Home school Rocks!

By Michele Mann (mom of Mary Catherine, 8; Maggie, 7; Nate, 5; and Nolan, 2)

Three years ago if you would’ve asked me or my husband about homeschooling, we would’ve given a firm, “No thank you.” Yet here we are about to finish our first year of home school and our saying of the year is “Home school rocks!”. And, for us, home school has been better than I imagined. It’s been a year full of lessons about God’s perfect timing and amazing love.

Our journey to homeschooling was an unexpected adventure. Thanks to God literally surrounding us with loads of amazing homeschooling families (whom we affectionately refer to as the home school wagon train), God started to get our attention. And by the fall of our daughter’s second grade year, God’s direction to home school was unmistakable and his confirmation in the following months was undeniable. I am constantly humbled and amazed at how God changed our hearts and moved in the hearts of our children. God is good! And He is teaching me even more significant lessons now that I’m down in the trenches of teaching. The most vital lessons I’m learning this year are reminders to prioritize, to personalize, and to pray, pray, pray.

Prioritize. The best piece of advice I got as I was preparing to home school was to ask God for a key verse (or verses) that summarized why I wanted to teach my kids. The reason for these verses was twofold--to remind me this was God’s distinct call on our lives during the dark, frustrating days, and to keep me focused on what was most important when I was tempted to get my eyes off the prize.

God gave us a few verses at the beginning of the year. One of the verses, Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 is one God brought to life after a couple of months of homeschooling. My girls and I had just finished a geography lesson and we were talking about some missionary friends who served God in predominantly Muslim countries. We took a break to walk the long gravel driveway to our mailbox and as we walked, my oldest daughter, Mary Catherine, asked, “Mommy, what exactly do Muslims’ believe anyway?” That opened the door for a deeper discussion about Islam and what’s so special about being a follower of Jesus. As we made our way back to the house, I heard God’s gentle whisper remind me “impress these things on your children . . . as you walk along the road.” I could’ve soared all the way to our front door—I was astounded at the call God had put on our lives to teach these precious kids.

I have not forgotten that lesson, and it reminds me daily why I am homeschooling, and keeps me from getting bogged down in things that aren’t worthwhile. Staying focused on my priorities keeps me from getting sidetracked with details that don’t matter in light of eternity.

Personalize. As I was preparing for home school I researched all I could. I asked loads of questions, read books, went to seminars. I wanted to know about everything--curriculum and schedules and details of people’s days. Problem was I got completely overwhelmed by all that information. I soon realized I had to sift through all that advice and discover what worked for my family.

For example, one of my biggest challenges to homeschooling is having four young children including a wild and wooly toddler named Nolan. Anyone who has tried to home school with little ones can feel my pain. I had loads of people give me helpful ideas about how to keep him and my older son occupied while I taught, but, after loads of trial and error I had to discover what worked for our family, and what worked has evolved over the school year. We did the same with curriculum and scheduling and field trips. I asked God to give me insight on what would work best for my children, and I have been in awe of how perfectly God has designed the details to fit our needs.

Pray! Pray! Pray! God says clearly in the book of James that anyone who lacks wisdom should ask—and God will generously give us wisdom without finding fault (that’s my favorite part). I am learning the absolute key to every single day with homeschooling is prayer. I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other, much less teach, without clinging to God. I read a verse earlier this year that reminds me to be honest with God in everything, “ . . .pour out your heart to God . . . “ (Psalm 62:8). So many times I’ll pour out my heart to a friend before I’ll go to God. This verse reminds me to lay it all out to Him. He already knows my struggles and it helps me so much to let Him know what I’m feeling. And I’m learning how wide and deep His love is.

C.S. Lewis is one of my all-time favorite authors .He has a book called Surprised by Joy and I’d say that sums up what this year has been. God has taken me by surprise, letting me open one unexpected blessing after another. The greatest blessing is that I am reveling in the gift of my children. They are frustrating and challenging and curious and insightful and I am treasuring all the things I am learning about them. The time is so short, but God is good, and I’m so thankful He called us to set out on this new adventure. Home school rocks!



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