There are about as many ideas about education as there are people. The scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but are wisdom and education the same? There is such a thing as an “educated fool”, our world is full of such individuals. It is very possible to educate the intellect, to fill a person with facts and knowledge, even to know how to use this knowledge in a physical sense, yet to leave a person bereft of the ability to live a life full of meaning and purpose. What we think of as “school” today cannot hope to do anything but educate the intellect. It is difficult to inculcate values to children
When we take our children home, what is our philosophy of education? What do we hope that our children will come away with? Many of us fall under the spell of the system we have become so accustomed to and will consider ourselves successful only if our children can pass the SAT’s and complete college. But home schooling offers a richness that cannot be measured by standardized tests and financial success.
After having my children at home for the last 22 years, I can say confidently that teaching the “3 R’s” doesn’t take a load of time. Children who are immersed in an environment where the adults are readers, writers and interested in learning about the world around them can’t help but learn these things themselves. The ability to read, when giving proper time and maturity, is an easy thing to acquire. Some of my children taught themselves at 7, others at 11. It doesn’t really matter by the time they are 18 when they originally learned to read.
What are some other things that we would want our children to take with them?
Here is a partial list of some of the more important values I would relay:
--the ability to delight in God, listen to His voice, and enjoy Him. --a sense of God’s pleasure in man and enjoyment of what God has created for man to freely enjoy --a sense of putting the needs of others above oneself --an enjoyment of work --discernment as to what is worth learning and what is not --a desire after wisdom --a love of ceaseless, life-long learning
The learning of these skills cannot be “quantified” by any test. The only exams will be the living of life itself. Coworkers and employers may benefit slightly from an education like this, but it’s the neighbors, friends, spouses and children that will be the main beneficiaries.
Ultimately, only God will be able to keep track of all of the “tests” they will face in life. Hopefully they will be able to see through the lie of commercialism and not forfeit the simple joys of life for the drive to try and buy “happiness” with money. They will value relationships over “things”, with their relationship with God being first.
Loved your post. I often think (and mean to write about) the difference between "education" and "skills acquistion" but you've added a new dimension to my thinking!
Untitled Comment
3:16 PM, Aug. 26, 2006
.. Posted by Candy
I hear from so many moms who say that they would homeschool their children, but it would just take too much time, and be too hard. The first time I heard that excuse was from my mom, when I was in tears, begging her to get me out of that horrible school where I was tortured each day, and to please homeschool me.
Glory be to God, I was legally able, and allowed by my parents to homeschool myself through highschool, once I turned 16. I was amazed. The public school I went to, was Monday-Thursday, 8am-4pm. When I was homeschooling myself, my grades turned from Ds to As, and it only took me a few hours a day, a few times a week to not only stay caught up, but to be ahead.
Now I am homeschooling my children, and it is such a joy. It isn't hard, nor time consuming. In fact, if you ask my first grader what his favorite time of day is, he'll say "homeschool time." I look forward to homeschool getting more challenging as my children get older. I am looking forward to learning formal Logic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Calculus. I love to learn, and because my children see me studying each day to better myself, they love to learn as well.
(Our idea of a "good time" is to put on some Mozart music and each of us pick out a book to look at or read in a nice comfy spot in the living room.)
My first grader has been reading since he was 4, so I don't have to spend a lot of time one on one with him, as he is reading easily at a fifth grade level now, and can read the KJV Bible fluently, and even understand much of the "archaic" language. He does much of his homeschool independently, with just a half hour to 45 minutes total, one on one instruction from me.
Meanwhile, my 3yr (who is soon going to be 4) is learning pre-writing skills, and is anxious to learn how to read like his big brother. I will take 15 minutes a day to teach him, probably after he turns 4. (I think my kids like to learn to read young, because they see how much their mommy enjoys reading. This is what also prompted me to learn to read when I was little. Whenever I have some free time, I usually have my nose in the Bible or a good book. The kids see this, and they emulate it.)
Then, there's my 2yr old, who is learning his colors, already knows his letters and the ABC song, can count farily well, and knows his shapes. He loves watching me homeschool his older brothers, and he's picking up on it himself. Meanwhile, I've been doing pre-school with him on the living room floor.
Often our homeschool (we homeschool year round) will occur with all of us around the family table in the kitchen. I'll have my 2yr old work on a puzzle or a blocks activity, while I instruct my 3 (almost 4) yr old on his writing readiness worksheet for the day (he loves those worksheets), then I sit down and go over reading, math, history, science, etc with my 6yr old.
Then, the two younger ones have some quiet structered free time, while my 6yr old is in his room doing his worksheets at his desk.
Like my 6yr old, I think homeschool time is probably my favorite time of the day too. :-)
When I first started to homeschool my kids, It took me several years before I realized all that. I believe that once we are homeschooling and committed to our kids lives, it is natural that we teach like that and not just the academics. It is a wonderful natural thing that just happens in homeschoolilng. Nice post.
We are trying to achieve a true education. A wisdom aquired through life long learning. This is our first year and we are weeding out things not needed as life skills. Why teach what is filler or fluff? I always felt there is so much fluff taught along the way in public school. Filling the head and not the soul. Just my thoughts
It is true that for some of us it takes years to get down to the foundations, and yet others are ready the first year! This may be why God has encouraged homeschooling among Christians; perhaps He has wanted us once again to look at our own ideas about wisdom, and begin to fear Him (meaning here "awesome respect") in all areas of our lives, where before we may have been "compartmentalizing".
Thanks, Candy, for sharing your "school time" with us. These are also some of our favorite times together.
