Our “Why” We Homeschool
As my husband and I start our homeschooling journey we have
had many people ask us why we have decided to homeschool our children. I’ve
gotten lots of initial reactions including “you’re so brave”, “you’re crazy”, “why
would you do that?”, “won’t your kids miss out on social activities?”, “that’s
so awesome”, “good for you guys”, and many more.
Ultimately this blog post is to simply share our heart with
those who care or want to know why we have chosen to homeschool our children. I
hope we can provide a little inspiration or encouragement to others who are
starting their homeschool journey or considering diving into the world of
homeschool.
Since our oldest son was about two years old I had a desire
to possibly homeschool, but at that time it was far enough away that we didn’t
put a lot of thought into it as a family. As the early preschool years passed
quickly for our oldest two children my husband and I realized that the quote “the
days are long, but the years are short” is actually so very true. We blinked
and already had a six year old, five year old, one year old and the fourth baby
on the way. My husband and I don’t want
to look back with regrets on raising our children or feel like we missed out on
precious time with them, so for us homeschooling was one way in which we can
spend more time together as a family. This is one of the first reasons we chose
to homeschool: Time together.
The next reason we have chosen to homeschool is we believe that
as parents we are able and equipped to teach our children. Somewhere I
think we bought into a lie that the only right way to school our children is in
a government school, and although there is nothing wrong with this and down the
road there may be seasons in which our children are in school as well, but it isn’t
the only right way to school children. God gave us our children with specific
giftings, needs, learning styles, and in homeschooling we can help build
character in our children, create an individual love for learning, and trust that
we aren’t just “incapable parents”, but that we actually can teach our
children. We believe that God will finish in our children what He has begun
through us and that He will also equip us with what we need to teach our
children and provide community and others along the way to help them become all
that they were created to be.
Finally, the last reason we have chosen to homeschool our
children is that we are raising our children in a society that teaches right is
wrong and wrong is right in many areas. In many public schools our children are
being taught that their feelings define them instead of turning towards the word
of God and who He says they are. Children are being sexualized at extremely
young ages and are children are taught that if they disagree with our culture
that they are intolerant. As parents and Christians, we believe that our children are
made in the image of God, that they are who God says they are and not who the world
says they should be. We want to teach our children truth with love and
yes to protect them from some very sad things going on in the schools today. No
gardener takes a small seed or sprout and puts it into a large garden in the middle
of the storm and says “survive, I don’t want to shelter you too much”. In fact,
a smart gardener would water the seed, fertilize it, cover it from the elements,
keep it inside until it is mature enough to survive in a large garden outside.
If we care so much for plants, then how much more important is protecting our
children and sheltering them from some very corrupt things taking place until
they are mature and able to stand firm. In no way am I saying that public
school is all bad or that no parent should send their child there, but I am
saying that as Christians we should especially be seeking God and asking Him
what He has for our children and families. For us in this season we believe
God is equipping us and calling us to homeschool and we are so excited about the
journey, time together, and fun we are going to have learning and growing together.
Last year we attended our first Homeschool Conference in Red
Deer, Alberta in preparation for the upcoming school year and they encouraged
each family to have a Mission Statement that encompasses their “Why”. This is
something that we will turn to on difficult days and on days in which we ask
ourselves “Why am I doing this again?” Homeschooling isn’t for the faint of heart,
it’s not going to be an easy road and some days will be overwhelming,
exhausting and hard. So here is the mission statement for our family:
We seek to know God and grow in our relationship with Him, to love
others as He has loved us, to serve our community and neighbours, to be kind,
and to equip our children to leave the nest with a passion for Christ and the
self-confidence to chase their unique dreams.
Both pictures because it's really hard to get all five of us in the frame and looking at the same time! Real life =)
