Could you pass this test?

Here is a link for a 8th grade test given in 1895, and I couldn't answer more than half of the questions right: 

8th grade test

How our standards have changed!!!

Nothing New Under the Sun

Back in 1859, a man names Rev. S Phillips wrote a message entitled, "The Christian Home as it is in the Sphere of Nature and the Church", which is a pretty long title detailing his view in what the home should look like in relation to the church.  I was floored by some of the comments he made, because we are experience some of the same problems today.  Here is one of his quotes:

" Many parents disqualify themselves for their home-mission by devoting too much attention to society, by spending more time abroad, at parties, theatres and masquerade balls, n gossiping and recreation, than at home with each other and with their children.   They commit their children, with all the family interests, to nurses and servants.  They regard their offspring as mere playthings to be dandled upon the knee, brought up like calves in the stall, and then turned out to shape there own destiny."

I think that sounds pretty familiar.  Earlier it was mentioned just as Christ is the head of the Church, the Father is head of the Household.  The home is supposed to be the place where children learn the Word of God, learn how to pray and praise, and gain a solid foundation in Jesus.  The church can be a good place to supplement that learning, but ultimately it should be learned in the home.  What does that look like?  I have seen a glimpse of it but think that God will show you what that will look like in your home.  He will lead you on how to train your family and what the needs are for each one of you.  That is what we are figuring out now.  

I leave you with this thought, again a quote from Rev. Phillips, "Besides, the religion of our home implies that we 'command our children and household to keep the way of the Lord,'-that we 'bring them up in His and admonition,' and 'train them up as He would have them go;' and that in things pertaining to their spiritual welfare we 'go in and out' before them as their pattern and example, bidding them to 'follow us even as we follow Christ,' and living in their midst as 'the living epistles of Christ, know and read 'of them all.... 

An Interview with a family

I received an e-mail about a family who lives in England.  They are Christians, have 11 children, homeschool them, and haven't exposed them to all the "normal" things that kids get shown these days.  They don't have a TV, and they are happy. They highlight a young teenager named Deborah, she is 13, and they follow her life and ask her questions.  If you click on her name, you can see the youtube video I am talking about.

That is part of the story.  If you are a listener to Trunews you get a chance to hear the rest of the story on their free broadcasts.  Deborah and her father are interviewed and they are very eloquent on their beliefs and what they were asked to do during the TV filming.   It is not hard to check out the news and see that in the UK there are 13 year olds sexually active, and having children.  The culture prides itself on being "open" about things, and they know more about Harry Potter than the Bible.  Is that so different then what US kids are being exposed to?  

I like the quote that the father said, there has been accusations that they brainwash their kids, but he responds that sometimes our brains need the wash, in saying that we don't need to consume all the filth that the world puts out there.  Is that so bad?  Is it bad to get the Word of God rooted and grounded in the kids, and to take them away from much of what would harm them?  Now the family does have the internet, and the oldest children are off to college and one is married.  It is not that they aren't able to leave their home, they just don't want to.  They are happy. Now isn't that interesting.  How much do the kids really need outside of the family, and who's responsibility is it to raise the children?  It is something to in dig deeper with.     

Time is going fast

This weekend I was at a family get together, and my oldest son has some second cousin's his age.  I started hearing stories of the other children beginning pre-school, and realized that I am entering into that age now of formalized schooling.  And at such a young age.  

Although we don't have plans to send our kids to pre-school at this time, it is interesting enough to see the cost of the schools, I do have a lot of resources at hand.  I have this catalogue called the Rainbow Resource Center, that I got in the mail for free  (http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php) and began looking at what they had to offer.  They actually have a very extensive book with over 3500 products in it, all very detailed.  

Even with that I am hesitant about buying something I can't open, hold, and look at, so I am going to check out a local store that I know has a homeschooling section in it.  I was thinking if we can begin with reading and basic math concepts, it will help as we move onto the Noah Plan.  We also have plans to get the kids involved in organized activities, and with just the day to day things, they will have more than enough.

So are there any thoughts?  We are still going through the study plan, I just realized that there are a few things I can do now before we get into the full blown out curriculum.  

Please Read!

I was flipping through some old notebooks I had, and ran across this article I printed out a few years ago.  It is called "Against School, How public education cripples our kids and why" by John Taylor Gatto.

www.spinninglobe.net/againstschool.htm

You need to read it.  This article is coming from a man who was a former New York State and New York City Teacher of the Year.  I think it makes some very valid points from someone who was in the system, and what he saw in his career after thirty years.   

Yes it is long, but please take some time to ponder and consider what the author is saying.  Is they school system really helping our children, or keeping them children?  Are we challenging our kids enough or are we catering to them so much that they don't really stretch and strengthen and grow?

