If you are anything like me, you might be wondering what qualifies you to teach your children. It was obvious that even a college education in early childhood studies did not give me the qualifications or confidence to teach my children.
How was I to be sure I was teaching them what they needed, when they needed it and in the way they needed it? Sure, I could just use a typical curriculum and go about the year as usual. The trouble was that I saw that system fail more times then not on the most basic level in the educational system.
How could I ever teach chemistry, or worse yet, physics? I found myself torn because of a lack of confidence and a lack of knowledge. I wondered if this whole homeschool thing was for me. I really felt like God was leading my family to jump into this new way of learning.
What I began to realize is that I had been trained to see the public school system as the superior if not only means of giving a child a quality education. A little research revealed that there are options for children who need outside help for certain subject areas. From curriculums that come complete with lab kits so that even I could teach – I mean, learn – chemistry to cooperative classes and even high school level college classes at the local community college. These are just the basics.
Once you find a local homeschool support system, you may find another parent that excels in the area you struggle with and they might even be willing to help you out. There are tutors, older homeschoolers and homeschool graduates plus internet resources for just about anything you can imagine.
For the majority of families, with support, we can be completely successful in educating our children. However educating and training are not exactly the same thing. Education and training are two separate yet interweaving aspects of child rearing. I can provide my child with the most elaborate and extensive education and still not train him to succeed in life or, more importantly, in his ministry calling. Homeschooling on the other hand allows us the opportunity to train and educate towards life and ministry callings.
This article was taken with permission from Spirit Led Homeschooling.
