"I could see the cobblestone street below as children scuttled inside. They must be approaching! My heart was racing, and my breathing short. At 9 years old, even I knew the danger of working for the underground. And then came the knocking. Like death pounding on the door I thought. Everyone at the table froze with fear, and then..." my mother closed the book and stroked my hair. Cuddled in a blanket, the fire dancing benind the hearth, I had to resist the urge to squeal in protest at the closing of the book. We were reading from The Hiding Place in a study of World War II. We had already gone two chapters beyond the norm, and as my mother reminded me, there were more adventures to come...today. Like a beautiful pearl in an oyster’s shell, homeschooling has been a treasure wrapped in simple family values, integrity, honesty and self-discipline. Above all, I treasure the unique lifestyle that was birthed through homeschooling. For every day was different, an adventure in it’s own right. learning was a way of life, a celebration of the world around me, it became part of who I am.

"What do you want to learn today?" my mother often asked as we gathered around our dining room table. My mind played with all the tantalizing possibilities. It seemed I had been given the key to the whole universe and I had only to choose which door to unlock. And then I remembered our chickens. Have you ever seen a chicken run? There is nothing quite like it. As they prance around on their peg-like legs, their bodies bob from side to side like a water balloon while their waddles wag in the wind. I decided, with that picture in my mind, that I wanted to learn about chickens. And so we did.

For the next three weeks our tables were piled with books from the library in stacks two feet high, our walls cluttered with diagrams and drawings of chicken anatomy. I would never look at my pet chicken the same way again. I learned of her history and ancestors, and how her eggs were used in science and everyday products. I designed and constructed her a new chicken coop. Yet little did I know that when I passed in my report, the lessons I had gained would prove to far exceed any unit study. I had tasted a new lifestyle of learning, and I loved it!

If any two children decided to follow the age-old tradition of sibling rivalry, it was my younger sister and me. What I wanted she got, and what I had, she desired. When the quarrels did not stop when ‘school’ began, the classroom became our war zone as diplomacy flew out the window.

And yet my mother, in her wisdom, found in those moments of sheer insanity a lesson to teach our tender hearts. School became our peace conference, while my sister and I learned to practice compassion, empathy, and team work. Perhaps not with the first quarrel or the second, or even the third, but gradually I began to understand the value of these qualities and to make them my own.

As I grew older, I assumed more responsibility for my own education. I made my own assignments, set my own deadlines, and let my curiosity and love for learning lead me down unexplored paths. As a freshman in high school, I had a burning desire to learn Hebrew. The Holy Land – its culture and history – fascinated me. And so I searched for, and found a correspondence course to teach me Hebrew. I loved it! More than that, I loved the challenge – I loved school. Homeschooling gave me the chance to set my own goals, to challenge myself, and to pursue my dreams.

My educational experience has been unorthodox by any standard. I have been given the fullness of a learning experience rarely found in the classroom. I cherish that fullness, as every day it impacts my life. Homeschooling has prepared me for today’s battles and tomorrow’s victories and though I no longer am curled in my mother’s lap, my education still gets my heart racing and my breathing short as I realize there are more adventures to come...today!

Ann completing high school through Royal Academy in 2002. Her studies included selected Advanced Placement high school courses, as well as Early Study courses at the University of Southern Maine during her last two years of high school. Ann was accepted for admission at the University of Richmond, Virginia.