Why I Homeschooled--The Real Story

I recently read a blog article discussing why we homeschool. She mentioned the usual reasons we list for family members, curious strangers and skeptical friends—one-on-one instruction, protection from bad influences, Christian discipleship. But then she went on to discuss the real reasons, the gut-level motivation. It got me thinking about what the true value of all of those years of planning and teaching and training.

Academically, my kids fared well enough. Lots of subjects could have been covered more thoroughly by someone with more training in those areas. What my family will take into the rest of life isn’t the facts they ingested anyway. Our time together every day for all of those years left the mark of a distinct way of looking at the world and how they fit into it, of a comfort in the uniqueness stamped on them by the Lord.

Our homeschool experience wasn’t so much a matter of what was learned, but how it was learned. We have memories of reading stories about missionaries while cuddled up under blankets on the couch. My children learned to spell with me clapping and cheering for each success. Science was an adventure as we sought to discover the wonders of creation. I’m not sure they remember much of the substance, but I know they were shaped by the experiences.

I think both of my children live in the world our years of homeschooling introduced them to—a world of awesome opportunities and meaningful truth. A place where God has prepared a special place for them and molded them to fit that place.

Would any of these benefits have been possible if we hadn’t homeschooled? Of course all things are possible with the Lord. But for our family, God ordained them through homeschooling. So as you ride the rollercoaster of teaching your children, remember that the most important reason you were called to do it may not have even occurred to you yet. And keep in mind that God’s plan is way bigger than what we will ever know.

Why do you homeschool?