April 25 & 26:
Real
Life Marriage Weekend: Homeschool Edition,
Vancouver, WA
June 4 & 5
Real
Life Marriage: Homeschool Edition,
Kansas City, MO
See website for hotel information.
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Announcing
the newest FCHM Co-ops:
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The Old
Schoolhouse Magazine
If you
haven't seen this issue of TOS, check it out! It's full of great
information for co-ops!
Members of FCHM Co-ops receive a discounted subscription to TOS!
Please type in FC+Gifts to receive your discount and
25 free gifts from TOS!
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Raising
Your Own Superheroes
Step One -
Observing Passion
By Matt Binz, Mr.Homescholar
thehomescholar.com
The 2004
Pixar film The Incredibles poses the
intriguing question: "What would happen if superheroes lived among us
as normal citizens?" In this film, a couple of former superheroes, Mr.
Incredible and Elasti-girl, marry and then, as a result of a
class-action lawsuit against all superheroes, are forced deep
undercover using the alter-egos Bob and Helen Parr. The movie explores
how this true "power couple" deals with suppressing their superpowers
in order to live a "normal" life.
As a homeschooling father, one of the most intriguing aspects of this
film is how Bob and Helen deal with their children, two of whom have
nascent superpowers.
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Advertise
with us!
This
e-zine is read by thousands of people each month, and FCHM website
traffic offers excellent exposure for your business or ministry.
Advertising with FCHM is just one way
you can benefit while supporting the work that God is doing
through First Class!
Do
you need to have a banner designed for you?
Our web design team can do that, too!
Please e-mail us with any questions.
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Make the Connection:
The Passion and the Purpose Behind the
Ministry of FCHM
I can still see the look on my
husband's face after I asked him if I could start a homeschool co-op in
our new home town of Vancouver, WA. "Do you remember how much work that was?"
was his bewildered reply.
Yes, I remembered. I had started one "from scratch" four years earlier
with some friends. I remembered how we labored over each detail, and
how much work went into simply forming the foundation of the co-op.
Not much had changed in terms of my situation, except I was pregnant
with our fourth child when we started the first "First Class," and when
I felt the gentle tugging of the Spirit to start a new one in
Vancouver, we were expecting our sixth
baby. You can understand my husband's hesitation!
I explained to Jay that while I had not forgotten the work that it took
to get a new co-op up and running, the benefits for our family had far
surpassed the cost to us in terms of our time and energy. Our co-op
was our lifeline. Just being together one day a week, 18 weeks a year,
we had developed lifelong friendships, found support in our
homeschooling efforts, received the gift of mentorship, and been given
the opportunity to teach. Our children loved it. I loved it. We had
seen kids and their parents come to Christ at our co-op chapels. The
fingerprints of the Father are all over First Class Homeschool Co-ops.
Jay began to pray with me about starting
a new co-op. After a few days, it became clear to both of us that this
really was what God was asking us to do. Our kids were so excited, but
even more exciting was the fact that God began to enlarge our vision
for the ministry of First Class. I was amazed at what God was doing in
Jay's heart during this time.
Not
only did he see the value in reaching out to
homeschoolers from
the perspective of a father,
he
now saw it from the perspective of a pastor.
Together, we talked about
many of the countless opportunities we had been given to minister to
homeschooling families during the time Jay pastored in Mount
Vernon--simply because the church had opened its doors to homeschooling
families. First Class became a big part of what God was doing at that
church, and we were privileged to watch as the ministry began to make a
real difference
in the lives of the families who came each week. First Class was more
than a co-op to its members. It was a community.
Fast-forward four years and nearly 25 FCHM co-ops later, and you can
see why we are so passionate about the ministry of First Class. First
Class partners with parents and churches to build new communities of
homeschoolers. First Class provides the co-op coordinator with all the
tools she or he will need to start--and grow--a ministry to
homeschooling families. We have taken the best ideas for running a
successful co-op and put them into a program that is designed with a
busy homeschool parent in mind.
Co-op leaders find support and encouragement within the national
community of First Class leaders. We connect co-op leaders through
message boards, a leader's e-zine, training and materials that are
designed to make their roles more effective and less time-consuming.
FCHM co-ops are self-sustaining and provide the church with an
incredible opportunity to reach out to homeschooling families, using a
format that is being used successfully in churches from California to
Virginia.
At First Class, we are passionate about growing homeschooling. Are you
ready to get connected?
Would you like to support homeschooling families? Starting a
homeschool co-op is a wonderful way to do it.
Jay and Heidi St. John have been
married for 18 years and are the homeschooling parents of six children,
who range in age from sixteen to two. Heidi speaks to mothers with
humor and grace on many subjects dealing with homeschooling. If you
are interested in having the St. Johns speak at your event, please contact
them through FCHM.
