It really all began in the early 1980's when I listened to Christian talk radio: Marlin Mattox, James
Dobson-Focus on the Family, and others. These programs spoke often about the home schooling
movement and the challenges of public school education. I was convinced that this “new” movement
was valuable at this time especially for Christian families that wanted to train their children according
to Christian principles and not follow in the secular, politically correct path, that is promoted in public
schools.
Unfortunately I was working outside the home, busy with all the pressures of life in the home, and
found that when my children were of school age it was simply easier to put them in the public school
system than to take on the responsibility of training them myself.
The cookie cutter mentality of public education was quickly apparent. Every child in a particular
grade was expected to function at the same level. There was no room made for the “readiness”
factor.
Tyler, my youngest son, began reading when he was 4 years old. He learned to read at home with
me. In kindergarten, however, he had trouble with rhyming words and his teacher sent notes home
to me every few months stating, with great concern, his lack of understanding the rhyming concept. I
would work with him for a few minutes and could see that this information was just not making sense
to him. I’ve always believed that we grow at our own rate of speed, and that we all “get it” when we
are developmentally ready to. Tyler’s teacher was not a believer in this concept and made it clear
that Tyler was, some how, deficient. I was unmoved by her assessment and continued to make light
of the “problem”.
Joel, my older son (2 years older than Tyler), went to public school from kindergarten to 2nd grade.
He was always a happy child, open to learning. Reading was never easy for him. In 1st grade he
participated in the “book it” club. He would read at home and get credit in school for the books he
finished. If the whole class read the required amount of books, the class could go out for pizza.
Unfortunately the teacher was not crediting Joel for all the books he was reading and because of this,
his class did not qualify for the pizza. Understandably this was a blow to Joel’s sense of worth. This
happy child was becoming more and more sullen.
In second grade we discovered that all the text books had been bumped up to the next grade level so
that now Joel was not reading at his level but was reading one year behind. He was now in the lowest
reading group in his class. I went to school to spend a morning there to see what was happening in
the classroom. Reading groups were spread out through the morning hours. The highest reading
group was the first to read. (I would have thought that the lowest reading group would be first
because they would be fresh and alert at the beginning of the day). Unfortunately the lowest reading
group never read that day because the school had a “hands around the world” (We are the World)
program on the playground just before lunch, when Joel’s reading group should have read.. Sad to
think that the poorer readers were having their reading time after a full morning of boring seat work.
This was also the time that these extra programs were scheduled and, so, the poorer readers missed
more of their reading times than the other reading groups. This I was told to me by one of the
teacher’s assistants.
The paper work that the children did that day had to do with letter sounds. I took one of the
worksheets to follow along. The hard and soft letter sounds were being discussed. If the word
started with a hard “G” sound ,color it purple, soft “G”, pink, hard “J”, blue, soft “J”, green, etc. It’s
no wonder the kids were zoning out. I had trouble keeping it all straight myself.
Needless to say, I was not impressed with what was going on in his school. However, I still was not
ready to make the sacrifice that home schooling would demand.
It was in April 1985 (Tyler's kindergarten and Joel's 2nd grade year) when I had a wake up call. I
always took the children to school and picked them up. They were both usually happy and cheerful
when they got in the car.
Joel got in the front seat and as we pulled out of the parking lot, he began to cry. I said, "What’s the
matter?”
He said,”I'm so stupid I could blow my brains out!”
Wow! I was shocked... but I didn't show it. Where would he even have learned such a horrible
thing? I said, ”Baby, there is nothing stupid about you. You're a very smart boy.”
I don't remember the day when this happened, but it was very shortly after this incident that I heard
the Lord inside of me say, “Get them in the ark.” I knew what this meant. It meant pulling them out of
school and teaching them at home.
Within days a friend of ours told me about Debi Elramy, a woman in Wilson, NC that was home
schooling her children. She was the first one in Wilson to have done this. I called her. She told me
how to go about registering with the state and making the move. We became good friends and
remain so to this day.
Mike and I never told the children what we were planning to do. On the day we went to their school I
remember sitting on the steps in our den and being aware of my Mom’s presence. I felt like she was
saying that this was the right thing to do. In the natural, my Mom would not have approved of this
decision. She was, in life, one to go with the flow, not bucking the system. She had passed away a
few years before and I really believe that she was one of the great cloud of witnesses that was
cheering me on to do the will of God.
Home schooling was a big sacrifice for me. I liked my free time and had a lot of selfishness to
overcome. Mike and I went to the school and talked to the principal. We had all of the papers we
needed to take them out. We received the children’s files and took them home.
Just a side note.... Tyler did learn his rhyming words but not until the last half of the first grade. I
guess he was ready to get it then.
Also, let me say that the sullenness that was creeping into Joel’s life was gone in no time and his joy
was restored.
Many would say that home schooling stifles children’s social skills. Our local home school families
formed a support group that met regularly at parks. There, our children played and moms had
opportunity to encourage each other with ideas and suggestions. We shared curriculum and
expertise on various subjects. It was extremely helpful to be with others of like mind.
The local Recreation Department provided arts classes, karate lessons, soccer, basketball and
football teams,and square dancing (as a family). We were involved in a local theatre group as well.
Socialization was a reality, not just with their peers, but with people of every age.
Debi and I co-oped teaching when our children got older. She tutored them in writing skills and I
tutored them in math. She did a great job! Joel is an avid writer to this day. It’s his passion. He's
writing a book as we speak. Tyler uses his writing skills to share his conservative views on-line with
young people of all persuasions and often with great success-planting seeds for freedom in this
challenging environment.
I often wonder what would have happened to Joel and Tyler if I hadn't obeyed God. Where would
they be today? What kind of men would they have grown up to be? I just thank God that He gave me
the grace to obey Him.
As the years of schooling went by I remember every year I would ask the Lord if He wanted me to
continue home schooling. I never got an answer so I assumed that it meant “continue full steam
ahead”. I will not say it was always easy. I can say that I often felt inadequate and wondered if I was
doing all that I could to give them a good education, but God was faithful and sustained me year after
year.
Today both of my sons are grown. They are avid readers and learners, use the principles of the
Word of God to govern their lives, use common sense which is very much lacking in our world today
and are well informed of world issues. They are very articulate in sharing with others the importance
of our country, it’s founding and principles, and have a good work ethic. They are caring and
compassionate. Both are counselors in their own right.. People come to them for advice and they
are governed by common sense and biblical principles.
I am so grateful to God for the years I had with them, pouring into them both curriculum and the Word
of God. I learned right alongside of them and was processed spiritually as well. We were all
challenged and grew through these productive years. God was, and still is, faithful!
Thanks be to God!
sharon killion
Wilson, NC
Sparrow557[at]aol[dot]com