Happy June, New Classics Subscribers!

School is either winding down this month, or you’ve finished (unless you school year round). Has it been a hard year in your homeschool? If so, this article by New Classics Author, Jan May, might encourage you to "stay the course" and don't "throw in the towel."

DON'T THROW IN THE TOWEL!

When my daughter was in the first grade, she attended a private Christian school. Life sailed along until I noticed that she was listening to her classmates over me. It was fine when she wanted her hair a different style or the new, popular gym shoes. But no, it wasn’t okay for people to be immoral just because her friend on the playground said so. If this is who she listened to at seven who would she listen to at fifteen?

After much prayer, God spoke to my heart. “Be the person she spends the most time with. Homeschool her.”

I wasn’t keen on this idea. I would lose a lot of personal freedom. But considering the alternatives, I took a deep breath and reluctantly dove in. Our first year was horrible. Every day, my strong-willed daughter sat across the table and glared at me. “I want to go back to school. I miss my friends.”

She missed the stimulation and the people. My daughter was in shock, like a tender plant uprooted. I needed to be patient and wise.

By spring, I was ready to throw in the towel. Then a whisper from the Lord came to me again. “Next year, start a small co-op from your home to allow her to develop close friends and capitalize on the things she loves.”

A light bulb went on. I was trying to make our homeschool experience like her old, classroom experience. What she needed was an educational adventure without the constraints of a classroom!

After pow-wowing with my daughter about the things she loved and wanted to study, we decided on three things:

1. We incorporated her passion for nature by collecting frogs, snakes, and toads. We built a habitat for each of them and fed them all summer long.
2. We started a writing club, where the kids wrote fiction about what they loved. In this way, my daughter could engage with other kids in an educational environment once a week.
3. We made a special schoolroom to celebrate the seasons and hang school papers. It was her very own special spot.

By the end of the next school year, my daughter was hooked! We continued homeschooling through high school, and she graduated from community college with honors. She constantly says, “I wouldn’t be who I am today without having been homeschooled.”

Listening to the Lord was the right choice before throwing in the towel! 

Learn more about Jan and her books on her website ➡️

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. . . is a homeschool publisher, author, and freelance writer for The Old Schoolhouse, Thriving Family, and Clubhouse Jr. Magazines. She birthed the New Millennium Girl Series (Isabel’s Secret) to inspire young girls to realize that they can have a vibrant faith in a faithful God, no matter what challenges they face. New Classics offers the Isabel's Secret study guide to download free on the New Classics website ➡️.

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