Here Is Where We Part Ways

For the past eight years, I have been homeschooling my oldest -- from kindergarten to seventh grade. My husband and I didn't intend to homeschool this long. We felt God leading us to it as Josiah was preparing to enter kindergarten. Every year since then, we have taken time to pray about what God would have us to do in the upcoming year. And every year we have felt a peace to continue on this path.

It has been difficult at times, teaching in a way that he could best understand. It is exhausting to be his primary educator of all subjects. The weight of the responsibility I carry on a day-to-day basis can feel almost crippling. The decisions over curriculum, reading materials, and extracurricular activities can send my mind spinning.

But God . . .

But God has blessed us with sweet years together. We've bummed around in our pjs, reading our favorite books. We've had tickle fights and goofy jokes that provoke rounds of belly laughing in the middle of a history lesson. We've struggled through predicate adjectives and deciphering word problems that require dividing fractions . . . and conquered them! We've ditched our school books to visit science museums or just to visit the grandparents. We've relocated school to a coffee shop for the day and taken advantage of off-season deals on vacations. 

Josiah began to have a desire to go to school several months ago. It was around the same time that he wanted to start being called by his middle name so we weren't sure how much stock to put in it, if I'm being really honest. We asked him to begin praying about it and if his desire hadn't changed by January, we would check out options then. Neither desire had changed: he still preferred to be called Josiah and still wanted to go to school.

First, we checked out a really great program called Artios. It's a one-day program that focuses on curriculum based around the arts. Students go to different classes for each subject one day per week then work on those lessons at home throughout the week. This seemed like a great option -- a kind of meeting in the middle. Josiah would get the benefits of school -- great teachers, friends to hang out with, plus an opportunity to be a part of a drama club. He tried it out twice and loved both days. 

Reluctantly, Josiah agreed to still go on a tour of our local Christian school "just to be sure." As we walked around with a wonderful administrator, his interest in the school began to grow. By the end of the tour, we decided that a trial day might be helpful in making a final decision.

Josiah experienced a full day of seventh grade with the help of two friends he already knew. Now he was torn. He loved going to school -- having seven different teachers, a locker, lunch in a cafeteria full of potential friends, and possibly, being away from his mom and brother. On the other hand, he loved the one-day school with good friends, a forensic science class, and drama club.

The next day, we made a pros and cons list so that he could clearly see that any decision we made had positives and negatives. No matter what made the most sense, ultimately our decision came down to one thing: what did God want us to do?

We prayed individually and as a family over the next two days and finally felt such a peace about what God had for us. God made it clear to all of us that Josiah should go to the Christian school. 

My husband and I are so proud of the mature way in which Josiah went about making this decision. It was a decision we made as a family, but he handled his part with such wisdom. It gives me hope for his ability to make future decisions according to the will of God. What a relief in seeking God's will and being rewarded with wisdom that only comes from Him!