​Our nation is in crisis.  It would appear as if the general public has become desensitized to the daily disasters occurring on our own soil.  I cringe and I wonder why we continue to exacerbate the problem by allowing government to have such a stake in the way we raise our children.  That’s right- the government is raising our children, and until the nation’s failing education system can be completely overhauled, we continue to allow them to breed neo communists.  
 
Public schools tout equality and tolerance- just not for those with Christ-centered values. Critical Race Theory, the teaching of mindsets to align with the 2030 Global Agenda, and sexual grooming are just some of the atrocities that abound in our nation’s “government schools” today. Until this system is broken down, we continue to raise up children who accept and promote the very things that bring us closer and closer to a communist state.  Far-fetched you say?  Fascism is the idea that the government doesn’t have the power to regulate certain things…but they can and do partner with big companies who can.  In other words, you see the problem as big tech and big pharma, when in all actuality, you are only seeing the face of a backroom deal; a government-backed agenda.  In essence, Fascism is the idea of a semi-open market.  It is the gateway; the method of control over the media, propaganda and yes- the schools. 
 
Never before have parents questioned the legitimacy of the content being delivered to their children as they are now. This is not without good cause, as the word of God tells us that when false information is presented as truth, the result is confusion and unrest.  Here in New Jersey, bill A4454 quietly passed in January 2021 while the world was distracted with the COVID 19 pandemic.  This bill mandates schools immediately incorporate lessons for students in Kindergarten through grade 12 which shall: 
(1) highlight and promote diversity 1 15 , including economic diversity1 , equity, inclusion, tolerance 1 , 1 and belonging 1 16 [on topics including:] in connection with1 gender and sexual orientation 1 [;] , 1 17 race and ethnicity 1 [;] , 1 disabilities1 [;] , and1 18 religious tolerance; 1 [and unconscious bias; 
 
This bill mandates instruction in the areas of transgenderism and other alternative lifestyles to children as young as age 5.  These teachings place children in especially vulnerable and dangerous positions and have in fact caused our youth great confusion and unrest. Our failing education system is reflected in staggering statistics regarding youth in America.  ​

But don’t worry! Our government schools; the very institutions that bred these problems will swoop in and save the day.  To solve for the deep emotional trauma they caused, the powers that be are pouring your tax dollars into making sure that each and every student has the social and emotional supports they need to combat these problems. These statistics and the Covid 19 pandemic serve as excellent means to justify the widespread implementation of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools. The same government agencies that said masks didn’t work, then they did, that said the vaccine prevented Covid, until… it didn’t. The very same government agencies are now saying that the isolation and trauma your children suffered as a result of the shutdowns is cause for the schools to step in and ensure their mental health and well-being take precedence over academic loss.  Furthermore, that the social and emotional well-being of children is best addressed by educators, not counselors, not parents, but by teachers with little to no training on this new-age Social Science.  
SEL, has no substantial evidence to support its value, is based on subjective topics like religious beliefs, personal morals and values, and is taught using invasive and illegal surveying of our children.  To significantly expand upon this topic, I’d need time and you would likely need a drink.  For now, I’ll assert that SEL is the vehicle by which the government has ushered in another back room deal right under our noses.  

It’s no secret that the public education system was designed to teach compliance. Today, the institution’s agenda is no different.  Government schools prepare school aged children to develop mindsets to align with a new world order of thinking. This “global vision” is called Agenda 2030 and it is in direct opposition to God’s word. The manner in which this is done?  By having young, active children sit behind a desk for hours, having them “discuss” rather than “do” in order for them to develop a shared vision of what the world could be. All this is done under the guise of Social-Emotional Learning to unite us into a more utopian community with a shared vision. But, as the word tells us, there is nothing new under the sun, and this global agenda is just another attempt to build the Tower of Babble.   
​
Wait long enough and SEL in schools will brainwash our nation’s children to happily buy in, even welcome the idea of communism with open arms.  The difference is they won’t call it that. No, instead they will call it, “empathy”, sustainable living to combat climate change, equality for all, and social justice.  These are the concepts being drilled into their heads as you send them off to camp every day. It’s not that the average person doesn’t want these things, the difference is that many of these teachings overlap with deeply personal beliefs and the right to decide how and when to teach these concepts belongs to parents. 
 
