The years have flown. It seems like only yesterday we set up our homeschool classroom complete with the Pledge of Allegiance adorned on our wall, desks full of new school supplies, and brand- new shiny workbooks and readers. I was so excited to begin teaching my children but had no idea what this homeschool journey would actually look like….I didn’t know how marvelous and fulfilling it would be or how much it would change our family. As an idealistic and very eager homeschool mom, I did not envision or understand that in addition to my children learning, I would also experience growth and change. The focus was on my children, but now I understand that biblical homeschooling requires the whole family to transform and learn together. In those early days , I heard someone describe homeschooling as a “lifestyle”. I was somewhat puzzled by this description, but now I understand completely.
Undoubtedly, I would be teaching my children reading, writing and arithmetic, but I also would spend a great deal of time praying for patience…. for wisdom and working on character issues…with my children…. and myself. In order to homeschool independently and biblically, the emphasis would have to be on training and discipleship because the Bible is clear on this calling for parents. If our dear children did not obey, how could we ever hope to teach them? We had to choose curriculum carefully making sure it reflected a biblical worldview, and my husband soon became a prayer partner and homeschool advocate as well. Even our dear Grandma joined in to help with some subjects.
