Should I or Shouldn't I?

Oh MAN has it been a while since I’ve posted! Let’s see ~ I’ve had a baby who is now 19 months old & that pretty much has taken up the last year and a half! What a HUGE blessing it is each & every day to see her grow & change & learn & create. I don’t take ANY of it for granted. The Lord has allowed us charge over this precious being & we certainly don’t intend to take it lightly. All that said, I am once again writing & hopefully giving out ideas & nuggets of truth about homeschooling & curriculum & kiddos each month. If you are new, WELCOME! Thanks for reading. If you are excited to read again, thanks for returning & thanks for understanding the importance of the last year & a half. On we venture, though! I have been inundated with emails & calls about families who are thinking of homeschooling. They’re unsure or are getting pressure from family members or friends. So let me start back blogging by encouraging you with a few truths: 1) “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.” In Zechariah, we are told that if we are listening to Him, He will guide us & allow us to hear His plans as to how to take care of our house. Has he called your heart to homeschooling? Is your family in agreement that this is the path for your children? Then decision made! “In a heart a man plans his steps but the Lord determines his steps.” You may not know how it all will work out and you may have loads and loads of questions but this I know to be true: “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 2) “I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.” YOWS! I trust you are diligently praying over these decisions, as they should never be made in haste. I challenge you, however: if you are confused, STOP! Stop right now & sit down & talk with The Lord. He is not confusing you. Outside forces may be ~ Keeping up with the neighbors & all the activities they provide for their child ~ all of the “academic enhancements” their kiddos get from being in a traditional school setting are not for you to pay mind to. You were entrusted to (INSERT YOUR CHILD(REN)’S NAME)! Be assured that each child is different & what is right for you, may not be right for someone else. And simply because you homeschool, does not make you a better mom than someone who does not and vice versa. Besides, when did this become a competition? “..Fear God & keep His commandments; For THIS is the whole duty of man.” 3) “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates..” This charge has become SO dear to me. I continue to recite it so God’s Word & His direction stays at the forefront of my heart & that it is hidden in depths I don’t even know I will need just yet. If you are homeschooling, chances are you are choosing to incorporate God’s wisdom into your precious child’s life & learning. What better privilege it there than to surround yourself with their little minds & hands & feet throughout the day, all the while teaching them of The One who made the clouds & The One who taught us how to pray?! All of these things can be incorporated if you work outside of the home as well, and are not homeschooling. My intention here is not to discourage you if The Lord is not leading you down this path. It is a decision each & every family has to come to on their own. But this is precisely my point. God has walked before you & He will guide you every step of the way. I am confident of this. If He has called you to homeschool your precious lambs, do so with confidence and assurance that He will lead you. Should you need any assistance though, I would love to help! I have over 15 years of educational experience from the school to the district to the national level and have privately assisted homeschooling families for 5 years now. I am certified to complete the end-of-the-year evaluation, as well as administer a nationally norm referenced test, which is the most popular reason folks call me. I am also available, however, to consult you on your choice of curriculum, assist you in evaluating your child’s reading level, tutor privately, and other miscellaneous needs which may arise. Please email me at scritzer711@gmail.com if you have any questions & if you’d just like to tell me your homeschooling story ~ I love to hear encouraging words just as much as you. ;)