I have a book on my shelf called “Chase’s Calendar of Events”; it’s the bible of special promotions for marketers and a holdover from my newspaper days. It’s published every year and bills itself as “The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months,” and “The authority since...
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Speller #140 will take the stage Wednesday morning in the nation’s capital as one of 291 finalists to compete in the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee. Over the weekend the 12-year-old and her whole family drove a thousand miles from Iowa, for “Bee Week.” Speller #140, otherwise known as Lydia...
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I’ll never forget my Challenge I philosophy assessment. Although philosophy was one of my favorite courses, I was dreading the blue book exam. The study guide alone was overwhelming. We had learned so much! How could I possibly retain all the details? And what was a blue book exam, anyway? Wasn’t...
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“To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.” – John Calvin Like you, I regularly pray for those I love, and like most parents, my prayers for my children are especially fervent. I pray for all...
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Tens of thousands of parents interested in homeschooling will attend free three-day parent conferences this spring and summer in more than 550 cities in all 50 states and several foreign countries. Veteran home educators will lead the sessions, designed to inform and encourage parents who already homeschool or are...
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It is time. Time for the school books to be shelved. Time for feeling fresh green blades of grass underfoot. Time for growing the teacher. I look forward to summer every year not for a learning-pause but for a student-exchange. For the entire school year, my children have fed...
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After directing Challenge B for a year, I’ve come to a conclusion. Classical Conversations’ curriculum choices are pure genius. They effortlessly intertwine to produce a beautiful tapestry of knowledge—one telling God’s story of mankind’s humanness, redemption, and hope for the future. However, I do know that a source of...
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In the spring of 1879, Ferdinand Cheval, a rural French postman, was going about his daily rounds when he tripped on a stone and tumbled headlong to the ground. As he dusted himself off, he was captivated by the mysterious beauty and striking shape of the stone that had...
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When I first started homeschooling, someone once told me that my child would become my greatest teacher. I thought that was quaint advice and mostly ridiculous. What could I possible learn from a 4th grader—a nine-year-old? It turns out, I had loads to learn from my nine-year-old. Lessons in...
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Rochester, Minnesota—To the uninitiated ear, the answers sound like gibberish—faster than an auctioneer. But Ethan Gates, 12, of Rochester, not only knows exactly what he’s saying, he’s also performing dozens of math equations in his head to get those answers. All in 60 seconds. Ethan can perform these mental...
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When my first two children were babies, I had one unique, pressing goal, in which I roundly failed. I had planned to speak Italian to my girls at home to give them an immersive start, but found my vocabulary too weak to meet the demands of constant communication. Making...
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A few weeks ago life for me turned upside down. My family and I were in Athens, Greece at the time. I had moved to Athens to study Greek, and then we received the call no parent wants to receive. My son had nearly died when the vehicle he...
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