Meet Amber

My brother and I continued our high school with Abeka’s VHS (ha!) program. We would get up early and have school done by noon. This allowed us to start our own jobs in the afternoon. I would clean and babysit, and my brother learned carpentry by working with an older man from church. All four of us graduated from the Abeka homeschool program and we had our ceremony in Florida with other nationwide homeschoolers.

I met my husband, Jayson, at Bible college, and we were on the path to serve the Lord in the ministry somewhere. As our children approached school age, we decided to homeschool them. There was not a private school near us, and we had decided early in our marriage that we would provide them with a Christian education whether in a private school or by homeschooling them. We used the Abeka curriculum with our family. It is what I used as a student and since it was tried and true and still widely used in private schools, we stuck with it. Some years I taught them traditionally and other years we used their DVD program. Homeschooling offered our ministry family the flexibility to juggle many things in our lives. Most of the time we lived in the country and the kids had many life experiences and opportunities. They worked on projects with us and developed a strong work ethic. We wouldn’t change those opportunities for the world. They often talk of those days!

In 2015, our family relocated to the Peoria area, and I was presented with the opportunity to teach in a private school. After much prayer and consideration, we decided to take this step as a family. For 5 years I taught 3rd and 4th grade combined class. Three of our kids graduated during this time and went on to college. After our oldest graduated from high school, she decided to apply at Rainbow Resource Center to be a summer worker. I decided to apply as well and spend some extra time around her before she left for college. This led to several summers of working with 3 of our kids for this wonderful company working during the busy period.

Fast forward to COVID! My teaching days came to an end in the classroom and were replaced with student packet pick-ups and drop-offs. Our college kids came home early to finish online. With the influx of homeschooling and ordering online, we were called back to Rainbow to assist with the load. My husband and youngest son joined the party. Now the whole family was involved! It’s not very often that you find such an ideal situation for a family. My husband and I took the opportunity to work full-time in the summer of 2020, and we decided to make this career move. As of now, our oldest daughter has graduated from college and works in the Marketing department for RRC. Our second daughter graduated with her associate degree and is a Zone Leader in the RRC warehouse. Our son is in his second year of college and continues to work seasonally in the warehouse. Our youngest is finishing up his high school and works part-time in the warehouse.

We continue to work bi-vocationally in the church where my husband pastors. This has given me opportunities to be involved in the music program, teaching ladies Bible studies, and helping in our kids and teens ministry. After 22 years of homeschool and teaching experience I have transitioned to the position of consultant. Working in the warehouse for five years has been helpful in learning the materials we have to offer. I am excited at the opportunity to assist parents with questions or concerns they have in their homeschool journey. Please feel free to contact me at (888-841-3456), email consultants@rainbowresource.com or use the live chat feature from our website. I look forward to talking to you!

WATCH JANICE'S LATEST CURRICULUM WORKSHOP

Choosing Curriculum the FAMILY Way describes six key factors in choosing curriculum that meet the needs of the student, teacher, and family alike.