The way a child is educated essentially lays the foundation for the way they approach life.  If a child is educated by way of sitting behind a desk, being told what to do, how to learn and that it’s disrespectful to disagree with anyone, then children will approach life waiting to be told what to do and how to do it. The problem of our schools is so deep that often times, consideration of a private school doesn’t necessarily fix the problem.  It merely sends families from one broken system to another.  The solution lies in the idea that education rest on the shoulders of parents.  It is their right to decide what they want for their children and it is unconstitutional to withhold money from those who chose Christian education- or anything other than public school for that matter.    
 
The future of education ultimately lies in absolute school choice; when public schools enter the free market and the money follows the child. Until then, we have to continue to speak up for those who cannot. Our children deserve parents who are willing to stand up to the government’s agenda to use them as pawns and to ready to advocate for our inalienable rights.  As we take back the right to educate our children as we see fit, the idea of what “school” looks like is about to change dramatically. Big government, you are hereby notified- you have poked the bear one too many times.  Until absolute school choice becomes a reality, I will use every ounce of my education, experience as a former school principal, and mother of two children who have been affected by the public schools to affect change. I am not alone.  I speak on behalf of countless other parents who are ready and willing to insist on parental rights and absolute school choice.  

Well, it's October and I have officially been homeschooling my six year old for about two months.  Never, ever, in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that this would be me. I am a highly organized, goal-driven, career educator.  Up until recently I was pretty proud of the fact that I was able to maintain a happy, healthy marriage, manage a clean house, well-groomed and mannered children, a high pressure career and still have time to host holidays.  But early in September my life was turned upside down.  In light of the sweeping changes in education I became increasingly concerned with the content of what was being taught to my children.  After a quick look it was apparent that the public schools I had once attended, worked in and even sent my daughter to no longer existed. Sure I could go on about my story, talk about what happened to us and what I am doing to push back against the system, but that's not the point of this blog post.  

Today, I am just thinking about my little boy.  All of the accomplishments I boasted about are nothing if I had missed the mark on what's really important in life.  Sometimes we can get so caught up in the day to day that we fail to see that things are changing right in front of our eyes.  If we continue to do the same routine day in and day out, afraid to take a drastic step, then we have to ask ourselves-- what is it all for anyway?  What is the point of doing all these lovely things if my son grows up learning to comply and conform in our government schools?  Children are a gift from the Lord and as parents, we are charged with being good stewards of all that He gave us.  So, if that means my life is upside down, so be it.  Last night, as I put him down to sleep, I closed my eyes and he must have thought I had fallen asleep.  He leaned over, kissed me and whispered, "you are my only light in the darkness when I am afraid."  My heart melted.  In that moment I was so grateful that he could see me as a light in the dark, his advocate and someone who will fight for him.   I loved that my son said that to me. But the truth remains certain-- Jesus is the light of the world and only He can calm our fears and give us true peace.  And I thought, how could I ever send him to a place for 8 hours a day where they don't share this belief?  So as hectic as my thoughts have been lately, this sweet statement gave me the peace and reassurance that I am on the right path.  
I am certain we are all going through some struggle.  Be encouraged friend.  Your trial today is your strength for tomorrow.  

