Homeschooling One Child- Part VI-
Dearest Eileen, thank you for all the time you have invested in sharing with us about your beautiful journey. May God give you joy as you keep on walking under His wings, daily on your way to heaven.
Homeschooling One Child –
Part 1 can be seen here, part II is found here, part III, part IV,and part V.
Our personal journey…
hen my husband first began to talk with me about Rachel and school, we were living in a tiny town in southeast Missouri. He knew he wanted her to have a Christian education, but the only ‘Christian’ elementary school in town didn’t incorporate their Christian belief system into their educational system. Yes, they had a Bible class, but it was separate and removed from Math, English, History and the other subjects. God didn’t appear to be the God of Math, English, History and the rest. We realized that sending her to that school would not satisfy our desire for her to have a Christina education – the kind that God was embraced within all the subjects taught.
I knew nothing of classical education, much less of a classical Christian education, but it was obvious I needed to learn quickly. I began receiving stacks of homeschooling magazines and catalogues filled with so many options that I became overwhelmed with all the choices. Along with that, I also became bit frantic with the huge task and enormous responsibility of teaching Rachel at home. I was afraid I would ruin this beautiful daughter God had given us, and that fear, that self-doubt, started to gnaw away at me.
People get degrees in learning how to teach – how could I teach our daughter? My college degree was in Physical Anthropology (I studied bones.), not in education. I was soon consumed with this fear that I was not capable of teaching her. I had bought into the system that says, you can only teach if you have at least a college degree in education. I tried to point out to my husband that I was not a teacher. I knew nothing about education except from the student-side. Is this classical Christian kind of an education really all that important? (In retrospect, my excuses sound a lot like Moses excuses to God telling God why he could not go to Pharaoh.)
However, my husband had not been fooled by the idea that only those with educational degrees could teach. He would ask me, “Who taught Rachel how to brush her teeth? Who taught Rachel how to hold a crayon? Or how to get dressed? Or how to run and hug me when I come home?” He didn’t give up on me. He continually encouraged me in every way he could. And he bought books for me.
I started reading about classical education: What is a classical education? How does it work? Can I teach it even if my education wasn’t classical? With more and more books and information under my belt, I soon realized that I could do this, but that I would need help in figuring out our curriculum. My husband knew of a classical Christian school in Idaho that offered a curriculum guide for kindergarten through sixth grade. Within this guide, I could get reading lists for specific grades (their recommendations). I was able to see what subjects were taught in which grade. I could see how many hours to plan for per week, per class. I could see a goal to aim for each year. I started praying for wisdom, for guidance, and for understanding all those years ago. (And, I haven’t stopped praying for those things!) Soon, through my husband’s constant encouragement and God’s kindness to us, my fear of ruining Rachel was replaced with excitement of this new life ahead of all of us.
Through the years, Rachel and I grew in grace as we worked with each other, enjoying the same books, pouring over Math problems, using measuring cups and flour in the kitchen to demonstrate fractions. I soon saw the benefit of writing a weekly/daily schedule showing us what schoolwork was to be accomplished, so that our ‘play time’ was clearly designated, as was our ‘work time’. Each year was not as scary as the previous year, as I became more confident in what we were trying to accomplish, and in making Rachel’s education my priority after my husband. (However, my husband has politely pointed out to me, that every year, usually between spring and summer, the feelings of inadequacy would return as I looked toward a new year, a higher grade, along with more difficult work. We would laugh together and I agreed that I was beginning to fret again. Mike would remind me of all that we had accomplished so far, and would spur me on to love and good works with Rachel.) God continually sustained all three of us as we sought to know Him through our schooling.
As our educational needs for Rachel increase with every year, we have begun to incorporate other teachers, instead of relying on me alone. We have been given science teachers (although I enjoy science immensely!), we have encountered delightful Latin teachers, Advanced Math courses that utilize teaching CDs for the computer, piano teachers who have brought beautiful pieces of music into our home, and currently, Rachel takes an on-line course that combines Theology, History, and classical literature. I still work with her in many areas, mostly overseeing her work, helping her with difficult problems, proof-reading papers, and testing.
And so we began our homeschooling journey years ago, and have continued through numerous moves and different state laws, from the dining room table to our schoolroom. All with the blessings of God, who has honored our desire to teach Rachel about this universe He has created.
To God be the glory!
Eileen
