Learning is a life-long experience that begins from the moment we take our first breath and lasts until we take our final one.
Lesson #4: Don’t cave to be like everyone else. When we began homeschooling, our reasons were mainly academic and wanting a biblical worldview taught to our children rather than a humanist one. But as our journey continued, homeschooling became much more than academics; it became a lifestyle. We gradually began to change our thinking in many different areas of our life and immersed ourselves in a mindset that grew out of scripture rather than what society around us dictated. It was liberating…and sometimes scary. We faced ridicule and even opposition from others who didn’t understand why we were doing what we were doing. Sadly, even some in the church felt obligated to tell us that we might not be doing the best thing for our children. That was sometimes hard to hear, but we stuck to our guns. God gave our children to us to raise and we were going to do that to the best of our ability with His Word as our guide. As homeschoolers, and even as Christians, we will many times do things that go counter to our culture. It will make us stand out and appear different. And that is okay! Let me just share a few examples with you in the homeschool realm where we did things a little differently. 1) Courtship v. dating – There is a movement within homeschooling (and one that is starting to take hold in the church) to ditch “traditional” dating for a courtship model. We liked that for our family and wanted that for our children. Many of our friends and family allowed dating and that’s okay. It’s their family and their choice, but our choice was different and we weren’t afraid to be different. 2) Dual enrollment – In our local homeschool co-ops and support groups, there is a big push to do dual enrollment for the high school kids. Almost every student in my kids’ graduating classes went this route and again, that’s okay. But for my oldest two children, it wasn’t the right option. Instead of caving to be like everyone else, we enjoyed the freedom to be different. 3) College – There is a lot of discussion about college today and whether the cost justifies the “education” one receives. Now let me assure you that I am not knocking a college education, but rather, I’m suggesting there are lots of options to explore today that can save time and money and still provide a good education or learning experience. There are options to do apprenticeships, CLEP for college credit, distance learning, tech school for learning a trade, and many more. Sadly, many people send their kids off to college for four years, not as much for the education as for the “college experience” and as a result, many are graduating with a huge burden of debt. If you examine the lives of many of the educated men of the 1700’s and 1800’s such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, you will see that they all had 3 basic things in common: 1) They were very well-read. They read everything. 2) They had mentors. They listened to and learned from older people who were professionals in their field. 3) They were self-disciplined. They had a good work ethic and dedicated themselves to study, learn, and work hard without anyone pushing or prodding them to do so. (By the way, of these three men, only Jefferson actually attended college.) These 3 elements are key to anyone pursuing an education whether through a college or a non-traditional method. Again, feel free to do what is best for your kids and your family. The choice is up to you!
Lesson #5: Spiritual education vs. book learning. There were days when I wondered if my kids were learning anything at all! Sometimes I would despair of them progressing in math or being able to write a good essay. I would cringe inside as I heard of the accomplishments of other people’s children and measured them against my own. But you know what? I finally had to realize that in the vast scheme of things, math and writing and all the rest of it really isn’t what’s important. Heaven is the goal! If we miss that, we miss the boat entirely. Yes, reading, writing and arithmetic are important and need to be taught and learned, but we had better be even more focused on the spiritual education of our children and not relegate it to Sunday morning only. Be diligent in studying the Scriptures with your kids. Learn memory verses together. Post scripture throughout your house. Do service projects together and teach your kids to be the hands and feet of Jesus and a light to a dark world. Pray together. Love and serve each other as a family. Drill your kids in Bible facts. Teach them that the creation of the world is true and how to combat the arguments of evolutionists. Ground them deep in the faith so that when they are old, they will never depart from it. On judgment day, the Lord won’t be looking at report cards or transcripts, but at the heart.
Lesson #6: Don’t underestimate yourself! I have heard sooooo many women say, “I just can’t do this.” (Meaning homeschooling their kids) I have even said it myself, but please, let me assure you – yes, you can do this! Take the pressure off of your self to conform to a model or to a perceived “perfection”. You know your kids better than anyone. You know what makes them tick and how they learn best. You know their interests. You know their strong points and their weak ones. You love them more than anyone else on this earth and will do what’s best for them. Will you ever make mistakes? Yes. Will there be bad days? Of course! But there will also be good days, days that make you smile all over and think, “This is why we’re doing this!” The best reassurance I can give you is this: God gave your kids to you. He will strengthen you and enable you to raise them up and teach them according to His Word if that is your desire. You are never alone in this. Pray to Him each day and seek His guidance, strength, and wisdom in your journey. With the Lord on your side, success is assured so relax and embrace the journey.
May God richly bless your family and your home school.