Welcome back to the Rooted blog! This week I would like to share with our readers a little about the background of our new name. As you may know,our members’ magazine is titled GREENHOUSE in homage to the concept of relating homeschooling to raising plants in the carefully crafted environment of a greenhouse until they are strong and resilient enough to endure the outside world.
Homeschooling is about more than giving our children a sound education; it is about cultivating a family. Whereas a school setting revolves around semesters, the homeschool focuses on seasons. The thoughtfulness we put into selecting the best curriculum, teaching methods, and choice of subjects for each child reflects the long-term vision that guides us through seasons of nourishing the soil of a child’s heart. We are not expecting seeds to bear fruit overnight. Like gardeners skillfully adjusting to the varying needs of different plant species, we know that each child has unique needs, learns differently, and grows at a different pace.
But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Isaiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
Homeschool life shapes us as parents as well as the children we spend years teaching. The very process of sharing life together as we go about our studies each day forms strong bonds. For all the work we put into lesson plans and daily schoolwork, there is as much learned in the casual conversation over “second breakfast” (IYKYK😉), cleaning the kitchen together, planning a family trip, and simply being together. In these moments where academic knowledge is connected to real life, the cultivation of family happens. Faith is lived, character is formed, curiosity is encouraged, and love grows deeper.
Homeschooling offers us the setting to go beyond teaching academics and preparing well for a successful entry into either college or the workforce. In the greenhouse of our homes, we can take the time that each of our growing plants need to nurture relationships, impart values, and form meaningful traditions that allow every member of the family to flourish—in other words, to be rooted.
Paul talks about being rooted in his letters to both the Colossian and the Ephesian churches. His admonition to the Colossians (2:6-7) expresses the deepest desire that we who are believers in Jesus have for our children:
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Of far more importance to us than our children achieving a stellar academic record or even a successful career down the road is that they would be rooted in God’s love, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:17-19,
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpassed knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
The tree in the Rooted logo represents NCHE’s purpose to help homeschool families put down deep roots, be established in love, and bear fruit for all generations. The red heart at the center of the tree shows the love that is at the center of all we do as parents and the basis of what we at NCHE do for the homeschool families of North Carolina. The colors of the heart-shaped leaves are from our color palette:
- Foundation Blue – the framework that shelters growth and provides stability.
- Evergreen – Enduring strength through every season.
- Morning Light (light blue) – The light that awakens learning.
- Tender Shoots (light green) – New growth filled with promise.
- Young Leaves (medium green) – Signs of healthy growth and a promising future.
- Sunbeam (gold) – Warmth that nurtures confidence.
- Harvest Sunrise (orange) – The joy of seeing faithful cultivation bear fruit.
- Legacy Rose – A legacy of gratitude passed from one generation to the next.
We aren’t in this for the short-term. Even families who begin homeschooling with the intention of simply giving it a try or doing it for a specific period have a clear goal they hope to achieve for their children. Our goal at NCHE is to help homeschool families put down deep roots, grow with confidence, and bear fruit for generations.
