My Home School Blessing

It’s been four years now. I remember sitting at my computer. I just got done listening to David Jeremiah do an online sermon on Genesis 22, when God tested Abraham’s obedience. This was an appropriate message at the time because I was having my own ongoing battle with God. He wanted me to take Kevin out of public school. School was unbearable from the start. I, like every parent, wanted the best public school experience for Kevin, one full of accolades, honor rolls, sports trophies, tons of friends, everything school wasn’t for me. God had other plans. Kevin had a learning style not supported by a public school classroom. For him, there was no distinction between an “A” and an “F”. He wasn’t the least bit motivated by an honor roll. Every year from Kindergarten on was a bad experience. I kept telling myself, “Next year will be better.” Then next year would come and go, more horrible then the last. There were a few wonderful teachers who laid a good foundation for Kevin that I am eternally grateful for and I always let them know how much I appreciated them. However, if it wasn’t a bad teacher, it was troublesome peers, or inappropriate curriculum, or multiple teachers assigning too much homework or a combination of all the above.

During those years, God would introduce me to people that I was unaware even existed until the day I met one, a home school parent. What in the world is home schooling? I didn’t know you could do that.

I met a few more home school families on several occasions throughout Kevin’s public school duration. Days after meeting and having conversations with a home school parent I would find myself thinking about how great they made it sound, this home schooling. I was beginning to feel drawn in that direction. Then came the internal debate. I could never do it. I played around in high school. I never took the hard stuff. I barely passed Algebra Half and General Science. There’s no way I could do it. I just can’t. Can I? No, I can’t.

Then came seventh grade. I dreaded the start of the school year as much or more then Kevin. All year long there were endless hours of homework, sometimes six hours a night. God would continue to bring more home school parents in and out of my life. As time went by He whispered to me through introductions to home school families, he nudged me with ongoing bad public school experiences, and convicted me through caring friends. That year he used a hard-nosed, school principal and one, I’ll be gracious when I use the term, misguided teacher to bring me to my knees. That was the day I sat at the computer and said, “Okay God, you win. I’ll do it. I don’t know why You want me to do it, but it’s obvious to me that You do. I never felt His presence more strongly then I did at that moment.

I never looked back. The dread Kevin and I felt at the beginning of every school year was gone. We had our ups and downs and power struggles. Overall, there was no comparison. Home school was a monumental win. Here we are four years later. Kevin has passed his Ohio Graduation Test and qualified for Post Secondary at Stark State College. He will be going to college his senior year of high school. How’s that for a blessing? Somehow I think it’s just the beginning. I told Kevin that God worked so hard to get you out of there, he must have really big plans for you. I can’t wait to see what they are.

Kevin has turned out to be a great young man who gives freely of his time at New Pointe Community Church. At the same time, New Pointe is blessed to have some really great sound and computer technology at their disposal along with some fabulous mentors that have generously given their time to teach Kevin about this technology. God’s gain has been Kevin’s gain. In return Kevin has decided to pursue a degree in commercial music technology. I can’t imagine having missed all this had I continued to have it my way.