Coaching a Club: Seven Secrets for Forming a Successful Speech & Debate Club teaches principles of mentoring, networking, facilitating public service and preparing the next generation to change the world through the lens of developing a forensics club.  Kim has gathered the collective wisdom of her positive peers in the Christian speech and debate community over ten years of service to teens across the nation.  Even if you don’t think your students need speech and debate, you need this book!

Excerpts

Commitment to Character

We can readily see that studying speech and debate will improve intelligence in these more traditionally academic categories. But if that is all we see, we miss the most important possibilities in forensics training.  Forensics offers young people the opportunity to exercise those academic skills in an emotionally-charged social setting very much like the real world. It offers coaches a nearly unparalleled opportunity to train students in interpersonal and intra-personal intelligence.  Taken together, these two are called “emotional intelligence” or EQ[1], and they encompass the ability to understand one’s own and others’ feelings and to use that information to make fine distinctions and to guide actions. Maturity in emotional intelligence is characterized by altruism and empathy. In Biblical parlance, we are talking about developing wisdom and character.

Commitment to Community

Collaboration is the concept of the moment.  From Linux to “Wikinomics”, it is becoming ever clearer that the future belongs to those who successfully create communities of interest and influence by exploiting the networking opportunities at hand.  So when you are trying to decide which of the many possible activities your teen will pursue during those swift, precious high school years, you’ll want to choose those that give your teen maximum connectivity for the long term.  Homeschool forensics has to be among the top 3 choices. We are not just training young people; we are helping to establish the grassroots network that will energize and support the next generation of power brokers.

Commitment to Continuity

Continuity. As we look ahead, we don’t actually have the continued existence of the particular club in view.  We are considering instead the continuing relevance of the vision, the continuity of relationships and the long-range usefulness of the skills developed here and now.  Sono Harris of Oregon’s Rainmakers admits that the longevity of the speech club was not a part of the planning. “We just jumped in and took it a year at a time.” The Harrises were looking for a challenge that would be a good fit for their children’s gifts and callings. Their passion as they built Rainmakers was to help the students “learn to use words well” (John Piper) for active service in the world. Competitive forensics in the NCFCA not only gave them skills with words, but many of the auxiliary resources they would need to launch out on their own as well: visionary peers, intergenerational networks, resume development and business connections, even scholarship opportunities.  We may develop our skills inside the Christian homeschool bubble, but they are emphatically not meant to stay there!

The book began with the compassion of one man – a poor man in India – who gathered up orphans from the streets and began to nurture them in the name of Jesus. “Papa” Thomas in Kota, India has now raised over 16,000 throw-away children from the streets of India and set them loose to extend the love that rescued them to others who still do not know the Author of love, Jesus. Profits from the book will assist “Papa” Thomas’s work Hopegivers International to continue the work of turning throw-away kids into arrows in the hand of God.

Practical as well as visionary, One Million Arrows tells dozens of stories of parents just like you who have stepped up to the challenge. Today on the One Million Arrows website, you can read about some of the Countdown to College Carpe Diem Cadre members. Petra Anderson is featured. Read it and get your parenting rejuvenation vitamin!

And today, you can join the party by buying One Million Arrows in concert with hundreds of other Christians in an Amazon Book Bomb. Let’s see how much we can contribute to this work in just one day.

• Inevitable Goodbyes

• Imitating the Perfect Father

• Fiery Harvest

• Celebrations that Sting

• Wind & Fire Parenting part 1

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Also try the new audio resource,

Quests & Homecomings

for more perspective on God’s parenting through the difficult transitions of life.

Two of my three have graduated.  We tailored their celebrations to their tastes and accomplishments.

Here are some of the things we did:

1. We got together with our grad’s friends for a small joint celebration.
2. Each grad had a table on which to display their work and awards, and to collect cards from well-wishers.
3. Dad & brother piped in the graduates (yeah, bagpipes!).
4. Each family had a set amount of time for slide shows, thanks, a charge from Dad, kudos from Mom, and presentation of diploma.
5. The graduates performed. Our children sang with their friends.  I have seen lovely instrumental recitals, inspiring speeches and entertaining drama.
6. The assembled well-wishers were invited to gather ’round and pray for the graduates’ futures.
7. We partied together after the prayer time, according to the tastes of the graduates.  For one daughter, we had a black-tie Scottish country dance.  For the other, we had a CLUE ball complete with mystery games, who-dunnit improvisations and swing dancing.  My niece will graduate this spring and celebrate afterwards with an “Amazing Race” through the mountains nearby, and a debrief dinner.
8. The assembled guests were invited to roast and toast each of the grads  – 30 seconds to a speaker.

