The Key to Getting Started in Homeschooling

Successful Homeschooling takes commitment, time, expense, hard work, thought, and prayer.  TeachThemDiligently.Net (1)

“It’s a girl.” Twenty-four years ago my husband looked at me in the delivery room, uttered that phrase, and life changed. We went from a two-person family to a three-person family. We started spending money on different items, like diapers and car seats. Our schedule began revolving around caring for this young life, and our thoughts and prayers constantly turned toward her needs.

We desperately wanted to do a good job as parents. We wanted to provide what she needed and to bring her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We wanted to disciple her and encourage her in her relationship with Jesus Christ. We knew it would take a lot of time and effort, but we were willing to make that commitment.

Five years later my husband looked at me in the living room and uttered another phrase: “Let’s homeschool.” And life changed again. We still needed to keep the focus on discipling our daughter, but we again started spending money on different items, like books and a globe. Our schedule expanded to include teaching this young person about God’s world and how it works and the people who have lived in it and their ideas. You can be sure that our thoughts and prayers continued to turn toward her needs, but now in more areas than ever before.

We desperately wanted to do a good job as homeschoolers. We wanted to provide her with an excellent education in addition to nurturing her spiritual life and keeping her heart turned toward her parents and siblings. We knew it would take even more time and effort, and we were willing to make that commitment.

There’s the key to getting started in homeschooling: Decide if you’re willing to make the commitment. Before we talk about setting goals and choosing methods and all of those details, you need to take some time to look at what lies ahead with your eyes wide open.

Maybe you’ve read the statistics about how homeschoolers do better academically and you want that for your child. Great!

But you must realize that a successful student doesn’t happen simply by changing locations from a classroom to a dining room. Successful homeschooling takes commitment, time, expense, hard work, thought, and prayer.

But successful homeschoolers are willing to make those investments because their goal is to bring glory to God. Once that commitment is made, the rest can follow.

Both as a new parent and as a new homeschooler, the one thing that I wanted most was to talk to other parents who had been there—who had older children whom I admired—and listen to the wisdom they had acquired through their experiences. You have a prime opportunity to do that at the Teach Them Diligently conventions. There you will rub shoulders with parents who have walked where you are heading. You will be able to share your heart with other attenders and glean encouragement and wisdom from speakers who have made the same commitment to homeschool for the glory of God.

Speaker Tip:

I wish I would have remembered that the burden of the outcome of our parenting rests on God’s grace, not my efforts. I could have rested in His righteousness and learned to listen more closely to His voice. 

Kendra Fletcher, Preschoolers and Peace. She’ll be sharing her wisdom at the Nashville and Dallas events. 

Register today. Think of it as your first investment toward successful homeschooling!