Christian parents should be concerned with their children’s education. All schooling is formative in one way or another. What children learn in primary school is especially formative for both what they think and how they think.
We cannot leave such a critical task entirely to those who differ with, and at times are hostile to, the end goal we have for our children. For many families, full-time homeschool or private classical Christian school is not immediately practical. So how can we supplement our children’s public education with a heavy and useful dose of homeschool as soon as possible?
Begin with four simple movements: plan, prepare, perform, and produce.
Plan
Start by using a marriage meeting and then a family meeting to get a plan in order for homeschooling the children just a couple of hours a week.
Choose one or two mandatory slots for schooling and commit to them. For many families, the first hour of the day on Saturday is a good fit. Other families may find that Wednesday evening works better. The point is to have a set time.
Determine the subject you will commit to teaching. Some good choices are literature, history, biology, catechism, Scripture memory, or church history.
List the order of events within that hour. It might look something like this:
- Prayer for the learning time
- Reading an excerpt
- Fifteen minutes of explanation and questions
- A short writing prompt
- Recitations
Keep the plan simple enough that you can repeat it.
Prepare
This is the critical time for the parents to become familiar with what is being taught.
If you are going through a biology lesson plan, look it over and become familiar with the lesson content a day or two before you engage with your children. If you are going through a book like The Chronicles of Narnia, read the chapter to be discussed ahead of time.
Another important part of preparation is making sure you know where the learning materials, pencils, paper, books, and notebooks are. Make sure they are accessible before the lesson begins.
Clean up the learning area. Remove or put away toys and objects that would be overly distracting during the learning time.
Preparation does not need to be elaborate, but it does need to be real. A little readiness from the parents can make a short lesson feel settled and fruitful.
Perform
This part is simply about doing the lesson.
Do not overthink it. Do not expect too much in the way of immediate experience. Let the time spent teaching your children have its work in your home. It takes time.
One day you will be able to look at the fruit of your faithful labors and rejoice. In the moment, however, it can feel mundane. It may seem like everyone is making small gains, including you.
Keep going.
Produce
Track the progress of your homeschooling efforts.
Save your children’s papers in a binder with their names on it so they can see how diligent they have been and how they have grown.
Use your phone to record their recitations.
Visit museums, historic sites, libraries, churches, and locations that relate to the learning materials.
Make their learning real.
Supplemental homeschooling does not require a perfect schedule, a professional classroom, or a complete curriculum on day one. It requires parents who are willing to take responsibility for formation in small, faithful, repeatable ways.