Jan. 25, 2008 - Filling a pail or lighting a fire?

Today's meme from Heart of the Matter is to share your thoughts on this quote by William Butler Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."



I'm not sure I've always agreed with this quote. I was one who advocated higher standards for education and cultural literacy. What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know was one of my earliest homeschool purchases, and was followed by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade editions. But somewhere along the line between the pages of Charlotte Mason and Ruth Beechick and Sally Clarkson, I discovered this quote, and the more relaxed (and the less classical) I became in homeschooling my children, the more I embraced the sentiment that is expressed within.

May. 31, 2007 - My Charlotte Mason Mom

I love the Charlotte Mason philosophy of educating children, but it doesn’t all come naturally to me.  I can do the Living Books part just fine and I love poetry, but Nature Walks, Art Study, Habits, those are all foreign concepts to me.  I remember reading Karen Andreola’s book as a brand-new homeschooler and thinking, “How lovely, but I could never pull that off.”  I don’t know how to crochet myself, so how am I going to teach my kids to crochet?  I don’t know anything about plants, what am I even supposed to be looking at when we go on Nature Walks?  I can’t draw, what use is a Nature Sketchbook?   And then I would think of my mom, my wonderful Charlotte Mason mom. 

My mom, always half a mile behind me on our hikes through the woods because she had noticed a fascinating little plant and stopped to examine it. 

My mom, who thinks the phrase, “Take only photos and leave only footprints,” is nonsense and constantly digs up interesting plants to replant in her own garden. 

My mom, who can crochet, knit, cross-stitch, and sew beautifully.

My mom, on her way to becoming a Master Gardener, who also cans and makes homemade grape jelly from Concord Grapes grown in her back yard. 

My mom, always filling our minds with stories from fabulous living books.

My mom, amateur botanist who always knows how a particular plant depends on a particular insect and “isn’t it amazing how God designed them to work together like that?”

My mom, full of spiritual insight and thought-provoking analogies. 

My mom, once 14 hours away, now just across town. 

 Watching an inch-worm. 

Oct. 31, 2006 - Positive Example of Homeschoolers in the Media

I just finished watching an old episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition which we had recorded.  The family they chose was a family of 13 living in a 900 square foot house in Alaska.  The house was horrible and the team did a bang-up job once again, but the thing that impressed me the most, (impressed everyone on the show really) was the love that this family had for eachother, especially the love that the kids had for their mom and the respect that they had for one another and others.  This love overflowed to the designers, and the community.  These were intelligent, respectful, well-spoken, kind, children (from pre-schooler to college student) and they were HOMESCHOOLED!

Their mother invested TIME and LOVE in teaching them (in the midst of extreme adversity) and it produced quality kids.  One of the middle sons knew his mother so well, and had enough maturity, that when he was asked by a designer what she would want most, he said "a family table."  The designer was impressed, his brothers were proud of him, his mom said to him, "that was a man, not a boy, that was a man."  I can't watch this show without a box of Kleenex beside me! 

There are people who think we're crazy.  There are people who think we're "sheltering our kids" and homeschooling "out of fear."  But the reason we do what we do is because we know that it takes time and work and love to develop these kinds of relationships and to produce godly offspring.  I don't know whether this was a Christian family.  I did notice that they said, "oh my Gosh" instead of taking the Lord's name in vain, but they weren't giving any glory to the Lord which is what I'd be doing if I were in their shoes, still....home educating your children works!  To quote Gena, "Keep them at home where they belong!"

What a positive example on National Television!  Thanks, ABC! 

Glory be to God in the Highest!

Mar. 28, 2006 - Is "not homeschooling" a sin?

In response to my first Homeschooling & Fear entry, I received a comment from a very dear friend who takes issue with some things that I wrote and interpreted my post to mean that not homeschooling  is a sin.

Ironically, this is a postition I've avoided taking in the past.  Here in Virginia we have the option of filing under "Religious Exemption" status for homeschooling.  If I were to file Religious Exemption, I wouldn't have to report anything to the state.  It's an attractive option, but it requires that you be willing to say that you believe that it would be a sin not to homeschool.  As great a conviction as I have about homeschooling, and as much as it grows, day by day, I've never been comfortable with calling not-homeschooling a sin. 

I believe that God has called our family to homeschool our children, for now anyway, and if we were to say, "no thanks, we'd rather not!" I think that WOULD be a sin.  But, I don't know with certainty that God will continue to lead us to homeschool forever.  At this point we're in it for the long haul unless God tells us differently.  But I'm not willing to say that it is a sin not to homeschool in general, frankly because I'm not God and I'm just not going to judge someone else's decision and call it sin.  I know people who do.  So, I file my forms every year and test the kids. 

