Recap: "Life Lessons"

Tonight on Bringing UP Bates, "Life Lessons"...

• The Bates family has a designated school room, which is filled with computers, but many of the children do their schoolwork on the living room couches.
• "I describe our school like a three-ring circus, because I've got all the way from kindergarten to senior high school," says Kelly.
• Kelly explains that she and Gil "had the advantage of going to college." She majored in human services with a minor in special education. Gil and Kelly say that going to college broadens a child's opportunities.
• Gil lost his job when he and Kelly had eight kids and had to learn a trade to keep his family afloat.
• Kelly loves having the freedom to personalize each child's curriculum, and she encourages her older kids to be involved in that process. "My mom is a genius," says Carlin.
• The older kids also help tutor the younger ones. Tori (19) has especially enjoyed assisting her mom in the schoolroom, which prompted her to pursue a teaching degree at The Crown College of the Bible. Tori is enjoying her classes and the opportunity to meet new friends.
• At the end of Tori's first full semester of college, several family members gather around the computer as she checks her graces. Straight A's! "That tells me one thing," says Gil, beaming. "You've got your mama's brains."
• Nathan heads down to Mississippi for a month to study under an aviation instructor, who is also a pastor, in order to earn his pilot's license. He plans to use this certification to enhance his mission work, which he is pursuing full-time. Gil and Kelly are thrilled for Nathan, but they are sad to see him leave.
• When it comes time for Nathan to fly home with his instructor, the family drives to the runway to meet him. It is a rainy day, and Kelly is concerned for her son's safety.  "If this is a bad landing, my mom's never going to ride with me in an airplane," says Nathan.
• Nathan's landing is a success, and everyone runs over to the plane to greet him.