Bonjour from Belgium! My name is Heather McAdow and I am a Home School Graduate. My Husband Aaron is serving in the US Military and we have been stationed in Belgium for over 1 year now. We were married in 2003 and our beautiful baby girl was recently born here in Belgium! Both my husband and I were home schooled for some or most of our education. I began home schooling when I was in 5th grade and continued through high school (I graduated High School in 1994). My husband was home schooled from 5th through 8th grade.

My home school experience started when home schooling was not the “in thing” to do! I grew up in California, and I remember having to stay in doors during school hours to avoid questions like “Why aren’t you in school?” and “What is home schooling? Is it legal?” We had a small home school group that started when I was around 12 years old. There were two other girls my age, one of which I am still best friends with to this day! Being home-schooled back in the 80’s and early 90’s meant having the stigma of “hermits” or “anti-social.” It was different times then, to say the least!

As I entered High School, Home Schooling was becoming more accepted. Our family then moved to Washington State and I loved receiving an “alternative education”. Home Schooling afforded flexibility and opportunities that were not always available to my peers.  I was able to take private music lessons, and take a choir class at the local High School. I could pursue activities that helped me develop my skills and talents. My mother would also tailor my education to guide me for my future goals. I was able to do short term studies from places like the Institute for Creation Research, and study marine biology from scientists in that field.
 
I knew that someday I wanted to be a wife and mother, but I also knew that God gave me a love for music. During those formative years I was guided, refined and encouraged in the area of music, which became invaluable later in life. Another aspect of my life that developed while Home Schooling was the desire to pursue excellence and God’s will in all areas of my life.  One area that came to the forefront in my life was relationships with the opposite gender. As more and more of my friends began to give their hearts away, the more I observed the pain and un-needed heartache they were experiencing. As I was the oldest in my family, my parents hadn’t quite “figured out the whole dating thing”, so we all began to seek out what God would have our family do in regards to relationships. I read book after book about dating and “courtship” and after years of study and observation, and much prayer, I, along with my parents, decided to guard my heart until the day I was ready to pursue marriage.
 
I decided not to date. I wanted to prepare to be a Godly wife and mother, but I also wanted to live for Christ “today”. God opened many doors for me. I went to a Christian college, but when I came home after my freshman year, God moved me into another direction. He opened doors for me to teach children and youth choirs, work as a nanny, publish a children’s curriculum, and pursue many other opportunities in music and theatre to refine my musical skills. In 2000 I became a DJ at a Christian Radio Station and was able to put my musical knowledge to work for the Lord on a larger scale. It was shortly after that when I met my husband at church as we worked on a leadership team together. Our whole relationship has been “God focused” from the start! We began courting with the full support of both our families and Godly mentors.

Currently, my husband is working on his MBA and I love being a stay at home mom in Europe! We miss our homeland and look forward to returning, but while we are here we are taking full advantage of seeing the rest of this beautiful world God has created. God has brought many blessings into my life and Home Schooling is definitely one of them! I look forward to home schooling my children and continuing a legacy built on a Godly heritage.