As Christian parents or guardians, the Lord has designated you (unless incapable) to rear and teach your children. Each child is a blessing and gift to you and a heritage of the Lord (Ps. 127:3). However, that child is only entrusted to you for a short time. Turn around, and that child becomes an adult before you blink. Those young ones are not just your children. No one can hold onto them. In truth, they belong to God (Heb. 2:10; 1 Chron. 29:1).
The learning journey is one of the biggest adventures of life. An old saying quips, “if someone is not learning, that person is dead.” If you have a child, no matter what you do or say everyday, you’re already teaching, and they’re learning, if not by your words, then by your actions. Parents see their child’s learning adventure when they are born. A baby’s learning is observable, even measurable. However, the actual “education adventure” began before birth for both the parents and the child. Babies listen and learn in the womb. The parents probably began learning to be a parent before the birth of their first child. Therefore, living always includes learning.
When God leads parents to homeschool, He enables and equips them. Scripture says the Holy Spirit guides believers to all truth (John 16:13). God works in and through parents, enabling them to teach their children. When parents decide to homeschool, they take on a “growing experience” for their children and themselves.
When God calls you to this homeschool responsibility, you are not alone. In this stewardship, God gives you the authority and ability to do this task. Whenever God leads believers to do something, God enables and equips them. The Bible also says God is faithful to do what He calls believers to do (1Thess. 5:24).
Similar to becoming a parent, when you become a homeschooling parent, you begin each year with the next road in life’s educational journey. Deuteronomy 6:7 shows one way most parents teach from birth when it says, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” As your child grows, you’ll encounter many more decisions in this adventure. You may ask questions. What will you teach? How will you prepare? When will you teach? What curriculum is best? What will my child learn? How will they learn? Will my child love and enjoy learning? All these questions and more will be part of your quest to help your child grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:18).
When looking for guidance, the Bible gives direction concerning teaching, training, encouraging, and bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4). By studying Scripture, a believing parent will know that every believing child needs to learn and grow. In one example, the Bible instructs believers to “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge” (2 Pet. 1:5). Virtue comes before knowledge in this list, indicating faith and virtue may be an important priority before adding knowledge. Training is another example of a child’s upbringing. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go.” Training includes many elements to increase skills toward success. A third example is the church. The Bible explains the purpose and nature of the church and how it functions. Ephesians 4:15 says that believers grow when “speaking the truth in love.” The church also should do things “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). Just as in the church, the home needs to follow these principles. Children need purpose, patterns, and boundaries of behavior in the everyday routines of their lives to help them feel secure and know what is expected. And above all, they need a parent to teach and speak the truth in love. Parents will need God’s wisdom to make decisions and proactive plans for this creative quest. The believer only needs to ask God for wisdom, “and it will be given him” (James 1:5). The victorious rewards could not be greater when following the guidance found in the Bible.
When the learning process begins, the value of encouraging a child’s love of learning shows in the delighted “light-bulb response” when they learn something. Excitement about learning is contagious. Your child will catch your enthusiasm. One of the most rewarding moments in homeschooling comes when your child’s face lights up, and they “get it.” When a child finds joy in understanding, education is exciting, even fun! They’ve conquered, learned, or discovered something new! These joyous moments make homeschooling worth it all.
In summary, when parents or guardians decide to homeschool, the Lord gives them a great commission. As a homeschooler, you take the responsibility to provide your child the best possible education instead of turning your child over to a tutor, school, or teacher apart from you. As you “teach,” God gives you His grace to rear the children and provide them with a foundation for their lives.
This homeschool decision extends the noble task of parenting you already do. Under Pennsylvania Law, you become a supervisor of your student’s homeschool program. Becoming a supervisor to teach your child satisfies the state’s compulsory school attendance law.
No matter where you are in your homeschooling journey, trusting God is the key to success. God gives grace when parents follow Him and let God do the work in and through them. God is faithful. So, by God’s grace, prepare and depend on Him as you continue this educational quest for you and your children, knowing that God will do what He has called you to do.
