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Hello? Who? “Homeschooling Calling”??

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Hello?  What?  Who?  Me?  Excuse Me?!

That is pretty much how it started.  Seriously.  I needed a direct call from God to convince me that I needed to homeschool.  Or at least a hit on the head by a two by four!

Be careful what you pray for.  

I had been a teacher in the public schools.  What would people think of me?  Would I ruin my kids’ lives?  They will be social outcasts, gulp, forever!! There was a lot to consider here.  In 1992 it wasn’t exactly a “popular” thing to do.  We were bordering on the edge of weirdness. 

A lot of my friends thought we were crossing a line.  It was okay to “talk” to God, and even “hear” from Him, but this was a pretty major situation.  I remember one friend even told me…..“You will never get a job in the public school system because it is an insult!  And what about sports, how will your boys ever compete?  I am worried about this Tammy.”

Oh well, wouldn’t be the first time I did something “weird,” it was just be the first time it had an effect on my children.  So back to the praying.  And never tell me God does not have a sense of humor.  

I had delivered some cookies to someone I did not know too well at the time.  She told me as I was leaving that she had felt led to homeschool her daughter.  Remember I did not know her that well?  I told her that my husband had wanted me to pray about it, but that I needed a “two by four” to hit me across the head.  She knew he would.  And he did.

Disclaimer***this is not my suggested way to look for answers from God***

I was crying when I arrived home.  I needed the quietest place in the house.  (Did I mention I had two boys, 6 and 4?)  I think I ended up in the shed or the end of our street, or somewhere like that!   I had my Bible in hand and I begged God to show me what to do.  

I knew the answer already, but I was bucking up against it big time!  I had to retain my reputation in the town!  I had always wanted to teach in my hometown. The boys?  I cannot mess them up Lord!!! What was I doing?  Lord, nooooooooooo!

Wait for it…..WHAM….the two by four.  I opened the Bible to 

Isaiah 54:4-13  “Do not be afraid, you will not suffer shame.  Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.  You will forget the shame of your youth.”  OK.  First whack!!

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken.”  Second Whack!….

“Both your sons will be taught by the Lord and great will be your children’s peace.”WHAM, WHACK, WOW.  

So you see the picture.(Literally…weren’t they cute?)  I had no choice.  I had my confirmation.  Pretty clear to me.  More weeping ensued…throughout the years I might add…not an easy job! But more on that in later blogs.

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We started fall of 1992.  The eldest was homeschooled until his junior year of high school.  He then attended a private high school.  Our other son was homeschooled through seventh grade, eighth in private Christian school and attended a public high school. Both graduated with high school diplomas….and college diplomas…and the youngest received his master’s degree last year.  

I don’t think we ruined their lives.  We accepted the call, and I would do it all over again.  They both said that they are glad we homeschooled them, and they totally enjoyed telling students in their college courses they were homeschooled…just to get a reaction.  Yep, they picked up someone’s sense of humor in school!! Those kids pick up so much from their peers in school…..teehee

Everyone has a different story.  It is a calling, I truly believe.  And I hope I can encourage you in your journey. 

P.S.  I got a job in the public school system in my hometown 10 years ago.  I told you God has a sense of humor!

Blessings,

IN CHRIST ALONE
Isaiah 55:8-9

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Me a Mom? Never…say Never!

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ME a Mom?  NEVER

Famous last words.  Never say never. 

When my husband and I were dating, even at a young age, we knew what we wanted.  We started dating when I was 16 years old.  We did not want children.  Ever.  Never, ever.  It was not a argument, or more than three sentences.  We were not having children.  So, we agreed to it and never was it brought up again. It was a plan.

Until February 1986.  I woke up one morning wanting a baby.  It was as if something had broken loose in my heart.  There was an empty spot that I was not aware existed.  I wanted children.  I had changed my mind, question was…had my husband?

Suffice it to say…he had.  We were ready.  Of course I did not get pregnant right away.  It is amazing when you want something so badly, it seems so long to attain.  Here we had gone 6 years without being pregnant and content to wanting to be and not content.  Oh how fickle we were. Our plans had changed.

