Nike says, “Just do it.” While spontaneous decisions work well at some points in life, there are other choices that require a depth of thought and consideration that won’t allow you to ‘just do it.’ Maybe something doesn’t feel right, or maybe it feels completely right…how will you know? This is where discernment comes in to play.
To discern means to judge, evaluate, and distinguish. Some people come by this naturally, while others must develop it, yet those who are gifted with discernment are often seen as judgmental, critical, and unloving. However, we live in an age when ideas are spread globally within an amazingly short period of time, and discernment is the only way to cut through the noise and find the important, and correct, information.
A good discerner understands falsifiability and knows the difference between an argument and an assertion. What should you know?
Argument – a claim supported by reason or logic
Assertion – an unsupported claim, often an opinion
Falsifiability –capacity for an argument or hypothesis to be proven wrong
Nice and charming do not equal honest. Often when someone is accused of teaching something false, someone else will defend them by saying “But they are such a nice person.”
Decision-Making
In decision-making, the three steps of the discernment process are awareness, understanding and action. All three are important — if you make a good decision, but fail to act, you’ve ultimately made a poor decision. If you fail to apply consideration, and act hastily, you’ve not chosen well. Therefore, it is important to go through the process completely.
Some decisions will be personal, such as where (or if) to attend college, where to move to, or whether to take that job. Other decisions will be more general, yet no less important, such as who to vote for or how you feel about a particular issue of national / world importance.
Awareness
Know yourself. This includes your hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. How do you perform under stress? What is your ideal career / future plan / {insert decision here}? How do others see you?
Start at the beginning. What do you already know about the decision ahead of you? What are the pros and cons, or the various factors? What kind of support do you have? Are there multiple perspectives involved?
Understanding
Give it time. Not all decisions will have the luxury, but if you have the time to wait, do more investigating, and ruminate upon your decision, you may find that you do better. No one is impervious to this process — folks familiar with scripture will remember that even Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Spend Time in Thought / Meditation / Prayer. After making a decision, but before action, you should feel a sense of inner peace with your decision. This is a feeling of tranquility about the next steps, and not just relief that you’ve finally made a decision.
Action
Get going. Whether this means applying to college, putting a down payment on a house, accepting that job, going into the voting booth, advocating for a group or issue, or however else your decision manifests itself…now is the time to act.
Evaluate. Every action has a reaction, a consequence. There are both good and bad consequences, external and internal. Internally, how do you feel now that you’ve acted? Do you still have that peace? How have others reacted to your decision? Do you need to reevaluate and course correct?
It is worth remembering that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Ultimately, you are the one who has to live with yourself, and so it is important to focus on the internal response. (Obviously, if your decision was to commit a felony, there will still be an external response you need to heed….)
Developing Discernment
Practice through Literature
These books can be difficult for students to plow through at times, but the online unit studies help break down their components, allowing students to practice predicting and analyzing, both of which lead to stronger discernment.
In a world that is constantly struggling for peace, having a better understanding of belief systems and values can help us to understand different people and cultures…which may lay the foundation for a thoughtful progression amid a multitude of complex cultures. These courses provide that background.
Remember to look at sources from both left-leaning and right-leaning media. How do the stories compare in tone and coverage? Try to find one topic and look at the stories on each side.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Winter brings a plethora of holidays, and for many families a long break for resting. Here are activities, books, and resources for incorporating the holidays into your homeschool and time off. Pick and choose what works best for your family. Stay warm!
All of these resources are appropriate for middle and high school.
Author G. K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
Stories and myths have shaped and reflected world cultures for millennia. They tell of how the world was created, how humans relate to the world, and how humans relate to each other. They are ingrained into our cultures, and as children we listen to these tales or read folklore, learning more about our own world and the cultures of others around us.
In spite of the development of societies all around the world, often independently of each other, there are many common threads that run through these tales. Throughout all world mythologies and cultural stories, there are common threads of birth, death, the afterlife, good and evil, and the origin of both man and the world itself. Younger children learn of these stories in fairy tales, which tend to be watered down to their level. Older children may delve into an occasionally very dark world of these dragons…but these myths show that the world’s dragons can be slain.
