A Big Night for the Glasgow Family

Last night we joined a couple of thousand jubilant parents and friends at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Southern Methodist University to celebrate the graduation of our collective kids.

In our case we drank in all the pomp and circumstance and waited patiently until we heard the name Chelsea Brianna Glasgow Hughes announced. Our sweet and precious little girl, all capped and gowned, then eagerly marched triumphantly across the stage to accept her hard earned diploma. It was one of those moments parents look forward to and, when realized, remember and cherish forever.

Maybe it's even more meaningful to Homeschool parents.

In a post-graduation celebration last night, I mentioned to Chelsea in a toast that this was the culmination of 23 years of learning, much of which was orchestrated and brought about because of the love and diligence of her mom, who gave up a lucrative career to be able to raise and educate her (and Justin, her older brother) here at home.

That education began even before the kids were born.

When Teeka was pregnant with Justin she came upon a life-changing book by Dr. Thomas Verny and John Kelly, titled, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child. It was fascinating and it made perfect sense, so we implemented much of what the book recommended. Before giving birth she continually read aloud, repeated the alphabet, played a broad range of music, spoke to them directly and reassuringly and basically narrated life to each of them. It's a book we recommend on a regular basis even after 24 years.

The education continued after they were born and at the time we had never heard the term "homeschool."

Meanwhile, they were learning to read "bits" of information on flash cards well before either of them began to talk. They had a surprisingly large vocabulary even though they were unable to verbalize. This was easily demonstrated by asking them to point to something, such as the flag of a given country or one of the presidents of the United States. That's right, before they could speak they knew state and national flags, all of the presidents etc. They weren't prodigies. They were doing what all babies and toddlers do; learning everything that they were exposed to, like empty sponges sucking up everything in sight. They were learning "machines!"

The more they learned, the more they wanted to learn. We tried to expose them to as many opportunities as we possibly could.

When it came time to enroll them in public school, both of our kids were reading on a third or fourth grade level (which could be verified by the type of library books they were reading...Teeka would check out sizable stacks of books each week from the local library), so we knew it would be problematic to put them in kindergarten where kids are learning the alphabet and single digit numbers. The school district wouldn't consider placing them in a higher grade and we couldn't afford a private school, so we were forced to seek alternative methods of education.

That was before Google so the search was not nearly as easy as it would be today.

We soon discovered a whole new world of "home schooling" and ultimately decided on a well respected curriculum which had been around for more than a hundred years. Calvert was the name of the Maryland establishment and it provided virtually everything one would need for grades 1 through 8. According to Calvert, completion of their courses through level 8 would give the student the equivalent of a high school education. That it did!

As time quickly passed by, the phenomenon of home schooling became widespread in the late '80's and '90's. Here in Dallas, there were even excellent sports programs for homeschoolers. Community and home school sports leagues were a very important part of the school day. So were music lessons, recitals and many other activities along the way.

My wife and I reflect regularly on the incredible opportunities and many avenues that were available to our kids because we were able to homeschool. For us and our kids, homeschooling provided so much more than any public or many private schools could ever offer. Not only did they receive an outstanding education which enabled them to get very good academic and leadership scholarships, but they learned superior communication skills by virtue of being around adults more than kids who may have to be stuck in day care facilities.

Chelsea's matriculation at SMU and subsequent graduation last night, speaks volumes to the hard work and dedication which were required to get her to this point in life, but it also speaks volumes to her mom whose most important life's work (so far) was to make certain our kids got a superior education.

College work in one's senior year is demanding all by itself, but Chelsea completed her senior year as a married student. She and her husband Eric Hughes will be celebrating their 1st anniversary in less than two weeks.

Last night Chelsea received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising, with honors, and just recently completed her 2nd internship with the prestigious Richards Group here in Dallas. It's been a challenging and rewarding year for Chelsea (and Eric)!

As her parents, we are extremely proud and pleased with all she has accomplished at SMU and throughout her life. She continues to be a joyful light of our life. We're so thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and son-in-law.

Our special week has just begun. Next Saturday, our son Justin will be graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington. It's a big week for the Glasgow family!

(pictured above is Justin 24, Chelsea 22, Teeka and Rich, young at heart, standing in front of the fountain installed by the Mother's Club of 1936, with Dallas Hall lit up in the background)