why we homeschool, by Ali McNabb

When we moved overseas, I knew in the back of my brain that "schooling" options would soon need to be evaluated as our girls became old enough to handle some focused time with books, and their attention spans matured. When we arrived in north-western China, Asia was 2 1/2, and Eden was only 8 months old. I figured I had lots of time! (I think I underestimated little ones' abilities!) On our 1st visit back to California, only 9 months later - I realized that I needed to research my options, and get a better awareness of what was "out there" for people like us. We aren't in a city that has an international school, nor anything else for English-speaking children. One option for our kids is the State-run Elementary schools in Chinese, which cost a monthly fee (and tend to be militant). The other option (which I was excited to discover) is homeschooling. In our quick 3-month stateside visit I met a bunch of parents who chose to home school their kids, and have done an excellent job!! They were so inspiring, positive and creative! I was deeply challenged to learn all that I could about this new sphere - and become an expert, for my kids' sake! It has been an exciting journey - and as of today, we are only 1 year in....with 15+ years to go!! Whoa! I don't have any experience with teaching, but I think we as parents are best equipped to love & teach our kids, guiding them in this education process. I am just a normal momma, wanting to instill solid foundations in my kids' hearts so they can soar and make right choices in a challenging world out there. I also love that we can expose them to all kinds of thinking, people & places of the world, and help them find what is True. I really hope & pray they will become bright beacons on the hill.