- Represents Your Content
- Is Interesting
- Hasn't Already Been Taken
Now, I don't mean to suggest that our home schooling endeavors will be the end-all, be-all, one-and-done equipping experiences that our children will need. Far from it. They will learn at college, in their jobs, from their relationships, etc, etc., a million times etc, However, there is a certain reality to the home schooling experience that enables children to learn how to learn, and to know how to know. It creates in them both the desire and ability to be independent, life-long learners. In that regard, I believe home schooling does provide a very broad and important equipping for the real world. After all, even if you missed some of the nuances of chemistry or algebra, you're going to be fine as long as you have the desire and ability to always keep learning. Home schoolers excel in that regard. Is home schooling perfect though? No. So how do we know that it's the right choice?
I guess the short answer I tend to give to that question is that no particular method of education is perfect. And, if you're under the delusion that yours is (whatever yours might be), you should spend some time re-examining your assumptions about yourself, your child, the function and purpose of education, and probably a whole lot more. No offense.
My husband and I are just like every other parent out there - we're just doing the best that we know how for our kids. And, after weighing all the options, we've decided that our daughters will be best equipped for their futures by receiving their schooling from us (mostly me), in our home. Will they miss out on stuff? Certainly. Will other kids be better at X or Y than they will be? Of course. Aren't there teachers out there who are better at conveying information in their subject area than I am? Heck yeah. But, the part where I feel like I've got the advantage is that no one has as much of a vested interest in our kids succeeding as we do.
Everyone has heard stories about moms who lift whole cars off of their children in order to save their lives. That's me. Every day. Every time I help my 7th grader with difficult math (which I don't like or remember how to do) or work on reading with my dyslexic 3rd grader (which is a challenge I never thought I'd face), I'm doing something that feels a little impossible. But, since it is necessary for the well being of my children, I find a way. No matter what. Always. Simple as that.
I've heard people say that home schooling moms don't respect the importance of the professional training and experience that public school teachers have. That couldn't be further from the truth. When I hit roadblocks while schooling my kids, I am the first to admit that I don't have all the practical knowledge and skills that I wish I had (the knowledge and skills that seasoned teachers have) in every subject, grade, and area. But, what I do have is a deeper knowledge of who my children are. An endless desire to do whatever it takes to help my children succeed. And, a better understanding of the life that my children are destined to live. This last one is especially important, and (it seems to me) increasingly rare these days.
Before our children were even conceived, my husband and I prayed for them. We prayed for their health, for their safety, for their future spouses. But, mostly we prayed for wisdom and discernment regarding who they were going to be in the world. We still pray for that, since the last thing I want them to be is the type of people I see on TV, in newspapers, at the mall, etc... Sure, some of them are nice enough. But, one look at 'normal' is enough to make me never want to join that club. Or have my kids join it, for that matter, either.
It seems silly to me that in almost every other creative endeavor on earth - writing, architecture, inventing, painting - people start with a vision of what they want to create, carefully consider the materials and time they have available, and then get to work. Yes, there are many circumstances during the process that refine and hone the end product from what was originally envisioned. But, I'd say it's very rare for a sculptor to set out to create a flower and end up with a frog instead. Am I right?
It is the same for parenting. Having no vision for who and what your kids are supposed to be will leave them underprepared for the future, and possibly unable to fulfill their destinies because of it. Likewise, being too rigid about your expectations will lead you to be less sensitive to the realities of your children's unexpected (but God-given) qualities - the very things which should be our best guides along the way. When a sculptor encounters unique characteristics in his or her raw material, it is either an opportunity to implement those characteristics into the final design, or ignore them and carry on as planned. One decision will lead to a stronger, more unified, more beautiful outcome. The other leaves a deficit, at best, and can possibly even cause weakness that undermines and destroys the final piece altogether.
I don't (and can't) know all the details about what my children's futures will be like. Getting a vision of your kids isn't the same as having a crystal ball. But, I do know that my oldest is going to be a leader, and she needs to learn and practice compassion, wisdom, and strength in a way her sisters will not. I know that my middle daughter was created to help people, and that her innate sensitivity, willingness, and compassion must be tempered in order for her to be effective in that capacity in a world that often consumes such gentle souls. I know that my youngest is... well... she's still a bit more of a mystery to us. Though, I feel it's safe to say that she is going to change the world. We're just not sure how yet. And, I know that I am their teacher.
I will never be the best, most equipped math teacher; the best, most equipped science teacher; the best, most equipped PE teacher. (Boy - is that LAST one especially true!!). But, I also know that I am the best, and most equipped Rachel, Rebecca, and Sarah teacher in the world. Because of that, I know that they will be the best, most equipped Rachel, Rebecca, and Sarah in the world, as well. They've got important destinies in this earth. God put each of them here for a reason. And, whether I'm wiping bottoms, working on phonics, or trying to explain (for the zillionth time) the difference between adjectives and adverbs, what I'm really doing is equipping them for the life - life more abundant - that God has waiting for them. And that is why we home school.
