May 30th I graduated my oldest daughter from 13 years of homeschooling. Her graduation is the culmination of an adventure I started in 1996 when she was only five-and-a-half, ready for schooling but not old enough by public school standards to start kindergarten. My husband and I knew we did not want our children in the local public schools and because I was not working we could not afford private. I had been gathering information about homeschooling for several years; a woman I attended church with at the time and who I was pregnant with at the same time, was very much into the idea and she opened up the world of homeschooling to me as she did her own research and infected me with her enthusiasm. I figured I had a degree in elementary education so I certainly was qualified to teach my own children. Her goal was to become a part of one of the umbrella schools in the area, but at the time, the requirements and the legalistic attitudes of those in charge of the umbrella school turned me off completely. So I went the support group route.
I started out with a full supported curriculum from Christian Liberty Academy. I was somewhat insecure in my own ability to choose the right things, and the idea of someone else keeping grades for me and sending me everything in one box appealed to me. By August of that first year, Walt was downsized from his job. It was a very scary time, even though he had gotten a rather substantial severance package and with it we were able to pay the fee for first grade from Christian Liberty Academy. It took six months for him to find a new job, and when he did he was making $10,000 less than he had been at the previous job. It became apparent by fall of 1997 that I would have to go back to work to supplement our income.
The Lord supplied the job, cashier at Winn Dixie, and I worked evenings, flying out of the house almost as soon as Walt came home from his work. We had determined that our children not only would never be in a public school, but would never be in a day care situation either; that one or the other of us would be with them at all times. I am grateful that the Lord allowed me seven years to stay home with my three girls and that He supplied jobs that allowed us to fulfill that commitment to our children. I homeschooled during the day, using the bought curriculum for Jennifer, and using the various preschool books one can buy from Wal-Mart and other stores to let my middle child "do school" alongside her big sister. It's funny; she listened as I taught Jennifer, and when I asked a question Jennifer couldn't answer, Alysia would pipe right up with the answer. The same thing happened when I formally started to teach Alysia and Heidi sat alongside with her preschool workbook in hand. I wonder what happened to that spontaneous learning today!
The curriculum changed as I grew as a homeschooler. From having CLASS take care of grades and transcripts, I went to their family plan so I wouldn't have to pay as much. Then it turned out that my middle daughter really couldn't handle textbook curricula and I went to the computer based Switched on Schoolhouse for her. I discovered that it was a much easier curriculum to work with; it lent itself very easily to independent learning, and set-up and execution was simple and straight-forward. So I soon put all three on SOS. The great thing was with the 12 th grade year I was done buying curriculum forever!
Jennifer has been dual-enrolled for two years, earning 18 hours of free college credit during her homeschool years. She has maintained a 4.0 in those college classes and is set to start her college career on a good note. Perhaps she can graduate suma cum laude although she has to take a college math which might pierce that 4.0! She will be getting an Associates of Sciences degree in Computer Graphics and Design, putting her drawing and artistic talent to great use.
It has been an exciting and adventurous 13 years. I still have four more years to go, with two daughters following close on Jennifer's heels. In the fall I will have two high schoolers. I also am embarking on furthering my own education with the goal of a Masters in Professional Counseling. This is quite the adventure and well worth the effort!