Brook Brown – AOP’s Homeschool Parent of the Month
Posted in Homeschool View on Thursday, September 6, 2012
AOP's September 2012 Homeschool Parent of the Month is Brook Brown of Fort Smith, Arkansas. In recognition of her thoughtfulness and willingness to go the extra homeschooling mile, Brook will receive a $50 AOP gift certificate that's good toward the purchase of Monarch, Switched-On Schoolhouse, LIFEPAC, Horizons, or The Weaver Curriculum.
Have a certain homeschooler in mind whom you would like to nominate for next month's award? Give your friend a month of fame and submit your nominee today!
Brook Brown
Imagine being a pastor's wife, leading a kids' ministry at church, preparing a child for preschool, and potty training a toddler on top of teaching a full load of fractions, grammar, handwriting, history, science, Bible, music, and art, and you've got a handful of the jobs homeschool mom Brook Brown juggles every day.
"Our schedule is wild," admitted Brook, who also helps her husband, Marcus, run the recently launched New Life Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. "It's definitely a balancing act, but you kind of just have to learn to do it all yourself and let it flow."
While Brook and Marcus always envisioned homeschooling, they didn't withdraw their eldest daughter from Christian school until they realized how much family time Ashlyn was missing - and how much they missed her.
"It kind of felt like it was dividing our family," said Brook, who taught K-12 music before having children of her own. "The seven-hour stretch of them being gone is hard."
Now 9, Ashlyn takes third and fourth-grade courses and adores homeschooling, as does her mom, who thinks she'll eventually homeschool her preschooler and 2-year-old child as well.
"I really enjoy watching Ashlyn's thought process and how God created her," Brook said. "We really have a heart to have them close, and they get a lot of interaction at church and social activities."
In fact, many women in the New Life congregation consider Brook to be a role model.
"She has so much on her plate, and she handles it all with grace," said Jenny Lawson, Brook's homeschooling buddy. "She shows and teaches her children the love of God so much. Her kids come first. She is just devoted."
Despite her chaotic calendar, Brook's philosophy for homeschooling is simple.
"We just don't stress, ‘Are they getting all of it?'" she said. "More than that, we teach them how to function in the world. There are a lot of lessons besides book knowledge. A love for God, people, and learning. Responsibility. Motivation."
"Like Proverbs 31, she is a woman of noble character," Jenny said.
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life" (Proverbs 31: 10-12).
Submit Your Nominee
Like Brook's story, tell us why you think your friend should be chosen as AOP's Homeschool Parent of the Month. What makes him/her stand out as a spectacular homeschool parent? How many years and how many children has he/she homeschooled? How does he/she show concern or support for his/her family and other homeschoolers? Is he/she actively involved in his/her community and church? How has he/she personally touched your homeschooling family? Include a photo (optional) and information in 250 words or less that tells us how this individual stands apart as an extraordinary homeschooling parent.
If chosen, your nominee will be awarded a $50 AOP gift certificate that's good toward the purchase of any AOP homeschool curriculum or resource. Don't let this opportunity to recognize a fellow homeschooler pass you by. Submit your nominee today!
Have a certain homeschooler in mind whom you would like to nominate for next month's award? Give your friend a month of fame and submit your nominee today!
Brook Brown
Imagine being a pastor's wife, leading a kids' ministry at church, preparing a child for preschool, and potty training a toddler on top of teaching a full load of fractions, grammar, handwriting, history, science, Bible, music, and art, and you've got a handful of the jobs homeschool mom Brook Brown juggles every day.
"Our schedule is wild," admitted Brook, who also helps her husband, Marcus, run the recently launched New Life Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. "It's definitely a balancing act, but you kind of just have to learn to do it all yourself and let it flow."
While Brook and Marcus always envisioned homeschooling, they didn't withdraw their eldest daughter from Christian school until they realized how much family time Ashlyn was missing - and how much they missed her."It kind of felt like it was dividing our family," said Brook, who taught K-12 music before having children of her own. "The seven-hour stretch of them being gone is hard."
Now 9, Ashlyn takes third and fourth-grade courses and adores homeschooling, as does her mom, who thinks she'll eventually homeschool her preschooler and 2-year-old child as well.
"I really enjoy watching Ashlyn's thought process and how God created her," Brook said. "We really have a heart to have them close, and they get a lot of interaction at church and social activities."
In fact, many women in the New Life congregation consider Brook to be a role model.
"She has so much on her plate, and she handles it all with grace," said Jenny Lawson, Brook's homeschooling buddy. "She shows and teaches her children the love of God so much. Her kids come first. She is just devoted."
Despite her chaotic calendar, Brook's philosophy for homeschooling is simple.
"We just don't stress, ‘Are they getting all of it?'" she said. "More than that, we teach them how to function in the world. There are a lot of lessons besides book knowledge. A love for God, people, and learning. Responsibility. Motivation."
"Like Proverbs 31, she is a woman of noble character," Jenny said.
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life" (Proverbs 31: 10-12).
Submit Your Nominee
Like Brook's story, tell us why you think your friend should be chosen as AOP's Homeschool Parent of the Month. What makes him/her stand out as a spectacular homeschool parent? How many years and how many children has he/she homeschooled? How does he/she show concern or support for his/her family and other homeschoolers? Is he/she actively involved in his/her community and church? How has he/she personally touched your homeschooling family? Include a photo (optional) and information in 250 words or less that tells us how this individual stands apart as an extraordinary homeschooling parent.
If chosen, your nominee will be awarded a $50 AOP gift certificate that's good toward the purchase of any AOP homeschool curriculum or resource. Don't let this opportunity to recognize a fellow homeschooler pass you by. Submit your nominee today!
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