What is biblical homeschooling? Part 2- Teaching God's Word

Before I take the plunge and attempt to at least begin to answer this important question, I need to tell you where I'm coming from.  As unbiased as I'd like to be, the reality is I have a history and it has influenced me.  You, too?  Good, then you understand.  We all have a frame of reference from which we view things.  My parents are both what I would call well-educated, perhaps even highly educated, and education was of extreme importance in my home growing up.  I should also tell you that my parents became Christians as adults, when I was very young, and their worldview changed slowly over time as the Word of God penetrated their hearts and renewed their minds.  My parents are two of the most godly people I know and God has used them mightily.  They've taught literally thousands of people the Bible over the last 25 years.  However, I'm sure if they could go back in time they would make some changes in the way that I was educated.  They might have homeschooled me or gone to greater lengths to root out the feminist ideals that were creeping in from the culture around me.  Although my mother was a stay-at-home mom, I was taught that the sky was the limit in terms of what I could do.  Maybe could isn't the right word.  I was encouraged by my parents to follow my dreams.  (I think they both seriously doubted that I would ever get married.  See- my husband is living proof of the grace of God!)  After 13 years of public school, I attended a private university and then later earned a doctorate from a state university Health Sciences Center.  For better or for worse, this is my experience with education. 

Despite whatever bias I may have, I am determined to look to the Bible for the educational goals and practices of our homeschool rather than drawing from my own experiences or cultural norms.  What does the Bible have to do with education, you may ask? 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:16

According to the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture, the Bible contains relevant teaching on every subject necessary for the completion or perfection of the believer.  So, if education is important for the sanctification of the Christian, then the Bible must not be silent where education is concerned.  

I began with an exhaustive concordance search using educational keywords such as teach (211 hits in the NKJ), learn (61 hits), knowledge (161 hits), and instruct (87 hits).  Since teaching is foundational to education, and as my children's teacher I'm most concerned with what I'm supposed to be teaching them, I decided to start with the verses on teaching and instruction.  In an effort to sort my results, I went through each entry and labled 1.) who is doing the teaching or instructing and 2.) what is being taught.

It should come as no surprise that the primary content being taught in the Bible is that of God's Word- mainly His Law in the Old Testament and the gospel in the New Testament.  The teachers were predominantly His prophets and priests in the OT, as well as Israelite parents.  In the NT, the teachers are mainly Christ, His disciples, and church elders. 

So, what should be the most important subject in our Christian homeschool, if we're being biblical, that is? 

Passing on God's Word to our children has to be our top priority! 

There are numerous ways in which we can teach God's Word to our children.  Here are some of the ways we're trying to accomplish this most important learning objective in our home (I would love to know what you're doing in yours):

1.  Simply reading the Bible together.  We read one chapter of the Bible together each morning before school. 

2.  Scripture memory- I love Sonlight's Scripture memory program that coordinates with the Harrow family's We Sing the Word CDs.  We're learning Psalm 103 right now and with the CD it's really fun.  The kids and I also listen to Jamie Soles' CDs on the Psalms when we're in the car. 

3.  Catechism- We use Truth and Grace Memory books which come in three volumes.  We're still working through volume one with our kids.  We do this together with other kids at church on Wednesday nights and then try to drill our kids a couple of times each week at home.  Catechism is a way of teaching biblical doctrine through a question and answer format. 

4.  Bible study- Our kids take Community Bible Study during the school year- we're blessed to have a homeschool class in our city.  Each week our three older kids (11, 9, and 7) study the same lesson I do and answer questions over that week's passage of Scripture.  They're learning to make observations as they read God's Word!

5.  Bible stories- We have several Bible story books that we alternate reading from during family worship.  Story Bibles are great because the kids are able to take turns reading and they can easily follow what's going on.  My husband's personal favorite is the Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos.  My aunt has also given each of our kids a copy of Bible Stories for Children Retold by Geoffrey Horn and Arthur Cavanaugh and illustrated by Arvis Stewart.  Often the kids want to read from this one because the others can then follow along, or look at the pictures, in their own copy.

