A New School Year . . . A New School

After nearly six months of actively seeking God's wisdom for our family, Teressa and I have decided to take a leap of faith -- perhaps one of the largest leaps of faith in our lives to date. In less than two weeks, we begin homeschooling.

We have absolutely loved the school community which we have been a part of with Anna Ritchie these past three years. In fact, we will be saddened not to be interacting with the teachers, parents, and students on a daily basis (although we look forward to maintaining many of the relationships). That being said, we have sensed God shifting our hearts in a slightly different direction.

During the last year, our family has been physically "separated" for a total of over five weeks due to medical procedures with Timothy in Philadelphia. Certainly this is not much time in the grand scheme of things, but it has been enough time to cause Teressa and I to rethink the unique opportunities and circumstances we have with our children.

During this process of re-examination, on a plain 'ole Spring evening, we sat down and read Psalm 78 together. We found Scripture giving voice to some deep desires we were both sensing. We both had a growing desire to see "the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done" to be told to our children . . . with the hope that "they in turn would tell their children" (Psalm 78:4-6). Combined with a desire to expose our children to a broader scope academically and to simply spend more quality, intentional time with our children . . . homeschooling seemed to be offering us, in a season of life, a tailored opportunity to have these desires more fully lived into.

And so . . . by faith, we crossed the line and resolved, "We will homeschool next year." Of course, this was followed up with the big anxious-ridden question of, "HOW?"!

Along the way, we have done much research on homeschooling, much talking with a number of wonderful homeschooling friends, and much dialoguing as a family . . . and we stand excited about what lies ahead.

Are Teressa and I scared? Absolutely! But we are more so at rest with the fact God has led us to this decision, God will supply His strength to us throughout the journey . . . and He will grow our family deeper and closer in the process.

To ensure a sense of "fun" and "school spirit" . . . we are calling our school Green Valley Academy. Home to the Green Valley Terriers (ferocious sounding, I know). The neighborhood we live in is called Green Valley . . . and yes, our dog (a Boston Terrier) was thrown into the mix, serving as our school mascot.

We are excited about the curriculum we have chosen from among the sea of options:

• History, Literature and Composition: Tapestry of Grace
• Mathematics: Saxon Math
• Grammar: Easy Grammar
• Spelling: Spelling Power
• Handwriting: A Reason For Handwriting
• Science: Apologia (Astronomy)

Of course, these are simply tools to be used in growing, educating, and enjoying our daughter (and son).

We are committed to (as one friend puts it) the "each year, each child" approach. We will examine all of the schooling options available each year for each child, and determine what is best for that particular season. For this year and for our family, we are resolved to and thrilled about which God will do in and through us . . . at Green Valley Academy.

(By the way, thanks to our friend Rebecca who helped us with the the logo!)