Be Affirmed: You’ve Started a Good Journey
Welcome to a new conversation about home education—one that unfolds slowly, thoughtfully, and with purpose. Over the next several months, in this five-part blog series, we’ll uncover the why and the how behind home education; the heart, habits, hope—and the hard parts. Our goal is to affirm and encourage you in the decision to homeschool, challenge and inspire you to take it to new heights, and celebrate everything that you get to experience along the way in this adventure of a lifetime.
Homeschooling isn’t just an academic choice; it’s a family decision that shapes your days, relationships, and future. In this series, we’ll talk about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of educating at home—an honest conversation with practical advice and counsel. Whether you’re brand new to homeschooling or years into the journey, this series is an invitation to pause, reflect, catch your breath, take it all in, and celebrate the journey.
Be Affirmed—You’ve Started a Good Journey
There is a path that works for almost any meaningful journey in life. It’s a path that is affirming, encouraging, challenging, inspiring, and celebrating. It’s logical, motivating, and incredibly helpful when the road ahead feels long, uncertain, or overwhelming. I’ve seen it work in marriage, parenting, leadership, faith, and especially in homeschooling.
The Homeschooling Marathon
Homeschooling is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. In our family, it was a literal one. We homeschooled our seven children for a total of 26.2 years. All seven of our children graduated from the Carman Family Home School. And when our seventh child graduates from college this May, every one of them will have earned an undergraduate degree, one has a PhD, one is currently in graduate school, and all of them are thriving adults who love God, learning, their families, and life.
Reluctant Homeschoolers
But that’s not how the story started. You see, we were reluctant homeschoolers. Homeschooling was not on our radar. It wasn’t part of our life plan. It wasn’t something we grew up around or assumed we would ever do. In fact, if you had asked us early on whether we thought homeschooling was for us, the honest answer would have been, “Absolutely not.” We started against our will, and our original motto was simple and survival-oriented: You can’t mess up kindergarten. And right behind that was our second guiding principle: One year at a time. That’s it. No grand vision. No ten-year plan. Just obedience to what we believed was best for our family in that season.
When Everything Changed
After our first year, we attended a homeschool conference, mostly out of curiosity and desperation. Somewhere between the keynote sessions and the vendor hall, it felt like a light was turned on. We drove home talking the entire way about how this could change everything—not just our children’s education, but our marriage, parenting, family culture, and the trajectory of our lives together.
Year two started with motivation and ownership. By year three, we were researching educational philosophies. By year four, we were committed—even with high school looming in the distance. Somewhere along the way, we simply knew this was turning out to be really good for our family.
Today, I am a homeschool advocate and proponent. Goodness gracious, I’m the president of a leading homeschool curriculum publisher. I would have never predicted that my life and career would go this way. Looking back, I simply can’t forget how our family got started on this journey. Those memories are indelibly marked in my mind. So, in this article, I want to begin by doing one very important thing: I want to affirm your decision to homeschool.
Be Affirmed
Homeschooling isn’t easy. It’s hard work, and the decision to start is huge, often overwhelming, and sometimes terrifying. So let me say it clearly and without hesitation: I want to affirm your decision to homeschool.
Yes, you are in the minority. And yes, that can feel lonely at times. When we got started, it felt like we got hit with a providential 2×4 upside the head. We didn’t ease into it or plan for it years in advance. We were pushed—firmly—into something we hadn’t been seeking. To say we were reluctant is actually a severe understatement.
Your Qualifications: You’re Their Parent
Homeschooling often feels like a roller coaster. There are twists and turns that can shake your confidence and leave you wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into. But there are also seasons that feel like a lazy river ride—times when you can bask in the sun, catch your breath, and take it all in with gratitude.
One of the most important things to understand early on is that it can take three to four years to figure out what really works for your family and to fully commit to this way of educating your children. That’s normal. The future is unknown, and unknowns can feel scary. Long-term goals can seem too difficult, unachievable, or even impossible. But before you let those fears take over, pause for a moment and consider what you have already done as a parent. You taught your children how to talk, walk, sit, use a spoon, navigate relationships, express emotions, and exist in the world—all probably without a degree in child development.
So what is your primary qualification? You are their God-given parents. That’s not a throwaway phrase. It’s foundational. Home is the ideal context for any person to learn, live, love, and thrive. No one cares more deeply about the well-being of your children than you do. No one is more invested in their hearts, minds, and futures than you are. And while there will be plenty of people—well-meaning friends, concerned family members, and complete strangers—who will not affirm your decision to homeschool, let me be very clear: we are not among them.
Don’t Give Up and Join the Club
Let me share a perspective that may surprise you. In North Carolina, where we have long-standing data on homeschooling, we can see how many years families typically stay in the homeschooling “game.” After the first year, roughly twenty percent drop out. After the second year, another twenty percent quit. After year three, the dropout rate decreases to about ten percent. And by year four, another five percent stop, and the curve levels out.
What does that tell us? It tells us that after families homeschool for three to four years, roughly half will continue long-term. Here’s the takeaway for you: if you can last three to four years, you’re in the club.
That doesn’t mean every day will be easy. It doesn’t mean every subject will click or every child will respond the same way. But it does mean that persistence matters more than perfection, experience brings confidence, and what feels chaotic now can become life-giving later.
So, now that you’ve started, don’t give up. You can do this. And it will be good—really good—for you and for your children. You’ve already done hard things. You’ve already said yes to something that requires courage, humility, and perseverance. You’ve got this, so be affirmed.
A Very Good Place to Start
In the days ahead, you’ll need encouragement when you’re tired, a challenge when you’re stuck, inspiration when you’ve lost perspective, and celebration when milestones are reached. But it all begins here—with affirmation—with the reminder that this decision, imperfect as it may feel, is a good one. You’re not crazy, you’re not alone, and you’re not underqualified. You are exactly who your children need, and that’s a very good place to start.
