6 Simple Ways to Make Traditional Curriculum More Delightful

Boxed sets of curriculum often get a bad rap in homeschooling circles. Because of their one-size-fits-all approach to learning, they are seen as rigid and uninspiring. Veteran homeschool moms will say that the assignments often lack value and become place-fillers and busywork; that the textbooks are dry; and that the course loads are laden with the unnecessary burdens of a traditional classroom.

Moms who've been homeschooling for any length of time tend to shy away from boxed sets because they much prefer to create a tailor-made education for their child--one that will nurture curiosity, develop individual gifts, and present material in an engaging and interactive way.

"But, what about socialization?"

Written by Jessica.

One of the most interesting aspects of being a classroom teacher was getting to know and observe many different kinds of children. Their personalities, behaviors, and abilities were so diverse. I could often tell a lot about my students by the end of the first week of school. The dynamics of the class, their friendships, and the social hierarchy were always very clear.

Over the years, I was able to observe lots of children and how they interacted with one another. Today, as a home educating parent, I am aware of the criticisms that are sometimes made regarding home education, and I always view those criticisms from my perspective as a former classroom teacher. One of the top criticisms is that sticky issue of “socialization.”

How We Homeschool Without Grade Levels

"And what grade are you in, honey?" the little old lady asked my daughter in an impromptu conversation by the produce section. She found my then eight-year-old girl sorting through apples looking for just the right one and thought it odd that a child her age would be at the grocery store in the middle of a Thursday.

It was, I suppose.

Curiosity got the better of her and she began peppering my daughter with questions, a little confused by this homeschooling thing. She rapid-fired one question after another in game show, lightning-round fashion until she got to the one about grade levels.

Mid-Year Curriculum Tweaks 2014-2015

While I'm not an advocate for hopping from one curriculum to the next in a speed-dating dump-and-move-on style, I do believe that sometimes what seems like the "perfect-for-us" curriculum in September, shows itself to be not-so-perfect by late fall. Often tweaks need to be made and in rare cases, a PLAN B needs to be purchased. 

10 Summertime Steps to School Time Prep

With summer quickly slipping through my fingers, I have shifted into full-boogie mode. I've got my game face on and I'm prepping for the coming year. While I hold fast to my summer days desiring to relish each and everyone, I am also committed to using this slower-paced schedule to ready myself for the fall and all the wonderful learning adventures on the horizon.

Here's a brief look at my TOP TEN summertime steps to school time prep.

Technically, my prep for the coming school year happens the year before...mid spring when I do the following:

• Determine a skeletal curriculum plan.
• Prepare a shopping list.
• Purchase the core of my curriculum at my state's annual homeschool convention. 

Assuming that I've started the summer with these first three items checked off my list, I can officially go into summertime prep mode.

Top 5 TIps for Cultivating Passion-Directed Learning

Opening night!

Tonight, I'll be going.

I've gathered together a group of girlfriends and we'll be heading to the local theater for a mom's night out to watch Mom's Night Out!

While the movie, certainly, strikes a rather significant chord of camaraderie with all mommas who desperately need to exhale, it has a special appeal for those of us who homeschool.

As you'll see in this short trailer, the co-writer/director was homeschooled. He credits his mom for pulling him out of a traditional school setting in order to invest in his talents and cultivate his natural bents. He's a movie director today, because of a mom who recognized the need for passion-directed learning.

ABeka vs. BJU Language: Why I Switch Mid-Stream

With mommas diligently planning curriculum choices for next year, my inbox has been jammed with questions regarding MY particular curriculum selections. Curious readers have wanted to know WHY I have chosen certain programs over others. Without a doubt, the #1, most-asked question I have received is some version of the following...

"Jamie, I'm wondering why you switch from ABeka Language to Bob Jones English in third grade?"

Great question!  

I can see why my madness would raise questions about by method.  

