C.I.R.C.L.E.

We've noticed that many of the homeschool co-ops and organizations we've researched in our area all have names that stand for something.  There are too many to name, but a couple of examples are H.E.A.R.T and G.I.F.T.  

One of the things I learned when I was reading about and researching homeschooling was that it's sometimes a good idea to give your school a name so it can have its own identity.  I kept praying that God would give me a good acronym so we could not only name our school but also remind us of why we are doing this in the first place.  I know there will be times in the next nine months or so that I'm going to question and doubt why I ever felt led to this task. I wanted all of us to be reminded, in a tangible way, that God led us to this decision  and that He, above all, desires for our "school" to be centered around Him.

So, on our way home from visiting my family this week, we brainstormed some options for the name of our school.  At first, we started with obvious words that might work, but we struggled to form coherent sentences from them.  We had words like LIGHT and BRIGHT but neither of them worked their way into the goals we have for our family this year.  It just wasn't flowing.

We switched gears and began talking about choosing a theme verse that we could use to keep us focused on our goals as a family and as a school.  We decided upon Colossians 2:2-3 and have summarized it this way:  "May we be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love and have complete confidence that we understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. For in Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and understanding. (NLT version)."  

After settling upon a verse, it was time to find an acronym that would work for us.  I'll spare you the details of how we came to the world CIRCLE, but some of you reading may be able to figure it out.

And so, allow to me formally introduce you to the C.I.R.C.L.E. School.  "Christ Igniting Righteousness, Character, Love and Education.

It is my prayer that He would do just that in our new school.  I am excited, a bit anxious, sometimes overwhelmed, but always trusting that God will be faithful to guide us as we embark on this new journey.  For anyone who may be interested, we are enrolled in three classes with one of our co-ops...a french language/music class, theatre for the whole family, and art.  Cody will continue to take violin, which is great.  He's really enjoying playing, which is so fun to see.  We also have our first field trips scheduled with our co-op:  A tour of the new Lego store near us (supposedly this is an educational trip!), and a concert performed by a college symphonic orchestra of "The Planets" by Gustav Holst, complete with projected images of planets and space going on during the music.  Should be a great way to kick off the new school year.  

Thanks for letting me share what God is doing and how He is leading us as we get started this month.  I know many of you are gearing up for the start of school as well, buying all your school supplies, getting word on your children's classroom teachers, and preparing to usher them into a new year.  May you all have a wonderful, blessed year!