The Homeschool Doesn’t Have to Look Like School

When I first began homeschooling my daughter, I was completing my teaching internship for my Deaf Education degree.

I found a little school desk. A friend helped me access some used textbooks. I purchased a whiteboard. SMH.

My poor daughter.  She suffered through my bungling of making homeschooling like school at home.

Thankfully, God wasn’t finished with me yet. Over the years, I had to toss away almost everything I learned about ‘teaching’ in my education training.

I’m so thankful for the wonderful, experienced homeschoolers who willingly spoke truth into my life, showing me a better way.

By November, I had pulled my two boys out of school. I was going to do this thing right, even if it killed me. LOL.

After some stumbling around, I did learn that homeschooling was a way of life, not ‘school at home.’

It was not easy. I had to unlearn a lot of things. I had to change my mindset about what real education looked like.

I read dozens of books that first year. (This was before the internet.)

I messed up a lot.

But I kept trying.

I started asking my kids what they wanted to study. (One of the best things I ever did.)

I started including life skills. (Learning to cook, animal husbandry, gardening.)

As I  met other homeschoolers, I realized that many do consider homeschooling ‘school at home.’ Their kids still learned, but I never saw the joy. I never saw the interest. I didn’t see them want to ‘do school.’

They read their books and filled in the blanks. They passed the tests. And promptly forgot most of the information.

Over the years, I learned a great deal more about how the brain learns and retains information. I learned how God planned education.

Just like everything else, God has a true plan for education, and satan has a counterfeit one. Sadly, the world follows the counterfeit more than God’s plan.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

It’s not supposed to be ‘school at home.’ Homeschooling is a lifestyle. A special mindset that allows parents to guide their child into fulfilling their God-given purpose in life.

That’s the job of the parent.

To educate the child to fulfill their God-given purpose, while helping them develop a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

If we fail in that, it’s all been a wash.

As we start this new school year, I hope that every parent will take some time to examine the methods used and compare them to God’s desired plan.

 

Something to think about.