Every day at 9am my alarm sounds off "I just wanna be ok, be ok, be ok!" I don't know why I chose that song.... I was trying to get myself to drink more water and I suppose I thought hearing something other than a ding, siren or bell would make me do that.  Most days, I chug down a 16 oz water bottle just so I don't have to hear Ingrid Michaelson tell me one more time how she just wants to Be Ok ; ) 
The funny thing is... every time I chug that water bottle I feel I actually accomplished something.  I know that may sound silly but up until about a year ago my water intake was insanely low on a regular basis.  I have no idea how I didn't shrivel up to a raisin by the time I was 40!   I really don't like the taste of it and I see no need to drink it, I just do because my rational brain knows that we need water to live. I know it's funny but this is truly an effort for me and I am pretty proud of the fact that I am effectively managing to get better at it.  
But... there are tons of other things that I miss the mark on daily.  And it's easy to count up those things as failures when I tell myself, " I am not spending enough time with my kids, my husband, or reading my bible... I forgot to go grocery shopping this week and the bathroom really needs to be cleaned." 

The older my little girl gets, the more I find I have to actually have these conversations out loud because she hears things in her head like, "I didn't do my laundry, clean up my room or remember to empty the dishwasher" and I have to help her dispel the myth of "failure".   I can say to her with certainty all the things I know to be right and true- that she is not failing at everything, that progress and balance are what matter and that she is OK as long as she is seeking God.  The funny thing is that each time I reassure her, I feel Holy Spirit gently nudge me, reminding me how our Heavenly Father tries to tell me this daily.

God is good and He is always working for us.  Sometimes we are only able to hear Him when we need to teach someone else.  And that's OK.  As parents we were never called to be perfect.  We are all a work in progress and as long as we continue to press in, keep our hand to the plow, and don't look back, we are OK.  Be encouraged, your best efforts are good enough and when you miss the mark, you're still good enough.  Keep on keepin' on my friends- we got this ; )  

Did you every start off trying to research something meaningful and so well-intentioned only to have it leave you more confused than you were before you started?  This happened to me when I recently found myself down a rabbit hole of Instagram posts, blogs and articles about "wellness". As you may know SEL curriculums, better know as Social and Emotional Learning saw a dramatic uptick during and after the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. Schools were very intent on stressing the potentially negative social and emotional impact on children as a result of the being home and away from their peers.  Teachers were instructed to conduct more wellness checks and eventually required to teach students about the same.  While I agree that the lock downs did have a negative effect on most of us, it would seem like wellness could have many subjective  points of discussion and I wondered....  what does the general public know about social and emotional learning and how are teachers going to instruct in this area.    

The overarching theme of wellness branches off into several different areas and, in one of the many oddities about the subject area, leads the curious researcher to tons of information for parents about how to nurture, respect, (insert any other cliche word here) your child.  Some articles are quite valuable but as I read on,  I found myself confused about whether I support or reject the many ideas presented.  Certain articles would cite phrases you should never say to a child, and others would give strategies for how to never raise your voice when speaking to a child.  Some warned about the lasting effects of certain parenting styles and many use terms like "child-led" to support their positions. Given my background on the topic, I found it unusual that I wouldn't immediately be able to discern the  value in some of what I read.  

I decided to close my laptop and walk away.  Confusion is not from God and when I feel confused about something it's an immediate trigger for me that something is not right and I need to pray about it.  As I prayed I heard in my spirit, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).  Peace came over me.  See, God gave us the ultimate guide for all things and this verse reminded me of the standards we are to continuously check ourselves against.  The word of God is the truth - period, full stop.  It is the standard by which I am able to accurately discern whether something is in line with my beliefs or not.  If a book, a movie, a teaching concept or anything contradicts the word of God, it's not for me and my family.  Simple as that.  In the world, especially today, there is chaos and confusion but I am able to find perfect peace in His word.  

​I hope this encourages someone to pick up their bible or turn on the app so you can have the narrator read the word while you're multitasking.  For me, there is no greater peace than being able to confidently discuss with my children, or anyone else why I do or don't support something.  I don't expect everyone to agree with my beliefs but I do expect that my children will see how their father and I make decisions for ourselves and for our family, and hope that those principles will stick for them as they move through their own challenging situations.  

