Kendra Moninger
Graduated: 2003
Musings of a Home-Schooled Graduate
by Kendra Moninger
This point in my life always seemed so far off to me as I looked ahead. Now, as I look back, I appreciate every single year of my education; but, in particular, I am eternally thankful to God for the five years I was able to home school.
I smile as I remember my first year. I was excited yet, at the same time, unsure about this new way of education our family was embracing. With each passing year those feelings of uncertainty were transformed into feelings of peace, delight, and contentedness. Especially in my later high school years, I was of the opinion that I couldn’t not home school! Even with the sacrifices, I wouldn’t trade my home school education for anything.
God’s providence in those five years led us to many new blessings and opportunities. At the top of the list were the most important of these gifts: the spiritual ones. These included being privileged to study religion every day and have our Catholic Faith interwoven through all of our academic subjects; being able to attend a weekday Mass as a family before starting school; and having more opportunities to stop and pray together through the course of the day.
With home schooling, I lost the worldly influence and peer pressure of school and gained a sense of confidence in being who I wanted to be. I lost the setting of a sometimes distracting classroom of 30 other kids and gained a closer relationship with my siblings, especially my sister, as we studied (and, at times, laughed) alongside each other.
One of my favorite benefits that God provided was the friendship of other home schoolers. Having the fellowship and support of strong Catholics greatly helped me in my journey of home schooling. The good times we shared– parties, conversations, outings, prayers, devotions, clubs, and laughter– will always be remembered.
As I look forward again, this time as a graduate instead of a child, I know my future rests safely in God’s will, and I trust that His grace will guide me throughout life. Confident that my education has sufficiently prepared me, I will take Jesus’ hands and proceed forward on the path to my vocation.
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