HS Marwah & Hilman

Marry Had a Little Lamb

2009-04-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

By Sara Josepha Hale
On Child Craft

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near;
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.

“hwy does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.

Higglety,Pigglety,Pop!

2009-04-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

By Mother Goose

Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!
The dog has eaten the mop;
The pig’s in a hurry,
The cat’s in a flurry,
Higglety, Pigglety, pop!

Medical Assistant School Online

2009-03-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

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The Microscope

2009-01-22T19:12:00.002-08:00

What is the history behind one of the most helpful technological advances of our time, the microscope?

A cheek cell. An onion cell. An upside-down e. A drop of green pond water, teeming with writhing shapes. Most of us, at some point in our education, have peered into a microscope at the miniscule, silent world at the end of the lens. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a complete science classroom without one of these valuable instruments.

“ It would be difficult to overestimate the immense impact the invention of the microscope has had on the world these past several centuries, or to fully realize the number of scientific breakthroughs and technological advances allowed by its peering lenses. ”

While ancient writings mention the use of glass and possibly even forms of crude lenses to magnify objects, the microscope as we know it is relatively new technology, developed and perfected over the past several centuries. Though there is some debate over the exact beginnings of the modern microscope, the story typically begins in a small spectacle shop in Holland.
A New Way of Looking At Things

During the late sixteenth century, the young Dutch spectacle maker Zacharias Janssen and his father, Hans, experimented with glass by lining up several convex lenses in a tube and focusing the tube on a nearby object. Light would bend and magnify the image, making the object appear more detailed and three to nine times larger. Their discovery led to the development of the compound microscope, in which an objective lens is fixed near the specimen and the eyepiece lens is placed near the eye. Independent work done with magnifying tubes by fellow Dutch optician Hal Lippershey and the Italian scientist, Galileo, also played a part in developing the compound microscope.

The following decades brought a heightened interest in the microscope, primarily as a novelty to amuse the rich, but also increasingly as a scientific tool. In 1661, the Italian physiologist Marcello Malpighi was able to describe the network of pulmonary capillaries in the human body based on his microscopic observations. The brilliant scientist and creationist Robert Hooke improved the design of the compound microscope and used it to observe and record unique microscopic details of nature. He published the results in 1665 in his landmark volume Micrographia, a collection of thirty-eight copper plate illustrations of observations such as the detailed structures of a flea and body lice and the minuscule units of cork tissue, for which he coined the term “cells.”

In 1673, while Hooke worked as the Curator of Experiments for the newlyformed Royal Society of London, the organization began receiving insightful and lively letters from a Dutch tradesman named Antony van Leeuwenhoek, who reported observing “Animals” (bacteria and protozoa) in pond water and teeth scrapings, as well as blood cells, yeast, and other single-celled entities. Inspired by Hooke’s Micrographia, van Leeuwenhoek made over five hundred single-lens microscopes as a hobby, and although they were very simple structures, the lenses he grinded were the best in Europe—with a magnification of up to 270 times—producing microscopic images never before seen.

For fifty years, Van Leeuwenhoek’s long, descriptive letters were published in the periodical Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London,inspiring other scientists to look through an eyepiece as well. He wrote in one letter to the society:

took some of this flower and mixt it . . . with pure rain water wherein were no Animals . . . and then to my great surprize perceived that the aforesaid matter contained very many small living Animals, which moved themselves very extravagantly.

[T]heir motion was strong & nimble, and they darted themselves thro the water . . . as a Jack or Pike does thro the water. (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London,Vol. 14, 1684, no. 159, pages 568–74; reprinted inMilestones in Microbiologyby Thomas D. Brock, American Society for Microbiology, 1999)

Though Van Leeuwenhoek was thorough in reporting what he observed, he was very secretive about his process for grinding and illuminating his superior lenses, and consequently it was over a century after his death before compound microscopes were as excellent as the single-lens ones made by Van Leeuwenhoek.
Technological Advances

Some important discoveries were made with early microscopes, and great advances were made in their quality, but the lenses were still relatively weak. There was also often a blurred ring of color, a “halo,” around the edge of the image. These problems, which hindered the scientists’ ability to undertake more sophisticated research, were resolved in 1830 when Joseph Jackson Lister, a wine merchant by trade, proceeded to create a specialized lens for the microscope by layering several weak lenses together, enlarging the view of the specimen while eliminating the hazy images that blurred the view. With these improvements, Lister ushered in the modern era of microscopy.

Other advancements in the construction and use of microscopes during the 1800s include Ernst Leitz’s invention in 1873 of a revolving mount for five objective lenses, as well as August Köhler’s superior illumination technique, developed in 1893, and still referred to today as “Köhler illumination”. Much of the rapid progress in medical research that began during the late nineteenth century, such as the monumental work done by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch regarding the role of bacteria in the spread of disease, was made possible by the new advances in the technology of manufacturing microscopes.

All of the microscopes used into the early part of the twentieth century were optical microscopes, which use light beams to create a magnified image, but the wavelength of light limits the visibility of even the most specialized optical microscopes. Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska broke past this barrier in 1931 by inventing the electron microscope, which can now magnify an object up to two million times by focusing a beam of electrons onto an object, allowing smaller units such as cellular ribosomes and viruses to be viewed and studied. Many of the detailed photos of microscopic organisms and structures published in contemporary science books have been taken with some type of electron microscope.

Those early researchers would probably be impressed, or even awed, by what can be seen today with just a common student microscope. Yet there are now over forty types of microscopes to choose from which they could choose in essentially every field of science, utilizing not only light or electrons to produce images, but also technologies such as magnetic forces and X-rays.

It would be difficult to overestimate the immense impact the invention of the microscope has had on the world these past several centuries, or to fully realize the number of scientific breakthroughs and technological advances allowed by its peering lenses. This revolutionary tool has taken us to hidden places beneath our feet, within our food, and even inside our own bodies, revealing to us a realm of God’s creation that, without the microscope, would still be unknown.

For merely to say that the discovery of the microscope enlarged the scope of our vision sounds utterly pedestrian. It did much more that that: it replaced the world we lived in with a “plurality of worlds,” each of them an abyss, a labyrinth, a universe replete with its own beauties and its own terrors. We used to see from the elephant down to the mite: thenceforth we had a world populated with tiny animalcules to whom the mite was elephant.Introduction by F. Gonzalez-Crussi, M.D., toMicrobe Huntersby Paul DeKruif, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1926)

by Laura Phipps
http://www.homeschooltoday.com/news/38/30/The-Microscope/

Practical Guide for Homeschooling as a Single Parent

2009-01-22T19:12:00.001-08:00

Within the widespread growth of homeschooling families across the United States there is a small but growing community of parents who have dedicated themselves to giving their children a home education. These parents, at all costs, are striving for academic excellence in their children's lives. What makes this small community stand out from other homeschooling families? These home schools stand out because they are run by one parent. These parents don't often receive the accolades that they deserve, but the movement toward single-parent homeschooling is growing. So how do single parents home school their kids and work full time? They understand a few key qualities that must be in place.

Always be Flexible

Single parents that establish a home school need to remain flexible in their way of thinking and educating. Unlike formal education the homeschool atmosphere is one of open learning. Parents can schedule instruction around their availability regardless of their work schedule. Instruction hours can be completed in the evenings after work and on the weekends. While parents are at work children can be working on independent studies. Some areas may offer opportunities for older children to volunteer daytime hours to help out in a local community event which can count towards learning service hours.

Lean on Others

In some households the need to find support to lean on may be more necessary than others. If you have only small children asking help from friends, family and your church family are excellent resources for day time child care. Some hired babysitters may also be willing to assist with academic activities during the day.

In addition to family and friends single households should utilize a variety of resources for parents to strengthen their approach in their role as head of household and home educator. There are many support networks both online and locally to help families establish curriculum, schedule their days and find other families in their area to connect with. Often these programs will provide scheduled activities for homeschooled children to participate in with other parent volunteers to supervise. This could be another support possibility for single parents needing day time assistance.

Behavior Problems

While behavior problems are a real possibility in every household this should not discourage single parents from homeschooling. By maintaining discipline in the home parents can successfully home-school their children and discourage bad behaviors. It is crucial to seek support from family and friends for the hours parents are away and to have clear guidelines in place for your child to follow. Talking with neighbors and asking them to phone you at work if something should arise that appears out of the ordinary is another option to maintain discipline. With the proper support in place single parents can successfully handle behavior problems while offering a home education.

Learning Disabilities

Another obstacle that can discourage single parents from homeschooling are learning disabilities. While learning difficulties, such as ADHD and dyslexia can inhibit learning it is important for to consider that home is the best environment for the struggling learner. There are many free resources available to help parents determine their child's learning needs and where to find support for that specific need.

In the home, special learning environments can more readily be implemented for each specific student as opposed to that of a formal classroom. Where teachers are limited in what they can offer a struggling learner, parents have full control over child specific curriculum and the freedom to make learning a success. With the flexibility of homeschooling parents have an unlimited number of options to provide a home education that will accommodate any learning disability.

Being a single parent brings with it many challenges and at best demands a level of humility. For this small group of single parent home schools it is that humility which drives them to provide their children with the best education possible. Through taking advantage of resources, leaning on others for support and maintaining discipline in the home they are an inspiration to all parents, and encouragement to single parent households that are ready to take that plunge and provide their child with a home education.

About the Author:

Michedolene Hogan is a homeschooling mom of her four youngest children and the publisher of Unique Parenting. Her site aims to encourage parents to develop a unique approach to parenting and focus on building strong families. Michedolene lives in a quiet neighborhood in Yucaipa CA with her husband, four younger children and adult step-son.
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/teacherslounge/articles/homeschool_as_a_single_parent.php

What's Behind Home Schooling

2009-01-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

As parents become increasingly concerned with both the intellectual and moral decline of public education, home schooling is rapidly on the rise in the United States. And with the increased popularity of home schooling have come the attacks on it by its enemies in the public education establishment.

At the heart of this fight over home schooling is a fundamental difference between parents and the public school establishment on the questions of parental rights and religious liberty. Most parents who educate their children at home do so because they see it as their duty to inculcate the moral and intellectual virtues in their children, and to raise them as practicing members of their religious faith.

But the union officials and career bureaucrats who control the public education establishment seem to think that the state — not parents — is primarily responsible for the raising of children and for instilling in them the beliefs it deems most important. Parental involvement is too often viewed as "interfering" with the "professionals" who know best.

Where did this attitude of the public education establishment come from? It certainly represents nothing new in American politics, as its roots can be traced to the founders of modern American liberalism, the progressives.

The general view of progressivism, which peaked at the beginning of the 20th century, supported a vast expansion of state power and a complete devotion of the individual to the common enterprise of the state. Contrary to the thinking of America's founders, who had established clear lines between the public and private, and therefore strict limits on government, the progressives argued that government was, in principle, unlimited because it was based upon scientific expertise.

The leading magazine of progressive opinion in the early part of the 20th century — The New Republic — insisted that children be made to remain open to the secular ideas that the state needed to instill in them. It explained that "the older view of eighteenth-century liberalism was that the democratic state must allow every one freedom to practice almost any creed, . . . but twentieth-century democracy believes that the community has certain positive ends to achieve, and if they are to be achieved the community must control the education of the young." Parents could not be allowed to instill in their children any contrary teaching. Under this new view of education, The New Republic argued, "the plasticity of the child shall not be artificially and prematurely hardened" by private religious education. The progressives attacked parental rights as "the freedom of older people to impose their dogmas on the young."

This argument of the progressives came from the German idealistic philosophy with which most progressive intellectuals had been educated. Karl Marx himself made a direct attack on home schooling, explaining that parental rights over the upbringing of children could not be allowed because parents exploit children. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx asks: "Do you charge us with wanting to stop the exploitation of children by their parents? To this crime we plead guilty." He mocked "the bourgeois clap-trap about the family and education, about the hallowed co-relation of parent and child."

