Crossing the Homeschool Finish Line

When you cross the finish line, it will change your life forever. -Dick Beardsley, American long-distance runner

Like many just starting out on their homeschool journey, I took it year by year. When we began in the fall of 2009, homeschooling was one of those things we were just going to “try”. I suppose our homeschool journey began as a jaunt. Homeschooling was never on my radar, but I just wasn’t ready to put our precious little girl in a rumored lousy school district all day, every day. One day, the kids would for certain attend a “real” school. There was no way I felt confident enough to educate a child past 5th or 6th grade – (thanks to my public school system). I had no aspirations to cross the homeschool finish line, only to try it for a year or two. The only experience I had working with children was for a week each summer volunteering at Vacation Bible School. I always chose to do the arts and crafts, because I didn’t want to teach.

Ready, Set , Go

I jumped in anyway! A successful kindergarten year led to a successful first grade, then second grade. It was that year that our son would be learning along with us as he started kindergarten at home. We whizzed through the elementary years, learning how to read and write, making baking soda volcanoes, taking frequent field trips, and enjoying days at the park with friends. It was such a sweet time of discovery and growing. I was also gaining confidence with each passing year – hmmmm, maybe I can do this!

Half-way there

Everyone knows how tough the middle school years can be. It’s also tough on moms. Things are beginning to get more serious academically, and there weren’t as many resources for middle schoolers. I also noticed there weren’t as many friends as there used to be. Several enrolled into “real” schools. Others (including us) didn’t have time to meet regularly, and when we did, my kids were usually the oldest in the group. At this point of our “jaunt”, I was also met with opposition – not from my kids, but from others. I heard it all: “Aren’t you worried about socialization?”, “They’re going to be behind”, “Someone more qualified could teach them better”, “You don’t want them to miss out on the middle/high school experience, do you?” Ummmmm, let me think about that – YES. Definitely yes.

I WILL Cross that Line

That didn’t discourage me, though. It actually had the opposite effect. Rather than second guessing myself, I went all in. I was no longer a year to year homeschooler on a jaunt, I was a “come hell or high water, I will finish what we have started” kind of homeschooler. With a bit of grit and a smidgen of rebellion, I was determined to cross the homeschool finish line…..and I did – TWICE!

With my new found determination, I found much more. I found that I was no longer teaching, I was learning right along with them. I found sources that could teach them what I couldn’t. Want to know a little secret? I have found that the later years are much easier than the early years. Through this journey, I found something else, too-

I found that I am a homeschool fanatic.

The day we first started our homeschool jaunt many years ago became a beautiful journey as time went on. As of May of 2024, both our kids are homeschool graduates. Although I am no longer homeschooling, I will never be finished. Just like the ones who left a trail before me, I will forever be a strong advocate for homeschooling, a fanatic even. The path isn’t easy, it often feels desolate, and it does take work.

That work you put into your children is the most important work you will ever do. It’s not testing water quality (as I once thought), it’s not sitting in a cubicle, it’s not cleaning teeth, waiting tables, cutting hair, public health, or even designing a rocket. It’s the kind of work that carries value for generations to come, and anyone can do it. Our kids are the first homeschool grads (that I know of) on both sides of our family. Believe me, I never thought I had had the skills, patience, money, or time. My husband and I made it work, and it worked beautifully.

Crossing that finish line did in fact forever change me.

Paving the Way

Homeschooling has been more than just something I did at a certain point in my life. It has become an integral part of who I am, like part of my identity. Now that the active years are complete, part of that identity is growing outward. The next chapter encourages others, it shares ideas, it squashes the doubts people have about homeschooling. I’ve now got proof that it works, and works exceptionally well. I share that with anyone who will listen (and maybe even a few who won’t, but should). I hope what started as our homeschool “jaunt” will carry through to future generations in our own family and beyond.