When is Martin Luther King Day 2017?

Now that the holiday season is over, it may seem like there isn't much left to celebrate. Many of us are focused on getting back into the swing of things at school and making good on our New Year's resolutions. Regardless, January is full of holidays, from Russian Christmas to Chinese New Year and Fun at Work Day. Although you can find something to celebrate nearly every day of the month, one January holiday stands out from the rest. Martin Luther King Day is a very important holiday in the history of the US, is federally recognized as a national holiday, and falls on Monday, January 16th this year.

In this blog article, you will learn more about the important significance of this holiday, including:

• The reason we celebrate Martin Luther King Day

• Little-known Martin Luther King Jr. facts

• Some of Dr. King’s famous quotes

• The history of Martin Luther King Day as a holiday

• A list of the public and private offices that are closed to observe Martin Luther King Day 

Bon jour. Comment allez-vous? In case you were wondering, this means “Hello, how are you?” in French. It seems like forever since I took my first French class in high school, but one thing is for sure: I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I signed up for it. To be honest, I learned much more than how to say a few phrases in a foreign language. In fact, there were quite a few unexpected benefits I received from my French class that you stand to gain too, when you sign up for a French class.

Everyone, young and old, has experienced peer pressure. It's not always negative, there is positive peer pressure, too. Peer pressure is when a person’s friend tries to get them to do something, and since some teens and adults want to fit in, they succumb to it. Sometimes it's because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, but most times, it’s because they don’t know how to say “NO!”

According to the Kids Health Organization, these are some of the main topics that come from discussions about positive and negative peer pressure.

As your home school high school career comes to a close, it is pivotal that you plan ahead to prepare and apply for college. Well-prepared home school students start the process early. The first step is deciding which type of college works for you.

There are two types of schools to choose from:

1. Traditional College. Perhaps you’ve grown a lot on your own, but you’re ready to enter into the classroom and interact with your peers and professors.

2. Distance Learning Higher Education Institutes. If you love working independently and want to continue—or maybe you don’t want to move and there aren’t programs that interest you locally—then distance learning might be a good option for your higher education, too. These institutes allow you to attend classes and complete assignments from your home.

No matter which you choose, it is crucial that you begin the process early, learning which schools you’re interested in and what they require of their applicants. Because you’re coming from home school, the requirements may vary greatly from school to school.

We can all agree that teen pregnancy—no matter the circumstances—is not an ideal situation; it is the result of a broken world, and it presents a dilemma for all involved. There are suddenly many things to figure out, and your life is no longer your own. Let’s not forget that, however costly, ill-timed, and inconvenient, children are gifts from God and blessings to their communities. We pray that your community is ready to receive and love you and your child, especially in a time such as this.

While teen pregnancy will change your life, it does not have to derail it. The tools that you need to press into this new path in your life are readily available, easily accessible, and will allow you to proceed in a positive direction.

It is summer. Whew! You have made it through a whole year of homeschool, taking charge in your child’s education and teaching them—not just school subjects but how to live healthy, productive, curious, and spiritual lives. Hopefully you’re able to take a break this summer and regroup. We have some ideas for how you can use your family’s educational hiatus to recharge, keep them learning, and prepare yourself for the coming year.

The primary role of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is to ensure that an NCAA student athlete is equipped to handle experiences that occur on the field, in the classroom, and in life, and its categorization of the diverse schools that make up its membership—over 1,100 schools which play in 3 divisions—put the NCAA student athlete on a level playing field with other like-minded institutions.

For high schoolers hoping to become an NCAA student athlete, pursuing this path can be overwhelming. You are left with a lot to navigate without much direction. Beyond the normal factors of SAT scores, AP exams, and choosing a school and career path, you have to consider schools with the sports programs and coaches you will thrive under in the division (I, II, or III) that you want. For Christian athletes, the values and culture of the school are also important factors.

If you are dissatisfied with the public school system, you may be considering a Christian home schooling solution. Perhaps you are wondering how students who are home schooled compare academically to students who receive a more traditional public school education.

Did you know that on average students with a home school education outperform public school students in all subjects? In fact, a study of over 5,000 home school students showed that they average 30–37 percentile points higher than their public school peers.

Discovering the root cause and finding hope.

While having a child expelled from school can initially feel like life has flown off the tracks, eventually you will be able to look back and see God’s guiding hand shaping the situation for you and your child’s joy, hope, and restoration. Just like when God brought Israel back from exile, His promises remain: “Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy” (Isaiah 61:7).

This article is Part 3 of a three-part series on processing and responding to a child being expelled from school.

