Today we are blessed to have a guest post from Heather, who blogs at Dandelions Picked.
Not everyone will come to understand our decision to bring our children home for school.
This has been a difficult pill to swallow.
Misconceptions, “that one family that we once knew who said they were homeschooling but…” and I think too a little bit of fear or maybe even anger, inhibits that understanding. Honestly, if I weren’t knee deep in the middle of it, I probably wouldn’t get it either.
There isn’t A right way.
There is no one correct method for the education of my children. There is an infinite number of truly excellent ways. For with every family that homeschools, you’ll find a different philosophy, a unique goal, a specialized routine, a specific reason, and no two are ever exactly the same. Quite often, even when considering the same family, these will change year after year.
Many days I still want to quit.
Those days are not as numerous as they were during our first year, but still…Many. Days.This fact makes me crazy, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere any time soon. Many days I look at my students and think, “This cannot possibly be the best thing for them.” Many days I fear they will all grow up and remember this time with regret and disdain and pledge to not ever, ever do this to their own children.
There are the other days…LOTS of them.
The ones when no one ended up in tears, not even me. When challenges were met head on and the best part of someone’s day was school. (Notice I didn’t say “everyone’s day,” I do live securely in reality.) When a couple loads of laundry happened to get done. When one of my children learned something I know they may not have in a typical classroom setting. When there is much to smile about. When the God of peace says once again, “I’m still here, and I’m still in charge.” Blessedly, He says this a lot.
I need to not wish the time away.
I did this so much throughout our first year. I viewed my job teaching my children as an obligation rather than an opportunity. Now I sometimes find myself wanting to keep them longer. I do still miss the larger school environment, but I am beginning to appreciate more the relationships I am building with and for my children for the long haul, the years to come.
After two years, this is still the number one reason our family is a homeschooling family.
This is what I hold onto, tightly, with both hands and sometimes too with a rope tied around my body to secure me to it. On those rotten days and on those days when it’s easy to rejoice, this is it. In truth, this is THE relationship I want to help my children build, a relationship with the One who is with them every single moment, especially when I am not. He’s in it for the long haul. They must know that above all else.
This homeschool mom {and so many others like me} don’t have our acts together. We aren’t as patient with our kids as we need to be, we don’t have the organizational skills of Martha Stewart. In fact, most days my husband comes home and I tell him that I just can’t do this another day.
And most of all, we are in desperate need of His new mercies…every day, every morning…every single moment.
Love it!
Love this!! And it’s so so so true!
This is going to be my first year homeschooling, so this was great to read!
Totally agree with you. Nice post. Thanks.