The
Benefits of having a Family Mission Statement

 

Rebecca
Kochenderfer, Co-Founder and Senior Editor of
Homeschool.com, writes:

According to Dr. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective
Families,

 

"Every decision we make is
ultimately governed by some kind of interest or goal or objective or value or
principle, whether we know it or not. A Family Mission Statement is an
effort to bring to an explicit level what your goals and values are so that
people are on the same page."

The
process is as important as the final product, says Covey, since it is critical
that every member of the family feels they contributed to the development for
full buy-in.

"The
process involves a great deal of empathy, patience and time,
Covey said. But it's a fun process and
very powerful in getting everyone to emotionally connect to the values that are
produced. It's important to make sure
everyone feels their ideas are respected and honored.

"Such
an emotional buy-in and connection will create an almost self-governing
family.

"[This
happens because] even though everyone is doing their own thing sometimes,
there's something at the bottom that unites us. The culture of the family is
very committed to a common vision and mission and set of
values."

Covey
explains that it works especially well when a Family Mission Statement is
developed intergenerationally, so that the full family is using the same values
in their relationships and actions.

As an
example Dr. Covey shared the Mission Statement that his family
developed:

To
create a nurturing place of faith, order, truth, love, happiness and relaxation
and to provide opportunity for every person to become responsibly independent
and effectively inter-dependent in order to serve worthy purposes in society
through understanding and living the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.

 

The Main Elements of a
Good Mission
Statement

Dr.
Covey's Mission Statement contains all the main elements of a good Mission
Statement. Those parts include:

Characteristics
of the home – nurturing, etc.
 

Effect
on individuals –independence and interdependence
 

Effort
to be a family of significance - service & contribution
 

Source
of the power
 

The
process for developing a Mission Statement can begin as simply as holding weekly
family meetings and starting by asking open-ended questions. Parents should ask
their children questions such as:

 "What kind of a home do you want to bring
your friends home to?"
 

 "What type of family do you want?" and
 

 "What's important to you?"
 

The
answers to these questions will start to form an outline of important values for
everyone in the family. Kids will gradually begin to see it taking shape and the
buy-in will become stronger.

Most
parents have not been told how to listen. Most people listen within their own
frame of reference and are inwardly planning their reply.
It's better to restate the other
person's thought before you reply.

The
more they sense you are listening they will communicate more authentically. When
that happens there's a level of bonding that's almost
indescribable."

Other
families can use a more visual approach, using poster paper to list values or
what makes them happy. Families with younger children might try creating a
poster using magazine pictures to represent what is important to
them.

The
key is to not ignore the children's input and just present the Mission Statement
to them. They must feel they helped to produce it.

Covey
adds that you don't have to use the word values or mission statement. Some
families call it a motto, or a creedo, or come up with their own
tagline.

One
of the benefits of the process is that everyone is involved and so a sense of
interdependency develops. "The more you can get kids to buy into
interdependency you have resolved 90% of the challenges and problems that come
into a family," says
Covey. "It creates a
friendship between siblings that is emotionally generating. They begin to think
of siblings as their best friend, and they support each
other."

 

Using Your Family
Mission Statement

Once
the Mission Statement is generated, families must make an effort to follow it.
This requires a lot of long range planning and
calendaring.

"The
key is to discuss them constantly (at least once a week) to see how well the
family is living up to it (even the parents),"
cautions Covey. "Everyone governs
themselves by the mission statement if they feel genuinely
involved."

It's
also important for everyone in the family to prioritize and "put first things
first." The items that the family has come up with in their mission statement
and the goals that flow from them are the "first things."

"Most
people put 2nd things first – for instance, work, even though they say they
really value family," says
Covey.

"They
neglect health, neglect integrity (which should be first things.) They neglect
their deepest values all in the name of social pressure. The ability to say no
to the second things is the key to saying yes to the first things. You have to
have a burning sense of yes about the first things to keep them
first.

That's
why there must be an emotional engagement over time in developing the value
system of the family because those become first things. The family then gets
social courage when they live that way so it's not hard to say no. They can say
no pleasantly and cheerfully and smilingly. When someone hasn't decided what the
first things are they can't say no to social
situations."

The
family members must do long term planning so that family comes first. For
example, if health is a priority, schedule time to exercise with family. Use a
calendar so family comes first and mean it.

Family
meetings must be priority too. Members have to get permission from the group and
must justify it to other members. Nothing should supersede the meeting; not
homework, friends, or phone calls, etc.

Covey
adds, "Little by little children grow up
thinking ‘family is where it's at.'"

