Spelling Bee
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. Can homeschoolers participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Where can I find information?
A. Scripps Howard and other newspapers sponsor spelling bees at elementary schools and homeschool support groups across the nation. Each year, students (ages 10-14) from public, private, home, and parochial schools aspire to compete in the final four rounds of the bee, which will be televised from Washington, D.C.
Homeschool students can participate through a local support group that has registered with the Scripps National Spelling Bee. If a homeschool student resides in an area where no homeschool association/group/co-op exists, the student’s family may enroll for a fee of $89. Homeschool students who reside in an area where no homeschool group exists should click here to complete a service request form to inquire about enrollment in their area.
According to Janice Liebenberg of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, “Homeschool groups may enroll at spellingbee.com to ensure their students are eligible to participate and to receive the materials needed to conduct spelling bees. During enrollment, bee coordinators receive details about their local bee program.” These details include local dates, deadlines, and participation guidelines.
The extended enrollment deadline is very near! The enrollment period was from August 16 through October 17, 2011, during which homeschool groups could register for a $109 materials and enrollment fee (this was the same price as for all other schools). The late enrollment period is October 18 through December 16, 2011. Groups enrolling during this period incur an additional $75 fee per group. Individual homeschoolers are also in the late registration period. Deadlines for joining a group will vary with each local group.
It’s not too late to contact the support groups in your area to see if they are registered to participate. You can find the support groups in your area here. You may also click on this link to find out if a support group in your zip code or in a nearby zip code is registered.
Eligibility guidelines and the Scripps National Spelling Bee FAQ include more helpful information.
Regards,
Yvonne Bunn @ December 15, 2011 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (1)
Brick by Brick, Gate by Gate
This post is part of a series by Melissa Barnes titled, “Sitting at My Savior’s Feet…A Short Devotional for Homeschool Moms.”
Sometimes I walk into a room in our house with the intention of getting it “in order.” I enter the room full of energy and enthusiasm for the task, ready to conquer the mess and restore order to my chaotic home. As my eyes scan the room in search of a starting point, however, discouragement quickly sets in.
Mini-mountains of books have no home. Boxes of last year’s schoolwork await filing. Tiny scraps of a young child’s paper project litter the floor like confetti. Random toys and game pieces, overlooked during clean-up time, lay abandoned on the floor. Nothing looks quick or easy.
I’m sorry to confess that this is not an uncommon occurrence in my home. The tasks vary. Sometimes it’s the dreaded change of seasons in which my husband brings the kids’ clothes boxes down from the attic for the semiannual “sorting of closets.” Other times school work piles up on me, and I face a mountain of papers to grade. Often it is laundry that multiplies to cover every empty surface in my bedroom.
Usually these tasks pile up as a result of neglect, an unexpected interruption such as a sickness or surgery, or a season of busyness that causes a traffic jam of sorts.
Sometimes we experience a similar sense of despair as we face the ruins of a damaged relationship, a spiritual drought, or even a family culture that does not reflect Christ. We “wake up” and recognize the problem, but we don’t begin to know where to start to “fix it.”
In such times the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah offers great wisdom and a plan of attack.
When Nehemiah inquired about the condition of Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant who had survived the exile, he was overwhelmed. The people were in “great trouble and disgrace,” the wall was “broken down,” and the gates had been “burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3, NIV’84).
His response?
“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4, NIV’84). Then he prayed a beautiful prayer acknowledging his own shortcomings and those of his people. He called on the God he knew would keep his covenant if only they would return to Him. Nehemiah then went to the king and asked to be sent to rebuild the city.
Can you imagine how overwhelmed he must have felt when he arrived and saw for himself the desolation of the home of his ancestors? My messy rooms and mountains of laundry seem insignificant in comparison, but damaged relationships, spiritual deserts, and broken families do not.
When faced with such seemingly impossible rebuilding tasks, we can follow Nehemiah’s lead. We can return to our God with humble repentance and begin to attack the problem we face brick-by-brick and gate-by-gate.
The rebuilding of the wall was not an overnight project for Nehemiah. He had groups of people working on individual sections of the gate, tackling the project section-by-section. He faced opposition and ridicule, but persisted. Despite working with “all their hearts,” his laborers grew weary (Nehemiah 4:6-10, NIV’84). Still they pressed on until the task was complete.
Whatever area of your life appears to be in total ruin, don’t give in to the despair you may feel when you survey the damage. Pause, turn back to God, seek Him earnestly through prayer, and set to work rebuilding one gate at a time, taking to heart the encouragement Nehemiah offered his workers, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14b, NIV’84).
Do you or someone you know face a “ruined” relationship or family culture? Have you suffered a recent drought in your walk with the LORD? If so, step back and survey the damage, seek the LORD with all your heart, and begin to rebuild…one day, one conversation, one prayer at a time.
mbarnes @ December 14, 2011 | Homeschool Encouragement | Comments (1)
Times Tables and Timetables
This post is part of a series by Melissa Barnes titled, “Sitting at My Savior’s Feet…A Short Devotional for Homeschool Moms.”
My daughter turned three this week. By all worldly standards she is grossly behind in every way…from her height and weight to her speech and language to her fine motor skills. She has developmental delays in every area. But over the past year, she has acquired more than one hundred signs, learned more than one hundred words, gotten used to wearing glasses, learned to run, begun to feed herself, and gained numerous other skills she didn’t have last fall. So is she a success or a failure? Who decides?