This philosophic attack on parental rights, brought into the American tradition by progressivism, has reared its head at various points throughout our contemporary history. In the famous 1972 case of Wisconsin v. Yoder, where the state attempted to force Amish students into public high school, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas reasoned that parents who eschew public education may very well be impermissibly forcing their own religious views down their children's throats. Just as the progressives had resisted the right of parents to instill their religious beliefs in their children, Douglas wrote that "the inevitable effect is to impose the parents' notions of religious duty upon their children." The fundamental premise for Douglas was that children needed the state's protection from the religious views of their parents. In making educational choices, Douglas insisted that "it is the student's judgment, not his parents', that is essential."

If this sounds familiar, it is because it is the same attack on parental rights and religious liberty made by contemporary liberals like Hillary Clinton, who want to "protect" children from the values of their parents.

Fortunately, the Court in the Wisconsin v. Yoder case upheld the "traditional interest of parents with respect to the religious upbringing of their children" — Justice Douglas' dissent notwithstanding. But views like those of Douglas and Mrs. Clinton only show that the troubling tenets of progressivism continue to find adherents, something home schooling parents know well as they fight to fend off the public education establishment.

https://www.claremont.org/publications/precepts/id.193/precept_detail.asp

Home schooling on the rise

2009-01-21T18:20:00.001-08:00

SARASOTA, Fla. - The day starts early in Linda Knipper's Sarasota classroom. Pencils are sharpened, books are out, eyes are focused — and "Knibbles," the dog, is under the table, at the children’s feet.

For Laura, Kayla, and Megan, the classroom is just off their kitchen.

A former teacher, Linda says traditional schools simply waste too much time and she was convinced she can do better at home.
"I could be right there with them, and I just thought there was just a richer environment there for them," says Knipper.

She's not the only parent taking a more hands-on approach.

Across the country, home-schooling book fairs and magazines now cater to families — many of them religious — who are concerned about school violence, the social scene, and the quality of education.

"A lot of them are just tired of everything that goes on in the school system," says Karen Tompkins, a Christian home school advocate.

In Florida, the number of home-school students has nearly tripled over the past ten years. Nationally, the United States Department of Education says the number has swelled to more than a million kids. Home-school experts say it's even higher.

Oregon researcher Brian Ray, of the National Home Education Research Institute, estimates two million kids are now taught at home.

"In the last four years, we think home schooling has grown at least 30 percent," says Ray. "Study after study, many of which I've done, have shown that home-schooled children are well above average — 15 to 30 percentile points above on standardized achievement tests."

Ray points to last year's first and second place winners of the National Spelling Bee -- both home-schooled. And now even Harvard University says it accepts home-schooled applicants.

Still, skeptics say traditional schools are better at developing social skills, conflict resolution, even test-taking — and doubt whether home-schooled kids get enough hard science.

That’s not so, say the parents, who often band together and turn to community colleges, 4H clubs, and the Internet for lesson plans and resources.

"I want them to develop a love of learning… a home-grown love of learning, to last a lifetime," says Linda Knipper.

Homeschooling

2009-01-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

Homeschooling or homeschool (also called home education or home learning) is the education of children at home, typically by parents or professional tutors, rather than in a public or private school.

Although prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most childhood education occurred within the family or community, homeschooling in the modern sense is an alternative in developed countries to formal education.

In many places homeschooling is a legal option for parents who wish to provide their children with a different learning environment than exists in nearby schools. The motivations for homeschooling range from a dissatisfaction with the schools in their area to the desire for better academic test results. It is also an alternative for families living in isolated rural locations and those who choose, for practical or personal reasons, not to have their children attend school.

Homeschooling may also refer to instruction in the home under the supervision of correspondence schools or umbrella schools. In some places, an approved curriculum is legally required if children are to be home-schooled. A curriculum-free philosophy of homeschooling may be called unschooling, a term coined in 1977 by American educator John Holt in his magazine Growing Without Schooling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling

Latihan Konsentrasi, Yuk!

2009-01-20T20:36:00.004-08:00

Kalau Anda ingin berkonsentrasi, usaha yang paling sulit justru memusatkan pikiran itu sendiri.

Tak banyak orang yang mampu mengendalikan pikiran. Apalagi memusatkan segenap perhatian pada satu soal tertentu dengan mengabaikan sama sekali ingatan, pendengaran, perabaan, penglihatan, perasaan, dan semua kegiatan pikiran lain.

Sungguh sulit, memang. Sebab sekalipun tidak dalam keadaan berfikir, pikiran mengadakan kontraksi sendiri. Ia terus mengelana ke mana-mana, seakan-akan kita mengkhayal. Semakin ditekan, semakin mengganggulah pikiran yang tak diundang itu. Pikiran yang setiap detik dipergunakan, rupanya telah terbiasa dengan sikap tak suka diam. Karena itulah pemusatan pikiran memerlukan latihan yang sungguh-sungguh dan penuh kesabaran. Tapi, semua orang pasti mampu melakukannya. Asal mau saja…!

Memang, dalam taraf pertama akan mengalami kesulitan dan barangkali sedikit membosankan. Tapi cobalah tahan sedikit saja dengan penuh kesabaran. InsyaAllah kalau sudah mulai terbiasa, apalagi dilakukan kontinu pada jadwal yang cukup teratur, bisa-bisa malah “ketagihan”. Cuma jangan kaget, hal-hal yang cukup luar biasa mungkin akan terjadi. Kalau betul sudah sampai sedemikian, Anda mulai “naik tingkat”, tergolong “the high class”.

Kalau begitu, bagaimana caranya?
Duduklah. Boleh di kursi, boleh diranjang, atau di lantai juga oke. Setelah mengambil sikap cukup santai dan diperkirakan bisa bertahan lama, maka kini pejamkan mata Anda. Lalu berhitunglah dengan tenang sebagai berikut: 1-2-3-4-5-6 dan seterusnya sampai 200. Anda boleh mengulangnya berkali-kali sampai cukup waktu yang Anda jadwalkan sendiri.

Aturlah sedemikian rupa, sehingga Anda menghitung disaat Anda sedang menurunkan nafas. Atur juga sedemikian rupa sehingga jarak antara dua angka hitungan selalu konstan (tetap). Jangan sampai waktu menghitung dari 23 ke 24 –misalnya- memakan waktu 30 detik sementara hitungan berikutnya 1 menit, dan yang lainnya 5 detik. Usahakan selang waktu senantiasa teratur. Barangkali awalnya memang “amburadul”. Tapi terus sajalah, sampai Anda betul-betul bisa.

Namun Anda bisa rasakan, tiba-tiba Anda “dipaksa” untuk hanya memikirkan “apa lagi angka setelah ini” secara kontinu, hingga tak terasa pikiran Anda terpusat. Inilah kehebatannya. Seolah tanpa terasa, tiba-tiba Anda terpaku hanya pada angka-angka.

Kalau ternyata cara yang pertama terlalu mudah, bisa juga memilih cara yang lain. Hitung angka dari 1 s/d 50 dengan jarak napas seperti tadi, tetapi setelah hitungan ke 50, Anda harus atret (menghitung mundur), yaitu: 50-49-48-47-46, dan seterusnya.

Cara yang lain juga boleh, tapi ini lebih sulit. Yaitu dengan cara menghitung lompat dari angka 1 s/d 21 dengan lompat 2, seperti berikut: 1-3-5-7-9 dan seterusnya lalu balik lagi: 21-19-17-15-13 sampai 1 lagi.

Ulangi terus sampai waktu latihan Anda habis. Anda bisa tetapkan sendiri semampu Anda. Tapi usahakan jangan terbiasa berhenti di tengah jalan. Ini justru awal kegagalan.

Dengan latihan seperti ini, apa untungnya? Insya Allah Anda akan terlatih tenang, tekun dan sabar. Anda tak kan lagi memiliki sifat terburu-buru yang biasanya dibimbing oleh nafsu angkara murka. Anda akan memiliki pikiran yang jernih, bersih dan tajam. Keyakinan diri Anda akan bertambah sehingga Anda akan sukses dalam segala usaha. Shalat anda pun akan semakin khusyu’ dan otak Anda akan semakin cerdas.

Tak ada salahnya, boleh Anda coba.

http://www.pustakanilna.com/latihan-konsentrasi-yuk.html/

Gundahnya Hati Ibrahim: Antara Cinta & Ketaatan

2009-01-20T20:36:00.003-08:00

Ibrahim menghadapi dua pilihan: mengikuti perasaan hatinya dengan menyelamatkan Ismail atau mentaati perintah Allah dengan mengorbankannya.

Yang engkau sayangi, buah-hatimu, sumber kebahagiaanmu, yang memberikan alasan kepadamu untuk terus hidup, yang memberikan arti kepada eksistensimu, puteramu itu.

Oh bukan, Ismailmu itu - seperti seekor domba, robohkanlah dia dan korbankan dia! Injaklah kaki dan tangannya agar ia tidak terlepas. Jambak rambutnya dan potonglah urat nadi di lehernya, tetapi hendaklah ia tetap berada di dalam injakanmu sehingga ia tidak bergerak lagi. Setelah itu bangkitlah dan tinggalkanlah ia sendiri!

Wahai “Hamba” Allah yang patuh! Inilah kehendak Allah untuk engkau lakukan. Inilah yang diminta oleh keyakinanmu. Inilah inti wasiat yang engkau sampaikan, wahai manusia yang bertanggung jawab. Wahai ayah Ismail! Inilah kewajiban yang harus engkau laksanakan!

Ibrahim harus memilih salah satu di antara keduanya. “Cinta” dan “kebenaran” berperang di dalam batinnya.Cinta yang merupakan hidupnya, dan kebenaran yang merupakan agamanya.

Seandainya yang diperintahkan Allah adalah ia mengorbankan dirinya sendiri … maka tidak sulit baginya untuk menentukan pilihan.

Ibrahim telah mempertaruhkan nyawanya demi Allah dan kenyataan inilah yang menyebabkan ia merasa telah menaati Allah. Tetapi perasaan yang seperti itulah yang merupakan sikap mementingkan diri sendiri dan kelemahan dirinya. Ibrahim adalah manusia yang paling hampir kepada Allah.

Wahai Ibrahim! Pasrahkanlah Ismailmu itu!

Engkau ragu-ragu. Sesungguhnya sikap ragu-ragu sangat berbahaya dan dapat mencelakakan dirimu. Karena ragu-ragu engkau melarikan diri dengan membuat penafsiran dan mencari-cari alasan. Demikianlah yang engkau lakukan jika hatimu membenci sedang keyakinanmu mencinta!

Rasa tanggung jawab mendorong Ibrahim untuk menyerahkan puteranya, tetapi hal itu sangat berat untuk dilaksanakannya. Ia mencoba mencari-cari alasan agar ia dapat menghindari kewajiban tersebut.

Yang lebih buruk dari penafsiran yang salah adalah adalah penjelasan yang benar (bersandar kepada sebuah kenyataan untuk menyangkal kenyataan yang lainnya), sedangkan yang terlebih buruk lagi adalah apabila kepalsuan memiliki pedang kearifan di tangan yang satu dan perisai agama di tangan yang lain.

Korbankanlah Ismailmu!

Bagaimana aku tahu apa makna yang terkandung di dalam perintah ini? Bagaimanakah aku memperoleh kepastian bahwa perkataan korbankanlah itu bersifat figuratif seperti perkataan korbankanlah dirimu yang berarti janganlah engkau menghamba kepada instink-instinkmu itu! Bagaimanakah aku mengetahui bahwa yang dimaksudkan dengan mu di dalam perkataan ismailmu itu adalah aku pribadi dan oleh karena itu perintah itu harus aku laksanakan? Apakah seruan itu tidak bersifat kolektif? Bagaimanakah aku tahu bahwa yang dimaksudkan dengan perkataan itu tidak bersifat figuratif?

