Apr. 3, 2006 - Lessons from Washington
 Last weekend we learned more than our fair share of lessons.
First lesson: Lobbying isn't for whimps.
Truly, truly, TRULY. We had no idea the amount of sheer will power it was going to take to cart our little blessing all over Capitol Hill sans stroller. This picture was taken on the first morning - just after our first ever glimpse of the Capitol Building. What a sight.
Second Lesson: A smiling baby can get you into places that "regular folks" can't go.
 It's true that politicians love babies. Sydney was our ticket to ride! She was a great conversation starter, not matter who we were with, a senator, or a cab driver. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) was our first official appointment. We enjoyed talking with her about homeschooling and she enjoyed our sweet, cooing, baby Sydney. It was a real treat to be in Sen. Cantwell's office and see pictures of home... particularly official posters of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (Mount Vernon, WA). Senator Cantwell had a whole wall of them!
We couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. When you're 3000 miles from home, a little reminder of home feels good. It was 8:15 in the morning when we arrived Senator Cantwell's office, we were cruising along on auto-pilot, still on pacific time ... so it literally felt like 5:15. The staff promptly served up Starbuck's coffee. 
Sydney did GREAT at this point in the game ... she was too tired to complain!
Lesson Three: It's impossible to take in even an eighth of what is in D.C. in four days. You really need four weeks.
This place was breath-taking for so many reasons. The annual Cherry Blossom
Festival was happening, the weather was amazing, the history of the place just blew us away. We can't wait to go back and take our children. It would be worth it to save up and go there instead of back to Disneyland.
Lesson Four: Homeschooling is getting recognized in Washington - because it works.
The next time someone asks you about "socialization" or wonders how ever in the world your children will be able to function in the "real world" after you are done home schooling them, try these answers out:
- Homeschooled kids are literally blowing their public-school peers out of the water in national achievement test scores, at least a full 30% higher on average.
- The education level of the parent has very little effect on how well their children do as homeschoolers. (It's about commitment and love!)
- Adults who were home schooled are doing great. They're farmers, doctors, police officers, teachers, small business owners - the list goes on and on!
- And one of my personal favorites: Statistics show that there is no difference in the scores between students from states with high regulations on home schoolers and those who have very few. Government regulation is not necessary for students to achieve high marks!
 We were encouraged by all that we saw and heard about home schooling in this country. And we have a lot to look forward to. Senators and congressmen - even the President has noticed the positive impact home schooling is having in this nation.
Jay had the privilege of listening to some senators and congressmen address our conference. I'd put all the pictures in but I'm afraid HS blogger might crash :) Not really. Here's a picture of Senator Frist.
We attended a White House briefing for HSLDA. Here's a picture of Mike Smith addressing the participants before the briefing began. Jay and I were really glad that Sydney decided to take a nap for this one!
So many great things happned while we were there - and the Lord opened doors for us as we navigated through very unfamiliar territory. Right down to our cab driver (who, by the way, is an Ethiopian refugee that has been born again!) God made a way.
*By the way, this young man, Josef, wants to be a pastor. God has given him a heart for evangelism and we were able to pray with him and for him when he dropped us off at the Reagan International Airport. Talk about a divine appointment. And the fare? Free :)
The toughest part of the trip was having a 7mo old infant with us, of course. It was challenging in many ways, but the Lord was faithful to provide times of rest. We're humbled to be able to serve and prayerful that God will show us where He might lead us next.
We learned so many more things, but I can't write them all down here - maybe over time - but I'll end with one more lesson from Washington:
And lesson five: Never, never walk if you can take the Metro. (Your feet will thank you.)
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Apr. 4, 2006 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by smlltwnmmmy |
| Oh, I love D.C. during cherry blossom season! My father worked in D.C. for the Secret Service and Treasury Department for years. We lived in PA, about an hour and a half outside the city, but he would take us every year to see the cherry blossoms! I loved going down, riding the metro, all of the museums, historic buildings, and Starbucks on every corner! I'm not a city girl, but I LOVE an occasional visit. I can't wait to take my son when we can make it back to the East Coast for a vacation. Thank you for all you do for homeschoolers! Kudos for lobbying, and with a baby in tow! What courage! |
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Apr. 4, 2006 - AWESOME |
| Posted by quietcajun |
| Wow.... that is so great... and from one Washintonian to another... thanks for what you took the time to do. And Sydney is soooo adorable! :) |
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Apr. 4, 2006 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by Tiany |
| What a blessing it must have been to take such a wonderful trip (even with the little one to carry), the baby is precious, loved the pics! |
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Apr. 4, 2006 - Thank you for sharing |
| Posted by Suzie |
It was so encouraging to read all about what you guys found out regarding home school... Specially the fact that we are blowing away the public school kids in sat scores... yeah! :) And yeah that socialization always comes into conversations when people talk to me... grrr ... I wonder do they think we live in Alaska and they never see a human? LOL ....
Have a great day! - Suzie |
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Apr. 4, 2006 - DC |
| Posted by WopandI |
What an awesome opp for you guys! It sounds like God used you guys even in ways that you had not planned for! LOL :) Isnt HE cool! I have wanted to take a trip to DC with my kids for a while, but when we all saw the movie "National Treasure" the fever had been caught! We watn to wait until the kids are a bit older though. I think they will appreciate it much more. My hubby went to China when he was 12, but he wishes he had been older also. It is a trip that he will never be able to take again. His brother was working for the Chinese Gov't. in an orphanage for deaf children, teaching them universal sign language. So Scott had strings he could pull to get them to areas in China that the avg. outsider would never be allowed. Glad to have you guys back! Get rested and ready to share ALL about your trip at Friday School! LOL
In Him ~ Niki |
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Apr. 6, 2006 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by bigredriver |
| Wow!! What a trip. I love all the pictures. We live an hour from DC and we never get tired of all there is to do there. |
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Apr. 6, 2006 - Gorgeous! |
| Posted by Mileshouse |
I sure miss the East coast when I see shots like that!
Sounds like you all had the best time and were able to be used of God on more levels than you could've planned for. That's awesome.
Disneyland? asdlkfjg;'a'lskjhg'alksjdf (LOL Internet style). Do they actually fall in the same category of options?
We're planning to take the kids in a few years when the oldest 2 will remember the trip and appreciate it. Of course we'll have to go again to let the younger ones have the same experience... ;0)- Maybe my dh, Dean, will get a position in Phile, PA at corporate soon.
Of course, Washington state would be fine, too! I love the idea of Friday School!
Melanie |
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About Me
Heidi and her husband, Jay, have been married for over 17 years. They reside in Ridgefield, WA, where they homeschool their six children. The children range in age from 15 to 1 and Heidi "highly recommends having older children!" When Heidi is not climbing Mount Never-rest (folding laundry),changing diapers or washing dishes, she enjoys writing, trying new recipes she finds on the internet and encouraging other moms.
The St. Johns founded First Class Christian Homeschool Ministries, a parachurch organization dedicated to helping churches start homeschool co-ops in their communities.
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