So, in an attempt to kill several dozen birds with one stone, I'm gonna do my best to satisfy the curious, today.*

10 Little Things You Should Know About the Unlikely Homeschool

1.  I filter everything I write through my faith.

I am an evangelical Christian and seek to glorify Jesus Christ, my Savior, in everything I do including how I educate my children and what I write about on this blog.  I realize that not every homeschooler chooses to homeschool because of faith, but that is definitely one of my primary reasons for doing so. That being said, I'd like to be candid with all of you, my dear readers, and admit that I filter my writing through the same grid that I filter my life...my faith in Christ and His Holy Word.  While I welcome ANY homeschooler to join me in this on-line journey, I recognize that not all of my readers share my same beliefs.  I never mean to offend, however, I don't apologize for speaking The Truth as I know it to be according to the Bible.

My Best Advice to the NEWBIE Homeschooler {or burned out veteran}

(I realize that I am taking the loooong route to prove my point here.  But, stick with me.  I think, or at least hope. you'll appreciate the final destination.)

"If you were a good wife, you would..." she said flippantly over her shoulder.

I just stood there, stalk still, mouth open, mentally clutching the gaping hole she had bore straight through my heart. If I were a good wife??

How Do You Homeschool With a Baby or Toddler?

He's on the move. For over a month now, the Newbie has spent his days launching carpet expeditions hoping to open every cupboard, dump every basket, and upturn every well-laid plan. His curiosity and moxie are natural, but naturally add a new element of adventure to our homeschool day.

Top 10 Fequently Asked Questions

While the homeschooling movement is gaining traction, it's still a rather against-the-grain form of education. And like all unconventional lifestyle choices, it tends to raise a lot of eyebrows and garner its fair share of question marks.

I've been around the block a time or two thousand and have heard all the questions and have received all the sideways glances.

But, not all curiosity comes from a place of judgment. More often than not, folks are just after a little information, not an inquisition.  

Here's a list of the top 10 questions I receive most often and my GO TO answers.

What curriculum do you use?

I tend to be rather eclectic, picking and choosing the best from various styles of education and publishers. Feel free to browse my curriculum lists from year-to-year Since our schooling needs continue to ebb and flow, so must my list.

Why did you choose to homeschool?

Like all of life's "big questions," there is no simple answer. I have put together a series of my Top 4 reasons. The main one being that my husband and I felt called of God to do so.

What about socialization?

As I have already answered at length about that in part 4 of my Why Do I Choose to Homeschool series, I'll give you the short version. For the most part, people who ask that question know very little about homeschooling and even less about a traditional classroom setting. I taught in the classroom for seven years prior to homeschooling and know that by its very nature, a school tends to be quite institutionalized. What little socializing does actually take place, typically comes in the form of bullying and unnecessary peer pressure. The peer pressure isn't always blatant, but often subversive as in the case with popular clothing trends, music & movie choices, and attractions to the opposite sex. Children are only encouraged to have relationships with children born the exact same year as them. If that is "socialization," I think I'll pass.

Have your children ever asked to go to school?

Nope. Not even once. Part of the reason might be that one of our co-op moms lives right across the street from the playground of a local elementary school. She obviously hosts our group occasionally. When getting out of our car to enter her house, my kids have looked across the road and have seen several fights break out with groups of children, teachers yelling at students in rather unkind tones, and many students looking tired and bored in their "pen." I wish I were exaggerating these facts, but unfortunately, I am not. It might also make a difference that my oldest kids each have public schooled friends who have mentioned to them at various times their own desire to be homeschooled for a number of different reasons.

What do you love most about homeschooling?

How do I pick just one answer??? As a school teacher, I looooved teaching but hated all the school politics. I suppose my favorite thing about homeschooling is that I get to teach...my very favorite kids in the whole world...and I don't have to deal with all the "extras" that come with the job.

What is your least favorite thing about homeschooling?

Sometimes it does get a little overwhelming. When I was a school teacher, I only had to prepare one lesson a day per subject. Next year, I will need to prepare three lessons in most (but not all) subjects, provide educational/intentional play for a toddler, and nurture/chase after a crawling baby. Pheewww...just writing that makes me a little dizzy!

How do you know what to teach and when?

