It was Sunday, July 30th, 2017 when we first got
the news. Our principal had resigned, the teachers had banded together to say
they wouldn’t work for another administrator, and just like that our gem of a
classical school was no more.
The next forty-eight hours were a blur of activity in our
home. My husband Joey, along with others,
had been asked to join an interim board in an attempt to navigate
reconciliation between the original school board members and our principal, but
in the process so much mismanagement and collusion was uncovered between the
existing school board and the church where our school was located that it
became very clear, the differences were irreconcilable.
Our school, the only classical school in southern Orange
County, California, the school that had become our anchor of stability since
our move from Atlanta three years prior, the families that our children had
grown to love and the teachers that had whole-heartedly invested in us with
genuine love and concern, it was all gone.
It no longer existed. Just like
that, with no warning, no time to prepare, the beauty of what the Lord had
provided as an answer to prayer three years ago was gone.
Public school would be starting back in just two weeks in
some school districts, and as the late-night phone calls for the interim board
continued and more mismanagement was uncovered, the initial panic began to set
in. Where were our children going to go to school?
Classical education was a path I had researched and desired
for my children before we even moved out to California. It is a very intentional, detail-oriented,
purposeful way of educating children that takes full advantage of the
developmental stages of the brain. The methods classical education uses wastes
nothing, not one minute of time or one opportunity to celebrate and encourage
learning. My children were thriving in this environment. They loved school, their teachers, and the
small classes of students.
My options now were public school, another non-classical
private school (of which there were several to choose from), or some form of
classical home-schooling. I didn’t like any of these options. I didn’t feel
good about, passionate about, or drawn to any of these choices. I wanted what
my children had. I wanted it for myself, and I wanted it for them. But what did
God want? What was His plan in these circumstances? And so began, the inner
battle between faith and doubt, trust in my strength or God’s strength.
Within the first week of August, parents from our school
were up in arms. We all loved our
school! We couldn’t understand how or
why this had happened so suddenly and abruptly. Meetings were held. Feelings
were hurt. Perceptions shifted rapidly from one extreme to another. People were
hurt, angry, worried. We all began to grapple with what were the best options,
choices, courses forward for our children.
The clock was ticking. Time was running out—or so we thought. Looking back, I now realize there was no rush
to start school. I could have enrolled my children anywhere in the middle of
October, and they would have managed fine, but at the time, in the moment, it
felt imperative to their well-being to have a plan, to make a choice, and to
move forward. It was time to go back to
school, after all.
But our choices just weren’t good. The interim board of
selected and willing parents that had formed to work alongside our principal
began working even more fervently. My husband literally worked two full-time
jobs for the month of August—the one he got paid for and for the board of what
was then a non-existent school. The parents on this new board were all
passionate about classical education. We
wanted this option for our children, but how?
We had a principal. We had a pool of willing teachers to
hire (who also were left stranded and in limbo at this point by what had
happened.) We had interested families; families who wanted to make this work.
We thought this was all we had. We hoped
this would be enough. So, through daily
prayer and a steady determination to keep moving forward, the new board members
decided we wanted to start a new school, a separate entity with a new name and
without all the baggage of the previous location and entanglements caused by
the poor judgement of the people at the church and on the previous school board.
Thus, The Geneva School was born out of necessity, some desperation, and a
passionate desire to see our children educated classically.
By the end of the first week of August, we had a name, we
had a logo even, now we just needed a location, and this is where the journey
got tough and rocky and unsure. A location in southern Orange County capable of
housing the sixty students that remained interested was not readily available
or inexpensive to find. Thus, began the long weeks of hopes getting up and
being let down as location after location after location began to be a closed
door. The new board was working tirelessly, relentlessly even, but no door was
opening, not yet.
Public school started, and we understandably lost a few more
families. The third week in August many of the private schools in the area were
gearing up to begin school for the year. Without a definite location nailed
down, we understandably lost a few more families.
During those first three weeks of August, Joey and I had
done our due diligence. We had bathed
everything in prayer. We had toured and even applied to another local private
school. When the office staff was floored by how well our children tested on
their entrance exams, I knew we would be doing our children a disservice to
give up so easily. They were almost an
entire year ahead of their grade level compared to other private schools, and
their potential was only just beginning to be tapped.
But it wasn’t just about the academics. It was about what
Joey and I felt the Lord was calling us to do. This was a path the Lord placed
us smack in the middle of for a reason. He wanted us to walk this path by
faith. He wanted us to give it our all and trust Him. He was calling us to stay
the course and start a new school. And so like Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade, we began the process
of taking steps across a bottomless chasm with nothing in front of us, just the
ability to take the next step. God showed up at every step as the solid footing
beneath our feet, but for six weeks, we had nothing to really trust but the
calling of the Lord Himself. Each step was one of faith into the unknown.
By the fourth week in August, we finally had one final
location. It was literally our last option. If this didn’t work, there were no
other locations to pursue. We waited in constant vigil for the church board to
vote to approve our occupancy, and as we waited, we understandably lost a few
more families. We had gone from sixty committed students the first of August to
now forty students. Our teachers would have to take a pay-cut at this number,
and we would have to do some serious fundraising to make ends meet. To say
things looked and felt bleak, would be an understatement. The only thing that
kept our feet on this path was knowing that we knew that we knew this is what
God wanted for our family. To the bitter end, flight or failure, we were supposed
to try and start this school.
