"What can I use for foreign language? Will Bright Futures accept this curriculum?" a pretty middle-aged woman asked.
"What do THEY require for history?" another woman asked, pulling off her reading glasses while she adjusted the papers in her lap.
Gone were the swollen bellies and nearby strollers. Here were women my age, with reading glasses and smile lines showing our advancing years. I sat at the table with two lovely women, confident homeschooling moms who had graduated high school students from their family home school. As I gazed out over the room, I could see fear on the faces of the women in the room. Not the fear that their children would never learn to read, or the earlier fear that their children would attend college still in pull-ups. This fear was new: fear of homeschooling high school.
As question after question came forth, I was amazed at the anxiety behind them. Underneath all the worries came two big worries.
First Worry
First was the worry that somehow they would not tow the line and they would get in trouble. Don't laugh--I used to be afraid of my "permanent record" in school. I still imagine that somewhere, somehow there is a record book with my name on it, all the times I disrupted class by talking, and the two times I went to the beach instead of class my senior year in high school.
Second Worry
"What do THEY require for history?" another woman asked, pulling off her reading glasses while she adjusted the papers in her lap.
Gone were the swollen bellies and nearby strollers. Here were women my age, with reading glasses and smile lines showing our advancing years. I sat at the table with two lovely women, confident homeschooling moms who had graduated high school students from their family home school. As I gazed out over the room, I could see fear on the faces of the women in the room. Not the fear that their children would never learn to read, or the earlier fear that their children would attend college still in pull-ups. This fear was new: fear of homeschooling high school.
As question after question came forth, I was amazed at the anxiety behind them. Underneath all the worries came two big worries.
First Worry
First was the worry that somehow they would not tow the line and they would get in trouble. Don't laugh--I used to be afraid of my "permanent record" in school. I still imagine that somewhere, somehow there is a record book with my name on it, all the times I disrupted class by talking, and the two times I went to the beach instead of class my senior year in high school.
Second Worry
The second worry was that they would ruin their child's life. He wouldn't be able to get into college, get the right scholarships, or play team sports. No one mentioned godly character, not being polluted by the world, or how to hear from God about His plan for high school. I was grieved in my spirit when I went home that night. Not at the women in the room...their hearts were in the right place...they loved their children and wanted to do their very best for them. I was grieved because Satan had tricked them into asking the wrong questions.
Over the last several years, I have heard countless stories of homeschool graduates who are not serving Jesus with their whole hearts and my heart breaks. What is going on? Why are we losing these children?
Because we ask the wrong questions, we focus on the wrong things, neglecting the most important, eternal work.
God’s Call to Homeschool
When I began to homeschool, I felt that I had received a calling from God. It was a serious adventure that I began with only one desire: to know God's will and do it in my homeschooling. I didn't worry about rules and regulations first, I sought God's face. I ordered the curriculum that He led me to order and used it faithfully because, you see, this was my ministry. Homeschooling was an act of service to the Lord.
Just because my children are in high school, nothing is changed. Homeschooling is a calling from God. He has a plan for my child's life. If I seek Him, He will lead and guide me. Scary? A little. But, there is no safer place to be in your homeschooling. And, so, as I pursue my ministry of homeschooling, my main goal is to raise godly, educated children who love Jesus. I am more concerned with teaching my children all they need to know from a Christian perspective and worldview, than meeting man's requirements. This doesn't mean that I toss those things out the window, but rather that they take their rightful place behind the main priorities.
Over the last several years, I have heard countless stories of homeschool graduates who are not serving Jesus with their whole hearts and my heart breaks. What is going on? Why are we losing these children?
Because we ask the wrong questions, we focus on the wrong things, neglecting the most important, eternal work.
God’s Call to Homeschool
When I began to homeschool, I felt that I had received a calling from God. It was a serious adventure that I began with only one desire: to know God's will and do it in my homeschooling. I didn't worry about rules and regulations first, I sought God's face. I ordered the curriculum that He led me to order and used it faithfully because, you see, this was my ministry. Homeschooling was an act of service to the Lord.
Just because my children are in high school, nothing is changed. Homeschooling is a calling from God. He has a plan for my child's life. If I seek Him, He will lead and guide me. Scary? A little. But, there is no safer place to be in your homeschooling. And, so, as I pursue my ministry of homeschooling, my main goal is to raise godly, educated children who love Jesus. I am more concerned with teaching my children all they need to know from a Christian perspective and worldview, than meeting man's requirements. This doesn't mean that I toss those things out the window, but rather that they take their rightful place behind the main priorities.
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for the soul?" (Mark 8:36-37 NIV)
The Right Questions to Ask
Here are the right questions to ask!
How can I guard my child's purity?
How can I protect my child from temptation and the seduction of the world?
Is my child spiritually ready to dual-enroll or play sports at a local high school?
Is my child growing in her relationship with the Lord?
Is she understanding how the Bible relates to history, science, music, art, communication, logic, and research?
Is she able to recognize different worldviews and defend her faith? Is she able to make right choices?
Do we have a healthy relationship that will last a lifetime?
Am I cultivating the gifts and talents the Lord has given her?
Is her heart and life filled with joy and goodness?
Start with the right questions to design your homeschooling high school plan. Yes, it's okay to keep the other things in mind, but don't lose sight of why you began homeschooling in the first place. Mentor your teenagers. Raise them to know and love the Lord. No one else will do it for you if you neglect this most important task. Don't neglect your teenager because he can work independently.
He still needs you to train him in the way you should go. Maintain vigilance and don't assume that your child will not give in to temptation. It is much easier to nip something in the bud, than get rid of sin in full bloom. The years are racing by, so please make wise choices. Don't let anything be more important in your homeschooling than your son or daughter's relationship with Jesus!
Remember your calling: to homeschool high school for the glory of God! Please join us at Finish Well this July 8-9 with your teens and learn more about homeschooling high school to the glory of God! You can sign up for our free newsletter too and register online.
Here is another great resource: Unlocking the Mysteries of Homeschooling High School.
Stay the Course!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
The Right Questions to Ask
Here are the right questions to ask!
How can I guard my child's purity?
How can I protect my child from temptation and the seduction of the world?
Is my child spiritually ready to dual-enroll or play sports at a local high school?
Is my child growing in her relationship with the Lord?
Is she understanding how the Bible relates to history, science, music, art, communication, logic, and research?
Is she able to recognize different worldviews and defend her faith? Is she able to make right choices?
Do we have a healthy relationship that will last a lifetime?
Am I cultivating the gifts and talents the Lord has given her?
Is her heart and life filled with joy and goodness?
Start with the right questions to design your homeschooling high school plan. Yes, it's okay to keep the other things in mind, but don't lose sight of why you began homeschooling in the first place. Mentor your teenagers. Raise them to know and love the Lord. No one else will do it for you if you neglect this most important task. Don't neglect your teenager because he can work independently.
He still needs you to train him in the way you should go. Maintain vigilance and don't assume that your child will not give in to temptation. It is much easier to nip something in the bud, than get rid of sin in full bloom. The years are racing by, so please make wise choices. Don't let anything be more important in your homeschooling than your son or daughter's relationship with Jesus!
Remember your calling: to homeschool high school for the glory of God! Please join us at Finish Well this July 8-9 with your teens and learn more about homeschooling high school to the glory of God! You can sign up for our free newsletter too and register online.
Here is another great resource: Unlocking the Mysteries of Homeschooling High School.
Stay the Course!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
RSS Feed