Now I am a goal setter.  Once a goal is set, I do everything I can to attain it.  I read articles, practiced all necessary things to achieve pregnancy….yep, even laid upside down.  There, I said…laugh if you want. 

Some six months later it happened.  I got pregnant.  I was teaching and I was the only woman to ever carry a baby.  I was very sure of that.  My co-workers told me differently. Gosh, I was a mess. I imagined everything possible.  What if?  Why do I feel that way?  Let’s face it, having another human being take up residence inside your body is one of the strangest sensations ever known. Can you say miracle?

I gained lot of weight, couldn’t wear my rings at 4 months.  I looked as though I was carrying twins.  AND, many people made it their business to let me know that observation.  “Are you carrying twins?  You are huge.” By far my favorite was “Haven’t you had that baby yet?”  OBVIOUSLY NOT!!  Would I be looking like this if I had?  Really???

Suffice it to say, I had plenty of “womb room”.  Austin came into this world at 9 pound 1 ounce.  He was my buddy.  He slept through the night at 3 weeks, loved to go and was a wonderful, peaceful child.  I left my job, knowing that I would NEVER teach again…..remember that NEVER SAY NEVER statement.  DON’T MAKE THAT STATEMENT!! But, I had plans for my life.

So our desire was to maybe have another child when Austin was at least 3 years old.  We did not want two babies at once.  You know where this is going don’t you?  I had Taylor when Austin was exactly 2.5 years of age.  Don’t you love that God has a sense of humor? A toddler and a new born and little sleep.

Taylor decided to teach me some lessons, for many years and in many ways.  Of course no pregnancy is the same, so I was sure I was having a little girl.  I gained more weight than should ever be allowed by any human being.  Being asked if I was carrying twins was so common place that I didn’t even flinch when I was asked.  I had a number of health issues and scares, but each time all was well.  And, having the “womb room” as I mentioned before, Taylor came in 2 weeks late at 9 pound and 11 ounces.  Just a glimpse of the strong will competitor that this little boy was to become.  I remember at one point he had stopped moving and I had to be rushed to the hospital.  The doctor mentioned to me once he knew all was well…”This little boy is a stubborn little one…look out!”  A prophetic word to be sure. 

He was a hand full.  He never slept over 4 hours at any given time.  He transitioned into toddler hood with a vengeance.  He taught me so much.  But that is another entire blog.  “Strong Willed Children, How Not To Break Their Spirit.”  

As you can see from the picture posted, both boys turned out just fine. Both have qualities that make them incredible young men.  Later blog entries will show you that as we parented and homeschooled, I was even worried about that…but I digress yet again.

The point of this story?  We walk this thing called life out day by day.  We do not know that plans that the Lord has for us.  We can think we are “planning” it out, but we are not.  I learned long ago to “Never say Never” because inevitably, you will be wrong.

But the one thing that I do know with certainty ….

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

These scriptures were prefaced by verse 4 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon”

I believe that those scriptures can be taken out of context so often. Plans is “machashabah” and means thought, device, plan, purpose, invention.  Prosper doesn’t mean to be rich.. in the Hebrew the word is “shaw-lome'” and can be translated into completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, friendship (with God especially in covenant relationship).

So His “plans” were always pregnant with grace, and still are!  No matter what our plans are in this world…HIS ultimate plan is that He wants us to spend eternity with Him.  HE has a plan to rescue us.  We just have to accept His grace, and the fact that He is our Savior.  No matter what we go through in life, how our plans turn out….we must remember HIS ultimate plan.  We cannot lose sight of that in the midst of our circumstances and swirling world.

Blessings dear ones!

Isaiah 55:8-9

The First Year of Teaching

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It was a long time ago….but I remember well!

1982.  Yep, over 31 years ago….can I remember back that far?? Or that far back??  Oh yeah.

I graduated the summer of 1982 and was blessed to get a job as a special education resource room teacher.  It started two weeks after I graduated.  It was in a small, rural district.  The catch was….senior high and junior high students all wrapped into one job.  Little did I know that I was about to learn some lessons myself.

However, I knew it all. I was a college graduate.  I had been trained.  I had student taught and learned from the best.  I had sat in classes for 4.5 years.  I had both my elementary teaching certificate and my special education teaching certificate, so I was ready.

