Monday, August 8, 2011

BUT.....I don't WANT to homeschool my children!

Seriously.

I don't. er, didn't, I should say, necessarily want to homeschool our children.

But now, my place in this life and my journey in this life will, in fact, include homeschooling my children.

Call me crazy.
I've been called worse.
Call me brave.
I am not.
I just want to be in control of what my children are taught.
Both my husband and I believe homeschooling our children is the right decision for our family at this time.

Why?
I will tell you.

Vision. My husband and I have a vision for our family. It includes our children loving to learn, learning our viewpoints, loving each other, serving each other and serving the Lord. This vision will guide us as we journey through homeschooling.

Character First. Character is paramount. Homeschooling gives us the potential to stay on top of the condition of our child's heart. For isn't that what truly matters when we enter the gates of Heaven? Isn't that what others see first? A person's character? Not their test scores or college degree.

Custom Education. Each of our four children are very unique. Not only in personality but in how they take in information, process information and ultimately retain information. And who knows better than anyone else how each of our children learn? My husband and I, of course! We want to cue in on our children's individual readiness, interests, growth and potential.

Will it be challenging? Yes. Will we have bad days where I think this is the dumbest undertaking I could have chosen? Absolutely. Will I forget to teach them something crucial. You bet. Will it be the end of the world? Nope. We have flexibility and choice. We have time for full exploration and mastery of material. We have support. We have faith.

Faith? What has faith got to do with it? Everything.
Homeschooling was placed on my heart I think about two years ago. It was before my brother's death. I can't tell you the exact moment or what I was doing or wearing at the time. I read blogs where mothers homeschooled. I met mother's from our church who homeschooled. I started asking questions and doing my own research. I prayed about it. I argued why I shouldn't be allowed to homeschool my children. I had a pretty good case, so I thought.

But my heart strings kept being tugged. The idea of homeschool became more intriguing and possible. I continued to argue with God, though. There is no way! I don't have the tools! The time! The patience! The space!

What will people think? None of my friends homeschool. This is a huge decision to make. Am I right?

I gotta tell you though, this is something that I believe I am suppose to do. That I am being called to do. Yes, I believe homeschooling was placed on my heart by the Lord. And I can't argue with Him any longer. If you asked me a few years ago if I would ever homeschool my four children I would have laughed and said something like, "Heck no!" But I suppose that is the ebb and flow of growth. My spiritual growth emerged and took hold of my life after Martin died. My faith increased by leaps and bounds. After all, that is what this decision is for me, at least. A leap of faith. I am trusting and believing that God is with our family as we dive into this season.

I am excited. Nervous. Overwhelmed. Privileged. Blessed. Supported.
I am homeschooling my children.

3 comments:

Rhonda H. said...

Welcome to the wonderful journey of homeschooling. I also resisted the call for a few years before diving in (2006) and since then, we have not looked back! It has been such a blessing to have this time with our children! Ready, steady, go! :)

Auntie Rachel said...

jess, what a wonderful decision for you & the Team. You will be an awesome teacher & the kids will become wonderful, amazing adults! I can't wait to read more on the adventures while homeschooling. Hey, when does school start for you guys then? How wonderful. Maybe a suprise appearance by Auntie Rachel will be in store! What can I teach the kids!?!?!? I'll start lesson planning now.

love you & support you always!

Gina said...

Good on you for taking this huge step. I know it will be challenging but you have a great attitude and that will help you!