Homeschooling in the Election Year of 2024
Ray and I met in the political science department at Middle Tennessee State University. Political science was my major. Ray was majoring in history and minoring in political science. We have been blessed with the opportunity to write Uncle Sam and You for grades 5 through 8 together, along with our daughters, and Ray enjoyed writing Exploring Government for high school. Though politics is a touchy subject, it is an important one. We have enjoyed breaking civics and government down into bitesize pieces for children and teens to understand.
Both Ray’s and my interest in government began early. Ray was interested in it as a child. Before I met him, I was already reading his regular column in the MTSU student newspaper. As a little girl, I remember being aware that Dwight Eisenhower was our president. I was six years old during the 1960 presidential election and remember our neighbor, Miss Willie, being upset about the election of John F. Kennedy. I remember wondering what she thought when he was assassinated three years later. By the time Goldwater and Johnson ran in 1964, I was taking a little interest in the campaign because my aunt, who was twelve years old, was a supporter of Barry Goldwater. I remember his clever “AuH2O” campaign slogan.
When I was in high school, my band director was active in politics and encouraged me to join her. During my senior year, I worked some in one of the campaigns for U.S. senator from Tennessee and in the race for governor. I was rewarded for my participation in the governor’s race with an invitation to the Young People’s Inauguration Ball.
In my junior year of high school I was blessed with energetic, young history teacher, Alvin Rose, who was fresh out of Peabody College. That year I went to 4H Congress in Nashville, where we pretended to be legislators and actually did our legislative activities in the state capitol. The next year I took government from Wayne Darrow, who was an inspiring teacher. I loved his course. Mr. Darrow chose me as one of the members of our school’s team at a Mock United Nations at Middle Tennessee State University. I represented Sweden.
I spent my first two years of college at Cumberland College of Tennessee (now Cumberland University). Again I was blessed with an exceptional teacher. I took many of James Dressler’s courses, including western civilization, political science, and sociology. One of the members of the board at Cumberland was Congressman Joe L. Evins from Tennessee, who had been serving in Congress since 1946. In the spring semester of my freshman year, he offered the school an internship position in his office for the month of June. To choose who would go, the school sponsored an essay contest. As I mentioned in a recent post, only two people entered and I won. My parents put me on a plane for Washington, D.C., after the spring semester was over, and I spent a month in our nation’s capital. Congressman Evins’ office reserved me a room at the Young Women’s Christian Home. From nine to five, I worked as a clerk in his office, stuffing envelopes, stamping his signature on letters, and sending out printed matter to constituents. I ate in the congressional cafeteria and rode the underground subway between his office building and the Capitol. Before dark and on weekends, I toured everything I could that was within walking distance of my room at the YWCH on 2nd Street. I marveled at the monuments, enjoyed the Marine Band concerts on the Capitol steps, and learned to enjoy Reuben sandwiches.
When I finished that junior college, I knew what I wanted to major in, so I went to Middle Tennessee State University, where I majored in political science. Since I wanted a practical education with job possibilities, my degree emphasis was urban planning, which included social science, economics, and geography in addition to political science. At MTSU, I was blessed to have an advisor who not only directed the urban planning program, but was a devout believer. God not only made Curry Peacock my advisor, God even got me assigned to him as a work study student. Curry and his wife helped to change my life at a time when I desperately needed someone to walk along beside me.
I even joined the MTSU Young Republicans. When we had elections in the spring, we only had two members who weren’t graduating. Since I was willing, I was elected president. More members joined in the fall semester, probably because it was a midterm election year. The Young Democrats and Young Republicans had a debate about the congressional election and I got to be the Republican debater.
After all that, I married Ray. We began to have children and my interest in politics changed dramatically. I grew in my understanding of the role of character. I learned that no political party has everything right. I remember going to vote when Carter and Ford ran against one another in 1976. Though I had been involved in the Republican Party for several years, I felt deeply about Carter’s acknowledgement of the role of Jesus Christ in his life and wondered if it would be better to vote for a believer than for a party I thought I agreed with.
For a while, I wondered if third parties were the answer. I have voted for a couple of third party presidential candidates, but even with these parties, it doesn’t take long to be disappointed and to find out that I really don’t agree with them in everything. Now I try to see politicians as fellow members of the human race. We are all flawed. While we Americans need to be careful to elect people of true faith and Godly character, we also need to treat our leaders with compassion and respect, while we understand the tremendous pressures they face.
I was blessed to support our son John when he ran for county commissioner in our home county in 2006. He didn’t win, but we were proud of him for trying.
I am grateful for:
- Alvin Rose, my history teacher at Cheatham County High School
- Wayne Darrow, my government teacher at Cheatham County High School
- James M. Dressler, my teacher at Cumberland College
- Curry Peacock, my teacher and Christian mentor at Middle Tennessee State University
- John Notgrass, our son and a good example of political involvement
- Ray Notgrass, my husband, encourager, and political discussion partner for the last almost 49 years — and counting.
We’ve enjoyed visiting state capitols. This one is the Oklahoma state capitol.
What a joy it was in 2017 to portray President James Polk and First Lady Sara Polk at Tennessee’s homeschool rally day.
That day we enjoyed spending time with John Mark Windle, who was then our state representative.
Ray’s updated Exploring Government for high school is back from the printer, and we are shipping them out for the spring semester. Through November 30, we are offering free shipping for any order that includes the Exploring Government package. I think you would enjoy watching this video that features two homeschool graduates who used Exploring Government during their own high school years, majored in history at Bryan College, and who now are teachers of high school students.
In Romans God teaches us to be in subjection to our government. Homeschooling gives parents the opportunity to help their children understand that government.
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. . . . Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
Romans 13:1-2,7