I do the same thing that a classroom teacher would do...follow the general scope and sequence laid out for me in various teacher's guides and manuals. Since I've been doing home teaching for a while, I feel freer to "invent my own wheel." But if I'm ever in doubt, I can refer to the curriculum. There is NOT a single classroom teacher that I know of who has taught every single grade. Therefore, every teacher has to...at one point or another...be directed by a pre-determined guide. A homeschool mom is no different. She just has the advantage of being able to tailor/tweak the "guide" for her specific child. As an added bonus, I get to include my kids in the plan. Their own passions and interests get to steer their learning much of the time.

Do you ever fear that you might not be qualified to teach a particular subject?

Well, the short answer is that many new homeschooling moms fear that they will leave something out or that they might be ill-qualified to teach a particular subject...that they will sabotage their child's education. On the contrary, a MOTHER, more than any other person in the world has her child's best interest at heart. Most homeschooling mothers go ABOVE and BEYOND to ensure QUALITY for her children...to invest all her time, energy, and resources to do the job well! And in the end, if I am not the best at algebra or a foreign language, I have to rest in the fact that God gave ME these children and called ME to educated them. It was not by accident. It was by design. He knows what their futures hold and will provide them with all that they need to do His will for their lives...with or without me and my inadequacies.

And here's the long answer...

How do you juggle it all...homeschooling, mothering little ones, home keeping?

What mother doesn't juggle a myriad of balls? I often feel that my schedule is no different from a working mother's. We typically school from 9:30-3ish, which would be considered normal working hours for some moms. With God's help, I do the best I can each day. Some days feel like a success, while others are quite a bit more challenging. It helps to have a great support network of family and homeschooling and non-homeschooling friends. Organization and household habits are essential. But those help to make ANY household run smoothly. With the addition of the Newbie, our day has had to evolve a bit. But, it IS POSSIBLE to homeschool with a newborn or a toddler, there are just adjustments that need to be made to the day.

What do you do with your toddlers while you are teaching your older ones?

That answer is a whole post in itself! Two very successful tools that I have in my arsenal are an assortment of small hands-on "tot school" activities; and, what I, affectionately, call blanket time. My two...almost three-year-old...has graduated from being on his blanket, but it won't be long before the newbie can have his turn.

What homeschool questions do you find yourself answering often?

10 Reasons My Kids Like Being Homeschooled

My kids have never mentioned any desire to go to a traditional school.  In fact, I think if you asked them, they'd say they looooove being homeschooled.  I wish I could say that it was because of my riveting lesson plans and thought provoking discussions.  But, alas...I don't think either one of those motivations would qualify for the "10 Reasons My Kids Like Being Homeschooled" list hosted by a fabulous group of bloggers from the iHomeschool Network.  

But what DID make the list?  Well, since half of my brood are a bit too young to formulate a thorough explanation of their own personal TOP 10, I thought I'd take the liberty to insert their list via a momma "proxy."

The Unlikely Homeschool kids like being homeschooled because...

THE NEWBIE-2 months

10.  I never have to cry for very long before NOT one, BUT five pairs of feet come running.  My sibs are not away at a traditional school and can answer to my every whim!  

9.  I hear all kinds of academia happening throughout the day, so I might very well learn all my division facts before I learn to walk.

Greased Lightening-2 1/2 years

8.  I've never stood on the curb and cried while the big yellow bus carted my best friends off for the entire day.

7.  When the big kids use acrylic paint during art time, I get to use it too.  Does it count if my canvas is the couch cushion?

Blonde Warrior-4 years (just completed Pre-K)

6.  Sometimes PJs are the best school uniform.

5.  I could quite possibly be the only four-year-old you know that re-enacts the entire Boston Tea Party in the bath tub.

Super Boy-6 years (just completed Kindergarten)

4.  We don't have assigned seats in the "lunch room", so I get to sit next to my best friend EVERYDAY!  (That would be Dad.)  But, he never wants to trade sandwiches with me.

3.  I can't practice my math facts unless I am wearing some kind of fire retardant super hero cape.

Sweetie Pea-8 years (Just completed 3rd grade)

2.  I don't need to have a crush on Justin Bieber simply because 20 other girls my age do.  In fact, I don't even know who he is!

