Homeschool Encouragement:

True Story of Pete

This story of homeschool encouragement begins with a youngster of six. Pete was a typical little boy. He loved trucks, dogs, mud and mayhem. Like his brothers and sisters, he was homeschooled, beginning in the first grade. He was very affectionate, the delight of his older sisters and the role model of his younger brothers.

He enjoyed his school subjects--for about three minutes! Then it was squirm, twist, whistle, up and down. As he grew older, the trouble became more pronounced. His printing was illegible. Math lessons were endless. Though he relished adventure stories and poetry, his daily reading was a struggle. A minimum of half an hour was required to complete one page. Spelling was an uphill battle. His mom would sometimes retreat to the bathroom and cry in frustration.

Several times over the years, she looked up the 'phone number of the closest school, and once she even talked to the receptionist who answered.

Nevertheless, the parents truly believe in the tremendous benefits of homeschooling. When it is difficult to educate a child, homeschooling is perhaps more crucial than ever. Too, they received homeschool encouragement and inspiration from members of the home educators support group. So together, Mom and Dad doggedly continued Pete's lessons, year after year. He good-naturedly struggled on with his learning.

In his freshman year in high school--fourteen years old-- Pete began to change in the most amazing ways. He sat still, listened, read. He became fascinated with Latin, excelled in English, and developed an interest in classical music.

In other areas, too, his determination, humility and willingness to learn began to pay off.

He continued in baseball and swimming. Eventually, Pete started to pass others in strength and skill. In swimming, he eventually competed at the national level.

Every Sunday, at church, he had served on the altar. Initially, there were months of stumbles and missed cues. But here, too, Pete's true colors began to shine. He rose to head altar boy, in charge of teaching the younger servers.

Prayer, persistence and a terrific young man triumphed. As the tale of homeschool encouragement continues, Pete is currently pursuing graduate studies at a major seminary.

His mom is absolutely positive that the solutions were homeschooling and just simply growing up. Education at home allowed her son's innate abilities to develop on his natural timetable. He was not crushed or demoralized or criticized or demeaned. Rather he was helped and encouraged to be himself, to be confident, to understand his value as an individual. Pete's Mom is firmly convinced that had he been in a conventional classroom, Pete would have been labeled ADD, LD, or some other combination of letters.

That would have been a tragedy...because Pete, the hero of our homeschool story, was just a normal, dirt-loving little guy. The world just had to wait a few years to see it.

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Homeschool Inspiration: The True Story of a Modern Pioneer

Homeschool Encouragement

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