His Poiema - Train up a Child Thursday

His Poiema

Apr. 22, 2008

Train up a Child Thursday

I have this nice little thin book (more like long pamphlet) called "Classical Education and the Homeschool" by Douglas Wilson et al (Mr. Wilson's sort of retraction of his unfortunate comments regarding the ability of homeschoolers to do a proper job of a classical education in his otherwise excellent book "Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning" from 20 years ago) which I pull out and read through periodically. Here is a passage that always hits me where it hurts every time I read it. So I'll share it with you and hope that you can say "That's not a problem in our house!"

"The last important note is certainly not last in order of importance. The Bible teaches that doctrine - teaching- must be adorned. If it is not adorned with a gracious manner and clean hearted living, the child will likely either come to imitate the hypocrisy of the parents or turn away with disgust from everything given to him, including what was truly valuable. Neither direction is one we should want our children to take. Consequently, the rigor of classical study must not be confused with the rigors of living in an unpleasant home. Consider exhortation from a father in a former century:

[A child's] character is forming under a principle, not of choice but of nurture. The spirit of the house is breathed in to his nature, day by day. The anger and gentleness, the fretfulness and patience - the appetites, passions, and manners - all the variant moods of feeling exhibited round him, pass into him as impressions, and become seeds of character in him; not because the parents will, but because it must be so, whether they will or not. They propagate thier own evil in the child, not by design, but under a law of moral infection.....The spirit of the house is in the members of the children by nurture, not by teaching, not by any attempt to communicate the same, but because it is the air the children breathe....Understand that it is the family spirit, the organic life of the house, the silent power of a domestic godliness, working as it does, unconsciously and with sovereign effect - that it is which forms your children to God."

Ouch. I have been so convicted lately that I don't cultivate an atmosphere of joy. I almost don't even know how to begin doing that ! How depressing.

• Post A Comment! • Send to a Friend!

Comments

May. 1, 2008 - So good!

Posted by onecrazymom

This quote is excellent! I am going to copy this and keep it in my home management binder to read over and over! My friend Summer has an excellent post right now that I know you will also enjoy:
http://wisdom4us.homeschooljournal.net/2008/04/24/top-ten-mistakes-of-homeschoolers/#comments

It's long so give yourself some time, but definitely worth the read. ( :
How is life going getting settled in with new little one? I pray it all goes smoothly. Such a precious time in life! Makes me want another baby! ( :

Thanks for your kind comments on my blog - I have just posted the last in that series of what I learned from the Bradleys. You asked what other parenting books I enjoy - I am currently working through Lou Priolo's 'Teach Them Diligently' - it is very good! My SIL is reading his 'Heart of Anger' and said it is excellent. We are going to trade books when we get done! ( : I also love Doorpost's 'For Instruction in Righteousness' by Pam Forster. A must have! I have had two authors highly recommended that sound very excellent - Ginger Plowman and Sally Clarkson. Have you read either of these ladies works?
I also have recently read 'Boyhood and Beyond' and 'How to be a Lady' to my children - both were very instructive - I thoroughly enjoyed them!

• Permanent Link

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" Ephesians 2:10 Poiema is the Greek word for workmanship =) This is me, walking.... sometimes missing the signs but the Lord is always kind to make them larger the next time around.