College Girl

In 1995 we made the decision to begin Shae's formal education at home. We heard - and have heard many times since then - of all the dangers, drawbacks, and challenges of homeschooling. There are - even now - many misconceptions and myths about what it means to homeschool.

Our decision was not on behalf of anyone else - it only concerned Shae, and what we felt was best for her and our family. It was scary, especially for Trudi, because of the great responsibility.

At the time, we only committed to doing one year at home. We felt we could try it, and if it didn't work out, we could always try the public school system. Each year since 1995, we have renewed our one-year contract. For each additional child, we have asked, "Is this the best thing?" And each time we have felt it was the right thing.

It has been challenging. We have made mistakes. We hope we've done a good job. But Shae has been great. She is a wonderful young lady and has been a terrific example for her brother and sisters.

Last year, Shae experienced something other than homeschool for the first time when she dual-enrolled at Edison Community College, taking one class each semester in Punta Gorda. However, the bulk of her time was still at home, working on her high school studies.

Officially, she is still a high school senior. But last Friday she began classes at Edison in Fort Myers, taking 15 hours of college courses.

Bittersweet is a cliche. It's also an apt description.

3 more to go.