This year starts our 10th year of homeschooling (not counting what we did before Kindergarten). In a decade of home educating, I would like to think I've learned a few things along with my kiddos. LOL! Lately, God has really put it on my heart to focus on the 3 Rs of homeschooling.
It's not what you are thinking.
The 3 Rs of Homeschooling:
1) Relationships
Other than God calling me to homeschooling, which was reason enough, one of the biggest reasons
we started homeschooling and continue homeschooling is to build relationships, both vertical and
horizontal. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we see The Great Commandment:
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:36-40)
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together,
perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him,
“Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
(Mark 12:28-31)
So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
(Luke 10:27)
This actually isn't just in the New Testament. You can find loving the Lord all throughout the Bible
especially in The Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
The part about loving your neighbor as yourself is also in the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:18:
"But you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
It is our greatest desire to love God with everything we have and then love others.
It is our next greatest desire for our kids to love God with everything they have and love others.
2) Rhythm
I don't know about you, but I am naturally a person who thrives on structure, routine, and order.
I love charts, checklists, calendars, planners, and all things that can make me more organized.
Over the years, I have learned that it is really hard to get not just myself, but my husband, my kids,
and anyone else to stick to a "at this time we do this" routine.
Instead, I have been finding that it is better to have a rhythm to our life and our days.
What does this mean? Well, we wake up, have time to get going for the day, eat breakfast,
do some chores, start school, have breaks as needed, have food as needed (LOL), stop for lunch,
finish up school, have breaks as needed, have food as needed (LOL), have room time, eat dinner,
have family time, get ready for bed, do family devotions, read books, and go to bed.
Having a rhythm keeps everyone from being stressed out about calendars, clocks, time limits, etc.
It leaves room to breathe and room for flexibility. It's awesome.
3) Responsibility
As a mom it is super easy to want to do too much for our kids. I am guilty of that myself.
I have learned over the years that the more I do for my kids, the less they do for themselves.
We are working on taking as much responsibility for ourselves as possible.
This is not just with our actions, but also with our attitudes and responses to things.
Obviously a 4-year-old can't clean an entire bathroom by himself, but he can collect towels for the
laundry. A 9-year-old can't do all of the yardwork by himself, but he can pick up sticks and pull
weeds. A 14-year-old can do a lot (even if they don't agree LOL).
It is my prayer this year that we will build our relationships with the Lord, each other, and others.
It is my prayer that we will find and maintain a rhythm for our days and this season.
It is my prayer that we will each take responsibility for our tasks and our attitudes.
I hope this has helped. :)
