He knows her name....

Pretty sure this was Playmaker's very first day of kindergarten...
we didn't begin homeschooling til she was in 3rd grade ...
Where did the time go?!

This is kind of an addendum to my "She thinks!..." post.

As our appt w/ the counselor to register Playmaker for high school wound down, I explained that I'd like for her to meet the Principal. W/ aprx 1300 students there, I shared that it would just put my mind at ease to know that he knows who my daughter is. Anyhow - Her counselor walked us over to his office - the "back way" - apparently to avoid the secretarial staff that probably screens his appts -- & despite us interrupting a mtg the principal was having w/ the music teacher, he was so very nice. Stopped what he was doing & chatted w/ us for a bit. Seemed both kind & confident - & in the short time we spent together I sensed he "commands w/ authority" by earning rather than demanding respect. ...& it worked :) -- It did put my mind at ease. The man at that top knows her name (at least I hope he remembers ;) - & in the back of my mind.... I can't help but wonder - w/ aprx 1300 kids in the school - and an aprx 30% annual turnover rate - how many students never even connect personally w/ him?

But I realize, even much more importantly, God knows her name too:

Is. 49: 1b Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.

and He is w/ her wherever(!) she goes :)

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

She can think! - Therefore, I am ... successful?!

...as it turned out --- she didn't end up in Honors Math after all - but didn't even realize it until after class was well underway - apparently the same thing happened to another girl - ...oh well - She's still challenged so I'm not challenging it :)

It's official! Playmaker's going to Public High School/9th grade! We prayed on the way to meet w/ her guidance counselor yesterday & it was awesome to see how God allowed our time to unfold in such a way that she was able to meet various key staff (Head Principal, Music Teacher, Hockey Coach) she'll likely be interacting with over the next 4 yrs.

And here's some encouragement for my fellow homeschool moms: On her Achievement Testing she scored Post High School in several areas & above her grade level in several others. Even in her weakest area - which was Math - in Procedures she scored grade 7.9 - but in Problem Solving she scored Post High School --- By this & her other scores, her counselor deducted that she can think(!) & she ended up getting into all honors courses (including Math!) where that was an option.

The encouragement I've been leading up to is actually found in here: She's long been a self propelled student. I did not constantly micromanage her time & I stopped doing grade reports long ago & used standardized testing as our main gauge of her progress. In regards to her schoolwork, I've long been more interested/concerned that she was doing something rather than nothing & I gave her a great deal of freedom in that regard. So.... truth be told, her "grades" are NOT to my credit (& here is where I hope you find some weight lifted off your shoulders) - but rather to hers! ... & to the (in my opinion) awesome curriculum we've been using ... & to the very nature of homeschooling - & even more fundamentally - in the freedom God has blessed us w/ to be able to homeschool ...legally, financially, etc.

In the "end"/now that she's chosen to go to public high school, I'm ok with that. I know that in the time she's been at home she's learned how to think/reason for herself & that she's been well equipped to make godly choices. She's learned how to accept or reject - rather than to simply accept all information as "true" (discernment!) ... & the signals I'm getting indicate we've raised a "producer" rather than a "consumer". I trust she'll contribute to society & to her various relationships in a positive, pro-active, give & take way - rather than simply taking all she can get at the expense of others.

I'll always be her mommy/she'll always be my little girl - but my responsibility is shifting a bit ...from being less of her "teacher" - to being more of her personal prayer warrior - praying, among other things, that she'll use her ability to make godly choices consistently ... b/c there are some things that it seems are just best learned by experience. However - I realize she may make some poor choices in that learning process - & so I also pray that, in that event, her daddy & I will then have the measure of compassion necessary to respond in such a way that she knows our love for her is unconditional - & to effectively & accurately mirror Christ's love for her consistently as well.