Here we are again, already preparing for another school year. How can it possibly be true that it will be our eighth official year of homeschooling and shouldn't I feel like an expert by now? In many ways I feel as though I'm actually only just beginning to figure out who we are and what we're doing and why we're doing it in the first place (which probably inspires tons of confidence in the grandparents). What started out as just an obvious (to us) idea way back when has turned into a philosophy, of sorts. A way of life. No longer obvious at all, but examined and explored and experimented. Our ideas have become more refined as we've tried various routes and styles after listening to one expert or another. We've veered off of pre-determined paths here and there when the allure of something new and shiny has come along and we've buckled down and gritted our teeth when we really should have ditched what wasn't working. As in most areas of life these days, this year has left me re-examining why we do what we do and whether or not it matters. While I certainly don't believe for a second that there is only one right choice, my pondering and praying and lots of talks with my wise husband has left me content in the knowledge that the choices that we've made are, indeed, the right ones for our family. This renewed sense of contentment makes me want to write out my thoughts so that our children can see our vision and understand the paths we've chosen as we work our way towards the goals we've set for our family.
And now for my disclaimer... Jimmy asked me to write this and even though I've wanted to for a long time I've always been hesitant because I know all too well how murky and treacherous these waters can be. I know how intentional and prayerful our friends and family are in the decisions they make with their own kids and I know (all too well) how easy it is to hear criticism where none is intended (not that I've ever done that). That is not what this is. I'm not writing this so any particular person will read it and (finally!) get his/her act together and make better choices. I'm not writing from a platform or a soapbox. I'm writing because in all areas of our relationships with our kids we want them to understand why we've made the choices that we have and how we came to them. We want them to know that we've been intentional and purposeful and that we're looking ahead at where we want to end up and then carving out a path that we believe will take us there. Together.
So now, why have we chosen to keep our kids at home instead of sending them to school? I never know which answer people are looking for when they ask me this question and there are tons of small reasons that seem safe enough to give as an answer to those who might just be asking to be polite. One reason is that we like being with our kids and a few hours in the evenings (which would get crowded pretty quickly by homework and dinner and basketball practice...) didn't seem like enough time. Jimmy and I are also both pretty interested in education and the ability to research and choose very specific curriculum for each of our kids was pretty appealing. There are so many wonderful things in this world to learn and study and we want to be sure they are exposed to those things and given the time and freedom to explore them. Books are also really important to us and we love the idea of being able to steer them in the direction of really great ones. The conversations that have stemmed from the books we've read together have been among my favorites. We also value the freedom that we have when we're not bound to an external schedule. Beyond the educational value of being free to linger on a subject that continues to hold our attention or might be a bit of a struggle to get through (or move on from a topic that has been well understood) the ability to plan our family time according to our own preferences and needs rather than according to a pre-determined schedule is pretty nice. We also appreciate the ability that we have to teach our kids through the filter of our own world-view. This doesn't mean that we shelter them from the harsh realities of the world, but rather that we allow them to learn of those realities in light of Who God is and what He's doing.
Our reasons for keeping our kids at home for their education stem from the many benefits that we see coming from this choice. We are not afraid of public schools "indoctrinating" our children (they are still ours and our example weighs far more in their hearts and minds than any other). We aren't afraid of "bad" kids corrupting our little saints (any and all corruption they could ever conceive of is already there in their own hearts). We don't presume to be smarter or more equipped than the many wonderful teachers who serve graciously and diligently in our local schools (many are dear friends and I'd be delighted for any of them to teach my children). And I was surprised a few years ago when a friend suggested that our choice to keep our kids at home isolated us from our neighbors and wasn't "kingdom minded". It was especially interesting since our kingdom-mindedness is one of the biggest reasons we actually do homeschool.
And that's where our several-years-in-the-making educational philosophy comes in. We have a heart to pour into these years that we have with our kids. Every time our oldest has another birthday (and I secretly count down the years we have left with him) I am reminded of the breath-taking reality that these years will be gone in a flash. We believe that life is so much bigger than it can be made to look when the majority of their view comes from behind a desk in a classroom. Academics are so important and through them we can better know Who God is and the wonders of what He's made and all the works that we can do to glorify Him, but reading, writing and arithmetic are not all there is to study. We want our kids to have time to explore the gifts that God has given specifically to them. We want them to have time to be alone with their thoughts; to wrestle with ideas in their own heads for a while, and then we want to be here ready to listen and talk through those thoughts with them. We want them to wander through the woods and learn, from experience, about trees and weeds and birds and bugs. We want them to live a life that is free to drop everything in order to help our neighbor when we are needed. We want their days to include denying themselves access to their teacher on-demand for the good of the little brother who needs to be disciplined (again). We want their lives to be bigger than themselves and their own schedules. We welcome the realities of real life and want to see them not as interruptions to their education, but a very large part of it. We pray for the grace to endure those hard days when everyone is fighting and tempers are flaring and it would just be so much easier if they were all GONE for the day and had some time apart because it's in those days that we all get to be sharpened and strengthened and reminded of our need for Jesus. It's on those days where the rubber meets the road and we're given another opportunity to decide who we will serve. We assume that further education will be in the plans for our children down the road, but that's not our goal. Our goal is to send six critically thinking, well-read, culturally aware, nature-loving, Kingdom-minded servants out into the world and we really can't wait to see how God uses them.
