By guest author Megan Burgos
When God was first calling me to homeschool, I questioned my abilities.
“Where am I going to set up a learning space?”
“When am I going to find the time to teach?”
“How are my kids going to respond to me as their teacher?”
“Where do I even start?”
These were the thoughts that ran through my head tirelessly. Solidifying our decision to homeschool was a challenge. But the truth is, we were over complicating it. Which is easy to do when you’re comparing it to the traditional education system.
I had an idea of how I wanted our learning space to be. There was a part of me that felt like I needed to have an aesthetically pleasing space. A space that met every need, with all the best supplies and all the best books about all the subjects that I felt obligated to teach. I was prepared to spend hours a day teaching my 4 year old. I was stressing myself out trying to create an ideal learning space for her, so that I felt worthy of educating her.
One of our first homeschool lessons was a family outing to Garden of the Gods. My husband took the lead on this day. We would stop and read the information boards while we walked through the park. We would keep track of how many types of birds we saw and picked wild flowers. After our stroll, we drove down the road, to some picnic tables next to a creek. We prayed over our lunch and then the kids played in the creek with my husband. I could see the light in my daughter’s eyes as we learned about nature together and embraced God’s creation. It was at the end of that day that I realized the perfect learning space included all of us being together, experiencing the world.
I started following homeschooling pages on social media and researched accurate requirements for homeschooling a preschooler. I soon realized that having a perfect classroom set-up and hours of tightly, structured curriculum are not part of those requirements. The point of homeschooling isn’t to mimic the education system. It’s to show kids and parents that there is a way to gain knowledge outside of classroom walls. Allowing kids and parents to connect and learn alongside one another through immersion and interaction. I now know that the most impactful tools I have while educating my children are intention and connection.
There are learning spaces all around us that have more to offer than books and paper. We continue to utilize nature as a primary learning space and when that isn’t accessible, we turn to play-based learning and skill building!
There is a Scripture I often refer to when I am feeling ill-equipped and unqualified. It is such a beautiful reminder that when we invite Jesus into everything we do, no matter how scary or unprepared we may feel, He will equip us with everything we need to succeed within His will.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20, 21 ESV)
If you’re feeling a call to homeschool or maybe you are homeschooling and you’re feeling discouraged on your journey, I encourage you to reevaluate your expectations. Relinquish your need for perfection and don’t over-complicate it. Invite God in, He will guide your steps and help you create the learning space that best suits you and your children. Embrace the differences that homeschooling brings, where monotony and pressure to perform don’t need to exist. It’s not so complicated after-all.
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