What was even more encouraging and inspiring for me was
watching my husband come along side and fight for this together. Education had
always been “my” thing as the mom and former educator. Joey had always just
bent in whatever direction I felt led.
This was different though. Together through prayer, I saw the Lord
change his heart, and I saw my husband go to war for his family. He saw
something valuable and important to his children being wrongly taken, and he
fought for them. He fought for us, and watching him step up and step into this
responsibility without hesitation or even doubt was inspiring, encouraging, and
endearing. My children saw their dad fight for them. They saw him never give
up, back down, or lose faith. I don’t know what they will remember from this
experience later in life, but I hope it sticks to them in all the good ways for
all the right reasons. Nothing God ever calls us to do is ever wasted, so I
believe more seeds were planted through this process in our family’s story than
I can even begin to understand.
As we waited in hopeful expectation for our location to be
approved, I was reminded of the story of Gideon. Of how God took an army of 10,000
and dwindled it down to the 300 He wanted to use. Why? So, God would get all
the glory, and no man would be able to take credit for the victory God
provided.
Thursday, August 31st, 2017 The Geneva School was
approved to occupy a new location, exactly one month from when the previous
school had fallen apart. In the next eleven days, the remaining 25 families
painted an entire wing of the church, outfitted classrooms with bookshelves,
desks, white boards, and even short-throw projectors. We ordered new school
uniforms and showed up for the first day of classes Tuesday, September 12th,
2017. Forty students, grades kindergarten through eighth would be continuing
the classical education we had all grown to love and believe passionately.
Thirteen of our teachers remained to answer the calling to teach our children,
to invest in an eternal opportunity to impact the lives of the next generation.
In six weeks, God started a new school.
Looking back, I realize He orchestrated the perfect group of
people to accomplish this task. The new board members had experience in
business, previous board experience, non-profit organizations, finances,
entrepreneurial start-ups, educational expertise and marketing. Among our group
of parents, we had connections to graphic designers, legal contacts, real
estate, photographers and generous wallets. We asked for prayer through this
process, and friends and family joined in full support. We asked for donations,
and people showed up with all manor of supplies from copiers and paper to paint
supplies and furniture and so much more.
Our school was built in six weeks because God put together a
uniquely qualified team of people to accomplish the task. We each took steps of
faith, using the gifts and resources and strengths God had already equipped us
with, and together, God built a school. A school I pray continues to be viable
and influential in the lives of children for decades to come.
Our school continues to function by faith. Praise the Lord,
we confidently make pay roll every month, but the opportunity for growth and
the possibilities for what we can continue to accomplish are endless with the
right funding. So, we pray for funding, and we continue to give of our time,
talents, and tithe as sacrificially as the Lord leads. With only 25 families,
this is not easy. No one gets to just drop their kid off at school and go about
their day without another thought. Every parent is invested and involved and
needed. We all have a part to play and a
role of responsibility to make this school work. It’s not easy, but it’s rewarding and
fulfilling to wake up every day and know without a doubt that this is the right
path, the right choice, the right thing to do.
The lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn through this
journey are so many! I’ve never understood better the relationship between
faith and works. Faith in God is the glue that holds you to the path set before
you; works is the engine that moves you forward, one step at a time, one legal
form filed, one purchase made, one prayer prayed and believed.
I’ve never experienced such a physical working of the body
of Christ like this before. Each person uniquely equipped to work as God
created and gifted them to function, all coming together to accomplish the
purpose He set before us. Everyone was needed and appreciated, and where
someone was weak another was strong. I pray I never doubt again what the Lord
can accomplish through His people. I pray I continue to step into roles He has
uniquely equipped me to accomplish the rest of my life because though my one
part to play doesn’t seem like much, collectively it is accomplishing more than
I can think or imagine in the kingdom of God.
Lastly, I’ve learned the value of staying the course, even
when you think it might end in failure. When you’ve been called to a task, you
see it through to the end. You keep the faith.
You take the next step. You stay resolved and steadfast. You endure. You don’t jump ship out of fear,
urgency or doubt. The only reason Joey
and I would have pursued a different path is if we had the peace of God to turn
a different way, but we never did. God’s peace was the steadying force in the
pit of my stomach even during tears of uncertainty and waves of doubts. I
learned the importance of not moving in a different direction based on my feelings
in the moment or based on the direction others were taking. My journey with the
Lord is my journey, and it will and should look and feel very different from
what others are experiencing. That’s the
beauty of a relationship with Jesus; it’s a relationship as unique as my
marriage with my husband is compared to anyone else’s marriage, and we are most
assuredly better and stronger together, no matter how difficult things may
become.
God started a school in six weeks, and it’s been a privilege
and an honor to have a small part to play. I pray others will hear this story
and be encouraged to stay the course and inspired to pursue the path God has
placed you on for today, for this season of life. He is constantly and for all
eternity working in ways we cannot fathom or plan to orchestrate. We must trust
and believe His plan and stay the course to have a story to tell, a victory to
share, and glory to give. Thank you, Jesus, for gifting a crown, a gem of a
school, we can gladly give back to You.
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IF AFTER READING THIS STORY YOU FEEL LED TO GIVE TO THE GENEVA SCHOOL IN ANY WAY, WE WOULD BE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR GENEROSITY.
PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE AT
AND CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN GIVE.
YOUR GIFTS ARE AN ETERNAL INVESTMENT IN THE HEARTS AND LIVES OF CHILDREN FOR THIS GENERATION AND THE ONES TO COME.
THANK YOU.
