Monthly Archives: March 2012

A Proper Education – the Foundation for Discovery and Invention

30 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Home-School, Wisdom

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While preparing for our Raising Entrepreneurs April conference in Arkansas, I was thinking about school and the purpose behind education.  It was just last weekend that I was meeting with a group of fathers after viewing a video by Karl Coke on education.  In the video he said there are only two things to study – God and Creation.  The funny thing is, even secular education institutions are studying one or both of these; but they’ll never admit it.  In his talk he points out several things worth pondering as we engage our children in education:

1. Thomas Edison, well known for inventing the light bulb, didn’t actually invent the light bulb.  Rather, he discovered what God has already built into his creation – Edison harnessed the tools and wisdom given to him by God to discover what God had already made possible.  When we look at it this way, we see that everything man is creating, is really a discovery or an application of what God has already made true.

2. Coke pointed out that, to study creation without God is stupid.  When we study science without the creator, we miss the most important aspects of science, since it is a creation.

3. Much time was spent building a case for two components of learning – to Observe and to Obey.  They are different according to Coke.  The first, to Observe, involves teaching and learning.  Obey has the idea of recalling to memory.  Both are necessary.

4. He pointed out the need for obedience to guard the moral behavior of man as he observes.  He can observe and discover nuclear physics or the making of the atom bomb, but moral responsibility comes with obedience to God’s word.

5. I think his most important point here is that it is the Holy Spirit that gives us Godly wisdom.  The natural man cannot comprehend this according to II Cor 2:14.  As we meditate on His Word, we can expect our wisdom and understanding in all areas of God and His Creation to grow.  If we want to accomplish great things while in this world, we would do well to follow the principles of education as described in scripture – God design education, His way, for His Purposes.

© 2012, David Stelzl

Watching Our Parental Rights Erode

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Entrepreneurial Thinking, Family Relationship

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If you are part of the HSLDA you may have read this in the latest news bulletin – New Born Seized…in PA.  Having just become a great uncle, and listening to some of the treatment parents are receiving in the local hospitals when they don’t want all of the normal procedures, I was disturbed to read this…It was just last week that my own family members reported the hospital staff’s threats to get DSS involved.  When I first heard this, it was hard to believe the hospital would actually go through with their threats when the parents are obviously not negligent (at least as I see them – well dressed, together, not on drugs, and concerned for the best situation for their new born).  They just want to take a more natural approach – and perhaps question some of the doctor intervention being forced on us…please read this and pass it on:

http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/pa/201203270.asp

What does this have to do with my Raising Entrepreneur’s blog – everything!  Entrepreneurial thinking, in my mind, is about challenging the status-quo system and maintaining our freedom to think and do what’s best.  To avoid the government system that pushes us into traditional education, and lands us into the corporate world to work like robots.  I believe there are better ways to do things. We’ve been given wisdom, God’s Word, gifts and talents, and hopefully a desire to do something great.  When someone stops us from asking good questions, researching the best options, and thinking outside the box, something is wrong…this case highlights what is happening to every aspect of raising up the next generation…

Don’t forget to sign up and join us for the upcoming Entrepreneurial Conferences on our EVENTS page…for some out of the box thinking that will certainly challenge the norm, but lead us all to a better way of life.

© David Stelzl

Simon Sinek Video – Why You Do What You Do

22 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Business Ideas, Video

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This afternoon I posted Simon Sinek’s video on my other blog site.  This video provides some creative insight into how people make buying decisions…another important lesson sales and marketing that you probably won’t get in a regular school program.

Take a look: http://davidstelzl.com/2012/03/22/simon-sinek-on-the-why-we-do-business/

New Conference Dates for Charlotte NC!

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Events

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We have final dates for the Charlotte Raising Entrepreneurs Conference now…May 4/5 (this is a change from earlier dates which were May 11/12).  Check our events page – there is no charge for this event, so sign up here: http://raisingentrepreneursnc.eventbrite.com/

Seating is limited so make sure you tell us how many are coming, and cancel in advance if you cannot make it.  Thanks for helping us make this a great family/educational event!

The True Value of Sports in Your Homeschool Routine

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Family Relationship, Home-School

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One topic that continues to come up is “sports teams”.  What is the true value of participating in local sports teams (homeschool oriented or other)?  I often hear answers like, teamwork, leadership, character building…is this a good use of your limited time.  Here’s my analysis…

