Those BIG parenting decisions....

You know those times as a parent where you know you have a BIG decision to make and you REALLY want to get it right? Well, Joel and I have found ourselves faced with one of those decisions and yet we are so very thankful for a Heavenly Father who has been there through the entire process!

Okay, first let me back up a few months to set the stage as to what led us to this point....

Way back in March or April, Joel and I began to talk some about the possibility of leaving our ministry in Bayfield Colorado. It was a big move for us as we had been in Bayfield for four years, LOVED the people and the community, our kids were secure and established in the schools - had friends and were thriving. As we discussed the possibility of moving, I made a statement to Joel that SHOULD we move - I felt like we would need to offer Hannah specifically the option of either homeschooling or on-line high school. In terms of our children's education we have always said that we would have them in public schools as long as the district was good, the kids were thriving, and we didn't have red flags.

When we moved to Bayfield in 2007 Hannah struggled A LOT! She was in 5th grade and really got off to a rough start. However, after the first year she sort of found her place, had a few friends and was beginning to thrive. So, fast forward to March and our conversation about moving - we knew that given Hannah's specific personality moving would be potentially hard and that she may have a hard time.

In June/July as we made plans to move to Borger, I will be honest and say that both Joel and I got lost in the move and forgot about our conversation about giving Hannah the option of on-line/homeschooling for High School. Hannah was excited about the potential of a new town, new school etc and so we just went forward with enrolling her in Borger High School. Looking back, I have to say that we probably should have put some more thought and consideration into what direction to go with Hannah's education...however we didn't.

We have now completed one full semester and Hannah has really struggled. The school is bigger, there are a lot of cliches, we had hoped she would make the basketball team but she didn't, she has had to deal with a lot! I won't go into detail because that is her story to tell but suffice it to say it has been enough to break a Mama's heart!

Shortly before break Joel and I began to talk in detail about alternative options for Hannah. The best we could tell we had 4 options besides Borger HS.

1. We could send her to a smaller school district near by - still a public school, but smaller and a little better off financially.

2. We could look into enrolling her in the local Christian School here in Borger.

3. We could enroll her in some sort of on-line High School.

4. We could home school her.

As we began to pray through and discuss each option, we were able to narrow some of them down. Enrolling her in the Christian School was not an option for January because they didn't have openings and we had some concerns about their rules. Full on Home schooling wasn't feasible given the fact that Hannah really is smart and needs upper level AP classes and it would be hard for Joel and I to help her through! So - this left us with two options: Change school districts or on-line school.

Last night, I began to just look at some on-line schools. I looked at Liberty Academy which is a Christian on-line High School through Liberty University. The curriculum looked amazing but it was a bit on the pricey side. I then looked at a K12 High School our brother-in-law recommended - Texas Virtual Academy. This is a public on-line school that is more like a charter school and is free! As we began looking at it - Joel and I were more and more excited. It had everything we had been looking for: parent involvement, upper level course work, flexibility and yet structured to a degree, and it would provide her the opportunity to expand her writing skills.

This morning, Joel had Hannah look at the web site and got her input. She was EXCITED! We talked about the fact that this would still involve structure, she would still have to get up and dressed every day, it was a lot of self-discipline and wouldn't be easy; yet we all felt like it was the best option to pursue....we just weren't expecting it to go as quickly as it did!

I filled out the on-line application and within 5 minutes we had a call for a pre-enrollment conference! Tomorrow Joel will fax the remaining paperwork and on Wednesday Joel will go with Hannah to withdraw her from Borger HS. TVA starts classes for the second semester on Jan 17 so that will be Hannah's first day.

As with any decision, there are some down points as well. For us, the biggest was social interaction. Hannah is by nature an introvert but we know that she does need social interaction with kids her age. So, primarily this will come through her youth group but we are also hoping to get to know some other High School students who are home schooled or go to TVA in the area. She will also have the flexibility to do some babysitting during the day and/or get a part time job.

Another adaptation that we are adding is that of some Biblical Studies via traditional homeschooling. We really want Hannah to learn and grow in her walk with the Lord and this is a good opportunity to teach her to have a Biblical World View.

You may be wondering about our other kids. At this point, we have decided to leave them enrolled in Borger schools. Yes, we still have some concerns but we just aren't ready to pull them yet...so we have creatively labeled ourselves a "Blended School Family"! Ha ha! We are of the opinion that each of our children are unique in their personalities and needs and therefore, are totally willing to consider individual options for each one of them. So, should the need arise to consider alternative education for any or all of the other 3 we will definitely do that.

This is a whole new experience for us. We have never home schooled and although this is an On-line School it still is heavily dependent on the involvement of parents so there will be an element of home school. We are excited and nervous and definitely welcome prayers! For those of you who home school - we may very well be in contact!