The morning routine for the Daley children is pretty well set. It starts early with feeding and care of the animals, only then – breakfast.
Once the kitchen table is cleared, school convenes. Each child begins the daily lessons with the oversight of mom, Melissa Daley.
School goes until each child completes their assignments. Lunch, however, generally signifies the end of the day’s kitchen-table learning.
The afternoon may involve a project with the livestock or a field trip or practice with one of the local youth league teams. Alternatively, it could be just play.
With the options for schooling of one’s children increasing, and as Texas is one of the friendliest homeschooling states in the nation, Melissa and Marcus Daley sat down with the Monitor to offer their perspective on homeschooling.
“We wanted to be physically present in the lives of our children as they grew up,” Marcus explained. “We didn’t want to just see them in a rush in the morning, then again at the end of the day – when everyone is tired and cranky – we wanted to be with them.”
With six children, now ranging in ages from 4-14, that is no small undertaking.
All children are precious, but the Daleys shared the story of their family that can be described only as miraculous.
They were married in October 2004. Melissa was a 19-year-old student in college; Marcus was on active duty in the U.S. Army. The marriage was held while Marcus was home from Iraq, having secured a 10-day leave.
He recalled, “It was a pretty crazy 10 days. We married and spent each of the following days getting all the paperwork in place with the Army and Social Security and the State of Texas. We had time to take in a football game at College Station, then I was headed back to Iraq.”
Marcus did two tours in Iraq and one in Germany. For seven years the couple went childless.
On the recommendation of a good friend who told Marcus, ‘Get your butt to church!’ he and Melissa did just that.
They were rewarded in abundance. Daughter Anne-Marie arrived first, followed closely by Seraphina. Lucas and Evelyn were next to join. Maverick and Guinevere have rounded out the family. In the eyes of Melissa and Marcus, and countless others, it was miraculous.
Homeschooling commenced for Anne-Marie at age five, for Seraphina at age three. The kitchen table has been busy ever since.
The Daleys summarized their rationale for homeschooling as twofold: a desire to be the lasting, consistent influence in their children’s education and the desire to teach them life skills.
Melissa and Marcus draw heavily from the most meaningful influences in their respective upbringings. The Daley children care for rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep and hogs. The kids are vested in the local 4-H and have considerable success showing their animals. Seraphina recently showed the Reserve Grand Champion rabbit at the county fair.
Robotics, archery and marksmanship, as well as youth foundation sports provide socialization. Religious education in the form of Sunday School as well as sacramental education are also requisite parts of their study.
Melissa spends “whenever I have a free moment,” to research activities and programs for the family. “The Good and the Beautiful” has been a mainstay series for them.
“It is basically free,” Melissa noted, “we only pay for paper and printing.”
The couple augments instruction with a variety of outings. Marcus spends time while in the oilfields thinking of places to take the children, especially to bring lessons on history to life.
Melissa admitted, “I have tendency to push the kids when Dad is in the oilfields, because when he comes in, we’ll be headed out to learn something.”
For Melissa and Marcus, the recipe works. The children are flourishing. As the Daleys are quick to admit, however, there is no single recipe for homeschooling.
The freedom which Texas allows with respect to homeschooling also means that there is little structure and no templates detailing how it could be done.
One local woman and homeschooler, Adrienne Smith, has stepped up to make families aware of the vast array of curriculum and extracurricular options available.
Two years ago, Smith founded the East Texas Homeschool Convention, a clearinghouse for information on homeschooling assets. In 2025 she staged the first convention, held at the Gilmer Yamboree Events Center.
At the inaugural convention, 250 people attended, and 30 venders came to display their educational wares.
In March, Smith organized the second convention. The number of attendees and the number of vendors doubled.
“This gives you an idea of the number of folks homeschooling in East Texas and that the trend is increasing,” she stated.
Smith listed concerns about security, the need for more individualized teaching and the desire to teach life skills as three common reasons people investigate homeschooling.
She also noted that in addition to being a ‘hands-off’ state, Texas is also home to colleges and universities that accept homeschooled graduates.
“Right here in East Texas, LeTourneau University readily accepts homeschoolers, as Texas A&M also does, statewide,” Smith reported.
She stated that universities need a transcript or a GED and standardized tests (ACT, SAT, etc.) from homeschoolers just as they need from public school graduates.
Smith noted that perhaps the biggest mistake people make when beginning to homeschool is to try to replicate the environment and structure of traditional schoolhouses.
“Learning how your child learns and adapting your efforts to maximize that style is key to successful homeschooling,” she offered.
Melissa and Marcus Dailey were of the same mind.
Marcus commented, “Molding the instruction to the needs of the child and maximizing the effectiveness of the time spent teaching are so important.”
The Daleys also warned of overly sheltering one’s children from the larger environment. Marcus described how learning to overcome adversity is likely the most important life lesson that can be taught.
And the greatest reward? Melissa was quick to answer, “Just getting to be with my kids.”