What Really Is the Heart of the Matter?
As we begin this new year, it’s always a good thing to be reminded of what is truly important?
Take a moment to read Heart of the Matter’s most widely read blog post from 2012:
He’s Your Problem Between 8 and 4
I recently overheard a conversation that was going on regarding parenting and the challenges of raising teenage boys, a subject that is near and dear to my heart since John and I have raised four boys. I wasn’t eaves dropping. I happened to be part of a group of moms sitting on the bleachers at a rec league baseball game. Exasperation filled the tone of the conversation as several moms were totally frustrated with the attitudes of their teenage sons. One parent revealed her feelings about her local school’s role in her son’s life when she stated what she recently told her son’s teachers……“He’s your problem between 8 and 4.”
Whoa!
Now, I am not here to be a “militant” homeschooler that says everyone and everybody should be home educating their children. I don’t feel that way and that’s not the point. The point is….when I have a child…when you have a child…it is our responsibility to raise that child.
This is an interesting topic in a day and age when the government is considering telling us how much soda we can drink and regulating how much fast food we can order. It’s an interesting topic when I’m continually having to alert parents to the dangers of the UN’s Rights of the Child bill that keeps rearing its ugly head and that will affect our rights as parents to raise our own children.
Whether you are a home educator, send your kids to public school or have them enrolled in a private school, the bottom line the responsibility of raising YOUR children, is YOURS! That’s why it is important to be involved in that process, to know what’s going on, to have a hands-on mentality when it comes to child rearing and education.
It’s not the government’s responsibility to help my child decide what to eat and drink. I should be educating them with that info in the home and while they are young, I should be overseeing that area of their lives.
It’s not even the responsibility of a school to make sure that my child is getting everything they need to become all that God has planned for them to be. That’s MY responsibility. If I don’t like what they are getting, then I should step in, speak up and most importantly make a difference.
It’s not even the church’s responsibility to teach them everything they need to know about God and Biblical truths and principles. That’s MY responsibility.
Parenting is a hands-on activity. It is a 24/7 area of responsibility. To think that I can enroll my child in a program that will perfectly equip and prepare them all on its own without myinvolvement, my support, my follow-up and my interaction is ludicrous. I don’t care if that is a public school, a private school or a homeschool program or a curriculum. The buck stops here…with me. I gave birth to that child and with that comes a level or responsibility that I will carry with me for a lifetime.
What an opportunity to make a difference! What a privilege to have that role in my child’s life! I don’t want to give that up to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Festival Results
Artios Results from High School Fine Arts Festival :
Congratulations to all participants!
Communication
Acting
-Artios of Greenville and Johns Creek – 1st place – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
-Artios of Gwinnett – 2nd place – Rosencratz
Art and Design
-Jakob Forthman – Drawing – 1st place – Greenville Artios
-Jakob Forthman – Extemp. Drawing – 1st place – Greenville Artios
-Kristin Hall – Lettering – 1st place – Greenville Artios
-Jordan Hermitt – Mixed Media – 2nd place – Gwinnett Artios
-Jakob Forthman – Acrylic/Oil Painting – 1st place – Gwinnett Artios
-Elizabeth Delvaux – Watercolor Painting – 2nd place – Greenville Artios
-Kristin Hall – Watercolor Painting – 2nd place – Greenville Artios
-Christina Gieseking – Printmaking – 1st place – Johns Creek Artios
-Christina Gieseking – Sculpture – 1st place – Johns Creek Artios
Media Art
-Molly Wood – Photography – 2nd place – Gwinnett Artios
-Pfieffer Dial – Video – 2nd place – Johns Creek ArtiosSemi-Finalists
Semi-Finalist
-Adam Budris – Dramatic Narrative
Finalists:
-Acting – The Crucible – Johns Creek Artios
-Acting – Shakespeare – Greenville Artios
-Jacob Cauthen – Men’s Voice – Gwinnett Artios
-Katrina Highum – Women’s Voice – Gwinnett Artios
-Men’s Sextet – Small Vocal Ensemble – Gwinnett Artios
-Mary Marudas – Poetry – Gwinnett Artios
-Katrina Highum – Dramatic Narrative – Gwinnett Artios
Friends of Artios
-Lydia Tarbutton – Finalist – Classical Piano
-Timothy Jones – 1st place – Organ
-Timothy Jones – Finalist – Classical Piano
-Timothy Jones – Finalist – Sacred Piano
Artios Students Perform Well At CITA Competition
Artios Academies’ students performed well at the annual CITA competition (Christians in Theater Arts).
