Why I'm Wasting My Master's in Education to Homeschool: Meet Jessica

Written by Jessica.

I am a former elementary school teacher.
Turned stay-at-home.

Mama to three children under eight.
And I'm "wasting" my master's degree to homeschool.
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How I got here

For my husband and I, raising our children at home and homeschooling them were non-negotiables. We looked forward to those things since before our firstborn joined us. Today, parenting and homeschooling bring us more joy and blessings than we had ever imagined they would.

I enjoyed being a teacher, but I never loved it. 

In my heart I always wanted to be a mother, and a part of me was always waiting until that time came. While teaching, I worked with many hard-working and talented teachers and got to see a lot of the good that can come from learning in a traditional classroom and school setting. At the same time, I also saw a lot of what doesn’t work in schools and a lot of things that I strongly didn’t want for my own children someday. Many of these experiences shaped why and how we home educate today. Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but it’s what is best for our family and it’s what we feel called to do. We count it both a blessing and a privilege to live the homeschool life.

Our days

Our homeschooling days look like organized chaos against the backdrop of a mostly-well-organized home! They are noisy and busy, but good. My homeschooling style is very eclectic. There are things that I appreciate about lots of different methods (especially traditional, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, and unit-studies) - but there isn’t one method that I like well enough, or agree with so completely, that I would subscribe to alone. Ultimately, I think that an ideal home education combines a family’s values with best-practices in education and with teaching materials that are specifically suited to each child’s unique interests, needs, and abilities.

In our homeschool, we strive to provide a rich and varied learning environment with an emphasis on high-quality literature, hands-on and multi-sensory activities, art, nature study and appreciation, and time outdoors. We believe in the value of interest-based learning, adapting and individualizing instruction to the needs and abilities of each child, and teaching for mastery. I do carefully select curriculum and supplemental materials, but we also believe that much important learning comes from conversations, real life experiences, free play, natural discovery and exploration, and opportunities for creativity. 

We do Bible time and a morning basket. 

We use some secular materials that don’t detract from our values, such as All About Reading and All About Spelling. 

We use Christian materials, like BJU Mathematics and BJU English. 

We do multi-age unit-studies together for subjects like geography and science.

We use literature for history. 

And we read lots of stories, create many arts and crafts, do fun hands-on science, and enjoy plenty of time outside.

We love homeschooling. 

A wasted education

With our children still very young, one of the things we most appreciate is that we can provide slower and more savored childhoods for them. We’re so grateful that they can spend every day together, not apart, and share those days as best friends. My husband works from home, and so we love that we both get to witness all the moments of their childhoods and that we are not apart for hours and hours every day – instead, we can be together making memories as a family. 

More than ever these days, we value that we can pray and talk about God and our Christian faith with openness and purpose. Our children can grow-up more slowly and we can more easily filter the world’s values, which are not our own, through our faith and our values. I love that I can tailor each child’s education to their interests, needs, and abilities, and I can see the benefits of that in their learning. Homeschooling comes with many challenges, to be sure, but I believe that the blessings of this way of life are far greater. 

  

Years and years ago, while working on my master’s degree, homeschooling wasn’t even a thought in my mind. Today, some might call my choice a waste of my education. But, I’m so grateful that God led our family to this journey! Our little homeschool is the classroom that I’ve been called to, and I can’t imagine anything better.