A couple of weeks ago we visited Newport News. We drove by Christopher Newport University while we were looking for a place to eat. After locating a restaurant and settling down to eat, my daughter stunned me with a comment.  She said she'd like to attend college either at Christopher Newport University or the College of William and Mary.

     My 16yo daughter has never had a vision for her future. She never talks about it, partly because she didn't know what she wanted and partly because it wasn't of importance to her. Rarely does she voice an opinion. Additionally, she has struggled in school from an early age, but now is becoming quite studious and does well scheduling her extra curricular activities. 

     When my daughter was a toddler, she was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. I asked the therapist, was there hope? What would the future look like? Could she go to college?  The therapist had no idea, but  she highly recommended that I put her in special education classes in public school. Hmmm, I didn't agree.  I taught long enough in public school to learn that special education children tend to get lost in the cracks.  I vowed that if I ever had children with special needs, I'd homeschool them. 

     I've labored over every detail of teaching my daughter. Learning to read was a struggle.  Memory work was a challenge.  Writing created tears.  What worked? I'd say a combination of patient perseverance and moving from textbooks to a classical education. Currently, in the humanities, she is doing the Rhetoric level of literature, government, philosophy and fine arts. The other humanities, history and church history, are dialectic.  Rhetoric level, as written by TOG, is like college.  My daughter is getting the education I wish that I had had at her age. My son will follow in her footsteps next year, when both will do all of the humanities on their next rotation of the history of the world at the Rhetoric level. 

     I am thrilled to have terrific curricula from which to teach, to help her reach for the highest star.  At the time she announced her college hopes, I told her they were aggressive schools. There would be high requirements for admission. Undaunted, she is prepared to meet the challenge. My teaching goal has always been to help my students reach for the highest star.  As I told my daughter, if she ultimately cannot reach quite that high, she will still be capable of more than if she aimed lower. 

     Tonight I had an interesting conversation with a friend.  I overheard that her daughter was attending Christopher Newport University. In short, this friend told me many wonderful things about this university, which would line up with my daughter's personality. That was encouraging!  Also, we discovered our daughters had a lot in common! Her daughter is majoring in English. My daughter is interested in a history/English lit combination.  What about a teaching certificate?  Her daughter is doing the 5 year program, where she'll get her bachelor's degree in English in 4 years, then her teaching certificate the 5th year, gaining her master's degree!  Her daughter used to attend Colonial Williamsburg in costume like my daughter does. Her daughter does Civil War reenactment and my kids and I have been recruited by the US Third Infantry, to reenact the Army of the Potomac.

     When my daughter shared her hope of college, my husband exclaimed he could just see me driving down all the time to spend time with her. I admit I would be tempted to do just that. Can't we just move down there?  When I was her age I had dreamed of attending a great college on the East Coast.  To attend one near Williamsburg would be incredible! Hmmmm, how about my signing up for a master's degree?  Well, regardless of my future, I am thrilled that my daughter is gaining a vision for her unique path in life. 

     A lot of homeschool moms ask how to motivate their kids to do school work. Having a vision for the future is intrinsic motivation at its best.  My son also desires to attend a college with high standards, specifically, Patrick Henry College. Incidentally, I met a mom the other night whose daughter is attending PHC. Both of my kids are working hard at their studies, without complaint, to attain their dreams.