**A note before we begin. This is the first of what will hopefully be many posts from people within the FaithPoint community. The hope is to share stories, experiences of God wrestling of faith and enter into conversation. If you have a story you would like to share please let us know. We hope to showcase the diversity of our community, and show that we don’t have to all see the world the same to be affirming to one another and we can still grow in our faith while working on smoothing out our rough edges. I know you will enjoy Sharon’s post, she is and awesome part of our community. ***
Hi, I am a wife and homeschooling mother to four children 8-years old and under. Yes, I have been birthing babies every two-years for the past eight years and I love it. When I was asked to share my journey, I really didn’t know what to write about. But, over the past 6-months or so, the one question I have received **a lot** from people is: “why do you homeschool your children?”.
It seems that people everywhere are reconsidering schooling options for their children for many different reasons. First, let me say that I do not claim to have all the answers to our educational system (or any answers at all, let’s be honest), or have any opinions about what is “the right way” to educate my children and I certainly have no opinion about how to education your children.
Homeschooling is a very personal decision, one that my husband and I do not take lightly. When our first-born was about two years old, we were already considering how and where he should attend school. I am a reader of all things non-fiction and as a new mom, that included books about how boys learn versus girls, but also how to train my child in the way he should go, teach him about the bible and prepare him for a life long journey with our savior, Jesus Christ. As most parents considering homeschooling, I had doubts about my ability to homeschool. But then, something strange happened. Homeschool families started popping up in my church, my neighborhood, and the playground. Homeschool books were sitting out on the library counters. Strangers were encouraging me to homeschool. Weird, my whole life, I never knew anyone who homeschooled, not even friends of friends or distant acquaintances. I truly believe God placed many of these people in my life to guide me here.
Well, now we are in our fourth year of homeschooling and as I reflect on the “why”, I do not have just one reason. It is because I love the one-room schoolhouse lifestyle. I love that my children spend the day together, learning and playing. I (mostly, wink-wink) like spending the entire day with my family and having the opportunity to have fun conversations (like hey, what kind of bug is this, or how is that built?) and tough conversations (why would someone hurt children while they are at school?) so that I can provide a biblical view of the world. I like being the person who my children go to day and night with their questions, concerns, hurts, dreams, etc. And I love learning alongside my children. I have an opportunity to teach, but also to learn all over again and it is wonderful.
I love that God has blessed me with the opportunity to provide the Christian foundation for my children that I never had. It may sound like my kids are perfect (we are all sinners), or life is perfect (we all have struggles), or that I never have a bad day, but God called me to this lifestyle and I try each day to live my life so that I am honoring and glorifying him. I fail (we are all sinners), but I repent, get back up and try again due to God’s never ending grace.
–Sharon