Homeschool Class of '11

My parents decided to move when I was 3. My little brother was on the way and we needed a bigger house, but my parents also wanted to be in a good school district. Then, right before we moved we met the Harrison* family, our neighbors one street over. They were a quaint little Mennonite family who had four little children, all of which never told lies, listened to their parents, and wore traditional Mennonite clothing. Despite these oddities, the strangest thing about the Harrisons was not their clothes or the way they behaved...it was where they went to school. Matthew and David (and eventually Elizabeth and Grace) all attended school at home!

My mother was intrigued, but when Mrs. Harrison suggested she homeschool me, my mom only laughed. She and my dad had just bought a house because they liked the school system, and plus she wasn't even a teacher. Why would she ever want to homeschool? Although she allowed me to play with 2-year- old Elizabeth Harrison, my mom avoided Mrs. Harrison's strong ideas about home education.

But God, in His infinite wisdom and great sense of humor, had other plans.



My brother was born and I started pre-school. Every time we drove past Trenton Elementary* my mom would call to me in the back seat, "Look Lynley, there's where you will go to school next year!" I couldn't have been more excited.

It was the summer before I was to enter Kindergarden. My mom sat reading her bible and praying about her two children and their future when she heard the Holy Spirit speak sudden words into her heart. My mom still talks about how clear the call was, "You need to homeschool Lynley." My mom was shocked; how could God be asking her to do this when they had just bought a rather expensive home simply because it was in a nice school district?

But, she obeyed.

Now, 12 years later, I am about to graduate from our little home academy, and I wouldn't have traded my education for anything in the world. I learned to be myself, to work hard, to adapt to any social climate, and best of all, I learned how to love learning.

It's funny, now Elizabeth Harrison is one of my best friends in all the world we will receive our diplomas in a few weeks; I can hardly believe it! All I can say is, thank you mom! My life will never be the same thanks to your obedience to God's calling to homeschool. I haven't always been the best student, but you are most certainly the best mother and teacher I know! I love you!