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Kathy Banks is a home school mom who spent less than $500 in eleven years of home education. She wrote a practical guide for home school parents needing encouragement and help in educating their children, those interested in finding out about home school and those burned out by traditional methods of education.

Kathy began self publishing with her book, Real Home School, followed by a devotional for moms and a newsletter. Providing information and encouragement to home school families is at the heart of her writings. Kathy Banks is a wife and mother of two teenagers.

Kathy in speaking about her last devotionals book, 30 Proverbs for a Mother's Heart says:

I have teenagers in the house now. I prefer to call them young adults, because that is what they are. I have not meant to make teenagers out of them at all. Many parents resist the term 'teen' because of its anti-adult, pro-rebellion persuasion, but alas, the term 'teen' will be found on some of these pages. It was my desire to share with moms who've had big struggles with their children in this age of degeneration; hoping to give some biblical insight as well as a sense of "your are not alone in this". So this booklet is not for everyone. The pages are emotional, sad, sentimental and finally encouraging.

Kathy believes parents need to look no where else but to Raymond Moore and Ruth Beechick for all their home school needs. In her book,  she has compiled state regulations, nontraditional school calendars and practical lesson planning for the mom who wants to simplify.

Below are some essays from Kathy that will help you on your path to build your confidence and help you find that creative spark that lies with you. She hopes you enjoy them and will provide encouragement to you in your homeschooling endeavors.

Put No Confidence In Tradition
by Kathy Banks
©1999 Kathy Banks. Excerpted with the permission of the author. May not be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author.

I know that probably 98% of home school parents start out traditional. A lot of those parents are secure in what they are doing and I don't mean to speak to them.

However, I do hear the struggle from moms who are not confident, because they are trying to do it all with the mindset of : "I must do this the way 'real' school does or I will fail my child." They worry about lesson planning and encompassing all that is "necessary" for a well rounded education. I suggest if they watch their child play and read with them and interact with them, their child will show them what is "necessary". Obviously, traditional education brought to us by the public system has proven to not know what is necessary.

Moms don't realize they are already doing enough school; more than enough to satisfy the State and to educate their child. I have moms write me about what their child has done in one day. Then I ask them to read back what they wrote. This helps them to see what they truly are accomplishing. Mostly they want something different than what public school had to offer and they want to see results, immediately.

Having non-traditional school means to be different than public or private institutions. Most parents home school a little differently, but many would be less frustrated, saving time and lots of money if their confidence were not so entrenched in educating the same way most are. Unit study is the best way to make learning meaningful and kill two or more "birds" with one stone. It doesn't take much creativity, except to decide shrinking the text lessons to include a related activity.

If a study on birds includes walks to the park and around the neighborhood, I can guarantee the student will remember this study because it was made meaningful. Now he knows about the birds of his town. This approach does take time to feel organized about, but only because we have been taught all through our lives that there is only one way to get an education.

I agree that our children need structure and regularity. Any approach can afford that. The child doesn't rule the day in my home, it is just more fun to do an experiment, go to the library, read a lot instead of write a lot, do mom-made word problems instead of always sticking to the textbook, study history by visiting a place, etc. And if more fun, more meaning is attached to it.

It is strange that we parents also forget that our children teach us. We find them busying themselves, capable of doing chores and asking to help, reading and drawing. I call that motivation and education. Why must we parents add more?

• Pursue what works for your family, but especially for the student.
• Stick with it long enough to get the feedback you need. Don't be afraid to change where it's necessary. I am not wanting to change anyone's chosen method. I do want to help moms feel secure in what they have chosen: That they and no one else, have full authority to use field trips, have 10 minute sessions with their active child, have school 3 or 4 times a week, or have Saturday school. They can forget science texts and get more out of using their backyard.
• And no subject that is completely over a child's head need be taught at a particular age. It is also important to know I am talking about elementary age issues.
• Those grades are so basic, it would be better to stick with just that: The 3 R's and loads of fun.

Creativity: It's All in Your Head
by Kathy Banks
©1999 Kathy Banks. Excerpted with the permission of the author. May not be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author.

Many might say, "You have to be born creative. I just don't happen to be one of those." "I can't teach my children creatively, so they'll just have to learn to put up with textbooks."

