The BIGGEST blessing in my life is being a child of God and having the gift of faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and eternal life with Him someday when He calls me home to live with Him in heaven.
The second GREATEST blessing in my life is being a wife and a mother as well as a teacher to our children. To be a good Christian mom, wife, and home-school teacher is a challenge that requires the grace of God to help me each step of the way. Below are the reasons that our family has chosen home-schooling which we have been doing for several years now.
1 - God put the desire to teach our children in my heart. It started with that, but it took a little
while for me to be convinced that it was really possible. Having a teaching degree (which
isn't necessary by the way) gave me the confidence to do it though. I know parents who
don't have a teaching degree but are much better at it than me. What it takes is faith and
hope in Christ as well as a deep abiding love for Him as well as your family.
2 - The Lutheran school where our son first attended was showing major signs of problems
(lack of discernment, questionable doctrine, and misplaced priorities). Our children need
many survival skills to live in this world which grows darker and darker by the day as the
end draws nearer for Christ to return. They wouldn't get that at this school. Though we
knew our school wouldn't be (and isn't) perfect or sinless, we knew that we would be led to
teach them what they needed for survival. They must have a rock-solid and unshakeable
foundation in Jesus Christ.
3- We didn't have the money to put our children in the only other parochial school here in our
community.
4 - There just didn't seem to ever be enough time to teach what we needed to teach before and
after school.
5 - It would give (and does give) plentiful opportunities for talking out and walking through
the problems of everyday life together. In our particular case, we needed that extra time
and communication for healing after our separation and divorce, even after my husband and
I got remarried to each other.
6 - My heart was aching to be "home" and not teaching other people's children.
If you are thinking of home-schooling or just discouraged about it, I would encourage you to really pray about it and seek God's will in His Word. He can help you do the impossible. Prior to junior high, I wondered how I could ever teach junior high. The Lord led me (and us as my husband helped me for two years while working full-time) step by step through junior high. Then came high school which is a lot of fun. Is it challenging and hard work? You bet it is, but it is worth it. Is it time-consuming? Yes because one has to learn to make life and school "flow" together - organization and preparation are very important. Don't I get sick of our kids? No, I don't get sick of them, but we have our arguments and need some space sometime. Someday those rough spots of the course will be missed though. We won't have our children forever. We must spend as much quality time with them as possible.
One important note needs to be made though. This doesn't work for every family, and sometimes families who home-school have to put their kids back in traditional schools. That's okay. What God has planned for one family may not be the same for another family.
In one of the next few posts, I will share some ideas and resources.
5 comments:
I like that you say this won't work for every family. I feel sad when I read homeschoolers who say that absolutely every parent can and should homeschool, and give long lists of reasons why it is the Only Way. I too had my children in a Lutheran school where we found the education to be below par and a good spiritual foundation lackng. Now that I'm teaching them at home, I think it is better for us. But I don't know if everybody can do it. We don't all have the same talents and abilities, after all, and there are certain abilities needed for this task, I think, beyond just "being a good parent." Of course, I learn more all the time about myself and my children as I homeschool; maybe my ideas will change. I just hate to see such a harsh attitude towards those who don't feel it's right for them at a certain point.
The heart has it's own reason, which reason doesn't know. That's the title of an old La Leche League book that has guided my decisions many a time. I'm glad you're home where you are happiest.
Barb and Polly, we are so very blessed that God has given us this privilege to be home and teach our children. It is challenging but a blessing BEYOND MEASURE! May Christ continue to guide our hearts and minds through His Word each step of the way as well as all the other Christian parents who have been led to place their children in traditional school settings.
"Le cœur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connaît point." -Pascal
"The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing."
I would love to homeschool any(future) children of mine, if the school system we were in seemed sketchy. In the town we're in now, it seems fairly good.
Thank you for your comment Kelly! Yes, one definitely has to have his/her heart in it to home-school his/her children. I pray that you will have the chance to do it if it is God's will and he has put that on your heart to do. We only have them for a short time!
I look forward to checking out your blog! Blessings!
Post a Comment