--from St. Teresa's breastplate

Dear CHC Families;

Are you feeling inadequate, fearful, pressured and stressed from every angle? Do you feel burned out? Do you wonder if spring will ever come and chase away this cold, dark winter? Are the children bouncing off the walls?

Have you poured out your troubles to our Heavenly Father? Listen to God's promise:

"I the LORD hold your right hand. Fear not, I will help you." (Is. 41:13)

What a beautifully encouraging image and promise! We are not alone; we are promised all the assistance we need and more. When our steps falter along the homeschooling path, the Lord is at our side to help us.

Remember that learning is a process; rarely is a skill mastered at one sitting. (How long did it take you to learn the multiplication tables?) In our desire to provide the best education possible for our children, it is easy to become discouraged. But we are not teaching alone, nor is the task above our abilities, with God's help. Be of good courage! Sursum Corda!

Remember, too, that CHC sets no deadlines; your school advances at whatever pace works for you and for your children. (If you are temporarily "covered over," teach the core subjects only, as listed in CHC's lesson plans.) By choosing to focus on true progress over a period of time rather than on one day's brief setbacks, you will probably find that your children are mastering skills at a completely normal pace.

Take delight in today's accomplishments and, if it seems there were none, look back on the month, or compare with work from this time last year. Create portfolios with collected photos of best work, "aha! moments," and days filled with the delight of shared discovery. When your first grader finishes reading all the stories in Little Stories for Little Folks, take a photo of him holding or reading his booklets. When your teen triumphantly completes the last lesson in Algebra 1, go out for milkshakes and take photos of the celebration. Refer to this happy evidence of progress when you are feeling inadequate or fearful, and remind your children that they are doing a good job! (Hint: if there is room on the walls of your homeschool, order 8" x 10" enlargements of the "proudest moment" photos to post there. Be sure to include photos of each student on the "Wall of Fame.")

CHC is here to help, too. Suggestions for dealing with discipline issues, homeschooling with babies, burnout, returning to core subjects alone, and more can be found in the FAQs feature of CHC's website.

If you are suffering from feelings of inadequacy or discouragement, ask for God's help! Our Lord will pluck up inadequacy and plant in its place ability; fear or discouragement will be supplanted by confidence, and stress exchanged for His peace.

With heartfelt prayers for a fruitful Lent,