Christian Homeschooling – Nancy’s Story

October 12, 2018
Written by:
Guest Author
Christian Homeschooling

Why We Homeschool

When I was pregnant with my son I did tons of research on EVERYTHING. The one thing that I researched the most was schools. Because I wasn’t raised in my current state of residence I was clueless as to which schools were the best. I didn’t know if we would choose a Montessori, public, Christian or private school. The one thing for sure was that my child was going to get the best education that would work for our family. Homeschooling wasn’t even on my radar. After months of research, we decided to go with a Montessori school. Then the research for the best Montessori school we could afford began. Immediately I was astonished at the price of a Montessori education in our area. While on my journey into researching Montessori schools, the deep hole that is known as the internet brought me to a Montessori at home blog. I haven’t a clue what blog that was and how I ended up there but there I was reading every word on this blog; clicking on every document and link. I was stunned to find out that homeschooling was still a “thing” and that MANY people in my area did it.

Around the time my son was 18 months old, I found a local homeschool group that had weekly play dates and we attended one. I talked to all the moms and asked about a million questions. I was intrigued yet scared all at the same time. I thought “I cannot homeschool”, “Am I even qualified to homeschool?” “Will my child be behind?” I told these women my deep concerns and they were amazing at comforting me and giving me the resources I needed to empower myself and my son’s education. I left that play date feeling on top of the world. I left knowing that homeschooling my child will give him the BEST education for him. I went home and told my husband about all that I learned and that I was ready to homeschool. He gave me the encouragement I needed to get the ball rolling. Shortly after that playdate we joined a homeschool Montessori co-op group and stayed there for 4 years. I was pretty active with the co-op teaching and organizing materials. The last few months in our final year with the co-op there was quite a bit of praying to God. Trying to figure out our next move and in which direction we needed to be heading. Over and over again God spoke to me in different ways that it was time to head into a Christian education for our son. Over and over again Classical Conversations was somehow brought to my attention. I found a local community and went for a visit with my son. Within minutes it was like my son was a part of the community and he looked relieved and comfortable. During our lunch, my son asked me if I had my checkbook because he wanted me to register him right then and there. Seeing my son’s expression of pure bliss I knew I heard God’s calling and answered it appropriately.

Why we use the Christian Homeschool Model

Being devout Orthodox Christians my husband and I wanted our religion to be at the forefront of our son’s education. We want our son to know and understand our beliefs and culture (I am a 1st generation Greek/Italian/American). We also want our son to be comfortable with our creator and have a deep meaningful relationship with God. Homeschooling from this standpoint meant we had an amazing format for which to teach our son already there for us. However, there wasn’t much Orthodox homeschooling material; Because not just any Christian curriculum would work for our beliefs, I have had to piece together curriculums for our son. This is a huge task and more often than not I felt completely stressed. After praying and asking for guidance I found an Orthodox Homeschool Conference. I told my husband and immediately signed up. We drove 9 hours and spent 4 amazing days with other Orthodox Christians learning and discussing how to implement our Orthodox Christian beliefs into our school day.

How We Implement our Christian Beliefs

We are a part of an amazing CC community that gives our son the environment of other Christian families with like-minded ideals. We also use all that we learned at the Orthodox Homeschool Conference. I have found a couple of Orthodox blogs and websites to use during our school day. It has made a huge difference with our son’s education and my stress level. Prayer and listening to what God puts in our path have been the best ways to continue our journey.

About Nancy:

Nancy - Christian Homeschooler

I am an Orthodox Christian wife and mom to one almost 6-year-old son and two angels.  We have been homeschooling our son his whole life.  I have a Montessori Certificate in pre-primary education.  I have tutored children for 15 years.  We are now a Classical Conversations family.  We live in Greenville, SC.

#CHRISTIAN HOMESCHOOLING