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  • Start
    • Homeschooling 101: What to Teach and When to Teach It
    • 10 ways you’re making your homeschool day harder than it needs to be
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Q&A Friday: What if your child could only learn one lesson?

November 16, 2012 //  by Jamie C. Martin//  15 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and writer at Steady Mom

Homeschooling feels awfully complicated at times, wouldn’t you agree? There are multiple subjects, multiple children (usually!), and multiple household tasks to juggle.

All these categories place demands on our time, and in one way or another we need to devote energy to them. But sometimes we lose focus and our lives become a blur of reading lessons, math problems, and test-taking strategies. Not too fun for anyone.

We measure our kids–and our success as homeschooling parents–by these external benchmarks, but what is actually most important in the long run?

What if our children could only learn one lesson–in life or school? What would we decide to teach?

When I think about this question, I immediately know the answer for our family–I want my children to know and love God, and to believe that He has a unique and important mission and plan for their lives.

When I acknowledge the importance of this lesson for our family, I then need to back it up with our life experience. Am I structuring our homeschool days with this end in mind? Is our life arranged in a way that supports this core priority?

Let’s simplify and eliminate outside distractions and work on building the foundation to this vital lesson–so that our kids can pass life’s real tests when they emerge from our homes.

What about you: What if your child could only learn one lesson? What is the first thing that comes to mind? Is there anything you need to change in your life to provide more attention to the teaching of this lesson?

Category: a mom's education

About Jamie C. Martin

Jamie is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible. She co-founded SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010 and began IntrovertedMoms.com in 2020.

Jamie is the author of four books, including Give Your Child the World (reached #9 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list), and her latest release, Introverted Mom (an ECPA bestseller). Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Parents, Today Parenting, and Psychology Today.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Two Cowgirls

    November 16, 2012 at 12:55 am

    Kindness.
    Two Cowgirls’s latest post: Two Cowgirls Preschool – Letter Z

    Reply
  2. Cynthia

    November 16, 2012 at 1:30 am

    I told my oldest son today that if he only ever remembers one thing, let it be that his parents and God will always love him, no matter what.
    Cynthia’s latest post: In the quiet of the evening

    Reply
  3. Nicole S.

    November 16, 2012 at 8:53 am

    This was not the point of your posts, but I am really drooling over your Ostheimer collection!

    Reply
  4. jill at tinyandsmall

    November 16, 2012 at 8:58 am

    such a reassuring post! yes, to know HOW LOVED THEY ARE, by God & us.

    just in the last few days we’ve rearranged our homeschool to include more OUTSIDE, & immediately i felt an internal pushback to be more “schooly”. but “schooly” isn’t us.

    thank you for the reminder to check in with our own vision & core values for our families from time to time.
    jill at tinyandsmall’s latest post: breathing.

    Reply
  5. Jeni

    November 16, 2012 at 9:10 am

    It’s so hard, with all the “input” of blogs, curriculum companies, and relatives (!) to keep things in perspective. Thanks for the reminder. ๐Ÿ™‚ Oh – and I just bought Leadership Education per your suggestion and I’m hanging on every word. Thank you for taking the time to guide people like me who are coming along behind you in the homeschool life.

    Warmly,
    Jeni
    Jeni’s latest post: Photoshop Elements for Bloggers: a Video Workshop

    Reply
  6. Megan

    November 16, 2012 at 9:31 am

    Thank you for being so open about your faith and sharing the importance of God in your family! I am so grateful for sisters in Christ and their impact on our world by using their voice and influence. You’re doing a great thing by writing posts like this! Praise God for his grace and wisdom! I was recently reflecting on this very thing of what’s the most important thing that my kids get while I homeschool them so we implemented a Bible study time in the morning in addition to our bedtime reading including Bible hero flashcards, prayer sticks and story time out of our “The Action Bible God’s redemptive story” by David C Cook which I highly recommend my boys love it!

    Reply
  7. Sarah

    November 16, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Love the nativity set! Any chance it is yours and you know the source?

    Reply
  8. Katie L.

    November 16, 2012 at 12:50 pm

    To love God, and love others. Sometimes I fear that we can love one and not the other, and vise-versa.

    Reply
  9. Truly Rich Mom aka Teachermama Tina

    November 16, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    I totally LOVE this post! ๐Ÿ™‚ It helps bring us back to the “why” of homeschooling, and of parenting in general! ๐Ÿ™‚ Sharing it right now! ๐Ÿ˜€ God bless! Love from the Philippines!
    Truly Rich Mom aka Teachermama Tina’s latest post: More Homeschooling Posts on Truly Rich Mom! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  10. essijay

    November 16, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    The lesson I hope to teach is love and acceptance – for everyone (self included) and every living thing.

    Reply
  11. Lorna B.

    November 17, 2012 at 11:03 am

    Love this post! What a great reminder for why we home school! I want my girls to know that they are loved by God and their parents and to show that love to others through their lives.

    Reply
  12. Elizabeth

    November 17, 2012 at 11:47 am

    We just read ‘Three Questions’ last night. It was so beautiful and reminded me to stay in the moment:) It’s a good lesson for everyone

    Reply
  13. Myah

    November 17, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    I want my children to always have a love of learning and to be inquisitive and highly engaged in learning. I also want them to be kind, confident, yet humble – love the Lord, discover and live out their purposes God has planned for them! Finally, I want my children to feel peace.
    Myah’s latest post: Ian

    Reply
  14. Dawn Suzette

    November 20, 2012 at 7:06 am

    Thank you for this thoughtful reminder…
    Dawn Suzette’s latest post: Details…

    Reply
  15. Sara

    November 26, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    A great reminder to keep perspective about what really matters. I would choose for my kids to learn Open Hearts and Minds if they could only learn one thing. ๐Ÿ™‚
    Sara’s latest post: Day 26 of Gratitude: the life of the mind

    Reply

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