Before we were even engaged my husband, Phil, and I knew that we wanted to homeschool our kids someday.  Phil was homeschooled, along with his 8 other siblings. I was not. Growing up, my cousins were homeschooled and the idea intrigued me. So when Phil first mentioned the idea to me, it didn’t take much prayer before we both knew that it was what God wanted for our family. At that time, I still didn’t truly grasp all the benefits and beauties of homeschooling (and probably still don’t fully), but in the last 5 years I have had the opportunity to be around many homeschool families, to experience what it looks like, and even work for a homeschool curriculum company.

As a former early childhood education major and teacher, the more I research, learn, and observe homeschooling the more excited I get about it. It is one of my major passions and I would love to say that everybody should homeschool 😉 Haha that is just how much I love it-but I understand that not everybody has the ability or desire to and you do NOT have to be a homeschool family to join in our journey. Homeschooling will come up because it is a huge part of our lifestyle, but most of the concepts and ideas I share can also be used (in modification) for families that do not homeschool.

That being said, I do want to share a bit of our reasons and heart behind why we plan to homeschool. Being a former teacher and loving working with kids, the idea of teaching my own children just seems to be a natural next step (but I definitely think you don’t need to have been a formal teacher to homeschool-all parents are already teachers to their children). From my own classroom experience, input from other teacher friends, and research that I have done, the traditional school system definitely has its flaws.  Obviously every school district, department, and teacher is different and just as I do my own research, I encourage you to do your own research, get to know your school district, go to board meetings, and get to know the teachers and curriculum that your school uses as much as possible (even if you homeschool- some of these are not a bad idea-to know and understand your community better).

One of the biggest things I have struggled with (and have seen other teachers struggle with) is the limited resources (again each school district will be different, with different limits). I’m specifically thinking of classroom size, differentiating for different learning styles, and incorporating a truly hands-on learning experience.  While I did well in a traditional school environment, not every child can thrive in that environment and I have watched so many kids struggle when the resources were limited. I have also seen children who have struggled in the classroom completely thrive and bloom when the “traditional educational walls” around them were removed.

Homeschooling opens the doors for a very personalized and differentiated education focused on individual children’s needs and learning styles.  I am also a huge proponent of hands-on learning and learning by doing; learning is not limited to a desk in a traditional school with a textbook. And I do believe that families who do not homeschool can create a love for learning outside of the classroom, but Phil and I both know that being able to incorporate cooking, gardening, art, grocery shopping, outdoor time and other activities into our learning day is the way we want create a lifestyle and love for learning in our children.

One of Phil’s fondest memories of his homeschooling experience was when his family traveled to the East Coast and went to Washington D.C. , Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg for 2 weeks as a culmination to their history and civics studies for the year. Phil’s mom still says she was so blown away with how much information they had retained and how engaged they were everywhere they went. I love watching learning come to life and the lessons that I remember the most from school are those that took place on field trips and having hands on involvement. Unfortunately, the vast majority of school districts have very limited funds and time for field trips and even hands-on experiences due to the stringent expectations placed on teachers.

A common question that I hear about homeschooling is: how will they socialize? Interestingly enough, the socialization aspect is one of the parts of homeschooling that has drawn me to it. Homeschooling has the potential to allow for a more deeply rich social experience than most people realize. I am so excited for all the opportunities it holds for us.  Library visits, playing at the playground, grocery store trips, and field trips are all everyday opportunities for social interaction.  Many homeschool families are involved in co-ops and churches that create plenty of interactive opportunities. Not to mention, there is a lot more space for travel, mission trips, volunteer work, and community involvement in the time flexibility created through homeschool.

I have seen how homeschool families have been able to incorporate these opportunities. For example, I know a family who spent a third of the year in Thailand at a safe home that their family helped to support.  I also know of children who have had opportunities to go to their state capitol and speak to representatives and get firsthand experience with the state and local government, as well as children who were able to be thoroughly involved at food distribution centers and multiple mission opportunities locally and overseas. Growing up, I did have the opportunity to have some of these experiences while in public school, but I love how homeschooling allows more flexibility and for these opportunities to be a part of the curriculum and everyday learning experiences.

Our society so easily overlooks the power of family and the socialization that comes with it. Reading books on Mama’s lap, pretending to be spies in the backyard with siblings and cousins, working outdoors with Dad, and cooking in the kitchen with Grandma…are all social interactions that build a strong foundation in our children’s development. One of the things Phil actually cherishes the most about being homeschooled is how much extra time that it allowed his family to have together. They had so many opportunities to learn and grow together throughout the years and even now they are very close-knit and love spending time together. This is a very big appeal to homeschooling for us. I will often share about God’s love for families and his desires for them and we both look forward to creating a family-centered educational experience for our children.

Our reasons for homeschooling flow into one another, from being able to give our children a personalized and differentiated experience that is hands-on and incorporates real-life learning opportunities, to creating rich real-life socialization opportunities and having more flexibility with our time and having a family-centered education. And our over-arching reason that encompasses them all is our focus on Biblical worldview. Christian parents desire to give their children a Biblical foundation to build off of and with homeschooling we get to completely choose the curriculum that we will be using! Phil and I plan to teach all subjects with a biblical foundation and introduce topics to our children as they become mature enough to handle them. Just as with the other things I shared, each school is different; but there is not always good accountability to what children are being taught and when they are introduced to certain topics. In the last 10 years, public school education (in general) has really been changing.

Ultimately our goal for our children’s education is to instill in them a desire for lifelong learning, to know how to critically think and question the narratives that they are being presented, and to create a foundation for a Biblical worldview in which to go out into the world and glorify God. For our family, homeschooling is a beautiful opportunity to give our children what they need to thrive and grow in their education. And as their Teacher-mama I have the freedom to differentiate and cater to their interests and needs, giving them the best educational experience for them. I look forward to continuing to share our journey as we take advantage of each little moment and hope that our experiences, resources, and tips can be encouragement to both homeschool and non-homeschool families alike.