On Letting Go
Who encourages you in your classical teaching? Who are the friends or colleagues walking with you as you fulfill this calling as a teacher? Classical Christian educators need close companions to walk this journey with.
When I was a home school classical educator, I belonged to a classical Christian co-op called H.I.S Ministries (Home Instruction Support). The support part of our co-op’s name was so true. I met some of my very best friends in this life at this co-op that I spent almost twenty years at. These courageous, hard-working women were my encouragers and prayer warriors. We bore each others burdens, watched each others’ children, and did life together, going out to coffee, arranging play dates for the kids, and even going camping together. We formed book clubs, went to conferences , and gave each other curriculum reviews. There was always a women with a child older than yours to talk over child-rearing problems and to discuss what was coming next in parenting. After a long time, I was the women that was mentoring younger moms and boosting their confidence in their home schooling journey. Most of my home schooling years were spent with these women, but yet there came a time when I had to let go. My children were raised, and I had to now go back to full time paid teaching to put my younger children through college.
Separating from my weekly time with these beautiful women was hard. Yet, I still had rich relationships with these people even moving into mentoring friendships with some of the young women that I watched grow up at the co-op. It was time for it to end, but God rich in mercy gave me a beautiful Classical Christian School to work at with a servant-leader as Head of School. Because of my extensive leadership experience and knowledge of classical education gained through service to H.I.S., I got to join with the Head of School to serve the teachers as a mentor. My years at this school were full of much joy as I made relationships with my students and the staff. Again, after many years it was time to say good-bye and retire from full-time teaching. Letting go of good things, of blessings, of rich times of joy is sad and there needs to be a celebration of the time together and also a time to grieve what is being left behind. Life is full of letting go.
My most important encourager of my educational endeavors had always been my husband. He had believed in me and seen potential in me that I never imagined. Recently, it was time to say good-bye to him too. He died of cancer August 2020. It was not until he was gone that I realized how significant he was to my classical teaching. He listened and was wise. I credit him for who I became as a teacher through his love and belief in my becoming.
Now that I have let go more than once of my encouragers and classical Christian community, I see the real life lesson in letting go. God who is rich in mercy will provide what is needed for each part of our journey. He walks before us and even in significant loss and sadness he makes beauty out of ashes as we offer up our pain and sadness asking him to direct us to the new things he wants us to do. God prepares the way for a new work when we let go.