1.  I am at the top of my class....because I am the only one in it!

Well that's our list.  Join us again next Tuesday when I share our Top 10 favorite Read Alouds.  In the meantime, what's on your Top 10 Reasons list.  Be sure to link it up with Angie at Many Little Blessings. 

Why Do We Homeschool?, Part 4

We homeschool because we believe it provides the most accurate picture of true socialization...that's right...SOCIALIZATION!

If you have homeschooled for any length of time, or are even in the process of CONSIDERING homeschooling, chances are, you have been interrogated with questions surrounding the socialization (or lack thereof) of your children.

Homeschooling critics love to point out the fact that my children are not privy to daily interaction with their peers...meaning thirty other kids their exact same age. But, why is that considered a BAD thing? In my opinion, this never-ending socialization inquiry is best answered with a few logical questions.

First...when else in life do you ever have a room full of people the exact same age? How many adult professional or social circles are divided up this way? If it were such a positive or necessary segregation, why wouldn't those same principles of separation be carried over into adulthood?

On the contrary, the majority of a person's life is spent in the company of people of all ages. Why? Because a true SOCIAL ORDER requires a sampling of numerous life stages. A healthy social experience has a wide spectrum of ages represented so that the older can teach the younger, the younger can learn respect, and they both can glean from the strengths and weaknesses of the generations before and behind them.

I'm so grateful that my children do not have to be hindered by any age prejudice when choosing relationships. They have learned to value friendships with adults and kids older and younger than them and never feel the need to ostracize anyone due to a chronological number.

Second...why would I rely on the moral/social code of a seven-year-old to be the moral/social compass for MY seven-year-old? Is it essential to have thirty seven-year-olds crammed together in a room to magically impart a level of social etiquette to one another? How many REAL LIFE social boundaries are established due to the examples set by children who have not yet mastered social boundaries themselves?

As homeschoolers, my children are in constant contact with people of all ages and are able to see wonderful examples of how one IS or IS NOT to act in social settings. And isn't that what socialization is all about? Since when did socialization constitute having a lot of friends that are the exact same age? Isn't the very definition of SOCIALIZATION the ability to interact/function in numerous social settings? In my opinion, the only social awareness that is established in the example of a traditional classroom setting is the ability of one seven-year-old to interact with another seven-year-old.

So perhaps, by the traditional school view, my children are quite unsocialized. But I'll whole-heartedly embrace that label knowing that TRUE socialization means actually interacting with the WHOLE of society...not just a handful of people born the same year.

For the rest of the story...

Why We Choose to Homeschool

1. We homeschool because we were CALLED to homeschooling by God. 
2. We homeschool because we see it clearly AFFIRMED in Scripture. 
3. We homeschool because we believe it affords the very best possible and most-well rounded educational experience.
4. We Homeschool because we believe it provides the most accurate picture of true socialization...that's right...SOCIALIZATION!

*Obviously, "What about socialization?" is not the ONLY question that pops up from the curious or the critical.  For more answers, be sure to check out my Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions.

Why Do We Homeschool?, Part 3

We Homeschool because we believe it affords the very best possible and most well-rounded educational experience.

In truth, this answer can be broken down into two parts.

First and foremost, homeschooling provides me the opportunity to develop a LIFETIME love of learning within each of my children. As a homeschooling mom, I have such an AWESOME privilege of creating a lesson out of LIFE...not just a textbook and workbook page. My husband and I can incorporate so many more hands-on projects and real-life applications than in any traditional school environment simply because we are not limited by a district-directed time frame or lesson schedule.

Because I am not bound to teach to the "average" so that thirty or more students can keep up, I can skip over those areas that my children have already mastered and have time to focus on that which they have not. Or if I so chose, I can spend additional time on those mastered areas to better cultivate them. My children can spend their time on "learning"...not reviewing content for the fourth or fifth time simply because the person sitting next to them needs the extra review. And on the flip side, they don't need to be pushed onto the next lesson when they have not completely grasped the last one.