Read more at: http://www.homeschool.com/articles/Stephen_Covey/

 

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Reference

Gateway Educational Materials
http://thegateway.org

Ed Helper
http://www.edhelper.com

Learning Page
http://www.learningpage.com

Britannica
http://www.britannica.com

Discovery School
http://school.discovery.com

Educator's Reference Desk
http://www.eduref.org

Internet Public Library
https://bestvpn.org/kids-research-and-education-links-database/

Merit Badge Research Center
http://www.meritbadge.com

New York Times Learning Network
http://www.nytimes.com/learning

ThinkQuest
http://www.thinkquest.org

Miscellaneous

Autism Today
http://www.autismtoday.com

BBC Online Learning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/subjects/basic_skills.shtml

Ideal Lives
http://www.ideallives.com

Tutor.com
http://www.tutor.com

Math

Algebra Resources Galore!
http://www.veritasprep.com/sat-prep-algebra-resources-galore/

Ask Dr. Math
http://mathforum.org/dr.math

The Math Worksheet Site
http://www.TheMathWorksheetSite.com

Math Goodies.com
http://www.mathgoodies.com

Math Playground
http://www.mathplayground.com

Mega-Mathematics
http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math

Purple Math
http://www.purplemath.com

Web Math
http://www.webmath.com

Science

BrainPOP
http://www.brainpop.com

Chem4Kids
http://www.chem4kids.com

Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu

HowStuffWorks
http://www.howstuffworks.com

Imagine the Universe!
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov

InnerBody
http://www.InnerBody.com

Kids Dig Reed
http://www.kidsdigreed.com

Life Beyond Earth
http://www.pbs.org/lifebeyondearth

Science Friday
http://www.sciencefriday.com/kids

NASA Kids
http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov

Neuroscience for Kids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

Nine Planets
http://www.nineplanets.org

Ocean Planet Home Page
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html

Sci4Kids
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids

StarChild
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov

The Electronic Zoo
http://netvet.wustl.edu/e-zoo.htm

The Franklin Institute: Learning Resources
http://sln.fi.edu

The MAD Scientist Network
http://www.madsci.org

The Yuckiest Site on the Internet
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com

Try Science
http://www.tryscience.org

Arts & Crafts

Arts Workshop
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/artsworkshop/index.html

ArtsEDGE
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org

Art Lessons for All Grades
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/lessons.html

Inside Art
http://www.eduweb.com/insideart

Kinder Art
http://www.kinderart.com

Crayola
http://www.crayola.com

Kids Space
http://www.kids-space.org

Reading

Starfall
http://www.starfall.com

How To Learn
http://www.howtolearn.com

Bartleby.com
http://www.bartleby.com

Children's Literature Web Guide
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown

Pink Monkey
http://www.pinkmonkey.com

Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.net

Wowio.com
http://www.wowio.com

Writing

ABC Teach
http://www.abcteach.com

CRAYON - Create Your Own Newspaper
http://crayon.net

Free Rice
http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Maggies Earth Adventures
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/grammar1.htm

Online Writing Guide
http://oswego.org/staff/tcaswell/wg/para.htm

Take Our Word.com
http://www.takeourword.com

The Write Site
http://www.writesite.org

What Makes a Good Story?
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/literature

Word Central
http://www.wordcentral.com

Geography and Virtual Travel

Amazon Interactive
http://www.eduweb.com/amazon.html

Colonial Williamsburg: Electronic Field Trips
http://www.history.org/trips

CyberBee
http://www.cyberbee.com

Global Online Adventure Learning Site
http://www.goals.com/Index.htm

The Jason Project
http://www.jasonproject.org

Virtual Field Trips
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours

Xpeditions @ National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions

HyperHistory Online
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html

K-12 Africa Guide
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Home_Page/AFR_GIDE.html

Lewis and Clark
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark

Life in the Middle Ages
http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/mahome.htm

Military Facts - U.S. Civil War     
http://www.justmilitaryloans.com/military-facts-u-s-civil-war-facts-sheet/

New Perspectives on the West
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest

Online PhD Westward Expansion http://onlinephd.org/resources/online-timeline-of-westward-expansion/

States and Capitals
http://www.50states.com

The American Civil War Homepage
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war

The Canada War Museum
http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/kidsection/cwmindexeng.html

The Civil War Homepage
http://www.civil-war.net

The Oregon Trail
http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html

Geography Worksheets
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/freeprintables/qt/geogprintables.htm

Homeschooling

About Homeschooling
http://www.homeschooling.about.com

Homeschool Learning Network
http://www.homeschoollearning.com/approaches/

A to Z Home's Cool
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

Homeschool Blogger
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/home.php

Homeschool Buyers Co-Op
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/

Homeschooling Forms
http://www.donnayoung.org

Homeschool Oasis
http://www.homeschooloasis.com/

The Well Trained Mind
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/

Educational Games

I know that
http://www.iknowthat.com

Study Stack
http://www.studystack.com

Family Fun
http://www.familyfun.com

Teach With Movies
http://www.teachwithmovies.org

The Smart Guide to Financial Aid
http://www.finaid.com

Fun Brain
http://www.funbrain.com

Study Spanish
http://www.studyspanish.com

By Kids For Kids
http://www.bkfk.com/

Family Travel
http://www.familytravel.com

1895 Eighth Grade Final Exam

Remember when our grandparents, great-grandparents, and such stated that they only had an 8th grade education?
Well, check this out. - - -
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , KS , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , KS , and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th GRADE FINAL EXAM
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb. Give Principal Parts of. lie, lay and run
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1050lbs. for tare?
4 District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the nece ss ary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?
8 Find bank discount on $300 for! 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U. S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U. S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States .
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas .
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell , Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, sub vocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two
exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane,
fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America .
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall &Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Also notice that the exam took five hours to complete.
Gives the saying 'she/he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?
What happened to us?