So you’re thinking about homeschooling? Welcome! I meagerly offer you the information that I have gleaned the last three years in the hopes that it will be profitable to you.
I sensed the Lord leading me to homeschooling after observing and interacting with the families of homeschooled students within our student ministry several years back. I had little to no exposure to homeschooling and didn’t think of it as an option for our family prior to those interactions.
After asking many questions, researching online, and attending our state homeschooling convention, Ron and I decided to give homeschooling a go. I have not regretted our decision once in the preschool and now kindergarten years of schooling. However, I have questioned my methods.
For example, at the beginning of this school year, I decided that I would teach math and reading without the aid of a curriculum. This may have worked, but by September I was feeling as if my child was behind, and her mother was in need of some structure. So, I spoke to a few veteran homeschooling moms and chose a math curriculum they suggested and the reading curriculum that I had loved at the homeschooling convention – A Beka math & The Logic of English. We are now enjoying the structure and freedom that the curriculums’ offer, and I feel better about the progress that my daughter is making in these areas.
Lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to change course when you feel you are off course.
I first heard of Classical Conversations through a local homeschool support group. After attending an informational presentation on the classical method of education, Ron and I decided to join a local community when our oldest was kindergarten age. This decision has been one of the best decisions we have made for our family concerning Christian education and teaching a biblical worldview. I love everything about the Classical Conversations curriculum developed by Leigh Bortins. The grammar introduced each week and the resources to help with memory mastery of each subject has made learning fun and given a natural flow to our days. As a bonus, I am redeeming my education! If anyone has obtained an education this year, it is definitely the homeschooling mom.
If you are interested in Classical Christian Education, please visit Leigh Bortin’s Classical Conversations website, here.
I am a proponent for Christian apologetics and feel the magnitude of making disciples of our children while teaching them to develop a biblical worldview. That being the case, I am so very thankful for the opportunity to use wonderfully paced, content-rich curriculum such as that developed for Classical Conversations.
Lesson Learned: God will guide your steps to the curriculum that is right for your family. Our family aligns with Christian Classical Education.
Often people will ask me how long we plan to homeschool. My answer is, “Until I feel God’s freedom and direction to choose another educational option.” If God has called you to homeschooling – and no, I don’t think that everyone is called to homeschool for all or any season of their child’s education – then He will give you the answers you need in the time that is right.
Lesson Learned: Homeschooling is a calling for a season; God will show you the duration of that season be it a year or K-12.
At the end of the day we are all home educators; life is a classroom for those willing to learn. If you are considering homeschooling, here are a few websites/posts that may offer more direction:
- Crosswalk.com
- SimpleHomeschool.net
- Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers: This post here.
- 10 Resources I Want to Read as a Homeschool Mom here.
God bless your journey,