If my son becomes fascinated with the details surrounding the Boston Tea Party during our study of the Colonial Era, I can choose to camp there for an extended period of time. I do not have to move on to the next "paragraph" simply because it comes next on the page. I can seize an opportunity to explore a particular area to its fullest in order to establish a thorough knowledge of the subject.

Obviously, this does not mean that I have the license to skip times tables simply because little Sweetie Pea does not necessarily have an inborn passion for them. But, it does mean that I can prioritize my focus throughout the coming years to help bring some of those "inborns" to the forefront while helping to create an enthusiasm for those subjects and tasks that require perseverance...like times tables.

This brings me to the second part of my two-fold answer...

God has uniquely created each one of my children...has given them certain innate strengths and weaknesses that He can, if He sees fit, use for their good and His glory. It is our goal that by the time our children leave our home, they will be fully equipped and prepared to answer ANY calling that God places in their lives. That is not to say that they will know EVERYTHING there is to know about EVERYTHING. But rather, they will have a well-rounded, working knowledge of many things and a desire to learn the things that they do not yet know.

I know many homeschool parents who determine to see their child(ren) become doctors, lawyers, or politicians someday. And while those are all very noble callings, we do not choose to limit our children and their future vocations to what the world views as "success." Although it would bring me much joy to see my daughter become a doctor, it would bring just as much joy to see her choose to be a stay-at-home mom or a secretary or a sales clerk at a local department store...as long as she was obeying the CALLING that God placed in her life.

This is where homeschooling comes into play. One of the many benefits of homeschooling my children is that I can see firsthand the natural talents and abilities that God has given to them, their natural likes and dislikes, or their curiosities for one particular avenue over the next and tailor their education to fertilize those passions and strengths.

I am so grateful that during their latter years of homeschooling, my in-laws recognized the natural desire within the Hubs to work with his hands. Wisely, they chose to cultivate this innate skill and sought out a blue-collar apprenticeship program for him. Since, as homeschoolers they could adjust his school day to fit the needs of this new venture, he could work a full-time day while still completing his school responsibilities in the evening. For the final few years of his schooling journey, the Hubs was able to learn a very useful trade that although never became his life vocation, has helped to provide a supplemental income during difficult financial times.

I have a friend who homeschools her children, most of which are in their teens. She, too, has determined to use homeschooling as an opportunity to develop the natural calling in her children's lives. One of her daughters has shown a long-standing interest in missions. A flexible homeschooling schedule has allowed her to send her daughter on numerous extended foreign mission trips to get some practical training in the field. Her son, on the other hand, shows an aptitude for mechanics and has been able to use this learning time as an opportunity to minister to others as he gains hands-on experience by servicing the vehicles of church members and neighborhood friends.

I hope that as my children near those same adolescent years, I, too, will be able to see some of their natural bents and provide them with numerous opportunities to develop them.

For the rest of the story...

Why We Choose to Homeschool

1. We homeschool because we were CALLED to homeschooling by God. 
2. We homeschool because we see it clearly AFFIRMED in Scripture. 
3. We homeschool because we believe it affords the very best possible and most-well rounded educational experience.
4. We Homeschool because we believe it provides the most accurate picture of true socialization...that's right...SOCIALIZATION!

Why Do We Homeschool?, Part 2

Thank you for joining me for Part 2 in my Why We Choose to Homeschool series.

If you missed last week, skip on over to Part 1.

We Homeschool because we see it clearly AFFIRMED in Scripture.

As I mentioned last Monday, EVERY decision we make as believers must be sifted through a grid of Scripture. After much searching, my husband and I found numerous accounts in Scripture that support and encourage parents to home-educate, or to at least delegate our educational authority to someone who adheres to a Biblical worldview. We found absolutely NO references to support the alternative. On the contrary, we came across numerous verses that caution against it.

I recognize that God can use a verse to speak a certain TRUTH to one person and use that exact same verse to speak an entirely different TRUTH to the next. That is one of the most amazing wonders of the Christian walk...convictions are as varied as those they convict. So, I am including a list of the verses that have been the most admonishing to US and a brief description of how God used those particular verses to AFFIRM the calling we felt in our hearts.

