Family Traditions and Homeschooling Opportunities

For my wife (Teresa) and I, there were no questions about our desire to provide our children the opportunity to homeschool our grandchildren. It was our dream to pass on this tradition. Our three daughters experienced homeschooling for part of their own educations, and now they have given us 10 amazing grandchildren for whom My Father's World has provided a window of opportunity. As grandparents, being able to accommodate each of our children's particular situations including their family focus, lifestyles and demands of life, by providing curriculum and encouragement to homeschool has been so special. Each of our three daughter's families have different requirements in life to meet, and each are perfect examples of how those individual circumstances can be met by homeschooling.

Our middle daughter's family, for example, had a schedule requiring a school year opposite of "traditional" school year. That suddenly made a complete U-turn in the past two years and they still have the capacity to respond to their immediate needs by utilizing homeschooling as their means of education. Allow me to explain.

Our middle daughter is married to a man who has amazing entrepreneurial skills. For 10 years, his company and crew traveled during the Spring and Summer months. His absence from the family contributed to a need to homeschool while Dad was away from home, which offered them the extra time to spend with Dad during the Autumn, and Winter months. On special occasions, when Dad was away from home they would travel to his location to visit him. Homeschooling provided a way for them to take school with them so that they would not miss a single day of studies. When Dad returned home for the off-season, homeschooling also allowed them the time and opportunity to learn from their Dad. He would use their scholastic down time to teach the two boys many different vocational and life skills and take them with him on his local winter jobs. He was teaching them the importance of producing valuable quality work, and at the same time, how to aim toward improving their entrepreneurial skills.

Two years ago, they made a decision to sell the business and purchase a farm to fulfill a dream of growing fresh and delicious country produce, which has turned into a thriving business. Now our grandsons are older and can drive the farm equipment and be part of a family oriented business. At present, they are working thru the summer months and it is no problem. Homeschooling still offers them the flexibility to adjust their school time to fit the need of their new lifestyle. Whether they are traveling back and forth on the road or working Spring, Summer, Winter, or Fall they have the ability and opportunity to apply their educational studies into their own challenging lifestyles.

It has been a joy to watch and be a part of encouraging them as they continue to develop. They are amazingly talented, and have maintained godly values, and are part of an active church in their community. Seeing them grow and learn through the years with the opportunities that homeschooling, especially with a biblically-based curriculum has afforded, has been so fulfilling to our hearts.