Chris and I have both been impressed with a strong conviction that the spiritual and academic upbringing of our children (not the State’s!) is our greatest responsibility unto the Lord, after that of our own devotion to each other, and to Yah Himself. The reality is that we are simply discipling them daily, and the weighty responsibility of this fact, that one day we will give an answer for how we’ve led these individual souls, entrusted to us for but a short time, brings me to my knees, and the Word of Elohim more and more often as the years go by and our understanding increases.
I am loving learning with my kids as we spend time together homeschooling… there’s (usually) absolutely nothing I’d rather be doing each day. I really do think that I get as much out of it as our kids do, if not more! I’m learning way more than I ever did in my own formal education, even in college, though probably mostly because I’m actually interested now, and have the wonderful luxury of time.
Our main goal in educating our kids would probably be to instill in them a love for learning, and to share a full life with them, made of rich memories built on a solid foundation from which they may one day fulfill their own destinies, life goals, missions and purpose.
Homeschooling has just seemed to us like the most natural progression in the world for our family, as a lifestyle of learning~ together. As our children have grown, so too have our educational endeavors! I remember when N was a baby, our meeting a family in our church who home schooled, and knowing immediately that that’s what we wanted for our family. I started researching and readying myself when he was about 3 years old, 11 years ago now! This is our eighth year officially homeschooling, and I do believe that I’m finally starting to get the hang of it! Haha. Chris and I like to joke that even once our kids graduate and leave the nest, we’ll continue homeschooling ourselves, since after all, life is learning… and learning is life!
Over the years, as we’ve had a few interstate moves and lots of other adventures- like babysitting more kids, our homeschool has seen many seasons of unschooling, but mostly “relaxed eclectic” would probably best describe our approach thusfar (or would it better be described as “structured unschooling”? hmmm, a conundrum), with Charlotte Mason aspirations.
These last couple of years we’ve added a lot more structure as we’re taking on attempting more of a Classical approach, as Nathan and Tabitha are getting older and I’m learning how to best implement CM’s methods in a meaningful way for us. Adjusting to life with a very busy, curious preschooler (who doesn’t nap on the average day) has been our latest challenge though, and she keeps it all very REAL around here!
I’m slowly reading through Miss Mason’s Homeschooling Series. The writings of John Taylor Gatto have challenged me, Ruth Beechick always encourages me and the teaching wisdom of Ray and Dorothy Moore has also inspired me greatly over the years. However, the first (online) homeschooling mentor I had and have gleaned so much from as I’ve read her books and wealth of articles posted online was and still is Robin Sampson, creator of the Heart of Wisdom curriculum and author of A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays, much of which is available at her Biblical Holidays Blog, along with so many other inspiring, faith-grounding articles and information. I will leave you with one of her insightful articles, a great reminder to keep all of our academic priorities in a biblical perspective as we continue to learn and grow with our kiddos: Biggest Mistake Made by Homeschoolers!
