PROLOGUE

“I shall be telling this with a sigh.

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
~Robert Frost

T he fact that you are reading this book tells me that you are considering
homeschooling your child. This is a remarkable decision, and I
congratulate you for taking this step. While homeschooling has
always been “the road less traveled by,” it has made all the difference in
the world to those who have embarked on this grand adventure. Learning,
after all, begins in the context of the home.
So many world changers who pursued life with passion lit those initial fires
at home. Their parents framed their experience by providing in their living
spaces a fertile environment for learning and exploring.
Let’s take, for example, Sir Isaac Newton, the little boy who was “absent-
minded and lackadaisical.” As a budding youth, Newton was fixated on
constructing mechanical gadgets, exhibiting a strong appetite for learning
and observation. He once built a contraption, powered by a mouse, that
operated like a mill. He built clocks. He flew fiery kites, which he sent aloft,
terrifying his neighbors, because he was inspired by John Bate’s Mysteries
of Nature and Art. He drew diagrams and scratched architectural drawings
on the walls and windowpanes of his childhood home, and loved making
sketches of animals, people, plants, and seagoing vessels.
What a stellar scientist young Isaac grew up to be! Yet, looking back over
his life, he wrote:
“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have
been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself in now
and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst
the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” ~Isaac Newton
Here was a renowned mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, and
theologian who developed his keen mind and love for truth early, at home,
before eventually formalizing his education later in life.
Then there’s Thomas Edison, who was branded a “difficult child” during his
short and failed stint in the public school system. His mother wisely pulled
him out of school at age seven and schooled him at home. Next time you
switch on a light you can thank Edison’s mom for making the switch to
homeschool! Leonardo da Vinci, the “Renaissance Man” who more than
anyone in history epitomizes genius, never received a formal education. He
was a highly gifted child who learned at home. His imagination exploded in
all directions and because he was raised in an informal environment where
his gift could flourish, he went on to leave his mark in a grateful world.
C.S. Lewis, the great Christian thinker, author, and Christian apologist, had
an aversion for formal, institutional learning. He was schooled at home. Of
his childhood education, he wrote:
"I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor
silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and
pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books." ~CS
Lewis
J.R.R. Tolkien, too, was homeschooled. The classic work “Lord of the Rings”
arose from the fertile, spiritually informed imagination of an amazing mind
that was given the time to incubate and germinate in the comfort of home.
His mother taught him how to read, exposed him to botany and Latin, and
by the time she passed away when he was twelve, he had mastered both
Latin and Greek and had a working grasp of several other languages.
Because his pre-teen imagination was far too fertile to be denied, he
entertained himself by making up his own languages. This “gift” has been
passed on to millions of grateful readers of his works.
 John and Charles Wesley, pioneers of the Wesleyan Methodist movement
that spurred a worldwide religious awakening, were both homeschooled by
their remarkable, resourceful mother, Susannah Wesley. This tireless
woman gave birth to nineteen children, but only nine lived beyond infancy.
Each child, including the girls, was taught to read as soon as they turned
five years old. They were expected to become proficient in classical
languages of Latin and Greek and memorize major portions of the New
Testament by heart. Susanna Wesley examined each child before the
midday meal and before evening prayers. The children were not allowed to
eat between meals and were tutored individually one evening each week
to receive in-depth instruction and encouragement.
Other honorable mentions who emerged from homeschool to change their
world include names like George Washington Carver, James Madison,
Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Charles Dickens, Douglas
McArthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, Booker T. Washington, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Deitrich
Bonhoeffer, Charles Dickens, Alexander Graham Bell, Dale Carnegie,
Agatha Christie, Abraham Lincoln, George Patton, Abigail Adams, and the
Wright Brothers, just to name a few.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the greatest life of all, that ONE
SOLITARY LIFE who changed history. I am referring to Jesus Christ, the
“Word made flesh” who came from the bosom of the Father. He, too, was
homeschooled. And after serving in his stepfather’s workshop until his early
thirties, he spent his final three-plus years making all things new.
After reading this impressive list, are you ready to homeschool your young
world changer? You may be asking, “Am I qualified to teach my children?
Do I have what it takes?” Our answer to you is a resounding YES! Not only
can you, but you are the most uniquely qualified person for the task. You
have been gifted by God, even called by God, to teach your children and to
teach them well.
In this book I will lay out a plan for you to make it happen. I will discuss
various avenues of exploration you can take to deepen your understanding
of the role and to equip your heart and mind to rise to the task.
Let’s get started!