Our Home School Journey
By Robin Sampson

Our home school journey began with a desire to teach our children God's word and the necessary academics to prepare them for life. At the time we had four school age children and a toddler. I prayed, set up a schoolroom, chose a curriculum, planned a schedule. We were well prepared to go forth on our journey. The classroom was equipped with bookshelves, a child size desk for each student, a miniature desk for the toddler, a teacher's desk, textbooks, pencils, papers, notebooks, and complete with an American flag. Each child had a separate Bible, history, science, math, spelling, and English workbook. School rules were enforced the children were not allowed to talk to each other or me unless they raised their hand. We were "doing school."

Obstacles and Pot Holes

The journey progressed as planned except for one unexpected obstacle. I, leader of the expedition, was exhausted. I spent each evening planning six subjects for four grade levels. I spent so much time planning school that I did not have time to interact with my children. School became little more than a sticky note on the outside of a textbook or workbook telling each student what pages to accomplish for the day. During the day, I sat at my desk, graded papers and spent countless hours writing scores in miniature boxes in a teacher's lesson plan book and if I had time answered questions about school work. We were "doing school."

When a mother becomes exhausted, she begins to see things in a different light. Little things become huge, she becomes irritable. A child's normal amount of time to learn a fraction concept can become distorted. A few misspelled words seem life threatening. Suddenly, it appears that the children have no intelligence and will never be able to comprehend very simple concepts. When some of my children's papers reflected a lack of comprehension, I panicked. We spent more time in problem areas and increased the amount of school time. I was determined we were going to "do school."

Taking a Detour From Burnout

I realized it was time for a detour. I was so busy planning, I wasn't teaching. I redid our schedule, changed from a text book approach to a unit study. This allowed me to teach all Bible, history and science, to all the children at the same time. I worked separately with them on math and language arts. My planning and grading time was drastically cut. The children and I interacted, we read aloud together, worked on projects, and they were really learning. I thought I had found the answer. The children were doing well academically. Our school day was much more interesting and we all looked forward to school. We were home schooling instead of "doing school."

To be sure I was meeting state requirements, I spend a vast amount of time studying state standards and achievement tests. This work resulted in my first published book, What Your Child needs to Know When.

Finding an Alternate Route

I'm not quite sure when it hit me, but it hit, and it hit hard. The children were learning academics but somewhere along the line, probably when I wasn't seeing things in proportion, I replaced Bible time with math, spelling, or history. A quick evaluation of our school time showed a very limited lack of Bible study. Our curriculum was Christian and we read an occasional Bible verse but we were not spending time in God's Word. I wasn't even starting the day praying anymore. We had changed to a better road but somewhere we changed destinations.

I wasn't the only homeschool parent on the wrong path. The same same attitude prevailed at home school conferences. As I spoke to new and veteran homeschoolers, the most frequently asked question was "How do I know if I am doing enough". As a result, of all those worries,  What Your Child needs to Know When rapidly became a bestseller in the homeschool community. This bothered me. Everyone, including myself, was anxious about state standards and bypassing the destination.

It was time to inspect the map to see exactly where we were headed. I believe this happens to most homeschoolers. Either the destination is chosen poorly in the beginning or somewhere along the line, the intentions to teach children what God commands us to teach our children changes to teaching what the state or "world" requires. This happens simply because parents were taught that school equals academics.

God's Word, our map, is alive. It can quickly reveal a wrong chosen path and put it on course.

One Needful Thing

In the Bible story of Mary and Martha, Martha was so busy with preparations as Mary sat at the feet of Christ. When Martha complained about Mary, Jesus answered and said unto her, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:40-42.)

The lesson is simple: only one thing is necessary. Everything else that does not promote that one thing is extra. The most important thing we can ever teach our children is to sit at Jesus' feet and hear His word. Sensible Martha had many accomplishments, but worry and trouble were her rewards. Mary, on the other hand, was praised for choosing "that good thing" which was itself her reward and which would not be taken away from her.

Martha's preparation work was not wrong; in fact, it was important. It was Martha's focus that was wrong. It is your focus that makes the difference. Socialistic achievement, which the world stresses so much, is important, but it is nothing without Christ.

Academics (math, language arts, history, and science) matter, but only as they sharpen your focus on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. The academic subjects are important tools, but only tools to help in the journey not the destination or goal. The moment academics redirect you, cloud your view, to whatever degree they slow your pursuit, they then move from helpful tools to what Jesus calls the "cares of this life."

Another Change in Course

I purposed to accomplish the "one needful thing" daily by committing to reading the Bible before any academic schoolwork. True wisdom is only available by spending a significant amount of your home school time studying and teaching God's Word.

I rewrote What Your Child needs to Know When adding about 200 pages comparing and changing the focus from what the state requires to what God requires us to teach our children. The academics are important (and check lists remain in the book) but the focus in on God's Word..

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

I set aside strivings and anxieties and purposed to teach my children who Christ is. We began to spend time sitting at His feet and feast at the table of His mercy, forgiveness, and peace. We began to learn the unseen things of God. We began to learn true wisdom.

The Purpose of this Site

I created this site for the same reason I revised What Your Child needs to Know When  --to encourage parents to homeschool and to help them keep their focus on the one needful thing.

The Journey Continues...

Our Destination: A Heart of Wisdom

Today, we have the five younger children at home (I just recently had our eleventh blessing). Six of our children have grown, graduated, and have children of their own (our nine grandchildren). Two of my daughters began homeschool their own children this year!

Over the years, I changed how we studied but maintained the purpose to always put Bible before other studies. Through the years this included different daily devotions, Bible study curriculum, focusing on one particular book of the Bible, reading a certain amount of chapters per day, or by reading Bible stories. Honestly, I must say that at times it has been a struggle. It's very easy to slip back into "doing school," but each time I slipped, God gently reminded me of the one needful thing and we would get back on track.

The Heart of Wisdom Approach

After a dozen years of examining different teaching philosophies, learning styles--and most importantly--what God's word says about teaching children, I designed an approach of teaching based on much prayer and my experience above. I call it the Heart of Wisdom approach from Psalms 90:12, Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Not only must we renew our thinking about the context of what is taught but also the method of which is taught (Joshua 24:23, Proverbs 3:5-6; Matt 6:19-21; Romans 12:22).  The Heart of Wisdom centers all teaching on God's Word.

The Heart of Wisdom teaching approach is more than Bible it is an approach to teach all curriculum. It was greatly influenced, and actually a combination of teaching methods, utilizing the Charlotte Mason's philosophy; The 4 step lessons; Ruth Beechick's language arts teaching methods; the integrated unit study method, the Lifestyle of Learning approach;  David Mulligan's writings in book Far Above Rubies: Wisdom in the Christian Community; and a writing-to-learn philosophy similar to that used by The Principle Approach.

Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies

I have been developing a unit studies based on the Heart of Wisdom Approach for seven years. The first seven units are now available. See Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies.

Summary

In summary, the one thing I wish I could share with all those beginning to  homeschool: Put the Bible first. It is the one needful thing. Everything else is secondary.

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