I’m a member of multiple homeschool lists, and I
see one question repeated fairly often. Oh, it comes phrased in myriad
ways, but the basic question remains the same: “What do you do when
life interrupts homeschooling?”
I’ve seen numerous answers to this question. I’ve even read some
excellent suggestions on how to continue “schooling” during these
“interruptions.” Today I offer a different kind of answer.
Did you notice that I put quotation marks around “schooling” and
“interruptions” in the previous paragraph? Grammatically speaking, this
is an indictor that the reader may need to have these words defined.
Although maybe in this case I should say redefined.
Let’s talk about “schooling” first. I prefer the phrase home
education to the word homeschooling specifically because of the
commonly accepted definition of the word schooling. Our cultural
experiences cause us to understand it to mean something along the lines
of “a systematic approach to the teaching of academic subjects.”
Like I said, I prefer the phrase home education. This is because, as
I see it, home education (true homeschooling) is all about parents
taking charge of, and responsibility for, the total education of their
children, to fully prepare them for life. Yes, this includes academic
subjects, but academics are only a small part of life.
As a parent, long before I began homeschooling, I had the God-given
responsibility to ensure that my sons were educated about God and
having a proper relationship with Him. It was also up to me to teach
them about having right relationships with family, friends, and people
in general. Then there was the vast array of life skills they would
need to make it in the world. Finally, even if I’d not chosen to
educate my children at home, it was still my responsibility to help
them master the academics they would need to succeed in life. I’ve
listed these in order of priority. I’ve also listed them for the most
part in the order in which they should be taught.
Children should learn about having a right relationship with God and
people from infancy. Life skills follow close behind; you might be
surprised by how much help even a young child can be around the house.
My two-year-old grandson definitely understands what it means to “pick
up” a room and his father, if I remember correctly, was responsible for
keeping the family’s towels clean from the time he could reach the
controls on the washing machine.
So you see, we’re not really talking about, or shouldn’t be talking
about, schooling. We’re talking about education. Now look at the
question again, with the one word changed.
“What do you do when life interrupts education?”
Perhaps you begin to see where I’m going with this. Bearing in mind
what true education is—preparing our children for life—this question no
longer makes sense. How can the very thing you are educating your
children to face be an interruption to their education? It can
interrupt their academic studies, yes, but as we have already
established, academics are but one small part of life preparation,
which is what home education—what parenting—is all about. Which brings
me to my answer.
What do you do when “life” interrupts “schooling” in you home? Look at it as an adjustment to your curriculum and use it.
So, you’re moving halfway across the country. Great! Your child is
destined to move more than once in his life. What better time to teach
him how to move than right now? Trust me, nothing prepares you for a
future experience better than real world experience today. In this
move, you have the unique opportunity to teach your children about
things like the necessity of culling unneeded possessions, organizing
and packing properly, shopping for a new house or apartment, setting up
utilities, planning the actual trip from here to there, organizing
spaces in the new home, interior decorating, getting to know new
people, finding your way around in a new town, locating the church God
is calling you to... This list is virtually endless; simply accept this
as the ideal opportunity to teach your children the things they will
undoubtedly need to know later.
Of course, there are other, even more upsetting, life lessons to be
learned. What if a grandparent is dying and you need to be close at
hand? Again, your children will encounter this situation repeatedly as
they grow up. You could keep them away, completely sheltered from this
experience while they do math and English, but might it not be better
to choose to help them learn how to deal with death and the life
experiences it brings now, while you are there to walk beside them?
This is a decision you should make on a child-by-child basis of course,
but at least consider... Yes, you hurt. Yes, you want to protect them
from this pain. Yes, you may feel too overwhelmed to try to teach them
anything. You don’t have to. Just be, and let them be with you as much
as possible.
My point here is the same as my point with my previous example. Let
your children walk beside you. Let them live with you, especially in
situations like this. You will never miss lost studies as much as you
will miss lost time with loved ones. These events and the dozens of
others I could list aren’t life interruptions. They are life! They are
things your children will encounter sooner or later, probably many
times, as they walk through their days, and it is just as important,
even more important, that they learn these lessons as it is that they
understand the basic principals of mathematics or how to write a
five-paragraph essay. Parents, using these life experiences to help
your children prepare to live is every bit as much your responsibility
as seeing to it that they learn the academics.
Prepare for the future now. Go ahead and ask yourself the question.
What will you do the next time life “interrupts” homeschooling?
