A Tribute to Homeschooling Moms
It’s National Teacher Week, I’m told. (By the way, can anyone keep up with all these national days and weeks anymore? I feel like we’ve had about 4 national sibling days just in the last couple of months!)
A lot of teachers will be receiving cards or little gifts. They might be getting awards at a school assembly. They might even get their name on the radio or in some print and/or online article. All of those things are well-deserved, and it is great to give honor to whom it is due.
But there is another group of teachers who, most likely, won’t get any of that, and they are okay with it. They teach their children day after day in the home. They do so with little-to-no fanfare. They aren’t even nominated for awards. But they are changing lives in ways that deserve a little tribute. So, this is for them.
Think of the challenges a homeschooling mom faces. (And, yes, I know there are a few homeschooling dads, too. You guys rock! But since most are ladies–including the one I am married to!–I’m going to speak primarily to moms. After all, Mother’s Day is Sunday!)
- When a teacher has a terrible day, she goes home. When a homeschooling mom has a terrible day, she already is at home…with the students!
- When a teacher’s year teaching 3rd grade or 10th grade geometry is done, they start getting ready to teach 3rd graders or 10th grade geometry again. The homeschooling mom starts working on 4th grade, or 11th grade Algebra II…but may also have to be thinking of how to teach a little one how to count by 2s at the same time.
- When a teacher has a discipline problem, she can call the office and get support from a principle or someone else. The homeschooling mom can text her husband, but he might be on a business trip or otherwise tied up at work and unable to help in the moment.
And on and on it goes.
These ladies sacrifice so much in order to receive very little recognition. They often feel like failures and the second-guessing almost never ends. (Should I have used this other curriculum? Should we have read this other novel? Did we spend too much time on ancient burial practices and now don’t have enough time for, you know, English?)
But, ladies, think of what you gain! You are not just teaching a subject or a grade. You are teaching life! A whole life! You get to teach math AND Bible. You get to teach English AND etiquette. You get to teach geometry AND health…with a trip out for ice cream when you’re done!
And even though you think you are not doing well; even though you cry more than you smile; even though you wonder if your kids will know how to spell “act,” much less do well ON the ACT–you are making an eternal difference. No matter how your children “turn out,” there will be no question that they were raised to know Jesus and to see that He is at the center of everything, including education. You will have poured your life into precious children who will never be able to even question if their mother loved them.
So, to you, this may not be an award at an assembly or a plaque you can hang on your wall. But I hope these words encourage you. Homeschool moms, you truly are making a difference.
…and, to my favorite (and the most gorgeous) homeschool mom. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve got “Teacher of the Year” locked up for the 13th year in a row! I love you.
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
