25th Anniversary Celebration - Reflections

Celebrating the blessings, remembering the history and vision, and honoring God as we move into the future.

Going Back to the Beginning
Convention Themes - How Many Can You Remember?
Willing to Question and Seek?
A Nation at Risk
God Said This - A Scrambled Message from 1990
We Need to Band Together - Reprint from 2004
Keep the Heart of Homeschooling - FREE MP3 EXCERPT!
God Almighty Went Before Us - FREE MP3 EXCERPT!
A Fourth of July Thought from 1989
Support Groups
Newsletter Slideshow
Graduations Then and Now
Modern Technology
"ABCs" from 2004
Curriculum Advice from 1989
Remember...
Convention Musings from the 1980s
Why Are We Homeschooling?
Victory for Religious Exemption Shows God's Faithfulness
Reflections from a Second-Generation Homeschooler
To Be Educated
Standing for Truth
Standing for Righteousness - FREE MP3 EXCERPT!
A 1985 Call to Prayer
Remembering the Past: God Prepares a Judge's Heart
What? No Curriculum?
Maintaining the Vision

GOING BACK TO THE BEGINNING
This week, reflect back to when you first began homeschooling, whether that was twenty-five years ago, five years ago, or one year ago. What led you to begin this journey? What were your goals and aspirations? How have they changed, and why? Why did you begin?

God is writing His own homeschool history in your family as each year passes. May remembering why you're doing what you're doing give you vision and zeal as you plan and start the new school year.

CONVENTION THEMES - HOW MANY CAN YOU REMEMBER?

1984-1986 - Themes Unknown*
1987 - Teach Them Diligently
1988 - "He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to their children"
1989 - "Where there is no vision, the people perish"
1990 - "To secure the blessings of liberty for our children..."
1991 - Home Schooling for Excellence
1992 - The Treasure of a Good Foundation
1993 - Lighting Their Way...
1994 - Catch the Vision...
1995 - Growing in Wisdom
1996 - Celebration of Excellence
1997 - Passing the Torch: Educating for the Future
1998 - Building for Tomorrow: Laying a Firm Foundation
1999 - Turning the Hearts of the Fathers
2000 - Turning the Hearts of the Children
2001 - Dwelling Together in Unity
2002 - Families Under Construction
2003 - Home Education: A Heritage and a Future
2004 - Home Education: Coming of Age
2005 - Home Education: Joy in the Journey
2006 - Home Education: A Lifestyle of Learning
2007 - Home Education: A Journey of Discovery
2008 - Home Education: An Excellent Choice

*If you remember the theme for these years, please let us know!

WILLING TO QUESTION AND SEEK?
Last week's anniversary section had a link to A Nation at Risk, an alarming report from 1983 on the condition of public schools. That report and other factors helped many people begin questioning the commonly accepted method of education and seeking the Lord for His principles and leading.

Questioning the world's ways and seeking God's ways applies not only to the decision to homeschool, but also to the decisions we make while we homeschool. As you make decisions about activities, curricula, and school-year plans, don't miss out on the joy of taking those decisions to the Lord, questioning things against His Word, and letting Him transform your thinking.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2 KJV

A NATION AT RISK
Back in 1983, the U.S. Department of Education released A Nation at Risk. On page five, the booklet declares,

"The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and as a people.... We have in effect been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament."

Read this influential report at www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html.

Homeschool Heroes explains how this report influenced many parents, opening their eyes to their need to raise their children for the Lord instead of sending them to a public school system that was drifting further and further away from the Lord and therefore reaping the consequences outlined in this report.* The report is still a good reminder to us today that when we neglect God's principles, we're headed for disaster.

[Note: Homeschool Heroes is a powerful book sharing lessons from homeschooling's history we can't afford to forget--we highly recommend every homeschooler read it.]

*See pages four and five.

GOD SAID THIS - A SCRAMBLED MESSAGE FROM 1990
God gave us a special promise in the Psalms. Cross out every third letter to unscramble the message.

