- removed 217 pounds of pollution out of air,
- saved 62 trees from being cut down,
- saved 14,842 kilowatts of energy from being used to produce new paper,
- saved 7.24 barrels of oil,
- saved 13,394 pounds of lumber from being made into virgin paper,
- saved 86,880 gallons of water, and
- saved 11.6 cubic yards of landfill space.
- It teaches them the truth — the Bible, God’s Word.
- It teaches them to know the Creator — the only Living God.
- It fulfills the parents’ responsibility to educate their children.
- It allows the children to enjoy learning and flexibility and to cultivate their interests, giving them as much time as they need to learn the subject.
- It cultivates deeper family relationships.
- It shows good academic results.
- Total number of students reduced from 601,752 in 2001 to 511,306 in 2007;
- 66 % of children aged at 1-6 years in urban areas and 14 % in rural areas attending pre-school establishments (2003);
- 99.7 % of students were in the State schools (2002);
- Half of students take ethics and half take religion classes where 81 % are in Latin Catholic class;
- 631 children (age 7-16) were not attending school in 2005. Only 97 were due to disability and other 534 due to: reluctance to study, conflicts with teachers, willingness to work, asocial families, poor health, etc.
The Wilds’ Homeschool
Portsmouth, VA – Julie Wilds and her two homeschooled daughters–Gabrielle, age 8, and Meredith, age 6–have a mission: 12 River Star School plaques on their wall by the time the girls go to college.
After seeing Princess Elizabeth of the Elizabeth River Project give a presentation and learning about River Star Schools and the Youth Recognition program, the Wilds were inspired to make a positive impact on the environment and their home river.
Gabrielle and Meredith began collecting recyclable trash and channeling it into the recycling stream. The results are impressive! So far, these two young ladies have
“We started collecting recyclable paper from our neighborhood as a homeschool project. It was also a way to help Gabrielle cope when she saw local trees being cut down, which saddens her immensely. Even if the old tree is a danger to homes or wires, it brought her to tears,’ says Mrs. Wilds.
“Here in Swimming Point, SPSA doesn’t offer us many options in paper recycling as we are clumped together with the business recycling in Olde Towne. They will not pick up cardboard, chipboard, magazines, catalogs (which fill our mail slots daily), etc. So Gabrielle, Meredith, and I started collecting on the first Friday of every month. We take our Jeep with our trailer around the neighborhood and collect whatever anyone puts out for us.” According to Mrs. Wilds, the tiny clean-up crew began in October 2007 and have since collected over 7,200 pounds of paper that would have gone into the landfill. “We take our paper to the Tidewater Fiber Corporation in Chesapeake to add to their fiber piles,” she says.
“We and our neighbors save our paper products throughout the month. Our house alone can fill the large garbage can that our city provides us with each month. No garbage, just paper products,” explains Mrs. Wilds. “We can see our impact on the landfill by each trailer full of paper we take to recycle. There are only about 14 households that regularly donate, so we could do much better–but we are thankful for those who do participate! The project takes only about three hours a month, yet it has made a huge impact on the environment and on how people feel about recycling in Swimming Point.
annemiller @ January 28, 2009 | Homeschoolers Did It! | Comments (0)
Lithuania: Another Homeschooling Movement Begins
Report from HSLDA. Our thanks to Lifework Forum for the picture of the Juoniai family, and to Wikipedia for the European map.
A young Lithuanian family devoted to discipleship through home education is pioneering the movement for their people.
In September of 2008, ten international homeschool leaders joined HSLDA’s annual National Homeschool Leadership Conference. The following is an update from Gintas and Ina Juoniai, one of only two Lithuanian homeschooling families and the head of ‘eimos mokykl? namuose draugija, the Lithuanian homeschool association. By God’s grace, the Juoniais are pioneering the home education movement for their people.
Meet the Juoniai Family
Gintas Juoniai and his wife, Ina, are a Lithuanian homeschooling family, but they currently reside in Norway.
Both Gintas and Ina trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior as young adults and they now have a family of four children (two boys and two girls) ranging in age from 8 months to 8 years old.
