I think I will tell you a little about my journey thus far - I began homeschooling after my daughter completed Kindergarten in the public school- it was an awful experience and God used it to bring my husband around to the idea of homeschooling. I only wanted to homeschool because I knew my children needed protected from the world's influences, but the thought of relearning all that I would need to was a dreadful thought to say the least. I was pretty much an A student , but I hated learning and felt like I had very little to offer my children because I could not remember most of the things I had learned anyways. Never the less- I jumped in with the public school as my model not knowing that it could be any different. We had a miserable first year- with many, many tears- on my part and from the kids as well. I used the Principle Approach (PA) from the beginning, but learned later that I really needed my mind renewed about education before I could ever successfully implement this method to education. I had to really examine my own education and ask myself if it really had been successful- not at all! I joined a Yahoo group that consisted of other moms using the PA- this was such a God thing! God started using these wonderful women to begin the renewal process- Oh and also a book called Classic Christianity by Bob George (God knew I needed a lesson in His grace! ( : ) These two things affected my heart in so many ways and I started seeing what education is through the eyes of God. So here are some key things I learned- First and most important- heart is the key- wisdom and understanding takes place in the heart as well as the mind (Job 38:36, Prov. 2:2,10; 4:23; 22:17.) Second, what is education? Noah Webster wrote the first dictionary in 1828 using the Bible to guide him in his definitions, so his definitions come from a Biblical worldview. You can access this for free online here. Here is how he defines education:
EDUCA'TION, n. [L. educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.
This was an eye-opener to me- I realized that education is more about who you want your children to be rather than what you want them to know- it is about forming character.
Okay so the third thing I came to was that if God wanted me to educate my child's heart to form Godly character then how? How could I teach my child's heart? The answer came from these two verses: 2 Tim. 3:16 and Heb. 4:12. He had given us His Word to use for instruction and He wanted us to use it daily throughout each day (Deut. 6:7-9) Now this is where the PA comes in- it is a method of teaching your children to look at all things in life through the eyes of Scripture. All subjects have Biblical principles that govern them. God and His Word are the foundations of every subject. As Christians we desire for our children to have a Biblical worldview and this is how we attain it and teach it to our children. We teach them to reason through the subjects to find God's principles that govern them and then apply these principles to their own lives. History becomes His Story, Geography becomes the stage upon which He brings about His story, Science is now the study of God's world, His creation, and Literature is a study of man's internal character, the motives behind his actions. It's amazing how these principles begin to pop up throughout the subjects and you start to see their connectedness-for ex. one of the principles we see over and over again is that internal causes external- this is easily seen in science where the inner workings of a plant are what causes it to grow and bloom, but kids are not taught anymore how this is true in their own lives- that what is in our hearts governs how we act and often react to those around us (Prov 23:7a)-kids (and adults) often want to blame the actions of others for their own behaviour. We also don't see this principle taught in history- but you can see it when you really take a look at what was in peoples hearts that governed their actions like the Pilgrims. So now -where to go from there- I felt a heavy burden in trying to figure out how to implement this. As I said before God had some lessons for me to learn in what His grace truly is and He began to teach me that I could relax in Him and let Him do everything necessary for me to teach using the PA. I came to the understanding that only through His grace do I have any knowledge or understanding of anything and I am completely dependant upon Him to do this through me. I realized how much law I was putting upon myself and my children. God brought to light the verse "And the truth shall set you free" helping me to realize that I was not free by any means. I was in bondage to the error in my views on education and my own
pride in thinking I had the power to do anything apart from Him. What a heavy load that was to carry! A load I realized I had placed upon myself because Jesus said His burden is light. I then left it completely in God's hands and waited on Him, and oh how faithful He is! He began to slowly renew my mind. He led me to exactly the things I needed. He fed me tidbits of information at a time and gave me time to internalize before moving on to the next. He did it all in His time and His timing truly is perfect. He assured me that He was going to bring about the increase in my children- and that all I need to do is be a vessel for Him to use. He let me know that He will give me understanding exactly when I need it and He will bring the exact lessons He wants me to teach as well as the materials. He has proven these things to me over and over as He continues to provide these things for me
everyday! ( :
So here I am now- completely loving learning and excited each and every day about what God is showing me and my kids about Him. Even on bad days there is that complete joy that comes from God alone!
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