Flashback to the summer of 2020…
The news media was feeding us all a steady diet of “peaceful protests” and “wear your mask”, and my 5-year-old daughter was getting ready for kindergarten.
In the public school registration process, I checked the box “Language other than English spoken in the home,” and my daughter was promptly scheduled for an English language assessment.
That hot July day arrived quickly, and I took her in to the school district office for the assessment, administered with both my daughter and the evaluator in well-fitting masks plus a thick sheet of plexiglass situated between them. My daughter could hardly hear the questions, let alone answer them.
“Look at the picture. What is above the barn?” (muffled by mask and Plexiglass)
It wasn’t a clear assessment of my daughter’s language abilities. Instead, it was a clear picture of how my daughter’s kindergarten year was about to go down. Muffled voices and masks and kids being told to stay six feet apart.
Here’s the thing:
At that point in time, I had been a public school teacher for 12 years. My husband and I had assumed our own kiddos would just breeze into the public school Dual Language programs and that eventually they would pass through the Dual Language Gifted program in which I teach…
But that day with muffled test questions and my daughter’s confused eyebrows, I knew our assumed plans were about to be turned upside down.
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9
Awhile back, I heard another mom say that her family became accidental homeschoolers. That’s the perfect description for our situation as well.
After the muffled language test, I went into hyperdrive, trying to figure out a homeschool plan that reflected our family values. My husband and I speak fluent Spanish and want the same for our children, so this was an automatic priority. We also wanted a foundation of Christian values, not just the “what” but also the “why”. Then we also wanted to allow our children to be curious, something that is unceremoniously pounded out of public school students by about third grade.
Spanish / English
Christian values and apologetics
Curiosity
Fast forward to 2023, and what seemed to be accidental (homeschooling) actually turns out it was not. Surprise, ha!
God was just doing what God does: He changed our lives.
Life-changing direction from God is nothing new.
Joseph was locked away in a dungeon and was called before Pharaoh to interpret a dream.
Moses was minding his business and encountered a burning bush.
Peter and Andrew were packing up from yet another fishing trip and met Jesus on the lakeshore.
What seems like just another moment in our ordinary lives is actually an invitation to a mission straight from God.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
Joseph’s Mission: To save an entire nation from an impending famine
Moses’s Mission: To declare freedom for the Israelites
Peter and Andrew’s Mission: To announce the Good News that would transform Roman civilization and beyond
So just another ordinary moment in our ordinary lives became a mission to homeschool our children well. Accidental homeschooling, if you will.
And now, God has opened a door for embracing this mission more than I ever could have imagined.
More to come soon on the next steps in our homeschool adventure!
Life is exciting and surprising when God determines our steps! Feliz Viernes Santo!
I like the cliffhanger!