Possible Biblical Resources for Teaching/Training Children (Part 2-final)

Ok, I am seriously on information overload right now!! I have looked through, researched, and read so many books over the past few weeks. (If you missed the first post, you can read it here.)

Shepherding a Child's Heart  - This was given to me by my sister. It was the first book I read. It focuses on the heart issues of children and, while behavioral issues are a problem, they are secondary to the heart issues. Once the heart issues are understood and taken care of then the behavioral issues will fall in line. Part 1 addresses the foundations for Biblical childrearing and part 2 addresses shepherding through the stages of childhood. This was a very good book. It made me think about things I had not thought of before or think of things differently than what I had previously thought.



Instructing A Child's Heart - This book is along the line of its predecessor above. While the first focused on the heart being the issue, this one focuses on how to impress and instruct the heart with truth by pointing them to God. Part 1 is called 'the call to formative instruction'. Part 2 is titled 'introduction to formative instruction' and Part 3 is called 'application of formative instruction'. My sister brought this down with her when she came to visit. I did not have time to read it while she was here, but I did get to glance through it. Here is what the back cover of this book has to say: "From interaction with their peers to the instruction and correction that they receive at home, children interpret their experiences from a worldview that seeks to answer their fundamental questions: Who am I? What do I exist for? Where can I find joy? We need to provide our children with a consistent, persuasive, Biblical framework for understanding the world God has made and their place in it."



Creative Correction - My sister let me borrow this one. I didn't read every single chapter, but instead focused on the chapters I found the most interesting to me at this time. I really liked it and may have to purchase one for myself in order ro read the other chapters ;) This is like a book within a book. It's huuge! I felt like it needed tabs or something for quick referencing situations. The title of this book pretty much speaks for what the book is about...offering unique ways to get your child's attention and to correct their behavior. The book is broken up into several chapters which talk about a specific topic and each chapter has it's own "tool box" which is more or less examples and creative ways to address those topics. There are also tons of Biblical references, Biblical stories as well as made up stories that go along with each topic. These are not all of the chapters, but there are chapters on...
*rewards (motivational, extra-time, extra-good behavior)
*problem areas (cleaning, school, traits, chores)
*ideas from Proverbs
*sibling conflict
*help with prayers for specific offenses
*section just about toddlers
*study guide
*spanking guidelines (I really liked these)



Parenting with Scripture - My sister let me borrow this one and then I purchased it for myself. It is a great A to Z topical reference guide...probably more topics than I'll ever need, but hey, they're there if I ever need them :) Almost every topic (or target behavior) has the definition of the word, multiple Bible Scriptures, discussion questions, ways the kids can take action or do things differently the next time around, as well as Bible memorization. I have found myself using this book when I need to have a more in-depth one-on-one discussion with my kids. When my son and/or daughter is waiting in his/her room, it not only gives them time to calm down, but me time as well. This also gives me time to find the topic in the book, read through it, figure out what action to take, then head to their room for discussion. I take the book right on in with me to reference back to.



Wise Words for Moms - This is a quick reference calendar style chart. It contains many of the behavior issues we confront on a day to day basis. It lists the behaviors, heart probing questions, reproof verse, encouragement verse, as well as additional verses. I find myself using this chart in those 'quick-correction' moments or times when my kids (my brother, their friends, etc...) all need spoken to together as a group.

One other thing that we have found to be a helpful training resource is the Biblical Reminders chart we recently added to our school room. When in the middle of teaching, an activity, an assigment, etc..., I can quickly reference to a number or a Bible verse to correct a certain behavior. The kids helped me come up with the areas we struggle with the most in a typical school day and we found verses to go along with those areas. We have gone over each verse in detail, what it means, ways to correct the behavior, etc... so the kids know right away what I am referring to when I say or point to a verse/number and *hopefully* will begin correcting the behavior right away without further interruption. This has worked *most* of the time so far :)

In school speak...

#1 corresponds with "Always do your best."

#2 corresponds with "Follow Directions".

#3 corresponds with "Be polite, courteous, and respectful of others and their property."

#4 corresponds with "Be helpful to your friends."

#5 corresponds with "Use kind words and actions." 

Anyway, thought I'd pass along this info in case these books will be of help to anyone else :)

Adventures in Review - Week 27

This has been a pretty calm week for us here at Kingdom Academy.