Maybe I can't have it both ways.  Maybe my interpretation of Scripture does lead to this conclusion, even if I don't say it. 

Mar. 24, 2006 - Homeschooling out of Fear? Part Two

I claim that I do not homeschool out of fear, but as I consider it, perhaps I do after all.   Deuteronomy 6 is a passage that many homeschoolers claim as a biblical reason to homeschool.  How can we be faithful to the LORD's instructions here while sending our children away for more than 30 hours a week? 

Moses begins Deuteronomy 6 by telling the Israelites the things the LORD has instructed him to teach them, "so that you and your son and your gradson might fear the LORD your God..."(Deut. 6:2- emphasis mine).  Later in verse 13, he states, "You shall fear only the LORD your God..."(empasis mine).  Moses goes on to instruct the Israelites how to answer their children's questions about the LORD.  The response ends with, "So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as today." (Deut. 6:24, emphasis mine)  Isn't that beautiful, "for our good always and for our survival"?  God loves us and He desires good for us, that's why He has revealed to us how we should live.  He knows the blesssings that will come to us and our children from fearing Him. 

This command to fear the Lord is repeated throughout Scripture.  The Hebrew word for fear in Deuteronomy 6 is Yare' and means, "to fear, be afraid, stand in awe of, reverence, honor, and respect." (KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon)  

God wants us to take Him seriously!  We need to stand in awe of Him, revere Him, honor, and respect Him, and we need to teach our children to do the same!  Psalm 34:9 states, "Fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him." 

This idea is not limited to the Old Testament.  In Luke 12, Jesus encourages his disciples not to fear those who kill the body, and says, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed, has authority to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5)  Those are strong words from the mouth of our loving Lord Jesus.  He uses the Greek word phobeo, which literally means, "to put to flight by terrifying, to fear, to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience." (NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon)

Jesus also says, "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and drown in the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6)  When reading these words, we must question whether  sending our little ones to school might be a stumbling block to them? 

It is then, out of respect, honor, and reverence to the Lord, that I home-educate my children.  His word is clear about my responsibility to Him in training up my children.  When He instructs me to teach my children dilligently all throughout the day in Deuteronomy 6:7, I fear Him and obey.  Training up my children (Proverbs 22:6) and bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) cannot be accomplished in the time left between school, homework, sports, and extra-curricular activites when the kids are tired and grumpy.  Rather, it is best accomplished day-in, day-out in the midst of learning, loving, and living.  Someday each of us will stand before God and give an account. In that day, I want to hear Him say, "well done." 

So do I homeschool out of fear?  Yes, I do!  I fear God.

Mar. 23, 2006 - Homeschooling out of Fear? Part One

Frequently when I am discussing homeschooling with people who don't homeschool, and don't necessarily agree with homeschooling in general, the subject of fear comes up.  The allegation that I am homeschooling out of fear and even any connection of fear to homeschooling really aggravates me.  A recent debate on another blog prompted me to consider this idea of fear and its relation to homeschooling.  I will be sharing my thoughts in the next few entries and appreciate your feedback. 

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of  power, and of love, and a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV).  It is out of love for God and my children that I choose to home-educate them.  And although this decision seems crazy to many, it is made with a sound mind and accomplished through His power.  Using the sound mind that God has given me, I can examine the evidence of  what is happening in the public school systems today and come to a reasonable conclusion that this is not a valid option for our family.  This conclusion is not based on fear, but on evidence. 

Those who argue that we homeschool out of fear, question our faith:  Do we not trust God to protect our children in the public schools?  This question reminds me of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.  In Matthew 4: 6 Satan challenged Jesus, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, `HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and `ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' " Note Jesus' response in verse 7, "Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, `YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.' " 

Jesus knew that God would protect Him, but He also knew not to test His Father.  Satan continues to tempt us in this way today!  To knowingly put our children in an unsafe place and say, "I trust God to protect them," is putting God to the test.  We would not throw our kids into the ocean, and then pray that God would keep them from drowning, so why would we enroll them in an ocean of temptation, false philosophies, enemies to the Gospel... and pray that God would protect them.  Yes, God is capable of protecting them, but hasn't He entrusted them to us to do just that? 

Throughout the Bible, we are instructed to "fear God, not man."  Part Two will focus on the fear that should motivate us to home-educate our children.