No name tag here

This partly goes out to Teajay and his relentless pursuit of me writing what he wants to read. And then it's also just out of my pure desire to write it anyway.

Today I had the privilege to be a part of a summer class at BCC, my old school. I took a summer class there a year ago, Teaching as a Profession, a class I adored. I had so much fun in it, and learned a great deal, and still keep in touch with several other students form the five-week class. I also keep in touch with the teacher, Mrs. Furness. She was my favorite teacher in all of my BCC experience. She was wonderful. An absolutely gifted teacher. So encouraging. She pushed when she needed to. She lifted up when she needed to. She was inspiring. We've kept in touch over this past year since the class, and she's teaching the same course this summer. The Homeschooling debate was today, just happening to be the day she and I scheduled to meet for lunch.

I was honored when she asked me if I'd be willing to come in and be there for the debate, to speak and answer questions about homeschooling after the debate. I accepted, 150% willing. I was so excited.

Everyone had wonderful questions. The debate team did a great job with the pros and cons of homeschooling. I was especially pleased with how well the girl did on the con side. She hit the nail on the head about the things you need to pay attention to should one decide to homeschool.

And so, I yapped on and on answering questions for around 45 minutes or something like that. I spent some thought on making sure I didn't happen to find a jean jumper to wear today. Not that I even own one. I had to represent. We homeschoolers are A-ttractive people. I had to convince everyone who was not presently a believer. I figured my new short hair cut was a good move for this purpose, though I did not know I'd have this opportunity. God must have known;) I'm kidding. But I figured wearing sunglasses over my hair when I wasn't wearing them over my eyes would ensure I am indeed cool. And I stole some of Caleigh's earrings too. Can I tell you a secret? I left all of my own earrings and necklaces and what not in IL. In Mark's Garage. Marky, if I come back to you in three months, and you're wearing my rings, I not only will be unsurprised, but I will be frustrated. Not that you'd read this. Anyway, my words are typed, and I will direct you to them if this event should occur.

Continuing on, I discussed the workings of homeschooling. We have the same requirements as any other student. We go through SATs, we have proms, we have sports teams. We have math, and science. We even have paper and pencils. Sometimes.... even pens. But there is so much more that I could never exactly articulate especially in a short amount of time, mostly gathered together by question and response.

Homeschooling is a phenomenon uncracked even by the ones who've held nutcrackers our whole lives, aka us who have been homeschooled our whole lives. It's a procedure that cannot fit on a trifold board used for science fair. It's something that is more of a lifestyle than a word to come after, "hello I'm..." on a name tag.

In fact, Teajay and I were discussing homeschooling this morning before I left to go do the whole shindig. I compared those who are truly homeschoolers, to those who just wear the "hello, I'm..." name tags. The name tag people are like Christians who just go to church. They expect church to be the determining factor of their identity in faith. As if church makes a Christian. Instead of Christ makes a Christian. PShhhh. Please. True homeschoolers embrace making every opportunity life-changing somehow. We see the good things in the sometimes odd opportunities we have. For example, when a senior in high school has the opportunity to take a Latin class when there will be 6th graders in the same class. Crazy, right? Right. But it made a difference in my life when I was a 13-year old 8th grader, taking the same class as Adrian Rogers, who was an 18-year-old senior. He treated me and my friends like we were the same as any other person. He showed me how to treat people who weren't my age the same as anybody else. He made an imprint on me. Crazy, right? Right. He showed me we were all in the same water, and sometimes even in the same boat. He showed me what it was to push each other on towards the goal.

The goal was always to be the best we could possibly be. To be real. To be pure, and loving. To glorify God with the heads he's given us. To embrace diversity and personality. To be different, to be similar. To shop at thrift stores and find the weirdest and most amazing clothes you've ever seen, and to be affirmed by those around us for being ourselves. To be thankful and sincerely grateful for the examples we had to model ourselves after, while expressing ourselves in entirely different ways. To find joy in intelligence, to the point that we'd secretly adore our new pair of glasses because it might add more intellect to our everyday appearance. To find Borders to be the best place on earth sometimes. To find hilarious humor in pulling all nighters to pull the good grades on exams cut out for college seniors, and not high school sophomores. To find that you actually have a lot in common with your siblings, to the point you actually enjoy being with them ( or him or her) and even write love notes when you prepare their lunches. To get excited that you understand Shakespeare as if it were the words you spoke everyday.... because maybe they are. To love science fair because you got to do something that's possibly never been done before, even to the point of enjoying looking at bugs or worms for hours and hours. To share car ride with other people who wear more than a name tag and discuss how freaking hot Dunkin Donut's coffee is, and speak with an Indian accent for an entire hour. To share your heart with those around you and to shed your own limited wisdom, to gain more from another. To pray with a teacher, because she genuinely loves you, and was praying for you everyday already. To become a teacher yourself, and take part in the journey with someone else much younger than you. To walk into the place I used to take classes and realize what I have a Greenville is entirely wonderful, but what i've left behind is absolute gold. Just like the BCIT stage:)

We learned to have pride in the things we did. We learned to work hard, and pursue like we were all flames of fire seeking water to be put out, yet only to gain more flame and more passion. We learned to make learning a journey, and a journey with constant celebration.

We were joined somehow. Those of us who didn't just wear a name tag. Those of us who weren't Churchtains. We were all under the same ceiling of scholastic stars. We reached for them. We followed them. And the brightest of those stars was God, our parents, and our teachers, and the people who set us an example of what we could be with the blessings we've been given. Those stars provided light in a world jumbled with blocks and road gaps, and places that have lost electricity in the ways of the world.

Graduating a year ago with some of the most beautiful, wonderful and precious people I've ever known was amazing to me. To have our parents, and not just someone in the school system (not down playing the wonderful role someone in the public school system plays), hand us our diplomas was such a beautiful thing. Being able to praise our God for his goodness, for his blessings, for his love in our lives during our graduation was matchless.

Speaking today reminded me of the awesome blessings I've been given having been homeschooled my whole life.

My thoughts are somewhat out of focus. Maybe I'll continue this soon. Teajay, I hope you were relieved of any painful anticipation.