We love you all, and respect your decisions on education, please do the same with us. ❤︎
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| ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland |
We have three children. At the time we pulled them from public school (p.s.) we had one child who was slightly behind of where we knew they should be. We also had one child who was extremely advanced, and if we did not get that child something to do, they would have started getting into trouble for disrupting the class because they were bored. Our third child was "well behind age level" his teacher told us. This child struggled with reading, struggled with math. This child thought he was stupid because he would score a "U" (underdeveloped) or "N" (not developed) on his papers while his classmates would get scores of "S" or "S+" (satisfactory). This child would come home from school and cry because he was failing. A mama's heart can only take so much of her own children's heartbreak. It was crushing. I encouraged him. I read with him. We worked so hard to try and get to the standardized level for his age. The middle of the second semester came, and he was "still behind" and would need special tutoring, and maybe even to be held back. I cried. I prayed. I cried and prayed some more. We needed a change.
God's Divine Timing-
Later that same week, I met the sweetest lady and her two young boys at the park. She told me that they homeschooled their children. We spoke about what they were currently learning, and about the co-op they attended. At the time, I really didn't even think this was an option for us. But I listened and thought, "Oh that's so fantastic that you get to do that!" On with life. Our home church back in Texas has a great outreach ministry on Sunday evenings. They go to the city park, pass out free hotdogs, and meet people. They just enjoy being in the community, talking with everyday people, loving on them, and showing God's love. One evening, a few weeks after the lady at the park, a new family joined us for hot dogs. They had teenaged children and guess what?! They homeschooled as well! They told us of how they had just graduated one of their older children, and that he had just enrolled at the local college. How neat! Still, I did not think I had the answer for our family. I continued to pray, "Lord, just show me what to do. Show me how to help my children. Please just tell me what to do." The very next week my sister and I were in one of my favorite stores, Mardel. They have an amazing assortment of educational curriculum, supplies, and everything you would need to start homeschooling. I started to look at the curriculum. My sister and I debated about whether or not we could actually take on homeschooling our children. We laughed about how crazy our husbands would think we were. Out of the blue, a woman came up to us and said that she felt like she was supposed to tell us that we could indeed homeschool our children and do a great job of it! We kind of laughed and said thank you. Again, on with life. I drove home. The whole way I kept thinking about what she had said. "You can do it." It wasn't until I got home, that I realized that God had been giving me gentle introductions to homeschooling. He finally got tired of me not getting the hint, and sent the woman to Mardel (insert ah-ha moment)!
Now to tell the husband-
Honestly, we went back and forth, over and over. Was this absolutely what we were supposed to do? What about their friends? What about sports? I researched and dug information from books. I met with other homeschool moms and got run-downs of their days. I prayed and prayed some more. Prayed for guidance. Prayed that if this was what I was supposed to do that God would soften Bill's heart to the idea. Prayed that I would have faith in myself. Prayed and prayed.
The end of the school year came. My heart and spirit were totally convinced at this point that I was supposed to homeschool. The kids were thrilled! They knew they would see their friends. They knew we would find sports and groups and activities, and that they would make more new friends. Bill was not yet convinced, and was leaving for out of town work the first two weeks of summer.
I consider my husband to be very wise. He is very headstrong, and very determined. He likes things done a certain way, and in a certain order. On Monday, June 2, 2014 Bill left early in the morning headed for Kentucky. He had no intention of changing his mind on the fact that we should not homeschool. Driving down the road, he turned on the radio. NewsTalk 1290. I do not know what was said on this particular broadcast. I do not know what struck a chord with his heart. Whatever it was, God has His hand in it, and it was exactly what Bill needed to hear. My phone rang, and he said, "We're going to give this a try."
We "tested" the homeschool waters all that summer. We got curriculum, planned out goals, and had school almost every day. We worked our booties off and guess what?! In two months, my child that was so far behind caught up and passed his age level standards. My child that was slightly behind also excelled and went above and beyond age level. And, my third child who was bored and needing to be advanced, got just that, advanced.
We tested our children using a nationally standardized test at the beginning and ending of the summer. There was so much improvement we were astounded. We confirmed our resolution to homeschool and withdrew our children from p.s that August.
Currently-
We have switched curriculums, several times. We have done unit studies. We have been a part of two different co-ops. We go on field trips. We go to homesteading classes. We play sports. We are homeschooling and loving it!
