- The salvation of your children is important to you. By homeschooling, your children will have the privilege of learning and growing in an atmosphere in which God is allowed!
- You care about your kids character. It would be nice for them to actually know the meaning of the word {unlike a certain homeschool mom who is writing this article–that only learned this definition once she started homeschooling her own children…she’ll remain nameless.}
- You don’t want strangers teaching your child, let alone driving them on a big yellow bus.
- You understand that proper socialization does not occur in an age segregated/peer dependent environment. Exposure to many age groups, in various configurations is true socialization. Besides, who grows up and works with thirty 35-year olds–who all wear the same shoe brand?
- You want to enjoy the gift of time with your children.
- Choosing what and when your children learn certain subjects is important for you. Want to teach your 8 year-old algebra, or your 12-year old needed a little more time to grasp a subject?
- Family values are vital to you, and you’d like your children to keep them! Family ministry, meal times, giving, work ethic, compassion and mercy—these values raise up world changers!
- You believe that your child should have and enjoy childhood. Reading a stack of books while laying on the trampoline, soaring on the tire swing, strollers full of baby dolls “doing school” beside your student; childhood doesn’t wait. Sadly, many children in these days and times skip it all together.
- Your kids have unique desires and talents. You want to hone their abilities and lead them to the path that God predestined for them. No cookie cutter academics or teaching only the test in homeschool.
- The world is your classroom and that formal education is just the beginning to life long learning!
- You desire your children to all grow in relationship with one another. Siblings actually becoming each others best friends. It’s beautiful.
- If you believe that God gave you these kids and you have to answer for your time as their parent. Homeschooling is taking the high road. Homeschooling is living out discipleship.
- Bullying, peer pressure, safe sex strategies, drug campaigns, and political propaganda are not lessons you need your 6-year old too learn. And believe me, these are daily exposures outside of homeschool.
- You enjoy taking your children on stimulating outings like the orchestra, hiking, Creation Museum and more. Better yet, you call these activities just another day of homeschool.
- Modeling how to handle real life difficulties and disappointments, like if your van breaks down late at night, from a Godly preservative is important to you.
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him." Phil 2:13
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line..." Zech 4:10
Monday, while waiting at the airport for my family to return, I felt moved to write a letter. I don't know who this is for, but I hope that you will find it helpful!
In 2007, we were living in PA, my husband had the idea that we should homeschool our daughter. We pulled her out of the church preschool program and the journey began! My husband was impressed with a homeschool family that we had met and liked the idea of being in control of what the girls learn and who they spend their time with. I was not crazy about the idea. My first response was "what about socialization?" However, in an attempt to be a submissive wife, I accepted the idea and moved on. Plus, my thought process was like this-"Faith is only 4yrs old, what harm could be done at this early age?"
I set myself to researching this whole homeschool thing as much as I could in my spare time (which was very little). I didn't purchase a curriculum, as I thought it not necessary for preschool. We unexpectedly moved to AL in 2008. It turned out that a neighbor homeschooled her children. I found her a helpful resource. She would answer my questions as they came. She convinced me to join a group for 4-6yr olds who were homeschoolers. We went on field trips, park play dates and had a weekly Co-op.
It turned out that there was plenty of socializing to be done in the homeschool world! I continued my researching (the internet is amazing) and teaching as we plowed on through pre-k and into Kindergarten. Still, I didn't purchase a curriculum.
2009 brought another move for our family and I realized that homeschooling was very convenient for our lifestyle. We didn't have to take Faith in and out of schools as we moved around.
I soon began to enjoy planning the lessons. I still decided not to purchase a pre-packaged curriculum. I created the lessons myself. I enjoyed deciding what, how, and when the girls would learn. I loved spending time with the girls. I liked getting to know them and how they learned, what they liked, what they thought, etc..
Now, there were plenty of moments along the way that made me want to cry, scream, and quit! Prayer, along with support from other homeschooling moms, is the reason we are still doing it.
In 2010, we connected with an amazing homeschool group-- after we moved again! I just soaked up the information from these experienced women. I continued to read all I could and I began to go to seminars and conferences. But, I still did not purchase a curriculum. I was just creating the lessons based on the girls interests. And, we made it through first grade and pre-k on my lesson plans.
In retrospect, I can see how God changed my heart and attitude toward homeschooling. It was a long, slow, and sometimes painful process--but for the good. He works for the good!
Now, I do not worry about socialization. And now, I can see that I am doing Kingdom work in homeschooling our children. I learned that I don't have to have all of the answers. I learned that I can relax and enjoy the relationships with my children. I learned that what we do doesn't have to look like what other families do.
Also, in order to succeed and continue this journey, I needed to have solid answers to three questions:
1. Why -do we homeschool?
2. How -will we teach our children?
3. What- will we teach them?
It is in having a firm answer to these questions that I have found comfort in our decision to homeschool. I have gained a lot of knowledge over the last three years. I am excited as we begin our fourth year! And, I have finally purchased a curriculum--after many days of searching and browsing what is available. I am so glad that we bought one and can't wait to begin the journey.
I have learned that yearly plans may not turn out the way you hoped. I learned that daily plans may not turn out the way you want. I learned that your house may not always be tidy. You have to let go. See the bigger pictue and let God be the leader of the homeschooling!!
Advice from me to you:
~~Know your anwsers for those three questions
~~Pray every morning for wisdom and direction
~~Be patient with your children
~~Curriculum is your servant
~~Be as flexible as possible
~~Plan to deviate from your schedule
~~Know how your children learn
~~Have fun!
~~Get connected
~~Read, READ, read--interent, books, blogs, etc
This journey can be trying, but I assure you it is worth the effort! You have chosen the path less taken. There will be things in your way but with Christ you can do ALL things.
And, on those days that you wonder if what you do matters----it matters!
Have a great year!
THOUGHTS
~~there are estimated to be more than 100,000 children being homeschooled in California
~~Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Alexander G Bell, Charles Dickens, and Andrew Carnegie were educated at home
~~when someone asks you about "socialization" for your children that are homeschooled, ask them to look the word up in the dictionary!
~~Deuteronomy 6:4 "...Love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (NIV)
While there is a great deal that could be said on biblical standards for education, let’s stick to the basics. First, Christ tells us that we can’t claim to be neutral with respect to Him: we are either for Him or against Him [Matthew 12:30]. Education is no exception. In fact, in Ephesians 6:4 we are instructed to raise up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Are a few hours a week sufficient? The answer is quite clearly no. As Deuteronomy 6:6-7
tells us, this training is to be going on all of the time. Why? Because, as Proverbs 23:7 points out, “For as a man thinks, so he is.” Our education, in other words, determines more than any other single factor how we think. Christ makes this point forcefully in Luke 6:40: “A student is not greater than his teacher, and when he is fully trained, he will be like his teacher.” Thus, when we give our children over to a K-12 educational system that is Constitutionally prohibited from
being for Christ, we have made an anti-Christian institution our child’s teacher. That is missing the mark—in other words, that is sin. But it is not merely a personal sin; it is also a sin that is likely to cause children to sin as well. All of us who are parents would do well to contemplate
both Psalm 127:3 and Matthew 18:6 from time to time. (taken from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine)
