Update Magazine - 2016, Volume 3, Issue 96

2016 I VOLUME 3 I ISSUE 96

T H E H E A R T O F H O M E S C H O O L I N G

On the Road Of Home Discipleship

From Homeschool to Professional Excellence

Pursue a Christ- Centered Curriculum

Off to a Good Start with Struggling Learners

6 10 14 26

JESUS CHRIST:

ARTICLES INSIDE THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

FOREVER THE SAMEFather Son Retreat Recap PAGE 30

Lifeby Kevin Swanson

S i m p l e G u i d e

BiblicalFamily

FamilyNew!New!

Every Christian family is like a garden, sometimes growing greener and sometimes a little brown around the

edges. How green is your family garden?In Family Life, Kevin Swanson o� ers a

big picture overview of the biblical family, complete with scriptural principles, practical suggestions, discussion questions, and

helpful resources for further study. Intended for the restoration of healthy family gardens in the post-modern wasteland of disintegrated family life, this book not only warns you of the toxic in� uences that threaten the family garden, but also provides guidance for cultivating the family garden in the interest of yielding a great spiritual crop.

How Green Is Your Garden?

Generations.org/FamilyLife

Front Cover: Father and Son Retreat event. Photography by Ian Serff/www.serffcreative.com

This page: The Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference event. Photography by Sarah Lee Bryant/www.sarahleephoto.com

CHEC Homeschool Update I Volume 3, 2016 I Issue 96

INS

IDE

Thematic Features 6 On the Road of Home Discipleship INTERVIEW WITH TIMOTHY FAN

16 Christ the Essence BY TERI ONG

Special Features 10 From Christian Homeschool to Professional Excellence BY JOHN AUXIER II

14 Christ-Centered Curriculum BY BLAIR WATKINSON

20 Supper's Not Done 'Til the Plates are in the Cupboard BY MARCIA WASHBURN

26 Off to a Good Start with Struggling Learners BY LIDA BRINGE

CHEC Events

22 Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference Recap PRESENTED BY CHEC

30 Father Son Retreat Recap PRESENTED BY CHEC

Columns 4 Director’s Desk

24 Homeschool Leaders

32 Best of Blog

34 Curriculum Review

36 Partner’s Page

19039 Plaza Drive, Suite 210 Parker, Colorado 80134

720.842.4852 I 1.877.842.CHEC (2432) I CHEC.org

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What will they

think of next?

I noticed a soapy scent

and little blue dots

when I went to grab a

paper towel from the

kitchen recently. Upon

further inspection, I

discovered that you

can now purchase soap

infused paper towels.

How clever! I have no

idea how long they have

been around, but it

was certainly a new

concept to me.

THE SAMEBY STEVE CRAIG

From space exploration to the ability to shop for

nearly any item from your living room, there is no

denying the fact that we have seen unprecedented

and sometimes breathtaking developments in

technology during the last 100 years. Just think of

the myriad of functions that are now common to the

ubiquitous smartphone which we would have never

thought possible 25 years ago.

I don’t have to look very far from the paper towel

dispenser in our kitchen to find another example of

ingenuity that has become a modern “necessity.”

The microwave.

Now here is some hope for any homeschool parent

who is worried they will destroy their child’s future

by providing them with a sub-par education! The

microwave was invented by an American named

Percy Spencer. Despite being orphaned as a child,

failing to complete grammar school, and never re-

ceiving any formal training in electrical engineering,

Spencer became one of the world’s leading experts

in radar tube design.1

Spencer joined the Navy when he was 18 and

became intrigued with wireless communication. He

became a self-taught expert in radio technology by

reading textbooks while standing watch at night. He

taught himself trigonometry, calculus, chemistry,

physics, and metallurgy…whatever that is. Spencer

went on to work for Raytheon where he, largely due

to his reputation and expertise, managed to help

Raytheon win a government contract to develop and

produce combat radar equipment.2

While standing in front of an active radar one day, he

noticed that the candy bar in his pocket had melted.

This prompted further investigation and experi-

ments which led to Raytheon filing a patent in 1945

for a microwave cooking oven, eventually named

the Radarange™. The first commercially produced

microwave was soon to arrive in 1947. Standing at

6 ft. tall, weighing 750 lbs., and having a price tag

of $5,000 (about $53k in today's dollar), it would be

a while before the price and size of the microwave

became small enough for the average momma to

afford one for her kitchen.3

Sitting on the countertop right next to our micro-

wave is a more recent example of how technology

and innovation are improving our standard of living.

My Keurig coffee maker. People have been brewing

coffee for hundreds of years using many different

Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Jesus Christ:

C H E C H O M E S C H O O L U P DAT E I Vo l u m e 3 , I s s u e 9 6 , 2 01 64

DIRECTOR’S DESK

around us only serve as a reminder that it is funda-

mentally flawed and lacking. After all, if our world

was in such good shape, there would be no need

for the tremendous amount of effort that is being

directed towards its improvement.

Psalm 102:25-27 reminds us of the expiring nature

of our universe and compares it with the everlasting

and unchanging perfection of our God.

“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the

earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy

hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure:

yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as

a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall

be changed: But thou [art] the same, and thy

years shall have no end.”

Our biggest problem, however, is not the environ-

ment around us. It is the innate brokenness that

defines all sons and daughters of Adam. While

we do rejoice in the promise of 2 Corinthians

5:17 (KJV) “...if any man be in Christ, he is a new

creature: old things are passed away; behold, all

things are become new….” We still identify with the

Apostle Paul when he says in Romans 7:18 (KJV)

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth

no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how

to perform that which is good I find not.”

Let's face it. We need serious help. No matter how

many years you have been homeschooling, this year

will present its own unique challenges. And that

is only one small aspect of life. From elections to

relationships, health to finances, there is a myriad

of things in the coming year that will present you

methods. It is kind of sad to think that they’ll never

know what they missed.

While I have to admit that the quality of the coffee

produced by my Keurig does not rise to the level of

that which I used to enjoy from my French press, I

have laid aside the preferences of my finer tastes in

favor of speed and convenience.

The best thing about my Keurig is that my three-

year-old can make coffee for me in the morning

without me lifting a finger!

As I said, what will they think of next? Just stroll

down the aisle of any department store and you

will be bombarded with marketing about the next

new gadget or the improved version of the one you

already have.

Against this backdrop of change and innovation

comes the starkly contrasting truth from Hebrews

13:8 which says that “Jesus Christ is the same

yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Why will there never be a new and improved ver-

sion of Jesus Christ? Because you can’t upgrade

perfection.

Charles Spurgeon put it this way:

"Perfection, indeed, seems to be the sole

prerogative of God. He is perfect in everything.

In all His attributes, there is no lack. From what-

ever point of view we regard Him, He is without

blot or blemish. And no man, speaking truth-

fully of God, can say that there is anything of

imperfection in Him. If we speak of majesty, His

Glory is unsurpassed. If we talk of power, His is

Omnipotence and that, indeed, is infinite power!

If we speak of wisdom, His is the wisdom of the

Godhead — He knows all things, from the most

minute to the most immense. He comprehends

all secrets and grasps all knowledge in His

mighty mind."4

The idea of something or someone never

changing could almost seem boring,

until you reflect more deeply on the fact that

the constant attempts to enhance the world

with major concerns or seemingly insurmountable

difficulties. How will you make it through?

You can’t…alone. But you are Christ’s, and He is

unimaginably perfect in every sense. Your chal-

lenges will never tap His resources. You can take

Him to the bank day after day after day. He is perfect

and He never changes.

Take the tremendous hope of this truth with you into

this next school year and lean on it every moment

of every day. Not only will it strengthen you, it will

motivate you to be more absorbed with Him and

His perfections than the problems in yourself and

the world around you. Christ never changes, and

neither should our love and admiration of Him.

Finally, while most homeschool parents give their

children a good education and perhaps even a

fantastic education, it won’t be a perfect one. But,

you can give them a perfect Christ. And at the end of

the day, that is all that really matters.

Don’t allow the ideology of humanism to creep into

your homeschool. Don’t teach your kids to put great

stock in their talents, their education, and the name

they can make for themselves with them.

Make the priority of your homeschool the con-

necting of your flawed children to a perfect and

unchanging Savior. In Him, there is the fullness of

joy and at His right hand, there is pleasure

forevermore. NOTES 1 Percy Spencer - https://en.wikipedia.org 2 Percy Spencer - https://en.wikipedia.org 3 Source: Microwave oven - https://en.wikipedia.org 4 http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols43-45/chs2581.pdf

Steve Craig is the Executive Direc-tor for Christian Home Educators of Colorado. He and his wife Tara are second generation homeschoolers and have a passion to inspire others toward biblical discipleship

in the home. Steve and Tara live in Parker with their four children: Carson, Christiana, Angelina, and Jewel.

WHY WILL THERE

NEVER BE A NEW AND

IMPROVED VERSION

OF JESUS CHRIST?

BECAUSE YOU

CAN'T UPGRADE

PERFECTION.

““

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DIRECTOR’S DESK

ROADof Home DISCIPLESHIP

on the

INTERVIEW WITH PASTOR TIMOTHY FAN

YOU HAVE ONE DAUGHTER

WHO HAS GRADUATED FROM

YOUR FAMILY’S HOMESCHOOL,

AND ARE CURRENTLY

HOMESCHOOLING YOUR FOUR

OTHER CHILDREN. SHARE

WHY YOU CHOSE TO HOME

EDUCATE, AND HOW YOU

BEGAN.

A Early on in our marriage, He revealed to

my wife, Sarah, and me that the biblical commands

concerning the education of children are all directed

towards the prize of capturing the hearts of our chil-

dren for the glory of God. We let Malachi 4:6, “And

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,

and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest

I come and strike the earth with a curse,” lead us

in our decision to homeschool. We reasoned from

Scripture, “If God commands us, as parents, to seek

to win the hearts of our children for His glory, why

would we entrust their hearts, through education, to

others?” Since it is the parent-child relationship that

constitutes the primary sphere of biblical educa-

tion for children, this, we realized, demands a full

integration of family life and educational contexts.

