We have 62 days of required time to complete for the 2021-2022 school year to fulfill the law requirement. It amazes me every year how fast the time seems to go. Home educating teenagers has been quite different than when we started out in 5th and 7th grades. What do I mean by that? For one, they are virtually self teaching with little need for me, though I do still stay quite involved in what they are learning, as well as support for them and of course I grade their assignments. Their interests are really formed now to what they prefer to focus on. For example, my 16 year old’s focus is computer programming and my 14 year old’s focus is interior design. The 16 year old has been holding a job since last spring and passed his drivers permit and road test and is now a licensed driver. All this to say, they are growing up. The beauty of home education is that you can foster their interests and you know their skill level and can be flexible with when they get their assignments done so that they can hold a job or pursue other things. I encourage my kids to choose something they are interested in, not necessarily just something that’s going to earn the highest amount of money or require the highest level of education for a fancy degree. Anyone who’s followed my blog for any length of time knows that we are a born-again Christian family. As such, I have never taught my kids that career and money or degrees or education are important or something they need to obsess over. What is important is their relationship with Christ. Everything else is temporary. We need to live on the planet for whatever time God has us to be here, and in doing so, obviously, we need to earn an income to feed ourselves, our families and to use what God gives us for God’s glory, for His purpose. The Bible gives us quite a lot of insight on that actually. I want my teens to lay their treasures above, not on Earth. That does not mean they should have no interest in anything. They do need to realize, however, that often our plans for our lives are not God’s plans for our lives and that will eventually be revealed to us if we are willing to listen and heed the will of God. The plan I had for my life when I was their age certainly did not come to completion, but God’s plans are the best plans and the sooner you submit to them, the better.

I know I have not posted anything in a long time and I have been trying to figure out what I wanted to talk about now. These days I spend little time on social media and therefore I don’t know what’s been going on in the homeschool groups I am in. I do know that people continually ask the same question, “where do I begin?” The answer is simple. Begin at reading the PA Home Education law. You MUST know the law. Don’t rely on anyone else to tell you what’s in it. I have many posts on how to follow the law and help break it down if you have questions. You can check my Resources page to go to the law text and read it and print it. Keep a copy of it in print form. Put it in your files somewhere. Refer to it and read it every year. The other thing I know is being discussed in some groups is this idea of the government giving out tax breaks to homeschool families. I really pray that does not happen. You’re thinking, why? It’s simple. If the government gives you something they want something in return. I don’t want them inside my home education program. What will they want? That’s anyone’s guess, but for one thing it will probably be something along the lines of requiring you to teach or do something in your home that you don’t agree with. No, I don’t want the government in my home. I don’t co-parent with the government nor do I co-educate with them. If I wanted them to educate my kids they would be in public school. I don’t even like all the hoopla they make us (PA residents) go through just to have our kids learn at home. It may not be hard to do, but it’s pointless and just a way for them to feel like they have some sort of power or control over your home education plan.