Reflections on education

This week is the first week of school for kids in our area.  On facebook, I see "first day of school" pictures flood my news feed.  It's an exciting time of the year - full of new possibilities.

My kids, however, are not doing school this week (ha!).  We've actually been schooling for about 7 weeks already, but this week the girls are gone visiting grandparents.

This is the longest they've been away from me (and Jared).  They've been gone since Friday and won't be back until tomorrow (Thursday).  I miss them terribly.  The house feels empty.  I kind of feel like I don't know what I should be doing with myself.

I've gotten some things done:  rest, which is what has been prescribed by my mom and my mother-in-law, before the baby comes; preparation of freezer meals before the baby comes; a little bit of cleaning (I haven't really been motivated to "nest" yet...I wonder if I will be with only a few weeks left).

But mostly I'm resting and taking advantage of the quiet, which is allowing me time to do plenty of reading and thinking and reflecting.

Anyway, back to school.  What I've been reading about and thinking about the most right now has to do with all these precious kiddos starting the new school year, as well as my own endeavor at educating my children.

In addition to reading, I've watched some wonderful, insightful videos over at the Circe Institute website.  If you're not familiar, it's a site dedicated to educating parents and teachers about classical education - what it is and how to implement it.  By the way, Charlotte Mason's methods are very much in line with classical education (from what I've gathered, but I am no expert).

Right now I'm working my way through the video series "Teaching from a State of Rest" - a lecture given by the Circe Institute president, Andrew Kern.  You can find the videos here - you'll have to scroll down.

Even if you're not a homeschooler, I highly, highly recommend any of his videos or podcasts, especially if you're a Christian.

Anyway, I thought I would share a few of my notes and reflections about this particular video series because it has really convicted me about my children's education, and just raising them in general.

Kern says,

"We are created to be priests, to offer up the creation to God, and thereby bless it.  We live in a broken and fallen world which is under a curse, and the only hope it has of being delivered from that curse is the goodness and grace of God.  And He has chosen, in His humility, to use us...those who believe in and claim the name of Christ, to bring His blessing...that water of life, to the world."

This is the purpose of education, he says - to take possession of the world and bless it, instead of letting the world possess us.  That's what happened to Adam way back in Genesis.  God gave him dominion over the world, but by partaking of the one tree God forbid, Adam let the world possess him.

When we think of education in this light, it makes us rethink how we teach, what we teach, why we teach, and how we assess what we teach.  It also makes us rethink who our boss is - the world and its standards?  Or God?

Kern references 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (but invites those who are concerned with the education of their children to study chapters 1-3):

"Let no one deceive himself.  If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their own craftiness', and again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'"

Maybe some of us think that this has nothing to do with modern education because our spiritual life is a totally separate thing.  Here's a quote that struck me, taken from the book When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper:

"'...we hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that the Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme educator of mankind, and that the culmination of all education (which may at the same time be reached by a little child) is that personal knowledge of and intimacy with God in which our being finds its fullest perfection.'" (p.101)

This is actually a quotation from Charlotte Mason, but I didn't write down from which of her volumes it came.

If we are Christians, then we do not believe or claim that there is such a thing as a "Christian" or "religious" education.  Because, Miss Mason points out, that would be implying the possibility of a secular education, apart from a "religious" education.  But, if we believe that all education comes from God, then there is just education - no secular, no religious, just education.

So there is a true education - true knowledge - that comes from above.

"...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  (Colossians 2:2,3) 

And God

"desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) 

Education is, at its essence, a spiritual thing.  It is about the pursuit of the truth - the cultivation of wisdom and virtue in our children.  Because we are, and our children are, created in the image of God and "predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29)

Kern points out that modern education is only concerned with the practical, however.  Our culture does not believe in children because we do not believe in humans.  We don't believe in humans because we don't believe in Christ, who is the model human.  He came to the earth to show us what it really means to be human; what true human nature really is.  True human nature is embodied in the person of Christ.  But, because society does not believe in Christ, we do not believe in true human nature, therefore we do not cultivate it in our children.

We are too concerned with the practical outcomes of education, not the pursuit of truth.  We are too concerned with memorizing the facts and information that we are taught, so that we can get good test scores, so that we can compete with the rest of the world.  We are too concerned with success measured by the world's standards - a good job, money, an ability to live comfortably, respect from those around us.

We are not just too concerned, we are too worried about it all.

