Over the past few months, I have found myself saying the same prayer over and over again:

“Thank You, Lord, for the gift of homeschooling.”

Every time I read another news report about violence in schools or see announcements of class suspensions due to flooding and severe weather, my heart goes out to the families affected. As a parent, I cannot help but imagine what they must be feeling—the fear, worry, uncertainty, and helplessness.

And every time I read these stories, I find myself becoming even more grateful.

Today, my eldest son is in Grade 12, my middle child is in Grade 9, and my youngest is in Grade 6. All three have been homeschooled since the very beginning of their educational journey.

After more than a decade and a half of homeschooling, with my eldest now preparing for the next chapter of his life after senior high school, I can honestly say that I have never regretted our decision to homeschool.

Looking back, I can clearly see God’s hand guiding our family through this path.

When we first chose homeschooling, we did not do so because of concerns about school violence, bullying, or natural disasters. We chose it because we wanted an education that was more personalized, flexible, faith-centered, and responsive to our children’s individual needs, strengths, and interests.

Yet over the years, homeschooling has given us something else that I did not fully appreciate when we started—peace of mind.

Since June this year, several incidents of school violence have made headlines across the country.

Among them were stabbing incidents involving students in public and private schools in different areas, including Las Piñas, Cavite, Bacolod City, and Negros Occidental. In one particularly heartbreaking case in Las Piñas, a young student reportedly lost his life after being stabbed by a fellow student. Other incidents left students injured and school communities shaken.

There were also two tragic school shooting incidents that shocked the nation. In June, a shooting at a public High School in Tacloban City claimed the lives of three students and left several others injured. Then in August, another school shooting, this time in a Catholic school in Zamboanga City, resulted in the deaths of two students and injuries to several others. These tragedies left families, schools, and entire communities grieving.

What makes these incidents even more troubling is that they are only the cases that became public. Many incidents of bullying, intimidation, harassment, and peer violence never make national headlines. According to international studies, Filipino students report some of the highest rates of bullying in the world. In fact, the Philippines ranked highest in reported bullying among countries that participated in the PISA assessments, with about 65% of Filipino students reporting that they experienced bullying regularly. This highlights a problem that extends far beyond the tragic incidents that capture media attention. Read more about this here.

I do not mention these incidents to create fear or to criticize schools. Many schools remain safe places where dedicated educators work tirelessly for the welfare of their students. But as a parent, these stories remind me that we live in an imperfect world where unexpected dangers can arise.

Every time I read these reports, I find myself whispering this prayer:

“Thank You, Lord, that we are homeschooling all our children.”

While praying for the victims and their families, I also find myself deeply grateful that my children are learning in the safety of our home.

The recent monsoon rains, typhoons, flooding, and repeated class suspensions have given me another reason to appreciate homeschooling.

Over the past weeks, we have seen countless images of students and parents stranded by floodwaters, anxiously waiting for transportation, struggling to get home safely, or navigating roads made dangerous by heavy rains. Many families have had to deal not only with interrupted learning, but also with the stress, inconvenience, and uncertainty brought about by severe weather.

Meanwhile, our homeschool routine continued with minimal disruption.

While many parents worried about whether classes would be suspended, whether roads would remain passable, or whether their children would arrive home safely, I found myself thanking God that my boys were already where they needed to be.

There was no need to wait for class suspensions, brave floodwaters, rush through traffic, wait for public transportation, or risk exposure to leptospirosis and other illnesses associated with floodwaters. There was no danger of getting stranded on the road late in the night or in the wee hours of the morning, navigating slippery streets, or facing the many risks that children and teenagers can encounter while commuting.

Instead, my children were able to continue reading, studying, writing, practicing music, working on projects, and learning from the comfort of home.

There is something profoundly comforting about knowing that while the rain pours outside, my children are safe, dry, and productive indoors.

Of course, homeschooling is not a guarantee that our children will never face difficulties. Life will always present challenges. Our children will still encounter disagreements, disappointments, and struggles.

But homeschooling has allowed us to create a learning environment where character formation, faith, family relationships, and general well-being are just as important as academics.

It has given us more opportunities to guide our children through difficult conversations, strengthen their values, nurture their interests, and help them grow in wisdom and maturity.

For our family, homeschooling has never been about isolation. It has been about intentionality.

It has allowed us to spend more time together, nurture our children’s strengths, learn at their own pace, and build deeper family relationships.

Most of all, it has allowed us to place God at the center of our children’s education and daily lives.

As I reflect on the events of the past few months, my heart is filled with gratitude and joy.

I am grateful for God’s protection.

I am grateful for the privilege of witnessing my children’s growth up close.

I am grateful for the flexibility that allows learning to continue despite storms, floods, and disruptions.

I am grateful for the extra years of conversations, shared experiences, and memories that homeschooling has given our family.

And I am grateful for the peace of mind that comes from knowing that my children are safe while they learn.

While school violence and severe weather have made me appreciate homeschooling even more, the protection I am most grateful for goes beyond physical safety.

Homeschooling has also allowed us to protect our children’s emotional, mental, social, and spiritual well-being during their most formative years. As parents, we are our children’s first and most important teachers. We have the privilege and responsibility of shaping not only what they know, but also who they become.

We can intentionally choose the books they read, the learning materials they use, the conversations we have, the activities they participate in, and the experiences that influence their minds and hearts. We can teach according to their learning styles, focus on character formation, and integrate our faith naturally into everyday life.

Homeschooling gives us more opportunities to disciple our children daily—not only teaching academic subjects but modeling faith, virtues, relationships, stewardship, compassion, and service as well.

In a world filled with influences that can negatively shape children’s beliefs, attitudes, character, and priorities, homeschooling gives parents the opportunity to be more intentional about what enters their children’s minds and hearts. It allows us to help guard their minds, character and souls.

More than protecting them from physical dangers, homeschooling has helped us guide them toward becoming the kind of people we pray they will be—young men who love God, respect others, think critically, serve generously, and live according to their faith.

For me, that is one of homeschooling’s greatest blessings—and one of the reasons I thank God for it every single day.

If you have ever wondered whether homeschooling might be a good fit for your family, perhaps this is an opportunity to prayerfully explore the possibility.

Homeschooling is not the right choice for every family. It may be the right choice for yours. Think and pray about it.

If you would like to learn more, I invite you to read my previous blog posts about the basics of homeschooling here and here and practical tips for getting started.

You may also send me a message through my Facebook page, Hands-On Parent While Earning, or email me at teresa.hopenetwork@gmail.com.

I would be happy to answer your questions and share what I have learned from homeschooling my three boys. I also offer coaching and mentoring sessions to parents who want to homeschool or improve in homeschooling their kids.

In a world that feels uncertain and dangerous many times in the past recent months, homeschooling has been one of God’s greatest gifts to our family.

And for that, I will always be grateful.