Successful Homeschooling: Your Husband Has a Vision, Too

⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Matthew 8:5-9

This scriptural passage in its entirety goes on to tell us of how the Lord healed the servant because of the centurion’s faith.   What an amazing God.  What is also striking about this passage is the centurion’s understanding of authority and alignment.   Jesus humbly asked the centurion what he wanted Him to do.   The centurion could have given Jesus specific instruction; after all, as he states, he was accustomed to ordering people around.   BUT, he also understood his place when it came to THE head.

Several years ago, I wrote a blog post for another website entitled,  “A Husband’s Role in Homeschooling.”   The post talked about being submissive—a word that even the most mature saint sometimes dreads hearing.   The sad truth is that when homeschool is the subject, it is even easier to take the reigns and push Dad to the side.  After all, for most of us as women, we commit to the research, we are the primary teachers, and we are the managers of the home.  Alignment–in homeschool?  Why, for goodness’s sake??!!  Here are a few reasons that you might want to consider.

Your husband—outside of the Lord God Almighty—is the principal partner in your plans for your family.   You did not marry the other co-op parents, nor did you marry anyone in your moms’ group (although they might give you great advice to discuss with your husband at a later time).   You two know the vision that you have for those children; why would you divide on one of the most important aspects of your family’s future—your children’s education?  Moreover, you are both accountable to one another—and to God—for what He has given you to steward.  Your fears, your anxieties, your uncertainties are all worth confiding to each other, and to the Father.  Will your testimony be that you ran toward your accountability partner, or will you have to repent for running toward someone else?

Your husband has a homeschooling vision, too.   Given the chance (lol), they will articulate it.  But here’s the proverbial kicker: his vision probably will not be in “homeschooling jargon.”   That does not mean that it has no merit; it just means that you must be a translator.   As a personal example, one of my husband’s biggest concerns is that our children are able to keep up should we ever have to place them into a traditional school.   Translation?   There are some homeschooling approaches that he would not be okay with, and that’s okay with me.   If I felt strongly enough, I could go against his will, but the risks are not worth it to me.   I imagine that limb to be lonely if it does not go as I planned, with poor results from my children and an angry husband—a husband who sacrifices along with me so that we can homeschool.

Your husband will represent your homeschool to the outside world.  You and your husband can be totally on board and together with homeschooling, but someone has to talk to your in-laws.   It would be ideal if everyone surrounding your family was totally on board with your decision, but if you live on Earth, chances are that someone will question, you, your abilities, and/or your sanity in beginning this journey.   Not only do you and your husband need to agree, you need each other’s prayers and support.   Can he articulate the vision?  Does he understand (in layman’s terms) what is the plan so that he’s not “thrown off” by Mama?   Can He and you represent Christ in your tone with the nay-sayers, or do you need to pray over each others’ tongues?

So, inevitably, someone might ask, “What if my husband doesn’t want us to homeschool?”   I honestly don’t have an answer for that one.   Homeschooling for many is a calling, a deep-seated passion that will sometimes keep you awake at night, and I can imagine that it must be difficult if you don’t share a conviction to take on this journey.   My walk with the Lord tells me that if this is what the Lord has in store for your family, in His timing and in His way it will become clear to both of you how to proceed.