But by putting our work on to these quilts, we'll want to keep looking at it forever. If making quilts seems whimsical, it may belie the Tietjens' seriousness about learning. But it was the lack of quality time for the family that first prompted Tietjen and her husband, Mike, to take Zach and Tim out of a local Christian school four years ago. Since then Tietjen's enthusiastic advocacy of home schooling has gained the interest of other families at her church. The Tietjens are no exception.
Bible studies are the core of their curriculum.
Many of the English and history lessons are Bible-based, and the home school textbooks are from an unabashedly Christian perspective. But Erin Harisay, Southern Nevada Home School Advisory Council president, says the majority home-schooling parents she meets say, like the Tietjens, that quality of education is their main concern. Home schoolers on average score higher in standardized tests. A recent survey by the Education Policy Analysis Archives at Arizona State University backs up Harisay's claim. But an child's educational experience cannot be fully gauged by test scores, Mayberry said.