The Living Room
Back to school at our house is, well, still at home - since we home school. Although we have a different schedule during the summer months our learning never stops. We school year 'round, 'round the clock 'round here! We think you could really call it life learning. Whether we are of school age or not we are always learning. What we do with the lessons we learn makes the difference between being educated and being knowledgeable and truly wise.
We were once given the sage advice to always ask "why" we want to do something in life, not just "how" to do it. When we first started this course of education, many years ago now, we focused on "why" we felt lead to educate our children at home. We identified our "why" with this:
Anderson Family Educational Goals
· To spark a desire and then ignite a flame for learning.
· To create a lifelong love of learning.
· To send out strong and confident thinkers, feelers and doers into the service of the LORD.
· To identify, promote and foster the God given talents and purpose for each of our lives.
· To learn to bring balance to the inherently weak areas of our personalities and to gain wisdom and discernment in how to use our strengths, all according to the examples of Christ.
· To love, nurture and support each other in our interests and ideas.
· To accept and appreciate each other. To understand that we are all made in the image of Christ and have been equipped from conception to do the work he has created us for.
· To be aware of, be familiar with and have respect for the world that God created and know how we relate to it.
These are relevant goals for learners in any season of life.
Our first and foremost Source for curriculum is The Bible. These lessons are true no matter where we go to learn each day or how old we are. We turn to this Source because, according to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB), "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." To choose only a few scriptures is difficult!
We begin with Proverbs 1:7-8 (CEV), it tells us to "Respect and obey the LORD! This is the beginning of knowledge. Only a fool rejects wisdom and good advice. My child, obey the teachings of your parents."
Another is 1 Corinthians 3:19-20 (AMP) For this world's wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness; And again, The Lord knows the thoughts and reasonings of the [humanly] wise and recognizes how futile they are. Proverbs 3:7 (NIRV) teaches, "Don't be wise in your own eyes. Have respect for the Lord and avoid evil."
Colossians 2:8 (AMP) says, "See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men's ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah)."
Study the Scriptures for yourself - see what God has to say about everything (as opposed to what people, media or popular opinions say. You don't always know who or what their source is!). An excellent way to study what God's view is concerning anything in life is to use an on-line biblical search tool like BibleGateway or CrossWalk. It's just like using an on-line search engine except the source is not the Internet but the Bible. Try using a "keyword search" and put in words for your subject. i.e. for today's topic we could search on "study", "learn", "teach", "student", "lesson", "knowledge", "wisdom", etc. Then when looking at the different scriptures for each one try looking at those scriptures in several different "versions" of the Bible. Some versions are written from a literal translation, some are giving the intention of the original language, some are paraphrasing with a focus of utilizing modern terms we currently communicate with. This will help you to see and understand the scripture. For children, the New International Reader's Version is very helpful. There are versions in many languages as well.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV) Tells us to "Test everything. Hold on to the good." We do this by studying everything concerning our lives against the original Source. Romans 12:2 (NIV) explains it this way: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."
God has not only given us the text to learn how to live life but has given us the answer key to life's problems and tests! Our educations progress from ABC's and 123's to higher forms of learning but may we never become too "wise" to follow the Teacher and His Book!
September2008
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