I Can Do It!

Twice a week we have been following Barry Stebbings drawing lesson in I Can Do All Things. When we got to this lesson on drawing balloons and clowns Zak looked at the clown drawn in the book and said, "I could NEVER do that!' This comment made me smile because the title of our book is 'I Can Do All Things'. It is something every artist old and young needs to remember...I Can Do All Things! So, smiling, I had Zak read the title of our book and then he smiled too. He wasn't sure when we started the lesson he could draw a clown, but as we followed the steps outlines for us on the lesson page he ended up with a smashingly good clown. He was pleased.

Max's Clown

The lesson Zak learned in art class is a lesson for us all. Everyone faces situations in life that are beyond what we know we ourselves can do. Art or math or any other subject can bring us to our knees in tears with hopeless feelings of pending defeat. But one doesn't have to be defeated. There is always a way to begin and to see just what we are made of. In our school I encourage the boys to begin with one step towards the doomed thing and see if they then can concieve of step two and so on. Most often just getting started is the biggest hurdle to overcome.

For us with a new life in Christ we have a friend who is always with us working for us to do what we need to do that day or that lesson. Daily we remember his presence with us. It is cool when school work becomes a way to know Jesus more and learn how to talk with him. When they see what Jesus can do through them they will love him all the more.

Of the things that we hope to develope in our children through home education, having a  perfect record of no wrong doing isn't one of them. We know and teach them that failure leads to more understanding which leads to success. One things we do aim at is a can do spirit that will not be despaired with an hurdle in it's path, but seek ways to get over it. Giving our best effort shows us who we are and who we need to have with us for help. This self knowledge is good to learn. Every boy wants to know if he can do it. There are many great lessons in this challenge of the hurdle for little boys to learn; how to begin, how to break big tasks down into smaller tasks, how to ask for help, what questions to ask, or when to know we need a break before we go at it again. But perhaps one of the most beenfical things to discover is that we however we are made need Jesus.

I was intrigued by this article last week. It suggests a wonderful idea that success leads to more success. When I am setting up our schedule for any given school day, I always keep this in mind. I look for ways to challenge the boys and give them oppertunities to succeed. It really doesn't matter what area they succeed in for the one who succeeds in somethings will look for other things to succeed in. The feeling of succeeding is contagious. So I am on the look out for these sucesses because I know that one success snowballs into another.

T.J.'s Clown

Check out this site for 'Can do' art assignments.

and this book by Micheal Pearl about developing a can do spirit in your child.

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