To start off the week, we took a trip to the Lufkin Zoo. {We didn't go anywhere during spring break, so this was our attempt at taking a break and getting away for a bit.}



During our Adventures in My Father's World, we made it through the lakes of Minnesota and down the Oregon trails. Do you remember that old game we used to play as kids called 'The Oregon Trail'? Man, I used to love that game and I'd play it for hours! Someone over on the MFW-Adventures yahoo forum posted a link to this game you can play on your computer. You can find that link here.  I am very leery about adding anything else to my really old and already slow-as-a-snail computer, so I downloaded the light 'Oregon Trail' app for free on my I-pod. The kiddos really enjoy this game, so I download the full version for just $0.99 :)

For a craft, my kids were supposed to help put together a horse and covered wagon model. We got these little wooden gems at Harbor Freight for $0.99 each. The outside of the package says 6 +. We put together models earlier in the year of a butterfly and an ant and they weren't too difficult, so we went back to get this one. Well, 6+ don't cut it. Try 36+! My husband did the entire thing, gluing each tiny little piece together. It was not a simple slide together one like we had before. In the end, the horse and covered wagon turned out beautiful and the kids were thrilled with the work their father had done :)

   

The kids also enjoyed learning about Abraham Lincoln... after all, they had heard tid-bits about him time and time again in math class (think penny ;). My little brother, Brown-eyed Boy, realized he and Abe shared something in common. As I was reading the part about the death of Abe's mother, Brown-eyed Boy piped up and said, Abraham Lincoln's mom died when he was a little boy...just like me." Yes, sadly they shared that tragedy in common. And I said to him (probably with tears in my eyes), "And when you grow up, I'm sure you can tell everyone just as Abe did...God bless my mother. All that I am and ever hope to be I owe to her."

{For those of you who may be visiting this blog for the first time, our mother passed away just a few months ago from cancer. You can read more about her amazing story and her unwavering trust and faith in God here . There is short 6 minute video she made just a few months before her death at the bottom of that link. Please check it out. Her goal in life was to bring and give all the glory and honor to God...no matter what! Believe me, you will NOT want to miss out on it.}

In Part 2, we learned that one of Abe's favorite books was Pilgrim's Progress. To Jase and Stephen's delight, they said, "Hey, that is one of our reading books!" And it is. Pilgrim's Progress -Simplified- is their very last reading book in the Abeka language arts program this year. They are very much looking forward to reading it now :)



In Bible, we finished up 'Jesus the Servant'. Here is how their poster looks so far.

In closing, I will leave you with a few pictures of my kids getting eaten by alligators ;)

Link Up! Homeschool Highlights in My Father's World



Kids on a Mission v.1

Are you looking for ways to get your kids (and yourself) involved in helping others?

Looking for mission opportunities locally, globally?

With my kids, I prefer to get involved in things they can see and physically take part in. In a child's mind, it's one thing to say 'We're sending this money to help "mission x"' and a totally different thing to actually get out there and work together with them to physically help "mission x". Of course with some things, the best option and/or only option may be monetary donations. 

Here are several ideas (some that just require a little time and others that require a little money).

Local Missions

Crisis Pregancy Centers - we volunteer at our local center a few times each month and even more in the summer. There are some areas (such as counseling) when it is not appropriate to have your children with you, but there may be other options available. Perhaps your kids can help you do some light office work or run errans for the clinic. At our local center, Hope Women's Resource Clinic, they allow me to bring my kids and help out in the Blessings Boutique. The Boutique provides diapers, wipes, car seats, strollers, cribs, infant and maternity clothes, shoes, formula, baby food, shampoo, toys, bottles, pacifier, and the list goes on! My kids love to help sort, fold, and hang up baby clothes. The like to help bag up the ladies' items. They also have been known to entertain and keep busy the little children these ladies bring in with them allowing them to focus more on getting in and out with what they need. My kids also help me gather donations to bring to the clinic each month. To view even more ways to can help out at this particular clinic, please click here.  

  

Nutrition and Services for Seniors - we are looking to volunteer with this organization in the near future. Basically, you meet up with the local coordinator in your hometown, pick up the meals, then deliver them to the senior citizens on your route. It reminds me of the 'Meals on Wheels' program my grandfather used to get his lunch meals from. I remember what a blessing this was to him (and to my mom who was his primary care provider). In the meantime, here is what a trusted friend has to say about this mission opportunity. (paraphrased) There are many routes available. They try to pick the ones closest to your area. You can do it as often or as little as you want. You can also pick the day. My friend said it takes them about an hour to complete their route and they currently do this once a month. For more information about this mission opportunity, contact Jackie Prejean at 892-4455.

