Delight Directed Homeschooling

So, maybe you’d like to hear a little bit about our homeschooling style. Maybe you weren’t thinking about that at all, but now that I’ve mentioned it…now you’re a little curious.

First of all, there are LOTS of different homeschooling styles, and not one of them is the perfect style that works for everyone. Homeschooling can look as different as A to Z. I think it’s important  to find what works for your family and to realize that what works for you…might not work for someone else.

We are a Delight Directed homeschooling family and we have a blast! My husband and I decided a long time ago that we wanted to prayerfully help our children ignite a fire for learning that we hoped would burn bright their entire lives.

A friend suggested we listen to a concept by Chris and Ellen Davis from The Elijah Company. I don’t know if they are around anymore but their concept was brilliant. It spoke directly to the heart of what we dreamed homeschooling would look like for our family.

In a nutshell, we decided that academics, (although very important to us), were not going to be our main focus. In fact…academics weren’t even going to be our second area of focus. (I know you’ve just fainted but try to stay with me here.) Academics were going to be third.

Yep, I said it. Third. I know you are scratching your head and staring at my page in disbelief. But, let me explain. Our vision was simply this: Relationships…character…then academics.

1. Relationships is our primary area of focus…period. Relationship with God, family, friends, the church, neighbors, community…etc. Our mission is to help them understand their need for a Savior, to help them be in the world but not of the world, and to love others as themselves. Awesome!!

2. Character is secondary. Contrary to what the world has to say, virtues are still extremely important, especially in our home. Are our children learning kindness and compassion? Are they loyal and honest? Do they know how to treat each other, their friends, the elderly? Do they have respect for themselves and others? Do the moms at park day cringe when they see our car pull up or do they celebrate our arrival? Seriously…try the park day experiment if you really want to know if you’re working on character effectively! No kidding!!

3. Academics is third. I’m not saying that we don’t focus on this because we do! Is math important? Sure. Language Arts? Of course. Reading? Absolutely! But let me ask you a question? How far will grades get you without good character and solid relationships?

For us, Delight Directed homeschooling is about what our children are passionate about. If ocean life is the area of interest for one or all of them, we delve into the world of underwater creatures. If curiosity leads us to dine with Medieval kings and queens so be it. We have the recipes and costumes to prove it.

Delight Directed homeschooling is child led and parent designed to promote discovery to the fullest. And yes, we still do our Math. (But sometimes, we put it away early and play Monopoly!)

Sincerely,

Deborah