We’re currently away on a Christian home education holiday. There are hundreds of us here, all forging our own paths in a world going in the opposite direction. I’ve been speaking to many new home educating mums this week and their questions often remind me of questions I asked many years ago, when we began this journey.
I thought I’d answer these questions on the blog, so that the answers are here for me to point anyone to, should they ask. I’ve started at the beginning…
What led you to home educate?
First and foremost it was a God led decision. I was always somewhat alternative in my thinking and having trained at Norland I could see that play was indeed the very best way for young children to learn. I passionately believe that children don’t need to start formal education until around 6, which is when they start in many European countries, with excellent long term results. I also feel that children are all unique and their education should ideally reflect this.
With all these high ideals in mind I posed the home education question to Phil. He cut me down at the first hurdle, telling me, in no uncertain terms, to leave the subject alone. So I committed to not speaking about home education to Phil, but praying fervently for God to put us on the same page.
Phil put up several hurdles, which he only told me about months later, God knocked each and every one down. Hurdle one was about his working hours. He was very concerned that I wouldn’t have time to teach Maths adequately and he would want to have an input into this subject, as it’s his area of expertise. He therefore would want to work at home a couple of days a week. Within a few weeks of my prayer mission his boss asked him, out of the blue, if he would like to work part time from home!
Hurdle two was money. Phil was aware that resources for home education would come with a cost and he would need a pay rise to cover that. Again within a few weeks he had been given a very generous pay rise, and this occurred around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, another miracle.
Hurdle three was university. He wanted our children to have the opportunity to go to university, should they be academically inclined. Phil was, at the time travelling frequently to America, he happened on this occasion to be in Boston and met up with a friend who worked at Harvard. He posed a home education question to his friend, this question was about what universities thought of home educated students. The answer he received was not what he expected. He was told that the university loves home educators because they are self motivated thinkers who ask great questions. From his friend’s perspective the unique home based environment had better prepared these students for university than elitist schools! God was certainly on the move, not that I, as yet, knew anything about this.
I had asked God not only to change Phil’s heart, if home education was the right path for us, but I had also laid one more fleece. I was determined that this decision must be mutual, for we would come across difficulties and I never wanted to have Phil say, “this was your decision, you deal with it”. So I asked God to get Phil to ask me if we could home educate, then I would know for sure that this was God’s will.
Well….two months after our initial conversation, I experienced one of our first amazing answers to prayer. Phil sat me down and asked me if we could home educate the children, just like that! Well you could have knocked me down with a feather. I’d prayed with just a mustard seed of faith, but God had answered and had shown Phil his heart for us on this matter.
Now everyday that we have a struggle I can look back on that evening knowing that God chose this path for us and I can move forward without doubt, safe in the knowledge that this is God’s best plan for our children.
Long before the days of social media, and LGBTQ rights taught to infants, long before lockdowns were even a thought, God called us to home educate. Long before these challenges came along he protected our children, he knew what would be best for them. In many ways we were just following God, unsure of of the path ahead, but simply trusting that he promises good things for those who trust him. He hasn’t let us down. He has good plans for us and good plans for you. What’s he calling you to today?
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Sending blessings to you all, Vicki
Hannah A says:
Wow. Thank you x
On Sunday my church announced that they are planning to start a cooperative home education system for families who want to home Ed, but feel ill equipt to do so.
I’ve been considering for years, but simply don’t feel capable in anyway & having been a single parent, I was not financially able either. My ex (after church), said to me, “Don’t even think about it. He’s in a good Christian school. Leave it alone!” He’s in a Catholic school & we have had several issues in 2 years of schooling.
Now you have posted this just 2 days later! A Godincidence I think that’s called. Praise His holy name.
Jonathan says:
Vicki you are a testament to what prayers said with faith can achieve.
For some their prayers said in faith are answered quicker than others, while other people’s prayer petitions said in faith may have to keep praying in faith for months or years
Matthew 21:22 NIV
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Matthew 6:6 NIV
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Angela says:
Awesome testimony! Will you also write how you did it?
We live in Germany and here it’s not allowed to homeschool. I’m fascinated by it and can see the benefits, watching some vlogs of big christian US families. But knowing me not being organized, I’m half relieved that I’m not allowed to do it anyway.
We have friends in other countries though who think we should leave Germany to homeschool…
On a much lower level I’m just thinking about taking our son out of kindergarten for his last year before school, after he’s been there one year.
He’s having discipline issues and though I don’t blame kindergarten for it, it doesn’t seem to help either and feels strange somehow that teachers try to discipline him. He says he’d like to stay home but often my husband will blame me later if I’ve been forcing a decision. Plus our 3rd daughter wasn’t in kindergarten at all and always was envious of her 2 sisters who were. I’m somehow not as good in engaging even kindergartners.
But I’m encouraged now to just pray about it, even though I absolutely can’t imagine for my husband to tell me to take our son out there.
Thanks for blogging as always!
Angela
Jonathan says:
Angela
Philippians 4:5-7 NIV
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:5-7
Sorgt euch um nichts, sondern bringt in jeder Lage betend und flehend eure Bitten mit Dank vor Gott! Und der Friede Gottes, der alles Verstehen übersteigt, wird eure Herzen und eure Gedanken in der Gemeinschaft mit Christus Jesus bewahren.
Angela says:
Thanks & Amen!
Jonathan says:
I shall pray for you & yours
Angela says:
Oh you are welcome to do that. Thank you, and be blessed!
Rachael says:
Thank you for this encouraging testimony. We home educate our children too.
I have noticed from your blog posts that some/all of your older children have gone to school. I’d love to hear about this choice too and what led you to that decision. Maybe a future blog post?
Jonathan says:
Proverbs 22: V’s 6 & 15 NIV
6 Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
Sophia says:
Hi Vicki, I met you on the day you wrote this post. It was really good to chat to you at the ladies tea and chat! It was very refreshing and encouraging to have a conversation about the things closest to my heart. It was special to be around like minded people and be able to express concerns about the current culture children are surrounded by. It is such a privilege to home educate, even with the added financial and emotional responsibility. To be able to choose most of the influences our children are faced with at such a young and impressionable age is really helpful in nurturing them to become whole, secure, healthy minded individuals brought up to know God’s abounding love and to have knowledge and insight to be able to discern what is best.
We have enjoyed watching the programme on your family’s move to the country and I look forwards to reading more of your blog posts!