Misalkan bahwa segala kemungkinan-kemungkinan ini adalah mustahil, tidak ada satupun dari penafsiran-penafsiran itu ada yang benar, dan perintah tersebut seperti yang dipahami oleh setiap orang! Tetapi bagaimanakah aku mengetahui bahwa perintah korbankanlah Ismailmu itu harus aku laksanakan dengan segera? Seperti di dalam setiap hukum tertulis maka di dalam perintah ini pun tidak ada batasan waktu. Kearifanlah yang dapat menentukan saat pelaksanaan perintah itu dengan mempertimbangkan keadaan-keadaan, kebijaksanaan-kebijaksanaan, kemungkinan-kemungkinan, dan potensi-potensi yang ada. Al-Qur’an menyerukan agar kita ikut berjihad, tetapi waktu pelaksanaan dan bentuknya tergantung kepada kondisi-kondisi yang dipertimbangkan oleh kearifan. Sebagai contoh lihatlah hadits yang menyerukan agar kita menuntut ilmu pengetahuan.Menuntut ilmu adalah kewajiban setiap muslim laki-laki dan perempuan!

Tidak seorang pun dipaksa untuk menuntut ilmu pengetahuan pada waktu tertentu. Sekalipun seseorang melakukannya pada saat menjelang ajalnya, sesungguhnya ia telah mematuhi seruan hadits tersebut dan telah melaksanakan kewajibannya.

Sebuah contoh lainnya adalah ibadah haji yang diwajibkan kepada setiap muslim. Banyak kaum muslimin yang tidak melakukannya sebelum mereka berkecukupan dan setelah itu barulah mereka mengambil keputusan untuk menunaikannya. Inilah sebuah kewajiban yang dapat dilaksanakan kapan saja. Mereka berpendapat, bahwa haji adalah sebuah kewajiban untuk kepentingan hidup akhirat, bukan untuk kepentingan di atas dunia ini. Mereka berpendapat bahwa hukum-hukum yang paling religius adalah untuk memperoleh kebahagiaan dan ampunan Allah di akhirat nanti, bukan untuk pendidikan, kemajuan, dan kesempurnaan hidup mereka di dunia ini. Apakah makna mu itu seperti itu?

Dari sebuah sudut pandangan metodologis, bagaimanakah aku dapat mengetahui bahwa seruan korbankanlah Ismailmu yang bernada perintah itu tidak hanya sekedar saran tetapi merupakan keharusan? Mungkin sekali seruan itu memang merupakan sebuah saran. Ia tidak sama dengan seruan “keluarkanlah zakat” yang mengharuskan setiap orang memberikan kepada orang-orang miskin bagian yang menjadi hak mereka. Seruan itu mirip dengan:

“Janganlah sebagian kalian memakan harta sebagian yang lain dengan cara yang batil dan janganlah kalian mempergunakannya untuk dibenarkan oleh para hakim sehingga dengan sepengetahuan kalian, kalian memakan hak orang lain yang sesungguhnya tidak halal bagi kalian. (Q.S 2:188).

Memakan hak orang lain adalah perbuatan yang dibenci Allah. Perintah yang terkandung di dalam ayat al-qur’an di atas dimaksudkan agar menjadi petunjuk bagi kita. Perintah-perintah yang seperti ini atau perintah-perintah yang dimaksudkan sebagai peringatan bahwa kita harus mengambil keputusan berdasarkan kearifan kita.

Lalu, jika semua penafsiran di atas kita abaikan maka yang dimaksudkan Allah dengan perintahnya itu adalah untuk memperingatkan kepada kita bahwa kecintaan kita kepada anak tidak ada faedahnya. Apakah begitu?

Demi kebenaran, engkau harus mengorbankan semua kepentingan yang memenuhi pikiranmu dan menghalangi komunikasimu dengan Allah. Karena kecintaannya kepada Ismail dapat membuat Ibrahim lupa kepada tanggung jawabnya, maka Allah memerintahkan agar ia mengorbankan Ismail sehingga ia dapat menyerah secara total kepada kehendak Allah.

Seperti yang sudah kami katakan, mengorbankan Ismailmu berati membuang kebahagiaanmu karena kehadiran ismail dan kecintaanmu kepadanya. Esensi yang serupa dapat disimpulkan dari ayat Al-Qur’an yang berikut ini:

“Ketahuilah bahwa kekayaan dan anak-anakmu adalah sebagai ujian (Q.S 8:28).

Menurut penjelasan-penjelasan ayat-ayat al-qur’an, kisah-kisah, penilaian-peniulaian menurut sains metodologis dan rasionalisasi yang bijaksana serta cukup beralasan maka untuk tujuan-tujuan kebajikan sesungguhnya membunuh manusia adalah dosa! Perintah yang sekejam itu tidak mungkin bersumber dari Allah Yang Maha pengasih dan maha mulia.

Ya! Sebuah penjelasan untuk menemukan sebuah jalan keluar dipergunakan jika kenyataaan sulit untuk diterima dan menerima tanggung jawab berlawanan dengan hal-hal yang diingini serta didambakan.

Apabila kenyataan dan keadilan hanya merupakan semboyan-semboyan kosong di dalam kehidupan maka banyak yang akan berbicara mengenai keadilan dan hak-hak asasi manusia. Mereka ini akan membela pernyataan-pernyataan mereka dengan melakukan beberapa perbuatan baik di samping kehidupan rutin sehari-hari, terus melakukan usaha mereka, dan hidup berbahagia tanpa terganggu.

Apabila kenyataan dan keadilan sejalan dengan kehidupan mereka maka keduanya akan dipergunakan sebagai modal, alat, kemasyhuran, pangkat, pekerjaan, dan hak untuk hidup. Di dalam hal ini orang-orang tidak berbicara hanya mengenai keadilan. Mereka menganggap diri mereka benar dan ingin membela manusia-manusia lainnya.

Tetapi apabila kebenaran berlawanan dengan kehidupan sehari-hari maka pendukung kebenaran dan keadilan akan menghadapi kesulitan dan berada di dalam bahaya. Mereka harus memikul tanggung jawab yang sangat berat, menemukan jalan di malam yang kelam dan berbadai dan menghadapi segala resiko dan marabahaya. Semakin jauh jalan yang mereka tempuh semakin sedikit sahabat mereka hingga menjadi segelintir saja atau tidak ada sama sekali. Mereka harus meninggalkan apapun juga yang menghalangi jalan mereka, terutama sekali orang-orang yang hidup di alam kezhaliman serta terbiasa dengan keadaan yang seperti itu.

Allah Yang Maha Kuasa memerintahkan agar engkau mengorbankan hidupmu, mengorbankan hal-hal yang engkau cintai, dan meneruskan perjalananmu. Tetapi godaan-godaan syetan mendesak agar engkau berhenti dan mengikuti segala sesuatu yang sebenarnya harus engkau korbankan itu.

Bagaimanakah caranya? Dengan penjelasan-penjelasan! Atau dengan berusaha agar engkau mengubah keyakinanmu untuk dapat memenuhi kebutuhan-kebutuhanmu. Penjelasan itu adalah sedemikian rupa sehingga engkau tidak dituduh kafir membangkang perintah Allah dan mengkhianati ummat manusia.

Di sini penjelasan berarti menyatakan kepalsuan sebagai kebenaran. Engkau boleh memberikan sebutan-sebutan lain dengan sekehendak hatimu, penjelasan-penjelasan sosial, moral, ilmiah, psikologis, dialektis, ataupun intelektual, tetapi apa bedanya?

Di dalam haji dan di dalam sejarah hidup Ibrahim—tokoh besar yang memperoleh kemenangan di dalam semua cobaan terhadap dirinya, jujur, benar, tulus, dan berjihad untuk membela kebenaran mutlak— penjelasan itu dinyatakan Allah sebagai penjelasan syetan.

Kearifan Ibrahim yang jelas dan kuat menjadi lemah karena pertanyaan-pertanyaan: Bagaimanakah aku dapat mengetahui? Bagaimanakah mungkin demikian? Ia berkata: Perintah ini kuterima di dalam mimpi. Syetan lalu menguatkan kecintaaannya kepada Ismail dan mendorongnya untuk mencari penjelasan sebagai usaha pelarian. Karena godaan-godaan syetan ia menjadi ragu-ragu, takut, dan lemah.

Wahai Ibrahim! Engkau harus mengorbankan puteramu!

Perintah yang diterimanya semakin tegas.

“Katakanlah jika bapak-bapakmu, anak-anakmu, saudara-saudaramu, harta kekayaan yang kamu usahakan, perniagaan yang kamu khawatiri kerugiannya, dan rumah-rumah tempat tinggal yang kamu sukai, lebih kamu cintai daripada Allah dan Rasul-Nya, maka tunggulah sampai Allah mendatangkan keputusan-Nya. Dan Allah tiada memberi petunjuk kepada orang-orang fasik”. (Q.S At-Taubah: 24 )

“Berangkatlah kamu dalam keadaan merasa ringan ataupun merasa berat, dan berjihadlah dengan harta dan dirimu di jalan Allah. Yang demikian itu adalah lebih baik bagi kamu jika kamu mengetahui” (Q.S At-Taubah:41).

***

Begitulah hidup kita. Peristiwa Ibrahim dan Ismail ini merupakan sebuah fenomena betapa kita senantiasa berada dalam konflik diantara Allah dengan syetan. Di dalam lubuk hati kita selalu ada kontradiksi antara cinta dan kebijaksanaan, di antara hidup dan keyakinan, dan di antara demi diri sendiri dengan demi Allah.

Ini benar-benar sebuah fenomena di antara manusia yang sempurna dengan binatang, di antara alam dengan Allah, diantara instink dengan kebijaksanaan, diantara langit dengan bumi, diantara dunia dengan akhirat, diantara cinta kepada diri sendiri dengan cinta kepada Allah, diantara realitas dengan kebenaran, di antara kepuasan dengan kesempurnaan, di antara bagaimana adanya dengan bagaimana yang seharusnya, di antara penghambaan dengan kemerdekaan, di antara ketidakpedulian dengan sikap bertanggung jawab, di antara keyakinan dengan keingkaran, di antara untuk saya saja dengan untuk kita semua, dan terakhir sekali, di antara hidup sebagaimana adanya dengan hidup sebagaimana yang seharusnya.

Dan akhirnya Ibrahim as benar-benar memilih ketaatan kepada-Nya.

Dan engkau, siapa yang lebih engkau sayangi?Allah ataukah dirimu sendiri?

Keuntungan atau nilai?

Ketergantungan atau kemerdekaan?

Berhenti atau terus berjalan?

Kesenangan atau kesempurnaan diri?

Menikmati hidup atau menanggungkan derita tanggung jawab?

Hidup untuk hidup itu sendiri atau hidup untuk tujuannya?

Kedamaian dan cinta atau keyakinan dan perjuangan?

Mengikuti sifatmu yang asli atau kehendakmu yang sadar?

Mengabdi kepada perasaan-perasaanmu sendiri atau mengabdi kepada keyakinanmu?

Mementingkan hal-hal yang relatif atau melaksanakan perintah Allah?

Dan yang terakhir, siapakah yang engkau pilih? Allah atau “Ismail”?

Apakah masih ada “ismail-ismail” itu dalam hatimu?

Siapakah yang engkau pilih?

Allah atau “Ismail”?

(dimodifikasi dari buku “Haji” karya Ali Syariati)

Itulah ibu yang amat kucintai

2009-01-20T20:36:00.002-08:00

Sabtu lalu, Bapak saya kembali harus menginap di rumah sakit di Jakarta. Saya hitung-hitung ini sudah kali yang ketiga dalam 5 bulan terakhir. Keluhannya masih sama: ginjal dan prostat. Dengan yang sekarang ini berarti Bapak saya sudah 5x menjalani operasi. Sungguh luar biasa. Dalam usianya yang sudah mencapai 70 tahun, ia tetap tabah menghadapi ujian hidup ini. Saya hanya bisa menatapnya sedih …

Dalam usia yang hampir sebaya pula, istrinya (ibu saya tentu saja) dengan sabar mengurus semua keperluan suaminya. Saya perhatikan ibu saya, tak ubahnya mengasuh bayi yang lagi sakit: memandikannya, mengganti pakaiannya, menyuapi makannya, mengusap keningnya … saya melihat sebuah keindahan dibalik semua pemandangan itu. Ibu saya tak pernah mengeluh. Saya beruntung memiliki ibu yang luar biasa itu. Ya Allah, hiasilah hidupnya dengan kasih sayangmu.