For more information on Christians in Theater Arts, visit www.cita.org
Ensemble Theater
1st place – Artios of Johns Creek
2nd place – Artios of Gwinnett
3rd place – Artios of Johns Creek
Duo Acting
1st place – Lindsey Boutin and Katrina Highum, Artios of Gwinnett
Musical Theater Solo
Honorable Mention – Chapman Whitted, Artios of Gwinnett
Shakespeare Monologue
2nd place – Jack Sterner, Artios of Johns Creek
Musical Theater Group
1st place – Newsies/Artios of Johns Creek and Artios of Gwinnett
Musical Theater Duo
2nd place – Victoria Streater and Noah Still, Artios of Gwinnett
Congratulations to all the students! Great job!
The Kind of Teacher Every Parent Wants Their Child To Have!
I was up early this morning……what’s new. I came across an article about a teacher in Montana. Someone was quoted as describing this lady as “the kind of teacher every parent wants their child to have”. That got me to thinking.
What IS the kind of teacher every parent wants their child to have? Am I that type of teacher? Does my child have that type of teacher in any of his activities this year? How would I describe and summarize “that type” of teacher?
I would LOVE to hear from you on this topic. Together, let’s put together a list of qualities that make up the kind of teacher every parent wants their child to have?
Faith and Courage,
Lori
A Helpful Reminder From a Past Blog Post
Today I have spent several hours doing some research. I’ve spent time looking up various types of new curriculum choices for homeschoolers, looking at various helpful websites, reading the topics that homeschool speakers “on the circuit” use for their speaking engagements around the country, and reading various emails and blogs from homeschool mothers around the country.
At the end of all of this research, I’m struck once again about how confusing homeschooling has become over the years. Although I’ve seen alot of helpful information today, read alot of wise counsel, and gotten some really great ideas, I’m struck by the fact that NO ONE person or methodology has ALL the right answers for everyone! So many of the emails by homeschool mothers that I have read today seem to be from mothers looking for someone to TELL them what to do for their families and their homeschooling. Everyone is looking for answers and for someone to lead them.
There is much value in obtaining counsel from “older” women and those with more experience. To be honest, it is our responsibility, (those of us who “qualify” as “older” women, to be willing to share and minister to those who are younger and less experienced. However, to be honest, none of us have all the answers.
We MUST remember that God is the one with all the answers and with the plan and design for our lives and the lives of our children and if we forget to seek his face and HIS will above all others,….if we make choices out of fear instead of stepping out on faith, ……if I am swayed by peer pressure or the “method of the minute” instead of being in tune with God’s spirit, then, I am missing ALL that God has for me, for my children and for my family.
I have to admit that I’m burdened for “younger” women and families just beginning the homeschooling journey, and for those who have lost their way along the journey. I have to admit that God has laid on my heart possible ways of ministering to these women……but I have to admit to myself and to them, that the experience of another can HELP with the journey, but it can NOT substitute for each individual seeking God’s leading and direction for the journey.
May God Keep EACH of us on our knees before HIM, seeking for wisdom and guidance along our path.
Faith and Courage,
Lori Lane
Here We Go Again!
Here we go again! No! I’m not meaning to sound skeptical as we head into a new year. However, as I’ve spent the past couple days thinking about 2011 and praying about 2012, there is one thought that has really hit me between the eyes.
Yes, I’ve been thinking about the things I’ve done right this year, the areas I’ve grown and the lessons I’ve learned. I’ve also been thinking about the things that didn’t go as planned, the areas where I continue to struggle, and the things that I handled wrongly. So what makes me think that 2012 will be any different. At the end of 2012, will I look back and see that I still need to lose 20 lbs., I still need to be more faithful in my Christian walk, and that those weak areas of my character are just as weak as ever.
If so, then……then, I find myself saying unenthusiastically……Here We Go Again!
I once heard it said that if we don’t change directions….we will end up where we are headed. Another way of saying that same thing might be…..If I keep doing the same thing, I can expect the same results. I have to be honest…there are some areas that I am NOT getting the results that I believe I should be getting…..so perhaps, I need to approach some things differently.
So, I’ve been thinking about “going again” but with more focus, more of a plan, and definitely more desire towards those areas that I would like to see change in my own life. This is going to require some self-discipline as well. I’ve tried not to think about those around me….the things I’d like to change about my friends, my family, my co-workers….but instead, focus on the things that need to change within me.
I know….you would think if I wrote a book on “the end in mind” that I might have been a bit more successful in this area this past year. Believe me, I’ve experienced some real internal growth this past year. Growth in the areas of contentment and trust. However, there have been times I’ve also allowed myself to be filled with self-doubt, God-doubt, worry, self-protection, and other negative areas of focus that have kept me from becoming more Christ-like and from being and accomplishing those things that God would have for me!
So….as we conclude 2011…..would you join me in defining those areas in your life that perhaps were areas of concern last year at this same time……and would you spend some time thinking about new ways to approach these areas. We are going to need an approach that includes more focus, more planning and more God-given desire through prayer and study. If we can successfully work on ourselves……we can begin 2012 with an ENTHUSIASTIC….”HERE WE GO AGAIN!”
Faith and Courage,
Lori
Share Like Follow