[Note: You could also copy the lines below into a word processor (like Word) and delete every third letter. If you need help (or just want to read the promise!), take a look at Psalm 91:15 (KJV).]

HEMSHOALTLCDALELURPOTNMAE,
ANTDINWIOLLEANTSWOERDHILM:
IWWILTLBEEWHITOHHEIMEINOTRIOUTBLUE;
IWBILTLDOELAIVEERTHISM,
ANGDHPONKOUDRHPIM.

- Adapted from the May/June 1990 HEAV Newsletter

WE NEED TO BAND TOGETHER - REPRINT FROM 2004
Homeschooling has grown a lot over the past twenty-five years. It is now generally accepted and even popular to homeschool. But that doesn't mean we can do it on our own! We still need to hold one another up in prayer and keep each other accountable. We need support and encouragement to stay focused. And we need to stand together to watch the legislature and make sure our freedoms remain intact.

In this week's article reprint, a veteran mom confesses to not joining HEAV for a long time. She shares some of the things she didn't realize for years.

www.heav.org/convention/25thanniversary/heavsupport.html

KEEP THE HEART OF HOMESCHOOLING - FREE MP3 EXCERPT!
In this short audio clip, Chris Klicka concludes his discussion on the difficulty of homeschooling in the early years and the marvelous way God fought for His people (see last week's excerpt) by reminding us to keep the heart of homeschooling. Without that heart, all the legal victories we might win are in vain.

www.heav.org/assets/files/25th/ChrisKlickaExcerptPart2.mp3

Note: This excerpt came from Chris's workshop "The Heart of Homeschooling," which he gave at the 2005 HEAV Convention.

GOD ALMIGHTY WENT BEFORE US - FREE MP3 EXCERPT!
The legal situation in the early years of homeschooling looked impossible--but what is impossible with man is no problem for God. In this short audio clip (3:13), Chris Klicka, long-time HSLDA attorney, paints a brief picture of the homeschool situation when he began back in the 1980s. He then shares two profound testimonies of how God worked here in Virginia to bring about our current freedoms.

Be encouraged by these testimonies to God's faithfulness, and watch next week for another short excerpt from Chris!

www.heav.org/assets/files/25th/ChrisKlickaExcerptPart1.mp3

Note: This excerpt came from Chris's workshop "The Heart of Homeschooling," which he gave at the 2005 HEAV Convention. See Chris's book Home School Heroes for more stories of how God defended His people.

A FOURTH OF JULY THOUGHT FROM 1989
"The celebrations of this past July 4th in homeschooling families came with a joy borne from the freedom to obey God and not the license to do what feels good regardless of the consequences. We have a responsibility to raise up a new generation of godly servants who will not only have an excellent educational and social background, but who will be eager to take positions of responsible leadership in their families and in their communities under the authority of Scripture. 'Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty' (II Corinthians 3:17)."

- Taken from the July 1989 HEAV newsletter.

SUPPORT GROUPS - AN ARTICLE REPRINT
In the early years, homeschooling families didn't have much, if any, support. Many families faced opposition from their friends and even their churches. Yet as one brave family after another chose to educate their children at home, support groups began to grow! Today, support groups exist throughout the state (and the Internet!).

Support groups can be wonderful encouragements. We often need others to help lift us up when we fall and to help us stay on track and focused. But above all, we, like homeschoolers 25 years ago, need the Lord. We've reprinted an article originally published in The Teaching Home and included in the 2004 The Virginia Home Educator titled "The Lord: Your First and Best Support." This article is a good reminder to keep running to the Lord--He never fails.

www.heav.org/convention/25thanniversary/support.html

NEWSLETTER SLIDESHOW
Since its establishment in 1983, HEAV has been sending out newsletters to homeschoolers across Virginia. At the beginning, the newsletters were not full color or filled with graphics like they are today, but they were filled with important information. The Lord richly blessed those small beginnings, and today The Virginia Home Educator goes out to approximately 14,000 to 20,000 families, while this e-mail Update reaches more than 7,500.

