When Homeschooling Ends

When we began homeschooling in 1994, we blazed a trail with full assurance God was calling us to this approach. And He was. He showed up all along the way, through challenges and changes.

But if you’d told me then all we’d face and that we’d pursue this path for the next quarter of a century, I might have hid in the closet. Who could do such a thing? Not me, for sure.

And reality, I couldn’t have lasted without Jesus. And my husband. And faithful encouraging friends. And kids who kept showing up to our educational experiment.

When the day came for the LAST student to graduate, I found myself overflowing with conflicting feelings and thoughts. How does one tie a bow on the end of an era?

How would you respond?

I Wrote A Letter

Yep, I wrote my kids a letter. Because, writers explore thoughts and feelings by putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

Usually, I work through my heart issues in my journal, which no one sees. But I felt so compelled to express my gratitude to my kids for allowing me the privilege to homeschool. The night before graduation, the thoughts spilled over to the page. I NEEDED to tell them. And confess to them my sorrow at not meeting my own expectations. And proclaim the Lord’s favor over them, since He was the only reason we lasted.

So, after my youngest daughter’s graduation, which was only family (thank you, Covid), I read the letter to all my kids.

Now, months later, I asked them permission, “May I share the letter?” And they graciously agreed. Maybe somewhere, a homeschool mom or kids needs to hear these words too.

The Letter

A letter to you, my children:                                                                                   July 5, 2020

Thank you for your patience, grace, long-suffering, and willingness in our little home academy. Homeschooling you all challenged me and stretched me to my limits. It also blessed me to my marrow and thrilled me to my toes. When God sparked the idea of homeschooling in Dad and I, we didn’t even have a child yet. But He prepared the way for us before we asked.

I look back on the years of home education with such a cacophony of feelings and thoughts. There’s beautiful memories of books read and projects completed. Seeing lights of understanding flood your faces when a difficult concept finally took hold. Hearing you read when the maze of letters congealed to make words. Admiring your endurance when understanding came slow. Watching you mature to grab a hold of opportunities.

There’s difficult recollections, as well, as we all know. Every year you endured curriculum changes as I searched for the one perfect thing, a new schedule that would surely work this time, my varied attempts to create a fail-proof assignment system, and much more. We clashed over incomplete assignments or missed deadlines. There were seasons where you didn’t get enough attention because of distractions or new babies or another move or me just being tired.

My actions often didn’t match my intentions. For the times I dropped the ball, I’m sorry. For when anger drove out patience, I apologize. For when I said one thing and did another, I ask your forgiveness. Just like I’m sure you’re sorry for the times you fudged an assignment or told me you’d “finished” or found a way around what you were supposed to do. We needed grace for each other.

Even though I wish I’d done better, I want you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that schooling you has been my great privilege. In many ways, it has been my life’s work. And there is nothing more valuable into which I could have invested my time and my efforts. The paychecks I received could never have been matched by actual money.

As this chapter draws to an end, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m grateful your Dad was always committed to and supportive of homeschooling. I’m grateful for you never asking me to go to real school. I’m grateful that Jesus filled the gaps and called us to grace and forgiveness. I’m grateful to have lived in a season in our country where we were free to homeschool. And most of all, I’m grateful that despite all those things I wish I’d done better, you’ve grown into these amazing adults full of creativity, commitment, strong work ethic, and, most of all, your own personal dedication to Jesus. That you own your faith and live your lives in light of the Word fills me to overflowing.

Thanks for joining me on this journey God set us on all those years ago. I rejoice in all the Lord has done for and with our family.

I love you immeasurably,

Mom

Keep Trying

If you’re still homeschooling, I pray rich blessings and substantive endurance upon you. It’s worth the long walk uphill, through the dark and storm, with no guarantee of survival. Believe me, even if you feel alone, Jesus is right beside you.

If you’ve completed homeschooling, I pray the Lord ministers to your heart and show you the next place for you to minister in His Kingdom. Lay your five loaves and two fish in Jesus’s hands, because none of us did enough and we all require His multiplication.

If you’re considering homeschooling, I pray the Lord’s wisdom upon your decision. It’s the hardest, best thing we’ve ever done. We weren’t patient, talented, or smart enough for the calling. But He enabled us anyway. May He lead you in the way you should go.

What now?

I still have an amazing ministry in my kids lives through the gift of prayer. Sign up below to receive my free gift to launch you on the amazing journey of praying for our kids after they leave our home.