The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

By Lindsey Narmour Co-Ops/Support Groups Unto the Whole World There is an intimacy between people who learn together as a family.

One of two images usually comes to mind at the men- tion of the word homeschool- ers—either the mental picture of a dozen kids dripping fingerpaint and running with scissors in a science museum that is sponsoring Family Day or a wealth of human interaction enhancing a learning process filled with fun group activities, trips to interesting places, and friends chatting about their homeschooling successes and struggles.

Ask yourself this: Why do you home-
school? What essentially brought you
to a place where you decided that ed-
ucating your children, whether they
were halfway through high school or
newborn and wriggling in your arms,
was the best route? No doubt their in-
tellectual health, social wellness, and
spiritual gumption were all factors you
considered. It is a very personal step
to take. It’s a bit like being a restaurant
manager who decides to make a pie in
his own kitchen instead of letting the
whisk-handy chefs make the delectable
fruity treat. You, as manager, take on the
responsibility of making that pie pleas-
ing to the public, and consequently you
bear any complaints you might receive.
Suddenly the nostalgic motions of roll-
ing out dough and pouring sugared,
juicy fruit into the flour-dusty shell
become more poignant, more focused.
You’re no longer standing by, watching
your chefs do their quick and effective
work. What makes you as qualified as
those pastry and beignet whizzes are to
create that pie? It’s because you own the
restaurant, you love it, and you nurture
its growth! Shouldn’t you know best
what your customers would like, what
would appeal to the eye and tingle on
the taste buds?

Homeschooling is a lot like making a pie. Professional teachers who slaved away as sleep-deprived, caffeine-pumped college students to earn their teaching degrees are standing by to shape the brain and mold the character of your child, but instead you have decided to take the matter into your own hands. Education is a delicate and beautiful process, drawing the heart of the child closer to the parent as life lessons occur and are intertwined with daily Biblical instruction, making every instance an opportunity for learning. Home education is not simply an endeavor of the mind but rather is a way of life. It is a pithy struggle for the vulnerable heart of a child in a fallen world, a spider’s web of patience that is ever in danger of breaking, yet strong as steel.