Good Quotes

"Diffuse the knowledge of the Bible, and the hungry will be fed, and the naked clothed.  Diffuse the knowledge of the Bible, and the stranger will be sheltered, the prisoner visited, and the sick ministered unto.  Diffuse the knowledge of the Bible, and Temperance will rest upon a surer basis than any mere private pledge or public statute.  Diffuse the knowledge of the Bible, and the peace of the world will be secured by more substantial safeguards than either the mutual fear, or the reciprocal interests of prices or of people. Diffuse the knowledge of the Bible, and the day will be hastened, as it can be hastened in no other way, when every yoke shall be loosened, and every bond broken, and when there shall be no more leading until captivity..."  

"All societies of men must be governed in some way or other.  The less they may have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government.  The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint.   Men, in a word, must be necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; wither by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; ether by the Bible, or by the bayonet." 

 Robert C. Winthrop, Boston, 1852

Those are some interesting thoughts about the power of the Word of God.  A very good thing to keep in mind as we memorize scriptures and seek out with God says in our lives.  I don't know about you, but I would rather be led by what God says.  In this day and age the world is saying a lot of different things, some good, mostly bad, but that doesn't change who God is and what He wants to do in our lives.  

What do you remember

I remember that in my public High School, when studying the history of the world, we were looking at the time at the early 100's AD.  They had a few paragraphs about the persecution of the Christian church at the time, but in that whole textbook that was it.  And then they went on.  I thought it was funny at the time, that the religion and faith that I had, and our brothers and sisters who went before us, were summarized in a moment in a huge textbook.  

I am sure, as a Christian, if I had the desire to dig deeper into what was happening in the early church I would have realized more about the history of the faith I believe and would have come to some different conclusions at an earlier age.  Like only though extreme persecution did the church really thrive and grow, and that during the times of acceptance and peace it weakened the faithful the most.  There was a time that I wanted to shy away for persecution as much as possible.  Another thing I would have remembered is that Christianity was never really accepted in the true form by organized government, and those who tried apologetics to fight their cause with the authority at the time were usually left in vain.  It was the power of God that drew people, that healed them, that fought for them, and not by their own strength.  How many times have I tried to do things in my own strength.  

I applaud the groups and organizations trying to fight for Christian principles and Christian morals through the avenue of politics and government, but somewhere along the way our government, no matter how much they stress tolerance and acceptance, will never truly accept Christianity at it's truest form.  Because they serve the god of this world and it is a spiritual battle.  That Kingdom of God principles are so different than what the world will accept and perceive, and we are going to be miss-understood and hated, because they hated Jesus first.  

Did you remember that?  In many ways what we experience today is not much different then what they experienced thousands of years ago, only are we learning from our Christian history, or did it get passed over and forgotten.  Do we think we won't be faced with the same choices as we try to follow God in our lives, and be in the world but not of it.  What do you remember about history?  

Did you know?

There will probably be a lot of titles to this blog of "Did you know", because there is so much that I didn't know that I wanted to share with you as I take this Homeschooling journey.  

The Bible, when first translated from Latin into the language for the common people into English, was translated by John Wycliffe, in 1356.  It is pretty commonly known that it was at a great risk to his life and it took over 40  years to do.  But did you know that the first book of the Bible that was translated was Revelation?  During that time period a new social order was arising and there was a false prophet named Abbot Joachim of Calabria who was turning men's minds towards a deceptive Everlasting Gospel, and not the True Gospel.  John Wycliffe believed the world was entering the end times and thought the people needed to have an understanding of the Apocalypse.  

I think that is a profound thought.  Even back in Jesus's day the disciples wanted to know if the end of the world was near, and I am sure it was felt in the early church with the persecution many of them faced.  And yet hundreds of years have passed, and the pattern continues.  Are we in the last days?  It seemed as John Wycliffe felt it in his century.  We could be, and even if we aren't it seems like we will face persecution and have trials and tribulations in our own lives.  But take heart, Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).  

So where does that leave us?  I believe we are therefore called to a deeper understanding of God and responsible for teaching it to our children.  That our children will know how to go to God and be led by the Holy Spirit.  We need to take back the education and put it into the obedience of God if we are to at least see a change in our own family units.  

Dr. Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress in 1783, was quoted, "Ever keep in mind that it is parts that form the whole, and fractions constitute the unit. Good government generally begins in the family, and if the moral character of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow."  

God give us the strength to follow You as a family.  

Continuing the Self Directed Seminar

This week I purchased the three books that go with the Self-Directed Study , Teaching and Learning America's Christian History: The Principle Approach, The Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America, Vol 1: Christian Self-Government, and The Christian History of the American Revolution: Consider and Ponder.  All these books are offered by the Foundation for American Christian Education.  Once I get them at the end of this week I am going to go back through the study with a fine tooth comb and learn some more.  

Did you know that the popular version of the Bible, NIV, is at the 5th grade reading level?  The King James version is at a 12 grade learning level.  Did you also know that the Humanist Manifesto (Google it sometime to read the whole thing) part two of three right now, that is basis for Humanism in this day and age, believes in the right of universal education, and although education is good, keeps God out of the school system and everyday life.  And that is what is happening today.  We hardly even know the basis of our own history in the United States and what this country was founded on, because of it's God given roots.  We are being spoon fed, and not strengthened to learn and to seek out the truth.  That partial in part of the reason I am going to homeschool.  I am looking forward to digging in, and will share with you what I learn.  

Weekly thoughts

I finished going through the Noah Plan Self-Directed Study in the Principle Approach,  just a quick overview, so I am going to go back through it looking up more references and do it in more detail.  Although my aim is to update this blog weekly, I find myself daily thinking about homeschooling, either in watching my kids, seeing an online article about it, or just in my daydreams.  

I want to write out the big picture statements from the Lessons just for my reference of what are the main ideas.

Lesson #1 - Preparing for the Seminar

What's Wrong - American Christians have permitted secular educators to rob us of our rich educational heritage and the knowledge of our Biblical foundations.

Let's Solve it - Wake up and get armed with the educational philosophy that gave us our liberty.  Take leadership!

Lesson #2 - Gaining the Mind of Christ in Education

What's Wrong - The secularization of our culture went to our heads.  We've met the enemy and it is us.  We are the products of the vain philosophies: of modern American education.

Let's Solve It - Restore your head as well as your heart to Christ!  Learn to reason by Biblical principles and gain a truly Christian world and life view.

Lesson #3 - The Notebook Approach

What's Wrong - Consumerism has consumed us!  Modern education is a consumer driven industry cranking the gears of functional illiteracy!

Let's Solve It - Classic Principle Approach education makes the learner a producer and establishes the skills and character of scholarship through the Notebook Approach. 

Lesson #4 - Education A Whole View

What's Wrong - When you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there.

Let's Solve it - Get a vision of the end goal and aim for it.

Lesson #5 - Our Heritage of Christian Education

What's Wrong - Without principles and "knowledge of the past," we cannot recognize the better way.

Let's Solve it - Learn to discern true methods and curriculum.  Examine Biblical models.

Lesson #6 - Gaining a Providential View of History

What's Wrong - I'm indoctrinated by a materialistic, hedonistic, "me" and "now" focus.  I am not the center of the universe of the sum total of existence.  

Let's Solve it  Get a worldview that is true, Learn His story.

Lesson #7 - The Curriculum and the Method

What's Wrong - Force-fed, worn out, stimulus-response, sensation-injected curricula form the consumer-driven education of today and the resulting dependent character.

Let's Solve it - Breathe life into learning by daring to research, reason, relate, and record. Cultivate a love of learning.

Lesson #8 - Education for the Twenty-first century

What's wrong - The culture is on a crash course propelled by secular, humanistic, agendas driven by modern education

Let's Solve it - Reformation comes one soul, one heart, on mind at a time.  Join the reformation of the nation.  

Those are big picture points that are helpful to look at as I learn this way of teaching.  Now it is time to dig in and look at more of the details.

Definitions

The Noah Curriculum is based on the Bible and the 1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary, part of the reason of the name.  Here is the definition of Education from the Noah Webster's dictionary:

The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of matters.  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 eduction in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious eduction is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

Wow, that says a lot.  It forms the whole person, and puts the burden of responsibility on the parents.  Now just out of curiosity I checked out an alternative definition of education from the online Merriam Webster dictionary:

1.  the action or process of educating or of being educated; also a stage of such a process, the knowledge and development resulting from an educational process.

2.  The field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools.

Hmmm.  The burden of responsibility with that one is on the schools.  That is interesting, because one seems pretty vague, but more well known, and the other is more detailed, but not as acknowledged in this period of time.  

Which one is right?  I know that Noah Webster used the Bible as a source for his dictionary and they have a tendency to overlap in meaning.  Since the Bible is important for us to follow, here are some scriptures to fill in some of the blanks:

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

Psalms 86:11 - Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.

Psalms 132:12 - If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.

Matthew 5:19 - Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

2 Timothy 2:24 - And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

There are 109 reference of teaching in the Bible, and just from this small selection above, the ability and knowledge of what to teach is very important.  Are these things that can be learned in schools at all in this day and age?  

Back on Track

In November I ordered the "Self Directed Study in the Principle Approach" booklet and CD to begin the process of learning how the principle approach method (for more information see the www.face.net website).  I am glad I have a few years before I really begin.  I will use this blog to work out some of my thoughts on homeschooling and in the retraining of our mind, because it really needs to be a complete work.  

I guess I didn't realize how much I just memorized things and studied just for a test, memorizing for the good grade, but nothing really sticking as far as understanding.  I feel like most of the education I received was dull, lifeless, and very empty.  I confess I am excited to be going through this again to learn and to understand.  To see the spark in my children's eyes and learn what really makes them click.  To see their lives as important in the big scheme of things and know without a shadow of a doubt that God has a special plan for their lives.  

I don't have all the books yet to fully go through this seminar book, but I will read it through once by itself, and then go through with the supplemental materials and answer all the questions and really dive into it.  It is that important.  

So let me share this journey with you as I learn how to learn and find meaning in the world around me.  "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened:"  Ephesians 1:17-18