Missionary Monday - Homeschooling

A very popular quote when you are in the ministry is "Family first," and we are 100% in agreement. Part of my job of putting my family first is making sure my children get the very best education possible. I graduated from college as an elementary education major, so teaching is one of my passions.

I never want my children to feel like they "missed out" by being missionary kids, so keeping school interesting is a fun challenge I face (which is why we were planting seeds in cups to place in the windowsill before bed tonight!). Of course, the biggie they miss out on is the classroom setting and being among others their age. This must be one of the reasons so many homeschooling missionary families choose to have large families {smile}!

Davey - 3rd grade

However, think of all of the benefits of being a homeschooling missionary family:

1. Learning more than one language and culture
2. Living in circumstances most people only get to read about
3. Geography, geography, geography... what a cinch it will be for my kids! I mean, can you point right at Ukraine on a world map?! Have you traveled through nearly half of the United States (like we have on deputation or furlough)?! And how about all of the European countries we have had layovers in or have been to because of document needs?

We are planning a furlough from October to March... 5 1/2 months... for the birth of our baby. So, guess what my kids are doing this summer? You got it... homeschooling! One of the advantages to homeschooling is flexibility, and we love being able to make it work for our family's needs. I do prefer to keep them ahead, though, and not behind, so they are already working on the 2010/2011 school year.

Nate - 1st grade

We use the A Beka DVD homeschooling program from Pensacola, Florida. This program is excellent, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. And, I cannot recommend the DVDs highly enough either. The advantage of the DVDs is that my children feel like they are in a classroom setting, and there is so much more that they are able to learn than if they used the books alone. I feel like they get twice as much of an education with the DVDs.

Homeschooling (with DVDs) takes us about 5 hours a day (more/less with each child). This does not include breaks. Our school day usually goes from about 7:30am-12:30pm.

A Beka is a relatively expensive program, but this Christian program gives missionaries a break. We are able to buy our DVDs and keep them for our other children. Everyone else is required to send the DVDs back. This has been an immense help in allowing us to use the program from year to year, and we are grateful.

Brianna - K-4

For this current school year, a supporting church sponsored our children by buying their school books and the set of DVDs we needed for our oldest. We have never had anyone do this for us before, and I literally cried over the telephone when hubby called to share the good news! Thank you, thank you, thank you! (You know who you are)!

For some missionaries, the option of a Christian school is available. We do not have this option. Some mission fields (like Germany) do not allow homeschooling. And, some missionaries choose to put their children in the public schools of their field. We actually did this when our boys were in preschool. While they were still small and their minds were able to clearly soak in a second language, we chose to send them to a public preschool for half a day (we picked them up after lunch time). I will never regret making that decision. It was a sweet time in our lives, and our boys have wonderful memories (and better Russian skills) because of that phase. We all learned invaluable lessons about the culture here, and our boys were able to be a part of a "real class."

Yes, homeschooling keeps me busy because I check every paper with an eagle eye and frequently walk from room to room to supervise (I prefer having the children in separate rooms)... but I would have it no other way! My kids are receiving an outstanding education, and I am thrilled about that!