Why We DON’T Take A Year-By-Year Approach to Homeschooling

Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.

“Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”

Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” —2 Kings 14-19

 

Years ago, when we signed on to teach our first child at home, I knew I had exactly one year to prove to my husband that this experiment was worth the risk. But can I be honest? That was the very last time either of us ever thought of homeschooling as anything but a long-term commitment.

We view our calling to homeschool as an extension of Elisha’s directive: we aren’t just symbolically checking off a box, we’re in it, heart and soul. We’ll strike the ground until God says we’re done. Homeschooling isn’t optional in our house.

Popular consensus is that you homeschool until you don’t— until your child expresses an interest in going to a brick and mortar school, until you have too many kids at home to fit into a four hour school day, until high school rolls around, until the budget needs more funds to put you back in the black, until a spot opens at a great magnet school. I’m not saying that the “year-by-year” homeschoolers are doing it wrong. I’m not one to judge others’ callings, and I sure don’t want them judging mine. But that’s not us. We’re lifers. We don’t reconsider homeschooling every year. Here’s why:

Why We DON'T Take A Year-By-Year Approach to Homeschooling

  1. We aren’t homeschooling for the academics alone. While I wholeheartedly believe that the education my children have received via homeschooling has far exceeded what they would have been offered by our local public schools, our primary focus hasn’t been on grades. We homeschool as an integration of our Christian faith into our family life. Our curriculum is not secular; though we use books and materials which may come from a variety of worldviews, our explicit goal in homeschooling is to always point everything back to Christ. That’s impossible in public school, and not guaranteed in a private school setting. So… homeschooling it is.
  2. We believe that education is more than book learning. Our “curriculum” includes running a working farm, manning market booths, interacting with the public, public relations for a non profit, evangelism, coordinating fundraising, missions, team building… and that doesn’t even begin to include your routine “home economics” type stuff. School that takes place in buildings is, by design, a set-apart institution that can only engage in these kinds of life skills through the artifice of creating assignments. We want our children to grow up immersed in this atmosphere, not seeking it out for a group project one semester during their junior year of high school. Because homeschooling allows these experiences to be organic, we choose to continue homeschooling.
  3. Homeschooling options get better as your children get older. I understand the sense of dread many homeschoolers have when considering the upper levels of history, science, literature, and math. But our experience has been that homeschooling high school does not narrow a teen’s opportunities, but broaden them! You can’t fully appreciate the richness available to a teen who isn’t locked inside a pre-fabricated schedule (even one of those not-quite-public school deals designed to give them an AA degree by the end of high school) until you meet someone who has spent those years really digging in to their interests and praying over what God is leading them towards. High school has proven to be a very fruitful and engaging season of our homeschooling years, and we are committed to giving that gift to each of our children.
  4. We have seen the fruit of homeschooling. It’s much easier to waffle in commitment to something when you’re just not sure that the “finished product” is worth the effort. Having older kids means that we know for certain that running the race pays off. Even in the hardest moments, seeds are being planted. Homeschooling has allowed us to walk alongside our children in their struggles, and their victories. We’ve helped kids stumble through academic challenges, and stood beside them as they’ve received accolades for their outstanding performances. While no method of education can promise flawless relationships or genius-level learning, we have witnessed what homeschooling has done in our own family, and feel that the harvest is well worth the labor!

What is your family’s approach to homeschooling? Are you in it for the long haul?

One thought on “Why We DON’T Take A Year-By-Year Approach to Homeschooling

  1. What’s interesting is that reasons 1 and 2 are the reasons that we DO evaluate constantly. Each year/month/however often we feel the need, my husband and I sit down and write out our goals for ourselves and our children. What character trait does child A need to work on right now? What is the biggest area they need growth? How can we best accomplish that? Is what we’re doing right now meeting that child’s academic, spiritual, and developmental needs? How can we do better? MOST of the time, the answers to these questions have been to continue homeschooling, but to tweak our curriculum, or try an outside class. This year, for lots of reasons, we put them in school. It didn’t last. The purpose for putting them in school was very specific, and we did not find that the school was meeting that purpose, so today was their first day back at home. :)

    I LOVE that through the years, I have had the privilege of hearing so many Godly women talk about their convictions, their trials, their triumphs, and their failures. It has really helped me pray for wisdom over the educational and spiritual path of each of my children. Thank you for being one of those women whose words have inspired me, convicted me, encouraged me, and sharpened me. While our choices are not always the same, your words always help me to think deeper about the things that we are doing.

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