From Teacher 2 Mommy

Well...here I am, a mother of a 3 year old and 4 month old. It's just crazy to think of me being a Stay At Home (SAHM). If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would ever be a SAHM, let alone homeschool my children, I probably would have laughed in your face. I knew I loved teaching and the thought of giving that up to stay home just seemed so unrealistic! In my mind homeschooling was for those weirdos who wanted to over-protect their children from society. I mean. I grew up going to a public school. What was so bad about that?!?!?

Then, when I finally listened to the Spirit's leading and entered the Elementary Education program, I would have told you I never wanted to teach in a Christian school. Since I was a newer believer and I grew up in the public school, wouldn't the Lord want me to go be a witness in the public school? HA! Little did I know that I would not willing to take Biblical truth and principals out of my everyday teaching. I do love that most public schools use fantastic curriculum and a lot of creativity. I didn't want to sacrifice academics for Biblical principals. As a believer, I felt Christian schools should excel in academics and Biblical integration. Unfortunately most Christian schools I had ever known gave up excellence and creativity in academics for the sake of Christian teaching. Wouldn't Christ want us to be the best?

God had some amazing plans! I ended up moving to Indiana to teach at a wonderful Christian school. God was a part of everything, but academics and standards were still very important. Partnering with Christian parents was top priority as well. I soon fell in love with teaching curriculum...especially Bible. God's Word was not just a memorization tool. It was the living word that flowed through my whole day. My first year was in Kindergarten...another thing on my "I will never do" list. God knew I needed the lower years to develop into a far better teacher. My second year was in First Grade and I just fell in love. They love on you. They start becoming independent. Plus, you get the awesome opportunity to teach the building blocks for the rest of their lives...in academics and biblical truths!

But now 7 years later, God is moving me onto the phase of homeschooling. I am learning that I get the awesome priviledge of using my spiritual gifts to teach my children. So...where to start? How do I structure my day? When do I start teaching? You may even have these questions. I hope you will follow me on my journey. I hope that this blog can be an encouragement to those of you who are thinking about starting homeschooling, have had the same misconceived notions I have had about homeschooling or who are already in the homeschooling process.