Over the years, the principal of this school has specifically asked that I make a few things happen. Many times I didn't really want to hear what he had to say—my pride causes me to be secretly upset that he thinks anything needs changing at all. I just wanted him to see my agenda and agree with it. Poor, foolish teacher.

"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Proverbs 3:7).

Let me get transparent and demonstrate where I have failed and where I have triumphed in allowing my husband to drive this school bus.

Math

The principal believed it was really important to make sure that math assignments were graded regularly. Can you believe that? On top of all the bazillion other things I had to do? Couldn't hubby just do that one thing? Looking back, I realize how wrong my attitude was compared to what the Lord desired in me. And, looking back, if I had stayed on top of grading the math lessons (which I didn't), at least one of my children wouldn't have strayed so badly in his math progress. My child has had to pay the price for my lack of respect in honoring the desires of my authority. An even higher price to pay has been re-teaching him to respect my authority when he didn't see me respecting my own authority. Ouch.

"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5).

History

I hated history in school. But, knowing I had to teach it in my own homeschool, I tried a lot of different curricula. Everybody I knew was using a certain "highly praised" book, and I thought I needed to as well. I asked the principal his thoughts. He said to teach history starting with the Old Testament. Humph. I didn't even like to read the Old Testament. How could that possibly be what was right? Lest you think this teacher is a total loser, I did actually try to teach them from the Old Testament, and boy did we learn a lot! What I thought would be boring actually taught me so much for life and godliness! We learned that the foundation of our faith was based on believing the Bible to be true from the very first verse, starting with Creation. We learned about the kings of Israel and what happened when they followed God or simply did what was right in their own eyes. We learned all those cool stories about the judges sent as deliverers. And we learned the cycle of history that repeats itself even to this day: when people or governments forsake God and turn to idolatry (whatever form that may take), they are eventually sent into bondage. From there, they learn repentance. God hears their cry and delivers them, and they find rest. Idolatry, bondage, repentance, deliverance, rest. Look at all the major civilizations and peoples to whom this has applied. The cycle continues to repeat itself, sometimes even in my own life or in the lives of my kids.