The Things You Learn--Or Don't Learn--In School...

 I grabbed one of the books we use for homeschooling the other day, snapped a picture, and posted it on social media. I thought about the title, Financial Choices, a lot sine then.

Financial Choices.

Perhaps two of the most important words we'll ever deal with in our lives.

This isn't to say these choices are the most important words in our lives, or should be...no, far from it. But, the consequences of these choices can literally mean the difference between life and death.

We're teaching this book to our high school student. In three years my senior high school class will be reaching our 40th high school reunion. It's been a long time since I took high school classes. There's a lot of things I've forgotten that I once learned in high school. I don't remember learning about making financial decisions.

There's things we don't talk about in our society. Okay, maybe others do. In my family, we didn't talk too much about money. I know my mother--who raised three kids after losing her husband when the oldest child was ten-years old--taught us how to deal with money by her example. She worked in a butcher shop for decades. She sold real estate that she and my dad bought before he passed away. She always fed us, sheltered us, clothed us. 

I learned from her that money was not to be wasted, especially when you have just enough.

But, as it states in the forward to Financial Choices, the things taught in that book, or in any book dealing with how best to organize and deal with money, this book may be the most important book he's written. I wish they would have taught us some of these things when I was my son's age.

The ultimate proof of how well we did (or did not do...) in teaching our kids the best way to deal with financial matters is how they act and what choices they make. We have three adults and one teenager. They have a lifetime of financial choices ahead of them. I can only hope the choices they make will be good ones, ones that help feed, shelter, and clothe their families.

And maybe throw in a vacation every now and then...

Our First "First Day Of School Photo"...Ever

For years--as long as there's been social media, anyway--friends have posted pictures of their children headed off to school. This last week I saw a slew of them. I've even seen people complain about all the pictures on their social media feed. But (just like this post...), I think most people post those pictures more for themselves, than for others.

So, I've watched people post pictures year after year, post pictures of their kids in prom dresses and tuxes, post pictures of their children graduating and advancing in school. Since we homeschool I've never posted a picture of my kids on their first day of school, nor have I posted pictures of my kids before they attended any school dances (because they never asked/were never asked to attend...).

Until now.

Today our daughter donned her backpack, caught the bus, and went to her first college class. Her older brother did the same thing, he went to college years ago, but I don't remember making a big deal of his first day. But he also moved out of the house for two years for a church mission before he ever went to college. 

A few days ago I posted a picture of my daughter in a formal dress. She was modeling for a neighbor who makes and sells modest formal gowns. You could say it's us posting a picture of how she looks in a prom dress, even though she never attended a school dance.

Again, I think we post these pictures more for ourselves than others. The same can be said for this particular blog post. But, for everyone out there who have graced us with pictures of their kids over the years as they ventured off to school, I've joined your ranks. It just took me a few more years to be part of the club. 

Homeschooling...And The Cost Of Education

Almost twenty years ago our little family made a decision--we decided to homeschool our only child. That child turned twenty-three earlier this year. After him, we had three other children, four in all. This summer our third child graduated leaving only one who we're homeschooling. He's got a few years to go.

A couple of things happened this week that made me think about the costs of eduction. My friend Rebekah, who also homeschools her children but in California, commented on a viral video that's been going around. The video deals with frustrated teachers. It's almost eight minutes in length. You can access the video: HERE. The video lists their frustrations, current conditions they've experienced, and (spoiler alert...) how they have all quit teaching to take other jobs.

Because we've not had our children in the public education system, the only first-hand experience my wife and I have comes from when we were in school. Based on what our friends have told us, things have definitely changed.

The second thing that got me thinking about education costs was a purchase we made for our youngest. We spend a couple of hundred dollars for his upcoming school year. I began doing a little math. And because we've kept our kids home, we've saved the taxpayers of Utah--using date from an article published earlier this year and which you can access: HERE--over a third of a million dollars.

The schools in our country have problems, serious problems. The stories of the individuals in the video are heartbreaking. And because the stakes are so high, there are no easy answers. Everyone has opinions--even us. I'm sure some will help and others will not. Unfortunately, I think it's going to get worse before it gets better. 

I don't mention homeschooling much on this blog. Anything about education (or other topics...) can be a trigger. We've tried as best we can to teach our kids with the resources we have. The same can be said for the teachers out there. Ours is not a perfect system--those don't exist, but we've tried and our family will have to live with the consequences. I guess that can be said for the rest of the country, too.

What It's Like Not Doing What Everyone Else Does...

Tonight I attended my daughter's dance recital. The music's loud, the seating's inadequate, but the performances were heart-felt and sincere. If you can get that out of a bunch of teens and pre-teens, you're doing something good.

But as I watched, I kept thinking about high school graduation. I know it's strange, but I've been  so inundated on social media lately with post after post, picture after picture of proud parents and relieved children. So, what's it like to be a parent who doesn't have a child attend graduation ceremonies from high school?

It's strange.

I have no children who would be graduating this year anyway, but three years ago, it was a different story. My oldest wasn't "clothed in the black robes of a false priesthood" as Hugh Nibley might say. He did not walk down an aisle with a mortarboard on his head, a tassel bouncing to and fro as he moved forward. He was not handed a diploma and given a handshake. He did none of it, and there's a good chance none of my remaining three children will either.

I'll have no pictures to post, no selfies with my kids, but that's a decision we made decades ago. None of my children have gone to a prom, or a homecoming football game, or taken a test with a couple of dozen other students. We've kept them home and taught them the best we could. And when it's all said and done, we will have save the taxpayers of the state of Utah over $350,000.00, at the same time paying the same taxes as everyone else, because as the propaganda arm tells us over and over, we must sacrifice for the betterment of society.

I am happy when I see my friends post their pictures. I remember the day I graduated from high school with fond memories. People will judge us because we have, in their opinion, denied our children those memories, those experiences. And I suppose we have. But for us, some things were more important and we're comfortable in our decisions.

No one knows what the future of my children will be. The same can be said for the millions of high school students that wore the robes, flipped the tassel, and posted the pictures. Doing something different--it's what makes this world interesting.