Proverbs 22:6  

Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

As is the case with every decision we make as Christians, I believe that the Hubs and I will stand before God one day and answer to him for how we "trained up" our children. Although I do believe this is one area where we, as parents, will at times have the license to delegate to someone else. (Just as the hubs, as the head of the home, will answer someday for how we used our finances even though he has delegated the day-to-day authority of that to me.)

I do not believe I would feel at all comfortable standing before an ALMIGHTY God and saying that I opted to delegate the authority of six of my child's twelve waking hours to someone who did not share my same faith, who at times made a mockery of Him, who supported and even encouraged practices that were in complete opposition of His word. How could/would He ever condone that kind of "training?" especially in light of Christ's words in Luke 17:1-2 where He said, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one to whom they come! It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin."

Deuteronomy 11:18-19  

You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.  

Again, God has laid out in Scripture the command that PARENTS are to use every opportunity to pour TRUTH into their children. How are we to do that when we are not with them for at least half...if not more...of their day? I appreciate SO MUCH the opportunity I have as a homeschooling mom to be able to mingle Scriptural examples into everyday conversations and happenings. "Bible time" doesn't necessarily have to be just before bed every night. It can and should, according to this verse, be during REAL LIFE...seeped into every life experience, into every memory.

As a former teacher, I knew ALL TOO WELL how much influence I had on my students. Most of the time, they interpreted what I said as gospel, even over the thoughts of their parents. I will admit that there are many Believing teachers in the school system. But in truth, these same devoted Christians are bound by the curriculum and viewpoints that are dictated to them by the "powers that be." Rest assured, the "truth" that they are teaching their students as they "walk by the way" with them, is NOT the TRUTH according to God. The "powers that be" have determined that it CAN NOT be.

Philippians 4:8  

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Many Christian parents are watchful to make sure that the movies, television shows, books, magazines, and music that their children experience adhere to this Scriptural admonition, and yet some of those same faithful parents send their children to a school that interprets truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, commendation, and excellence in a completely different way than how they, and most importantly, SCRIPTURE does. TRUTH is only true if it holds up against the standard of God's Word.

So as a parent, I could very well be ever-vigilant in guarding against untruth in the books, movies, and music I allow in my home. But, what kind of mixed message does it send if I say "no" to a particular Disney movie on Saturday, but then send my little one off on Monday to read a book about evolution or homosexuality or "safe" sex?

Mark 12:17  

Jesus said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.  And they marveled at him. 

Now I realize that most of us are used to viewing that verse from a financial context, but in reality, Jesus was encompassing all areas of life. We are to give to God THAT WHICH IS RIGHTFULLY HIS.
If my tithe belongs to God, and my time belongs to God, and my talents belong to God, how much more do my CHILDREN...the only thing I possess that has any ETERNAL significance...belong to God? By sending my children to a school that is run by "Caesar" and is infiltrated with a Caesar worldview and not a Biblical worldview, am I not "rendering" them to the wrong person?

Nearly the Entire book of Proverbs

Wisdom...or rather the SOURCE of wisdom...is mentioned all throughout the book of Proverbs. In EVERY reference, wisdom is shown to come from God. So, if you take God out of the equation, it is safe to assume that there is NO WISDOM. Yes, KNOWLEDGE can be gained. But there is quite a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge plus discernment. It will do my children absolutely no eternal good to KNOW the History of Civilization if they do not also see how God has orchestrated it all for our good and His glory...if they memorize the scientific Table of Elements but do not recognize how and why those elements were CREATED by the Creator.

Proverbs also places much emphasis on the dangers of surrounding yourself with harmful, UNGODLY influences. If half of their childhood day is spent surrounded by "the fool,""the ungodly," the "way of the wicked"...they WILL without a shadow of a doubt, according to Proverbs 12:26, be "led astray." (Matthew 16:26 For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world [and all the knowledge in it] and forfeits his own soul?)

