I am often asked why (or how) I would choose to be in charge of my children’s education on top of all the other responsibilities I have already. Here are some of my reasons, in hopes that others who feel like there is something not quite right for their children in school may be able to find that they are not alone. In this season, at this location, it has been the best option available for our family, to my knowledge.

Before we begin this list, I am not anti-public schools. I was a National Board Certified public school teacher for a decade. Many of my students have tracked me down on social media after graduation to say, “Thank you,” or just catch up. But I’ve always been pro school choice and pro homeschooling, because public school does not work well for every child.

So here it is, our reasons for finding an alternative:

Public School Politics

Last year I homeschooled our kindergarten knight because the school board couldn’t make a decision about how school would be structured until a week before it began. The decision would have left me with my children 2-3 weekdays anyway on someone else’s schedule. I don’t have time for that back and forth and trying to remember which days they go or don’t go. I get that everything was very volatile and constantly changing, but I don’t have to be a part of it.

Then there are all of the outside and divisive agendas making their way into public education. Nope. Just nope.

Efficiency

My boys need to be boys and make mud pies, forts, and run. In school, much of the day is lining up, transitioning, taking attendance, and other things that take up a lot of time and are not really learning. If I run the curriculum, we can be done in less than two hours of the day and not have homework afterward. My boys will each receive instruction on their level and be done for the day.

Individualized Instruction

When I taught school, I had 20-30 children in elementary grades. I loved it! But it was very difficult to provide the individual instruction that kids needed. There was Jon Doe who needed extra help and Jane Doe who needed a challenge and all the easy kids right on level in the middle. I did my best, but in teaching all the subjects, that made for 10-15 lessons to plan for every day and a lot of assessments. I suppose it’s why I am so good operating in chaos now.

My youngest knight just turned five and, thanks to a couple of apps, can read on a first grade level. His fine motor skills are, however, much slower. My older knight is sharp as a tack but not as focused. He can only manage about 5-10 minutes of sitting still right now. He thrives on quality time and kinesthetic (hands-on) learning. Sometimes our table work is a battle of wills. He guesses a lot because he is in a hurry or he just doesn’t like being wrong. When I sit with him, I can make sure he understands what is being asked and that he takes time to read carefully. He won’t be another kid below grade-level in the buzzard group, struggling to keep up in a sea of other children. (That is not a dig in teachers. I know you. I see you. You are doing amazing things in terrible conditions and for terrible pay.)

Flexibility

My boys attended a local Christian preschool to give me a break and develop more social skills. My day totally revolved around getting the little knights to and from school and making sure I left wherever I was in time to pick them up, keeping track of the school calendar, snack chart, share days, special dress up days, volunteering, and the supplies as they ran out. We loved our school! But y’all, not keeping track of that in the summer when we started our curriculum was amazingly freeing! My boys are a little older now so they can pretty well entertain themselves in my office or nursery during important meetings or I can find a sitter. I’m no longer rushing my people out the door so I can lock up and get to the school on time.

If I’m in control of the calendar then we take vacation when it is most needed instead of around school system calendars. Our boys can visit grandma when we go to required pastor conventions together instead of grandma coming here or finding a local sitter. We can take a break from regular lessons during our busy season, opting for alternatives that are just as viable and valuable but fit the insanity level of that time.

Ministry as a Family

Taking my boys along to minister in nursing homes and hospitals (pre-covid) is one of my favorite things and it’s so good for the patients and residents to be around little children. I’m not sure what this will look like post-covid yet. We have had several play-dates that were pastoral visitation and women’s ministry opportunities for me. Sometimes it makes the visits shorter but that’s ok. I have trouble saying goodbye sometimes. Their little lights just shine wherever we go. That doesn’t mean they don’t get tired or there is never a behavior issue. If it gets too out of hand I schedule another time without my little knights to minister.

The Bible Isn’t a Subject

In our schooling, Bible isn’t a subject. It’s the whole curriculum. Social studies and science are natural outflows. Although we have reading and math goals, they are not my objective. Our goal is to make disciples who know God, serve God, think critically, care for everyone, and (eventually) can go into a world that is very dark with a lot of light. So we learn to read and write and add and subtract and think.

Peer Influence

Finally, even in a Christian preschool behaviors began to come home that were learned from other children. My sweet boy cried about being called names one day and has never stopped calling his brother names since. Jesus spoke about salt losing its saltiness. My job is to make sure my boys have enough salt and light in them before they go out in the world so that they influence the world instead of the other way around. We have had many play dates with very different families, but (and I know not everyone will agree with this), we have been able to help our little guys curate close friends who are also learning gentleness, kindness, and other Biblical values.

This also helps me with peers. My mom tribe is big enough for variety and small enough to keep track of. It is iron sharpening iron through idea sharing, venting, and prayer. These mammas also have each other’s backs with childcare sharing, skill trading, and care during crises.

Now

I don’t know how long we will carry on with alternatively educating our children, but it’s the season we are in now. Someday it may be best for the knights to have private tutors or go to private school or even public school. I hope that sharing our reasons will help you decide what is best for your family. Make some pros and cons lists with your family and pray. Whatever you decide, you are their first teacher, their first example, and your children are your first disciples. Do the best you can and remember, as a friend of mine reminded me, God loves your children way more than you ever could.