Being a parent is tough, so many choices to be made on behalf of your child hoping you make the “right” ones. Add in anything else, being a Christ-follower, deciding which school is best for your child, anything, and life gets a bit more complicated.
Choices aren’t always easy, but often times they can be rewarding.
Let’s face it, making choices about your child’s education can be scary, but the benefits of placing your child in a learning environment like HOPE Academy are immeasurable.
As usual, at the beginning of the journey it’s easy to remember the intricate details of why we chose HOPE Academy for our family. It’s easy to know with passion and conviction what “our story” is and freely share it with others.
Then of course, sometimes life just happens.
You could be working on homestudy, or preparing for a project when one of your children is sick,
or your spouse is traveling for work,
or your washing machine is broken,
or your baby is crying.
Any number of life events can make you rethink the reasons you initially chose a school you felt God was clearly calling you to.
Those are the moments we can benefit from connecting with someone who is on the same parenting path. Someone we can commiserate with, get advice from, and accept prayer from. That’s where the HOPE Academy Mentoring Program comes in.
“In 2014, HOPE partnered with the National Association of University Model Schools (NAUMS) to launch a pilot Parent Mentor Program. This program helped unite families new to the University-Model® with families who had more experience in the model.
The goal was not to provide mentors who had it all together, because really, no one does! The goal was to foster intentional and purposeful communication in an open, honest and safe environment to encourage, build up and strengthen relationships with the Lord and with one another.
Mentors help new families navigate logistical questions about upcoming events, strategize methods to work through homestudy hiccups and, in time, develop a relationship to support one another in prayer. The program reminds us that we are not in this alone, and that we are stronger together.”
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
– Anne Roe, HOPE parent, HOPE Academy Mentor Program Facilitator, and one of many people who have helped make this program what it is today.
How have any mentor-mentee relationships impacted your life? Do you have a story about the HOPE Academy Mentorship program you would like to share?