10 Down. Dear Lord How Many More to Go?

We are all motivated to do things for different reasons.  I am part of a homeschool group on Face Book.  One of the Mom’s just posed a question:  Why do you homeschool?  And she listed off 5 reasons.  Within 12 hours she had over 40 answers.  Many of them:  very long!!!!!  It’s not just the ordinary Mom who looks at public or private education and chooses differently.  For me, I didn’t like any of her 5 reasons, completely.  So I wrote my own. Very brief. 

 

God’s calling for this season. 

 

Yep.  That sums it up for 10 homeschool years down.  Would I like to stop?  Sure.  YES.  And yet we are not stopping yet.  Why?  Because the calling has not yet changed.

 

Has it been a good year?  AMAZING!  I have learned more about how to teach reading, and about World War I, and the Indians, and early America history, and our solar system and oodles and oodles of incredible books and multiplying and adding and subtracting and division and so much more…..and I’m the teacher! : )  Just imagine what my students have learned.

 

And I have wept, time and time again at God’s provision.  That here we are on a remote tropical Island and God has placed a tutor with a specialty degree that has worked with my boy, who has dyslexia, 5 mornings a week.  He has made incredible leaps.  Next year, this dear teacher plans to work again with us.  Whoo hooo!!!!!  Mrs. Kolb is 60 years old.  God called her here for this season.  Praise the Lord that our seasons matched.  Also God provided the loving arms of Mrs. Kriens who loved on these younger boys while I shopped at the market each week.  She kept right on teaching the boys.  Mrs. Kriens is also in her 60’s.  She has one more year of planned service here.  How grateful I am that our seasons matched. 

Mrs. Kolb.  Teaching me, how to teach reading.  With a little “tea party” on the side. : )

I never knew Jacob had a flare for drama, until this production.

Mrs. Kriens.  Experimenting with the boys.

Playing with the neighbor kids.  Toxic balloons, that I am POSITIVE would NEVER be allowed in children’s hands in the states.

Loved getting together with our homeschool friends.

I bet I have clocked in 100’s of hours in this rocking chair reading out loud this school year, in our 1 air conditioned room.  Now that is grace!!!! : )

The older boys have had a great year at the International School.  So thankful for this provision too.  They are THRIVING there.  This past weekend we celebrated as Andrew “graduated” from 8th grade…..ready to move on into high school.  Today, Aubrey finished all 6 of his finals for Freshman year.  Including two math classes this year. But academics don’t really measure growth.  Nor does the measuring tape.  However, I know there will be many comments from all of you on how “tall” these boys are.  I’m getting smaller and smaller.  Andrew has LOVED joining the Papuan United team after school.  Playing outdoor soccer with the Indonesian kids.  His soccer and language skills have increased.  Also both he and Aubrey were asked to join a specialty band (trombone and French horn).  Aubrey is the brain of this family.  They are both products of HOMESCHOOL! : ) 

It’s not time to focus on the how long we have already been going.  Or how much longer, Dear Lord, do we have yet to go????  But it is time to say, “Let us enjoy the break that is before us, and have His strength, to do it again.”  Whatever the reason.  Whatever the motivation.  A break and then year 11 here we come!