Home Schooling Our Path

Today is my first “Teaching Tuesday” blog post, and I decided the best way to begin this series was to share with y’all why we chose to home school our children. I will state from the beginning, that there are some wonderful Christian schools out there, as well as some great Public school teachers. That being said, know that I realize some parents do not have a choice and must utilize one of those options. It is a blessing that we are able to keep our children home.

My brothers and I were home schooled from Kindergarten through 12th grade. We have never, repeat never, stepped foot into a public school for schooling purposes. I did visit a friend’s private school once, when I was in middle school for a few days. She lived out of state and I was on vacation with her, but she still had to attend school, so I tagged along.

I loved being home schooled, the freedom to do school in my pajamas, sleep in, do school as quickly as I wanted, take a day off if I needed a break, etc. Those are some of the biggest bonuses to parents and children alike when it comes to home schooling.

Growing up I did not have any desire to home school my children, even though I loved it, I did not believe that I was cut out to be a home schooling mother. I’m not sure why I thought that honestly, but I did.

When my son was 5, I was working part time outside the home. He and my daughter were in daycare, while I was working. I knew he was ready to start reading, he loved to be read to and would ask what the words were when reading books together. I decided that since I only worked 5 hours a day, that I would begin to teach him phonics. The first time I heard him read, that was it. It was wonderful to be a part of this first step in his life, and it started a fire burning within me. I began to desire to want to stay home with my children, full time. I knew at that time that it was not possible, my husband had been raised differently than I and believed that both parents should be working to provide for their families. So I began to pray. The answer was wait.

My son went to a private school for his 1st grade year.  I was happy that I was able to afford to send him to small private Christian school. I sent him there knowing his phonics, knowing how to add and subtract without using his fingers. He was very far ahead of what they considered a 1st grader. At the end of his 1st grade year, they tried to tell me he was ready to go into 3rd grade. I ordered a 3rd grade placement test and found that was not so. He was not ready for 3rd grade. I found that he had been allowed to use his fingers in Math as well, and could not do Math work without using them anymore. Talk about going backwards.

At this point, my husband and I were struggling in our marriage. My mother took the kiddos for a few weeks, so that we could have some time to figure out what to do. I spent 3 weeks away from my children and my husband. It was honestly one of the best decisions I ever made. I needed those 3 weeks alone, for God to work in me. I needed to see my life the way He saw it. I would not have been able to do that with regular “life” going on around me. I needed to get alone with Him. It was during this time that God brought a scripture to me. This would become my home schooling scripture.

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.”