Saat-saat menunggui Bapak, saya berusaha selalu berada di dekat Ibu. Biasanya akan banyak tausiah-tausiah berharga yang ia sampaikan. Maklumlah, sejak kecil saya sudah merantau, jauh dari Ibu. Sampai sekarang pun kami tinggal berjauhan. Namun sekalipun begitu, kepribadian saya memang lebih banyak dipengaruhi oleh Ibu. Bahkan wajah saya pun mirip dengan Ibu. Karena itu saya senang selalu berada di dekatnya.

Nasehatnya yang paling banyak ia ulang-ulang adalah, “Al (panggilan kesayangan dia buat saya), shalatlah selalu di awal waktu! Jangan pernah berhenti berdo’a…”

Walau secara keilmuan, ibu saya hanya lulusan SMU, nggak pernah masuk pesantren atau madrasah, saya melihat pertumbuhan ruhaninya luar biasa. Dulu Ibu jarang sekali membaca buku. Namun sejak 3 tahun terakhir ini, khususnya sepulang dari ka’bah, ditangannya selalu terlihat buku atau alqu’an. Buku-buku populer keislaman khususnya kajian ibadah dan tasawuf, sangat ia gemari. Yang jelas, yang paling ia gemari ya .. al qur’an itu sendiri. Malahan pernah saking pengen tahu secara dalam isi al-qur’an, ia menuliskan terjemahan al-qur’an itu dengan pulpen dan buku tulis isi 40 hal. Katanya, “…kalau ditulis, lebih mudah ingat”. “Sudah berapa buku?” tanyaku. “Wah udah hampir 20 buku.” katanya. Saya makin kagum padanya. Saya nggak nyangka.

Ya Allah, sempurnakanlah ujung kehidupannya dalam rahmatMu ya Allah.
Berkahilah seluruh hidupnya …
Kumpulkan kami semua ya Allah
bersama rombongan kafilah
Rasulullah saw wal anbiya wal mursalin
dan kaum shalihin lainnya
Amiin …

Itulah ibu yang amat kucintai

2009-01-20T20:36:00.001-08:00

Pidato Severn Suzuki, 12 th di Ruang Sidang PBB

2009-01-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Cerita ini berbicara mengenai seorang anak yg bernama Severn Suzuki. Seorang anak yg pada usia 9 tahun telah mendirikan Enviromental Children’s Organization ( ECO ).
ECO sendiri adalah sebuah kelompok kecil anak-anak yang mendedikasikan diri untuk belajar dan mengajarkan pada anak-anak lain mengenai masalah lingkungan.
Dan mereka pun diundang menghadiri Konferensi Lingkungan hidup PBB tahun 1992. Pada saat itu, Seveern yg berusia 12 tahun, memberikan sebuah pidato yang sangat kuat yang memberikan pengaruh besar (dan membungkam) beberapa pemimpin dunia terkemuka.
Apa yang disampaikan oleh seorang anak kecil ber-usia 12 tahun, hingga bisa membuat RUANG SIDANG PBB hening, dan saat pidatonya selesai, ruang sidang yang penuh dengan orang-orang terkemuka berdiri dan memberikan tepuk tangan yg meriah kepada anak berusia 12 tahun itu?
Inilah Isi pidato tersebut: ( sumber The Collage Foundation )

Halo, nama Saya Severn Suzuki, berbicara mewakili E.C.O - Enviromental Children Organization.
Kami Adalah kelompok dari Kanada yg terdiri dari anak-anak berusia 12 dan 13 tahun, yang mencoba membuat perbedaan: Vanessa Suttie, Morga, Geister, Michelle Quiq dan saya sendiri.
Kami menggalang dana untuk bisa datang kesini sejauh 6000 mil. Untuk memberitahukan pada anda sekalian orang dewasa bahwa anda harus mengubah cara anda, Hari ini Disini juga. Saya tidak memiliki agenda tersembunyi. Saya menginginkan masa depan bagi diri saya saja.
Kehilangan masa depan tidaklah sama seperti kalah dalam pemilihan umum atau rugi dalam pasar saham. Saya berada disini untuk berbicara bagi semua generasi yg akan datang.
Saya berada disini mewakili anak-anak yg kelaparan di seluruh dunia yang tangisannya tidak lagi terdengar.
Saya berada disini untuk berbicara bagi binatang-binatang yang sekarat yang tidak terhitung jumlahnya di seluruh planet ini karena kehilangan habitat nya. Kami tidak boleh tidak di dengar.
Saya merasa takut untuk berada dibawah sinar matahari karena berlubang nya lapisan OZON.
Saya merasa takut untuk bernafas karena saya tidak tahu ada bahan kimia apa yg dibawa oleh udara.
Saya sering memancing di Vancouver bersama ayah saya, hingga beberapa tahun yang lalu kami menemukan bahwa ikan-ikannya penuh dengan kanker. Dan sekarang kami mendengar bahwa binatang-binatang dan tumbuhan satu persatu mengalami kepunahan tiap harinya - hilang selamanya.
Dalam hidup saya, saya memiliki mimpi untuk melihat kumpulan besar binatang-binatang liar, hutan rimba dan hutan tropis yang penuh dengan burung dan kupu-kupu. Tetapi sekarang saya tidak tahu apakah hal-hal tersebut masih ada untuk dilihat oleh anak saya nantinya.
Apakah anda sekalian harus khawatir terhadap masalah-masalah kecil ini ketika anda sekalian masih berusia sama seperti saya sekarang?
Semua ini terjadi di hadapan kita dan walaupun begitu kita masih tetap bersikap bagaikan kita masih memiliki banyak waktu dan semua pemecahannya. Saya hanyalah seorang anak kecil dan saya tidak memiliki semua pemecahannya tetapi saya ingin anda sekalian menyadari bahwa anda sekalian juga sama seperti saya!
Anda tidak tahu bagaimana caranya memperbaiki lubang pada lapisan ozon kita.
Anda tidak tahu bagaiman cara mengembalikan ikan-ikan salmon ke sungai asalnya.
Anda tidak tahu bagaimana caranya mengembalikan binatang-binatang yang telah punah.
Dan anda tidak dapat mengembalikan hutan-hutan seperti sediakala di tempatnya yang sekarang hanya berupa padang pasir.
Jika anda tidak tahu bagaimana cara memperbaikinya.
TOLONG BERHENTI MERUSAKNYA!
Disini anda adalah deligasi negara-negara anda. Pengusaha, anggota perhimpunan, wartawan atau politisi - tetapi sebenarnya anda adalah ayah dan ibu, saudara laki-laki dan saudara perempuan, paman dan bibi - dan anda semua adalah anak dari seseorang.
Saya hanyalah seorang anak kecil, namun saya tahu bahwa kita semua adalah bagian dari sebuah keluarga besar, yang beranggotakan lebih dari 5 milyar, terdiri dari 30 juta rumpun dan kita semua berbagi udara, air dan tanah di planet yang sama - perbatasan dan pemerintahan tidak akan mengubah hal tersebut.
Saya hanyalah seorang anak kecil, namun begitu saya tahu bahwa kita semua menghadapi permasalahan yang sama, dan kita seharusnya bersatu untuk tujuan yang sama.
Walaupun marah, namun saya tidak buta, dan walaupun takut, saya tidak ragu untuk memberitahukan dunia apa yang saya rasakan.
Di negara saya, kami sangat banyak melakukan penyia-nyiaan, kami membeli sesuatu dan kemudian membuang nya, beli dan kemudian buang. Walaupun begitu tetap saja negara-negara di utara tidak akan berbagi dengan mereka yang memerlukan.
Bahkan ketika kita memiliki lebih dari cukup, kita merasa takut untuk kehilangan sebagian kekayaan kita, kita takut untuk berbagi.
Di Kanada kami memiliki kehidupan yang nyaman, dengan sandang, pangan dan papan yang berkecukupan - kami memiliki jam tangan, sepeda, komputer dan perlengkapan televisi.
Dua hari yang lalu di Brazil sini, kami terkejut ketika kami menghabiskan waktu dengan anak-anak yang hidup di jalanan. Dan salah satu anak tersebut memberitahukan kepada kami: “Aku berharap aku kaya , dan jika Aku kaya, Aku akan memberikan anak-anak jalanan makanan, pakaian dan obat-obatan, tempat tinggal, cinta dan kasih sayang.”
Jika seorang anak yang berada dijalanan yang tidak memiliki apapun, bersedia untuk berbagi, mengapa kita yang memiliki segalanya masih begitu serakah?
Saya tidak dapat berhenti memikirkan bahwa anak-anak tersebut berusia sama dengan saya, bahwa tempat kelahiran anda dapat membuat perbedaan yang begitu besar. Bahwa saya bisa saja menjadi salah satu dari anak-anak yang hidup di Favellas di Rio; saya bisa saja menjadi anak yang kelaparan di Somalia; seorang korban perang timur tengah atau pengemis di India.
Saya hanyalah seorang anak kecil namun saya tahu bahwa jika semua uang yang dihabiskan untuk perang dipakai untuk mengurangi tingkat kemisikinan dan menemukan jawaban terhadap permasalahan alam, betapa indah jadinya dunia ini.
Di sekolah, bahkan di taman kanak-kanak, anda mengajarkan kami untuk berbuat baik. Anda mengajarkan pada kami untuk tidak berkelahi dengan orang lain.
Mencari jalan keluar, membereskan kekacauan yang kita timbulkan.
Tidak menyakiti makhluk hidup lain, berbagi dan tidak tamak.
Lalu mengapa anda kemudian melakukan hal yang anda ajarkan pada kami supaya tidak boleh dilakukan tersebut?
Jangan lupakan mengapa anda menghadiri konferensi ini. Mengapa anda melakukan hal ini - kami adalah anak-anak anda semua. Anda sekalianlah yang memutuskan dunia seperti apa yang akan kami tinggali. Orang tua seharus nya dapat memberikan kenyamanan pada anak-anak mereka dengan mengatakan “Semuanya akan baik-baik saja”, “Kami melakukan yang terbaik yang dapat kami lakukan” dan “Ini bukanlah akhir dari segalanya”.
Tetapi saya tidak merasa bahwa anda dapat mengatakan hal tersebut kepada kami lagi. Apakah kami bahkan ada dalam daftar prioritas anda semua?
Ayah saya selalu berkata “Kamu akan selalu dikenang karena perbuatan mu bukan oleh kata-kata mu”
Jadi, apa yang anda lakukan membuat saya menangis pada malam hari. Kalian orang dewasa berkata bahwa kalian menyayangi kami.
Saya menantang A N D A , cobalah untuk mewujudkan kata-kata tersebut.
Sekian dan terima kasih atas perhatian nya.

Empat Klik Untuk Daftas Isi

2008-11-30T02:37:00.000-08:00

Hampir setiap kali kita membuat tulisan, kita menyertakan daftar isi untuk memudahkan pembaca tulisan kita nantinya. Sayangnya, pembuatan daftar isi sisulitkan dengan banyak titik-titik yang menjadi rahasia umum.

Berikut ini akan dijelaskan bagaimana memvuat daftar isi hanya dengan empat kali klik. Betapa ini akan sangat membantu.
1. Sebelumnya, naskah yang dibuat garuskah menggunakan style. Karena Microsoft Word membutuhkan tempat-tempat yang akan 'diingat' di dalam datar isi.
2. Untuk membuat daftar isi, tempatkan kursor pada halaman tempat daftar isi nantinya.
3. Klik menu [Insert]>{Index and Table], kemudian pilih tab [Table of Contents].
4. Pilih tombol [Options] untuk pengaturan lebih lanjut.

Dengan kotak dialog ini, Anda akan mengatur tampilan daftar isi yang bergantung pada TOC level style. Bab memiliki TOC level style 1, sub bab berisi 2, sub bab dalam sub bab berisi 3, dan seterusnya.

JAM PIKET ORGAN TUBUH

2008-11-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

JAM PIKET ORGAN TUBUH

LAMBUNG
Jam 07.00 - 09.00
Jam piket organ lambung sedang
kuat, sebaiknya makan pagi untuk
proses pembentukan energi tubuh sepanjang hari.
Minum jus atau ramuan sebaiknya sebelum sarapan pagi, perut masih
kosong sehingga zat yang berguna segera
terserap tubuh.

