How Far Would You Go?

Browsing stories about home schooling in the news pulled up this one from the other side of the world, in New Zealand: Education, patterns and predictions.

Although the main point of the article was a man who wrote a book about predicting the weather, one of the side comments caught my attention:

"...when it came time for his own children to be educated, he opted to home-school them. In the 1970s, you weren't allowed to home-school children if you permanently lived within a certain distance from a school, said Ken, If you wanted to home-school, you had to move away.With this in mind, Ken purchased a bus and decided to go bush with his family, taking them to remote areas of the East Coast and living off the land."

Just like that. 

I can't home school my kids if I live near a school? Not - oh, well, I guess I'll just send them to public school. Not - well, maybe in a few years I could handle a move. Not - maybe by the time the next kid comes along. But - okay, let's start bus shopping.

Don't think I'm telling everyone to buy a bus and move into the wilderness: I'm not. But what a powerful testimony of being willing to make sacrifices for the good of our children! 

So often, we see the first sign of trouble and look for a detour, instead of reveling in the teachable moments and the chance to show how much we value the role we have been called to fulfill. 

Remember:

"The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavourable. Favourable conditions never come." - C.S. Lewis.