What started me homeschooling? & author news
Jan 14, 2026 9:06 pm
A Dream Dashed
I’m going to tell you how I got into homeschooling.
It had to do with our oldest child, whom I will call Shannon. She seemed a normal child, a bit shy, with straight blondish hair and hazel eyes.
Of course we wanted to raise our children in the Christian faith. In the early 1990s, homeschooling wasn’t commonly known. I never considered doing it myself, never felt the call. Instead I was focused on balancing parenting and maintaining a foothold in my working world of engineering.
We lived in an inner-city neighborhood, part of a commitment to our church’s ministry to the city. So the best school within reach was the Catholic school, just a block away. We aimed for that.
Shannon was four years old when she stopped looking anyone in the eye.
This puzzled me. But what could I do? I overlooked it. Maybe she would outgrow it.
I had enrolled her in Suzuki cello lessons at age four. These consisted of reciting poetry while standing at attention, and eventually starting to learn some very repetitive renditions of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on her little instrument.
I was happy; she was following in my footsteps as a tiny musician.
But practice time soon became endlessly frustrating. She couldn’t do the memory work. Finally the teacher approached me and suggested she drop out.
That was when I realized the child I had wasn’t the child I thought I had. The lack of eye contact had told the tale. She wasn’t little me at all. She was her own person, with gifts and hindrances.
I grieved for lost hopes, for a while. I realized I had to re-adjust all my thinking.
Finally, I pulled out of the doldrums and realized I needed to find out more about her.
(To be continued.)
Note: Have you or someone you know gone through this grief process over a special needs child? Do you want to share your lessons learned? Reply to this email, and I’ll include a summary in next month’s newsletter.
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Great News for Budget-Conscious Homeschoolers of All Stripes!
I'd like to announce a new website by and for homeschoolers. It's distributing quality homeschool digital curriculum materials from a variety of familiar names (including me!) at budget prices, or even free. It's Homeschool Resource Company, aimed at a variety of homeschooling styles.
Homeschool Resource Co. is having a startup giveaway between now and Jan. 31. Sign up for it, and find out more! (Note this is an affiliate link, so you can help me out a bit!)
Looking for That New Favorite Kidlit Author?
I haven't personally vetted these offerings, but I think they're worth checking out. First of all, a time-travel tale, just what I like:
Ben finds his surroundings strangely different.
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And the other one:
Big ideas. Weird inventions. Ancient chaos. A humorous hybrid history for Middle Schoolers.
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As a reader of my newsletter, you should have downloaded The Grandfather Clock, the special prequel short story for my Guardians of Time series. But in case you didn't, here's the link:
I hope and pray that your life is full of praise. Keep in touch! Feel free to reply so I can get to know you!
Phyllis Wheeler, Author