Homeschool. It means something different to everyone, I believe. Sure, we may hold similar beliefs about homeschooling, but no two homeschools look exactly the same.
I’m sure many people wonder why on earth we would choose to homeschool. Our decision to do this was not made quickly or without much thought, prayer, counsel, and research.
First and foremost, I admire and appreciate public school teachers and administration. I worked side-by-side with them during my student and substitute teaching. Our church is full of wondeful, amazing teachers. So, we do not homeschool because we hate public or private schools.
Some people think we homeschool to keep our children away from evil. This is simply not true. In fact, this was not even a factor in our decision to homeschool. Evil things can happen at the grocery store, walking down the street, or driving to church. Can evil things happen at public schools? Absolutely… just like they can happen anywhere else. My children do not live in a bubble, sheltered from every hurtful or mean thing that might happen.
It is a privilege and an honor to homeschool my girls. Does this mean that I think every one I know should be a homeschooling parent as well? Nope! I am smart enough to realize that homeschooling is not for every family. Every family should make their own decisions regarding school. This is their right… as it is my right to choose to homeschool. In a town where our family is the minority, I try hard to remember that.
Homeschooling, while a privilege, is also a challenge. I don’t always have good days (or weeks!), and believe me, this weighs heavily on me. Being responsible for my children’s education (especially while under such scrutiny!) is a blessing and a curse.
God is the center of our home, and while He is the center of our school, He isn’t the only thing we talk about. We do learn about “regular” subjects, and are blessed to enjoy the “bonus” of learning about God in the process.
Being at home with my girls is what God made me to do. Homeschooling makes sense for this season in our lives. Will we homeschool “forever”? I don’t know anything about what tomorrow holds, so I like to take things one year (and one child!) at a time. Plus, we get to enjoy going places while everyone else is in “real” school!
The bottom line is this: it is our family’s decision to homeschool. To me, that is all that matters.
