A Word of Encouragement to New Homeschooling Parents...

Don't despair and don't second-guess yourself.  Sounds so simple, huh?  Yet, doubts about what you are doing plague you.  People, especially family members, question your motives.  Some folks will even "quizz" your children about what they know in order to "prove" whether or not homeschooling really works or not.  You have days when there are so many interruptions that basically nothing in the way of academics was accomplished.   Serious illness or some other calamity has befallen your family, hindering your entire school year.  You just know your child's education has suffered for it - he'll be behind his public school peers.  You just know you've failed in giving your child a proper education, and he'll not be ready for college upon high school (homeschool) graduation.  Right? 

Wrong!  How do I know?  I've been there - experienced all that - and still managed to educate all three of my children better than any public school could have done.   Of course, I give the good Lord above all the credit for my success in homeschooling.  Without His blessing and grace, I could not have done it. 

With my oldest child, when she began studying high school level courses, I found myself having to study and learn alongside her.  There was so much that I had forgotten from my own high school days, and much that I hadn't even learned at all!  You can read more about those early days of homeschooling with her, and our reasons for homeschooling her in the first place, by reading an earlier post from last summer.  (Click on the link below this post called "Success" to have quick access to it.)   Like I said before in that earlier post, we took her out of public school when she was in 7th grade.  I gave her a diagnostic test which proved she was actually on a 5th grade level in Math and English (Language Arts).  After finishing 10th grade at home, she took a Math & English Placement Test at our local college.  I was told afterwards that my daughter "scored better than most high school graduates" on those tests!  (At that very moment,  it felt like a weight had slipped from my shoulders.   I finally realized, without a doubt, that my efforts to educate my children were not in vain.  I WAS accomplishing something of value.  Homeschooling WAS working, and it was working WELL!) At age 16, my daughter was ready for college level English and Algebra 2.  She had only completed Algebra 1 and Geometry at home, so I was glad to hear that she was, indeed, ready to move on to Algebra 2.   Yay!  (Since I had never taken Algebra 2 in high school, my daughter and I both signed up for the class at the college.)   She graduated from high school at home the following year - one year ahead of her public school peers.  She waited until she was 18 to attend college, and did not have to take any remedial courses. 

By the time my third child finished 10th grade at home, I felt like an "old pro".  My first two children had graduated and entered the work force without any problems.  (My second child chose not to attend college.  He preferred working full-time.)  Then, I began having health issues.  After suffering with a problem for a good while, I ended up having major surgery around the time of my youngest child's junior year of school.  This took alot of my attention away from his schooling.   Then, in the fall of my son's senior year, I experienced horrendous back problems which affected my hip and leg, and was in excruciating (literal "screaming fits") pain for about 2 and a half months, and lingering (moaning and groaning) pain and disability for over a year.  Needless to say, any education my son received during most of his last two years of high school, he acquired on his own.  His last year was mostly spent in taking care of me.  (My husband was a long-haul trucker, and was gone from home for 5 or 6 days at a time, and home for 1 or 2 days.  My daughter was married and living away from home and working.  My older son was also working and gone all day.)  That left my younger son to wait on me, help me up and down, take me to the doctor, do my shopping, do my house cleaning, listen to me cry, etc.  He did all that and never complained.   He did not have much time left to spend on his lessons.  I was in so much pain that I could not sufficiently guide him or even really supervise what he was supposed to do.

When my son's senior year was over, and it was time for him to take the Math & English Placement Tests at the college, I was probably more concerned about how he would do than he was.  I felt like I had been such a failure to him for his last two years of high school.  I was afraid he'd be behind academically.  As it turned out, I'd worried for nothing!  My son tested very well on both of those placement tests and was ready for all college level subjects.   God had come through for us, despite our hardships of the previous couple of  years. 

I guess the lesson I have learned in my own homeschooling journey with my kids is that all God requires of us, as parents, is to plant the seed.  HE will give the increase.  It's like that old gospel (Pentecostal Holiness) song says, "If you'll take one step - He'll take two!  Ain't no limit what God can do.  He said, 'If ya go, don't worry about yourself.  All ya gotta do is take a step!' "

Amen to that!  If we do our best (even when our best doesn't seem like enough), God will do the rest!