As we send out this last e-newsletter of the 2021-2022 school year, I wanted to congratulate everyone on the successful completion of another school year! Some of you may already be done, some of you are on the final pages of your lesson plans, and some of you may still be plugging away throughout the summer. Regardless of where you fit in those categories, you have completed another (or a first) HCS year, so I hope you take some time in the next week or so to celebrate that.

You may be thinking my declaration of this being a “successful” year is overly optimistic. Some of you may be looking at the number of lesson plans you skipped or fell behind on. Some of you may be focusing on the low test scores, the less than desirable attitudes, the unexpected life happenings this year that completely threw you off track, or the feeling of being completely overwhelmed with all the homeschooling life entails. Bravo! Those are all part of the journey and part of the story that makes up the homeschooler you are now, and the homeschooler you are becoming. There are likely things you plan to do differently next year because of things you experienced this year. There are likely some new curricula you heard about this year, or a new approach, or a cool class that you may try out next year. You may be convicted that you spent so much time stressing over academics that you neglected some of the spiritual training and emphasis that was one of the reasons you decided to homeschool in the first place. You may have inadvertently piled so much on your plate that you found you had no time for play - whether through field trips, spontaneous outings, or times of fellowship. All of those reflections are going to make you a better homeschooler next year than you were this year. And that, my friends, is what I call a successful year.

For most of us, this year was simply another year in our homeschool journey. We have learned and grown and will take those lessons with us when we start up again next year. And as we share our experiences and our progress with others on this journey, it becomes easier and easier to see how every year of homeschooling is truly successful in that we are able to encourage and teach others through what we have learned and experienced. This is why I love our HCS community. I have learned so much over the years from those ahead of me, and I have been able to share with others some things I have learned along the way. No matter what number of years this year held for you, you are now officially in that same role. You have experience behind you to share with others, and you are part of a vibrant homeschool community made up of so many people who have their experiences to share with you. What a blessing!

I hope to see you all around this summer whether at the beach, hiking, in the office, or out and about. Other than the week after graduation, we will be here to serve you and plan for an exciting 2022-2023 school year. Have a great summer, Everyone!