When their first daughter was born 8 years ago, Gintas and Ina felt strongly that they should take full responsibility for this precious gift from the Lord. So instead of enrolling her in an institution for school, the Juoniais kept their daughter at home, along with the children that followed. After several years of home educating alone, the family met Curtis and Sandra Lovelace, who came alongside them with love and encouragement. (Contact the Lovelaces at info@LifeworkForum.org and www.lifeworkforum.org.)
The Juoniais’ Homeschool Philosophy’Family Discipleship and Academic Excellence
Gintas and Ina homeschool because they believe it is best for their children:
Pioneering the Movement
Gintas and Ina’s desire is to love the Lord with all of their hearts and souls and strength, to raise their children for God’s glory and His Kingdom, and to be His faithful servants and walk His path of truth each and every day. Not only do they strive for this in their own family, but they also long to share God’s plan for the family and homeschooling with others. To this end, they have started the Lithuanian Homeschool Association ‘eimos mokykl? namuose draugija, which they are publicizing through www.smnd.lt.
Although they are only one of two known Lithuanian homeschooling families, Gintas and Ina are persevering, and they continue to reach out to other European families. One of their ultimate goals is to form a coalition of Christian homeschooling families in Europe.
Earlier in 2008, Lifework Forum, run by Curtis and Sandra Lovelace, held a homeschool conference at Gintas and Ina’s home. Nationals from Norway, Lithuania, Finland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jamaica (via England), Cambodia, and the USA participated.
Lithuania’s Homeschooling Legal Climate
The Constitution of the Lithuanian Republic states that primary and secondary education is free until age 16, that everyone has a right to an education, and that education is compulsory. School attendance is mandatory for children ages 7 to 16. There is no state religion in Lithuania; the school system is secular.
Lithuania’s Law on Education guarantees a parent’s right to choose an educational institution for his or her children. However, parents must comply with local school requirements to homeschool. The law allows homeschooling (referred to as ’self-education’ or ‘independent studies’) as long as parents generally follow the state curriculum and have children examined by local school officials once or twice per year.
Children wishing to be homeschooled must be listed with a local state or private school, must sign a contract with that school (parents sign on behalf of the child until he or she is 14), and apply for permission to be homeschooled.
Then it is up to the school authorities to establish and oversee the order. There is a so-called ‘order of independent studies’ in which it is stated that ‘independent studies for a learner can be organized only by the school which has an educational program chosen by the learner.’ Usually this order is applied to gifted children and only in some schools, so local schools are not always aware of the provision.
The Law of Education states: ‘Parents (foster parents, guardians) must send their children who have reached the age of 6-7 to school,’ and ‘A learner has the right according to his abilities and needs, to study at school or independently and attain an education level and qualification that meets state standards, to study according to an individual program of studies, to study in a psychologically, emotionally and physically safe environment based on mutual respect, to have a learning workload and a workplace that conform to health (hygiene) requirements.’
Article 18 states this about self-education: ‘The purpose of self-education is to provide an individual with possibilities for continuous independent learning supported by the surrounding information space (libraries, media, Internet, museums, etc.) and life experience gained from other persons,’ and, ‘A person’s competence acquired by way of self-education may be recognized as being a part of a formal education program or a qualification as prescribed by the government or its authorized institution.’
The number of Lithuanian children who are being homeschooled is not clear because children being taught at home are registered at a local school and counted as a ‘normal case.’ The statistics that are available indicate that homeschooling may be gaining popularity:
A Prayer for Europe
Article 2 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights states: ‘No person shall be denied the right to education. In the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religions and philosophical convictions.’
Gintas and Ina’s prayer is that this article will not disappear or be lost in long corridors of bureaucracy and wrong interpretations. They ask that we keep Europe in our prayers, specifically that families will have enough strength to keep Gods commandments:
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)
You can provide financial support to the homeschooling movement in countries like Lithuania by donating to the Home School Foundation’s International Homeschooling Fund.
Juoniai Family Photo Credit: Lifework Forum.
Europe Map Credit: San Jose, Wikipedia. Image coloring and appearance modified and arrow added. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this map under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License“. The map has been created with the Generic Mapping Tools: http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/ using one or more of these public domain datasets for the relief: ETOPO2 (topography/bathymetry): http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/global.html, GLOBE (topography): http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/topo/globe.html, SRTM (topography): http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/
Katherine Loop @ January 28, 2009 | International Homeschooling | Comments (0)
Former Homeschooler Tim Tebow Led Florida to the National College Championship!