Once, a good friend gently pointed out to me that my third grade son didn’t know his math facts. This was no surprise to me as learning them was not so high on my son’s to-do list, and our curriculum didn’t really drill math facts. I shrugged off the comment but later reflected on the timetables that homeschool parents often impose on themselves and each other…reading independently by the end of the first grade (one of my daughters was in second), mastery of the times tables by the end of third grade (one daughter was in fifth), potty training by age two (my kids were all three). Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we do it to our kids?
There’s a song I love on one of my newly three-year-old daughter’s Signing Time DVDs. One of the verses says:
Sometimes I see you stuck
For such a long time.
A daily nothing new
Pretend I don’t mind
With lists of things you’ll never do
Until somehow you do
And you do—you do—you shine.
The song goes on to say:
And Sammy will do what Sammy will do when Sammy is ready to do it.
And Trevor will do what Trevor will do when Trevor is ready to do it.
And Lucy will do what Lucy will do when Lucy is ready to do it.
And they’ll do…it in their own time.
(From “Shine.” Written by Rachel Coleman. Signing Time Music, www.signingtime.com.)
We do ourselves, our children, and each other a great disservice when we impose man-made timetables on one another. In 1 Corinthians 4:6-7, Paul writes, “’Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not take pride in one man over another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (NIV’84). All is grace. Whether we are ahead of or “behind” somebody’s external timetable is irrelevant. Even the things we work to achieve are achieved because God allows them to be.
Aren’t you grateful God has no timetable for our sanctification process? That He is patient and persistent with our growth? That He believes in us and by Christ’s blood sees us as He intends us to be rather than as we are? That to Him we SHINE. Not that He doesn’t push and challenge and stretch us. Not that He doesn’t care when we fail. He does. But He surely doesn’t compare us to each other or to some heavenly developmental chart.
In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. In it a landowner hires men early in the morning to work for him for a set amount of money. Throughout the day he finds more men without work and sends them into the vineyard to work for him as well. That evening the landowner calls the workers in and pays them, beginning with the last one hired and ending with the first. Those who were hired first began to grumble because they were paid the exact same amount as those hired last, despite working many more hours. The landowner says to them, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same pay as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:13-15 NIV’84). Jesus ends His story saying, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16 NIV’84).
Let’s do ourselves a favor and throw away the timetables. Sure we need to monitor our kids’ progress and get them help when they show true signs of delay. We must ensure they make adequate progress each year and that we meet state homeschooling requirements. But we also need to do away with the judgment and guilt that come from these outside standards. We should trust ourselves and value our children as the unique individuals God created them to be. We need to let our kids SHINE…in their own time.
How can you seek this week to see your children as Christ sees them rather than comparing them to other people’s standards? How can you encourage a friend to do the same? How can you resist comparing yourselves to others around you and be grateful for the work God is doing in your life—in His own time?
mbarnes @ December 7, 2011 | Homeschool Encouragement | Comments (2)
Getting Connected
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. Now that I’ve decided to homeschool, what is the best way to get my questions answered, connect with other homeschoolers, and find out about homeschool events?
A. It’s important to connect with other homeschoolers, not only to know what’s going on, but also to be encouraged. I suggest you sign up for HEAV’s FREE weekly e-mail Updates and HEAV’s quarterly magazine. We’ll keep you posted about upcoming homeschool events, museum homeschool days, the latest legislative information, and other important homeschool news. You’ll be encouraged by helpful articles and great resources, and will enjoy links to many homeschool friendly websites. It’s easy to sign up–and it’s FREE!
Local support groups offer many opportunities for parents to develop friendships with like-minded families, as well as for students to participate in co-op activities, sports, science fairs, art shows, and clubs. Here’s a list of 200+ support groups in different parts of the state.
To get your specific questions answered and learn what you REALLY need to know to homeschool from kindergarten to high school, join us at one of our Homeschool Success Seminars. These practical, information-filled seminars will give you tools for a successful homeschool year. You can even do an entire How-to-Begin Homeschooling Success Seminar online from the comfort of your own home–any time of the day or night!
We want you to get off to a good, strong start. HEAV is here to support you and help you be successful. Please call our office at 804-278-9200 or e-mail your questions to support@heav.org if we can help you with your curriculum choices, the homeschool law, or other homeschool questions.
Wishing you much success!
Yvonne Bunn @ December 7, 2011 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)
Day at the Capitol Dates
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. Are you planning to have Homeschool Day at the Capitol again next year? If so, what are the dates?
A. Yes, we are making plans for two Homeschool Day at the Capitol events in 2012. The tentative dates are Wednesday, February 22, and Thursday, April 26.
At the Legislative Day at the Capitol on February 22, you will be able to personally visit your legislators at their capitol offices, listen to bills being debated in committees, and watch from the gallery above the House or Senate Chamber as legislators cast their votes for or against proposed legislation.
The Capitol Classroom Day at the Capitol (tentatively scheduled for April 26) will be held after the General Assembly session has adjourned. Parents and students will be able to participate in the “Capitol Classroom” and sit at the desk of a senator or delegate, debate a mock homeschool bill, and vote!
Both Homeschool Day at the Capitol events will include presentations on “How a Bill Becomes a Law” and guided tours of our historic Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion. Watch for more information about the schedule, other events during the afternoon, and registration information!
I hope you can join us!
Regards,
P.S. HEAV members will have an early-bird registration opportunity — watch for upcoming details!
Yvonne Bunn @ December 2, 2011 | Events, Legislative | Comments (0)