…it’s only Tuesday…

It’s been an interesting week, and it’s only…Tuesday!  It began with ordering and scheduling VBS for the parish on Monday and organizing the graduation mass for our parish students.  I also received a call from a parent  in my church inquiring about homeschooling, who needed more information as she and her husband are making a decision about it.  God bless them, (and keep them in your prayers).  I could sense in the mother that she feels very drawn to a new lifestyle and the goodness of home education for her children.  I greatly admire parents who withdraw their children from a school system; it is a bold move, one that I don’t know I would have been strong enough for.  It speaks of their conviction to do something different with and for their family …for the better.  I think it’s an incredible grace God gives parents to make that decision and act upon it.

Later, I received the good news that I had gotten a “yes” for an 8th grade teacher for our parish program next year.  So I’m rather relieved there.  This means I will go ahead and work with my usual 2nd grade class, while helping in the background, as usual with Confirmation preparation. 

And in between clearing, cleaning, reorganizing part of the basement, I received notice that our Mother of Divine Grace enrollment was received and is being processed.  I feel a sense of peace about this also, although the money was very much a stretch for us this year – especially since our daughter is due to have her wisdom teeth out in a just a couple weeks, and wow, that is a big chunk of change.  Enough to pay for 2 years tuition for Modg!  eek!   A “choice” in education can be an investment, there’s no doubt.   Although one can home school without being enrolled with any kind of a provider/transcript keeper, it’s done all the time, we did it for the first seven years of schooling and last year also.  I am just feeling the need for connection to the kind of homeschooling I do – the classical Catholic – I want to hear from someone else that knows it and appreciates it and have someone to talk to about it.  Some of it is for my own affirmation and security.  Insecure!?  Me?! You betcha!  I haven’t always been…up to about two years I began to unravel…just too many hurdles and challenges and not enough solid support for the brand of educational philosophy I follow, and a special needs child thrown in the mix and a child with anxiety disorder.  I just had to be enrolled to listen to my educational consultant’s encouragement and wisdom and know what I was doing was not in vain.  Even with having homeschooled two children into college??  Yes, even so. And all the reading…reading…reading…to fortify my mind and soul: primarily,  Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum and The Well Trained Mind.  Not light reading mind you :)…but very enlightening and strengthening when it comes to what I desire my children to receive in their formation-education.

It has been this week that my mind always travels back to my husband’s education – or lack thereof.  This is no offense against him at all….but he recognizes what a gappy, shoddy education he had in the public school system – very lacking in any depth and breadth and certainly deficient in rich, classical literature and history.  He is AMAZED at the quality and brilliance of education our children are receiving.  I am in awe that even I received a fairly good quality liberal arts education in private schools, and yet, what I didn’t receive I’ve been able to give to my children furthering them…..they have done better math and more math than I ever did (or my husband), and the same with sciences; and while I was very well read, as literature was the backbone of much of my classical formation in school, they are even better read following Mother of Divine Grace’s schedule of courses…and nothing beats the integration of history and religion together.  They have far better religious formation and education than I ever had in Catholic schools (with religious still teaching).  When my children end their senior year by writing the famous crown jewel paper – the intelligent argument against artificial Contraception* – after having read numerous encyclicals in both religion and health courses……it takes my breath away that they have come this far and that we have this option, this choice to educate in this manner.  I thank God for it.  I thank God I was strong enough to not listen to the naysayers that said…don’t use that program, or why bother to home school?   (* also check out: Modg Health Syllabus)

So, it’s only Tuesday….and it’s been very productive and reassuring and motivating.  Tuesday is a good day.  It’s been the day we’ve done therapy runs for Mark…in fact, today was his last therapy for a while.  We are taking a break – we need one.  So, thank you Tuesday for being there for us!…I hope to see many more of you in the weeks ahead….:)

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The Mother of Divine Grace, Health, Catholic Doctrine, and Advanced American Government & Economics syllabi make use of several papal Encyclicals.  Such wonderful Catholic formation and information for our young people before sending them out in the world.