“Restful learning is not throwing all care to the wind, eschewing worthy goals such as mastery of math facts, the ability to read hard books, or cultivating the art writing persuasively and well. Remember the account of creation—six days the Lord labored before He rested on the Sabbath. Rest, then, is not the absence of work or toil. It is the absence of anxiety or frenzy.”
-Sarah Mackenzie, “Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace”
In a moment of excessive optimism, I considered driving to central Texas in blazing midsummer to listen to a talk by Sarah Mackenzie. The author of the erstwhile blog Amongst Lovely Things, creator of the Read Aloud Revival Podcast and resource, and encouraging voice behind “Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace,” Mackenzie is a steady source of practical advice and inspiring vision.
While I did not make a sweaty drive to the plains of middle Texas, I did read through for the first time Mackenzie’s homeschooling pep talk, “Teaching from Rest.” This is one of those resources, slim as it is, that lives up to the hype. Many mothers attest to rereading the book every summer to renew their commitment to homeschooling. Whether or not you homeschool indefinitely, it is a wise little book.
Rich with quotations and lofty ideas, one might think it would be focused on the big picture. It is in one sense, but, more than anything, Mackenzie offers a lot of practical advice. Practical is most likely what homeschooling mothers need. Many a woman is already full to the brim with big ideas when she decides to commit herself to home educating.
There are many tips for selecting curricula, structuring the day (realistically!), navigating homeschooling with babies in the mix (including multiples), and, most helpfully, tips for rediscovering enthusiasm and joy.
There are also many excellent quotations to carry with you. When a bookish woman writes, you can expect such a treasury of words from interesting people. One such quote from St. Edith Stein:
When night comes, and retrospect shows that everything was patchwork and much which one had planned left undone, when so many things rouse shame and regret, then take all as it is, lay it in God’s hands, and offer it up to him. In this way we will be able to rest in him, actually to rest, and to begin the new day like a new life.
If that doesn’t describe life with children, I don’t know what does. For a bright and inspiring ray of hope, visit with Sarah Mackenzie in “Teaching from Rest” and the Read Aloud Revival Podcast.
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