I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I had always wanted to be a wife and mom, too. When my kids were barely toddling, I knew that I wanted to keep them at home and teach them myself, but their dad wanted them to go to school. As they got older, two of my four children entered into the public school system. Over time, I realized that maybe, just maybe, my desire to homeschool was also something God had implanted into my heart. My boys had problems in school. I was told they could not sit still, they could not listen, they could not read, they had ADHD, and they needed Ritalin to function in the classroom. We encountered many other issues as well: dealing with moral issues and bullying that comes with the territory of school, and finally, my husband was fed up and agreed to let me bring my children home.
The Lord saved me as a young mom; before that I was extremely lost and broken. I had come from a long line of dysfunction in a broken family line, thanks to the long lasting effects of residential schools. But God, He had a plan. When my kids came home to school with me, we were able to build relationships with one another and together as a family. I learned that my children did not have what the school system implied they did but rather were just boys who could not sit still for a very long day and be shuffled from one activity to another and be quiet and not ask questions.
My kids are incredible; they think outside the box. They ask questions. They are inquisitive and think deeply. They stop to notice details and care for the smallest creatures to the biggest marvels of creation. God has given them a desire to build, create, tear apart, and rebuild again.
Within the last several years of homeschooling, my children and I are thriving. We are growing together as a family. They are able to thrive in the gifting God has given them all individually. They are free thinkers who are learning to research. They are learning to test everything against the truth.
Homeschooling hasn’t been without difficulty or hardship. I’ve compared myself to other homeschool moms, felt a failure, and changed curriculum far too many times. Although I've changed curriculum many times, I’ve learned to better fit the materials to each individual child and myself. I’ve also learnt how to bring us together as a family. I am still growing, still learning and so are my children. They have grown to be more confident in their learning and love homeschool. I love that I can personalize and tailor their own individual plans for them, that they can learn at their own pace. I love the freedom to teach them scripture and raise them myself. As they learn, I learn. As they grow, I grow. We are doing it together as a family. Connection, discipleship, and individualized education as well as building family community is why I love homeschool, and my children would say the same.
Written by April Barth
My name is April, saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. Wife and mom to 4. Cree woman from Alberta, Canada. Lover of books and truth. Dayschool survivor. Cycle breaker by God's grace.
Read more articles from homeschoolers sharing why they homeschool.
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).