You Are Doing What? Homeschooling Really?

Let me begin by taking a journey back in time about 20 years ago sitting at my Grandma’s kitchen table learning my Uncle and Aunt were going to home school.  I remember saying and thinking the very same thing I assume nearly every one says when they hear someone is home schooling ….”How will they learn to communicate with others?” Now I laugh hysterically loud at myself for being so naive and even uneducated about how people really learn to communicate with each other. Over the years I grew to stop thinking about home schooling at all.  In my mind it was just something some people choose to do to educate their children.  I do recall thinking the girls were quiet or shy, but never thinking that was due to homeschooling. I just figured that was their personality.

Now jump ahead to my 20-something years. I am beginning my public school teaching experience and associating with people that challenged me in my thinking of school, character, faith, government, etc. I began to have my heart and eyes opened to what I know to be the truth about a great deal of things. I had not really decided to home school my kids when they arrived; heck, I wasn’t even married yet. As time went on I just came to know home schooling was what we would do. Figuring out how to convince others that was the right thing is another story. We eventually decided convincing people wasn’t our job or place. Our role was just to let God lead us through this journey and He would take care of the rest.

Why are you homeschooling? In all honesty, I have never truly been able to answer that question with an answer that the person doing the asking would understand. Not that they wouldn’t get it or where … well, dumb, but because at first it was me just following my gut…my God’s leading. I really did not even know I was doing something so crazy. Why I was making waves in our small town … in our family.  Don’t get me wrong we did get some love and support, but mostly silence. I would wonder at times if it was really worth it. I would ask myself why? Again, I still can not verbalize why I KNEW we were to home school. I just KNEW it. Today I see, hear, and learn about our world about the state of so many things…I discover things about our kids learning abilities and I think “Oh, I get it NOW God! I see NOW why you led me … us into this amazing beautiful world!”

Today, right now as I am typing the 1st draft of this post in the Fall of 2014 at 10 pm, I have a full heart. I have a head that wonders if it is doing it all right. I am amazed at how the mind works. I am truly blessed to have read and discovered learning styles, multiple intelligence’s, abilities, etc before we found dyslexia. It has been a heart breaking heart warming tear jerking journey. That is another story. Yet, you know I still know beyond any doubt that home schooling is right for our family. With that said I also know that it is NOT right for every family. Could every family do it YES…”With Christ all things are possible”, BUT to be right one has to believe it is right NOT just do it. That is how I know it is right for us I believe it is God led.

Now it is June 2015 and I am editing the final draft. Nothing has changed, but do want to add that though I never question that I am supposed to be home schooling our kids I do question my abilities all the time. Then I thank God that I do not have to do this alone and that I trust that since He led us to this journey He will lead us through it. Thanking Him every moment of every day!

So, why are we homeschooling? Because my heart tells me so…..