Embracing Seasons and Teaching From Rest

We played hookey from school last week. Ha. I feel like such a rebel.

But the other side of me feels like I’m doing the right thing.

Let me explain.

Homeschooling went well this year. It’s seriously the highlight of my day. I love that I get to read great books to my kids on the couch for an hour or two and that’s school. (We use a literature-based curriculum so that the majority of our schooling at this point is me reading aloud to my 1st and 2nd grader with my Kindergartener playing or listening as he desires.) The kids have retained so much of what we’ve read about this year, it astounds me, and confirms that we are doing the right thing for them, for their learning styles, for this season.

But this month the weather in Alabama reached a peak of perfection. Crisp mornings turned into sunny days that were warm enough to get out the pool. Evenings stretched longer with family walks after dinner in the cool of sunset. The weather was so inviting, we were outside all day every day and even did school out doors a few days, but then I lay the books aside entirely. It just felt like we should embrace this gorgeous weather and not force ourselves to sit down for two hours every morning to get a certain number of pages read.

I knew this was right for me and my students for this season, but I was still carrying a little bit of guilt (guilt loves to sneak in wherever it can, you know?) until an older, wiser, homeschool mamma I’ve met down here said to me,

“Enjoy these lazy warm days with your little ones before the scorching days of summer get here.”

{trying school outside}

{setting school aside to learn to swim}

{What happens when we don’t do school for a few days…they crave books and dive in on their own}

Oh, yes. Yes, this does make sense. This is what’s right for me and my babes. We have till August to finish this year’s curriculum, and there will be plenty of scorching hot days in the next few months in which we will want nothing better than to relax in the AC with a good book. Embracing the seasons of our new locale has allowed me to be Peaceful Mamma this week, instead of Stressed-Out School Marm.

Teaching From Rest

Maybe you are feeling the pull that the change of weather has on your schedule but are not as free, due to your children’s ages or curriculum requirements, to set stuff aside. I get that. I know that’s probably the case for many homeschooling mammas this month, especially if you have older children. The good news is, you can still be Peaceful Mamma, teaching from a heart of rest. If you have no idea how it could be possible to find peace in the midst of these last, crammed days of the school year, you need to meet my friend, Sarah…

Sarah Mackenzie is a homeschooling mom of six (6!!!) who recently wrote a most encouraging, inspiring book about this very idea of teaching from a place of rest.

 

Sarah sent me a copy of her book last month and I drank it up and just have to share it with you. Here’s my official endorsement…

“Teaching From Rest is a gentle voice of reason in that area of motherhood that so often overwhelms us: homeschooling. Sarah reminds us that even curriculum choices and scheduling challenges are places we can lean into God and find rest for our souls. In her beautiful ebook we learn that the life and joy we infuse into our homes when we are teaching from rest is the best gift we can give our children. The book offered me both spiritual and practical inspiration in a concise format I was able to fit into my limited reading time. I’m intrigued by new ideas like loop scheduling and integration, and inspired by the reminder that God’s definition of success is not completion of a particular curriculum, but rather, faithfulness to what He’s called me to.”

The great thing about what Sarah has created is it’s not just an book. There are also recordings of interviews she conducted with people that have inspired her journey of teaching from rest. You have access to a resources that feel like nourishing conversations with mentors who are a bit further down the road from you. I’m really glad that Sarah gave me the chance to share her words with you, and hope you’ll check out her book, blog and the free samples and be encouraged as you finish out this homeschool year (and look ahead to the next one!).

P.S. We’re back to school this week and all the better for our unscheduled break. We like a year-round approach, how about you? Are you finished yet?

P.S.S. If you want to hear more about our homeschool day/style/philosophy well, you know, just leave a really sweet comment and say pretty please and all that and I might, just might have time to blog about it in a bit…