Christian Care Center - We have been involved on and off with this organization. They serve as a local food pantry offering needed groceries and staple items (such as school supplies and clothing) to the needy in the area. We have taken up food collections to donate to them. One thing my kids loved to participate in was their Christmas toy drive and it didn't even cost us a dime :) The organization works all year long gathering toys (so you can donate if you'd like) and a few weekls before Christmas, they need volunteers to bag up these toys and match them with particular children based on their needs/wants. This is the part we have participated in and it is perfect for families with young children...it's also a ton of fun! They also need volunteers to man the building and help pass out these toys when the families come to pick them up. (This is a task more for families with older children). To get involved in this local mission opportunity, contact 385-2237.

Bag O Blessings - this is something my kids and I plan to do. It is more of an outreach and encouragement ministry to the people who live right around you, but can be coupled with a neighbor who has certain needs as well. Our plan is to choose a neighbor (or neighbor family) once a month or every other month (we haven't worked out the particulars yet;). During that month, we will pray specifically for them, then try to gather little items/supplies, write notes, etc.. all month long for that neighbor and place in a bag. At the end of the month, we will leave it on their doorstep (we like the idea of *trying* to remain anonymous), but you can give it to them in person as well.  What else can I put in the bag? Well, try to really take notice of your neighbors. Do they have pets? What about some pet treats or a toy? Do they like to work in the garden? What about some specialty seeds or a small garden tool? Do they have kids? How about a small gift card/certificate to McDonald's or other place, a family game? What else? A packet of gum, travel wet wipes,  snack foods, gift card/certificate, an offer to mow their lawn, an offer to babysit their kids for free, an invitation to attend church with you one Sunday, invitation to come over to eat, the possibilities are endless! 

Blessing Bags for the Homeless -  I know at one time or another, we've all come to an intersection and seen a homeless person. What do you do? Give them money? What about giving them a blessing bag :) My husband comes in contact with numerous homeless individuals every day on his way to and from work. He likes to change his items up based on the seasons. To give you and example, his Winter Blessing Bags contained hand warmers, a knit hat/cap, a bottle of water, a Bible, misc easy open canned foods, etc... In the summer, he plans to change out the winter items with those cool neck tie things you wet with water to help cool yourself down. A more generic Blessing Bag could contain a pop-top style can of soup or meat, a pop-top style can of fruit, a bag of snacks or cookies or a package of crackers, a water bottle, a spoon, and a card with local church or homeless shelter contact info.

Global Missions

Kits for Kids - This mission opportunity is brought to you by the Baptist Global Response Organization. This is "a unique opportunity to help equip a child with the tools they need to get an education. It's also a chance for families to teach their children what it means to love others by helping needy kids." Basically, you pack several basic school supply items in a 2.5 gallon plastic slide-lock bag, include a kit label, and either drop your package off at a drop-off location in your area or ship your pack directly to their main headquarters. I know my kids are excited about getting to shop for other kids and help them have the necessary school supplies they need. The deadline for shipping your kits is October 31, 2011. I think we are going to wait a while on thei mission opportunity...say August September when school supplies are dirt cheap. To read more about this opportunity, click here .

Compassion International - Where oh where to begin? There are so many mission opportunities here...I guess I'll start with their widely-known sponsor child program. We have personally been a part of this minitry for over 10 years now and it has been such a blessing to our family. With your monthly donation, not only do they provide an education, medical provisions, and basic necessities, they also provide these children (and their families) with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through Bible studies, church activities, classes, etc... You correspond with your sponsor child on a regular basis and are always kept up-to-date on your child and his/her activities. It's a lot like having a pen-pal :) Here is a link to a post I wrote a while back about our sponsor children. If this is not your thing, they also take donations for a child survival program which helps rescue mom and their babies. You can also donate specifically to meet critical needs in certain areas or donate to help educate student leaders through their leadership development program.

Samaritan's Purse - We are currently supporting this organization through our adult Sunday School class. Together, our class has raised enough money to dig 2 wells which will provide clean, life-sustaining water to certain areas in need. You can donate money for cows, chickens, pigs, etc... You know the saying "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime". Well, this is basically what this program does. There are many, many other ways to help out (like their ever popular shoe-box program) through this organization. Just visit their link and check out the section titled 'Ways to Give'.


