Our decision to teach our children at home came in 1985 as our daughter was entering kindergarten and our son was to begin second grade. We had several reasons for our decision. The most important one was a conviction from the Holy Spirit when we read Deuteronomy 6:4-9. It says, "O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. You must love Him with ALL your heart, soul and mind. And you must think constantly about the commandments I am giving you today. You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk, at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead; and write them on the doorposts of your house!"
For us, it was important that God become the center of our children's learning and that every subject contained His truths and His character. We had the option of placing Matthew and Amber in a Christian School, but we felt the burden and responsibility in our hearts to teach our children ourselves in the nuturing atmosphere of our home, most especially during their early years
Our school days were very structured. We began every morning just as any other school day would, but our day opened with reading God's word. It was also accompanied with music, prayer, and scripture memorization. From there we studied handwriting, english, reading, math, social studies, and science. Every other day we rotated art and physical education into the week. We supplied social interaction by being a part of our local church and also taking part in a homeschool support group. We had many opportunities to go on field trips. For example we were able to see how Wonder Bread was made; to ride an Amtrak train, to go behind scenes of a local TV and radio station, and to visit museums and zoos. Sometimes we enjoyed a picnic in the park with other children that were being taught at home.
We kept ourselves accountable by registering with the state and by taking yearly standardized tests. We used Bob Jones material mainly for our language arts and Abeka curriculum for our other subjects. Our children always tested one to two grades above their age level.
We listened very closely to our children's needs as they became older. Our son loved science and was yearning to do experiments we did not have the supplies for. He also showed a great interest to return back to public school. We prayed about it and agreed this was the right choice for him. So he enrolled in seventh grade in the public school system with our only requirement being that he take band, so he develop a special interest. Amber remained homeschooled for the following year but really missed not having her brother around. So after praying about the situation, we made the decision that Amber could enroll in sixth grade in public school. She had the same stipulation of taking a class of special interest and she chose both choir and band.
Both children did very well adjusting back into a public school setting and both remained academically at the top of their class. They went on after high school to enroll in college where Matthew earned a bachelors degree in Business and Economics, and Amber a bachelors degree in Vocal Music Education.
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