We began with much prayer and trembling before

God. We sought help and guidance through the

CHEC conferences. Then, as a couple we spent

innumerable nights developing and talking over

a biblical understanding of how to keep our

homeschool centered on God’s glory and founded

upon the Gospel.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE

STRUGGLES THAT YOU AND

YOUR WIFE EXPERIENCED

IN THE EARLIEST YEARS OF

YOUR HOME EDUCATION

JOURNEY?

A We started home education just after

adopting two precious girls from Ethiopia. Since

they came to us at ages eleven and two, neither

Timothy Fan serves as the

pastor of Genesis Family

Church in Westminster,

CO, and is the author

of Divine Heartbeat:

Listening to God’s

Heartbeat for Preborn

Children, and God’s

Ordinary Tinker: The Life

and Doctrine of John

Bunyan (forthcoming).

He and his beloved wife,

Sarah, disciple their five

children in Aurora, CO,

where they pray for the

Lord to be the Protector

of widows and orphans,

and the Defender of the

little ones in the womb.


THEMATIC INTERVIEW

THEMATIC INTERVIEW

WHAT ARE THE FRUITFUL

BLESSINGS YOU ARE

NOW EXPERIENCING FOR

FAITHFULLY DISCIPLING

YOUR CHILDREN?

A In God’s lovingkindness, the longer we

persevere through the difficult trials of Christian

home discipleship, the more spiritual fruit we see.

Our children have been reborn in the Gospel, and

are beginning to entrust their hearts to us. We our-

selves have been refined to the point of being quite

different Christians than we were when first starting

out. Most importantly, our children have found a

strong confidence in the fear of the Lord. This has

become a spiritual compass, and a place of refuge

for them. We have the unspeakable joy of seeing

our children become eager to arise and declare to

their future posterity the praises of the Lord, and the

miraculous works that He has done.

WHAT DO YOU ENVISION

AS YOUR PRIMARY ROLES

NOW AS A HOMESCHOOL

HUSBAND AND DAD?

A As a husband, I pray that He will conform

me more and more to the terrifyingly wonderful

standards of Ephesians 5:25-26, so that I may sacri-

fice myself for my wife just as Christ “gave Himself”

for the church. As a father, I plead with my children

from Proverbs 3:1-4, especially that they may write

what I teach them “on the tablet of [their] heart[s],”

knowing that this will be possible in my relationship

of them speaking any English, we started out with

a unique set of trials. We also faced many of the

struggles that are common to most Christian home

educators: feelings of inadequacy; constricted

finances forced us to cling to 1 Timothy 6:8: “And

having food and clothing, with these we shall be

content.” Most painfully, there were many days we

labored on behalf of less-than-grateful children. Yet

God’s command for us to disciple our children kept

us from straying.

The road of discipleship is a fellowship in His

sufferings. Our greatest help in those earliest years

was to cling to the promises of Christ. We knew He

promised the power and comfort of His Holy Spirit

to carry us when we were too wounded and frail to

keep on going. We realized that the struggles and

trials of homeschooling were designed for our own

discipleship and sanctification. The Holy Spirit’s

application of God’s exceedingly great and precious

promises to us fueled our perseverance through the

difficult days.

with them only insofar as my instructions to them

are in line with Holy Scripture itself.

In practice, as a husband, this means lots of sweat-

filled service on my part (bathroom cleaning, diaper

changing, late-night conversing, etc.), coupled

with a zealous vigilance over my wife’s personal,

protected time alone with the Lord. As a father, this

means guarding my life and doctrine in purity and

holiness, and exhorting my children with tears of

compassionate love, such that they know that the

propelling motive behind my parenting is love.

BASED ON EXPERIENCE

SHEPHERDING YOUR OWN

SONS AND DAUGHTERS,

AS WELL AS PASTORING

CHILDREN IN YOUR CHURCH,

PLEASE SHARE SOME TIPS

FOR TEACHING CHILDREN TO

LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL

THEIR HEART, SOUL, MIND,

AND STRENGTH.

A The greatest commandment, to love the

Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and

strength, is so exceedingly lofty, who can obey it

even for half a minute? Yet this must be our central

aim in educating our children. Our little ones must

grow up seeing that we love God. We must teach

them to shun idols — pointing out the dangers of

the idols that tend to find refuge even in the church.

We also must demonstrate to them a willingness to

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

WE REALIZED THAT THE STRUGGLES

AND TRIALS OF HOMESCHOOLING

WERE DESIGNED FOR OUR OWN

DISCIPLESHIP AND SANCTIFICATION.

“ “

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THEMATIC INTERVIEW

suffer for the Name, so that they may grow up

unashamed of the chains of the blessed Apos-

tle Paul. They must observe us savoring God’s

Commandments as sweet nourishment for our

own souls. As we love good and hate evil, and

constantly set before them the immeasurable

magnitude of Christ’s substitutionary death

for us on the cross, they themselves, by the

gracious revelation of the Holy Spirit, will

grow to know this God whom we love. Thus we

constantly pray 2 Thessalonians 3:5 over them,

with deep yearnings: “Now may the Lord direct

[their] hearts into the love of God and into the

patience of Christ.”

HOW CAN PARENTS

DISCIPLE THEIR CHILDREN

IN THE WAYS OF OUR LORD

WHILE TEACHING THE

THREE R’S, CORE SUBJECTS

LIKE LITERATURE AND

SCIENCE, AND EVEN HIGH

SCHOOL ELECTIVES?

A The motivation for all learning (from

memorizing spelling words to balancing chemi-

cal equations) should be to better understand

God’s world and Word. As John Chrysostom,

that great preacher of the early church, liked

to say, “All of creation is designed to teach us

about God’s Word.”

We teach our children, then, that God’s invis-

ible attributes are “clearly seen” in the created

order (so wonderfully created in the span of

six literal days!). We also teach them that the

whole of creation, from spiral galaxies to hu-

man languages, is held together by the mighty

providence of Christ (Colossians 1:17). We aim

for meekness and humility as we bring every

subject of learning under the Lordship of Jesus

Christ, thus constantly reminding our children

On The Road of Home DiscipleshipINTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

that it is God who gives breath, and God who takes

away breath.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO

YOU HAVE FOR PARENTS

AND THEIR STUDENTS TO

KEEP FOCUSING ON CHRIST

WHEN THERE ARE SO

MANY OPPORTUNITIES AND

DISTRACTIONS?

A One’s time investments reflect one’s true

priorities. All of man’s labor and the striving of his

heart quickly become vanity, without the fear of

God. Jesus habitually rose before daylight and went

out to a solitary place for prayer. The Son of God

prioritized prayer over busy activity.

Thus when Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart

with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of

life,” it means, practically, that it is dangerous for

homeschooling parents and their children to allow

the busy pace of life to keep them from tending to the

weighty matters of the heart.

MOST CHRISTIANS SEE OUR

CULTURE QUICKLY DECAYING

AROUND US, YET WE BELIEVE

JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME

YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND

FOREVER. HOW CAN PARENTS

HELP THEMSELVES AND

THEIR CHILDREN CLING TO

CHRISTIAN FAITH AS TROUBLE

INCREASES?

A The verse immediately following the above

verse says, “Do not be carried about with various

and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:8 – 9). Thus as

the world changes around us, with the hearts of men

growing cold and wickedness increasing all over the

earth, it is imperative for us to teach our children how

to discern “various and strange doctrines.” Instead

of feeding them over-simplified biblical clichés

during family Bible times, we must teach them who

this unchanging Lord really is (doctrine proper). We

must also teach them the unchanging doctrines that

have been once for all delivered to the saints (historic

Christianity). Practically speaking, we want them to

shun the modish, contemporary books of today’s

mega-preachers in favor of time-tested ones. Our

children need to grow up loving the likes of John Bu-

nyan, Richard Baxter, and Amy Carmichael. These are

the Christian heroes whom we want them to imitate.

A few more practical suggestions are in order here.

First, we must exhort our children to examine them-

selves as to whether they are in the faith (for Christian

homeschooling by no means guarantees this). We

want them to make their call and election sure

(2 Peter 1:10). Then, since the Western world is

becoming increasingly hostile to true believers, we

would do well to teach our children how to pray for

persecuted believers (including the preborn children

of the Abortion Holocaust) all around the globe. The

day may soon come when our children will be called

to share “the same sufferings [that] are experienced

by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:9), and

when that day comes, they will find strength in the

knowledge of those who have suffered for the sake

of righteousness before them. Lastly, we must teach

our children what the Puritans called “Heavenly

mindedness.” Since Jesus Christ is indeed the

same yesterday, today, and forever, our children can

endure all things if they know how to set their hope

fully upon the grace that is to be brought to them

when He is revealed. For He who never changes

shall always keep His promises to us, His saints, to

the praise of the glory of His grace. Reverend Timothy Fan can be contacted at tim.

[email protected].


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Looking back at my childhood,

it seems at

times quite

contradictory.

I am currently a

research professor in

Nuclear Engineering

at the University of

Tennessee, with several

joint appointments at

National Laboratories

across the nation,

and I grew up in a

homeschool family.

Society may try to convince you that homeschooled

children are, well, homeschooled…with whatever

connotations, that may carry! To the contrary,

homeschooled children can be everything that God

has envisioned for them to be.