Donate to the Japan Relief Effort - There are several options here.
*Baptist Global Response - donate money and choose what that money is for ex) water, blanket, food, etc... Click here to find out more.
*World Vision - "aids children and families around the world in the wake of natural and man-made disasters." Click here to find out more.
*Save the Children - "provides disaster relief with food, medical care and education and remains to help communities rebuild through long-term recovery programs." Click here to find out more.
*Convoy of Hope - "is trying to move food, water and other immediate supplies to the victims in Japan."
Click here to find out more.
*Samaritan's Purse - "is distributing essential items including food, water, medicine, blankets, weatherproof plastic, and other materials to communities along the northeastern Japanese coast." Click here to find out more.
*Salvation Army - " immediately sent teams following the earthquake and tsunamis to the most severely affected regions where they are distributing basic necessities to survivors." Click here to find out more.

Before you go getting yourself overwhelmed looking at this list...take a deep breath, pray about where you feel the Lord leading you and your family to volunteer or support, then go for it! Start off small and add to it as you feel the Lord leading.

And remember...we can't do everything, but everyone can do something :)

Possible Resources for Biblical Teaching/Training Children (Part 1)

You have heard the saying, "There's an app for that". Well, chances are, "There's a book for that" too :)

In making my plans for teaching/training my kids while using Scripture, I have come across several books while searching on the internet and through friends' suggestions. Because I have not read any of these yet and do not know what sorts of information they contain, this is not an endorsement for these books. It looks like many of them cover the same things, but I thought I'd pass them on... {FYI - I don't plan on purchasing all of these books, just compiling a list of possibilities to help me along ;) } I have heard great things about a few of these books already and can't wait to read them. In Part 2, I will briefly review the books a did read and let you know what I thought.

Wise Words For Moms

Parenting With Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments

Proverbs For Parenting: A Topical Guide for Child Raising from the Book of Proverbs

Don't Make Me Count to Three: A Mom's Look at Heart Oriented Discipline

Shepherding A Child's Heart

Instructing A Child's Heart

Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training

Have you read any of these books already? What are your thoughts?

Have any additional book suggestions?

A Twist on Using Bible Verses to Teach & Train Your Children (Part 1)

Let me start by saying, I got this idea from a friend of mine over at Adventures of a Simple Life .

I was at the park with my kiddos one day and while I was there, I heard my friend gently quote a Bible scripture to her little boy. She was instructing him on doing what he was told to do without complaining. BUT instead of just telling him 'stop complaining' or 'do what you are told' she gently quoted Philippinas 2:14 to him. "Do all things without grumbling or complaining." Later on at the park, she gently quoted another Bible scripture to one of her other children.

The other moms and I were amazed at this concept of using actual Bible scripture to instruct our children and to enforce the character qualities we wanted our children to have and display. Why had I never thought of this before? I am always telling my children, "stop being mean to your brother/sister", "stop whining/complaining", "no yelling" or other things along those lines. Why not back up the point I am trying to get across by telling my kids what the Bible says about it, not just what I have to say about it.

I really want to do this with my own kids. So today, I finally sat down and researched several Bible verses to go along with a few key areas many kids (and parents ;) struggle with and this is what I have come up with so far:

*Complaining/Whining
   Do all things without grumbling or complaining. Philippians 2:14

*Yelling
   A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

*Respect Others
   Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31

*Helping Others
   Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9
  
*Kindness and Forgiveness 
   Be kind to one another, forgiving one another as Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
  
*Sharing/Giving to Others
   Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.  
  Hebrews 13:16

*Choosing words wisely
   The words of the pure are pleasant words. Proverbs 15:26

*Obeying Your Parents
   Honor your father and mother. Exodus 20:12

*Good Work
   Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23

*Making Good Choices
   Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
   you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

There is an obvious amount of training that has to take take place before I can just simply quote a scripture to my kids and expect them to know what it means and to follow through with what it says to do. How do I plan on implementing this? Well, let me gather my thoughts and ideas and I will post my 'plan' in Part 2 and perhaps another interesting twist on things in Part 3.

