by Londyn, Summer ‘24 Intern
In just a few months, I will enter the ninth year of my homeschooling journey. My mother pulled me out of school at the end of second grade, and since then she has always been my favorite teacher.
The adjustment to attending a public school and switching to a classical education those “many, many” years ago was a slow process. On top of the rules at school that made my mom uncomfortable (why wasn’t she allowed to visit me during the days?), I experienced and saw bullying. My mom barely knew what I was taught during the long eight hours I was away from her, and I didn’t see my siblings as much as I would have liked. By the time I woke up in the morning, got ready, had breakfast, and raced to the bus stop, I already felt a longing for the comfort my mom has always provided me. Hours later, at lunch time, I would wonder why I couldn’t be at home enjoying a simple lunch with my family. Instead, I was crushed in a huge lunch hall with hundreds of loud and disrespectful children.
I had friends that I loved, so I was comfortable. Looking back, though, I know I wasn’t thriving. Whether or not my mom could fully sense my thoughts and feelings, she knew something was up. And though it took time for her to convince my dad this was the best option for me, years later, my family can’t imagine a different path. Homeschooling changed me.
I can’t truthfully say that I remember my first year of school at home crystal clear. I can say, however, that I was happy. Something was different—did I connect the dots as to what had changed? Maybe yes, maybe no. But simply looking back at the pictures my mother took that year, I see so much joy: my siblings and myself, as we sat around our dining table, listening to classical stories she would read aloud, munching on muffins we had made that morning, and sipping tea in pretty china. We studied the art of Van Gogh, Turner, and Constable; we listened to and discussed classical music that has been passed down for centuries. I believe I was exposed to more truth, beauty, and goodness that year than I had been handed my entire life in public school! And since then, my love for education has only grown.
In all that I have shared, I have not dramatized my adoration for my home education; it is all true. I have not, however, mentioned the tears. And yes, there were tears (over something I now plan on majoring in college – Mathematics!) however, not in its entirety. I have always had a hankering for math, but my mother and I must have thought that long division (of all things!) would be the death of me.
I wanted to give up; I was tired and frustrated. But my mom taught me something that day that has stayed with me all these years. Don’t give up. And so I listened; I tried. It took weeks and weeks for me to finally master the “Dirty Monkeys Smell Bad” (divide, multiply, subtract, bring down). But once I pushed through and finished, I felt accomplished. I had done something.
As I finish up my last few years of home education and prepare for my away-from-home college studies, I remember where I came from. I remind myself of the beginning; the reason I truly love learning. Why am I going to college? To further that desire I have. To know and learn as much as I can: knowledge is a gift from God, a gift I want to nourish.
In the second part of this post, I will dive deeper into something that took me longer to find than my search for wisdom–my search for and conversion to the Orthodox faith. Knowing and having a desire for truth began with an education at home; my first step into the Church has only strengthened this.
Those few words that my mom shared with me that day have stuck with me greatly: Don’t give up. Whatever it is that I am facing (often a tad more challenging than long division!) I know that if I make up my mind that I will do something, I will do it. I don’t let the words of others distract or discourage me. By being surrounded by such a beautiful, loving, and inspirational woman who gave me this education, I have also been given a yearning for some of the greatest gifts: knowledge, love for Christ, and truth.
Read Londyn’s conversion story here!