Homeschool Blessings

"For many the homeschool year is starting to wind down..."

For many the homeschool year is starting to wind down. Some of you may be done already and others are counting the days until the summer break begins. Whether this is the case for you or you plan to school through the summer, taking some time to reflect on your homeschool is always worthwhile. Recently, I had the great privilege of speaking with 3 families who are considering home education for their families. As I began to plan for that "kitchen meeting" I thought about some of the blessings of home schooling.  The more I thought the longer the list became. Here are five of the many, many that came to mind.

"Homeschooling gave me the opportunity to spend time with my children when they were at their best..."

1. I got to spend lot of time with my children. When our oldest went to school he often came home tired and frustrated after a long day and a long bus ride. I never felt I got him at his best. Homeschooling gave me the opportunity to spend time with my children when they were at their best. Of course since we were home all the time we also had those "other" times as well, but by and large it was so nice to be together and have both quantity and quality time.

 "Once school was over we were done for the day..."

2. We never did homework at night. I remember taking my children to community swimming lessons and hearing all the other moms talking about all the time they had to spend doing homework with their children in the evening. This blessing had never even crossed my mind until then. Once school was over we were done for the day. The only exception to this was on the rare occasion when someone had not been cooperative during the school day.  As a result they might get the opportunity to finish school with Dad after supper. That was generally an experience that you didn't want to repeat. Hence it was a real rarity.

3. Our struggling learners could do school at their level without ridicule or pressure from others. We had a good crop of struggling learners in our family. What a tremendous blessing to be able to teach them where they were at. They didn't have to leave the room and go to "resource" and get help. Most of the time they never knew how far behind they were. We just worked away at programs specifically tailored for them and their needs. There was no pressure to be in any particular grade at any particular time.

"...homeschool parents have the freedom to teach what they feel is appropriate for their children and their family philosophy."

4. As parents we controlled the content of what our children were being taught. In this day and age where certain agendas and curriculum are being pushed, homeschool parents have the freedom to teach what they feel is appropriate for their children and their family philosophy. This is as it should be.

"...take the time to share the truly important things..."

5. Last but certainly not least, we could take the time to share the truly important things with our children. Christian principles were a part of every subject we taught. Whether we shared about the order of God's world in math, the wonders of creation in science, or "His Story" of the world through history our faith and beliefs could be a natural part of every lesson

This list could go on and on. In the future I may share some of the other blessings that came to my mind. What about you? What are the blessings that come to your mind as you consider your family and  homeschooling? Feel free to share with others in the comment section below. Sometimes just seeing something that someone else has thought of will bring blessings to mind for you.

God bless you as you homeschool.



"Unless the Lord Builds the house they labour in vain to build it"