The Journey

Spring 2023/Diane Helfrich

We’ve all heard the sage expression, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” (Lao Tzu). We fundamentally know that our kids are on an educational journey from preschool to high school graduation. But have you taken the time to think about your journey? A journey starts somewhere and ends somewhere, and we are all on one, whether we realize it or not. The journey goes better if we see it for ourselves and pay as much attention to our trip as we do to our children’s! If you take a trip, you start with planning, soak in the journey itself, and then you have the memories afterwards. How does that apply to leading the educational journey in your home?

The Planning Phase

When most of us begin, we are frantic about ensuring we have all the bases covered—that our children will get everything they would have at school. We evaluate curricula and research to determine their needs at a given age. We buy books and the stuff of school (pencils, paper, colors, scissors, glue, red pencils, etc.). We do this again when panic sets in for middle school and when the even bigger panic sets in for high school.

Let’s back up a moment. If you were taking a trip, say, to South Africa to go on a wildlife safari, would you rely on your lived experience to plan the trip, or would you engage the knowledge of others to help you? Having never been there or been on a safari, I would contact a travel agent and talk with people who had been on one about what works best and what to expect. Most of us don’t see beginning to homeschool in the same light as a trip to South Africa; we see it as something much smaller. Yet, we are setting the path for this little person’s life. It’s a big deal!

I would always recommend that life planning is best done with a mentor—someone who knows more than I do and has demonstrated success in what they do. I would look to other homeschoolers whom I admire on several fronts: marriage, family structure, faith values, and educational values. I probably wouldn’t want just one mentor. I would want several! One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell, who writes Christian leadership books. He always has about ten mentors. If a mentor is good enough for someone as successful as John Maxwell, and if Novak Djokovic still uses a tennis coach as one of the top players in the world, then perhaps I need mentors to help in the planning and execution of my school!

Where do you find mentors? You can begin at the NCHE Thrive! Conference where nationally recognized speakers will fill you to the brim with great information and where you will have ample ability to network with other homeschoolers and talk to mentors. NCHE also has a mentoring program for members. Co-ops are a ready pool of experience with parents excited to help others. You can also find these relationships through the church, sports, 4-H, etc. Honestly, get your travel guide, or guides, to help you plan each phase of the educational journey!

The Trip

You may embark on three educational journeys: elementary, middle, and high school. Know ahead that each one involves a different set of skills. So, you’ve begun. On your trip to South Africa (I’ll assume with your family), you are excited about wild herds of animals, new and different foods, and a unique cultural experience you have never had. If you had been there before, there wouldn’t be near the learning as there was on the first trip there. Everything you see is a learning event, not just for your kids but for you. Have you stopped to think about how much you will learn on your educational journey? You don’t think a thing about the fact that you will learn new things on the trip to South Africa. Most of us have no training for homeschooling. Even if we have the training as an educator, homeschooling differs from a public or private school and is often different for each child.

Are you willing to go where your child is bent on going? Are you ready to explore topics for which you have no background? This point is where I see the true wonder of homeschooling. You get to learn right along with your child, whether it’s algebra, ancient Middle East cultures, astrophysics, philosophy, or the respiration of plants. It is easy to shy away from topics for which we feel unqualified. Don’t! You’ll miss the adventure and the value of your journey! I am much richer today for the things my kids wanted to learn that I didn’t know before. The fun of learning mushroomed as I was learning right with them, and we had a whole-family journey. Again, there are always resources to help you. Let your educational learning be part of your journey!

The Memories

After you return from South Africa, you go through the photos you took, relive the journey, and share it with friends. There is a sadness that comes at the end of the trip. It’s over. You move on in life to other things for you to accomplish. Similarly, as you release your children into the world, there is sadness and excitement. Homeschooling has been close to a 24×7 venture for several years. Be careful here not to make being a homeschooler your total identity. It’s a journey you went through. If it becomes your sole identity, when it ends, you are lost. You are, in fact, a child of God, a spouse, a parent, a friend, a neighbor, and perhaps other things. You need balance in how you view yourself. Also, an ending always comes with a beginning, enriched by the experiences that have gone before. Focus there, and remember to plan for this time. You are beginning another journey, which also requires planning. The more time you invest in planning, the easier the transition will be. 

I wish you the best in this journey of education. It is a sub-journey of life, albeit a very important one. Remember to see your journey along with your children’s journey to graduation. You will learn, grow, fail, regroup, start again, and store memories. Embrace one of the most incredible journeys you will ever have! 

“And so I am sure confident that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 GNT)