Missions and the Family: Homeschooling in the Field
by Shirley M.R. Minster, M.S. Ed.


More missionary families are choosing to educate their
children at home so that the family unit remains intact. Grandparents
are concerned that their grandchildren continue to receive a quality
education once overseas. Mission boards are concerned about the parents.
Will they still be able to focus on the job they were sent to do? This
article answers these very real, very understandable concerns in a
practical manner.

When a family is led by God to leave their home to work in a mission
field either overseas or in the United States, the process of educating
their children becomes a major concern. Some parents are already
homeschooling successfully and do not want to stop. Others are concerned
about the plethora of changes that the family will be going through and
they want to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Homeschooling can be a difficult educational choice for others to
endorse if they do not understand how it works. The main concern is that
if the the children are being taught in the home, then the parents will
not be able to focus on the mission work or will not be able to work as
a team. I have discovered that the opposite is true. If Mom and Dad are
worried about where their children are going to school and its impact on
the social, emotional, and educational growth, then they are not going
to be able to fully concentrate on their mission work. In fact, it is
extremely difficult to be focused on other matters. Children were born
into families so that parents could nurture and train them up which is
difficult to do if family members are living apart from one another.
I am commonly asked the following questions about homeschooling. As you
will see, the answers are simple and show the plausibility of
homeschooling, wherever the home is located.

How can I work with my children overseas? Where will I get the necessary
materials? It is recommended that parents discuss the educational needs
of their children prior to going overseas so that curriculums can be
decided upon when there is time to choose and purchase appropriate
materials and consider the options available to homeschoolers.
Educational testing can also be done to aid in choosing the curriculum.
Books and supplies can be mailed or you may choose to take them with
you. It is easier to get settled into your new home and then have
materials shipped over, but the extra cost may make it prohibitive to do
so. Consider having educational supplies shipped over in nondescript
packaging due to a possible problem with materials arriving in a box
with a distinctly Christian label.

Even if you enroll your child in a national school, you will probably
still need to homeschool your children in certain subject areas such as
English. Your child may also be gifted in an academic area which
dictates that he be allowed to learn at a faster pace than in the
traditional school.

How will I be able to work with my spouse and still homeschool? The
average amount of time an elementary-age student spends per day on
structured ‘book-type’ learning is about two to two and a half hours.
This time increases incrementally for junior high and high school
students up to about four hours. As you can see, many of your projects
and meetings will still get done on time. Home-schooled students are
known for taking responsibility for their education and being able to
work independently. There are self-explanatory curriculums that lay out
the course work very well.

What will I do with my children while I am ‘in the field’? One side
benefit is that your children get to work beside you. They learn
first-hand from you how to minister to others in a concrete way. Your
joy and commitment will be conveyed by your actions and your experiences
will not be passed on by word of mouth, but by family involvement. It is
common for the children to carry on in the mission field after the
parents have returned home. The Great Commission lives on in the children!
The homeschooling family can pick up and move without worrying about
finding a good school by simply packing the books and moving to a new
location. Schooling will not be interrupted either emotionally or
physically by family members taking the time to hunt for a new school or
transporting the children there. This can be especially helpful if you
must go on deposition trips while in the United States. By the way,
church members love to talk with the children about what it’s like to be
living overseas.

How will other countries view us if we homeschool? It is important to
know what your country mandates because not all countries allow mission
families to homeschool. Because the family unit was ordained by God,
adults and children have been given the opportunity to show their love
for one another on a daily basis. Universally, mothers and fathers enjoy
seeing a loving family working together and much mission work has been
accomplished through the children. Your family unit was planned by God
and He meant it to be a witness to others of His love and commitment to us.
Missions involves the family; there is no age limit. Involve the
children and the whole family grows. Segregating the family encourages
disunity, loneliness, and fear. God is creative and desires us to follow
Him in love and bravely go together into the world.