The Lost Art Of Learning And Teaching

Over the last few years my husband and I went back and forth on the topic of schooling. We wanted the best for our child and we had trouble deciding what that would look like. Last summer we even enrolled Little Mister in a preschool, only to pull him out before the start of school because it wasn't a good fit for us.

Now, I know this topic is fully of controversy and debate, but my beliefs on education for my children can be narrowed down to one concise thought:

When we had babies it became our soul responsibility to teach, guide and educate our children.

That means that no one can blame teachers, school systems, government or any of the like for underdeveloped learning skills or a child who was "lost in the system". If a child isn't learning and living up to his or her full potential, it is because their parent or primary care giver has failed them.

Harsh words, I know.

It rubs me the wrong way when parents complain about their child's education/educator. Having been a teacher myself, I have seen first hand how parents want you to magically fix their children when they do little to guide them at home. When a child fails in our school system now, people point the finger at the teacher. That teacher must have been slacking, obviously, or spending too much time teaching the other twenty some children in their class instead of focusing on the needs of their child. And while there are some legitimate exceptions to this, I think a majority of the time it is simply the parents passing blame for something they should have been doing a long time ago. Teaching, growing and guiding our children is a lost art in this country. Perhaps its because we are just to busy, because doing so takes too much time. Maybe its because we've just forgotten, from years of progressive neglect, that our children are a product of our hands and the responsibilities of our lives.

If we make the choice to have children, that means that from that moment on they are the priority over our lives, our careers and ourselves. We made the commitment to give them our best by bringing them into the world.

That is a heavy pill to swallow. And do be frank, some people don't.

In terms of education, we wanted (and will continue to want) the best for our children. That will look different for many different people, and to be fair I know that different children thrive in different environments.

For us, our best was homeschooling our son.

There are many variables that made this the right choice for us at this point in our lives, one being my sons learning style. Two being the fact that my son is doing first grade work at 4 years old, not at all because I pushed him, just because he understands it. I knew he would not be challenged in a preschool setting right now. And Three, I wanted Jesus to be a part of his everyday school life as well as everyday home life. While there are a few great schools around here that would fit the bill, we can't afford them.
He may or may not be educated at home for his entire schooling career, we will reevaluated yearly.

Right now, this is what is best for our son.

It is his best opportunity to grow in understanding and knowledge. It is my best opportunity to guide and teach my son, which is my responsibility as his mother and as someone who loves him dearly.

Whatever is right for our children, whatever education looks like for our family
(public, private or home schooling), it is our responsibility as their parents.
While many people can come along side of us and our children to guide and teach, the responsibility still lands on our shoulders as parents to provide them with their best opportunities.