A while back a co-moderator with me on the bibleprinciples elist asked me if I’d ever blogged my hs journey. I’ve discussed it in seminars and other places, but not in a blog – I don’t think. I’ve taught on all the varying philosophies/approaches and what we have gleaned from them, even in blogs, but not specifically blogged what our journey was. Perhaps because although I can tell you what happened, I’m not sure I can get all the sequence and dates in correctly. It’s been a long time ya’ know.
Anyhow, today’s the day – here’s our own journey (in a very condensed version) – today our journey to home educating, tomorrow our journey through home educating.
The first thoughts of home educating our children came when I was nursing our first child nearly 28 years ago. Someone asked how long I was going to nurse her, and I replied that if she hadn’t weaned by age 5 I’d have to homeschool her. I knew no one who hs-ed, nor anything about it, but had heard of a lady up in the sandhills that was doing it.
Just a few years later our state became famous nationwide for some court cases related to home and “unaccredited” private/Christian education. We weren’t saved at the time, nor did we understand much about government, and I remember dh and I talking about it saying, “Why won’t they just hire accredited teachers instead of all this big stink?”
Very shortly after that we were converted and our lives transformed. We had sent our oldest to school at 5, like everyone else does, without a thought of any other alternatives. She changed schools in the middle of first and second grades, and missed the beginning and end of third. Her younger sister did the same for K and first grade. By that second year, just after we were saved, we were looking into homeschooling.
I read and heard and experienced enough about the government schools to know there were problems there, but we we doing our best, getting them into rural schools with all Christian teachers, getting them into the number one school district in the state, pulling them out when “bad” stuff was going to be taught – that had been announced anyhow. I read the less-than-a-handfull of books on home education available at the time, and really felt that was where we were headed, that it was the Biblical thing to do – still not knowing one living soul who had ever done this.
The year our children missed both the beginning and end of the school year was due to moves. We couldn’t get into our new home until 2 weeks after the school year started, so the teachers just gave us their books and said, “This is what we have planned. They can do it at home.” The girls worked about 1/2 hour a day completing these lessons. When we got to school 2 weeks later the teachers apologized. They hadn’t got as far as they thought they would. Our girls were ahead. I knew at that moment, I could do this! And I learned “real” schools don’t keep on track. At the end of the year we moved again, one month before school got out – the dangers of renting from military people. The teachers said, “They are both doing great. We won’t get much more done anyhow, so here’s their report cards.” I knew then, “real” schools don’t finish books either.
I now knew we not only should do this, but could, and now would. We moved one more time just before the school year started, and we began home educating, K, 2, and 4 graders – still not knowing anyone who did it, anywhere. Knowing only what the few books had told us. By the hand of Providence, they were no longer throwing home educators in jail in our state. We had a new law, within those couple of short years just before we began.
We knew we wanted Christian books, and ordered the types of books we thought were right – there wasn’t much choice anyhow. Home educators pretty much bought from the same 3 biggies that sold textbooks/workbooks to the Christian schools. Not many places would sell to home educators at all. Since we didn’t have money to order a whole year’s worth of textbooks for now 3 children in every subject, we did what we could afford, workbooks, that we could order each month as we needed them.
I remember thinking, “This is great. My kids get up, generally whiz through their workbooks, I can still be in Bible Studies and whatever, while they work quietly in a corner or in another room.” We had ordered the first month of the next year’s workbooks (I think) when God stopped me in my tracks. I clearly heard Him say, “This isn’t what I called you to do.” And thus began the process of renewing my mind on education.
Part 2 – Our Journey THROUGH Home Education – tomorrow, Lord willing.
