My Personal Story

I began our homeschooling experience in 1989, when my youngest child of four was born. My oldest son Gene was removed from 5th grade, Christina was removed from 2nd grade at the local public school, Shawn, a toddler and Denise my newborn were ready to embark on their adventure. After attending a short workshop with Nancy Plent of Unschooler's Network, I was turned out into uncharted waters without any further assistance. I spent every available minute searching for resources and vowed that I would help others in this process.

My oldest son Gene continued being homeschooled until age 15. At that time he entered our community college and began taking courses as a part of his high school program. He is now a graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. Degree in Computer Engineering, without wading through all the preliminaries of traditional high school (SAT testing, Diplomas, GED testing, and high school curriculum). His experience proves that homeschoolers can be accepted and attend college without public or private high school preparation.

Christina was homeschooled from grades 3 - 8 and decided she needed to attend public high school for the sports experience. She was accepted back without any pre-testing to determine if her academic level was adequate. After several weeks of schooling, she was asked to take the "8th Grade Proficiency Test". She felt the test was an insult to her intelligence even though 40% of 8th graders did not pass it, the first time around. She has shown that it is possible to spend the majority of your elementary years homeschooled and still be able to take your place among the top high school students.

Shawn and Denise, homeschooled from birth, will continue to be homeschooled without any interference with public schooling. They will also, pave their own way making a unique customized educational experience around their own lives because there is no, "one right way" to do this.