Last night we attended Ryan's GED graduation at Wharton County Jr. College. Now you might be wondering why we attended a graduation ceremony for a simple GED certificate, I'll explain...
Ryan has been homeschooled since the first grade. He wanted to take the GED test as "proof" of his education. He was quite intimidated by the test so he enrolled in a GED test prep class offered at the local jr. college.
He did very well in his prep classes and tested out to be included in a pilot program called "T3" or Teach/Train/Transition.
These students attend GED classes and college credit classes at the same time. And since it was a pilot program, we didn't have to pay for anything!
Ryan aced his GED and takes his certification tests next month for the T3 program. When he passes those exams he will be certified to work in a medical office as an office manager or in medical billing. The classes also count as credits earned if he wants to go into any of the other medical fields such as nursing, EMT, paramedic, or radiology.
This has been such an accomplishment for our Ryan. He has never been a model student. His learning style is very eclectic and is hampered by ADHD. After years of homeschooling I wondered if he could just walk into a classroom setting and do well.
He could.
He did.
And he worked so very hard to be successful in this program and make us all proud.
His hard work and enthusiasm obviously touched his instructors, too!
This simple "walk" was so important to Ryan.
We are very grateful to everyone who came to share this wonderful night with us!
We are akso thankful to the WCJC system for their dedication to the GED/T3 programs! It allows so many people from vastly different walks of life to educate and better themselves. It instills knowledge, skills, confidence, and a huge sense of pride and accomplishment in it's graduates...
Especially eclectic, blue haired, home educated young men!
The world is at your feet, son.
Go out there seize the day!
.JPG)
.JPG)
This kept them busy for HOURS which allowed for me and Mary Grace to have a little cat nap on the couch. Thankfully, it cleans up pretty easily too...and the mess was well worth getting to nap!
Kyle and Doug discussing history and theology.
Danny working on phonics.
Then there is John Paul, who refused to get out of his pajamas!
At stake for the winners are cold hard cash, blue ribbons,
I'm very happy they are so eager to get started on their projects early instead of waiting until the last minute.
But our poor kitchen table won't be clear for some time now! We may have to start eating our meals at the picnic table in the backyard!
It was really amazing to see how these folks lived. 
The smell of the campfires and chicken and dumplings cooking over an open flame was right up my alley! I think I could rough it here for a week or so.
Kyle was shocked to see how they "took turns" shooting at each other. One line loads and fires at the other. The dead and injured fall, then the line advances and takes their turn to shoot. When the lines get close enough then it's hand to hand combat with bayonets.
The boys were also shocked to learn that young men their ages were among the soldiers there. This dedication to God, country, and willingness to die for what you believe is right is so lacking in so many Americans to day (despite age) and makes me very ashamed of what we've become today. I'm very thankful to these early Americans for their sacrifice and I hope to instill such a love for God and country in our boys.
When the battle was over we strolled through the vendor markets. There was homemade root beer, lemonade, ice cream, and candies.
A medical tent where the war injured were treated (I'll spare you the gory pictures), music from the 1860's, and blacksmith demonstrations:
They also had demonstrations on soap, broom, and furniture making.
The handmade clothing was my favorite. 
I totally squealed in delight when I came across these bonnets!
Outside "The Ladies Parlor" the ladies of the day were having a meeting complete with tea and cookies. Oh how I wanted to sit with them and discuss the topics of the day....and wear one of those FABULOUS dresses!
Instead, the boys wanted to hit the food carts. If you've ever wanted to know what a 'Tater Twister' was, here it is just seconds before it was completely devoured!
They even had the original 'General Lee' from the show 'Dukes of Hazard'. I made the boys stand in front of it for a picture even though they had no idea what it was. You see, I was a child of the 70's and I totally had a thing for Bo & Luke Duke!
We came home smelling like campfires and gunpowder and were completely exhausted! It was really a lot of fun and led to some great discussions on the way home about the true cause of the War Between the States and what it means to be true to yourself and country. I'm really hoping to make this an annual event in our family.