The Florida Gators, led by former homeschooler Tim Tebow, won the BCS championship NCAA game January 8! The Florida Gators beat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14.
The commentators loved Tim Tebow! They gave his Christian testimony for him throughout the game! They talked about his strong faith, his good character, his leadership skills as quarterback of the Florida Gators, and the respect everyone who knows him has for him. During the game, they discussed his family’s missionary background, including where he had been on the mission field and how he had served the needy by feeding children in third world countries and living in a leper colony.
The commentators mentioned his homeschool experience several times. They even talked about Florida’s homeschool laws that allowed him to play on a public school sports team, leading to his outstanding college career and winning the Heisman Trophy last year–the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman.
John 3:16 was painted on his face for the world to see. Then at the end during the award presentations, he thanked Jesus Christ for the victory! What a great witness for the Lord!
Homeschoolers are shining! Like the national spelling bees and geography bees, sports are a showcase for the success of homeschooling!
Yvonne Bunn
P.S. Mom’s may wish to read “Mothering Tebow: Scripture & Faith Are Her ‘Secrets’ to Parenting Tim Tebow, Mom Says” for a glimpse at the training Tebow received at home.
Yvonne Bunn @ January 13, 2009 | Homeschoolers Did It! | Comments (0)
HEAV Legislative Update** Used-Book Sales Not Banned
Legislative Update
January 9, 2009
As a result of the outcry from citizens, small business owners, and non-profits, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released an important memo on its policy for sellers of used children’s products, including used books.
A Law Affecting Children’s Items
The memo clarifies policy regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that affects selling children’s items. According to this law, beginning February 10, 2009, products for children 12 years old and younger cannot be sold if they contain more than 600 parts per million (ppm) total lead. Children’s products such as books that may contain lead in the paper or ink and are accessible to children through touch are included. The statute indicates that paint, coatings, or electroplating may not be considered a barrier that would make the lead content of a product inaccessible to a child.
Good News for Used Book Sellers
According to the new CPSC memo, the new safety law does not require resellers or sellers of used children’s products to test products for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold.
“The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.
“The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.”
As of August 14, 2008, it became unlawful to sell recalled products. All resellers should check the CPSC web site (www.cpsc.gov) for information on recalled products before selling items for children 12 years old and younger.
New Book Sales Still in Limbo
New books printed prior to the ruling are also affected by the law changes. As the law is now written, new books in production are required to include a “lead-free” certification to be legal to sell. This will greatly affect booksellers at homeschool conventions and local curriculum fairs, as well as books sold on the Internet. It will also affect the availability of books for homeschoolers to purchase.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Contact your local representatives. For their contact information, enter your zip code at the following link: http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/dbq/officials/. Once you have found your representatives, click on “Issues & Legislation” for a sample letter.
E-mail or call the the office of the CPSC ombudsman at 888-531-9070 or www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx
Call 301-504-7923 and ask for Nancy Nord, the acting head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission; if she’s busy, leave a message.
Make your voice heard by voting on this issue! The top 3 in each category will be presented to President-elect Obama. http://change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia
ACT NOW before the February 10 deadline!
Yvonne Bunn @ January 9, 2009 | Legislative | Comments (0)
Taiwan: Homeschooling Movement on the Rise
In September of 2008, ten international homeschool leaders joined HSLDA’s annual National Homeschool Leadership Conference. The following is an update from Mrs. Chuo-chuin Fan, who founded and now helps run the Mujen Chinese Christian Home Educators’ Association. This organization is the largest multi-denominational homeschool support group in Taiwan, has more than 270 homeschooling families, and is operated mainly by volunteers. This update introduces Chuo-chuin, recounts the birth of her homeschool organization, and describes the present and future of Taiwanese home education.
Note: If you’d like to learn more about Taiwan or share some interesting facts with your children, check out the CIA’s World Factbook.
Meet Chuo-chuin
Chuo-chuin Fan is a pioneer in the homeschooling movement in Taiwan. She has home educated her own children for years, and they are currently 23, 20, 15, and 13. The oldest just graduated from college, and the second is a student at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia. Though she is still homeschooling her youngest two children, Chuo-chuin spends much of her time building home education resources for families in Chinese countries.
