I have had the immense privilege of being homeschooled my entire school life. From volunteering at a local farm to rehabilitating a young bird; every unique experience which homeschooling has afforded me has affirmed my appreciation for my parents and their choice to personally instruct me in the way that I should go.
Homeschooling has allowed me to spend time in God’s second book, nature. Since I was young, my parents have taught me to look for spiritual lessons in nature. Nowhere else is this better done than in agriculture.
When I was twelve years old, I volunteered at a local farm where I learned how to fertilize plants and identify different varieties of tomatoes. I experienced the thrill of watching plants grow and strengthen, harvesting food that I had a part in growing, and watching the sunrise as I worked. But, most important of all, I discovered many spiritual object lessons. For example, when eliminating pests, such as insects, from young plants, I was reminded that as a young person, I should eliminate anything that comes between me and my spiritual connection with God, no matter how small the “insect.” If left alone, that small pest would eat away at the leaf, or at my life, rendering it useless. This lesson, plus many others, has left an impression on my life, and I am grateful for each one.
Had I gone to school like many of my peers, I would have been sitting at a desk instead of gardening and learning lessons from nature, and would have missed this spiritual aspect of my education. Furthermore, had I been required to sit at a desk for eight hours, I would have gone to work late in the afternoon, and would have considered agriculture a mere chore rather than a delight.
Referring to this, Ellen White writes, “Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen.”[1] My education was very unique, diverging from traditional classroom methods. While most kids my age were in the classroom, I read interesting books, visited museums, and had unique experiences in nature daily. Whenever I was interested in an educational subject, such as history, my mom would find a book on that topic for me to read. For example, some of my favorite books contained facts that were not mentioned in conventional school material. From inventors to foreign missionaries, I was given the time and books to fill my mind with both educational and spiritual material. For example, in order to improve my handwriting, I had to copy at least two paragraphs every day from the book Christ’s Object Lessons. This exercise not only strengthened my handwriting skills but also implanted wonderful truths in my mind.
The fact that I read books on many different subjects does not mean that I did not do any schoolwork. I had a monthly report to turn in to my charter school on subjects like math, English, and science. However, being given time to read interesting, educational books gave me extra knowledge that would have been difficult to acquire had I been put through traditional methods of education.
I learned other equally valuable lessons because of homeschooling. For example, I was walking through the woods one day with my little brother when I almost stepped on an injured bird. I’m not exactly sure what its injury was, but it was obvious that the bird needed help, so we took it home. We gave it food and water, and in a few days, it was well again. When I walked out onto our big deck overlooking a valley and released it, it only flew around our house before returning to rest on my finger. Eventually, it did fly away, perhaps feeling more capable of fending for itself.
Before the pandemic, my parents took my little brother and I to a new museum at least once a month. We went to a train museum, a flight museum, and an automobile museum, to name a few. We also visited several aquariums, zoos, and science museums, where I could not only see exotic species, but also the evolutionary viewpoint on how the universe came to be, which contrasted with what I knew about creation as an Adventist young person. This would have been difficult to do had I been educated using traditional schooling methods.
The most significant advantage of homeschooling has been having my own schedule. This does not mean I can take extended breaks from school at will, but does give me more flexibility to do what I enjoy. One of the benefits of having my own schedule has been the ability to continue taking piano and violin lessons. Many friends who I once played with in an orchestra were forced to give up music when they entered high school. I, however, have been able to continue both piano and violin in high school. These instruments have enabled me to witness to people in ways that words cannot. If I had to attend school for 30 hours a week,[2] I would not have the time or energy to continue the practice hours that my music teachers require.
Last year, I went on my first mission trip. That perhaps changed the trajectory of my life. Along with several other homeschooled friends, I began the first day helping to register the hundreds of patients that turned up for the mobile medical clinic. The pivotal moment was when I walked a distressed patient with a lipoma—a benign, non-cancerous tumor—to the makeshift operating room, where surgeons were doing minor procedures. From then on, I spent every possible moment watching the surgeons at work, and even assisted with some of the most minor procedures. I saw how the patients left the room with faces glowing with joy, where before, I saw pain. I saw the relief on their relatives’ faces where before there was concern. I also saw on the surgeons’ faces the satisfaction of changing a life.
Had I not gone on this mission trip that was during the school year, I would not have had the opportunity to witness these lives being changed. Besides, it was during this mission trip that I decided that I want to become a surgeon. All this would not have been possible had I been in a traditional school. This mission trip and my role in it—in scope exceeding any afforded within a school mission trip—changed my life, and homeschooling was the framework that allowed this experience.
When done correctly, homeschooling not only teaches children to become thinkers, but also gives them the chance to develop deep relationships with their family, and, most important of all, their Creator. During the warmer months, instead of doing worship in the living room, my family would have worship on our big deck, which was shaded by oak trees. I remember how on warmer nights, my family would camp out on the deck, drifting off to sleep with crickets chirping around and thousands of twinkling stars above. We would wake the next morning to the songs of birds and the breeze whispering in the trees, without the need to rush to school. I recall how every time we started singing, the birds would come and perch on the branches that were nearest to us, or on the railing, perching there until our song ended. That is one of my favorite memories because it showed me that even animals can feel God’s presence, losing their fear of us in the process.
I am very grateful to my parents for all they have done to ensure that my little brother and I have had not only the best childhood but the best educational experience that they can provide. I believe that because I had the freedom to explore the subjects I was interested in, when the time came to begin the more challenging subjects, my mind had matured so that I could easily grasp them. Had I gone through traditional schooling, I probably would have never had the time to have the experiences I did, such as early morning worship on the deck, or working in agriculture. I know that my parents have done their best to follow Solomon’s counsel to “train up a child in the way he should go,”[3] and I pray that I will not forget what I have learned and experienced under their care.
[1] Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1903), 17.
[2] Vicki Nelson, “Student Study Time Matters,” CollegiateParent, accessed June 5, 2024, https://www.collegiateparent.com/academics/student-study-time-matters/.
[3] Pro. 22:6