Hi All!  
As promised, Teach These Children Fivefold Enrichment is ready to roll.... As the first members, I am really looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback about what works and what you would like to see tweaked.  
As a reminder, all your activity guides will be under "member resources". There you will see the same Monday - Friday icons listed on Instagram. Each day of the week represents  an a critical area of development that I encourage parents to help their children develop.  These five areas are motivation, balance, wellness, behavioral + vocational choice and control, and fun fitness. A new activity guide will be added daily and aligned to the day's focus area.  
Feel free to leave your general comments and questions here.  Don't forget to check out the zoom room schedule so you can join the conversation, discuss strategies and pitfalls live with me and the other members.  Hope to see you there! 

10 years ago I set out to start a blog and had ideas about projects that .... well... let's just say perhaps my timing was not God's timing.  I had a lot of thoughts about education, wanted to talk about what I saw, what I felt was missing and my concern over the direction it (the field of education as a whole) was heading.  I filled notebooks with my thoughts and I wanted to share them with the world.  At about the same time I  completed my MA in Educational Leadership and before you know it I was entrenched in school administration with little time for side projects. 

Over the last ten years I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and skills. In 2016, we welcomed our son Ari into the world.  We faced challenges of pregnancy, an 8 year age gap between children, health issues small and large and struggled to find the balance of maintaining a career and a happy home. I have gained a level of maturity and calmness that seems almost foreign, especially amidst a global pandemic.  God, in His most A M A Z I N G  grace, has brought me back to the place and time when I was driven by my passion for education; when my ideas were raw and my desire to share them was driven by a desire to find a community of like minded folks.  As I read the things I wrote, I realize how inspired they were.  I started to think I wasted time in not sharing my thoughts back then- I could have helped more, I could have, I should have... and all the other lies that we start to believe when the devil starts whispering in our ear.  I now realize that the fact that I feel the same way that I did back then, and that some of the thing I wrote have come to pass, is confirmation that I am on the right path. God's timing is not ours and what is 10 years or an eternity to us is merely a blink of an eye to Him.  So here I am.... ready to restart this journey, share my insight, success and pitfalls as a Christian mom.  Only this time I am better equipped to offer more than a forum. 

Teach These Children is a fivefold enrichment available through Synergy Education Initiative.  Available through the app, the program aims to help parents navigate the part of educating their children that is most important but discussed the least.  In other words, in the ten years that I didn't blog, God gave me the experiences and knowledge to deliver solutions to the community I'm seeking.  I hope you are still out there, I hope you will join me on this journey and I look forward to connecting with you soon. 
Love, 
​Mariesa 

Last night I was praying... wondering why it felt like God wasn't answering this particular prayer. It's something that I keep struggling with and I began to get very emotional. Soon I sniffling and quietly trying not to full out sob. My husband was asleep on the couch and our daughter was asleep in her room. While her room is right next to ours, which is where I was, she had been asleep for hours and usually is a VERY sound sleeper.  After all, she is only 4. When my heart was hurting most my daughter called out, "Mommy..."  I was very surprised, quickly collected myself and tried my best to reply, "Yes," through the sniffling. Just then, as if she had been wide awake for hours she replied in the most sincere, heart warming way a simple, "I loooove you." I could cry all over again thinking about how happy it made me.... how utterly shocked I was to hear such a thing at such an hour.
In the morning I asked her if she remembered waking up to tell me that she loved me.  She did not. My thoughts? The Holy Spirit... The Lord's way of telling me He hears me and He loves me.  
Isaiah 40:31
King James Bible
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

so here I am..... here to speak honestly about my joys, challenges, and everything else about my life as a Christian mother.  We all need someone to listen to us, someone to bounce ideas off of and someone to just laugh at us..... there have been so many times where I'm just not sure if I could share because I was afraid of the response... that being said I'm starting this blog so you know.... yes, there is someone else out there that gets it.... someone else who's thinking the very same crazy things you are... I hope you find my thoughts and comments helpful in dealing with you own situations. Lastly,  I hope this blesses those of you that stumble across the site and you will visit often.