In the meantime, I would love to hear your favorite verses you use with your children. Perhaps you know of verses that are better suited for these areas than the ones I have written down or verses that are suited for areas I did not address :) 

Spring Break ART Extravaganza

After our friends had gone home on Monday, we also decided it was high time to try out the "Drawing Lessons For Beginners" with Donna Hugh DVD Brown-eyed girl got for Christmas this past year. In lesson 1, we drew bell peppers. Ms. Hugh emphasized carefully seeing the object and if applicable, feeling and holding the object to get a better understanding of the object. She also talked a little about watercolor pencils and we used those to color in our bell peppers. When we were finished, Blue-eyed boy said his looked like poop and Brown-eyed girl said she still wanted to draw her bell peppers her own way. I've decided this DVD is not beginner enough for me. I need to go all the way back to how to draw a line.

Blue-eyed boy's

Brown-eyed girl's

Mine

On Tuesday, we learned about shading in lesson 2. Um, let me rephrase that...we watched her shade while we learned very little about it. What were we drawing today? Our shoes. Brown-eyed girl chose a flip flop, Blue-eyed boy chose a sandal, and I chose a tennis shoe. After we were finished with our pictures, she did go over the different types of shading pencils available and the best way to sharpen them. Arg! This information would have been very helpful before we started shading our pictures, but after was a little too late. Oh well - the kids didn't really care for the shading anyway. Actually, they had their pictures drawn already by the time she was only about 1/4 way through with hers. They think she takes too long. They wanted to use the watercolors again instead of shading pencils...and they did. I tried my hand at the shoe and shading though. I think I liked my picture better before the shading. What do you think?

Brown-eyed girl's

Blue-eyed boy's

Mine

Mine with shading

Wednesday,  we took a break from art and went to have lunch with Granny and G-Maw. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with them :) G-Maw got the kids a really neat game and they played with it for a looonngg time that day.



On Thursday, I had to babysit the neighbor boys all day, so art lesson #3 took a back seat until that evening. Big J got a chance to join us for this lesson. He thought she took too long too. And again - this DVD is not so much about learning from her, but rather watching her draw. There is just not enough explanation and 'how to' to go along with these lessons. Still, we tried our hand at drawing conch shells. Jason chose his own (as did the kids) from their personal collection and I used the shell Ms. Hugh used. She completed the drawing using colored pencils and I tried to copy what she did. Big J and the kids did their own thing when it came to the color.

Brown-eyed girl's

Blue-eyed boy's

Big J - He got so bored, he decided to draw Larry Boy, a cat, Yoda, and a pictures of Brown-eyed girl.

Mine

Today is Friday and the day of the 4th and final art lesson. As you can probably tell, we have not been thrilled with this DVD. Although Ms. Hugh is a wonderul artist and very talented, this DVD did not have enough explanation on how exactly to do the different techniques and how to properly use the different tools...at least not for me anyway. The kids thought it was rather dry and boring and consistently lost interest about 5 minutes into each lesson. However, Brown-eyed Girl and I hung in there and saw it through to the end. Blue-eyed Boy and Big J had other plans. In this lesson, we created our pictures using watercolors and went back with felt tip marker/pens to highlight and outline certain areas.

Brown-eyed Girl's

Mine

Does anyone out there know of any good beginner art DVD's? Aleeya really loves to draw and I'd like to get her something a little more kid friendly to try out.

the TEXAS-sized spring break that almost wasn't

So...
For the past 2 weeks, I have been busily working on plans for a fun-filled spring break week.
My little brother, brown-eyed boy, usually homeschools with us, but our brother, J, is in public school and they are on spring break this week. My dad decided to head out of town for the week with them...So... this means we are taking a break from school too.  

...However...

I actually did a little planning ahead (yay me!) and we opted to dig a little deeper into our state studies for MFW-Adventures and focus on our home state all week long. The state studies are great, but my kids were a bit dissapointed that we didn't really get into all the ins and outs of Texas. So, with not much else to do spring break week, we decided to focus on TEXAS.

The sad part of all this is that, despite all my planning, my laptop crashed 3 days prior to spring break and I lost everything... all my plans, lessons, ideas, and the e-Texas-lapbook I purchased, which was to be the focal point of the week. I did scratch a few notes onto notebook paper, and from that, free internet sites, and a Texas unit I saved waaaay back from my student teaching days, I was able to throw something together for our TEXAS week.

