When my husband and I got married in 2006, I was very career orientated. I was passionate about my work, I found great joy in my profession, and so when we were moved by the Army to begin our journey together as husband and wife in Germany, I was, of course, DETERMINED to get a teaching job immediately. After all, I had the education, the experience, the desire, and more teaching supplies than a person should ever haul across the big pond on an international move, so surely there would be a job possibility on a tiny Army post in Illesheim, Germany, right? WRONG! We arrived in our little village, and I was humbled immediately. There was not one teaching spot open. Forced by God to do some major soul searching while my husband was away training to go to a war, I began to question how I would define myself if I wasn't a teacher. And, so the journey began....the soul searching ensued. I vividly remember a conversation when I relayed to my husband that I respected that he was homeschooled, and that I believe wholeheartedly that he turned out fabulously well, but when we had children, I would
never want to do that. I was a proponent and advocate of public education. After all, I was a product of public education, and I had taught in a public school setting.
My husband has often cautioned me in using the words "never" and "always." I should have known when I uttered the phrase, "I would
NEVER want to [homeschool]," that I would be in for a complete change of heart before too long. So, how did this all transpire? Well, I did eventually get hired by the Department of Defense to teach on that small base in Illesheim, Germany, and it was a life-altering experience...probably the most challenging professional experience that I have ever encountered but an experience that I do not regret. I was blessed with eighteen first graders thrust into the deployment cycle of a parent serving our great nation year after year away from home, and with that, each child was enduring unique challenges in the home setting that definitely transferred over to the classroom setting. My class was coined "The Schmidites," and despite all of my training, I realized that I really knew nothing. It was at this time, that I began to really reflect on the meaning of education. Pregnant with our first child, getting hit by first graders, and battling an educational system that, in my opinion, did not keep the best interest of children in mind, I was definitely thrust into pondering what would be best for my own children someday. The seed was planted.
As we journeyed from Germany, to Huntsville, Alabama, and eventually to Mesa, Arizona, with the Army, my path kept intertwining with families who had taken the "unconventional route" of homeschooling. And, as I observed these families from afar, the seed that was planted in a tiny school in a little village in Germany began to sprout. I truly believe we are all given gifts from God and that we are called to utilize those gifts to bring HIM glory. I knew from the time that I was a little girl that I yearned to teach, that I wanted to impact lives in a positive manner, and that, through teaching and with HIS wisdom, I could be a light for HIM in this world.
And, then, I was grocery shopping one day with my three girls in tow, talking to them as we perused each aisle, naturally teaching them about many things, and throughout our shopping excursion, we kept passing by a sweet lady in each aisle. With all of our groceries paid for and loaded back into the cart, and with me exhausted after surviving yet another grocery shopping trip with three kiddos covered in melted chocolate chips and crumbs from the free cookie samples, we began to head back to our car. The sweet lady that we kept encountering though had a different plan. God had a different plan. She immediately stopped me and asked, "Do you homeschool?" I was taken aback and just replied, "No...I used to teach, but I am a stay-at-home mom now." To which she replied, "I've been observing you this whole time at the grocery store with your girls. I used to homeschool. You're a natural. I think that you would find it a fabulous journey and that your girls would benefit greatly from the homeschooling experience. Mine did. Yes, you would be a wonderful homeschooling mom." And, with that, she was off...our ways parted....but the seed sprouted more. Maybe I was supposed to utilize my God-given gift of teaching with my OWN children. Why was I fighting this notion so much, and why was my path crossing continuously with those whom were involved in some facet of homeschooling?
Discern God's will. What an awesome challenge throughout the journey of life. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6). What fabulous motivation in a tumultuous world. I could sense how educational reform, although well-intentioned, was not impacting education in a positive manner. I could see how children were entering school as exclamation points in kindergarten and graduating high school as periods. I could witness how faith was remiss from the childhood experiences of so many. Amidst all of that realization, I could also not fathom relinquishing precious time that I had been gifted with my children when, in reality, they are with us such a fleeting time in the journey of life. And, so, the seed was thriving. The decision had been made prayerfully with my husband, and the journey had begun...one step...one lesson...at a time. Let the homeschooling journey begin!