LIMPA
Jam 09.00 - 11.00
Jam piket organ limpa
kuat, dalam mentransportasi cairan nutrisi untuk
energi
pertumbuhan. Bila pada jam-jam ini mengantuk, berarti fungsi
limpa
lemah.
Kurangi
konsumsi gula, lemak,minyak dan protein hewani.

JANTUNG
Jam 11.00 - 13.00
Jam piket organ jantung kuat, harus istirahat, hindari
panas dan olah
fisik, ambisi
dan emosi terutama pada penderita gangguan
pembuluh darah .

HATI
Jam 13.00 -
15.00
Jam piket organ hati
lemah, bila orang tidur, darah merah berkumpul
dalam organ hati dan terjadi proses regenerasi sel-sel hati.
Apabila fungsi hati kuat maka
tubuh kuat untuk menangkal semua penyakit.

PARU-PARU
Jam 15.00 - 17.00
Jam piket organ paru-paru lemah, diperlukan istirahat,
tidur untuk
proses pembuangan racun dan
proses pembentukan energi paru-paru

GINJAL
Jam 17.00 - 19.00
Jam piket organ
ginjal kuat,
sebaiknya digunakan untuk belajar
karena terjadi
proses pembentukan sumsum tulang dan otak serta
kecerdasan.

LAMBUNG
Jam 19.00 - 21.00
Jam piket organ lambung lemah sebaiknya tidak mengkonsumsi makan yang
sulit dicerna
atau lama dicerna atau lebih baik sudah berhenti makan

LIMPA
Jam 21.00 - 23.00
Jam piket organ limpa lemah,
terjadi proses pembuangan racun dan
proses regenerasi sel limpa. Sebaiknya istirahat sambil
mendengarkan
musik yang menenangkan
jiwa, untuk
meningkatkan imunitas.

JANTUNG
Jam 23.00 -
01.00
Jam piket organ
jantung lemah. Sebaiknya sudah beristirahat tidur,
apabila masih terus
bekerja atau begadang dapat melemahkan fungsi jantung.

HATI
Jam 01.00 - 03.00
Jam piket organ hati kuat. Terjadi
proses pembuangan racun/limbah hasil
metabolisme
tubuh. Apabila ada
gangguan fungsi hati tercermin pada kotoran dan
gangguan mata.
Apabila ada luka dalam akan terasa nyeri.

PARU-PARU
Jam
03.00 - 05.00
Jam piket
organ paru-paru kuat, terjadi proses pembuangan limbah/racun

pada organ
paru-paru, apabila terjadi batuk,bersin- bersin
dan berkeringat
menandakan adanya
gangguan fungsi
paru-paru. Sebaiknya digunakan untuk olah nafas untuk mendapatkan
energi
paru yang sehat dan kuat.

USUS BESAR
Jam 05.00 - 07.00
Jam piket organ usus besar kuat, sebaiknya
biasakan BAB secara teratur.

Semoga bermanfaat. Sewaktu
kita dapat dengan baik merawat diri kita
sendiri, maka kita dapat merawat orang lain dengan baik pula.

Keeping Mom Fit While Homeschooling

2008-10-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

By Ann Zeise

On June 9th a member of the A2Z Homeschool group asked how others managed to homeschool and get in some personal time for exercise. This created quite a stir because it is something many of us struggle with.
Maybe before we started homeschooling, we used to drop the kids off at school, and then head for the gym or go for a jog. Now we have kids of assorted ages and abilities around us all day, needing what seems to be all our time and privacy. The house gets messier and so housework seems to require more time. So how can a mom find about an hour a day for a fitness routine? Here are many suggestions from me and other homeschool moms.

Use the gym's child care, which is fine if the gym is strict about not allowing any sick, contagious kids.

Then there is dedicating some space in your home for a few pieces of gym equipment. I think most of us have a dusty exercycle stashed somewhere. If you'll use it, fine. Try to have some items in one spot so the whole family can exercise together. Remember: by setting a good example, you are also "teaching" your children. One member "inherited" a treadmill from a neighbor who no longer wanted it. Do check yard sales for exercise equipment, especially if you don't need the latest electronic gizmos on it.

Put a TV in front of the exercise equipment. Make a rule that you can only have that TV on while exercising. If you want to see the end of a show, you'll keep moving!

I used to keep a mystery book on the exercycle's stand. My rule was that I could only read that book on the execycle, so if I wanted to find out "who done it," I had to get back on and workout!

Of all the latest exercise "programs," the Wii Fit seems to be the most popular. If you can't find it on Amazon, try Ebay. one member says the competition in her household to gain and hold the top 5 positions in the scoring is high. Even the tiniest child enjoys trying to do it in her own way.

You don't have to run out and buy specialized equipment. You can use cans of food for "weight lifting." A broom or mop can be used for stretching and flexibility exercises. You can dance to the radio or any music source you happen to already own.

One member considers hanging out her family laundry great bending and stretching exercise. See! You can turn ordinary household tasks into exercise, if you think about it!

Do you go to a homeschool Park Day? Ask one of the moms to watch your kids, give the older kids cell phones to page you, while you walk or jog around the perimeter of the park.

Often the normal park equipment offers forms of exercise. Even pushing kids on the swing can be tiring. Running them around on a merry-go-round can wipe you out! Climb the slide and go on down about a hundred times! Better than a Stairmaster! Our park system offers a "Par Course" from one end to the other. These are often in disrepair, depending on the economy, but when they are freshly painted, repaired, and clean, they can be fun.

Parents should take turns watching the children so the other spouse can get some alone time exercising. Or pay your teenager so the two of you can go for an evening stroll or swim for even a half hour. Explain that if you are more fit, you'll be more happy and energetic, and then more willing to also meet their needs.

But what if one child has asthma or a heart condition and really can't do aerobic exercise? One mom solved this by pulling the child in a wagon, which on a long walk would feel like a long workout at the gym. As they get older, such a child could do weight training, lifting weights instead of aerobic exercise. Here is a site with suggestions for family-friendly, adaptive physical fitness exercises.

Make the time! If you have a home school planner, put a time to exercise in that schedule. If you unschool, then still put exercise time in your calendar! After a month of getting into a routine, you may not need to so formally write it down, but to get started, this can really help.

Open up more time by automating some tasks. Our mom who started this thread said that paying bills was taking up a lot of her time. I don't pay bills any more. Didn't mean that the way it sounds. What I've done is to set it up so the bills pay themselves. It's all automated now. They all pay themselves a few days after my largest check comes in, around the first. My job is just to keep the checking account full enough! I look at the bills online in case there is something I may want to dispute.

I also don't do laundry every day. We've had a time-of-use electric meter for years, and with that only weekends and some holidays are at the cheap rate all day, so Saturdays became laundry day. Everyone brings down their baskets on Friday night, and I get the laundry started, and the guys help me move everything along throughout the day. By evening the clean clothes are back to their closets and drawers, and we don't think about it for another week.

So, girl friends, no more excuses. Involve your family to make some time each day to have some form of exercise. I'll link to some resources for exercise equipment on this page, but don't let a tight budget stop you. Walking is free. Housework is inevitable and can been done in an aerobic or weight lifting way. Follow your kids when they run around and join in their games for "exercise."

You CAN do this!

Besutan Sang Maestro

2008-10-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

----dari tetangga sebelah-----

di suatu acara lelang ada sebuah piano tua dilelang. sebuah piano tua berdebu dan kelihatan sekali tak terawat disodorkan didepan para hadirin peserta lelang. seorang petugas membuka penawaran Rp 10.000.000. tak seorang pun bergeming melakukan penawaran. petugas lelang pun menurunkan nominal menjadi Rp 9.000.000. masih sama dengan sebelumnya, tak seorang pun berminat untuk melakukan penawaran. Rp 8.000.000 turun lagi Rp 7.000.000, hingga ditawarkan Rp 1.000.000 pun tak ada yg minat.

tiba2 dari kerumunan peserta lelang seorang kakek2 mendekati piano. tanpa sepatah kata pun sang kakek beberapa kali mengibaskan sapu tangan ke piano hingga beterbangan debu2 yg menempel. dg perlahan si kakek membuka tutup piano dan mengambil posisi duduk. sejurus kemudian jari jemari kakek tua sudah menari nari di atas piano diiringi sebuah lagu yg keluar dari suara merdu kakek.

perasaan semua pengunjung terbawa alunan lagu yg dinyanyikan, begitu menyentuh, begitu merdu, dan begitu indah membuat hadirin menjadi takjub. akhirnya satu lagu berakhir diiringi dg tepuk tangan yg sangat meriah dari seluruh hadirin.

Sejurus kemudian, si kakek bergaya bak petugas lelang membuka penawaran atas piano tsb dg harga Rp 50 juta. para hadirin berebut menawar... hingga apa yg terjadi? yup, piano tua itu terjual dg harga tembus angka Rp 2 milyar.
*****

menurut hemat saya begitulah kondisi anak-anak kita, siswa-siswa kita, murid-murid kita, mahasiswa kita. mereka akan tetap menjadi seperti 'piano tua' sebelum tersentuh oleh tangan si kakek. tidak ada yg sudi menawar walau ditawarkan dg harga yg sangat rendah. dan mereka akan menjadi sangat bernilai ketika berada di tangan si kakek, yg telah berhasil merubah performa mereka.

sekarang pertanyaannya, siapakah si kakek itu?
si kakek itu tidak lain adalah sang maestro dunia, dan itu adalah KITA!

what? KITA? KITA siapa??!!!
- kita para orang tua kandung mereka
- kita sang ibunda tercinta yg dg belaian kasih sayangnya memberi pendidikan terbaik buat si buah hati
- kita sang ayah dg kewibawaannya memberi teladan yg akan jd panutan hidup anak2 kita
- kita para kyai, ustadz/ah guru ngajinya .... dg pengajarannya tanpa pamrih telah menunjukkan kepada kita baik buruk dunia tuk bekal setelah mati
- para bapak/ibu guru yg dengan tulus mendidik anak2 kita dg setiap malamnya bermunajat mendoakan untuk keberhasilan anak didiknya.

lalu, siapa lagi...?
saya kira.... anda dan kita semua yg akan menjadi penerus jejak si kakek tadi, kitalah sang maestro dunia itu... yg akan menjadikan mereka anak-anak kita, anak-anak didik kita, para generasi muda akan menjadi sangat bernilai tinggi yg akan memberi bobot dunia dengan kalimat hak-NYA.

saudaramu,
MustGatot

Renungan

2008-10-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sekedar untuk renungan...

Kubur Setiap Hari Menyeru Manusia Sebanyak Lima (5) Kali ...

Aku rumah yang terpencil,maka kamu akan senang dengan selalu membaca Al-Quran.
Aku rumah yang gelap,maka terangilah aku dengan selalu solat malam.
Aku rumah penuh dengan tanah dan debu,bawalah amal soleh yang menjadi hamparan.
Aku rumah ular berbisa,maka bawalah amalan Bismillah sebagai penawar.
Aku rumah pertanyaan Munkar dan Nakir,maka banyaklah bacaan "Laa ilahaillallah, Muhammadar Rasulullah", supaya kamu dapat jawaban kepadanya.

Lima Jenis Racun dan Lima Penawarnya .......

Dunia itu racun, zuhud itu obatnya.
Harta itu racun, zakat itu obatnya.
Perkataan yang sia-sia itu racun, zikir itu obatnya.
Seluruh umur itu racun, taat itu obatnya.
Seluruh tahun itu racun, Ramadhan itu obatnya.
(Kirimkan Untuk Rekan-Rekan Muslim Anda Yang Lain Sebagai Tanda Sahabatnya Sedang Mengingatinya ....)

Nabi Muhammad S.A.W bersabda:

Ada 4 dipandang sebagai ibu, yaitu :

1. Ibu dari segala OBAT adalah SEDIKIT MAKAN.
2. Ibu dari segala ADAB adalah SEDIKIT BERBICARA.
3. Ibu dari segala IBADAH adalah TAKUT BUAT DOSA.
4. Ibu dari segala CITA CITA adalah SABAR.