Whatever your circumstances, both you and your children need to take time to acknowledge and to celebrate God’s goodness, direction, protection and sustenance in the graduate’s achievements.  None of you has taken the easy path, if you are finishing as homeschoolers.  Savor this moment together.

And when you have crafted your family’s celebration – do leave a comment here to encourage others!

Contact us to Schedule a Workshop: countdown2college@gmail.com

We are delighted that you are thinking about bringing one of Kim’s inspiring workshops to your community! What would you need and how would it look? Read on:

Countdown to College Workshop

This is an 8.5-hour presentation; including a half-hour gathering time, a 1-hour lunch or dinner, and a 1-hour shopping/discussion time afterwards. Set-up takes up to 1 ½ hours (depending on tech glitches), and take-down takes about 1 hour.

Countdown to College provides:

· Full day of content, discussion, and media, developed by Kim Anderson.

· Intergenerational presenters (as available), who can inspire the entire extended family.

· Printed syllabi for workshop note-taking.

· Electronic advance publicity materials and ideas for your local PR campaign.

· Online and mail-in registration. You don’t have to do any of that paperwork!

· Online publicity for your event on the Countdown to College website.

· Transportation to and from the nearest airport served by Frontier Airlines.

· Books and resources about the transition to post-high school life, family life, college, teen entrepreneurship and resume-development for participants to purchase.

· Optional: Opportunities for local families to showcase and to network for their outside-the-box educational initiatives during the teen years.

· Optional: Opportunities for families to network with local businesses to develop internships and entrepreneurial mentoring relationships.

Facility

· Countdown to College uses one large presentation room with a PowerPoint-friendly wall or screen behind the podium. The PowerPoint program must be able to be controlled by the speaker (Kim can bring her own projector and portable speakers if none are available on-site). The presentation room should be set up theater-style, with chairs facing a podium.

· We need a registration area (one 8-10 ft table), and a shopping area (two 8-10 ft tables), which would hopefully be in the same general space. For a very small workshop, one book table will be enough. Access to wireless internet is preferred in these areas.

· We prefer to set up the night before the workshop, unless the workshop is an afternoon & evening.

· If the facility carries a cost, check with Kim for registration numbers adjustments.

· Optional: Showcase area for displays by local families who have developed extraordinary intergenerational, entrepreneurial and/or service opportunities for their teens. A table or two, depending on the number of showcased families. Preferably located near the shopping area.

· Optional: Showcase area for local mentors, where businessmen could meet and talk to prospective protégés.

Logistics

The host organization or family would need to provide

· Housing and meals for the presenters, either in a host home or in a hotel.

· Ground transportation to and from the airport and around town while we are serving you.

· Pre-workshop publicity in your community, using the electronic PR fliers and articles provided by Countdown to College. Your campaign can be electronic or print or a combination of both, but your group will need to print publicity materials as needed.

· A secure address for shipping book table materials, as needed. If registration numbers are large, we may need to make arrangements to print workshop syllabi in your town rather than shipping them. This shipping and printing of syllabi will be a Countdown to College expense.

· Optional: Introductions to local families who have developed extraordinary entrepreneurial and/or service opportunities for their teens. Countdown to College would like to showcase their work during a workshop session and in the shopping area.

· Optional: Introductions to local Christian businessmen and entrepreneurial moms who offer internships or mentorship opportunities to teens.

Costs and Registration

In order to make the Workshop do-able, your group will need to be able to pull together a minimum of 25 paying pre-registered families for a minimum total of $1875. Alumni families receive a 50% discount (if your workshop includes lots of alumni, use the dollar-figure to estimate minimums). The families who are doing the facility-coordinating and the logistics would receive complimentary registrations (up to a total of 2 complimentary families).

Countdown to College will make and pay for travel arrangements to and from your nearest airport served by Frontier Airlines.