If you’re interested in incorporating world cultures and mythologies into your homeschool, here are some resources to guide you…
This collection of mythology for kids takes you from ancient Mesopotamia to the Abenaki tribes of the Native Northeastern US and Canada, showing you myths from around the world. From the Japanese myth of Momotarō The Peach Boy and his loyal animal friends to the Slavic myth of Vasilisa the Wise and her enchanted doll, this beautifully illustrated collection of mythology for kids takes you on a journey through the sands of time. You’ll explore diverse cultures across the globe through the incredible tales of gods and goddesses, earth-shattering giants, mighty dragons, magical lakes, and more.
Through hands-on projects and exciting stories, this title in the Build It Yourself series aims to ignite young people’s curiosity in multicultural mythology and legends. Each chapter, which focuses on the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, or the Americas, provides a succinct introduction to major themes and characters in a culture’s mythology, a glossary, short retellings, and more historical and cultural background, followed by easily assembled projects, as in the section on Sub-Saharan Africa, which presents instructions for making Ashanti Adinkra cloth and a Bata thunder drum. The gray-toned format, featuring spot illustrations, is lackluster, and a few of the projects, particularly the Hopi kachina doll, reference sacred objects that shouldn’t be designated as crafts. With proper context and discussion, though, this title offers solid, interactive opportunities to explore world mythology.
For some parents, having a special needs child is the impetus to homeschool. Many families are choosing to homeschool because their special needs children’s needs are not being met in the traditional classroom. For others, it’s just one more challenge they aren’t sure how to face. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, homeschooling a special needs child is an adventure!
Homeschooling allows the flexibility for students to go at their own pace. You get the set the schedule. You can change the curriculum if it isn’t working. You can have one long work period, or several shorter work periods spaced out with transitional times. With family-style schooling, older special needs students can school alongside younger siblings, at the same level, without them feeling as though they’re “behind.”
It can daunting to think about what post-graduation brings for the special needs student, but s/he is in a great position as a homeschooler! In the upper grades years, homeschooling allows students the time to explore passions and career interests. Take some time to examine your special needs student’s strengths, combining those and their interests to find a career exploration starting point.
Background Information & Resources
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) covers thirteen specific disabilities, but its implementation varies widely from state to state when it comes to assisting homeschool families. Learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, health disabilities, impairments (speech, visual, hearing, orthopedic, and emotional), intellectual disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries are all addressed by the act. Check with your state department of education, and HSLDA, to see what your state will and won’t do for homeschooling students.
A federal agency, the Rehabilitation Services Administration provides vocational rehabilitation and other services to individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment and independence after the high school years. Each state has their own local agency to help work one-on-one with families.
SPED Homeschool and HSLDA are good general resources for any homeschooling family with special needs students. These resources are primarily for the younger student, but are a good place to start.
From the mid 18th century to the mid 19th century, the world underwent a series of revolutions across many areas of life, including culturally, politically, economically, technologically, and through war. Call it the age of Aquarius…call it a response to the world connectivity spawned by the age of exploration…whatever the reason, new ideas and actions swept the world, changing it forever.
The American Revolution, largely influenced by the Enlightenment period, is considered the beginning of the Age of Revolution. Then came the French Revolution, Irish Rebellion, Haitian Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and civil unrest in Spain and Germany. Shortly after the War of 1812, European powers came together to form the Holy Alliance in an attempt to restore the monarchies and prevent future unrest. Less than a decade later, there were uprisings in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. The working class would no longer sit back, and around the world they began to demand more rights.
The Age of Revolution also includes the Industrial Revolution – this is when mass production in factories replaced hand-made goods, led to the growth of cities, birthed consumerism, and eventually led to the transportation revolution.
For more resources, check outExpansion, Independence, and War! It covers both American and world history. Students will learn about major conflicts in American history, spanning from the French and Indian War to the September 11 terror attacks.
The American Revolution course introduces elementary and middle school students to the key battles and players of the Revolutionary War and incorporates history, geography, reading, critical thinking and analysis, and cursive writing throughout.
From the discovery of the New World to the end of the American Revolution, let Dave Stotts take your family on a Drive Thru History. Join him as he takes you to the places where America was born, shares facts about history you have never heard, and has a great deal of fun along the way. Plus, enjoy a special set of worksheets only available here! Find out more about Drive Thru History…
It’s time for pumpkin spice and everything nice! By autumn, we’re starting to settle into our homeschooling routine, thinking about upcoming holidays, and wondering how we’ll fit it all in… Here are activities, books, and resources for incorporating the holidays into your homeschool. Pick and choose what works best for your family. Happy fall, y’all!
All of these resources are appropriate for middle and high school.
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