From Our House to Yours
Why homeschool? Homeschooling promotes the family as a unit and creates strong ties!
My dad attended a small country school from kindergarten to 8th grade. He had about 12-15 children in his school. Only 1 or 2 students were his same age, and 1 teacher taught them all. Dad rode his horse to school. When he arrived, he would tell his horse to ‘go home.’ The horse would obediently head back home on his own. Children took their lunches to school. They would play baseball, even though they were short players. They would play board games and improvise rules, as they had a wide range of ages. At the end of the day, Dad’s parents would tell his horse to ‘go to school.’ The horse would obediently head back, so Dad could ride him home. The children in country school were like one family that learned to look out and care for one another. They formed strong ties that last still today!
Homeschooling promotes the family as a unit and has strong ties that last!
As little girls, my sisters and I used to pretend we were teaching in Dad’s country schoolhouse. We had chalkboards, books, paper, and one filing cabinet we covered with blue and white checked contact paper. What fun we had! We only had a class of 3, but we loved every minute of ‘school.’ Real (or public) school was alright, but not nearly as much fun. Class sizes were big and the homey feeling was gone. How we missed our one-room schoolhouse at home! Maybe that is why all 3 of us girls decided to homeschool, or maybe it was because our best ‘teacher’ was always our mom. In homeschooling, our family works together as a unit. We form strong ties, and we look out for one another.
In homeschooling, strong family ties can last long past the homeschooling!
My dad has now passed away, but he used to love getting together with past classmates at the All School Reunion. In fact, he actually attended the reunion more than 50 years! When my dad and mom moved to town, my dad surprised my mom by coming home and saying he’d invited his whole class over. There weren’t that many, but still! Even though my dad’s passed away, my mom still gets invited to the reunions, even though she really didn’t attend the school. I guess she just became part of the ‘family.’ In homeschooling, we may not have the ‘right’ number of people or the ‘right’ age of people for everything, but we improvise, and we have all the more fun! Everyone is part of the ‘school.’ No one is left out. And that kind of bond creates strong family ties that last, long past the homeschooling.
In Christ,
Julie
This Post Has 4 Comments
What a sweet story! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Janelle! My dad was a wonderful storyteller, and he loved to tell us stories about growing up going to country school. His horse was named Beauty, and he loved her as much as his school days in the country. With today’s tendency to build bigger and bigger schools with more and more children, I just feel so blessed we are able to homeschool our children and enjoy making memories together in our own home. Thanks for reading our blog and for your encouragement here!
I just read your story out loud to my children, ages 11-20. They loved it. I agree with what you wrote about homeschool families being tight knit. Our oldest, 26, is almost here for the holidays. He was my first homeschool graduate. We fondly tease him as the “guinea pig” for homeschooling and parenting. Our 11 year daughter doesn’t know he’s arriving in a few minutes and he is so excited to surprise his little sis. He lives 10 hours away and works near the college he attended. This is my 21st year of homeschooling and it has been the biggest challenge and the BIGGEST blessing. Our children are very close and love each other. We do have occasional, normal spats, however, being raised at home, together every day, they always have each other’s backs. In a world of anti family and anti sibling culture, homeschooling is the best way to promote Godly values and develop good relationships. Oh, and we laugh….a lot as we learn.
Sounds like you have a pretty tight knit homeschool family, which I just love to hear! As the youngest of three sisters, I highly anticipated my older two sisters coming home for Christmas back when they were in college. What a happy surprise your 26 yo is about to bless his little sis’ with! I especially loved hearing you say your kids ‘always have each other’s backs’ – I see that in my own sons and in Carrie’s sons as well. Homeschooling does promote family values and Godly values, and the result is a tight knit family that truly loves each other – forever. What a blessing you have this with your family, Steff! I have it too – it’s one of the most amazing gifts God can give a mother! Merry Christmas – a little early – and thanks for reading and sharing here!