So we've established that teaching God's Word must be the priority of biblical homeschooling, but are we supposed to be teaching anything else to our children?  What are some other subjects taught in the Scriptures?  Here is a list of subjects from my concordance study of the words teach and instruct organized roughly in order of most frequently occurring to least frequently occurring.

1.  Wisdom- the application of God's Word to daily living.

2.  Knowledge 

3.  History- as a testimony of the greatness of God and what He's done for His people.

4.  Craftsmanship- to be used for God's glory in His Tabernacle or Temple.

5.  Music- to be used in the worship of the Lord, so also for His glory.

6.  Good things- in the context, godly behaviour for young men and women.

7.  The inherent good in God's creation

I'll tackle each of these subjects in upcoming posts and then look at biblical prescriptions and examples.  Then finally, I'll examine church history to see how the founding fathers viewed biblical education.   Hold on, because we're in for quite a ride!

What is biblical homeschooling?

A few of the resources we used last week in our homeschool.

I have to write a new series.  I'm compelled, obsessed almost, to write about this topic as I embark on a search for answers that I thought I already had. 

What is biblical homeschooling?  Is this not the fundamental question every Christian homeschooling family must answer?  If we fail even to pose the question, what does that say about our view of God's Word?  What could it mean for our homeschooling efforts, will they be in vain?

You might be wondering, as my husband did, about the bee that has gotten into my bonnett.  Why can't I rest until I answer this question?  Why am I no longer to content to trudge along trying a little of this or a bit of that, trusting this curriculum now, or that method next?  The answer is, it's not any one thing or person that has prompted me onto this journey. 

Kimberly at Raising Olives has challenged me to think in different terms when it comes to homeschooling.  She is the one who first introduced me to the world of multi-level homeschooling and she and her husband have chosen this approach, not for convenience sake, but to follow the biblical example of discipleship in their home.  I'm so grateful for having stumbled upon Kimberly's blog early last fall.  I think she's the one who first caused me to question what biblical homeschooling is and whether the Bible even addresses the issue of education.  Robin Sampson's book The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach:  Bible-based homeschooling, which I'm currently reading for the second time, has also made me think differently about biblical education.  Sampson has made me examine my assumptions about education, in general, and how much they have been formed by the Bible versus our culture or even Western Heritage at large. 

Then last week Robin Sampson and Luke Holtz both had interesting articles on their blogs concerning choice of literature in homeschooling.  Sampson's article entitled Great Classics:  Exposing the Emporer Even More encouraged Christian homeschoolers to take a good hard look at why they allow the great books into their homeschool curriculum, asserting that there's no place in a Christian homeschool for many of the books considered to be great literature by the world.  Sampson does not endorse including Greek mythology within a Christian homeschool setting, for instance, since in her view it fails the Philippians 4:8 test of thinking on what is true, etc.  Holtz of Sonlight curriculum, on the other hand, takes a different view that we should expose our children to non-Christian themes for the teaching opportunities they provide (for example we'll be reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare next week as part of Core 3+4 American History).  Holtz would propose that Christian parents take these opportunities to discuss their faith with their children and reinforce biblical truth with them even as they read a book together with a hero or heroine who acts like the lost pagan they are (my words, not his.)  Sonlight has a heart for missions and wants to pass on that heart for missions to the next generation.  So, who's right?  Or more importantly, which view is more biblical?

Also last week I was watching a DVD message by RC Sproul as part of his Pleasing God study.  The topic was being separate from the world.  It's an excellent lecture, by the way, that contrasts the separateness of the Pharisees, which was external, to the believer's call to being separate, which is a matter of the heart.  The Pharisees went to great pains to keep every jot and tiddle of the ceremonial law providing the appearance of holiness while neglecting the weightier matters of love, justice, mercy, etc.  Anyway, during his lecture Sproul gives an example from the realm of education.  He had a friend who was the head of a private Christian school.  His friend was under pressure from several parents to ban some books from their curriculum.  Sproul asked his friend what books they wanted to get rid of and what class they were being taught in.  His friend answered that the parents didn't want their kids reading Hemingway and Steinbeck and that the class was American literature.  Sproul responded to his friend that it was impossible to teach a class on American Lit without works by two of America's greatest writers.  Then Sproul went on to ask the question, "What is a great Christian education?"  Is it "studying only the works of other Christians" or "an education that is sheltered from pagan philosophies that have been held through the centuries"?  In Sproul's opinion, the answer is no, and he and went on to assert that "an excellent Christian education is simply an excellent education from a Christian worldview."

