The reasons have changed through the years. Originally, I didn’t want to send my sweet little 5 year old to the elementary school across the street because they found a kid with a knife. Now, I’m thankful for that kid. I don’t know him or anything about him but he propelled Danny and I into a decision that has altered our life dramatically from what it was going to be.
Recently, a veteran home school mom wrote about the reasons she home schooled her kids and why others should as well. This pretty well sums up why we are still home schooling 21 years after that little boy carried a knife to school. I want my children to spend their days in the counsel of the godly, the path of the righteous and the seat of the respectful. I want them to delight in God’s Word so their faith will be as strong as a big, healthy, productive tree.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
(Psalm 1)
Lori, we had and still have those books. Our philosophy of education has changed dramatically from when we started but those books give a sense of security no matter what we do. My older boys read through several of them — either with me or individually.
Excellent! Totally agree with you about starting with the idea that, “Surely I can teach this little kid what she needs to know for kindergarten, and then just going year by year.” That was certainly my thinking/method. I loved those “What Your ______-Grader Needs to Know” titles. I didn’t actually use them a whole lot, but somehow just *having* them and looking them over and sharing bits of them with our oldest was reassuring to me.
Diana, thank you so much for all you do! What a wonderful scripture. I had never thought of it that way. What a wonderful reminder to me of why I homeschool.
Thank you, Melanie. Here is the link to the veteran home school mom I mentioned. She was a little more forceful about everyone needing to home school. I’m still not one that encourages everyone to do it or making people feel bad if they don’t. I know there are lots of good people that have come out of the public school system.
Thanks for this Ms. Diana! Our son just turned 1 last month and the question of whether or not to home-school has come up several times throughout his first year and even more so the last few days. I’ve been gathering information on it because it’s something I would love to be able to do. It’s just a lot to take in and a bit intimidating, truth be told. Thanks for the encouraging post! Have wonderful day!
Kensi, it can be intimidating to think about the big picture all at once. All you have to do is take it one day at a time. When Matthew was 5 I figured I could at least teach him what a 5 year old needed to know. If I messed him up, we could always put him in school. At the end of the first year, he was so far ahead there was no way we could put him in school. We schooled like that for about 10 years — taking it one year at a time, never committing to anything more than that one year. Thinking of it that way gave me the confidence to do it and kept me from getting overwhelmed. You will make a great home school mom!