Before I begin, let me clearly state that homeschooling is
not for everyone and in no way am I a better mom or Christian because of my
choice to homeschool. It’s always a joy to see a family actively seeking God’s
will and then following through on it, whether it be public school, homeschool
or somewhere in between.
I was never going to homeschool my children, never!
Homeschool kids were weird, parents couldn’t teach, they weren’t social, on and
on my list went. Of course, I didn’t actually know any homeschooled children
and I certainly hadn’t done any research on homeschooling but I knew what I was
talking about. I’d like to formally apologize for stereotyping and judging without
any knowledge.
Fast forward to having our first child and God very plainly
laid it on my heart (and my husband’s) that we should consider homeschooling.
Suddenly, homeschooling didn’t seem so strange.
Homeschooling parents crossed my path and they were a lot
more like me than I ever thought. Studies revealed that homeschooling was
growing in popularity and that homeschool children thrive academically and
socially- often scoring better on standardized tests than public school kids
and better able to better relate to all age groups.
The student to teacher ratio is small, the curriculum
choices are almost overwhelming and the social opportunities are endless. I liked the ability to customize curriculum
based on my children, the ability to speed up or slow down learning based on my
child and the opportunity to teach my child as I see fit.
As God prepared me, I was able to meet some homeschooled
young adults and I was impressed. I wanted my children have the maturity,
confidence and poise I saw in these young adults. There was also a bond in these families that I desire for my
family. I was so encouraged to see mothers joyfully investing their time and
energy into homeschooling their children. They know their calling and
wholeheartedly accept the challenge.
In sum, I saw the results and (with hard work and
dedication) they were good. I was sold.
Why do we homeschool? Because God has clearly called us to do
so and we have seen in others the fruits we hope for our family.
