Education: College Application Process for Homeschoolers *Remember Your Why*

As we are in the midst of a series of posts about the college application process for homeschoolers, and at this point in time for our homeschool we are in the midst of early action decisions from colleges being received, I felt it would be timely to share a remember post…a “remember your why” post.

Most likely you decided to homeschool because you wanted something different for your children and family. Maybe it was mostly an academic decision so that your child could progress at his or her own pace, follow unique interests and gifting, and explore areas of study that were not available at either public or private schools. Or maybe your reasons were mostly relational, and you wanted to have time for play, to be in nature, explore, travel, read books together and grow closer as a family. Or maybe your reasons were mostly faith based, and you wanted the freedom to study through the lens of your faith and worldview. And maybe your reasons were a mix of all of the above or something else completely. Those reasons make up your philosophy about education and homeschool life, and those reasons are your “why.”

If you are beginning or continuing or are smack in the middle of the college application process, it is important to take time to remember your why. It is easy to get caught up in the way of culture and see the process as checkboxes, must-dos, competition, measuring up, pressure, and comparison. Probably these are some of the reasons you homeschooled to begin with, to not be immersed in this type of environment. If your child is receiving college admission decisions, it is tempting to take every acceptance, rejection, or waitlist as a validation or rejection of you, your efforts, and your why. And ultimately that can lead to pride or despair or fear.

Remember what matters to your family, what defines your family, and the unique ways God has made your child. Remember the way He has faithfully walked with your child through the past 17 or 18 years. As we remember and recount His faithfulness, our trust of His provision for the future deepens.

If we allow college admission decisions to be the source of our contentment, identity, or validation, then we are forgetting our why. God allows doors to open and doors to close for purposes we do not know. We can trust Him with our child’s future.

Education is a life. What you’ve done faithfully day after day, moment after moment, trusting God, serving, loving, reading, praying, and preparing will shape the memories and define the journey. A moment of outside acceptance or rejection does not define your child or your homeschool.

Recently all of my children were home from college and activities on a weekend along with some friends and were eating around the dinner table. It was a joy to listen to all of the talking and sharing. The discussion went to remembering and recounting some of their favorite books we read, others talked about their favorite poems from childhood, and they all shared favorite memories of all of the outside play where they spent hours and hours creating villages, forts, using their imaginations, dressing in costume, and playing in the woods. We laughed and laughed, and then they scoured the bookshelves to show each other their favorites and look at the illustrations together. They thanked us for the freedom they had to play and explore and work out issues together. Wow. This is my why. My mama heart was full of gratitude. Yes, education is a life. It doesn’t begin or end with college.

If you need help clarifying your why or if you are considering homeschooling, here are some resources to help you process.

Helpful Resources and Links