Why Homeschool?

This is a great post!
Here's the link:

http://www.thefarmerswifetellsall.com/2013/11/06/5-reasons-we-dont-homeschool/

The title of the post is misleading. . .her wording makes it sound like she doesn't homeschool and here are the reasons why. What she means is: These Are NOT the 5 Reasons We Homeschool. Maybe there is a less verbose and more succinct way to phrase it. I don't know. The content of the post, however, echoed several sentiments of my own.

I resisted the decision to homeschool. Josh was open to public school, private school, and homeschool and said so from the beginning. He knew the decision to homeschool was very particular to me though since I'd be the one home and therefore homeschooling. So we talked about the options.

You should know this: Josh is not a verbal processor. When Josh and Lee got married, a non-verbal processor married a VERY verbal processor. So while Josh did have opinions on all three options, he had pretty much worked through them all in 5 minutes of quick thinking. But Lee took several months of processing through each option.

I initially blamed my resistance to homeschooling on my musician, artsy fartsy nature that doesn't like too much structure, too much administrative work, and too much management.  Homeschooling is, to me, a thing that can be unstructured and flexible and therefore great, right? But for a person like me, I need more structure imposed upon me or else when you place my artsy fartsy self in an environment that I am entirely in charge of structuring, it will go FLOP.

I also assumed a homeschooling relationship with my children would rob me of other aspects of my relationship with my children. I feared always being in "teacher" mode. As it turns out, I'm a mom and also a piano teacher. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a school teacher as well.

So what's the verdict on homeschooling so far? I love it. C loves it (after a bumpy start partly because of severe morning sickness and partly because my kid was like, "hey what's all this SCHOOL work. Gross." He now gets excited about it). I imagine by middle school things might go in a different direction and he may attend school elsewhere. But for now this is the path we are on and I am far more excited about it than I anticipated. The materials I ordered have basically done the lesson planning for me and this has helped smooth out some of the rougher edges of my personality. It also helps that for now, it's just Kindergarten. It's not calculus.

I realize more and more why I resisted the idea of homeschooling. There are stereotypes and let's be honest: some of them are true. My decision to homeschool was not based on the idea that I think it's the most godly choice. Oh, just what I need: One more rule to follow that helps me gain favor with God. I also didn't want people to assume that because I home schooled, I was also opposed to wearing pants and listening to secular music.

My decision to homeschool was not based on the idea that my kids will somehow come out unscathed if I keep them under my roof. This is so not true! I have seen it more than once happen the opposite way, in fact. Do not lie to yourselves: Often times the MORE you shelter, the MORE you damage, depending on WHY you shelter and HOW you shelter. Don't hear me wrong: Parents must shelter and I'm pretty sure most parents do shelter (unless you never bought a car seat, leave your toddlers home alone, and let them eat cotton candy three meals a day). All I am saying is that kids came into this world as sinners and that's not going to somehow become sugar-coated from a homeschooling environment. There's so much more to unpack there, but it'll change the subject entirely.

Moving on.

Most importantly, my decision to homeschool wasn't based on a belief that the system will win out for our family and therefore let us off the hook for other stuff. The homeschooling system is a great one, but it can break down like any other. The system will never be a relationship. In fact, a homeschooling family can be around each other all the time and never really know each other. We can rely too much on a system and forget to ask ourselves just how healthy are our relationships to our children? Basically, I didn't want to let the decision to homeschool make me blind to some other things.

Homeschooling is a real investment and a timely one! It's an opportunity to create an atmosphere in the home that fosters long-term fruit and connectedness. But it's not necessarily going to produce that fruit. In fact, homeschooling may have the opposite effect and that was my fear entirely. I was afraid I would get into a more formulated, less organic mode of relating to my kids. Go to church? check. Homeschool? check. Family devotions? check. Positive peer group? check. Christian environment? check.

I know all kinds of people from private school backgrounds, homeschooling backgrounds, public school backgrounds.  So I've taken note of a lot of the families in my life and I don't see that any one system of education has produced a certain outcome. What I do see most is that it's a relationship that is the crux of the matter. I have a friend whose dad is a pastor and sent her to public school.  There are stereotypes about pastor's kids. There are stereotypes about public school kids. She doesn't fit them at all. I love that.  In fact, Josh and I look up to that family a lot.

I tend to over-think sometimes and go astray as a result (when thoughts aren't taken captive and made obedient). But sometimes analyzing keeps me on my toes, forces me out of complacency, and helps shove my theology up against my real, everyday life.

If there is one thing I grew hardened by it was watching theology just barely touch the real, everyday life of Christians. To this day, I bristle when I see it and I have to be kept accountable about it for myself.  I went to private school and grew up in church and there were things I realized that could happen. It's that whole "fan of Jesus, but not a follower" concept. I can remember the first time I began to grasp this after my mom had asked me to put up the dishes one day. It was at a time in my teens when I had taken a particular turn spiritually. God had brought me to a different place. On that day, I thought to myself, "What does it matter how many quiet times I have if I can't do these dishes for her willingly and quickly? Who cares how much scripture I've memorized if it doesn't make its way into the dishes!"

This homeschooling thing is an example of something that I don't want to get too categorical about. We homeschool, yes. We're at the beginning of it all and for now, we intend to continue on this path. But we still know the bottom line is this: you reap what you sow. And that's what I ask myself a lot. What am I sowing? Did I build my house today or did I tear it down? Often those are really the only choices. Your kids are like little Holy Spirits and will help you know which one you're doing.

So help me, Lord.