Contact us to Schedule a Workshop: countdown2college@gmail.com

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Mini-Workshops

Resume Development for the Real World

Credible Credentials for College and Career

Quests and Homecomings

These 1 to 1 ½ hour workshops are add-ons to the larger workshops when they are given outside of Kim’s local area. They are not available as stand-alone workshops outside of Kim’s local area, unless they are requested as a set of two or more for a large homeschool conference where a complimentary book table is included in addition to the speaker’s honorarium.

Contact us to Schedule a Workshop: countdown2college@gmail.com

PSAT

Widely thought to be a practice for the SAT, the PSAT actually focuses on a completely different set of skills.  Given in the fall of the Junior year, this test is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship.  Although the National Merit Scholarship itself is a small monetary value, it recognizes the top percentage of the top 1% of American students.  Colleges often try to attract this top-tier of students by plus-ing the scholarship with a full ride plus extras. So if academics are your strength this test is definitely worth taking.

SAT

This reasoning test is the most widely accepted exam for college entrance.  Generally it is taken in the fall of the Senior year, however, taking it for practice is recommended.

ACT

This is a another well-respected test for college entrance.  ACT focuses more on subject areas.  Since it tests achievement from a different vector, it is worth taking both SAT and ACT, to give the student maximum opportunity to demonstrate excellence.

SAT Subject Tests

Tests high school level achievement in specific subject areas.  These are offered only in a two-week window every May.  Each school determines which SAT subject exams it will offer.  It can be challenging to find a school that will be giving the test your student wants to take.  Research test centers well in advance.  Don’t wait until the Senior year to take these; take them the year your student completes the course.  Ivy League schools often ask homeschoolers to validate their transcripts by taking SAT subject exams.

AP (Advanced Placement)

These tests are designed to verify college-level achievement in high school.  They are subject specific, and are also only offered in a short window during the spring.  However, getting a terrific grade on an AP exam is no guarantee that college credit will be awarded. Each college has its own scale for awarding college credit or advanced standing based on AP exams. A good score on an AP exam may boost your chances for attracting scholarships.

CLEP

CLEP tests were developed to evaluate returning military personnel in order to award college credit for experience during active duty.  CLEP tests are subject specific. Colleges are required to award college credit to military personnel, but not to everyone.  Originally, CLEP tests were scored on a pass/fail basis, so that the only thing they could certify was that a student wouldn’t fail a given college course. Because of this scoring method, the exams didn’t command much respect.  Recently, CLEP has instituted a grading scale that allows colleges to correlate CLEP scores with A to F grades in a college course.  CLEP tests are available throughout the year.

*Grade-weighting is the practice of awarding more than 4 points for an A in an honors, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate class, so that it is possible for a student to have a GPA higher than 4.0.

It’s not only armies that march on their stomachs.  Young adults troop home for the culinary delights they can only get at home.  So planning food is a big part of building homesickness into your holidays.

Don’t think that this is cheating!  God does it this way, too. His biggest parties featured foods that would speak of His work on our behalf and of our adventures together.  Some of my favorite Bible verses come from His descriptions of Passover and the Lord’s Supper, which teach us to long for the wedding feast of the Lamb.

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At our house, our favorite Christmas candies are the ones no one else makes: sugar plums and pecan caramels (OK, you can get those at the store, but making them is half the fun). Sugar plums are so easy to make that your pre-schoolers can do it. And they are so delicious that I have to have someone hide them from me.

Nowadays, we often have candy-making parties for my daughter’s college friends – for our younger children’s friends as well – as an Advent Sunday study-break. Somehow the laughter, the music and the interesting conversation flavor the sweets with special intensity.

Yes, you can have the recipes! I love you, too.

Sugar Plums

Whole or slivered almonds

Pitted prunes

Marzipan or almond paste

Sugar

Cut the marzipan into almond-sized slices or a little smaller. Press an almond into a piece of marzipan. Slide the two into the prune where the pit was cut out. (These can be frozen at this point) Roll the whole thing in sugar just before serving.

Pecan Caramels

Whole pecans

Caramel cubes

Semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Set the caramels on a cookie sheet. Heat in a 300F oven about 5 minutes or until the caramel has softened. Don’t overdo it here. Flatten the caramels with the back of a spoon. Top with chocolate morsels. The warmth of the caramels will melt the chocolate. While the chocolate is still hot, press a whole pecan into it. Cool and enjoy!

