For me, I knew God was calling us to homeschool. We couldn’t afford for me not to work, but the call was greater than red numbers that tallied up without my paycheck. And somehow…once we said yes, the money was there. Not to do everything we wanted, but to provide everything we really needed.
Sacrifices were made and times were tough, but God never allowed us to miss a meal or a mortgage payment.
And me? Well, I LOVED every moment of homeschooling our boys! I loved it even when the boys didn’t. I loved it even when my youngest became unhomeschoolable. I loved it even when I was writing curriculum in May for the coming year. I loved it even when the days were hectic and homeschooling was more of something we had to fit in rather than the primary goal for the day. I loved it when our youngest son graduated from high school and we packed up our last book, closed the door on the school room and finished our homeschool journey together.
I learned a lot of valuable lessons over those 11 years. Lessons that can make or break your aspirations to effectively homeschool your children.
So, today, I want to share with you 5 things I learned from 11 years of homeschooling:
1. When you homeschool, homeschool ~
Before we ever started our homeschooling journey, a sweet friend uttered these words to me… When you homeschool, homeschool. Being a homeschool mom means that your children’s education is your primary responsibility. We all know that’s true whether our kids are in public, private, virtual or home school. But when you are their teacher, everything else has to wait. The phone calls will have to wait. The dishes will have to wait. The laundry will have to wait.
It’s not that you can’t do some of those things when you are homeschooling, but your children need your attention… and if you make other things a priority during your school day, you are demonstrating the value you are placing on their education. And why would they think it’s any more important than you are showing them it is by your lack of involvement or attention?
And while homeschooling is flexible, it is still something that takes time.
BEST ADVICE I EVER RECEIVED: WHEN YOU HOMESCHOOL…HOMESCHOOL
2. Homeschooling is an individual calling ~
Because homeschooling is a calling, it is as individual as any other calling. Not all families are called to homeschool, just as not all families are called to a foreign land. I may get some emails on this one because I realize there are those sweet moms out there who are so pro-homeschool that they believe with all their hearts that ALL people should homeschool. I respect their hearts, but while all parents are responsible for their children’s education, not all parents are called to homeschool…and not all parents are financially, emotionally, educationally, or even circumstantially equipped to homeschool. God calls us all uniquely and homeschooling is one of those callings.
Today, if you are wondering if homeschooling is for you, please take some time to seriously pray about it and seek your Father’s face for His will for your family. Homeschooling is a calling mommas need to take very seriously and God will lead you in the right direction when you pray.
3. Homeschooled kids need to interact with all kids, so give them opportunities to do so ~
I remember one of the first concerns voiced to me about our decision to homeschool was from well-meaning family and friends who wanted to know how in the world my kids were going to be able to interact with other kids. We were very active in a large church and our children were involved in a homeschool group, sports and music activities, so they connected with a lot of kids and socialization was really not an issue.
But I noticed that at times, homeschooling had a way of isolating some families form the rest of the world. Okay…so it wasn’t homeschooling…it was the moms who homeschooled. But most of the time it was unintentional. Unfortunately, reading, writing and arithmetic are things we learn sitting down and since homeschool takes place at home, there is a lot of time spent at home.
Interaction often must be intentional. So, if you homeschool, be sure your children are able to interact with others. They will have to be able to converse with others in college and in business, and part of homeschooling includes preparing our children for encountering and interacting with those they may have nothing in common with.
4. Homeschool moms aren’t cookie cutter moms who wear jean skirts and pull their hair back in a bun ~
I remember my first curriculum fair. I loved it! Well…I loved it until I saw A LOT of moms with jean skirts and their hair pulled back in a bun and I quickly started feeling that my jeans, t-shirt and long frizzy hair prevented me from being homeschool mom material. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with their cute jean skirts and their pretty little buns, but I wasn’t a jean skirt, bun wearing kind of mom.
It was really pretty intimidating.
But it didn’t take me long to find those moms who looked like me…and the moms who looked like they just stepped out of the Vogue Magazine…and the moms who had just got off work and were wearing business suits or scrubs…and the moms who just finished taking their kids to the beach and were wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
We are not cookie cutter families, with cookie cutter kids and cookie cutter curriculums. Each homeschool family is unique. I loved the sweet moms with the jean skirts and the buns and I had a great time hanging out with them and sharing moms stories…and I learned that it was okay if I didn’t look like what I thought a homeschool mom was supposed to look like. I just needed to be the best me I could be.
The same is true for you. Don’t feel like you have to fit into anyone else’s mold of who they think you should be. Just be the best homeschoolin’ momma you can be.
5. Just because you homeschool, your kids aren’t guaranteed to turn out perfect ~
Sometimes, mommas enter into the homeschool experience thinking that because they are able to control their environment they can also control how their kids will turn out. And while it’s true that mommas who homeschool are able to have more time to spend strengthening their children’s faith and more control over what their kids are exposed to, their precious little ones were still born with a sin nature…and a personality…and a propensity for sin…and perhaps learning disabilities…and maybe even learning styles their momma doesn’t really know how to nurture.
Like with all kids…they don’t come with guarantees. Parents can only do everything they can do to help them become godly, faithful and responsible men and women of integrity.
But there are no guarantees. Just a momma who is pouring her life out to teach her kids and pouring her heart out in prayer to see them become men and women of God.
It’s back to school season once again and young mommas are busy preparing their kids for school. So, whether you are homeschooling, or sending your kids to public, private or virtual school, pray like crazy, seek God’s face, be diligent, be a good example and help your children become all God created them to be.
The M.O.M. Initiative is here not only to cheer you on, sweet moms, but to help you in any way we can. We also want to encourage you to find a M.O.M. Group near you that can help you in your journey!
QUESTION: HAVE THE 5 LESSONS I LEARNED ENCOURAGED YOU IN YOUR HOMESCHOOLING JOURNEY? WHAT WOULD YOU ADD?
By: Stephanie Shott
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