Quote of the Week

"I have rightfully no other buisness each day but to do God's work as a servant, constantly regarding His pleasure. May I have grace to live above every human motive, simply with God and to God."

-Henry Martyn

Quote of the Week

"The Word of God is not bound! . . . Don't get it down 'cold,' but let it live--fresh, warm, and vibrant. . . ."

-Jim Elliot

The Potter's School: A Helpful Resource for Home Schooling High Schoolers

Recently, my family came across an excellent resource which we now use as part of our home school curriculum. This coming school year, my older brother and I will begin our third year of using The Potter's School , Christian organization providing on-line high school classes (and some junior high courses) especially for missionary families and home educators.


I think one of the reasons parents become reluctant to home educate high schoolers is because they feel they do not know how to teach them. In courses such as math or language for example, parents may wonder how in the world they can remember concepts they learned in high school decades ago--let alone have the ability to teach and answer questions their children may have. Some parents, for this or many other reasons, choose to send their children into the public school setting during their high school years. But, know that there are resources out there that can aid in successfully home schooling through high school!

How do on-line classes with The Potter's School work? Each class section meets once a week using a program called Gather Place. With Internet connection, the program provides an on-line "class room." The sessions are live, but no web cams are used. When a student enters the class room, his or her name appears on the Participant List on the program's sidebar. A chat box included in the sidebar provides general communication throughout the class which students can use to respond to the teacher and overall class discussion. The instructor can pull up a PowerPoint program or whiteboard on the screen to use while teaching. Gather Place enables the students to see the PowerPoint too--even showing the teacher's cursor movements as well as anything they may point out, draw, or highlight on the screen while lecturing. One requirement is that the student uses a headset complete with a working microphone. The teacher has the ability to mute or un-mute students' microphones to call on them during class. This comes in very handy, especially in language courses, because the teacher can hear his/her pupil speak in order to correct any flaws in pronunciation or grammar.

Done with the nitty-gritty details! Now, let me share with you why my family has enjoyed this resource. As my brother and I have transitioned into high school and more advanced subjects, it has been helpful to have an avenue whereby we can learn under the tutelage of someone who has studied and taught a certain subject for many years. My parents have enrolled us mainly in math, language (Spanish), and advanced composition courses from The Potter's School. Apart from class once a week, we also complete assigned homework throughout the school week. If a question arises, we can always ask our teachers via e-mail and get a prompt response. Another benefit, we receive critique and evaluation from different sources, which aids in constructing a more appealing college transcript and helps my parents find out what our strengths and weaknesses are academically. Through these on-line classes, my brother and I have developed more accountability as we have learned to budget our time in order to conform to strict deadlines when completing assignments--a standard not always conformed to in a home school environment. Overall, this experience has and continues to prepare us to jump into the caliber of college courses with ease--if that is the road the Lord wishes for us to take.

Do Hard Things... By Allison!

Since Allison is taking a break from computer, I want to send you to something she scheduled to be posted on her blog, Letter From Christ. Allison's Thoughts.

The Rebelution Conference 2008

One-hundred years ago, there were no teenagers. That obviously doesn't mean that there weren't fifteen-year-olds, but it means that youths were not considered adolescents.

What do you think of when you hear the word, "Teenager?" Most people think of rule-breaking youngsters who have no respect for anyone and are rebellious in many matters. The word "Teenager" actually came around about 69 years ago in The Reader's Digest. Before, there was a fine line between child and adult. "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." -1 Corinthians 13:11. Did he say, "When I was a child I acted like a child. When I was a teenager I acted like a teenager. When I became a man, I gave up teenager ways." NO! The myth of adolescence has overtaken our culture and it has set the bar of expectations entirely too low! It is shocking the difference between teens' expectations today, and teens' expectations one-hundred years ago.

Last Weekend, I along with Allison, Katie, and some other friends from church, attended The Rebelution conference in Dallas discussing Alex and Brett Harris' book titled, "Do Hard Things." I had a great time with my friends, and the conference had some really good discussions. I enjoyed it and learned from it, and I found a lot of encouragement in many areas.

They showed us reasons why procrastination is not something to make a habit of, for it has consequences. They showed us how small hard things such as dishes, chores, brotherly love, and humility all have great rewards, either in this life, or the next. Many things were shared, and they were all inspiring.

Not only was the conference great, but who could forget the fun we had in the cars and out! Friday night when we arrived, we had 3 or 4 hours before we were planning on going to bed. So we rounded up our people and headed for a bowling alley. On the way, we had to stop by a CVS Pharmacy to get socks for the girls. Of course, we didn't realize that they would cost $4 a pair. Haha! So we searched and searched: no Wal-Mart. But we did find a Super Target, and once we got what we needed, to the bowling alley we went.

Walking in, we hear loud rock music, and see huge screens of, unfortunately, inappropriate and crude music videos. For that reason we headed to another bowling alley; but the same thing occurred. So, to my great joy, we decided to go somewhere else. We would have a late night snack and what better to have than a couple(or more) Krispy Kreme Doughnuts!? We down here in Houston do not have any Krispy Kreme shops, so what a treat that was! I still have a Krispy Kreme hat as my souvenir. HAHA!