As previously mentioned, my husband and I recently returned from our first trip to a homeschool convention. It was a fantastic trip and I cannot rave enough about the uplifting and enriching experience it was.
One of our reasons for homeschooling our children is to be making strides towards intentional influence- making the most of life's opportunities to shepherd our children's hearts and minds towards Jesus and as productive members of our society.
As I prepared for convention I planned on going to sessions that would review (I have an elementary education degree so many pedagogical ideas are not completely new to me) or teach me how to engage my girls in math, reading, spelling, and WRITING (still the thorn in our flesh of homeschool at the moment).
I highlighted sessions that I felt would train me to be the best teacher I could be to my children. Then my husband encouraged me to look at the bigger picture. I am their teacher of the three r's, yes, but I am first and foremost their mother. I am their caretaker. I have been given charge of these children, on loan from God, to train up in the ways of Him. That is what the heart of intentional influence is all about after all.
After a disappointing first session on writing strategies, I shifted my strategy towards sessions that attracted me from the standpoint of a mother, wife, or Christ follower. By enriching those areas of life, I knew that it would surely filter down and affect my role as teacher.
I am so thankful my husband's wisdom was better than my surface desires. I was so incredibly blessed by the sessions that engaged my soul, quenched my spiritual thirst, and encouraged my endeavor as a mother. I know that these sessions while not "academic" in nature will have a profound impact on the environment of our home, our school, and our family's trajectory.
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