Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Farris:
Grace Matte is my guest today. Grace was homeschooled and earned her Master’s in Education from Salem International University before coming to work here at HSLDA. Grace, welcome to the program!

Grace Matte:
Thanks! It’s good to be here.

Mike:
Grace, what kind of life-skills preparation did you have before you left home for college?

Grace:
Well, having jobs and responsibilities outside the home, beginning with babysitting at age 11, developed self-confidence and financial responsibility. The same thing with buying and training my own horse at 14.

In addition, community activities and volunteer work taught me to interact with a variety of people and situations. From being in the church choir to 4-H competitions to work camps, I learned teamwork, problem solving, communication skills, and leadership.

Also, from a very young age, family driving trips through many states and even Canada, gave me a broader perspective on cultural diversity and regional differences. I gained confidence for independent living through travel planning, map reading, tire changing, and detouring skills. These all came in handy when I ended up attending a college eight hours away from home.

Mike:
Grace, you have obviously learned a tremendous amount of life preparation skills and your parents did a great job and you did a great job of adapting those into the college environment and then into the work environment. We’re really proud to have you on the team. I’ Mike Farris.