Berpesan-pesanlah kepada kebenaran dan kesabaran.
Beberapa kata renungan dari Qur'an :

Orang Yang Tidak Melakukan Solat:
Cartoon Family Of Strawberries Bounce
Subuh : Dijauhkan cahaya muka yang bersinar
Zuhor : Tidak diberikan berkah dalam rezekinya
Asar : Dijauhkan dari kesihatan/kekuatan
Maghrib : Tidak diberi santunan oleh anak-anaknya.
Isyak : Dijauhkan kedamaian dalam tidurnya

Belajar

2008-09-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hal yang sangat menyenangkan dalam Home Schooling adalah bisa belajar kapan saja, dimana saja dan bagaimana saja, tanpa ada batasan waktu yang mengekang dan tanpa ada soal-soal ujian yang harus dikerjakan pada akhir semester.
Namun yang paling mendasar dari semua kegiatan belajar, baik itu Sekolah Formal, Home schooling maupun Unschooling adalah menumbuhkan minat belajar pada anak sehingga ketika sang anak telah menginjak usia remaja anak mempunyai kesadaran sendiri, keinginan yang kuat untuk belajar mandiri, mencari ilmu dimanapun adanya ilmu itu.
Akan tetapi, paradigma tentang apa itu belajar nampaknya tidak terlalu beriringan antara model belajar di sekolah formal dengan model belajar mandiri ala home schooling. masing-masing mempunyai ke khas-an dan ada ukurannya tersendiri, termasuk bagaimana cara orangtua memandang dan memberi pengertian tentang belajar itu sendiri.
Ada orang tua yang memandang bahwa itu terbatas pada kegiatan baca tulis, mengerjakan PR dan hal-hal akademik lainnya, maka bisa jadi anak-anak memang akhirnya membenci atau kurang suka dengan kata belajar. Mereka akhirnya memilih untuk melakukan hal-hal yang mereka sukai, yang kita tidak menyebutnya sebagai kegiatan belajar. Padahal, banyak pelajaran bisa disentuh dengan gaya yang keluar dari model belajar konvensional.
Kesadaran diri untuk belajar tanpa dipaksakan atau bisa disebut kemandirian dalam belajar adalah efek dari rasa senang untuk belajar. Perluas wilayah belajar, permudah cara-cara belajar, dan manfaatkan semua kegiatan untuk memberikan efek belajar. Tak masalah anak bongkar pasang atau nonton tv dan sesekali main game selama kita bisa mengarahkan mereka untuk mengambil manfaat dari semua itu.Disadur ulang dari postingan milis sekolah rumah dengan sedikit perubahan redaksi.

Memulai Homeschooling

2008-07-11T00:41:00.000-07:00

Sebelum memulai homeschooling, mungkin Anda bisa mempertimbangkan beberapa hal dibawah ini untuk mengambil keputusan, apakah Homeschooling cocok untuk anak dan keluarga Anda ataukah tidak? Dan itu adalah keputusan yang bersifat pribadi, kami tidak bisa memutuskannya baik atau tidak untuk Anda, namun mungkin dalam perjalanan kami bisa membantu Anda. Adapun hal mungkin bisa dipertimbangkan adalah:

1. Komitmen terhadap waktu – Kegiatan Homeschooling menyita banyak waktu dalam keseharian Anda. Ini bukan hanya sekedar duduk dengan buku-buku dalam beberapa jam. Ada beberapa percobaan, proyek yang harus diselesaikan, pelajaran untuk dipersiapkan, lembaran untuk dituntaskan, kunjungan lapangan, rekreasi ke taman, belajar musik, dan yang lainnya.

2. Pengorbanan waktu pribadi – Orangtua yang melakukan homeschooling mempunyai sedikit waktu pribadi atau waktu menyendiri. Jika tidak ada kepedulian untuk menyempatkan waktu untuk sendiri, maka dipastikan tidak akan ada waktu untuk diri sendiri. Pada dasarnya, orangtua dan anak bersama selama 24/7.

3. Perihal Keuangan – Homeschooling bisa terpenuhi dengan sangat murah. Bagaimanapun, pada umumnya Homeschooling memerlukan orangtua pendidik yang tidak akan bekerja diluar rumah. Beberapa pengorbanan akan sangat dibutuhkan bila keluarga dijadikan untuk mendapatkan dua pendapatan.

4. Sosialisasi – Perhatian yang lebih akan sangat diperlukan untuk menjadikan anak Anda bisa bersama dengan orang lain. Kemudahan Homeschooling adalah lebih mudah mengendalikan kontak sosial yang anak Anda lakukan.

5. Organisasi Rumah tangga – Pekerjaan rumah dan mencuci baju tetap harus dikerjakan, namun tidak bisa dilakukan pada pagi hari. Jika ada stiker ditempat yang tidak bernoda, mungkin Anda akan terkejut. Bukan hanya pekerjaan rumah tangga yang harus disimpan untuk sementara, namun Homeschooling akan membuat, cipratan dan kotoran dengan sendirinya.

6. Persetujuan kedua orangtua – Adalah penting bila kedua orangtua setuju untuk mencoba Homeschooling. Akan sangat sulit bila salah satu orangtua tidak setuju dengan homeschooling. Jika pasanganmu tidak setuju pada saat ini, cobalah lebih banyak lagi penelusuran pencarian dan berbicara dengan orang lain yang melakukan Homeschooling.

7. Apakah anak Anda bersedia? – Kesediaan anak Anda akan sangat membantu. Akhirnya, keputusan ada pada orang tua, tapi jika anak Anda menolak keras, Anda akan membutuhkan banyak waktu untuk melaksanakannya.

8. Setahun sekali – Ini bukanlah komitmen seumur hidup – kebanyakan keluarga mengambil waktu setahun sekali.

9. Intimidasi dalam pengajaran? – Jika Anda bisa membaca dan menulis, Anda juga harus bisa mengajar anak Anda. Kurikulum dan materi guru akan membantu Anda selama proses perencanaan dan pengajaran. Mintalah bantuan dari orang lain bila Anda kesulitan atau guru privat untuk materi yang sulit.

10. Mengapa orang lain bisa memulainya – Ini akan sangat membantu untuk mendengar kenapa keluarga yang lain melakukan Homeschooling. Anda bisa menghubungkannya dengan salah satu mereka

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2008-07-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

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Beginning to HomeSchool

2008-07-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Before beginning to homeschool, maybe you can consider these things below to make the decision. It is a personal decision that I can't make for you, but maybe I can help in the thought process:

1. Time commitment - Homeschooling tends to take up a lot of time in your day. It is more than just sitting down with books for a couple of hours. There are experiments and projects to be done, lessons to prepare, papers to grade, field trips, park days, music lessons, and the list goes on.

2. Personal sacrifice - The homeschool parent has little personal time or time alone. If care is not taken to set aside time for yourself, it is easy to never have time alone. Parent and child are basically together 24/7.

3. Financial strain - Homeschooling can be accomplished very inexpensively; however, it usually requires that the teaching parent will not be working out of the home. Some sacrifices will need to be made if the family is used to two incomes.

4. Socialization- More attention will need to be given to getting your children together with others. The beauty of homeschooling is being able to have more control of the social contacts your child makes.

5. Household organization - Housework and laundry still have to be done, but it probably won't get done first thing in the morning. If a stickler for a spotless house, you might be in for a surprise. Not only does housework need to be let go at times, but homeschooling creates messes and clutter in itself.

6. Both parents in agreement - It is important that both parents agree to try homeschooling. It is very difficult to homeschool if one parent is against it. If your spouse is against it at this time, try doing more research and talking to more people.

7. Is your child willing? - A willing student is always helpful. Ultimately, the decision is the parents to make, but if your child is dead against it, you might have a hard time of it.

8. One year at a time - It isn't a lifetime commitment - most families take one year at a time.

9. Intimidated by the teaching? - If you can read and write, you should be able to teach your children. The curriculum and teacher materials will help through the planning and teaching. Get help from others if you get stuck or hire tutors for the difficult subjects.

10. Why others began - It might be helpful to hear why other families chose homeschooling. Can you relate with some of them

Home Schooling 101

2008-06-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

Most people, when they first encounter the idea of home schooling, have one hundred and one questions. This article is intended to act as a reference point for people interested in the prospect of home schooling their children. The first question many parents ask is “Why would we want to school our children at home?”

There are a number of benefits to home schooling your children. Home schooling yields positive academic, social, emotional, and spiritual benefits for any family that is willing and prepared to give it a chance. Study after study has shown that children that are home schooled outrank their public and private schooled peers in every academic area. Child safety has been cited by many parents as a motivation for home schooling.

With the prevalence of guns and violence in schools, this should come as no surprise. There is also the benefit of reducing your child’s exposure to peer pressure regarding drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. A cursory glance at the statistics of teenage alcohol/drug abuse, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted disease is enough to scare any thinking parent into considering what actions they can take in order to insulate their children from such dangers.

In the case of children with special needs, parents can rest assured that their children are receiving the attention they need and deserve. Home schooling also goes a long way in bringing families closer together, as children really tend to thrive under parental attention. It has been said that a family that learns together, grows together!

Home schooling also has the added benefit of allowing parents to truly know and understand their children. With regards to spiritual teachings, home schooling offers parents the opportunity to teach and guide their children by the principles of their faith. The idea of home schooling one’s children has literally exploded in recent times.

With some of the reasons cited above, it is easy to see why. There are plenty of resources available for parents and students alike, and a quick internet search of the topic will yield you a wealth of information.

Your local library or bookstore will likely have information, as well. Many communities even have local support groups for parents of home schooled children. Why home schooling? Why not??

by: Kim Yonkers

How To Get Started In Home Schooling

2008-06-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

Home schooling has been around for centuries. The beginning of schooling actually started in the home and then moved into outside schoolhouses. A homeschool is where children are taught by a parent or parents without the outside influence or interference of the school system. There are many variations on a homeschool but all fellowships basic rule of no outside interference. Home schooling is legal in all 50 US states with each state having set guidelines and rules about the homeschool process. Getting started in home schooling will require the parent to do some research ahead of time, so they know exactly what laws apply to them and what they need to do to get the curriculum underway.

The reasons parents choose to homeschool their children vary. Some parents site research like home schoolers placed in the 89th to 90th percentile in national standardized testing. Others state their reasons as being able to provide religious studies and building strong family bonds. Other parents look at the quality of homeschool and feel they have more control over the curriculum and content of the materials studied in addition to knowing their children will be safe. There is also the factor of flexibility that draws some families to homeschool. Flexibility not only refers to time, but methods as well. There are many good reasons to homeschool and each family should decide based on the reasons they feel are best for their family.

Getting started in homeschool involves quite a bit of research and studying before homeschool even begins. Parents looking to home school their child or children need to first find local and state home school groups. These groups will be able to provide you the best information on home schooling in your state. You can also go online and find homeschool websites where you can discuss anything relating to home schooling. They can offer you wealth's of information and help. The more you research and talk to others about homeschool the more you will be able to learn what you want to do in your homeschool curriculum and how to avoid common problems that may come up.

Home schooling is a broad term. There are many techniques that fit under the term home schooling. There are many different styles of home schooling that you can use. The following list describes the most common types of home schooling:

Structured - This works like a public school, in that, it follows a schedule throughout the day. For example, math would be done at a certain time, English at another and so on.

Interest-initiated- This approach is based on what is happening at the current time. For example, if it is snowing, you may chose to revolve the days curriculum around snow or if someone in your family has chickenpox, you may wish to do studies on that disease. This can be very unstructured or structured depending on your choices.

Learning-style- This method is based on each child's learning style
Philosophical- Using educational philosophies and studies to mold a curriculum is the basis for this method.

Accommodating- For families with special needs this approach works around those needs.
Community- Using outside groups and learning areas to teach the children is what this method is about.

These are just some of the methods used in home schooling. Some people may find a mixture of these works best for them. Home schooling is all about tailoring the process to the child, so do the research and find the methods that work best for your family.

by: Jay Moncliff

Educating Your Children: The Home Schooling Option

2008-06-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

An ever growing number of thoughtful parents are concerned about the status of public schools in many cites across North America. At the same time, a good number of families are struggling to make ends meet. They simply do not have excess funds available to send their children to private schools. One solution that many families are embracing is home schooling. With each passing school year, more and more families in North America -- indeed, in many countries around the world -- are electing the home schooling for their children.

