There are many of blessings of homeschooling. There are tough parts, too, as with any job. But, this post is about one of the best parts. Yesterday, I gave my middle daughter a spelling test. It was a watershed moment for me and for her, I think. Two years ago about this time, I began to realize that Sami was really struggling with spelling and writing. She read 2 grade levels above where she was at and comprehended at grade level or about one grade level above where she was. But, I could see she was in trouble with her encoding (breaking apart words) skills. I felt bad for having missed it that year and felt guilty, but I trusted that the Lord was showing me what I needed to see when I needed to see it. I set about that summer completely revamping her spelling program. I tested her on all of the initial consonant blends to see which ones she did and didn't hear correctly when they were said. There were about 10 that she needed t...