One of the best things my parents did for us younger siblings was to home school.
I was going into the 8th grade and at the time I didn’t understand the spiritual reasons for doing it. I just knew the 2 things my mom kept drilling us with as she pulled us out of public school.
We are not to conform to this world
My Mom- Mae Smith
And the Scripture Deuteronomy 6:7 that tells parents that we are to diligently instruct our children as we rise, when walking by the way and when we lay our heads.
It was that decision years ago that opened my eyes to a whole new worldview.
I discovered things about myself that I never knew, like science can actually be fun and when I thought I didn’t like to study, I found I LOVE to study!!
It was such a great experience, and I am forever grateful for them choosing to homeschool us. I enjoyed it so much that it was a no brainer that I would homeschool my children!
You can imagine my excitement when my husband and I were dating and this topic came up. I mentioned I wanted to home school and he immediately was on board.
So as summer vacation comes to an end and I see Christian parents sending their children off to school, I have one question to ask you. Did you know that homeschooling your child(ren) can lead to greater chances of the blessed benefit of winning the heart of your child(ren)?
I have written this piece on our top 5 reasons we homeschool, what we have learned in the process and how by doing it is helping my husband and I to win our children’s hearts. I write this to inspire you to think of why you should consider homeschooling. Why take the chance of placing the trust of your precious child(ren) to a place that does NOT support what you are to consider your core values and possibly lose your children in the process.
1. By Taking Back Our Responsibility As Parents
Children are a blessing. They are our reward, with that came responsibility. That responsibility is to love, nurture, protect, provide, train and discipline, but it also included teaching and discipling them. Prepping them for the calling God has for them.
There should be a vision to raise up and prepare our children to become Godly men and women who are deeply rooted in the Word of God.
I am not implying that parents who send their children to public or any school outside the home isn’t planning and praying that as their goal, but what I am saying is, we as Christian parents should not continue to place our responsibility to others that is our own if we can help it.
You shall teach diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Deuteronomy 6:7
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
It is not the responsibility of the church, youth pastor, Sunday school teacher or government education, private school or christian private school, but OURS!
I’m not saying that our children can’t or won’t have other teachers or influences in their lives, but we should be the PRIMARY ones. And at the beginning of their lives the ONLY ones.
When we send our children off to school for 8 hours and sometimes longer when you include extra curriculum activities and homework, you have to be honest, it is a challenge (not 100% impossible, but more challenging) to compete for their minds and hearts when someone else has their attention most of the day.
When we take our responsibility as parents, my/our job as help meets to our husbands is to help instruct and disciple our children to follow a path towards Christ.
We are to first teach them to love the Lord our God with all their heart, mind, soul and all their strength. Doing this leads us to our children’s heart.
2. By Protecting Them
John 17:15 “I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from evil.”
When I say we are to protect our children from this world, I find people reject this truth by saying that,
“We can’t shield our children from everything.” Or..
“They will eventually come across the very things we are trying to protect them from.”
“We can’t just isolate them.”
We have to learn to stick to the Word of God and not what we feel or think is right or even justified.
The Bible clearly tells us to “Keep them from evil”
Keeping them from evil isn’t taking them out of the world. This isn’t about overprotecting and putting our children in a unrealistic bubble, but we are to shield them from evil.
Why should I expose my children to evil that they are not ready to comprehend or deal with.
That would be the equivalent to throwing a solider out to war without prepping them. How do they survive? Do we say, well we can’t protect them from it? They will eventually be exposed to it.
Do we get hired for a job and not receive on the job training before starting the position? There is always a season of training.
Raising and protecting our children is the same way. Their childhood is their training ground to be prepared to go out into this world and be the shining light that this dark world needs.
We need to desperately understand there is a spiritual war going on out here. The enemy wants not only your soul, but your children’s as well.
There is no need to wonder why our children start to act a certain way all of a sudden when they are constantly being exposed to ungodly things 8+ hours a day.
Public schools have many agendas that go against the Word of God, there is no need to go over them here, but we know what they are yet, we send them, our children out there thinking an end of the summer prayer at church to protect them will work and ask God to allow them to be a light in such a dark place. Are we serious?!
In my city, a high school can have under or over 3,000 students. These students coming from multiple backgrounds and spiritual up brings or none at all. Think of all the problems and issues, generational curses and temptations that you and your family alone face. Now times 3,000. Not including teachers who can be just as insane and other staff that your child runs into daily.
How much light do you believe your child really has at the school age of life to deal with that when again, they are spending 8+hours a day there and only a few hours on Sunday in a possible watered down youth group or Sunday School class? I’m not against either by the way(youth groups and Sunday schools can be great supplements). I just know the war we fight, those few hours on Sunday ain’t gonna cut it to deal with the influences of other children and the demonic agendas of schools.
I am not saying that homeschooling is an automatic protection either. There are some who homeschool and still not take full responsibility for their children. They have adopted the public/private school mentality and simply do school at home. There are some parents who have not captured the heart of their children. What I am speaking of is true responsibility of our children. Taking the time to really get to the heart of the child.
Going back to John 17:15, we are to shield them from the evils of this world. We are to expose those evils and teach them what the Word of God has to say. They have to learn we are in this world, but not of it. When you have time read John 17:15-19 I truly believe it should be applied in our parenting.
