Reflecting on a Year of Home Education (2022-2023)

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

One of the requirements of a Florida Home Education is that the parent compiles a portfolio showing each student’s progress for the year. I just finished putting ours together and I’m grateful that it’s forced me to reflect on the last year and see all that God has done.

Choosing to homeschool is a calling. I never imagined that I would be that parent. I looked forward to the day that all my kids were in school so that I could focus on my own personal ambitions, Deeply Rooted Magazine being one of them.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

Oh, has this become a life verse! 😂

God gave me what I wanted for a season but when Ethan went into full-time ministry, we learned to adapt to an entirely different schedule. We realized that our kids spent the best portions of their day away from us. By the time they got home, they were tired, we had more schoolwork to do, and there was a lot of emotional unpacking to do from their day. (We found this to be the case both at public and private schools.) By the time homework was done, it was dinner, and then bedtime. Add lots of church-related events, hospitality, and soccer practice. It was too much.

In addition to the chaotic schedule, we recognized that someone else was doing the primary discipleship. For 7-8 hours a day (not including the bus) they learned from their teachers, whatever books their teachers assigned, and their peers. In public school, every aspect of their learning was divorced from the knowledge of God. Although our kids did have opportunities to share the Gospel and we had many awesome opportunities to witness our kids discern through topics (like evolution), we knew this wasn’t a great long-term solution. But even private schools came with a myriad of issues and inconsistencies. (Additionally, we found that our kids were learning way more inappropriate things from their friends at the Christian school than they ever learned at the public school.)

The choice to homeschool gave us the time we wanted back and it also gave us the opportunity to custom-tailor their education. Not only could we be intentional about what they are learning, we could also consider each unique personality, interest, and learning style.

The beauty of homeschooling is that it offers so much flexibility. Some days were tough. A friend told me that sometimes school is less academic, and more discipleship. This is true when you are with the same people 24-7. But! Homeschooling offers more time for those deeper conversations. Some of the greatest lessons my kids have learned are not academic but involve spiritual, everyday application. Also, whenever an idea wasn’t clicking (or even when it was) we made the time to explore a little bit longer and linger on a lesson. Even better, we took what we learned and got hands-on with it, whether by working with our hands or physically exploring ourselves.

All in all, we have no regrets about our decision. Homeschooling is both intentional and strategic, utilizing the God-given gifts our kids have been entrusted with. It can work in harmony with a family, deepening family bonds and benefiting the home. I can personally testify that my children are happier and less stressed. I have seen such a positive change not only in my kids but in our family as a unit. There have certainly been days where I’ve felt inadequate and questioned my ability to teach my kids, but overall, I’ve loved learning alongside my kids and teaching them truths that are rooted in the knowledge of God. 2022-2023 was a great year and I’m excited to see what the next one brings. Soli Deo Gloria.

We planted these from seeds and had so much fun watching them grow and eventually produce vegetables.

They helped me build our garden beds!

Ethan taught the kids how to chop wood and build a fire.

We used Simply Charlotte Mason for most of our curriculum. I plan to write a review on it!

These are some samples of their written narrations.

Kaiden was able to play at our local public school and Ethan was able to still coach!

Motherhood is Ministry

On the drive home from VBS yesterday, I saw a turtle attempt to cross the busy highway. I tried to avoid it the same way it tried to avoid me. When my kids asked why I slowed the car down, I told them about the turtle and, immediately, my middle-child burst into tears. “I want to pray to God that the turtle doesn’t get hurt. Can we pray to God, mom?” And so we did.

And then the Lord gave me the perfect transition. I said to them, “If we care for God’s creation, how much more should we care for those made in His image? How much more should our hearts break knowing that there are people—souls—that are on a path to destruction?” I explained the urgency of sharing the Gospel with our non-christian friends and I encouraged them to seek opportunities to have conversations with potential non-believers at this week.

On the drive home from VBS today, my son, Kaiden, told me that his Catholic friend was asking questions about why the kids were walking towards the front of the stage during our pastor’s invitation. Kaiden explained the Gospel ABC’s but his friend expressed that he believes priests are the mediator between us and God. Kaiden rebutted sharing that Jesus became our High Priest. We no longer need to go to a priest to confess because we can confess directly to God through Jesus.

Kaiden was able to articulate this because he’s heard me say it before. God used this to remind me once more that motherhood is ministry.

And yet, Satan likes to isolate us and make moms feel like we have no purpose and that our work is not valuable. He tries to reduce our work to seem as though it’s nothing more than changing diapers or cleaning up messes. He does this so that we fail to be missionally-minded in our homes. Moms, do not forget that we are sowing seeds. We are making disciples. We are raising up evangelists. We are training our kids to live righteous lives. We are passing truth on from generation to generation. We are pointing them to Jesus. And we have no idea how God will use the time, energy, words, and love we’ve poured into them to go and do the same for others.

Here’s the thing: we can change the diapers and clean the messes but miss the discipleship. Our kids will not naturally drift towards holiness. This is why they need us to teach them about righteous living. We have been entrusted with their precious souls and it is our job to plant seeds, water, and believe that God will give the growth.

Yesterday, I watered. Today, I saw a little fruit. But the fruit I saw didn’t grow overnight.

My son’s understanding of who Jesus is and how the Gospel changes the way we relate to God has come from years of conversations in the car, after school, before bed, and so forth. It’s a result of Ethan and I believing that theology matters and that it is our job as parents to answer the tough questions, seek out the right answers, and equip them to do the same for others.

Ultimately, his receptive heart is the work of the Spirit. I’m beginning to see it in my second child and am praying for it for my third. It is not up to me how the Holy Spirit chooses to move in them but it is up to me to labor in love day after day. May we not grow weary in doing good. May we have eyes to see the opportunities to train and disciple. May the Great Commission start in our homes. May we see motherhood as a ministry.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...”

— -Matt. 28:19-20a

Christmas Eve on the Water

We spent our Christmas Eve on the water today! This was our first time moving out of the Bay and into the open ocean. Go figure, the sun came out just after we finished, but we had a blast nonetheless! Here are a few images from our excursion out to the Gulf Shores. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!