Thirty years ago, Chuo-chuin and her husband moved to the United States from Taiwan to attend graduate school. At about the same time, Chuo-chuin became a Christian.
As Chuo-chuin furthered her education in both academics and Scripture, she and her husband were convinced that they should homeschool their own children. Using techniques learned at the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, various resources, and the Bible as their first and utmost textbook, Chuo-chuin and her husband began teaching their children at very young ages.
Building a Foundation During the Early Years
The family lived in Richardson, Texas, during their early homeschooling years, where they spent a total of 7 years. As the only Taiwanese family in the area and brand new at homeschooling, they relied on the generous support and encouragement from several local families.
Chuo-chuin will never forget one of those mothers’ selflessness in driving her daughter to spend time with Chuo-chuin’s daughter, Katherine. Katherine was the Fans’ firstborn and the only Chinese girl in their support group, and the friendship helped alleviate her loneliness. This gesture was a huge encouragement to the whole family and set an example for them to model to other families in later years.
Back to Taiwan
Thirteen years ago, Chuo-chuin’s father was diagnosed with a brain tumor, so the family quickly decided to move back to Taiwan to be with him. The Lord was gracious and granted him another 7 years of life, and he eventually accepted Christ as his personal Savior six months before he left this world to be with the Lord.
After Chuo-chuin and her family moved back to Taiwan, some Taiwanese parents became interested in the Fans’ educational methods. At the same time, the Lord miraculously opened the door and legalized homeschooling in Taiwan, even before Chuo-chuin and her husband had a chance to lobby for it. In September 1999, Chris Klicka of HSLDA was very helpful in providing model legislation and law summaries from the States that were used as basis for proposals for subsequent regulatory policy.
On September 6, 1998, the Fans invited a few friends over to share their story. The invitation quickly spread by word of mouth, and over 20 families came that day. This was the birth of the Chinese Christian Home Educators Association (in Taiwan).
Homeschooling in Taiwan Grows
For the past 10 years, the Fans’ organization has become the channel between the government and the homeschooling movement. They have organized various support groups and book fairs, published newsletters, designed teaching material for brain-injured children, held Bible Camps, Chinese Literature Camps, and Youth Camps, and appealed cases on behalf of members and even non-members. The culmination of all the outreach efforts was their first youth team sent to help the Taiwanese aboriginal children with their schoolwork last summer. The team won the hearts of those children as well as those of their parents.
Taiwan is the size of New Jersey or Israel but has the population of Australia (approximately 22 million). Currently, the compulsory school attendance law only applies to students up to the 9th grade in Taiwan. There are about 1,200 elementary and middle school-aged children receiving education at home this year and half of those 1,200 students belong to the homeschool association.
In the past, China and Hong Kong have asked the Chinese Christian Home Educators Association to help with their countries’ homeschool movements. The Taiwanese homeschoolers ask for our prayers as they seek to assist these countries as their brothers and sisters in Christ. Their hope is that as the homeschool movement advances there, a spiritual revival will soon follow.
For more information about homeschooling in Taiwan, see www.hslda.org/hs/international/Taiwan.
You can provide financial support to the homeschooling movement in Taiwan by donating to the Home School Foundation’s International Homeschooling Fund. For more information, go to www.homeschoolfoundation.org/funds/international.asp.
Picture Credits: Picture of Taiwan is from the CIA’s World Factbook, courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin. Picture of the Siouguluan River in Taiwan, Hualien is by prattflora, and shared on wikipedia.org.
Katherine Loop @ January 7, 2009 | International Homeschooling | Comments (0)
From Depression to Living Victoriously
I came across this quote from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in a Trivium Pursuit newsletter, and thought it was definitely worth passing on. I hope you enjoy! – Anne
I say that we must talk to ourselves instead of allowing “ourselves” to talk to us! Do you realize what that means? I suggest that the main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical? Far from it. This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you in the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s [David in Psalms 42:5, 11] treatment is this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.” Do you know what I mean? If you do not, you have had but little experience.
The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: “Why art thou cast down”–what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: “Hope thou in God” –instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and What God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: “I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God.”
- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
annemiller @ January 7, 2009 | General | Comments (0)