I am a down-to-earth, Jesus-loving mom of six. I enjoy sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the people around me through words and actions. I love mentoring and encouraging moms who have chosen to grow their families through adoption, and those who have found themselves in the unfortunate world of pediatric cancer. I have had direct experience in these situations with my children.

What is your education background?

Formal Education: I graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. I then completed a year of post graduate studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I became a Licensed Practical Nurse after completing a program at John Peter Smith Hospital School of Vocational Nursing in Fort Worth, Texas, where I received the top clinical skills award at graduation.

Life Experience Education: Although I firmly believe in the necessity of formal education, no education can compare to learning from real life experiences. God blessed me by growing my family through adoption as well as biological children. The lessons learned through parenting children who have experienced severe trauma in early childhood cannot be taught entirely from a book.

In addition, to be thrown into the world of pediatric cancer was not a journey I would have chosen. Thankfully, my son is now a cancer survivor and is part of the FLIP team. A cancer diagnosis is life-changing for the entire family, and the knowledge gained upends many traditional views and priorities related to formal education and the family dynamic. 

How about your interests?

Spending time with my family, our pets, traveling, camping, playing games, cooking, music, planning, researching, and organizing. I like doing new things, trying new things, and going places I’ve never been before.

Tell me a little about your homeschool journey:

I didn’t start my family with intentions to homeschool. I attended public school and didn’t question my education. After having my first child following a struggle with infertility, I couldn’t imagine sending my child away for eight hours a day, five days a week. I researched homeschooling and felt scared, but at peace, with the decision to move forward. That has led to 22 years consecutively educating my 6 children. All have graduated high school except one, who is in middle school, and 3 have college degrees.

From the time they were in kindergarten, I involved our kids in homeschool groups called co-ops or tutorials. I have helped teach kids from elementary through high school. I am a volunteer on a leadership team and registration coordinator of a 100+ family organization. I make it a point to be involved in the lives of the kids and their parents. Through these experiences I have seen the struggles of so many who want to be certain their children receive the education they need, acquire the social skills and relationships essential to mental and emotional health, and establish a firm foundation in faith. 

Some lessons I have learned through my years of homeschooling and parenting:

• Every child learns at a different pace.
• Every child arrives at the end goal through different paths.
• Children need the freedom to explore their personal interests and talents.
• Curriculum should be chosen according to each child’s style of learning – one shoe does not fit all.
• Children should be challenged where they have strengths and encouraged in areas where they are weaker. We all have strengths and weaknesses.
• There are no substitutes for hard work and determination, and screens can be a deterrent to both.
• Parents’ relationship to their children is more important than their academic journey.
• Children have the ability to look below the surface in others to gain a better understanding of who people really are. What you see on the outside is not a complete picture. These skills are essential for healthy relationships and have to be taught.
• If you can address the fears in children, learning becomes easier, conflicts resolve faster, and relationships flourish.
• Learning can be fun, no matter how old you are.
  

I am a follower of Jesus, husband, and proud father of six children. Jesus forms the foundation of all I do. I give credit to God each day for all good things, and I thank Him for carrying me through the bad that life throws my way. A large portion of my life has revolved around technology, and my deep technical understanding of computing combined with a rich faith background gives me ample opportunities to point out the vast differences between God’s living wonders and the technological wonders of humanity. Through my beautiful and challenging experience with adoption, it became very clear that God’s love is the most powerful force in the universe, and every day is an opportunity to speak that into so many conversations centered around man’s great inventions.

What is your education background?

I graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. I was recruited into and graduated from a selective Research Engineer development program at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) that covered all major cutting edge software development topics from development to databases to project management.

How about your interests?

I seek every opportunity to spend time with my family and pets, travel, play games, and learn about what is going on in our big world. I like to research and compare current events with Biblical prophecies. I love singing and listening to music. I like finding stories from other countries that show real people, how they live, their innovations, and their struggles. 

