These are MY children, and their education is far too precious and desperately important to leave it in the hands of anyone else. To homeschool is the most important work I could ever do.
Has this required financial sacrifices? Yes! It would have been far easier financially to put them on the bus each day and enjoy the extra measure of financial breathing-room that would provide. But what is of greater value to our family? Extra money, or our children? My children will remember the LOVE IN our own HOME far more fondly than they’ll ever remember the SIZE OF the HOUSE – or the games and gadgets. And, guess what…so will we.
THIS IS my most important work!
“You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, & training them up in God’s fear, & minding the house, & making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts.” – Charles Spurgeon
The privilege of watching my children grow and learn through homeschool brings me great joy and fulfillment, and I am not willing to miss that blessing, nor surrender it to anyone else.
Am I missing out on the opportunity to pursue and grow a career? Perhaps…for now, anyway. But seriously, is that more important than my children?
Am I willing to hand my kids off to strangers and miss the precious moments of growth and learning that were intended for me?
Are there days I am stressed… that I’d like a break… that I feel completely exhausted? Yep! You bet! But, that would be a horribly selfish reason to entrust my kids to the care, instruction, and educators of a school system – public or private. When we teach our children at home, we have many opportunities to apply faith to our lesson plans. In fact, most homeschool curriculum is faith-based. This also allows us to be interactive with our children, learning and growing with them, Stressful days also provide life lessons – both for me and for my children – as we learn, play, and grow as a family… and as we lean on Jesus Christ – on the good days, and on the stressful days. In fact, these may be the most important lessons I will ever “teach” my children… even as we learn together – parent and child.
No one loves my children with greater passion than I do. No one is more committed to their learning than I. And, no one else could ever come close to being as committed to their receiving a complete, top-quality education that is personalized to their interests and learning style through their homeschool education.
A teacher – no matter how good they may be (and there are some who are awesome) – will never love my children as I do... nor could they possibly understand their special needs & desires or their strengths & weaknesses like I do. I carried them through pregnancy, birthed them, nursed them and I know them. I would literally give my life for them… and, I WILL give my life for them… as day after day, I lay down my life to care for them, teach them and love them.
What about socialization in homeschool?
This is a function of being an involved parent. Be careful with the friendships you allow your children to develop, and with the opportunities for socialization that you take advantage of… but… be involved, and have your kids involved!
Depending on where you live, your kids likely will have opportunities for a wide variety of bike riding, ball games, and more with other kids in the neighborhood. There are church activities, music lessons, 4H, and more. Many areas of the country have homeschool programs, electives, sports teams, and speech & debate clubs. And, there are also many states that allow homeschooled kids to play sports for the school district that they live in – even though they are homeschoolers. Also, check for homeschool support groups in your area! They are a great place for you and your children to meet other homeschool students and homeschooling families.
God has entrusted us with these children, and it is our responsibility to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The ramifications are not only generational but eternal.
100 years from now… what I am doing for my children and with my children, today will continue to resonate, and will impact my grandchildren, and their children. Beyond that, it will continue to resonate throughout eternity.
That’s really the ultimate perspective, isn’t it?
We’ve been entrusted with these precious ones that bear His image, and our own. And, if we mess that up….
Government schools are NOT neutral worldview education environments. (There is no such thing) Nor are they friendly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to our Christian faith. My children will be taught and will know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made… created in the image and likeness of their Heavenly Father… and that He has given us His Word as a pattern to live by, and has given us His Son so that we may have eternal life.
Homeschooling is awesome. It will provide a healthy environment and great education for my children. But it won’t SAVE them. Only JESUS can do that!
But…but…but… shouldn’t our kids be “salt and light” and be a witness in public schools?
David French @ National Review said it best, I think:
Pastors and families often idealize the public-school experience, calling it a “mission field,” and holding out hope that their children can be “salt and light” in a difficult environment. But the process of education largely involves one-way communication, with the teachers and administrators seeing the students as their secular “mission field.” Isolated young children are more vulnerable than powerful, and I’ve seen many parents come to grief as fully indoctrinated, peer-pressured kids make mistakes with lifetime consequences. This affects kids of all grade levels, from elementary school to middle school and high school, they will be affected by the worldview they encounter.
So, In Closing, WHY HOMESCHOOL?
We hope we’ve given you some relevant food for thought. We have shown you why we chose to do home education. Now it's up to you.
Will it be easy? Not necessarily. In fact, there may be some very hard times.
Will it be worth it? Absolutely!
