“The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all find common roots in the teaching of children in the home.” L. Tom Perry

As another school year begins tomorrow, I celebrate 20 years as a homeschooling mom! It’s crazy, honestly, that it’s been that long. Although many people choose alternate schooling rather than public school now, homeschooling is still far from the norm and is regularly questioned, sometimes even disdained or mocked, by adults and children alike. To accept the responsibility for a child’s education at home is to swim against the current, which can be difficult for both the mommy fish and the rest of the “school.” Overall, however, I’ve loved it.  It’s been a blessing and a joy having the opportunity to watch my children grow and to learn along with them.  It has also been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I knew the Lord wanted me to homeschool, so I faced the unknowns, the challenges, the skeptics, and most of all—the CHILDREN.  Day after day.  Battle after battle.  It wasn’t perfect, not even close, but it was rewarding and strengthening to our family. 

A few things I’ve learned from being a homeschooling mom:

• Each one of us is a child of God and He loves and cares about us individually. He even cares about the little things, the details. He ministers to us one by one. He heard my prayer about what to do for a precious daughter, a free and joyful spirit whose light was being dimmed by her public school experience, and He answered me.  He loves and cares about me, and He loves and cares about her, too.

Elder M. Russell Ballard affirms mothers’ divine role in cherishing and teaching their children.  “There is no one perfect way to be a good mother,” he says.  “Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children.” Elder Ballard acknowledges that some women are “able to be ‘full-time moms,’ [and that] some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work,” but that “what matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.”

• When Heavenly Father asks us to do something, He gives us the strength, the courage, and the help we need to accomplish it—just like Nephi said. I was the mother of six children, one just a baby, when He called me to teach my children at home.  I had no idea how to make that happen. I didn’t know the laws, the requirements, any of the details. I didn’t know how I’d do it with my baby and five other kids, four of whom chose homeschooling.  I just knew God wanted me to do it, and that it was for my children.  Knowing those two things made me brave! He prepared the way.  He lovingly provided friends, mentors, inspiration, resources, and physical and emotional strength beyond my own.   

• Each child of God on this earth is a one-of-a-kind individual with a different situation, different desires, and different gifts. I love that each of my children is unique and different from the others, and the way their gifts and characteristics strengthen our family, as a whole. Seeing this in action has given me a greater desire to love and appreciate all of God’s children the way they are—all different, all beautiful, all interesting and gifted in various ways. I also enjoy my children’s shared family traits and things they have in common.  In the same way, we have much in common with our brothers and sisters all over this earth. With schooling, even in my own family, there was the same variety. Out of seven children, I had one that only attended public school, five that had some homeschooling and some public school, and one that only homeschooled. One daughter went to public school until sixth grade, then homeschooled through graduation from high school.  She had a one-student ceremony in a big, grassy backyard with family and friends, wore an orange cap and gown, and “walked” to the Theme from Star Wars.  It was awesome. Another daughter homeschooled until attending sixth and seventh grade in Utah, then homeschooled eighth grade after we moved back to Vegas, before finishing up with four years at the public high school. We took it one child, one circumstance, one prayer at a time and did what we felt was the right for each of them at any given moment.  

• When we act on the inspiration we are given from a loving Father in Heaven, through the Spirit, we are blessed in more, and farther reaching, ways than we could ever imagine. Homeschooling provided time to study the gospel every single day, along with history, science, and math. My children learned to read by finding “and” and “the” in the scriptures. We read about Columbus, The Pilgrims, and the Revolutionary War in The Book of Mormon, along with the history books. We read about Creation in Genesis and The Pearl of Great Price, along with evolution in our science books. I was able to teach my children those things that are most important and share my testimony with them. We had the spirit in our classroom. Of course, all of those things can happen in a non-homeschooling home, but I am a morning person.  I don’t function well after dinnertime (maybe even lunchtime some days).  For me, having that time in the morning was a huge blessing. Many years later, some of my grandchildren enjoy some of the same blessings of homeschooling.

“Neither the alphabet nor the multiplication table should be taught without the Spirit of God.” –Brigham Young

(as quoted by Karl G. Maeser, Educating Zion p.2)

I could go on all day; it turns out 20 years is a long time. Five of my children are University Graduates and degree holders. Now my youngest is a junior and will graduate “high school” having homeschooled her whole schooling career. I’m thankful for the gifts of homeschooling. I think all of my kids are smart, talented, amazing people. I’m thankful to know Heavenly Father loves them even more than I do and let me be their mother.