Home Education: A Parent's Perspective
We entered our third year of homeschool this fall. We began the experience with COVID and never stopped. Prior to beginning our journey, I leaned into the myth that I didn’t have enough patience to educate my children at home. What I now know is that home educators don’t have an extra dose of patience, just more opportunities to practice it with their children. Homeschooling is an extension of parenting. The grace and grit, love and nurture, and boundaries and discipline needed to raise children also make a quality homeschool.
My “why” keeps me grounded in both the weight and wonder of our days. It quiets the inner critic and reduces the noise of naysayers. It is the force that inspires creativity and keeps me committed to developing the whole child. It provides comfort and realignment when I’m discouraged. It also reminds me that even if I’m crawling across the finish line at dusk, grace is following me at dawn. It is the sustaining factor of our days.
There are many different strategies of instruction for home education. I was initially overwhelmed by all the philosophies. It felt like the first time I was registering for baby bottles. My first question, why are there so many options? I just need to feed my baby. As I gained more knowledge, Charlotte Mason began to make a lasting impression. She was a 19th century educator that proposed education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. She believed that learning is not contingent on a single curriculum or a given time, but it is a fluid dynamic between the caregiver and child that is impacted by the environment, habits, and ability to kindle intellectual sparks that build over time. One of Mason’s core values is the science of relations. It is the idea that when children develop a relationship with the stories of a particular subject, they will be enlightened to make that knowledge their own. I have seen this come to fruition with my children as they explore nature and make connections between a historical figure and a character trait that we are investigating.
I am uncertain how long we will homeschool. I have learned to hold things loosely in life. I do know that we are continuing to grow and glean from all that it provides our family. We have found freedom, community, and connection here. The ability to watch my children develop their sense of self, encourage one another as they blend words for the first time, or see the pride on their face when they finally understand a math concept is not lost on me. It is familiar ground – like when they walked for the first time or said their first word. These moments continue to fill my cup. We are our children’s first teachers. I am grateful for this opportunity in this season of life.
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