Todd told all of you guys that he and Kristen decided to home school Jonah. Well what he did not mention is that Shelly and I also decided to home school Ashlin. But what's weird is that they were completely separate choices. Sure Kristen and Shelly talked about it together but ultimately here's how our decision went down.
15 years ago: I didn't know what homeschooling was
10 years ago: I laughed at homeschooling
5 years ago: I rather enjoyed belittling home school families
2 years ago: I stopped poking fun and began to watch
1 year ago: I felt the need to investigate
6 months ago: I ignored the convictions
3 months ago: I was running away from the inevitable
So Ashlin started school this August and I was torn to shreds. Every other descision Shelly and I had made as it related to our family pointed to home schooling. But my pride would not let me get past the feeling like I was selling out. I had made fun of home shooling for so long that I really felt like I was doing something wrong by wanting to do it.
Shelly approached me the 2nd week of school and asked about the possibility of home schooling. Now way I said. "If we take her out now, when do we put her back in? And when/if we do how hard would that be on her?" Then came the standard defenses:
- I went through the public school system... I came out ok
- I only know freaks that were home schooled (not true... but I hid behind that argument because it allowed me to remain passive)
But the truth is, I did NOT come out ok. When I graduated from high school I had the most narrow-minded worldview ever invented. I didn't know an entire world was out there beyond the city limits of Porter, TX (which are not very expansive let me tell you).
So Shelly prayed that if this was God's will that He would change my heart... she's was smart and knew not to push things. A few days later I was trying to go to bed and God had other plans. It was like the heavens opened up and poured into my mind... I could literally see into the future of our children for a brief moment. All the "what-ifs", all the "but what abouts...", everything did not matter any longer. I knew what I had to do.
We pulled Ashlin out of Kindergarten the following Monday. Every day since then has been a reassuring blessing of hope and certainty. I feel God is doing something drastic in me at this time and what scares me is to think what my life may look like in even 1 year. But to be honest I'm not so much scared of where God may lead me... I'm more scared of not being willing to go!
5 comments:
I think there are a lot of people like you, who hide behind the "I came out OK" line even though in their heart they know it isn't true and who say they only know homeschoolers who are freaks even though in reality they probably know more public schooled kids who are. it's hard to buck the status quo, to admit that what you went through as a child isn't what is best for your own child.
Homeschooling ... not just for the Amish anymore!
heh. heh.
It hasn't been difficult to criticize homeschoolers, because some have been legalistic and others sloppy home teachers.
For most of the history of man, parents have been the teachers of children. Some wealthy parents hired teachers, then in early America families pooled their money, built school buildings and hired teachers. Traditionally the purpose of all education programs has been to teach reading, writing, and math so that children would learn standard systems. Unfortunately, many parents simply abdicated to the schools. (The same is true of religious education. Often children are sent to church to learn about God, but that's the end of it). That is even worse!
But US schools now have a long list of social views being taught in public schools. When I was a teacher, I figured out that an average week had as much as 50% of the day taken up with lunch, time between classes, announcements, assemblies, class meetings and the like!
As a parent and a former teacher, I have always believed the responsibility of making sure children are educated fall on the shoulders of parents.
I will pray for you and Shelley and others who are taking the challenge to teach their children.
Good for y'all! May the Lord bless y'all mightily for your obedience.
Thats awesome, I was also same as you, didnt want to and was ignoring the call to do so. Im glad we decided to listen and have been for 4 years now. BTW we went to school together got your link off Debras blog.
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