So these are some of the people and circumstances that have caused me to ask the question, "What is biblical homeschooling?"  Really, we first have to answer the question "What is a biblical education?"  If you already know the answer, please bear with me as I hopefully discover it for myself- I can be a slow learner.  I do welcome your input along the way, however, just be patient with me.  I intend to examine the Scriptures to see what they say about education and also attempt to glean what I can from church history about biblical education.  I hope you'll join me on this journey.

Godly discipline means helping our kids to examine their hearts and see their sin.

Since reading this book, I've changed the way I discipline my kids.  It's taking a LOT longer, so it's hard when you multiply it by 5, but I trust that this is going to be a change for the better.  Let me explain.

Normally, when two of my kids have a problem with one another, I step in (if I have to) and solve the problem as expediently as possible.  I think this is one part laziness and one part belief that they need to learn to get along with one another without a referee. 

The problem is I've been operating on the surface and not getting to the heart of the matter. 

Recently, I was reading the story of the rich young man who went to Jesus and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus told him that he needed to keep the commandments.  Well, the young man replied that he had done that, what else did he need to do?  Jesus could have said, "No you haven't kept the commandments!" and argued with the  young man, but instead He helped the young man to examine his own heart and see his sin problem.  Jesus told him to go and sell everything he had and give it to the poor and then to leave everything behind and follow Him.  This made the young man sad, because he was very wealthy and obviously didn't see the kingdom of God as the treasure it is.  Jesus was effectually showing the young man his own idolatry- that he worshiped his money and posessions to a greater extent than he worshiped the Lord.

Ginger Plowman is not the first to write a book on training children's hearts- she draws heavily from Ted Tripp's Shepherding a Child's Heart and several other books.  What Ginger adds is a multitude of real-life examples along with heart-probing questions and Scripture references to accompany each discipline situation.

For example, let's say two kids are fighting over a toy.  Normally, I would go over to the kids and try to figure out who snatched it from whom and give it back to the child who had it first.  The problem with this is it's merely behavior modification and in a few minutes or a few days the situation will repeat itself with a different toy.  Instead, Plowman suggests asking heart-probing questions such as, "Do you think it would make your brother happy or sad if you took that toy away?"  "Would you delight in making your brother sad?"  Then you can gently remind your child that we are not to rejoice in iniquity or that we are supposed to rejoice when others rejoice and mourn when they mourn.  Or you could ask them, "Do you think it would be kind or rude for you to try to take away something he is enjoying?"  If they agree it would be rude then you can add, "That's right and love is not rude.  When your brother is done playing with that toy and puts it down, then you may ask for it."  Notice how she attempts to link the heart attitude back to God's Word each time.  Ultimately then rather than settling a minor dispute over a toy, she has helped her child see his selfish and rude heart and that God desires us to be compassionate and for us to love one another with a self-less love.

Prince "helping" his little sister out of the box.

Like I said, this takes MUCH more work on the front end, but hopefully the payoff will be that our children will begin to examine their own hearts and realize their need for a Savior.  Only God can regenerate our children's hearts.  As Christian parents, we must both show our kids their need for regeneration and give them the gospel.  It seems like these days with so much emphasis on boosting our children's self-esteem, that fewer and fewer children are growing up with an understanding of their own sin nature.  And without a deep and profound recognition of their own sin, we cannot expect our children to appreciate the gospel. 

Linking discipline back to God's Word each and every time also helps prevent me from disciplining my children for convenience sake or for my own preference.  It keeps me honest and I need that. 

Shower Power!

The kids and I have been studying diligence over the last two weeks and I've been convicted that 1.) we aren't getting up early enough and 2.) when we do wake up, we're too sleepy to be much good for anything.  I guess I'm a morning person.  I'm worthless at night for just about anything other than reading (or blogging :).  But, when I wake up in the morning, I'm ready for the day.  I've noticed, though, that my kids do not share my morning gene. 