3. Allowing Children to Be Themselves
Able to learn who they are and called to be. Honing in on their skills and talents.
I look at my boys daily and I see their uniqueness and special qualities. I see 2 young boys who would not be able to tolerate the school set up of having to sit still all day with scheduled structured time to play.
Jeremiah could, but not in the way the school system wants.
Jeremiah loves to sit and mediate. He loves to study by looking and watching what we do around the house. He loves peace and have worship music playing, any soft music playing for that matter.
He flows at his own pace catching on as he sees fit.
Nehemiah on the other hand is always on the go. He’s not about to sit still all day and learn from books and a chalk board. He takes matters into his own hands. He doesn’t need to wait for instruction. He is very much of a self-directed learner. He loves to build and experiment.
Both boys take their time to learn what they are interested in. They don’t rush the process.
Example: they had me read the Bible story Joseph every single night for months. In that time they learned all the details and it just became an overall favorite story for them.
They are able to process things at their own time. Schools go by a curriculum that needs to be completed by the end of the year. My boys would feel rushed.
4. Unschooling or Deschooling:
This is actually a continuation of reason #3.
When we set out to homeschool, I wasn’t intending to unschool. It just happened.
We were learning letters and letter sounds by watching different videos. Because I was pregnant at the time, I would miss some days, but the boys learned how to get those videos on by themselves and would watch. Next thing I knew, when reviewing with them to see what to work on, both boys had learned all the letters, sounds and knew how to write without me doing anything.
When I would try to set up a scheduled time, I saw that they didn’t flow the same. It was forced and I was in their way.
It was then that I realized unschool was best and right especially in this season.
This is why I love homeschooling, especially unschooling. You’re free to be. Free to learn how you see fit. The pressure was off me and them.
I was free from making a schedule of what I think they should know and they were free to just be- play and learn.
It also freed Kerwin and I to concentrate on more important matters to deal with them about like the issues of the heart.
5) Socialization and Work Together
Wasn’t expecting this one haha!
The main question homeschoolers get is..
What about socialization?
Everyone who knows nothing about Homeschooling
“What about it? “
Here is my take:
School does not teach socialization. Don’t you remember hearing you’re not here to socialize, you’re here to learn?
How are you able to learn social skills when you can’t speak most of the day?
My elementary school went as far as not even allowing us to talk at lunch. Crazy!
Then what socializing is left is done among children that are in the same class room for the most part. Children who are the same age and learning the same stuff.
A lot of the time classes are divided by learning abilities. The smart children in one class, the in between students in one, the ones with extremely low test scores in one and the special needs are off in a far corner.
You’re not taught how to interact with people who are different from you. I believe that’s why there is such a high rate of bullying and intolerance. Children are only taught how to interact with those similar to them. Talk about unrealistic.
In a family that’s a different story. A home with a family have individuals who are completely different from each other.
I grew up with 5 siblings and we are completely different from one another.
I’m a type A personality while my sisters and mother are far from it.
I have a brother who is a jokester. A brother who is special needs. Some siblings are very emotionally sensitive. Some are very talkative and some quiet by nature. And you have to learn to get along and work together.
In my own house hold, Kerwin is more laid back, I’m more rush, rush and to do list.
Nehemiah is more outgoing and sociable than everyone, including Kerwin and I. Jeremiah is not a risk taker. Eli is a mixture of both boys. And we are constantly learning to work, love and accept one another as we are. Also learning to love and accept ourselves because there were times in our lives that Kerwin and I wasn’t fully accepted by those around us for being ”too different”.
In an intentional household you work on these issues, learning to love and appreciate the differences. A lot of times school separates and pull siblings apart as everyone drifts off to their own interests and friends leaving what was once close relationships with sisters and brothers, even parents behind.
I admire the boys. They are so different from each other, but they know how to work together. And take interest in what the other is up to.
It’s not something you automatically learn, but are taught living in a family and being intentional.
That’s why I believe socialization starts at home not school.
In conclusion
This is written in love, though may sound harsh at times, that’s not my intention. This isn’t a judgement call to working parents, single or any parent, but something to think on and truly examine our hearts. This is about capturing the heart of our children and doing whatever we can to do so.
It’s not impossible to keep the faith in school, but it is especially challenging when its not time for them to be out fighting the enemy in that way. You have to train your solider and that takes time. It takes securing them in love and in a nurturing environment, where they can be taught in love, by parents who have their best interests at heart.
We can’t expect them to handle the demonic pressures, we as adults can barely handle at a job.
We can’t win a war with immature soldiers. I am not saying that homeschool guarantees success to bring up holy children. Each person has to decide in their own heart to choose Christ, but I believe the Word when it says that if we train up a child in the way they should go, when he is older, he won’t depart.
Ask God to show you His way. Be open minded. His thoughts aren’t like ours. Don’t be afraid to step out. All your concerns He will help you through. He cares for you!
It’s not always easy, this is a journey, but just know no matter what society has taught us.. You are totally equipped to teach your child(ren)!!
It is my prayer that you can see that these 5 reasons can bring your family together to love and learn of one another while capturing the hearts of your children.
Why are you homeschooling or not homeschooling? No judgement zone. Let’s help one another. Your question or concern could be answered right in the comment section..
Blessings!
