Liberty Schoolin' Is Hard

We homeschool our children. By "we" I mean "My Darling Wife." She has the head-breakingly difficult task of keeping the children from killing each other and burning down the house, while keeping said house in order and teaching the children with the aid of prepared curricula. This, by the way, in a sea of mediocrity: neighbors who send their precious children to relatively poor schools and come home to a house no-one has cleaned while both parents were working. It is expected that a child shall not be educated while at school/day (don't) care, and then it is usual that outrage is expressed that the child's education is failing.

We want our children to have the best education possible within our means. That means no sending them to $12k/year (each) private schools, and government schools are right out. Homeschool.

But it is hard work, lonely work, and hard to know when one is on the right track in isolation in this land of government-schoolers. It is even difficult to know what to teach, and even HOW to teach. Mommy-teacher or videos? Traditional (modern American) or Classical (trivium) style? With materiel purchased from whom? I really should pray more about this than I do.

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We have been using A Beka Book materials with what seems like good success so far, but still you have to pick what to teach the children, then do it. And there is no gauge but one's own wisdom and faith in the people at PCC that you are even on the right track. We heard of Classical Conversations and that led me to read about classical education in greater depth. The "Well Trained Mind" system and very many others also exist. I am coming to the realization that A Beka combines some traditional, and some classical methods, and instead of revolving it around Latin, History, or whatever other subject, A Beka makes the Bible (God's word) the basis for learning. Of this I heartily approve. I just wish I could find a way to know what is the exactly-right way to train our children.

. . . if only some beneficent government agency existed which would quietly take my money without me knowing, and my children with my consent, and assure me that -somehow- they would come out alright in the end. Gee, that sure would be nice and easy.