Hedges and Homeschooling

The arrival of springtime signals the end of another year here at Garner Christian Academy. Spring also means it’s time for yard work once again. Typically, I don’t do much (any) yard work, but when I noticed the bushes looking a little unruly, I decided to pitch in and trim them myself. The weather was pleasant, and I was tired of being cooped up inside all winter. So I scrounged around in the garage until I found the hedge clippers and set to work with resolution. As I clipped here and trimmed there, I couldn’t help but notice some striking parallels between teaching and hedging.

Teaching and hedging can be both fun and easy. After homeschooling for eighteen years, I’ve found that what’s true of the bush is true of the school year: the first few weeks are fun and easy! I think to myself, “I got this, no problem! It’s hard work, but it’ll be fun and rewarding.” As with the bushes, it doesn’t take long for the enthusiasm to wear off. Why? Because we get tired, and the newness wears off. The solution? Pace yourself. Whether it’s bushes or books, you have to settle into a reasonable pace so you can finish the task. For clipping, that means taking a break to wipe your brow, grab a drink of water, step back and evaluate the progress. That’s also the secret to enduring the school year. One of the best decisions I made years ago was to take a modified year-round approach to our school schedule. We roughly do six weeks on, one week off. I have found this keeps my sanity in check and allows me to catch my breath and get caught up with the rest of life, which leads to my next point.

When teaching and hedging, know when to quit. I do not mean quitting homeschooling altogether! Don’t give up; you can do it. What I do mean is knowing when to call it a day. If you’ve been homeschooling for any length of time, you know we all have one of those days. As soon as you get out of bed, it starts going downhill. (Insert whatever chaotic scenario comes to mind.) But you are determined, at least initially, to redeem the day; that you will do school no matter what. Maybe you’re grumpy and hormonal. Maybe your kids are cranky and uncooperative. Maybe the baby or toddler was up all night. Whatever the case, it’s just not going smoothly. Instead of the sweet, patient, Laura Ingles type teacher you envisioned yourself being, you’re more of a cross between the Hulk and Cruella de Vil.

The best thing you can do for yourself and your children is to stop. Put the books aside and make a new plan. Instead, take a field trip (art/history). Go to the park and have a picnic (P.E.). Or find a good episode or two on NOVA or the History Channel for the kids and go back to bed. Obviously, this should be the exception and not the rule. When I set out to cut the bushes, I thought I could do it all in one day. Being stubborn, I decided that since I couldn’t finish the task all at once, I’d go as long as possible. Being really stubborn, I kept working even when my stomach was growling and my face was beet red. By the time I went inside, I felt sick, and I was no good to anyone the rest of the evening. There is great wisdom in knowing when to stop so you can recover and regroup.

When teaching and hedging, deal with the undergrowth. This point is where it gets messy. As I stepped back to evaluate my initial progress, I noticed that in addition to trimming the tops of the bushes, there was also a good bit of undergrowth that needed to be cut and cleared. That undergrowth required squatting low and practically crawling under each bush. The ground was slightly squishy from recent rainfall which produced a damp backside when I lost my balance. There was also a bunch of spider-webby masses and, as it turned out, poison ivy. It would have been much easier just to leave it, but I wanted it done right, which meant I had to get messy. Here’s the deal with homeschooling: it’s more than just academics. That’s just the top of the bush. Homeschooling is also about character training and dealing with heart attitudes, and that is where it gets messy! Sure, it would be easy just to ignore the undergrowth of bad attitudes, sibling rivalry, disrespectful tones, and halfhearted efforts. But it is far wiser to stop the lesson and spend time addressing the attitude than to push forward with lesson plans and fail to deal with the heart. A child with a soft heart and teachable spirit is greater than the one who knows it all but lacks integrity. C.S. Lewis stated it well: “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” Almost every mom I know decided to homeschool because she was greatly concerned about the spiritual health and influences on her children. Yet, in the name of getting school done, sometimes we fail to spend the time necessary to train our children in godliness.

When teaching and hedging, some things are stubborn and difficult. There was one bush that just would—not—cooperate. I clipped and pruned, shaped and sculpted. No matter what—or where—I tried, it just would not take shape. Even now, it has a gaping hole in the side created by uneven branches and a partially twisted trunk. I eventually realized that there was not a lot I could do to change its shape. While I would never advocate an attempt to treat or shape each child exactly the same, I have noticed that some children are just determined to go (grow) their own way. I have one like that, one that redefines stubborn. Often, this child is difficult to embrace. Does that give me permission to throw down the clippers and walk away, abandoning my task? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that I do the best I can with what I have, and that I endeavor to love unconditionally the twisted branches and missing limbs—that I love the child for who they are and not what I wish they were. If you struggle with a child who is difficult, don’t lose hope and don’t ever give up. You are influencing the shape of their heart and life whether or not you see the results.

I finished my job after a couple of days and felt a great sense of accomplishment every time I pulled into our driveway. Needless to say, it pales in comparison to watching our young adult children take flight as we have graduated each one, knowing the Lord has honored our faithfulness. With three down and one to go, I can attest to the fact that it has been well worth every minute invested, every struggle overcome.