Five years ago I began the journey to teach my children from home. At first, the thought seemed crazy. Then more & more God began to show me His will in our lives, in this area. I remember enrolling Kaleigh in Pre-K. I dreaded it! She was so innocent. I would reflect back to my own first day of public school. Yes, I can still remember it. God made that day a lasting memory for me. As I walked across the playground an older student trampled me as he tried to catch a football. I landed in the mud & ruined my new set of clothes. My mom checked me out from school. All I could do was cry in her arms. What an accurate picture of what happens when we send our little ones out in the world on their own. I had to swallow my own fears &; trust that God would keep my little girl safe, while I wasn’t there for her. I know He protected her from many things. Every morning as I dropped her off at school, I would say to her “Do your best” & she would finish my statement “And let God do the rest.” I would then head off to my job. I worked because we needed the money, so I thought. Her little mind absorbed so much in those 8 hours at school. Not all of what she learned was good for her. I began noticing that she was learning more from other children than she actually learned from her teacher. I knew that I couldn’t change the public school….. so, I joined them. Each Tuesday, I would volunteer or substitute whichever was needed. It was then that my eyes were opened. They were opened to the world of what really happens inside of a classroom. Teachers really aren’t able to teach. Most of their time is spent doing a parents job. Discipline takes at least 75% of the teacher’s time. As time passed, God began to reveal to me His plan for our children’s lives & my own. Then He began to nudge me in that direction. After some time, He began to shove me in that direction…lol. He lovingly showed me exactly what He wanted me to do. He simply wanted me to ‘teach’ them at home. I finally surrendered to what seemed to me to be a monumental task. He has guided me in every step. My life & theirs has been so much better as a result. What use to take them away from home for 8 hours a day is now done in 4 hours. I am not a scholar, genius, nor saint. However, He chose me & equipped me to be their first teacher to love them & have their best interest at heart. I love teaching them. I love the fact that everyday we learn something new together. I realize that not all parents can homeschool due to financial reasons, single parent, or time restrictions. Truly, not everyone can do this. I strongly feel you can’t, unless God tells you to do so. The only reason I am able to is due to the fact He called me to. Some parents are just closed-minded to the thought. Ultimately it is up to each parent to make that decision. A book that helped me understand more about homeschooling is titled, Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham, Jr. I strongly recommend it. It opened my eyes. This is where our journey began. I am looking forward to where it will lead.
kerbear92 