Why HomeSchooling Chose Me

I was one of those moms that was perfectly content to allow my children to attend public school. In fact, the plan, which was heavily in motion, was that once we got settled in Fl. and the kids settled in school, I was going to go back to school, get my masters degree and work my dream job in the county morgue.

Since I first became a mom, I was around home schoolers in my church. I always viewed them as either not playing with a full deck, way more gutsy than I, or both. When the conversation of homeschooling would come up, I would dance around the issue by saying that I didn't have the patience to do that. ALWAYS with the same answer from every one of those moms, God will give you the patience if you just ask Him.

AHA!! An out!! I won't ask! There!! Matter Solved.

Jump ahead 3 years, my son was attending a preschool program for children with disabilities that was an all day program, so I decided to get a job to fill the time that he was at school. The job was a full time job working for a financial services company in Dallas, Tx. I loved it. The people I worked with were great, the job was great, and I was moving up the ladder.

From the time that Dathon was 1, we tried for Baby #2. And tried. And tried. And tried. I started the job in Nov. of 95. Feb. 28th of 96 I found out Baby #2 was on the way. I continued to work until July 31st when pre term labor put me on bed rest. I waited the 6 weeks after she was born, then went back to work and worked til she was 2 and we moved to KC. Once in KC, I decided to stay home with her like I did Dathon. Aubrey and I had a blast, but I was also counting down the days til Kindergarten.

After a move to Va. Aubrey started Kindergarten in Sept. 2002. We were back in the same area where Jay and I met. Back at the same area with the church that we attended that was mostly home schoolers. Once again, I dodged the bullet by saying that I just did not have the patience to home school Aubrey. And, once again, I was not about to pray and ask God to give it to me.

From the first day of Kindergarten it was very apparent that we were not dealing with just an ordinary 5 year old, straight A student that couldn't stay out of trouble.

In the middle of her Kindergarten year, we moved to Fl. Aubrey adjusted well and she was being challenged by the teacher. 1st grade went by fairly smooth. By the middle of 2nd grade we were beginning to get a few phone calls from the teacher.

Also at this time, Jay was beginning to listen to a conservative talk show host out of Atlanta. Jay really enjoyed listening to him and told me about him. I started listening. This guy is a tell like it is, no nonsense, thought provoking, find the truth for yourself, intriguing, funny, smart guy. There wasn't really a whole lot that he said that I disagreed with. One of the things that he tended to get on rants about was "government schools". And, while I agreed with what he said about them, I knew that we couldn't afford private, and I still wasn't about to pray for that patience.

Then third grade happened. WOW, what a year that was. The first part of the year was going by pretty smooth. Then after Christmas break, the phone calls started. At this time, Dathon was having transition issues with Middle School, so it got to a point that I literally dreaded the phone ringing. One day REALLY stands out in my mind. I'm sitting at home, enjoying my day, eating bon bons (YEA RIGHT< like that really happened) when the phone rings and the conversation goes something like this:

ME:sighing as I answer cause I saw caller ID "Hello"
DD's Teacher: "Ms. Mason, can you please talk to Aubrey? We are having an issue."
Now by this time, this is like the umpteenth call, and I am at the point of just losing it. ALL I can think is I am 5 miles away, you are the teacher, what am I supposed to do.
ME: "Yes, put Aubrey on, I'll speak with her"
Aubrey: "Mama, ummm, Mama"
ME: "Aubrey, what is the problem today, this is getting old, that is your teacher, you have to obey her, it is her class."
Aubrey: "Mama, I was trying to explain something to her, but she....
DD's Teacher "She? She? I am no she, you will refer to me by my name"

At this point, Aubrey attempted to explain that she was talking to me, and I'm listening while a 40 something elementary school teacher argues with my child with me on the phone. At one point I wonder to myself which is more pathetic, that the 40 something teacher is actually arguing with an 8 year old, or that she is losing the argument? Eventually, the matter is solved, there is only a couple months of school left for the year and all I can think is, Please Aubrey, pull it together for just a couple more months.

Fourth grade. WOW, we made it to fourth grade. I still had some semblance of the sanity I was desperately trying to hold on to, and Aubrey was in 4th grade. School started at the middle of August. By the middle of Sept. the calls started. At this point, we were dealing with the principal. Her records were pulled. Meetings with the various teachers were called. At this point I was ready to pull out my hair. All I wanted to do was get her settled, so I could go to school. So, I did it. I made the threat. The threat that I had NO intention of following thru on, the threat that I figured was worse than any other threat I had ever made to her. There was no way she was going to defy us with this threat over her head. The threat that if she didn't pull it together I was going to home school her. (OH Dina, what did you just say? Take it back!! Take it back!!) Then the principal even came thru and told her, if she could just pull it together for a couple days, he would just promote her to the next grade. Whew. I dodged that bullet. Surely she would pull it together, be promoted to 5th grade, and that would be the end of it.

Nope! That meeting with the principal was on a Wed. The promotion was to have happened the following Mon. Instead, on that Monday, October 2, 2006 I officially started homeschooling Aubrey. And you know what, I NEVER did pray and ask for that patience before I chose to homeschool. But God knew that I needed it, and He provided it anyway. Even when I was being nudged to pray for it, and I was being rebellious, crossing my arms, stomping my feet, and saying No, God still said, "Dina, My ways are higher than your ways, My thoughts higher than yours, you'll need this whether you like it or not." And, most days I have patience. On those days when I don't...well...those are known as Skip Days.