I suppose a lot of people struggle with the thought of homeschooling. Am I capable? Can I really teach my children all they need to know? Is this really possible? I didn’t struggle with any of this. Maybe it makes me abnormal, but I knew before I even married that I was going to homeschool my children. When I finally did tie the knot, it was simply assumed by both parties that our children would be homeschooled.
Mind you, I pretty much homeschooled myself my final year of school (combining my Junior and Senior year of highschool together, allowing me to graduate early). That probably has a lot to do with it. I figure, hey, if I can homeschool myself, then I can definitely homeschool my children. (By the way, my mom fully-intended to homeschool me, but she was in a car accident and was unable. She helped me pick out some software. And I’d tell her about subjects I was interested in. I would plan out my work, do it, and let her check over it.)
I was in public schools for a long time, and, my goodness, I just cannot imagine subjecting my children to that sort of torture, especially the sort of harrassment that goes on between classes ranging from bullying to sexual hassment. Anyway, I’m getting off the subject.
If you do have these sort of doubts and fears, then you have to come before the Lord and lay them at his feet. Realize that you are not homeschooling “alone”, but there are co-ops, groups, books, software, and much more out there to help you do the job. You don’t have to rely on your own smarts (or lack thereof), because people have banded together to assist you in guiding your children with wisdom and love.
Of course, that may cause another problem. What sort of method do you use? Which curriculum do you choose? What will work best? There are thousands of methods out there, all sorts of books and planners, and I know it can be overwhelming.
Pray. God knows your children best. He knows their personalities. He knows which method of learning will work the best for them.. and for you. He know what will work, and what won’t. God really does care about these things. He is probably not interested in turning your kiddo into a prodigy child, but he does want to help you raise them, train them, and teach them.
I researched all sorts of curriculum and methods before I finally thought, “Maybe I should pray about this.” After trying to use methods that really didn’t work well with my children, God opened my eyes to certain things that would, even if they were a bit unconventional.
