Growing Up Homeschooled

Growing up homeschooled

By S. L. Kliever

           

I’m the second born in my family. The oldest sister of five children.

Growing up homeschooled wasn’t always easy. I had lots of responsibilities being the oldest girl in the family. At age 16 I was running the house during the time my mom was sick. Up in the morning by 5 or 6, read my Bible, eat breakfast, went on the computer for a little bit, then out to do chores by 7:30. milked the goats, then back in to the house to start my school. When my siblings came up for breakfast I would get them going on their work as soon as they were done eating. I also made the meals, baked four batches of bread a week (my older brother ate a lot of sandwiches for work) and did launder in the old ringer washer. Then there was the garden work too, and weeding in the trees.

 

The work was good for us kids, we learned to work hard.

I remember not wanting to grow up, but found that circumstances forced me to grow up and care for my siblings. I often say that I half raised my siblings. I remember changing diapers, bathing and feeding, then when they were older I taught them their school.

 

Though some look at our family and raised eyebrows, I am so grateful for the way I was brought up. Our family grew up close. Some people think we were sheltered…. In a way we were, but just like small trees need shelter from strong wind until they are big and strong, so do children, and my parents saw that. No they were not perfect, and they made mistakes, but all parents do. They did their best, and they taught us in the ways of the Lord. The Lord was the center of our family. We were taught from the Bible as part of our school. Our parents did right in that way. My siblings and I all walk with the Lord today.

 

School for me was hard, I didn’t learn to read till I was in my teens. My siblings all did well in that area, it was just me that struggled for a long time. Growing up with it was embarrassing. If I told friends of my struggle, they would tell me it was because I was homeschooled. It was not because I was homeschooled that I struggled with reading. How many kids today struggle through the public school system?  No it was not because of the way I was schooled, and it was no fault of my parents. Some children just have different learning styles then others, and I was one of them. But again my parents did well, and today I am a published author. I also turned around and taught my siblings, and if I can say it without sounding like I’m bragging, they did well under my tutelage.

 

The way I triumphed over my reading problem was not the normal way of learning how to read. At age 12, my younger sister by five years could read better than me, and I grew very frustrated about it. It seemed to me I was stupid, and I set out to prove to myself that I wasn’t. We were reading The Riverboat Adventure series by Lois Wilfred Johnson. The stories were about the Underground Railroad in the states, and they were so exciting that they inspired me. I wanted to write my own story about the railroad, and so I did. When I filled the first page in my note book, I proudly showed it to Mom. If I remember right, she had to erase just about ever word on that page and rewrite it with the proper spelling. But as she continued to do that, I began to memorize the words I needed to know for my story and slowly my reading improved as I began to write my first story. It took me several years to finish that one story, but by the time I was done, my reading had improved immensely.

 

Did homeschooling do me good? You bet! On this blog, Miss Hepburn and I want to talk about homeschooling, and biblical homemaking. Can people raise godly children in the public school system? ….yes I’ve seen it happen, but I think the home was where children were meant to be raised. I’m a mother now, and I don’t want the public school system raising my daughter!

 

Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

 

It doesn’t mean our children will turn out perfect if we homeschool and it doesn’t mean they will walk in the ways of the Lord, but we must do our part. Every person makes his or her choice, and my children will have to make their own choice. I pray that they will walk with the Lord, and I pray that I and my husband will do our part.

Joshua 24:15
...choose you this day whom ye will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

let us build our homes in the ways of the Lord!!!

I hope you enjoy reading our blog on homeschooling and biblical homemaking.

S.L. Kliever