Homeschooling

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 =)