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Reaching Higher is a free, monthly homeschool ezine to encourage and equip homeschoolers, bringing you the best advice, articles, websites and encouragement we can to help you as you raise your young ones and build your family legacy! If you enjoy this e-zine, please pay it forward and send it to a friend. Little Footprints l Heritage Program lHighschool Program l Projects Issue #44 - June 2012
Youth Day Special Offer16 June is Youth Day, a poignant anniversary in South Africa's history, yet a day to celebrate the young generation, building the future of our rainbow nation. We offer some thoughts below as well as a special offer on our Little Footprints homeschool curriculum. We also have free printable Youth Day Notes & Worksheet. Our Sponsors:Please click "display images" in your email programme to view the content below.
Thoughts about Youth DayPerhaps some of the readers of this newsletter are parents with younger children and others of those who qualify as “teenagers.” If your children are younger than 13, don’t pass over this message, we think it is important to hear. The word “teenager” first appeared in a Readers Digest in 1941. Before then it was not part of language. Our blue print for life, the Bible, also does not mention this “being” – the teenager. There are children and there are adults according to scripture. Today there is such a huge movement to validate teenagers and their feelings, attitudes and hormonal changes that sometimes parents dread the years when their children are 13 – 19 years old. Parents make excuses for their “teens” bad behaviour, their “teens” loafing around the house all day, their “teens” lack of motivation and drive…the list goes on. The expectations for children 13 – 19yrs of age are so low that these same children often never grow up to be valuable members of society. They instead become a drain on their parents, family and communities and sadly society says “It’s OK, they are just being teenagers.” In 1976 “teens” spurred on by the Black freedom struggle chose to rebel against Bantu Education. This ended in a blood bath with many dying and a lot more injured. Today we look back on it and are terribly saddened by the pain and tragedy of this period in our nation’s history. But is it not more of a tragedy that we are now allowing the youth of our country to waste away their lives kowtowing to the low expectations that their families, schools and communities set for them? Around us we see children in the age range of 13 – 19 swamped with school and homework, many of whom do not even meet the minimum requirements for their grade. We see children dropping out in Grade 9, girls as young as 15 falling pregnant, young men abusing alcohol and other addictive substances…and the days tick by and nothing changes. But your child is “safe” because they homeschool, not so? You are a diligent parent training your children in the way they should go so that when they become an adult they will not depart from the ways of the Lord, yes? Have you ever thought that the purpose of raising a strong Godly child is not so their life is more comfortable and safe, but it is so they can grow up to be the future changers of this country? Not only this, by raising them as children with compassion, they will be the ones who will take the Love of Jesus that operates within them to a hurting world. They can become the hands that bring healing as the Holy Spirit flows through them, the mouths that bring God’s truth and the income earners who can support those who work full time for the Lord in the mission field. Little Footprints Special Deal
Footprints on FacebookIf you are currently using one of the Footprints programmes you are invited to join us on Facebook.Go to Footprints on Facebook and request to join. Homeschool Q & AOn our Footprints website, we recently created a Homeschool Question and Answers page where South African homeschoolers can ask anything about homeschooling.Even if you are a veteran homeschooler, you might find some useful answers there to pass on to newbies you meet, such as The Procedure for Removing a Child from School Information about Registering for Homeschooling (or not!) Please feel free to ask any questions that YOU may have for the benefit of others who will also read the answers! We are also looking for more Homeschool Success Stories to share: Till next time, we wish you every blessing Wendy and Shirley www.south-african-homeschool-curriculum.com Footprints On Our Land - South African Homeschool Curriculum "The way you help heal the world is you start with your own family." ~ Mother Teresa Copyright © 2011,www.south-african-homeschool-curriculum.com All rights reserved.  |
