Our Why
From 2012:
Most people want to know why we want to homeschool and when we decided to embark on this journey.
First, I would have never considered this if I hadn't been a teacher. I know that God has a way of guiding my path to prepare me in advance for things He'd like me to accomplish. (This is NOT to say that there aren't fabulous homeschool moms/dads who are equipped to educate their children without teaching experience or background - this is only MY journey.)
I never say never anymore. I used to say, "I would never be a teacher!" and, "I would NEVER homeschool my children!" I had many reasons for feeling this way, but God has changed my heart. My new outlook on life is that I will follow the Lord where He guides my steps. I try to exclude the words "always" and "never" so that I am free to follow Him - even if it means leaving old ways of thinking and living behind. **Even if this means that we don't homeschool forever.**
When we made a family leap of faith and my husband applied to law school, we knew I'd need to go to work full time to help support the family. Even though I'd never considered teaching, God kept bringing it back to my heart and so I started walking down that road.
I got my alternative teaching certification in 2008 and began teaching the 2008-2009 school year. I taught 4th grade and 3rd grade and served with many amazing teachers. I first started thinking about homeschooling that first year teaching. Even though there are great teachers out there (and MY children have been very blessed to have amazing teachers in public school and day care), in my heart, I knew that no one else could LOVE my children like I do.
There were many benefits that drew us to consider homeschooling, and many challenges to consider. Even though family and friends had their own opinions and advice, I'm happy to say that we feel very supported in our decision.
When people ask Jacob or Joelle why they are homeschooled, they both say that they get to see Juliette and Mom more. That is such a blessing that they want to spend time together and I hope we can keep it that way!
And now in 2017, reading this brings tears to my eyes. God has been so faithful in providing for us in each step of our journey! In 2013 we attending the first year of the Classical Conversations campus in Frisco, Texas. It was such fun year! This was also a challenging year for us as Jerrell started looking for a new job and changes were on the horizon. In 2014 we moved to College Station, my hometown, and found a wonderful house on 8 acres! It's a quirky house, but we make it work because we love our land. By make it work, I mean that it's a two bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house and we have 5 kids. God has kindly granted us contentment, though I have have a couple of season of hissy fits regarding the space issues. But currently, I trust that the Lord knows all, sees all, and can provide all. I do not need to worry or fret about how He will accomplish anything, and honestly - what a first world problem! We are so richly blessed. So what we have 4 kids in one bedroom. They'll look back on this time and remember it fondly, right?!?!?
Back to school. When we moved to College Station, I joined with Oakwell Academy, A Classical, Christian, University Model School for the first two years we were here. It is such a fantastic school!
{http://www.oakwellacademy.org}
I was drawn to a University Model School for several reasons, and it was a great fit for us for those years. But as our family expanded and my capacity for teaching/working outside of homeschooling and home life diminished, I needed to step away as we welcomed baby #5.
So we spent 2016 at home, enjoying our family and setting our own pace. This was such a gift to my heart! This year, we have joined back up with Classical Conversations here in Bryan, Texas and it has been a perfect fit for each of us. Juliette loves her classmates and I get to be the tutor for her class. Jonah loves going to school (he goes to a toddler class for childcare during the morning and afternoon) and cried his eyes out the week he was sick and couldn't go. Evie Joy gets to be held by one of my best friend's daughters who is a homeschool high school student working in the nursery. Joelle is having a great transition year back into CC, and Jacob is enjoying the challenges in the Challenge program.
{www.classicalconversations.com}
Most people want to know why we want to homeschool and when we decided to embark on this journey.
First, I would have never considered this if I hadn't been a teacher. I know that God has a way of guiding my path to prepare me in advance for things He'd like me to accomplish. (This is NOT to say that there aren't fabulous homeschool moms/dads who are equipped to educate their children without teaching experience or background - this is only MY journey.)
I never say never anymore. I used to say, "I would never be a teacher!" and, "I would NEVER homeschool my children!" I had many reasons for feeling this way, but God has changed my heart. My new outlook on life is that I will follow the Lord where He guides my steps. I try to exclude the words "always" and "never" so that I am free to follow Him - even if it means leaving old ways of thinking and living behind. **Even if this means that we don't homeschool forever.**
When we made a family leap of faith and my husband applied to law school, we knew I'd need to go to work full time to help support the family. Even though I'd never considered teaching, God kept bringing it back to my heart and so I started walking down that road.
I got my alternative teaching certification in 2008 and began teaching the 2008-2009 school year. I taught 4th grade and 3rd grade and served with many amazing teachers. I first started thinking about homeschooling that first year teaching. Even though there are great teachers out there (and MY children have been very blessed to have amazing teachers in public school and day care), in my heart, I knew that no one else could LOVE my children like I do.
There were many benefits that drew us to consider homeschooling, and many challenges to consider. Even though family and friends had their own opinions and advice, I'm happy to say that we feel very supported in our decision.
When people ask Jacob or Joelle why they are homeschooled, they both say that they get to see Juliette and Mom more. That is such a blessing that they want to spend time together and I hope we can keep it that way!
And now in 2017, reading this brings tears to my eyes. God has been so faithful in providing for us in each step of our journey! In 2013 we attending the first year of the Classical Conversations campus in Frisco, Texas. It was such fun year! This was also a challenging year for us as Jerrell started looking for a new job and changes were on the horizon. In 2014 we moved to College Station, my hometown, and found a wonderful house on 8 acres! It's a quirky house, but we make it work because we love our land. By make it work, I mean that it's a two bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house and we have 5 kids. God has kindly granted us contentment, though I have have a couple of season of hissy fits regarding the space issues. But currently, I trust that the Lord knows all, sees all, and can provide all. I do not need to worry or fret about how He will accomplish anything, and honestly - what a first world problem! We are so richly blessed. So what we have 4 kids in one bedroom. They'll look back on this time and remember it fondly, right?!?!?
Back to school. When we moved to College Station, I joined with Oakwell Academy, A Classical, Christian, University Model School for the first two years we were here. It is such a fantastic school!
{http://www.oakwellacademy.org}
I was drawn to a University Model School for several reasons, and it was a great fit for us for those years. But as our family expanded and my capacity for teaching/working outside of homeschooling and home life diminished, I needed to step away as we welcomed baby #5.
So we spent 2016 at home, enjoying our family and setting our own pace. This was such a gift to my heart! This year, we have joined back up with Classical Conversations here in Bryan, Texas and it has been a perfect fit for each of us. Juliette loves her classmates and I get to be the tutor for her class. Jonah loves going to school (he goes to a toddler class for childcare during the morning and afternoon) and cried his eyes out the week he was sick and couldn't go. Evie Joy gets to be held by one of my best friend's daughters who is a homeschool high school student working in the nursery. Joelle is having a great transition year back into CC, and Jacob is enjoying the challenges in the Challenge program.
{www.classicalconversations.com}
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