So, what's the problem with being a little foggy in the morning?  The problem is, we begin our day with devotions first thing in the morning because I feel like God's Word should be FIRST in our day, not what's leftover, if we get to it.  The problem with reading the Bible and working on Scripture memory and character training first thing in the morning is that my kids really haven't been at their best for the most important part of our day.  I needed a solution.  I needed them to become morning people.  Here's what I came up with: 

Not exactly an original solution, I know.  I've started waking them up about 15 minutes earlier (6:30 instead of 6:45) and throwing them in the shower.  Guess what?  It works like a charm.  Those extra 15 minutes are paying dividends BIG TIME!  They're making their beds now as soon as they wake up (the girls take turns in the shower so while one showers the other one makes her bed and lays her clothes out.)  They're also getting dressed before our morning devotions.  This means that half their morning chores are already done before 7 am!  It also means they're awake for Bible time and then Greek. 

I'm thrilled with the change and the kids are happy, too.  A shower first thing in the morning wakes them up and gets all of us off to a good start each day!

I have winners, lots of winners!

Here are the 7 winners and first alternate for my blog anniversary giveaway...

1.  Nicki
2.  Diane
3.  Amy from In Search of Normal
4.  Gapgirl
5.  Valerie (Can't wait to tell you tonight!)
6.  Samantha
7.  Gen

Alternate (in case one of the winners doesn't get back with me):  Grace Wheeler

If you are one of the giveaway winners, please contact me through the contact tab at the top of my blog and let me know which prizes you would most like to win.  First place winner gets their top choice.  Second place winner needs to tell me their top two choices.  I need to know the third place winner's top three choices, and so on.

Thanks so much for playing and for being such an encouragement to me!!  You have all meant a lot to me over the last year!

Celee

4 Moms Open House- Bedrooms part 2

I gave you an exhaustive look at our bedrooms last week, but have a couple of updates for this week.

Baby Calvin's cribs, both of them, have been assembled and are awaiting his arrival.

Here's his bedroom:

And here's our bedroom after I moved the desk out and assembled his arm's reach co-sleeper bassinet:

Of course, when Baby is actually sleeping in the co-sleeper, it will be moved up against our bed.  Guess who's been sleeping in it lately- Queen (22 months)!  She knows it's his bed, because she asks every night if she can sleep in Baby Calvin's bed.  I know I'm going to regret starting this!

Check out the 4 Moms bedrooms at these great blogs:

Raising Olives

In a Shoe

Smockity Frocks

The Common Room

And don't forget, if you're one of my followers, to enter my big one year blog anniversary giveaway TODAY- it's your last chance to enter to win!

Keeping little ones occupied while schooling the big kids.

If you're looking for wisdom in this area, you've got the wrong blog.  If you have some to offer me, please do so.  Once in a while I walk in on a scene like this one...

which brings on warm, fuzzy feelings and reminds me of why I homeschool.  Unprompted moments of togetherness like this almost make me question their sin nature.  Almost.

Inevitabley the next scene I stumble upon will be more like this one...

Mind you, we have an entire cabinet full of preschool activities and puzzles that she could be playing with, but no she climbs up into the pantry to reach the macaroni.  In her defense, she did put every one of those little buggars back in the bag, close it up again, and return it to its rightful place in the pantry.  I'm not sure how I should feel about that.

At least it was better than discovering my preschoolers doing this the other day.

Not that there's anything wrong with swinging, I would just rather one of them not be naked.

So how do you keep your preschoolers busy while doing school with the big kids?  I ordered two more games last night and am hoping they get here REALLY soon.  (I'll be sure and get some pictures when they do arrive.)  I did manage to squeeze in a reading lesson with Prince today and a FIAR.  We're not exactly reading each book five days in a row, though.  We're lucky to hit each one three times in a row.  At any rate, Prince seems to be greatly enjoying our special time together each day.  And Queen manages to steal me away from school about a million times each day by saying those magic words, "I need to go potty, Mommy!" which are often followed by an emphatic, "Let's run!"

It gets a little crazy around here at times, but there's something to be said for never having a dull moment!  We thank the Lord for each and every one of our children- even the one that likes to strip off all her clothes at every opportunity and dump out all the macaroni.