​

Our Journey Westward

  • Shop
  • Blog
    • Bible & Character
    • Living Math
    • Language Arts
    • Science & Nature
    • History & Geography
    • Fine Arts
    • Brain Training
    • Holidays
    • Healthy Homeschool
    • Preschool
    • Elementary
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Curriculum & Schedules
  • Homeschool Speaker
  • My Account
  • 0 items$0.00

by Cindy Leave a Comment

Discovering Dishonesty in the Christian Homeschool

Share22
Pin30
Email
Print
52Shares

“Hey, come help me move this couch. I want to clean under it really well.” As I impatiently waited for one of my sons to appear and help, I saw a small paper folded up in the cushions. Upon further inspection, I knew immediately what it was and my heart sank. It was the assignment that had gone missing months earlier. Only it hadn’t just been misplaced, I was realizing now that it had been purposefully and deceitfully hidden. 

What do you do when you find yourself discovering dishonesty in your homeschool?

My child did not want to do the work and so had lied to me about ever receiving the assignment. I remember well when it came up missing, I had helped him search for it. We looked everywhere: in his desk, under the bed, in his backpack, folders, binders, closet, on my desk and in my books…

He lied to me. How could he do this, again?  

Discovering Dishonesty

During the previous school year, I discovered months of unfinished math and science. I could feel my anger rising. Why does he think this behavior is acceptable? Why would he try to get away with this again? Why didn’t the discipline from last time work? How am I going to get through to him?

I set off to seek the counsel of Godly women who had traveled this road before me. Ha! Let’s be real, I called my friend to rant about what had just happened! She reminded me that she too had discovered dishonesty in her homeschool. 

Her child had been cheating on his quizzes and tests. He had been copying verbatim from the answer key onto his work, changing a few answers to make it look believable. Suddenly, I was recalling story after story from fellow homeschoolers who had found their child was not doing the work they said they were doing and/or were cheating on the work that was being completed. My anger subdued.       

I began to realize, some of this is my fault too. How could I have let months go by without checking his work? Here’s the really simplified answer: I’m human. 

These incredible ideas will help you teach Christian values to your children of all ages.

Homeschooling Requires Us To Be Present

I am a homeschool mom of four. I am involved in just as many or more extra-curricular activities than my children, more on that later. We are small business owners. I homeschool four children. I am imperfect and flawed. I run the day to day tasks of my home; I chauffeur everyone; I teach algebra to children that I did not birth; I serve in my community; and did I mention I homeschool four children? 

I’m really trying to drive that last point home. Homeschooling requires us to be present. That’s not an easy thing to be in today’s society no matter how many students you have.  

I had a brief discussion with the guilty party and ended with a promise of discipline and lengthier discussions, ahem lectures. This child is old enough to understand a delayed consequence, which felt fitting because the offense wasn’t discovered until months after it was committed.

I spent the next few days eating chocolate and mulling over the ordeal. 

   

 

As I stated previously I played a role in this incident, but that doesn’t excuse the child’s behavior. As his teacher, I have a responsibility to ensure he is doing the work and understanding the work. When I don’t follow through with my portion, the possibility for mishap is increased. 

Let’s explore that side of things a little. Perhaps the work is genuinely too difficult, there’s some maturing that needs to take place or there might be gaps in the learning. Especially in a cumulative subject like a language or math we need to ensure that each lesson is mastered before new information is encountered. 

That’s not what I was dealing with though. No, my child wasn’t struggling. He simply didn’t want to do the work. He saw an opportunity unfold and he succumbed to the temptation.

Homeschooling Takes Time

Recall earlier how I mentioned I enjoy lots of extra curricular activities? I wasn’t kidding when I said I may be involved in more than my children. I enjoy taking part in lots of things, and I can easily and quickly stretch myself too thin and before long I’ve gone months without checking a subject in school that really needs to be tended to daily. 

I need to be honest with myself before saying yes to another project or signing up for another race. Uh-oh! Did you catch that? “I need to be honest…” One of the things I love to hate about homeschooling is the refinement that takes place in me. I am grateful that The Father deems me worthy of purification. But sometimes, just sometimes I wish it was only about somebody else’s mess!

