September 27, 2023 – Generational Homeschooling / Second Generation Homeschoolers

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

Hope for the Future of Homeschooling

Hey, Mama. 

My editors keep telling me to lower the word count when I write. I talk too much. I go on forever trying to find the right words to share with you, and, somehow, I do manage to capture and pen them. But for every ten words I need, the compulsion to surround them with a hundred more is forever the path I take. Every time. I figure, hey, I have to be conversational or you will grow bored.

I have kind editors. Gently they remind me less is best. So let’s see if we can keep this to a sizable enough, yet manageable monologue–one not as colossally gigantic or in-depth as I’d like it to be from the sheer justification (in my mind, anyway) that . . . I like words, particularly big ones. Be thankful this is a monologue and not a soliloquy, as that would never end. Trust me, I know.

Generational homeschooling is important to me because it denotes the breaking of chains—ending old patterns that were never meant to be, like government schooling which sprung from the hearts of godless men who despised individualism and loved power. Managing the populace and making money were on the minds–and hearts–of these planners during the Industrial Age (and even prior to), and after so many generations of atheistic indoctrination and parents turning their children over to be raised by the State, you can see the damage. Can’t you? Look around. Only the blind would miss it.

And more families now than ever are waking up, as are churches everywhere. There is a movement—the Church Schoolhouse movement—making its way across this country and around the world. It’s growing exponentially and it is generational. Many who were home educated grew up under the discipleship of the ones who loved their hearts, and now they, in turn, are committed to the Biblical discipleship of their own children, affecting future generations’ very souls.

Someone will disciple them. And after two hundred years, the public school experiment has revealed the rot that is at its very core. Too many souls are being lost to the world. Most abandon the faith of their parents after they have finished being taught by those who have discipled them diligently, with forethought and deliberation (Luke 6:40). Look into the history of public schools—or ask Paul and me to come out and share that PowerPoint presentation with your church body. It’s fascinating and egregious at the same time.

But there is hope for the future when parents become intentional about discipleship. We are seeing it everywhere, and it is making a difference in families and in their children as they become adults and begin discipling the next generation in God’s Word. Give us a call; you can reach us here: TennesseeSchoolhouse.com. We’ll come out and talk to your families. You’ll be in for a real eye-opener when you hear why public schooling even began, how the modern homeschooling movement was created as a counter-measure, and how homeschooled kids have fared over the last three decades. And I promise . . . I’ll remember “less is best.” You’ll love it. 🙂

~gena

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Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

Passing the Baton

Okay, I’m going to make this one short and sweet. If you want your children to homeschool their children, then make it enjoyable. Because I’m telling you that if you make it harder than institutional school, work them like dogs, and make it all based on performance and how well they do (also making you look good), they won’t homeschool their future children because they won’t want to put those same pressures on their kids.

But when you’re having a good time homeschooling your children, who are having a good time learning (that doesn’t mean every single day), they’ll want to homeschool their children.

Let me repeat myself again: If you want your children to homeschool their children, then make it enjoyable. If it’s not enjoyable to you, it’s probably not enjoyable to them and you should change how you’re doing it. Drop the stupidly hard subject you all hate, and homeschool them according to their bent and your personality.

Don’t know your homeschool personality? Then take the Homeschool Personality Test at thesmilinghomeschooler.com. 

Be real,
Todd

About the author

Todd Wilson is a husband, dad, grandpa, writer, homeschool conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker all across the country and a guest on Focus on the Family. As founder of The Familyman and The Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind moms and dads of what’s most important through weekly emails, podcasts, seminars, and books that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, homeschool four of their eight children (the other four are homeschool graduates) in northern Indiana and travel America in the Familyman Mobile. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

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Dara Ekanger

Second-Generation Homeschool Advantage

You may have read the book The Firstborn Advantage that explores the advantages to being the first child in a family. Firstborns get mom and dad exclusively to themselves for a while, and they automatically develop leadership skills as they take on “big brother/sister” status and “mama’s helper.” They tend to become very confident adults.

Second-generation homeschoolers also have a distinct advantage, but it took me a while to realize it. When I first started homeschooling my oldest, many of the new homeschool moms I interacted with seemed insecure in their ability to teach their children. They worried about missing something. They agonized over finding the “right” curriculum. Several were even school teachers before deciding to homeschool, and even they struggled with confidence when family members criticized them! “I know you’ve taught classrooms with twenty-five students, but you can’t possibly teach your own children at home!”

I couldn’t understand it. 

Finally, it dawned on me. I had attended public and private schools before begging my mother to homeschool me in seventh grade—that’s another story. Hesitantly, she’d agreed (it was very rare in the ’80s), and I never went back. But I did go on to graduate from college, get married, and lead a normal life—despite fears from friends and family that homeschooling would ruin me.

When it came time to decide on the education path for our kids, my husband was hesitant about homeschooling. But there was no doubt in my mind that homeschooling would be best, and I could certainly do it. Why? Well, maybe it does have something to do with me being a firstborn (that confidence kicked in early), but I think it has more to do with being a second-generation homeschooler.

I had seen my mother homeschool us. I knew she spent every Sunday afternoon planning out our schedule and grading papers. She read great books to us every morning and answered our questions when we needed help. She tried different curricula until finding what worked. When my math level advanced further than she felt comfortable guiding, she sought out a tutor. I’m not saying she had it easy, but I thought that if she could homeschool me and my brother—and we turned out okay—wouldn’t I be able to teach my kids?

Absolutely, and so can you. My oldest will graduate from college in May and get married the next month. He and his fiancée have already decided to homeschool their children. Both of them were homeschooled K–12, and I can see that third generation of homeschoolers just on the horizon. I’ve seen the successful results of committed parents willing to follow God’s command to train and educate their children in the way they should go. And if you don’t yet have the confidence that comes naturally to second-generation homeschoolers, rest assured, your children certainly will.

About the author

Dara Ekanger is a homeschooling mother of three, one soon to graduate college who is engaged to be married. A homeschool graduate herself, she has two BA degrees and has been a writer and copyeditor for almost thirty years. She loves to encourage parents that they can successfully educate their children at home, and those strong-willed kids will eventually grow up to bring you joy if you trust the Lord and don’t give up.

Pillar of Future

Adam and Dianne Riveiro

The Blessing of Having Been Homeschooled

I was homeschooled from 6th to 11th grade. Sandwiched around those years, I did a mixture of public and private schooling. Homeschooling was by far my favorite. However, when it came time for my own children to start school, I had no desire to homeschool them at all. So off to private school they went. This continued until my oldest finished 2nd grade.

During that year, God made some big changes in our family, and it became evident that homeschooling would be a necessity. As I started our journey, one of the biggest blessings was having a mom who could share knowledge from her years of experience. Even though we didn’t homeschool exactly the same way or use the same curriculum, there was a comfort in knowing my mom had gone this way before me.

I don’t know what the future holds for my children and any grandchildren the Lord may choose to bless our family with. They will have to make their own decisions concerning schooling when that time comes. However, I hope they have enough fond memories of homeschooling to strongly consider it for their own children. And I pray they know their mom will be cheering them on— just like mine did.

-Dianne Riveiro

About the author

Pastor Adam and Dianne Riveiro live in Easton, Massachusetts, where Adam leads Liberty Baptist Church. They’re the authors of several books, including Hope from Our Heart to Yours: A 30-Day Devotional Journey for Special Needs Families, available from their family’s publishing label at www.readyscribepublications.com. They have four children: Bethany, Kaylee, AJ, and Peyton. They’re passionate about helping their fellow special needs families find joy and contentment in Christ.

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