The Examples given in the Life of Christ

Although He was, in fact, God come to earth, Jesus needed to increase in WISDOM, and STATURE, and FAVOR with GOD and MAN before His "time had come" for public ministry. Too often I hear the phrase "be ye in the world, but not of it" quoted as a charge to send my children to the public school in order that they may be SALT and LIGHT to the unbelieving. The truth is, that phrase is NOT EVEN SCRIPTURE. Nowhere in the Bible will you EVER find those words. It is not a VERSE, it is a man-made proverb that comes from loosely combining the thoughts of several different selections of Scripture. Jesus gave a charge to His disciples to "go into all the world and preach the Good News", and I believe that was a command to ALL OF US. But, it was a command, in fact, given to adults. Adults who, themselves, knew the GOOD NEWS well enough to preach it.

It is clearly seen in Scripture that even Jesus had to "increase" before He was ready to "be about [His] Father's business." How much more do my earthly children with VERY earthly parents training them need to "increase" before they are thrown out into the world and expected to "GO."

I think, on the contrary, Jesus set a straightforward precedence when He began His earthly ministry as an ADULT and when He spent three years training and teaching the disciples before He charged them to "GO." If Christ, the perfect teacher and model, knew the advantages of daily walking with His twelve "students"...to model, encourage, equip, and train them before He allowed them to venture into ministry on their own...how much more do I, a selfish sinner and fallible failure, need to daily walk with my "students" until they are fully equipped to "be about [the] Father's business?"

Again, let me reiterate that I am in NO WAY saying that my interpretation of these Scriptures is THE ONLY way to interpret them. They are merely the tools that God used to support the calling He had already placed in OUR hearts to home-educate.

Why We Choose to Homeschool

1. We homeschool because we were CALLED to homeschooling by God. 
2. We homeschool because we see it clearly AFFIRMED in Scripture. 
3. We homeschool because we believe it affords the very best possible and most-well rounded educational experience.
4. We Homeschool because we believe it provides the most accurate picture of true socialization...that's right...SOCIALIZATION!

Has God used any particular Scripture verse to confirm your calling?  I'd love to hear it.

Why Do We Homeschool?, Part 1

Before we get too far into this homeschooling journey together, I thought it would worthwhile to write a brief declaration in answer to the question I hear most often, "Why do you homeschool?" Because, in truth, the "whys" of a matter generally determine the "hows". With a full understanding of our logic...or more accurately, our passion for homeschooling...you'll begin to see why we choose some curriculums over others, invest our time on certain projects while opting out of the rest, point our educational goals in one direction vs. another. Hopefully, in the coming weeks as you follow us along our path, you will begin to recognize the "whys" as they seep through the "hows" of our daily happenings.   

We Homeschool because we were CALLED to homeschooling by God.


Like all our monumental parenting decisions, our resolve to homeschool came after much prayerful deliberation. We felt that as believers, we had to sincerely consider all three of our educational options (public school, private Christian school, and homeschooling) and sift them through a grid of Scripture. We, certainly, did not want to make a twelve-year commitment to something without first praying about it and then waiting for that Still Small Voice of confirmation to propel us in one particular direction or another.

As I mention in the "About" page, my husband did not instantly jump on board. It took some time for him to see God's direction in all of this. But, after surrendering his will to God's plan...WHATEVER that would be...the Hubs, eventually did see God clearly leading us to educate our children from home.

That being said, I am in NO WAY determining that Homeschooling is the ONLY choice for Christian parents. What I AM saying is that if our family is to be in complete submission to God, it is the ONLY choice for US...at least until He points us in a new direction.

Just as I firmly believe that Christians are not all called to be pastors or foreign missionaries, I also believe that Christians are not all called to homeschooling, but I think we ALL would be remiss if we did not at least be available and willing to do so if that is part of the story that God has for our lives.

And so, with clear affirmation and peace about God's direction, we stepped out into our "Jordan River" fully expecting God to part the waters for us...and He has!

For the rest of the story...

Why We Choose to Homeschool

1. We homeschool because we were CALLED to homeschooling by God. 
2. We homeschool because we see it clearly AFFIRMED in Scripture. 
3. We homeschool because we believe it affords the very best possible and most-well rounded educational experience.
4. We Homeschool because we believe it provides the most accurate picture of true socialization...that's right...SOCIALIZATION!

Why do you homeschool?  I'd love to hear from you.