A little over a year ago the Lord put it on my heart to homeschool my children (then ages 12 and 7). After researching available Christian curriculums I felt confident that my children would have access to well-developed learning materials -- but I was less confident of my ability to administer those materials; I also was a bit frightened by the New York State law that requires homeschooled children grades 4 and up to test within the 33rd percentile (nationally) on standardized testing (my son is autistic and his last round of standardized testing placed him well below this requirement).

Despite my concerns I knew that I needed to follow the Lord's calling and presented the school district with our letter of intent to homeschool. To help assuage the fears that loomed overhead, the Lord encouraged me by consistently revealing the exciting advantages of homeschooling, such as the ability to school on a year-round schedule (something that's extremely important for my son) and the ability to shorten the school day.

When we began homeschooling in June 2014, it was a nightmare. My daughter was not having any issues but my son was another story completely; he seemed to be getting absolutely nothing out of the materials, and I was at a loss in how to help him. Each day I questioned my teaching ability as well as my son's ability to score high enough on the standardized tests -- but each day the Lord continued to encourage and strengthen me. Some days He would simply remind me of how much better a homeschool environment is for my son's learning needs. Other days He would reveal to me the reason for my son's struggle and how I could help him through that difficulty; the outcome of those revelations would be a joyful smile on my son's face as he realized that he is capable of understanding things he once thought impossible.

Little by little things have gotten easier (although we still have our moments!), and the Lord continues to lead us in our adventure. At the end of March my son took his standardized tests; we received the results yesterday:

Language, March 2014 - 9th Percentile
Language, March 2015 - 46th Percentile

Math, March 2014 - 13th Percentile
Math, March 2015 - 46th Percentile

Reading, March 2014 - 16th Percentile
Reading, March 2015 - 54th Percentile

All of this is because of God's amazing grace!

-Trish Gerstel