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 FCHM announces
Real Life Marriage Weekend: Homeschool Edition
How
strong is the foundation that your homeschool is built on?
Let's face it. Homeschooling is a huge commitment. Navigating the
unique intricacies of balancing homeschooling and marriage can create
tension and stress. It's easy to focus on the job of homeschooling
your children and give your marriage the "leftovers."
Our
mission is to help restore balance and revitalize your marriage through
a weekend filled with Christ-centered workshops,
general sessions and personal time
designed specifically for homeschooling parents.
We believe that God's Word still has
the best advice for restoring hope and rekindling the passion of the
one-flesh relationship.
Real Life
Marriage Weekend: Homeschool Edition is not your ordinary
marriage retreat weekend. Why? Because no "ordinary" marriage
workshop or retreat can possibly deal with the unique issues we face as
homeschool parents. This is one homeschool event you can't afford to
miss! Whether your marriage needs a little tune-up and refreshment, or
whether your marriage is at the breaking point, set aside these two
special days and ask the Lord to meet you and your spouse at this
marriage retreat.
At a
Real Life Marriage Weekend, you will:
Revitalize your vision
and discover together the JOY of homeschooling...
Reconcile the difficulties of living on one income
in a two-income world...
Realize how homeschooling
can actually make your marriage stronger...
Rekindle romance and Rediscover the joy of sexual
intimacy...
Reconnect with one another and learn
how to make effective communication a priority...
Receive the tools and skills
to create a true and living partnership with your spouse...
Route an exciting new course for your homeschool years and beyond.
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 Homeschooling
in the News
California Resists Home School Ruling
Wednesday, Mar. 12, 2008
A young boy studies on his way to an
island homeschool in Maine.
Bridget Besaw Gorman / Aurora / Getty
The parents of some 200,000 home-schooled kids in California
were stunned last week when they learned that a judge had declared home schooling illegal unless
conducted by a licensed teacher. For the moment, though, those parents
can breathe a sigh of relief. Yesterday, Jack O'Connell, the State
Superintendent of Public Instruction, released a statement saying that
the California Department of Education will not go after parents who do
not have teaching credentials: "I have reviewed this case, and I want
to assure parents that chose to home school that California
Department of Education policy will not change in any way as a result
of this ruling," O'Connell said in his statement. "Parents still have
the right to home school in our state."
 California:
Homeschool decision follows on the
heels of SB 777
The CA Legislature recently
passed a law (SB 777) that basically ensures public schooled
students in CA get a one-sided, positive portrayal of homosexuality and
same-sex 'marriage.'
The
2nd District Court of Appeals has now followed it up by deciding that
parents who are not certified teachers should not be allowed to
homeschool.
Teachers union officials will also be closely
monitoring the appeal. A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los
Angeles, said he agrees with the ruling.
"What's best for a child
is to be taught
by a credentialed
teacher," he said.
--Los Angeles Times
March 6,
2008
What are
"credentialed teachers" in California public schools teaching their
students? You can be sure it's a lot more than reading, writing and
'rithmetic.
Last month, Jay and Heidi St. John flew
to Los Angeles to represent First Class Homeschool Ministries at a press conference aimed at educating
parents about the situation facing children who are in the public
schools in California because of SB 777.
The fact that this new ruling is following on the heels of SB 777 is
almost unthinkable. If it stands, it would mean that many parents who
want to remove their children from public school and homeschool them
would not be allowed to. The implications are enormous, and parents
need to be made aware of the situation.
Please take a moment to sign the petition asking the court to "depublish"
this opinion. HSLDA says, "If the
opinion is "depublished" then it cannot be used by other California
courts and this threat to homeschool freedom will be neutralized for
other California
homeschoolers."
FCHM would like to remind our members
that they can receive a discount on membership to HSLDA by contacting
their co-op director or the FCHM home
office. We are proud to support HSLDA in their advocacy of
homeschool freedoms.
Homeschooling families
need your support. Pastors have a tremendous opportunity to do so by
starting a homeschool co-op in their church. If you want to support
homeschoolers by starting a homeschool co-op in your church, please
visit the First Class Homeschool Ministries
website today.
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First Class is a
support-based ministry to homeschooling families.
Every gift you make to FCHM helps us plant homeschool co-ops around the
world. These co-ops become communities of Christ-centered families who
can support and encourage each other throughout the homeschooling years
and beyond.
 Now... more than ever...
Thank you
for supporting the ministry of FCHM.
Together, we're making a difference!
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New! FCHM Homeschool Chat
through Google Groups! Join the national list of FCHM Co-op members
and make a new friend!
read more
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Happy Easter from all of us at FCHM!
He is Risen!!!
Easter is early this year... Sunday March 23rd, 2008.
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