Homeschooling Freedom 1
At the North Carolinians for Home Education conference during Memorial Day weekend, a soon-to-be seventh grader stopped at our booth alone to learn about history curriculum appropriate for her age. A few dads stop by our booth by themselves to research what we offer, and occasionally we talk to a high school student who is not accompanying a parent. My experience with the seventh grader was rare, and maybe even a first.
This beautiful young lady impressed me with her thorough questions, her understanding nods of the head, and her humble, but confident manner. She spoke with a gentle accent that I didn’t recognize but her English was very good. I showed her the components of From Adam to Us, which is for grades 5-8. Because she has a sibling who is about to enter the fifth grade, it seemed to me that this would be a great fit for the two children to use together.
She later returned with her parents. During my conversation first with the daughter and later with all three of them, I learned that the family were new homeschoolers. After enjoying the accents of all three, I asked about their home country. They are from Ukraine.
I also got to visit with a family from the Philippines who are new to homeschooling.
Both families purchased From Adam to Us to use with their children. I am humbly excited to imagine a Ukrainian family and a Filipino family reading world history books that Ray and I wrote, reading primary sources our son chose and filling in a timeline he made, working with maps our son-in-law created, reading literature our daughter chose from among many possibilities, and doing activities created by both our daughters.
Many people think they have homeschoolers all sized up. They think they know how we look, what we do, what we think, and where we live. I would love to know how these two families — one from Eastern Europe and one from a Pacific Island nation — came to the decision to educate their children at home. Two things I know. They love their children and they are willing to lay down their lives to give them what they need.
I praise God for the brave homeschooling mamas and daddies who came before you and me, who showed us that homeschooling could be done, and who sacrificed to make it legal for you, me, and new homeschooling families from the Philippines and Ukraine.
For you were called to freedom, brethren;
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13