While under my parent's tutelage, our days were

filled with literature, grammar, mathematics, and

most importantly Bible study. The Bible was the

central theme of our education and my parents did

their best to ensure that the Bible was a book that

we had to personally understand, not a book of

PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE

From Christian Homeschool to

GENERATIONS

BY JOHN D. AUXIER II

traditions to be followed. To supplement our overall

development, my siblings and I also participated in

a broad variety of extracurricular activities ranging

from musical training to 4-H and Tae-Kwon-Do.

Homeschooling is about developing the individual,

working with their strengths and weaknesses,

developing their spiritual balance, helping them un-

derstand that success is not rooted in brilliance but

in hard work and perseverance, as well as empha-

sizing the importance of following God, our parents,

and trusted mentors as mentioned in scripture. My


GEN2

parents always discussed difficult decisions with

us and we prayed about them for direction. Over the

years, my parents struggled with many challenging

questions such as: is his education sufficient, is

he socially developed, how will we address social

topics, how can we help him keep the Bible at the

center of his life? These are questions I am sure

most homeschool families ponder and wrestle with

as they educate their children.

During our first years of homeschooling, we lived in

a suburban area in Brighton, Colorado. When I was

13, we transitioned from living in the city to living

in the country. We acquired some acreage near La

Salle, Colorado, and over the next few years, we

dug many ditches, built barns, and finally our home.

Tasks such as caring for the animals and mowing

fields brought many changes to our way of living.

While not always pleasant, the additional responsi-

bilities helped me develop a strong work ethic. That

same year, I accepted Christ as my Savior, and my

spiritual journey began.

The next year I entered high school and my father,

who is an exceptional person, suggested that in

lieu of some of my homeschool curriculum, I could

begin taking classes offered at Aims Community

College. After speaking with the adviser at Aims,

we learned that if I could pass the college entrance

exam, I could enroll in classes that fall. The advisor

recommended that I begin by taking music history.

Having never been in a large classroom, I found

the college environment to be daunting at first. For

example, I did not take notes during lectures in

homeschool, but this was necessary during college

lectures. My next challenge was learning to write

essays which met with my professors' expectations

without compromising my belief in God. Because

of my age, 14, I was constantly being asked by

everyone how old I was and why was I enrolled in

college at such a young age. The other issue fellow

students and instructors voiced was why I believed

in God. On many occasions, my faith in God was

discredited, which in turn gave me the opportunity

to share God with others while defending my faith.

Fortunately, our family kept up our morning Bible

readings during this time, and I continued in my

homeschool studies, all the while developing a new

appreciation for verses such as 1 Timothy 4:12a,

"Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an

example of the believers…", and Ecclesiastes 12:12,

"And further, by these, my son, be admonished:

of making many books there is no end, and much

study is a weariness of the flesh."

After completing a couple of semesters at Aims, my

dad's job took us to New Mexico. This move was

one of the hardest changes I had experienced up to

that point in my life, yet God was definitely at work

in this transition. So much was different: the culture,

the church, the support network. The one thing that

was consistent was our family relationship. At this

point in time, God provided me with two instruc-

As my siblings and I made the transition from part-

time to full-time students, new questions regarding

the next phase of college in our lives were just

below the surface, such as what major to pursue,

career options, and graduate schools, etc. God was

there at this juncture to introduce two concepts

to my family: first, the importance of having good

academic mentors, and second, the advantages of

sending multiple siblings to the same school. At this

point, my younger sister began her college career,

and together we each had an anchor to keep us from

drifting off the right spiritual track and an ally when

things were tough.

I mention my age and

accomplishments only to say that God has

been true to His Word in my life.

Regardless of a person’s age, God has a plan

for their life, and He is faithful

to bring it to completion.

““

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

tors who continue to have an impact on my life. The

first was my chemistry teacher, Mrs. Robyn Hayes,

who inspired me to think about Ph.D. programs

and helped me to develop my love for chemistry.

Along with Mrs. Hayes was Dr. Ajit Hira, who

encouraged me to pursue research internships and

collaborations with other students and faculty. As I

moved forward, God continued to work in my life by

providing a strong church family and an excellent

internship opportunity at Los Alamos National

Laboratory (LANL). During my time at LANL, I had

a number of experienced scientists as mentors and

they introduced me to the large world of nuclear

forensics. God does provide!

At last, it was time to consider secondary education.

My siblings and I knew we wanted to stay together

since that closeness had provided a strong safety

net in socially turbulent situations. Following con-

siderable discussion and many prayers, my younger

brother and I enrolled at the University of Tennessee

to pursue the final portion of my education, and my

sister enrolled in pharmacy school at East Tennes-

see State University. My brother pursued a degree

in nuclear engineering, and we actually worked

together on research projects for my Ph.D. Although

my parents did not grasp the topic of the research


GEN2

that I was compiling for my Ph.D. defense, they continually reminded me

that I was right where God wanted me to be, and they were always there to

support me. Ironically, God manifested himself to me by providing me with

a strong Christian scientist as a Ph.D. adviser who was the ripe old age of

90. I was his youngest Ph.D. student and he was the oldest professor at the

university.

By the end of my college career, I had graduated at age 19 with my Associ-

ate in Science at Northern New Mexico College followed by a bachelor's

degree in Chemistry from Adams State College at age 21, and my Ph.D. in

Chemistry from the University of Tennessee at age 24. During college, I in-

terned at LANL and then accepted a Post-Doctorate position in the Nuclear

Engineering department at the University of Tennessee. Shortly thereafter,

I accepted a position as associate research professor at the University of

Tennessee where I am currently employed with joint research appointments

at LANL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Y12 National Security

Complex. I mention my age and accomplishments only to say that God

has been true to His Word in my life. During each phase or career change,

I solicited many prayer warriors on my behalf, and God has blessed my

efforts. Regardless of a person’s age, God has a plan for their life, and He is

faithful to bring it to completion.

God has richly blessed my life from the beginning with parents who

consistently emphasized that God’s Word is relevant from the time you start

your education process until the time of completion. Hebrews 13:8 says,

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” He continually

demonstrates this to me with good mentors and colleagues who share life

experiences and give me a richer perspective on life. In closing, I would

advocate that homeschooling provides an excellent platform for academic

Christian Homeschool to PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCECONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

and professional excellence. As a nuclear scientist, I interact with people all

over the world, and I am thankful God has given me such a unique mission field

in which to share my faith in Him with others. John D. Auxier II completed his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO in the spring of 2010. During his undergraduate years, he participated in the ACS/DOE nuclear summer school in 2009 with W. Frank Kinard and worked as an intern at Los Alamos National

Laboratory (LANL) on projects involving alpha spectrum deconvolution, mobile stage applications of gamma-ray analysis, and americium/plutonium separations with Mr. Donivan Porterfield and Dr. Lav Tandon. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) with Dr. George K. Schweitzer in inorganic chemistry; focusing on material development for thermal neutron detection. Auxier was a post-doc for Dr. Howard Hall in setting up the UT Radiochemistry Center of Excellence, where he has been in involved with projects for the development of surrogate nuclear melt glass, advanced chemical separations, and new detection platforms for remote radiation detection applications. As a research associate professor at the UTK, with joint appointments at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and LANL, his current interests involve research in nuclear forensics, nuclear and radiochemical separations, and radiation detection applications. As part of this research, he has published numerous scientific articles on nuclear forensics and radiation detection material development and received patents on rapid separations and surrogate forensics materials. He has been awarded previous awards from sponsors including DHS, DTRA, and DOE/NNSA. John Auxier currently resides in the Knoxville, Tennessee area and can be contacted at [email protected].


GEN2

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Written by dads and for dads, the new Dad to Dad column will

provide special challenges, advice, and encouragement for fathers

as they engage in the process of bringing their children up in the

discipline and instruction of the Lord. —Steve Craig

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Pursue a Christ-Centered

CURRICULUM

When teaching

computer science

classes at a local pub-

lic university, I love to

challenge the students

in discussions of ethics

and leadership.

The students delight in these discussions,

some for the joy of the topics discussed, others

because it means a delay in talking about the

syllabus-directed subject matter. For most,

however, it feels like a forbidden pleasure, “It’s

computer science class, are we allowed to be talking

about these things?” Modern education tends to

disintegrate education into distinct subjects without

connection between them and without regard for the

whole. But a Christian education ought to be unified,

with Christ as the ordering principle of the universe.

He is the Fountain of living water, the Treasure of all

wisdom and knowledge, the Creator and Sustainer

of the universe.

With that in mind, Luke 10:27 provides a wonder-

ful foundation to consider unity in homeschooling.

Loving God with our whole being, and reflecting on

the familiar passage from Deuteronomy 4:4-9 which

follows the call to love God, demands an all-encom-

passing, unified ministry to our children.

Take for instance the pattern found in the book of

Proverbs. I imagine Solomon and his son, walking

by the way, perhaps noticing the insects crawling

across the ground, and Solomon speaks the words

of Proverbs 6:6, “Consider the ant…” and tells his

son the importance of diligence in preparing for the

future.

Just as Solomon connected the truths of God to a

study of nature, a Christ-centered curriculum is one

with integrity: it fits together, each part an integral

component of the whole. Yet, even as Christian

homeschoolers, we tend to fall into a pattern of

disintegrating knowledge: each school subject self-

contained, with no consequence to the others, and

no particular unity.

BY BLAIR WATKINSON


NEW

COLUMNDAD TO DAD

As I sit and watch my children making efforts to-

wards their various homeschool studies, I’m in awe

that they are created as image bearers of the living

God. The image of God in them is marred by the fall,

but Jesus is reconciling them, restoring that image,

until we are all made like Jesus Christ. This should

be our pursuit in homeschooling: that our children

would grow in Christlikeness so they may more

perfectly bear the image of God in our world.

