Confessions of a Homeschool Convert: Meet Gretchen Ronnevik

Written by Gretchen of Gretchen Ronnevik.

Confession

Walking hand in hand on our way to meet our pastor for premarital counseling, my guy and I each carried a little marriage workbook. We had each written under the question: “If you plan on having children, where do you intend to send them to school? Public, private, or homeschool?” the answer:

“1st choice: Public school, because we want our kids to not live in a bubble, but help them learn how to live their faith in the real world. 2nd choice: Private Christian school, but only if necessary and if our child wasn’t thriving in the public schools. 3rd choice: We are against homeschooling.”

3 years earlier, I was in a freshman speech class at Moody Bible Institute, where I gave my first speech: “Why Christians Shouldn’t Homeschool.”


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Talk about an unlikely homeschooler.

God gradually eased us into the idea. Our oldest child started out in kindergarten in public school—a good school. But after 1 year, as they tested her at a 5th grade reading level, and she started hiding her love of books to try to fit in, we started dreaming of other options.

We were sure we would just homeschool her, because she was way ahead. Our other kids were certainly going to public school.

I brought our second child to his preschool screening to get his kindergarten placement. He scored terribly. They suspected he was either ADHD or on the autism spectrum. They suspected some learning disabilities. They said we needed to have him medically evaluated so he could get a proper diagnosis, be put on medication, and so we could get set up with IEPs for his classroom, and most likely an aide to help him through school.

Everything about the whole thing sat wrong with us. It felt like we were handing our son off to an environment that worked against everything about him. With very little discussion, we both understood he would be homeschooled as well.

Once we had 2 kids homeschooling, it became a part of our family culture and all the kids followed. It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey. We’ve had to consult with specialists on occasion, and I’ve wanted to quit several times. By God’s grace, we are still here. The benefits of homeschooling have been so great, I cannot imagine what our family would be like without it.

Making introductions

I have 6 children now. (In our handy-dandy premarital counseling notebook we had agreed upon 3. Oh, how God must have laughed!)

Our oldest is 12, and our youngest was just born July 2016. We have 3 boys and 3 girls. One of my kids has ADHD, dyslexia, and this last year he developed a severe case of an autoimmune disease called alopecia. What I should say is I have an energetic, passionate (and very bald) boy, who learns and eats differently than all my other kids, and has a the biggest heart and strongest work ethic you have ever seen.

We homeschool using an eclectic blend of classical, Charlotte Mason…well, basically we read a lot of books. I just keep throwing books at my kids. (I’ll let you decide if that’s a literal or figurative expression.)

In an ideal world

An ideal day in our house looks like this:

• 7am: My family wakes up and heads down to breakfast.

• 7:30: We each do one of our assigned household chores.

• 8am: The kids feed their animals in the barn.

• 8:30: Morning Hour. We do devotions, history, geography, grammar, everyday, and then rotate through art, music, poetry, etc. 

• 9:30: The older kids start rotating their instrument practice, and their 2 computer classes (math and computer coding). The younger kids stay with me and work on reading, writing, and math. 

• 10am: Tea-time. (our fancy word for snack time.) I read to them aloud from a book aimed at the smaller kids’ age while the kids eat a snack so their mouths are full and I don’t get interrupted as much.

• 10:30: The older kids finish up any music practice, and computer time. We only have one laptop, and one piano, so they trade off. Sometimes the kids take a break and sometimes they start their afternoon assignments. Sometimes if the snow is good outside our house, they will strap on their cross country skis and get some energy out in our yard. My children are odd. They hibernate in the summer, and come alive with the outdoors in the frigid winter. They get that from their father.

• 12:30: Lunchtime

• 1pm: The older kids do a household chore. 

• 1:30: Family Quiet Time. Everyone in the family has a spot for some personal devotions, a nap, read a book, or just chill out.

• 2:30 -whenever: My younger kids are done. My older kids do their reading, writing, and science. Many times, they have gotten this done earlier during their morning time, but other times they need my undivided attention to help them through an assignment. 

Glad to meetcha  

Ideal days never/rarely happen. 

Parts of this get done every day. I stubbornly prioritize capturing character building opportunities and building relationships over to-do lists and checked boxes. I plan on a longer school year so if we need a break to sort things out, we can. Since my husband’s work is seasonal, we will often interrupt our day to spend time with him when we can.

Our late afternoons are filled with music lessons, volunteering, and Tae Kwon Do. My oldest now has youth group and confirmation as well. This year, we are starting something new, and are joining a Classical Conversations group.

The younger kids go to bed around 8pm. The older kids get to stay up and listen to me read aloud a book, as they quietly play with Legos, or knit.

We didn’t start out this busy. 

It was built over time. I struggle and fight against the chaos. I write a lot from that desire. I’m so honored to be contributing here, and can’t wait to get to know you all better.