"It really didn't hit me until about a month ago that 'Oh, my goodness. I did it. I made it. All the way through.'"
That sums up the feelings of Rebecca Allford of St. Matthews, mother and teacher of senior Hannah Allford, who had officially finished high school only minutes earlier. Hannah's graduation was a victory not only for her but also for her whole family.
Hannah didn't graduate from just any high school. She was home schooled by her mother for 11 years.
"I'm just so thankful that my husband let me stay home and home school," Rebecca Allford said. "As I went along, I realized how important it was for parents who love their kids to have all this input and be in charge of their education and be able to put Christian values in there. I realized all that as I kept going.
"I'm just so thankful I was able to do it."
Hannah's plans for the future seem pretty typical for someone her age. She plans to attend college at North Greenville University in the fall and feels quite prepared to face the future. But how does she feel about being home schooled almost all her life? Would she recommend this type of education to others?
"It really depends on your family. Some children and families aren't really the home-schooling types," Hannah said. "I would highly recommend it. You get a lot of personal training, more hands-on, one on one. You always have your parents there. I think it's a good way for parents and children to bond.
"Many kids my age don't really know their parents. My parents are more like my friends now."
Since mom was the teacher, what was dad's role in all this?
"My dad was the principal. If I did anything bad, she threatened to call him, and he'd spank me when he got home, so I was really good," Hannah said, laughing.
Her family belongs to Orangeburg Christian Home Educators Association. Like most members, instilling Christian values in their children is a prime motivator for this alternate educational route. Other reasons often cited by parents who choose to home school are to build closer bonds between parents and children and to lessen the effects of negative peer pressure.
OCHEA held its annual commencement exercises May 23 at Bethel Church in Orangeburg. OCHEA President Marilyn Singletary greeted parents and graduates and congratulated students.
Hannah was the only senior graduate. She gave a short speech and performed a piano presentation.
Three eighth-graders also graduated -- Timothy Stephen Garrick, son of Dwayne and Laura Garrick of Orangeburg; Sarah Ashley Masters, daughter of Frank and Kim Ayer of Orangeburg; and Jack Richard Schrock, son of Richard and Margret Schrock of Blackville.
Pastor Don Reams of Cordova, who pastors Mizpah Baptist Church of Fort Motte, delivered the commencement address. He asked everyone to write their day of birth on one side of the commencement program and then draw a line to indicate their day of death. He emphasized that no one knows when they are going to die so each person should be prepared because the future is unknown.
"We have been home schooling since 1994, and my husband and I feel truly blessed that God has called us and provided us with this opportunity to home school," said Margret Schrock, commencement director. "We wouldn't trade this experience for anything. We have our frustrating times and times when we become discouraged. But God continually is faithful and gives us the strength and inspiration we need to continue.
"I enjoy my children, and being with them every day is a challenge and a joy."
Will Hannah home school her children in the future?
"I would definitely consider it as a possibility," she said.
T&D Correspondent John Ott can be reached by telephone at 803-829-3638. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.