Dads, by considering the true nature and purpose of

the things we study in our homes, and inviting our

families to do the same, I believe we as fathers can

have a profound discipleship toward the restoration

of the image of God in His children. For example,

what is the nature and purpose of language? When

we realize God spoke words and brought things into

existence, and Jesus himself is called the Word, we

must conclude that language matters. Is the purpose

of language to get our way, or is it to communicate

ideas and to build relationships with people? In the

language arts, we can remind our children it was

God who created language, and His purpose in

language includes speaking truth, building others

up, and proclaiming His excellencies.

Consider the nature of the natural sciences such as

biology, chemistry, or physics: the studying of the or-

ganic and inorganic physical universe and asking the

question, “What causes things to be, and what causes

them to change?” Our study of the physical universe

ought to lead us to a deeper apprehension that it is

Christ who created everything and sustains all.

The nature of the moral sciences, such as ethics,

history, and politics is the studying of the realm of

the human soul and asking the question, “How do

you cultivate well-being in the human soul and in

society?” Our study of the moral and social sciences

ought to lead us to a deeper apprehension of the

fallen state of mankind and exalt the cross of Christ

in our own personal lives as well as in the public

square.

So what can dads do? Recognizing our efforts

are not primarily so our kids can get jobs, prepare

for college, or compare themselves with others; our

home discipleship and the study of various subjects

should lead us to see the true and living God.

Practically, we can help our children understand the

nature and purpose of the things they are studying

by asking about relationships, cause and effect, and

(especially in literature) the “should” questions,

such as, “Should Rahab have lied to the king’s

servants about the Israelite spies?”

JUST AS SOLOMON CONNECTED THE TRUTHS OF GOD TO

A STUDY OF NATURE, A CHRIST-CENTERED CURRICULUM

IS ONE WITH INTEGRITY: IT FITS TOGETHER, EACH PART

AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THE WHOLE.

With my young children, I ask, “What is the purpose

of books?”, and I challenge them to use books

according to their purpose (especially when they’re

used as stepping stones across imaginary lava pits

or when their love for reading results in unkindness

towards disruptive siblings). I try to connect their

language arts to our family worship by offering

ideas to write about from our reading together.

Consider the nature, purpose, and ethics of things

you see as you are out for walks and drives. As

our children grow, the quest for understanding the

proper nature and purpose can be readily applied

to more complex ideas such as marriage, work,

sexuality, and law. This will allow them to freely

bear God’s image in society with the right biblical

understanding.

Dads, may the Lord bless your family discipleship

as you walk by the way. Blair and his wife Marcie homeschool their six children in Franktown, where Blair serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force, an Assistant Professor of

Computer Science at the US Air Force Academy, and is preparing for doctoral studies at the Colorado School of Mines.

“ “


DAD TO DAD

We began home

educating in the official

schoolish sense in

1985 when our oldest

daughter was four

years old. The baby

of our family turns 21

this fall, but we are still

involved with our local

umbrella school and its

enrichment program.

As I compare my early experiences as a

homeschooler with what I see happening now, I find

some definite changes. For example, thirty years

ago, it was standard fare for workshop speakers to

joke about all the moms wearing denim jumpers,

and get a hearty laugh. I recently heard an old-timer

tell the same kind of joke and nobody got it because

the modern uniform is mother/daughter skinny

jeans and t-shirts!

Some of the changes I see are for the better.

Thirty years ago curriculum choices were few. We

basically had to adapt materials for home use that

BY TERI ONG

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CHRIST The Essence



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K had been developed in the 1970's for the burgeon-

ing Christian school movement. Now parents can

pick and choose from a wide range of textbooks,

consumables, video programs, computer-based

courses, and programs custom made for all sorts of

learning styles and special needs. We now can have

access 24/7 to tutors and mentors via the internet.

Enterprising homeschoolers have stepped up and

worked together to meet the needs of our commu-

nity in a plethora of creative ways.

Homeschooling, though not the choice of the major-

ity of American families, has become much less of a

social risk than it was when our family began. Moms

don’t have to fear being seen at the supermarket

with their children in tow during school hours

anymore. We no longer feel compelled to explain to

the checkout ladies that our children aren’t truant

OR contagious; they’re just homeschooled. And

the checkout ladies no longer feel the need to raise

a suspicious eyebrow, since many of them know

somebody who knows somebody….

The jury is still out on some of the changes,

however. So many options are now available for

hybrid plans: part home/part school, part mom/part

internet tutor, part family/part government school,

part church-based/part community college, etc.

I have to say I am concerned because I see more

and more families making choices based on what I

believe to be questionable criteria.

In the infancy of homeschooling, the call was for

Christians to re-establish the family as God’s incu-

bator for mature and faithful saints to serve together

in the Body of Christ. But thirty years in, the family

is often sacrificing its strength as a unified whole on

the altar of individualization.

A 2016 paraphrase of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 might

read: "These words, which I am commanding you

today, shall be on your computer screen. You shall

teach them diligently to your children and shall talk

of them when you are getting ready to get in your

car, when you ride in your car, when you get out of

your car, and when you are sitting waiting for the

next event!"

When we define ourselves or encourage our children

to define themselves according to individual pas-

sions when we let them say, "It's just who I am," we

are speaking of essence — the essentials of what

makes them tick. By way of analogy, springs, gears,

face, and hands make a watch tick, if you will. It

does not matter if they are enclosed in a gold case

or a silver case or in a plastic case. The descriptors

don’t matter much to the essential function.

I am right now looking at a little sticker on my laptop

that says Intel Inside, Core 13. The manufacturer of

my computer obviously believes the inside core es-

sence is what counts, not the white plastic Gateway

case on the outside.

God intends for Christians to be Christ Inside. The

essence of our being is to be Christ. The Apostle

Paul taught this: For me to live is Christ. (Phil. 1:21)

If we let other earthbound passions define who we

are, we diminish Christian to being a mere descrip-

tor, rather than the essence of our life. The great

unchanging task of Paul’s life was to make known

the riches of a glorious mystery, "...which is Christ

in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27) That is

to be our lifelong task as well.

There is nothing wrong with wisely delegating

some instruction of our children to others; there is

nothing wrong with being involved in a wide variety

of activities and events so our children can develop

their own special talents. But we need to ask

periodically, "What are we encouraging our children

to BE?" One thing should never change; we must BE

Christians who happen to be called to educate our

children at home. Our children, God willing, should

BE Christians, who happen to play sports or music

or computer games, or even do a little studying from

time to time. Christian must be the essence and

Home Educator the descriptor, today and always. Teri Ong helped found Colorado Heritage Education School System, a private school for homeschoolers, where she teaches enrichment classes. She also teaches English

and music at Chambers College in Greeley, Colorado. She is the author of Lies Christian Parents Teach and Steps to Christian Virtue.

Face-to-face instructional time with Mom and/or

Dad is frequently replaced by screen time be-

cause Mom and Dad are trying to juggle the daily

schedule so all can pursue their individual passions.

The people in the car are likely to be part-time

homeschoolers, part-time athletes, part-time musi-

cians, part-time video kids, part-time soccer moms,

part-time meal facilitators, part-time talent agents,

part-time entrepreneurs, and part-time Christians.

I heard a speaker recently who challenged my think-

ing about how people analyze personal identity in

our post-Christian culture. He said that our essence,

our core being, is one key thing, and everything else

about our life is a descriptor or a qualifier. I had to

stop and ask myself, What AM I first and foremost?

I ask you, what is your essence and what are your

descriptors or qualifiers?

Take the name of our state organization, for

example: Christian Home Educators of Colorado. Of

Colorado is obviously a descriptor or qualifier. We

could just as easily be Christian Home Educators in

some other state or country. But when it comes to

Christian and Home Educator, we need to do some

soul searching. Are we Christians who happen to

home educate, or are we home educators who hap-

pen to also be Christians?

IF WE LET OTHER

PASSIONS DEFINE WHO

WE ARE, WE DIMINISH

CHRISTIAN TO A MERE

DESCRIPTOR —RATHER

THAN THE ESSENCE

OF OUR LIFE.

“

“



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Isn’t it amazing

how different a

child’s view of com-

pleting household

chores is from yours?

I remember telling

our eight-year-old

to clean up his room

one wintry day.

It was littered with toys, clothes, and projects

on every flat surface, including the floor. The

bed wasn’t made and every doorknob was in

use — as a hanger!

When I returned to check on him an hour later

(there were three younger siblings to care for

fine it for myself. What does it really take to qualify

as a clean bedroom? Picking up toys, yes, but not

painstakingly arranging them in the storage bin.

I decided that he should take care of the biggest

parts of the room first. The floor and the bed are the

largest surface areas in a bedroom, so doing them

first will change the appearance of the room right

away. This is what I told him.

Cleaning a bedroom

Start with the floor. Pick up everything that

doesn’t belong on the floor and put it away. Note:

there must be a specific place where each item be-

longs, or your child will not be able to successfully

complete this task. If he has too many possessions,

give some away or store them to be rotated out later.

Make the bed. For a younger child, this may mean

just pulling up the comforter, fluffing the pillow, and

arranging his stuffed animals on top. He will soon

learn not to put everything on the floor on top of the


SUPPER'S NOT DONE'Til the Plates Are in the CupboardBY MARCIA WASHBURN

at the time), there was no visible evidence that any

cleaning had taken place. Our son sat on the floor

calmly arranging his Legos in the bottom of a plastic

tub between his legs. He had fit them into every

empty space, piece by piece, layer by layer.

He looked up with a grin of satisfaction, convinced

that his efforts would be highly complimented.

“Don’t you remember that I told you to clean up

your room? You’re just sitting here playing with

your toys!” My voice was a few decibels louder than

usual.

“But Mommy, I am cleaning my room. I’m putting

away my Legos,” he said in a puzzled tone.

What can you say to a child who was putting

together 100-piece puzzles shortly after his second

birthday — gray side up, no less? It was all I could

do to keep from chuckling at his innocent question.

Apparently, it was time to teach this son what my

definition of a clean room was. But first I had to de-


MANAGEMENT FOR MOMS

bed since he knows he will have to make the bed

next.

