Featured Homeschooler: Ashley

Posted by Nikowa Lee | 0 comments

Please welcome this week’s Featured homeschooler Ashley of “Under The Rainbow“

1. You grew up the oldest of 4 girls in a homeschooling family. What was the most memorable thing for you?
I have to say some of the best memories of my homeschool experience are the relationships I was able to build with my whole family. For example, my eighteen-year-old sister Briana and I are best friends, and I know it’s because we have literally grown up together. Since the family was together all day every day, we were able to talk and laugh throughout the day, study together, even take time out of “school” to play with my younger sisters, Marissa and Daniella.

I also have fond memories of snuggling up on the couch with my mom and sister to read aloud, and performing carefully-planned skits for my parents about what we had learned in science.

2. What was it like growing up with so many girls in the house?
With four girls, there has never been a lack of dolls, pretend play, and make-up! The four of us sharing one small bathroom can get interesting sometimes, but having three sisters is fun. We are a little like the sisters in “Little Women” — each of us is different and we have our own interests, and there is a wide age range among us, but we can have a great time together! Some things we have enjoyed doing together are playing dress-up, making movies, playing baseball (though they had to teach me how first!), and of course, talking and giggling about anything and everything.

3. You’re currently pursuing an associate’s degree from Liberty University’s Distance Learning Program; explain a little about that.
After I first graduated high school in 2005, I took two classes at a nearby community college, and didn’t enjoy it at all. Not feeling that God was calling me to go to college, I spent the next couple of years taking some online courses through Writers Digest, working on my writing, helping at home, and doing some volunteer work. Last summer, I began looking at Liberty’s Distance Learning Program, and sensed the Lord leading me in that direction. The DLP is a great program that allows students to earn a degree – up to a Doctorate – without ever having to go to the campus. I started in the fall and have currently completed one year. While I started out as a psychology major, this fall I will be transferring to a degree in religion.

Becoming a full-time college student has been a big adjustment for me. I’ve had to get used to working on a deadline, and to school taking up most of my time again. But already, it has been a rewarding experience. I’ve learned a lot and met some interesting people, and I look forward to beginning some of my religion classes this fall.

4. You’re soon going on a mission to Guatemala. Tell us about how you became involved in this project.
My involvement with Guatemala began at eleven years old, when I traveled there with my family to adopt my sister, Marissa. When we went again four years later to bring Daniella home, I fell in love with the country and people, and began to feel that God might be calling me to missions there.

Two years later, at age seventeen, I went on my first mission trip to Guatemala with my dad and several other members of our church, and have been on one more since then. I love being there, seeing the beautiful country, experiencing the culture, and interacting with the precious people.
I am preparing now to take my third mission trip to Guatemala. This year I am co-coordinator of the Vacation Bible School we will do for the village children, and I also hope to be able to participate in the women’s conference, which will be new for me. I anticipate taking part in God’s work in Guatemala again.

5. You’re on the Praise Dance Team at church. What other things do you enjoy?
The praise dance team has been wonderful for me. I grew up taking ballet lessons from age three until the year after I graduated, so it has been great to still have a place to dance. Not only that, but here I can truly use that gift God gave me for His glory.

In addition to dancing, I enjoy photography, which I’m just starting to get my feet wet in. I just bought my first SLR and am having fun experimenting with it! Writing is another of my passions, and something I believe God has called me to do for Him. I’m not published yet, but hope to be submitting something soon. Currently, I write a monthly devotional that goes out to an e-mail list of thirty-eight people. I give God all the credit for that; He has blessed it beyond what I imagined!

I’m also part of a great women’s Bible study group that I love going to. We have wonderful, in-depth studies as well as good fellowship with friends.

Finally, I love working as a camp counselor for a week every summer, and enjoy volunteering at my church in the international student ministry. God has blessed me with so many wonderful opportunities in this season of my life, and I’m thankful for each one!

6. Do you recommend homeschooling to others and is that something that you’d do one day with your own children?
Definitely. Homeschooling has been a huge blessing in my life, and I know I would be a very different person today if I had been in public school. Being homeschooled allowed me to take time to develop my relationship with God as well as with my family, while protecting me from peer pressure and giving me the freedom to pursue my writing and study some other things I was interested in. I’m very thankful for the gift that God and my parents gave me through homeschooling.

So yes, I do plan to homeschool my children someday. I believe it is, by far, the best way to go!

7. Your family is very close knit. What are some things that you do together as a family?
We have always taken family vacations, for as long as I can remember. For many years, we went to the beach every summer, but in recent years, we’ve explored some new places. We have been to Niagara Falls in Canada, Washington D.C., Cape May, N.J., and a “deserted” island in south Florida. Family vacations are always a carefully-planned, long-anticipated, special time for us.
Closer to home, our family enjoys board ga
mes, campfires in the back yard, badminton, mini-golf, and just spending time talking together.

8. “Under the Rainbow” is the name of your blog. What made you choose that name?
A rainbow, to me, represents God’s promises and faithfulness. He gave it as a sign of His covenant with Noah and the rest of the earth, so I like to think of it as a reminder that He cares and keeps His promises. And not just that one promise to never flood the earth — God has wonderful promises over each of our lives. Some are for all Christians, and some may be for us individually, but God is faithful, so if He makes a promise, we can count on Him keeping it.
I chose my blog title as kind of a take on the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” but instead of over the rainbow, I’m living under the rainbow — under the shelter of God’s faithfulness.

Visit Ashley at www.homeschoolblogger.com/PinkFlamingo
If you are interested in receiving Ashley’s monthly devotional, please e-mail her at shine4jesus@charter.net

Interview by:

Nikowa is a 2nd year homeschooling mom to two boys. (Ages 8 and 5) With her “learning never ends” philosophy, they have an eclectic year-round approach to learning. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys photography, organizing, cooking, reading, and knitting. She is a #1 LOST fan and watches UGA football too! (Go Dawgs!) You can visit Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy.