Your Homeschooling Questions Answered: Part 10

More answers to your questions! (Please continue to ask away!)

Questions answered in other posts:
• Why do you homeschool?
• We’re thinking about home-schooling, but the idea of it is completely overwhelming. Where do I even start? What are the rules and laws? How do I know what my child needs to learn and when?
• What does your school day look like?
• How smart do you have to be to homeschool? What if I screw my kids up?
• What would you say are the biggest pros and cons of homeschooling?
• Are you afraid your subjects of dislike will rub off on your kids?
• Any suggestions for keeping little ones busy during school time?
• Are you super patient?
• How do you know if you're homeschooling for the right reasons, and not selfish reasons?
• Are you held accountable to the state for your children's educations?
• How you do try to make sure your kids end up "normal" and aren't socially-ignorant (or just plain weird) when they go out in public?
• If you are financially-strained and/or stingy, how do you know how much you really, truly NEED to spend on materials for homeschooling?
• How do you ever get away as a couple? Do you have someone willing to watch all four kids? Do they homeschool?
• What's your take on the claims that homeschoolers "shelter", "brainwash", and/or "indoctrinate" their children?
• Will you homeschool through high school? If so, what about sports? Prom? Graduation? Diploma?
• What is your take on homeschooled kids enjoying the 'fun stuff' at public school but not the academic stuff (dual-enrollment)? And if you dual-enroll, how do you combat negative attitudes from public-school parents?
• Do you follow the local school calendar? When do you start and stop your school year? What do you do for breaks?
• If both parents are homebodies, how do you make sure you get your kids involved socially?

"When you can sometimes already feel like you're not 'good enough' at being a mom/wife, how do you add in homeschooling without being crushed under the pressure of then also feeling like you're not 'good enough' as a teacher?"

The cursor has been blink-blink-blinking at me as I try to find the right words to answer this. The truth is, we’re never good enough as a wife, we’re never good enough as a mom, and we’re never good enough as a teacher.

For me, these shortcomings can sometimes get the best of me. They come pounding down upon me like violent waves, and I feel like I'm sinking. Hopeless. The key to handling that pressure is to keep my focus on Jesus, not on the storm. When I focus on the wind and the waves – the resistance and the disturbances – that come with homeschooling, motherhood, marriage, it’s easy to sink under the pressure. But when I focus on Jesus, I can walk on water.

Here's what I mean....

When I don’t spend time at Jesus feet daily, the pressure truly is too much. All of it weighs me down and makes me feel like I simply can’t handle it all. But that’s a lie from the Devil. I can handle it all because God is my strength. As long as I focus on Jesus by putting Him first, the rest follows. I’m a better mom, wife, and teacher. But still, I'm never good enough according to God's standards. I still – always – fall short. Always. That’s where God comes in.

“God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.”

God has taught me two truths that have changed my lilfe:

My failures as a mom do not have the power to produce unsaved children. God is way bigger than that. He alone can save my children from Hell.

My failures as a teacher do not have the power to produce uneducated children. God is way bigger than that. He alone can cause my teachings to remain in my children’s minds, according to His will for their lives.

So I love the best I can…

I teach the best I can….

And I teach love the best I can…

Then I let go…

And let God.

{Have a question you’d like to ask? Use the form below to answer as many questions as you like. It’s completely anonymous…so fire away!}