Christian McGlory loves home schooling. She also wants to be in the public schools. Contradiction?

Not for Christian. This sixteen-year-old home schooler wants to teach, “I want to be an elementary school teacher,” she says. “Christian loves kids and all the kids love Christian,” her mother Brenda says. “She’s like a magnet; she’s drawn to them and they’re drawn to her.” Sue Heilbrun who works with Christian in their church’s Sunday school agrees, “Every time I see Christian, she has a child in her arms.”

Although Christian hopes God will use her as a teacher in the schools, she does not believe going as a student would be an effective way to influence students. “A lot of people tell my mom and dad that we should be in school to be a witness. But I think it’s a bad idea. We’ve seen a lot of people who have taken that attitude and their kids are in a lot of trouble because the other kids have more effect on them.” Christian hopes that as a teacher she’ll be the one doing the influencing. “It’s different as a teacher because you’re the one setting the tone,” she says.

Anthony and Brenda McGlory were the first black family to home school in their area. They’ve home schooled Christian and her younger brother Micah all their lives except for a few months when they attended a Christian school. “My dad had been laid off, and my mom needed to go to work.” Christian says.”We went for a few short months in 5th grade and we hated it. We begged our mom to take us out.”

In her studies Christian’s favorite subjects are history and math. But in the McGlory home school, godliness comes before anything. “We stress having godly character above all things, even academics,” her mom says.

While her brother enjoys the action on the basketball court playing for the local home school team, Christian loves music. “I love classical music, I could listen to music for hours and hours.” she says. “Music is a very big part of Christian’s life,” Brenda says. Her love for music started at an early age. She’s been part of a local church’s choir since she was five, taken piano lessons for eight years, and played in a bell choir for four years. Recently she was elected the first student director of the bell choir.

Christian also loves having, as she puts it, “lots of friends!” For Christian, being home schooled hasn’t kept her from having friends. “I’ve got all the friends I could possibly need,” she says. President of a home-school girls club called “G.Y.M. Club 31”, Christian organizes activities and service-oriented projects. The club’s name stands for “Godly Young women’s Ministry” and the “31” is taken from Proverbs 31 which speaks of the virtues of a godly woman. The club meets ever other week and presently has ten members. “We’ve home schooled for a long time and we’ve made friends as we came along,” says Christian. “Having friends is not a problem.”

What can be a problem, Christian has found, are people’s pre-conceived ideas of both blacks and home schoolers. She runs into both. “People are more prejudiced than they realize just in their actions and things they do and say. I haven’t found a lot of prejudice among home schoolers, but some people see the drugs and the bad things on TV; and they think that’s all black people. And it’s not. It’s really not!” In her voice there isn’t a trace of malice or bitterness, only frustration at being misunderstood.

“Sometimes we’ll be in our car; and when we pull up to a stop, people next to us start locking all their doors just because we’re black. That bugs me! And it really hurts my dad.”

Christian has also found many people have misconceptions of home schoolers. “They think we’re all lunatics!” she says with a laugh. “People think you’re home schooled because you’re not a good student or that you couldn’t make it in public school.”

Christian doesn’t let this bother her though. She has found once people get to know her, their stereotypes and prejudices fade away. She’s confident the truth will shine through. Her mother says proudly, “Christian has been, not only a blessing to us, but a blessing to all the people she comes in contact with.”

After finishing high school at home, Christian plans to attend college and pursue her dream of teaching. “I would like to go to a community college first and then transfer to a university,” she says. “I’ve been home schooling so long I want to start off small and then gradually go bigger.”

QUICK STATS

NAME:  Christian Techniscia McGlory

B-DAY:  March 14, 1977

FAV. BIBLE VERSE:  Phil. 4:8

FAV. BOOK: Any Janette Oke

LAST BOOK READ: Roses for Momma, Janette Oke

FAMILY:  Parents: Anthony & Brenda, Brother: Micah

FAVORITE THINGS: children, music, reading

PET PEEVE: “When my parents side with my brother just because he’s younger”