From Teaching to Guiding

Written by Elizabeth Sanchez, 2025 Graduate Parent.

Here I take a few minutes to reflect upon the journey of the last 14 years of partnering with a small classical, Christian, collaborative school to homeschool 3 days a week. In the early days we were correcting pencil grips, drilling phonograms, and squeezing in math lessons during the triplets’ nap times and between diaper changes. Some days (many days, every day?) we hit a wall of chaos and completing our daily task list felt impossible. But we leaned into a prayer, a dance party, a meal, a trip to the playground, a walk, or a nap, and found peace and completion to our day on the other side of it.  

Somewhere along the way, especially early for my oldest child, I slipped from actively teaching the material to providing guidance, support, and paper editing (I’m known for being critical of “to be” verbs; you can almost always find a more powerful verb!). 

By God’s grace and strength given to our perseverance, that small preschooler turned young woman walks across a stage in front of people she’s drawn into her life and impacted in immeasurable ways. 

As a young homeschooling mom, I often measured my accomplishments in the  graded success of my children. As a seasoned homeschooling mom, I see my childrens’ achievements as the sprinkles on the top of a well-lived life. 

Have we taught them to love God, cherish their family, and serve their community? 

Somewhere along the way, especially early for my oldest child, I slipped from actively teaching the material to providing guidance, support, and paper editing (I’m known for being critical of “to be” verbs; you can almost always find a more powerful verb!). 

Have we taught them to keep pushing through obstacles and rejoice in small but significant successes? 

Have we provided them a safe space to wrestle with their emotions while providing a framework for making and trusting their own decisions? 

We chose, by choosing this unconventional life and as Paul told the Romans, to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds. This consistently remains our goal in raising and educating our children. We measure our success not by the achievements that the world praises -- the honors, the accolades, the awards -- but by the good, God-loving, people they grow into. Seeing your graduating senior seek out a life that does not conform to this world provides enough proof to make the messy journey worthwhile. 

This article is republished from Volume 1 of the Annual Showcase Magazine "An Invitation to Wonder."

2025 Annual Theme | An Invitation to Wonder: A Culture of Learning at Home. Find more details on how to submit in the upcoming annual showcase magazine, more inspiration from the theme, and where to purchase a limited edition print copy of the 2025 magazine.