Both of my boys have been blessed with the opportunity to attend The Anvil Academy, where truly gifted men “challenge, equip, and disciple middle school boys into strong young men.” My daughter has been asking for a “girl Anvil” for years, but we could never find a program that felt like the right fit for our family.
Around March of last year, our pastor, Andy Stanley, asked a question that stayed with me: “What breaks your heart, and what are you going to do about it?” As a teacher at heart, it has always broken me to see kids hating school or struggling simply because the learning environment wasn’t engaging them. I once vowed I would never homeschool—but when my oldest looked at me at just eight years old and said, “I hate school because it’s boring,” I felt God gently leading me somewhere I never expected. I had prayed for other options, begged for a different answer—“God, please no, I have two younger kids… I finally have the baby in preschool… I need a break!”
But God knew better.
That year of fully homeschooling my oldest turned into a beautiful gift—one we will always treasure. My youngest (and only daughter) is more social by nature and often tells me, “I want you to be my teacher, but I want friends with me, too.”
While I won’t claim to have built anything as established or elaborate as a “girl Anvil,” each step—each prayer, each adjustment—brings me a little closer. I’m continually learning, evaluating, and cultivating what helps children thrive. And each season, God keeps growing this vision into something more life-giving, rooted, and fruitful than I ever expected.
WHY “GREENHOUSE?”
I once heard an incredibly wise principal from a hybrid homeschool say, “We aren’t homeschooling to keep our children in a bubble, but to strengthen their roots before sending them into life’s storms.” That imagery resonated deeply with me. As someone who has taught in public school—and had two of my children attend—it captured exactly what I hoped for my own kids: not isolation, but intentional, rooted growth.
When my middle child was in 5th grade, I asked him, “What is something Godly you noticed today, and something worldly?” He told me about a classmate kindly picking up pencils another child had dropped—then shared a shockingly inappropriate comment he had heard on the playground. I held my composure and asked, “What are your thoughts on that, and how can I help you process it?” His response humbled me:
“I remembered what you said about kids knowing too much too soon. I’m going to tell him that if he’s brave enough to tell his mom something happened to him, I’ll get him out at base for free every day.”
Moments like that remind me why I value being able to speak into the little conversations throughout the school day. But I also recognize the importance of bringing other voices into their lives. I’ve invited some incredible women to pour into the girls. One of my favorite moments was getting the courage to personally ask Karen Stubbs. She laughed nervously and said, “Middle school girls scare me!” I reassured her, “Not these girls—they’re homeschoolers. They’re precious!” She showed up at my home with thoughtful gifts for the girls and the moms, and she blessed us just as profoundly as she has when I’ve attended her events.
We’ve also welcomed speakers from various ministries who have offered wisdom, testimony, and encouragement at just the right times.
Middle school is one of the most confusing seasons for young women. And honestly, stepping into menopause reminds me just how real and raw those emotions can be. What better time to step away from the rush, intensity, and often-misinterpreted interactions of traditional middle school life? Yes—middle school girls can be intimidating. But they are also tender, sincere, and wonderfully honest. When they feel safe, supported, and equipped with Biblical tools for communication, they don’t have to bury their emotions so deeply.
I’ve always been a “safe place” for kids to ask uncomfortable questions. I aim to respond with thoughtful questions of my own and then guide them back to what Scripture says—whether it’s about identity, honoring parents, purity, or the changes of puberty.
With that said, I gently encourage all of us to follow this simple guideline:
Believe half of what you hear, and I’ll do the same.
Words spoken and words heard can be two very different things. The girls love to talk, share, and explore ideas—which is wonderful—but it also reveals just how easily perspectives can become tangled or misunderstood. Please reach out anytime you have questions or concerns. Open communication keeps this a truly safe community.
I also encourage each girl to have a mentor. When deeper topics arise, I want to be able to say, “This is a wonderful conversation to bring to your mentor,” so they’re practicing the habit of seeking wise counsel from trusted adults.
This year, we have 34 different lesson topics we’ll work through, along with many object lessons to help them visualize spiritual truths. These topics came from friends who answered the question: “What do you wish your daughter had felt more confident about in middle school?”
One of my favorite lessons uses a glass jar of water. Each girl drops in a bit of food coloring while naming a sin or temptation. The colorful swirl looks almost beautiful—just like the temporary allure of sin. But once stirred, it turns muddy and brown. Then I pour in the “forgiveness of Jesus” (represented by bleach), showing how He washes us completely clean.
Another sweet part of our year has been the girls’ Wednesday morning Bible study on Google Meet. Each week, a different girl chooses a passage or topic and leads the others. We plan to continue meeting every Wednesday at 9 a.m.