I also have friends and family talking about keeping their
kids at home for school, and not virtual school, but actually considering withdrawing
them from their brick and mortar schools to home educate their kids and truly homeschool. Almost all parents are faced with some type
of decision about how to handle school for their children during this pandemic
and it’s not easy for anyone.
Although each family faces unique circumstances and choices, we can all try to
make the best decisions for our own family and if you do choose to educate your
family at home this year, I can offer some encouragement! You may be
fearful, anxious, and extremely uncertain about how this "experiment"
of educating your kids at home will go, but don't fret, many people have done
this for generations and you can do it, too!
One Year at a Time
Thinking back to 2006, when we began our home education journey, I initially
felt a strong desire to try home schooling for my oldest child's Kindergarten
year, for several different reasons, but I was afraid to talk to anyone about
it! After I finally brought it up to my husband, he supported me and
started asking other people about homeschooling, which scared me even more! I had been a music teacher to kids at church,
in public and private schools, but could I teach my own precious kids
everything that they needed to know? My husband wisely told me to take it
just one year at a time.
As I timidly started to share our idea with family and friends, I did have
relatives and friends who were kind and well-meaning, ask us those dreaded questions
about “socialization”, although we had already been part of children's church
ministries and choirs, soccer teams, basketball teams, and music lessons.
The opportunities to "socialize" only expanded when we became more
involved with our local home school community. My mother-in-law also reminded
us that she was actually homeschooled for many years while living overseas as
the daughter of missionaries and I appreciated her support.
Most of our family were very supportive and we started
finding a few families in our community who were already home schooling and
began building relationships with them. It was in the local home school
community and an online message board for the curriculum that we were using at
the time that I began to find support and mentors in home education. There were many times when I could not see
how this was going to work out, but I learned to take it one year, one month,
one week, one day, and even one moment at a time and it was great to have other
home educators to turn to with my own questions.
Unique Learning Journeys
I was determined to give our kids the best education for their personal mix of strengths and challenges. I also really enjoyed researching curriculum, trying new ideas, and learning about how to best teach my own children. We tried many ideas that didn’t work, but we also continued to use what was working and I was able to find ways to help them enjoy learning!
My college music education Professor, Dr. Dimmick, always
taught us Music Ed. students to become "lifelong learners" and that's
what I wanted my kids to become. I did not have all the answers, but I
found lots of resources and ideas to try along the way and you can, too.
One of the big ideas I had learned from my education background was to look at
the different ways that each child learned naturally, with their strengths and
unique personality. I really enjoyed doing lots of reading and educational
activities together, but also having some time to focus on their
own individual needs and strengths.
Leading the learning for my kids continued my own journey of
lifelong learning as I learned more each year about the subjects we were
studying, how to teach our children in a different way, or by reading books
that were new to me. Over the years, I found more resources in person through a larger homeschool community and online as the internet grew and developed more ways to communicate like Youtube and Facebook.
Blessings of Time Spent Together
As I look back now, with one graduate of our home school and one senior, I can
say that I have been blessed to have had this gift of time with our children
while they were growing up. We have many memories of doing so many things
together. We know each other so very well and we have our own
"family culture" of our shared experiences, jokes, funny memories,
frustrations, sad moments, and joyful times. We have shared many stories
and wonderful books, games, puzzles, field trips, travel experiences, concerts
and performances. The kids have their
own nostalgia now over the funny things they did together while growing up not
only as siblings, but as schoolmates.
They are also growing into fine, young adults as they continue growing and
learning. I am thankful that we lived a lifestyle that allowed us the
time to talk about character traits and the Bible each day during school.
We read inspiring stories about people who overcame great challenges to serve
and help others. We also learned so much together about history and the
Bible and how God's story is woven throughout history and mankind. None
of us are perfect, by any means, but our kids have a solid foundation of
knowledge and understanding of the Bible and I can see them using wisdom to
apply it to their own lives now.
If you are feeling a deep desire to just keep your kids at home and spend time
with them this year, I would encourage you to try it! You can help your
kids to learn in fun, enjoyable ways in your own home. It may look very
different than any school you have ever attended, but that's really okay.
You may find that the learning lifestyle is a great fit for your own family! You know your children better than anyone and
you can learn how to help them learn in their own unique ways. There really is
hope for your home school!
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