You Can Homeschool Too!

Words cannot express how proud I am of Violet at this particular time in her life. She has recently completed her second year, Cycle 3, of Classical Conversations! She may not be a Memory Master, the equivalent of valedictorian, but she worked hard and completed her work. The above photo is of Violet with her fabulous tutor, Mrs. McCarty. Violet loves her tutor and it was a real blessing to be in her class. Mrs. McCarty poured so much hard work and preparation, and love into her eight students! Thank you so much Mrs. McCarty for everything you did for your students.

Violet learned so many things this year. Her school work consisted of the human anatomy, American history,the States and Capitals of the United States (along with distinguishing geography facts), English grammar, Latin, the history time line and Math (skip counting). On top of all of that, she has been doing Saxon Math and learning how to read during our regular homeschool days/hours at home.

Classical Conversations has been a such an incredible blessing to my family's life. It has given us structure, guidance, and peace of mind knowing that we are covering the major topics for our seven year old student. An added blessing to the program is the support and encouragement you get from the families who are in your co-op. This was our second year being a part of Classical Conversations and during that time I have made new friends, gleaned wisdom from families who have been doing this for several years, and have gained a prayer support group. My friends have helped me get through the difficult days. The days when I would have tossed everything in the air and given up. They have also celebrated with our family when something big has happened in our lives. These are women who I hold dear to my heart and whom I love dearly.

This has been a difficult year for Violet and I and our homeschool journey. My health has thrown a horrible kink in our day to day life. I missed out on a few field trips and so would have Violet had it not been for our friends taking her along with them. There were a few times where I didn't feel well enough to actually go to our program on Fridays. Again, friends stepped in and took her to school and were sure that she learned that week's material. You can see what a blessing these women have been to me and my family. I am incredibly thankful to each and every one of them!

Violet has thrived in our group. She has many friends that she sees weekly and gets together with them on play dates as well. She also has friends at church with whom she spends a great deal of time with. Trust me, socialization is a non-issue with my kid. She will talk to anyone who will lend her their ear - children, parents she knows, tour guides, and extended family. She will even talk to a total stranger who is behind us in the grocery isle about the wonderful merits of a home education and the Classical Conversations program. Violet is very talkative and will share her heart and her thoughts with anyone who will take the time to listen.

Gregg and I started praying about Violet's education from the very beginning. "Lord, show us what to do?" was our continual prayer for several years. When the time to make a decision came I was scared beyond words, especially when Gregg suggested Classical Conversations as the program we follow. Me teaching Latin? Really? There is no possible way that THAT would happen. I wasn't qualified to teach that! Yet, Gregg knew I could do it because he knew I wouldn't be doing it on my own. I would immediately have a support system that would actually be teaching me on how to teach that week's material. Still, going in I was a bundle of nerves but when I saw CC (Classical Conversations) in action it all made sense. Things literally clicked in my brain and my "can'ts" changed to "cans".

Do I know everything there is to know? Hardly! But I'm not alone in this journey and that has made all the difference in our lives! I have been told numerous times, "I could never homeschool!" I used to say those same exact words. But guess what? I'm doing it! And if I can school my child at home then so can you! You just have to remember a bit of advice that was given to me several years ago -

"It's not about our ability! God will provide what you need when you need it. It's about being called to sacrifice your time and resources to be the major influence in your child's life. Set aside your fears because God can move beyond them. You just have to take that first step of faith, trusting that God will guide you and catch you if you fall."

I've fallen many times during this journey but God has faithfully been there for me, catching me and encouraging me in ways only He can. And He will do the same for you, every - single - time!