Note: An adapted version of this blog appeared in the summer 2014 edition of Arizona Families for Home Education's magazine.
A good co-op could be the answer to someone's prayer for their homeschool. And the tremendous time and effort the leaders put into a co-op must be a blessing to many families. I love that co-ops are an option. I love that unschooling is an option. I love that private school is an option. And yes I love that public school is an option. I love that in America, for now at least, we have the freedom to decide these things for ourselves. If you are enjoying your co-op, the Lord has led you to do it, and it is working for your family, then I say:
Giddy-up.
But if you're considering a co-op or are already in one because you lack confidence in your ability to homeschool your own children at home, then I want to reassure you that you are equipped to do it yourself. If you wish you could do it yourself at home, I can tell you plainly that you can do it yourself at home.
Please click below to read more.
A good co-op could be the answer to someone's prayer for their homeschool. And the tremendous time and effort the leaders put into a co-op must be a blessing to many families. I love that co-ops are an option. I love that unschooling is an option. I love that private school is an option. And yes I love that public school is an option. I love that in America, for now at least, we have the freedom to decide these things for ourselves. If you are enjoying your co-op, the Lord has led you to do it, and it is working for your family, then I say:
Giddy-up.
But if you're considering a co-op or are already in one because you lack confidence in your ability to homeschool your own children at home, then I want to reassure you that you are equipped to do it yourself. If you wish you could do it yourself at home, I can tell you plainly that you can do it yourself at home.
Please click below to read more.
Co-ops (continued)
I am concerned that co-ops or even so-called schools for homeschoolers, are sending the message to some mothers that they are inadequate. Just because some families enjoy co-ops, it doesn't mean that's necessarily better. It's just their preference. We need to be careful that we don't think we have to use the public school model for our family. We really can do it all at home in the kitchen or on the couch. We don't have to leave our homes and be in a group setting where it becomes no longer homeschool, but a school where the teachers are the parents. And then not be home to do laundry and make meals.
I do have a college degree. But I can tell you the absolute truth is that degree has not helped me one bit in being a homeschool mother. That degree is helping me write this website maybe (it's a journalism degree). But it's not been any help in my homeschool. You don't need a college degree to be able to teach your children. I've even heard people with a college degree in teaching say that it would not help them in homeschool because that degree is used for a classroom of 30 children the same age. We have quite a different brood as our students. I've even heard people say their teaching degree made it harder for them to homeschool because they had to un-learn all the classroomy structure that doesn't work in a homeschool where babies are fussing and the dryer is buzzing.
Deuteronomy 6 tells parents to teach their children diligently. It's talking about their own children. God has equipped us to do it. If He called you to homeschool, which in my opinion is the best reason to homeschool, then He will equip you every step of the way.
Check it out. We have teacher's manuals. It's all right there. If you can read a teacher's manual, you can homeschool. High school math can be a little intimidating. If you aren't up for teaching that yourself, or foreign language for example, you can have your child do an on-line computer class at home in those subjects, where they are still with you and your whole day hasn't been disrupted by driving them to a class or taking your whole family somewhere.
We can think of ourselves in the passage John 10:11 that says, "I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." We'd give our lives for our flock of children wouldn't we? Well we already have, if we are homeschooling. We've devoted our life to our family. So that's us in verse 11.
The whole reason we decided to homeschool was because we wanted to be in charge of it ourselves and not leave it up to someone else who doesn't deeply love that child the way that we do. We know that we are the best people to take care of our own children and that includes academics.
I do have a college degree. But I can tell you the absolute truth is that degree has not helped me one bit in being a homeschool mother. That degree is helping me write this website maybe (it's a journalism degree). But it's not been any help in my homeschool. You don't need a college degree to be able to teach your children. I've even heard people with a college degree in teaching say that it would not help them in homeschool because that degree is used for a classroom of 30 children the same age. We have quite a different brood as our students. I've even heard people say their teaching degree made it harder for them to homeschool because they had to un-learn all the classroomy structure that doesn't work in a homeschool where babies are fussing and the dryer is buzzing.
Deuteronomy 6 tells parents to teach their children diligently. It's talking about their own children. God has equipped us to do it. If He called you to homeschool, which in my opinion is the best reason to homeschool, then He will equip you every step of the way.
Check it out. We have teacher's manuals. It's all right there. If you can read a teacher's manual, you can homeschool. High school math can be a little intimidating. If you aren't up for teaching that yourself, or foreign language for example, you can have your child do an on-line computer class at home in those subjects, where they are still with you and your whole day hasn't been disrupted by driving them to a class or taking your whole family somewhere.
We can think of ourselves in the passage John 10:11 that says, "I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." We'd give our lives for our flock of children wouldn't we? Well we already have, if we are homeschooling. We've devoted our life to our family. So that's us in verse 11.
The whole reason we decided to homeschool was because we wanted to be in charge of it ourselves and not leave it up to someone else who doesn't deeply love that child the way that we do. We know that we are the best people to take care of our own children and that includes academics.
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