Clear flat surfaces. Put away anything sitting on

dressers, desks, tables, or other flat surfaces that

don't belong there. Arrange any decorative items

tastefully. Explain, if necessary, that clothing hung

on a doorknob doesn’t qualify as a decorative item.

Dust and vacuum. An older child can be taught to

dust and vacuum his room as well. Even little ones

may enjoy putting socks on their hands (spray them

with dusting spray first) and wiping the dust off of

their furniture.

Report for inspection. Post a list of what consti-

tutes a clean room in his room. It may be in words or

in pictures for a pre-reader. When he reports to you

for inspection, ask him if he has done everything on

the list. Sometimes, especially at first, he will say,

“Just a minute,” and go back to finish something.

Spend time working alongside your child, especially

when cleaning his room is a new task. Teach him

and encourage him and try to make it fun with jokes,

laughter, upbeat conversation, or music. Even after

he knows how to do it by himself, consider joining

him now and then; everyone enjoys having a helping

hand. When his room is clean, be sure to admire it

with him and remind him how pleasant it is to live in

a tidy room.

Helping in the kitchen

Use a similar approach when teaching your children

to help in the kitchen. The average woman spends

50,000 hours in the kitchen by age 45, so welcome

your children’s help while they’re young, even

though their “help” may slow you down at first.

When they’re older, they will save you many hours

of work.

Define the job. For example, describe what doing

the dishes means at your house. Is it just doing the

dishes or loading the dishwasher? Or does the task

include drying and putting away all of the dishes?

Does it include washing the pots and pans? Does it

include putting away the leftovers? Wiping the table

and countertops? Sweeping the floor?

Give the jobs interesting names such as Trans-

portation Engineer (clearing the table), Sanitation

Engineer (washing dishes), or Conservation Engi-

neer (putting away leftover food).

Divide the job into smaller tasks. Again, post

the list on a card in the kitchen. If you have several

children, you might divide the tasks into more than

one job description. For example, one child might

be responsible for carrying in the dishes and wiping

the table, another might wash the dishes or load the

dishwasher, and another may put away leftovers and

wipe the countertops.

Master the job. Allow each child to do the same

job long enough to really learn how to do it well and

efficiently. Then let him teach his replacement how

to do it well, sharing the tricks of the trade with the

rookie.

Recognize the benefits

Why such an emphasis on teaching your children to

share in household tasks?

First, everyone in the house except an infant should

share in the workload, especially since Mom has

added homeschooling to her workload.

Second, they need to know how to run a household

when they leave home; this applies to young men,

as well.

Third, teaching good work habits instills character

qualities such as thoroughness, diligence, and

" DEFINING YOUR

EXPECTATIONS

FOR HOUSEHOLD

CHORES WILL HELP

YOUR CHILDREN

LEARN VITAL TASKS

AS THEY PREPARE

TO RAISE THE NEXT

GENERATION."

orderliness. Teach the meanings of these words

during your family devotions, memorizing the

definitions. Then, when you compliment your child’s

work, use these character qualities to describe how

you see him growing.

Here are some sample definitions1:

DILIGENCE vs. Slothfulness

Picturing each task as a special assignment

from the Lord and using all my energies to ac-

complish it. Colossians 3:23

THOROUGHNESS vs. Incompleteness

Knowing what factors will diminish the ef-

fectiveness of my work or words if neglected.

Colossians 3:23

DEPENDABILITY vs. Inconsistency

Fulfilling what I consented to do, even if it

means unexpected sacrifice. Psalm 15:4

ORDERLINESS vs. Disorganization

Preparing myself and my surroundings so I will

achieve the greatest efficiency. I Corinthians

14:20

Defining your expectations for various household

chores, listing them where your children can refer

to them, and praising their efforts will help your chil-

dren learn vital household tasks as they prepare to

raise the next generation of homeschoolers.

Oh, and that son whose idea of cleaning his room

was arranging the Legos so neatly for storage?

He went on to graduate from an elite engineering

school. Go figure. 1 Definitions from Institute in Basic Life Principles. See www.iblp.org for further information.

© 2016 by Marcia K. Washburn. Want more tips and encourage-ment for managing your home and your children? For a limited time, get Marcia’s best-selling

Homemade Convenience Foods free with your purchase of Marcia’s Management for Moms Series. See http://www.marciawashburn.com/ManagementforMoms/UPDATE.html for details.


MANAGEMENT FOR MOMS

Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference

▶ Speakers

"My favorite part is listen-

ing to the speakers. I always

learn something new

and I have been

homeschooling a long

time."

"Loved the speakers! I

found encouragement

to keep running the

race with an infusion of

joy and excitement."

◀ Fellowship

"I would feel so alone in home education if not for this

conference."

"We are new to this and it was great to find ways to

help our children."

We are grateful

for the work of

God at our annual

conference. Keynote

sessions, workshops,

shopping, fellowship,

and family time

blended together

for a full weekend

of refreshment and

growth.

We love to see the Lord bring together a di-

verse blend of believers to this event, unified

with one purpose: to raise our kids to know

God and love His Word. We're so glad for

everyone who was a part of this year's event.

We receive hundreds of survey forms, and

we read and consider carefully all feedback

as we plan for the future. (And we're excited

about what's ahead!) Here's what some

families had to say...

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CHEC EVENTSCONFERENCE REPORT

THANK YOU

Samaritan Ministries

Alpha Omega Publications

Heritage Defense

Choir Fire

Colorado Avalanche

Denver Broncos

Horse and Soul

HSLDA

PE+Plus

The Pinery Country Club

Play-Well

Robots-4-U

Western Conservatory

Worldview Academy

We are grateful for these

companies who partnered with

CHEC to make the conference

possible this year:

▶ Shopping

"I needed the good deals at the used curriculum sale!"

"I so appreciated talking with the speakers at their

booths. I am very filled up and encouraged and ready to

embrace my 8th year of homeschooling!"

"I learned a lot!

About different

curriculums and

about disciple-

ship being first at

home."

"I learned to

see my children

as treasures."

"We have a renewed

commitment to spend more

time in God's word."

Praise God for His hand on the conference this year!

JUNE 15-17, 2017

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!Keynote Speakers Include: MIKE FARRIS I TODD WILSON I DR. JOEL BEEKE

Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference

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CONFERENCE REPORT

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Strategies for a SUCCESSFUL YEAR

The new school

year is always a

good time to ensure

members of your

group are operating

on the same page

and working towards

the same goals.

Here are some

strategies we have

implemented for our

local homeschool

support group co-op

which meets three

times a month.

BY SHARI HOWARD MCMINN

Newsletter: This monthly communication tool is

emailed out to all members to inform each member

family of upcoming events and general news for the

group; it is a great way to reach out to those parents

who don’t attend planning meetings.

Delegate Tasks: After years of begging members

to help out with specific jobs, this year we assigned

each member equivalent tasks. Veteran members

were paired with newer members to get to know

each other, and to learn from one another. Members

can trade assignments with each other if they

choose, but it is their responsibility to coordinate,

communicate, and complete the task.

Core Committee: One leader can’t — and

shouldn’t — do everything, and wise counsel is

essential. Our group is fairly informal, so there are

several faithful parents I rely on for input between

our regular meetings and for guidance when prob-

lems occur. Group text and email saves me time,

guarantees the same message gets out to everyone

at the same time, and provides a written record of

communication versus phone calls or individual

meetings.

Set the Standard: From producing a meeting

agenda to sweeping the floor before locking up the

building, the leader sets the bar for how the group

operates. It can be burdensome, but must be done

consistently. Saying ‘no’ to other commitments

outside of your family and your group will reserve

your time and energy to accomplish a quality job of

leading your group.

Christ in You: in order to lead, you must be in

prayer, study the Word, be committed to a church,

submitted to your elders, and be in a personal

relationship with our Savior above all. This founda-

tion of faith will get you through the stressful times,

and give you the inner strength to lead the families

you serve. It can be daunting to counsel parents on

a wide variety of homeschool needs and family is-

sues while managing your own household, so make

certain Almighty God is your end all and be all.

Shari Howard McMinn has been a leader for homeschool and other community support groups for more than 20 years. She teaches the NUTS & BOLTS portion of

CHEC's Homeschool Introductory Seminars and is the Editor of the CHEC Homeschool Update magazine. A widow and mother of 11, she is also a farmer, non-fiction author, and public speaker. For more information on her life and work, go to sharimcminn.com. Readers may contact her via email: [email protected].


HOMESCHOOL LEADERS

Glen Eyrie Retreat Center OCTOBER 7-8

Our first Homeschool Leadership Retreat is just around the corner and is

sold out! We are really excited about the group of Colorado homeschool

leaders that will be gathering at the beautiful Glen Eyrie Conference Cen-

ter for a time of refreshment, networking, learning, and encouragement.

We are looking forward to teaching on biblical leadership and biblical

conflict resolution, plus a town hall style discussion that will address

common questions and issues faced by homeschool group leaders. The

town hall session will provide an invaluable opportunity to learn from

many years of your combined leadership experience.

The beautiful setting and gracious hospitality of the Glen Eyrie Confer-

ence Center is sure to refresh all of us leaders from around the state as

we come together to be strengthened and inspired in the pursuit of God’s

calling to serve the homeschool community of Colorado.

What I am looking forward to the most is the opportunity to build last-

ing friendships with those who are walking the same road and to be

challenged by the work that God is doing through them. Hebrews 10:24

reminds us to “consider how to stir up on another to love and good

works.” The 2016 Homeschool Leadership Retreat is going to be an op-

portunity to do just that.

For those of you who were not able to make it to this year’s retreat, I hope

you will make plans to attend next year so that you can join this com-

munity of homeschool leaders that God is using to guide one of the most

significant movements of our day.

