A Season of Transitions
Hello, Reader! The NCHE Blog has finally returned. It has been three long years since we last met. In this post, I will share why we have been on a hiatus and update you on some new details about the blog.
To make a long story shorter, I went to college. After being a stay-at-home mom for twenty-eight years, and the teacher in our homeschool since 2001, I started college while my husband took over most of the homeschooling of our last few children. Boy, was that a transition for everyone!
After graduating with a degree in graphic design–and lots of “God moments” along the way, I began working as a freelance graphic designer, teaching at the college level, and, the best part: moved from the position of secretary for NCHE to media director. That was another huge transition, again, for everyone. I will let you in on a little secret: I was stepping into a role previously filled by Wonder Woman (a.k.a. Debbie Mason), who also simultaneously served (and still does) as events director and GREENHOUSE editor.
The Changing View of Homeschooling
Along the way, I have learned so much, which I can’t wait to share with our readers. One thing that stood out to me on my journey through the collegiate field as student and faculty was the way I was treated once my background of homeschooling was discovered. In every situation where my experience with homeschooling came out, it was greeted with excitement. I would be asked, “How can we reach more homeschoolers?” and was repeatedly told, “We love homeschoolers! They do so well in our program.” That response came from department heads, professors, and administrators, over and over. I believe it speaks volumes to the reputation that has been established by the hard work and dedication of so many homeschool moms and dads out there like you who are committed to giving your child the best education possible. Mom and Dad–keep up the good work! There is an amazing shift in society’s view of homeschooling because you have earned it.
When my mother was homeschooling me over my last two high school years (way back in the 1900s, you know), the prevailing attitude towards homeschooling was confusion–”What is that?”, distrust–”Why would you want to do that?”, and condemnation–”Your children are never going to succeed.” Although we still encounter plenty of those attitudes today, our society is realizing two things. One, our public schools aren’t working so well. Besides the violence, lack of resources, controversial methods, and growth of special needs that schools are ill-equipped to meet, students simply aren’t learning basic foundations that they need for successful careers.
One of the first lessons we had in graphic design was how to use a ruler. Seriously. They have had to add that to the curriculum at a college because they have so many students entering the program that haven’t learned how to carry out the basic function of measuring a straight line. Besides knowing this and other elementary skills, I heard how well homeschoolers were at managing their course load, meeting deadlines, interacting with others (you know, socialization!), showing respect for authority, and overall classroom performance. That is the second realization that today’s society is reaching about homeschooling–it works! Years have now gone by of homeschool children earning a reputation for being adept, prepared, respectful, hardworking, and, dare I say, well-educated!
The Value of the Homeschool Journey
Meanwhile, back at my home, my children were adjusting to Daddy being the one home with them all day. My husband was doing an amazing job at the incredible task of keeping them alive and fed, while doing most of their homeschooling with them. When I got home each afternoon, I would work with them on other subjects before opening my own books to get my homework done. There was very little sleep for me those two years, but we made it through them, and then the transition to being a working mother came.
Since I “had so much teaching experience,” and had performed well in the program, I was honored to be offered a teaching position in the department. Just what was my teaching experience? Twenty-eight years of homeschooling my children and leading a few co-op classes over the years. I know you can imagine how validating it felt to have the years of making lesson plans, choosing curriculum, discerning the best method to teach the various subjects, and working to give my children a solid education be acknowledged in that way.
That wasn’t about me–that was about all of you out there right now. Maybe you are making sacrifices for one parent to stay home with your children, or maybe you are a single parent having to do double-duty. All the curriculum you go through trying to find the right one. The late nights preparing for the next day of school. The burned dinners from multitasking while you tried to read the essay they wrote. The struggle to figure out the next math problem so you can stay one step ahead of them. The ingenuity of building a science lab in your kitchen. The messy house and piles of laundry and wondering if you’ll ever catch up. The tears and laughter and struggles and victories…worth it all fully and completely to have that time with our children, to see them learn and succeed, to build strong relationships and lasting foundations. But, as my husband would say, the “icing on the cake” is to have it all be validated, acknowledged, as the contribution to society that it is.
Introducing Rooted
So now here I am, one year of teaching at the college behind me, one semester remaining, and then I will have the pleasure of being back where my goal has been all along, working from home and doing more of our family’s homeschooling. In addition, I am thrilled to serve as NCHE’s media director and as such, I introduce you to our redesigned blog: Rooted. In an upcoming post I will explore with you the meaning behind the logo and the new name as well as the new direction our blog will take. In the meantime, I challenge you to see if you can guess what the symbolism is behind our new identity. Answer in the comments if you think you know!
Photo credit: Hope Carroll
