Posted in Homeschooling

About a month ago, our family entered our eighth official year of homeschooling.  We are not veterans by any means, but we have had a little experience in the area of homeschooling, and I have realized several things about homeschooling in general and our homeschooling family in particular.  One thing I have learned through experience in regards to homeschooling is that there is no such thing as perfect in homeschooling.  There is no perfect curriculum that will meet all the needs of every homeschooling family (other than the Bible, of course!).  There is no such thing as the perfect homeschool year, when we accomplish all our goals to the complete satisfaction of both homeschooling parents and children.  And there really is no such thing as the perfect homeschooling mom, despite how hard many of us strive and long for that ellusive ideal we just know is out there somewhere just beyond our reach.  There is simply no such thing as perfection when it comes to homeschooling.  The reason?  Those of us who homeschool are not perfect.

In seven years of homeschooling, our family has not had one year that has been the same as any other.  Each year brings its own challenges and changes.  Some years (like this one) it's a new baby, other years it's a child who just can't quite grasp a concept I am trying to teach.  We have had years when we have emphasized heart and character issues over academics.  We have also had years when learning happened by leaps and bounds.  As I have added each child one-by-one when they were ready for more "formal" schooling, I have had to learn to work with a variety of learning styles and personalities.  Each year has also had unique blessings and times of joy.  I have found those wonderful moments of "tying heart strings" as we have gone about our daily tasks.  And I have learned that education is actually discipleship, which happens throughout the day, as we lie down and as we rise up and as we go on our way.  Learning has become, for our family, a way of life.

Being the planner that I am, I anticipate this year having adjustments and challenges (especially when the newest member of the family arrives!).  I have tried to plan accordingly, but of course, there is no perfect plan because there is no perfect in homeschooling.  God is soveriegn, even over my little family.  There is great freedom in realizing that there is no perfect and that that is okay.  All we can do is our best, and then trust God with the results of our homeschooling efforts.  Our homeschooling doesn't have to be perfect, we just have to obey the Lord, do our part, and leave the rest to Him.