What I Was Looking For and Could Not Find

I pulled my daughter out of her full-time childcare/"school" situation.

After a mounting list of largely unaddressed concerns that were never fully rectified, I found the straw that broke this camel's back. After three days of round-the-clock prayer (seriously, look up the Liturgy of the Hours. It's a beautiful devotion, and I've rarely felt closer to Our Lord and His presence in my life than when I was praying it) and surrender to God's will, I put in my two weeks' notice at my full-time government job and told the administration that my daughter would not be returning after Thanksgiving break.

That was it.

Two weeks later, I walked out of the federal building where I had worked for the previous five years and picked my daughter up for the last time. I have not regretted that decision once.

I started searching the internet for situations similar to mine. What were the options? Surely there was someone else who had faced these choices before me. How had they proceeded? How did they make these big decisions? What did their day-to-day lives look like?

I was not interested in surviving.

I wanted us to thrive, not merely get by.

Except I was coming up empty.

I found plenty of information about homeschooling. I found curriculum reviews, organizational systems, lesson plans, schedules, room tours, supply lists, and endless opinions about what every family should be doing.

What I struggled to find were families facing questions that looked like mine.

Where were the single parents?

Where were the families balancing professional careers and homeschooling?

Where were the Catholics trying to build a life rooted in faith while navigating practical realities like income, health insurance, and responsibilities that cannot simply be set aside?

I was not looking for perfection.

I was looking for possibility.

I needed to figure out not only how to homeschool, but how to do it as a Catholic, single, professional woman expanding her private practice to cover expenses, navigating health insurance, serving as the financial breadwinner, and homeschooling a beautiful little girl who devours books and knowledge at breakneck speed.

My own education was a public school education, heavily supplemented by my father, a librarian. My best friend was homeschooled until eighth grade. She is now a brilliant and successful professional in her own right, with a wonderful intellect and strong character.

I knew homeschooling was a viable option.

I had seen the results.

What I did not know was how to accomplish it in our particular situation, with our strengths and weaknesses, our limits and constraints, while also embracing the flexibility this path could offer.

Marigold Academy was created to share what I needed to hear at the beginning.

That a thoughtful family culture, a slower pace of life, living our Catholic faith, and the formation of a young mind and character are worthy pursuits.

That meaningful education does not require perfection.

That there are many ways to build a rich and beautiful life.

And that you may not be as alone on this path as you think.

In Gratitude,

Aimee Morin

Author's Bio; Aimee Morin is the founder of Marigold Academy, where she writes about Catholic homeschooling, classical education, family culture, and intentional living in a distracted world.

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