{at the end of this post are links to many sites containing *free* pictures, reproducibles, and worksheets you can use for your TEXAS state studies}

Monday

We had a brief overview of what we would be doing all week long. The kids took out their Texas state sheets from their state notebooks they have been making for Adventures in My father's World and reread many of the facts and information on the back of the sheets. The kids told me some of the things they already knew about Texas and some of the things they'd like to learn. We located our little town on the map and marked it with a star. Then, Blue-eyed boy and Brown-eyed girl decorated the covers of their Texas lapbooks.

Some friends of ours joined us for lunch and the kids all played and had a blast together till late afternoon.

Tuesday

Today, the kids made a little flip booklet to go in their lapbooks. We learned about our state bird, flower, motto, mammal, reptile, song, capital, and tree. They also cut out and colored various pictures of these things and glued them in their lapbooks. If you choose to do something like this, I would suggest printing out several that are already pre-colored. My kids were very tired of coloring by the end of the week.

 Wednesday

Before heading to Granny's house, we learned about the Alamo and colored pictures, checked out the Alamo website, and painted our bluebonnet pictures.

Thursday

I had to babysit the neighbor boys all day, so they joined us for our Texas studies today. The kids decorated pecan trees using tissue paper, crayons, construction paper, and glue. That took them quite a while. I was thinking they'd just ball up one huge piece of green tissue paper, slather it with glue, and slap it on, but they actually took their time and they all turned out nice. What to do next? ...Something that would keep them equally busy. Well, I had quite a bit of air dry clay left over from a project we did at the beginning of the school year, so I had the kids make models of the Alamo. They did really well! Not sure how the 'snow theme' got into the picture, but it did and we went with it.

 Friday

This is the very last day for the Texas unit. Today, the kids labeled and colored a little fold out Texas flag. Blue stands for loyalty, red stands for bravery, and white stands for purity. We learned more about the capital building in Austin, Texas and visited the website. Then the kids finished up by coloring, cutting, and gluing a picture of the capital building in their lapbooks. All in all, they had a fun-filled TEXAS-sized spring break week! Hmmm...perhaps we'll have chili for dinner ;) 

Here are their state pictures from Adventures in My Father's World



Links:

http://www.texasbob.com/colorindex.html (various info and symbols for you to color and cut out)

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/unitssubjgeog/ss/texasprint_7.htm (more info and symbols)

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/texas-coloring-page/ (various pictures and state info)

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/usa/texas/map-outline.html (Texas map shape, perfect for labeling)

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/usa/texas/state-flag.html (to make the fold out flag, just measure out from each rectangle and cut the flaps out accordingly)

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108277.html (state information)

http://thealamo.org/ (Alamo website)

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/ (tons of great information and activities: maps, worksheets, color pages, fact wheel, notebook activity, etc) *some of these printable items are only available to members*

http://www.edhelper.com/geography/Texas.htm (more worksheets and info)

http://www.thekcrew.net/rodeo.html (a Texas unit for younger kids)

http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/CVC/home/home.html (Texas capital visitors center)

(this post is linked to Homeschool Highlights in MFW at A Heart Like Water and at WierdUnsocializedHomeschoolers weekly wrap ups)

What's Wrong with this Picture?!?

Since when have students been able to buy their way to a better grade? Well, according to a few of my brothers...for quite some time now.

I was absolutely blown away when my brother said he had to go to Wal-mart to buy a few things for "extra credit". Really?!? Since it'll be your father's money, will he get that "extra credit" then?

Apparently, the local high school students can earn "extra credit" by purchasing things teachers need, like EXPO markers and pens. Does anyone else see something totally wrong with this?

Now, I know that not every teacher does this and those that do don't do it all the time. I also know all too well that teachers are underpaid and have to use waay too much of their own personal money on needed classroom/student supplies.

Still...
I remember the days when "extra credit" truly was extra credit. After all, the whole purpose of doing extra credit was to raise your grade in that particular class by writing an extra paper, doing extra home work...thus increasing your knowledge as well as your grade in that particular class.

When we allow students to buy "extra credit", what kind of message are we sending to these high school students???

Well, since you are wondering, I'll tell you what popped into my head.

* The idea of working hard to get a good grade is meaningless to students because they can just buy their way to a better grade. So, why work hard?
* In a student's mind, if this works for grades, it will work for other things too. We already know many students purchase essays and pay others to do their work.
*  When we lower our standards of what we expect from high school students, they automatically lower their standards of how they will perform. Too little is expected from these young people now-a-days and too much much is freely given.

What do you think about this?