The CHEC leadership team is grateful for each one of you and our hope is

that this retreat will be a blessing to you even as you have been a bless-

ing to so many.

I look forward to seeing you soon at Glen Eyrie!

Sincerely,

Steve Craig

Dear Colorado Homeschool Leader,

SAVE YOUR BOXTOPS!Did you know CHEC collects Box Tops for Education? Each qualifying

box top is worth 10 cents to CHEC, and every little bit helps us return the

investment to Colorado families. Simply collect the box tops and then

drop them off at a CHEC event or the office (or mail them to us).

Looking for other ways to support CHEC? Learn more at

www.chec.org/connect/support.


HOMESCHOOL LEADERS

Here are some key

points to kick-off

the new school

year (or get back

on track during

the year) with a

struggling

learner:

Daily teaching times

Bite size pieces of information

Repetition and practice

Outside encouragement

Daily teaching times are so important with

any student but some of our special students

really do well with a predictable routine.I’m

not thinking of a timed schedule (although that

can be successful too), but a predictable pat-

tern of what comes next. Try to plan subjects

so that all the work sitting with pencil in hand

practice for him to feel a sense of success and to

solidify what is learned. Some curriculums do this

very naturally. But have you ever looked through

a curriculum and seen a few easy steps and then

BOOM it seems to jump into something way ad-

vanced? I noticed this in violin books. A few pages

on ‘how to hold the bow’, ‘how to hold the violin’,

‘basic scales’, and then you turn the page and you’re

into Paganini and Tchaikovsky! OK, maybe not quite

that bad, but definitely a jump where there should be

repetition and practice. When an idea or skill is re-

inforced with different activities, the repetition won’t

seem boring. When things are going slowly due to

isn’t all at once. Getting the blood moving around

faster once in a while is a good idea! Having a good

routine makes transitioning from one subject to the

next easier. Keeping the lessons short according to

age and attention span is important. If yesterday’s

lesson went on forever, who wants to sit down to do

it the next day? They will remember if it was a good

experience or not.

Breaking information down to smaller steps

is a challenge but is necessary for my special

guy. Little bite size pieces of information that get

slowly assembled are a good way for him to make

progress. This takes some creativity and practice.

I have seen our swim teacher do this with teaching

my son to swim. Think about it – to swim you have

to breath, turn your head, get your face in the water,

put your body horizontal, kick your legs, move your

arms… there is a lot going on all at the same time!

She has taught skills separately, and then worked

on combining them – not all at once, but in various

creative ways. I think the same concept applies to

teaching other subjects too.

For my most challenged student, I have found it

is important to allow enough repetition and

Off to a GOOD STARTBY LIDA BRINGE

STRUGGLING LEARNERS

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STRUGGLING LEARNERS

this repetition and practice, the teacher can start to

get discouraged which leads me to my next point.

I think it is important to have some outside

encouragers — someone who doesn’t see your

student every day but can see the progress from a

week or a month ago. My son sat down and read one

of his readers to a friend of mine that we had over,

and she gave him such encouragement that he went

on to get several more readers to go through with

her! Other times friends have interacted with him

and he read a sign or a title on a book and they are

impressed enough to tell me about it. It made me

realize that yes, he could read that, and a year ago

he couldn’t! It can be discouraging to work day after

day and not seem to make any progress. Sometimes

information has to be repeated and practiced many

more times with our special kids than with our

other children. It can seem like we are on a plateau

when in fact we are on a very slight incline! Look

for someone that you see occasionally and that

seems to have a heart toward your child; see if they

would give you some feedback now and then, and

encourage your child. It could be a grandparent, a

friend of mom and dad, or an older sibling (or even

an older sibling’s friend). If you have a set time to

get together, you can use it as a goal: “We’re going

to see Miss Jane next week; maybe you can show

her ____” (whatever you are working on). It’s good

to have encouragement for your student and for you,

too!

It’s easy to lean on a ‘special needs’ label as an

excuse for slow progress. But slow progress can

turn into no progress. If it is hard to see progress

from day to day, the temptation is to skip a day, be-

cause it doesn’t seem to really matter. But of course,

skipping days adds up to nothing and progress is

impossible. In fact, you lose momentum and have to

start up a routine all over again. I’ve been guilty of

this. But we saddle up and get back on the horse.

Consistency and routine are important to suc-

cess in learning, so keep with a daily routine (and

when you get off of it, get back into it); keep the

learning and information in manageable portion

sizes; continue repeating and practicing for

reinforcement and a feeling of accomplishment; and

look for cheerleaders in your life who can see

long term progress. Lida and her husband, Nea,l are parents of five children they have homeschooled, the youngest of which has Downs Syndrome. Three have graduated; one is married and

made them grandparents! She can be found at her church most Sunday mornings making coffee. Lida also enjoys sewing, pottery, cooking, hiking, and playing fiddle.

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JOIN THE VOLUNTEER TEAM!

CHEC is made up of an incredible team of

volunteers. Volunteers help...

■ host events like Intro Seminars

■ greet at larger events like Day at the Capitol

■ enter data and sort files at the CHEC Office

...all while building relationships and invest-

ing in the next generation. We’d love your

whole family to join us!

Learn more at CHEC.org/volunteer


STRUGGLING LEARNERS

COLORADO HOMESCHOOL

FAMILY DAYS Saturday, October 1, Denver Art Museum Free Day

Thursday, October 6, Student Matinee at Colorado Ballet —

Swan Lake

Saturday, October 15, Denver Firefighters Museum Free Day

Monday, October 24, Denver Museum of Nature and

Science Free Day

Tuesday, October 25, Inside the Orchestra Tiny Tots Perfor-

mance

Monday, November 14, Nature’s Art Homeschool Day at Den-

ver Botanic Gardens

Friday, November 11, Four Mile Historic Park Free Day

Saturday, November 12, $5 Day at Butterfly Pavilion

Thursday, November 17, Denver Zoo Free Day

Thursday, December 1, Colorado Symphony Beethoven

Symphony No. 7 open rehearsal for students

Saturday, December 10, Josef Jacobs, German ace,

free day at the Vintage Aero Flying Museum

VIEW MORE UPCOMING EVENTS AT CHEC.org/resources/colorado-events-calendar/

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Over 2,700 meals were served (all made

from scratch!)—much-needed after full

days of adventuring: zip line and ropes

course challenges, highland games, dog

training, swimming, basketball…and more.

But what is more—the relationships

strengthened and truth shared will, we pray,

last into eternity. Here are a few comments

from attendees:

"I learned how to communicate better

with my son, and his desire to know

the Lord through His word and prayer

has increased dramatically."

"I trust God is at work in my son's

life and I see fruit of righteousness.

I thank God for the men who come

together in winsome purposeful

community to impact us with the very

words of God, which will bear fruit in

multiplied ways only God knows."

"We have a 'good' relationship but

now we are more committed to a

godly relationship."

May the fruit from this weekend bring

much honor and glory to Jesus Christ and

contribute to building His kingdom!

Over 250 fathers and sons from 34

states, Mexico, and British Columbia

traveled to the Rocky Mountains in

September for four days of adventures,

relaxation, and biblical encouragement.

CHEC EVENTS

2017 FATHER SON RETREATAugust 31 - September 3, 2017 I Crooked Creek Ranch

www.coloradofatherson.com

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SIGN UP for only $249/person until October 31st!

EVENT RECAP


CHEC EVENTS

A seminar is coming to a city near you:

■ Parker (10/22/2016 )

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■ Parker (1/14/2017)

Sign up for the seminar

closest to you! ALSO CHECK

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NEW TO HOMESCHOOLING?CHEC'S HOMESCHOOL INTRODUCTORY SEMINARS

ARE HELD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO GIVE PARENTS

THE VISION, LEGALITIES, AND NUTS AND BOLTS THEY NEED.

Sign up at CHEC.org/events

There are days when

we look at our sons and

think, “If they were in

school, they’d be on so

many pills they’d rattle

when they walked.”

At one point before

our oldest graduated,

Melanie was teaching

six boys aged 18 to 6.

Was it noisy? You bet.

Active? Quite. Chaotic?

Oh boy. It still is.

BEST OF CHEC.ORG/BLOG

to retirement when he knew them; they were from

a different generation, trained to a different set of

expectations. Since then, classrooms have become

much less friendly toward boys. Increasing emphasis

on high-stakes testing—high stakes for the teacher

as much as the student—is locking students to their

desks, filling out worksheets and practice exams for

many weeks of the year. Recess has been eliminated

in some districts, and rough-and-tumble games have

been banned in others.

What's more, the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperac-

tivity disorder, ADHD, has mushroomed. Even though

there is controversy over the exact nature of the condi-

tion, the number of students and adults diagnosed with

ADHD has continued to climb by 3% a year. According

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in

2006 nearly 12% of American boys had been diag-

nose—not suspected or labeled, but diagnosed—with

Homeschool

BY HAL AND MELANIE YOUNG

BOY FRIENDLY

And guess what? They still learn, and they do quite

well on outside measures like the SAT and ACT, AP

exams, and other standardized tests. And our oldest

moved comfortably into one of the most challenging

colleges in the U.S.

It sure doesn’t look like a traditional classroom in

operation here. The difference, we fully believe, is

why we think homeschooling is generally the best

option for educating boys.

Hal graduated from twelve years of public school and

did pretty well academically, but then he’s always

been an avid reader, a regular bookworm. Having a

mom who was a librarian probably helped. But then,

in the classroom, he figured out how to fit in.

It’s not that easy for a lot of boys today. Many of

the standout teachers Hal remembers were close


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ADHD. That’s separate from any learning disabilities

they may have had. And a large percentage of them

were on psychoactive medication to deal with it.

How about girls? The CDC found something less than

4.8% had been identified as suffering from ADHD.

