"Do
you want to have weird kids!?". That was my friend's mom's response when
she told her that she hopes to have a family of her own and homeschool her
children. I think that is how exactly she perceives our kids, she was just
nice enough to keep her opinion from us. A relative also told us that "it
is not normal for kids to just stay home and not attend a regular school".
I responded as respectfully as I could that "just because she doesn't
fully understand how homeschooling works, doesn't mean it will ruin our
kids". I thought if being “normal” means being conformed to the world, I
don’t want our kids to be normal! (On a side note, we also get encouraging comments about homeschooling.)
I
first learned about homeschooling 13 years ago. I used to attend a church in
Manila where the very first seminar I joined was a Parenting Seminar. There,
they discussed about homeschooling and it got my attention. It made an impact
especially in my heart, a desire to someday (get married and) homeschool my
kids. My darling husband knows from the time we started talking (not dating,
since ours was a long-distance courting/relationship) that he needs to work harder
since I was determined to stay at home and homeschool our kids.
Fast
forward 11 years and Em is ready for Preschool! That was one of the most
exciting days of my life! Praise God! He is truly gracious in granting me the
desires of my heart. My darling husband and I sat together, talked and prayed
about our vision in home educating our children. Here is the worksheet
that helped us in our discussion. It is part of the series 10 Days of Homeschooling Enrichment.
The
following are the reasons why we educate our children at home:
1. We
believe that as parents, we are the one who are primarily responsible in teaching our
children.
"You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you
today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your
sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the
way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You
shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be
as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the
doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy
6:5-9
“Fathers, do
not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4
It
doesn't mean that we are cannot hire piano teachers and such, but we know
that we are our children's main teacher. We understand that along the way, the
lessons are going to be harder, our finances will be (more) limited, and it
won’t be easy to be patient all the time. One thing we are sure about- that
God's grace is sufficient in our weaknesses. Home educating will draw us more
dependent on God- not only intellectually or financially, but more so
spiritually.
1 Corinthians 15:33
says that “bad company corrupts good character”. Kids are easily influenced by
their peers. If any thing, we would like to be the greatest influence in their
lives. We desire to exemplify Christ and tell them “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1
Corinthians 11:1).
2. We
believe that the ultimate goal of education is to know God and become more like
Christ.
"And
that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able
to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; so
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work." 2 Timothy 3:15-17
"but
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ." 2 Peter 2:18
Okay,
it's not like we are doing Sunday School every single day. It just means that
every subject (Math, Science, History, etc.) stems from the truth that God is the
God over all. We will teach them what is in accordance to His Word because His
Word is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training
in righteousness.
We
know the importance of teaching them well academically, but we believe that the
essence of homeschooling is character training- it is discipling our children
into knowing Christ and becoming more like Him. We are going to take every
opportunity to point them to Christ. It is not our goal to raise smart kids, we
desire to raise up WISE kids who will love and honor Christ.
3. We
believe that as parents, we need to equip our children to serve God, the church
and the community.
"And
that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able
to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus. All Scripture
is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; so
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
2 Timothy 3:15-17
"Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
A
college degree and a decent earning job would be nice, but that's not the end
of it all. We desire for them to have their minds set on things above, not on
earthly things. Lord willing, God will grant them salvation and with the power
of His Word, they are well equipped for every good work. They need to be
workers who are disciplined, trustworthy, hardworking and good stewards of
God's resources- to serve and represent God in the work place (and at church
and at home). We hope to raise humble servants, not self-indulged princesses and kings.
Our hearts desire and prayer for our children is to Grow in the grace and knowledge of
Christ, to Glow in this dark world, and to Go and make disciples of all
nations- all for the glory of God!
We would like to share Noah Webster's Definition of Education:
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