Why Some Teachers Homeschool: Temporary Solution After Moving
Jennifer was a college English teacher and was happy with her job. When she had to move mid-year, she had to quit her job and could no longer afford preschool for her daughters. She planned to homeschool for a short time in between. That was 9 years ago! Read more about Jennifer’s story below.
The teacher who moved mid-year
When the Air Force transferred us to another state unexpectedly, I had to leave my beloved job teaching college English. I had previously taught middle and high school English, and I loved the freedom of not having to deal with students’ parents!
I found myself uprooted from my home, pregnant with Victoria, with no job prospects, while my eldest, Elizabeth (who has an October birthday), couldn’t begin Kindergarten for another year – when she would be almost six! So we decided to try homeschooling. My husband’s ENTIRE family were public school teachers, as was I, so this was not a popular decision, but we couldn’t afford to put Liz in preschool anymore if I wasn’t working. I had never intended to be a stay-at-home-mom, much less a homeschooling mama. This was a drastic change.
I will tell you: God slammed every door – and window – and peephole – to guide me into homeschooling. He placed us in Texas, an amazing state for homeschool resources!
My husband and I grew up in a time when the only homeschool families we knew were rather strange, and we certainly didn’t want that stigma. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home so the Über fundamentalist homeschoolers I met didn’t appeal to me. Many homeschoolers I met those first few years helped me to set goals of what I didn’t want for my family. It was a whole new world, and I felt really prepared on the academic side since I had teacher training and a love for learning. But I was not prepared for the homemaking and parenting shift of being home all day, every day with two – and then three! – little girls. I fought God and my husband tooth and nail for my selfish needs. It was a difficult time for our family while God changed our hearts. It was a tough journey experimenting with curriculum choices, co-ops, and homeschool groups and finally gaining confidence in my teaching abilities and God’s direction for our homeschool.
What began as a one-year experiment simply because I was home with two young daughters turned into a never-look-back lifestyle. It’s been over nine years, and now we have four little lambs and have homeschooled in three states!
Jennifer of Royal Little Lambs is a former middle and high school English/Language Arts teacher for gifted, ESL and regular ed students, as well as a former college professor. She now homeschools her 4 kids.
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