We've put a short slideshow together showing a handful of the different "looks" the HEAV newsletters have taken. We hope you enjoy!

www.heav.org/slideshows/newsletters

GRADUATIONS THEN AND NOW
On June 25, 1988, four young men and women graduated in HEAV's very first graduation ceremony. It was a simple ceremony, yet a profound testimony to the dedication of the parents who had chosen to forge ahead in pursuing an education for their children at home.

Since then, homeschooling has grown by leaps and bounds as one brave family after another has chosen to homeschool their children. HEAV's homeschool graduations now have more than a hundred graduates each year, with 177 graduating this past weekend.

It's exciting to see how God has blessed the homeschooling movement. May each new generation continue to seek Him and press on towards His high calling.

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14 (KJV)

MODERN TECHNOLOGY
"If you don't have a computer with a modem and on-line service, consider asking a friend or support group member to be a contact person for you and your support group." - The Virginia Home Educator, Spring 1997

Surrounded as we are now with modern technology, it's sometimes easy to forget that there was a time not too long ago when many people didn't have e-mail or Internet access, when "online" was so new it was still spelled "on-line," and when researching meant a trip to the library instead of a trip to the computer.

The changes in technology have brought many changes to homeschooling, such as electronic resources (and this weekly Update!). Yet, although some things have changed, other things have stayed and will stay the same. Families are still under attack, God is still calling parents to raise up their children to love Him, and His grace is still sufficient for each new day.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)

"For I am the LORD, I change not;" Malachi 3:6 (KJV)

"ABCs" from 2004
The following "ABCs" were taken from a bookmark produced in 2004.
Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain,
Continue in thanksgiving;
Do not begin to blame.
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow.
God is forever able...
Hold on to what you know.
Imagine life without His love!
Joy would cease to be.
Keep thanking Him for all the things His
Love imparts to thee.
Move out of Camp Complaining -
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone.
Quit looking at the future -
Redeem the time at hand.
Start every day with worship;
To "thank" is a command!
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky,
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high.
Yes, there will be times that are both good and bad, but
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

CURRICULUM ADVICE FROM 1989
With convention just a few weeks away, this quote from the May 1989 newsletter is a good reminder to seek what God has for each of our children.

“Please, as you are preparing to purchase your curriculum for next year, remember that you are preparing for your household. Not everyone has the same type of child, nor the same way of learning. What may be good for your child may not work for mine and vice versa.”

- Cherrie Moore, in an article titled “Not Everyone Agrees” printed in the May 1989 newsletter.

REMEMBER...
"We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done." Psalm 78:4 (KJV)

Whether moving a superintendent's heart so a family could continue to homeschool, or helping a mom through those tough days or subjects, God has indeed performed wonderful works in the lives of homeschooling families. This week, consider making a list of some of those special things He's done in your life. Remember His faithfulness...and know He will be faithful to every generation.

CONVENTION MUSINGS FROM THE 1980S
Here are some reasons to come to the convention that are just as true today as they were back in the '80s! Enjoy...and don't forget to grab your ticket for this year's convention.

"We all need the 'boost' we get, the encouragement to continue in the task God has given us, and the exposure to workshops, curriculum, and other helps that we may not have seen before." HEAV Newsletter, May 1987.

"Come catch the vision of home schooling from people who have experienced the joys and frustrations of it all. If you feel that you have lost your vision, come and be renewed as you see the tremendous things God is doing to strengthen families across our nation! 'Where there is no vision, the people perish...' Proverbs 19:18." HEAV Newsletter, May 1989.

WHY ARE WE HOMESCHOOLING?
"What God is seeking is not just children, but children who have been raised to choose the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord wants you to have full integrity and to walk worthy of your calling--and then bring your boys and girls right along with you. They are to be walking in your footsteps. Embracing your values. Serving your God. Choosing your Lord to be their Lord. The Lord wants you to pass the torch of godliness to the next generation."

- Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Dr. Wilkinson was a speaker at the 1997 HEAV convention. This quote came from an article published in The Virginia Home Educator (spring/1997), and was chosen to encourage you to remember the heart of homeschooling is not just academics--it is passing the love of God to the next generation.

VICTORY FOR RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION SHOWS GOD'S FAITHFULNESS
In May 1987, an announcement went out for prayer and financial support for a Virginia family facing a legal battle in Westmoreland County. Terry and Joyce Foreman were homeschooling based on their religious belief and went to court after the school board refused to acknowledge their exemption. The case was pending, but God's people were united and praying.

The wait was not long and the victory was complete. On June 5, 1987, the judge ruled in favor of the Foreman's, exempting them from the compulsory attendance law and finding them not guilty of the violation. This victory was just one of the many Virginia families experienced as the exemption law was being tested. We can praise the Lord for His faithfulness throughout the years.

This information came from the May 1987 and July 1987 Home Educators Association of Virginia Newsletter.

REFLECTIONS FROM A SECOND-GENERATION HOMESCHOOLER
By Amy Pascale

"My family began homeschooling in Virginia in 1983 when I was 10 years old and HEAV was a newly formed organization. Homeschooling was a new concept for us, but my parents knew they did not want to continue to send their children to public school because of their religious convictions, so we began our homeschooling adventure.

"In the early '80s hardly anyone had heard of homeschooling, and the pressing question on everyone's mind was, 'Is that legal?' My mom's brother and his wife who lived in a nearby county also started homeschooling around the same time. They were harassed and taken to court by their local superintendent. Thankfully, HSLDA was alive and well in those days and came to their aid with great success. My family never had any legal problems with homeschooling, but the possibility of legal action was very real in those days, as was the social prejudice against homeschooling parents and children.

"My parents were like the pioneers that packed up their covered wagons and left behind everything familiar to go to an unknown place... I am ever grateful to my parents and others who have endured the hardship necessary to make a better life for future generations."

[From Anne Miller: What a delight to hear from Amy Pascale! Amy worked at the HEAV office in Richmond and eventually became the office manager. (We still talk about--and miss--her statistical reports!) As a homeschool graduate on the HEAV staff, she was able to give special inspiration and encouragement to the many distraught homeschool moms who would call or e-mail our office asking for help. Amy is now married and busy at home as a second-generation homeschool mom with two children of her own. ]

Do you have reflections of your own you'd like to share? Please send them to 25thAnniversary@heav.org.

TO BE EDUCATED
"If I learn my ABCs, can read 600 words per minute, and can write with perfect penmanship, but have not been shown how to communicate with the Designer of all language, I have not been educated.

"If I can deliver an eloquent speech and persuade you with my stunning logic, but have not been instructed in God's wisdom, I have not been educated.

"If I have read Shakespeare and John Locke and can discuss their writings with keen insight, but have not read the greatest of all books-the Bible-and have no knowledge of its personal importance, I have not been educated."

Read the rest of this article by Carolyn Caines here.

http://www.churchofchristusa.com /Archives/old bulletin articles/TO BE EDUCATED.htm

Reprinted from The Virginia Home Educator, spring 1997.

STANDING FOR TRUTH - REPRINT FROM A 1990 HEAV NEWSLETTER
“No matter how hard we may work toward becoming involved, passing laws, and winning court cases, no one’s rights will really be secured unless there is a commitment in at least two directions.

“The first is, of course, the commitment to be good parents.

“Second, as Christians we must be committed to stand strong for the truth. Christians can no longer hide from this fact and expect political freedom to remain intact.”

– John Whitehead, quoted in the Jan./Feb. 1990 HEAV newsletter.

STANDING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
FREE MP3 EXCERPT!
In the early 1980s, the Boyer children hid under the beds when there was a knock at the door. In this short audio clip (3:56), Marilyn Boyer shares lessons and reflections from the very early years of homeschooling in Virginia, including excerpts from a heart-warming article her son wrote years later on how his parent's commitment to follow the Lord's leading--no matter what--left an eternal impact.

