Because God Wants Us To

Written by Claudia

As mentioned in the "Our Aim" section of this blog. One main reason convinced us to catapult into the life of a homeschooling family. That reason was because, quite simply, God wants us to.

For those of you new to this blog here's my summary:

I clearly remember worrying about where to send my child to school. She was only 6 months old. Although I recognize it was the spirit now, back then I wasn't quite sure why I felt this way. Why I had this unsettled feeling. I wanted to protect my child. I felt the school system couldn't protect her like I could.

I considered and looked into everything but homeschooling. (I couldn't possibly do something as extreme as that - nor did I feel capable.) A few years later I was still in constant turmoil as to what I felt would be best for my children. I had considered public school, private school and charter school. And I had just placed my oldest in pre-school.

I now had 2 children and one in the womb and was in the car in between running some errands when I happend to chance upon a speech on the radio given by David McCullough. I remember vividly sitting in a craft store parking lot unable to move. I was transfixed to what David McCullough was saying and listened as he finished his speech.

I felt as though my eyes were opened and I wept. For the first time I cared about historical facts. For the first time I felt sincere gratitude to our forefathers. For the first time I felt patriotism for our country. For the first time I felt a love for America! For the first time I realized that the spirit can be and should be present in the teaching and learning of things outside of normal gospel topics.

Not only did I weep for that reason but I wept because I knew that I had just gained more from this speech than I had gained in 12 years of history lessons. I realized that if I did choose to homeschool and only had this one speech to give to my children as their history lesson(s) they would be better off than I ever was.

Although this incident gave me some confidence with choosing to homeschool, I was still wary and unable to make the decision to do so. It just so happend that I spoke to a homeschooling friend of mine that day. When she began to tell me about the Thomas Jefferson Education the spirit poured over me letting me know that this is a good thing. And I wept again.

Making a decision such as this isn't an easy one. I still needed convincing. I began to read books other homeschooling friends of mine recommended to me. And agreed with all that was being said and written. I hesitantly joined a book club made up of homeschooling mothers and listened to what they had to say. It was intimidating but pushed me to greater heights than I've ever dreamed for myself and my family.

I made the decision to homeschool somewhere during those times. Pulling our oldest out of pre-school. But even then it's been a trying journey. At one point, during a darker time in my life, I was at one of these book club meetings and was outside of their view of things. I remember thinking, "They're seeing things in a strange way. It's weird and they're weird." (Mind you these were women that I had come to love and cherish.)

I didn't even want to go to that book club meeting that day. But, fortunately, I had to because it was being held at my house! During our meeting one of those dear ladies spoke of our children's potential through being homeschooled and the rest I don't remember for the spirit poured itself upon me to the extent that I could do nothing but stare at these ladies and wonder how it was that they could go on in conversation in such a normal way, as if nothing was happening. I couldn't understand how a feeling so strong could affect only one person in that room. It wasn't a short flooding of the spirit it was a long washing which I've looked back upon and gained strength from on my weakest days.

Although fear was the first prodding that led me to gaze in the homeschooling direction. My view has progressed beyond that. Some say that homeschooling our children to protect them is a plausible thing. I haven't given that side of it much thought. I do it for other reasons.

And those reasons are what make up the contents of this blog.