I grew up going to traditional schools (private and public). As an adult, I ended up teaching every possible subject from physical education to social studies, and then I had kids. My intentions were to send them to school because that is how I grew up, and I turned out fine, right? 

Homeschooling

When my oldest son, Noah, was three and a half years old and my daughter was seven months old, I phoned a friend saying my oldest needed some “socialization.” She homeschooled and invited me to join the homeschool group she attended. I remember telling her, “I AM NOT HOMESCHOOLING.” She ever so gently said she understood and just to come so that Noah could find some friends. That was the start of my homeschooling journey that still continues today.

I am not going to tear down schools with statistics, safety in the schools, their political agenda, or how far we have left the traditional schools that I grew up in. What I am going to say is that God has blessed you with your kids. You know your kids the best. I had a conversation with my husband when we first started talking about homeschooling our kids. He said he wanted our kids to go to school in a normal classroom with normal kids. I told him I do not want our kids to be normal, I want them to be extraordinary.

 

Qualifications

Anyone can homeschool! You do not need any educational background to homeschool. If you do not know a subject, great! What a wonderful opportunity to learn it with your kids. You do not need to teach all subjects. Technology, co-ops, classes, microschools, other parents, etc. can help. Socialization occurs while doing life. Isn’t it wonderful your kids can have playtime and conversations with ALL age groups instead of just the ones their age? Your kids get to climb trees, build forts, go on vacations without crowds, experience hands-on field trips, and you can cater their education to their interests instead of what is on the curriculum. 

Everyone learns differently, and since you raised them, you know how your child learns. What a blessing to be able to do life with your child! 

 

Now on to some calculations…

In a regular school year, kids are in school 180 days. A school day consists of about seven hours a day. Travel time to and from school is one hour, getting ready in the morning and for bed two hours, dinner one hour. Your child sleeps about 10 hours a night. That only gives you the parent about three hours that you get to be with your child during a school day. The teacher gets more awake time with your child. Let that sink in. This is to give you some awareness of where time is being spent and not to guilt you into homeschooling.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

 

Resources

Here are some resources if you are interested in homeschooling:

The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education, A New Way to Homeschool by: Ainsley Arment

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie and Dr. Christopher Perrin

For the Children’s Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and Fiona Fletcher

 

Mai Lyn Colangelo Chung is an Adjunct Professor and Clinical Educator at Trinity International University, Administrator of Us-School Homeschool Group, Wife and Mother to three beautiful kids (Noah 10, Adelyn 7, and Micah 4). Find US School on homeschoolpanda.com or visit FPEA.com for more information on home education.

For more information on choice of education, visit https://www.goodnewsfl.org/school-choice-more-than-ever-three-big-reasons/