BLESSINGS OF HOMESCHOOLING

 

I have three children. When we started homeschooling my youngest son was in second grade, my daughter in 5th grade, and my oldest son in 7th grade.

 

My oldest son graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade point average. One thing I found interesting was that there were times when he would get a different answer in his math than the score key.

 

When I called the school to speak to the very sophisticated-sounding gentleman whom I always spoke to when I called about this, I told him about the different answer that my son had gotten. Of course, I also had to tell him the grade, the subject, the page number, and the problem number. He looked it up and worked out the problem.

 

Then he would ask me the answer my son got for this problem. I told him, then he replied, “He is right. The score key is wrong.” This happened several times. In effect, my son was editing their score key, although the curriculum was excellent.

 

After graduation, one evening this same son took the ASVAB, which is the military entrance exam. The next morning, since he was going to flip hamburgers at McDonalds, he gave me the slip of paper with the phone number on it to call and find out his score. I called and was able to get his recruiter. I told him who I was and why I called. He looked it up and told me that my son could have only scored a 99, the highest score, and he scored a 98 putting him into the upper 2 percentile in the country. My son attributes this high score to the curriculum that we homeschooled with which was ABEKA.

 

My daughter was very studious during our home-schooling years in her studies at home, in her private piano lessons, and in her private French lessons. After she graduated, she attended two different colleges. At each one she attended she received letters of commendation for her high academy achievement. When attending Lipscomb University, her high-grade point average made her eligible to participate in their “Lipscomb in Vienna” program. At that young age, she was in Europe, enjoying swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, visiting Paris, etc.

 

My youngest son who also excelled at his private piano lessons and private French lessons decided that he wanted to join the Boy Scouts. We took him to talk to the Scout Masters to enroll him. He told them that he wanted to make Eagle. Knowing he was already 16 years, they responded: “Well son, we will bend over backwards to help you, but we have never had a 16-year old make Eagle by their 18th birthday and you have to make it by the age of 18.”

 

Well, long story short, due to our flexible schedule and by the grace of JESUS, he made it. It took a lot of trips, hard work, camping out, etc. to earn all those badges. We were really proud of him not only for making Eagle but also for what he did for his Eagle Project, which was a beautiful musical concert along with some other highly talented homeschoolers with their stringed instruments. The concert went beautifully without a hitch and was free to those who brought food for those in need.

 

All I can say is, “To JESUS be the glory for helping us to achieve all of this, for it is He from Whom all blessing flow and may He be honored in all things forever and ever, for HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is His Name!”

 

JOYCE GRAVES

 

 

PAINTING: SIMON GLUCKLICH