high school Archives - The Sparrow's Home

17 role models of what living out an ordinary faith looks like

May 13, 2019 by Susan 3 Comments

There’s not one single answer to what it looks like to live a life of faith. These 17 people each lived out an extraordinary story in a uniquely different way, and a simple faith was at the heart of each one.

I received a complimentary book and was compensated for my time in writing this review. As always, all opinions are my own.

What makes someone a hero of the faith? Just the phrase is intimidating, if you ask me. But as with most things in life, a change of perspective can make all the difference. I’ve been reading about the lives of 17 individuals who did some amazing things and instead of feeling intimidated, I’m inspired.

The book is Eternity through the Rearview Mirror: How Simple Faith Changes Everything—Seventeen Extraordinary Lives, and I’m anxious to tell you about it.

So you made a decision to change your life at summer church camp…what next?

August 13, 2018 by Susan 9 Comments

photo credit: Kathryn Fletcher

You went to the classes. Listened to the messages. Sang the songs. And somewhere in the midst of it all, God reached in and tweaked something inside you. You heard Him.

Maybe it was like a lightning bolt to your heart. Maybe it was a tiny seed that He planted and is barely beginning to sprout. It could be a cloudy something that has been in your mind for months, only now it is crystal clear.

Conviction of sin. A call to ministry. Light for the next step. Purpose.

Whatever it is, He spoke and you listened.

No prep. No busy work. No Kidding. Homeschoolers, this is the high school literature curriculum you’ve been looking for.

June 25, 2018 by Susan 6 Comments

I was compensated for my time in writing this review. As always, all opinions are genuinely my own.

One of the best parts of homeschooling is that you can do what works for your family. But what about when what works for you as a teacher doesn’t necessarily work for your kids as students?

As hard as it is, moms, this is when we need to defer to their learning style above our own.

I looooved English classes in high school. Exploring different kinds of literature, short stories, poetry, writing…swoon. My two boys gag at the sight of a poem. One enjoys reading, one endures it, but neither would pick many of the novels that they are assigned.

When it comes to literature studies, finding something that works for both them and me was challenging. But I did it!

6 reasons to do your CLEP test prep with Study.com

February 26, 2018 by Susan Leave a Comment

I was compensated for my time in writing this review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Do you have things in your life that you just can’t shut up about? Yeah, CLEP testing is one of those things for me. I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for an oil change recently and found myself telling someone about earning college credit by exam.

Earning credits like this has made a gigantic difference in the way we homeschool high school and are doing college. So when I discovered Study.com’s CLEP test prep product, I was a little ga-ga.

Graduation Party Ideas: Hits & Misses

June 12, 2017 by Susan 10 Comments

I made a huge mistake with my son’s graduation party. I forgot to take pictures! This shames me, not only as a mother, but as a blogger. Before the party started, I took a few. The weirdest thing is, that at one point during the party, I looked out the back window and thought, “I love seeing all of these people enjoying each other’s company.” And I actually went out and took a few pictures.

But did it cross my mind at that point to take other pics? Noooooo. No standard picture of my son with his cake (doughnuts, in this case). No pictures of my son at all.

Here’s what I attribute it to: I lost my mind temporarily due to outlets.

But the party was great! Let me tell you about it.

Finally, Online Math that Works: A Review of Mr. D. Math

April 10, 2017 by Susan 9 Comments

Do you have a favorite teacher? What about a least favorite? A good teacher can make a difficult subject make sense and a bad teacher can make you hate even your favorite subject. Am I right??

My College Algebra teacher was t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e. He used to talk about how math was like a banana hanging from the ceiling, and we were all gorillas trying to reach it. He said he was going to push a chair under the banana for us. What?! Yeah, that was my reaction too. That story is the only thing I remember from his class.

We’ve been using a new math curriculum that I love, and my math-gifted-but-non-math-loving son “likes better than anything else” we’ve used. (It is still math, after all). And his reason why?

The teacher.