weekend, I found an article by Christine Field, the Harried Homeschooler. I'd like to recap a few strategies she made about starting school.

1. Do you know why you do what you do? (I wrote an article about this a few years ago and it took awhile to find it - will post it later) As the old saying goes, if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you! This is true for homeschooling our children. Be sure your vision for your homeschool will take you through the lows of homescholing, those days you want to quit.
2. Stay solid in God's Word. It's the only thing that will see you through those lows. Besides, your children will become what you are. If you are solid in God's Word, then your children will grow up to spend time daily and faithfully with God. As you mature in the Lord, you will be able to share your growth and wisdom with your own kids.
3. Know your kids and yourself. What I mean by this is know what type of homeschool is best for you and your children. You ARE the expert on your family and your kids. You know what works best in your homeschool. What works for your neighbor or friend across the nation may not be best for you. This is a topic dear to my heart as I have given many seminars on Approaches to Homeschooling. After I saw the need, I turned my workshop into a book so homeschool moms would have a reference throughout the year. Check it out: Approaches to Homeschooling.
4. Get a grip on your routines. Routines are not meant to stifle creativity, but to encourage it. If your kids know what to expect each day, they can sometimes work on their own to finish their assignments. When you finish reading to your kids and know what you will fix for dinner, you can spend the afternoon WITH your kids, enjoying their company. For me, the start of this new year brings us back to a schedule where we can accomplish more and have more free time with each other.
5. Take a stand against clutter. I spent the last two weekends cleaning out my school desk and boxes from our move this summer. The more "stuff" I get rid of, the less "stuff" I have to manage. Find a place for EVERYTHING. I don't know about you, but I sometimes freak when I walk into our living room and piles of paper, yarn, markers, shoes, dirty socks, boooks and whatever else are all over the place. We don't have toys anymore, but somehow we still have a mess by the end of the day. Train your kids to help you take a stand against clutter. Put things away when you are finished using them.
6. Stay home more! This was a great idea from Christine. I know of stay at home moms that spend less time at home than full-time working moms. They are always at a volunteer activity or meeting friends. You might not have time to volunteer, but you might be away from your home as much. Opportunities abound and we can spend so much time in co-ops, music lessons, art lessons, sporting activities, park time and so on that we are not home. (for more on this subject, see "Busy-Ness") A family that runs all the time is fragmented. A family that can rest together and enjoy quiet times is a close family.

It sounds so simple. The enticing temptations of our culture make it so hard to do. But we will only know peace when our goals and our vision are solid. Purpose in your heart to make this a simply blessed year of homeschooling for you and your family.
notes & excerpts from The Old Schoolhouse, Fall 2002

Kerry

Hurricane Katrina Blog for Homeschoolers

Fellow blogger, Lori Seaborg, has set up a blog to keep the rest of us informed of happenings in the area. You can see the blog at:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HurricaneKatrina/

Kerry

Bibles for Katrina Victims

I am ordering Bibles to send to Katrina victims. I am working with a church in Louisiana, a church in Houston and possibly a church in Nacogdoches (east Texas). These are churches that we know personally and trust to get the Bibles in to the hands of the right people.

I have set up a paypal account specifically for this project. If you would like to contribute to the Bibles, you can send money to katrinabibles@yahoo.com

PLEASE NOTE: 100% of the money you donate will go towards the purchase of Bibles. I will personally pay for the shipping from Idaho to Louisiana and Texas.

Whatever money you donate this week, will go toward more Bibles being ordered & sent to this area. FYI, Bibles will cost $4-5 each.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at katrinabibles@yahoo.com

Kerry

First Week of School was Great

Our first week of homeschooling was great. Getting back into the swing of a schedule was easier than we expected. Only my 12yo is having a rough time because he has a latin class MWF and football practice every afternoon at 3pm. The time in between the two is his time to work on his own studies. I think it is excellent training because I was probably too easy on him since he was the youngest. Now he has a male latin teacher at a half-day boys school and a football coach telling him what to do. YEA for men involved in young guys' lives.

I am enjoying my reading with the girls. This week we are reading through Bede. Do you know who he is? Bede wrote a church history of England. He begins his book around 300 and goes to 700ish. It is great because it gives more than just church history. I have learned all sorts of things about Rome and its church, as well as the very early kings of England. I didn't know anything really about Britain's history. It is so fascinating to see how the gospel came to Britain through Augustine's arrival in Kent. From the south of the island it spread to the Northumbrians in the north. Many kings converted to Christianity and one outlawed the worship of idols. I had no idea the kings were so involved in a positive way with the church. Now, I just need to get back into the habit of writing in my reading journal. I'll write about that when it happens.

What are you reading this week?

Kerry

ps. The ice cream sundaes on our first day were terrific. What do you do for your first day of school?