September 03, 2003

Our Homeschool History: Part I

In the beginning...

It was 1997 and though he was only 5 years old, our son, Zach was already reading chapter books. He had taught himself to read at around the age of 2-1/2. (I know, it's amazing, but it's true!) So taking that into consideration, we just couldn't see putting him in Kindergarten with other kids who were just learning to read the most basic words.

About this time we learned that some families at church were beginning to homeschool, so we thought we would check into it. (Actually, my husband, Joel, had wanted me to homeschool since Zach was born!) While the idea was not a new one, it was also one that I was not too keen on. God really had to do some work in my heart before I could seriously consider taking on a challenge this huge.

And that's just what He did! By the time fall rolled around, not only was I willing to homeschool Zach, but I was excited about it!

Thankfully, those families at church that we had heard about were wonderful people, and we soon became good friends. One family had already completed a year of homeschooling, so the wife, Julie, being the experienced one, became my mentor.

My first step was to attend the Texas homeschool convention that spring where I first heard Sally Clarkson speak about her family's ministry based on their book Educating The Wholehearted Child. Not only was I totally sold on the idea of homeschooling my child, but I was encouraged to do so in a way that was built on the Word of God itself and the principles therein.

The other homeschool ministry I learned of that spring was Konos Curriculum. I don't remember if Jessica Hulcy spoke at that convention or not, but I heard about their homeschool method through my new friends, and it sounded like just the type of curriculum for our family.

A few months later, my husband and I attended a seminar at the Hulcy's home and we were on our way to educating our children using Konos in conjunction with The Wholehearted Child's philosophy.

Homeschooling 101

The fall of 1997 came quickly after a busy summer of becoming familiar with the Konos Curriculum, reading The Wholehearted Child, planning, strategizing, and researching. I was a little nervous, but I was excited about getting started.

Kindergarten was a wonderful year! Although Jenna was only 3, she enjoyed "school" along with us, coloring pictures, doing worksheets, and playing along with us as we did our hands-on activities in conjunction with the curriculum. Zach had a great time too, especially when we got together with our homeschool friends for our monthly co-ops! One of the first co-ops we got together for was centered around building a giant model of the human ear that our kids could crawl through. Oh sure, it looked like the kitchen table on the outside, but inside it was an adventure! All the essential parts were there--the cochlea, the hammer, the anvil, the stirrups, and the eardrum--all made out of our piano bench, a pair of panty hose, a real hammer, etc. On the outside, at the entry, we had drawn a huge ear on brown paper and cut a hole through which the kids could enter the "ear." It was quite a memorable experience for us all!

Zach was such a "sponge" when it came to learning, that he was truly a joy to teach--most of the time! No one is perfect and we had our days when we just wanted to strangle one another, but we exercised some self-control (and implemented plenty of time-outs!), and we survived just fine!

Year one was a huge success, and we threw an end-of-the-year party to celebrate it, complete with certificates for both Zach and Jenna, and a well-earned "diploma" signifying Zach's completion of Kindergarten.

(Part II to follow...)