I’d like to welcome David Nunnery, of Teach Them Diligently to my blog today! I had the honor of speaking at the conventions in 2014 and will again in 2015.
Homeschool Population is Growing
Homeschooling is exploding across America. The families that are just starting are from every region and state in the US, and their motivations for homeschooling are diverse. Whether embarking on this journey because of bullying, failing government schools, common core, special needs, or a thousand other reasons, families that homeschool are as diverse now as they have ever been. We all have come to this same journey from different pathways. There is no hierarchy to the inspiration for bringing your children home for school. But the largest mistake most new and veteran homeschoolers make is they never answer the question of foundation. In other words, why are you homeschooling in the first place?
When doing an internet search, there are a wealth of strong resources that all teach parents the hows and whats with reviews on what is good and what is trash. In many cases, it can be overwhelming to new homeschoolers and to veterans as well. For many, when things get tough and routines fall apart, children struggle with Algebra, and uncles and aunts think we are hurting our kids, our families struggle and these tensions overflow beyond simply education to marriages, parenting, and every walk of life. Homeschooling is not easy, but it is rewarding.
What is your Homeschool Foundation?
So for a moment, push all of the how-tos aside regarding homeschooling. When building a home or new building, the contractor does not start with walls, or plumbing. The contractor starts with a foundation so the question I have is what is your heart for your homeschool? Is your goal to simply protect your child from a bully or unwanted influences? Do you just want your child to excel and graduate with honors and get into a stellar university? Are you homeschooling because you were homeschooled? What is your foundation? This is the question you must answer if your hope is to be successful as a parent-educator. What is your anchor? And, while academic or protection reasons are strong and compelling for homeschooling, they are secondary. Academics are what makes homeschooling an education just like walls are what make a house. They are important and should not be overlooked. However, start with the foundation and build up from there. The foundation is what puts everything in order and gives it clarity. Without an anchor, you are just floating and without that strong foundation, your structure will surely be compromised or fall.
How Does Teach Them Diligently Help Your Family and Your Homeschool?
We run a series of homeschool events across the country called Teach Them Diligently. Our events are huge with great speakers such as James Dobson, Barbara Rainey, Ken Ham, Stephen Kendrick, and hundreds of workshops on raising a family, health and nutrition, every flavor of homeschooling with curriculum and resources, plus a huge exhibit and resource hall. We have the how-tos—the meat and potatoes of homeschooling—but the point of Teach Them Diligently is to speak to the heart of homeschooling. Our goal is encouraging parents in the discipleship of their children. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation that all the other curriculum, flavors, and resources are set upon. We believe that homeschooling needs a foundation. Answering this question of foundation and strengthening our hold on it changes everything. This is why so many families come to Teach Them Diligently. And, this is the reason that so many say that we are the best homeschool event they have ever attended. It is all about the Gospel, and we invite you and your family to join us there.
David Nunnery is the co-founder of Teach Them Diligently (www.teachthemdiligently.net) and the President of Worldwide Tentmakers (www.worldwidetentmakers.com). His heart is to see families strengthened and equipped as they disciple their children and to raise up a new generations of missions-minded families to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ across the street and around the world.