  • Most of the organized sports out there take an incredible amount of time.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting outdoors, riding bikes with the kids, and an occasional game of football.  But when I see entire families running around the city (and sometimes the country), chasing after the next game and spending hours on the field, I am grieved.  There is no long term benefit to becoming a soccer star while in high school unless you plan to be a pro ball player; to make it a career.
  • What about taking it all the way to pro?  I was talking with a father recently about his son’s incredibly busy schedule with baseball.  I asked him about the long term benefit, and he replied, he might actually be able to go pro!  Surprised by this, I asked him if he wanted his son to go pro.  He thought a moment, then replied, “I don’t know.”  I then said, “Well, let me ask it another way. If I gave your son several million dollars and surrounded him with immoral women, would he still become the man of God you want him to be?”  It’s a valid question.  He simply said, “No.”
  • Most sports teams operate on a “Survival of the fittest mentality.  There are a few stars who are worshiped by the team members. There are those who play often, and there are the losers who sit on the bench.  One coach may try to play everyone fairly, but it isn’t what the team really wants.  In the end, the great players are going to be idolized.  Is this what we want to teach our kids to value?
  • The family is the body of Christ – a small unit of the Church.  Today’s Church has largely divided the family, sending everyone off into their own little peer groups, and as a result, it has become a weak organization.  The way organized sports are run in this day and age, that team becomes the primary focus of anyone serious about the sport.  If you want to be one of the stars, you must commit with your whole heart.  This trains young men to do the same later in life when they join a company.  After all, this is what the company wants.  We are called to serve as part of the body, not the team.

I’d be interested in our thoughts – I know this has to be a controversial subject – but it’s killing the family if we are honest with ourselves.

© 2012, David Stelzl

Great Classes for Homeschool

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Home-School

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When I started homeschooling 20 years ago, I kept looking back at my own education experience, asking “What was I doing in X grade?” This is common, but a mistake – it’s wrong thinking.  Hands on, practical learning, beats eight hours in the classroom any day.  Here’s one of the classes I taught this past year…building a bathroom.  What did we learn?

  • Budgeting and counting the cost.  A few months ago the picture above was just studs and sub-floor.  It took some budgeting and planning to get to this point.
  • Project management skills – timelines, estimates, materials, and prioritizing steps.
  • Research skills – when we started, we didn’t know all we needed to know. There were electricity and other building codes to research, as well as carpentry skills to master (such as tiling the bathtub walls and the floor).
  • Team work – two of my sons and I did this together, working side by side.
  • Problem solving – this goes without saying, but any building project like this one is bound to run into some problems.
  • Character – and sometimes things don’t go as planned, creating the perfect character building situation.

Don’t look only to text books for your lesson plans.  Start looking around. This class has the potential of creating a number of long term business opportunities, or at least teaches skills that will be used in almost any business.

© 2012, David Stelzl

Changing Educational Paradigms Video

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Public School, Video

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This is worth watching….Please pass this on to your homeschooling friends and family.

Why do we educate the way we do?  Those of you who homeschool, are you copying a failed model in your home?  At some point I predict our government will dictate the programs we use in our homeschools – hopefully we will fight it, but why give in to it right now while we still have a great deal of freedom in this area?

Note his comments on A.D.D. – very insightful and well said, without claiming to be an expert on the medical side of this problem.  I can say from experience, I was not one of the 11% built to sit in class all day.  I don’t know many young men who are – and I suspect many young ladies would agree as well.  Let’s not confuse learning with sitting in a classroom.

Also take note of his comments on divergent thinking…innovation is missing in our education programs.  As I travel around to businesses, conducting strategy meetings with sales and marketing groups, I am amazed at how difficult it is to get people to create…it’s a sad commentary on what expensive universities are producing over a four year period.  How can we better equip our young people for success?  Let’s fix this problem by applying Biblical Wisdom.

Changing Education Paradigms from Doug Saunders on Vimeo.

© 2012, David Stelzl

Beyond the Play Room…

09 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Business Ideas, Entrepreneurial Thinking, Wisdom

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Post by Bethany Stelzl (14)

When I was younger, I was content to be in the play room. But as I grew older, I learned that there comes a time when you lose interest in toys and begin to get excited about meaningful projects, and opportunities that will affect the future! I wanted to learn how to build and run a business successfully, and to be able to reach out to other people.

I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to start my first business – keeping honeybees! It was harder than I expected, and when it didn’t work out as planned, I became discouraged. My Dad wisely told me that while starting a business may be easy, it takes time and effort to keep it going. Very few people succeed on their first attempt, and only a small percentage even make it through a few years.

I started a second business recently – card making. I learned to quill paper designs, and have been coming up with differentcards for holidays and special occasions. It has taken a lot of effort and is still not very profitable, but it has paid off. I’m learning to be diligent, and to press on when things don’t seem very productive. I’m excited about the potential of what can become something bigger and more successful in the future, as well as the opportunities that lay ahead to build character and interact with the people I sell to.

Whether or not your first business attempts are successful, don’t give up! It never pays to quit. You should look at this as a time of training – to learn from mistakes, build character, and develop an understanding of wise Biblical principles that work. It’s not about making money as much as it is about learning wise principles that will help you be successful long-term – whether in selling a product or service, or in finding and reaching out, to meet people’s needs.

I am now trying to start another business and am very excited about it! I know these entrepreneurial experiences will better prepare me for the future in many ways! Fulfilling my God-given role requires that I learn to work according to His purposes. He has placed a passion in my heart to do meaningful things, which is why I am no longer content to just be in the play room. I’m learning that there is true joy in completing a task well to the glory of God, and in so doing that there is much reward – both spiritual and physical!

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