It appears my priorities can shift quickly when I fail to be mindful of my time and God’s calling on my life.

I’ve learned from these experiences, I protect our days better than I did in the past and I have a scheduled meeting with each child daily or weekly depending on age. And don’t you worry about my son, we’re gonna deal with him too! I hope you’ll check back for part two of this story, Instilling Integrity, where I’ll dive into the measures we took to avoid a third bout of this lapse in judgement.  

This has been a guest post written by Courtney Day. She has been homeschooling for 9 years and resides in rural Kentucky with her husband and their four children.  She is a freelance writer and speaker with a desire to encourage parents in their homeschooling journey by drawing from her own experiences.  Her hobbies include gardening, reading, kickboxing and long distance running.  You’ll often find her serving at the local food bank or fundraising for a worthy cause, just look for The Girl in Yellow.  Contact Courtney at girlinyellow2020@yahoo.com 

Share22
Pin30
Email
Print
52Shares

Last Updated: July 6, 2020 Filed Under: Bible & Character, Christian Homeschooling, Elementary, High School, Middle School Tagged With: Character Training, Christian values, parenting

Previous Post: « Nature Study for Creative Kids
Next Post: Instilling Integrity in the Christian Homeschool »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

subscribe without commenting

Primary Sidebar

NaturExplorers Science Curriculum

NaturExplorers guides are perfect for the 1st-8th grade homeschool, co-op or classroom. This highly adaptable curriculum series uses nature study as the starting point for science lessons that reach into every other subject and meet all learning styles.

Popular Posts and Series


 photo widget300_zps64ea557d.jpg
 photo CMWidget_zpsd7fc8669.jpg
 photo livinglitwidget_zps657f0460.jpg

 photo 3b118073-e528-40c6-b009-8be2ccfc0a74_zps79607282.jpg
 photo NatureStudySneezePageWidget_zps3dc3947e.jpg


 photo ArtistStudyWidget_zps6df6beae.jpg
 photo Untitled_zps78916d12.jpg
 photo Unitstudywidget_zps852cf098.jpg
 photo PBLwidget_zps5a4c210f.jpg

