Africa Journal August 31

8/31/2013

I talked to the kids about school. I was a bit surprised that several of them were really upset because they want to go to public school. I tried to explain to them that school with me will be much better for them than public school, but they wouldn't believe me. I talked to Andy and Jana about it. We decided that the kids should decide. If they choose the poor public education, it will do them no good for us to try to force them to come to school with me. I'm really anxious about it because I know, and Andy knows, and Jana knows, what the right choice for them is, but it's hard to see them make wrong choices without being able to do anything about it.

I'm feeling pretty down about all of this. I'm trying not to feel like I'm wasting my time here because no one wants to learn from me. I know that's not true, but it keeps popping into my head.
I wonder how our kids back home would react if we suddenly decided to home school them. I think they'd probably have a fit, too
When I have kids, I'd rather start them in home school so that they never become attached to public school in the first place. It's so hard to break a person's habits. I think what I'm experiencing is a bit like what missionaries have to deal with when their investigators aren't ready to accept the gospel. It's really sad because I know what I have to offer them is so much better than what they already have, but they have to accept it.

Today, I worked with Felicia for a long time on memorizing a scripture. For a girl who doesn't want to learn from me, she was pretty persistant about it. After we had studied for several hours, I invited her to watch Beauty and the Beast with me. I enjoy having one-on-one time with the kids. I think, maybe, she'll be more excited about having classes with me now. Then again, maybe not. We'll see. I'll find out tomorrow when we have our big meeting to decide what we're going to do.

Today was the last day before the older kids move to the halfway house. To celebrate, we watched Tangled, then listened to music and danced until devotional time. It was really fun. I liked watching the kids dance, and singing along. The greatest part was when we came to a song they all knew and all of them would start singing at the top of their lungs. It was awesome.

After devotional, I finally got to talk to Rufus about school. I explained to him what concerns the kids had and why Jana, Andy, and I think that they would learn better coming to class with me. It's nice to know Rufus will back me up tomorrow when I talk to the kids about it. I hope Heavenly Father will back me up, too.