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SUMMER 2016
HOMESCHOOL IOWA 5
As time went on, I began to realize
something that relieved my anxiet-
ies. My primary job was to give my
children the tools for learning—to
make sure that our children knew how
to read; how to write; how to do
addition
and
s u b t r a c t i o n ;
how to apply
sound
logic
to situations;
and
most
importantly,
how to read
and
apply
God’s Word. If
they had those
building blocks,
they would fill
in any holes for
themselves. These
were their tools for
life. My long-term goal became to develop
life-long learners who would desire to glo-
rify God in their lives.
In our early years of homeschooling,
especially, we were so very thankful for
a wonderful homeschool group. Friend-
ships with those families helped so much
on those hard days; and the more expe-
rienced homeschoolers were such a great
source of support and encouragement. We
all benefited from like-minded friendships;
and our school days were enhanced with
classes, plays, sports, and field trips. My
husband and I were also thankful for the
Network of Iowa Christian Home Educa-
tors (NICHE) and their diligence in keep-
ing an eye on Iowa legislation, letting us
know when we needed to make our views
known to legislators and also for their
support in everyday issues and questions.
We also appreciated Home School Legal
Defense Association (HSLDA) and their
work in the homeschool community in
this country and around
the world. Just knowing they were there
and could defend us if we needed it gave
some peace of mind. These entities, along
with some very good books and articles,
helped shape our homeschool journey.
Seeing the fruit of our labors, my hus-
band and I are well-pleased with the
adults our children have become; their
love of God, the integrity in which
they walk, and the friends they have
become with each other. We know
that homeschooling was a tool for us
in equipping our children for life. While
it was not the only way to accomplish the
principle of discipling our children, it did
provide an advantageous opportunity for
us to teach our children to love the Lord
their God with all their heart; to teach
God’s Word diligently to them; to talk of it
as we sat in our house, walked by the way,
and when we laid down and when we rose
up (see Deuteronomy 6:4–7).
May God richly bless your journey and
give you his grace and peace.
Diane Desaulniers
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Wife of John, mother of Joseph, Erin (Dan-
iel), Wesley (Allison), and Sadie; Grandma of
Wesley, Jr. and Jack. Diane has been amem-
ber of the NICHE board since 2001 and will
be retiring this fall.
finding your
NICHE
I
N 1983, AS A SINGLE
20-something,
I attended an inner city church in
Chicago. It was there that I first came
across homeschooling. I was teaching forth
grade girls’ Sunday school. I noted that only
two girls could read accurately and fluently.
I decided to ask the mothers of the girls
why it was that their daughters could read
well while the others around them couldn’t.
Both had the same answer—they home-
schooled. The mothers were very humble
about it and each shared with me how the
Lord led them to homeschool. I was invit-
ed into their homes and into their lives. I
was sold on the effectiveness and on their
biblical reasons to homeschool. Little did I
know that at about the same time, my fu-
ture husband was being convinced of home-
schooling his future family by the example
of his older sister. By the time we started
to date, we each came into our relationship
convinced that we wanted to homeschool.
We were both relieved to find that the other
needed no convincing.
We married and our family began to
quickly grow. Our first child came just be-
fore our first anniversary. Our fourth came
by the time our oldest was five. As we start-
ed our long-awaited homeschool journey,
I remember having some opposition from
some family members, church members,
and neighbors. I felt like we needed to
“prove” that we were doing the right thing;
our kids had to be nothing short of out-
standing both academically and socially
to show the doubters that homeschooling
was a good idea. I cringe to think of all
the pressure on our first-born, especially.
One thing I really worried about were
the so-called “holes” in their education. I
might just miss something—what if there
was something they should know that
they didn’t? What if someone asked them
a question they “should” know and they
didn’t? Oh, no!