John Carey Honored

During the Homeschool Day rally at the State Capitol, the following remarks were delivered by James Summers to honor and thank our dear friend, John Carey, for his decades of cheerful and inspiring service on behalf of three generations of West Virginia families.

Sometimes it’s good to look back, just for a moment, and think about how far you’ve traveled.

Looking back, FORTY years ago it was illegal to homeschool in West Virginia.

TWENTY-FIVE years ago, it was illegal for a parent to homeschool his or her own child through high school unless the parent had a Bachelor’s Degree.

TEN years ago, a homeschool student had to take the GED test if he/she wanted to qualify for the PROMISE Scholarship.  In 2015 that requirement was eliminated, and the Diploma Fairness Act was passed, officially recognizing a homeschool diploma in WV institutions.

And just as important to remember – maybe even more significant – are the bills that didn’t pass. Such proposed bills might have slipped by unnoticed and thereby hindered parents’ God-given liberty to educate their children as they see fit. First and foremost, we steadfastly petition God Himself to protect us. “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guard the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) 

Besides God’s indispensable help, however, had we not had someone with “boots on the ground” to watch the process, to keep us informed, and to thoughtfully convey our clear message to state legislators, this or that piece of legislation has stood ready year by year to potentially threaten our precious rights.

Eternal vigilance, as our Founding Fathers insisted, is the price of Freedom. Since 1999, that invaluable “watchman on the wall” has been homeschooling dad John Carey.

So, the freedom we have today is all by God’s grace. I believe, next in line, the defense of our freedom has been due to the tireless and sacrificial efforts of John Carey.

I asked Marlo Sherman – a pioneer homeschool mom and one of the founding members of CHEWV – to provide some historical perspective on John’s service to WV homeschoolers that goes back further than the fifteen years that I’ve known him.

• • John and his wife Edie served faithfully on the Board of Christian Home Educators of West Virginia during many of the defining years of the modern resurgence of homeschooling in West Virginia.
  • For almost five years, from 2000 to 2003, John gave sacrificially to lead a legislative fight to remove the “4-year Rule” so that parents could teach their children through high school regardless of whether they had a college degree. That sweet victory was such a glorious event that Marlo recalls how some one hundred families, with their children and babies, lifted hymns of loud praise to our Lord in the hall between the Senate and the House!  It’s a moment we shall never forget.
  • John then spearheaded a citizenship training effort to equip many WV families to effectively interact with their state representatives. Government Of the People, By the People, For the People is a time-consuming but timeless and highly worthwhile proposition!
    
  • John has invested much time and effort to conscientiously build strong, integral relationships…. relationships not only with senators, delegates, committee chairs, and their legislative staff and attorneys, but also state and county superintendents, state school board members, and DOE support staff.
  • John has worked tirelessly alongside both state and national homeschool leaders in order to preserve and protect the rights of parents to do what we know and believe God has called us to do.
  • He has carried our message well, and ALWAYS WITH HUMILITY.  (And that’s a rare trait in this building, believe me.)
  • Long after his own children had completed their homeschooling, John faithfully extended his voluntary service for another twenty years in behalf of CHEWV and younger Mountain State homeschool families – like mine used to be, and like yours are now. Think of that: John has worked to advance and protect the freedom of three generations of WV families! (He doesn’t look that old, does he?!)

We thought it was about time that we just say, “Thank you, John.”  The 25^thanniversary of the removal of the 4-year rule seemed like a good time to do so.

His plaque reads:
“IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION of the decades of dedicated service by John Carey. Your commitment and passion having made a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of families and in God’s Kingdom.” – Presented by Christian Home Educators of WV.