And now for my disclaimer... Jimmy asked me to write this and even though I've wanted to for a long time I've always been hesitant because I know all too well how murky and treacherous these waters can be. I know how intentional and prayerful our friends and family are in the decisions they make with their own kids and I know (all too well) how easy it is to hear criticism where none is intended (not that I've ever done that). That is not what this is. I'm not writing this so any particular person will read it and (finally!) get his/her act together and make better choices. I'm not writing from a platform or a soapbox. I'm writing because in all areas of our relationships with our kids we want them to understand why we've made the choices that we have and how we came to them. We want them to know that we've been intentional and purposeful and that we're looking ahead at where we want to end up and then carving out a path that we believe will take us there. Together.
So now, why have we chosen to keep our kids at home instead of sending them to school? I never know which answer people are looking for when they ask me this question and there are tons of small reasons that seem safe enough to give as an answer to those who might just be asking to be polite. One reason is that we like being with our kids and a few hours in the evenings (which would get crowded pretty quickly by homework and dinner and basketball practice...) didn't seem like enough time. Jimmy and I are also both pretty interested in education and the ability to research and choose very specific curriculum for each of our kids was pretty appealing. There are so many wonderful things in this world to learn and study and we want to be sure they are exposed to those things and given the time and freedom to explore them. Books are also really important to us and we love the idea of being able to steer them in the direction of really great ones. The conversations that have stemmed from the books we've read together have been among my favorites. We also value the freedom that we have when we're not bound to an external schedule. Beyond the educational value of being free to linger on a subject that continues to hold our attention or might be a bit of a struggle to get through (or move on from a topic that has been well understood) the ability to plan our family time according to our own preferences and needs rather than according to a pre-determined schedule is pretty nice. We also appreciate the ability that we have to teach our kids through the filter of our own world-view. This doesn't mean that we shelter them from the harsh realities of the world, but rather that we allow them to learn of those realities in light of Who God is and what He's doing.
Our reasons for keeping our kids at home for their education stem from the many benefits that we see coming from this choice. We are not afraid of public schools "indoctrinating" our children (they are still ours and our example weighs far more in their hearts and minds than any other). We aren't afraid of "bad" kids corrupting our little saints (any and all corruption they could ever conceive of is already there in their own hearts). We don't presume to be smarter or more equipped than the many wonderful teachers who serve graciously and diligently in our local schools (many are dear friends and I'd be delighted for any of them to teach my children). And I was surprised a few years ago when a friend suggested that our choice to keep our kids at home isolated us from our neighbors and wasn't "kingdom minded". It was especially interesting since our kingdom-mindedness is one of the biggest reasons we actually do homeschool.
And that's where our several-years-in-the-making educational philosophy comes in. We have a heart to pour into these years that we have with our kids. Every time our oldest has another birthday (and I secretly count down the years we have left with him) I am reminded of the breath-taking reality that these years will be gone in a flash. We believe that life is so much bigger than it can be made to look when the majority of their view comes from behind a desk in a classroom. Academics are so important and through them we can better know Who God is and the wonders of what He's made and all the works that we can do to glorify Him, but reading, writing and arithmetic are not all there is to study. We want our kids to have time to explore the gifts that God has given specifically to them. We want them to have time to be alone with their thoughts; to wrestle with ideas in their own heads for a while, and then we want to be here ready to listen and talk through those thoughts with them. We want them to wander through the woods and learn, from experience, about trees and weeds and birds and bugs. We want them to live a life that is free to drop everything in order to help our neighbor when we are needed. We want their days to include denying themselves access to their teacher on-demand for the good of the little brother who needs to be disciplined (again). We want their lives to be bigger than themselves and their own schedules. We welcome the realities of real life and want to see them not as interruptions to their education, but a very large part of it. We pray for the grace to endure those hard days when everyone is fighting and tempers are flaring and it would just be so much easier if they were all GONE for the day and had some time apart because it's in those days that we all get to be sharpened and strengthened and reminded of our need for Jesus. It's on those days where the rubber meets the road and we're given another opportunity to decide who we will serve. We assume that further education will be in the plans for our children down the road, but that's not our goal. Our goal is to send six critically thinking, well-read, culturally aware, nature-loving, Kingdom-minded servants out into the world and we really can't wait to see how God uses them.