by Angela Lasch Mar 3, 2025
Long ago, when I was first married and pregnant with my first child, I would listen to the Focus on the Family radio program. I listened to this program because I wanted to be a godly mom to my children. Not being raised in a Christian home, I was unsure what that looked like.
The Path to Obedience
As I listened to Dr. Dobson have guests on his show discussing the importance of family discipleship and how homeschooling allowed families to grow closer to the Lord and one another, I knew it was what God wanted for my family. And that was my plan. However, when the time came for my son to enter Kindergarten, I got scared. Instead, I enrolled him in a private Christian school.
The following two years were miserable. Not because it wasn't a good school but because I was not obedient to God's call on my life or my family's. So, after two years of disobedience, my husband and I finally answered the call and began homeschooling in 2002.
Homeschooling Life in the 2000s
During this time, homeschooling was becoming more widespread but not wholly accepted everywhere. While I was never threatened with jail or anything, I still had a "healthy fear" of one of my neighbors calling CPS. Because of this, my kids never played in the front yard during the day. We never went to the grocery store during the day. Doctor and dentist appointments were always a challenge, and I would give my boys scripted answers to all the questions they were bound to get.
I remember fellow homeschool moms telling me not to recreate school at home, but I'm a slow learner (remember my disobedience to begin homeschooling in the first place?). So, we had a couple of rough years in the beginning as I tried to "make" my two young boys sit still in these little chairs and desks I had purchased and go through every single lesson and every single lesson plan in the teacher's manual from my big box curriculum when all they wanted to do was play outside or with LEGO.
So, what was homeschooling like in the 2000s?
Not everyone had the internet yet (and it was “dial-up,” which made using it very slow). There weren’t online classes or curriculum. Eventually, we did have some curriculum where the lessons were on DVDs. But mainly we used books and went to the library a lot!
Everything felt much slower-paced. Park day was always a staple in the different co-ops I belonged to. The entire family came, and most would stay all day. I developed some of my closest friends during those early park days when we would talk about life, curriculum, homeschooling, and everything else. My boys met their closest friends on park days, too. Community was more important than rushing home to finish another page in the math book.By the time my older two graduated and I was down to homeschooling only one, I felt I had finally captured the true spirit of homeschooling. There were no more little desks and chairs, and most of the time we did school sitting on my bed in our pajamas or at the dining room table, eating a bowl of popcorn together. All day long was school. We never stopped learning, reading, and growing together.
Since the 2000s, parents have had more homeschool resources, curriculum, and the opportunity to outsource classes. But what hasn’t changed is the family and parents' love for their children and the desire to pour into them a love of learning and the Lord and create an atmosphere of home discipleship.
A Word of Wisdom to New Homeschoolers
I'm not sure if homeschooling in the 2000s was that different from today; however, I do notice a trend of new homeschoolers thinking they need to do it all right now, including starting homeschooling when their children turn 2. Please wait, and listen to this old, retired homeschool mom's advice: enjoy your kids while they are young. There is truly no rush. You will blink, they will be graduated and married, and suddenly, you will be a grandma. ______________________________________
Angela Lasch is the Executive Director of Christian Home Educators Association of California (CHEA) and a homeschooling veteran who began her journey in 2002. Now a proud grandmother to one granddaughter with another on the way, Angela is passionate about supporting families in their homeschooling journey and helping them create an atmosphere of home discipleship focused on faith, learning, and family connection.