There are some definite benefits and specific drawbacks to choosing home schooling for your children. Turning to the positive elements of home schooling first, chief amongst them is the fact that parents have greater control over the education of their children.

One of the more significant complaints frequently expressed about both public and private schools is the lack of input and control a parent has over the education of his or her child or children. While there are certain educational standards that must be met when it comes to home schooling, a parent has a significant degree of discretion over how his or her child or children will be taught.

In addition to more control over the educational process, most parents who are involved in the home schooling of their children believe that their children are obtaining a far better course of education. Many of these parents simply believe that public schools are not up to muster and that home schooling ensures that their children will be properly educated.

Of course, when contrasting home schooling with the private school alternative, educating your children at home is significantly less expensive. The tuition costs and other fees associated with most private schools continue to increase each and every year. As a result, many families simply have been priced out of the private school market all together.

People who are involved in home schooling believe that education children at home works to develop a stronger bond between parents and children. The very fact that children will be spending more time with their parents because of being schooled in the home enriches the relationship between the generations.

There are some drawbacks to home schooling as well. The primary complaint that some education experts have in regard to home schooling is based on the need for children to interact socially with other children. These experts maintain that one of the most important components of attending school -- be it in a public or private setting -- are the opportunities for children to interact with each other. These opportunities are more limited when a child is home schooled.
With that said, there are now different organizations and associations that have been formed that bring children who are home schooled together for different activities and events. Home schooling advocates assert that these activities and events allow children who are home schooled ample opportunity to interact with other children their own ages.

Most education analysts believe that the trend towards home schooling will continue onward into the immediate future. These experts believe that an ever growing number of parents are going to elect to educate their children at home as an alternative to problematic public schools and expensive private schools.

by: Colin P

The Benefit of Home Schooling - 8 Reasons to Educate Your Child at Home

2008-06-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

Making the decision to home school is, on the face of it, not an easy one. There are many questions that need to be asked, and answered, before you can take this very significant step in your child's education. What can influence the decision is an idea of some of the benefits of home schooling.

So here are some things to think of.

1. Your child will get one to one attention with you. The issues associated with large class sizes will be gone forever.

2. Noone knows your child better than you, so you can tailor the lessons to suit your child. That will be something that could never happen in a conventional class room.

3. If your child is someone who is particularly susceptible to peer pressure, then home schooling can alleviate the problem. With your child completely under your control, you not only dictate the curricular activities, but the friends and social elements of their day.

4. Family life can return to how it should be. No more strangers passing at the breakfast table.

5. Many children get wrongly labeled with 'learning difficulties' when all that they needed was a different approach. If your child falls into this category, you will be best placed to evaluate your child's needs and requirements.

6. Scientific studies indicate that home schooled children can come out ahead in every measurement. Other factors may affect this of course, but the indications are that home schooled children achieve more academic success than their traditionally schooled counterparts.

7. Research also indicates that home schooled children actually have better social skills than traditionally schooled children. This rather flies in the face of most people's beliefs.

8. Although not a statistic that should affect your decision making, every child taken out of the state controlled education system actually saves the tax payer around $9000 per pupil per year.
Whilst it is not a task to be undertaken lightly, there are compelling reasons for educating your child at home. It can be argued of course that the benefit of home schooling will not be so strong for all children, but equally, there are many who could benefit significantly from home tutoring.

by: Charlie Cory

Senior High Home Schooling: Help is on the way!

2008-06-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

Help is on the way!

Many cities have parent co-ops to help share resources. Check with your local library to see where and when your local home schooling group meets. Sharing books and resources with other parents is an excellent, low cost option.

What if your child is smarter than you?
I
t’s a scary thought, isn’t it? But don’t feel bad – be proud of the great job that you’ve done so far. A great resource of your ‘advanced student’ is to tap into the online home schooling resources. There are curriculums that can be purchased and completed online. Some will provide textbooks as well as standard home schooling products. Another option is to take classes that can be held in a virtual classroom, students can use a web cam to participate or they can simply use lecture based courses online.

Should you consider public or private school instead?

Many parents feel that during the high school years, education at home is too difficult. They consider sending their child to public high school. But, this can be a difficult and troublesome transition for your teenager. The environment in a public high school can be anything but rewarding or inviting to a child who has been home schooled up until now. A private school may be better, but still has draw backs including cost. There are still the problems with your child being ‘the new kid’ at school. New friends, new teachers, new expectations are all anxiety producing for your child.

What else can I do?

If you feel over-whelmed about home schooling your senior high school student and don’t want to consider public or private high school – what else can you do? Consider your network of fellow parents who home school. What are you best at? What are their strengths? There may be a way to trade skills with other parents. A parent who has skills and interests in high school educating may be willing to teach your child along with their child in trade for you teaching one of their children who is younger. The double bonus here is added socialization for both high school students.

Post Secondary Option

Another resource for your ‘advanced student’ is the post secondary option at your local college or junior college. This has great advantages for both you and your student. Your child won’t be branded as ‘the new kid’ – everyone at college is new. Many times you don’t pay college tuition for the classes that your child takes. Your child receives high school credit and enjoys the socialization and mental stimulation that advanced classes can bring. It’s a win – win for both of you!

by: Beth Gabriel

Home Schooling – The Best Choice!

2008-06-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

You Control the Environment

The major advantage to home schooling is that you control the environment. You choose the curriculum, you choose the pace. If your child is slow to understanding a concept, you have the freedom to allow the extra time your child needs to completely understand the topic. There just isn’t this level of individualism in public school. Public school is equally hard on the under achiever who feels lost when the rest of the class moves on and for the over achiever who is bored because they grasped the concept long before the rest of the class. At home you can vary the pace to give both types of students the freedom they need to succeed.

Most public schools are overcrowded with 30 or more students in a classroom. The shear level of noise and commotion with this many students in one room makes learning difficult. With home schooling, you control the noise level and can limit the number of interruptions in your child’s day.

Many parents are opting for a Christian home schooling curriculum to reinforce their values and morals. Public schools cannot teach religion and may not teach the moral values that are important to you. At home, you get to decide when to discuss sex education with your child in a private setting. In public school, sex ed is often taught in phy-ed or health class in a large group setting with lots of snickering and embarrassing comments. ‘One size fits all’ sex ed. Are your values being taught? Probably not.

Home schooling is a great answer for parents who want a stronger math or science background for their child. Whatever it is you want your child to learn, there is curriculum available that the home school experience can provide. Many students learn best with tactile, hands on learning. Most public schools do not have the funds to provide hands on learning to children. Through home schooling programs, you can tailor your program to fit your child’s style of learning.
These are just the beginning of the benefits that a home schooling program can offer your child!

Brought to you by www.Help-For-Home-School-Moms.info and www.Home-School-101.info, your best resource for all your home school needs.

by: Beth Gabriel

Tally Oh - Abacus Education for Home-schooling

2008-06-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Enter a classroom in any abacus center in India and you will see children busy with something that looks like a toy - tiny brown beads compiled neatly in columns. On the wall is propped a similar toy, though bigger with large, shiny yellow beads.

The teacher calls out a complex calculation, almost like an open challenge. A little boy, barely seven, comes forward and recites a seemingly funny rhyme. He also moves the yellow beads up and down and gets the answer down pat. No furious adding, counting or subtracting! Amazed?

Welcome to the world of abacus education, where rigid arithmetic takes a backseat and visuals and imagination gain center-stage. Here children learn to use the abacus, an ancient Chinese invention, to solve basic arithmetic sums with speed and accuracy. Institutes, which offer abacus education, claim that they use arithmetic as a tool to develop mind skills, memory and lateral thinking abilities.

Popular in Asian countries like Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand, abacus education is relatively new in India. But several entrepreneurs have been quick to tap the business potential of this non-formal education tool.

Scientific theories associate the left hemisphere of the brain with numerical and academic abilities, and the right hemisphere with creativity and intelligence. Proponents of abacus education claim that while formal education focuses merely on left-brain development, the abacus brings about "whole brain development".

"If the brain is not developed at an early age, one's mental abilities can start declining by 20 years of age. That's why we must tap them young," says Dhaval Shrimankar, CEO, NurtureMinds.com.

The brain gyms - as these institutes are called - are not stand-alone entities, but, instead, operate through a network of local franchises in urban and semi-urban areas. The reach and popularity of abacus education can be gauged from the burgeoning franchisee network.

Today, the same innovative education is available in the US and Canada. The system has taken the home-school communities by the storm. Private centers similar to Score or Kumon are springing up from west coast to the east coast.

As an alternative to investment for a franchise, books are directly sold to the interested customers. Many of the patrons take up on roles of tutors as well as franchise owners.

How does Abacus work?

The abacus consists of 13 vertical rods, separated into two sections by a horizontal bar. Each rod contains one bead in the upper section and four beads in the lower section.

When given a sum, the child recites a rhyme corresponding to the kind of calculation involved. This also makes learning fun and easy. Simultaneously, the child moves the required beads up and down. The position of each bead signifies a specific numerical value. At the end of the rhyme, the position of the beads touching the horizontal bar, gives the answer.

As the course advances, the abacus is taken away and the child is encouraged to picture the abacus mentally to come up with the answer. After sufficient training, the child becomes adept at moving the beads mentally and no longer needs to recite the rhyme aloud to arrive at the answer.

by: Dhaval Shrimankar

Home Schooling Information You Don’t Hear About

2008-06-19T01:47:00.000-07:00

For many of us who don’t particularly like the public school system, we think that home schooling may be the perfect answer. You can teach your child the things you want him to know in a one on one environment, and you will be there to ensure he knows the material completely before moving on to the next subject. You will assign his homework, and grade it to be certain he thoroughly understands and remembers what you are teaching him in class. You don’t have to worry about him being exposed to illnesses and bad attitudes that often run amok in public and private schools alike. Considering all of these reasons why would you even think about not home schooling your child?

The previous information about home schooling is what is so often published to try to sway you to home school your children, but are they being up front and honest, telling you everything that you need to know? Of course, many of you already know that the answer to that question is no.

You need to be aware of the bad things that come along with home schooling, so that you can make the best decision for both you and your child. You need to remember that your child’s academic success or failure will weigh solely on your shoulders, so if you slip, if you don’t assign homework, or if you don’t make him do his homework, or settle down long enough to learn, then you are to blame. You have to be certain that your child stays on the same academic level as his peers, and if he isn’t do whatever it takes to get and keep him there.

One of the good and possibly bad parts of home schooling is that you get to spend almost all of your time together with your children. This is good in that you develop a closer relationship, and you know what is going on, without having to rely on someone else to nurture and teach your child. The bad part of this is that when your child is having a bad day, or you are having a bad day, you can’t take him to school, go somewhere and relax, and then pick him up later. You have to deal with the tantrums and bad behavior all on your own, so you need to make sure that you have enough patience to do so.

You also need to remember that teaching your child will become your full time job. Your husband will become the sole source of your family’s income, and you will have to learn how to cut corners to stretch your budget as far as possible. If you can’t live on that budget, or if it will cause undue stress and strain on your marriage, then home schooling may not be the best route to take at this time.

You can’t be a pushover for your child; you have to make him do his lessons and his homework, no matter how much he tries to convince you otherwise. No one loves your child like his parents, but you have to be strong enough to make him do the things that are best for him, even if he doesn’t realize it at the time. Homework Recommended Products

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by: Aldwin Pet

Preparing Yourself For Home Schooling

2008-06-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Home schooling refers to providing educational instruction to children in the home. Home schooling supplies children with a more personalized education.

Home schooling has proven itself to be a very good method of teaching children their ABC's. The home provides a very good environment for children to learn. More children feel more adjusted and more comfortable being educated at the home. And with home education, it is more the responsibility of the parents to teach their children. And because of the time spend with each other, this approach has made parents and their kids become closer with each other.

