Anna M. Aquino

            I didn’t set out to become an advocate for home education.   I seriously didn’t.   I went to a typical Mid-Western K-12 school system, and my BA is from a Big Ten University.   I remember thinking that home education was some crazy antiquated hidden part of society.   I can remember telling people that as ‘Christians we are supposed to raise our children to be able to impact the secular world and sheltering them would never do that.’   I felt home education was raising children up to collapse under the pressures of the world.   I was wrong.                   When it was time for my children to enter into the public education system, it was an uphill battle from the beginning.  Our story is a story whispered in stifled voices around Mom’s groups.  My oldest daughter was bullied for her faith by teachers, students, and adminis...

             Last week I had a thought provoking conversation with my oldest daughter.  Let’s face it if you have two children you’ll learn early on how different the two of them are in their personalities.  I have one that will let the world dramatically know what is on her mind and another who will only declare her feelings when she must.  My oldest was annoyed because I was letting her sister do something I guess she would have wanted to do at her age and she asked me why I let her do something when she didn’t feel I would have let her do the same.             “But did you ever ask me to do that?” I questioned.  What would I have said to my oldest 5 years ago if she would have wanted to do the same?             “But you wouldn’t have let me.”  She stood her ground.  Honestly I don’t th...

            My youngest daughter has a bad habit she’s been trying to break.  It’s nothing major, but it’s been an ongoing thing.  This morning we were discussing this on the way to school.             “Mommy, I am trying.”  She responded at my questions.             “I know you are baby, but there is a difference between trying and doing.”  I began to search for the right words to say here.  We all have things we need to break as habits and she is only 8 years old.  Suddenly a story from the Bible popped into my mind.  “There is a story in the Bible about one man who God told him to do something and the man told God he’d do it and then he didn’t.  Then there is a story where God told another man to do it, and while the other man told God no, eventually he did it.  Which ...