Check out other sweet treats on the Homeschool Memoirs Meme today.

]]> http://www.countdown2college.net/sweet-home-sweets-69.htm/feed 5 http://www.countdown2college.net/admitting-angst-about-adult-children-68.htm http://www.countdown2college.net/admitting-angst-about-adult-children-68.htm#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:57:59 +0000 Kim Anderson http://www.countdown2college.net/blog/?p=68

Let’s face it. Anticipating the sea changes that accompany our children launching out into maturity is plain terrifying.

Recently, I met an old friend at a coffee shop. While we waited for the barristo to do his magic, I asked how his family was doing. He hesitated a moment, “Well our daughter got married last weekend. My wife had been fending off a cold, but now she can hardly get out of bed. Our new son-in-law is a wonderful guy, and I think they’ll make a good pair…” His voice trailed off; he shuffled awkwardly.

“How wonderful…and how difficult,” I replied.

He looked up in relief. “Yeah, it’s really hard. This is the first time our daughter has been away for any extended time. Our family was a team. My wife’s best friend…”

“Sometimes these successes are almost enough to kill you off,” I offered. “Life is never the same. We have to help each other to find some new equilibrium. Well, congratulations…and condolences,” I toasted.

“Congratulations and condolences…That’s really it.” He shook his head, chuckling, “Nobody gets that part. Nobody wants to talk about it.”

My friend hit it on the head: Nobody talks about it. But the difficulty of transitioning from a 24/7 family to an extended family involves stretching and extending to a painful degree. Maybe you are ready to look at it.

Prepare your family to weather the transitional phase by creating celebrations today that will call your children home. Try the Magi Treasure Hunt: a Bible Study Game for the 12 days of Christmas.

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Coming Soon! Launch-Proof Legacy workshop and women’s retreat.

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]]> http://www.countdown2college.net/admitting-angst-about-adult-children-68.htm/feed 0 http://www.countdown2college.net/long-view-politics-60.htm http://www.countdown2college.net/long-view-politics-60.htm#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 06:55:28 +0000 Kim Anderson http://www.countdown2college.net/blog/?p=60 Back in the middle of the twentieth century, the Left began to talk about “capturing the robes”, meaning that they wanted eventually to place men and women from the Left in positions of power and influence – those positions that usually required robes. University professors and academic administrators, judges, pastors, civil magistrates of all levels…

It has been fifty or sixty years, and look around.  Education is dominated by politically-correct liberals to the extent that most conservative perspectives are not even allowed in academic discourse.  The civil magistracy is also largely liberal.  In fact, America has just elected not merely a liberal, but a socialist who gives every indication that he wants to overhaul the Constitution itself to suit his agenda.  Even the Church itself has been infiltrated by men who press liberal agendas before Christ’s.

Christians want to influence their world, but too often we only think in terms of the next election cycle, not in terms of decades and centuries.  We ought to take a lesson from our opponents.  They have spent the last five or six decades training children, grooming young people and getting young adults the credentials they need to be credible candidates for those robes. Ben over at HouseBlog has a wonderful post about the urgency of beginning to prepare for Election 2108 today.

Frankly, that is God’s methodology as well.  When He wanted a deliverer for His people enslaved in Egypt, He started with a baby placed during early childhood with godly parents and educated in Pharaoh’s household.  When Israel needed a faithful king, God started with a youth out on the hillside with his sheep and then trained him for years by having the sitting king pursue him with blood lust all over the countryside.  When He wanted to convert the first world empire to His service, He started with a bunch of homeless teen-aged exiles, and let the emperor Nebuchadnezzar educate them. And when He wanted to remake the world, He started with a baby born in a stable, who eventually grew up to train twelve teen followers, most of whom were too young to pay the Temple head tax.

God starts with the very young, and aims them at critical positions several decades into the future.  This ought to be the norm for our response to the problems and the disasters of our own time and place.  So we need to think in terms of helping our children to acquire the networks and credentials that will put them in the running for positions of leadership.  Normally, that means a college degree – even an Ivy League degree.  It means developing a wide network of like-minded peers and mentors.  And it will never happen by itself.

We will have to take the long view.  And we will have to aim and to prepare for the influence we desire.