Monday, August 27, 2007

School Days, School Days


Shown above is a picture of my student, Miss Neesie. Today is the first day of classes at our little homeschool. The student and teacher are not jumping up and down with excitement over the commencement of another year, but we're "sort of" glad to have begun. Our official name here is Solid Rock Christian School of [our town name], but in reality we're an official campus of A Beka Academy, enrolled in their video program. It's the most-expensive-yet-easiest-on-the-home teacher-route to take for home educators.

My younger daughter is now a high schooler and that is exciting. She has never gone to regular school, and all but two of her nine (counting kindergarten) years of schooling at home have been as a student in this video program. It's not what I'd recommend for every family, but it's definitely best for us for many reasons. Now that she's in high school, we are enrolled in Program 1, which is their "fully accredited college preparatory program." This is the same program we did with her sister Bev, and it worked out well. A Beka is well known in homeschooling circles for giving quite a bit of work and having a lot of requirements. They work the student hard and expect what some parents consider to be too much. I've heard many complaints about them along these lines. Through the years, I learned to "cut corners" in certain areas, but now that we're doing the work for credit, needing to send much of the work in to them while attesting to the fact that this and that has been completed, we're going to have to really dig in and do what's expected of us. Let's hope it builds character in both of us.

If you complete the work that A Beka gives you and apply yourself, you end up with a good solid education along with your high school diploma. And most importantly, in each and every subject Christ is honored in the textbook and in the teaching. Neesie has a dream of going down to Pensacola Christian College in Florida and graduating with the other students of the A Beka homeschool class of 2011 and getting to meet some of her video teachers. I hope her dream comes true.

Pray for my student, please, and especially pray for her home teacher.

7 comments:

Beka said...

We're already praying! Sounds like you both have a challenge ahead, but I know that with God's help you will both do well.

Beverly said...

I LOVE that picture of Neesie. I hope the school year goes well for both of you. I know it is a lot sometimes, but you can always unload on me when you feel like it. I'll be praying!

Beverly said...

oh yeah ... forgot to say that Selena hopes that Nanna gives Auntie Nee LOTS of days off.

Susan said...

I think this sounds very exciting. I will pray for both student and teacher.

You are my friend, Maxine. I glad you took a balloon!!!!!

Bethany said...

I will pray for you both. We have not started school yet but we are preparing the house at the moment. Cleaning and getting school books together and all. My older brother and I are reading books for our literature class though. I am getting a little excited oddly enough... I'm hoping this excitement lasts through the year :^) Hope your week has gone well.
Beth

Lori said...

Praying for what sounds like a fabulous school! I wish you lived closer, I would ask if my Nico could enroll?!! :)

sparrow's song said...

There is much to applaud concerning home schooling. I never had the privilege of my children participating though. It was not something my husband saw worth venturing. Sadly, I think there has been a price to pay for mingling with too much secular mind set, that being among my regrets. That will have to be something for the Lord to unravel.

Pausing to lift these student and teacher in prayer.