The Faith It Takes to Homeschool

Posted by Renae | 0 comments

For the first time, I wasn’t overwhelmed by the plethora of choices at the homeschool convention. A few art supplies were gathered as gifts to take home to my children, but no curriculum grabbed me. Our shelves at home contained more than enough.

After six years of homeschooling, I felt settled. I finally realized there was no perfect curriculum. I understood there was no system to replace character.

The view from my new vista looked so promising. My faith was stronger than in those first faltering days of kindergarten crying. My children were learning and growing. Homeschool was working.

Then a new season crashed in on us. A season of selling our house and moving across the country.

School became exploring the backyard while I painted window sills. Field trips morphed into treks to Home Depot. Lesson plans faltered and ended up tucked away out of sigh. Certain phone calls initiated “house drills” in which we cleaned furiously and jumped in the van just before potential buyers toured our home.

It was months until our school books were pulled out of blue, plastic bins. The books I chose two years ago. The books that continue to tell me we are behind schedule.

My heart beats faster as my brain spins through the list of neglected subjects. My heart tries to hammer down the fear. What happened to the feeling of peace I experience after last year’s homeschool convention? How was it buried so quickly?

I quiet the internal crashing by considering all my children learned through the process of moving. The math books waited, but we measured rooms for flooring and estimated areas for paint. English grammar languished, but my son questioned the electrician and read about plumbing.

I, also, realize there are some things history books can’t teach.

My children experienced Providence in the here and now. They know how many times the Lord acted on our behalf. They were there when our church sent someone over to finish repairing our house. They shared the joys and stresses of selling our house and buying a new one. They recognized answered prayers as we stepped out in faith.

And isn’t that what this whole process of homeschooling and parenting is? An exercise of faith? Without faith, I can’t win the war against fear. With faith, I am convinced my children will never forget the lessons learned while the books were packed away.

Renae teaches her eleven-year-old son and two little girls at home. She has prepared lesson plans, enjoyed children’s literature, and delighted in discovery with her children for five years. By studying Principle Approach philosophy, she realized what she always suspected: the Bible lies at the heart of all subjects. Find her reflections at Life Nurturing Education.