"'But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.  Do not fear, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.'" (Luke 12:31-32)

Continuing in 1 Corinthians 3:

"Therefore let no one boast in men.  For all things are yours:  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come - all are yours.  And you are Christ's and Christ is God's." (v.21-23)

In Christ, everything is ours.  So there's no need to worry about the world's standards of success.

But, as parents, we need to be educated ourselves.  If we really believe that education should be the pursuit of truth and the cultivation of true human nature in our children, then we must be aware of how to do that.

Summarizing Charlotte Mason's words in Home Education, page 42, we cannot rely on prayer alone to ensure that our children will grow up to be honest, good, virtuous human beings.  We must be intelligent and find out ways of actively bringing those characteristics about in our children.  We must be aware of the best ways to present that which is good, true, and beautiful to our children.

We cannot just trust the system.

Education - what am I really after?

As we approach our first official homeschool year I've been doing a lot of reflecting about this mighty task we've decided to undertake.  Homeschooling I know is not for the faint of heart.  It will not be a cake walk, but I do have faith that it will be one of the most rewarding things I'll ever do in my life.

Part of these thoughts are an attempt for me to, when times are tough and burnout is on the cusp, look back on and remind myself of why I've made this decision to educate my children at home.  I don't want to forget the big picture, the ultimate purpose of this venture, what I'm really striving for.

So what am I striving for?  What is the ultimate purpose?  When it comes down to it I don't think the purpose underneath it all is to provide my children with a good education.  That's not really it - to make my kids smart...whatever that means :)

Don't get me wrong - the building up of the intellect is an important part of life.  It's not something to be taken lightly because that's part of what makes us human - our God-given ability to learn and grow our minds and reason and think.  So providing a solid education is important, just not the most important.

What else makes us human?  God expects us to grow, but not just grow our intellect.  He expects us to be transformed.  We were made in His image - our children were made in His image - and we have the God-given ability to reflect His nature, to grow into Him and His likeness.

To do that we must grow; flourish; mature - more than our intellect but our whole, spiritual selves.  And one of these days our children will grow up and leave our homes and it will be up to them to seek the righteousness of God and allow Him to transform them.  But right now, God has given us, the parents, that responsibility.

Right now (well, at least in my case) our children are too young to learn to seek and listen and obey God.  They're too young to really understand.  I mean, think about how long it takes us to scratch the surface of understanding!  It's a lifelong journey.

And it starts with us - the parents.  God has given us the responsibility - the privilege - of raising up our children in the way they should go so that they never depart from it.

My task, my ultimate purpose in educating my children and raising them up, is to teach them to pursue wisdom, to pursue truth, to pursue beauty in this beautiful world that God has given us.  To become virtuous beings.  To seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, with faith, knowing that He will give us everything we need.  To help guide these precious beings into ones who will seek the Lord and love Him with all their mind, body, and soul.  (I must remember, though, that God is ultimately in charge of the results.)

And you know what?  I'm convinced that a government-run education program is not interested in those things.  They are not interested in our children pursuing wisdom, truth, beauty.  They are not interested in our children become virtuous.  They are not interested in producing adults who seek God and His kingdom and righteousness.  They are not interested in molding and teaching these children to love the Lord.  That's not what they're after.

I'm not saying that these things can't be taught to our children without homeschooling - although I will venture to say that I think the world in general would be a better place if more and more parents did decide to homeschool their children and for the right reasons.  But I understand that not everyone can and/or will homeschool.  Everyone has a right to make their own decisions and I am not meaning to imply that I'm doing it the right way and everyone else isn't.

Just because I've chosen to homeschool doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else or that my children will turn out better than a public schooled kid.  There are plenty of Godly men and women in this world who went to public school.  But I do think we all need to remember what it's really all about. And, I do think our decision to homeschool will make it easier to teach our children how to navigate this life with God at their center.  Honestly.  Because my children won't be spending more than half of their days in a building ran by the government, getting an education dictated by said government, who, as I mentioned, does not care about what I'm really after.

They will be at home, with me, with their siblings, with so much time and opportunity to love each other and learn with each other and grow with each other.  They will be at home with their family, the unit that should have the most influence on their well-being.  Yes, I may sound idealistic, but there has to be some idealism.  Otherwise, what's the point?

Like I said, it won't be easy.  Nothing truly worthwhile is.  But this is my task, my calling, my privilege, as a Christian parent - to give my all in raising up my children.  To teach them what's truly important through loving and serving them, and through the beauty in the world - which includes good books and mathematics and science and history and art and music.

"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6