I'll begin this post by saying...I never thought I would be a homeschooling mom! I know every family is not able to do it. When I was working on my education degree in college, my plan was to work in the public school system or possibly in a private school. God had a better plan! He led me to be a teacher to missionary kids in Khon Kaen, Thailand. That experience really changed the way I thought about education and how I wanted my future children to be educated.
In Thailand, we had a small house that we transformed into a school. When I started, we had three children that were in two age groups. They were so close in age, though, we were able to do a lot of things together. Then we had two more students join us for kindergarten, and a few years later, we had another kindergartener. We did so many fun things together. We studied God's Word, did art projects, musical performances, and with the help of the internet we even held a mock trial. I had the privilege of teaching these kids for almost 4 years. One of the things I saw was not only how much they learned, but also how they grew in their knowledge of the Lord, how God was integrated into their studies, and how they grew closer as siblings and friends.
When I knew I was having our first child, I started thinking about homeschooling. I began gathering materials, thinking, and praying if this was what God wanted for our family. I didn't know how God was going to work it out. I knew we wouldn't have a lot of money to work with and I also wanted to homeschool with at least one other family. As our daughter got a little older, I could see that we needed some structure in our daily routine. She was learning so much already and I wasn't eager to push her too hard, but I wanted to help her slowly continue to learn and grow. God provided! Last school year my daughter, her friend down the street and I started our first year of homeschooling! We kept it very casual because they are a little young, but still studied things every week. A few weeks ago we started learning to read a few words. The girls have done great! The excitement on their faces after they read a word is priceless! I have also seen them grow spiritually. They are not Christians yet, but we've had some very sweet times of prayer and discussion concerning God, Jesus, and God's Word. It's been neat to see God answer our prayers!
Is homeschooling something we'll do through all of my children's school years? I don't know. I'd like to...it's definitely my heart's desire. So far, God has provided everything we need at minimal cost. He's even provided care for my 2 year old while I do school with the girls. Praise the Lord! Yesterday I heard my daughter telling our two year old son, "Isaac, st-all. Stall. That's how you read it. St-all." I have no idea if that was the right word, but she was sounding it out just the way I taught her! I was so proud of her! She's not only learning, but she's trying to teach her brother. I could see how learning together in our home will bring us all closer together. More than the educational side of it...I love homeschooling because it nurtures spiritual growth and family bonding. What a blessing!
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