Here is where I insert LOL.  Or even “roll on floor while laughing out loud.” No amount of student teaching could have prepared me for some of the situations I encountered.

Three of my high school students were boys over 6 foot tall.  Not only were they over 6 feet, two were only 3 years younger than me, and the tallest one was..gulp..only 2 years younger. (See, being a child prodigy…I was able to skip kindergarten in my birth state of Kentucky, thus graduating at 17 years of age.  Truth be known, it was not available and when we moved to another state I was already able to enroll in first grade.  So…I graduated at 17 years of age, but I digress…)  These boys had surpassed that age, so I had to act older, look older and be tough.

The first day I laid down the law.  Another LOL inserted here.  Excuse me, but they would simply not do what I had told them. One of them told me as much as he looked “down” into my face. Hmmm…I got through the first day, but went home crying, telling my husband that I could not do it.

Second day I appeared with a new resolve.  And there was tobacco juice all over my chair, and in and out of my desk.  Ok, some authority had to be established here.  I marched down to the principal’s office and explained my dilemma.  THANKFULLY, he was in complete support of my situation and promised to intervene.  These students had caused trouble in all their classes basically.  And intervene he did.  At that time “paddling” was allowed, and he made sure they knew it.  It was my job to let them know I could help them learn in the ways that were best for them.

Things gradually got better.  They knew that I meant business and I demanded respect.  I did not allow any “kidding around” and would not put up with anything.  I was actually very mean, by their definition.  I did not try to be their friend…yet. They were learning that they each had specific learning styles, and that accommodations just leveled the playing field for them. They could succeed.

By the spring of the year we were close to graduation and two of the three were going to make it.  The last one, the eldest, needed to pass the Constitution test.  And there was a government teacher who did not like this kid and saw no value in him.  He had given up on him.   Long story short (which by now you know I am not good at), the kid passed after my fight for accommodations.  They all graduated and no one could believe it.

Many years later I was in a store and heard my Mrs. name being yelled out in a baritone voice.  I turned around and there was a man with grey hair in a ponytail alongside a very pregnant lady.  It was one of those first year students.  I wanted to tell him that “Mrs.” wasn’t necessary since he looked older than me, but I stopped myself.  After all, I had never told any of the students how old I actually was at the time.

Then came the thank you. 

“I graduated and went on to be a mechanic.  You helped me believe in myself.  My life would have turned out different if you hadn’t been mean….and believed in me.  Now we are going to have our first child, and I can be a good dad and provider.”

Can you say “weeping loudly”?  Yep, right there in front of God and country, I cried.  I had taught, I had instilled, I had nurtured.  Through that tentative first year, I learned what it took to be a good teacher, a “Teacher Mom”.

Some lessons I learned as a first year teacher…(this is not an exhaustive list by any means)!

1. You will not know everything.  If a mentor is not assigned to you, find one!  I was so encouraged by a seasoned teacher.

2.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help and admit you don’t always get it.  You will not survive if your pride gets in the way (especially in today’s educational environment).

3.  Do not let down your guard.  Demand respect.  It seems like it was easier to attain back in the 80’s than it is now.  But hold your ground. Be fair, but be strict.

4.  Don’t try and be the student’s best friend.

5.  Do become acquainted with the janitor, secretary and cooks….You will be glad you did for a lot of reasons.

6.  Do not take your work home with you.  I know that this is not always possible, but I tried to get everything done at school before going home.  Often times I went home at 7:00pm or went in early the next morning.

7.  Admit when you are wrong….say you are sorry…even to the students.  (Remember the respect issue).

8.  Dress like a professional.  I know that in this day and age it is more relaxed, but as a new teacher it was important for me to separate myself from looking like another student.

9.  Do not feel like you need to defend what you do.  If you are called to teach (see earlier entry), then you are called to teach.  The Father will enable you to do your job.

10.  Pray….and pray.  I have always believed that praying for my students was one of the most important things I could do for them.  I might have been the only one doing so….

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives..” Colossians 1:9

Blessings dear ones, 

Isaiah 55:8-9