My parents were both LCMS teachers, and I wanted to send my children to a Lutheran school. However, my husband's first call as a pastor was in an area where the closest Lutheran school was 1 hour away. We did send them to a Lutheran pre-school at another church in the circuit, which was 25 minutes away.

So we started homeschooling each of them in Kindergarten. Then my husband took a call and there were Lutheran schools closer (25 min), but my children had developed food and environmental allergies, and so we needed to continue homeschooling. In addition, the ages they are now, our 2 boys--12 years old and 10 years old--need to spend time with their father, and his day off is Friday; if they were in a traditional school, we would not have that family day.

I believe in Lutheran education, it offers something that the children today really need. I wish more Lutheran schools would realize the benefits of a classical and Lutheran education, a rigorous acedemic education infused with the proper understanding of Law and Gospel, which will lead them to live an active live of faith in their various vocations. This is such a benefit for not only for their own members, but for those in the communities and neighborhoods in which the church serves.

We do hope to send them to the local Lutheran High School for their 11th and 12th grade years, assuming we can work through and around their allergie issues.

Natalie S, Minnesota South District