We’re not medical professionals, and we’re not about

to argue about the definition of the disorder or how it

should be treated. However, it does raise the question

of how one boy out of eight ends up “dysfunctional”

and in need of medical intervention. If nearly two-

and-a-half times as many boys as girls are finding

themselves out of sync with the culture, could it be

that the standard of “functionality” may be playing

against something which is commonly found in boys?

Has our culture “pathologized boyhood,” as some

have suggested?

Making learning boy-friendly

What we’ve found in raising a houseful of active boys

demonstrates to us why many of them may be strug-

gling in the traditional classroom. Frankly, boys and

girls respond to different things, whether social and

emotional cues, educational techniques, or even the

setting of the thermostat. No, really.

We had an illustration of this when our soon-to-

graduate son visited Hampden-Sydney College, an

all-male school in Virginia. John was invited to sit

in on a freshman economics class. He came back

completely charged up.

"Mom, it was great!" he crowed. "The professor yelled

at them, he called them knuckleheads, they argued.

It was awesome." His mom, no stranger to vigor-

ous debate, was still taken aback. Didn't he find that

intimidating? No, and apparently the rest of the class

ate it up as well.

Young men respond to louder voices, stronger

statements, verbal challenge. It’s one reason that

experimental single-sex classrooms are reporting

great progress among students that were academic

washouts and disciplinary problems the year before;

instead of aiming for a calm, low-key environment,

these teachers have found a way to fully engage male

students and get them where they live.

Visit the CHEC blog for

weekly encouragement, with

articles like:

Secret of Successful

Homeschooling

Four Important Tools for

Character Training

Teaching Music in the

Home

Go to CHEC.org/blog to read more!

A second fact is that boys are active—always. We

used to have cats; if you watch them, they are rarely

still. Even asleep, a tail is twitching or a paw flexing

somewhere. Boys are the same way. Yes, it may

distract the teacher if boys are drumming their pencils

while they read, tapping a foot, or turning some ran-

dom object while they listen. That’s natural. Give them

something quiet to handle, a tennis ball to squeeze, or

something like that.

that excess energy can make it easier to sit down and

focus afterward.

A related idea is how your son sits. We've all read

the recommendations for feet flat on the floor, light

coming over the left shoulder, proper posture, and

so forth. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson did

much of his writing at a tall desk without a chair.

Winston Churchill did the same, or else dictated his

speeches and books to a secretary while he paced

the room and made wide hand motions. If your son

is more comfortable doing his math with his feet

propped higher than his head, can you live with that?

Of course, you can!

Oh, and the thermostat. Research has found that boys

work best in a cool environment. Warm rooms (heated

for the girls' comfort) make them drowsy. If you’re

teaching a mixed group, consider putting your daugh-

ter’s seat in a sunny spot, and your son in the cooler

part of the room —maybe even give him a small fan!

Finally, don’t forget the value of active learning.

Experiments, demonstrations, anything that will

make the ideas on paper more concrete will help your

sons absorb the concepts in the books. You can even

turn mundane exercises into a competition— who

can finish their math drills fastest and with the best

accuracy? Who can read and report on the most

books this month? Field trips and visits with special

people— veterans, professionals, specialists of any

sort—are not only fun but extremely valuable for

connecting textbooks with the real world.

Is homeschooling the only way to educate a son?

We won’t claim that it is. For our money, though, we

can’t think of a better way to take a boy as God made

him and help him become what God intends him

to be—without forcing him through a mold for the

convenience of an institutional program. And it can

be very, very rewarding along the way.

Hal and Melanie Young are the parents of eight children who are homeschooled from the beginning. Their book, Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching

and Appreciating Boys, is available from Great Waters Press at www.RaisingRealMen.com.

Better yet, give them an opportunity to use large

muscle groups. Instead of filling in worksheet blanks,

maybe your son will work better on a whiteboard or

even large sheets of paper with a big marker instead

of a sharp pencil. As an engineer, if Hal had a really

complex problem, he often found himself moving

away from the computer and drawing oversized

flowcharts on the back of blueprints or sketching pos-

sible solutions on the blackboard. Somehow it helped

him focus his thoughts when he could see the whole

problem, BIG.

Or maybe he needs to be challenged to run up and

down the stairs ten times when he just can’t focus

on math. Using those big muscles and burning up


BEST OF BLOG

and a bingo game to make the learning fun. The last

section is called Making Music and includes dozens

of songs that every child should know in categories

such as Our American Heritage of Folk & Traditional

Music, Patriotic Songs, and Sacred Songs. One of

the best aspects of this CD-ROM is there is nothing

additional to purchase with the program. Marcia has

used links to YouTube and other internet sites to allow

the reader to hear and see the music being performed

without having to purchase expensive CDs.

Beethoven Who? is really like three separate music

programs combined into one. It's a history of music

program, a music theory program, and a music

appreciation program. I can foresee a family taking

several semesters to work through all the rich material

in this course. Most of the music programs available

to homeschoolers were written for a classroom

setting, which makes using them in our multi-aged

"one room schoolhouses" difficult. These classroom

oriented programs also tend to be very expensive.

Marcia has produced an invaluable resource which is

both reasonably priced and designed for use by the

whole family in order to enable homeschool parents

to introduce their children to the glorious and eternal

I had never met teens like this before, and it sparked

in me a desire to cultivate a taste for good, compli-

cated music in my own kids. However, in the typical

homeschool, there is little time at the end of a day full

of reading, writing, and math to study music. So here

are a couple of products that make introducing your

elementary aged students to classical music fast and

painless.

The Practical Homeschooling award-winning cur-

riculum Beethoven Who? was written by veteran

homeschool mom and piano teacher Marcia Wash-

burn with the person who feels unqualified to teach

her children music in mind. The

CD-ROM or digital download is

broken into three sections. The

first is Listening to Music which

takes the students on a journey

through the history of music be-

ginning with the Baroque Period

and ending with the Twentieth Century. The second

section is called Reading Music and it introduces the

reader to the language and notation of music with lots

of suggestions for activities to reinforce what's being

learned. This section includes printable flashcards

When I first began

homeschooling,

I heard veteran

homeschoolers tell

stories about their

teenagers who liked

classical music.

Some of those teens

even preferred

classical music to

other genres and

had their favorite

composers just like

most teens have

their favorite rock

musicians.

MUSIC APPRECIATIONfor Busy FamiliesBY CINDY PUHEK

CURRICULUM REVIEWP

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CURRICULUM REVIEW

taught the story the symphony is seeking to convey.

In a long and complicated piece of music, children

enjoy recognizing the main themes since these

familiar segments of music act like rest stops on the

journey through the symphony.

Music, we are told in Scripture, is one aspect of earth

that carries on into heaven. The effort to cultivate in

our children a taste for the finest music on earth is

very worthwhile. Thankfully, with products such as

Beethoven Who? and the books from Classical Magic,

learning to understand and appreciate fine music is

doable for even the busiest homeschooling families.

Cindy Puhek resides in Colorado Springs and has been married to Peter for more than two decades. They are well into their second decade of homeschooling their six children who

range in age from toddler to high schooler. Cindy holds a masters degree in chemistry and has writ-ten dozens of articles to encourage others in their homeschooling journeys. You can visit her blog at www.homeschoolenrichment.com/blogs.

world of music. You can purchase Beethoven Who?

at www.marciawashburn.com.

Classical Magic has produced a three book series

called A Theme to Remember Vol I and II, and Clas-

sical Karaoke, (available at Rainbow Resource and

Sing N Learn). This wonderful resource is designed

to introduce children to the history of great music

from the Baroque Period to the 20th Century and

to the composers who wrote it.

The CD’s which accompany the

books have recordings of

small portions of famous

pieces of music with funny

lyrics added to them. The

lyrics always contain the

name of the music piece

and the composer and

often some historical information about when and

why the music was composed. As children learn the

little songs, they are learning to recognize and name

the titles and composers of symphonies, concertos,

and minuets.

The books contain supplementary information and

explain characteristics of music in each musical

era, biographical information about the composers,

and definitions of musical terms. However, even if a

family never reads the books, the students will learn

an enormous amount of information listening to the

CD’s, and this can be done in the car. One caveat:

most families will want to skip a couple of the songs

and I recommend previewing the books before using

them with your children. Nevertheless, with roughly

40 pieces of music on each CD (about 120 total), it

is worth the effort to screen out any objectionable

material in order to benefit from this rich, easy to use

product.

A fourth book is also available from Classical Magic

called Journey to the New World. Unlike the other 3

books which focus on the history of music, Journey

to the New World leads children through the themes

of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Music apprecia-

tion often grows with knowledge, and I know this

symphony is one of my children's favorites. This book

broke the long piece of music into smaller pieces and

CASTERLINE SINGLE MOM'S BANQUET

Register now at CHEC.org/events

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2016

PARKER, COLORADO

Enjoy a delicious meal,

an encouraging message,

special extras, and

provided childcare—all on us.


CURRICULUM REVIEW


Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift

up her voice? On top of the heights beside

the way… Beside the gates, at the opening to

the city, at the entrance of the doors, she cries

out... “O fools, understand wisdom… By me

kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me

princes rule, and nobles. All who judge rightly.

Proverbs 8: 1-3, 5, 15, 16 (NASB)

For over two decades, one of the largest annual

gatherings on the steps of Colorado’s Capitol

has been CHEC’s Homeschool Day at the

Capitol. We gather there to ask for, to demand:

nothing! We wish for nothing but to be left

alone to enjoy the liberty to disciple our own

children in God's Word. At this annual rally we

also lift up our elected leaders in prayer, seek to

encourage homeschool families, give a vision

HOMESCHOOLFreedom Initiative Report

Treon Goossen, a Christian homeschool mother and

wonderful friend of CHEC, worked to see our current

favorable homeschool law passed in the late 1980’s.

