It is that time of year again... It's time to go back to school...
During this time of the year we find ourselves answering lots of questions about where we go to school and when our school starts... these questions come from friends, who know we home school and are curious about how we do what we do, and the cashiers at Target who are simply making conversation as we checkout... The question hangs there for a few moments... And then... the answer comes, "Actually I am home schooled...." This is usually met with two responses...
One response goes something like this, "Oh, wow!" Then they look at me and say, "Wow!" "You have got your hands full!" The second response usually goes down like this, "Really?" "I have a sister-in-law that home schools. Good for you!"
So as everyone goes back to school, I find myself in conversation and processing again why we continue to home school and what keeps us educating all of our kids at home...
We have many, many reasons we started to home school and we continue to home school... But as I was visiting with a friend last night... I realized one reason I home school is because I love to teach my children!
I think as parents we have a natural, God-given desire to teach our children. It begins when we bring them home from the hospital. We teach them how to sleep through the night. We teach our children to walk and talk. We teach our kids to go to the potty. We teach our children how to ride a bike and then we teach them how to drive. We teach our children how to make bread and how to cook and how to take out the trash and mow the grass. Many of us also teach our children hobbies too... how to play golf, how to throw a football, how to play the piano... I believe all of us are teachers... and most parents desire to teach our children important truths... and life skills... hobbies... we desire to pass along our wisdom and knowledge and experiences... Most of us love seeing our children learn something new... we love seeing them excel in an area... it is a natural thing...
Like you, I have enjoyed teaching my children different things as they have moved through the different life stages... But, I also have the desire to go further in the education of my children. I want to teach my children how to do chores, but I also I desire to teach my children handwriting, how to read, literature, the arts, scientific truths, grammar, history, geography, music appreciation, foreign language, mathematics... I love it all!
When our country was young... home schooling was the way you were educated. Most of our founding fathers were educated at home. As more people came and settled our country, schools started in communities... and if your child was not needed on the farm or needed to help out the family in some other capacity... you were allowed to go to a community school...
However, at some point, in the history of education, the state decided to get involved in the education process. And then, through the course of time, our country began to look to the state to educate children in academic subjects... People started believing they couldn't educate their children in all the different areas of life as they had for many years... and they started to believe that only certified teachers were qualified to do this... and in general, parents took a giant step away from the education of their children...
As "back to school season" rolls around again, and children everywhere are sent to school to be educated, it makes me grateful I was introduced to the concept of home education. I am thankful our country allows the freedom to choose... I am mindful of places in this world where the state runs everything... I am thankful to live in a land where the government has not taken this choice away. I sort of of feel like I am walking in the footsteps of our founding fathers... But beyond all that, I am grateful.... Because, quite simply, I love it!
