Why Do I Homeschool?

As a child, my personal experience in a public school setting was a positive one. I loved my school years. I was blessed with good teachers and amazing friends!  I have no bad feelings towards traditional school.  Very dear friends of mine are teachers in private and public school settings. I have other friends who send their children to private and public schools.  My journey of homeschooling begins very simply with my enjoyment of teaching and having my kids at home. 

I began researching homeschooling after my oldest was born. My husband recommended a book (which became the catalyst in my desire to teach at home) called For the Children’s Sake.  In her book, Macaulay discusses the benefits of a Charlotte Mason approach to education.  I want to begin my story with a very important reminder and quote from Macaulay:

                There will be different applications of these ideas for different families…more than that, different children within one family may need different decisions as to what educational system is best for them.  And it is important to apply Jesus’ teaching that we must not judge other peoples’ choices.  Just because I decide to send my little Tom to the local public school or a private Christian school, or because I decide to give him a home education does not mean that everyone else has to do the same. It is a complicated situation.” (pg. 8)

This is my story of how I came to homeschool my children, why I continue to homeschool, a few of my personal struggles as a homeschooling mom, and what God has been teaching me as I learn to teach my children.

*******

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” my second grade teacher asked.

My hand shot up into the air, “I want to be a housewife!” I enthusiastically replied.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a wife and mommy.  I went onto college, because I realized the importance of having a back-up plan and because I was good at school.  I enjoyed taking tests and getting good grades.  I knew how to study and how to do well in school.  College seemed like the next logical step. Looking back, I’m so thankful for my college education because it gave me a deeper, broader worldview  than I would have had otherwise. 

In college, my first roommate was a homeschooler. I had never even heard the term “homeschooled” before meeting her. It didn’t take very long to realize a huge difference between us. While we both were “good at” school, she enjoyed learning.  She could lose herself in books for hours, and she actually retained information beyond the exam.  I loved listening to her talk because she was passionate about what she was learning. I would later meet many other homeschooled students in college, each one so wonderfully unique but with one common thread: they enjoyed learning. 

Years later, I re-read  For the Children’s Sake, and Macaulay’s ideas ignited excitement in me.  I loved the ideas presented in her book about how children are hungry for learning and are capable of far more than we give them.  They enjoy depth in learning.  Children are often not only eager to read what Charolotte Mason describes as “living books” (books that come alive, involving one’s emotions) but also to narrate the story back to others. Mason’s methods include using atmosphere, discipline and life to educate a child.  She offers that children can learn outside of the four walls of a school building, through play and daily interactions.  Macaulay described situations in which children received individual attention, followed their own interests in learning, created space for enjoying God through nature, and experienced character training through real life.   I became hooked on this idea of an alternative system of education. 

 

As I began to dig deeper into homeschooling, I began to see a beautiful picture of all the ways we could incorporate learning into…well…everything!  I began to personally fall in love with learning and then realized that I wanted my kids to fall in love with learning for the sake of learning, not for the sake of passing a test. (Though, I really do enjoy tests…I know it’s weird, but that’s what I liked about school: the tests.) So, we jumped into our homeschooling journey and I found that I really enjoy discovering alongside of my kids.  As they look at the world in wonder and amazement, I also begin to see things anew.  

It’s fun!  I homeschool because it is fun for the kids but it is fun for me too! I love being present when that “light bulb” moment occurs.  When C-A-T actually becomes a character in a living story, and suddenly they can read and want to read. I relish the moments when all the practice becomes a dinner time discussion, or when a child asks to make a time line to keep track of all the historical characters she’s been reading about!  These are the moments that make the hard work a delight. 

Most days we are finished with school by lunchtime which leaves the afternoons wide open for pursuing interests and hobbies. I have come to really appreciate this aspect of homeschooling. Currently, my daughter is delving into anything regarding horses and also learning to crochet.  My oldest son enjoys bugs.  He spends his afternoons with his “bug catcher,” journal,  and field guide.  While set school hours are a must for our family, I am learning to appreciate the beauty of learning outside of the curriculum and away from the work table.

I have discovered that I deeply enjoy spending our long days together. I enjoy the friendships that I am making with each of my children. Though my first priority is to be Parent (one who guides, instructs, disciplines and disciples my children),  if I neglect developing a friendship with each child, then I am missing out on some of the deepest connections I will ever know.  No one makes me belly-laugh quite like my kiddos!  In addition, we have time to spend on deep conversations.  My daughter seems to feel most comfortable opening up about what is on her heart during lunch.  When those conversations come up, I never regret spending extra time exploring her thoughts and growing together. 

Homeschooling isn’t without its struggles, however.  My kids have never seen the inside of a classroom except on T.V. shows like Elmo, Blue’s Clues and Sid the Science Kid.  I often feel like they think they are missing out on something. I find myself trying to make our homeschool, just like traditional school. In fact, I spent the entire first month of my homeschooling endeavors trying to be like the teacher on Sid the Science Kid.  

Wondering if I’m “messing them up” haunted me the first two years of homeschooling. I just wanted to know that they would turn out okay (Don’t we all struggle with that question?).  My mommy-guilt still gets the best of me sometimes, especially on yet another rainy day, when everyone is arguing and mommy loses her temper again or when we just do not get around to a particular project or subject.  I am prone to think that I’m probably ruining them or at best setting them back behind their peers.

 But it is on those days that I find it helpful to “reset” my perspective with truth.  I remind myself of why I homeschool and the things that we all enjoy about this journey.  I take time to look back and reflect on the areas that I see growth: academically and emotionally.  End of the school year tests have been helpful to confirm that we are on the right track, but more than that, I see in my kids an eagerness to learn and passions growing. Community is also so essential to my sanity. Surrounding myself with other homeschooling moms who have walked the road a little longer and can offer advice or a listening ear has been a gift to my soul many times! These ladies help me remember my goals. 

An unexpected product of this educational journey has been the truth that God is teaching me through homeschooling my children.  He teaches me of His everyday graces, His gifts to me simply because He loves me.  He is teaching me obedience and faithfulness to the job at hand.  He teaches me discipline and perseverance daily.  I never expected to receive character training as I trained up my children, however, patience and humility are listed daily on my lesson plans from Him.  The Lord is doing a good and faithful work in every member of this family through our homeschooling journey.

Homeschooling is absolutely THE HARDEST thing I have done so far in this life.  Honestly, every February, I think to myself that I must surely be a crazy woman to consider this endeavor.  Every August, after the excitement of school supply and curriculum shopping passes, I look at my husband and ask, “Have I taken on more than I can handle? What was I thinking?”  It is a big, scary job! (I want to mention here, that my husband has been a huge encouragement to me in this area.  He is the backbone to our family and helps to refocus my vision.)

I am certainly not perfect in all of my ideals.  As much as I want my kids to play outside and enjoy God through nature, they have watched a lot of T.V. this weekend while I cleaned and wrote this blog.  As much as I relish their creativity and want to foster exploration, I fussed and fumed when my kids made a big mess in the living room yesterday. BUT the daily grace I have learned through homeschooling is that learning takes place in all things…even in apologies and re-do’s.