Should I Homeschool?

Chances are, if you’re reading, you’re feeling at least a flicker of desire to do something different with your child’s education. At the very least, you’d like to take all your options into serious consideration, and make the best decision possible. I’ve been there. I get it. As a former public school teacher, and before that, a public school student, it’s hard to fathom that there might be a different way to approach schooling. I never thought that I would become a homeschool mom.

My plan was to teach in the public school district where my children attended so that I could be totally immersed in their education and know their teachers and friends. But as the Proverb says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

Proverbs 16:9

As we started to grow our family, and doors I had planned to walk through began closing, I found it necessary to ask this very question. Should I homeschool? There are so many considerations that we must weigh in the answering of such a daunting question. And here’s the thing… after years of continuing in this path, I am a firm believer that anyone CAN homeschool, but perhaps not everyone SHOULD. Countless times, I’ve heard moms say, “I could never do that,” and I have to politely disagree. You certainly can... if you want to. That’s the key: desire. It’s not primarily an issue of patience, time, or finances. It’s an issue of priority. I’ve met a great number of homeschool moms who are leaning on the Lord for their daily supply of patience, who are working part-time or full-time, or whose families are living on a modest single income. Every one of them have decided that homeschooling their children was something of great value, and worth any necessary sacrifice.

Each person reading this post is coming from a different set of circumstances. Maybe your oldest child is 3, and you’re just starting to think about your preschool or kindergarten options. Maybe you have a teenager who is struggling in school for any number of reasons - apathy, bullying, slipping through the cracks. Maybe you’re stressed about Covid-19, and the uncertainty of what kids may or may not return to in September. We all bring a variety of perspective to the question, so I can’t answer it for you, but I can offer some practical steps to take in answering the question for yourself:

Should I Homeschool?.pdf

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1. Create an ANI chart. What’s that, you ask? Think of a blank worksheet with three columns: Affirmative - Negative - Interesting. Here’s a free printable (above), to make it super easy, and kind of cute.

2. Spend time filling these columns with EVERYTHING you can possible think of. Don’t do this step alone, and don’t do it quickly. Ask your husband, your children, your friends, and your parents for input. Anyone who has a vested interest in your children would be interesting to hear from. Walk away from it, and come back a day or two later to add anything else that has come to mind. Here are a few bullet items you can add to each column to get you started...

   1. Affirmative - more time building relationship with my kids, flexible schedule, ability to choose curriculum, field trips…

   2. Negative - kids will miss friends, less time to myself, can be costly, takes time to plan…

   3. Interesting - various philosophies (Charlotte Mason, Classical, Unschool…), books to read (For the Children’s Sake, Teaching from Rest, The Well-Trained Mind...)

3. Once you have filled your ANI chart with everything you can possibly think of, read through it again, and circle the top three most compelling points in the affirmative and negative columns.

4. At this point in particular, I would encourage my believing sisters to pray. Appeal to the Lord for wisdom, which he gives generously to those who ask (James 1:5). I believe herein will lie the answer as to whether you, sweet mama, should homeschool.