Testimonies, Advice and Stories by ACE/FMCHE Members

(Note: These testimonies were collected when our group name was still Fargo Moorhead Catholic Home Educators, and so this is why some of them contain the FMCHE acronym.)

Home education has been and is an amazing journey. We use Mother of Divine Grace school. We like the way their program is set up. We have been homeschooling for 9 years. We have loved every minute of it.  - JL

Enjoy all aspects of this journey.  Celebrate all successes.  Take one day at a time.  Remember God has your back. - MB

When we were expecting our second child in 2002, I decided to leave my job as a lecturer at NDSU (which I truly enjoyed!) to stay home with our children because of my son's respiratory illness. Around this time I also joined the Catholic Church, and both my husband and I were learning more about it and appreciating it (my husband was raised Catholic).  After mass, when our oldest was about four, I was approached by a FMCHE member who asked me if we had considered homeschooling. Our family was invited to a potluck and met other Catholic families who homeschooled.  My husband and I were impressed with these families.  We joined FMCHE and got involved with their activities, and have been active in the group ever since. We have been homeschooling now for about ten years. It has been a wonderful choice for our family because of the flexiblity and ability to incorporate our faith into daily life. ADVICE: The best advice I've ever received was to read to our children. DIFFICULTIES: As a family, our biggest struggles were the fears of our extended family that we were making a bad decision.  However, as the years have gone by, they appear to approve of the results and are no longer critical.  In fact, my brother and his wife are now home educating their son too!  Personally, my biggest struggle has been balancing housework and learning to say no to outside commitments.  Prayer and discussing solutions with my husband has been a great help to me. -SC

Relax, and trust that God, who entrusted His children to you, will help you find the teaching philosophy, materials/curriculum, and good faith-filled friends to fulfill your task as your children's primary educators!  -  - You WILL have good days and bad days - if you have one too many bad days in a row, reach out to your spouse, a friend in FMCHE, or our Blessed Mother (or all three). God desires to grant you His peace, and sometimes he does that through the witness of others. Don't ever give in to feeling like you failed. There is always tomorrow! -  - Have a plan, but don't get bogged down in the plan. Life happens, especially in the homeschool, and sometimes you have to discern whether to go off the plan, for the greater good! - Member

As many more opportunities for homeschooling families become available in an increasingly-homeschool-friendly world, FMCHE can help member families navigate these exciting options, such as CLEP college credit, PSEO (for Minnesota residents), co-op classes, and more.  -  - If you have younger children and perhaps are just beginning this grand adventure, there are a lot of veteran families in the group happy to answer your specific questions, too. Like many of us have done, as you reach out to others, you and your kids will very likely make some life-long friends here. FMCHE is here to support you as you explore varied educational styles and curricula.  Learn, and discern -- and then to choose what works for YOU. That's the beauty of homeschooling support groups. Ours is especially fitting for local Catholic families to join, as we strive to incorporate the timeless values of our faith into all our membership offerings. Oh yes - and we have a lot of fun along the way doing it! - Member (12+ years)

"Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." --St.Francis of Assisi. If you feel God is calling you to try homeschooling, Trust that He will support you. These words from St.Francis of Assisi encourage me often. Focus on the necessary first. Then try what is possible. Suddenly, you are doing what you thought was impossible! You are teaching your own children! Peace to you.  -Jenny

I am just beginning home education after pulling my kids from a Catholic school with just 3 months left of the school year. There have already been benefits! Their personalities are shining through again and I am excited to build family virtue on a deeper level, and to learn along with them! - Member