The Liberated Learner — Column by Suzanne Kearney
Listen carefully: you do not need to have a “productive” homeschool day to please the Savior… What matters is that we seek to imitate Christ.
Sarah MacKenzie, Teaching From Rest
We were all gathered in a cozy cottage on Whidbey Island, a coterie of middle-aged moms on retreat from the stress of daily life. One among us had just withdrawn her girls from public school and was anxious about their education. Would she be able to teach them effectively? Would all the subjects be covered sufficiently? What if they graduated with gaps? Her trepidation slowly dissipated as we assured her that these issues would gradually work themselves out, as she focused less on the “how” of homeschooling and more on the “why.”
When homeschooling gets hard (and it absolutely does), it is easy to get caught up in the “doing”—curriculum, checklists, worksheets, grades—and forget why we made this decision to begin with. For my group of friends, the goal was to spend time with our children, build their character, protect them from harm, and impart our values. Math, science, language arts—though necessary—were only part of the equation.
In 2015, Sarah Mackenzie’s book Teaching from Rest caught fire in the homeschool community. Her message was simple: homeschooling is an act of obedience to God, and as such, should be powered by His grace. Mackenzie defines “teaching from rest” as a balance between excess and negligence. In her words, “Rest, then, is not the absence of work or toil. It is the absence of anxiety or frenzy.”
She further writes, “Look, if God expected you to get 36 hours worth of work done in a day, he would have given you 36 hours to do it. If you have more to do than time to do it in, the simple fact is this: some of what you are doing isn’t on His agenda for you.”
A parent teaching from rest, then, seeks to be faithful to God’s plan. She trusts Him with each moment and gives herself to Him as a “living sacrifice,” Romans 12:1. She has no need to pressure her child (or herself) to “finish the book” or “complete the syllabus,” because she is focused on what God has given her for that day, no more and no less. She sees curriculum as a helpful tool rather than a master. She is able to let go of unfinished tasks and embrace life’s uncertainties when necessary. She understands that character is more important than academic achievement. She is neither lazy nor overworked. She is faithful with the time she is given and entrusts her limitations to God.
Educating a child from birth to age 18 is a daunting task—when you do it alone. But this was never God’s intent. Consider the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30, ESV.
God has not called us to meaningless toil but rather, fulfilling the daily tasks He has given us as an offering of devotion to Him. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ,” Colossians 3:23-24.
If you are shying away from homeschooling because you are overwhelmed at the magnitude of the task, remember that you only need to complete one day at a time with God’s help. If you are already homeschooling and are caught up in the morass of “doing school,” pause and reflect on why you embarked on this journey, and Who it is that gives you the strength to complete it. Are you being faithful to the Lord with a clean conscience as to how you spend your day? Then let the rest go.
Be an image of Christ to your children, even in, especially in, your weakness. Allow Him to strengthen you to meet your children’s needs. Bookwork is only one of many. Take time to listen, go outside, play a game, light candles and read poetry. God is faithful, and He will fulfill His plan for your children. Trust Him.
