The Heart of Homeschooling

…Surely homeschoolers need to think about what learning resources to use, when to use them, what are effective approaches to teaching different kinds of learners. Surely it's wise to pool our collective wisdom and experience, to share our experiences with different curricula, to point out the weaknesses in different approaches to homeschooling, and to share the resources we've found most helpful—and those that stank. Yet all this talk of books and lesson plans, classical homeschooling and unit studies, Life in America and Alpha Omega, chronological history versus American history first obscures the heart of homeschooling and runs the risk of discouraging homeschoolers from pursuing what really counts in homeschooling: a home life rich in love and lifelong learning…

But all of this misses the heart of homeschooling, for homeschooling at its best is not about academics. We keep our children home so we can continue to build rich relationships with them as they grow, so we can be their staunchest allies and fiercest advocates, so we can be their models, and so our examples can lay a foundation of spiritual and emotional health that will last them a lifetime and into eternity…

If they are willing to watch their children, listen to their children, learn from their children, and share their own worlds with their children, then they are not just adequate to the task of homeschooling; they are more qualified than the fanciest teacher among us…

The heart of homeschooling isn't in the details: long division, onomatopoeia, iambic pentameter, the fall of Rome, or mitosis. The heart of homeschooling is in the home we build for our children. Homes full of love for one another, love of learning, interest in and concern for the world will almost surely produce well-educated young people, regardless of the methods or materials we choose to use in our homeschooling. Homeschooling is not about school; it's about home.

Laura D. Bush