My hope and prayer is that there are many Christian parents out there who, finding themselves if not forced to dive into the deep end at least forced to dip their toes into homeschooling last Spring because of COVID, discovered many of the deep blessings of homeschooling and are looking forward to continuing this fall. My suspicion is that there are many Christian parents who this fall are reluctantly beginning to wade into the waters, but are doing so with great fear that hungry sharks are just below the surface.
My principle bit of counsel is simple enough- relax. What you are doing may seem strange to you, to your neighbors, your parents. It is, however, the pattern of education that most people in history experienced. Homeschooling, believe it or not, is normal, and the schools that you and I attended are the young mavericks in town, still wet behind the ears. Which means, of course, that you can do it. Back in the day when there were homeschool conferences and I was invited to speak at them I used to give instructions to parents to test if they were qualified to homeschool. “Wait until late at night, somewhere between 10:00 and midnight” I would say. “Quietly walk through your house and peek into every room. Take note of any children you observe. Assess whether these children are your own. If they are, you are qualified to homeschool.”
One friend confessed that his wife was nervous about homeschooling. She didn’t feel like her own education had sufficiently equipped her. My friend, being deeply pastoral, responded with this question, “What are the three main forms of rock?” She, puzzled as to the meaning of the question, likewise puzzled over the answer before guessing, “Volcanic, metatarsal and ignatius?” “And yet,” he responded to her failed attempt, “you claim to be a godly woman.” She got the lesson. The things we tend to worry about are not the things that matter most. Relax in knowing that if there’s something your children will need to know, and you don’t know it, you will need to learn it. If you don’t need to know it, chances are they don’t need to either.
Relaxing will also make the experience more enjoyable for you and your children. If you feel pressure, they will feel pressure. If you feel fear of failure, they will too. The truth is, your children want to please you. They hunger for words of encouragement, and will work to receive them. You likely have the same hunger, so let me encourage you. You are doing a good thing. Such doesn’t mean, of course, that there won’t be hardships and challenges. Remember though to compare apples to apples. Don’t compare your worst day of homeschooling with the best day of being in school. You are doing a good thing, one which you can openly and unashamedly ask God to bless.
And that you must do. Bathe your homeschool in prayer. Bathe your students in prayer. Bathe your day in prayer. Bring your children to the Word of God each day, knowing that you and your children are His children, and that He is homeschooling you all. If you’d like some more outstanding counsel I commend to you the wisdom of my beloved wife, which you can read on her Purpose Driven Wife blog – here.