 photo valueswidget_zpscf5135ed.jpg
 photo USA300widget_zpsb2606835.jpg



 photo SeasonsandHolidaysWidget_zpscc545744.jpg

Categories

Charlotte Mason How-To

 photo 2235a4d3-bec7-488d-89f5-e2dcd32a42db_zpsb2ec2b26.jpg

Most Recent Pins

 photo WhatsPinteresting_zps8b7f9748.jpg

Trusted Curriculum

All About Spelling



  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Blog Terms of Service
  • Affiliations & Disclosure Policy
  • Reviews and Advertisements
  • eShop Terms & Conditions
  • Affiliates
Happy birthday to my favorite girl in the world! L Happy birthday to my favorite girl in the world! Love you, @mahaylawest_1! 🥰
The breath of God produces ice,⠀ and the broad The breath of God produces ice,⠀
and the broad waters become frozen.⠀
He loads the clouds with moisture;⠀
he scatters his lightning through them.⠀
At his direction they swirl around⠀
over the face of the whole earth⠀
to do whatever he commands them.⠀
He brings the clouds to punish people,⠀
or to water his earth and show his love.⠀
Listen to this, Job;⠀
stop and consider God’s wonders. ⠀
⠀
Job 37:10-14⠀
⠀
Winter isn’t my favorite season, but an icy landscape is truly incredible to see. ❄️⠀
⠀
Click the link in my bio for science curriculum to help you take advantage of snow and ice. ⠀
⠀
#winterhomeschool #naturestudy #naturexplorers #winternature #snowandice #naturephotography #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonirl #wildandfreehomeschool #homeschoolscience ⠀
When my boys were little, I loved reading these “letters from God” to them as blessings to start the day.
As I was sorting bookshelves earlier this month, I stumbled across this sweet book again. I decided the blessings are still as pertinent today for my bigger boy as they were years ago. So, we’re starting our day yet again with a quick, but powerful “letter from God” before jumping into our daily Bible studies.
Do you do anything special to start your day off on the right foot? I’d love to hear about it!
Click the link in my bio for a link to the book.
#homeschoolblessings #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolmom #homeschool #homeschooling #yourmorningbasket #startthedayoffright #charlottemasonmama #loveyourkids #wildandfreemama #childrensbook #devotionalforkids #homeschool365 #homeschoolmorning #ourjourneywestward #ihsnet
Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. It’s cold, the days are dark, and everyone’s cooped up together 24/7. That’s a recipe for the winter blahs to march right into your house and wreak havoc on attitudes and motivation.⠀
⠀
This year’s winter is unlike any other and those blahs may have actually settled in long before now. If you or your children are feeling down, anxious, or bored with school, are “at” each other constantly, bouncing off the walls, or tears and fighting are the norm…the blahs are there.⠀
⠀
Let’s get you, your children, and your homeschool back on track. I’ll be teaching a Homeschool Masterclass on Thursday afternoon to help you kick the blahs to the curb. If you can attend live, come! If you can’t attend live, catch the replay!⠀
⠀
We’ll tackle all sorts of problems the blahs bring with them with very practical  ideas that are easy to implement! ⠀
⠀
Click the link in my bio to join me. There is no shame in admitting that the blahs have arrived and you need a little boost from a friend. ❤️ ⠀
⠀
#homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolmom #homeschoolfamily #wildandfreemom #charlottemasonmama #winterhomeschool #homeschoolhelp #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #homeschoolmasterclass #homeschool365 #ihsnet #homeschoolmama #helpmehomeschool #winterblahs
Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’ Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’s true, you know. I’ve told my children for years that it only takes a nature walk to see God through His handiwork and to know that His promises are true.⠀
⠀
When the world seems to be falling apart around you, the sun never stops shining. The seasons never stop moving. Without a single, solitary effort of human hands, the woodlands still buzz with life.⠀
⠀
A student of nature can see the consistency in cycles and notice the incredible and creative intricacy of even the smallest specimen and be in awe that we truly serve a God who isn’t unaware of even one tiny detail in our world right now. ⠀
⠀
Life kind of seems overwhelming, though, I know. Remember when I said my motto lately has been to just put one foot in front of the other to do the next right thing? Nature walks (even when it’s cold) never fail me as a right thing. ⠀
⠀
Breathe, friend. Take a nature walk today and let God speak to your soul.⠀
⠀
#homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolmom #homeschoolfamily #wildandfreemom #charlottemasonirl #winterhomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #winternaturestudy #nosweatnaturestudy #homeschool365 #ihsnet #naturestudy #naturexplorers #nature #hewins
It might seem trite to post a winter picture book It might seem trite to post a winter picture book list right now, but I’m a big believer in keeping things as normal as possible in my home when things aren’t so normal otherwise.⠀
⠀
It’s the principle of putting one foot in front of the other as you simply do the next right thing. Good books almost always can be a “next right thing” choice.⠀
⠀
Even though I’m not homeschooling younger children anymore, I’ll probably never stop sharing wonderful picture book ideas with you. 🤓 I’ve spent way too many hours reading and collecting to ever stop loving them!⠀
⠀
Eli and I may not be using these books right now, but they are still some of my favorites for winter reading. Whatever may be going on around you, the winter months are always a good time of year to get in lots of extra reading. Snuggling and hot chocolate are optional, but encouraged.⠀
⠀
Click the link in my bio to find a blog post about these books + some of our favorite winter chapter books, too!⠀
⠀
#homeschool #readmorebooks #livingbooks #livingliterature #picturebooks #winterpicturebooks #homeschoolmom #wildandfreefamily #charlottemasonirl #winterhomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #winternaturestudy #nosweatnaturestudy #homeschool365 #ihsnet
We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break! 🎉🎁🎂🏀🥰
I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍 I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍

Copyright 2006 -© 2021 · Our Journey Westward · All Rights Reserved

52Shares