Tell me a little about your homeschool journey:

Growing up I performed well in public school academically, excelled at standardized tests, was awarded full scholarships to college, and graduated with top academic honors. One area that haunted me was bullying. I was small for my age through middle school and early high school, I wasn’t athletic, and I was one of the original computer geeks. I was physically and verbally bullied from 6th – 9th grade, not only from peers but sometimes from adults as well, although I also had adults and some friends who would stand up for me. As my first children started to reach school age, bullying was becoming worse than anything I had experienced. I couldn’t imagine what my children would encounter in public or private schools and how it would impact their future. I realized that homeschooling opened up an opportunity for my children to learn, grow, and develop into who they are meant to be – not who they are pressured to be by cruel peers or disconnected adults. 

I have been able to stay involved with educating our children, and others, in middle and high school, primarily teaching computer and technology classes. I also assist the co-op and tutorial supporting the leadership and instructors as a technology resource. 

Some lessons I have learned through my years of homeschooling:

I have learned many valuable lessons while homeschooling, especially for dads:

• Don’t take for granted that your child is learning – teach them, give them your knowledge, give them your wisdom. This applies even if you aren’t homeschooling.
• Most of the knowledge your children need to navigate through life doesn’t come from a book or talking to them – it comes from your experiences with them.
• Homeschooling frees you to give your children educational experiences that shape them. Travel if you can, involve them in activities where they have to interact with nature and people, and give them opportunities that take them out of their comfortable world.
• Be the enforcer of screen time rules, not the one who is giving exceptions. 
• Try to participate in the academic instruction – helping with assignments or reading to them when you are home. It makes a difference for them to see both parents engaged in their education.
• Your relationship to your spouse and your relationship to your kids is more important than academics. The most important thing about homeschooling is the amount of time it gives you to be with your kids, not what book knowledge they gain or how good their test scores are.

There were numerous times in my life where I realized homeschooling made life much more flexible, but I also had a unique work situation where I could set my own schedule. 

If my work situation had not been as flexible, it would have been much more difficult to be connected through all those years. It also would have been extremely difficult in our journey battling cancer with one of our children at a time when all of our kids were very young. Having a resource like FLIP would have made it more likely for us to continue homeschooling, to maintain a more consistent work schedule and to make the most of our time with all of our kids. 

I’m a family-oriented, friendly, relaxed guy who enjoys helping others. I am a college graduate and can be a little sentimental or over-imaginative sometimes. I am the fourth of six kids.

What is your education background?

I have acquired a Bachelor’s degree in biology with a focus in zoology. On top of that, I have also gained a minor in psychology, which allows me to better connect with the people around me. I was homeschooled from kindergarten all the way through high school. After graduating high school, I attended Tennessee Technological University to acquire my Bachelor’s degree. I was able to graduate in three years as a result of advanced dual enrollment classes and CLEP credits I completed during high school. Due to the experiences I had in college, I opted out of going into the science field, preferring to assist my parents with starting a new business. My education and experience tutoring elementary and middle school children has enabled me to better understand what children need to be prepared for and how they can learn best.

How about your interests?

I have a multitude of different interests and hobbies. I enjoy running, playing soccer with my older brother, and playing various recreational sports such as pickleball with my family. I also like board games and card games, which I often play with my siblings. Alternatively, I also play video games, go for hikes, and am an avid reader. In my spare time when I am not spending time with family or friends, I enjoy writing fiction and playing my guitar. The freedom that homeschooling provided allowed me to pursue these many interests and experiences from an early age.

Tell me a little about your homeschool journey and lessons you learned through homeschooling:

I homeschooled from the time I was in kindergarten, doing lessons alongside my brothers and sisters. I enjoyed my studies, especially science and writing. Being homeschooled provided me early opportunities to participate in teaching roles, such as when I was the teaching assistant in our homeschool tutorial Chemistry class as a senior. The lessons I’ve learned during my homeschool education were invaluable once I made it to college. Many of them were practical. I learned to try my best at everything I did, whether it was getting ready to eat, cleaning up, completing an assignment, or competing against my peers. No matter how much you may struggle with something, giving it your all goes a long way towards achieving your goals. Another important lesson I discovered was how much you must rely on the people around you. I could never have made it as far as I did without the help of my family, friends, and classmates. Surround yourself with a solid group of friends who are willing to support you, and they will help make up for what you lack.