"So why do you homeschool?" I doubt that there is anyone reading this who hasn’t been asked that question before! Perhaps, in a moment of despair, you have even asked yourself the very same question. Well, relax. It’s quite normal to ask that question. And we dads can be sure our wives have asked it many more times than we have.

I have found it very beneficial to sit down with my wife, Becky, every now and again to talk about the 'why' of home education, and not so much the 'what'.  Such conversations are something we men can (and should) initiate as the spiritual leaders in our homes; these discussions can really encourage our wives in their daily and often very challenging role.  

In 2005, when my family first started to home educate, our reasons were much more about what we didn't want for our children, than what we did want for them. When asked why we home educated, it was easy to talk about the concerns we had with the public schools and the harmful influences we were protecting our children from. However, as the years went by, our 'why' became far more proactive than it was reactive. This has resulted in a more hope-filled and enduring commitment to home educating our children. This proactive ‘why’ helps us get through those frustrating and testing times that we home educating parents inevitably face.

HOME EDUCATION & THE GREAT COMMISSION

What is your foundational motivation for home educating your children? Is it to help them grow into mature followers of Christ? If the answer to that question is ‘yes’ (as I believe it would be for the majority of Christian home educators), then your thinking is in line with the Biblical mandate given to all believers. In Matthew 28:18-20, we read:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

If the Great Commission is to be implemented, our obedience must begin first and foremost in the home. When you ask yourself why your family home educates, does the Great Commission come to mind? Surely this is one of the greatest ‘whys’ that we can have for engaging in home education. It is, in many ways, the ‘why’ above all ‘whys’.

MY RESPONSIBILITY AS A FATHER

As a father, I feel in my heart a deep conviction and concern that if my children grow up to be great in any sphere of academics (or in any gift, talent, ability or vocation), but do not grow to love, know, serve and honor Christ, then I have failed as a father. Now, more than ever, I realize that all of my family’s home education is simply the outworking of a responsibility that sits squarely on my shoulders -- that of raising godly children in an ungodly world. As Ephesians 6:4 says:

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

This verse always reminds me that the “training and admonition” of our children is ultimately my responsibility, no matter how much I delegate to my wife. Practically speaking, of course, my wife will have more influential time with our children. However, in this, I am not avoiding my responsibility, but fulfilling it through delegation.  

REDEFINING OUR MOTIVATIONS

When Becky and I sit down to talk about the ‘why’, we find that it always boils down to family discipleship. After focusing on that for a while, we begin to notice tasks and activities that are redundant to that primary vision. These activities are then easy to adjust, change, or drop altogether. Thus, understanding our ‘why’ helps us to redefine our motivations.

Learning to read, for example. Our motivation could be, “We want to teach our children to read so that they can develop a love of reading and learn much from various books”. Or it could be, “We want to teach our children to read so that they can read God’s Word, and understand all that God has to say about how we should live. We want them to know, love, and serve Christ by reading and learning about Him”. By developing a love for God’s Word, our children will have a Biblical filter for all other material they read during their lives. This will help them enjoy reading and love learning, all while being guarded by the truth and safety of God’s Word.

Another example -- this time in the area of creative skills, such as art or music. Our motivation could be, “We want our children to excel in their talents, do well in competitions, and be an example of excellence to others”. Or it could be, “We want our children to excel in their talents and discover how God can use them to humbly bless and serve others. At the same time, they need to surrender their gifts and abilities to God’s will for their lives”.  

We must carefully and prayerfully monitor the way our children develop and practice their skills. Is a certain talent (or the pursuit of it) going to distract from other priorities? Will the time we spend trying to meet other’s expectations hinder our discipleship? Have we strained any relationships by focusing too much on one child’s gift? These are all important questions to consider.

IN SUMMARY

Because discipleship and education are not two distinct entities, we can practice family discipleship through home education. When we do this, our fundamental teaching methods and activities may not change, but our underlying perspectives and motivations will.  

Academic activity can and should have a spiritual motivation behind it, for we aim to equip our children for all that God has called (and will call) them to do. All learning can have an eternal purpose if it remains safely submitted to the purposes of God.

Lastly, this eternal perspective on home education will equip us with a more proactive answer when others ask us why we do what we do. We tell them (and ourselves) that our main goal is to raise followers of Christ who will know Him, love Him, and serve Him with all their hearts. Everything else is secondary.