Why Wednesday? Homeschool

Why We Homeschool?

Now, here’s a topic for discussion, right?  There are so many opinions on schooling.  I know that this is a hot topic, so please bear with me.  This may be long and you may not agree.  I am fully aware that how and where you school your child is a personal choice (even how each homeschooler schools is a debate and a topic for another day).  I merely want to try to explain why we do what we do.

When Chas turned 5, we were living in Springfield, MO.  Since his birthday was in April, I knew he’d be starting school that following September.  I started looking at the school he’d be attending and I couldn’t believe that such a milestone was already upon us.  There was no question in my mind about where or how he would be schooled.

So one day, when the Hubs came home, I started talking to him and telling him about all that we needed to do in the coming months to get him ready for school and talking about this school and all that I’d already found out.  He stopped me cold in my tracks and said that he thought we should homeschooling.  I could NOT believe what I was hearing.  Homeschooling was something that weird families did and only produced weird, antisocial children.  How could he suggest such?!

And on top of that, how on earth could I teach our child the things he needed to learn in school?  How does one teach a child to read?  Or that 2+2=4?  I just wasn’t equipped for that.  After 5 years, I still wasn’t convinced that I was cut out for mothering, now he wanted me to teach him ALL THE THINGS?  So, my answer was simple and firm.  I said, “No.”  There was no room for discussion and no changing my mind.  I didn’t want to hear reasons or direction from God.  My answer was No and that was it.  (It’s one of 2 times in the past 16 years of marriage that this has happened.)

Nathan didn’t push me, but he did continue to pray.  As we investigated the school and found it less than desirable, he still didn’t say anything.  We kept moving forward in that direction because in my mind, there was no other option.  Our son was school age and he would go to the public school we were zoned for.  That’s just what you did.

However, God had other plans and He even worked around my stubbornness.  He moved us from Springfield, MO to Gallatin, TN.  While in Gallatin, we ran into the same problem with a less than desirable public school.  But another option presented itself in the form of a small private, Christian, church school.  We couldn’t really afford it, but they school was small and in true Christian manner, they worked with us.  Nathan even taught classes there to supplement tuition.

I won’t say that Chas got the best education there, but he did do well and learn the things that a kindergartner and first grader should learn.  From there, we continued to move around and God continued to provide good private school options (except for one semester in a public school in CA, but even that was redeemed!).  Chas attended private and mostly Classical schools.

But at one of those schools he was so bullied that my heart was torn in two.  He was hit in one place on his arm until the kids drew blood.  He was so distraught that he once told me that he didn’t even want to live anymore.  I was DONE.  We were in an area where there were no other options.  It was through this that the Lord put homeschooling back in my mind and fostered it in my heart.  I didn’t care if I would be a great teacher.  I didn’t care about my fears of my inadequacies.  My baby was being hurt and it had to stop.  I was finally ready.  Scared out of my mind, but I was ready.  But God being who and what He is, still provided and we found a different (and amazing!) school.

Yet, that homeschooling burden didn’t go away.  So, when Nathan came home one day and told me that he was getting out of the Navy (the 2^nd time I said, “No.”) and moving back to Tennessee, I knew that we were going to homeschool when we got there.  And I was able to prepare.  I spoke to MANY families that homeschool, both Christian families who homeschool for theological reasons and military families who homeschool for practical reasons.

The ultimate reason that we homeschool is because I believe that it is my job to educate my child.  It is a command that we are given in Scripture.  Some do this by sending their child to a public or private school.  We choose to do this at home because if I am accountable for what he learns and how he learns it, then I want to do the best job I can.  I don’t think that will happen at a public school in the current and present culture that we live in.  There is just as much indoctrination that happens as true education and we must be aware.  Instead of working to counteract even the most subtle of errors, we’ve chosen to completely remove the problem.

I’ve had to repent for saying “No” in the beginning and I’ve grieved for the time we lost.  However, I am thankful that even in my rebellion that God redeemed it and gave Chas an amazing education.  I would advise anyone who has a child that is school aged to pray for what it is that God would have you do concerning your child and their education.  Don’t spend time worrying about whether you are competent or what others might say.  Choose what is best for him/her, whatever that might be.