• Part 1: How to deal with your own emotions about your child being expelled from school.
• Part 2: How to help your child work through his or her emotions about being expelled.
• Part 3: How to discover the source of the problem and get your child back on the tracks in his or her education.

Part 1: Expelled from School—Riding the Roller Coaster

If your child has recently been expelled from school, this may be an uncertain time for your family. You have suddenly been forced to take a new direction in your child’s education. While the educational journey has taken a turn, you may also find yourself on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.

While you are riding the waves of emotion it can be comforting to find that you are not riding alone. Many parents have been—and are currently—in your place, researching what to do when their child is expelled from school. In fact, according to a 2006 study by the National Center for Education Statistics, over 100,000 public elementary and secondary school students are expelled each year. Remembering this can help you maintain perspective. And while you are realizing you are not alone, send up a prayer for those families, too.

For many parents it becomes apparent over time that public, charter or private schooling is not benefitting their child, and they start to look into home schooling options. The reasons for choosing home schooling are as varied as the children who leave traditional schools to be home schooled: Parents often do not agree with the subject matter taught at traditional schools or the methods that are used to teach the subjects. They may not believe in the morals underlying the instruction in the classroom. Parents may have a child who has health issues that make it challenging for him or her to be surrounded by too many people. Maybe their child is being bullied or struggling with social pressures. 

Does this sound familiar to you?

What are some of your goals for the year 2016? Working out more? Eating better? These are excellent goals, but what about your spiritual diet? A survey from the American Bible Society showed that 60% of Americans want to read the Bible more. Just among teens, 62% say that they want to spend more time reading the Bible.

Where is a good place to start? I suggest making a plan to read the Bible in a year; this may sound daunting at first, but if you are able to set aside time each day, it is not difficult. Below, I will give overviews of five different plans to read the Bible in a year.

It was yet another sleepless night for me. Tossing, turning, mind-racing, heart-pounding nights were becoming the norm. My anxiety was most prevalent at night. This caused a season marked by stress and tiredness.

Though it no longer looks that troublesome, anxiety is an ongoing battle for me. And the more people I meet and speak with, the more I am convinced that I am not alone. From weathered adults with incredibly painful circumstances to children struggling with completing homework, anxiety is a form of suffering common to many, in varying degrees.

Maybe you know of someone who can use an inspirational quote or Bible verse today. Maybe that someone is you.

Here are 7 free shareable quotes and Bible verses with images:

Eating. It should be one of the most normal and natural things we do - just another part of our everyday life, right?

For many people today, it is more complicated than that.  The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) states that in the United States alone, 20 million women suffer or will suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their life, with the majority of cases found in girls between the ages of 13 to 18. It is integral that Christian parents know how to talk to their daughters about eating disorders.  

Christian Universities Online explains that the history of Christian universities in the United States dates back to 1636, with the opening of Harvard University who had a founding rule stating that all students should know God and Jesus Christ and for Him to lay the foundation for their education. While today, Harvard is more diverse in its acceptance of a student and their religion; many institutions were founded as a Christian university. The history includes universities such as Brown, Yale, and Princeton.

Currently there are 3.4 million students enrolled in private universities. The graduation rate at a private institution is 30% higher than public, but the cost is also more than double.

Summer is a great time to take advantage of fun, outdoor science activities! Whether you enjoy hiking with your child or cooking in the kitchen, there are many ways to engage your child in fun summer science projects.

A fun aspect about summer is being able to conduct scientific experiments outdoors in God’s creation. Some of these experiments are a little messy, but they clean up readily on a surface that can be hosed off.

Check out these 5 fun summer science projects for kids that is sure to keep them learning this summer!

The United States has a rich history of homeschooling K-12 students. Did you know that in 1840 almost half (45%) of all of the students in the U.S. were educated at home? Today, many parents are looking into a homeschool option for their child due to various reasons. The top reason for parents homeschooling is their growing concern about the traditional school environment.

Today, the nature of homeschooling looks a bit different with the introduction of K-12 online education. Here is a look at the journey of the past, present and future of homeschooling in the U.S.

With the summer months upon us we have entered the “summer slide” where students began to forget what they’ve worked so hard to learn the past nine months. That old saying “use it or lose it” can be really true. Those times tables are not like riding a bike; if you don’t keep up with them, you will forget. However, continuing to learn over the summer doesn’t have to be a drag!

Check out these 7 fun ways to keep learning during the summer:

School has ended, and summer has arrived! During this time, there is no better way to stay academically “in shape” than by reading books. Children can continue their academic practice, and families can spend quality time with each other by making their very own summer reading list.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started: