My Philosophy of Education, Special Guest Post by Jenn

Our Momschool has been working on developing a Christian Philosophy of Education.  I've been blogging a bit about that here.  Today, Jennifer Z, a mom in Momschool is guest posting by sharing her Philosophy of Education with us!

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Firstly, by the extension of God, through the spirit of His son that dwells within my child (Galatians 4:6), the teacher, should be used a conduit for God’s perfect plan (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11), thereby continually seeking guidance in prayer from His Spirit with respect to the responsibility of  preparing His child for His glory.

Secondly, the teacher should form, with a gentle and humble heart, careful not to frustrate (Matthew 11:29) and with consistent instruction and reproof (Ephesians 6:4), the child’s heart toward growth in love, purity and understanding of God (Matthew 5:8).  Thereby, allowing the wisdom of God to be infused within her (Proverbs 2:10) which is pleasing to God and teacher (Proverbs 23:15). The tools used in which to impart this understanding and instruction is the Holy Bible; the infallible truth of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16). Specifically, His son, Jesus, a perfect example and pleasing to God, was the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), His teachings and example should be used as a barometer to gauge her heart through the entirety of her life. (John 3:16).

Through prayer and exposure to His Word, it is my prayer that she willingly submit her heart to God, to know Him, not only by His Word but His essence and character, to be in awe of His power, mercy and love. I pray that she develop a filial fear of God and continually allow God to lead her through the triumphs and despair of her fleeting temporary life on earth. If this is accomplished, then I will have successfully educated my child, by the true measure and standard of God through the example of His son, Jesus.

Therefore, “education” is not what contemporary society perceives it to be. Just as wisdom came to Solomon as a blessing for his surrendered heart toward God (1 Kings 3: 3-14), it is the heart of the child which needs to be addressed first and foremost; wisdom will come only after the heart is won over to God.

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Jennifer Z. is Mom to two sweet girls, a dedicated Momschool member, and a good friend to all who know her.  Her dedication to the things of the Lord make her a blessing to her husband and family.  

Overview of Lesson Planning with Momschool #youcandoit

Overview

Goal: To develop lesson plans that reflect our understanding of the Principle Approach (Principle of Individuality) and develop Christian character and a Biblical worldview in ourselves and our children.

Results: 

*That we would embrace the responsibility charged to us at our conversion.  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19

*That we would be diligent in our efforts to prepare learning opportunities for our disciples thereby demonstrating the Pilgrim character qualities of faithfulness & steadfastness.

*That our children would develop a love of learning that, following our own example of the teacher as living textbook we would see an autodidactic or self-taught individual who is independently dependent upon God or Christian self-government.”

Taking Our Definition of Education to the Word

Now that you've worked up your definition of education using the Webster's 1828 Dictionary of the American Language, we are going to take this definition to the Bible.

First, from the word "education" we're going to look at the Latin word from where it came, "educatio."

Educatio means, "bring up, rearing."

Now,if you go to a Strong's Concordance and search the word "education" you will come up empty handed.  So, what do you do?  You're going to look up the Key Words from the definition of education.

So, using those Key Words from the definition of "education".  For instance, we will look up the word instruction.

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.

Here is the link to the findings of the word instruction: HERE.


Read through these findings: "instruction" occurs 33 times in 33 verses in the KJV Bible. 

Choose one or two to look up and write our your insights for the word instruction.

Repeat this process with another key word.  For instance, discipline, understanding, form.

When you are finished, please send me an email with your findings. cherishedkeeper@gmail.com

Yes, this is labor intensive but look at all you're learning!!

God Bless your efforts!

Thursday: Application of the Definition of Education

10 Reasons to Attend Your Local Homeschool Convention

Last year was my 10th year attending our statewide homeschool convention so I thought I would share with you the "Homeschool Conference Top 10" of why to attend your state homeschool convention!

10.   Families are a blessing!  Seeing all the big families in one place is a visible reminder to me of how much.  Even in church a large family can seem like an anomaly.  At conference, you see entire families helping each other and serving alongside parents at family owned businesses.  All families are a blessing, no matter the size and homeschooling builds families!

9.  There is nothing like seeing before buying!  With money tight, the ability to see before you buy is invaluable.  I've saved money by not buying some things and found some treasures I'd not known about if I hadn't attended.  A fellow vendor brought in her copy of For You They Signed.  I'd have missed this resource if I'd missed conference!

8.  It's a privilege to support fellow homeschooler owned businesses!  My husband spoke at this year's conference on "Deciding if a Family Business is Right for You" but it is apparent that many have already made the decision!  I could give my money to Amazon but would rather support my fellow home-based business owners!  Some that we liked last year: Homemaking 9-1-1, Modesty Matters, Knight's Book Nook, and Integratis Academy.

7. Volunteering is where it's at!  Everyone was important to making things run smoothly.  Do you volunteer at your conference?  I've noticed that many conferences will comp you the admission fee if you pitch in! Many hands make light work. 

6. Encouragement for what we do is important.  Burned out? Run down? Not sure about high school?  There is usually a workshop at conference to address that.

5. Meeting new ministries that minister to homeschoolers. Conference may be the only time I get to see "in action" the many ministries that work on behalf of or with homeschoolers and their families.  Our statewide group (CHEK), The Family Foundation, HSLDA, TeenPact, IndoctriNation Movie and  more.

4. The importance of HSLDA!  As a neighbor booth, I couldn't help but overhear the number of times the HSLDA rep was told "no, we're not members." Really? Wow!  This should be the first step you take after you decide to homeschool. HSLDA works on your behalf for a nominal membership fee to protect your right to homeschool.  Think you don't need it?  Here's some reading to change your mind: Census Mystery, Reasonably Resist, and The Mississippi Five

3. It's a Family Reunion of sorts!  There are friends from around the state and country that I only see at conference time.  It was great to see and work with Mrs. Ruth Smith of the Pilgrim Institute,  Cathy Flowers of IEW , Dante Tremayne (who worked a booth on behalf of someone else  but is a business owner himself) and Israel Wayne who visited Kentucky earlier this year with his mini-conference Reformation in the Home.

2. It's my responsibility to attend.  Yes, I need to be there.  To be informed about upcoming legislation, support my fellow homeschoolers, support homeschooler owned business and all of the reasons I outlined above. Your state organization provides support in ways many other conferences just cannot.  They go to bat for you when threatening legislation is on the horizon or you just need to find a way to connect with other homeschoolers in a support group.

1. We are all in this together!  Conference reminds me that I'm not out there by myself. Seeing all the families who have braved the decision to homeschool gives me hope and encouragement.  I'm thankful for the previous generation of homeschool parents whose struggles we now take for granted.  Hearing the Key Note speaker can provide a year's worth of motivation!

I can't wait for next year's conference! I encourage you to attend your statewide conference and become involved.  You can find your local conference here:  http://www.greatamericanhomeschoolconferences.com/ or by using Google.


Our state convention, sponsored by CHEK will be June 22 & 23rd, 2012 so SAVE THE DATE!  Anyone can purchase a CHEK membership for just $25 and that gets you into the conference!

See the speakers and more by visiting CHEK HERE.







More articles on Conference Attendance:

• 10 Reasons to Attend a Homeschool Conference
• Getting the Most Out of Your Homeschool Convention
• Surviving the Vendor's Hall 

 If you find yourself planning to come to the Kentucky CHEK convention in June maybe we'll see each other?

Expanding Your Definition of Education #homeschooling

I hope you've gotten the idea of how to approach definitions in the context of 4 R'ing.   This time the underlining is for NEW words in the expanded definition that I will want to look up in the Webster's 1828 Dictionary to increase my understanding.  The colored font sections are the expanded parts of the definition based upon our previously underlined key words.

Here is the definition I came up with:

Education- the causing to come up, as of a child, through the  act of teaching or informing the understanding and shaping respectful deportment.  Education takes hold by construction through a continued succession of teaching and informing the understanding by illuminating the faculty of the mind that decides what is real. Education also sets right the disposition of the mind and arranges the condition of the mind and body acquired by repetition to qualify them (youth/individual)  for the future plan God has for their life.


An education in the school subjects is valuable but the most valuable education to the child is to learn Christ and this is the parent's primary responsibility. 

So, our next "assignment" is to finish our definition by defining the underlined words: illuminating, real, disposition, qualify, and responsibility.  You will then plug these into the definition for our last working definition. 

 

Coming up:  Taking the definition to the Word!