On My Way To Heaven

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

In case you are just jumping in this series,Homeschooling One Child, by my dear friend Eileen Lawyer, you can find part one here, part two here, and part three here –

“Love Tanks”

What is a “love tank”? It is similar to the gas tank of your car. When your car is filled, your car runs great. However, if your car runs low on gas, it chugs and sputters, letting you know something is amiss. A “love tank” runs on the same basic principle. When your child’s love tank is filled, your child is happy. But if her love tank is low, you will definitely hear her chugging and sputtering (or grumbling and complaining). Like the gas tank of your vehicle, your child’s tank needs constant filling; not just once in a while. It is a way of life.

Who fills it? The mother? The father? Yes, to both, but especially fathers. They are the supreme love-tank fillers, designed by God to be so. When a daughter’s heart is filled with love from her father, she won’t go looking for love from some young man when she is older. When a son’s tank is kept full by his father, he will grow up confident in his manliness before God.

How do you fill a “love tank”? Here are some suggestions: Fathers, take your child for a walk, just the two of you, after work or after dinner. When they are little, hold their hand, and listen to them talk (and talk and talk). From their point of view, you’ve been gone a long time. Wrestle with your sons, or sit and read a great action-packed book with them. Be involved with them. Have them help you with the plumbing problems under the sink. Explain what you are doing as you are doing it, so they grow up confident and knowledgeable. As your sons mature, bestow respect upon them for the things they do and do well. Mothers, since most likely you will be the primary teacher, you will need to find time outside of school, to fill love tanks. Take your young child to a pet store, and wander around without being rushed. Enjoy seeing the fish and furry animals through the eyes of your child.  Make snow angels together. Bake treats with your daughters for your husband. Compliment work well done whether you have a son or a daughter.

The attention you give your child  – your undivided attention – fills her/his love tank, just as God’s undivided attention to you, through reading His word, fills your love tank. (This same principle applies to you and your spouse as well.) This means, as hard as this may be for some of you, don’t take your cell phones on your walk with your child. It’ll be OK to return the call later. Don’t answer the phone when you are finger painting, or in the middle of a good book you are reading together. You cannot fill your child’s love tank by asking them to be quiet so you can talk with someone else. The days with our children are precious, so use the time that God has given you wisely.

Years ago, when our daughter was really little, my husband and Rachel loved to fly kites together. I don’t think Rachel even remembers kite flying she was so young. But her heart knows even if her mind doesn’t remember. Now that we live in Moscow, Idaho, my husband has been taking Rachel on a breakfast date every Friday for almost nine years. As much as I love to be with them, I know that for my daughter, this is a precious time with her father, and so I don’t even ask to go.

May the “love tanks” of your children be so full of your love that they overflow into the generations to come.

Eileen.

Part V, The Love of Reading, is found here.