Be encouraged by this powerful reminder to follow the Lord in every area and stand for righteousness.

www.heav.org/assets/files/25th/StandingforRighteousness.mp3

A 1985 CALL TO PRAYER
"Some of us are praying and fasting (especially on Fridays) for justice for the home educators in Virginia. We are praying especially for our own local legislators, that they follow God's Will in January and February as they vote on important issues for Family Life." - January 1985

[In reference to the legislative season...] "Your prayers are needed that our adversaries be confounded and our friends be strengthened." - February 1989.

Early homeschoolers recognized they needed God to fight for them. They knew they needed His protection and His help--and they sought it. God answered their prayers. He gave them the courage they needed, and He moved the hearts of legislatures and judges to protect them.

May we, too, be a people of prayer--praying for our leaders, for the California homeschool situation, for other homeschoolers in all parts of the world, and for the strength and wisdom to make it through each day.

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." 1 Timothy 2:1,2 (KJV)

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5 (KJV)

REMEMBERING THE PAST: GOD PREPARES A JUDGE'S HEART
Many of the legal battles in Virginia focused on a parent's right to homeschool under religious exemption. It would have been easy to acquiesce to the homeschool statute with its increased regulations, but instead, many felt they had a God-given responsibility, as well as a constitutional right, to educate their children at home. They could not ask permission from the state.

The Braswells were one such family. According to the October 1985 HEAV newsletter, homeschooling father David Braswell was taken to court because he and his wife believed it to be their responsibility before the Lord to homeschool their son. They further believed they could not ask the state's permission to exercise what they felt was both their God-given responsibility and their constitutional right. Their attorney, Bill Beeton, began by informing the court the Braswells were teaching their own children because of their Bible-based convictions as Christians. Mr. Beeton also cited their First Amendment constitutional right to free exercise of religion. Before he could finish his remarks, the judge stopped him and said he had won his case. Apparently, the judge had an experience several years earlier with a Mennonite couple and had read a newspaper article concerning parent's rights and homeschooling. God had prepared his heart!

The HEAV newsletter ended its report on the incident by saying,

"Truly the Lord had prepared the heart of Judge Bowers even before the trial. Believers from the Braswell's church fellowship and from H.E.A.V. were praying for this case."

What a fitting reminder of God's faithfulness--and a reminder to pray! The same God who fought for the Braswells and other families offers us His grace and strength today.

WHAT? NO CURRICULUM?
Considering the huge selection of homeschool materials available today, it is hard to imagine that twenty-five years ago homeschool parents didn't have much in the way of curricula to choose from--and were even denied access to resources from a major publisher! Many parents ended up making their own, or else picking from the handful of options available. They had to seek God's help and guidance for each English lesson.

Today, homeschoolers can choose from a wide variety of curricula and plentiful support. Hundreds of companies serve the homeschooling market--many selling materials they created while homeschooling their own children. There is truly a delightful assortment of curricula from which to choose!

Homeschooling has certainly changed...or has it? Although we now have an abundance of resources, we, like the home educators of twenty-five years ago, need to continually seek the Lord in our homeschooling efforts. Only He can help us truly disciple and train the next generation to stand.

MAINTAINING THE VISION
"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

This verse, quite fittingly, was the theme for HEAV's 1989 convention. The newsletters throughout the year tell the story of many legal and social struggles and battles. Homeschooling (and the homeschooling law) was clearly misunderstood by many. Homeschool families needed to keep the vision of why they were homeschooling continually in mind.

Although times have changed, our need to keep a clear vision has not. We are still in a spiritual battle as we seek to raise children for God's kingdom. May we continually remember that, "To KNOW the will of God is the greatest KNOWLEDGE, to FIND the will of God is the greatest DISCOVERY, and to DO the will of God is the greatest ACHIEVEMENT" (January/February 1990 HEAV Newsletter).