Since then, Treon spent every legislative session

at the Colorado Capitol. She monitored all the bills

being proposed, attended scores of hearings, and

sent emails urging our presence at critical hearings

where our parental rights and Christian liberties were

at stake. Treon went to be with the Lord this year, and

she is sorely missed.

In Treon’s absence, Steve Craig, CHEC’s Executive Di-

rector, together with Colorado Senator Kevin Lundberg,

worked tirelessly to study and keep us informed on a

dangerous bill during the 2016 Legislative Session.

This bill would have included homeschoolers in a

centralized health-choice tracking database, which

included documentation of children’s immunizations.

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to future statesmen, and publicly thank God for our

blessings of liberty.

We Americans are blessed with great liberty, which

most people throughout history have not enjoyed.

Newer homeschoolers may not be aware that

homeschooling has not always been legal in Colo-

rado and in most of America. Early homeschoolers

were imprisoned, forced to flee their homes, or had

their children forcibly taken from them.

Even though in recent years we have seen civil

government’s laws increase over virtually every area

of our lives, the freedom to homeschool has actually

improved. God has blessed the work of a handful of

dedicated watchmen and has granted us an “island of

freedom” in the midst of growing socialism, human-

ism, and collectivism.

PARTNER with CHECTogether, we’re motivating parents to disciple the next generation of Christians. Thank you for partnering with us!

BY GEORGE SECHRIST

PARTNER'S PAGE


CHEC’s coordinated effort against the bill with phone

calls, emails, letters, and presence at a State House

of Representatives hearing helped turn the tide, with

the bill failing. That bill and many more which threaten

Christian liberties will no doubt be back again. We must

not forget that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

The enemy of our liberty and of our children's souls

never rests and does not want to see our children

discipled by their parents, learning to love God and un-

derstand the relevance of His word to every area of life

and study. In Ezekiel chapter 33, the prophet describes

the job of the watchmen on the wall, which is to blow

the trumpet to alert Israel to approaching enemies.

Today's battles for our freedom are not with swords or

guns against approaching armies but are much more

subtle. Today's watchmen on the wall need to be wise

and understanding to engage in a battle of worldviews.

It's Liberty in Christ's law versus the chains of statist,

humanist, evolutionary thinking.

These critical battles are fought by becoming informed,

and then informing others; by prayerfully and humbly

working to influence our magistrates. They are fought

at our kitchen tables, in our living rooms, and in the

halls and offices of the Capitol. The mass media wants

us to focus on the Presidential political race, which is

generally out of our control. The battles we can have a

tremendous impact on are right here in Colorado.

Shockingly, we are told by many that our children

belong to the state and should be taught, tested,

and tracked by professionals. This follows the goal

found in the tenth plank of Karl Marx’s communist

manifesto, which promotes: ‘free education for all

children in public schools’ to implement that atheistic,

communist worldview. This is not a time to take our

homeschooling and parental rights for granted and

become complacent. Evil will definitely prevail if good

men do nothing.

For these reasons, the new CHEC Homeschool

Freedom Initiative was launched in June at the

State Conference and ended on August 15, 2016.

Many homeschool families in Colorado pledged to

give of their time, their prayers, and their financial

resources to maintaining homeschool freedom. They

recognized the importance of working with CHEC

to establish a stronger effort to protect and defend

Christian homeschooling liberties, parental rights,

and to promote godly principles to our elected of-

ficials at the State Capitol.

Fathers, mothers, and grandparents, we ask each

of you to determine what your family’s role will be

in maintaining homeschool freedom. Colorado

homeschoolers desperately need key leaders to

get involved in the direct legislative work; we need

Christians to be watchmen on the wall—to be

informed and to inform others; and we need many

active citizens to attend legislative hearings, organize

educational Town Hall meetings, visit and pray for our

elected officials, send emails, make phone calls, write

letters to editors and much more.

PARTNER’S PAGE

PARTNER with CHEC

Name

Address

City

State Zip

Phone

Donation Amount $

☐ One time donation $

☐ Monthly donation $

☐ Or go to CHEC.org and click

To set up automatic monthly Credit Card or ACH/Bank Transfer call the office at 720-842-4852.

PLEASE REMOVE THIS SECTION AND MAIL WITH YOUR DONATION TO:19039 Plaza Drive, Suite 210 Parker, Colorado 80134

For 26 years, CHEC has been at the forefront of the battle for home education and discipleship. CHEC serves thousands of families every year through our events, Update magazine, widows fund, special needs fund, the CHEC Independent School, and more. We receive phone calls throughout the week that give us a chance to provide advice, encouragement, and an extra “boost” to homeschoolers when the going is tough. CHEC depends on your generous donation to both continue and expand our mission.

Our estimated annual budget for the carrying out

the legislative work that we have planned is a lean

$24,000 per year. As of August, donors have given

more than $15,000 to the Homeschool Freedom

Fund. We are thankful for those encouraging

supporters who have already contributed, and for

those of you who will contribute to the on-going

Homeschool Freedom Fund. Donating is easy!

Go to CHEC.org, click on the DONATE tab, then click

on the Homeschool Freedom Fund. Your generous

contributions throughout the year, and at year’s end,

will help preserve our homeschooling “island of

freedom” in Colorado.

One of the major expenditures that is budgeted in the

CHEC Freedom Fund is for hiring a coordinator to

carry on in Treon’s footsteps as a Legislative Liaison.

Please pray for God to bring us just the right qualified

and committed person.

As a final thought, take any coin out of your pocket and

notice the word “LIBERTY,” which has been on our

coins since 1792. Liberty is biblically defined as living

according to God’s law, not enslaved to sin or tyrants.

Our founders are reminding us not to forget it and not

to take it for granted. Will you join with CHEC in pass-

ing our heritage of liberty to your children’s children?

George Sechrist and his wife Tammy have gradu-ated all four of their children from homeschool. He has graciously served as a Board Member of CHEC for more than a decade and coordinates the annual Day at the Capitol event. You may contact him at [email protected].

PARTNER'S PAGE

CHEC BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Bill Roach, President

George Sechrist, Vice President

Kevin Lundberg

Brenda Kelly

Ian Serff

Todd Strawser

Steven Vaughan

CHEC DIRECTORS: Steve Craig, Executive Director

Kevin Swanson, Director of

Generations With Vision

Mike Cheney, Director of AME

Todd Strawser, Director of

Christian Family Eldercare

The CHEC Homeschool Update is published triannually by Christian Home Educators of Colorado,

19039 E. Plaza Drive, Suite 210, Parker, CO 80134.

The purpose of the Homeschool Update is to provide information, resources, and leadership for home educating families while effectively

communicating the activities, opportunities, and needs of Christian Home Educators of Colorado.

The Homeschool Update is free to all who request it. Donations are gladly accepted.

The views expressed by contributors and advertisers in this news magazine do not

necessarily reflect those of CHEC.

Permission is granted to reprint any portion of this magazine, except where noted, provided

the following credit is given: “Reprinted from the CHEC Homeschool Update, Volume 3, Issue #96,

2016; 720.842.2432, CHEC.org.”

Editor: Shari McMinn, sharimcminn.com

Creative Assistant & Designer: Sarah Bryant, sarahleephoto.com

Ad Manager: Heidi Botkin

Advertising Policy

Ads are published on a space-available, first-come, first-served basis and are subject to

approval. Payment must be made by the deadline to reserve ad space. New advertisers must include

complete product description. We reserve the right to refuse any ad submitted.

CHEC’s mailing list is not sold or rented. Advertising in this magazine provides an excellent

opportunity to reach homeschooling families likely to be interested in your product or service.

Questions may be directed to [email protected].

Circulation: V1 & V3: 5,500 V2: 7,500Next Advertising Deadline: December 1, 2016

For advertising opportunities with CHEC, go to chec.org/advertise.

Copyright © 2016 by CHEC

Visit CHEC.org/events to learn more and register

CHEC HOMESCHOOLSPELLING BEE

WHEN: Saturday,

February 4, 2017

WHO: Homeschooled

students in 8th grade or

below

HOW: Register and begin

preparing today!

Winners advance to the Denver Post

state-wide spelling bee!

CHEC.org/events/spelling-bee


CHEC EVENTS

February 2017Refresh Ladies' Event DENVER

March 2017High School & Beyond Seminar PARKER

April 2017 Homeschool Day at the Capitol DENVER

May 2017Homeschool Graduation Ceremony WESTMINSTER

June 2017Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference DENVER

What’s NEXT with CHEC

October 2016Homeschool Leadership Retreat COLORADO SPRINGS

Casterline Single Moms' Banquet PARKER

Homeschool Intro Seminar PARKER

January 2017Homeschool Intro Seminar COLORADO SPRINGS

Homeschool Intro Seminar PARKER

February 2017Spelling Bee ELIZABETH

7-8

21

22

7

14

4

Visit CHEC.org/events to learn more and register

4

7

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15-17


CHEC EVENTS

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

PAIDDENVER CO

PERMIT #792

Christian Home Educators of Colorado

19039 E. Plaza Drive, Suite 210

Parker, Colorado 80134

Change Service Requested

Dear families: If you no longer want to receive this magazine, please contact

the CHEC office and ask to be removed from our mailing list. Thank you.

720.842.4852 I 1.877.842.CHEC I [email protected]

Refresh....A DAY OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR LADIES

Find rest and refreshment on your journey.

This will be a day full of fellowship,

biblical wisdom, spirit-filled worship,

and pampering door prizes!

WHEN: Saturday, February 4th 9am–6pmWHERE: Embassy Suites Denver Southeast

COST: $30 early registration ($39 late) All adult ladies are welcome!

Register at CHEC.org

Update Magazine - 2016, Volume 3, Issue 96

Education

Transcript of Update Magazine - 2016, Volume 3, Issue 96