Creativity is for everyone. A parent who feels lacking or is insensitive to this area may think their children will suffer because of them. But, take a look at these two children. One nine-year-old orphan who lived with his older brother wanted to play musical instruments. His brother resented him and refused to let him play his music. The younger boy, John, secretly copied music late at night. A seven-year-old named George had a love for music, but his father insisted he learn to be a lawyer. A keyboard was snuck into the attic and muffled to keep the secret while the boy practiced for several years.

These two boys were Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel. No one can truly keep such love of learning from happening. When God has given His gift of creativity to someone, there is no stopping them. Parents cannot stifle what God has destined.

Creativity comes from God. He is the father of good gifts. All men are created in His image, thus man is creative. We build enormous buildings, outdoing one another. We achieve great successes in every sector. Scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and so on have pushed the minds of man to tremendous depths and heights. We are creators and God designed us to be. This is probably one big area where sin reigns in worldly men: many think they are god.

Creativity is in you. Maybe you are not a Handel, a nobel prize winner or even good at crafts, but you are created to create. I believe it is home schooling that teaches we moms to be creative. We learn it. We try new things, see what works and doesn't work. That is science. We don't have to know all the details of a subject area in order to teach some of it to our children. If God has given them an ability in one area, it will come to fruition with or without your talent. Parents provide the opportunity to learn and that is creativity at its best. We are not to push our children in our desire, but to help them find what their desire, ability or gift from God is/are.

• What inspires you?
• What inspires your child?
• Can you open the door enough to find out what excites them and help that path become realized?

Through our Creator you can. God has given you that child to teach you so much that He wants in your life as well as your child's. He will bring it to pass. You cannot fail your child, because "it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13.

Success in God's eyes is His alone. Billy Graham, d.c.talk, Beethoven, John Nash, John Glenn, all those who have become well-known have their glory already, as God says. Most of us will have successes that God alone sees and will be rewarded openly by Him. Success is defined as simple obedience by our Lord and Savior. What we do with what God specifically gives us or calls us to will be examined now and on That Day.

What creativity moms think we lack is probably a wrong look at being creative. Most of us with small children must be on time, running the home, scheduling, balancing and all the while keeping a cool head? If that isn't creative then it is near genius. And geniuses are near schizophrenia, right? The kinds of creativity you may wish you had may take some time to learn. It takes effort and trial and error to sew, cut and paste, play "Mary Had A Little Lamb" on keyboard, draw stick figures, make a pie, rollerblade without bending in half, understand that D = R x T, on and on. And, we have taught it all in home school. I have never loved learning so much as when home school became my life.

You don't think you're creative, yet?
It is all in your head.

Are you interested in Kathy's books?

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Christian Unschooling:
Growing Your Child in the Freedom of Christ
by Teri Brown with Elissa Wahl
Unschooling, child-led learning, free learning, interest based education, child-delighted learning - These are the many names that are used to describe unschooling. Teri Brown with Elissa Wahl have a book that addresses the needs of both "Christians" and "unschoolers". For those Christian parents who are facing school-at-home burnout form a strict schedule, they offer another path to learning. The book includes many essays from veteran homeschoolers as well as practical information on how to start your own support group is included. In this essay which is the first chapter in her book, she describes "The Dream" of homeschooling and how to achieve it. There is also the opportunity to ask your question in our many different homeschooling support groups.

Unschooling - Learning Through Everyday Life
by Suzannah Harris, editor of "The Unschooler" e-zine
Children are better off learning at home, away from the traditional teaching techniques offered by public and private schools. Unschoolers contend that none of us excels at everything, and to expect children to excel in all subjects is unrealistic and harmful to a child's self esteem, drawing children away from feeling useful, productive and involved in the mainstream of the community and society in general. Unschooling parents discover that there are many ways that different children learn the same things, that each child's view of the world is unique, and that choice of methods, tools, etc., can be in constant change. Find out more.

Meet the Author
"Easy Homeschooling Techniques"
by Lorraine Curry
hosted by Joe Spataro
interview & FREE excerpt for working parents
Lorraine Curry started EasyHomeschooling her own children in 1989, and began writing about the method in 1994. She has written for Practical Homeschooling, Homeschooling Today and published Tips & Topics – The East Homeschooling Journal for four years. In her interview here on the Zone, Lorraine will chat with us about the costs of homeschooling & how to save money, how working people can homeschool which she shares from her book, and the role of Christian teachings in homeschooling.

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