on the one hand, quite simple. Tomorrow, when all the other children in the
neighborhood are going off to school,
don’t send yours. Continues Adams,
“
I;was;hosting;a;‘getting;started’;meet-ing for families interested in finding
out;more;about;homeschooling. There
was one family there who had already
made the decision—they had just come
to learn more about the resources available to them, the law, and to start net-working.;The;father;told;me;of;his;plan:
Tomorrow morning, we are going to
stay in our pajamas and gather at the
front window to watch the neighborhood kids get on the bus. Then we are going to eat breakfast, get dressed, and go
bowling. The next day we will go to the
movies instead.
“While no homeschool can succeed
without academic rigor, this father had
it;right. They;needed;to;start;feeling;the
freedom they had to plan the day how-ever;they;saw;fit,;not;according;to;the
government’s;schedule.” 4
As;we’ve;discussed,;“homeschooling”
is;really;“making;disciples;of;your;chil-
dren.”;When;you;break;out;of;the;gov-
ernment school mold, you can begin
to integrate all aspects of each of your
children’s;learning:;heart,;soul,;mind,;and
strength.;And;since;making;disciples;is
a one-on-one, one-for-one endeavor, it
will;look;different;for;every;person;and
every;family.;The;working;out;of;loving
the Lord in all aspects of life means each
family will have different purposes and
different goals.
You’ll;first;have;to;ask;yourself,;“Where
am;I;starting?”;and;“Where;am;I;going?”
Only then can you start to answer ques-
tions;like,;“Do;I;need;desks?;Do;I;have
to get a published curriculum? Do I need
a;lesson;plan?;Do;I;have;to;take;atten-
dance?;Do;I;have;to;keep;a;transcript?
What about college? What is God calling
my;child;to;do?;What;are;my;children’s
learning styles, what are their bents, pas-
sions, behavioral styles? What moves
them?”
Brett;Adams;again:;“It;will;take;some
time to get comfortable with your new-
found;freedom.;The;more;quickly;you;get
there,;the;more;quickly;you;will;begin;to
see;and;capitalize;on;all;of;the;resources
available to you as you begin this new
endeavor.”
Ultimately, homeschooling is not an
“educational”;choice.;It’s;a;lifestyle;and
freedom;choice.;It’s;an;outgrowth;of;the
love God has for us and our children.
Within that, there is a lot of room for
individuality among families and among
students. In the context of homeschool-
ing, that individuality can be fostered,
encouraged, and celebrated.
How Will Things Change?
This decision will bring a big disruption
in your life . . . for the better in many
ways, but a disruption nonetheless.
For your children, socialization will
change. They will go from spending all
their time with people their exact age, to
spending it with multiple ages, depending on how many children you have.
Even if your child is an only child, the
switch to one-on-one student-mentor
teaching will be a big disruption. Spend-ing;eight;or;more;hours;a;day,;five;days
a;week;with;only;people;of;the;same;age
habitualizes children into only communicating with their same-aged peers.
This;will;take;some;time;to;overcome.
Rather than segregated into grades, they
will now be integrated into the family.
Learning will take place wherever the
family is.
“There are three things that are very
different about home schooling,” says
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com;Mid-Year;Enrollment;•;Annual;Print;Book;2014;163
