School Days, School Days.......

Our school year started today.

We had a really good day. My oldest son started 3rd grade. Until this grade, we have followed a more leisurely pace to our school. He is getting older now and capable of a lot more. He will be getting it.

It took me a while to introduce him to all the new "stuff." For all my homeschool friends, I'll tell you what we are using (we like to be nosy about that kind of stuff!!) We started Easy Grammar 3, Daily Grams 3, Spelling Workout B, Math-U-See Gamma, A Reason for Handwriting T, and Tapestry of Grace Year 1. He is also taking a "Discovering God's World" science class. We will use our AWANA for Bible. Right off the bat, I realized that I don't like the spelling for him. We didn't even write in the book, I will be selling it.

I am very excited about our Tapestry of Grace. We will be learning about history from Creation to the Fall of the Roman Empire this year. It is a Christian, classical education model using unit study approach. It covers history, church history, literature, geography, fine arts, government & philiosophy in later years, and writing & composition. All of it is centered around the idea of the Tapestry of Grace woven throughout time by the hand of God. God is sovereign in all things and will use all to His glory! What a way to teach my kids!!!

My youngest son will be doing some preschool work also. He did some work with the letter "A" today, and made me take his picture five times with it. He is doing some Christian Light preschool books and loving them! He likes to sit at the big table with his brother. He works in spurts.....works for a while, and then plays.....then comes back, and then plays again. He was very excited to start school too.

I am excited about all this new curriculum. But, as I sat at the table today, I was overcome with thankfulness. I am thankful that I get to be there when they learn new things....when the lightbulb goes on and they "get it." As I listened to my son read, I see the progress from the days I taught him the sounds the letters make. As I watch him multiply, I remember the days we added 1+1. As I watch my younger son work at the table, I remember the days we didn't know if he could ever walk.

I rejoice in what the Lord has done in their lives.

I am glad He allowed me to be there.

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Home Sweet Home, part 3

We started our first year of homeschooling. We did not know we would have so many changes this year.

My husband and I felt a call to change churches. We had a friend entering the ministry and he received his call for his first church, and God had placed it in our hearts to go with him. This changed our lives dramatically.

The combination of homeschooling and our church change was a lesson from God. I learned to daily seek Him as never before. I needed His strength to carry me through. I learned that true worship and prayer is a personal experience with God, not all in a worship service. I saw God move in lives and in a church as I never had before. I was on the front row seat to see the hand of God at work in my life. Because I was paying attention. I could write pages about what God taught me and my family that first year. I can truly say that I am not the same person I was before, and praise Him for that!

Our first year homeschooling adventure was amazing. It still makes me tear up, thinking that I almost missed the blessing. It was not about formal education at all. It was about our family and a life of learning. I am glad that I obeyed.

As we enter our fourth year, I get excited to think of all the “plans” we have. We have a big year with new curriculum. We are studying Creation and Ancient Civilizations, and have big field trips planned. But what most excites me are the plans that I don’t know about. The plans that God has for this year and what He will be teaching us are far better than any I could ever come up with.

I will let you know what I learn.

Home Sweet Home, part 2

Run from God, what do I mean?? I got scared.

When I started thinking about homeschooling, it started scaring me. Not the school part, which is really odd. I did not have a problem with the teaching and learning. I am a nerd, as I have said before. I know that a classroom is not needed for learning. True education never starts or stops, it is an ongoing lifetime process. I was comfortable with that. I did not want to give up MY life or MY time. Public school was sounding better.

The neighborhood we were living in was starting to have issues. The house was too big, and the pool was a lot of worry/money/work. We put our house up for sale and moved to another county. We were in a neighborhood with a brand new school as our school. I thought, “I’ll send him there.” During this time, we had another child. Our oldest was in a church preschool, and I was really happy with it. It was a preschool that focused on fun and being a child, not “academics” (believe me, we looked at one that pushed academics for three year olds!)

During his last year of preschool, God started dealing with me and my disobedience. It was like Jonah. God gave him instructions, and he hopped in a boat and went the other way. God told me through many Scriptures what he wanted me to do. I was convicted and willingly chose to ignore it. Why? Because the “What about me?”-ness of society. I was listening to others and not to God. The people that said to me, “How can you be with your kids all day, and not have time for you?” “I could never do that, I don’t get along with my kids, they wouldn’t listen to me” I believed them and not God. That was Eve’s problem, she believed the serpent and not God.

I prayed and decided the best course of action was to believe God, and ignore the others. He would take care of me. (Romans 8:28) He would carry the load. (1 Peter 5:7) And it was about time I learned how to die to self, it is not about me. (Galatians 2:20)

So, we were about to start our first year of school. I was not prepared for the education I would receive.

To be concluded……………………

Home Sweet Home, part 1

I have been busy organizing and cleaning and cleaning and organizing around the house. We are preparing to enter our fourth year of homeschooling in September. I am getting everything ready and planning and gearing up for it all. It has made me want to tell y’all about our home/school life. You will be seeing much more of it as school starts. I want to try to post more pictures for family to keep them updated on our school.

Some of you may not know any homeschoolers, some may know me but not understand it, or you may be a homeschooler yourself and you need encouragement, and I hope I can give it to you. Just as each family and home is special and unique, such is each homeschool. Each home has a story of how God has placed them on this journey, and why they feel called into this ministry. This is our story. You may not agree with it, but it is ours.

I remember beginning to wonder about school for our oldest when he was a baby. We had the idea that he would go to the private school at our church. I would get my teaching certificate and try to teach there when he started school. I began substitute teaching there when he was a baby. I learned a lot about school while I was there. I was asked to work the maternity leave for the elementary art teacher. This was just two days a week for three months. I arranged childcare with a friend, and took the job. I had my answer after the first month. The discussions at the first and second grade lunch tables! The idea that friends come before family! The idea that what ever the teacher said was so, even if it was wrong! And this was all under the fourth grade level. What was going to happen now!

I began to do what I do best, research. I looked at education in general and different philosophies. I looked at types of schools and the history of schools. I looked at learning styles, teaching styles, and standardized testing. I looked at what God said about education. All of this research led me to research homeschooling. I then had a surprising conversation with my parents. I was over at their house and my dad asked me “Have you ever thought about homeschooling? I know a fireman and his wife and that is what they do. You would be good at it.” I told him that we were thinking about it and I was looking into it.

The year my oldest turned two, I went to the state homeschool conference in Winston Salem. I had many objectives. I wanted to see other homeschoolers, I did not know any. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t have to wear denim jumpers, grind my own wheat, and not cut/color my hair (those are all myths!) I wanted to see what all was “out there.” I was surprised to run into people I knew from church. I was also able to hear speakers on different subjects. This helped turn this decision from a head decision to a heart decision. It also led me to pray a lot more!

We were going to be homeschoolers! That is, until I decided to run from God…….to be continued…….