With home schooling, parents will also be able to save a lot when it comes to expenses. They no longer have to worry about getting schooling supplies for their children as required by most traditional institutions. Home school supplies are bought according to need as opposed to requirement. Aside from required learning tools, the parents are the ones responsible for providing other home schooling supplies such as pencils, notebooks, paper and the like.

If you plan on having your own kids home schooled, you might need to be prepared. One requirement is to find time to personally teach your children. With home schooling, you do not rely on anyone else to make your kids learn. That responsibility will fall on your lap. The same goes with preparing your children's home school supplies. It won't be as extensive a list as what public schools would require, but it would be wise to have your own list ready before you do your shopping. Here is a list of important things that you should always have ready on your home for your kids' home schooling supplies.

You should be able to have paper readily available in your home. This should include ample supply of typing and printing paper. You should also be including other paper supplies such as steno and college-ruled paper as your home-schooled children grow. Also include different writing instruments handy such as pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, chalk, markers, etc. Also include in your shopping list other items like all-purpose glue, scotch tape, rulers, erasers, staplers, paper clips, portable blackboard, and calculators.

In preparing to home school your children, you should also be able to have different learning tools available around the home. Different subjects may require various educational tools to help your children learn and understand their lessons better. For history and geography lessons, it is important to have a globe or a world map available as well as history and geography books within reach.

For science subjects, your students would require, magnifying glasses, prisms, a microscope or a telescope depending on your child's grade level. You can also include musical instruments to teach music lessons as well as other items that you think would be helpful for other subject types.

by: Low Jeremy

Are There Home Schooling Programs Available For College Students?

2008-06-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

Contrary to most people’s opinions, home schooling is not just limited to primary school students. In fact, there are many home schooling courses available for college students as well both offline and online.

Home schooling has been gaining more popularity in recent years because parents wanted more control over their child’s education. Parents wanted to oversee what their children is learning and teach them the right way.

For higher level college education, there are several types of home schooling programs available. It depends on the type of education you prefer your child to undertake.

One type is religion college home schooling. They have home schooling curriculum that have religious studies as part of their education.

Another type focus on the science while another focus on the arts. It can also be a combination of the above since college home schooling is quite flexible. You can cater your home schooling curriculum based on the interest of your child.

One thing all these college home schooling programs have in common is that they can be taught at the pace your child is comfortable with. Since each child learns differently and at different pace, the college home schooling program can be altered to suit each child’s learning progress.

There are also college home schooling programs offered in your local area. Some are theme based while others are focused on a particular subject. It will help if you can find yourself aligned with a home schooling group in your local community, if not you can do it online via the numerous homeschooling forums online.

by: Ricky Lim

Home Schooling: How Parents Need To Manage Their Time

2008-06-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Making reports, filing papers, fielding phone calls and placating your boss at the office takes only eight hours. Do you rest when you return home? The answer is no as you have to prepare dinner, share stories with your husband, spend time doing homework with the kids.

This is a situation typically encountered by working mothers, who for 24 hours and 7 days balance the innumerable demands of career and home. The children are however always at the receiving end and this is the problem. The reason for this needs to be asked.

The cause being the tendency of parents, particularly mothers to submit their children to schools with the faith that the children would be provided the best education by the institution.

Some parents however, in today’s changing world have realized that in order to provide the best education to their children sending them to school is no longer the best option. This is the reason for their choice of home schooling to provide their children the kind of education they desire for them.

Most parents devote their time and attempt to give their children the best education at home in home schooling. This does not imply however that more time should be devoted to home schooling than to household chores. Home schooling uses the ‘one to one’ teaching method as its fundamental tenet. The reason being children can understand the concept quicker and easier due to a more individualistic method.

To plan the right amount of time needed in home schooling given here below are some guidelines:

1. Learning style of the children. Examples can be found that the time requirements in home schooling may be dependent on the children’s learning style. An example would be that you would have to dedicate much less time if your child can learn things at a much quicker pace. You would however have to dedicate more time explaining certain concepts of the subject matter being taught, if your child requires more time to understand the things which are taught to him.

2. The kind of method used. Teaching methods relating to home schooling are many in number. However they differ regarding the time required by the parent to be dedicated to each program, as each has its individual teaching method.

3. The number of children within the family. Having many children in the family would mean long hours of teaching similar to a typical classroom setting where usually the number of children are many. The reason being that you would have to inculcate in students the substance of the subject matter, and would have to explain all over again if one of them fails to understand the idea.

4. The age of the child. More time is required in home schooling, the lesser the age of the child. The reason being that in comparison to children at the higher levels younger children tend to comprehend things being taught much slowly.

The vital factor is having quality time to spend with your parents or students though from the overall point of view the time needed may be influenced by these above-mentioned factors.

by: Phil Kuermam

The Legal Requirements For Home Schooling

2008-06-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling has become a popular type of education in the past few years. Parents can educate their child in their own homes, free to set their own study schedule and education curriculum.

If you are planning to homeschool your child, it is important you know the legal requirements for homeschooling in your state before proceeding.

Currently in the united states, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. However each state has their own requirements and guidelines. The best way to determine the legal requirements would be to contact your local school official for more information.

Most states requires parents who wish to adopt homeschooling to file a letter of intent to their local community school. Some states also requires parents to attend a series of lessons organize by the school before they can begin homeschooling. There are also some states that require the lesson plans to be submitted for approval by the school before you can commence homeschooling.

Some states also require children who are homeschooling to take test or evaluations conducted by qualified teachers. Some require the tests to be conducted on an annual basis. However, the tests are not compulsory but is encouraged.

These are safeguards in place to ensure the standard of education for homeschoolers is maintained.

For example in California, there are 3 different options for homeschooling. Homeschoolers can be part of an independent public homeschooling programs. The 2nd option is to get a certified homeschooling tutor and the last option is to enroll into a private school.

If you have a large homeschooling community in your area, the community can also form a private school for homeschoolers.

The graduate guidelines are also different with each state. Some states have no graduation requirements. Other states require the homeschooler to take tests before they are graduated.

Since the homeschooling requirement for each state is different, it is best to consult with your local school for more information before proceeding.

by: Ricky Lim

Home Schooling: Determining The Length Of Your Child's School Year

2008-06-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

A practical alternative or replacement to schooling institutions is Home schooling. In conformity with your state laws concerning this kind of education, parents teach their children to study and learn themselves.

Parents have different explanations as well as justifications as to why they want their children to be educated through home schooling. Parents are concerned regarding the safety of their wards, as well as the quality of education that provided in public schools. The costs of private schooling and the struggle that the child undergoes to keep up with the entire class is one of the major factors in favor of such alternatives.

Most parents feel defenseless when their kids are labeled as ‘slow learners’ by their peers, or other such emotional baggage.

In a large class, usually teachers have limited options and remedies to act on such children who might be “slow learners” compared to others. This leads to the need for tutoring, where they are provided the attention they seek, and can learn at “their own pace”, without having to compete with others children even while maximum attention is being paid by the teacher.

Again, a student who is very enthusiastic about learning and who generally does well in class is a good candidate for home schooling, since he can successfully juggle the absence of interacting with his friends and encouragement for excellent work that are components of a regular classroom.

A home schooling teacher must be have suitably eligibility, which suggests that he or she has at least had a “high school education” to educate lower elementary students.

The parent or teacher must be inspired and encouraged enough to educate the students, since home schooling entails hard work as well as rewards; it is, nevertheless, a satisfying job, when the results are for you to see.

Parent or teachers should be available for each day of schooling, there should be no interruption due to daily chores, and dedication to the program is a must.

Plan what the child needs:

The child will need a certain study area that is quiet, with no disturbances at all. Study time should be well scheduled and well planned.

Have a focused attitude towards the child; this is essential, as your child realizes that you are committed and enjoy your time together rather than acting irritable or unsatisfied with your child’s limitations.

A reward is a must to encourage and stimulate your child to create an affirmative emotional and informative experience. You should provide your child with basic school materials such as textbooks, encyclopedia, globe, and dictionaries. Try out the resources the internet provides as an addition to your home schooling program; such information is forever updated.

Store up on educational games of different varieties, art materials and supplies and create an environment for reading books. After your home school hours the kids can do crafts, play games, and read books as and when they like.

How do you define your “home school period?”

To begin the process of lesson planning, you have to determine a timetable or what is the “school year for your program”

Begin, by knowing the total number of “school days” in a formal school.

While determining this there are two main factors that one should understand. Firstly, the certain number of teaching or tutoring days as obliged by the State you are resident of. Usually, 180 days are needed, although some States require more and some less. Consequently, this is the minimum number of days recommended for your program.

Another factor is the total number of days necessary to complete the longest type of curriculum planned by you for the coming academic session. When the particular “longest” session necessitates less than the lowest number of teaching days, then it need not be a reason for outlining your home school yearly curriculum.

If it should need more than the lowest or minimum days, its time will conclude the time span for your year of home school. For example, if your State requires a minimum of 180 days of teaching, you discover in your curriculum, for example that algebra, will need 200 days of teaching to complete. Then 200 days would suffice for your home school year.

Once you have finalized and resolved which days are more, than that of the lowest number of your State's or your longest duration of program, then you should estimate the “actual number of days” of your home school year. That will then be the total number of days that your lessons should be based on.

by: Phil Kuermam

Home Schooling Costs - What Are They?

2008-06-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

When people consider teaching their children at home, without any structured curriculum, they may think that the home schooling costs will be able to be kept down to a reasonable level. But this is not necessarily the case at all. If you try to ensure that your children get a state of the art education so that they can compete on a level footing with regular school goers, the costs can skyrocket. In actual fact schooling a child at home can turn out to be quite costly.

A computer, current textbooks, course materials, all these things cost some amount of money, also there are extra costs for any tutors the parent decides to bring in to teach subjects that they cannot teach themselves, such as science or higher level maths. These costs can be minimised when several children are able to reuse the materials.

Another point to consider is that the requirement of having one of the parents tied to the home on a full time basis can deprive the family of an extra wage packet. This can, of course have a substantial impact on the family’s income.

Having a membership in a public library, various outside activity classes and other cultural events can also help in keeping the costs down. One idea is to barter expertise or services. For example, the parent of a nine year old has dancing classes; her daughter gets drawing classes in return.

However much it costs, the devotees of home schooling state that the benefits more than outweigh the drawbacks. When you are in control of what knowledge your child receives, and what subjects he or she should be taught and to what level, it can give you loads of freedom and a lot of power. The children and also the parents can benefit greatly from this mutually enriching experience.

by: James Hunaban

Home schooling - How to Avoid Burnout

2008-06-18T02:03:00.002-07:00

As with any project you take on, there is always the chance for burnout. Here are some simple steps you can take to help avoid burning out on home schooling.

1. Don’t try to do more than you or your child are capable of doing. Most students are average. Don’t expect your 3 year old to read novels or your teenager be able to ace the SAT test and get a full ride into college. These things happen, but they are not the norm.

2. Set a routine and skip the strict schedules. Do your children know what is expected of them each day? They need to get up, eat breakfast, do some chores, read, write, do arithmetic and a few other things that you set for them to do. They should not be playing on the computer or playing outside until their normal routine is finished. Some days are easier to accomplish than others. On the low motivation days, you can always throw in some fun or an occasional incentive.

3. Enjoy your children and develop your relationship with them. If you have a habit of relating with your child, with mutual listening, then you can work through any curriculum struggle or lack of motivation. You and your child should enjoy learning together and separately. If you are interested in a certain topic like cooking or gardening then your children should see you pursuing that knowledge. We all learn better when we are motivated to learn something ourselves.

4. When you home school you don’t have to mimic what the schools do. They have to structure their days a certain way because of the volume of students they have and the tests they have to pass. Homeschoolers can learn in many different ways using unusual methods like hopping up and down a step when you answer a flashcard or problem correctly. Use the flexibility of home schooling to avoid burnout by changing the atmosphere a little bit. Play music one day. Light some candles another day. Declare a “game day”.

If you keep your life and day in proper perspective, you can easily avoid burning out on home schooling. Your children probably won’t remember the lesson of the day although they will build on their knowledge and grow in their intelligence, just as they won’t remember the meal they eat, but it will help them grow physically. Your children will mostly remember the atmosphere of your home and how you treated them.

by: Heidi Johnson