My reason for homeschooling?

In a word, peace.

Don’t misunderstand; I’m hardly suggesting that our house is an oasis of calm. With 4 kids learning here day in and day out, it most definitely isn’t quiet, except possibly at 3 a.m. (and only then on nights when no one is sleepwalking or suffering from the latest virus that got passed around at church).

No, this is a different kind of peace.

It’s the peace of keeping the commandment to train up a child in the way he should go. My husband and I believe God charges parents with instructing our children. Homeschooling is one of the ways we’ve chosen to fulfill that responsibility. Other parents can disagree, and that’s okay. We respect their right to make different choices. But we’re content that this is the best one for our family.

… the peace of knowing that I AM DOING WHAT I’M MEANT TO DO. A much-younger me would never have believed it, but I now know without a doubt that homeschooling our children is my calling. I belong here with them, and I want to be here. That doesn’t change, even on the hard days when the responsibility feels too daunting and the letters on that passing yellow bus seem to spell R-E-L-I-E-F.

I now know without a doubt that homeschooling our children is my calling. I belong here with them, and I want to be here. That doesn’t change, even on the hard days when the responsibility feels too daunting and the letters on that passing yellow… Click To Tweet

… the peace of knowing exactly what each of our children is learning, and how. We’re able to choose methods that fit their abilities and strengths, and materials that are consistent with our family’s faith and worldview. Our children never get left behind before they’ve mastered a concept. They don’t languish in classes that are too easy for them. And we don’t spend time trying to “un-teach” wrong ideas or attitudes—whether those come from instructors or other kids.

… the peace of being together as a family, every single day. We know how quickly these years are passing. We’ll never have another chance at this. So, while the life of a homeschooling family can be hectic, we have exponentially more time together than we would with 4 students enrolled in several different schools.

… the peace of seeing our children grow to love each other in ways that my husband and I couldn’t have imagined with our own siblings. Even as they progress into (and through) their teen years, they are each other’s best friends. I don’t think any of them can conceive of life without the others; as parents, it’s amazing to witness that connection. What a joy, to know that their close relationships with each other will remain, long after we are gone.

So yes, even in the midst of worksheets and computer classes and “Hey, who moved my notebook?!?” on a daily basis, ours is still a house of peace.